Kansas Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D., is not a fan of the Affordable Care Act.

While in Hays for his TMP-Marian high school reunion, Colyer took time out Saturday morning to meet with Hays residents at the invitation of 111th District Representative Sue Boldra, R-KS.

Colyer is a plastic surgeon who has worked in many developing countries, and still practices one day a week.

Last week he testified at a Congressional hearing to discuss the impact the ACA is having on states.

“Profound,” he told the Hays group.

“There are some good things about the program, but many unintended consequences in requiring every American to have health insurance:”

Open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act begins October 1.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger was in Hays Monday in a series across the state talking about health care reform.

Maybe you were in it and you missed it.  Maybe you’re alumni living clear across the country and you missed it.

Now you can watch all of Friday’s TMP-Marian homecoming parade this week on Eagle Community Channel 14.

Air times are 11a.m., 4 and 8p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

The parade also airs tonight at 8p.m.

 

More than 300 fifth-graders from Hays and Victoria spent Monday learning more about the life and times of one of American’s most prominent Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin.

This is the seventh annual Ben Franklin Papers, sponsored by the American Democracy Project in the Center for Civic Leadership.

Hays senior Anne Drees is the ADA student coordinator:

Forsyth Library is home to two original letters written by Ben Franklin as well as copies of his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.

Karisa Kaiser, a Hoisington senior, and others in her FHSU Teacher Education class designed and organized 11 interactive learning stations for the fifth-graders:

 

Over in the Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center, FHSU history professor Dr. David Bovee talked about Franklin’s many accomplishments.

He showed the students his eyeglasses, joking that Franklin’s  invention of  bifocals “happened just for me:”

Cookies and punch were served at the “Boston Tea Party”  and students also got to create some of their very own Franklin Leaf Money.

From 1730 on, Franklin was the printer of all the money issued by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Paper money was easy to counterfeit, but Franklin solved that problem by printing pictures of leaves on every piece of money.

The 2013 running of the High Plains ElectroRally — where student driving teams see whose electric car design can make the most laps in an hour — will be Thursday, Sept. 26, at Frontier Park West, Hays.

The teams, primarily from high schools across the state, race full-size electric cars of their own design and construction.

The race is sponsored by Fort Hays State University’s Institute of Applied Science, NCK Technical College, Midwest Energy, Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and Western Electric Co-op.

Volunteers begin setting up the quarter-mile road course, marking the way with hay bales and orange road cones, in Frontier Park at about 6:30 a.m. Registration opens at 7 a.m.

Joe Chretian, associate professor of applied technology, told Hays Post that the event has been held since 1998. He said that on race day the park will be filled with competitors from around 15 schools as well as, volunteers, sponsors, and the general public.

Two races are scheduled with each race having two classes of cars. The Standard Class is cars that meet the criteria for a standard Electrathon America car. The Solar Class is for those who want to try out their solar arrays. The races are professionally run with strict car inspections.

“Safety is the rule of the day,” said Chretien.

Kevin Vering, an electronics instructor at NCK Tech, will serve as race steward, enforcing safety and race rules and good sportsmanship. Volunteers from NCK Tech and from the sponsoring power companies work the race, ensuring that teams are ready by race time and that all of races run safely and smoothly.

Power company volunteers serve as judges, counting and tallying laps and awarding prizes to the winners.

The sponsors also provide a large quantity of food to feeding all race participants, advisors, sponsors and the many volunteers that make this event happen, said Chretien.

“This event provides a day of learning and fun for everyone,” said Chretien. “The public is welcome to come and join in at no charge.”

Spectator seating is available, but those who prefer their own lawn chairs are welcome to bring them, he said.

Races start at 10:30 a.m.

A busy street in Hays is going to look a lot different in the next few weeks.  City Manager Toby Dougherty told Hays Post that beginning at Milner and heading East, 13^th St will be changed from 4 lanes to 3 lanes.  The street will have one lane for driving in each direction and a turning lane in the middle.  The road will also be striped to include an on-street bike path in each direction.  Dougherty estimates that 13th Street will be completed (including resurfacing) by mid October at the latest, weather permitting.

The striping for the 13th Street bike paths is part of a plan to include on-street bike paths throughout the city.  However, Dougherty said that while striping will be done on 13th St, the stencils and signage

designating the lane as a bike path won’t be in place until some time next year.

“I’d like to think that we could go out and just put stencils down.  The problem is that we’ve received a grant for a system-wide set of bike paths, and all of those on-street bike lanes have to be designed, engineered and approved as part of the grant award.  If we get ahead of that and just go put stencils down, KDOT could come back and say ‘we’re not going to reimburse you for that section of it because you’ve already done it’ so we don’t want to lose the funding for that.  That’s the reason.  It’ll be next summer some time when the rest of the bike plan is rolled out.”

One concern many people share is that restricting traffic to two driving lanes down from four will be a detriment to the public. Dougherty said that currently, the inside driving lane is also used for turning, which can cause slower traffic flow, jockeying for position, and accidents. He said that the restriping will help the traveling public, not hinder them.

“The reality is when you reconfigure to a three lane with a dedicated turn lane the traffic actually flows better through there.  Actually, the average vehicle, from the time they get on 13th to the time they get off 13th will experience less impediment than they would in the 4 lane configuration.  And the chance for accidents is significantly decreased.”

Dougherty added that 13th Street is already a 3 lane roadway just east of Main Street, and this restriping project will maintain consistent traffic flow by eliminating the change from 3 to 4 lane traffic further east.

Extension Series Brings Knowledge for Life’s Concerns

Tuesday, the Ellis County Extension Office will kick off the first of three programs in it’s Community Education Series. “Knowledge for Life’s Concerns” is the theme for this year’s series. The three programs will focus on bringing the latest resources to community members on several topics.

Life changes – and so do the answers to life’s questions. Learn about the latest resources to help you make informed decisions on aging issues, real estate questions and protecting yourself from fraud and cyber-security concerns.
The noon-hour sessions are FREE and open to the public. Please register with the Ellis County Extension Office, 785-628-9430, in order to ensure adequate materials and supplies. Bring a lunch to enjoy during the meeting if desired. Educational materials, refreshments and door prizes are included.
The first session focuses on “Aging Concerns” and is set for Tuesday, September 24 from 12 – 1 p.m. at the Extension Meeting Room at 601 Main Street. Enter the rear door from the north parking lot. Presenters from the Northwest KS Area Agency on Aging, Hays Med Lifeline Program and FHSU Department of Sociology will be on hand to share resources on aging and managing on your own.

Mark your calendars now for the remaining programs of this series:
– Tuesday, October 15, 12:00 noon, on “Real Estate Concerns.” A panel discussion on home financing, reverse mortgages, downsizing and first-time home buyers presented by Heartland Realty, Sunflower Bank and RE/Max Realty.
– Tuesday, Nov.19, 12:00 noon, “Fraud Protection / Cyber Security” presented by Hays Police Department and Document Resources. Learn do’s and don’t’s for electronic privacy, identity theft protection and securing your personal documents.
For more information, see the Ellis County Extension website at www.ellis.ksu.edu and call 785-628-9430 to register.