Bank of Hays will have a free shredding day from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the bank, 1000 W. 27th.
There will be free on-site secure shredding of old financial, health or other documents — without risk of identity theft.
Limit three boxes or bags.
Month: May 2016
Kan. sheriff’s deputy hospitalized after SUV collides with a Cadillac
RENO COUNTY –A Reno Co. Sherifs Deputy was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. on Thursday in Reno County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford Carry-all driven by Deputy Christopher Shields, 31, Hutchinson, was on the exit ramp from eastbound U.S. 50 in the 2100 Block of Yoder Road.
The Ford struck the side of a 1995 Cadillac passenger car driven by Jacob M Johnson, 24, Burrton, as it crossed the northbound lanes from U.S. 50
Shields was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported Johnson was possibly injured but not where he was treated.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Senate approves bill, blocks alternative construction site for GITMO detainees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) Thursday announced that the Senate approved the Military Construction Appropriations bill (H.R.2577), which again prohibits the closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station and prohibits funding for construction of any facility within the U.S. to house detainees. Senator Roberts voted in favor of the measure which was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate with a vote of 89-8.
“Again, the Congress acknowledges the concerns of the American people and stops the Obama administration from spending funds to house terrorists held at Guantanamo in an American community,” Roberts said. “Although the clock may have run out on the president, I will continue to oppose his ongoing attempts to transfer the detainees at every opportunity.”
Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, is the home to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, which houses military prisoners and has been considered a possible site to house detainees. It is against the law for enemy combatants to be housed with members of the U.S. military. Fort Leavenworth is also home to the Command and General Staff College, the Intellectual Center of the Army, where all Army officers study. The post is located in the town of Leavenworth, Kansas.
In March, Roberts introduced a Senate resolution formally rejecting President Obama’s plan to transfer prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities to an alternate location in American communities. The resolution is cosponsored by Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). The full text of the resolution is available here.
Senator Roberts is the most senior Marine in the Congress. He was Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 2003-2007. He has visited Guantanamo Bay twice.
Something buzzing on FHSU campus this summer
By Randy Gonzales
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
The population of the Fort Hays State University campus is going to get a lot bigger this summer.
Somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 honey bees were recently settled in a hive on the outskirts of the FHSU campus. By this summer, that number could swell to as many as 60,000 bees, said Ryan Engel, a Hays junior who is the vice president and treasurer of the new FHSU Bee Club.
FHSU provides an exciting opportunity with this club, said Engel, a conservation biology major.
“It’s completely awesome,” he said. “It’s definitely something very unique. We’re very lucky at this university to have the opportunity to do this.”
The bee club, which organized in spring 2016, has about 20 members. FHSU sustainability coordinator Andree Brisson is the sponsor. Club president Elissa Jensen, Hays freshman, said part of the organization’s mission is to educate about bees.
“Bees are very important,” said Jensen, whose family manages bee hives at their farm north of Hays. “They pollinate a third of our crops. Every third bite, a bee has something to do with.”
Jensen wants to educate the public about Colony Collapse Disorder, which has plagued honey bees since 2006. With CCD, there are no worker bees in the colony, which still has the queen bee and immature bees present. Jensen believes pesticides are part of the problem.
“A lot of people spray their crops with pesticides,” Jensen said. “That actually is killing the bees. I’m trying to get that word out.”
With the FHSU colony, the hope is to eventually produce honey, which can then be sold. The queen bee can lay as many as 2,000 eggs per day. Those new worker bees eventually join the others in foraging for nectar, producing honey.
“My family and Andree wanted to pollinate the plants in the garden that’s part of Fort Hays State,” Jensen said. “We needed bees to do that. We thought we could start a bee club, and so far, it’s going really good.”
The bees will need to be checked on periodically this summer. To avoid getting stung when they check the hive, members will wear beekeeper suits such as the ones worn to establish the colony. Jensen’s family manages about 40 hives, and her mom and dad will help check on the bees initially.
“Hopefully, some of the members will want to suit up with me, and I won’t need my mom and dad here to check the hive,” Jensen said.
Engel said he will help check on the bees this summer. He and Jensen have yet to be stung.
“It’s how people handle them,” Engel said. “I learned firsthand working with them the more relaxed you are around bees the more relaxed they are around you.”
Those interested in joining the bee club or in seeking more information can contact Jensen at [email protected].
Kansas man hospitalized after car hits concrete wall on I-70
WABAUNSEE COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. on Thursday in Wabaunsee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Bradner R. Gilson, 76, Hesston, was westbound on Interstate 70 five miles west of Maple Hill.
The car drifted off the right edge of the roadway, entered the ditch and struck a concrete wall under the Frontage Road.
Gilson was transported to Stormont Vail.
He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Survey: Rural economy remains weak in Kan., 9 other states
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy remains sluggish in rural areas of 10 Western and Plains states.
The monthly survey of rural bankers released Thursday shows the overall remains in negative territory even though it increased slightly. The index increased to 40.9 in May from April’s 38.2.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says weak grain prices and farm values continue to weigh on the economy in rural areas.
On the survey indexes any score below 50 suggests that factor will decline.
The farm equipment sales index remained exceptionally weak at 10.7 in May, just below April’s 11.1. Farmers are delaying major purchases because of the environment.
Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.
Kansas man back in court for alleged hit and run, firearm charge
HUTCHINSON– A Kansas man with a long criminal history made a court appearance on Wednesday and was charged with a number of traffic offenses by Hutchinson Police and a single charge of a felon in possession of a firearm by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.
Russell Craven, 31, Sterling, is alleged to have been involved in a hit and run accident in the unit block of West B in Hutchinson where he allegedly struck a vehicle owned by TECH.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office found him in Nickerson and they say he was in possession of a firearm.
Craven was discharged from the Department of Corrections in February.
His prior convictions include burglary, theft, criminal damage, criminal possession of a firearm in Rice County, and drug convictions in Reno County.
During Wednesday’s hearing, his $1,500 bond was reduced and he should be back in court next week.
Wichita school board approves $18M in cuts, eliminate 100 jobs
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita school board has voted to eliminate more than 100 district positions, close a high school and stop bus transportation for thousands of students.
The Wichita Eagle reports that these and other cuts will trim about $18 million from the district’s budget.
Six board members voted unanimously to approve superintendent John Allison’s first three phases of budget cuts for the upcoming school year. Board member Sheril Logan was absent.
Allison says the district will need to trim an additional $5 million to make up for projected cost increases.
Wichita schools have projected nearly $23 million in cost increases next year, with revenue under the state’s block grant funding system expected to be flat.
Under the cuts, Metro-Meridian Alternative High School will close and 65 teacher positions will be eliminated.
Ellis Co. Attorney Drees announces bid for re-election
Thomas J. Drees, Ellis County Attorney, announced Thursday he has filed by petition to run for re-election. Drees has served five terms as Ellis County Attorney, beginning in 1997.
Drees has served as a prosecutor in Ellis County for 27 years, having served as an Assistant Ellis County Attorney from 1989 through 1996. Drees also served as Trego County Attorney from 1997 through 2000.
He currently serves as an appointed Special Assistant Attorney General on the Prosecutor Review Committee of the Kansas Sexual Violent Predator Commitment Act, having been appointed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt in January 2011. Drees served four years (2007 to 2011) as the appointed prosecutor on the Kansas Sentencing Commission.
“With the consent of the Ellis County voters, I will continue to devote my full time, energy and attention to the duties of County Attorney,” Drees said.
Drees lives in Hays with his wife, Patricia, and children, Anne and John. Drees is a graduate of Thomas More-Prep Marian High School, Fort Hays State University and Kansas University School of Law.
Former Kan. public works director pleads guilty to stealing fuel
MERRIAM, Kan. (AP) — A fired suburban Kansas City public works director has pleaded guilty to stealing fuel.
Sixty-one-year-old Randall Carroll admitted Thursday in Johnson County District Court to a felony count of official misconduct. The Kansas City Star reports that a second charge of theft was dismissed as part of the plea.
The Olathe man worked for the city of Merriam for 34 years before he was fired last September after the crimes were discovered. Court documents say the thefts began in October 2014.
Prosecutors say other public works employees became suspicious when they noticed fuel missing from a large tank. A camera captured Carroll repeatedly putting gas from the tank in his personal vehicle. He also was seen erasing tire tracks from his vehicle.
Sentencing is set for July 11.
USD 489 superintendent candidate Rahe talks facilities, communication during Hays visit
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The second of four candidates for the Hays USD 489 superintendent position spent the day Wednesday meeting with staff and community members before a formal interview with the Board of Education.
Brad Rahe, currently serves as the superintendent at Mulvane USD 463. He has been in that position since 2009.
During his time at Mulvane, the district passed a bond issue, and said he felt facilities throughout the Hays district was one of its biggest challenges.
“The facilities are old, and any time you have facilities like this, they get a little tired,” Rahe said.
But during his tour of the district, he said he was impressed with what was going on inside the building academically.
“A lot of folks, they never see the inside of a school building. They see the outside,” he said. “When you go on the outsides of these buildings and look at them, they’re gorgeous.”
But he warned there is more to a school than what you see when you drive by.
“Trying to do a bond issue and that’s all people are seeing, so their first comment is, ‘Well, we don’t need all this, because look at it.’ ”
Proper maintenance and cleaning, he said, also plays a big part of the perception of why the district building might be seen as in better shape than they really are.
“When you go around these buildings though, they’re so clean and the staff at times probably do too good a job,” Rahe said. “You walk in these buildings, they’re clean, they’re not dirty, the floors are waxed.”
He said his experience with passing a bond issue would be beneficial to Hays, after working with the Mulvane community to establish a relationship built on trust that ultimately led to a successful bond issue.
After the first failed bond, Rahe said the district sought input on what the community would be supportive of and found success in proceeding with community input.
“We have a lot of trust, and we have worked hard to build that trust,” he said.
However, trust seemed to be a concern for some after an incident involving Rahe’s son in Mulvane, after the district remained quiet during an investigation of Kenneth Riley Rahe, who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Sedgwick County District Court last year.
It was reported at the time that dozens of parents were concerned about a perceived lack of cooperation from the district, and Mulvane Police Chief Dave Williams told media at the time he felt part of the reason for a lack of cooperation by the district during the investigation was the relationship of the student to school administration.
Rahe said the district since has worked to improve information delivery to the community.
“One of our goals that we are working within Mulvane is communication,” he said, noting utilization of social media, weekly newsletters to teachers and frequent visits with community members.
“It’s been one of the things we have been addressing,” he said.
Overall, Rahe said he has desired to return to Hays over the years, having graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Supervision in 1987.
“That’s one of the reasons I am wanting to come here. I always had great experiences with Hays,” Rahe said.
“I always said if you’re going to do a postcard and you wanted the picture of what a town in Kansas, small rural town in America should look like, it’s Hays.”
And at least for now, he said he would not change a thing at USD 489.
“You don’t come in and change everything, but you come in and you listen, you talk to people, you see the strengths, you see the weaknesses, then you start,” Rahe said.
“I don’t like to talk, but I really love to listen. That’s how you impact change.”
The next candidate for the superintendent position will interview Monday, with a public meet and greet again scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th.
Amid shouts of ‘shame,’ House GOP defeats gay rights measure
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats shouted “shame,” but dozens of House Republicans switched their votes and defeated a measure to protect gay rights.
The vote on Thursday was 213-212.
President Barack Obama has issued an executive order that bars discrimination against LGBT employees by federal contractors.
A New York Democrat, Sean Patrick Maloney, offered an amendment to a spending bill that would have prohibited using taxpayer dollars to violate the order.
The measure was headed toward passage, when suddenly dozens of Republicans reversed course to ensure its defeat.
And that led Democrat Steve Israel to say: “This reveals them for who they are. They are bigots. They are haters.”
The No. 2 House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, rejects the suggestion the vote was held open for an inordinate time so Republicans could switch their vote.
Tractor-trailer driver arrested in fiery I-70 crash
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A tractor-trailer driver from Texas is charged in Kansas in a fiery Interstate 70 crash that killed the driver of another rig.
Thomas County court documents say 45-year-old Fednor Duclona, of Fort Worth, Texas, attempted a U-turn on the interstate on the same day as the January crash that killed 52-year-old Rodney A. Hongsermeier, of North Platte, Nebraska.
He faces charges that include vehicular homicide and reckless driving. Duclona was released Wednesday from the Johnson County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney.