October 2017 – Page 57 – Hays Post Archive

Soviet recipient of Operation Christmas Child in Hays Saturday

Posted on October 12, 2017

By LYDIA WATSON
Samaritan’s Purse

Hays residents will welcome Elena Hagemeier as she recounts how hope arrived in the form of a gift-filled shoebox when she was living in an orphanage in the former Soviet Union at age eight. Hagemeier will speak to community members from the surrounding area as they prepare for the upcoming collection season of the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child.

Hagemeier will be at Messiah Lutheran Church, 2000 Main St., Hays on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m. to tell her story.

Over the past five years, Messiah Lutheran has increased their shoebox collection total from 620 to over 3,000. Hagemeier encourages Hays residents to fill shoebox gifts of their own— with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys,—to reach the global goal of impacting 12 million children.

Last year, northwest Kansas collected 5,800 shoebox gifts, and this year the goal is more than 6,400 gift-filled shoeboxes.

Hagemeier was 8 years old when she and her sister were moved from an abusive poverty-stricken home into an orphanage in the former Soviet Union. At a time when she was feeling unloved, she was handed an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. It was the first gift she had ever received.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 13 – 20, Hays residents can drop off gift-filled shoeboxes at multiple locations across northwest Kansas.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

For more information contact Pam Schmidtberger at 785-735-2640 or Rachel Albin at 785-639-1325.

Preliminary hearing in western Kansas murder case continued

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

SCOTT COUNTY— A Kansas man charged in a September 22, fatal shooting was granted a court continuance Wednesday at the request of his defense attorney, according to Scott County Attorney Rebecca Farout.

Rene Inguanza, 50, of rural Scott County, is charged with Aggravated Battery and First-Degree Murder, in the death of Darryn Rodenberg.

Just after 10p.m. on September 22, deputies responded to report of a shooting at a rural residence in Scott County, according to Undersheriff Jeff Pounds.

They located 44-year-old Darryn Rodenberg dead from a gunshot wound. Deputies found Inguanza in a pickup approximately one-half mile from Rodenberg’s residence and arrested him without incident.

An investigation revealed that Inguanza was angry and accused Rodenberg of selling drugs to his son, according to Pounds. During a confrontation Inguanza allegedly shot Rodenberg.

Inguanza remains jailed in Scott County on a $500,000 Bond, according to Farout. The preliminary hearing is now scheduled for November 9.

LETTER: Renovations will allow improved career, technical education in Hays

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

The Hays High School facility was built over 30 years ago, at a time when Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs were not as technically demanding and are now required for student skill development.

Hays High School has grown to eight pathways over time in the CTE department. For our current and future students, it is important to continue to grow and improve so our students have the appropriate technical and skill development for career success.

To help meet the demands of ensuring students are college and career ready for our local businesses and companies, the current CTE facility needs to be renovated to meet current career standards. The facility improvements for CTE will help address the need by reconfiguring the current space so that our Design and Construction, AgriScience, Audio Visual Communications, and Web and Digital Design programs can serve the Hays student population more appropriately and help ensure they are able to be successful for the next phase of their lives post-high school.

This renovation will create a learning environment that will allow for our students to become more competitive and skilled for the many different career pathways they may choose past high school which will open doors for employment for future local business needs.

Tom Albers, Dan Balman, Chris Dinkel, Nathan Howard, Heath Meder, and Curt Vajnar

🎥 City to talk large lot development policy tonight

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Development of large lots, more than 2 acres, in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of Hays will be discussed Thursday by city commissioners.

The intent of the ETJ, the three-mile-area outside the city limits, is to provide a high level of protection for Hays’ future growth.

According to the city’s Unified Development Code (UDC) “Urban type development is not to be encouraged unless the city or the county agrees to provide the level of service necessary to provide a reasonable level of fire and police protection, a public water source, sanitation service, paved streets and administrative service, such as a coordinated street naming and addressing system.”

The Hays Board of Realtors has approached the city about allowing large lot developments within the ETJ. In April during a joint meeting, city and Ellis County Commissioners decided a policy should be created to guide such development.

According to Assistant Hays City Manager Jacob Wood, city and county staff have worked together to design a map indicating areas where large lot development may be acceptable, and developed a draft policy to provide guidance. The policy has been revised to reflect the desire of a 2 acre minimum lot size rather than the 5 acres as originally proposed.

“Currently, we treat anything that is inside the 3-mile ETJ as if it were right on the doorstep of the city,” Wood explained.

“It’s not our intent to have large 2 and 3-acre lots on the edge of town because they cost a lot as far as infrastructure and they don’t help pay back the city. If you have 1 acres that has 20 houses on it, that helps property taxes pay back the streets, infrastructure for sewer and water that goes in. But if you have a large lot with only 1 house on it, it’s a lot harder for the city to get its return on investment,” Wood said.

The draft policy implies development of large lots in areas not identified as such on the map would be discouraged, not
recommended, and likely not approved if submitted. The Planning Commission unanimously voted Aug. 21 to adopt the draft policy and recommends the city adopt it.

Other agenda items tonight include proposed changes to narrow the setbacks of commercial and industrial buildings, and a proposed change to the UDC to allow breezeways between houses and garages.

Director of Parks Jeff Boyle will present the low bid of $55,900 to install sidewalks in Frontier Park, Hickok Park, Ekey Park, and a short section of Indian Trail. Boyle will also present a low bid of $24,320 for the staining and sealing of the wood structures at the Hays Aquatic Park.

The complete Oct. 12 agenda is available here. The meeting starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

Ann Arnhold

Posted on October 12, 2017

Hays, Kansas – Ann Arnhold, 95, daughter of Michael and Dora (Fischer) Dechant passed away on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at the Good Samaritan Society of Ellis.

Ann was born on June 25, 1922, and grew up on farms near Ellis and Plainville. She met her husband, Richard A. Arnhold, at a barn dance shortly after he returned from World War II and they married on November 6, 1946, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hays. They were married for over 60 years when Rich died in 2010. Ann was a farmer’s wife and homemaker. She was happiest on the farm and proud that she and Rich were farmers.

Ann was a member of St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, Hays, KS, where she often volunteered and was a founding member of the St. Nicholas of Myra Ladies Guild and served as its president . She was a 4-H leader for over 30 years, served for many years on the Ellis County Fair Board and enjoyed exhibiting at the Ellis County Fair. Ann volunteered at the Community Assistance Center and was on the Ellis County Election Board. She loved sewing, being outside in the garden and taking care of her chickens. Ann was an avid pinochle player and belonged to several card clubs.

Together, Ann and Rich raised five children: Don Arnhold, Hays, KS; Dorothy (Jan) Rusch, Victoria, TX; Tom (Joleen) Arnhold Olathe, KS; Ken (Teri) Arnhold, Ellsworth, KS; and Bruce (Darlene) Arnhold, Hays, KS. Ann is survived by nine grandchildren: Leah(Kip) Winterowd, Colleen (Vince) Connealy, Tyler Rusch, Levi Arnhold (Hannah), Kevin (Merritt) Arnhold, Thea (Greg) Reverdiau, Chelsea (Brian) Lewis, Alysia Arnhold and Alayna Arnhold. Ann has seven great grandchildren and two on the way. She is survived by her sister, Katherine Urban.

Ann was preceded in death by two infant sisters and her brothers, Peter Dechant, Zacheus Dechant, Richard Dechant, Henry Dechant, Ralph Dechant and Paul Dechant.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 14, 2017, at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, 2901 East 13th Street, Hays, Kansas. Burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays, Kansas.

A vigil service and a St. Nicholas Ladies Guild rosary will be at 7:00 p.m. Friday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, and from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday ,all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays.

Memorials are suggested in her memory to the Catholic Charities of Salina in care of the mortuary.

Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be sent via
e-mail to [email protected]

Elmer Henry Holthus

Posted on October 12, 2017

Elmer Henry Holthus, son of Ella (Dunker) and Edward Holthus, died peacefully on October 7, 2017, in Orange, California.

Elmer was born June 24, 1927, in the same farmhouse, a few miles east of Ludell, Kansas where his father, Edward, had been born in 1901. Elmer’s mother, Ella, came from the Dunker family, farming several miles north of Ludell. When Elmer was 4 years old in 1931, his father died after a very long illness, with names given to the ailments by the doctors, but no certainty of what the illness really was.

The 1930’s brought the time of well-remembered hardship from dust storms, very heavy crop failures, frequent unpayable land debts, and a low general survival rate. These factors overwhelmed the widow, Ella, and caused her to lose the family land and home. She and Elmer moved to Ludell, which held a home for him until he finished Immanuel Lutheran primary school and Atwood Community High School. After high school, he attended St. John’s College in Winfield, Kansas for two years.

In 1949, Elmer enlisted in the Marines and when the Korean War began in 1950, he was part of the first offensive unit sent to Korea. He was wounded on the front lines as the U.S. troops halted the advance of the invading forces. While in the U.S. for recovery and then assignment to officer training school near Washington, D. C., Elmer met Virginia Heitmuller through the local Lutheran young adult group. A correspondence developed during Elmer’s second tour of duty in to the front lines in Korea.

Soon after Elmer’s safe return, he and Virginia married on October 26, 1952, and were stationed at U.S. bases on the east and west coasts.

During this time, three children were born, Thomas (1954), Paul (1956) and Sharon (1959). In the 1960’s the family was stationed in the Philippines, with extensive travel in Asia. After a brief resettlement in California, they were reassigned to Hawaii and Elmer was soon deployed to Vietnam. During his second tour of duty, he was seriously wounded and returned to Hawaii.

The family was relocated to California and settled in the City of Orange. Elmer retired from the military with twenty years of service. He worked as a teacher and educator and, in 1974, completed a doctorate in Political Science at the University of California.

Over the years, he and Virginia worked side by side to help those less fortunate and in need, including helping found and run the Lutheran High School Thrift Shop which raised over a million dollars in assistance for students needing support.

In spite of the many places and directions that life and the Lord had in store for Elmer, northwestern Kansas was always “home.” He came back to Ludell with Virginia and the children as often as possible to spend time with his mother, and to see cousins, classmates and friends. Elmer never ceased to find joy and rejuvenation in the wide open spaces and bold blue sky of Rawlins County.

Elmer’s and Virginia’s loving marriage and companionship of 54 years ended when Virginia succumbed to cancer in 2006. Elmer has now joined her in God’s loving embrace.

Survivors, in addition to the three children, include their spouses Debra (Thomas), Bridget (Paul), and Jonathan Zimmerman (Sharon); six grandchildren, who grace the family, Kristina, Benjamin and Alexander (Thomas), Natalia (Paul) and Jared and Jason (Sharon).

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:30, Oct. 22, 2017, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Atwood, Kan. Internment will follow at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Ludell, Kan. In lieu of flowers, Elmer has suggested memorials to the Redeemer Lutheran Church, Atwood, Voice of the Martyrs or Doctors Without Borders.

Further information and on-line condolences may be found at www.baalmannmortuary.com.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Let’s try using facts in gun debate

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

From concealed-carry on Kansas campuses to the Las Vegas massacre, the issue of guns has returned with full force. The debate is highly emotional, but what does the research show: do more guns mean less crime, or does more gun control mean less crime? Unfortunately, the answer may be: neither.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.

Take the pro-gun argument, made famous by economics professor John Lott in his book More Guns, Less Crime. According to Lott, concealed-carry laws and the presence of more guns among non-felons lead to lower crime rates in the states. Gun rights advocates have zealously adopted Lott’s findings. Unfortunately, there are some major problems. Other researchers cannot replicate Lott’s findings. Some even find a reverse effect—higher rates of aggravated assaults when concealed-carry laws are enacted. Either way, the impact of concealed-carry pales compared to the big driver of street crime: the percentage of poor, unemployed young males in the population.

Gun control advocates are quick to point out the research contradicting Lott’s book. One point they make is certainly true– the U.S. is in a class by ourselves among developed countries. Our murder rate is more than two and a half times that of Canada, for example, and more than three times Australia’s. But, why is this?

Some other countries do have laws allowing wide latitude for gun ownership. For example, one researcher found Iceland to be “awash in guns,” yet their murder rate is much lower than even Canada or Australia. Iceland is not an isolated, rural country: much of their population lives in or around Reykjevik: a city with a population similar to Topeka, but a much lower crime rate. That researcher, a graduate student at the University of Missouri, concluded that poverty, not guns, tends to explain murder rates. Poverty is very rare in Iceland. However, it should be noted that the number of guns per person in Iceland is similar to Canada—less than one third the guns per person in the U.S. Here, there are more guns than people.

Finally, this: the shooting in Las Vegas horrified a nation, but this is not the best basis for gun-control debates. Mass shootings, like terrorist attacks and airplane crashes, are focusing events which haunt us and draw media attention, but all out of proportion to the actual risks involved. The act has been labeled domestic terrorism, and with good reason. On that point, a recent Washington Post op-ed pointed out that an American is more likely to be crushed to death by furniture than killed in a terrorist attack—to say nothing of the real killers like cancer, tobacco use, untreated diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Most Americans killed using guns are suicides, a fact which calls for an entirely different conversation. As for homicides, most are committed one at a time, by an assailant the victim already knew, with a handgun. If one does advocate for gun-control laws, they should be based on protecting the populations most at risk — young urban males, and women who are in or have just left abusive relationships.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.

Margery Catherine (Beltz) Pitts

Posted on October 12, 2017

Margery Catherine (Beltz) Pitts was born in Compton, California on April 4, 1925 to Dwight Calvin and Rosa Katherine (Moore) Beltz. She lived there for a short while and then moved with her family back to the farm in Willow Springs, Missouri. She had one brother, Robert “Bob” Beltz, who, along with her parents, preceded her in death.

Her father and grandfather Beltz were farmers and before the Great Depression they also had become skilled, traveling carpenters with California being their greatest travel adventure. From Willow Springs, Mo., her family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma where her dad began his long career working for Frank Phillips. Margery loved going to school there and graduated from Bartlesville High School in the top ten of her class. Her parents had already moved to Borger, Texas before her senior year so she lived that year with the family of her best friend, Betty Long.
Her Dad had always encouraged her to go to College, but she was too shy so she chose to go to Business school. Her first career job was working in the business offices of Phillips Petroleum Co. Little did she know, a handsome soldier back from World War II had taken a job nearby working for the same company. Margery met (Linzie) Ray Pitts and they were married on May 30, 1948. They celebrated 50 years of marriage and to this union, three children were born. Mary Pitts, DeeAnn Roberts (Tom), Robert Lynn Pitts (Shelley).

While still a young child, Margery was lead to the Lord by her Grandfather, Frank Beltz, who had been a circuit riding preacher in Northern Kansas. Soon after their marriage, Margie and Ray both felt led to be baptized in the local Borger Baptist Church.

In early 1952 they decided to move to northern Kansas and pursue their dream of having a farm and raising their children in a Christian environment. Margery worked by Ray’s side for 14 years on their dairy farm in Smith County, Kansas. She also grew flower gardens that people traveled for miles to see, and had the best vegetable garden in the community.

While raising their family, Margie and Ray served the Church in Smith Center, Kansas in whatever way God led them. Margery taught the 2 and 3 year olds in Sunday school for over 30 years and also was the church treasurer and then the church clerk. They often invited the pastor’s family and occasional visiting missionary or evangelist to their home for Sunday dinner. They were committed to giving a portion of their garden produce to their neighbors and to their church family.

After leaving the farm and moving to Smith Center in 1967, Margery began working at Smith County Memorial Hospital in the business office and remained there for 23 years until she retired. After retiring in 1990, Margery continued her passion for growing flowers and raising a garden. She even went with Ray rising from time to time but vowed never to clean a fish. She had always sewn and quilted, but after retiring she made some of her most beautiful quilts. She probably made over 100 of them. Everyone in her family has at least one beautiful handmade quilt and she often sent her quilts to missionaries.

After Ray passed away in 1998, Margery moved to Wellington, Kansas to live with her oldest daughter, Mary. She enjoyed reading, doing crossword puzzles and collecting stamps. Mary dedicated the next 19 years to her every need. Margery’s other two children, grandchildren, the spouses and great grandchildren came to visit whenever possible.

Margery Pitts passed from this world into eternity on October 11, 2017. She had a wonderful life and is survived by her children, Mary Pitts, DeeAnn (Tom) Roberts, and Lynn (Shelley) Pitts; grandchildren, Jeff Roberts (Gina), Renee Butler (Will), Amy Denham (Brett), and Cory Pitts (Kaisley); great grandchildren, Lliam, Phinn and Elliot Butler, Levi, Lila and Linkon Denham and Harper Roberts.

Click HERE for service details.

Mildred M. Brungardt

Posted on October 12, 2017

Victoria, Kansas – Mildred M. Brungardt, age 85, died Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.

Services are pending at Clines-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas.

Indictment: Mom took kids from Kansas to Russia amid divorce

Posted on October 12, 2017

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman accused of fleeing from Kansas to Russia with her children amid a divorce has been indicted on a charge of international parental kidnapping.

The U.S. attorney’s office says grand jurors returned the indictment Wednesday against 37-year-old Bogdana Alexandrovna Mobley. She was arrested last month in Wichita, and investigators believe her three children remain in Russia.

Prosecutors say she left the U.S. three years ago with one child from her first marriage and another child from a second marriage. She gave birth to a third child about two months after returning to Russia.

Prosecutors say she allowed her ex-husband to communicate with the children by cellphone or Skype. He flew to meet her on the border of Poland and Russia in 2015 but wasn’t allowed to see the children.

KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 10/12/17

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

Penguin Patrol

A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of
penguins. He pulls the guy over and says, “You can’t drive around with
penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately.” The guy agrees
to do so and drives away.

The next day, the officer sees the guy still driving around with the
truck full of penguins — and they’re all wearing sunglasses! He pulls
the guy over and says, “I thought I told you to take these penguins to
the zoo yesterday!”

The guy replies, “I did – they loved it, thanks. Today I’m taking them
to the beach!”

Join fans of 99 KZ Country on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99KZCountry

Calif. poet to conduct writing workshop, public reading at Fort Hays State

Posted on October 12, 2017October 11, 2017

FHSU University Relations

Dr. Chuck Carlise, a poet visiting Fort Hays State University from the University of California Santa Cruz, will conduct a writing workshop on Thursday, Oct. 19, and a public reading and book signing on Friday, Oct. 20, at Fort Hays State.

“Chuck will lead a fun and interactive writing workshop for FHSU faculty, staff, and students in Forsyth Library,” said Brenda Craven, instructor of English at FHSU. That workshop will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the south study area of Forsyth Library.

Friday’s public reading and book signing will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Stouffer Lounge.

Carlise, is the author of a new collection, “In One Version of the Story,” as well as the chapbooks “A Broken Escalator Still Isn’t the Stairs” and “Casual Insomniac.” “A Broken Escalator” won the Concrete Wolf Poetry Series 2011 award, and “Insomniac” won the 2011 Boom Chapbook Prize.

His poems and essays appear in numerous journals and anthologies, including “Best New Poets” in 2012 and 2014.

Hays USD 489 foundation makes plans for auction, shares recent projects

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence is planning its first fundraising auction next fall.

Foundation Vice President Curtis Brown discussed the auction plus other recent projects and purchases the foundation has funded at the school board meeting Monday.

The foundation hopes its inaugural auction can fund a major project that will benefit students and staff. The foundation is taking suggestions for what type of purchase or project that could benefit from the auction.

Alumni, business owners, parents and community members interested in donating items for the auction can call 785-623-2400 and ask to speak with a foundation board member. It is also looking for volunteers to work on planning the auction.

The mission of the USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence is to support Hays public schools in their work to maintain a challenging and inspiring educational atmosphere, allowing all students to discover their full potential for success.

Volunteers assemble crisis bags for the Hays classrooms.

The foundation in partnership with Sunflower Bank recently helped provide crisis kits for every classroom in the Hays school district.

Other recent foundation projects have included:

• Installation of security check-in software through a grant written to the Heartland Community Foundation

• Funding of special milk for elementary students

• Funding of after-school care for elementary students

• Paying for lunch for Big Brothers and Big Sisters with 489 students

• Purchasing instruments for students

The foundation recently purchased 12 Sphero robots to be used for programming, coding, and drawing in classrooms.

• Purchasing 12 Sphero robots to be used for programming, coding and drawing in classrooms

• Installation of a washer and dryer at Wilson Elementary School through a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation

If you are a Dillons or Amazon customer, you can use programs through those companies to donate to the foundation.

If you are currently a Dillons customer, visit www.dillons.com/communityrewards and type in 17110 as the NPO or search USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence.

If you currently shop online at amazon.com, a portion of your purchases can also benefit the foundation. Visit smile.amazon.com and select the USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excel as your beneficiary of choice.

You can also make an online donation directly through the USD 489 website using a debit or credit card. Click here.