Hays Post News
Month: July 2013
Key DC panel looking at Eisenhower Memorial
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts is set to review architect Frank Gehry’s design for a planned national memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 
Washington.
The commission overseeing civic art and architecture in the capital will review Gehry’s design Thursday. It’s one of two panels that must approve the design, along with the National Park Service, in order for the $142 million project to move forward.
The 14-year-old memorial project has been on hold for more than a year after Eisenhower’s family and other groups raised objections to the design concept.
Gehry has proposed a memorial park with statues of Ike as president and World War II hero. The park would be framed by large metal tapestries depicting the Kansas landscape of Eisenhower’s boyhood home.
Police: Counterfeit money Investigation
Hays Police are investigating another report of counterfeit money. A fake $100 bill used last week at the Bank of America, 1200 East 27th street in Hays.
According to Lt. Ron Rounkles, “Only one bill was identified in this report and a second $100 counterfeit bill was also discovered three days later at that same bank.”
Diane Wagner, spokesperson for Bank of America told Hays Post,
“We are working with the police. Our people are trained to distinguish between any money that might be counterfeit. The staff in Hays did follow all the proper procedures.”
“We do receive occasional reports of counterfeit bills,” said Rounkles. ‘The reports come primarily from banks. We have had 7 in 2013. Two in July, Two in June, Two in April, one reported in March. Most counterfeit bills have been $100, but counterfeit $10 bills including one for each instance were discovered in April and June.
All businesses and any persons dealing with cash transactions should educate themselves on recognizing counterfeit bills and immediately report suspicious activity,” said Rounkles.
Could the new farm bill ease rules for Sunflower’s proposed coal plant?
(AP) — The U.S. House-approved farm bill contains a provision that environmentalists say would ease rules for building a coal-burning power plant in southwest 
Kansas.
Environmentalists have won federal court decisions requiring an environmental review before Hays-based Sunflower Electric Power Corp. can build a $2.8 billion, 895-megawatt plant near Holcomb.
Bill Griffith, energy chair of the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club, says that a section of the House’s farm bill would essentially negate that requirement. Griffith says he isn’t sure how the provision got into the the farm bill.
Sunflower Electric spokeswoman Cindy Hertel says she had no knowledge of the provision.
The House-approved farm bill moved to the Senate, which has a separate farm bill. A conference committee is expected to consider differences between the versions.
Hays High’s Cornelsen Gearing Up for Shrine Bowl
As the week long Hays High summer football camp winds down, it’s just the beginning for coach Ryan Cornelsen who heads to Salina in advance of next Saturday’s Kansas Shrine Bowl. Cornelsen is the head coach of a West squad that has won seven-straight against the East.
Ryan Cornelsen discusses Shrine Bowl
The West team is led by several area standouts including Hays High’s David Cardinal, Plainville’s Bradey Chard, LaCrosse’s Kip Keeley, Dalton Gantz from Ness City, Sean Newlin from Phillipsburg, Great Bend’s Hunter Harrison and Bryce Steiner from Central Plains.
The Shrine Bowl takes place on Saturday July 27th at Yager Stadium in Topeka. You can hear the game KKQY (101.9-FM) beginning at 6:45pm.
Senior Eagles Sweep Pratt
The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion picked up two more wins Wednesday, sweeping the Pratt 89ers 10-1 and 7-6 at Smokey Ford Field in Pratt. The Eagles improve to 22-16 on the season They are scheduled to play again Friday and Saturday against the Colorado Baseball Academy 17s.
Game 1: Hays 10, Pratt 1 (6 innings)
The Eagles scored three in the third on a John Griffith bases loaded walk and Kade Parker two-run double to go up 4-0. Layne Downing’s RBI double and Marcus Altman’s run-scoring single in the fifth pushed the lead to 6-0.
After Pratt scored in the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles broke it all the way open by scoring four in the sixth. John Griffith’s single drove in two.
Chandler Rule had three hits helping Brady Bieker (3-6) to the win. He allowed one run on four hits over five innings.
Game 2: Hays 7, Pratt 6
Casey Sedbrook’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning scored Layne Downing to break a 6-6 tie.
Hays scored four in the third to take a 6-2 lead. Pratt battled back with two in the bottom of the third and two in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game.
Dan Bittel and Kade Parker each had three of the Eagles 13 hits.
Chandler Rule allowed two runs on three hits over two innings for the win. Layne Downing pitched the final two innings of scoreless relief for the save.
‘Fear’ greatest threat to First Amendment freedoms
At various times, every American likely has wished for less of some things that the First Amendment protects. Less hateful speech. One less noisy protest group. Or
maybe even the swift departure of a media outlet or personality whose stance or voice is just grating on a personal level.
For the most part, those wishes come and go – or the targets do, as media fortunes or political trends wax and wane.
But wishes don’t change constitutions. There’s no impact on what we can say, what we write, how we worship, or our ability to challenge and seek to change government policies and practices.
And the same 45 words of the First Amendment exist today as when they were ratified by the fledgling nation as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791.
But the just-released 2013 State of the First Amendment survey by the First Amendment Center gives us reason to worry about the future because of a repeating threat to our core freedoms: fear.
In this year’s survey, conducted in May – about a month after the Boston Marathon bombing – 34% of Americans said the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, up 21 points from the 13% recorded in the 2012 survey.
The increase is the largest one-year rise in the survey’s history, and more than double the point increase seen in the wake of 9/11 – when those fearing too much freedom went from 39% to the all-time high of 49%.
Fear has been a powerful force in American history. A mere seven years after we gained the Bill of Rights, amid fear that a critical press would tilt us into war with France, Congress passed the Sedition Act – authorizing jail for those who criticized Congress or the president. Some editors were jailed, but a nation repelled by those actions allowed the act to expire two years later.
President Lincoln suspended certain civil rights during the Civil War. Japanese-Americans were interned during WWII. There were “blacklists” during the McCarthy era. The unprecedented national-security restrictions and regulations adopted quickly after 9/11, embodied in the Patriot Act, resulted from wide fear of future terrorism. Even seven months later, in the 2002 SOFA survey, 49% of us said the First Amendment went too far – still the highest result recorded in the annual sampling.
We have been reminded many times by public officials – from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to several attorneys general – that “the First Amendment is not a suicide pact.” But protecting and preserving fundamental rights preserves the very character of the nation – those qualities of religious liberty and freedom of expression that make the United States unique in all the world.
As the old joke goes, “You’re not paranoid if they really are after you” – and certainly there are forces that aim to do this nation harm. And no constitutional rights are absolute. But history shows us that political leaders may overreact to threats, and gain at least temporary political support from a fearful citizenry. We’re arguing about that now, concerning the disclosure of massive government surveillance of our phone records and e-mails.
In the years after 9/11, the percentage of those saying we had too much liberty “reset” to between 25% and last year’s 13%. But this year’s results warn that even a single incident – even as authorities moved swiftly to arrest the Boston bombers – can endanger public support for freedoms we have had for 222 years.
The nation’s Founders didn’t waffle – or let fear dilute their support – when it came to standing behind the permanence of the First Amendment: Its first words are “Congress shall make no law … .”
In 1775, Ben Franklin bluntly offered his view of balancing national security and core freedoms: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Even when faced with real threats, we need to remember who we are as a nation – and what we stand for in the rest of the world.
Gene Policinski is senior vice president of the First Amendment Center and COO of the Newseum Institute. E-mail him at [email protected].
Editor’s note: The 2013 State of the First Amendment survey of 1,006 adults nationwide was conducted in May 2013, by telephone, by the STATS Group, directed by Dr. Kenneth Dautrich. The sampling error is plus or minus 3.2% at the 95% level of confidence: There is one chance in 20 that results would differ by more than 3.2 points either way in sampling another group.
Larks Lose Non-League Road Game in Junction City
Junction City scored on a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie and end a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Hays Larks Wednesday night at Rathert Stadium in Junction City. The loss snaps the Larks three-game win streak and is their first non-league loss of the season. Hays is now 26-10. They host the Brigade Thursday night at Larks Park at 7pm. Admission is free and you can hear the game on KAYS (1400-AM).
Brent Gillespie hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 3-3. Mackenzie Handel homered in the fifth which tied the game 1-1.
Larks outfielder Clayton Garland takes the loss in his first pitching appearance of the season. He was the last of six Larks pitchers used in the game.
Jayhawk League scores from Wednesday…
Liberal 10, Dodge City 5
El Dorado 8, Newton 7
Derby 5, Wichita Aviators 4
Wellington 6, Kansas Cannons 5
Hays Monarchs Split With Great Bend
The Hays Monarchs split their doubleheader with the Great Bend Chiefs Wednesday night at Larks Park. Jordan Gottschalk’s base hit in the 12th lifted the Monarchs to an 8-7 win in the first game. Great Bend raced out to an early lead and wins the second game 10-3 in five innings. The Monarchs are now 14-12 on the season. They begin zone play Sunday in Lincoln.
Game 1: Monarchs 8, Great Bend 7 (12 innings)
Jordan Gottschalk’s single score Ryan Schippers with the game winner in the 12th inning. Gottschalk and Schippers both had three hits in the game.
The Chiefs scored three in the first but the Monarchs answered with two in the second, two in the third and three in the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. Great Bend came back with two more in the fifth to tie the game 7-7 and it would stay that way until the 12th.
Cameron Brin gets the win, not allowing a run on four hits over the final five innings.
Game 2: Great Bend 10, Monarchs 3 (5 innings)
The Chiefs score six in the first and led 9-0 after three innings.
Shane Zimmerman had one of the Monarchs three hits and had their lone RBI.
Kameron Schmidt takes the loss, allowing nine runs on eight hits while walking five and striking out two over three innings.
70 foreign military officers to visit state capital
(AP) — Seventy foreign military officers are planning to tour the Kansas Statehouse as part of a program about state government and the 
state’s court system.
The officers scheduled to visit Topeka on Thursday are students at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Students at the 119-year-old college frequently become high-ranking military officers or civilian officials in their nations, and 26 graduates have become heads of state.
The 65 nations represented this year include Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Korea, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Uganda.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach is scheduled to speak to the officers before their tour of the Statehouse. They also plan tour the nearby Judicial Center and the Kansas Museum of History.
Kansas 529 Plans Have Lower Fees and New Investment Options
The Kansas State Treasurer’s Office has announced lower fees for Learning Quest and new lower cost investment options for the Schwab 529 College Savings Plan.
Effective July 1, 2013 fees for the Learning Quest Age-Based Index Portfolios were lowered to 0.45 percent from 0.50 percent. The change was made in response to an annual review meant to keep fees competitive with other industry plans.
“One of the strengths of the Kansas 529 Plans is the variety of investment options available. We have and will continue to look for ways to lower costs for account holders,” said Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes. “I appreciate the fact that our program manager, American Century Investments, continues to work with us to accomplish these goals.”
The lower fees on these options are meaningful to Kansas investors since fees have an impact on net investment returns. Those who are interested in opening an account can now get started for only $25. Three Kansas higher education savings plans are available to choose from: Learning Quest, Learning Quest Advisor, and the Schwab 529 Plan.
Additionally, Charles Schwab & Co. investors now have six new investment options within the Schwab 529 Plan. The new options are fully diversified portfolios, invested in index mutual funds, with allocations ranging from aggressive to short-term. Because they are indexed-based with 0.55 percent fees, rates are significantly lower than the plan’s existing portfolios. Investors can choose to use new indexed portfolios as part of an age-based track or as stand-alone portfolios.
“We want to thank American Century Investments and Charles Schwab & Co. for lowering the fees for our investors. I am also pleased that Schwab Plan investors will have more investment options to choose from when it comes to saving for their student’s higher education expenses,” said Treasurer Estes. “I want to encourage Kansas families to start saving now to meet the challenge of paying for tomorrow’s college or vocational school.”
For more information on Learning Quest and Learning Quest Advisor, visit learningquest.com. For more information on the Schwab 529 plan, visit Schwab.com/529.
The Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program was created to help families invest for their child’s continued education after high school, whether at a traditional four-year college, community college, or technical/vocational school. Kansas taxpayers can receive a Kansas tax deduction up to $3,000 per child ($6,000 if married, filing jointly) on contributions to Learning Quest, Learning Quest Advisor, the Schwab 529, or any other 529 plan sponsored by another state.
Ron Estes is the 39th State Treasurer for the state of Kansas and is the first state-wide elected official from the City of Wichita in 20 years. He was originally elected Sedgwick County Treasurer in 2004 and was re-elected to that position in 2008. Ron has also served as the Treasurer for the Kansas County Treasurers’ Association. Ron was born in Topeka and is a fifth- generation Kansan. His family continues to run a farm in Osage County. Ron and his wife, Susan, have three children.
City Budget on Work Session Agenda
CITY OF HAYS
CITY COMMISSION WORK SESSION THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013 – 6:30 P.M.
AGENDA
1. ITEM FOR REVIEW: July 2, 2013 Work Session Notes (PAGE 1)
DEPARTMENT HEAD RESPONSIBLE: Kim Rupp, Director of Finance
2. ITEM FOR REVIEW: Ordinance and Resolution to Authorize the Issuance of General Obligation Refunding and Improvement Bonds, Series 2013-A (PAGE 7) DEPARTMENT HEAD RESPONSIBLE: Kim Rupp, Director of Finance
3. ITEM FOR REVIEW: North Water Tower Interior Painting – Award of Bid (PAGE 59) DEPARTMENT HEAD RESPONSIBLE: Bernie Kitten, Director of Utilities
4. ITEM FOR REVIEW: Commission to Review 2nd Conservation Tier Letter
PERSON RESPONSIBLE: Toby Dougherty, City Manager
5. ITEM FOR REVIEW: Oil and Gas Lease – Hays Memorial Gardens City Cemetery (PAGE 63) PERSON RESPONSIBLE: Toby Dougherty, City Manager
6. ITEM FOR REVIEW: Staff Notification of Committee Attendance Requirements (PAGE 69) PERSON RESPONSIBLE: Commissioner Schwaller
7. ITEMFORREVIEW:2014BudgetPresentation
PERSON RESPONSIBLE: Toby Dougherty, City Manager
8. OTHERITEMSFORDISCUSSION
9. EXECUTIVESESSION(IFREQUIRED)
10. ADJOURNMENT
FHSU ranked among most affordable in health science and nursing
GetEducated.com, a consumer group that ranks the most affordable online degrees in the nation, recently rated seven Fort Hays State University healthcare degrees 
in the top 10 in their categories, including three ranked No. 1.
FHSU, through its Virtual College, offers 27 bachelor’s degree programs and 10 master’s degrees completely online and three others that have a small on-campus component.
In GetEducated’s category of health science master’s degrees, the Master of Liberal Studies with an emphasis in gerontology was ranked No. 1, and the Master of Science in health and human performance was ranked No. 2. The degrees cost $7,482 and $7,723 respectively compared to the average cost across the nation of $24,064 for the same type of degree. Ranked No. 3 is Western Carolina Univerity’s Master of Health Science degree which costs $8,561 for residents. (Online tuition and fees for FHSU’s Virtual College are the same for residents and non-residents.) The most expensive health science master’s degree is Florida International University Online’s degree at $54,016.
In the Master of Science in Nursing category, FHSU’s Master of Science in Nursing, nursing administration track, was ranked No. 1 at a cost of $8,206 compared to No. 2 Western Carolina University’s resident price of $9,858. The M.S.N., family nurse practitioner, was ranked No. 8 at a cost of $12,309. The national average for these degrees is $22,130.
Under GetEducated’s category of Master of Public Health degrees, the Master of Professional Studies in public health administration was ranked No. 1 at a cost of $7,241 compared to American Public University’s $14,950, ranked No. 2. The national average cost for a Master of Public Health is $31,985.
In health science bachelor’s degrees, the Bachelor of Science in medical diagnostic imaging ranked No. 2, costing around $22,000 compared to the national average of $47,867. Ranked No. 1 in this category is East Carolina University’s Bachelor of Science in health services management costing $17,892.
For Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, FHSU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, RN to B.S.N. track, ranked No. 2, costing $21,039 compared to No. 3 Western Governors University’s $27,160. The national average for an online B.S.N. is $44,211.
According to GetEducated.com, the rankings indicate that the online learning programs have been independently reviewed and found to offer credible, high-quality distance degrees at a cost well below the national average. The rankings are done every two or three years.
“GetEducated’s ratings are related to the number of students enrolled, accreditation, placement rate and, most importantly, what services are in place to support students,” said Dennis King, director of the Virtual College. “These ratings confirm that FHSU is meeting the best practices that are being put out across the country and that we are servicing students, military and otherwise in the proper way.”
GetEducated.com
GetEducated.com is a consumer group that publishes online college rankings and online university ratings along the dimensions that matter most to online students themselves: affordability and credibility. Founded in 1989 by Vicky Phillips, a psychologist and educator, GetEducated — in partnership with America Online and the Electronic University Network — developed America’s very first online counseling center for adult distance learners. GetEducated remains the only consumer group in the United States dedicated to assisting students in comparing and ration accredited online colleges and universities.