The Hays Lions Club recently was presented an $8,000 grant from Heartland Community Foundation to purchase a WelchAllyn “SPOT” Vision Screener.
This year, the Lions have provided free vision screening to 1,169 children, of whom 90 were referred to see their vision specialist. The Lions will provide free screening for day care facilities, preschools, and public and private schools.
For more information, contant Jim Huenergarde at (785) 650-7338.
Dr. Jamie Schwandt and his guest discuss how you can dream big, think positive and take action. In this episode, Mark Bannister, Dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University, talks about his experiences and how he helps students succeed.
Roy L. Fairleigh, age 91, passed away on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. He was born on February 18, 1925 in Scott County, Kansas, the son of Harry L. and Jennie Graham Fairleigh. A lifetime resident of Scott City, Kansas, he was a a farmer and the owner and operator of Farm & Feedlot Supply in Scott City, Kansas for many years.
He was a founding member of the Community Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas and was a past Church Elder.
On September 4, 1946 he married Marian L. Ewert in Liberal, Kansas.
She passed away on July 6, 1999 in Scott City, Kansas.
Survivors include his One Son – Mike Fairleigh of Pratt, Kansas, One Daughter – Dr. Sheila Collicott of Charlotte Hall, Maryland, Three Grandchildren and Five Great Grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his Parents and One Brother – Floyd Fairleigh.
Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 3, 2016 at Community Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas with Pastor Brian Thompson presiding.
Memorials in Lieu of Flowers may be given to the Roy L. Fairleigh Memorial Fund in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas
There will be no calling times.
Laura “Jean” Rowton, age 87, died on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at the St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, Kansas. She was born on December 2, 1928 in Horace, Kansas, the daughter of Charles Richardson and Nellie Rebecca Davis Farmer.
She lived in Scott City since 1950 having moved from Tribune, Kansas.
She was the Preceptor of Beta Tau Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, a member of the American Legion Auxillary #183, and UMW.
On March 25, 1950 she married Bud Rowton in Syracuse, Kansas. He passed away on July 13, 2009 in Scott City, Kansas.
Survivors include:
Four Children:
Betty and Fred Wilken of Derby, Kansas
Charles “Chuck” Rowton of Scott City, Kansas
Susan and Phil Escareno of Garden City, Kansas
Becky Rowton of Scott City, Kansas
Ten GrandChildren:
Darin and Lanie Wilken of Springfield, Missouri
Denise Wilken – Young of Overland Park, Kansas
Ty Rowton of Bonner Springs, Kansas
Brian Rowton of Scott City, Kansas
Jeremy and Karrie Wray of Lompac, California
Beau Harkness of Scott City, Kansas
Darci and Brett Berry of Scott City, Kansas
Courtney and Josh Young of Leoti, Kansas
Becca and Eric Clower of Owasso, Oklahoma
Ryan Escareno of Garden City, Kansas
19 Great-Grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two brothers, Charles Robert Farmer, Jr., Don Farmer.
Funeral Services First United Methodist Church in Scott City, Kansas
2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 3, 2016
Officiant Jeri Farmer-Smith
Memorials Scott County Shriner Club
Friends of Lake Scott State Park
Interment Scott County Cemetery
Scott City, Kansas
By RANDY GONZALES
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
The Fort Hays State University shooting team targeted another successful showing in a national competition last month, shooting its way to the program’s third national title at the Scholastic Clay Target Program national tournament. The Tigers won the SCTP Division 2 national championship after three days of competition in Marengo, Ohio.
It was the program’s sixth top two national finish. The SCTP fall competition was in just its second year. The FHSU program also took first place in the spring of 2013 and 2014 at the Collegiate Clay Target Championships at the national competition of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI).
“I was happy for them,” said coach Duane Shepherd, associate professor of health and human performance at FHSU, who has coached the team since it was formed in 2005. “My coaching philosophy is I expect you to perform at the highest level.
“It was really apparent during this event that they were all extremely focused and extremely geared toward reaching this achievement,” he added. “These kids are a great group of young people. They represent themselves and the university and the shooting team at a very, very high level.”
Heather Gordon, a freshman nursing major from Pine Valley, Calif., was a member of last month’s title team. The shooting team played an important role in her coming to FHSU.
“That was the biggest reason,” Gordon said. “It had a great nursing program. On top of that, I couldn’t see myself not doing shooting throughout my college career. It’s been such a big part of my life.”
Gordon’s father got her into competitive shooting when she was 6, using a .22 rifle. She later joined a scholastic trapshooting team. Her grandfather gave Gordon her first 12-gauge shotgun. And now, Gordon’s family will travel to San Antonio in the spring to see her compete in the ACUI nationals.
“I’m so excited for that one,” Gordon said.
Jerrod Lies, a junior agribusiness and agronomy major from Minneola, was excited to be on the fall title team.
“That was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” Lies said. “I’ve been chasing a championship title since high school. Just the feeling that we finally accomplished it — all the hard work paid off, all the long hours at the range.”
Like Gordon, Lies started competitive shooting at a young age. He received a hand-me-down .22 rifle when he was 7, and joined the local 4-H shooting team when he was 10. Lies knew what he was looking for in a college coming out of high school.
“The shooting team was the reason I came to Fort Hays State,” Lies said. “When I started looking at colleges, I decided I would like to continue shooting in college. I found Fort Hays State, and that’s what brought me here.”
Also like Gordon, Lies is eagerly anticipating spring nationals in San Antonio.
“I’m very much looking forward to it,” Lies said. “Coming off the (fall) title we proved to ourselves we can do it, we have what it takes. We’re all excited to get down there and show everybody we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
As important as having a shooting team is, Gordon and Lies said it’s also nice to have a shooting club, which includes students not on the competitive team.
“I have a lot of friends I hang out with I met through the shooting club,” Lies said. “They just started coming out to shoot on club nights and we developed really good friendships.”
It’s also gratifying to have the support of the local community. Last month, just before the trip to nationals in Ohio, the shooting team received a $1,000 donation from supporters Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg of Hays and a $5,000 donation from the Elizabeth Colt Legacy Foundation.
“The support around here in Hays, that’s what really drops my jaw,” Gordon said.
Shepherd said the donations were useful in helping pay expenses at the fall nationals in Ohio. He said it’s important to represent FHSU well at tournaments.
“We always want to project a very positive image both in shooting sports as well as the university,” Shepherd said. “It’s not all shooting. It’s how you act on the range, how you conduct yourself.”
Lies said the students’ success wouldn’t be possible without Shepherd’s dedication.
“We wouldn’t be where we’re at without our coach, Dr. Shepherd,” Lies said. “He’s done so much for us, put us in a position to be successful.
“He has sacrificed a lot of his own time and money to see us succeed,” he added. “That’s something we’ve always been thankful for.”
Santa Claus will make a visit to Eagle Technology Solutions, formerly Sicoir, this weekend.
Visit Santa from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the 1503 E. 27th location.
First Care Clinic’s Certified Marketplace Navigators can help individuals who need assistance obtaining health insurance from the Marketplace.
The open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace began Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1.
Individuals who do not have health insurance coverage will be penalized on his/her tax return.
For questions about the Marketplace or for free assistance with your application, contact Natalie at (785) 621-4990.
GEARY COUNTY – An employee of the Geary County jail is now facing jail time after his arrest.
Leo Thomas Torres, 25, Junction City, is scheduled for an appearance in Geary County District Court on Thursday for a status hearing.
Torres was arrested November 23, on suspicion of rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, criminal threat, domestic battery, damage to property and aggravated assault, according to police department reports.
Torres was arrested twice at 1333 Parkside Drive with the allegations in two cases from an alleged domestic situation, according to the Junction City Police Department and Geary County Sheriff’s Department.
Torres was employed as a Jailer at the time of his arrest, but is now no longer employed by the sheriff’s department.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Barry Brown scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Xavier Sneed added 14 points and Kansas State beat Green Bay 80-61 on Wednesday night.
Wesley Iwundu had 11 points and five assists and Carlbe Ervin II scored 10 for Kansas State (6-1). Dean Wade added eight points and eight rebounds.
Turner Botz led Green Bay (4-3) with 11 points.
Iwundu, Kamau Stokes and Sneed each hit a 3-pointer during a 13-2 run that put the Wildcats up 30-14 with 7:27 left in the half. The Phoenix trimmed its deficit to 37-29 at halftime, but Wade and Brown hit back-to-back 3s before a dunk by Iwundu to make it 45-29 fewer than two minutes into the second half and Kansas State led by double figures the rest of the way.
Green Bay was 11-of-33 shooting, including 3 of 15 (20 percent) from 3-point range and committed 11 turnovers in the first half.
Kansas State shot 57 percent from the field and never trailed.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. West northwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the morning.
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Light and variable wind becoming west around 5 mph after midnight.
Friday Increasing clouds, with a high near 47. Light and variable wind becoming north northeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Friday NightA 30 percent chance of snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
SaturdayA slight chance of snow, mixing with rain after 11am, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 26.
SundaySunny, with a high near 50.
Sunday NightMostly clear, with a low around 29.
MondayA 20 percent chance of rain after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 50.
By Deangela Mcdougald 
MANHATTAN -The USD 383 school board held an open forum on Wednesday to help determine the future of the Indian mascot at Manhattan High School.
Native American artist Brent Yancey created the school’s current mascot.
Student-athletes attended the open forum proudly wearing their Indian gear and saying “I will always be an Indian no matter what”.
Laverne Bitsie-Baldwin, mother of two MHS students, and a member of the Navajo tribe said that the mascot deeply offends her and many other people.
Baldwin said when people of other races/ethnicities are honored, a building is named after them, or a street, or field – they are not dehumanized and made a mascot. “Would you allow people to say, ‘I’m Asian, I’m Black, or my kids are going to be Asian, my kids are going to be Black’ just by going to a school; it is a misrepresentation of what it means to be an Indigenous person in this country.”
One student remarked, “offensive is an overused word – the mascot is wrong.”
MHS Parent Richard Gehring argued what if the mascot were an actual person from India, an East Indian rather than an “American Indian.”
“What if we had instead of a man with a feather headdress, a man with a turban, what if we used the term caste instead of tribe.,” said Gehring. “Why do we think that it’s okay to do that to Native American Indians?”
According to student surveys presented at the forum, 84% of students were in favor of retaining the mascot, 13% had no opinion and 3% voted to change it.
The Board of Education heard statements from dozens of supporters and those who wish to see the mascot changed. A final decision will be made at the December 7th Board meeting.
FORD COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas have canceled the attempt to locate for alleged rape suspect 33-year-old Humberto Martinez-Ornelas.
He turned himself in without incident late Wednesday night, according to Dodge City Police.
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FORD COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating an alleged rape and asking for the public’s help in locating 33-year-old Humberto Martinez-Ornelis, according to a social media report.
On Wednesday, police in Dodge City issued an arrest warrant for Martinez-Ornelas for two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim, aggravated assault, criminal threat, domestic battery, and criminal possession of a firearm.
Martinez-Ornelas should be driving a bright blue 2013 Ford Escape with Kansas tag 665-JVJ.
Martinez-Ornelas was last seen in Dodge City on Wednesday.
He is considered armed and dangerous. If located do not approach him and call 911 immediately. Any other tips can be received by calling Ford County Communications at (620) 227-4646, the DCPD at (620) 225-8126, or Crime Stoppers at (620) 227-7867.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man charged with shooting and injuring a Topeka police detective has a criminal record, including a sex crime case and a case involving another law enforcement officer.
Twenty-nine-year-old Christopher Curtis Harris appeared in court Monday on charges of attempted capital murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, aggravated robbery and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It wasn’t clear if Harris has an attorney.
Harris and detective Brian Hill exchanged gunfire Nov. 5, while Hill was trying to apprehend the suspect after a convenience store robbery. Hill is expected to make a full recovery.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Harris previously pleaded no contest to indecent solicitation of a sex act involving a 14-year-old girl, and pleaded guilty to interference with a law enforcement officer in March. He received probation in both cases.
