VICTORIA — Victoria residents can take downed tree limbs to the compost site.
The city reminded residents they are responsible for the cleanup of their property.
Because of an electrical outage, Victoria City Hall will be closed Wednesday.
Wednesday’s early morning storm wreaked havoc across the Hays area.
As of 9 a.m., nearly 6,000 Midwest Energy customers were without power, as crews attempted to repair downed lines across Ellis and Russell counties. At Hays Medical Center’s recently purchased building (the former NEW call center), construction materials were scattered by the wind. Portions of the exterior of Gross Memorial Coliseum at Fort Hays State University were torn off, while a set of bleachers was whipped into the chain-link backstop at the Glassman baseball fields.
Hays Recreation Commission officials reported widespread damage at its outdoors facilities, with bleachers tossed by the strong wind and dugout canvas ripped away.
UPDATE: Hays airport closes runways after wind storm.
UPDATE: Expect periodic power outages.
RELATED: Power out to thousands.
Check Hays Post for addition details as they become available. Send your storm photos with descriptions and photographer attribution to [email protected].
RUSSELL — The Ad Astra Music Festival in Russell announces its events for the weekend of July 15. The public is welcome and tickets can be purchased online, at the Russell County Economic Development Office or at the door for $10 each or $50 for all concerts.
On Friday at 7:30 pm. the Ad Astra Chamber Choir will be featured in a performance of Mass Unordinary conducted by Max Holman, artist in residence, at St. Mary Queen of Angels in Russell. The choir is comprised of nearly all-professional musicians including the festivals young artist’s, artistic directors, artists-in-residence and special guest performers Mike Miller, Andrew Padgett, Erin Schwab, and Davone Tines. The a capella piece blends movements of Palestrina, Vaughan Williams, Rheinberger and a commissioned work from Michael Gilbertson.
Saturday, July 16, at 8:00 pm audience members will hear Brad Dawson and the Kansas City Jazz performing under the stars at Granny Mae’s Barn near Dorrance. Dawson, a Russell native now serving as Professor of Jazz Studies and Trumpet at FHSU will be featured with fellow musicians Matt Otto on saxophone, Roger Wilder on piano, Gerald Spaits on bass and Todd Strait on drums playing several sets of jazz standards. Cocktails and popcorn will be available for purchase.
Ad Astra will bring its performers to Hays on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in ‘Mass for Three Voices.’ Artistic directors Alex Underwood and John Irving will join young artist Nini Marchese in this late Renaissance English masterpiece composed by William Byrd. As with any Mass at St. Joseph’s, it is open to anyone free of charge.
Sunday afternoon’s event is set for 2:00 pm at the Deines Cultural Center in Russell. This performance of Schumann Song Cycles will feature Michael Davidson, tenor, Aani Bourassa, soprano, and Cesar Canon, piano. Davidson is the 6-12 vocal music teacher in Russell with degrees in vocal performance from Loyala University (New Orleans) and the University of Kansas. Bourassa is a Washington D.C. based singer joining the festival for the second year. Canon comes to Russell after completing his first year in a doctoral program in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan where he is a student of world-renowned pianist Martin Katz.
City of Hays
On Wednesday at approximately 5:45 a.m., a severe thunderstorm hit the city of Hays causing citywide damage. Streets are blocked by downed power lines and tree limbs. Some traffic signals are not operational at this time.
There are 95 employees on duty to clear the streets and assist with traffic control. The public is asked to minimize travel and to avoid downed power lines and tree limbs in the streets. It is imperative that the traveling public avoid emergency vehicles, allow them to pass or reroute travel to avoid streets the emergency workers are trying to clear.
The City Compost Site is closed until further notice. Residents are not to bring tree branches to compost site. City Crews are currently working to remove branches and debris from City Streets. Residents may drag tree limbs to the edge of the curb – DO NOT PUT BRANCHES IN THE STREET.
Once all streets are clear, City Crews will begin collecting branches from the curb line. It will take several days to accomplish this clean-up. If residents have a split or uprooted tree, they are asked to contact a contractor for removal as the City does not have the capability of removing these trees. Solid waste collection has been suspended at this point due to blocked alleys and streets.
Residents are reminded to call 911 in an emergency only.
Power remains out to thousands as Hays cleans up from an early morning storm that brought strong winds and more than an inch of rain.
According to Matt Gerard of the National Weather Service, winds in Hays were reported at 80 mph at just before 6 a.m. — when a tree branch fell and broke monitoring equipment.
Gerard said the storms developed in northeast Colorado overnight and moved east-southeast. When the front rolled through Graham County, meteorologists were seeing the possibility of tornadic activity.
“That signature diminished and went away,” Gerard said. “That’s when it took on a bow echo configuration … which is indicative of a lot of wind.”
Midwest Energy was reporting more than 180 outages across Ellis and Russell counties, with about 4,400 customers affected. Some the outages could be prolonged, Midwest said. Click HERE for Midwest’s online outage viewer.
“Midwest Energy’s electric system was hit hard by storms the morning of July 13. At 8 am, there are more than 4,400 customers now without power in Ellis and Russell Counties. Due to the number of poles down, the cities of Victoria, Gorham and portions of eastern Ellis County and Russell County could be without power into the evening, or longer. Residents are encouraged to prepare now for a prolonged outage,” the utility said in a statement. “If you encounter; please DO NOT try to move a downed line yourself! Call it in at 1-800-222-3121 and we’ll respond as quickly as possible. Dozens of Midwest Energy crews, and contract crews from across Kansas are in route to assist with restoration efforts. We thank you for your patience as we work to safely restore power.”
Portions of the exterior of Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University were torn off by the strong wind, as well.
Check Hays Post for more information as details become available.
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police have rescued a dog that was found hanging by its leash from the handle of a parked truck in southern Kansas.
Arkansas City police Sgt. Jason Legleiter and Officer Wade Hammond were at a Wal-Mart for a shoplifting case Friday when a store employee saw that the dog had essentially hung itself. The dog was motionless and appeared to be dead.
Legleiter used his patrol duty knife to cut the dog down, while Hammond helped the dog breathe by removing the constricting collar and applying intermittent pressure to the dog’s side. The dog gradually showed signs of life and eventually was able to stand.
RCHF
PLAINVILLE—The Dane G. Hansen Foundation recently awarded Rooks County Healthcare Foundation (RCHF) a $500,000 grant to help build a new dedicated rehabilitation facility at Rooks Country Health Center. RCHF is in the midst of a capital campaign to help with the multi-phase hospital expansion.
This grant enables the health center to expand its existing cardiac, occupational, physical and speech rehabilitation services available to the people of Rooks County and surrounding area. Construction of the addition, which is Phase 2 of the expansion project, is scheduled to begin in 2017. Phase 1, the construction of an onsite MRI suite, is currently underway and scheduled to be completed in October of 2016.
“The Dane G. Hansen grant allows us to continue to deliver the best health care possible to our patients. This grant and all gifts, large or small, make it possible to offer access to state-of-the-art health care advances”, said AJ Thomas, PT, DPT, SCS, MS and RCH Director of Rehabilitation.
Plans for the rehabilitation facility include a zero-entry hydrotherapy pool and an indoor walking track with a rubberized surface to reduce joint impact. The track will be made available to the general public year-round in all weather conditions.
“We recognized the need to expand three years ago, and we would not be able to bring it to fruition without the major support from the community along with this crucial contribution from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. Rooks County Health Center is fortunate to be a part of a community that includes so many generous and caring citizens, who are committed to ensuring the long term success of our rural area,” said Mike Sinclair, RCH CEO. “We have a commitment to preventive care and healing avenues for our patients. This results in shorter trips for patients, cutting fuel, meal and lodging expenses.”
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation, headquartered in Logan, is renowned for its dedication to improving the quality of life for the citizens of northwestern Kansas by helping fund initiatives in the areas of health, education, economic development and community service among others.
For more information about Rooks County Healthcare Foundation or Rooks County Health Center, visit www.rookscountyhealthcenter.com.
ELLIS COUNTY -Widespread power outages are reported across portions of northwest and central Kansas from Wednesday morning’s storm.
Midwest Energy’s outage viewer indicated hundreds were without power as of 7 a.m. Check the outage map here.
The National Weather Service reported wind gusts over 60 miles per hour early Wednesday.
Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum
LOGAN — Ken Eberle and Leo Groff, Jr. are nature enhancers. These gentlemen from Ellis are both skilled artists. Ken is skilled in the art of wood turning and Leo in the art of carving hard shelled gourds. These fine gentlemen are the artists behind “Wood Turning & Gourds” the feature exhibit at the Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum through Aug. 28.
In the woodcarving circle, Ken is known as a wood turner, someone who works on a lathe. At first, Ken copied the work of other turners. Then he was told by two of the best known turners in the country, that he had proven he was a good turner and he needed to create pieces that had not been done before. After many tries, Ken came up with a unique design. His wood pieces have been featured in Wood Turning Design magazine. Ken now only produces one-of-a-kind items. After being featured in many magazine and newspaper articles, Ken’s work is now being copied by others. His work is all natural wood with no artificial color added.
Prior to 1985, Leo Groff Jr. wasn’t even aware there was such a thing as hard shelled gourds or that he possessed any artistic talent whatsoever. After growing a crop of gourds and doing some research, Leo discovered the American Gourd Society. Over time, Leo slowly learned to decorate gourds using various techniques. After a few years, Leo began attending gourd shows sponsored by the many State Chapters of the American Gourd Society, where he learned valuable lessons from established artists. After retirement in 2004, Leo pursued his gourd art fulltime and developed a favorite style. Most of his designs and techniques are influenced by the art of the Navajo and Hopi tribes of the Southwestern United States.
Both Ken and Leo are masters in the art media they have chosen.Come and see for yourself the unique talents of Ken Eberle and Leo Groff Jr.
Museum Hours are M-F 9-12 & 1-4; Sat. 9-12 & 1-5; Sun. & Holidays 1-5.
HAYS – It appeared the Hays Larks got their series with Liberal off to a good start Tuesday at Larks Park. The Larks scored nine runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings for what appeared to be an 11-4 win, but the game was played under protest by Liberal manager Carlos Lezcano over the number of mounds visits allowed per inning per pitcher. The protest was upheld by Jayhawk League commissioner Phil Stephenson and the game will resume at the point of protest with the Bee Jays leading 4-2 with one out in the sixth inning.
Frank Leo Postgame
Game Highlights
The protest wipes out a solid start for D.J. Carr who allowed four runs on nine hits over seven innings.
Nate Olinger and Ty Redington both had key two-out, two-run singles and Mike Mioduszewski hit a two-run homer.
The conclusion of Tuesday’s game is tentatively set for 5:30pm Wednesday with the regularly scheduled contest to follow at 7pm. Admission is free courtesy of the First Care Clinic and Commerce Bank.
SALINA – The Salina Hawks scored a run in the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie then added two more in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie and eliminate the Hays Monarchs Jr. American Legion from the Salina Class A zone tournament with a 7-4 win Tuesday at Dean Evans.
The Monarchs (18-7) scored two in the top of the first on a double from Tate Garcia. Gavin Schumacher and Luke Ruder both drove in runs in the fourth to tie the game.
Cole Zimmerman allowed all seven runs (three earned) on eight hits with four walks and seven strikeouts over six innings and suffered the loss.
The Monarchs, who had won five straight and nine of 10, end the season with three straight losses.
SAN DIEGO (AP) – There was a time when the National League thoroughly dominated the major league All-Star game, but those days are long gone.
The American League has won the midsummer classic for the fourth straight year by banging out a pair of second-inning homers and working out of an eighth-inning jam to beat the NL 4-2.
The AL took the lead for good when a pair of Royals went deep against a former teammate. Salvador Perez belted a two-run shot off Johnny Cueto (KWAY’-toh) of San Francisco to break a 1-1 deadlock in the bottom of the second, two batters after Eric Hosmer hit a solo shot. Hosmer was named the MVP of the game after collecting two RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game.
The senior circuit had a great opportunity to tie the game in the eighth, loading the bases with two out before Astros reliever Will Harris fanned rookie Aledmys (ah-LEHD’-mees) Diaz of the Cardinals to end the threat.
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant hit a solo blast in the first inning for the National League, which got its second run on a fourth-inning single by Marcell Ozuna (oh-ZOO’-nuh) of the Marlins.
David Ortiz was embraced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popular Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with Boston.
The AL is 29-7-1 in the last 37 All-Star games since the NL took 19 of 20 from 1963-62. The National League holds a 43-42-2 edge overall since the first All-Star game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.
Cleveland’s Corey Kluber was credited with the victory. Cueto was the loser, and Zach Britton picked up the save.
