Explore the Chestnut Street District with the Hays Public Library. Docents from the library’s staff will be leading tours of historic downtown Hays at 6:30 pm, 7 pm and 7:30 pm on Friday, July 14. Tours are open to all ages and will leave from the library’s main (west) entrance. No reservation is needed.
The tours will feature eight downtown buildings including George Philip Hardware Co., Wiesner’s Department Store, the Hays Arts Council, which used to be Newspaper Publishing Co., and Salon Centric, which used to be Harkness Pharmacy.
Tours will last approximately 30 minutes. Due to the hot weather, there will also be cold bottles of water available to anyone who goes on the tour.
From left: Elizabeth Clingan, Zoey Parker and Emma Wassinger. Courtesy photo
Submitted
Members of the Heartland Academy of Dance and Cheer recently took part in the AAU National Championships in Kingsport, Tenn.
Heartland, 1803 General Custer, is owned by Rich and Tawnita Augustine.
In a news release, the Augustines said all 46 of the academy’s team girls qualified for nationals during the April district championships.
“However, since gymnastics at the national level is not a team sport, it is up to the individual families to go or not. Since next year is in Tampa, most opted not to go this year and wait for next year.”
At the national meet there were 1,336 girls competing from 24 districts and from 116 gymnastics clubs.
Results: Elizabeth Clingan:
Vault 9.287 5th
Bars 8.750
Beam 9.375 3rd
Floor 9.525 2nd…
4th National All Around
There was a 9 tenths difference among the top 5 all-around scores
Emma Wassinger: (2nd Nationals, 2nd year in a row finishing 2nd place in All Around):
Vault 9.475 1st, National Champ
Bars 8.900 3rd
Beam 9.050 4th
Floor 9.2 2nd…
2nd National All Around
Zoey Parker (1st Nationals):
Vault 9.60 1st, National Champ
Bars 8.875 10th
Beam 9.70 1st, National Champ, undefeated all season on beam
Floor 9.75 1st, National Champ
All Around 1st, National Champ
ELLIS–Ellis city council members will meet in another 2018 budget work session tonight, Thu., July 13, at 6 p.m. in the Ellis City Hall, 815 Jefferson.
The council will hear requests from city department heads for the Capital Improvement Plan.
Come join us for St. Mary’s CYO Pan Fried Chicken Dinner on Sunday, July 23 2017. Dinner includes Pan Fried Chicken, Homemade mashed potatoes & Gravy, corn, green beans, coleslaw, dinner rolls and dessert. Will be serving from 10:00 until 1:00 or until food runs out but have ordered extra supplies. Price is $5.00 for kids 5 to 9 and 10 and above $10.00. Everyone Welcome!!!!! We also have 10, 16 & 24 piece buckets of chicken with sides or no sides to go. Call 785-259-3992 to place your order. Call ahead or allow at least 15 minutes to make them.
Robert “Bob” Bieker, 74, DeLand, Fla., passed away July 10, 2017 after a long and courageous battle with metastasized prostate cancer.
He was born May 26, 1943 at Hays, KS to Carl and Rita Bieker. A graduate of St. Joseph’s Military Academy, now Thomas More Prep Marian High School in Hays, the military discipline followed him throughout his life but with a large dose of humor and good mischief. He never met a stranger.
Bob married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Haas, Ellis, KS in 1963. One son, Kevin, was born to them. His wife and son were his greatest pride. Bob was employed by Dillon Stores, Wichita, KS for 25 years. Recognized for his management skills, he opened multiple new stores for the company and advanced the careers of many employees. An entrepreneur, he began several start-up companies.
His final career choice was automobile sales. Honesty and customer satisfaction were his reputation. Bob was an extremely generous individual and particularly loved gifting family and friends with vacations at his favorite timeshares. Seeking a warmer climate, he and Marilyn moved from Minneapolis, MN in 2002 and found paradise in DeLand.
Survivors include his wife; son Kevin (Dawn Pitmon), Woodbury, MN; four brothers (Charles, Salina, KS; Gene, Granbury, TX; Jim, Trinity, TX; Gerard, Wichita, KS); three sisters (Marlene Irwin, Hays, KS; Margaret Picking, Hot Springs Village, AK; Marla Diers, Trinity, TX). He was predeceased by his parents and one sister, Mary Ann Wasko. Funeral services will be held August 16, 2017 at 10 AM, St. Peters Catholic Church, DeLand. Family services will follow August 19 in Hays, KS.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Patient Advocates for Advanced Cancer Treatments, P. O. Box 45, Sparta, MI 49345 or to your favorite organization involved in the fight against cancer.
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Parker Schkade scattered seven hits over seven innings and picked up the complete game victory to lead the Hays Larks past Dodge City 4-2 in game one of their doubleheader Wednesday night at Cavalier Field in Dodge City. The Athletics scored five runs in the second inning and won the second contest 5-4.
Schkade (1-0), who was making his first start of the season, struck out four and walked one. Colin Simpon’s two-out, two-run single gave the Larks (25-11, 25-10 Jayhawk League) the lead for good in the third. Mikey Gangwish added a home run and an RBI double.
The Larks tried to rally in the game two with solo home runs from Trevor Boone and Colin Simpson. Following the Boone homer in the fifth, the Larks loaded the bases but failed to score.
Brad Sugg (0-1) took the loss allowing five runs on six hits over four innings.
The Larks now have a one-game lead over both Derby and Liberal after the Bee Jays 20-6 rout in Derby.
Hays closes out their five-game series with Dodge City Thursday night tonight at Larks Park at 7 pm. It’s Educators Night with all area Educators encouraged to attend. Admission is free courtesy of the Hess Clinic and Kendell Krug & Stacey Jones Optometry.
HAYS, Kan. – The Hays Monarchs Optimist scored single runs in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh innings and blanked the Hays Eagles Senior American Legion 4-0 Wednesday at Larks Park.
The Monarchs scored two of the runs on ground outs and another on an error.
Down 4-0, the Eagles loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but failed to score.
Tate Garcia and Cole Zimmerman held the Eagles hitless over the first seven innings. Garcia struck out four with two walks over five innings and gets the win. Chase Werth gave up four hits over the final two innings with a strike out and a walk.
Cole Murphy allowed one run on two hits over the first two innings and takes the loss as the Eagles drop their sixth straight and fall to 17-12.
Creighton Renz had two hits and Luke Ruder drove in two despite going 0-for-5 for the Monarchs who won their sixth straight and improve to 17-9.
State lawmakers who ended Governor Sam Brownback’s tax experiment were pragmatic but not conservative. So said my colleague Michael Smith recently in writing on “the myth of conservative Kansas.”
I disagree. Those lawmakers and the voters who elected them were indeed pragmatists in the best Kansas tradition but also fundamentally conservative in the true meaning of that word.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
True conservatives abhor reckless experimentation, distrust absolute power, and see historical experience as a crucial guide in making public policy.
Brownback and the far-right faction of Republicans who commandeered the executive and legislative branches of Kansas state government from 2011 through 2015 were not genuine conservatives as they claim. They were ideologues with a radical agenda.
They experimented carelessly with state taxes, grabbed for control of the Kansas Supreme Court, and unraveled school finance. In each instance, these right-wing lawmakers ignored history—turning their backs on the judgement and conservative character of Kansas voters and those elected by these voters over recent generations.
Voters eventually saw through this ideological charade and rejected it at the ballot box in 2016.
First, voters halted the fanatical drive to eliminate the state income tax. Kansas conservatives had historically sought to restrain spending in line with revenues, maintain state balances, keep taxes fair and tax rates low, pay bills on time, exercise caution in the use of debt, and preserve state credit. The tax experiment took Kansas in exactly the opposite direction—four years of unbalanced budgets, a depleted state treasury, unfair taxes, record debt, and credit downgrades.
In 2016 voters elected a new class of lawmakers who restored a fair and balanced tax structure and moved Kansas back onto a more conservative fiscal course. These lawmakers also understood that all the damage done by the experimenters could not be repaired in one legislative session.
Second, voters rebuffed plans to pack the Kansas Supreme Court. The governor and his right-wing allies had unleashed a crescendo of political attacks on the Court prior to the election of 2016. They threatened the Court with budget cuts and impeachment procedures and tried to undermine court administration. They sought to abandon merit selection of Supreme Court justices put in place by voters nearly 60 years earlier to deter gubernatorial abuse of power.
Conservative voters rejected the blatant power grab. They retained all five Supreme Court justices on the 2016 ballot and demonstrated their long-standing preference for an independent judiciary as a check on executive and legislative powers.
Third, in 2016 voters elected a majority of state lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, who believed in public schools and reasonable school funding. Prior to the election of 2010 Kansas legislators and governors had repeatedly cooperated with state courts in resolving constitutional challenges to state funding for public schools and refining procedures for that funding. In 2013 far-right lawmakers led by the governor disregarded historical precedents and discarded those procedures with no plan for replacing them. They enacted temporary block grants that shortchanged schools. Their transient fix was declared unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court.
The newly elected majority of lawmakers looked to past experience in responding to the court order. They reinstated earlier procedures for school funding, refined them in response to the court, and adopted a conservative level of funding for schools. Their actions are now under review by the Court.
Once Kansas voters realized what ideological Republicans were up to, they changed course. They opted for pragmatism and conservatism in charting the state’s future.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
The first is a $108,000 project to replace the windows on the south side of the school. The windows were metal-rimmed and single-paned.
During the winter so much heat radiated through the windows on the south side of the building, the rooms would reach temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees, and the school had to run the air conditioner, Rachel Wentling, principal, said.
The new windows are more energy efficient and include escape windows on both floors of the building. The old windows dated back to 1956 when the building was constructed.
Old exterior of the school.
In addition, metal sheeting that had covered the exterior of the building was replaced with new stucco, and interior south walls that were covered with ceiling tiles were remodeled.
Wentling said school leaders hope the renovations will help make the rooms more comfortable for students and staff, save on utility costs and be more aesthetically pleasing.
Work is almost done on the window project. The school’s maintenance crew has worked on some of the interior finishes, which has saved the school money.
The renovations were paid for with capital funds the school’s leadership has been setting aside for just such work.
New exterior of the school.
Wentling said she hopes the north windows can be done next year. The north wind blows on those single-pane windows, making that side of the school cold during the winter.
Parish leadership also decided to complete work on east parking lot and playground area at Holy Family this summer. That work began June 26.
An asphalt parking lot is being replaced with concrete. The fence around the playground and parking lot is being replaced with new black, powder-coated chain link, which Wentling said she also hopes will improve the exterior aesthetics of the school.
Interior of a classroom after the window replacement.
The school decided to replace its preschool playground equipment during the construction. Half of the cost was paid for through capital funds and half from the home school organization.
The equipment had not been replaced in about 15 years, and the school was spending a significant amount to replace plastic pieces that were cracking and breaking.
The new equipment is divided into two sections with stepping stones in between them.
The concrete portion of the project should be done by the end of July, and the fence should be up before school starts in August.
“The inside of our school is so well maintained for a building that was built in 1956. The things that occur on the inside of our building are just fantastic — the faith formation, the education, the social engagements. All the lovely things that you want for a school occur within our walls …” Wentling said.
Dirt work being done on the east side of the school.
“But the outside of our school did not reflect what was going on on the inside, so I feel like when we are all finished with everything, we are going to have a building to be proud of that is really going to be reflecting what is going on on the inside.”
“Think of it as a gym membership, but instead of access to workout equipment you have a membership to access to office equipment.”
That’s how Aaron White, executive director of the Ellis Co. Coalition for Economic Development (ECCED) describes a new coworking office facility, The Gateway, scheduled to open late this year in downtown Hays at 219 West 10th Street in a former furniture rental store.
“It’s coworking or shared office space targeted to people who’ve been operating a home-based business and the home environment no longer meets their needs, or telecommuters working for a company outside of Hays or even the state,” White explained. “It can be difficult to separate home and work life due to distractions but maybe they don’t need full-blown private office.”
The building will be renovated and fitted for open work stations with access to a commercial quality combination copier, printer, fax and scanner, and high-speed internet. There will private offices to use as needed for confidentiality, a basement conference room, a training room and, of course, a coffee brew bar. Members will have access to the facility 24/7. “They can be there on their own schedule with everything necessary to facilitate their work,” White said.
Basic memberships will be available by the month, likely a fee of $150 a month. “There’s a dedicated level that provides additional services and gives members access to a dedicated work station they can consider their own and actually leave things there,” White explained, “but it can also be rented by the week or even by the day.”
White used the scenario of a salesperson who needs to be in Hays for a few days to talk with clients but doesn’t necessarily want to work out of a motel room. “That person can utilize this space for a couple of days as needed.”
Site of The Gateway, 219 West 10th Street
The building that once was the site of Sears is at ground level and has a sub-basement with a total square footage of 7,000 feet. “We figure we have the capacity for about 80 members,” said White.
Plans for the space have been underway since last fall. An online survey targeting at-home workers initially yielded 15 people who were interested in a shared office space. Other business people have expressed enthusiasm after the proposal was presented to several civic groups.
“One gentleman came up after a Hays Kiwanis meeting and said it was exactly what he’d like to do. He moved to Hays because his employer had an office here but it’s since closed and he said he hates working at home. He has options because his company has offices in other communities. This is something that can keep him in Hays.
“We think this can attract people to Hays. How many people have moved away, love the area and want to come back, but don’t want to leave their current employer? If the employer is open to telecommuting, this is a facility for those people to come back home and have a place where they can still work for their existing employer and have the quality of life they’re looking for in Hays and western Kansas.”
Renovations must be made before the facility can open.
The building’s main floor will have an open floor plan.
“The whole project is being funded by a generous $600,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation,” White said. “We’ll be purchasing the building and then doing a large amount of renovation. A lot of it will be demolition work, cleaning it out, working with local businesses to outfit it and set it up to facilitate open office spaces and get the lounge/break area ready to go. There’s a lot of work to be done but the funding is in place so we’re ready to start moving forward.”
The Coalition is donating $50,000 to the project and is looking for opportunities for other groups to make in-kind donations and receive recognition. “We really want this to be a community project,” he stressed. A local designer, SjB Design, is being used to create an industrial motif for the facility. Eagle Communications has donated 1 GB of high speed internet for the building during its first two years of operation.
According to White, this will be the first coworking space in western Kansas. “We’re very excited to see this happen,” he said.
Industrial office ideas are pinned to a bulletin board propped against the wall.
During research and tours of similar facilities in Manhattan and Wamego, White said they expected to find the set-up attracts people in the tech industry such as software engineers and app developers. They also discovered it’s also being used by sales companies, start-up insurance companies, attorneys who are just starting out and even photography studios.
“For a lot of photographers, they’re shooting on site and they just need a place to throw down a laptop and edit photos. The digital age of photography has made a facility like this quite usable.”
“The sky’s the limit for who’s going to utilize this type of facility.”
A Facebook page has been created for The Gateway, which will include updates on the renovation progress and it will later have its own web site. A full-scale marketing plan to attract members will be implemented, including a lot of social media.
White expects a lot of the promotion will be by word-of-mouth. “We’d love to see potential members reach out to us because we’d like to get their input on the facility as we’re doing the renovations. We’ll be holding a number of ‘sit-downs’ during the reconstruction to show them what we’re doing and to build some interest.”
Once The Gateway is up and running, there are plans for weekly events including training seminars, lunch and learns, and guest speakers to talk about issues of interest to the members.
The co-working facility will be operated and coordinated by the Ellis County Development Corporation, which has a 501c3 non-profit designation.
For just a one day use, the person would stop by the Coalition office in the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, to sign up and pay for it. Most of the time, the scheduling for users will be done primarily online.
Drafting and design layouts by Stephen J. Brummer
“There are number of software programs designed specifically to manage coworking space. The general membership will all be handled online including payment and account management. Ultimately, we want to go to a pass card security system to access the building,” he added. “There’s another software package that turns a cellphone into a pass key to get into the building that links into the membership manager software. When the membership expires, that app is disabled and they don’t go into the building any more. It’s really hands-off. A lot of these facilities around the country have no permanent staff; it’s handled exclusively online.
“In the coworking spaces, we visited there were folks who come in after five o’clock or on weekends. It’s really designed to fit their schedules, very flexible, to be used when needed.
“A coworking space is really a community, a community of folks working together who can potentially share and collaborate on projects. When you’re working at home, there’s a little bit of isolation and it’s difficult to run ideas past your peers who aren’t there,” White said with a smile. “That community atmosphere is what often attracts folks to this type of facility.”
For more information about The Gateway, call the ECCED at 785-628-3102.
(Disclosure: Eagle Communications is the parent company of Hays Post.)
Scroll to the bottom for a map of garage sale locations. Hays Post offers FREE garage sale listings weekly. Having a sale next weekend? Click HERE for details.
Address: 2201 Downing Street, Hays
Everything must go! Whole house estate sale.
Household items, furniture, some antiques, and some garden tools available.
Friday July 14, 4pm to 7pm
Saturday July 15, 8am to 1pm
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Address: 701 North Eighth, WaKeeney and 725 North Eighth, WaKeeney
Items for sale: small brass curio cabinet, bedding sets, electric keyboard, kitchen items, toys, 2 sets of youth golf clubs, home decor, small tv that mounts under cabinet, car stereo and speakers, wicker chairs, small lamps, PictureMate personal photo lab,, white daybed,
Everything you need on one block and priced low!
Saturday July 15, 8:00
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Address: 1520 Commerce Parkway, Hays
Items for sale: Young adult clothing both men’s and ladies – all name brands – some teenage also
Home décor – shower curtains, rugs
Comforter sets – very nice – hardly used – twin, full, queen and king size – No Stains
TV stand
Oak bathroom vanities with sinks and extra cabinets for above the vanity -very nice – must see
Oak coffee table
Authentic coach purses
Ab exercise chair
Several 10X7 Area Rugs and 5X8 Area Rug with matching runner Very good condition – No Stains
Lots of misc. items – 3 Family Garage Sale
Friday July 14th 10:00 – 6:00 PM
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Address: 1217 Motz Avenue, Hays
Items for sale: name brand boys clothes – infant through 5T
name brand adult clothes
household goods
toys
miscellaneous
Saturday 9;00 a.m to 1:00 p.m.
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Address: 513 West 31st, Hays
Items for sale: Multi-family sale:
Home decor
Longaberger baskets
Christmas decor
toys, games,
household goods, Pampered Chef items
adult and children’s clothing
special occasion dresses jr size small, girls jr clothing small, boys clothes books, cookbooks
baseball caps
saucer chair
roller blades
brand new garage door rails
Friday, July 14, 2017 from 9am – 6pm
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Address: 1701 Agnes Dr., Hays
Items for sale: *Multi- family sale! Priced to sell!
*Sports equipment (bats, gloves, helmets, baseballs, etc)
*boy’s bike, women’s bike
*toys
*many name brand boy’s clothing sizes 10/12 and up
*men’s and women’s name brand clothing from size small to men’s 4x and women’s 3x
*at least 100 pairs of shoes (football cleats, baseball cleats, track spikes, tennis shoes, dress shoes, etc.)
*life jacket and sleeping bags
*Nike back packs
*American Girl Doll with accessories
*kitchen items
*car stands
*Xbox 360 games and Xbox 360 controllers,
Fri. 11am-7pm and Sat. 9-12
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Address: 109 W 37th St, Hays
Items for sale: Friday Only! Noon – 6 p.m.
109 W. 37th in Hays
Cash Only!
Name Brand clothing!!
Teen girl clothing & shoes – mainly sizes 2 – 6 (ages 14 – 16)
Pre-Teen boy clothing – mainly sizes 10 – 12 (ages 11 – 13)
Pre-Teen girl clothing – mainly sizes 10 – 16 (ages 10 – 14)
Over 10 Lego sets – range in ages 5 – 16
– include Star Wars, Harry Potter & Pirates of Caribbean
Fitbit Charge – size small – black
4 sturdy, white square baskets – for baby’s changing table or other organizer!!
Minnie Mouse dress from Walt Disney World
KU wall décor
Books & toys
Hot wheels Radio/CD player
Large box full of fabric
Like new rain train sprinkler
Jewelry
Inline skates – size 5-8
Holiday décor – all different seasons
Kitchen items & Tablecloths
Pillows, Blankets & Baskets
Brushed nickel ceiling fixture with 4 lights
2 white 2” window blinds
Friday, July 14, Noon – 6 pm
———————–
Address: 207 E 25th, Hays
Items for sale: Baby boy clothes double stroller baby swing walker lots of mic
Sat July 15, 8 am – sell out
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Address: 1701 Agnes Dr, Hays
Items for sale: Everything priced to sell :Over 100 pairs of girls, woman’s, boys, & men’s shoes, teen girl/woman’s size small name brand clothing . Boys size 10/12 & up name brand clothing. woman’s size 3x / men’s size 4x name brand clothing. Nike backpacks , purses, wallets. Boys bike, woman’s bike, Xbox controllers, sports equipment, American Girl doll w/ accessories. Household items and much more!!
Address: 1806 E 25th, Hays
Items for sale: Womens harley Davidson, Under armour running/workout clothes.
Girls size 6-8 like new clothing
Household items, chair, end tables…
All childrens clothing $1
Adult clothing $3-5
8/14 3:00-6:00 8/15 8-12
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Address: 1312 W 46th St, Hays
Items for sale: Name Brand Clothing for Boys, Girls, Women, and Men
Boys athletic shoes
Toys
Home Decor
Friday 9:00-8:00, Saturday 8:00-11:00
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SUBMIT your free garage sale listing where it will be SEEN! Deadline is noon each Wednesday, but, hey, we’re flexible here at Hays Post. Click HERE to submit your weekend garage sale.
Thursday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 88. North northeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Thursday Night Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Northeast wind around 7 mph.
Friday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind 5 to 8 mph.
SaturdayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Saturday NightA slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
SundayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am. Sunny, with a high near 93.
Thursday Night Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.