Hays Post

Tips from the community helped the Hays Police Department make a pair of burglary arrests this weekend.

HPD Chief Don Scheibler said an arrest was made Friday afternoon after the investigation of Tuesday’s home burglary in the 2700 block of Thunderbird Drive.

Scheibler said Isaiah Tai Simpson, 20, Hays, was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of aggravated burglary and theft. Simpson is accused of entering the home while the family was present and stealing $120 in cash from a purse and approximately $370 in rolled coins.

The fact that the family was inside the home at the time of the alleged crime was the aggravating factor, Scheibler said, and also the reason “this was a priority for us to bring some closure to this.”

The arrest was the result of “good police work by Investigator Joshua Burkholder and, more importantly, a tip from the community that definitely helped bring all the pieces together,” Scheibler said.

“We’re grateful for the cooperation of the community, the Fort Hays Police Department working together to help locate this person,” he added, noting that Simpson is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Another tip led to the arrest of a 23-year-old Hays man accused of a business burglary.

Scheibler said a 911 caller reported that at about 2:50 a.m. Saturday they had seen someone attempting to enter Five Star Auto Repair & Towing, 1017 E. 13th.

Officers arrived on scene and established a perimeter, and the suspect — Dylan James Kersley — broke out the front window of the business, jumped out and attempted to flee, Scheibler said.

Officers Samantha Nielsen and Scott Heimann engaged the suspect in a short foot pursuit before apprehending Kersley, who was arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft, criminal damage to property and interference with a law enforcement official. Approximately $300 was recovered, Scheibler said.

The Ellis County Sheriff’s Department and Fort Hays State University Police Department also assisted in the investigation. Kersley is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, Scheibler said.

With a rash of vehicle burglaries in recent weeks, Scheibler urged the community to keep reporting suspicious behavior.

“Any information people have, we encourage them to call us and let us know,” he said. “This is how we solve these. … That’s how we were successful in both of these cases.”

And, since nearly all of the reported burglaries involved unlocked vehicles, “continue to lock your doors,” Scheibler said.

The Electro-Rally Racing Team won the team Standard and Experimental class championship at the High Plains Electro-Rally at Fort Hays State University on Sept. 28.

Fourteen teams competed with 38 vehicles participating in the competition.

The team also won the Standard & Experimental Class Championship at the Wetlands ElectroRally in Hoisington on Oct. 12.

That event had 10 teams and 31 vehicles participate in competition.

The team has seven straight wins dating back to the beginning of the fall competition schedule, including the state Championship in spring last year.

KDCF

TOPEKA – More than 200 Kansas high school students, representing 68 Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) programs, recently competed in a two-day Leadership Development Conference at the Kansas National Guard Training Center, in Salina, to determine who would represent Kansas at the national competition, in Washington, D.C.

The 18 JAG-K students who qualified for the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) National Student Leadership Academy will compete in the categories of Employability Skills, Math Skills, Project-based Learning and Public Speaking. Three JAG-K Career Association state officers were also elected and will accompany the group.

In November, they will travel to Washington, D.C. for competition, various leadership workshops and sightseeing in the nation’s capital. All expenses are paid by JAG-K, which receives most of its funding through a grant from the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF).

“I have had the privilege of observing several JAG-K programs throughout the state,” DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said. “I am thrilled to see the agency’s investment in this poverty-prevention program helping countless youth achieve a better life for themselves.”

The following JAG-K students qualified for the national competition in Washington, D.C.

Washington High School-Amiel Green, Tajanea Polk, Ja’Tai Matthews and Tyron Harris
Junction City Freshman Success-Destiny Wilson, Sierra Garner
Augusta High School-Brandon Bond, Brittney Cairns
Great Bend High School-Cierra Wood
Pratt High School-Meredith Queal, Allen Roberts
Field Kindley High School-Tyrese DeLaCruz
Newton High School-Linda Moyo
Turner High School-Josie DeCoster
Topeka High School-Jason Mitchiner Jr.
Wichita West High School-Jamie Aguirre
Wichita North High School-Whitney Mayberry
Lawrence Free State High School-Gabriel Smith

JAG-K is a multi-year program for students in grades seven through 12, that offers tools to successfully transition students into postsecondary school, the military or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Participants in the program face multiple barriers to success. Kansas adopted the program in 2013, at the request of Governor Sam Brownback. JAG-K is one of the most successful JAG startups in the country. In 2016, JAG-K students reached a 93 percent graduation rate, thanks to the supports and services offered by JAG-K Career specialists. The JAG-K Class of 2017 already has achieved a 97 percent graduation rate.

JAG-K is primarily funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars, through DCF. Funds are available through an annual federal block grant.

JAG-K is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and an affiliate of the national JAG program that operates in 32 states. In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas State Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include the Aetna Foundation, Amerigroup Foundation, AT&T, and John Deere Coffeyville Works.

For more information about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org.

FHSU University Relations

A pair of special entrepreneurial teams will be the featured attraction at the fall 2017 edition of Fort Hays State University’s Entrepreneur Direct Lecture Series – two married couples who have built successful business entrepreneurial careers and lives.

Admission is free and the public is invited.

Rick and Gail Kuehl, Hays, and Gail and Cindy Boller, Norton, will present their stories from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Eagle Communication Hall of the Robbins Center on the university’s campus.

The Kuehls opened their first McDonald’s restaurant in 1979 in Hays. They have continued to grow their organization, and currently own two restaurants in Hays, one restaurant in Russell and another in WaKeeney.

“Their philosophy is ‘people first’ as they work with a team of 210 employees,” said Dr. Mark Bannister, dean of Fort Hays State’s W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship. “They believe in giving back to the communities they serve, and are supporters of education at all levels.”

Early in their careers, the Kuehls also owned three radio stations and founded Media-Net, Hays’ first Internet provider.

Gail Boller founded Natoma Corp. in 1982 in Natoma. Two years later, he moved the company to Norton. The corporation is a world-class contract manufacturer. The company’s primary customers are aerospace, medical, and energy related. Natoma Corp.’s assets were sold to the Natoma Manufacturing Corp. in April 2017.

“The owners of Natoma Manufacturing are home grown Nortonites,” said Bannister. The company currently employs more than 80 people.

In 2009, working with a partner, Cindy Boller founded Destination Kitchen, a unique retail kitchen store in Norton.

“Destination Kitchen is a destination for delectable desserts, California Roasted Peets Coffee, a top line of teas and an exciting menu of baked goods, sandwiches and lunch items, and provides essential tools and gifts for the home cook,” said Bannister.

Entrepreneur Direct is a speaker series conducted by the university’s Robbins College, featuring successful entrepreneurs in an informal setting accessible to students, faculty and the public. The program is intended to connect students with successful entrepreneurs who have stories and advice to share. A panel asks questions about entrepreneurship and encourages questions from and interaction with the audience.

By MADISON WEBER
HHS Guidon

With the start of a new school year at Hays High School comes a slew of new programs and activities. One of those changes is a new career program that has been recently introduced.

Former students may remember Kansas Career Pipeline, a tool used to help lead students along the path to future school and career success. This year, the school is experimenting with a new program called Career Cruising.

According to counselor Suellyn Stenger, Career Cruising is a self-exploration and planning program that helps people of all ages achieve their potential in school, career and life.

“We are excited about this new program as it is very user friendly and provides a multitude of information,” Stenger said.

The new program has a lot of different aspects to it. This program is used for four main solutions, including building self-awareness, exploring options, creating a plan and making it real.

“Students will soon be learning more about Career Cruising in their seminar,” Stenger said. “This program really has a lot to offer to the students.”

Although there hasn’t been a whole lot of information given about the new program, some students have explored the website.

“Most students logged into their account last February,” Stenger said. “They took the ‘Match Maker’ which is an interest inventory, students were able to use their use their results to make informed decisions regarding pre-enrollment for the current school year.”

Some students believe that Career Cruising is going to be very beneficial to our school, sophomore Shelby Sutter is one student who likes the idea of switching career program.

“I honestly think it’s a good idea that we are switching career programs,” Sutter said. “I find Career Cruising more helpful with finding your career and it also has more of a description for the career.”

On the flip-side some students, including freshman Reghan Haynes don’t like the idea of switching. Although a freshman, Haynes has used Kansas Career Pipeline throughout middle school.

“I feel like it’s really just going to confuse people because nobody really knows how to use Career Cruising,” Haynes said. “They are much more familiar with Kansas Career Pipeline, so students would probably prefer that.”

There are a few students who are clueless that the school is switching career programs.

“I didn’t even know we changed career programs,” sophomore Brock Lummus said.

Recently counselors have been in different classrooms exploring more about the program and how students utilize it.

“Most recently, the counselors have gone into sophomore English classrooms and utilized the program to assist students with their career research program,” Stenger said.

The counselors plan on using this program a lot more than Kansas Career Pipeline was used. Their hopes are to utilize this program as much as possible so the students will benefit greatly from using it.

By DAWSON ROONEY
HHS Guidon

For the past 46 years, the Kansas Honors Program has honored more than 135,000 scholars who rank in the top 10 percent of their classes.

This year, on Oct. 23, 18 students from Hays High School qualified to receive an award at the reception, along with many other students from many other high schools in Kansas. The 18 qualified seniors were: Trinity Callis, Brendan Chapman, Drew Desbien, Alliana Drees, Lacey Gregory, Tara Hertel, Autumn Hohmann, Madison Karlin, London Keller, Mikayla Koerner, Kyra Polifka-Wilhelm, Dawson Rooney, Mark Schuckman, Gabriela Taliaferro, Kyler Voss, and Zachary Wagner.

“The reception was short and to the point, which I liked,” Callis said.

The Kansas Honors Program normally awards Kansas Honor Scholars with a certificate and a special Kansas Honors Program edition of Webster’s new College Dictionary, however, this year the dictionaries were replaced with distinctive Kansas Honor Scholar medallions for students to wear at graduation.

“Whether or not we received a dictionary or a medallion made no difference to me,” Callis said. “It was a neat ceremony to be a part of and nice to see familiar faces from other schools.”