A short commute and low unemployment are among the factors putting Hays near the top of the list of places to live in Kansas.
The 2015 Best Towns in Kansas list, compiled by Niche.com, places Hays second — behind only Lawrence.
Hays was the only northwest Kansas community to crack the list.
Click HERE for the rankings, as well as an explanation of how the list was compiled.
FHSU University Relations
Tre L. Giles, Colorado Springs, Colo., graduate of the 2015 class at Fort Hays State University, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Cameroon May 26 to begin training as a primary education teacher trainer.
“Giles will make a difference by providing formal and informal training and support to elementary school teachers in a co-teaching environment,” said a news release from the Peace Corps Office of Press Relations.
“I have always wanted to join the Peace Corps right after I graduated college, and thankfully the people around me did not let me give that dream up,” said Giles in the Peace Corps news release.
Giles, son of Tammy Giles and a graduate of Widefield High School of Colorado Springs, earned a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership.
“Fort Hays State invested in me, and my advisors and mentors kept me motivated to reach my goals and dreams,” Giles told the Peace Corps. “Most majors give you one hard skill, but with the leadership degree, that is not the case. My major has developed my soft skills. I have learned the best ways to motivate people, to conduct relationships and business in an ethical manner, how powerful the follower is, and other simple things like how valuable it is to actually listen to people. These are very transferable skills in any job, but especially for the Peace Corp.”
The Peace Corps said Giles will spend his first three months in the Peace Corps living with a host family to become familiar with the language and culture. Giles will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Cameroon where he will serve for two years, working alongside local teachers and teaching English.
According to the Peace Corps news release, Giles is one of nearly 90 Fort Hays State University alumni who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
HUTCHINSON — A Kansas woman has been formally charged with four counts of aggravated battery. She is accused of intentionally ramming her vehicle into another with four people inside.
Samantha Sprecher, 44, Hutchinson, appeared via video from the Reno County Jail on Wednesday and was told of the charges against her.
According to police, Sprecher was angry with the four and didn’t want them at her residence.
The crash occurred in the 1700 block of East Blanchard in Hutchinson on May 13.
One of the victims Joshua Cunningham, 25, Hutchinson, suffered a back injury as a result of the incident and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Sprecher is well known to law enforcement. She has had convictions for two counts of being in possession of opiates from 2013 and forgery in 2010.
She is to make another court appearance on Thursday.
NCK Tech
North Central Kansas Technical College, with campuses in Beloit and Hays, is pleased to announce the recipients of the Technical Honor Scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Scholarship recipients sign a letter of intent to attend a technical program at NCK Tech and are nominated by a high school instructor. The awards are based on student’s strong work ethic, good attendance, self-motivation and high quality of character. In addition, students demonstrate their technical skills with the NCK Tech instructor in the selected program area.
Scholarship recipients and their high school, hometown, NCK Tech program of study (campus) and scholarship award level are as follows:
Alexis Oliver Plainville High Plainville, KS Culinary (Hays) $500
Brock Lawrence Central Plains Holyrood, KS Auto (Hays) $500
Brooke Rayburn Maridian (NE) Daykin, NE Business Mgt. (Beloit) $1,000
Clayton Ingham Central Plains Chase, KS Electricity (Hays) $500
Cordell Weis Riley County Riley, KS Diesel Technology (Beloit) $350
Danea Buschhoetter Blue Hill Blue Hill, NE Welding (Beloit) $500
Dylan Nicholson Wallace High Sharon Springs, KS Culinary $500
Justin Fisher Kinsley High Kinsley, KS Diesel Tehnology (Beloit) $150
Kyle Pfeifer Hill City High Hill City, KS Carpentry (Hays) $1,000
Marshall Nichelson Fairbury (NE) Fairbury, NE Welding (Beloit) $500
Nick Lierz Nemaha Valley Seneca, KS Diesel Technology $500
Rachel Miller Arcadia (NE) Arcadia, NE Information Technology $1,000
Shawn Pochop Cheylin High Bird City, KS PHAC (Beloit) $1,000
Steven Ammon Lucas-Luray Lucas, KS Auto (Hays) $500
Tristan Dunn South Central Coldwater, KS Carpentry (Beliot) $500
Wes Thompson Clifton-Clyde Agenda, KS Ag Technology $500
Zachary Martin Ellsworth Ellsworth, KS Telecommunications $1,000
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Jeremy Guthrie pitched six shutout innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 on Wednesday night.
The Royals tied a club record with 24 consecutive scoreless innings, which was set June 9-12, 1976. That streak ended in the seventh when Brandon Phillips’ two-out double off reliever Ryan Madson scored Zack Cozart.
The Royals, who won for the fifth time in six games, improved to 26-14, the franchise’s best record after 40 games.
Guthrie (4-2) pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out predicament in the first inning and won his third straight start. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three. Guthrie retired 13 on fly balls and two on grounders.
Reds right-hander Jason Marquis (3-4) was pulled after 3 2-3 innings, yielding four runs, four hits, two sacrifice flies, two walks and a wild pitch. In losing his past three starts, Marquis has surrendered 21 hits and 15 runs in 12 1-3 innings for a 15.33 ERA.
Precipitation chances will be improving late week and then continuing through the weekend. In addition moderate rainfall will also be possible late Thursday night and early Friday. Here is a precipitation forecast for western Kansas from Thursday evening 
through early Sunday.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Light and variable wind becoming east southeast 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. Low around 47. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. High near 59. Southeast wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind 11 to 14 mph.
Saturday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 66. Breezy.
Saturday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 58.
Sunday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
COLDWATER – A driver was injured during a law enforcement chase just after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Comanche County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Barber County Chevy Tahoe Law enforcement vehicle was on U.S. 160 pursuing a 2015 Hyundai Tucson SUV driven by Lindsay Anne Ackley, 26, West Hills, CA.,
The law enforcement vehicle took out Hyundai and it rolled multiple times.
Ackley was transported to Comanche County Hospital.
She was wearing a seat belt according to the KHP. Later today, the Barber County Sheriff’s office is to release additional details on what prompted the chase.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — The Salina Airport Authority Board has approved a lease for airport space for a soil erosion business that could bring 13 full-time jobs to the area by June.
The Salina Journal reports the business is a manufacturing plant that takes organic fiber, such as straw, and stitches it into netting to form blankets and wattles. They control or reduce erosion from rainfall and help restore plant growth at a construction site.
The space the business will use was once occupied by the Kansas Army National Guard, which moved out in January 2014.
The name of the business has not been released.
GEARY COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Kawasaki motorcycle driven by Geremiah G. Dawson, 35, Riley, was northbound on U.S. 77 seven miles north of the Kansas 57 Junction.
The driver lost control on the bridge. The bike went down and the diver was ejected.
Dawson was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
He was wearing a helmet according to the KHP.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Commission has voted to cancel its funding contract with Wichita’s economic development organization.
Local media outlets report the commission voted 3-2 Wednesday to terminate the agreement with the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition, which helps recruit new businesses and jobs to the area and helps current companies expand.
The county and the city were giving $300,000 a year for five years to the coalition, but the county is canceling that contract effective January 2016.
The agreement’s termination came after the Wichita City Council voted to block the county from amending the contract by pushing its renewal date back to September after budget talks.
JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican-dominated Kansas Senate is considering a plan to raise taxes to close a projected budget shortfall.
The Senate’s debate Thursday was scheduled after GOP Gov. Sam Brownback said he isn’t drawing clear lines for lawmakers who are split over reversing one of his major economic initiatives.
Senators were considering a bill to repeal an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 business owners and farmers enacted in 2012 and replace it with a less lucrative tax credit against their payrolls. It also would increase the state’s sales, cigarette and motor fuels taxes.
The state must close a $406 million budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning in July. The gap arose after legislators cut personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging to stimulate the economy.
BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fans of the Scripps National Spelling Bee will have a new way to follow the tongue-twisting action this year.
The bee has launched a mobile app that will allow people to follow a group of spellers and earn points when they advance in the competition. Users can also earn points for correctly predicting words that come up during the bee.
The bee’s executive director, Paige Kimble, says the app allows viewers to personalize their Spelling Bee experience in a way similar to fantasy sports.
People who use the app are assigned five spellers at random. However, those who invite others to download the app can also choose their own spellers.
The app is known as Buzzworthy.
The National Spelling Bee starts Tuesday. The championship finals are Thursday evening.
