James A. Shaeffer, 87 of Collyer passed away Monday, Sept. 7, 2015.
Services are pending with Schmitt Funeral Home,Quinter.
Month: September 2015
Ellis Co. Commission will discuss adding EMS positions
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission will discuss open positions within the Emergency Medical Services, new gear for the Ellis County Rural Fire Department and the 2016 Senior Citizens budget at Tuesday evening’s commission meenting.
In July, EMS Director Kerry McCue presented the commission with a request to fill two full-time positions with another opening coming this month. The commission approved the hiring of one position.
Rural Fire Director Darin Myers will present the commission with a proposal to purchase new bunker gear.
The commission will also discuss the 2016 Senior Citizens budget. The Ellis County Council on aging requested an increase of $5,000 for next year’s budget. The commission chose to fund all outside agencies at the same level as last year.
Tuesday’s meeting is at the Ellis County Administrative Center, immediately following the Public Building Commission meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Jana’s Campaign brings Empty Place at the Table back to FHSU
By COOPER SLOUGH
Hays Post
Jana’s Campaign is set to host this year’s fourth annual Empty Place at the Table fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Robbins Center on the campus of Fort Hays State University. The program includes a presentation on the organization’s latest progress, a dinner, and a live and silent auction.
“One thing that really sets us apart, I think, is that we do a really good job of using these funds to toward improving the communities that we’re in and the communities around us,” said Danielle Dougherty, program specialist for Jana’s Campaign.
All proceeds for the event go toward programming that educates middle school through university students about the dangers of gender-based violence.
“I believe we work with over 100 middle and high schools across the state,” Dougherty said. “So any funds that come in to Jana’s Campaign gets funneled directly into our programming.”
Some examples of programming include funding student-driven community projects wherein students are given the opportunity to speak to their peers about teen-dating violence. Jana’s Campaign also works to equip teachers with curriculum on how to avoid gender-based violence and also identify victims to get them the help they need.
Tickets for Empty Place at the Table are $50. To purchase a tickets, visit janascampaign.org, or mail your check to Jana’s Campaign, P.O. Box 647, Hays, KS 67601.
Jana’s Campaign also has reserved discounted rooms for out-of-town attendees at Best Western. To reserve a room, call (785) 621-4337 and reference Jana’s Campaign. The deadline for discounted reservations is Oct. 5.
Seats filling up for excursion trip to Branson in September TICKET INFO
CHAPMAN — BDS Productions is partnering with Eagle Communications on a deluxe custom coach excursion trip to Branson, Mo., next month.
The three-day, two night trip is scheduled for Sept. 21 to 23 and will include four shows.
Ticket price is $1,000 for double occupancy and $550 for single occupancy. The Hays bus will depart from the Mall, and participants will be staying at the Grand Oaks Hotel, one of the community’s premier hotels.
The trip includes transportation from Hays to Branson and back, meals, lodging and four fabulous shows, including the Magnificent Seven Variety Show, Buck Trent Country Music Show, Barney Fife Fully Loaded and Grand Jubilee.
“We are delighted to work with Eagle Communications to let the good folks from Hays get on the bus, which is really a custom coach for a three-day, two-night, four-show amazing trip to Branson to see four of the finest shows on the strip,” said BDS President Doug Thompson. “Later, we hope to bring one or more shows from Branson directly to Hays as part of our outreach program as promoted by BDS Productions.”
Earlier this year, BDS hosted its first “Branson in Chapman” event to a packed house.
For more information on making reservations to the Branson excursion trip, email [email protected] or call (785) 628-0467. Brochures and registration forms can be picked up at the Eagle Media Center, 2300 Hall, or the Eagle Broadband office.
For more on BDS Productions, visit http://bdsproductionsllc.com.
Click HERE to download the registration brochure.
MOVIE REVIEW: ‘A Walk in the Woods’ is a pleasant cinematic stroll
“A Walk in the Woods” is quite the quiet, quixotic quandary. Difficult alliterations aside, I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn’t heard anything about this movie prior to its release and was immensely thankful that I wasn’t obligated to see “The Transporter Refueled.” That would have been truly unfortunate.
“A Walk in the Woods” is some odd amalgamation of the Reese Witherspoon hiking movie “Wild” and the old guys rediscovering their youth biker flick, “Wild Hogs.” In making that comparison, I’m compelled to inform readers that “A Walk in the Woods” is less well-made, and less poetic than “Wild” and somewhat less comedic than “Wild Hogs” but it is far more adventure-comedy than either of them. It very much cuts its own path.
The esteemed Robert Redford and the less-esteemed-but-infinitely-more-gravelly-voiced Nick Nolte embark on the titular walk down the Appalachian Trail and both wholesome and not-so-wholesome laughs ensue, not to mention a healthy dose of Robert Redford-esque teachable moments and life lessons. I’ve not seen all of Robert Redford’s movies, but my favorite is easily 2001’s “The Last Castle,” where Redford plays an Army General incarcerated in a military prison who rises to the defense of the inmates against a corrupt Warden, played by the late James Gandolfini. Redford’s characters in “The Last Castle” and “A Walk in the Woods” are very similar, almost too similar, but since it’s a great, easily watchable characterization, it’s easy to let it slide.
Be warned, this isn’t a family-friendly movie like “Wild Hogs.” Nolte plays his down-on-his-luck character to great, and vulgar, effect. There are more than a few great moments in “A Walk in the Woods,” but for language reasons alone, this one isn’t for the kiddos.
Luckily, and somewhat inexplicably, my favorite film of the year thus far, Pixar’s “Inside Out,” is back in theatres and is playing in Hays as of this writing. Adults, go see “A Walk in the Woods,” it’s well worth your time, but more importantly, everyone needs to grab anyone they know and rush to see “Inside Out.” It’s Pixar’s crowning achievement and will be remembered as an indescribably well-made and fearless look into what it means to be human.
5 of 6 stars
FHSU joins national initiative to promote student mental health
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Almost a third of students in U.S. colleges and universities reported feeling “so depressed that it was difficult to function,” and 8 percent reported seriously considering suicide, in the 2013 data of the ongoing National College Health Assessment by the American College Health Association.
Against that backdrop, Fort Hays State University has announced that it has joined The Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program in support of student well-being and mental health. The program is designed to help schools prevent the two leading causes of death in young adults — unintentional injuries, including those caused by prescription drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning, and suicide.
FHSU is among the first cohort to join The Campus Program, which is designed to help colleges and universities assess and enhance mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention programming.
“Fort Hays State has been actively promoting health and wellness initiatives through workshops and presentations for some time,” said Dr. Kenton Olliff, assistant vice president of student affairs.
“Three years ago, we implemented At Risk online gatekeeper training to help students, faculty and staff recognize and assist students in distress,” he said. “With our participation in The Campus Program, we will be able to enhance the services we offer as we continue to promote student wellness.”
Participating schools make a four-year commitment to work the program to evaluate and identify opportunities to augment these activities on campus. The Campus Program provides schools with a framework for supporting student mental health as well as assessment tools, feedback reports and ongoing technical assistance from The Campus Program team. The Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program grants a membership seal to all schools that participate.
Membership in the program demonstrates Fort Hays State’s continuing commitment to promoting emotional well-being programming for all students.
“For the past several years, we have been working to educate students through class presentations, workshops and other programming to increase awareness of the importance of emotional and physical wellness,” said Gina Smith, director of FHSU’s Kelly Center, which offers support services for students, faculty and staff. “We are excited to partner with other campus constituents to move forward with this new initiative.”
Services provided by the Kelly Center are academic support and tutoring for general education classes; personal counseling for students, faculty and staff; alcohol and drug counseling; standardized testing services; and disability student services.
“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” said John MacPhee, executive director of The Jed Foundation. “The Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program helps schools by working with them to survey everything their university is doing to support their students’ emotional health and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way.”
The Campus Program is a joint initiative of The Jed Foundation, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting emotional health and preventing suicide among college students, and the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters Initiative, which works to improve the health and well-being of people throughout the United States across all generations.
Fort Hays State’s participation in The Campus Program begins with establishing an interdisciplinary, campuswide mental health task force to assess, support and implement program improvements and taking a confidential self-assessment survey on its mental health promotion and substance abuse and suicide prevention programming.
At Fort Hays State, the task force is 16 people, comprising administrators, faculty members and students. It will be co-chaired by Olliff, Smith and Dr. Leo Herrman, associate professor of psychology.
Herrman and the Department of Psychology brought the program to FHSU as an exemplar program with an $18,039 Kansas Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative grant awarded by Headquarters Inc. of Lawrence, which was funded by a Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant and the Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention Department of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Center for Mental Health Services.
“The main focus of that grant was to reduce suicides on college campuses by enhancing mental health services and providing a safe campus environment,” said Herrman. “This blended well with the Jed and Clinton Foundation’s focus and provided FHSU with resources to do a thorough review of all of its programs related to the health and safety of its students.”
After the survey is completed, the responses will be reviewed by The Campus Program team in the context of the program’s framework — a comprehensive set of recommended practices. FHSU will then receive customized feedback and suggestions for enhancements as well as direct support with the planning process.
For more information on The Campus Program, visit www.TheCampusProgram.org.
More information on The Jed Foundation is at www.jedfoundation.org, and information on the Clinton Foundation is at www.clintonfoundation.org.
For more information on FHSU’s participation in The Campus Program, contact:
Dr. Kenton Olliff, assistant vice-president for student affairs, [email protected], (785) 628-4401
Dr. Leo Herrman, associate professor of psychology, [email protected], (785) 628-4195
Gina Smith, director of Kelly Center, [email protected], (785) 628-4401
Cloudy, cooler Tuesday
Tuesday will be cooler with a chance for strong to marginally severe thunderstorms possible late day.
Today A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. North wind 7 to 11 mph.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
WednesdayMostly sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph.
ThursdayA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday NightA 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
FridayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
SaturdayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.
Girl, 12, thwarts Kan. home invasion by punching suspect
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 12-year-old girl thwarted a home invasion near Seneca by punching one of the intruders.
According to Wichita Sgt. Bob Gulliver, police responded to a report of an attempted robbery at a residence at 3:10 p.m. Sunday. Gulliver said a 30-year-old woman told officers her daughter answered the door and a 16-year-old boy grabbed her and pushed her inside the house.
Police say a 19-year-old man followed the 16-year-old into the house before the girl punched one of the suspects.
According to Gulliver, both suspects fled the residence. Neither suspect has been found.
Spots still available for Wines and Steins
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The Downtown Hays Development Corporation – organizer of downtown events that occur throughout the year – is getting ready for its next event, Wines and Steins next Friday, but while the events will give participants another opportunity to explore downtown Hays, it serves an important role for the organization as its primary fundraiser for the year.
“Wines and Steins is our huge fundraiser for the year, we do a lot of events, but all of them are just events for us, we break even on almost everything,” said Sara Bloom, executive director of the DHDC.
“We get some of our money from the City of Hays, we get the other half from this one event,” she said.
While the event helps provide for the DHDC’s funding needs, it is an community event, like others the DHDC organizes.
“It draws people downtown to celebrate the beauty that our downtown has become,” Bloom said. “It also celebrates the DHDC and all that we have accomplished.”
The event will give participants to opportunity to visit downtown shops, with each having refreshments available, but as the name suggests, it will be adult fare and no one under 21 is allowed to participate.
“There will be beer selection and a wine selection at each stop, as well as a hors d’oeuvres that the participating business is providing to complement those drinks,” Bloom said.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with check in where a pamphlet will be distributed showing all 16 event locations. ID’s will be used as the way to check in and ensure no one under 21 is participating.
At 9 p.m., the businesses will close and the post-stroll celebration will begin behind the former Emprise Bank, 1200 Main. The celebration will include music, food and as a matter of course, more drinks as well as the live auction in conjunction with the silent auction going on throughout the event.
“We have everything from a gift card truck to massage packages to airline tickets,” Bloom said.
All items for the auction were donated to assist in the fundraising effort.
“We’re very very thankful for all of the donors that have given to the auction, as well as our many many sponsors,” Bloom said, noting the sponsors cover the expenses in order for the event to be a fundraiser.
Tickets are on sale now, at $50 each, with less than a third of the 300 total tickets still available. They can be purchased online at downtownhays.com, at any of the stroll stops, or at the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine.
2 hospitalized after car hydroplanes on I-70
GRANDVIEW PLAZA- Two people were injured in an accident just after 7 p.m. on Labor Day in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Honda Civic driven by Katelyn M. Sanchez, 21, Inman was eastbound on Interstate 70 four miles east of U.S. 77
The driver lost control during heavy rain causing the vehicle to hydroplane.
The vehicle spun to the right and struck the bridge railing.
Sanchez and a passenger Nixon, Brenton J. Nixon, 23, Victorville, CA., were transported to Geary County Hospital.
They were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Quinter ready to begin construction of new airport
QUINTER, Kan. (AP) — The rural town of Quinter in Gove County is set to begin construction on a new airport to improve access to emergency air transport services.
According to Carol Kinderknecht, executive director of the Gove County Healthcare Endowment Foundation, the foundation hopes ground can be broken for the airport’s construction this fall. Kinderknecht said the foundation hopes a concrete runway that’s 4,000 to 5,000 feet long can be installed in the spring.
The Wichita Eagle reports the town of about 900 people, which is northwest of Wichita, received about $2 million in July from the state transportation department’s Kansas Airport Improvement Program.
Kinderknecht said Quinter has an airstrip, but air ambulance services cannot land on it.
According to the foundation, the airport will be a public-use airport so that other aircraft may fly into it.
Royals drop fourth straight
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Tommy Milone pitched seven effective innings and Eduardo Escobar reached base four times and drove in three runs as the Minnesota Twins beat the struggling Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night.
The Royals have been outscored 31-9 in dropping four straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season.
Milone (8-4) held the Royals to six hits and two runs, while striking out four and walking one.
Escobar contributed an RBI-single in a three-run sixth and drove in two runs with a two-out single in the seventh off Joba Chamberlain, who was making his Royals’ debut.
Yordano Ventura (10-8), who was 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his five previous starts, yielded four runs, eight hits, five walks and two wild pitches in 5 1-3 innings, striking out eight.
Aaron Hicks hit Ventura’s third pitch for his second career leadoff homer.
Eat out tonight and support FHSU AKP
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
The Zeta Pi chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity at Fort Hays State University, is sponsoring a fundraiser and asks patrons to dine at Sake2Me Sushi Rolls, 700 Main St., Tuesday, September 8.
The event will be from 5 to 10 p.m. tonight, and features sushi, stir fry, shrimp, fried rice, dumplings and more. The complete menu may be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_zCioPpT-WXc0N3Ukx6WVJGNE0/view?usp=sharing
For more information, contact Brandon Taylor, Vice President of Fundraising, at [email protected].