Tickets are now on sale for “Pippin,” the next performance of the 2016-2017 Encore Series, set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center in Sheridan Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus.
“Pippin” is a hit Broadway musical full of extraordinary acrobatics, magic and songs from the composer of “Wicked.” “Pippin” won four 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. Hailed as “an eye-popping, jaw-dropping extravaganza” (NY1), “Pippin” uplifts audiences and leaves them smiling.
It is noted for many songs that have become Broadway standards, including “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic To Do,” “Glory,” “No Time at All,” “Morning Glow,” and “Love Song.”
This performance is sponsored by Nex-Tech.
Tickets are available at the Memorial Union Student Service Center, by calling 785-628-5306 or by visiting www.fhsu.edu/encore. Tickets for the general public are $45 reserved and $40 unreserved; for seniors and children ages 5-17, tickets are $42 reserved and $38 unreserved; and for FHSU students, tickets are $35 reserved and $30 unreserved with a Tiger Card.
About the Special Events Committee: Through the presentation of varied forms of performing arts, the Special Events Committee strives to educate, inspire, evoke thought and entertain. The goal is to promote artistic expression, cultural understanding and social awareness at Fort Hays State University and throughout western Kansas through the presentation of diverse, high-caliber performing arts programs. Information can be found at www.fhsu.edu/encore.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT LIAM PASILAS AND TEACHER STEVEN TSO fill up one of the trailers with bags of grass clippings and trash during Stockton’s PRIDE Day held on Monday, April 24th. Para Kala Davis is pictured in the background.
By Virgi Laska – Stockton Sentinel
The Stockton High School students were out in full force on Monday, April 24th to take part in Stockton’s PRIDE Day. The workday was coordinated through the PRIDE organization, the superintendent and high school principal Shelly Swayne and the City of Stockton, with many PRIDE members and volunteers on hand to help with the list of cleanup projects.
At the start of the day the students were divided into teams with teachers, PRIDE members and volunteers heading up the work groups. Heading up the teams were Lee Lindsey, Steven Tso, Carissa Brass, Bridget Starbuck, Shane Austin, Neil Stewart, Sandi Rogers, Jayne Prockish, Cathy Carlson, Linda Jones, Michelle Towery, Andrew Ables, Mike Rogers, Chris Graham, Dennis Bedore, Jenny Niblock, Kayla Hilbrink, Justin Basart and Chelsey Peterson.
Some of the teams went straight to painting and doing trim work on a few houses around town. The homeowners supplied the paint, along with brushes, rollers, primer, etc. for their projects. A few teams hit the streets and swept and cleaned the Main Street sidewalks, while other groups trimmed bushes, cut tree branches, raked up leaves, pulled weeds and picked up trash to be hauled off several properties. There were full yard cleanups down to students cleaning up trash around the football field and the school grounds, as well as in the city park and around the ball diamond fences.
A total of 76 students, their teachers and many citizen volunteers worked throughout the day, stopping only to enjoy a barbeque lunch at City Hall. All the food for the meal was donated. The City of Stockton employees and mayor helped serve the students and volunteers. Helping with donations of food or equipment for the day were PRIDE, the City of Stockton, Stockton High School, Angie Johnston, Linda Jones, Carissa Brass, Virgi Laska, Sharri Coffey, Bridget Starbuck, Ginger Kriley, Alta, Andy’s Home Service, Anita Conger,
HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE KATY KRILEY takes her turn at sweeping out the Main Street gutters and sidewalks during Stockton’s PRIDE Day on Monday, April 24th.
Dale Winklepleck, Julie Kriley and Chelsey Peterson.
After lunch it was back to work for the groups with most of the afternoon being spent finishing up the many projects. Some of the City crew also helped clean up the sand and dirt around a few of the places.
Flowers were planted in the downtown planters and many of the businesses got their windows washed.
Even though PRIDE Day is over for this year, the organization also has a weekend project called “Helping Days.” This is where volunteers donate their time to clean up around town on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. When a project comes up, PRIDE President Amber Muir sends out an email of the time and place. If you aren’t busy and can help, all you do is show up at the designated location for a few hours of work. To get involved in this program, just contact Muir at Solutions North Bank to get on the list.
STOCKTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TIERNEY KESTER AND MADI ROGERS showed up ready to work during Stockton’s annual PRIDE Day on Monday, April 24th.ntact Muir at Solutions North Bank to get
PRIDE President Muir stated, “It was a much better day weather-wise than we’ve had in the past few years and we got a lot accomplished. It’s nice to have so many working together for a pleasing goal. I was very PROUD of all who participated. The kids enjoyed themselves and the community benefited from it tremendously! That’s what it is all about, neighbors helping neighbors and showing our Stockton PRIDE.”
(The organization meets every second Tuesday of the month and is open to all community members who want to make a difference in our town.)
Earl V. Brenner, 93, Hays, died Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at Via Christi Village in Hays.
He was born February 4, 1924 on the family farm near McCracken, Kansas the son of Leo James and Ina (Fitzgerald) Brenner. He was a graduate of McCracken High School and attended Fort Hays State University.
On February 3, 1948 he was united in marriage to Corrine L. Janke at St. Mary’s Church in McCracken. They celebrated nearly sixty years of marriage prior to her preceding him in death on November 29, 2007. Earl was a farmer and rancher and from an early age he appreciated the beauty of the fields and pastures and fostered a love for cattle. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Ellis Third Degree Knights of Columbus Council #2133, the Bishop Cunningham Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, and the Sunflower Polka Club. He enjoyed helping as an usher at funerals for many years at St. Joseph Catholic Church, fishing with friends and family, and dancing polkas and listening to polka music.
Survivors include two sons; Lowell Brenner and wife Christine of Coats, Kansas, and Lance Brenner and wife Michelle of Ellis, Kansas, two daughters; Laytha Gnad and husband Michael of Hays, and Linda Lichtenwaldt and husband Tom of Tehachapi, CA, a daughter-in-law; Kathleen Brenner of Hays, two sisters; Ruth Houfman of Hutchinson and Marie Brack of LaCrosse, sixteen grandchildren; Heidi Goff and husband Chane, Shannon Gnad and wife Jessica, Robin Lovewell and husband Tom, Brandy Ochs and husband EJ, Matt Brenner and wife Mandy, Dave Brenner and wife Stacey, Mitch Brenner and wife Cindy, Adam Brenner and wife Mindy, Lucas Lichtenwaldt and wife Marie, Marshall Lichtenwaldt and wife Alecia, Dustin Brenner and wife Luwana, Jesse Brenner, Josie Conkle and husband Sean, Jed Brenner and wife Chelsie, Alesha Brenner and fiance Chris Redding, and Brendon Brenner, thirty nine great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Corrine, a son; Larry Brenner in 2014, a grandson; Jeffery Allen Brenner, and a great-grandson; Christian Lichtenwaldt.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Friday, April 28, 2017 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 215 W. 13th, Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Friday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street. The Bishop Cunningham Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus will stand honor guard from 5:30 pm until 6:30 on Thursday at the funeral home. A parish vigil service will be at 6:30 followed by a combined Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus rosary at 7:00, both on Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph Catholic Church, in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com
WICHITA – A Kansas woman was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of providing a gun to a man who is charged with shooting and killing three people near Moundridge, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Myrta M. Rangel, 31, Wichita, is charged with:
One count of aiding and abetting possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count one).
One count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count two).
One count of conspiracy to carry a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (count three).
One count of transferring a firearm to be used in drug trafficking (count four).
One count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction (count five).
One count of giving a firearm to a convicted felon (count six).
It is alleged that on Oct. 29, 2016, Rangel gave a .40 caliber handgun to Jereme Nelson. Nelson is charged in Harvey County District Court with killing three people: Travis Street, Angela May Graevs and Richard Prouty.
Nelsen-photo Harvey Co.
If convicted, she faces the following penalties:
Count one: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Count two: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Count three: Up to 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Counts four, five and six: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
NEW ORLEANS – Fort Hays State Women’s Track and Field moved into the USTFCCCA Division II national team rankings on Tuesday (Apr. 25). The Tigers enter the sixth outdoor poll of the season at No. 24 in the nation. The Tigers generated 48.75 points in the newest set of computer rankings.
Fort Hays State is one of three MIAA women’s programs currently in the top 25. Pittsburg State is ranked No. 2 in the nation, while Lincoln is No. 16. Southwest Baptist and Emporia State have also spent time in the women’s outdoor national rankings this season.
The Tigers received an extra boost from Alexcia Deutscher and Kelly Wycoff this past week at the Kansas Relays to jump into the top 25. Deutscher moved up to third on the national performance list in the javelin, while Wycoff gained a provisional mark in the 400 meters by running a new school record time of 55.48 seconds. Deutscher gives Fort Hays State two of the top three javelin throwers in the nation, with Estefania Lopez holding a strong lead to the No. 1 ranking (by over 14 feet) with a mark of 176 feet, 5 inches. Deutscher is third on the performance list at 156 feet, 11 inches. Only Bethany Drake of Western Washington (162 feet, 4 inches) separates the two.
Wycoff has three provisional marks this year in the 100, 200, and 400 meters. She is among the top 30 nationally in each event. Selam Ball (pole vault) and Courtney Geiger (discus) also own provisional marks this season.
This is the second FHSU team to be ranked this year in track and field. The men’s indoor squad spent time in the top 25 earlier this year.
Below are the latest USTFCCCA women’s team rankings.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A woman whose baby was due mid-May went into labor early and gave birth at a Nebraska zoo.
Drea Hubbard was born Sunday at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces.
Her mother, 24-year-old Kymica Hubbard, says the birth took about two minutes from when her water broke.
Hubbard was so taken by surprise that she was still standing when Drea’s head appeared. Her husband, Justin Hubbard, caught the child and wrapped her in a sweater as other zoo visitors gathered around.
The zoo’s nurse, Krystal Hartmann, says Drea is the first human baby she’s seen delivered at the facility.
While Kymica Hubbard says she never thought she would have a baby in public, her husband said he “wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior Candace Bollig earned MIAA Hitter of the Week honors on Tuesday (Apr. 25) for her efforts in the final week of the season. Bollig helped the Tigers go 4-2 in the final week, delivering two walk-off wins at the plate.
Bollig had a .529 batting average and 1.059 slugging percentage for the week. Her biggest performance helped FHSU earn a split in the conference doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney in Hays as she hit a pair of two-run home runs in a 5-4 win. The latter of the two was a walk-off homer with FHSU trailing 4-3, down to its last strike in the seventh. Against Newman, she had a walk-off RBI double in the seventh to lift FHSU to a 4-3 win. Bollig finished the week with six RBI, five runs scored, and nine hits which included a double, triple, and two home runs.
For the week, she reached base in six of seven plate appearances against Newman, going 5-for-6 at the plate in that doubleheader. She was 3-for-6 at the plate in the conference doubleheader with UNK. She was 1-for-3 at the plate in the non-conference doubleheader with UNK, drawing five walks.
Bollig joined Claire Miller of Southwest Baptist for the weekly MIAA Player of the Week awards. Miller was tabbed the MIAA Pitcher of the Week.
Tuesday morning fatal fire at 810 Wellington Road -photo courtesy Nick Krug Lawrence Journal World
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a woman was killed and a firefighter injured during a blaze at a house in Lawrence, Kansas.
The city’s fire department said in a news release that firefighters managed to pull the woman from the burning, one-story home about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, but she died at the scene. Her name was not immediately released.
The city said a firefighter sustained a minor injury.
There was no immediate word on what may have sparked the fire.
Mike Randol, director of health care finance at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, recently told lawmakers that he is confident the state will get a requested one-year extension of KanCare, its privatized Medicaid program. FILE PHOTO / KPR
A third of the way to an end-of-year deadline, Kansas officials still do not have federal approval to extend KanCare.
In January, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services denied the state’s request for a one-year extension of the waiver that allowed it to privatize its Medicaid program. The denial letter said neither the Kansas Department of Health and Environment nor the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services was doing enough to hold the three private companies that run the program responsible for providing services accountable to Medicaid rules.
Mike Randol, director of health care finance at KDHE, recently told Kansas lawmakers that he is confident the state will get the requested extension ahead of the deadline.
“I just think with the process they’ve asked us to go through, it is going to take more time than expected,” Randol told members of the KanCare oversight committee last week.
At the time of the denial, Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer called it “an ugly parting shot” from the outgoing administration of Democratic President Barack Obama.
“We expect this situation to be resolved quickly once the new administration in Washington comes into office,” Colyer said, referring to then President-elect Donald Trump, who was inaugurated days later.
During the oversight committee meeting, Randol declined to predict when the extension would be granted but noted that his meetings with CMS officials have been “much more friendly” since the change in administrations.
Technically, KanCare is a demonstration project. The federal government gave the state permission to suspend regular Medicaid rules to demonstrate that contracting with three private insurance companies could improve care and slow the growth rate of Medicaid costs.
Since the inception of KanCare in 2013, the state has spent approximately $1.4 billion less than it would have under the old fee-for-service program, Randol said.
Meanwhile, health care providers — nursing homes in particular — continue to complain about significant payment and administrative problems under KanCare.
“As we have reported every month for the last 14 months, there continues to be a Medicaid eligibility backlog in the thousands,” said Rachel Monger, director of government affairs for LeadingAge Kansas, which represents nonprofit nursing homes.
“Our members continue to report delayed cases, lost paperwork and communications frustrations,” she told members of the oversight committee.
A pilot project appears to have resolved the backlog problems at a dozen test nursing homes, Randol said. He said KDHE is in the process of implementing changes based on that project.
Still, several members of the committee said the assurances they are getting from agency officials do not square with the complaints they continue to hear from constituents.
“We hear things are improving, but when I go back home I’m not hearing the same thing,” said Rep. Susan Concannon, a Republican from Beloit, noting that it took more than a year to process the eligibility of one nursing home resident in her district.
Providers also are urging legislators to reverse a cut in KanCare reimbursement rates ordered last year by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to help avert a budget deficit. They say the cut is hindering their ability to serve KanCare patients and maintain provider networks.
Restoring the KanCare cut is one of the issues that lawmakers are expected to consider when they return May 1 to finalize the state budget.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas.
The city of Hays is encouraging homeowners to add a “sprinkler spruce-up” to their spring cleaning lists this year.
Water Conservation Specialist Jason Riegel says maintenance and inspection of a lawn irrigation system will save money and water.
In conjunction with the EPA’s WaterSense program, Riegel recommends following these four steps:
INSPECT–Check your system for clogged, broken or missing sprinkler system. The city can provide a list of licensed irrigation contractors.
CONNECT–Examine points where sprinkler heads connect to pipes. If water is pooling in the landscape or there is a large soggy area, there may be a leak in the system.
DIRECT–Redirect sprinklers to apply water only to the landscape. Avoid watering the driveway or sidewalk instead of the yard.
SELECT–An improperly scheduled irrigation controller can waste a lot of water and money. Update your system’s schedule with the season.
Rainfall shutoff sensors and soil moisture sensors are required on all new installations of landscape irrigation in Hays.
Watering restrictions in Hays will start June 1 and continue through September 30. Outdoor watering will be prohibited between noon and 7 p.m.
The city’s website, www.haysusa.com, now has a daily Drought Monitor graphic which shows Hays’ current water status ranging from normal to emergency.
Larned – Loraine K. Hammeke, 98, died peacefully on April 23, 2017, while residing at Cedar View Assisted Living in Hays, KS.
She was born in Windthorst, KS, on July 14, 1918 to William and Mary Hornung Torline. She married Melvin F. Hammeke on September 8, 1943 in Windthorst. She was a homemaker and farmer near Belpre.
Survivors include four sons, Michael (Patricia) Hammeke, Marshfield, WI, Kenneth (Orena) Hammeke, Larned, Thomas (Sharon) Hammeke, Milwaukee, WI, and David (Kathy) Hammeke, Belpre; a daughter, Susan (Jim) Werth, Hays; a sister-in-law, Maxine Herman, Larned; 14 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin, and a son, Paul, six brothers (Lawrence, Francis, Raymond, Meinrad, Vincent and William) and two sisters (Helen and Alberta (Sister Esther)).
Vigil will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned.
Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Larned. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday with family present from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Burial will be in the Belpre Catholic Cemetery, Belpre.
Memorials are suggested to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Hays Medical Center Hospice or Cedar View Assisted Living in Hays all in care of Beckwith Mortuary, Box 477 Larned, KS 67550. Condolences may be left at www.beckwithmortaury.com.
ATCHISON – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Atchison Police Department are conducting an investigation into a death which occurred in Atchison Monday evening, according to a media release.
Just after 7 p.m., authorities found a man identified as 49-year-old Michael Moeck, deceased at his residence at 1145 Parallel Street in Atchison.
The investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Moeck had a previous drug conviction in Atchinson County in 2004, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His sentence expired in 2006.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call 1-800-KS-CRIME.
