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Treatment process approved for WWTP renovation

Stan Christopher, HDR Engineering, points out changes that will be made to the Hays wastewater treatment plant process to meet stricter effluent requirements.
Stan Christopher, HDR Engineering, points out changes that will be made to the Hays wastewater treatment plant process to meet stricter effluent requirements.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The renovation of the Hays wastewater treatment plant, built in 1953, will use the process of a 5-stage oxidation ditch with final clarifiers and denitrification filters. City commissioners voted 4-0 Thursday night to accept the recommendation by Project Manager Stan Christopher of HDR Engineering, and city staff.

City commissioner Shaun Musil was absent from the meeting.

wwtp process
(Click to enlarge)

Three processes were reviewed over the past two months and each includes biological nutrient removal to meet treatment requirements.

The selection of the oxidation ditch with denitrification filters (Option 2) was made based on factors including ease of operation, lowest present value, and its ability to meet current and anticipated future effluent federal limits. The option will also improve effluent
quality for continued irrigation and indirect recharge reuse.

CDM Smith (CDM Constructors, Inc.) has the contract for Phase 1, 90% Design and GMP Development, for the rebuilding of the WWTP. Christopher told commissioners that CDM believes they may be able to change the 5-stage operation process to 3-stages, which would save about $500,000 in capital costs.

“They offered up some innovative ideas which may result in this being converted to a 3-stage process,” Christopher said. “If that proves out to be the case and allows us to meet today’s (effluent) limits and those in the future, it would bring the capital cost of the biological process down about $500,000.”

“This was a very involved process,” said Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty.

“We had the kickoff meeting in early January and the first task was to identify the (treatment) process. CDM, with HDR, has been busy. At that first meeting we had at least four process engineers there, structural engineers, electrical engineers, people representing the construction side. There were a lot of opinions thrown around, a lot of heated discussion, but that’s how we get to a good decision.

“I feel we reached a good recommendation for you commissioners. We’re very happy with the way this process is working,” Dougherty concluded.

This is the city’s most expensive project to date–estimated at $30 million–and the first major work to use the Owner-Representative/Design-Build process.

The renovation must be completed by 2018 to adhere to stricter federal and state effluent requirements.

The city was fined $18,000 last year by the Environmental Protection Agency for excessive ammonia levels in 2012.

Man killed in Kan. drive-by shooting identified, 2 teens arrested

shots_fired  policeWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have identified a 26-year-old man who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Wichita.

Wichita Police Department Lt. Todd Ojile said Thursday that Bishop Robles was shot several times in the front yard of his friend’s house by someone in a blue SUV shortly after arriving at the home with his common-law wife on Wednesday morning.

Robles was transported in critical condition to a hospital, where he later died.

According to Ojile, two 17-year-old males were arrested Wednesday evening after leading police on a chase in a stolen car matching the description of the shooter’s vehicle. They were arrested on outstanding warrants and auto theft charges.

Ojile said that it is unclear why Robles had been targeted. An investigation is ongoing.

Cloudy, cooler Friday

Today will be cooler than Thursday as another cool front moves through western Kansas. As north to northeast winds increase, look for increasing low cloudiness over central and west central Kansas along I-70.

Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. North northeast wind 8 to 11 mph.

Tonight Areas of freezing drizzle after midnight. Areas of freezing fog after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. East wind 9 to 11 mph.

Saturday Patchy freezing drizzle before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 38. South southeast wind 10 to 17 mph.

Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

SundayMostly sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph.

Sunday NightA slight chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Washington’s BirthdayMostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Monday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Wrongfully convicted Kansan seeks videotaped interrogations

Bledsoe-photo Kan. Dept. of Corrections
Bledsoe-photo Kan. Dept. of Corrections

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who spent nearly 16 years in prison for a killing his brother later admitted to testified for a measure that would require law enforcement to record some interrogations.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement groups oppose the measure, which mandates recorded interrogations of suspects arrested for capital murder, first-degree murder and second-degree murder.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a House committee Thursday heard testimony from Floyd Bledsoe, who was wrongfully convicted in the 1999 murder of Camille Arfmann in Oskaloosa. His brother, Tom, originally admitted to the crime but later recanted his confessions, which were not recorded.

Floyd Bledsoe told the committee he might not have been convicted if jurors would’ve been able to hear his brother confess and hear him maintaining his innocence.

Great Lakes airline service will return to Salina

GreatLakes_SqSALINA, Kan. (AP) — Scheduled air service will return to Salina beginning this spring.

Salina Airport Authority officials said Thursday Great Lakes Airlines will fly 12 roundtrips a week between Salina and Denver beginning April 1. The Wyoming-based airline will use 30-seat Embraer EMB-120 turboprop planes.

Great Lakes will take over from SeaPort Airlines, which ended its service from Salina to Kansas City last month. Seaport filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

The two-year, nearly $2 million service comes under an Essential Air Service contract, which provides funding for airlines serving small airports.

The Salina airport officials said in a news release Great Lakes has a code-share agreement with United Airlines, which provides more than 180 connecting flights in Denver.

Great Lakes also provides service from Dodge City and Liberal to Denver.

Trial of Kansas man in death of child, 3 adults delayed again

Flack
Flack

OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Testimony in the capital murder trial of a 30-year-old Kansas man accused of killing four people, including an 18-month-old girl, has been postponed.

The Kansas City Star reports that testimony in Kyle Trevor Flack’s trial was scheduled to start Feb. 17, but has now been postponed until March 7. It is unclear why the trial has been pushed back.

Flack is charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey and her 18-month-old daughter, Lana. He is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of 30-year-old Andrew Stout and 31-year-old Steven White.

Stout, White and Kaylie Bailey were found dead at Stout’s farm in Ottawa, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. Bailey’s daughter’s body was found a few days later in neighboring Osage County.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

2 Kan. adults, child hospitalized after crash in Missouri

Screen Shot 2013-12-13 at 8.39.21 PMCASS COUNTY, MO- Two adults and a toddler from Kansas were injured in an accident just before 7p.m. on Thursday in Cass County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Honda Accord driven by Brandon R. Stoner-Thebo, 25, Lacygne, was traveling on Highway 2 at Groh Road. The vehicle traveled off the left side of the road, struck an embankment and overturned.

Stoner-Thebo and passengers Heather D. Pouche, 24, and Anderson K. Orales, 2, both of Osawatomie, were transported to Belton Regional Hospital.

All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP.

FHSU Physics Department faculty members publish research paper

buffington slideFHSU University Relations and Marketing

Two faculty members from the Fort Hays State University Department of Physics recently published a paper in the peer-reviewed Journal of Biomedical Optics.

Dr. Gavin D. Buffington, chair of the department, and Dr. Clifton D. Clark III, assistant professor, published, “On the Probability Summation Model for Laser-Damage Thresholds,” on Jan. 19.

The department also paid for Open Access, which enhances the availability of the article.

FHSU’s Department of Physics conducts applied and theoretical research in various biomedical research areas. Many projects involve undergraduate students who gain knowledge, context, applications, critical thinking skills, technical skills and much more from these beyond-the-traditional-classroom experiences.

Kan. Senate defeats call to keep concealed guns off college campuses

concealed and carry 2TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has defeated a measure aimed at keeping concealed weapons off college campuses a few more years.

Senators on Thursday rejected an amendment on gun legislation that would have extended a prohibition on conceal-carry on Kansas campuses until 2021. The ban will expire in 2017 unless lawmakers act.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Senators also voted down an amendment to move up the end of the gun ban to this summer.

In 2013, the Legislature blocked prohibitions against concealed weapons in government buildings, but exempted colleges and universities for four years.

Last month, the Kansas Board of Regents, which governs public universities, approved a policy that will allow concealed weapons once the current ban expires.

Tigers road woes continue, fall short at Pittsburg State

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Pittsburg State shot 64-percent in the first half and 57-percent for the game, handing Fort Hays State their sixth straight road loss, 101-92 Thursday night at John Lance Arena. The Gorillas (13-11, 8-10 MIAA) used an early 10-0 run following a Craig Nicholson 3-pointer and led for all but 46 seconds.

Fort Hays State (15-8, 9-8 MIAA) trailed by 14 at the half and by 16 early in the second half. They pulled within five on two different occasions, the last with 5:51 to play, but the Gorillas answered with a 7-1 run in handing the Tigers their sixth straight road loss.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

FHSU shot 52-percent from the floor including 9-of-18 from beyond the arc but allowed Pitt to shoot 57-percent and were outrebounded by 18.

Craig Nicholson scored a season-high 22 along with 11 assists and four steals. Jake Stoppel added 18, Rob Davis 16 and Hadley Gillum 12.

Trey Starks scored a career-high 28 to lead the Gorillas.

The game saw 53 combined fouls and 67 free throws, 36 of them by Pitt State.

Kan. amusement park owner sues former employee over pipe organ

Damian Mayes- KBI photo and Louie-courtesy photo
Damian Mayes- KBI photo and Louie-courtesy photo

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A pipe organ that has served as the musical backdrop to Louie, an amusement park clown is now the subject of a civil court case.

The Wichita Eagle reports an attorney for Joyland Amusement Park owner Margaret Nelson Spear filed a civil breach-of-contract lawsuit Wednesday in Sedgwick County District Court.

The lawsuit claims that ex-Joyland employee Damian Mayes didn’t pay money he owes after agreeing to purchase the Wurlitzer organ about six years ago.

Spear demands that Mayes either pay her the $9,000 he owes or allow her to repossess the organ.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Mayes.

Kansas Department of Corrections records say Mayes is serving a sentence and isn’t eligible for parole until 2028. He was convicted of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and aggravated criminal sodomy in Harvey County.

Woman hospitalized after SUV overturns in Thomas Co.

THOMAS COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. on Thursday in Thomas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Subaru Forester driven by Katherine Hoey, 71, Flora Park, NY., was eastbound on Interstate 70.

The vehicle took exit 54, traveled off the road to the right, crossed Country Club Drive and traveled into the south ditch, rotated clockwise and overturned.

Hoey was transported to Citizen’s Medical Center.

She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

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