2016 – Page 609 – Hays Post Archive

Merlynna Rae Harley

Posted on May 17, 2016

Merlynna Rae Harley, age 29, passed away at Ness County Hospital, Ness City, Kansas on May 11, 2016.

She was born on March 26, 1987 in Hays, Kansas, the daughter of Michael Harley and Mary Hazuka.

She worked in health care, assisting disabled people in day-to-day living. She was a stay at home mom to her little boys. She had a huge heart and loved people.

She is survived by her father, George Riffel, Ness City; mother and father Mary and Ronnie Seltmann, Liberty, MO; sons, Cadyn Reece Harley and Kash Lee Stull; fiance, Ira Stull, Ness City; brothers, Tyler Seltmann, Liberty, MO, Shane Moore, York, NE; sister, Morgan (Josh) Scott, Hoisington; grandmothers, Jeanie Hazuka, Barb Seltmann; uncle Rick Seltmann, Hays; aunt and uncle Dorothy and Troy Leiker, WaKeeney; Uncle Jim Hazuka; uncle and aunt Ryan and Melissa Seltmann, Hays; uncle and aunt Phil and Denise Register, Hoisington; nephew and niece Joshua and Miriya; cousins, Jessica (Ryan Werth) Yarmer, Stephanie (James) Wright, Elizabeth (Michael) McCurdy, Raymond Hazuka, Phil Register, Amanda (Kirk) Urban, Mallory Seltmann, uncle-grandpa, Brian Treece; and several other aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Raymond Hazuka and Doug Seltmann.

Family and friends will gather at the Church of God, WaKeeney, KS on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at noon.

Memorial contributions may be given to Cadyn Harley and Kash Stull College Fund.

Betty L. (Hill) Hoover

Posted on May 17, 2016

Phillipsburg resident Betty L. (Hill) Hoover passed away May 16 at her home in Phillipsburg at the age of 75. She was born June, 26, 1940 in Smith Center, KS, the daughter of Kenneth & Doris (Shook) Hill.

Survivors include her son Dan of Phillipsburg; 3 daughters, Shelly O’Mahony of Cork, Ireland, Sheila Roberts & Sherry Gillihan of Phillipsburg; her brother, Monte Hill of Agra; 5 sisters; Carolyn Bargman, Sharon Woitaszewski & Susie Paget of Smith Center, Patty Novotny of Stockton & Dinah Schliep of Manhattan; 8 grandchildren & 22 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel with Ron Hessling & Randy Elder officiating. Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 9:00 Tuesday & 9:00 to 9:00 Wednesday with the family receiving friends from 7:00 to 8:00 Wednesday evening.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Services or the Phillips County Ministerial Alliance.

63 Indian reservations, including Kan. locations, join tribal ownership program

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

Image courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials are adding 63 American Indian reservations across the Midwest and West to an initiative that seeks to return millions of acres of land to tribal ownership.

See the full list including Kansas locations here

The move comes as the Interior Department warns the $1.9 billion effort to return up to 3 million acres of land to tribes is running out of time and money.

The Associated Press obtained details in advance of a planned Tuesday announcement. Reservations in 16 states are joining the program.

It’s the result of a legal settlement with American Indians led by Elouise Cobell of Montana, who said the U.S. mismanaged trust money held on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Indians.

The late Elouise Cobell meets President Barack Obama at the White House on December 8, 2010

Since 2013, the U.S. has paid $742 million to restore 1.5 million acres to tribal control.

Verna Viola Voos Mohr

Posted on May 17, 2016

Verna Viola Voos Mohr, 96, of Phoenix, Arizona and former Russell, Kansas, resident went to be with her Lord and Savior on May 12, 2016, at the Christian Care Nursing Center in Phoenix.

Verna was born on May 12, 1920 in Bazine, Kansas, the daughter of Jacob L. and Elizabeth (Herman) Voos. She grew up and attended school in Russell and graduated with the class of 1939. Verna met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Joseph C. Mohr on January 02, 1943, in Russell, Kansas. From this union Verna and Joseph were blessed with 3 children; Sharron, Steve and Beth. Verna worked most of her life in Russell as a secretary. She worked for Simpson Elementary School, then the doctors’ office of White, Pettijohn and Schulz all in Russell. She was a longtime member of St. John’s Lutheran Church also in Russell. Later, she moved from Russell and continued to work as a secretary in Liberal and Wichita, Kansas, before moving to Hobbs, New Mexico, to be closer to her oldest daughter. There she worked for Hobbs Electric before retiring.

In 1990, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to be closer to her son Steve and daughter Beth. This move gave her the opportunity to be more involved with the rest of the family, but her heart and memories always took her back to Russell. She enjoyed counted cross stitching and created many beautiful pieces. She was an active member of the Bethal Lutheran Church in Phoenix. She was also active in her assisted living housing community and while there, enjoyed playing bingo and visiting and sharing stories with her community friends. She was a passionate Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes and Arizona Diamondbacks fan. She never missed a game on television when it came to her favorite teams and she certainly would not talk on the phone during one of her games. In her younger days living in Russell, she was avid bowler and loved competing in the local bowling league Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her children and grandchildren.

Surviving family include her 3 children; daughter Sharron K. Bond and husband Fred of Ft. Mill, South Carolina, son Steven D. Mohr of Phoenix, Arizona and daughter Beth Smith and husband David also of Phoenix, Arizona; 5 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Elmer, Melvin and Jacob, Jr. Voos and sister Irene Tourney.

A celebration of Verna’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, May 20, 2016, at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary in Russell, Kansas, with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating. Burial will follow at the St. John Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. on Thursday, May 19, 2016, at the mortuary, with family present to greet guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. Thursday evening. Memorials may be given to the St. John Lutheran Church and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Sheriff investigating report of child safety seat ruse in Kansas

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

BROWN COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities are investigating report of an alleged child in danger ruse and are alerting the public.

Just after 6 p.m. on Friday, a motorist reported that in the vicinity of U.S. 73 and Sunflower in Brown County, a car seat was spotted along side the road with a purple blanket over the top, which made it appear the child, was still in the seat, according to a media release.

When the person went to check on the seat, two people in dark blue jeans and masks exited the ditch and advanced towards the motorist.

One was wearing a dark blue hoodie. The concerned motorist got back in to their vehicle drove away and notified law enforcement immediately.

Officers from Atchison and Brown County Sheriffs Offices and Horton Police Department responded and no one was located.

Law enforcement authorities are alerting the public that if they should see anything of a similar nature to call 911 immediately and do not stop until you reach a safe location to do so.

Kansas school considers changes to discrimination policies

Posted on May 17, 2016

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — School officials in Lawrence, Kansas, are considering changing district policies to prohibit forms of discriminatory behavior after school administrators told a high school student earlier this year that he couldn’t display a Confederate flag on his vehicle while on school grounds.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the school board’s policy advisory committee has recommended potential changes to the school board, which will decide whether to adopt them.

The committee’s recommended additions would affect three district policies: discrimination and harassment; hazing and bullying; and prohibited activity. Those policies currently prohibit verbal, physical and written discrimination or harassment. The committee recommends that the policies be expanded to include symbols and microagressions.

The school board is scheduled to discuss the committee’s recommendations June 13 and vote on them June 27.

$100,000 prize awarded to Lincoln Elementary for revamped playground

Posted on May 17, 2016

Video by Cooper Slough

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

As if the last day of school for students at Lincoln Elementary School wasn’t exciting enough, a special guest with a big surprise brought a palpable energy to the students as they prepare for summer vacation.

At a morning assembly Tuesday, students found out their school, 1906 Ash, was the recipient of a $100,000 prize that will be used to purchase new playground equipment, with prizes also awarded to a winning student and homeroom teacher.

“When you participate … we put your name in the hat and the student wins, the classroom teacher wins and the school wins,” said Elijah Collard, president of Reading For Education.

The prize was part of a promotion from Reading for Education in conjunction with GameTime, a manufacturer of playground equipment.

The 35-year-old Tennesse-based company works with schools to develop nontraditional fundraisers that work exclusively through electronic communication to raise funds for schools.

“We are a company that works exclusively with schools. Ninety-five percent of our schools are elementary schools,” Collard said.

GameTime is an Alabama-based playground equipment manufacturer.

“Playgrounds are a wonderful opportunity to build healthy bodies, healthy minds, it provides opportunities to meet your friends and also to make new friends. Best of all, it’s a great opportunity to promote family and family values,” said Rodney Born, Cunningham Recreation, who will oversee the installation of the playground equipment as a representative of GameTime.

The pool of potential winners came from students across the country that participated in a school fundraiser through Reading for Education.

“There were 8,557 schools in this drawing — Lincoln Elementary won. This one, there was about 1.7 million home rooms,” Collard said.

As the homeroom teacher for the winning student, Monica Dreiling was presented with $5,000 to be used for classroom materials and supplies.

After announcing the winning room – and letting the excitement build – Collard announced the winning student of $10,000 as Timothy Hals.

The Hals family won out of 8,459,928 entries according to Collard.

The school will now determine the most suitable equipment for the playground, with installation being overseen by Born.

“I always say Lincoln Elementary School is the best-kept secret in town. Well,I think that’s about to end when we get our new playground,” said Principal Elaine Rohleder.

2 Kansas men arrested Russell Co. for alleged possession of stolen vehicle, drugs

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

RUSSELL COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Russell County are investigating two men in connection with drugs and a stolen vehicle.

Cody Gustus, 26, Great Bend, and Samuel Hunter, Ellsworth, were arrested after the vehicle Gustus was driving was pulled over on a traffic stop at Main and Harvest in Lucas, according to a media release from the Russell County Sheriff’s Office.

During the stop, the deputy noticed that the Chrysler Voyager van had a license plate that should have been on a 1997 Dodge Intrepid.

Further investigation revealed drugs in the vehicle.
Gustus was arrested on a Barton County warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle.

He was also charged with possession of a stimulant and paraphernalia, illegal tag, driving while suspended and no registration.

Hunter, a passenger in the van, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a stimulant and paraphernalia.

The two men were booked into the Russell County Jail.

Goodland teen hospitalized after pickup hits Interstate exit sign

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

The driver of this pickup was injured in an accident Monday afternoon Photos: Saline County Sheriff’s Office

SALINE COUNTY- A Goodland teen was injured in an accident just before 1:30p.m. on Monday in Saline County.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office reported a 1993 GMC pickup driven by Shaina Varney, 19, Goodland, was exiting Interstate 135 to travel west on Interstate 70.

The driver failed to negotiate the curve and the truck hit the exit sign.

Varney was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center with head and neck pain, according to Saline County Undersheriff Roger Soldan.

Speed, wet pavement and driver inattention contributed to the accident, according to Soldan.

No federal charges after 2 accidentally shot at Kan. high school graduation

Posted on May 17, 2016

AUGUSTA, Kan. (AP) — No federal charges will be filed against a concealed weapon permit-holder who wounded himself and a bystander when the gun he stuffed into his sock accidentally discharged at a southern Kansas high school graduation ceremony.

The Wichita Eagle reports that there’s an exception to the federal gun-free school zones law that allows holders of state-issued concealed-carry permits to carry their weapons in school zones.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman John Ham says that means the man cannot be prosecuted under the law for bringing the gun to the Augusta High School commencement on Sunday.

The man was shot in the foot when he adjusted his sock. A woman was struck in the calf.

State charges remain possible. Police haven’t yet provided the case to county prosecutors.

Tre Walker Family Football Academy will be this month in Hays

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

Boys and girls from across the region are invited to the Tre Walker Family Football Academy.

The event is scheduled for May 21 at Hays High School. Players will be divided by age group, with elementary school from 9 to 11 a.m., middle school from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and high school from 2 to 4 p.m.

Registration is $50, and applications are still being accepted. Players from Hays, Russell, Hoxie, Ellis, WaKeeney and Victoria are already registered to attend.

Tre Walker is a former Kansas State University football team captain.

For more information or to register, click HERE or email [email protected]. Campers also can register at the camp.

Kansas, Georgia, George Washington and UAB to participate in the 2016 CBE Hall of Fame Classic

Posted on May 17, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three-time NCAA champion Kansas will join Georgia, 2016 NIT Champion George Washington and UAB for the championship rounds of the 2016 CBE Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 21 and 22 at Sprint Center, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the field Tuesday.

The CBE Hall of Fame Classic will be the culminating event of college basketball’s Hall of Fame Weekend, which also includes the 11^th annual induction ceremony for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 18.

The semifinal rounds will be held on Monday, Nov. 21. The finals will take place the following day, Tuesday, Nov. 22, beginning with the consolation game, followed by the championship game. All four games will be broadcast on the ESPN networks.

Kansas is competing in the CBE Classic for the third time since the inception of the event in 2001. KU has a combined 7-1 record in the Classic, which includes regional contests. The Jayhawks won the 2012 CBE Classic title and finished second in 2008.

The complete bracket, including matchups and television broadcast times for the 2016 CBE Hall of Fame Classic, will be announced at a later date.

CBE Hall of Fame Classic Championship Round Teams

Kansas: The Jayhawks ended the 2015-16 season in typical fashion; they won their 12th consecutive Big 12 Conference Championship and made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight…Finished with an overall record of 33-5 and 15-3 in the Big 12…Led by their explosive and experienced backcourt of junior Frank Mason, III (12.9ppg) and sophomore Devonte’ Graham (11.3ppg)..Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, who owns a 385-83 record at Kansas and is 592-188 all-time, said: “The CBE Hall of Fame Classic always has a solid field and this event is a great way to showcase the College Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies in Kansas City. UAB, Georgia and George Washington are all great programs. Sprint Center is a second home for us and we hope to have that continued support in November.”

George Washington: The Colonials finished up a very successful 2015-16 season with a 28-10 record, including 11-7 in the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference…. They are the 2016 National Invitation Tournament Champions, as they defeated San Diego State and Valparaiso at Madison Square Garden to claim the title…….Led by redshirt junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh, who averaged a team-high 16.8ppg …. Mike Lonergan, Head Coach of the Colonials, stated: “We are very excited to participate in such a prestigious event. We look forward to the challenge of competing against such quality opponents and it will be a thrill to get to meet the new inductees into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.”

Georgia: Reached the 20-win mark during the 2015-16 campaign, finishing with a 20-14 overall mark and 10-8 in the Southeastern Conference, good for 6th place….. Advanced to the second round of the 2016 NIT…….Led by junior guard J.J. Frazier (16.9ppg) and sophomore forward Yante Maten (16.5ppg)…. Bulldogs Head Coach Mark Fox had this to say about playing in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic: “We’re very excited to be a part of such a great tournament. This trip is extremely special for Georgia Basketball because it also coincides with the inductions of Coach Durham and Dominique into the College Hall of Fame. We appreciate the opportunity to participate and compete with the other successful programs in the field.”

UAB: Regular Season Champions of Conference USA, the Blazers finished their 2015-16 season with an impressive 26-7 mark, and 16-2 in C-USA……..Advanced to the 2016 National Invitation Tournament, where they lost to BYU………led by sophomore forwards Chris Cokley (13.1ppg) and William Lee (10.6ppg)…….First-year Head Coach Robert Ehsan had this to say about participating in this year’s tournament: “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to play in the 2016 CBE Hall of Fame Classic and face some of the best competition in the country. This is one of the best and most prestigious tournaments in the nation each year, and we look forward to our players and fans being part of that environment.”

About the CBE Hall of Fame Classic
The event is named after the College Basketball Experience, the award-winning and highly interactive college basketball fan facility adjacent to Sprint Center, which also features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Opened in October 2007, the College Basketball Experience is the nation’s only facility that celebrates, in its entirety, the sport of men’s collegiate basketball. The tournament, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic.

Hays graphic design students among regional competition winners

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016

FHSU University Relations and Marketing

Graphic design students at Fort Hays State University have stayed busy this spring, participating in three regional competitions.

33 students also submitted their work to the 22nd Annual Leo Burnett Portfolio Review. Ten students received awards:

Ashton Butler, Wamego junior, received a Second Place Portfolio award.

Camille Caron-Bedard, Hays senior, received a Leo Burnett Award and was offered a summer internship.

Leonardo Cleto, Hays junior, received a First Place Portfolio award and was offered a summer internship.

Emily Hendricks, Burlington, Colo., senior, received a Third Place Portfolio award.

Steven Johnson, Wichita senior, received a Leo Burnett Award.

Lindsay Naegele, Hays senior, received a Leo Burnett Award.

Clay Peppiatt, Salina junior, received a Leo Burnett Award.

Amy Smarsh Johnson, Colwich senior, received a First Place Portfolio award.

Ryan Stuckey, Abbyville junior, received a Third Place Portfolio award.

A 10th FHSU student, who wished not to be named, received a Second Place Portfolio award.

The graphic design students ended their season in Wichita, where 17 students received portfolio reviews from area professionals and competed for awards. Four students won awards:

Marshall Diveley, Severance senior, received the award of Best Ad Campaign

Steven Johnson, Wichita senior, was offered a summer internship.

Clay Peppiatt, Salina junior, was offered a summer internship.

Amy Smarsh Johnson, Colwich senior, received the award of Best Illustration.

Twenty-nine students also showed their work at the Minneapolis Portfolio 1-on-1 Review.