The 16th annual Hays Coat Drive is about to begin.  Coats can be dropped off/donated from September 16th – October 4th.  The donated items will be cleaned and set out at Master Cleaners and Top Notch Cleaners at 8th and Fort on Saturday October 12th 9am – 2pm.

Ryan Gottschalk of Master Cleaners told Hays Post that he estimates around 1500 coats were received last year to be distributed in Hays.  He added that he accepts coats year round to be given away to families that need/want them, but as part of the drive, he and other businesses take extra steps to gather donations.  He said he will be contacting churches in the area to accept donations and mention the drive to their congregations, and kids can take extra jackets / coats to school to be picked up by volunteers.  Both McDonald’s locations will also have a place to donate coats, as will Casual Graphics.

Amy Mermis-Smith of Top Notch Cleaners, whose father Norman Mermis started the coat drive 16 years ago, told Hays Post that anyone who needs a jacket can stop by. All donations are intended to be given away, and any coats left over after the giveaway will be distributed to a church or local group that gives them out throughout the year.

She added that even long-time residents may not be aware that the coat drive is for anyone to take part in, whether it’s just to have a spare jacket in the car, to find jackets to fit children who have outgrown last year’s clothes, or for adults that need some extra protection from cold weather.

“I had a couple people come in, and one lady told me that she didn’t even realize that we had the coat drive.  She said she is a foster parent and her husband had recently lost his job and they were talking about it with their foster children and one of them suggested they come down and get coats at the coat drive.  She came in to thank us for it because she said that even though this is the first time they had to use it, they really appreciated the fact that they were able to get coats for the whole family at no cost.  Hopefully they’ve gotten back on their feet again, but if not, she knows they are welcome to come back and get more coats.”

Mermis also said that the kid’s coats usually go fairly fast, and she encouraged people looking for child-sized coats to arrive early on October 12th.

All donated items are completely free to the public, regardless of living situation, income, family size etc.  The only request is that people exercise caution and courtesy when looking through the donations and when traveling between the two locations.

A new Executive Director of the Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) has been hired.

Megan Colson joins the DHDC from her recent position as Projects Coordinator with the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

Colson is originally from Medicine Lodge and graduated from FHSU in December 2012 with a degree in communication studies and a minor in leadership. She spent the spring of 2013 completing an internship with Red Frog Events in Chicago, one of the fastest growing active entertainment companies in the country.

Colson begins her position with the DHDC on Monday, September 23.

Traci Stanford announced her resignation as DHDC Executive Director earlier this month in order to join her husband at his new job in Kentucky.

 

Rural Ellis County residents will experience a brief water outage on Thursday.

John Moeder with Rural Water District 1C told Hays Post there will be a planned outage on Thursday September 12th starting at 12:30pm to hook up phase two of the KANSTEP program.

Moeder estimates that the outage will be no more than a couple hours.  The affected area is the entire rural water district, which covers from Yocemento / Golf course road area to 183, down to Schoenchen.

Rural residences that pull from private wells won’t be impacted.  See the image to the right for a coverage map of Ellis County Rural Water District 1C.

A 21-year-old Hays man was arrested on charges of rape, domestic battery, and criminal restraint.

Lt. Brandon Wright of the Hays Police Department told Hays post that Ricardo Mendoza-Mendias of Hays was arrested on 9/8/13.  According to the police activity log, the incident is alleged to have occurred between 11:30pm on 9/5 and 2:00am on 9/6 in the 1000 block of Reservation Rd in Hays.

Mendoza is being held in the Ellis County Jail without bond at this time.   Wright added that the accused and the victim were acquaintances.

The case is still under investigation, so additional details are not available at this time.  Stay tuned to Hays Post and Eagle radio for updates as they become available.

Ellis County, at the request of Gove County, is joining the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition.

County commissioners voted in favor of the action during their regular meeting Monday night.

Administrator Greg Sund says the Kansas group plans to form a partnership with the federal government for the purpose of addressing Endangered Species Act proposals:

Initial costs to Ellis County will be $2,687  to help cover the expense of developing a plan addressing  the lesser prairie chicken.