Floyd Eldon Trail, born December 22nd, 1933, passed away January 23rd, 2018, in Atwood, KS.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 3rd, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. in the First Christian Church, 210 South 6th Street, Atwood, with Rev. David Todd officiating.
Inurnment will take place at a later date.
Baalmann Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Today Sunny, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph.
Gusty SW winds today up to 45mph will lead to elevated fire danger w/ low relative humidity values down in the low teens today. Be careful! pic.twitter.com/pNjox6j5u7
— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) January 25, 2018
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Breezy, with a south wind 17 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 13 to 20 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 23. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 52. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.
Saturday NightMostly clear, with a low around 23.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 53.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is moving forward with plans to have the nation’s largest private-prison operator build a new state prison after departing Republican Gov. Sam Brownback cut a political deal to win over wary GOP legislative leaders Wednesday.
The Legislature’s eight top leaders approved a plan to have Tennessee-based CoreCivic Inc. build a 2,432-bed prison near Kansas City to replace the state’s oldest and largest correctional facility there. The state would buy the new prison in Lansing over 20 years through a lease with the company, paying a total of $362 million.
The top lawmakers’ approval was required by a state law authorizing the project last year. The vote among the leaders was 5-3, the exact tally Brownback needed for the project to go forward. The final vote was delayed nearly three weeks because several Republican leaders wavered amid skepticism about whether the lease-purchase deal was the most cost-effective option.
Two of the Senate’s top three Republicans didn’t come aboard until Brownback’s office announced an hour before the meeting that it was dropping plans for an overhaul this year of the state’s Medicaid health coverage for the poor and disabled. GOP leaders had worried about the potential cost and said problems with the existing Medicaid program must be worked out first.
Brownback won the go-ahead for the prison project just before the U.S. Senate confirmed his appointment as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Stopping the Medicaid overhaul saved him from a stinging political defeat on the prison project just before he steps down and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer is elevated to governor.
“That was a major, major decision point for me,” said Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican.
Lawmakers in both parties agreed that the Lansing prison has major problems. Parts of it date to the 1860s and feature long rows of tiered cells with bad sight lines, but even newer parts built in the 1980s were poorly designed.
“It just needs work,” Brownback said. “The place is crumbling down.”
The department has estimated that a new prison could be staffed with 46 percent fewer employees — saving the state enough money to cover annual lease payments. While CoreCivic would be responsible for maintenance, the state would oversee staffing and day-to-day operations.
Democratic leaders were skeptical of the projected staffing and cost savings, and questioned whether the project would be cheaper over time if the state issued bonds to finance it.
“We will rue the day, I believe,” said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat.
CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger said construction could begin in a few weeks. The company has had similar projects in California and Oklahoma and is pursuing one in Colorado. He said the Kansas project could be a model for others in states with badly aging prisons.
“There are other states, we know, around the country that are looking at Kansas and thinking about how we could duplicate this kind of solution,” Hininger said.
TOPEKA – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged arson.
Just after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, fire crews responded to an apartment fire at 3100 SW 29th Terrace in Topeka, according to Fire Chief Craig Duke.
Upon arrival, fire crews found the two-story wooden ballooned frame apartment structure with nothing showing. Firefighters encountered smoke when they entered the building. Firefighters located the fire and quickly extinguished it. There were no occupants.
Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. Police arrested 25-year-old Blake A. Barrow and he was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Aggravated Arson, according to Duke.
The estimated dollar loss is $1,100. Police released no additional details.
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Lyon County authorities say a person has died in a house fire near Emporia.
County sheriff’s deputy Jacob Welsh says the fire was reported Wednesday morning about 4 miles southwest of Emporia. When firefighters arrived, the home was completely engulfed in flames.
The person’s name has not been released.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals have signed former Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to big league spring training.
Kansas City announced the move Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Goins was non-tendered by the Blue Jays after hitting .237 with a .286 on-base percentage last season. He did set career highs with 21 doubles, nine homers and 62 RBIs.
Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar hit free agency this offseason, which means youngster Raul Mondesi is lined up to start at shortstop and Whit Merrifield at second base this season. Goins could provide some veteran depth behind both of those positions.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Kansas State coach Bill Snyder promoted Andre Coleman to offensive coordinator on Wednesday, and made Charlie Dickey and Collin Klein co-coordinators in a revamped coaching staff structure.
Coleman played wide receiver for Snyder in the early 1990s and has tutored the Wildcats’ receivers the past five years. He takes over for Dana Dimel, who left to become head coach at UTEP.
Dickey, the Wildcats’ offensive line coach, will coordinate the running game while Klein, a former Heisman Trophy finalist, will handle the passing game along with his role as quarterbacks coach.
Snyder sounded unconcerned in a statement that he has essentially three coordinators, pointing out their long histories with the program and “how well these three have worked together.”
HORTON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded no contest to nine felonies connected to the burning of homes and cars last May.
Dustin McCulley, 27, Horton, was scheduled to go on trial next week for charges filed after three homes and several vehicles were set on fire in Horton on May 9. No one was injured in the fires.
Brown County Attorney Kevin Hill says McCulley surprised officials on Jan. 18 when he said he wanted to plead no contest after reviewing the evidence against him.
He was charged with several counts of arson, theft and burglary. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays city commissioners are expected to award a bid during their meeting Thursday night for reconstruction of Allen Street between 8th and where it intersects with Vine Street at 24th.
“It’s in dire need of repair,” according to Projects Manager John Braun, “and the improvements have been in the Capital Improvements Plan since 2011.” The design phase began in 2017.
Allen is classified as a major collector street, carrying between 2,000 and 4,000 vehicles per day within the proposed project area of 5,100 lineal feet. The existing pavement varies from brick at the south end, with asphalt in the center section, to concrete at the north end.
Four million dollars was budgeted for the project to be funded out of City Commission Reserves. An additional $500,000 is budgeted in Water Capital Reserves to replace the water main and water services. Stormwater Capital Reserve has budgeted $75,000 for storm sewer structure replacement.
The project was bid with a base bid to reconstruct the street entirely in concrete, and with an alternate to reconstruct the area between 8th and 12th, which is currently brick pavement, with new brick pavers.
Paul Wertenberger Construction of Hays had the lowest bids for both options, with both being lower than the estimates. The work includes replacing curb and gutter throughout, replacement of much of the sidewalk, and upgrade and replacement of the water main and water services north of 10th Street.
A public information meeting is planned for Feb. 12. Letters will be sent to those directly affected by the project. “Everybody has been contacted at least once and I’ve talked personally with most of them,” Brown told commissioners last week. This will give them another chance to meet with the contractor, the engineer, city staff, and ask questions about scheduling and access.” The two-lane road has parking on the west side only.
Brown said a couple of two block sections could be worked on at the same time, depending on how the waterline work proceeds. “The road could be shut off in two different places but you’ll be able to drive in between those. You won’t be able to drive the whole length.” The few houses that front Allen Street are on corner lots and also have access to side streets and alleys, according to Brown. “They may be inconvenienced but they’ll still have access.”
Work would begin in March and is scheduled to be completed in November.
During discussion at last week’s work session, commissioners were unable to agree on which alternate bid to select. City staff is recommending the entire road section be paved with concrete. Staff considers the use of brick pavers “aesthetic” with adjacent brick pavement on 9th, 11th and 12th Streets. However, the area is not in the historical Chestnut Street District which has brick streets. Concerns were also noted by staff about added construction time and cost of $100,000, added cost and effort to make street cuts/repairs in the future, and the the need to maintain a stockpile of the concrete bricks for future repair which are not the same clay-fired brick as those currently stockpiled for older projects.
Other agenda items include rezoning a portion of Ottley Addition from Agriculture (A-L) to Commercial General District (C-2) and approval of the Ottley First Addition Final Plat, which is comprised of three lots, two approximately 1.4 acres and the other lot approximately 3.1 acres with access off West 43rd St.
Ottley Addition preliminary plat, Ottley First Addition Final Plat and rezoning have been approved by the Planning Commission. The request for annexation of the final portions of Ottley Addition was approved by the city commission December 28, 2017. The actions are the next steps in development of the property which will be the site of a Hilton Garden Inn and convention center.
The complete meeting agenda may be seen here. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
Ann Gustad-Leiker LBSW, MS
Mission Outreach Coordinator
Executive Director The Center for Life Experience
[email protected]
785-625-2847
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Members of the new Wonder Women League (WWL) in Ellis County plan to “inspire and empower women to affect change in our community.”
Their first project is installation of a “Born Learning Trail” in Sunrise Park, 19th and MacArthur. The park is adjacent to Roosevelt Elementary School. The trail will be built in the middle of the park.
The announcement was made last week by the WWL Advisory Committee in partnership with Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball Financial Services, Hays.
WWL operates under the auspices of the United Way of Ellis County (UWEC) and is comprised of women donating to the WWL “above and beyond” their annual United Way contributions.
“Our goal is to complement the United Way, never to compete with it,” said WWL co-chair Nancy Jeter, who served as the 2017 UWEC campaign chair.
She and her husband Bill are regular United Way donors. “I got to thinking about it,” Jeter told the audience. “There are women, like me, who have the time, the talent and the resources who could do so much more, but they don’t really know where to go or how to help their community be a better place.”
After talking to Sherry Dryden, executive director of the United Way of Ellis County and Erica Berges, administrative assistant, the Wonder Women League was created. “You know when you get a group of women together, they’re pretty powerful,” Jeter said with a big smile on her face. She also sported bright pink eyeglasses and nail polish matching the color of the WWL logo on her shirt.
“Not getting anything done can really drag down a group,” added co-chair Rhonda Meyerhoff, “so we decided to get something done and we are excited. We know every day is a learning situation for kids. Sometimes they’re in a situation where they can have a lot of learning and sometimes not. Sometimes parents have the tools to help their kids learn and sometimes they don’t.”
The Born Learning Trail, a United Way initiative in many other communities, is a series of 10 interactive signs describing fun learning activities to be done along the trail by children along with their families and caregivers.
“The best part about is, it’s free,” Meyerhoff said. “We’re hoping this helps with pre-literacy, gross motor skills, and problem-solving skills. They can learn more each time they go there.”
“Trying to find a community service project for 54 people to do together can be challenging. So, we are going to help maintain this trail,” said Brenda Bickle, Financial Services Coordinator for Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball. “When the hopscotch layout needs to be repainted, or things need to be fixed, we’ll take our Adams, Brown crew out there and get it done so the kids can keep learning. It’ll be a great thing for the community.”
The city of Hays will donate labor to install the signs which will sport the Ellis County United Way logo.
There are more than 750 Born Learning Trails throughout the United States. “It’s high time Hays and Ellis County have one too,” Meyerhoff declared.
(Disclosure: Rhonda Meyerhoff is an employee of Eagle Communications which owns Hays Post.)
Naomi (Mangus) Windell, 90, resident of Kanorado, passed away Monday, January 22, 2018, at the Goodland Regional Medical Center in Goodland, KS.
She was born on November 18, 1927 to Mamie Day Mangus and George Washington Mangus, in the home built by her father in Kanorado, KS.
She completed 12 years of schooling in Kanorado, graduating in 1945. After graduation she attended Fort Hays State University and earned her teaching certificate. She became a member of the Kanorado Methodist Church in her teens, was an active member of the Youth Group and as President for several years.
She met Lester Windell in March of 1945. It was love at first sight and she was overjoyed when he asked her on their first date. They became engaged in December of 1945. On October 5, 1946, they decided to elope. No one else knew that they went to Goodland and found the Justice of the Peace to marry them.
Naomi had taught elementary school at Prairie View country school for 2 years before her marriage. She had to complete summer school each year to keep her teaching certificate. After she was married, she decided she was not going to teach anymore, so she did not attend summer school. The school board begged her to teach another year. They didn’t care if she completed schooling or not, they just wanted her to teach. She agreed and 1947 was her last year of teaching.
Les and Naomi spent their lives in Kanorado on the farm built by her father. They farmed and raised livestock. Les also worked drilling irrigation wells. They were blessed with 3 sons, Rickie, Michael and Robert. They worked hard, but they also made time to spend together as a family. They took camping and fishing trips to Lake Superior, the Badlands and the Black Hills of South Dakota. They were also blessed with many grandchildren, and loved spending time with and spoiling them.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Les Windell, 11 half-brothers, 3 half-sisters; 1 sister Della Nagel; 2 grandchildren Billy Jacobs and Brad Figgins; and 2 great grandchildren Faith Figgins and Raphael Windell.
She is survived by her son Rickie (Victoria) Windell of Kanorado, KS, son Michael (Kelly) Windell of Goodland, KS; son Robert (Diane) Windell of Kanorado, KS; 9 grandchildren, Leanna Windell, Shaina Jacobs of Westminster, CO; Brandie (Lee) Ihrig of Goodland, KS; Tomi (Chance) Price of LeVeta, CO; Spencer (Cassie Murray) Windell of Goodland, KS; Brian Windell of Kanorado, KS; Denny (Delci) Windell of Kanorado, KS; Mathew Windell of Kanorado, KS; Andy (Ellie Dinkle) Windell of Sharon Springs, KS; 16 great grandchildren; Garrett (Rachel) Figgins of Norwalk, OH; Kaitlyn Figgins of Westminster, CO; Sydney, Rylie and Zachary Jacobs; Bryson, Logan Emmitt and Lydia Ihrig; Truit and Sawyer Price; Jayden, Brinley, Presley and Emberly Windell; and Adalyne Windell; and 2 great-great grandchildren; Gwyneth and Evelyn Figgins.
Funeral services for Naomi were held on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 10:00 AM MT at the Kanorado United Methodist Church in Kanorado with Pastor Gordon Pettibone officiating. Burial followed in the Kanorado Cemetery. Visitation was held on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland, KS.
Memorials may be designated to the Kanorado United Methodist Church or to the Kanorado Senior Citizen’s Center and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave, Goodland, KS 67735.
Online condolences may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral services were entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland, KS.
William J. Fry, age 58, of Hays (formerly of WaKeeney) passed away Monday, January 22, 2018, at Hays Medical Center.
Services are pending with Schmitt Funeral Home. Cremation was chosen.
