By noon today, there was already a whiff of mesquite woodsmoke wafting through the trees in Hays Municipal Park.

Contestants have registered and are setting up their sites for the 4th Annual KCBS (Kansas City Barbeque Society) BBQ Contest, presented by the Downtown Hays Development Corporation.

New this year, KIDSQ,  a children’s barbecue competition, tonight on the NCKTC Big Creek Campus adjacent to the park.

Also new, BBQ Bucks, which allows attendees to sample the participating BBQ contestants’ food entries.

Awards for KIDS Q will be presented at 9 o’clock tonight at the band stage.  The winning adult teams step to the stage Saturday at 3:30p.m.

For all the fun check out:  https://www.haysbluesandbbq.com/

Hays Police have issued several Water Use Citations and Notice Of Violations  in the past few days and it serves as a reminder that they are enforcing water use laws.   Offenders are given a warning for a first offense, but as Lieutenant Brandon M Wright informed us,  water violations fall into two categories:

• –1)    Illegal Use of Water
• 2)      Water Wasting.

According to Wright, for Water Wasting, officers will issue a citation similar to a traffic ticket, and the accused must appear in municipal court on the specified date and time.    For Illegal Use, they are issued a different “Notice of Violation” and they must take care of it at City Hall.  Wright also says Private Wells  are regulated by the same ordinances, as they are tapping into the same water supply the rest of the community depends on.

Each Water Violation Category is defined below.

Illegal Use of Water

–          Outdoor use of water between 12:00 noon and 7 PM

–          For washing down sidewalks, buildings, hard surface areas, etc. (any time)

–          Private well being used between 12:00 noon and 7 PM

–          Private well not registered

In an illegal use of water case, typically using water during restricted hours, the violator is issued a “Notice of Violation” by an officer which is processed by City Hall.  The violator can request a hearing to defend themselves if done so in writing within three (3) days. 

–          Upon the first violation, the accused party will be issued a formal warning

–          Upon a second violation, a fine of $50.00 shall be charged

–          Upon a third violation, a fine of $200.00 shall be charged

–          Upon a fourth and subsequent violation, a fine of $250.00 shall be charged

If you have a newly seeded lawn, a permit can be applied for at City Hall to allow water use during restricted hours.

Water Wasting:

Sec. 65-70 of the city code:  Escape or draining of water from private property prohibited; penalty

(a)     It is unlawful for any person to allow substantial amounts of water to escape and/or drain from private property onto public property, including, but not limited to, public sidewalks, rights-of-way, streets, alleys, and highways; provided that the term “substantial” shall mean an amount of water sufficient to cause a discernible flow of water reaching the street, gutter, or other drainage system.

(b)     For the purpose of this section, it shall be presumed that the resident of the private property from which water escapes or drains knows of such escape or draining.

(c)     Any person accused of a violation of this section shall be charged in the municipal court of the city (City of Hays) and shall upon conviction:

–          For the first conviction shall no be fined but shall receive a warning to the effect of subsequent convictions

–          For a second conviction not less than $0.00 nor more than $25.00

–          For a third or subsequent conviction not less than $25.00 nor more than $50.00

The Hays Police Department conducted 12 traffic stops and responded to six animal calls on Thursday, according to the Hays Police Department Log.

Water Violation: The Hays Police Department investigated four water violations on Thursday. Three of the four violations were reported in the early morning hours on Thursday. The first was reported just after midnight in the 1300 block of East 41^st Street. Another violation was reported at 12:16am in the 2600 block of Vine Street. At 3:21am a water violation was reported in the 2700 block of Thunderbird Drive. The final water violation occurred in the 2400 block of Donald Drive just after one o’clock Thursday afternoon.

Motor Vehicle Accidents: Officers responded to four motor vehicle accidents on Thursday. An accident was reported in the 1200 block of Vine Street. A hit and run accident was reported at 10:15 Thursday morning in the 3000 block of Thunderbird Court. Officers also responded to a motor vehicle accident involving private property in the 1300 block of Vine Street just after noon Thursday. The final accident occurred in the 200 block of East 25^th Street at Nextech.

Driving Under the Influence: Hays Police officers conducted two DUI stops on Thursday. The first occurred early Thursday morning in the 700 block of Fort Street and the second incident happened in the 200 block of East 12^th Street Thursday evening.

Disturbance: The Hays Police Department received three disturbance calls Thursday. Officers responded to a general disturbance call in the 400 block of East 11^th Street just after 2:30 Thursday morning. Officers also investigated a disturbance call in the 3600 block of Vine Street, at Golden Ox Truck Stop, Thursday afternoon. Also on Thursday afternoon the Hays PD responded to a disturbance call in connection with a civil dispute in the 500 block of West 35^th Street.

Officers also investigated a 911 hangup call in connection with a domestic disturbance in the 500 block of West 8^th Street. The Hays PD also investigated a civil dispute and criminal damage in the 200 block of East 24^th Street, at LarksPark Thursday evening.

Theft: The Hays Police Department began investigating a pair of theft cases. The first occurred in the 3700 block ofVine Street, at Super 8. The second was theft of services in the 2000 block ofVine Street at Ward’s Automotive.

Scam: The Hays Police Department began an investigation into a phone or mail scam in the 300 block of West 13^th Street at Sunflower Electric Cooperative that occurred sometime between July 7^th and July 18^th.

In discussing 2013 funding requests from the outside agencies, the Hays City Commission Thursday night agreed with Commissioner Kent Steward’s suggestion at setting the 2012 funding levels as the baseline for future requests.

Two agencies requested significant increases for next year, the Hays Arts Council and the Sister Cities Advisory Board. The commission tentatively agreed to fund half of the increase. The complete budget will be approved August 9^th.

As the drought intensifies, municipalities are carefully watching their water sources. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty says the city’s sources are being stressed, but the triggers to move to watch, warning or emergency status have not been met.

He also says residents need to take it upon themselves to obey the water restrictions and conserve as much as they can. Outdoor watering is not allowed between noon and 7pm, and violators should be reported to the police department. On most of the parks and ball fields the city is using a small amount of water to keep them from dying, but also allowing them to go dormant.

The city has a conservation process, and Dougherty says if the triggers are met, then further steps could be taken to restrict water use.

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News from the Oil Patch July 19 2012

A Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper based out of Rush County, has been charged with eight felonies in connection with sexual contact with children between the ages of 14 and 16.

Thirty-nine year old Domingo Cardenas was charged with eight felonies, including rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and six felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties. The charges are in connection with alleged incidents that occurred last year and there were also charges related to incidents that were have alleged to have happed in 2008 and 2009.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Cardenas was placed on a leave of absence while they conducted an internal investigation of the incidents that led to charges being filed in Rush County District Court. According to the charges, the rape charge against Cardenas allegedly occurred between December 1^st and the 20^th of last year. While the criminal sodomy charge, involving the same girl, happened between October 1^st and November 30^th also of last year.

Cardenas was also charged with six counts of aggravated indecent liberties, involving two girls between the ages of 14 and 16.

The Kansas Attorney General’s office will handle the prosecution.