2016 – Page 211 – Hays Post Archive

Toyota recall: Faulty brakes on some Prius hybrid cars

Posted on October 12, 2016

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 340,000 gas-electric hybrid Prius cars around the world, 212,000 of them in Japan and 94,000 in North America, for a defect in their parking brakes.

Toyota said Wednesday it has received reports of crashes, injuries and deaths. The Japanese automaker refused to provide details, saying it was still looking into the reports.

Toyota said the parking brake cable can disengage, causing the brakes to stop working properly. So if the car is left in any gear other than park, it could start rolling away, and possibly crash.

Toyota said 17,000 Prius vehicles were recalled in Europe, and the rest in Australia and other regions. The problem models were manufactured from August 2015 through October 2016.

The company said all the vehicles were manufactured in Japan.

HNEA, Hays USD 489 reach contract agreement

Posted on October 12, 2016

By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

At Monday night’s meeting, the Hays USD 489 Board of Education ratified the 2016-17 negotiated agreement between the Hays National Education Association and the district.

In was a unanimous vote with a brief discussion, all seven board members voted to approve the bargaining agreement. The vote came nearly a week after the HNEA voted 163-22 in favor of the agreement.

Typically in work sessions, formal actions are not taken, but USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen said he wanted to bring this in front of the board just in case members wanted to act.

With the agreement, teachers salaries continue to be frozen with both vertical and horizontal movement.

At last month’s work session, where the details of the new agreement were discussed, it was brought up that fairness in pay is an issue across the board for the whole district. The freeze in the salary schedule would make it eight out of the last 11 years that USD 489 has frozen the salary schedule.

“A frozen schedule is more common than you think,” Thissen said at last month’s work session.

A change in the agreement will start new hires at a lower step in the pay scale than in years past.

“Everyone new who came into district was put at a higher level, ” Kathy Wagoner, Hays-NEA bargaining unit co-chairwoman said last month.

It was agreed at the last work session meeting of September that it is wrong that new teachers who come into the district are started out at a higher pay than those who have already been with the district for some time.

“It’s not about people coming to Hays. It’s about people staying in Hays,” Wagoner said in September. “It’s about not saying goodbye.”

At last month’s work session, Wagoner said the bargaining unit wanted new hires to come in at step six and not seven. Part of the new agreement puts the new hires at that step six, instead of step 11 as in years past.

There will be exceptions for the new hires and the steps they come in at. The exceptions fall under the hard-to-fill areas that are defined by the yearly state report.

“What’s nice about voting on this tonight is we can start sending contracts out,” said USD 489 board vice president Sarah Rankin.

Many other provisions are a part of the new agreement.

The Board of Education will continue their contract with the State of Kansas Group Health Insurance Program. The HNEA and USD 489 BOE agreed to continue the contract with the State of Kansas Non State Group Health Plans for the three-year period of 2017-19.

Changes to teachers contracts when they decide to be released from their contracts was also agreed upon.

Amounts for damages and liquidation range from the amount of $500 to $1,500 depending on when the teacher has requested to be released from his or her contract.

Teachers will continue to be entitled to all due process rights as afforded by the law, but the BOE still reserves the right to terminate a contract for unprofessional conduct, cruelty, immorality, negligence or incompetence upon written notice specifying the reasons.

The agreement became valid on the ratification date once the board approved the issue.

SCHROCK: Test scores do not guarantee good schools

Posted on October 12, 2016

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

The arguments over whether Kansas is funding an adequate education for Kansas children have mainly focused on test scores as the scale to grade school quality. Defenders of the Kansas Legislature underfunding point to NAEP scores that have remained mediocre over time. Advocates for more spending point to an increase in state assessment scores when funding went up, and a recent decline when funding was cut.

Educational test results are misused by both sides in a manner that recalls Mark Twain’s comment about “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Student standardized test scores have been mis-used to judge students, teachers, principals, schools and state systems.

But test scores are not an indicator of good schools. And nobody knows the limitations of tests better than Harvard Professor Daniel Koretz, an expert in testing.

In his book for teachers, “Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us,” Koretz explains his frustration with folks who move into a neighborhood and ask him to identify good schools, because as an expert on testing, he obviously would know. While tests scores are not irrelevant, he advises parents to look at many more factors: music and athletic programs, special curricula, the variety of teachers and students, etc. He tells them to visit the school to observe the student engagement, teacher professionalism, school-wide enthusiasm, and “spirited discussion among the students.”

Unfortunately, we hear little to nothing about these complex factors that spur intellectual growth in our wide variety of schoolchildren. Instead, combatants in the Kansas school funding case, similar to Koretz’s friends, want a simple criteria: test scores. His reply was simple: “If all you want is high average test scores, tell your realtor that you want to buy into the highest-income neighborhood you can manage. That will buy you the highest average score you can afford.”

I use Koretz’s book to train my student teachers how scores on high-stakes tests do not tell us all we need to know about student achievement or school quality.

But I constantly run into another myth: “The public demands accountability!” Supposedly, everyone in Kansas is only concerned that their child gets high scores on a narrow range of standardized tests in language arts and math. I don’t think so.

The parents I know are interested in having teachers who will care about their child. Who will help them to develop good habits as young ladies and gentlemen. To guide them to be honest. To treat others fairly. To enjoy some art and some music. To develop their different talents. And to respect other students who are different.

The last 15-years of No Child left Behind test-and-punish has narrowed our children’s education, driven many good veteran teachers from the profession, and discouraged a generation of students from entering the teaching profession.

The core of this problem is the external testing. Teachers have been giving their own customized tests as part of their internal teaching and for their own use to determine how best to teach their students. Teaching-to-the-test never became a problem until the test was externalized as state “assessments.” This in turn drove standardized teaching with the one goal of every student scoring higher on the uniform test.

Students come into our classes unique. They should graduate out unique. Instead, external one-size-fits-all tests have driven much classroom teaching for over a decade with disastrous results.

Anyone who had taken a course in “Tests and Measurements” would have understood the severe limitations of testing. But ironically, this is the very course that many Schools of Education dropped from their curriculum long ago. Had they continued teaching the limitations of tests, as Koretz does today, perhaps we would never have gotten into the NCLB testing addiction that continues today under ESSA.

Similar to my colleagues, I have more students who hold up a hand and ask: “Is this going to be on the test?”

I simply reply: “No, it is much more important than that.”

Ellis, Hays students have roles in Emporia State production

Posted on October 12, 2016

EMPORIA — Emporia State University Theatre opens its season with musical “Big River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, Mark Twain’s timeless classic sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River.

Their adventures bring to life favorite characters from the novel including the Widow Douglas; the uproarious King and Duke; Huck’s pal, Tom Sawyer, and their rowdy gang; Huck’s drunken father, the sinister Pap Finn; the lovely Mary Jane Wilkes and her trusting family.

Students from this area in the production are:

Dustin Bittel, a junior theater major from Ellis, is playing Mark Twain/Doctor.

Rachel Muirhead, a sophomore theater education major from Hays, is playing Widow Douglas/Sally Phelps.

Under the direction of Jim and Lindy Bartruff, Big River will run in The Karl C. Bruder Theatre in King Hall, Oct. 13 through 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be reserved at the university box office in the Memorial Union or by calling 620-341-6378. Proceeds from this production support scholarships for ESU students in the performing arts.

Police: Kansas man arrested for road-rage killing

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a suspect in connect with a weekend road rage killing.

On Tuesday, Daniel Alan Askew, 27, Topeka, was arrested in connection with Saturday’s shooting death, according to a media release.

Just after 12:30 a.m. on Saturday officers with Topeka police responded to a local hospital after report of a gunshot victim who had arrived by personal vehicle, according to a media release.

The victim, Michael Sadler, 28, Topeka, was suffering from critical injuries and died, according to police. They say Sadler was a passenger in a vehicle traveling near the intersection of SW 29th and SW Burlingame Road, and became involved in a road rage argument.

The involved parties did not know each other prior to the incident, according to police.

Askew was booked into the Shawnee County jail for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

New faces at the Hays Public Library

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016

HPL

The Hays Public Library recently added two new librarians to its staff: Samantha Dean and Vera Haynes.

Samantha Dean is the new adult librarian. She originally hails from Mankato, but moved to Hays in 2012 to attend FHSU where she received both a bachelor’s and master’s in history. Dean frequently visited the library as a student

“I utilized the library’s resources and was impressed by the facility, collection and staff. I really wanted to be a part of the library in some way,” she said.

“Hays has such a rich history and sense of pride,” Dean added. “I think the library has a great connection to the city and offers a vast number of resources for the public’s use.”

Once she orients herself to the library’s daily processes, Dean plans to reach out to the community as well as other departments.

“I would like to do more programming that will attract adults of all ages – from college to retirement, as well as collaborate with other library departments,” she said. “I really want to help better the library!”

Vera Haynes is the new young adult librarian. She comes to us from Columbia, Mo., where she received her bachelor’s in communication from the University of Missouri. Being new to the community isn’t keeping her from exploring Hays.

“The Fall Art Walk and Oktoberfest were so much fun and really well attended. It’s amazing to live in a community that unites around events like that,” she said.

As for her impression of the library so far, Haynes said “I love the atmosphere of the library’s second floor. There’s a huge focus on serving the young adults and children first. The patrons are my favorite thing about the library so far! They’ve already been so welcoming.”

Haynes also brings some new skills to the library.

“I’m conversationally fluent in American Sign Language — and I love to play the ukulele,” she said.

You can reach Samantha Dean and Vera Haynes at the library by calling 785-625-9014 or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Session aimed at caregivers planning for a child or dependent with special needs

Posted on October 12, 2016October 11, 2016

Northwest Kansas Down Syndrome Society and Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas this month will host an informational seminar for caregivers planning for a child or dependent with special needs.

The free session is open to the public and will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at DSNWK, 2703 Hall.

The presenter is Kacy Seitz, a financial advisor/fiduciary from Kansas City. The workshop will provide information about topics including social security, special needs trusts and guardianship.

Childcare provided upon requests by RSVP to Nancy Duffy-Auer at (785) 621-5295.

Kan. man jailed for alleged assault, kidnapping of pregnant woman

Posted on October 12, 2016

FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a suspect for alleged assault and kidnapping.

Just after 10 a.m., on Sunday, Finney County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to 2401 W. Kansas Ave. #321 in reference to a woman that was bleeding and was the possible victim of a battery, according to a media release.

Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at VFW and W. Kansas Avenue that had been identified as a possible suspect vehicle in the battery.

Deputies made contact with the driver 26-year-old Francisco Moreno, and discovered that a 26-year-old female passenger was approx. 7 months pregnant and had severe injuries.

EMS transported the female victim to St. Catherine’s Hospital. She was later air lifted to a hospital in Wichita for further treatment of her injuries.

Deputies arrested Moreno on probable cause charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Aggravated Endangering a Child.

It is alleged that the Moreno forced the victim into his car earlier in the morning at a location in the area of 2401 W. Kansas and battered her inside and outside of the vehicle as they drove around Finney County.

Family: Missing Kansas teen located

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016

SALINE COUNTY -A Salina teenager, missing since early Monday morning, has been safely located.

According to her family, Leslie Rush, 15, was located in north Salina on Tuesday. She had been missing since 3:45 a.m. Monday.

No other details were immediately available.

FHSU volleyball adds two wins on Pass, Set, Pink Night

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a pair of non-conference victories Tuesday night during its Fifth Annual Pass, Set, Pink Night. The Tigers coasted to a three-set victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State before outlasting Northwestern Oklahoma State in three sets.

Through t-shirt sales and silent auction items, the program raised in excess of $1400 to go towards the Dig Pink scholarship, established by the team to annually support an FHSU student directly impacted by cancer. The scholarship fund has now eclipsed $10,000 and is now a fully endowed scholarship.

Sandwiched between matches with Fort Hays State, Northwestern Oklahoma State swept OPSU in straight sets, 25-17, 25-21, 25-13.

The Tigers are now 18-5 overall and finish the year 14-1 in non-conference play, the best mark under head coach Kurth Kohler. Fort Hays State will return to MIAA play this weekend when they host No. 10 Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Fort Hays State 3, Oklahoma Panhandle State 0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-10)
The Tigers played all of one point while trailing Oklahoma Panhandle State to open the day, steamrolling their way to a three-set victory. The Aggies dropped to 3-17 overall with the loss.

Fort Hays State hit at a .400 clip for the match, its best outing this season. The Tigers held OPSU to a -.043 attack percentage, the second-lowest for an opponent this season and only behind the last time these two teams met (-.182). The Tigers picked up 17 more digs than the Aggies (47-30) with each team recording three total blocks.

Crystal Whitten led the match with nine kills while leading the Black and Gold with nine digs. The senior outside hitter added one block assist and one service ace. Callie Christensen added six kills on eight swings. Madison Elwood came off the bench to throw down three kills on six attempts, while Keely Ruby and Abbie Hayes both recorded the first kill of their collegiate career.

After taking an early 5-3 lead, the Tigers scored eight of the next 10 points to extend the lead to eight, 13-5. Five-straight Aggie errors helped FHSU score the final six points in the frame to secure the 25-10 victory. No Tiger picked up more than two kills in the frame, with just nine points coming off kills. OPSU recorded 10 errors in the set, leading to a -.133 attack percentage.

The Tigers were most efficient in the second set, swinging at a .455 rate with 17 kills and just two errors. Fort Hays State opened the frame with a 7-1 run and never looked back, leading by at least five for the remainder of the set. Back-to-back kills from Whitten followed by a powerful swing from Anderson made the score 13-4. After OPSU scored the next two, the Tigers captured eight out of 10 points, bringing the score to 22-8. Rebekah Spainhour delivered the final blow, giving FHSU the 25-11 win.

The Aggies scored the first point in the third set to take their only lead of the match, 1-0. Whitten followed with a kill and an ace to return the lead, and the rout was on. After OPSU tied the score at three, the Tigers went on an 11-1 run to put the game nearly out of reach. Later, the Tigers again scored seven straight, extending a 16-point lead, 21-5. Freshman Magan Alexander posted the final kill to finish off the match, 25-10. Becca Page was efficient distributing the ball, recording 13 assists at setter in relief of Hannah Wagy who recorded a team-high 17 in the match.

Fort Hays State 3, Northwestern Oklahoma State 0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-12)
After failing to seize an opportunity to beat the Tigers at the beginning of the season, Northwestern Oklahoma State opened the match with revenge on the mind. The sides battled back-and-forth for the entirety of the opening set before the home team finally ended things, ultimately coasting to its second straight-set victory of the night.

The Rangers did not look like a 3-19 team in the opening set, swinging at a .302 clip with just three attack errors. The Tigers were able to match NWOSU blow for blow, leading to 19 ties and eight lead changes in the frame with neither team leading by more than two. Rebekah Spainhour recorded three of her six kills in the set in a four-point span to give the team a 15-14 lead, but the Rangers had an answer at every turn. After a Ranger kill put the Tigers behind 24-23, Spainhour kept the set alive with a strong kill on pass from Hannah Wagy. NWOSU then won another shot at set point, but threw it away with a service error. A big block from Megan Anderson and Wagy gave the Tigers the serve with a shot at taking the set, and Crystal Whitten delivered with a strong swing to seal the 27-25 win.

The visitors came unraveled after their heartbreaking loss in the first set, scoring just 25 points in the second and third set combined. The Tigers jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set thanks to three Ranger errors, matching their first-set total in just seven rallies. With Fort Hays State leading by just one, three-straight kills from Whitten followed by another Ranger error quickly made it 12-8, prompting the NWOSU coach to use a timeout. The Tigers later used an 8-1 run to all but put the set away, taking a commanding 21-11 lead. Kills from Spainhour and Whitten gave the Tigers a chance at set point before another Ranger error handed the Tigers a two-set lead.

The Tigers led wire-to-wire in the final set, swinging a highly efficient .429 in the frame with 15 kills to just three errors. A seven-point run with Kailey Klibbe put the Tigers in front by 12, 20-8, and the rest was history.

Whitten led all hitters in the match with 14 kills, adding eight digs and two assists. Wagy posted 41 assists, second-most in a three-set match this season (43 vs UCCS). Spainhour added 12 kills and two blocks (one solo), while Sydney Dixon’s 10 kills helped her to double-digits for the second time this year (11 vs. Minot State). Callie Christensen was incredibly efficient, throwing down eight kills on 10 swings without an error while adding three blocks on defense (one solo). Klibbe worked for a match-high 20 digs, adding three service aces and four assists.

FHSU Athletics

Law enforcement look for driver who hit Kan. man, fled the scene

Posted on October 12, 2016

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pedestrian accident in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported just after 8p.m. on Tuesday, an unknown vehicle was northbound on Kansas 4 just north of Northeast Seward Avenue when it struck a pedestrian and continued on without stopping.

The victim Daniel Christopher VIning, 38, Lawrence, was transported to Stormont Vail for treatment.

His condition was not released early Wednesday.

Cool, windy Wednesday

Posted on October 12, 2016

Today Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a north wind 19 to 24 mph decreasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight Areas of frost after 5am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 34. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

ThursdayAreas of frost before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 62. South southeast wind 5 to 14 mph.

Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 44. South southeast wind 7 to 9 mph.

FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 76.

Friday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 59.

SaturdayMostly sunny, with a high near 83.

Saturday NightMostly clear, with a low around 51.

SundayMostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Mexican woman enters plea to possessing firearm used in Salina teen’s death

Posted on October 12, 2016

WICHITA, KAN. – A Mexican woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful possession of a firearm connected to a homicide case in Salina, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

The woman, Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, 22, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. In her plea, she admitted that on May 7, 2015, she unlawfully possessed a Glock model 30 .45 caliber pistol. Her visitor’s visa had expired in February 1998.

In July 2016, Garcia-Ferniza was sentenced in Saline County District Court to18 months on probation for attempting to hide the gun that killed 17-year-old Allie Saum. The gun belonged to her boyfriend, Macio D. Palicio, Jr. Saum was killed by gunfire when Palicio fired at a pickup he mistakenly believed was driven by rival gang members.

Palicio was convicted in Saline County District Court and sentenced to more than 50 years for the killing.

Garcia-Ferniza’s sentencing is set for Jan. 4. She has been in custody since August 2015.