February 2014 – Page 42 – Hays Post Archive

Wounded Warrior Project to host pheasant hunt

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

GREAT BEND – The Wounded Warrior Project Organization, in conjunction with the Great Bend Pheasants Forever Chapter, welcome Kansan Wounded Warriors to apply for a two-day pheasant hunt to be held Feb. 22 and 23 at Hidden Hollow Lodge, 3976 Avenue V in Albert. Lodging and meals will be provided both nights and there is no cost to attend.

“This is our chapter members’ and sponsors’ way of giving back to those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” said Pheasants Forever chapter member Scot Moeder in a news release. “We are looking forward to this adventure and are in high hopes that it will be a huge success.”

Warriors may arrive at the lodge after 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21. Saturday morning will begin with breakfast and a clay target shoot, followed by a morning pheasant hunt. Hunters will then take a break for lunch before heading back out for an afternoon hunt, followed by dinner.

Sunday morning hunters will enjoy breakfast followed by a European pheasant hunt, expected to conclude around noon. Warriors will be sent home having made new friends, great memories, and cleaned and packaged birds.

For more information about this event, or to apply, contact Moeder at [email protected] or by phone at (620) 786-0273.

Hays High splits in Liberal

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

Girls: Liberal 56 – Hays 49
It took longer than most would think, but the Hays High Lady Indians started to click on Friday night in Liberal. Hays led 15-12 after the first quarter and 28-27 at halftime against the Liberal Redskins.

Hays though would only lead one other time in the second half at 30-29 with 6:50 to go in the third quarter.

Liberal went on a 6-0 run to take a 35-30 lead, one they would never give up. Hays trailed by five entering the fourth quarter and quickly cut it to two at 40-38 on a three pointer by Audra Schmeidler, but that is all the closer the Lady Indians would get. Liberal went on a 14-1 run to push their lead up to 15 with 2:51 left in the game.

Hays did make one last charge scoring seven straight cutting the score to 54-46, before falling to 0-15 by the final of 56-49. Liberal improves to 7-9 on the year and 2-3 in the WAC. Hays is 0-5 in conference play.

Audra Schmeidler and Brooke Russell each had 13 including three treys each. Schmeidler added 12 rebounds for her first double-double. She has 23 rebounds over the past two games.

Game Highlights

Kirk Maska Postgame Intervew

Boys: Hays 55 – Liberal 22
The Hays High Indians allowed 10 points in the first quarter against Liberal on Friday night. Over the next three Hays would give up just 12 more points and on three field goals and six free throws for a 55-22 win over the Redskins.

The score was tied early at five but two 6-0 runs by Hays sandwiched around a Redskin’s three put Hays up 17-8 in the first quarter.

The decisive run came in the second quarter when the Indians pushed their lead to 33-21 on a 13-0 run.

The Indians would not be pushed rest of the way outscoring Liberal 22-8 in the second half.

Hays shot 20-43 on the game and made 7 of 19 three pointers. Liberal was 7 for 36 and made 2 of 15 three’s.

Jordan Windholz led Hays with 15, Brady Werth put in 13 and Clayton Riedel added 11 of the bench.

Hays is 15-0 on the year and 5-0 in the WAC. Liberal drops to 5-11 and 1-4 in conference.

Rick Keltner Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

[email protected]

TMP splits with Scott City

Posted on February 14, 2014February 15, 2014

By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

Girls: TMP 60, Scott City 25
TMP stormed out of the gate against Scott City with a 10-0 run and never looked back. The Lady Monarchs led 30-13 at the break and came out firing again in the third quarter on another 10-0 run. Freshman Megan Koenigsman scored 24 points on the night including 16 points in a key run to start the third quarter. TMP improves to five and nine on the season and will play at Ellinwood on Monday.

Rose McFarland Interview

Boys: Scott City 55, TMP 48
A hard fought effort wasn’t enough for TMP on Friday night against Scott City, falling 55-48 to the Beavers. TMP led throughout much of the first half and a good majority of the third quarter. The Monarchs trailed by four points going into the fourth quarter, 42-38. TMP started the quarter on an eight to three run and led by one late and that’s when Scott City poured it on. The Beavers finished the game on a 10 to two run to pick up win number 14 on the season.

TMP drops back to five hundred at seven and seven. They will be on the road at Ellinwood on Monday.

Joe Hertel Interview

Friday night high school scoreboard

Posted on February 14, 2014February 14, 2014

Girls

Western Athletic Conference
Garden City 50 Great Bend 69
Hays 49 Liberal 56

Mid-Central Activities Association
Scott City 25 TMP 58
Ellinwood 48 Hoisington 41

Mid-Continent League
Hill City 30 Smith Center 42
*Osborne 61 Norton 52

Central Prairie League
Central Plains 59 La Crosse 32
Otis-Bison 54 Ness City 37
Victoria 37 St. John 54
*Macksville 37 Fowler 52

Northern Plains League
Thunder Ridge 67 Chase 34
St. Johns-Tipton 37 Lincoln 34
Tescott 51 Wilson 71
Sylvan-Lucas 40 Lakeside 20
Natoma 39 Southern Cloud 40

Northwest Kansas League
*Stockton 54 Trego 59
*Oakley 49 Wallace Co. 44
Hoxie 69 Dighton 63

North Central Activities Association
Republic Co. 22 Ellsworth 43
Beloit 48 Russell 56

Western Kansas Liberty League
Golden Plains 65 Healy 15
Wheatland-Grinnell 34 Triplains/Brewster 45
Weskan 29 Palco 48
Logan 39 Cheylin 47
Northern Valley 52 Western Plains 29

Great Western Kansas League
Colby 38 Holcomb 59
Goodland 53 Ulysses 36

Boys
Western Athletic Conference
Hays 55 Liberal 22

Mid-Central Activities Association
Scott City 55 TMP 48
Ellinwood 54 Hoisington 64

Mid-Continent League
Hill City 65 Smith Center 48
*Osborne 32 Norton 45

Central Prairie League
Central Plains 62 La Crosse 50
Otis-Bison 56 Ness City 54
Victoria 36 St. John 61
*Macksville 68 Fowler 59

Northern Plains League
Thunder Ridge 52 Chase 38
St. Johns-Tipton 55 Lincoln 27
Sylvan-Lucas 50 Lakeside 30
Natoma 61 Southern Cloud 50

Northwest Kansas League
*Stockton 60 Trego 42
*Oakley 73 Wallace Co. 82
Hoxie 65 Dighton 27

North Central Activities Association
Beloit 74 Russell 33

Western Kansas Liberty League
Wheatland-Grinnell 22 Triplains/Brewster 45
Weskan 63 Palco 29
Logan 46 Cheylin 49
Northern Valley 48 Western Plains 54

*Non-league games

By The Associated Press
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Abilene 63, Wamego 43
Andale 67, Wellington 42
Andover 62, Goddard 55
Andover Central 57, Valley Center 46
Baileyville-B&B 44, Axtell 40
Beloit 74, Russell 33
Bennington 57, Sedgwick 40
Berean Academy 57, Moundridge 50
BV North 68, Gardner-Edgerton 50
BV Northwest 70, Bishop Miege 46
BV Randolph 71, Doniphan West 52
Centralia 64, Clifton-Clyde 48
Chetopa 95, Tyro Community Christian 44
Coffeyville 59, Fort Scott 57
Concordia 61, Chapman 36
Council Grove 65, Northern Heights 26
Derby 83, Salina Central 78, 2OT
Douglass 62, Conway Springs 57
Ellinwood 64, Hoisington 54
Eureka 57, Burlington 48
Garden Plain 43, Wichita Trinity 42
Goddard-Eisenhower 56, Newton 41
Goessel 53, Peabody-Burns 46
Goodland 51, Ulysses 46
Halstead 63, Nickerson 37
Hanover 36, Frankfort 32
Haven 48, Sterling 45
Hays 55, Liberal 22
Hesston 45, Hillsboro 43
Hiawatha 51, Royal Valley 46
Highland Park 66, Topeka Seaman 55
Hill City 65, Smith Center 48
Holton 70, Riverside 62, OT
Hoxie 65, Dighton 27
Hutchinson 38, Salina South 37
Hutchinson Trinity 49, Remington 38
Independence 70, Pittsburg 42
Inman 51, Ell-Saline 47
Jackson Heights 77, McLouth 64
Jefferson North 95, Immaculata 15
Junction City 59, Washburn Rural 37
KC Piper 62, Tonganoxie 58
KC Sumner 61, Atchison 53
Kingman 50, Smoky Valley 42
Labette County 66, Columbus 51
Lansing 60, KC Bishop Ward 30
Lawrence 57, Olathe Northwest 45
Macksville 68, Fowler 59
Maize 48, Wichita Campus 33
Maize South 63, Arkansas City 37
Marais des Cygnes Valley 63, Mission Valley 44
Marion 65, Canton-Galva 43
McPherson 54, El Dorado 35
Minneapolis 70, Southeast Saline 59
Natoma 70, Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 61
Norton 45, Osborne 32
Olathe East 64, Olathe North 59
Olathe South 64, Lawrence Free State 50
Onaga 45, Washington County 41
Osawatomie 59, Anderson County 51
Otis-Bison 56, Ness City 54
Ottawa 71, Louisburg 65
Pittsburg Colgan 70, Baxter Springs 37
Pratt 52, Lyons 43
Rawlins County 61, Oberlin-Decatur 47
Riverton 58, Southeast 26
Rock Creek 71, St. Mary’s 17
Rock Hills 36, Pike Valley 34
Rose Hill 61, Mulvane 55
Rossville 61, Silver Lake 51
Sabetha 80, Jefferson West 50
Santa Fe Trail 65, Atchison County 49
Scott City 55, Hays-TMP-Marian 48
Shawnee Heights 69, Manhattan 58
SM Northwest 50, SM East 35
SM South 76, Leavenworth 64
Solomon 57, Elyria Christian 11
South Barber 68, Hutchinson Central Christian 54
Southwestern Hts. 73, South Gray 68
St. John 61, Victoria 36
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 55, Lincoln 27
St. Thomas Aquinas 56, Blue Valley Stilwell 46
Stockton 60, Trego 42
Sylvan-Lucas 50, Lakeside 30
Thunder Ridge 52, Chase 38
Topeka 62, Topeka West 55
Topeka Hayden 37, Emporia 33, OT
Triplains-Brewster 45, Wheatland-Grinnell 22
Valley Falls 52, Maur Hill – Mount Academy 47
Valley Heights 55, Wetmore 41
Wabaunsee 43, Riley County 34
Weskan 63, Palco 29
West Elk 62, Argonia 23
Wichita Bishop Carroll 46, Kapaun Mount Carmel 43
Wichita East 52, Wichita Northwest 42
Wichita Independent 55, Cheney 53
Wichita Southeast 59, Wichita North 56
Winfield 53, Buhler 32
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Andale 43, Wellington 27
Anderson County 53, Osawatomie 14
Andover 46, Goddard 40
Andover Central 64, Valley Center 51
Arkansas City 45, Maize South 31
Baileyville-B&B 53, Axtell 32
Basehor-Linwood 51, Bonner Springs 47
Bishop Miege 48, BV Northwest 36
Blue Valley Southwest 73, BV West 33
Buhler 48, Winfield 34
BV North 65, Gardner-Edgerton 37
Caldwell 74, Flinthills 17
Caney Valley 63, Yates Center 23
Central Plains 59, LaCrosse 32
Centralia 51, Clifton-Clyde 21
Chaparral 55, Belle Plaine 41
Cheney 53, Wichita Independent 37
Cherryvale 51, Erie 40
Cheylin 47, Logan 39
Circle 45, Augusta 42
Concordia 49, Chapman 34
Council Grove 66, Northern Heights 45
Doniphan West 39, BV Randolph 34
Douglass 37, Conway Springs 24
Ell-Saline 59, Inman 34
Ellinwood 48, Hoisington 41
Ellsworth 43, Republic County 22
Fort Scott 61, Coffeyville 57
Fowler 52, Macksville 37
Garden Plain 48, Wichita Trinity 42
Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 40, Natoma 39
Goddard-Eisenhower 57, Newton 50
Goessel 44, Peabody-Burns 24
Golden Plains 65, Healy 15
Goodland 53, Ulysses 36
Great Bend 69, Garden City 50
Halstead 53, Nickerson 36
Hanover 36, Frankfort 32
Hays-TMP-Marian 58, Scott City 25
Hesston 47, Hillsboro 28
Holcomb 59, Colby 38
Holton 54, Riverside 24
Hoxie 69, Dighton 63
Hugoton 74, Guymon, Okla. 55
Hutchinson 32, Salina South 22
Independence 48, Pittsburg 41
Iola 41, Central Heights 33
Jefferson North 94, Immaculata 15
Kapaun Mount Carmel 45, Wichita Bishop Carroll 32
KC Piper 46, Tonganoxie 39
Kingman 36, Smoky Valley 32
Kiowa County 56, Hodgeman County 33
Labette County 45, Columbus 37
Lakin 60, Elkhart 29
Lansing 42, KC Bishop Ward 26
Leavenworth 74, SM South 72
Liberal 56, Hays 49
Louisburg 48, Ottawa 47
Lyndon 39, Hartford 17
Lyons 45, Pratt 39
Maize 61, Wichita Campus 29
Manhattan 43, Shawnee Heights 31
Marais des Cygnes Valley 49, Mission Valley 29
Marion 47, Canton-Galva 36
Marysville 51, Clay Center 50
McPherson 69, El Dorado 15
Medicine Lodge 52, Bluestem 25
Mill Valley 54, KC Turner 12
Minnesota Academy for the Deaf, Minn. 62, Kansas Deaf 35
Moscow 53, Walsh, Colo. 25
Moundridge 31, Berean Academy 27
Nemaha Valley 42, Perry-Lecompton 23
Oberlin-Decatur 52, Rawlins County 38
Olathe Northwest 66, Lawrence 48
Olathe South 55, Lawrence Free State 45
Osborne 61, Norton 52
Otis-Bison 54, Ness City 37
Pike Valley 57, Rock Hills 25
Pittsburg Colgan 42, Baxter Springs 34
Prairie View 42, Wellsville 34
Pretty Prairie 47, Fairfield 41
Remington 48, Hutchinson Trinity 30
Riley County 58, Wabaunsee 52
Rock Creek 45, St. Mary’s 39
Rose Hill 57, Mulvane 45
Royal Valley 59, Hiawatha 51
Russell 56, Beloit 48
Sabetha 52, Jefferson West 28
Salina Central 63, Derby 44
Santa Fe Trail 37, Atchison County 25
SM Northwest 49, SM East 46
SM West 70, SM North 49
Smith Center 42, Hill City 30
South Barber 54, Hutchinson Central Christian 21
South Central 59, Ashland 37
South Haven 50, Sedan 43
Southeast Saline 54, Minneapolis 47
Southwestern Hts. 56, South Gray 35
Spring Hill Charter 56, Eudora 52
St. Francis 41, Quinter 34
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 37, Lincoln 34
St. Thomas Aquinas 64, Blue Valley Stilwell 46
Sterling 42, Haven 36
Sublette 37, Syracuse 36
Sylvan-Lucas 40, Lakeside 20
Thunder Ridge 67, Chase 34
Topeka 49, Topeka West 32
Topeka Hayden 54, Emporia 42
Topeka Seaman 48, Highland Park 27
Trego 59, Stockton 54
Triplains-Brewster 45, Wheatland-Grinnell 34
Valley Heights 62, Wetmore 46
Victoria 54, St. John 37
Wamego 48, Abilene 16
Washburn Rural 55, Junction City 37
Washington County 51, Onaga 24
Wichita North 58, Wichita Southeast 39
Wichita Northwest 53, Wichita East 46
Wilson 71, Tescott 51

Surprise roses deliver smiles

Posted on February 14, 2014February 14, 2014

HEART1 — Residents at Centennial Towers receive roses.

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Just as the weather is warming up, many people in Hays had their hearts warmed when they received donated roses for Valentine’s Day.

Nearly 300 people in Hays received donated roses through the Heart to Heart program. According to Vine Street Dillons manager Don Koerner, customers make the program possible.

“They donated the money for the roses. Without them, we could not make it happen,” he said.

DSNWK clients recieve roses — DSNWK clients pose with roses.

The recipients appreciate the gesture, as well.

“I feel very special on this day, on Valentine’s Day — and for someone to actually come and give me a rose, it is very special,” said Connie Smith, a resident at Centennial Towers.

For June Grumbein, also a resident at Centennial Towers, receiving the rose was emotional.

“My husband used to give me roses,” she said, tears in her eyes. “It’s nice, very nice.”

Director of Developmental Services for Northwest Kansas Steve Keil said he and his clients appreciate the generosity of the community.

“It’s great,” he said. “On Valentine’s Day, a lot of our individuals would not get a rose, so we just really appreciate it.”

Roses were also delivered to Sterling house, Wyndham Place and Mary Elizabeth Maternity Home.

Hays Post News for 2-14-14

Posted on February 14, 2014February 15, 2014

Ex-KBI official’s attorney: No child was in danger

Posted on February 14, 2014

TOPEKA (AP) — The attorney for a former Kansas Bureau of Investigation deputy director charged with sexual exploitation of a child says no child was ever in danger.

Thomas Haney told the Associated Press on Friday that his client, 57-year-old Kyle G. Smith, isn’t accused of approaching, touching or having any communication with a child. Haney says the charge involves claims that Smith looked at an image.

Smith was charged Thursday with one count of looking at a sexually explicit image of a child. He also faces two counts of interference with law enforcement, alleging he tried to destroy evidence on a telephone and on a computer.

Haney says Smith’s first court appearance will likely be scheduled in April when the case appears on a criminal assignment docket. Smith is free on bond.

Judge sets fall trial date over use of restraints in juvie

Posted on February 14, 2014February 14, 2014

WICHITA (AP) — A federal judge has scheduled a trial for a man who claims the juvenile detention center in Sedgwick County violated his rights by using a restraining chair as punishment.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot set the Oct. 14 date in the wake of last year’s appeals court ruling that Brandon Blackmon is entitled to a trial.

Blackmon sued as an adult in 2005 over treatment he received at the facility as an 11-year-old while awaiting trial on criminal charges that were later dismissed.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said jailers had made “liberal use” of the restraining chair, in which a person is immobilized with straps.

The appeals court upheld a lower court’s refusal to dismiss Blackmon’s lawsuit against the Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners and its employees.

Repairs made, water service restored in Ellis

Posted on February 14, 2014

ELLIS — Water service was restored in Ellis between noon and 12:30 p.m. Friday, after a waterline break forced a nearly four-hour disruption.

Ellis Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman said the break was called in approximately 5:30 a.m. Friday, and water was turned off at 8 a.m. after residents were notified. A 6-inch line ruptured between 12th and 13th streets on Dorrance, in the southwest section of town, he said.

The section of street will remain closed this weekend, and crews will check the line through the weekend to ensure repairs hold.

The line was one of the older ones in Ellis, Scheuerman said, noting officials are investigating funding to improve the water infrastructure.

“The city is looking at trying to acquire a USDA grant/loan to replace some of that,” he said, noting that process is in the early stages.

Water service was shut down citywide because there was no valve nearby to allow the water to be shut off locally and because of the pressure exerted by the water tower.

“There was so much pressure on it, we decided that to do it safely, we’d shut it down,” Scheuerman said.

Report: Kansas 2013 crop values down

Posted on February 14, 2014February 14, 2014

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department is estimating the total value of Kansas crop production last year at $7.79 billion, a drop of 4 percent from 2012.

The agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service calculates crop values by multiplying the average marketing price by the amount of production in each state.

Friday’s report said Kansas wheat production in 2013 was valued at $2.22 billion, down 22 percent from the previous year.

The value of Kansas corn produced for grain was pegged at $2.31 billion last year, a drop of 13 percent.

Soybean values for 2013 were estimated at $1.59 billion, up 30 percent from the previous year.

800-pound snowball smashes into college dorm

Posted on February 14, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two math majors at Reed College lost control of a massive snowball that rolled into a dorm, knocking in part of a bedroom wall.

No one was injured.

The students began making the snowball last week during a rare snowstorm in Portland, Ore.

Nobody weighed it, but college spokesman Kevin Myers says it was estimated to weigh 800 pounds or more.

The students responsible for the runaway snowball reported the incident and have not been disciplined. Myers says they didn’t intend to cause damage and feel awful about what happened.

A maintenance manager told Reed Magazine it will cost several thousand dollars to repair the building.

Airplane lands gear-up at Salina airport

Posted on February 14, 2014

Salina Post

SALINA — A SeaPort Airlines PC-12 Pilatus landed with gear up Friday morning at Salina Regional Airport.

A pilot and copilot were on board the otherwise empty aircraft. Airport firefighters, the Salina Fire Department and Salina EMS responded to the scene.

EMS reported no serious injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board has released the aircraft to be removed from the scene and airport crews are inspecting the area in preparation to reopen the runway. An aircraft recovery contractor is en route to remove the aircraft.

One runway was expected to be closed for the remainder of Friday afternoon, and the incident remains under investigation.

DCF chief defends $48 million TANF carryover

Posted on February 14, 2014

By DAVE RANNEY
KHI News Service

TOPEKA — Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Phyllis Gilmore on Thursday defended her agency against criticism that it is holding back federal grant dollars that could be used to help needy families.

“I think saving for a rainy day is the prudent thing to do, but to me this looks and feels like a significant amount of money sitting on the sidelines, money that we could be using to address some critical needs,” said Rep. Melissa Rooker, a Fairway Republican, who said she was troubled by the idea of mothers of months-old infants going without quality childcare while one of the state’s lead welfare agencies held $48 million in reserve.

But Gilmore said the unspent money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund was good to have.

“It would be less than prudent for there not to be some carryover,” Gilmore said, testifying before the House Committee on Children and Seniors.

The fund currently has about $48 million in it.

More poor children, fewer benefits

Gilmore said she knew of no formula for calculating how much should be left unspent at the end of the fiscal year, but records showed that previous administrations typically ended up with between $30 million and $40 million a year in carrier over balances.

She said the agency was open to discussing how much should be left unspent in the coming fiscal year.

Gov. Sam Brownback has proposed – and legislators are considering – using some of the money to pay for after-school reading programs in southeast and southwest Kansas. The governor’s Reading Roadmap initiative is expected to cost about $9 million a year for three years.

But advocates for children and the poor have criticized DCF for holding the TANF money while the number of Kansas children living in poverty is increasing.

“No one is against there being a balance from one year to the next,” said Karen Wulfkuhle, executive director of United Community Services of Johnson County, in a later interview. “It just seems like there’s an opportunity here to invest some of these dollars in evidence-based programs that truly make a positive difference in people’s lives. But we don’t see much of that happening.”

Last year, the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children, released a report showing that the number of Kansas children living in poverty had increased from 21 percent in 2011 to 23 percent in 2012.

The increase, according to the report, coincided with DCF enacting policies that led to thousands of families being dropped from the state’s TANF rolls.

“What this means is that we have more people living in poverty but receiving fewer benefits,” said Christie Appelhanz, vice president for public affairs at KAC.

A bridge, not a garage

Gilmore did not dispute the statistics, but told committee members that DCF is committed to encouraging low-income parents to find jobs so they can work their way out of poverty.

The TANF program, she said, was meant to be a “bridge” out of poverty, not a “garage.”

Gilmore said DCF now expects mothers receiving TANF-funded public assistance to rejoin the workforce two months after giving birth. Previously, the policy allowed mothers to be at home for six months after a delivery.

“We felt that six months was more than any working person receives,” Gilmore said.

The policy change took effect in May 2013.

The agency has not kept track of how families affected by the policy change have fared as a result of it, Gilmore said.

But she said neither she nor Karen Beckerman, DCF’s director of strengthening families services, had received telephone calls from TANF mothers reporting difficulties.

“That’s not a surprise,” said Leadell Ediger, in a later telephone interview. “If you talked to these moms, they’d say, ‘What’s the use? There’s no one at DCF who’s going to help me.’ And that assumes that when they call DCF, they could actually talk to somebody.”

Ediger is executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas, a nonprofit agency based in Salina that works to improve the quality of child care programs.

TANF money is still available for the mothers to help them pay for child care so they can work, but Ediger said it can be difficult for mothers to find quality care for children younger than six months old, especially if the mothers are working evening or night shifts for low wages. Many child-care providers limit the number of TANF-financed children they will take because what the state pays is half or less the going market rate, she said.

Foster care update

Gilmore also updated the committee on the state’s foster care programs, noting that the number of children in the system “was not declining.”

In December, 5,912 foster children were in out-of-home placements, the most in state history.

Also in December, 1,010 foster children were available for adoption; also a record number.

Gilmore said DCF was having trouble hiring child protection workers in sparsely populated western Kansas.

The hiring effort also has been hampered by low salaries and what she called an image problem.

“It’s a myth that we’re not hiring social workers,” she said. “That’s not true.”