ELLIS–Two new faces will front the Ellis City Council following Tuesday’s election.
Newcomers Dena Patee and Susan Eaton were first and third respectively, in the balloting for three open seats on the city council. Incumbent Jolene Niernberger came in second.
Incumbents Gary Luea and John Walz were fifth and sixth in the vote-getting and will leave the council at the end of their terms. Seven residents ran for the three positions.
Below are the final results from the Ellis County Clerk which are unofficial until canvassed by the Ellis County Commission Mon., Nov. 14. Countywide voter turnout for the general election was 65.16 percent.
ELLIS CITY COUNCIL-Vote for three
Dena Patee–447; 18.53%
Jolene Niernberger (I)–403; 16.71%
Susan Eaton–351; 14.55%
Martin V. LaBarge–327; 13.56%
Gary Luea (I)–306; 12.69%
John Walz (I)–288; 11.94%
Nan Brown–287; 11.90%
Write-in–3; 0.12%
The three winning candidates will be sworn into office at the Jan. 9, 2017 council meeting, according to Ellis City Clerk Amy Burton.
Phillipsburg resident Fred Hatcher passed away Monday, Nov. 7 at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in Hastings, NE at the age of 81. He was born June 13, 1935 in Bogue, KS, the son of George & Lola (Sloan) Hatcher.
Survivors include his wife Arliss of the home; his son, Fred Ivan of Everett, WA; 2 daughters, Valerie Neisius of Beaufort, SC and Carla Marrow of Belleview, WA; his sister, Harriett Boyles of Kearney, NE; 7 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Cremation was chosen. A private family service will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Phillips County Hospital Foundation in care of the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, P.O. Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS 67661.
Harley E. Bos passed away on October 22, 2016 at his home at the age of 88. He was born & raised in Smith County near Dispatch, KS. He attended school in Downs through his freshman year. His family moved to Osborne & he attended Osborne High School his sophomore year. At the end of his sophomore year, Harley joined the U. S. Navy and served from 1944 – 1947.
After Harley was honorably discharged from the Navy, he returned to Osborne. He met and married Neva Swank. To this union, 5 children were born.
Harley worked nights at Barbers Bakery. Some other places of employment were, a heavy equipment operator helping build the Kirwin Dam, Hardman Lumber as a truck driver, a lineman for the City of Osborne and other jobs. He eventually came to own and operate the Hinkle Termite Control that had been founded by Charlie Hinkle.
Harley enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapping throughout his life. He was a hard working, outdoor loving, Christian family man.
Harley was precede in death by his parents; wife, Neva; sisters: Onita Bos Jemison and Joyce Bos Wickers; brothers: Ivan Bos and Duane Bos; grandson, Earl Bedford. He is survived by daughters: Diana Marshall of Osborne; Paula (Tony) Micone of Osborne; Rita (Kevin) Strecker of Arkansas City, KS; Sharon (Bob) Romero of Tucson, Arizona; sons: Dennis (Noodang) Bos of Luray, KS; David (Paula) Bos of Weeki Wachi, Florida; 25 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.
Funeral Service
Saturday
November 12, 2016
11:00 AM
Free Methodist Church
Osborne, KS
Private Interment
Osborne City Cemetery
Osborne, KS
Clark-Gashaw Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Voters are retaining four Kansas Supreme Court justices targeted for removal by abortion opponents and conservative Republicans.
The results from Tuesday’s election mean that Chief Justice Lawton Nuss and Justices Carol Beier, Dan Biles and Marla Luckert will remain on the seven-member court for another six years.
Voters also retained Justice Caleb Stegall. He was GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s only appointee and was not targeted.
The ouster campaign started with critics of rulings that overturned death sentences in capital punishment cases. Abortion opponents also joined the effort, as did a gun-rights group. Conservative Republicans were critical of previous court rulings in education funding cases.
Nuss and Luckert were appointed to the court by moderate GOP Gov. Bill Graves. Beier and Biles were appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
Terence L. “Big Terry” Redetzke, 62, died November 7, 2016, at Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City. He was born July 12, 1954, in Hoisington, Kansas, the son of Clarence and Martha (Hawes) Redetzke. Terry was a 1972 graduate of Hoisington High School.
A lifelong Hoisington area resident, Terry was a truck driver and the owner of TP Inc. He was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, and a lifetime member of OOIDA, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
On October 30, 1976, he married Pamela J. Harrison in Great Bend, Kansas.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Pamela Redetzke; children, Tanna Vine and husband Dustin of Ellis, Terry Redetzke and wife Sandy of Ellis, and Amanda Redetzke of Overland Park; siblings, Cathy Kruhm and husband Burt of Littleton, CO, Linda Rubio and husband Martin of Hoisington, Greg Redetzke of Hoisington, and Carol Redetzke of Great Bend; father-in law, William Harrison of Cedarville, AR; brother-in-law, Shane Harrison of Overland Park; and six grandchildren, Maleah, Westin, and Myles Vine, and Grace, Sydney, and Carter Redetzke.
He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents, Leo & Cecelia Redetzke; mother-in-law, Shirley Harrison; brothers-in-law, Clay and Lance Harrison; and his beloved dog and best friend, Jake.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, November 11, 2016, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, celebrated by Father Anselm Eke. Burial will follow in St. John Catholic Cemetery.
Friends may call 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, with family to receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Vigil and Rosary led by the Knights of Columbus at 7:30 p.m., all at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Kans for Kids or the Clara Barton Hospital Foundation, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
Due to the observance of the Veteran’s Day, Friday, November 11, 2016, Refuse/Recycling Route Collection Schedules will be altered as follows:
Thursday, November 10th and Friday, November 11th will be collected on Thursday, November 10th.
There will be no changes to Monday, November 7th, Tuesday, November 8th, and Wednesday, November 9th collection schedules.
City of Hays customers that may have any questions regarding this notice should contact the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department at 628-7357.
It is anticipated that heavy volumes of refuse/recyclable will be encountered around the holidays. Please be sure to set your bags out by 7:00 a.m. on the collection day and keep in mind that the trucks have no set time schedule.
FORD COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Ford County are investigating a fatal hit and run accident.
Just before 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, officers with the Dodge City Police Department were dispatched to the area of 2000 East Trail Street for an injury accident involving a pedestrian, according to a media release.
First responders discovered a victim identified in a media release on Wednesday as Evan Kaiser, 27, Dodge City, with life threatening injuries.
Just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, he died, according to police.
An investigation determined Kaiser was hit from behind while walking west on Trail Street.
The possible suspect vehicle is a Nissan Murano with potential damage to the passenger side.
As of Wednesday morning, the suspect and vehicle had not been located.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the DCPD at 620-225-8126 or call Crime stoppers at 620-227-7867.
Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural history soon will offer a bucket-list type experience — a chance to travel to the Galapagos Islands and the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest in the summer of 2017 and learn about natural history.
“The trip really fits well with the theme of the museum, the mission of the museum,” said Dr. Reese Barrick, museum director. “It will be educational, but it will be unique.”
Barrick
Last Spring, FHSU and Sternberg led a student trip to the Galapagos and Barrick wanted to organize one and open it up to the public.
“They really enjoyed themselves, so we thought we’d follow it up and leave it open to the general public,” Barrick said.
The trip is planned for June 3 to 14 and costs $5,000 per person.
The money paid will cover hotels, guides, most meals and transportation. The trip costs excludes the cost of airfare to and from Quito, Ecuador.
Barrick notes they need at least eight people for the trip to happen and deadline to sign up is the end of January. If the eight-person minimum is not reached, the trip won’t happen, Barrick said.
“The trip gives you a chance to see things you’ve never seen before and see nowhere else in the world,” he said.
According to Barrick, three people have already signed up, along with two Sternberg staff members making the trip .
Dr. Laura Wilson, Sternberg’s chief curator and paleontologist, will join Barrick to lead the trip.
Those taking part in the 10-day adventure will spend the first three days exploring the cloud forests of Mindo and Alambi — on top of the Amazon basin in Ecuador.
Photo courtesy of the student Galapagos trip
“In the cloud forest, there is one of the highest diversity of birds in the world,” said David Levering, Sternberg education director.
While in the cloud forest, participants will be able to explore the gorgeous forest, check out a butterfly farm, an orchid garden, and go tubing down the Mindo River.
“You get to see a different culture in Ecuador and see a different part of the world,” Barrick said.” It’s going to be different than just sitting at home and watching it on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic.”
He said the accommodations are nice in Ecuador and good meals will be provided each day.
“It’s not going to be like roughing it while camping at all, the accommodations are very nice,” Barrick said.
After the cloud forests, the trip will head to the Galapagos Islands, which are about 621 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
The Galapagos portion of the trip will last six days and will consist of snorkeling, beach combing and sightseeing.
The Galapagos land tour will be busy, but Sternberg and the tour guides are not trying to run the patrons into the ground.
“We are not trying to train junior scientists on this trip. It’s more about showing people some cool stuff and neat things to get them excited about biology and natural history,” Levering said.
The snorkeling will take place at Kicker Rock, home to sea lions, rays, sea turtles and many different types of tropical fish.
Photo courtesy of the student Galapagos trip
Following snorkeling, hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano and kayaking off the coast of Isabela Island are a part of the land tour to start of the Galapagos portion of the trip.
Barrick said participants can expect to be immersed in wildlife every day while in the Galapagos, but will be offered the chance to explore towns such as Puerto Ayora and Puerto Villamil.
On the trip, time will be spent on three different islands in the Galapagos, starting with San Cristobal before flying to Isabela, then a boat ride to Santa Cruz to enjoy the highlands of the Galapagos.
On the final day, the opportunity is open to spend most of the day exploring Quito before flying back to the United States.
For those with health concerns, Levering said participants should be caught up on regular vaccinations.
“We are at altitude, so things such as yellow fever are not a concern for us,” he said.
Hepatitis is the biggest vaccination to be caught up on, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but Levering suggested having a flu shot beforehand.
“I recommend getting a flu shot as well, mostly just so you do not get the flu while over there or while you are traveling and it also will protect those who do not get a flu shot,” Levering said.
The zika virus is not a concern as the trip will not venture down to the Amazon, added Barrick.
For more information on the trip and to check out the itinerary, visit the Sternberg website.
For the first time in 40 years, Ellis County had elected a Republican County Treasurer.
Republican Treasurer candidate Lisa Schlegel defeated incumbent Democrat Ann Pfeifer 51.1 percent to 48.8 percent in Tuesday’s general election.
Schlegel told Hays Post on Tuesday night she is extremely happy with the results and said she is excited to begin working for the county.
“I am feeling humbled and happy that Ellis County voters picked me,” Schlegel said, “especially after all I’ve done to get people to know me.
“I feel like they really picked me because of how much I put out there about myself.”
Schlegel will officially take over the treasurer position in October 2017.
“I’m thrilled,” Schlegel said. “I’m ready to start the hard work.”
Pfeifer was elected in 2012 and took over for Mike “Mickey” Billinger in 2013. Billinger was elected to the position for the first time in 1976 and held the position until resigning in March 2013.
Two hundred and sixty-four provisional ballot still need to be counted, and the results will become official following the canvass at Monday’s Ellis County Commission meeting.
Loren N. Hillman, age 61, of WaKeeney, passed away November 4, 2016, at his sister’s home in Junction City.
Memorial service will be 1:00 p.m., Saturday, November 19, 2016 at Schmitt Funeral Home, WaKeeney. There will be no visitation as cremation was chosen.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Loren Hillman Memorial Fund. Donations to the fund may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
Pending a canvass of Tuesday’s election results, voters have overwhelmingly returned Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, to Topeka.
Billinger, a former state representative, outpaced Hays Democrat Alex Herman in the 40th District Senate race by a 66 percent to 35 percent margin.
Billinger earned 11,916 votes to Herman’s 6,280.
In Ellis County, the vote tally was 6,530 for Billinger and 4,965 for Herman, 56.79% to 43.18%.
He will take the seat of longtime state Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, who announced his retirement this fall shortly before the primary filing deadline.
By BECKY KISER
CITY OF HAYS
