Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

GREAT BEND–Spread your wings and introduce your family to the fun of butterflies at the Kansas Wetland Education Center’s Butterfly Festival, Sat., Sept. 19, at 9 a.m.

From making milkweed seed bombs to tagging monarch butterflies, kids and adults will find plenty to do during this free event. New this year, kids and adults can try their hand at silk spinning, using actual silk moth cocoons, a process that is thousands of years old.

Nets and tags will be available for those who want to capture and tag monarch butterflies. Participants will receive information about the tagging process before heading out with a tagging leader to search for monarch butterflies.

Weather permitting, an exhibit bee hive will be on display in the insect zoo in addition to giant walking stick insects, hissing and peppered cockroaches, and butterflies, caterpillars and chrysalises.

Participants can also play in the mud and make a take-home seed bomb, composed of clay, compost, water and seeds; take photos at the monarch butterfly and caterpillar photo boards; create a unique caterpillar and butterfly in the craft section; and refuel with light refreshments and drinks.

Butterfly milkweed plants, with growing instructions, will be available at no cost to those who would like to encourage monarchs in their yards and gardens. Prizes will be given away at noon.

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is located at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, 592 NE K156 Hwy, Great Bend, and offers a unique look at the wetland’s history and conservation value.

For more information on this event and the education center, call 1-877-243-9268, or visit wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.

HaysPost.com has a new look and feel — especially for our growing readership among mobile users.

If you are used to reading, seeing and hearing all the latest news, sports and information from the Hays Post app on your smartphone, the new site offers as much and MORE.

To install HaysPost.com on your phone, simply visit the site on your mobile browser and add the new HaysPost.com to your smartphone home screen. Click HERE for a how-to. The former iPhone and Android apps are no longer on available for download.

Eagle Web Services, a premier provider of digital marketing and Web solutions, is in the process of creating innovative new native apps for Hays Post, the most trafficked news website in northwest Kansas. Eagle Web Services — one of a handful of Google Partners in Kansas — offers a wide array of digital solutions for businesses large and small, ranging from display advertising to website creation, from YouTube marketing to data analysis.

For more information, email or call (785) 259-7296 today!

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Blaine Billinger Celebration 5K Run and Poker Run is this Saturday in Hays.

The events are a way to honor Blaine who passed away suddenly in 2011, at the age of 29 and as a fundraiser for the Blaine Billinger Excellence in Scouting Fund which provides scholarships and sponsorships for scouts who don’t have the means to attend camps.

Ken Billinger, Blaine’s father said Thursday, Sept. 17th marks the four year anniversary of Blaine’s unexpected passing from Sudden cardiac death.

Blaine was an Eagle Scout and Billinger said the fund was created to provide scholarships at Fort Hays State University for Eagle and Life Scouts.

Billinger said the two recent scholarship winners were Michael Stainbrook from Anthony and Tucker Gillespie of Grainfield.

Besides awarding the scholarships and helping send kids who cannot afford it to camp Billinger said they are looking to expand their efforts to help more people through the excellence in scouting fund.

The first program is called Healthy Kids, it teaches kids the importance of good health and nutrition. The second program is called Vita Nuova, or new beginning. Billinger said the idea came from his work with prison ministry helping men and women who have been released from prison transition back into society.

Billinger said the goal is to “lower the recidivism rate” by helping with mentorship, resumes and find jobs opportunities.

Saturday’s 5K run will be held in conjunction with the TMP-Marian Run with the Herd.

Blaine was a graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian in Hays. This is the second year the two events have been held together and Billinger said they have a special presentation scheduled for Saturday morning.

The 5K starts at 8 a.m. on the campus at TMP-Marian. Registration is $25 and people can sign up until 7:30 a.m. Saturday HERE.

The Poker Run starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Hays American Legion. There will be drawings and prizes. Registration information can be found HERE.

All of the proceeds benefit the Blaine Billinger Excellence in Scouting Fund. For more information go to BBScout.org

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for the public water supply for the City of Paradise located in Russell County. The advisory was issued because of a loss of pressure due to a water main break. Inadequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

Laboratory testing samples collected from the City of Paradise public water supply indicate no evidence of contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

WICHITA–Major Dan Hesket, Law Enforcement Division assistant director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT), was awarded the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators’ (NASBLA) Bonner Award on September 15. The prestigious award was presented to Hesket during the 56th Annual NASBLA Conference, held in Wichita, Sept. 13-16.

Hesket has worked in the KDWPT’s Law Enforcement Division for 26 years and became a leader in the boating safety field while working at Wilson Reservoir early in his career. There, he worked with the local marina and boat businesses to promote safe boating and compliance of boating laws. Hesket produced several boating safety programs and created the first public hands-on personal watercraft course, which is still in use today. Hesket also developed an officer training course, laying the groundwork for the use of the personal watercraft in boating law enforcement.

In 1992, Hesket was promoted to a boating enforcement specialist position stationed near Wichita. In that capacity, he worked closely with KDWPT’s then boating law administrator, Jeff Gayer, to strengthen the boating under the influence (BUI) laws and get department personnel trained in Standard Field Sobriety Testing procedures. He wrote the BUI check-lane procedure manual in 1994 and took the lead in BUI detection efforts.

In 2002, Hesket was promoted to assistant director in charge of the Law Enforcement Boating Program, and he immediately began work to improve the image of the recreational boating program.

In 2004, Hesket became the state’s boating law administrator. That same year, he carried a bill to the Kansas Legislature, proposing extensive amendments to boating-related statutes and succeeded in getting the majority of them passed unscathed.

The Bonner Award is a tribute to congressman Herbert C. Bonner of North Carolina, father of the Federal Boating Act of 1958. The award is presented to a government official for outstanding performance in the field of recreational boating safety. Any representative of state or federal government in active service or retired (living at the time of selection) is eligible for the award.

NASBLA is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety, representing recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. To learn more about how NASBLA helps keep our waterways safe, secure and enjoyable, visit www.nasbla.org.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

There’s a good reason your air conditioner seemed to never shut off yesterday.

According to official statistics from the K-State Agricultural Research Center south of Hays, Wednesday’s high was 97 degrees–nowhere near the record of 105 degrees in 1947 on Sept. 16–but it was considerably warmer than a year ago. The high was 81 degrees in Hays on Sept. 16, 2014.

Official weather guy Joe Becker noted this morning that Wednesday was “another warm night. It was still 80° at 11 p.m. CDT last night with the temp gradually falling to 72° at 6 a.m. CDT this (Thursday) morning.”

Hays also recorded 0.02 inches of rain overnight.