The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion swept Great Bend in a doubleheader Tuesday night in Great Bend.
Game 1: Hays 12 Great Bend 1
In the first game the Eagles scored six times in the first inning. Kade Parker got the scoring started with the two-run double and Jake Sedbrook also drove in two with a two-out single.
Hays added two runs in each of the next three innings and starter Brady Bieker allowed just one run in four innings for the 12-1 four inning run-rule victory.
Kade Parker was two-for-two with three RBIs and two runs scored. Layne Downing finished two-for-three with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Game 2: Hays 9 Great Bend 2
The Eagles used a pair of big innings in game two on their way to a 9-2 win.
In the Eagles three-run second inning Cole Schumaker singled in two runs and Trenton Henningsen also singled in a run.
Hays tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning behind a two-run single by Kade Parker.
Parker was two-for-two with two RBIs and scored three runs. Cole Schumaker and Trenton Henningsen also finished with two RBIs.
Marcus Altman allowed one run in four innings for his third win of the summer.
The Eagles improve to 17-6 with the win.
They are scheduled to host Dodge City for a doubleheader at Larks Park Wednesday evening.
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The Bicknell Foundation has given $1 million to a group seeking to build a centralized technical education center in southeast Kansas.
Pittsburg superintendent Destry Brown says the proposed center will house several technical education courses currently offered to high school students and adults by Fort Scott Community College in cooperation with the five school districts in Crawford County.
He says the gift, which was announced this week, also will allow the current programs to expand.
The Joplin Globe reportsthe $1 million will help to buy a building and 18 acres, as well as expanding the building to accommodate all of the programs and provide more parking.
A timeline for development will be set after backers of the project raise another $300,000.
SYLVAN GROVE — The Bass Federation and FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, have partnered to present the 2014 Kansas State High School Fishing Championship. The tournament is scheduled for July 12 on Wilson Lake in Sylvan Grove and is open to any high school fishing team in Kansas.
The two-person team event is for students in grades nine to 12. Registration for anglers and their coach, who will provide the boat they compete in, is online at HighSchoolFishing.org. Takeoff will be at 6:15 a.m., and weigh-in will be at 3 p.m.
For more information about the event, contact the TBF National Youth Director Mark Gintert at (580) 716-4251 or (330) 993-0014.
The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field will advance to a conference championship along with the top three teams from each of the six 2014 High School Fishing Opens that coincide with the 2014 Walmart FLW Tour. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will then advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship and an FLW Tour stop in the spring of 2015.
The national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
RUSSELL — On Wednesday, former Sen. Bob Dole will dedicate a new mobile unit in Russell to be used by the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center for rural health initiatives.
According to Dole’s Washington office, the dedication is open to the public and will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the VFW Post 6240 at 248 Bob Dole Drive in his hometown of Russell.
“Kansas has an ongoing need for health outreach to veterans living in rural communities,” Dole said. “This new mobile unit will allow the Dole VA Medical Center to meet further educational and health service needs in rural areas across the state. I am proud to be a part of this initiative as the Dole VA reinforces its commitment to serve all deserving veterans within its boundaries.”
Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month? So many Fourth of July celebrations involve making and eating ice cream that it makes sense that this month would be dedicated to one of America’s favorite treats.
Lucia Bain is Kansas Room librarian at Hays Public Library.
Everyone has a favorite flavor (chocolate or vanilla), a favorite style (soft-serve or hand-dipped) and a favorite container (cup or cone). Once upon a time, I worked in an ice cream shop, and it was one of my favorite jobs. There’s something magical about serving people ice cream, because it makes them instantly, innocently and blissfully happy.
It is my mission to spread such bliss this summer, so I’ll be serving free ice cream on Tuesday, July 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Gallery. Look for posters in the library that say “Custard’s Last Stand.” Appropriately, my display cases this month feature information on General George Custer and his infamous Battle of Little Big Horn.
There are two Staycations coming up in July. On July 12, we’ll be heading to Greensburg to take a Greentown tour and also explore the world’s largest hand-dug well. If time permits, we’ll be visiting the round barn just a few miles out of Greensburg. The library will provide transportation as well as admission to the Greentown tour and the Big Well. I still have a couple spaces left, so call me today at (785) 625-9014.
The second Staycation will be July 26 to Abilene. We’ll be visiting Dwight Eisenhower’s Presidential Library and Museum as well as Eisenhower’s childhood home. For lunch, we’ll head over the Brookville Hotel for some family-style fried chicken! Again, the library will provide transportation as well as admission to the museums. Lunch, which will cost about $15/person will be your responsibility.
The third installment of my summer movie series will be on Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. I’ll be showing “Paper Moon” starring Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. Made in 1972, this film includes scenes from Hays, McCracken, Gorham and other nearby locales. It’s a Kansas classic. If you’ve never seen it, this is the perfect opportunity. There will be free popcorn, soda and candy.
Don’t forget about my Photo Scavenger Hunt! Clue sheets are still available at the library’s front desk and under the Kansas Room tab on our library’s webpage. Ten clues will lead you to ten locations around Hays. Have your picture snapped at each of these locations and you could win a prize, compliments of the library. I’ve had a lot of clue sheets taken, but not a lot of photos submitted, so be sure to enter your photos for your chance to win! If you need help with some of my clues, don’t hesitate to call or email me ([email protected]).
Last month, I lamented the lack of rain. This month I’m celebrating the inches of rain we received in June. Multiple times over the last few weeks, I’ve stood at my windows to watch the rain. The humidity reminds me of summer in Missouri, but I wouldn’t trade the humid air for anything right now. Let’s hope the rain keeps falling, filling Big Creek, Cedar Bluff and watering gardens everywhere!
The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and by request.
Lucia Bain is Kansas Room Librarian at the Hays Public Library.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Joe Mauer drove in two runs before leaving with an injury, Eduardo Nunez homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 10-2 Tuesday night.
Mauer extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run double down the left-field line in the fourth inning, but was noticeably limping as he ran to second base.
The team said he has a strained muscle on his right side and will be evaluated Wednesday. Ricky Nolasco (5-6) earned his first win in five starts, allowing one run and eight hits in six innings.
With a new commercial carrier and planned improvements at the Hays Regional Airport terminal, a marketing push to Fly Hays is ready to intensify.
The Fly Hays committee and SkyWest have created a television commercial about the new flight service. It will soon start airing on regional TV stations.
The search continues for a new manager of the Hays Regional Airport, after Bob Johnson resigned that position in early May.
SkyWest Airlines, operating as United Express, is scheduled to start passenger service Aug. 1.
Director of Public Works I.D. Creech, who is serving as acting airport manager, said Monday it could take a little longer than four weeks to have the manager in place.
“The process takes a while to get the right person, and they’re going to have to relocate,” he said.
Creech anticipates SkyWest employees will start work four days before the flights between Hays and Denver will begin. Flights can now be booked online for travel after Aug. 1.
There will be 12 flights a week from Hays to Denver, using 50-seat Bombardier-manufactured CRJ200 jet aircraft.
Major improvements to the airport terminal also will start soon, including construction of a larger secure holding area and a restroom inside the TSA holding area.
Smoky Hill River, 1 mile west of Schoenchen on June 12Smoky water well field near Schoenchen June 5
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The month of June yielded significant rain for Hays, nearly 10 inches, according to official records kept by the K-State Ag Research Center. That’s 6 inches above average for the month.
Although lawns are green, Hays is still in the fourth year of a drought.
During a special meeting Monday night in which city commissioners voted to lift the fireworks ban, Mayor Henry Schwaller pointed out Hays “remains about 12 inches behind average precipitation.”
Commissioners will hear a water supply update from Bernie Kitten, Director of Utilities, during their Thursday night work session.
The recharge of two of the city’s water wellfields, Smoky Hill and Big Creek, is being calculated.
“The data from both of those wellfields will give the commission the opportunity to make the determination of the appropriate stage to be in in our water plan,” Assistant Hays City Manager Paul Briseno said Tuesday.
“There are a number of factors,” he explained, including how much water is used each day by customers:
Hays also gets some water from the Dakota Aquifer.
“We try to balance our sources,” Briseno added. “We usually go about half and half between Big Creek and the Smoky, and commingle a small percentage from the Dakota, so we don’t deplete any one source and our water supply lasts as long as possible.”
The city of Hays is currently in a water warning, with no outside watering allowed between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Six teachers from the Philippines who work in Topeka are waiting for a decision on their residency permits.
The Topeka school district began recruiting teachers overseas in 2005, focusing on math, science and special education. The district currently has 30 teachers from abroad.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the U.S. Department of Labor last summer blocked the district’s applications for permanent residency for six teachers. The department said the district had not proven there was a shortage of qualified teachers in the U.S.
The district has appealed that ruling, arguing that their positions are still difficult to fill.
It also has submitted applications on behalf of another 13 international teachers, and eight have been approved.
Those teachers have more steps before they are allowed to stay in the U.S. permanently.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) responded to the release of two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General (IG) reports on Obamacare verification systems. The first report reviews the effectiveness of the procedures and safeguards for preventing fraudulent or inaccurate information by applicants enrolling in health plans through the Obamacare insurance Exchanges. This report finds that the Obamacare system lacks internal controls to verify information provided by individuals enrolling through Obamacare. The second report details the inconsistencies that arose as part of the haphazard enrollment process. The IG finds that most exchanges were unable to resolve the majority of inconsistencies, most often relating to income and citizenship. In particular, the federal exchange was unable to resolve 2.6 million out of 2.9 million inconsistencies as of February 2014.
“The Administration has unilaterally changed Obamacare to bend every rule it can – delayed regulations, changed the enrollment period, and given select individual and employer exemptions – to try and make the law work,” Sen. Moran said. “Once again, we are provided further evidence that Obamacare is not working. In fact, the Administration is relying on nothing more than the honor system to run a billion dollar program. Without adequate safeguards or the ability to reconcile inconsistencies in income and citizenship, the Administration is wasting millions in American taxpayers’ dollars to provide subsidies to individuals who do not actually qualify.”
Without a process in place to verify an enrollee’s income or citizenship, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency responsible for implementing Obamacare, will continue to process applications based on nothing more than the honor system. As a result, the Administration will hand out inaccurate subsidies while relying on an unproven, incomplete back-end system to recoup incorrect subsidies during the tax filing process. This disorganization will result in massive uncertainty with the Administration having to dedicate more taxpayer dollars to reclaim the incorrect subsidies from enrollees who may not have the money to pay them back. In addition, many Americans who based their insurance choice off inaccurate subsidy information may now see their premiums increase as their subsidy is reduced by the Administration.
In May, Senator Moran demanded a response from the Department of Health and Human Services about a press report stating the federal government may be paying incorrect Obamacare subsidies to more than 1 million individuals. The Department has yet to respond to the Senator’s letter.
