(AP) — Despite a drop in the number of unemployment benefits being paid, the Kansas jobless rate remained stuck at 5.9 percent in August. The rate of 3.4% in Ellis was the same in July. The rate in Trego County of 3.5% was up slightly.  The rate jumped to 5% in Rush County.

The data released late Thursday by the Kansas Department of Labor shows that the unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in August 2012.

Labor Secretary Lana Gordon says the drop in unemployment claims from nearly 132,000 in July to 103,500 in August was an indication of an improving labor market. There were more than 140,000 unemployment benefits paid in August 2012.

The unemployment rate has been below 6 percent since January 2012, dropping to as low as 5.5 percent from November 2012 through February 2013.

A labor economist says private sector job growth did increase in August, but there were still signs of softness in the market.

FROM THE HAYS FIRE DEPARTMENT:

On September 21, 22 & 23, City of Hays and Ellis County firefighters will be conducting training in the rescue of persons trapped on towers, roofs, grain elevators and similar high angles. This training will be presented by the University of Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute.

The City of Hays Fire Department operates the Northwest Kansas Regional Technical Rescue Team. The rescue team is staffed cooperatively with members from the Ellis County Rural, City of Ellis and City of Victoria fire departments. Captain Ryan Hagans is the team leader and Lieutenant Darin Myers is the training coordinator.

The hands-on practical portions of this training will be conducted at the former Kennedy Middle School building and at the Midwest Energy service yard.

10: a.m. update  This morning the Hays Fire Department was on the scene of last night’s bonfire for about 90 minutes.  They were able to take care of a few hot spots and secure the area.

The Hays Fire Department has been dispatched this morning to TMP-Marian, 1701 Hall, the site of Thursday night’s bonfire.  There has been smoldering reported.

On September 12, the Hays City Commission approved moving forward with two projects designed to support increased bicycle traffic in the city limits.  

The Commission vote on the two projects allows the City Manager to enter an agreement with Wilson Company for the design of the levee trail in the amount of $49,238 , as well as an agreement with CFS Engineers for the design of the on-street bike routes in the amount of  $48,400.  Both projects will be funded out of Capital Projects[polldaddy poll=7411831]

Hays Medical Center (HMC) is offering a free nursing hotline.  The hotline is designed to be an alternative for people that don’t have a physician and have healthcare questions.  The free service is open to anyone in the community, and is meant to provide advice and guidance from certified medical professions.

The nurses that staff the phone lines are able to answer questions about symptoms, disease processes and medication advice among other items.  They can also determine if callers should seek immediate medical attention based on the information provided over the phone.  Nurses will only ask for basic information to be used in demographic reporting. Also, if the caller indicates that he or she has a physician, the nurse will forward a report of the conversation to that office for informational purposes.

The service is not staffed in house by HMC.  Instead, a third party company will be handling the calls.  Stormont-Vail HealthCare in Topeka, a company who has offered over-the-phone medical advice for several years, will provide the staffing for the hotline.  Only Registered Nurses that have been in the profession for a number of years will be allowed to work the phones.

Carol Groen, Manager of Education, SANE, and Special Projects at HMC told Hays Post while it’s still in the early stages; there is the possibility of future growth and services.

“We had no idea what to expect when we started this. We knew that once the community knew it was available, they would use it. ‘What dose of Tylenol do I give my son’ or things like that; these hotlines are great for that. What we’re doing is collecting some data for a while and if the demand becomes big, then we will have to look at what else, what our plans are in the future.”

Groen also said that the hospital isn’t receiving any incentive from insurance providers or the state to host the hotline. Instead, it’s being put on by the hospital as a free service for the community.

Currently, the hotline is available Mondays – Fridays 4:80 p.m. – 8:00 am and 24 hours a day on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. The phone number is 1-855-HAYSMED (1-855-429-7633).

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will speak to Dr. Chapman Rackaway’s American Government Class at Fort Hays State University Friday morning.

Rackaway told Hays Post that he is always interested in having Moran or any elected official speak to his students.  He was quick to point out that Moran’s visit is a testament to the type of elected official Moran is and has been throughout his career.

“That has much more to do with schedules, and probably speaks more to Jerry.  That was an ethos that really defined Jerry as a congressman from this area: he was back here every weekend, he was always doing town halls.  He was always very deeply embedded in the communities that made up the big 1st.”

Rackaway added that Moran isn’t like some elected officials, requiring questions in advance.  Moran will be speaking to the class about current issues the Senate and the country are dealing with, and then open it up to questions from the class.