By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post

Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the United States and affects the lives of one in every 68 children in the country. The growth of the disorder has prompted people around the country to start raising awareness for autism.

The Fort Hays State University College of Education and the student service organization Tiger Pals will take part in the first Hays Community Autism Spectrum Disorder Awareness Project from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.

The event is split into three different activities. From 1 to 3 p.m., there is a Autism Awareness Event in the atrium of the Sternberg museum. This activity is free for everyone and includes different booths by sponsors and public speakers who share their experiences with autism.

“We have more than 10 booths and a podium for speakers to come and talk,” said Dr. Raj Sharma, Special Education Director of USD 489. “The speakers are all coming with different perspectives. We have mental health, education, higher education … plus the perspective of the individuals with autism and parents of autistic kids.”

From 3 to 4 p.m., there will be an autism walk on the Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature Trails, just west of the Sternberg Museum. The walk will promote awareness, hope, tolerance and understanding.

“Along the walk, we have all the facts about autism on signs set up along the way. This way people can get to know more about autism,” Sharma said.

The final activity of the day is a “Roar Free” half hour inside the Sternberg Museum. The museum has a sound system that makes noises for some of the dinosaur displays that depict how the creatures would sound. These will be shut off for 30 minutes so people that struggle with loud noises can enjoy the whole museum.

“Sometimes noise can frighten someone with autism, so this is their opportunity to go to the museum and enjoy it,” Sharma said.

The event has been funded through the the selling of Autism Awareness T-shirts. Over 300 T-shirts were sold for the event. For the “Roar Free” part of the day, the first 100 people wearing an Autism Awareness shirt will get into the Sternberg Museum for free. After the first 100 people, the cost is $5 each for both children and adults.

“Not just one person can make a difference. All these people that volunteered have big hearts,” Sharma said. “These people were meeting every week for an hour to put this together, and I know how valuable their time is.”

The volunteer group was able to put the event together, make T-shirts and then sell them out all within a month and a half.

“We all get touched every day in our lives and at work, and we all felt that we need to do something together that raises awareness in this community and it has been a great positive thing,” said Nancy Duffy of Development Services of Northwest Kansas.

In addition to the Sternberg Event on April 22, the volunteers reminded the community to wear blue on Thursday, April 20, to stand in unity for autism awareness.

A full list of the volunteers making the event happen:

Dr. Robert Bruce Scott – FHSU Undergraduate Special Ed Program
Jackie Sakil – Marketing Manager for Employment Connections, DSNWK
Nancy Duffy – DSNWK
Mark Dinkel – Westside School/High Plains Mental Health Center
Keshawn Sewell – Tiger Pals FHSU Student Organization
Dr. Jacqueline Lubin – Advanced Education Programs
Kathryn Erk – Coordinator Student Accessibility Services FHSU
Ashley Crowley – Team Josiah 2K22
Lisa Keathley – FHSU Cheerleading
April Green – Autism Family Support Group: Hays
Dr. Raj Sharma – Special Education Director/Hays West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative
Lindy McDaniel – Special Education Teacher USD 489
Dr. Valerie Zelenka – FHSU Undergraduate Special Ed Program
Audrey Lindenmeyer- Program Director, KVC WHEATLAND HOSPITAL
Lavonne Giess- DSNWK

The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and 24 traffic stops Fri., April 14, 2017, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Civil Transport–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 1:06 AM
Animal At Large–2500 block Felten Dr, Hays; 1:04 AM
Battery on LEO–300 block E 7th St, Hays; 2 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–21st and Hall St, Hays; 8:39 AM
Animal At Large–100 block Ash St, Hays; 9:17 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 9:53 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–200 block W 7th St, Hays; 10:13 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 12:15 PM
Driving While Suspended/Revoked–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 2:08 PM
Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 2:27 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–300 block E 16th St, Hays; 2:52 PM
Dead Animal Call–500 block E 6th St, Hays; 3:14 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–1300 block Main St, Hays; 4:03 PM
Violation of Restraining Order/PFA–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 4:20 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–200 block W 7th St, Hays; 4/13 11:30 PM; 4/14 5 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–2100 block Vine St, Hays; 7:44 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–100 block Douglas Dr, Hays; 8:32 PM
Disturbance – General–1200 block Motz Ave, Hays; 9:01 PM
Welfare Check–200 block E 23rd St, Hays; 9:24 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and 35 traffic stops Sat., April 15, 2017, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Driving Under the Influence–100 block E 6th St, Hays; 12:35 AM
Driving Under the Influence–800 block Ash St, Hays; 2:04 AM
Found/Lost Property–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 7:54 AM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–700 block Main St, Hays; 4/14 9 PM; 4/15 8 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2100 block Fort St, Hays; 9:41 AM
Harassment (All Other)–1300 block 40 Hwy, Hays; 11:35 AM
Animal Bite Investigation–1300 block Felten Dr, Hays; 11:41 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–600 block Walnut St, Hays; 4/14 7 PM; 4/15 11:45 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–2200 block E 15th St, Hays; 12:03 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block W 6th St, Hays; 4/14 7 PM; 4/15 11:45 AM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 3:03 PM
Animal At Large–2700 block Epworth St, Hays; 3:10 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–100 block W 10th St, Hays; 3:10 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 3:25 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–100 block W 10th St, Hays; 3:29 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–100 block W 10th St, Hays; 3:30 PM
Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 6:47 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 11:30 AM; 7 PM
Suspicious Activity–100 block W 4th St, Hays; 6:30 PM; 11 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and 14 traffic stops Sun., April 16, 2017, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Traffic Stop–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 12:27 AM
Driving Under the Influence–600 block Milner St, Hays; 12:54 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 1:08 PM
Disturbance – Noise–300 block W 27th St, Hays; 1:21 PM
Miscellaneous Investigation–100 block W 16th St, Hays; 1:26 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–300 block E 6th St, Hays; 4/15 12 PM; 4/16 1 PM
Theft (general)–1300 block Western Plains Dr, Hays; 2/1/17 12 PM; 4/16/17 5 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1100 block Vine St, Hays; 7:43 PM
Water Use Violation–2200 block Haney Dr, Hays; 9:18 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and 17 traffic stops Mon., April 17, 2017, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Welfare Check–100 block W 15th St, Hays; 8:56 AM
Driving While Suspended/Revoked–500 block Riley St, Hays; 10:08 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–1000 block E 43rd St, Hays; 1:54 PM
Animal Bite Investigation–12th and Fort, Hays; 3:36 PM
Found/Lost Property–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 4:45 PM
Animal At Large–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 4:49 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–600 block W 13th St, Hays; 6:01 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–200 block W 12th St, Hays; 7:16 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 7:32 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 8:20 PM
Suspicious Activity–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 9 PM; 9:30 PM

A former Fort Hays State University president is among the finalists for a university administrator role in Alaska.

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks said that Mirta M. Martin, who resigned her post at FHSU last fall, is one of four finalists for its chancellor position.

She is scheduled to make a campus visit later this month.

Click HERE for more.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Monday was the first day on the job for interim Ellis County Treasurer Josh Wasinger.

Wasinger, a Fort Hays State University graduate student, was appointed to the position earlier this month to replace Treasurer Ann Pfeifer. Pfeifer announced in March that she was resigning before her term was up, after she was defeated in November’s general election. Pfeifer’s last day was April 14, and she has accepted a position with Eagle Communications.

Because Pfeifer is a Democrat, the Democratic Party of Ellis County was responsible for selecting her replacement until Treasurer-elect Lisa Schlegel, a Republican, takes office in the fall.

At Monday’s Ellis County Commission meeting, Wasinger introduced himself to the commission and said he met with staff over last week and hopes for a smooth transition to the new treasurer in the fall.

“It’s not my goal to serve in this capacity to make any huge changes or shake up the treasury at all,” Wasinger said. “It’s really just my goal here to make sure that things run smoothly and keep operating efficiently and effectively.”

Wasinger told the commission he will graduate this semester with his master’s in business administration with a focus in finance. He received a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science and philosophy from FHSU.

Prior to being appointed to the treasurer position, Wasinger worked as an administrative associate for the Fort Hays State Honors College and served as a restaurant manager in Hays.

Wasinger is the Ellis County Democratic Party Treasurer and is on the finance committee for the Kansas Democratic Party.

Schlegel will take office Oct. 9.

In other business, the commission authorized County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes to have IMA Inc. search for a better, and more cost-effective, insurance provider for county employees.

Smith-Hanes said some employees were unhappy with changes made by to the State Employee Health Plan so they created a group – Health Insurance Committee – to review other options. They met with two benefits brokers to talk about getting better health coverage.

The preferred broker, IMA has said they will work with the county to get quotes for $10,000. If the county then accepts a plan brokered by IMA, the county will be locked in a three-year contract for $35,000.

“It’s basically a gamble,” Smith-Hanes said. “It is looking at the market, seeing if things have changed enough in the last six years that we have been on the state plan to see if we could come up with a better option.”

The commission also gave the County Appraiser permission to advertise for a part-time position. Appraiser Lisa Ree had asked the commission to allow her to hire a full-time position. Ree said she has had trouble filling the part-time position. Ree had told the commission at last week’s meeting counties similar to the size of Ellis average 10 employees. Her office has 7.25 positions.

Ellis County Election Official and Clerk Donna Maskus also told the commission that because the American Legion has closed they can no longer use that location as an election poll site. That poll site will now move to the Hays Recreation Commission in the south building in gym 3. Maskus said the Hays Rec is allowing the county to use the location free of charge.