PHILLIPSBURG – The Phillipsburg rodeo, along with six participating sponsors, has raised $11,959.83 this year for cancer patients in Phillips and the surrounding counties.

On its annual Tough Enough to Wear Pink night August 3, 1,625 fans came through the gates of the rodeo in pink; that amount was matched by the Phillipsburg Rodeo Association, Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy, Farmers State Bank, Kansas Crop Care/Nebraskaland Aviation, McClain Seed Sales, and Rodgers and Associates Insurance, Inc., making for a donation of $9,750.

In addition, voluntary donations of $1,709.83 were picked up during that night of rodeo, and the Phillipsburg Chamber of Commerce also donated $500.

The money raised will go to the Hope in the Heartland fund, established under the Phillipsburg Western Heritage Foundation, which gives money to area cancer patients.

People are generous with their giving, said Kera Willer, administrative assistant at Prairie Horizon. “I was blown away by the money we raised,” she said. “It’s huge. It’s amazing, going into the crowd (to pick up donations). There’s no hesitation.”

Rodgers and Associates Insurance, Inc., has been a matching sponsor for the last four years, and Kim Beach, owner of the business, enjoys it. “I think it’s a fantastic thing to do. What I really love about it, is my donation stays locally. Even though we don’t have a huge amount of funds to help, any little amount we give to somebody, it’s amazing what it does for a family. It relieves the stress they’re having.”

Since the rodeo began hosting its Tough Enough to Wear Pink night, over $83,000 has been raised to fight cancer.

Next year’s rodeo is August 2-4, 2018. For more information on the rodeo and its pink campaign, visit the website at www.KansasBiggestRodeo.com.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

While the lawsuit involving Ellis County and a proposed residential subdivision south of Hays was not on Monday’s agenda, the controversial issued once again reared its ugly head during Monday’s county commission meeting.

Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said a recent article on the growth in the city of Hays and in the county “really concerned” him. Haselhorst said he had a number of people reach out to him, including several realtors, who “talked in great length about how our county has not went anywhere since this lawsuit has been filed for the expansion south of Hays.”

“I guess whether we win this lawsuit or not, my opinion is we’re losing regardless,” said Haselhorst.

In November of last year a final plat of the proposed  Blue Sky Acres residential subdivision failed to gain approval after the commission voted 1-to-1 on the issue. Commissioner Barb Wasinger recused herself from the matter because of a conflict of interest.

Commissioner Marcy McClelland voted against the final plat and said in a prepared statement that she was concerned about the impact six new septic systems would have on the environment.

About a month after the commission’s vote, property owner Mary Alice Unrein filed a lawsuit against the Ellis County Commission and Commissioner McClelland.

Haselhorst said he was also contacted by developers who expressed concern about the price of land and believe the current lawsuit is hampering development.

According to Haselhorst one developer said, “It’s hard for me to come to your county when there is a lawsuit going on. It looks like to me you are wanting to stifle growth in your own county.”

The developer also told Haselhorst that “Colby is growing to the west of you, but you guys are sitting there.”

Commissioner Barb Wasinger also came prepared to talk about the article and the lawsuit.

Wasinger said “the reason the county is not doing anything can be directly related to a problem with one of the commissioners who refuses to give more direction and who refuses to make logical decisions in this matter.”

Wasinger expressed frustration with what she sees as McClelland’s lack of direction regarding the use of septic systems and housing developments in the county.

“There’s not a person in the county, outside of the city limits, who could live out there if they didn’t have a septic system,” said Wasinger.

“If that’s the problem, where are we supposed to go from there?” Wasinger asked. “And when people are stifled from development, when they’ve jumped through all the hoops and they follow all the rules and then they’re stuck in court spending money, is unconscionable.”

When it comes to the question of who is paying for the lawsuit, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the county’s insurance, through KCAMP, will cover a portion of the cost of the legal fees.

Smith-Hanes said there is a coverage limit and the county has not reached the coverage limit.

“It has not yet cost us anything other than our normal annual premium for all of our insurance coverage through KCAMP,” said Smith-Hanes.

He said they have about $7,000 left before the county would hit the coverage limit.

• In other business the commission approved a contract with Ben Moore Studios to remodel the building at 2507 Canterbury Dr. for $22,592.
• The Public Building Commission also approved a similar contract with Ben Moore Studios to remodel the building at 601 Main St. for $22,592.
• The commission also gave approval for the Public Works Department to help the city of Ellis with its chip seal street project.

SUBMITTED

Area churches have been invited by the local Courtney-Spalding Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to participate in Bells Across America, by ringing their church bells at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.

The event celebrates the signing of the Constitution, Sept. 17, 1787. Constitution Week is Sept. 17-23.

The Courtney-Spalding Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in April 1926 with members from Ellis, Russell, Trego and Ellsworth counties. Its current goals stress membership growth, conservation, American History and Good Citizenship Awards to further the education and historic values of youth. The chapter focuses on U.S. flag presentations, supporting patriotism throughout the nation and supporting troops in Project Patriot.

The chapter name was derived from the ancestors of the two ladies instrumental in organizing the chapter, Coral Courtney Carter, whose ancestor was Thomas Courtney from Virginia and Mary Lois Ruppenthal, a descendant of Ezekiel Spalding from Massachusetts.

ARC

ELLIS – The American Red Cross will conduct a blood drive today, Sept. 12, at the Ellis Knights of Columbus, 1013 Washington, from noon until 6 p.m.

Click here to make an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

September is National Preparedness Month. Donors of all blood types are urged to give blood to help ensure our communities are prepared for emergencies. Donors of all blood types are encouraged to schedule an appointment to give by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800733-2767).

The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime.

Thank you for supporting the American Red Cross blood program!

FHSU University Relations and Marketing

The Management Development Center at Fort Hays State University will offer “Managing Stress and Burnout through Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness” from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the Memorial Union’s Stouffer Lounge on the FHSU campus.

The workshop, co-facilitated by Dr. Whitney Jeter, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Rose Helens-Hart, assistant professor of applied business studies, will teach participants about emotional intelligence and mindfulness – two topics that help manage stress and burnout. Attendees will have an opportunity to practice these strategies and explore how to integrate them into their daily routines.

Each person who completes the workshop will receive a completion certificate. The cost is $119.

The Management Development Center at FHSU is recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management to offer professional development credits for SHRM Certified Professionals and SHRM Senior Certified Professionals. These programs are valid for professional development credits, for the certified professional, or senior certified professional credentials. For more information about certification or recertification, visit shrmcertification.org.

Registration is available at www.fhsu.edu/mdc. To learn more about this workshop or additional upcoming trainings, contact Hannah Hilker at 785-628-4121 or at [email protected].