GRAY COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Gray County are investigating a residential burglary and asking the public for help.
Deputies are watching for a blue or turquoise over silver Ford pickup with two men in it that was originally seen south of Ingalls, according to the Gray County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department received reports of thefts including an ATV Wednesday and a pickup in the same area of rural Gray County and want the public to help them watch for the pickup or any unusual activity.
No additional details were available on Friday morning, according to the sheriff’s department.
Six people, including a former Hays city commissioner, have filed for the city commission seat vacated recently by Eber Phelps, who is now serving as the 111th District State Representative.
Phelps’ term on the city commission expires in January 2018.
The candidates are: Sandra Jacobs, executive director of Heartland Community Foundation in Hays. Jacobs is a retired bank executive with more than 40 years of financial experience. She has served on the Downtown Hays Development Corporation Board and the board of directors of the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development.
James Leiker, is a self-employed business owner who served on the Hays school board from 2011 to 2015. Leiker also was a member of Public Wholesale Water Supply District #15 and the Ellis County Wellhead Commission.
Ron Mellick, owner of Ron’s Floor Covering. Mellick previously served eight years as a Hays City Commissioner from 2007 to 2015.
Martin Patterson, an employee of Production Drilling, Inc. Patterson is a former board member and vice-president of Hays USD 489.
Brad Pendergast, an employee of the Docking Institute for Public Affairs, Fort Hays State University. Pendergast has a master’s degree in public administration from Wichita State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from FHSU.
Bill Ring, Ellis County Public Works Director and former Ellis County Emergency Manager. He recently moved into Hays from a home just outside the city limits. Ring also has experience in law enforcement and as a volunteer firefighter.
The Hays city commission will hold a special meeting Thu., Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 1507 Main, to fill the vacant commission position. The appointment will be for one year.
The commission work session will follow the special meeting.
Edward Cross is President of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
By EDWARD CROSS Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association
During the give and take of public discourse, few truly stop to think how absolutely essential oil and natural gas are to our lives, to our prosperity and security, and to our future. Oil and natural gas are the foundation of our energy-dependent economy. They profoundly affect how we live and work. They are key to our mobility, to keeping our homes and businesses warm, to providing us with electric power, and to supplying the raw materials for countless consumer and industrial products.
The energy policy choices our nation makes today are among the most important and far-reaching policy decisions we will make in the 21st century. If we are to continue our nation’s positive energy trends, we must implement energy policies based on current reality and our potential as an energy leader, not political ideologies or the wishes of professional environmental groups. American energy policy should focus on what’s important: American jobs, American energy security, and American global energy leadership.
President Trump and the new 115th Congress can move forward and build upon our nation’s new era of energy abundance, self-determination, and global leadership, or take a step back to an era of scarcity, dependence, and uncertainty.
The good news is we know how to lead the world in oil and natural gas production. And we have a potent ally, the American voter.
The 2016 election sent a clear message. Voters want and expect change. Political candidates who had a vision of increased consumer costs, lower standard of living, and economic de-growth were soundly rejected by voters. That is great news for a nation where economic recovery has been very slow. Election polls of actual voters showed that the American voter clearly want policymakers to set aside outdated assumptions and partisan talking points and work together on safe, responsible, and fact-based energy policy that grows our economy, creates well-paying jobs, and maintains our nation’s global energy leadership.
The polls found that 80% of voters support increased development of U.S. oil and natural gas resources including 71% of Democrats, 94% of Republicans, and 76% of Independents. In addition, 72% oppose higher taxes that could decrease investment in energy production and reduce energy development, including 62% of Democrats, 86% of Republicans, and 70% of Independents.
Further, the polls found that the American voter rejects the false choice offered by some between growing the economy and producing and using more energy and a cleaner environment. Specifically, 77% of voters support oil and natural gas’ role in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
The American voter’s support for increased domestic energy development and smarter energy policies is a reflection of their understanding of the fundamental role of affordable, abundant, and reliable energy to modern life. Pro-development energy policies enjoy strong support across party lines because the benefits of American energy development makes a positive difference to all of our lives every day.
Voters’ clearly expect their elected leaders to place what’s best for our state and nation’s economy and energy future above partisan ideology and political posturing. I strongly believe that the American people need and want moral, intellectual, and strategic clarity and courage from our policymakers.
The Trump Administration and the new Congress have a unique opportunity to find solutions for many of today’s most prominent issues such as creating middle class jobs, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for consumers, and enhancing our national security. And for all of these goals, and more, the 21st century American energy renaissance offers a solution.
A growing world population with a growing demand for energy is why energy experts, economists and government agencies around the world, including the U.S. government’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA), estimates that fossil fuels will continue to provide most of the U.S. and world energy needs far into the future. According to EIA projections, oil and natural gas will supply nearly 60% of U.S. energy needs by 2040.
Worldwide energy consumption will increase 48% by 2040, and 78% of that energy consumption will be met by fossil fuels. The world will need more energy in the future and oil and natural gas are poised to be the primary sources for that energy for decades to come.
Beyond consumption we continue to make and pursue advancements in energy efficiency. A recent EIA study indicated the U.S. used 15% less energy and emitted 23% fewer energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 than in 2005.
From 2000-2012, the oil and gas industry spent more on low and zero carbon technologies than the federal government and nearly as much as all other industries combined. According to the EPA, oil and gas methane emissions account for only 3.63% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Methane emissions from the oil and gas sector declined by 3.8% last year, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline.
According to the EIA, U.S. air pollutants have fallen by 70% since 1970, even as vehicle miles travelled have increased by more than 180%. Further, thanks in part to the increased use of domestic natural gas, ozone concentrations have dropped by 17% since 2000; all of which makes the U.S. not just an energy superpower, but also a global emissions reduction leader.
These are remarkable achievements in light of the many constraints imposed on the industry by regulations designed more to stifle domestic fossil fuel development than to benefit the American consumer.
The fact is our nation’s 21st century oil and gas renaissance has made domestically produced oil and natural gas economical and abundant. This market-driven success has helped our nation achieve significant emission reductions. The oil and gas industry has helped disprove, conclusively, that oil and natural gas production and environmental stewardship are not compatible.
Going forward, we need smart pro-growth energy policies. Americans support developing domestic energy resources and believe that can be done in a way protective of our environment. If our nation is to achieve energy security and maintain competitiveness and not let our standard of living slip, we need a well-reasoned, fact-based energy policy that recognizes the central role that fossil fuels will play in meeting future energy demand.
To continue to lead the world in oil and natural gas production and emissions reduction, we need tax reform solutions that don’t compromise our ability to grow the economy. And we need regulatory reforms that don’t add unnecessary layers of compliance burdens on top of existing protections.
The new Congress and the incoming Trump administration should take notice of the American energy sector’s record of success and choose a market-based approach to energy policy that is always focused on what’s best for consumers as their guiding policy principles. Policymakers should embrace our nation’s potential as a global energy leader and work to ensure that America’s 21st century oil and natural gas renaissance will continue to deliver the economic opportunity and environmental benefits for many years to come.
Going forward into 2017, policymakers at all levels should pursue energy policies that drives economic growth, lower costs for consumers, protects the environment, increases American competitiveness, and provides to our nation’s allies a reliable partner that uses it considerable energy resources as a way to lift people up. For our part, the oil and natural gas industry will continue our high standard of environmental stewardship. Responsibility lies in the activity of the industry and the manner in which the industry pursues that activity. For the oil and natural gas industry, responsibility is not additional; it is absolutely integral.
Edward Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
Sam Vanochen listens to testimony during the trial pool photo Hutch News
RENO COUNTY – In October, the Kansas Supreme Court denied the state’s request that 17-year-old Sam Vanochen, convicted of murder in the arson fire death that killed his mother and sister, be moved to an adult jail from the Reno County Juvenile Detention Facility.
The state also asked the court to block another mental evaluation and sentence the teen for his conviction.
The teen is still waiting to have a new mental evaluation completed.
Attorneys say they will wait until after March 17, when Vanochen turns 18 and transfer him to the adult side of the Larned State Hospital for new mental evaluation.
Under Kansas law, he has to be moved out of the juvenile facility in Hutchinson when he turns 18.
A Reno County jury convicted the teen of the two counts of murder for the killing of his mother and sister who died after he set fire to the family home on Sept. 26, 2013.
He was also convicted for attempted first-degree murder for trying to kill his father and aggravated arson for setting of the fire.
Lifelong Goodland, Kansas, resident Kody De Simon, 54, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at the Goodland Regional Medical Center in Goodland.
Kody was born on March 4, 1962 in Goodland, Kansas to Lewis Oren and Karen Kay (Wittmus) Parish.She was one of two children.She attended school in Goodland and graduated from Goodland High School in 1980.She then went on and attended school at Northwest Kansas Vocational Technical School for two years.One year for Cosmetology and then the other year for Secretarial training.She worked for many years in Child Protective Services until she became disabled on August 6, 2003, and then retired in July of 2016.
On September 22, 1998, she married Richard Simon in Las Vegas.Early in life, she loved opening her home to foster kids and spent her time crafting and cooking.Most importantly, she enjoyed craft fairs, her craft store in Colorado Springs, and taking care of her boys and her puppas.She was baptized in the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Goodland, and at the time of her death, was a member of the United Methodist Church.She was also a member of the Goodland Regional Medical Center Auxiliary.
Preceding her in death were her father Lewis Oren Parish, her paternal grandparents Pearl and Oren Parish, her maternal grandfather Arthur Wittmus, her father-in-law Ray Simon and a brother-in-law Kurt Simon.
She is survived by her husband Richard, her son Quennton McCombs and his wife Lyssa of Colby, her mother Karen of Goodland, sister Kyle Elliot and her husband Marty, step siblings Randy Jensen and his wife Devonna,Roxann Kling and her husband Rod, and Penny Livengood and her husband Tom all of Goodland, Kansas, mother-in-law Marilyn Simon, sister-in-law Linda Conner, a niece Emily Conner, and a great niece Michalah Piotraschke.She is also survived by numerous other nieces, nephews and many close friends.
Memorial services for Kody were held on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 10:30 AM MT at the United Methodist Church in Goodland, with Pastor Lyn Linde and Pastor Gordon Pettibone officiating.Inurnment will be held in the Goodland Cemetery at a later date.
Visitation was held on Friday, January 13, 2017 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland.
Memorials are designated to the American Diabetes Association, the Goodland High School Music Department or to the NWKS Shrine Club and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Goodland, KS 67735.
Reece W. Roemer, age 84, passed away on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. He was born on August 9, 1932 in Gove County, Kansas, the son of George and Mabel Lillia Roemer. A lifetime resident of Lane County, Kansas, he was a farmer and rancher.
His memberships include the Healy United Methodist Church in Healy, Kansas, Odd Fellows Lodge, Cheyenne Country Club Swimming Pool, Healy School Board, Healy Coop Board, Lane County Improvement District, Water District, Volunteer Fire Fighter, Little League and Senior League Baseball Coach.
On May 27, 1956 he married Delores Maxine Thon in Healy, Kansas. She survives.
Survivors Include his Wife – Delores M. Roemer of Scott City, Kansas, Three Sons – Vernon & Michelle Roemer of Gem, Kansas, Kenneth & Dana Roemer of Emporia, Kansas, Dennis & Janet Roemer of Edmond, Oklahoma, One Daughter – Virginia & Darryl Clinton of Scott City, Kansas, Two Brother In Laws, Larry & Ann Thon of Kansas City, Missouri, Clifford & Phyllis Thon of Colby, Kansas, Eleven Grandchildren and Five Great Grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his Parents, Two Brothers – Elmer Roemer & Duane Roemer and One Sister – Ethelyn Settles.
Funeral Services will be held at the 1st United United Methodist Church in Healy, Kansas at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 18, 2017 with Pastor Bud Tuxhorn presiding.
Interment will be in the Healy Cemetery in Healy, Kansas.
Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers may be given to the Healy United Methodist Church or Camp Lakeside % Price & Sons Funeral Home.
Visitation will be at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday and 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday – The Roemer Family will be present from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 pm Tuesday to receive friends.
GARDEN CITY – Growing cover crops as a way to protect and improve soil health is new to some High Plains farmers, but Jeff Rasawehr has been doing it for years.
Rasawehr, of Celina, Ohio, and co-founder of Cover Crop Ranch, will present “Making a Cover Crop Your Most Valued Crop” at the Western Kansas Forage Conference on Feb. 20.
Sponsored by K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Forage and Grassland Council, the conference will be at the J.A. Haas Building, 400 E. 18th St. in Larned, Kansas. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the program from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Cover Crop Ranch is a network of farms in Michigan and Ohio using sustainable farming practices of no-till, cover crops and a system called mob grazing to produce meat. Mob grazing involves moving cattle at least daily between small enclosures and split by electric fences. The plants in the enclosure are eaten, walked on and trampled, then allowed to rest for 60-120 days or more.
Rasawehr will share his knowledge and experience in using cover crops and making them valuable in a crop production system.
“It is always good to hear from someone who is actually doing it and having success with it,” said A.J. Foster, area agronomist with the K-State Southwest Research and Extension Center, regarding Rasawehr’s experience growing cover crops. “We can always learn to improve our own system.”
Other conference speakers and topics include:
Soil Management with Cover Crops – DeAnn Presley, K-State soil management specialist
What Are We Learning from Integrating a Cover Crop into our Production Practice? – Dale Younker, U.S. Department of Agriculture soil health specialist
Pasture Weed Management – Walt Fick, K-State range scientist
Kansas Forage and Grassland Council Update – Mark Jensen, KSFGC board member
Animal Health Concerns When Grazing Cover Crops – Jaymelynn Farney, K-State animal scientist
Pasture Risk Insurance – Monte Vandeveer, K-State agricultural economist
Producer Panel
Registration is requested by Feb. 10. Lunch is included in the registration fee, which is $25 for KSFGC members and $55 for non-members. Online registration and more information are available at www.southwest.ksu.edu. More information is available by contacting Foster at 620-276-8286 or [email protected].
The annual Art and Design Faculty Exhibition at Fort Hays State University is now open in the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art on the first floor of Rarick Hall on the FHSU campus.
The public is invited to see the work of art and design faculty at the university.
The exhibition is open until Jan. 24. A reception will be held in the gallery from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.
The Moss-Thorns Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Options: Domestic & Sexual Violence Services Inc. announced that Jennifer Hecker has been named executive director.
With a more than 20-year career in operations, program management and consulting in the public and private sector and more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Hecker is sure to provide Options Inc. with remarkable guidance and success, the organization said in a news release.
Hecker
“We are grateful that Options Inc.’s new executive director comes from within. We’ve appreciated her stability, professionalism and counsel while she served as interim executive director,” said Kathy Wallert, Options board president. “We know Jennifer Hecker to be strategic and proactive with community leaders and are confident Options Inc.’s services and programs will continue to be a tremendous success under her leadership.”
The mission of Options: Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Inc. is to empower individuals who experience domestic, sexual, interpersonal or stalking violence through individual support while educating our communities to identify and confront the causes of violence in society.
Options serves victims and survivors in 18 Northwest Kansas counties including Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Graham, Rooks, Osborne, Wallace, Logan, Gove, Trego, Ellis and Russell.
STOCKTON – The Rooks County Historical Society in Stockton will host “Lawbreakers for the Common Good,” a multi-media presentation and discussion led by Anne Hawkins at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Rooks County Historical Museum, 921 S. Cedar, Stockton.
Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the Rooks County Historical Museum at (785) 425-7217 (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday) for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.
There will be a short business meeting preceding the program and refreshments will be provided.
Hawkins’ presentation explores true accounts of the little-known people who worked illegally on the Underground Railroad in Kansas, the secret network that helped guide enslaved people to freedom. In the mid-1800s, some Kansans defied federal, state and territorial laws in pursuit of a common goal: liberty for all.
“Operatives — both white and black — worked together secretly on the Kansas Underground Railroad. But what we often overlook in the excitement of these tales is that these Underground Railroad workers were lawbreakers. Slave owners and bounty hunters in the U.S. had the might of the law on their side,” Hawkins said. “Kansans literally lay their lives on the line to help freedom seekers. And the ways they worked together for the common good offer examples of what is possible for equality and justice in our own time.”
Hawkins teaches United States history at Washburn University, as well as U.S. and world history classes for home-educated youth ages 5–17 across northeast Kansas. She received her master’s in history from the University of Kansas, and has published numerous writings on state history.
“Lawbreakers for the Common Good” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas Stories Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions that examine our shared human experience—our innovations, culture, heritage, and conflicts.
The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities. For more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.
The Rooks County Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the artifacts, writings, and history reflecting the development and cultural diversity in Rooks County.
KEARNEY, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney closed the first half on a 19-7 run to build an eight-point halftime lead then shot 59-percent in the second half and beat Fort Hays State 86-69 Thursday night at the Health and Sports Center. The Tigers (9-6, 3-4 MIAA) were held to 44-percent shooting and hit only 4-for-16 from beyond the arc while the Lopers (12-4, 5-2 MIAA) knocked down a season-high 13 3-pointers.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Rob Davis Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Rob Davis bounced back from his lowest scoring game of the season with a game-high 26 points. Hadley Gillum scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Freshman Kyle Juhl hit four of his five 3-pointers in the second half and led UNK with a career-high 17 points. Trey Lansman, who was held to three points in the first half, added 15 along with a game-high 12 rebounds as the Lopers win their third straight at home over the Tigers.
An ice storm warning is in effect this weekend for much of Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Ice accumulations in excess of 1/2 inch will be possible from this event, especially in southwest and portions of central Kansas. Main impacts over the weekend from this ice storm will be ice covered roads, downed power lines and possible power outages.
Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as 4. East wind 6 to 9 mph.
Tonight Cloudy, with a low around 21. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday A chance of freezing rain and sleet before 3pm, then a chance of sleet between 3pm and 5pm, then a chance of freezing rain and sleet after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday Night Freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with sleet, becoming all freezing rain after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 24. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
SundayFreezing rain likely before 3pm, then rain or freezing rain likely between 3pm and 4pm, then freezing rain likely after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 33. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday NightFreezing rain. Low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
M.L.King DayA chance of rain, freezing rain, and sleet before 1pm, then a chance of rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet between 1pm and 2pm, then a chance of snow after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
KEARNEY, Neb. – Fort Hays State outscored Nebraska-Kearney 18-2 in the second quarter in building a 13-point halftime lead then held off several Loper second half rallies for a 57-51 win Thursday night at the Health and Sports Center. The Tigers (14-2, 5-2 MIAA) held Kearney scoreless for 8:49 of the second quarter and to only two points over the final 12:37 of the first half to win their eighth straight overall and fifth straight in conference play.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
UNK (4-11, 0-7 MIAA), who have lost seven of their last eight, got as close as five with 22 seconds to play.
Sophomore Carly Heim scored 12 and freshman Kasey Kennett added 11 to lead Fort Hays State, who’s now won seven straight in Kearney and 13 straight overall against their most played rival.
The Lopers were led by Michaela Barry who scored 15 and Alexa Hogberg who added 13.
Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as 4. East wind 6 to 9 mph.