A Hays man was involved in a 1 vehicle rollover accident on I-70, 2 miles East of Ellis just before 7 this morning. According to the Ellis County Sheriff’s department, the driver of the Honda Civic, 19 year old Nathaniel Holland of Hays, may have fallen asleep. The vehicle rolled into the south ditch. There were no serious injuries.
(AP) – The Kansas Senate has passed a bill making it legal to own switchblade knives and stilettos.
The bill is expected to go to the House for a vote Thursday, where it might face some opposition.
Rep. Jim Ward, a Democrat from Wichita and a former city prosecutor, said switchblade knives were banned decades ago because it was mostly gangs and criminals who used them. He says the potential for harm from the weapons outweighs any good from legalizing them.
Supporters say switchblades can be useful for emergency workers, farmers and others who need to open a knife with one hand while holding something with the other.
The Wichita Eagle reports switchblades and stilettos would still be banned at schools, jails and juvenile corrections facilities.
The state set another record last month for conceal and carry permit applications. Voters are closely divided over whether the federal government should keep a list of every gun owner in the country. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey this week finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters think the federal government should maintain a database with the name and address of all gun owners in the United States. Slightly more (47%) disagree and oppose a government database of all gun owners. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided.
What do you think? Tell us in our comments section below……..
Midwest Energy is holding an important meeting tonight in Hays.
The meeting is to inform the community about the upcoming vote of Midwest Energy’s 49,000 customer-owners in May to become self-regulated, returning most decision-making authority from the Kansas Corporation Commission to its member-elected Board of Directors.
Midwest Energy has mailed informational brochures to inform its members on self-regulation, and is hosting a series of member meetings to discuss it in the coming weeks. Tonight’s meetings will be held in: at 6:30 p.m. at the Robbins Center at Fort Hays State University.
· Annual Eagle Radio of Hays Ladies Fair is in its 26th year!
· Friday, April 5th, 2013
· Location is Ellis County Fairgrounds in the Unrein Building
· Over 30 vendors displaying their goods and services
· Ladies Fair is designed to help women on the go shop for goods and services in one place
· Attendance is usually between 1,500 and 2,000
· Ladies Fair hours are from 4pm until 8:30pm
· It is also the opening night of races for The RPM Speedway
· Races begin at 7pm
· Attend Ladies Fair and go to the races all in one location
Voters in Ellis County decide on May 14 whether to approve a half-percent sales tax to repair and expand the Ellis County jail, courthouse and law enforcement building. Sheriff Ed Harbin explains why this vote is so critical to his department on the Eagle Community Television Forum this week. The program can be seen each evening at 6 and 10 p.m. following the Eagle Community Television’s Local News on channel 14 and 614.
Revenue from the tax would also fund a new EMS-rural firefighting building. The tax would not be new. A half-percent sales tax for construction of the sports complex expired at the end of March. Current estimates show the projects funded by the tax would cost between $12 million and $13 million.
It’s Prom Weekend for Hays High School It will be held Saturday from 8-11 in the FHSU ballroom. Click on the photos for a closer look.
The prom candidates this spring include Millie Copper, Kendahl Garrett, Sydney Niernberger, Alyssa Reed, Corinne Ziegler, Olivia Zody, Ethan Fort, Kellen Griffin, Dustin Mulkey, Blake Ruder, Jacob Sedbrook, Marshall Sharp
Fort Hays State University’s Diversity Affairs will host two events to wrap up the week including a Drag Show in conjunction with The Gay-Straight Alliance. The Drag Show begins at 7 p.m. Friday in Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The theme this year is old Hollywood.
Diversity Affairs will also host the Fuse Film series showing “Babel” at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Cody Commons in the Memorial Union.
Both events are free to the public. For more information, contact Amber White, coordinator of Diversity Affairs, at 785-628-4661.
(AP) – Supporters of two gun measures expect the Kansas Legislature to approve them because both chambers have solid gun-rights majorities.
One bill up facing votes Thursday in the House and Senate declares that the federal government has no power to regulate guns, ammunition and accessories that are made, sold and kept exclusively in Kansas.
The measure would make it a felony for a federal agent to enforce restrictions on such items.
Another bill would permit public schools and state colleges to arm employees with concealed weapons. Also, schools, colleges and local governments couldn’t ban concealed guns without security measures.
The final version of each measure was drafted by House and Senate negotiators.
The bills are a reaction to federal officials’ discussions about gun control following December’s mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran
released the follow statement today in response to the second-annual Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey. Kansas earned an “A” grade, placing in the top eight states to do business due to a healthy political and regulatory climate. The Kansas City metro area earned an “A-” grade. More than a dozen metrics were used to evaluate the responses of the nearly 8,000 small businesses surveyed.
“The results of the Kauffman survey are further evidence of something I’ve known for a long time: Kansas is a great place to do business,” Sen. Moran said. “America has long been seen as the land of opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs. I’m glad to see Kansas is doing what’s necessary to facilitate a welcoming and pro-growth environment. From the aerospace industry in Wichita, to the growing startup community in Kansas City, to agriculture and energy innovation in all corners of our state, Kansas is fertile ground for entrepreneurship and small business.”
The turnout for Tuesday’s election in Ellis County was very poor. Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus, who has worked as Deputy Clerk for 30 years, predicted a 20% turnout. Only 18.17% of the registered voters cast ballots. “I was a little concerned,” Maskus told Eagle Community Television’s Local News. “ It seemed like voting was very slow in Hays but Ellis picked it up.”
Members of the Hays Area community are invited to participate in the final events for week three of the From Harvest to the Hungry Series. Several events are to take place April 4th-11th to emphasize the importance of Kansans’ role in addressing world hunger.
April 4th, The Global Leadership Seminar Course will also host a “Food for Thought” Dinner and religion dialogue with representatives from different religions that will speak on their religious obligations to feed the hungry. This event will take place in the Fort Hays Ballroom in the FHSU Memorial Union at 7:00 p.m.
On April 8th, the week will begin with a Times Talk by Dr. Gene Rice in FHSU Forsyth Library at 11:30 a.m. on “The Ethics Behind Our Obligation to Feed the Hungry.” In the evening, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hays Public Library, a video about the obligation the U.S. has in addressing the hunger crisis will be shown followed by a discussion led by Dr. Gene Rice.
April 9th a keynote address will be given by Steve Baucus, President of the Kansas Farm Bureau, about the Kansas Farm Bureau’s recent efforts and actions in the fight against hunger. This event will be held in the Black and Gold Room in the FHSU Memorial Union at 6:00 p.m.
On April 10th, two events will be held on the FHSU campus. First, there will be a Times Talk in Forsyth Library from 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. by Bob Gillen. This Times Talk is about the Experiment Station’s research of agricultural production challenges in Western Kansas. Second, Dr. Tim Crews and the Land Institute will present in the Black & Gold Room in the FHSU Memorial Union at 6:00 p.m. on sustainable agriculture as a solution to ending hunger.
Finally on April 11th, a public forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Fort Hays Ballroom in the FHSU Memorial Union on what obligations Kansans have to feed the starving in our communities, nation, and globe. Community members are encouraged to attend to discuss steps we can take as a state to end hunger. Representatives from the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Food Bank, and the Salvation Army will be in attendance.
From Harvest to the Hungry events are sponsored by the FHSU Center for Civic Leadership, Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Kansas Humanities Council, Ellis County Historical Society, the Hays Public Library, and FHSU Forsyth Library.
For information on any of the Week Three From Harvest to the Hungry events
Student Coordinator
Global Leadership Project
American Democracy Project
Fort Hays State University
Custer Hall 206
[email protected]
785-628-5399
TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are expanding a sweeping anti-abortion bill by adding language making it illegal to end a pregnancy solely because of the gender of the fetus.
House and Senate negotiators agreed Wednesday on the final, compromise version of the anti-abortion bill. Both chambers could vote on their compromise Thursday.
The Senate previously approved a separate bill banning sex-selection abortions. The House has not, but it has a solid anti-abortion majority.
Other differences between the chambers were technical.
The compromise measure would block tax breaks for abortion providers and prohibit their involvement in public school sex education classes. It also spells out in more detail what information doctors must provide to patients before performing abortions.
