Faith Ann Scheck, the current Ellis City Treasurer, filed Wed. morning for re-election. There are also three open city council seats in Ellis as well as that of mayor.
Hays residents John C. Mayers and Christopher S. Dinkel filed to run for Hays city commissioner. There are three positions open on the Hays city commission. The top two vote-getters will receive a four year term. The person with the third-highest amount of votes will serve a two year term.
Filing deadline is tomorrow at noon in the Ellis Count Clerk’s office, 718 Main, Hays. A updated list of candidate filings is available on the county’s website www.ellisco.net.
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on kidnapping and other charges.
Just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, the Wamego Police Department received a report of shots fired in the 300 block of Chestnut Street, according to a media release.
Officers and Deputies arrived in the area and located a residence which had been struck by gun fire. Officers checked the occupants of the residence and found no one was injured.
Investigators from the KBI, KHP, Wamego Police and Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Department went to a residence in the 1800 block of Marsha Lane in Wamego and took David Rojas, 31, into custody.
He faces charges including aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and aggravated burglary. Investigators believe this to be an isolated incident.
The fourth-annual First Responder Appreciation Barbecue will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at the Frontier Park East Shelter.
All active and retired first responders and their families from Ellis County are invited to attend the event, which is sponsored by local Knights of Columbus councils.
The Knights of Columbus provide both funding and volunteers for the event as a way to give back to the community.
Food will include, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and other refreshments and will be served picnic style.
In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Activity Center.
Last year, the event drew between 300 and 400 people.
Not the actual items but have similar appearances-photo Reno Co. Sheriff
RENO COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a reported theft and asking the public for assistance.
Between May 12 and16, a 2006 Beige Ford F-350 dually, license plate 753EAU pulling a 24′ black flatbed PJ Trailer with fenders was stolen from a location southwest of Arlington, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.
On the trailer was a 2012 Takeuchi TL250 Track Loader with pallet fork attachment. The Takeuchi has about 350 hours.
Authorities asked anyone with information to please call (620) 694-2735 and speak with Detective Post or remain anonymous by calling Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
Case number 2017-5088.
Donna Shull,78, died Sunday, May 29, 2017 at the Colby Health & Rehab — Colby, Kansas.
Donna Shull
She was born July 28, 1938 in Oakley, Kansas.
She was a retired school teacher.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn, on Oct. 9, 2003.
Survivors include sons, Mark Ellis of Ellis and Greg Ellis of Colby; and sister Velma Boyd of Monument, Kansas; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday, June 2, 2017 at Kersenbrock Funeral Chapel, Colby. Visitation will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 3 at the funeral chapel.
Burial will be at Beulah Cemetery in Colby.
Memorials may be made to NWKS Hospice, and donations can be made in care of the funeral chapel.
What do General George Armstrong Custer, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok have in common? They were all at Fort Hays in its early years. They will all be returning to Fort Hays on June 17th and 18th to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of Fort Hays in its present location. General Custer, his wife Libbie, and a cast of living historians welcome you to our “Salute to Fort Hays, 150 Years Guarding the Plains.” Some of the presenters at a previous event at Historic Fort Hays. Starting on the left is Wade Mashburn, in uniform is Stan Hope, Marla Matkin, in hat and red neckerchief is Dave Zerfas, Barb Melfi, behind her is Mark Berry, kneeling Kirk Shapland, in black hat Ralph Melfi, Chris Ball and Dennis Casey.
Numerous presentations and activities are scheduled for both days. Through a series of programs visitors will be able to learn more about the various historical figures portrayed at our celebration. Saturday’s programs will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., concluding with an amateur theatrical performance. On Sunday, the programs run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting with an old-fashioned church service.
Other entertainment includes presentations by the Fort Larned Artillery, Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers, Kansas Brigade Band, and many others. Tour our living history encampment and learn more about life at Fort Hays in its early years.
Also, we will have carriage and wagon rides, old time photographs, children’s games and a 4-H food booth.
This event is free and open to the public.
We hope your schedule will allow you to attend and to join with us in celebrating this historic milestone.
Fort Hays State Historic Site is located four miles south of I-70 exit 157 at Hays. For more information contact Fort Hays State Historic Site, 1472 Highway 183 Alt., Hays, KS 67601-9212: 785-625-6812 .
Manhattan, Kansas – In their ongoing support of Kansas FFA, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) awarded 13 grants worth $5,900 to FFA chapters across the state. The grants were for two different award programs. One provided funding to new FFA chapters chartered during the 2016-2017 school year and the other provided funding for chapters partnering with county Farm Bureaus on local projects.
Chapters receiving new chapter grants included:
• Independence FFA in Montgomery County
• Skyline FFA in Pratt County
• Stanton County FFA in Stanton County
Chapters receiving $500 for a joint project in partnership with a county Farm Bureau include:
• Chaparral and Harper County Farm Bureau
• Cimarron and Gray County Farm Bureau
• Clay Center and Clay County Farm Bureau
• Columbus and Cherokee County Farm Bureau
• Hays and Ellis County Farm Bureau
• Inman and McPherson County Farm Bureau
• Riverton and Cherokee County Farm Bureau
• Royal Valley and Jackson County Farm Bureau
• Solomon and Dickinson County Farm Bureau
• Southwestern Heights and Seward County Farm Bureau
These chapters were recognized on stage during the 89th Kansas FFA Convention on Wed., May 31 through Fri., June 2, 2017 at McCain Auditorium on the Kansas State University Campus.
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — Members of America’s first brigade are returning to Fort Riley this month as the brigade celebrates its 100th birthday.
About 200 soldiers in the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley returned to the fort Saturday night. The rest of the 3,700 will return during the next few months.
The brigade was organized in May 1917 and has participated in nearly every campaign since World War I. Its nickname is the Devil Brigade.
The brigade is beginning to return from its current mission in South Korea.
Don’t text and drive– it’s a common reminder these days. Using a cell phone while driving not only endangers you, but everyone else on the road. In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to womenshealth.gov. Putting down your phone when you’re behind the wheel could save lives, including your own.
So if we agree that we shouldn’t text and drive, then texting while walking should be OK, right?
Linda Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences with Kansas State Research and Extension.
Wrong. The dangers of texting and walking were featured in a Walk Kansas newsletter this spring. Surprisingly, physical injuries from cell phone use while walking occur more frequently than from texting and driving, although vehicle accidents from texting usually result in injuries that are far more severe. And with the rise of social media, texting isn’t the only concern. Think about how often you see someone walking– head down, cell phone in hand, and completely unaware of what is going on around them.
A study conducted at Ohio State University focused on pedestrian injuries between 2004 and 2010. The study discovered that while the total number of pedestrian injuries decreased, emergency room visits for injuries related to cell phones tripled during that time.
A separate study from Stony Brook University showed that when people used their cell phones while walking, they were 61 percent more likely to veer off course, and 13 percent more likely to overshoot their target than when they were not distracted.
The researchers said millennials aged 18 to 34 were most likely to be injured in distracted walking incidents, and women over the age of 55 were most likely to suffer serious injuries.
This trend has prompted the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) to launch a campaign against distracted walking. The organization has devoted a page on its website to the topic.
“Today, more and more people are falling down stairs, tripping over curbs and, in many instances, stepping into traffic, causing cuts, bruises, sprains, and fractures,” said Alan Hilibrand, MD, chair of the AAOS Communications Cabinet.
The AAOS website offers these and other tips to avoid distracted walking:
•While you walk, focus on the people, objects, and obstacles around you.
•If you must use headphones or other electronic devices, maintain a volume where you can still hear the sounds of traffic and your surroundings.
•Look up, not down, especially when stepping off or onto curbs or in the middle of major intersections; and/or when walking on or approaching stairs or escalators.
•Stay alert in mall and other parking lots, and on and near streets, especially during the winter months when it gets dark earlier and drivers are not as likely to see you.
There are very few laws in place that restrict texting while walking, but common sense should tell you it is not a very good idea. Using voice commands on your phone can help, but the best advice is to wait until you finish your walk before pulling out your cell phone.
99 KZ Country is celebrating Beef Month by giving you the chance to win a $200 Beef Bundle from Heartland Foods of WaKeeney.
Listen for the herd of cows on KHAZ weekday mornings May 8 – May 30, 2017. That’s the cue to call 785-628-2995 to register for the drawing. One registration per person per day. No age requirement to register.
You can also register at Heartland Foods of WaKeeney, open seven days a week at 401 Russell Avenue in WaKeeney. Stop in and see the wide selection in the meat market. They are proud to be the Beef Month sponsor on KHAZ. Find them on Facebook too.
Winner will be announced May 31, 2017.
Winner will need to pick up the prize certificate at the KHAZ Studio, 2300 Hall, Hays, KS within thirty days of winning.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
Since humans first walked this planet, cycles have connected their pasts, presents, and futures to intrigue and inspire them. All cultures have revered rotations of days, months, and seasons as well as life through death progressions. Those sequences fascinate Homo sapiens enough to make them search for them in odd places. Folks who track history and have internet access report that modern marketers are repeating old traditions.
A decade ago, I edited an uncle’s biography. His story caught my interest when I discovered grocery stores operated very differently than they did during my early adulthood. During his early life, customers delivered lists to a clerk who then moved up and down shelves to fill orders. Choices were limited to what was available. No one wandered aisles searching for an exact combination of cough syrup ingredients or Green Giant approved no-salt green beans.
For those who find themselves obsessively reading labels as they cruise canned good, pharmacy, and baking aisles, my uncle’s example of shopping appears ridiculously simple. There’s no way that would work today when consumers determine whether they want organic vegetables or one of the nine types of flour. Heavens, aspirin selections alone can drive shoppers batty. They have to know whether they prefer enteric or regular, high or low dosage, generic or name brand, or . . . the list goes on. Once they reach the wine aisle, matters go downhill.
In the old days, choices were simple. Flour and sugar came from barrels. The only choice involved ordering a specific quantity, and finances often dictated that. Even after stores sacked such staples, space limited brand preferences for canned fruits and vegetables. Consumers bought what was available since my uncle’s store was the only one around in those horse and buggy days.
The little town I lived in as a newlywed still had its old store with high ceilings and wood plank floors. Over time, the owner updated it to include rows of shelving arranged along narrow aisles so customers could carry a basket and collect their own products. Lack of space limited selection so shopping was simple. At a back counter, a fine butcher cut meat to order. Folks could call in their order or drop off a list if they desired. Though it’s only memory, it remains my favorite market.
Recently, a newscast reported major internet vendors sell groceries online. Shoppers log onto sites, review options, select product, pay electronically, and either pick up their items or have them shipped to home addresses. Apparently, robots can fill orders and drones make deliveries. Despite the Jetson-like cartoon angle, this practice follows my relative’s old grocery store shopping model. You wonder if the brainchild behind this had an uncle who collected orders for old-time mercantile patrons.
Mull the possibilities. Will this innovation simplify consumers’ lives? They order what they want and skip competing choice or will someone devise a companion site to reveal exact ingredients and cheapest sources? Will algorithms unveil exactly what shoppers desire before mathematical functions suggest substitutes? Despite its high-tech twists, this shopping technique strikingly resembles my uncle’s first job in a small town grocery store.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
The city’s Engineer, Kirkham Michael and Associates, will begin surveying for the proposed reconstruction of Allen Street on Wednesday, May 31st, 2017.
The survey activity will be in the area of Allen Street from 8th to 24th Street, and will involve collecting data, which may require access to driveways and sidewalks immediately adjacent to the project limits. Utilities will be marked using spray paint and flags.
If anyone has questions or concerns about this activity, please contact the Hays Public Works Department at (785) 628-7350.
ELLIS CO. CLERK
