Clarence W. Bryant, age 94, passed away at Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, Kansas on Monday, July 3, 2017. Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Friday at the First Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas.
A full obituary will follow.
Month: July 2017
Ernest F. “Ernie” Wolf, 99, Hays, died Tuesday, July 4, 2017 at Via Christi Village Long Term Care.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Saturday, July 8, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Friday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Saturday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home. A parish vigil service will be at 6:30 pm followed by a Knights of Columbus rosary at 7:00 pm, both on Friday at the funeral home.
A complete obituary will be announced.
Alex J Dechant
February 09, 1932 – July 04, 2017
Funeral Service is planned for Monday, July 10, 10:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, Ness City. Rosary and Parish Vigil will be on Sunday, July 9, 2017 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home.
Fitzgerald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 7/5/17
Q: What did the judge say when the skunk walked in the court room?
A: Odor in the court.
Join fans of 99 KZ Country on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99KZCountry
🎥 Jam-packed July in Hays
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
It’s a July jam-packed with things to do and see in Hays.
Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Melissa Dixon has some highlights:
An updated Calendar of Events is available on the CVB website www.visithays.com.
Enter for a chance to win Ellis County Fair tickets!
Larks avoid third straight loss with win over Great Bend
HAYS, Kan. – The Hays Larks avoided their first three-game losing streak of the summer with a 5-2 win over Great Bend Tuesday night at Larks Park.
Mikey Gangwish hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to break open a one-run game then Tyler Starks worked out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out the side in the ninth for the save.
Starter Peyton Battenfield (3-1) allowed two runs on nine hits with nine strikeouts and no walks over eight innings for the win.
The Larks scored their first two runs off of Bat Cat errors before Gangwish’s third homer of the season gave them some breathing room.
Parker Schkade loaded the bases in the ninth thanks to an error and two singles before Starks came in and nailed down his fifth save of the season.
Liberal beat Dodge City so the Larks stay two back of the Bee Jays in the Jayhawk League.
Hays (18-8, 18-7 Jayhawk League) travels to Great Bend for a doubleheader Wednesday night before the two close out the series at Larks Park Thursday.
Teens learning to build, code during library STEM programs
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Teens have been spending their summer learning about science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, at the Hays Public Library.
Youth spent Thursday constructing newspaper towers, which helped the teens learn about engineering principles.
The teens curled newspapers into tubes and then used the tubes to construct triangular supports for towers and other structures.
Two of the towers reached to the ceiling, and it was all held to together by tape.
Vera Haynes, young adult librarian, said another popular STEM activity this summer has been the Code Club.
Students begin working with a basic circuit board. As their skills progress, they graduate to Arduino kits, which are more complicated circuit boards — like something you might find in modern electronics.
“Some of these kids just pick up this stuff and they know what they are doing,” she said. “It is crazy to me.”
Another level exposes youth to basic computer programing. Haynes said about 10 teens in the group have been able to create their own video games similar to the popular Crazy Birds app and another game called Plants and Zombies.
One student has been able to advance to making his own game. In the game the player strikes and breaks a watermelon. As players earns points in the game, they are able to earn new tools to break the watermelons.
The Code Club activities are self-paced, so they can be altered for youth of different ages and skill levels.
Teen activities are open to youth ages 12 or sixth-grade through 18.
Code Club meets at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays. There will not be a meeting this Tuesday due to the Fourth of July holiday.
Other STEM activities in July include Launching Soldiers on July 6, National Snake Day on July 16, Veggie Car Races on July 19, Geocache Scavenger Hunt on July 20, and Cardboard Fort Building on July 26. Activities such as movies and crafts are also available for teens.
The library also has regularly scheduled activities for children 5 and younger and elementary-school aged.
See the library website for a complete schedule.
You can register your child for an activity on the library website or in person the day of the activity with a parent.
Now That’s Rural: Earl Roemer, Nu Life Market
By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Food is necessary for life. For those with food allergies, the right kind of food is vital. When someone with gluten intolerance or another food allergy finds a tasty food which is healthy for them, it can be like a new lease on life. Today we’ll meet a Kansas entrepreneur whose company is helping supply those needs with a Farm to Family food safety program.
Earl Roemer is founder and president of Nu Life Market in Scott City. Nu Life Market business development manager Rachel Klataske shared his story with me.
Earl’s family has farmed in the High Plains of Kansas for four generations. As do many western Kansas farmers, his family grew grain sorghum – also called milo – as a feed grain crop for livestock.
Earl became intrigued by grain sorghum’s potential as a human food source. “Earl is a scientist by training and a farmer by background,” Rachel said.
He started researching the potential use of grain sorghum as a human food crop. According to one account, the early grain sorghum products “tasted like cardboard and the texture was like sand.” Now they are much improved. K-State food science professor Dr. Fadi Aramouni helped with research which significantly improved the quality and appeal of the product. K-State researchers even developed an award-winning recipe based on sorghum flour.
In 2007, Earl founded his own business to produce and market sorghum-based products and sell sorghum ingredients to other food companies. The company was named Nu Life Market. Facilities were built in Scott City to accommodate the careful processing which allergen-free products require.
With the increased interest in gluten-free products such as sorghum flour, the demand for Nu Life Market products has grown significantly as has the company’s workforce. For example, Rachel Klataske studied bakery science at K-State and was a product developer for Post cereals in Michigan before coming back to Kansas. She is now business development manager for Nu Life Market and her husband Ryan Klataske is a cultural anthropologist who has taught at K-State.
Sorghum is an ancient grain. Traces of it have been found from 8,000 years ago in Egypt. In recent years, it has been grown in the U.S. as a water-conserving alternative to corn. Kansas is dominant in sorghum production. An estimated 52 percent of U.S. sorghum production comes from Kansas alone.
The gluten-free and other properties of sorghum flour, such as its non-GMO status, now make it especially popular as a human food ingredient. “Some sorghum varieties are even higher in antioxidants than blueberries,” Rachel said.
The Nu Life Market processing facility was carefully designed and constructed in Scott City. “No allergen-containing grain comes into the facility,” Rachel said. The facility is dairy-, peanut-, and soy-free. As mentioned, Nu Life Market implemented a Farm to Family food safety program. This includes strict selection of fields, careful cleaning of equipment to prevent cross-contamination, processing in its dedicated facility, certification by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, and accredited third-party testing of the finished products. The flours are milled into a silky, fine particle size which is ideal for gluten-free baking. Packaging is designed to extend the product’s shelf life.
“Demand for our products is growing very fast,” Rachel said. Sorghum can be found in more than a thousand products, such as gluten free baked goods, cereal bars and snacks, represented by some 80 brands. Nu Life Market is shipping its products coast to coast and beyond.
“Since production of this grain uses less water, we are helping the environment and helping people’s lives,” Rachel said.
That is an impressive contribution by this company, created by a family which still farms at the nearby rural community of Healy, population 387 people. Now, that’s rural.
For more information, see www.nulifemarket.com.
When people with food allergies find good foods which are healthy for them, it is like a new lease on life. We commend Earl Roemer, Rachel Klataske, and all those involved with Nu Life Market for making a difference in people’s lives. They are responding to a new market for producers and providing good new products to consumers – from farm to family.
University of Kansas announces spring 2017 honor roll
KU News Service
LAWRENCE — More than 5,250 undergraduate students at the University of Kansas earned honor roll distinction for the spring 2017 semester.
The students, from KU’s Lawrence and Edwards campuses and the schools of Health Professions and Nursing in Kansas City, Kansas, represent 90 of 105 Kansas counties, 43 other states and territories, and 40 other countries.
The honor roll comprises undergraduates who meet requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in the schools of Architecture, Design & Planning; Business; Education; Engineering; Health Professions; Journalism; Music; Nursing; Pharmacy; and Social Welfare. Honor roll criteria vary among the university’s academic units. Some schools honor the top 10 percent of students enrolled, some establish a minimum grade-point average, and others raise the minimum GPA for each year students are in school. Students must complete a minimum number of credit hours to be considered for the honor roll.
Student honorees from northwest Kanas included:
Ellis County
Brandon Bollig, Ellis, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Christen Spinelli, Ellis, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Michael Young, Ellis, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Shea Briggs, Hays, School of Education
Sana Cheema, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Ashley Cossaart, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
John Drees, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Amanda Koenigsman, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Kelly Koenigsman, Hays, School of Business and School of Education
Jasmine Lawson, Hays, School of the Arts
Mikayla Linn, Hays, School of Pharmacy
Jordyn Manhart, Hays, School of the Arts
Emily McPherson, Hays, School of Education
Tanner Moore, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Graydon Olson, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Hanna Pfannenstiel, Hays, School of Health Professions
Gage Phillips, Hays, School of Engineering
Ajay Pradhan, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering
Scott Ring, Hays, School of Engineering
Nathan Romme, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Christopher Rooney, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Sarah Rooney, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Roy Schmeidler, Hays, School of Music
Katelyn Schumacher, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Owen Toepfer, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Ethan Waddell, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Ryan Wooldridge, Hays, School of Pharmacy
Fengxue Zhang, Hays, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Business
Graham County
Tara Brachtenbach, Hill City, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Norton County
Phillip Becker, Lenora, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Weston Erbert, Norton, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Kirstin Georgeson, Norton, School of Music
Osborne County
Baylee Wolters, Portis, School of Business
Phillips County
Jade Bui, Phillipsburg, School of Business
Stephen Sage, Phillipsburg, School of Pharmacy
Russell County
Alex Baldwin, Russell, School of Business
Kierra Mitchell, Russell, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Smith County
Aleah Seemann, Kensington, School of Health Professions
Jordan Baxter, Smith Center, School of Education
Taylor Zabel, Smith Center, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Sheriff: Kansas man jailed for alleged arson after house fire
RENO COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for arson.
Just before 7p.m. Tuesday, Nickerson Fire District and Sheriff’s Officers were dispatched to 5000 Nickerson Blvd northwest of Hutchinson for a house fire, according to Sheriff Randy Henderson.
When deputies arrived the resident of the home had been moved away from the residence by persons driving by the scene.
Fire crews had trouble reaching the home due to the resident’s truck parked in the way.
Crews had to pull the vehicle out of the way before proceeding to the scene. The resident, 64-year-old Kerry Getz appeared intoxicated and smelled of gasoline.
After investigation and interviews deputies arrested Getz on 1 count of Arson. He lived alone at the residence.
In July of 2016, Getz entered a plea to a single count of making a criminal threat and was granted one year of probation after he chased a sub-contracted employee of Westar Energy at the home replacing an electrical meter.
Getz had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing reckless bodily harm and criminal damage to property, but as a part of a plea agreement, the state dropped all the other charges.
Royals keep rolling with another win in Seattle
SEATTLE (AP) – Whit Merrifield hit the first pitch of the game from Felix Hernandez for his seventh home run, Mike Moustakas added his 24th homer of the season, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 on Tuesday for their fifth win in six games.
Kansas City knocked around Hernandez (3-3) for five earned runs in six innings. Merrifield set the tone jumping on an 89 mph pitch in the middle of the plate and clearing the wall in left-center. The Royals scored three times in the fourth inning thanks to Moustakas’ two-run shot and a two-out error by second baseman Robinson Cano that allowed Brandon Moss to score. Salvador Perez had a two-run double and the five earned runs were the most allowed by Hernandez in his eight starts this season.
Kansas City starter Danny Duffy (5-4) returned after spending a month on the disabled list and allowed just two first-inning runs.
Sunny, hot Wednesday
Today Sunny, with a high near 90. South southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 65. East southeast wind around 7 mph becoming south after midnight.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 97. South southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 7 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
FridayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Friday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
SaturdayA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Saturday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.