Trade officials from China are in Washington, DC this week as the Trump administration places further pressure on China to reach an agreement with the United States. Trump will increase tariffs on China Friday, saying talks between the two nations are going too slowly. On Twitter, Trump states he will increase tariffs on $200 billion of goods from 10 to 25 percent.
Trade organization Tariffs Hurt the Heartland says the move would cost nearly one million American jobs, and “increase the likelihood of retaliation on American farmers.” China and the U.S. meet this week in what was expected to be the final round of formal talks. Trump is expected to host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in June, with the expectation the two would sign an agreement.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday the negotiations held so far between the two sides have achieved positive progress, adding, China hopes the U.S. will work to “meet each other halfway and strive for a mutually beneficial agreement on the basis of mutual respect.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Republican senators are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss a new White House immigration plan.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway describes the plan as “fairly comprehensive,” saying it aims to beef up border security and maximize merit-based immigration. Conway says it will cover other changes favored by Trump, including ending some family migration and visa lottery programs.
Conway says the plan could also touch on the plight of thousands who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
The proposals are being developed by senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. A previous attempt by Trump to reach a comprehensive immigration deal with Congress collapsed.
Trump put immigration at the center of his presidential campaign, including a promise to build a wall on the U.S-Mexico border.
MANHATTAN — Paul and Sandra Edgerley, Brookline, Massachusetts, have given $20 million to the College of Business Administrationat Kansas State University. The gift is to support the college’s recently adopted five-year strategic plan and vision to become a transformational leader in business thought and education through knowledge creation, innovative programs and extraordinary experiences.
Paul and Sandra Edgerley photo courtesy KState
According to a media release from KSU, in order to realize the full benefits of the strategic plan, the college seeks to double its endowment from $50 million to $100 million by 2021, and the Edgerley gift gets them nearly halfway to that goal. The Edgerleys’ gift funds a new Digital Learning Repository, a new Center for Financial Analysis, and enhances efforts in four key areas: corporate engagement, student recruitment, branding and marketing of the college, and data-driven decision making.
“Paul and Sandra Edgerley have made a truly transformative investment in the future of the College of Business Administration,” said Kevin Gwinner, Edgerley family dean of the College of Business Administration. “However, more than just investing, they have helped us craft a strategic plan to fulfill our vision of being the premier business school in the region. This plan is metric driven, sets specific goals and provides for accountability. This investment will allow us to continue to elevate the educational quality, reputation and stature of the college. Further, it is serving to motivate others to consider how they can play a role in this transformation as we drive toward doubling the endowment of the college from $50 million to $100 million over the next three years.”
The college has set ambitious strategic goals for its future, and the increased funds will empower the college to get results. Here are a few of these goals:
• Increase the four-year graduation rate.
• Grow the college by 500 students, including increasing the multicultural student population.
• Increase engagement between students and companies in terms of quantity and quality.
• Increase the number of students participating in internships.
• Increase the number of job offers to students.
•Increase the average starting salaries of graduates.
Paul Edgerley received his degree in accounting from Kansas State University in 1978. In 2004, Edgerley was named the Distinguished Business Leader of the Year by the college and was inducted into the college’s Business Leaders Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the college’s Accounting Hall of Fame. Edgerley serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Business. Paul Edgerley is a managing director and co-founder of VantEdge, a private investment group focused on building excellent companies. He previously served as a managing director at Bain Capital from 1990 until his retirement in January 2016. Since his retirement, he continues to serve as a senior advisor to Bain Capital and a number of Bain’s portfolio companies.
“We are proud to have worked with Paul and Sandra Edgerley on this incredible gift to the College of Business Administration,” said Greg Willems, president and CEO of the KSU Foundation. “In addition to this recent investment, the Edgerleys have made a number of other gifts to the business college, funding scholarships, endowing the dean’s position and faculty chairs, funding the development of the college’s career counseling program, and they made a cornerstone donation toward the construction of the college’s new building. The Edgerleys’ generosity and impact will substantially elevate outcomes for our students and companies looking for premier talent. We are truly fortunate to have their friendship and a shared vision for the future of our great university.”
The Edgerleys see their investments in Kansas State University as a way to give back and to advance future endeavors.
“Sandy and I are great believers in the importance of the business college strategic plan and see this as a unique opportunity to give back to the university that has had such a profound impact on my life,” Paul Edgerley said. “We believe funding the college strategy will continue to transform the business college, ensuring K-State business students get a differential education, find great jobs and ultimately have successful and meaningful lives and careers. These students will become tomorrow’s leaders. They will build successful businesses, create good jobs for Kansas residents and be successful alumni who, 20 years from now, will give of their time and money to support future generations of Kansas State students.”
The College of Business Administration’s comprehensive vision for success is represented by five strategic pillars: build and maintain a world-class learning facility, offer scholarships to attract the best students and address affordability, provide innovative and applied educational programs and experiences, support inspirational faculty and staff, and ensure students find and are prepared for extraordinary careers.
The Edgerleys’ gift not only benefits the College of Business Administration but also Kansas State University as a whole.
“Paul and Sandra Edgerley exemplify the generosity of the K-State family,” said Richard Myers, university president. “Their investment in the success of College of Business Administration faculty, students and programs not only elevates the college but brings prestige to the university and helps propel K-State toward being nationally recognized as a Top 50 public research university.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investing a shooting that sent one man to the hospital and have made an arrest.
Jones photo Shawnee Co.
Just after 8 a.m. Monday, the Shawnee CountyCommunications Center received reports of a possible shooting at the Traveler’s Inn, 3846 SW Topeka Blvd. in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.
At the scene, police located an adult male who appeared to be suffering from an apparent non-life threatening gunshot wound. The suspect was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital.
A preliminary investigation indicates that a Bail Bondsman was on the second floor of the Traveler’s Inn attempting to take the suspect into custody on a misdemeanor warrant for escape from custody.
The suspect grabbed a large metal lamp and attempted to strike the Bail Bondsman. The Bail Bondsman then fired his weapon, striking the suspect. The Bail Bondsman was not injured in the incident.
Police later learned the man who fired the gun was not a Bail Bondsman, according to Lt. Robert Simmons.
Police arrested Durante Dewayne Jones, 36, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Aggravated False Impersonation, Bail Enforcement – Unlawful Acts and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by Felon.
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SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investing a shooting that sent a suspect to the hospital.
Just after 8 a.m. Monday, the Shawnee CountyCommunications Center received reports of a possible shooting at the Traveler’s Inn, 3846 SW Topeka Blvd. in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.
At the scene, police located an adult male who appeared to be suffering from an apparent non-life threatening gunshot wound. The suspect was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital.
A preliminary investigation indicates that a Bail Bondsman was on the second floor of the Traveler’s Inn attempting to take the suspect into custody on a misdemeanor warrant for escape from custody.
The suspect grabbed a large metal lamp and attempted to strike the Bail Bondsman. The Bail Bondsman then fired his weapon, striking the suspect. The Bail Bondsman was not injured in the incident.
All individuals were accounted for and there was no threat to the public, according to Koenen.
The case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for charging consideration as is standard protocol. Further information will be released when we are able to.
LAFAYETTE COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Monday in Lafayette County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Freightliner semi driven by Anatoly Gavrilov, 35, Jamaica, NY., was eastbound on Interstate 70 at Bates City.
The semi struck William C. Dravenstott, 63, Bates City, who was kneeling in the center of the road.
Dravenstott was pronounced dead at the scene. The MSHP released no additional details early Tuesday.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A confidential settlement has been reached in a wrongful-death claim filed after a Columbia police vehicle struck and killed a 4-year-old girl.
The settlement was approved Monday. It was sealed so details were not released.
The claim was filed after Gabriella Curry died in January . The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Officer Andria Heese struck Gabriella outside Columbia’s Battle High School while she was trying to park on the sidewalk to watch students loading onto buses.
Gabriella’s mother was driving a student bus and had taken her daughter along as she completed her afternoon route. Authorities have not yet said why the girl was on the sidewalk.
FULTON, Mo. (AP) — A letter from the Prince of Wales highlights the 50th anniversary of a mid-Missouri museum honoring Winston Churchill.
courtesy National Churchill Museum
Members of the families of Churchill and President Harry Truman were among the hundreds of people attending weekend activities at America’s National Churchill Museum on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton.
The museum honors the place where Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946. The museum opened May 7, 1969, after the London church St. Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury was moved stone-by-stone to Fulton.
The phrase “Iron Curtain” described the separation of Eastern Europe that was under Soviet Union rule.
Prince Charles, in a letter read at a gala on Saturday, noted the museum as the “remarkable and highly appropriate memorial” for the famous speech.
HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — A Nebraska woman involved in a crash that killed three Kansans will be sentenced in June after accepting a plea agreement.
Maria De Jesus Perez-Marquez photo Jackson County
Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller confirmed Monday that 49-year-old Maria Perez Marquez, of Omaha, pleaded guilty in April to three misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide and one felony count of aggravated battery. She had originally been charged with three felony counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The November 2017 crash on U.S. 75 killed three family members of two Sabetha High School football players shortly after their team won a state title.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said Perez-Marquez was trying to pass another vehicle about 12 miles north of Holton when her vehicle hit a minivan driven by 42-year-old Carmen Ukele, of Sabetha. The crash killed Ukele, her daughter and her brother-in-law.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A California trucker working for a Kansas freight brokerage pleaded guilty Monday to stealing a load of meat valued at more than $160,000, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Gegham Avetisyan, 37, Valley Village, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Avetisyan contracted with a trucking freight brokerage business in Olathe to deliver a load of meat to three locations in California.
He faxed documents to the company in which he used the name Robert Ivanov. He picked up the meat at a packing plant in Omaha, but never delivered it.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 12. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. McAllister commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is putting pressure on Amtrak to commit to the continued operation of the Southwest Chief passenger rail service that connects Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in Kansas.
Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson testifies before a Senate Committee -image courtesy CSPAN
Moran recently delayed confirming three nominees to Amtrak’s board of directors in an effort to push the national rail carrier to offer assurances that the line will operate for at least another year, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
Amtrak’s president, Richard Anderson, agreed to meet with Moran and other lawmakers about the rail service’s future later this month.
Amtrak officials considered suspending rail service from Dodge City to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and transitioning to buses last year. The idea stemmed from the cost of repairs needed along a portion of the route.
The Republican senator was behind a federal budget compromise approved by Congress in February that provides an additional $50 million to go toward maintenance and safety improvements of the Southwest Chief line. Discussions in Congress about extending funding are ongoing.
“As the divide between urban communities and rural communities in America continues to expand, passenger rail services, like the Southwest Chief, are necessary in connecting Kansans to the rest of the country,” Moran said. “I am continuing to seek assurances from Amtrak that it will uphold its commitment to repair, improve and continue the Southwest Chief rail line.”
Moran and a group of lawmakers also sent Amtrak officials a letter requesting information about the route. Last year’s ridership information hasn’t been made available yet.
More than 52,000 passengers boarded the Southwest Chief line in Kansas in 2017, which was an increase of 2,700 people from the previous year.
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ByCORINNE BOYER, Kansas News Service
Long-running frustration about Amtrak’s willingness to keep a rail passenger line running through remote parts of the country has politicians threatening to block new directors to the agency.
Amtrak has yet to respond to senators about the future of its long-distance routes. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A handful of U.S. senators demanded specifics by this week about how Amtrak plans to spend an added $50 million to keep the Southwest Chief line running from Chicago, through Kansas, to Los Angeles.
Hoping to force Amtrak to make long-term promises of keeping the Southwest Chief line, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas had already used the power each senator holds to put a legislative block on the appointment of three nominees waiting to join the passenger rail agency’s board of directors.
Amtrak still has not specified when it will answer the pending questions from the Senate. A spokeswoman from Moran’s office said Amtrak has made contact, but not with answers about how it plans to alter long-distance routes or how the rail service calculates what states must chip in to support service.
“(Moran) will maintain those holds (on the nominations until he gets) assurances from Amtrak that it will continue to fund the Southwest Chief and funds that rail service,” said Moran spokeswoman Morgan Said.
Moran and other senators have criticized Amtrak for proposals to replace train services with buses along some parts of the route.
Amtrak officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
In February, Congress gave $50 million for upkeep of the route to Amtrak to keep the line working through September. Last year, Amtrak proposed replacing service from Dodge City to Albuquerque with buses, but the federal budget prohibits the use of buses to replace long-distance train service along the route.
In early April, a group of 11 senators sent Amtrak a letter demanding more detail about its plans for the Southwest Chief and how, more broadly, it decides which long-distance routes are worth operating.
The Senate letter also addressed Amtrak’s claims that ridership is down. The most recent data provided by Amtrak says more than 52,000 passengers boarded the Southwest Chief line in Kansas in 2017, up 5.7 percent from 2016.
With 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. departures, Newton, the busiest station in the state, saw nearly 16,000 passengers in 2017. Erin McDaniel, communications director for the City of Newton, says the town supports the Southwest Chief and partners with other cities to fund it.
“We know many of our residents use it to get to Chicago as well as the Southwest,” McDaniel said.
Keeping the Southwest Chief running is important to Newton because preliminary efforts looking at establishing train service to connect Newton to the Heartland Flyer route, which runs from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas, are underway.
“There used to be a train route that went there years ago,” McDaniel said, “but if the Southwest Chief goes away, dreams of extending the Heartland Flyer would go away with it.”
Over the last year, Amtrak has removed ticket agents from many stations. But Assistant City Manager for Dodge City Melissa Mccoy said the city employs staff at its train depot.
“We have few options in terms of public transportation,” McCoy said. She said ridership jumps with tourists in the summer.
Without the Southwest Chief route, McCoy says some Dodge City residents wouldn’t be able to travel long distances.
“We have a lot of working class folks, and they have limited income,” she said. “Amtrak provides them a way to visit family and go on vacation and without that they might not have it all.”
An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the reason a hold was placed on Amtrak directors’ appointments. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran took that action to secure a pledge to keep the Southwest Chief line running.
Corinne Boyer is a reporter based in Garden City for the Kansas News Service. Follow her @Corinne_Boyer.
Trade officials from China are in Washington, DC this week as the Trump administration places further pressure on China to reach an agreement with the United States. Trump will increase tariffs on China Friday, saying talks between the two nations are going too slowly. On Twitter, Trump states he will increase tariffs on $200 billion of goods from 10 to 25 percent.
