The Hays Police Department conducted 23 traffic calls and received six animal calls on Tuesday, according to the Hays Police Activity Log.

Theft: The Hays Police Department received four reports of theft on Tuesday. The first report of theft was in the 1900 block of Vine Street. The alleged theft occurred on Saturday September 1^st between 8:00AM and 12:30PM. Officers also responded to a report of shoplifting in the 4300 block of Vine Street Tuesday at 2:16PM. The Hays PD investigated a report of fraud and general theft in the 4500 block of Hoover Drive at 4:54 Tuesday and the final theft report was in the 3600 block of Vine Tuesday evening. The incident is alleged to have happened between 7:00 and 8:15PM.

Vehicle Accident: Officers responded to one motor vehicle accident on Tuesday. The accident occurred Tuesday afternoon in the 1000 block of West 37^th Street and 12:00PM.

Damage to Property: The Hays PD investigated a report of damage to property in the 500 block of West 29^th Street Tuesday afternoon at4:12.

The Hays Police Department conducted 15 traffic calls and received five animal calls on Monday, according to the Hays Police Activity Log.

Theft: The Hays Police Department investigated a theft in the 100 block of East 7^th Street Monday morning at 1:54. Officers responded to the report of a report of suspicious activity in connection with the theft report.

DUI: The Hays PD conducted two driving under the influence stops in the early morning hours Sunday. The first DUI stop was conducted in the 1200 block of Vine Street just before 2:45 Sunday. Officers also conducted a DUI stop in the 200 block of West 8^th Street Sunday morning at 3:19.

Damage to Property: Officers received two reports of criminal damage to property on Monday. The first damage report occurred in the 400 block of Ash Street. The alleged incident happened between Saturday at 12:00PM and Monday afternoon at 2:00. The final report of criminal damage was reported in the 1300 block of MacArthur Road. Officers received a report of suspicious activity in the area and began an investigation into damage to property at 7:30 Monday evening.

Drug Offense: The Hays Police Department received a report of suspicious activity Monday evening in the 200 block of East 6^th Street. Officers are investigating the case as drug related offenses.

Water Violation: There was one report of water use violation on Monday, according to the police activity log. The water violation was reported in the 1200 block of Pine Street Monday afternoon at 3:50.

The importance of amateur radio operators is at the heart of a discussion about whether Ellis County should agree to lease space on a communications tower for an amateur radio antenna and related equipment. Sheriff Ed Harbin says in times of disaster, they can be invaluable.

Harbin says the state wants Ellis County to organize a group of volunteers dedicated to assisting the local government when needed.

The county commission wants an opinion on the lease agreement from the county counselor before approving it.

With the lack of rain, Ellis County crews have had to haul water all over the county to try to maintain the roads. One option the county is beginning to explore is to dig a few Dakota wells in various locations to provide supply and cut down on hauling distances.

Public Works Director Mike Graf says he has discussed the possibility with the state and the permitting requirements.

The county wants to test the water to see if its chemical makeup would be conducive to treating roads. The cost of a well and holding tank could be around $20,000.

A weak cold front will move through western Kansas today before stalling out across the KS/OK border this evening.

A few thunderstorms will be possible across the KS/OK border this evening. Otherwise, expect partly cloudy skies. Thunderstorm chances continue Thursday into Friday with a stronger cold front moving through the area Friday morning.

A dry period is forecasted thereafter as high pressure moves builds into the area.

Last Year’s Temps/Records

2011 High: 78
2011 Low: 42
Record High: 111 (1931)
Record Low: 42 (2011)

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy, with a west wind 9 to 14 mph becoming north northeast 17 to 22 mph in the morning.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Northeast wind 6 to 14 mph.
• Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South southeast wind 7 to 15 mph.
• Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.