Kansas Klips

Couple sells all six Nor'West newspapers

OBERLIN — Steve and Cynthia Haynes surprised their staff at The Oberlin Herald and across northwest Kansas last Friday morning with an announcement that they were retiring from the newspaper business, effective immediately. The six newspapers that make up Nor’West Newspapers have been sold to two brothers from Washington and Montana, Jesse and Lloyd Mullen of Mullen Newspapers. The brothers said they were born into a newspaper family in Wyoming, and have since purchased and run several newspapers across the western and northwestern U.S. The Hayneses have been in the newspaper business for over 40 years, and since both of them are 74, they hope to retire and spend more time with their family. The six newspapers sold include three weekly papers: The Oberlin Herald, The Saint Francis Herald, and Bird City Times; two biweekly papers: The Goodland Star-News and The Norton Telegram; and the Colby Free Press, which is published four times a week. In additgion, Nor’West publishes The Country Advocate, a free shopper which reaches 19,000 households across ten counties in northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado. (The Norton Telegram)

Ice, then dust causes wrecks

OBERLIN — Much of northwest Kansas saw its first measurable snow of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 29, according to meteorologist Kalitta Kauffman with the National Weather Service forecast office in Goodland. Oberlin, Atwood and St. Francis received around an inch, and the snow and following dust storm caused several wrecks in the area, including one that killed a Selden man. Before the snow fell, a layer of ice accumulated, leading to slippery roads and sidewalks. Students in Oberlin received their first snow day for the season. A rollover accident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. about a half mile east of Norcatur on U.S. 36 when a driver lost control on the slick road, rolling once. The driver was able to climb out of the vehicle and was taken to the hospital for observation. Another vehicle overturned on U.S. 83 between 8 and 9 a.m., north of Oberlin. No one was injured. Later that evening someone hit a steer with a small Mazda sport-utility vehicle about a half a mile west of Norcatur. The driver wasn’t hurt, but the steer was killed and the car was totaled. By Friday, Dec. 2, the area experienced the opposite end of the weather scale, with temperatures warming into the 70s, followed by a cold front sweeping the area with winds up to 70 mph. The front brought with it a wall of dust in several areas reminiscent of storms during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. A Selden man was killed on U.S. 24 seven miles west of Hoxie in Sheridan County. Brenton Phillips, 63, stopped his Dodge Ram pickup behind a semi-trailer rig that was stopped behind other traffic when the wall of dust hit.A second rig hit Mr. Phillips’ pickup from the rear, pushing the vehicle into the first semi-trailer. The Oberlin Herald)

Vandals spray painted walls inside church

MANHATTAN — Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged vandalism at a church in Riley County. Late in the afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 8, the Riley County Police Department was called to investigate a report of vandalism at the Sedalia Community Church on N. 52nd Street in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report. An unknown suspect entered the annex building and spray painted the walls and other property inside the building. The estimated total loss associated with this is $6,000. (JCPost.com)

Arrest made in 42-year-old cold case homicide

BARTON COUNTY — Possibly the oldest homicide arrest in the State of Kansas and one the oldest homicides cleared by arrest in the United States occurred last week in Barton County. Law enforcement authorities arrested a suspect in the 1980 homicide of 23-year-old Mary Robin Walter, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir. Steven L. Hanks, 68, Burden, who was a person of interest at the time of the murder, is now being held on a $500,000 bond. Authorities arrested him last Thursday at Oxford in Sumner County. Hanks has previous convictions in 1983 for rape, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and aggravated battery. Over the years, numerous detectives have looked at the case and were not able to obtain information that would assist in prosecution. In April 2022, while recovering from Covid, Detective Sgt. Adam Hales of the Barton County Sheriff’s Office reopened the Mary Robin Walter homicide case. After taking a fresh look at the case, it became evident that some information had been initially overlooked and some had been added at a later date. In October of this year, new evidence was obtained that allowed the Sheriff’s Office to submit the case to Barton CountyAttorney Levi Morris for review. After approximately four weeks of review, Morris obtained an arrest warrant for murder in the 2nd degree for Hanks arrest. He was a neighbor to the victim at the time. At 42-years and 10 months, Bellendir believes this is the oldest homicide arrest in the State of Kansas, it may be one the oldest homicides cleared by arrest in the United States. (SalinaPost.com)