KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs signed Charcandrick West to a three-year extension and fellow running back Spencer Ware to a two-year extension Thursday, solidifying their backfield alongside Jamaal Charles.
West and Spencer proved to be a potent change-of-pace duo when Charles went down with a season-ending ACL injury last season. Charles is expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season, but locking up West and Ware will help take some of the load off the two-time All-Pro.
It also makes running back Knile Davis a potential trade piece.
The quick, elusive West started nine games and ran for 634 yards and four touchdowns last season, while the more physical Ware started two games and ran for 403 yards and six touchdowns.
Corporate honors were recently bestowed upon Erin Klaus, General Manager, McDonald’s® of NorthHays.
Klaus was recognized during a surprise presentation at the restaurant as a Heartland Region Outstanding General Manager.
This performance-based award recognizes the top 10 percent of all restaurant managers in the McDonald’s system. It is given to managers who deliver superior results in selected areas of performance — operational excellence, people management, and building the business.
The Heartland Region is comprised of 505 restaurants located in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois.
Klaus began her McDonald’s career on November 11, 2002, as a team member at McDonald’s of NorthHays. She advanced through the NorthHays management levels from Swing Manager on July 1, 2005, to First Assistant Manager on August 1, 2010. She was promoted to her current position as General Manager on June 16, 2014.
In addition to exceptional management skills, Klaus is active in the community supporting such organizations as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, 4-H, Hays Recreation Commission, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, FHSU, USD 489, TMP-Marian High School, Holy Family Elementary, Hays High School DECA, and numerous other church, civic and non-profit organizations.
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Jurors have recommended the death penalty for an eastern Kansas man convicted of killing four people, including a toddler.
The Franklin County jury recommended the sentence Thursday for 30-year-old Kyle Flack, who was convicted last week of capital murder in the deaths of 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey and her 18-month-old daughter, Lana.
He also was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder for killing 31-year-old Steven White and second-degree murder for killing 30-year-old Andrew Stout.
They were killed on separate days in the spring of 2013 near a rural farmhouse where Flack sometimes stayed in Ottawa, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City.
Prosecutors say it’s unclear what led to the shootings. The adults’ bodies were found at the farm, while the child’s body was found in a suitcase floating in a creek.
HFD firefighters will train for airplane fires at the Hays Regional Airport Friday. (Photo courtesy HFD)
HFD
Hays firefighters will be completing practical fire attack training to re-qualify as airport firefighters tomorrow, April 1.
The practical firefighting training will be presented by the University of Missouri Fire & Rescue Training Institute and conducted at the Hays Regional Airport. The University of Missouri’s mobile aircraft fire trainer will be used to simulate various aircraft firefighting and rescue situations.
To support airport operations, city of Hays firefighters are required to complete a comprehensive airport firefighter training program meeting FAA standards. This includes a 30-hour airport firefighter refresher course each year for firefighters to remain qualified for airport firefighter duty.
Because this training will be conducted in the secure flight operations area of the airport, it will not be accessible by the general public.
There were nearly 100 more entries this year in the Hays Water Quality Poster Contest than last year. The annual competition is sponsored by the city of Hays and KSU Big Creek Middle Smoky Hill River Watersheds.
Dr. Bob Stephenson, FHSU Associate Professor of Agriculture, votes for a third grade entry.
The judges had to break several ties, according to organizer Stacie Minson, watershed specialist.
All students in Hays, from pre-K through 12th grade as well as Fort Hays State University students, were eligible to compete.
“We had 255 total posters submitted, up from 159 last year,” Minson said.
Themes for 2016, depending on the entrant’s grade level, were “Be Water Wi$e!” and “What’s In Your H2O?” First through third places were determined in each grade. “There are individual cash prizes, up to $250, and class parties for some of the winners,” Minson added.
High school entries
“The ‘What’s in Your H20?’ posters focus on pollutants in our water that are undesirable and create the potential for unsafe drinking water supplies. Those pollutants could include sediment (soil), nitrogen, phosphorus, E.coli bacteria; household chemicals, and vehicle fluids,” she explained. “The ‘Be Water Wi$e!’ posters focus on water conservation in the Hays community and include conservation efforts in the home, yard, garden, and landscaping.”
More high school entries
Judges used four criteria to select their favorites:
Water Theme Message–50%
Visual Effectiveness–30%
Originality–10%
Universal Appeal–10%
And these judges are very familiar with water quality and water quantity-themed messages.
(L to R) James Leiker, Stacie Minson, Jean Gleichsner, Bob Stephenson, James Riegel, Holly Dickman
The experts included City of Hays Water Conservation Specialist Jason Riegel, Fort Hays State University Assoc. Professors of Agriculture Dr. Bob Stephenson and Dr. Jean Gleichsner, KSU Ellis Co. Extension Horticulture Agent Holly Dickman, KSU Agriculture Research Station Ground Manager Joe Becker and Agricultural Technician Rich Windholz, former Ellis County Wellhead Protection Committee member James Leiker, and Minson.
Rich Windholz looks over the 255 poster entries.
The students, along with their teachers and parents, will be recognized by the Hays city commission at their April 14 meeting. The winners will first be announced in their classrooms tomorrow, April 1.
Fourth grade entries
Northwestern Printers will scan images of the winning posters which will then be used either for 2017 calendars or placemats for local restaurants.
The poster images will also be published on the city of Hays website.
Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute.
When chalked graffiti promoting Donald Trump and his controversial wall appeared overnight on buildings, steps, and other surfaces at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., last week, student reaction ranged from amusement to outrage.
A small band of some 40 students decided to protest what they viewed as messages designed to stir anger and promote intolerance on their campus.
As if to prove the students right, social media immediately lit up with vicious attacks on the protesters — some of whom were Latino — calling them names, and in some cases, issuing threats of violence.
Fox Sports and other media outlets piled on, characterizing the “offended” students as yet another example of “political correctness” gone wild. Some news stories falsely reported that the Emory administration was offering “emergency counseling” to the students in pain over the Trump graffiti.
In truth, protesting students were answering speech they found offensive with more speech, which is exactly what people are supposed to do in a society committed to freedom of expression. Rather than calling for censorship, the students were calling on the Emory community to stand with them against campaign rhetoric they viewed as harmful and dangerous.
“We are not scared of the chalk,” the students said in a statement responding to the social media backlash against them. “We are not mad about being politically challenged. We are rightfully angry because we also exercise our First Amendment right to freedom of speech and there are people on this campus, and in this country, who as a result choose to threaten us and twist the truth to protect their own bigotry.”
Freedom of speech is challenged and chilled when people speak out, only to be labeled “PC” by media and threatened by those who disagree with the content of their speech.
Freedom of speech is also harmed — it must be said — when anti-Trump protesters attempt to shout down Trump during his rallies, something that happens with disturbing regularity.
We all need, in our various ways, “safe spaces” — homes, houses of worship, gathering places on campuses — where we can openly and freely be who we are with people we know and trust. But in the larger public square of America, including common places we share on university campuses, we must have safe spaces for free speech.
When I was an Emory student back in the day, I helped organize peaceful protests on the same quadrangle where students gathered this month to protest the Trump graffiti. During one of those rallies, a groundskeeper who didn’t like our anti-war message drove his lawnmower back and forth between the microphone and the crowd to drown out the speakers.
I didn’t like the assault on my free speech then — and I don’t like the assault on Donald Trump’s free speech now.
No one has a “First Amendment right” to prevent crowds from hearing speakers at Trump events organized and paid for by the Trump campaign. And no one has a “First Amendment right” to threaten people who protest messages conveyed by pro-Trump graffiti.
Safe space for free speech requires reasonable restrictions preventing disruption, keeping the peace and protecting people from threats of violence.
More deeply, safe space for free speech requires a shared commitment to a modicum of civility. Speech that demonizes, ridicules and stirs hate may be protected speech — but it turns the public square into a hostile, sometimes violent arena.
The First Amendment, of course, does not mandate civility. But civil discourse — robust, but respectful exchange of ideas — is critical to sustain a free society that would remain free.
Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Newseum Institute and founding director of the Religious Freedom Center. [email protected]
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State women’s soccer coach Craig Shaw announced the signing of 12 student-athletes for the 2016 season. Ten of the newcomers are true freshmen and two are junior college transfers. The class looks to help build on two consecutive winning seasons in which the Tigers finished among the top four teams in the MIAA.
Five states and the country of Australia are represented by this year’s signing class. Five of the recruits are from Colorado, while there are two each from the states of Kansas and Missouri. The Tigers also gain one player each from the states of Texas and Wisconsin, and one player from Australia.
The ten that have committed to the Tigers from the prep ranks are Carrie Brick, Alex Franks, Ashley Garrison, Bayly Herman, Catalina Hernandez, Darby Hirsch, Darian Malone, Jordyn Perry, Shayla Podlena, and Kylie Thomas. Junior transfers incoming include Thalya Dwyer and Eden Stoddard.
Click HERE for information and comments from Coach Shaw on the 12 signees. A complete list of the commitments is below…
Carrie Brick
Freshman, Defender
Waukesha, Wisc.
Waukesha West HS
Club: Madison Wisconsin Rush
Another historical groundbreaking is set for Saturday at Fort Hays State University.
FHSU President Mirta M. Martin and other dignitaries will turn over some dirt to signify the start of construction for new student housing on campus, the first of its kind at Fort Hays State.
The Themed Housing complex will be built on the corner of Elm Street and Lewis Drive — just north of the grassy parking area for Tiger football games at Lewis Field Stadium.
The ceremony is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the site, the future home of several Greek organizations. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the Schmidt-Bickle Training Facility.
Dr. Mirta Martin, FHSU president
The 31,000 square-foot, three-story Themed Housing building is part of a $35.7 million Wiest Hall replacement project that includes a 450-bed residence hall near the site of the current Wiest Hall. Projected completion date for both new buildings is June 2017, with occupancy planned for the fall 2017 semester.
The Themed Housing has room for four groups of 24 students each, in addition to a separate apartment for a residence hall manager.
Currently, three Greek social organizations have committed to filling a portion of the building — the Delta Zeta and Sigma Sigma Sigma sororities and the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
There will be a reception at the site, and alumni of some of the Greek organizations will be honored at luncheons at separate locations.
The Themed Housing is built on a townhouse model, with each of the four houses featuring separate entrances as well as private bathrooms and their own family room, kitchen and a stairway.
In a central area open to all residents will be two large meeting rooms with capacity of 50 people each, as well as a shared elevator and laundry area.
Planning to attend the ceremony, which is open to the public, are several dignitaries, local civic leaders and representatives from various FHSU departments and organizations.
Restaurants from Hays, Phillipsburg and Wilson made the list of of the Top Rated Restaurants in Kansas, according to online ranker OnlyInYourState.com.
Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Midland Railroad Hotel & Restaurant, and El As De Oros made the list, compiled using Google reviews.
Schwab during Wednesday press conference- photo courtesy KSNT
BILL DRAPER, Associated Press
MELISSA HELLMANN, Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Navy veteran seeking to get five of his children back from state custody in Kansas says his use of medical marijuana to treat PTSD — not the family’s past scrapes with the law in Riley County — prompted the state’s action.
Raymond Schwab has campaigned on the Statehouse steps to get his children back, and drawn national attention as medical marijuana proponents describe the case as an example of government overreach.
Schwab ended a hunger strike protest Wednesday after a lawsuit was filed against the state of Kansas in the ongoing dispute.
State officials have declined to specify why the children were removed, but say Schwab isn’t telling the truth about it being because of marijuana.
Protesters supporting the Schwab family in Manhattan on March 10
Police and court documents show that in the five months before it occurred, Schwab’s wife was arrested for domestic battery and hospitalized for mental health issues, and police were called to their home for a domestic disturbance.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — One of the four finalists to become chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has withdrawn his name.
Several Washington state media outlets have reported that Sabah Randhawa has been selected to become president at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. University of Nebraska spokeswoman Melissa Lee says Randhawa told University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds about his decision Wednesday.
Randhawa is Oregon State University provost. His withdrawal leaves three candidates to replace Lincoln’s chancellor, Harvey Perlman: Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs; April Mason, Kansas State University provost; and Daniel Reed, University of Iowa vice president for research and economic development.
Lee says Bounds doesn’t plan to name Perlman’s successor this week. Bounds’ selection is subject to a Board of Regents confirmation vote.
Downtown Hays Development Corp., together with Eagle Communications, invites you to downtown Hays for Brews on The Bricks from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Thirteen brewers are coming in from all over Kansas, Colorado, Missouri and Nebraska but because it’s just not right to have a good beer without great food check out this year’s vendors and some of what they are serving!
Cathy’s Breads has created a special beer themed menu just for this event. It features Oatmeal Stout Rye, Amber Ale Pretzel Sticks, Chocolate Stout Cake, American Wheat Hazelnut Miche and more.
The Hot Dog Dude is travelig in from Topeka, Kansas and brings with him Premium Hot Dogs, Brats, Polish Sausages, Frito Chili Pies and more.
Slater’s Pizza Wings N’ Things is a local favorite you can’t miss in his neon green truck. Enjoy Pizza, Wings, Fries, and Knots.
The Paisley Pear Cafe is stepping out to join the fun! Look for their food cart and warm buttery fresh baked pretzels. Plus grab a pretzel necklace inside the sampling tents to balance your beer intake with your salt intake.
Remember, vendors will be open to the public, no ticket needed, from 11:30a.m. to 5p.m. and located directly on Main Street.
Restaurants from Hays, Phillipsburg and Wilson made the list of of the Top Rated Restaurants in Kansas, according to online ranker OnlyInYourState.com.
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