SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect on drug and other charges.
Just after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police were called to a south Salina home on a report of a violation of a protection order, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.
Upon seeing officers arrive Clinton Cheney, 32, Lincoln, fled on foot.
He jumped over a porch and ran toward the backyard of the home and jumped a fence.
From there, he ran through the backyard of a home in the 2200 block of Wesley.
Other officers searching the area then spotted Cheney in the 2200 block of Leland Way.
He ran east toward a backyard in the 2100 block of Raymond Street and was finally caught in the front yard of a home in that area.
Officers discovered that Cheney was in possession of personal use methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at the time of his arrest.
Cheney was booked into jail on several requested charges including multiple counts of interference with law enforcement, criminal trespassing, possession of a stimulant, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a protection order, according to Sweeney.
At 5:18 p.m., Wednesday, City of Hays emergency dispatchers were alerted to a building fire near the intersection of 25th Street and Indian Trail.
The City of Hays Fire Department, assisted by Ellis County EMS and the City of Hays Police Department, was immediately dispatched.
On arrival, firefighters found a small fire on the front of a three family dwelling at 2501 Indian Trail. The fire involved the outside wall on the front of the building at the front entryway to the middle dwelling.
A first arriving police officer used a fire extinguisher to hold the fire in check.
A team of firefighters used one fire attack hose to extinguish the fire on the outside of the building. Firefighters then opened up the wall to make sure the fire was not spreading in concealed spaces into the building. One fire hydrant was used for water supply.
The fire was reported by an alert passer-by. The building suffered only minor fire damage. Hays Police Department investigators determined the most probable cause of the fire was accidental but the specific cause could not be determined.
Thirteen firefighters staffing four fire trucks responded. The last fire crew left the scene at 6:38 PM.
Medical helicopter leaves the scene of Wednesday accident
GEARY COUNTY- Three adults and three children were injured in an accident just after noon on Wednesday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a KDOT dump truck driven by Robert K. Hayhurst, 52, Junction City, was westbound on Interstate 70 at the U.S. 77 junction.
The truck was in the left lane slowing down to make a U-turn through a divided cross over.
The driver of the KDOT truck activated all emergency lights.
A 1999 Chevy Tahoe driven by Barbara A. Johnson, 73, Dorrance, was in the left lane behind the KDOT truck and observed the lights being activated and started to slow down.
A 2010 Honda Odyssey driven by Jamie E. Bratcher, 30, Chapman, was in the right lane, behind heavy traffic.
Bratcher observed the KDOT truck had already turned in to the cross over but failed to see that there was another vehicle in the inside lane.
He pulled into the left lane to pass slower traffic and noticed that the Chevy Tahoe was directly in front and traveling at a slower speed.
Bratcher attempted to brake but rear-ended the Tahoe.
The Tahoe continued on about 500 feet before exiting the roadway and driving approximately 100 feet into the north ditch.
The Honda spun out into the north ditch at the same location.
Johnson a passenger in the Tahoe Leander F. Johnson, 79, Dorrance, Bratcher and one passenger in the Honda Ethan Bratcher, 9, Chapman, were transported to Geary Community Hospital.
One child in the Honda Gabe Bratcher, 7, Chapman, was transported to the hospital in Salina.
Another child in the Honda Maygen Bratcher, 4, Chapman, was transported to the hospital in Wichita.
Hayhurst was not injured.
Gabe and Maygen Bratcher were not properly restrained in car seats, according to the KHP.
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — Students throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area dressed in black to support a Kansas girl who says she was sexually assaulted in a school bathroom.
The Kansas City Star reports hundreds of students at Shawnee Mission East High School in Kansas wore black on Wednesday in support of their schoolmate. The freshman says she was groped last week by a boy inside a boys’ bathroom while a second boy held the door shut. Word of the “wear black to stop attacks” effort spread on social media Tuesday night soon after news broke that police were investigating the alleged assault.
A Twitter user tweeted a photo of young men at all-male Rockhurst High School in Missouri also wearing black or dark-colored shirts in support of the effort.
Thomas More Prep-Marian has announced this year’s Point of Light Award recipients. The Point of Light Award is given annually at homecoming to people who have contributed to the traditions of excellence of Thomas More Prep-Marian through their service, stewardship and example.
As is tradition, this year’s awardees will be honored at halftime of the homecoming football game. For a complete list of homecoming events, visit tmp-m.org/homecoming.
Robert & Carol Feauto
Robert & Carol Feauto faithful friend and dedicated staff
Robert and Carol Feauto are being honored as Points of Light for their deep commitment to Thomas More Prep-Marian. Bob and Carol have been married for 50 years and have six children, Donald Feauto (HHS ‘85), Cheryl ‘87 (Feauto) Boeve, Karen ‘88 (Feauto) Rohr, Sharon ‘89 (Feauto) Schulte, Bryan ‘90 Feauto and Kelly ‘92 (Feauto) Schibi.
Bob and Carol met and married in Arizona where Carol attended beauty school. They belong to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish where they are active volunteers. Bob and Carol have a special love for the Adoration Chapel and always make sure there are adorers at all times, often finding replacements as needed.
After moving to Hays, Bob worked at Midwest Drug for 24 years before retiring. Now he fills his days by volunteering at two retirement homes, helping the residents get to Mass and assisting the priest. They have worked for Birthright, taught CCD and are members of Right to Life.
Carol belongs to the Legion of Mary and has worked in the TMP-Marian kitchen for the past 29 years, spending most of that time as Food Service Director. She goes above and beyond her job description, helping all of the different organizations and clubs by ordering supplies for their different events.
We thank Bob and Carol for their devotion and deep commitment to Thomas More Prep-Marian and our community.
Fr. Fred Gatschet
Fr. Fred Gatschet faithful teacher, priest and pastor
Fr. Fred Gatschet was born November 15, 1961 in Denver, Colorado to Francis ‘53 and Amy Gatschet, the second oldest of 10 children. His parents sent him to Catholic Schools through 12th grade. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Milling Science and Management from Kansas State University as well as a Master’s Degree in Catholic Thought and a Master of Divinity Degree from St. Meinrad Seminary.
He was ordained to the priesthood on May 22, 1993 by Bishop George Fitzsimons. He spent the first seven years of his priesthood serving at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina where he was active in the Salina Catholic Schools and devoted much time and energy serving the Hispanic immigrant community. He was transferred to the chaplaincy at the Comeau Catholic Campus Center at Fort Hays State University in July 2000.
The following year, at the request of President Jean Ross, he began what would be 11 years of teaching Sophomore and Senior Religion at TMP-Marian. During that time he authored a series of religion workbooks and a textbook on the Sacraments that are in use in Catholic schools and parishes around the United States and donated a significant portion of the royalties from these projects to the school.
He has facilitated over a dozen vocations to the priesthood for the Salina, Wichita, and Dodge City dioceses (a number of them former students from TMP-Marian) and Conception Abbey as well as a number of young women who have entered into the convent. His love and devotion in educating today’s youth is a special blessing, and we are eternally grateful for his leadership and light.
Lawrence J. Reichert
Lawrence J. Reichert dedicated alumnus and faithful friend
Lawrence ‘Larry’ Reichert is being honored as a Point of Light for his dedication and deep commitment to Thomas More Prep-Marian. Larry is a 1973 graduate of Thomas More Prep and was awarded the TMP Medal of Excellence Award. He is the son of Frank and Martina (Haas) Reichert and has seven siblings, Mary Ellen Reichert, Barbara ‘66 (Reichert) Robinson, Paulette ‘67 Reichert, Alvera ‘68 Reichert, Frank ‘70 Reichert, Norma ‘72 (Reichert) Pipkin and Tom ‘74 Reichert.
He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kansas State with a B.S. degree in Poultry Science. In 1978, he took over the family farm. In addition to farming, he worked as a loan officer for FmHA in Norton and then later transferred to Syracuse, KS.
In 1996, Larry moved back to Hays and worked for Rural Development until retiring in 2008. Larry is an active lifetime member of the Alumni Association of TMP-Marian, the Sports Booster Club, Parents, Teachers & Friends (PTF), Ellis County Historical Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. He served on the TMP-M School Board and Grounds Committee from 2008-2014 as well as the committee responsible for adding the Junior High School to TMP-Marian.
As a member of the Knights of Columbus Schoenchen Council and Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Larry has prepared classes for Confirmation in Antonino and Syracuse and attended World Youth Day in Denver, CO as a youth group sponsor. From leading a weekly rosary, taking charge of cemetery/parish maintenance and grounds and lectoring at mass to serving on committees for the Heartland Stewardship and his volunteerism at TMP-Marian, Larry continues to contribute his time, talents and treasure to his beloved school and community.
For a complete list of the Point of Light recipients, click HERE.
Law enforcement officials were led on a high-speed chase by a passenger car Wednesday afternoon south of Hays.
According to Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman Trooper Tod Hileman, a KHP trooper stopped an eastbound vehicle at 2:02 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 70 at the 155 milepost. The vehicle, a rental car with Nevada plates, was driven by a male and had a female passenger.
The car fled the scene of the traffic stop and exited the interstate at Exit 157, heading south on the bypass. The car then headed south on 240th Avenue, winding through county roads before reaching U.S. 183 and heading north. The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds of 105 mph, according to reports.
Stop sticks were successfully deployed at 2:21 p.m., just south of Countryside Estates, and the car went into the east ditch and struck a utility box.
The male driver fled the scene on foot, and the female passenger was arrested at the vehicle.
Hileman said the driver ran to Auto Collision Specialists, 1018 Old U.S. 40, and hid inside the building under a vehicle. He was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.
During the chase, a trooper reported a bag was tossed from the fleeing car. Officers retrieved the bag, which was believed to contain marijuana.
Possible charges, Hileman said, include attempting to flee and elude and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Hays Police Department assisted during the incident.
Two community mental health centers in Kansas hope a new program will help young people recently diagnosed with schizophrenia avoid its possible complications — a higher risk of unemployment, homelessness and incarceration and lower life expectancy — and achieve goals for school, work and their personal lives.
This year, Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka received a $193,000 grant from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to start a program in Shawnee County for young patients in the early stages of psychosis. Wyandot Center in Kansas City launched its program last year with help from a $174,000 KDADS grant.
Christine Wills, director of mental health programs at Valeo, said the early intervention program will focus on patients age 15 to 25 who had their first episode of psychosis within the last two years. She estimated 25 to 30 patients could participate in the first year.
People with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders can experience a variety of symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, unusual behavior and a restricted range of emotional expressions.
Psychosis tends to develop in a person’s teens or 20s. Valeo employees are working to identify existing patients who would qualify as well as requesting referrals from schools, emergency rooms, Stormont Vail Health’s psychiatric unit and mental health advocates, Wills said.
Calvin Shope, who is running the early intervention program at Valeo, said he anticipates most patients will need about two years to go through the curriculum. Part of the program will include educating patients about their illness, but it also will focus on finding their strengths to overcome the challenges of schizophrenia, he said. Patients also can expect homework as they start using new skills.
“We all have things in our life that we struggle with, and this is no different,” he said.
The program also will include support for meeting employment and education goals, Wills said. Patients’ families will learn about psychosis and how to support their loved one, she said.
“You change it so it’s not so disabling,” she said. “We get them back to school, back to work.”
Medication is part of the program, but patients will start by receiving lower doses, Wills said. Many people don’t stay on their antipsychotic medications because of the side effects, including muscle aches and weight gain, she said.
“When you start with higher doses, you immediately have a lot of side effects,” she said. “The chances of them not following through (with treatment) are much greater.”
Jennifer Krehbiel, early intervention team leader at Wyandot Center, estimated about 70 people have participated in the program in Wyandotte County since April 2015. While it is too early to know if they will do better in the long term, Krehbiel said Wyandot employees have been successful in building relationships with patients and assuring them that the fear and anxiety they feel about their symptoms is normal, she said.
In recent years, the mental health community has started to put more emphasis on helping patients build skills to deal with hallucinations or delusions, Krehbiel said. Many patients still experience those symptoms even if they take medications, but reducing the negative feelings that surround delusions and hallucinations can make them easier to manage, she said.
“Instead of trying to eliminate voices, you’re trying to reduce the distress from those voices,” she said.
The hope is that an individualized and less jarring type of treatment will encourage patients to continue receiving help after they turn 18 and aren’t under parental authority, Krehbiel said. Working with a team to reach their goals can be more appealing than having to submit to whatever parents and other authorities think is best, she said.
Even if the programs succeed in their goals, however, there isn’t any guarantee that they will be able to continue serving patients. The Valeo grant lasts for about 15 months, and afterward the center will have to find another funding source or stop offering the program, Wills said.
“I don’t think there’s anything worse than starting something, getting people’s hopes up … and saying we can’t do it anymore because the funding’s not there,” she said.
Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on court hearing to determine whether to force Kansas to count potentially thousands of votes cast in November (all times local):
1 p.m.
A Kansas judge did not immediately decide whether to permanently force Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to count all ballots cast in local and state elections by voters who registered at motor vehicle offices or used a federal form without providing proof of citizenship.
Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks heard arguments Wednesday on whether to issue a permanent injunction blocking Kobach from implementing a dual registration system in which some votes are counted only for federal races.
Hendricks’ earlier order temporarily blocked Kansas from discarding those votes in the August Kansas primary. The judge told The Associated Press after the hearing that his earlier order still remains in effect for the November election.
The judge did not indicate from the bench when he might rule.
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10:55 a.m.
A Kansas judge is being asked to issue a permanent injunction forcing Kansas to count all votes cast in state and local elections amid ongoing litigation.
The American Civil Liberties union urged the Kansas court Wednesday to issue order before the November election. The ACLU says federal cases are still ongoing over voters who registered at motor vehicle offices or with a federal form.
Federal courts have issued temporary orders requiring the state to register those voters for federal elections. Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks is hearing arguments on whether to also count votes cast in state and local races by those voters.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach has argued that there is no violation of ballot secrecy by giving them provisional ballots that count only the federal votes.
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2:20 a.m.
A case playing out in a Kansas courtroom will determine whether potentially thousands of votes will be counted in November when they are cast in state and local elections by people who registered at motor vehicles offices or with a federal form without providing citizenship documents.
Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks will hear arguments Wednesday on whether to temporarily block Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from throwing out the votes in local and state elections cast by people who fall into those categories.
The judge had earlier ordered the state to count them for the state’s August primary, and he must now rule on whether to extend that order for the November general election as well.
10:55 a.m.
A Kansas judge is being asked to issue a permanent injunction forcing Kansas to count all votes cast in state and local elections amid ongoing litigation.
The American Civil Liberties union urged the Kansas court Wednesday to issue order before the November election. The ACLU says federal cases are still ongoing over voters who registered at motor vehicle offices or with a federal form.
Federal courts have issued temporary orders requiring the state to register those voters for federal elections. Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks is hearing arguments on whether to also count votes cast in state and local races by those voters.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach has argued that there is no violation of ballot secrecy by giving them provisional ballots that count only the federal votes.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A case playing out in a Kansas courtroom will determine whether potentially thousands of votes will be counted in November when they are cast in state and local elections by people who registered at motor vehicles offices or with a federal form without providing citizenship documents.
Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks will hear arguments Wednesday on whether to temporarily block Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from throwing out the votes in local and state elections cast by people who fall into those categories.
The judge had earlier ordered the state to count them for the state’s August primary, and he must now rule on whether to extend that order for the November general election as well.
TOPEKA, Kan. – The TMP-Marian volleyball team moved up two spots to No. 3 in Class 3A in the latest Kansas Volleyball Association poll released Wednesday. The ranking does not take into account their three wins in the Smith Center quad on Tuesday.
La Crosse holds at No. 4 in 1A Division I and Wheatland-Grinnell takes over the top spot in 1A Division II.
Class 6A
1. Blue Valley West 18-0 (1)
2. Blue Valley North 10-1 (2)
3. Olathe Northwest 9-3 (4)
4. Shawnee Mission East 11-4 (3)
5. Shawnee Mission West 10-4 (5)
6. Lawrence-Free State 9-4 (7)
7. Blue Valley Northwest 9-4 (8)
8. Garden City 15-4 (9)
9. Manhattan 10-6 (10)
10. Olathe East 7-8 (6)
Class 5A
1. Shawnee Heights 13-1 (1)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas 14-4 (3)
3. Lansing 11-1 (4)
4. Newton 16-2 (6)
5. Maize 14-3 (5)
6. St. James Academy 6-5 (2)
7. Goddard-Eisenhower 12-1 (7)
8. Emporia 10-2 (8)
9. Blue Valley Southwest 11-3 (9)
10. Andover 11-5 (10)
Class 4A – Division 1
1. Abilene 13-3 (1)
2. DeSoto 17-5 (4)
3. McPherson 10-2 (3)
4. Rose Hill 13-4 (8)
5. Andale 10-2 (5)
6. Ulysses 10-1 (7)
7. El Dorado 12-4 (6)
8. Louisburg 13-7 (9)
9. Andover Central 5-6 (10)
10. Kansas City-Piper 7-4 (NR)
Class 4A – Division 2
1. Topeka-Hayden 15-3 (1)
2. Kingman 21-3 (2)
3. Girard 13-3 (7)
4. Rock Creek 12-3 (6)
5. Santa Fe Trail 6-3 (3)
6. Baxter Springs 12-6 (4)
7. Burlington 13-4 (9)
8. Frontenac 9-3 (5)
9. Concordia 6-4 (8)
10. Smoky Valley 9-6 (10)
Class 3A
1. Silver Lake 13-3 (2)
2. Cheney 12-2 (1)
3. Thomas More Prep-Marian 14-1 (5)
4. Hesston 11-3 (3)
5. Garden Plain 9-3 (4)
6. Wellsville 12-4 (7)
7. Beloit 14-2 (8)
8. Douglass 5-1 (6)
9. Marion 13-1 (9)
10. Sedgwick 13-3 (NR)
Class 2A
1. Central Plains 13-0 (1)
2. Heritage Christian 16-0 (2)
3. Kiowa County 13-1 (4)
4. Jefferson County North 15-2 (3)
5. Wabaunsee 14-2 (5)
6. Chase County 20-3 (10)
7. Oswego 14-2 (7)
8. Inman 14-2 (6)
9. Washington County 9-3 (NR)
10. Uniontown 11-3 (9)
FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a pedestrian accident.
Just before 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Officers of the Garden City Police Department were dispatched to the 2400 Block of Estes Court in Garden City after a report that a vehicle struck two pedestrians, one on a bicycle and one on foot, according to a media release.
Officers determined a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Caleb Munyan, 17, Garden City, was westbound on Yellowstone Drive.
The pickup struck Garth Hite, 47, and Nathan Hite, 5, both of Garden City.
Nathan was riding his bicycle along the right side of the roadway while his father, Garth walked next to him.
Munyan reported he did not see the pedestrians due to the setting sun blinding his field of view.
There was no damage to the truck.
Both pedestrians were transported to St Catherine’s hospital and later released.
As of Wednesday, no citations had been issued, according to police.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect on child porn allegations.
Following an investigation by Wichita-based Internet Crimes Against Children and the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Rodenbeek, 53, Salina, was arrested, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.
A search warrant was executed at Rodenbeek’s east Salina home just before 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Officers seized at least one computer from the home during the search, according to Sweeney.
Rodenbeek is being held the Saline County Jail on two requested charges of sexual exploitation of a child, according to Sweeney.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Supreme Court’s hearing on a school funding lawsuit (all times local):
11:55 p.m.
Kansas Supreme Court justices have briefly considered whether the state could pay for a suitable education for every child by shifting funds out of programs for gifted students.
The court heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit filed in 2010 by four school districts. They argue that the state’s nearly $4.1 billion a year in aid to its 286 school districts is not enough to provide a suitable education for every child.
Justice Dan Biles suggested during the arguments that the court might have to target its order to helping underachieving students.
State Solicitor General Stephen McAllister said school districts might be able to help underachieving students by taking money out of Advanced Placement courses. But he said he wouldn’t want that to happen and educators rejected the idea.
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11:15 a.m.
A Kansas Supreme Court justice is suggesting that an order from the court on education funding might have to be targeted to help underachieving students in the state’s public schools.
Justice Dan Biles raised the issue Wednesday during arguments before the court in a lawsuit filed by four school districts in 2010. The districts argue that the state’s nearly $4.1 billion a year in aid to its 286 school districts is not adequate.
Biles questioned districts’ attorney Alan Rupe about his argument that the state needs to boost its annual spending by $800 million. Rupe said a third to half of the state’s public school students are struggling.
But Biles said the state constitution appears to require the state to target struggling students because others already receive an adequate education.
10:25 a.m.
An attorney for four Kansas school districts has told the state Supreme Court that too many students are being left behind in their educations because the state isn’t spending enough money on its public schools.
Attorney Alan Rupe argued Wednesday before the justices that legislators have failed to meet their duty under the state constitution to provide a suitable education to every child. The state’s annual aid to its 286 districts is nearly $4.1 billion, but Rupe suggested that falls about $800 million a year short of being adequate.
Rupe said that students’ test scores on standardized English and math scores show that between a third and half of them are struggling.
The state argues that its education system compares well with those in other states and that funding is adequate.
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9:35 a.m.
Kansas Supreme Court justices are expressing skepticism with the state’s arguments that its current education funding is adequate as they consider a lawsuit filed by four local school districts.
Chief Justice Lawton Nuss and four other justices on the seven-member court on Wednesday peppered state Solicitor General Stephen McAllister with questions after he suggested that the high court should defer to the Legislature.
The state argued that its annual aid of nearly $4.1 billion a year to its 286 districts is sufficient for legislators to meet their constitutional duty to provide a suitable education for every child.
Several justices pointed to data from state standardized tests suggesting many children aren’t on track to be ready for college and they challenged McAllister when he suggested spending isn’t necessarily crucial to student performance.
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9:15 a.m.
The Kansas solicitor general has opened his arguments on an education funding case before the Kansas Supreme Court by telling the justices that the Legislature is entitled to substantial deference in its decisions about how much to spend on public schools.
Solicitor General Stephen McAllister appeared Wednesday before the court in a lawsuit filed in 2010 by four school districts. The state is trying to persuade the court that the state’s annual aid of nearly $4.1 billion a year to its 286 districts is sufficient.
The Dodge City, Hutchinson, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas districts argue that legislators are hundreds of millions of dollars short each year in fulfilling their constitutional duty to give every child a suitable education.
A lower-court panel sided with the districts. The state appealed.
Packed court room on Wednesday to hear the school funding arguments
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Attorneys for cash-strapped Kansas are trying to persuade the state Supreme Court not to order hundreds of millions of dollars in additional aid each year for schools.
But lawyers for four poorer local school districts, who will present arguments before the court Wednesday, say they are confident the judges will side with them.
The Dodge City, Hutchinson, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas, districts sued in 2010. They contend legislators aren’t providing enough aid to give every child a suitable education, as required by the constitution.
The six-year legal dispute has brought the court into repeated conflict with GOP conservatives who control the rest of state government.
The justices are considering whether the state’s nearly $4.1 billion in annual aid to school districts is sufficient or up to $1.4 billion short.
The vacant position of Convention and Visitors Bureau Director for the city of Hays remains open. Rick Rekoske resigned from the job earlier this month.
It’s the second time in a little more than a year Hays is without a CVB director.
“At this point, we’re still working through the process,” said Jacob Wood, Assistant City Manager. “We haven’t actually determined how we’re going to go about searching for a new CVB Director.”
Wood anticipates it will “all be squared away in the next couple of weeks and advertisements for the job opening will be placed.”
In the meantime, Wood is filling the role of CVB Director.
“It’s a really good staff over there and they’ve been through this process before where they’ve been without a director for some time. So they know how to do it. I have a lot of confidence in the staff.
“We’ll make sure nothing falls through the cracks,” Wood said with assurance.
Rekoske was hired May 26, 2015, to replace previous CVB Director Jana Jordan, who retired Sept. 19, 2014, after 26 years with the city of Hays.
