Saturday’s high of 74 degrees in Hays still wasn’t enough to coax some local youth outdoors.  They already had their plans made to participate in the annual Hays Optimist Club Tri-Star Basketball Contest at the Hays Recreation Center.

Boys and girls in 2nd-7th grades tested their skills in the basketball basics of  dribbling, passing and shooting.  Optimist members served as judges and also shouted encouragement from the sidelines.

All contestants got a t-shirt and the top three contestants in each grade received special awards.

Ellis County Sheriff’s Department did work three motor vehicle accidents during Sunday’s snow storm.

Sheriff Harbin told Hay Post, “The first accident occurred at 4:05 a.m. at 230th Ave and Golf Course Road.

At 8 a.m., a vehicle took out the stop sign at 2700 and the Highway 183 Alternate.  Late in the afternoon a Chevy Silverado was involved in a rollover accident in the 1300 block of Antonio Road. There were no serious injuries in these accidents.

The Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course Advisory Committee has endorsed increasing tournament fees.

The group and Parks Director Jeff Boyle say marshals are needed during tournaments and other high usage times to keep play moving and enforce the course rules. The proposal was made last week to the city commission, and Commissioner Ron Mellick says improvements to the course need to be protected.

The proposal would increase fees $50 for a nine hole tournament and $100 for an 18 hole tournament.

Also under consideration is lower greens fees for juniors to encourage golfers who are 17 and under to play.

The commission will consider both at this week’s meeting.

The Hays Police Department along with other law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Department of Transportation are trying to increase the usage of seat belts among teenagers. Police Sergeant Dan Koerner says there will be enhanced enforcement March 11^th through the 22^nd.

Despite efforts to educate teens about seat belt use, this age group continues to have some of the lowest rates. During the two-week period, there will be an increased law enforcement presence in Hays enforcing all traffic laws, but especially seat belt laws.

Do you miss that hour of sleep we all lost on Sunday?  Let us know how Spring Forward feels to you today in the comments section below.

If you receive an automated phone call from the phone number 000-000-0000 asking for your debit card number, PINand/or your CVV code, please do not provide any information. Simply hang up and notify the bank as needed.

Please contact us immediately at the bank at 888-827-5564, if you have received a call similar to this and provided your card information to the scammer during the call. Your card will need to be closed and reissued.

•Never give out your sensitive personal information in response to any incoming phone call you receive.
•If you do receive a call asking for sensitive personal information, do not provide it. Instead, hang up and call the phone number located on your bank statement, in the phone book or located on their website to find out if the entity that supposedly called was legitimate in their request.
•Remember, as a best practice to protect our customers, Sunflower Bank never requests sensitive customer information, such as personal identification numbers, passwords, debit or credit card numbers over the phone, in email or by text.

First the bad news: J.C. Penney Co. announced this weekend they are eliminating an additional 2,200 jobs as the struggling department store chain aims to slash more costs after a year of plunging sales and mounting losses.

The good news: Rebecca Evinger, manager of the J.C. Penny Store in the Mall in Hays told Hays Post, ” The job cuts will not affect the Hays store. We are not eliminating any positions. We have a lot of new merchandise arriving and are excited about serving Hays and the region.”
According to Joey Thomas, a company spokesman,  the cuts translate to an average elimination of two positions per store.

The cuts come as J.C. Penney finishes a full year of snowballing losses and steep sales declines. A strategy launched early last year by CEO Ron Johnson to scale back most sales has failed to resonate with shoppers.

Johnson said last week that since coming on board in November 2011, the Plano, Texas-based company has cut 19,000 jobs.

Today
  Sunny, with a high near 49. Wind chill values as low as 4 early. West northwest wind 7 to 16 mph.

Tonight
  A slight chance of rain after 2am, mixing with snow after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light north northwest. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday
  A slight chance of snow showers before 7am, then a chance for flurries before ending. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Tuesday Night
  
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable