The Hays High varsity baseball doubleheader with Russell has been rescheduled to Friday, March 31st at 3 p.m. at Hays High School.
There will be no junior varsity games.
The games were originally scheduled for Thursday but the weather in the area forced the schedule changes.
Members of the Kansas House delayed a vote Thursday to try to override Brownback’s veto of a plan to expand the State’s Medicaid program.
Motion to table veto override vote for medicaid expansion Passes 81-43. #ksleg
— ❄️Stephanie Clayton❄ (@SSCJoCoKs) March 30, 2017
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback vetoing an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program (all times local):
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has vetoed a bill that would have extended the state’s health coverage for the poor under former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
The conservative Republican governor made the move Thursday. He explained that he thinks the expansion would fail to serve the truly needy and would burden the state with what he called “unrestrainable entitlement costs.”
The bill would have expanded Medicaid coverage to as many as 180,000 additional adults.
Legislators gave final approval to the measure Tuesday. It had strong bipartisan majorities in both chambers, but supporters were short of the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a veto. Nevertheless, they are expected to try.
Brownback has been a vocal critic of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” and his action was expected.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Two days of moderate rain in Hays has resulted in 1.50 inches of precipitation so far in March.
According to official statistics from the K-State Agricultural Research Center, 0.66 inches of rain fell Wednesday added to the 0.83 inches recorded Tuesday in Hays.
Catherine reported 0.91 inches of rain while the Eagle Media Center in Hays had 0.60 inches.
The total amount of moisture in Hays so far this year is 2.85 inches.
According to official statistics from the K-State Agricultural Center, 0.66 inches of rain fell Wednesday added to the 0.83 inches recorded Tuesday in Hays.
Catherine reported 0.91 inches of rain while the Eagle Media Center in Hays had 0.60 inches.
The total amount of moisture in Hays so far this year is 2.85 inches.
Mike Cooper talks with Curtis Hammeke about the newly finished Fort Hays State track and field facility.
Where is Kansas Governor Sam Brownback?
Physically, he still inhabits his second-floor suite in the capitol, haunts the statehouse halls in his sweater vest, and resides at Cedar Crest, courtesy of Kansas taxpayers.
Legislatively, however, Brownback is nowhere. He is essentially absent from the continuing discussions on the Bermuda Triangle of taxes, budgets, and school finance, even though his vaunted income tax experiment is the root cause of the state’s fiscal crisis. As the Legislature moves toward the humane and fiscally sound decision to expand Medicaid, he’s not a player, save as an ultimate, disengaged wielder of a veto pen.
In politics, the saying goes, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Per this truism, the governor has only one serious option: Resign.
Resign and go off to Rome as the U.S. ambassador for food and agriculture at the UN.
Resign and let Governor Jeff Colyer become part of the policy-making process.
Resign and let the Legislature do its job.
Numerous lawmakers have acknowledged the governor’s AWOL status. Most notably, Senate President Susan Wagle (R-Wichita) said, “…the governor is refusing to acknowledge that we have a deep budget hole, and he’s refusing to give us solutions. If anybody’s playing games, it’s the governor.”
In short, gubernatorial delusion has met gubernatorial disengagement.
Ironically, state legislators are heavily engaged on taxes, the 2017 and 2018 budgets, and school finance. As we’ve discovered at the national level, legislating is hard; an absent governor makes it all the more difficult.
Past chief executives have worked with the Legislature to fashion policies that can win approval by both houses and gain the governor’s signature. Some governors roamed the legislative halls, negotiating on the fly; others called lawmakers into their chambers to hammer out compromises. Sometimes they intervened only when a legislative impasse was at hand. Regardless, they became integral parts of the legislative process.
But not Sam Brownback in 2017. He’s distant, aloof, and uninvolved, to the point that he has abdicated his responsibility to govern.
So let Jeff Colyer, whose only path to becoming governor in 2018 is to run as a results-oriented conservative, take the reins and cut some deals with a legislative body that is eager to do so. With Colyer, Republican leaders would only have to win narrow majorities to carry the day, rather than the two-thirds required to overturn a veto. Strangely enough, those majorities might well produce more conservative legislation than the supermajorities’ results, which would reflect bipartisan deals to override a Brownback veto.
Moreover, the power of ambition is central to effective governing. Politicians eye their next office, or re-election, or some administrative appointment as they seek to succeed in their current position. But Brownback has run his course, albeit as one of the state’s most successful electoral politicians, while Colyer as governor could use his ambition to generate legislative victories.
Senators Moran and Roberts, as well as Bob Dole, should beg President Trump to finalize the Rome appointment for Governor Brownback, who could stop wandering aimlessly – literally and figuratively — around the capitol’s halls.
Although the governor may appear active by writing letters to support the GOP’s health care bill and by seeking federal aid for prairie fire damage, he has failed to do the real work of addressing Kansas’s most pressing problems. Indeed, he has only made them worse.
So, as Rome beckons, it’s time to take your leave, Sam. You’ve done your work, for better or, most assuredly, worse.
Still, you can act one last time to benefit our state: Resign.
Burdett Loomis is a political science professor at the University of Kansas.
The City of Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Thu., March 30, 2017 in the area from Elm St. to Vine St. between 8th St. and 20th St.
This is part of a coordinated effort by the City of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
Inspecting fire hydrants ensures that the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes.
The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains.
Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public. Drivers are asked to avoid driving through water discharging from a fire hydrant during the short flushing period.
For more information please contact the Hays Fire Department at (785) 628-7330.
BARTON COUNTY- Sentencing is scheduled for two Kansas men convicted in Barton County District Court for sex crimes involving juveniles.
Camerino Rodriguez Olvera was convicted Friday of aggravated sexual battery and sexual battery for crimes that occurred between July 2011 and June 2012, according to the Barton County Attorney’s Office.
A jury also convicted Todd Lane Leech of rape that occurred between June 2010 and June, 2011.
Both men are in jail with bond set at $1 million dollars.
Due to the nature of the crimes, the fact that the victims were juveniles, and to protect the privacy of the victim and the victim’s family, officials released no additional information.
Sentencing for both men is scheduled for May 26.
By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post
Forget the spring cleaning and swing into spring with indoor shopping and homemade food. The Unique & Chic Indoor Market will take place on April 1 at the Ellis County Fairgrounds and is a craft and direct-sales show that also features homemade food items. This is the first year for the indoor market, and event coordinator Jodi Brazda hopes to make it an annual event.
“We are calling it an indoor market, but it is kind of a mix between a direct-sales show and a craft fair. Some people are making handmade items and some sell direct-sale items like Scentsy, Younique or anything like that,” she said. “I hope to start doing this annually and make it bigger. We are kind of testing the waters to see how it goes this year and, hopefully, if it goes well this year, we can make it bigger for next year.”
Brazda also said the event is currently maxed out with more than 40 vendors coming from all over the state.
“At first, I was seeking people out but once it got a little bit closer to the event and I just took a step back, they all came to me and there was a point where I had to turn away vendors just because we did not have enough building space,” she said. “Once you get on social media these days, it kind of just goes from there. We have people coming from Kansas City, Goodland and even Wichita. They are coming from all over.”
For those looking to take a break from shopping, there will be a concession stand put on by the Hays Expos, an area youth baseball team, as a fundraiser for their summer baseball program.
The Unique & Chic Indoor Market will be held at the Unrein Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds on April 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $1 per person, and the first 200 people to walk into the market will be entered into a drawing to win a 40-inch TV donated by Z3Technologies, a Kansas City-based I.T. consulting firm.
For more information on the event or to get in contact with Brazda, visit https://uniqueandchicmarket.com/.
For the full list of vendors, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uniqueandchicmarket/.
Hays Post
A slow, soaking rainfall throughout the day Wednesday put about another inch of rain in Ellis County gauges.
Reports in Hays ranged from three-quarters to just less than an inch, with similar reports from Ellis, Catharine and Victoria.
There was a report of 1.45 inches from eastern Russell County, and most of Trego County reported about three-quarters of an inch of rain.
A report from near La Crosse showed 1.16 inches of rain in the gauge Thursday morning.
The precipitation is expected to pause Thursday, with chances for more rain returning Friday and Saturday.
Click HERE for the complete extended forecast.
HPL
Young adult patrons worked hard over the last few weeks to put together a “Trash’n Show Fashion Show.” This exciting fashion show will take place in the library’s Schmidt Gallery on Thursday at 5:30 PM. The public is invited to attend this unconventional fashion show event.
“Each spring, the Young Adult Department holds a fashion show. This spring we decided the theme of our fashion show is ‘Mystical Creatures’” said Nicole Thibodeau, one of the staff members in charge of the show, “The teens have been busy working on creating everything from dragon skin to unicorn horns using recycled and previously used items like old paper, packing peanuts, magazines and fabric scraps.
“The Trash’n Show is a great way to get everyone involved and thinking about ways to be creative with items we might otherwise discard,” she added.
Both boys and girls will wear their fashions on the runway on Thursday.
For more information, contact the library’s young adult department at 785-625-9014.
Beloved father and husband, Henry A. Boyd Sr., was born March 21, 1937, in Meridian, Mississippi. He passed away March 24, 2017 at Trego Manor in WaKeeney. He had just turned 80 years old.
Henry served eight years in the US Air Force. He was a proud veteran. He spent most of his life in the Houston, Texas area, where he managed large automobile dealerships and dabbled in country music. Most who saw him perform say he was a ringer for Conway Twitty. Henry was new to WaKeeney having moved from Colorado in 2016.
He passed peacefully in the night at Trego Manor Nursing facility in WaKeeney. The family would like to commend the Manor for their wonderful and compassionate care.
Henry is survived by his wife, Madline; daughter, Natalie; and three sons, Alan, Alton, and Danny.
Memorial service, with military honors, will be at the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery in WaKeeney, Friday, March 31st, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. There will be no visitation as cremation was chosen.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made in Henry’s name to Shriner’s Hospital, www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/donate, or Wounded Warrior Project https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Schmitt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, but the family will be hosting services.
Linda D. Helmers, age 65, passed away on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at The Good Shepherd Hospice House in Manhattan, Kansas. She was born on July 13, 1951 in Meade, Kansas, the daughter of John Clarence & Vera Mae Krause Ballard. A longtime resident of Scott City, Kansas, she was a Home Economics Teacher for USD 466 at Scott Community High School and Scott City Middle School in Scott City, Kansas for over 20 years.
She was a member of the Community Christian Church, Better Homes EHU, High Plains Study Club all of Scott City, Kansas.
On June 18, 1977 she married Greg B. Helmers in Plains, Kansas. He passed away on September 4, 2011 in Denver, Colorado.
Survivors include:
One Daughter Holly & Bryan Elsey of Manhattan, Kansas
Two Sons Grant & Caroline Helmers of Kansas City, Missouri
Blake & Brooke Helmers of Manhattan, Kansas
One Brother Mark & Jenny Ballard of Union, Ohio
One Brother In Law Tim Helmers of Plano, Texas
One Sister In Law Gayle Ballard of Victorville, California
Two Aunts Rosetta McFadden of Carson City, Nevada
Jerri Shelman of Andover, Kansas
Seven Grandchildren Garrett and Tyler Helmers of Manhattan, Kansas
Vera and Annalee Helmers of Kansas City, Missouri
George, Alice, and Emily Elsey of Manhattan, Kansas
She was preceded in death by her Parents, Husband – Greg and One Brother – Dennis Ballard.
Funeral Service 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Community Christian Church
Officiants Pastor Mark Ballard & Gerald Koehn
Interment Scott County Cemetery
Scott City, Kansas
Memorials in Lieu of Flowers; SCMS Home Ec. or Community Christian Church in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home.
Visitation 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday
Billie Ruth Crittenden, age 88, passed away on Monday, March 27, 2017 at Greeley County Hospital in Tribune, Kansas. Billie was born July 27, 1928 in Bryan County, Oklahoma, the daughter of William Staley & Katie Lee (Gordon) Parker. A lifetime resident of Greeley County, Kansas she was a housekeeper and homemaker.
Billie was a member of the Assembly of God Church and the VFW Auxiliary both of Tribune, Kansas. She formerly served as a Sunday School Teacher.
On January 5, 1959 she married Wilbur (Webb) Crittenden in Reno, Nevada
Billie’s surviving family includes
Her husband-
Webb Crittenden- Horace, Kansas
Seven Children-
Rebecca & Richard McMahon- Phoenix, Arizona
Darrell & Diane Piper- Tribune, Kansas
Charles & Ursula Piper- Phoenix, Arizona
Steven Piper- Phoenix, Arizona
Pamela Crittenden- Syracuse, Kansas
Randy & Janet Crittenden- Horace, Kansas
Tonya & Verbin Paxman- Tribune, Kansas
Twenty-seven grandchildren, Thirty-one great grandchildren
Her parents and two children, Sheila Crittenden & Michael Crittenden precedes her in death.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 pm (MT) Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Assembly of God Church in Tribune, Kansas with Reverend Justin Scherer officiating.
Burial will be in Greeley County Cemetery in Tribune, Kansas.
Friends may call from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm Thursday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Tribune, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to the Billie Crittenden Memorial Fund in care of the funeral home.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com
