Month: August 2019

KU researcher indicted

A researcher at the University of Kansas was indicted today on federal charges of hiding the fact he was working full time for a Chinese university while doing research at KU funded by the U.S. government, according to the Department of Justice.

Feng “Franklin” Tao, 47, Lawrence, Kansas, an associate professor at KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, was charged with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud. He was employed since August 2014 by the CEBC, whose mission is to conduct research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy.

“Tao is alleged to have defrauded the US government by unlawfully receiving federal grant money at the same time that he was employed and paid by a Chinese research university—a fact that he hid from his university and federal agencies,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers for national security. “Any potential conflicts of commitment by a researcher must be disclosed as required by law and university policies. The department will continue to pursue any unlawful failure to do so.”

The indictment alleges that in May 2018 Tao signed a five-year contract with Fuzhou University in China that designated him as a Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor. The contract required him to be a full-time employee of the Chinese university.

While Tao was under contract with Fuzhou University, he was conducting research at KU that was funded through two U.S. Department of Energy contracts and four National Science Foundation contracts.

Kansas Board of Regents’ policy requires staff to file an annual conflict of interest report. In Tao’s reports to KU, he is alleged to have falsely claimed to have no conflicts of interest, according to the Department of Justice. The indictment alleges that he fraudulently received more than $37,000 in salary paid for by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the wire fraud count, and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the program fraud counts.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge.

The University of Kansas cooperated and assisted in the FBI’s investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi is prosecuting.

Walk-off thriller knocks T-Bones out of wild card lead

by Luke Schrock

Sioux City, Iowa – The Kansas City T-Bones (47-39) lost their second-place spot in the Southern Division in Tuesday’s 3-2 walk-off loss to the Sioux City Explorers (48-39), who now take second place.

Dylan Baker went 7.2 innings against the Explorers, only giving up one run in the bottom of the first. After the first he was lights out until he was taken out of the game in the bottom of the eighth for Carlos Diaz (1-2) to shut the door on the eighth inning, but two walks would kill the T-Bones in the end.

After Diaz walked Dexture McCall and Justin Felix, Diaz would let up two straight singles from Sebastian Zawada and Dylan Kelly. Kelly would be the final blow in the first walk-off loss the T-Bones have faced this season.

Carlos Sierra was able to hold off the T-Bones until the sixth inning, when he was replaced by Nate Gercken in the bottom of the sixth. Sierra and Gercken were the only ones who let up runs to Kansas City, and Jose Velez (2-0) was awarded the win after completing the one run comeback.

The T-Bones were down 1-0 to the Explorers for most of the game. Chris Colabello broke the silence in the sixth inning to score Shawn O’Malley and to tie the game at 1-1. The next inning, in the top of the seventh, a Christian Correa RBI scored Casey Gillaspie to take the lead 2-1.

Kansas City returns home for the next three days to take on the Lincoln Saltdogs, who are currently out of the wildcard race but who could spoil playoff hopes for the T-Bones.

Kansas City will be in action tonight starting game one at 5:05 p.m. and game two at 7:05 p.m. at JustBats Field at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. Catch all the action live on the T-Bones Broadcast Network at http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

Tickets to all T-Bones home games are on sale online or by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale.

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Effort recognizes famous Kansas editor

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Opinion column

This was William Allen White, circa 1896, about the time he wrote his famous editorial “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”

by Murrel Bland

The year 2018 was a most memorable one for those who celebrate the legacy of William Allen White. It was the 150th celebration of his birth year.

White was born on Feb. 10, 1868, in Emporia, Kansas, and is most identified with that city. However, he had some very significant connections to Wyandotte County.

Walter Armstrong, one of White’s fellow Phi Delta Theta fraternity brothers from The University of Kansas at Lawrence, introduced White to Sallie Moss Lindsay, a public school teacher. They were married on April 27, 1893, at the bride’s family home at 330 Waverly Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas. White was working at The Kansas City Star. Sallie’s father was a superintendent at Fowler’s packing house in the stockyards.

White continued to work at The Star for a couple of years. He then bought The Emporia Gazette in 1895 when he was 27 years old. He paid $3,000 for the newspaper; his mother, Mary Ann Hatten White, pledged her real estate property as security for the loan.

In 1896, White’s editorial “What the Matter with Kansas” gained national attention. Kansas had seen unpresented growth during the 1870s and 1880s. But then came the economic panic of 1893. Population growth slowed substantially.

The population of Kansas in 1890 was about 1.42 million; in 1900 that number was only about 1.47 million. Compare those numbers with the growth in Kansas from about 364,000 in 1870 to about 996,000 in 1880. The same population trend was seen in Wyandotte County; its population jumped from about 10,000 in 1870 to more than 54,000 in 1890; but the growth slowed to a total of only a little more than 73,000 in 1900.

Nationally, the Populist movement was emerging as a strong political element; a financial depression lasted from 1893 until 1897; unemployment reached more than 18 percent in the United States; some 500 banks closed and more than 15,000 businesses failed.

White was critical of political leadership, particularly the Populists. He concluded that there was really nothing wrong with Kansas that Kansans couldn’t solve. White won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorial “To an Anxious Friend,” written in 1922. It also attracted national attention. White concluded his editorial with these remarks:

“So dear friend, put fear out of your heart. This nation will survive; this state will go forward if only men can speak in whatever way given them to utter what their hearts hold — by voice, by posted card, by letter, or by press. Reason has never failed men. Only force and repression have made the wrecks in the world.”

White was a frequent visitor to Kansas City, Kansas. His brother-in-law, Lacy Haynes, was the longtime manager of the Kansas office of The Kansas City Star. Haynes was also known as a “political kingmaker.”

White was popular because he personified the character of a small town. Political leaders, particularly those running for president, sought the advice of “The Sage of Emporia.”

In 2012, I first met with a group of about a dozen Kansas editors in Topeka who were concerned that the legacy of White was being lost. Doug Anstaett, who was executive director of the Kansas Press Association, organized the meeting. We decided that a documentary film should be made on the life of White. The goal would be to have work on the film completed by 2018, which would mark the 150th anniversary of White’s birth year.

Dave Seaton, a third-generation Kansas editor who lives near Winfield, Kansas, was unanimously chosen as the chairman of the film committee. The committee chose Kevin Willmott, a professor of film and media studies at the University of Kansas, to produce the documentary. His proposal was one of three excellent submissions. Willmott has won recognition for other films from the Sundance and Cannes film festivals and an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. The William Allen White Foundation, which owns rights to the White film, is hoping to seek national distribution of the film.

I am pleased to show the condensed, 16-minute version of the film to voluntary organizations. It would be an ideal program for civic or church groups. Telephone me at 913-788-7642 or email me at [email protected] for more information.

Murrel Bland, the former editor of the Wyandotte West, is a member of the board of directors of the William Allen White and Kansas Newspaper foundations. He is also a trustee of the Wyandotte County Historical Society.