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Month: January 2018

Ellis students take part in Kansas Day presentation

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By JAYLINN PFEIFER
For Hays Post

ELLIS — On Tuesday, Thad Beach traveled to Ellis to put on his annual Kansas Day activities for both elementary schools. He was at St. Mary’s Catholic School from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., where he sang songs about the state bird, insect, flower and rock. Beach also talked about the history of Kansas and the Kansa tribe.

By all accounts, his interaction with the kids was wonderful and the children really enjoyed him.

“I am so grateful for the relationship with the schools and their willingness to collaborate and work together,” said Brenda Meder, executive director of the Hays Arts Council. Due to the weather, the presentation had to be moved to Tuesday, instead of Wednesday.

Beach sang songs about other topics such as the Santa Fe Trail, Chisholm Trail, Oregon Trail, the Butterfield Overland Dispatch, and famous astronauts and people from Kansas, including Dwight Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart. All of these songs urged the kids to sing and join along, so it made the interaction a blast.

Beach also played various instruments such as the jaw harp, guitar, harmonica, banjo, ukulele, Plains Indian flute, and other homemade percussion instruments.

“I got started performing for children when I worked with the North Carolina Mountain Arts Adventure in 1988,” Beach said.

Beach gets the information he puts into songs through books but also from children interviewing their parents and grandparents.

The Kansas Day activity is the kickoff to the Hays Arts Council’s schedule for the year. Beach will perform in Hays, as well, this week.

Sheriff: Dog attacks Kan. deputy during arrest of drug suspect

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Mcnett-photo Barton Co.

BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug and stolen property charges.

Just after 12:15p.m. Monday, deputies executed a search warrant at 1520 Hubbard Street in Great Bend.  Deputies a located stolen firearms, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, commercial binary explosives and several pounds of other high explosives. The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was notified and responded to the scene from Wichita. The ATF took possession of the explosives.  One nearby neighbor was asked to vacate the residence until the explosives were removed.

One Sheriff’s Deputy was injured when he was bit twice by a Pit Bull Terrier. The officers used a Taser to dissuade the animal. The dog was later captured by an animal control officer from the Barton County Humane Society.

Deputies arrested Frederick Silas McNett, 31 of Great Bend. He is being held on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, possession of stolen property (firearms), aggravated endangerment of a child and criminal use of explosives.

The Sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Great Bend fire Department EMS service. McNett is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

MAROHN: You live in a town that’s full of ‘stroads’

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Charles Marohn

We design our streets like roads, as if their primary function — and sometimes their sole function — is the movement of automobiles.

Many people don’t grasp the difference between a street and a road. They think the terms are interchangeable, and rightly so. In the United States, we’ve spent decades — and trillions of dollars — blurring the distinctions.

STREETS AND ROADS
To make our cities financially strong and successful, we need to reclaim the lost art of building great streets, and we must empower our transportation professionals to build high-performance roadways. There is a serious difference between those two pursuits.

Streets: The function of a street is to serve as a platform for building wealth. On a street, we’re attempting to grow the complex ecosystem of businesses and homes that produces community wealth. In these environments, people (outside of their automobiles) are the indicator species of success. Successful streets are environments where humans and human interaction flourish.

Roads: In contrast, the function of a road is to connect productive places to one another. You can think of a road as a refinement of the railroad — a road on rails — where people board in one place, depart in another and there is a high speed connection between the two.

With a street, we’re trying to build a place. With a road, we’re trying to get from one place to another. Streets emphasize wealth creation. Roads are about movement.

WHY IS THIS DISTINCTION IMPORTANT?

dothemath.png

Designing our streets as if they were roads creates three fundamental and interrelated  problems.

First, it’s really expensive. We spend a lot more money on everything from engineering to asphalt when we overbuild our streets. And because poorly designed streets suppress demand for biking and walking — two lower cost alternatives to driving — they actually induce even more demand for transportation spending.

Second, poorly designed streets drive down the taxpayer’s return-on-investment. In general, the more auto-oriented a development pattern is, the higher the cost to provide public services and the lower the value per acre.

The kind of streets that are typically located in auto-centric areas are not only less financially productive, they also tend to be less adaptable, less flexible and thus more financially fragile. The financial struggles our cities face are directly related to the poor financial productivity of our auto-based development pattern.

Third, designing our streets as if they were roads is not safe. These environments combine fast speeds with randomness and complexity, a condition unsafe for drivers and particularly unsafe for anyone outside of a vehicle.

STROADS: THE FUTON OF TRANSPORTATION

stroad.png

A stroad is a hybrid of a street and a road. Much like a futon, it tries to do two things at once and is forced to compromise on each. A stroad tries to move cars kind of quickly along a corridor that also builds some wealth. The result is expensive infrastructure serving low-returning properties that fails to move traffic quickly while being particularly dangerous.

A stroad is the worst kind of transportation investment we can make, yet we build them all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. If you are driving between 25 and 50 miles per hour, you are probably on a stroad. They are everywhere.

That’s because of the way in which transportation professionals approach street construction. As they do with roads, they start the process by selecting a design speed. They then establish the volume of traffic they are designing to accommodate. Given the speed and volume, they then reference a road design manual to provide recommended dimensions for safe automobile travel. Finally, they calculate the cost of the project.

The order of these values — speed, volume, safety, then cost — works well for roads, but it is nearly the complete inverse of what is needed to build a productive and safe street. Successful streets emphasize safety first — and that’s safety for everyone, not just driver and their passengers— and then focus on cost, volume and finally speed.

If we want a place to be successful, automobile speed can’t be the top priority of street designers. It needs to be their lowest priority.

#SLOWTHECARS

The most compelling thing we can do today to make our cities wealthier and more successful is to substantially slow automobile speeds on our streets.

We need to incrementally shift each of our stroads to become either a street or a road, distinguishing the parts of our existing transportation network over time to emphasize either a street function (wealth creation / complexity) or a road function (traffic movement / simplicity).

And while the fragile financial condition of our local governments is what compels us to make this change, it is clear that building lower cost, higher returning streets will also save lives and improve the quality of life for our citizens.

That is why #slowthecars is such a critical part of implementing a Strong Towns approach.

Charles Marohn  is the founder of Strong Towns, based in Brainerd, MN. In 2017 Marohn was named one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time by Planetizen.

(Editor’s Note: The city of Hays is a member of Strong Towns.)

HPD Activity Log Jan. 12-16

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kbyw-november16

The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 18 traffic stops Fri., Jan. 12, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–200 block W 10th St, Hays; 12:54 AM; 1:05 AM
Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 1:38 AM; 1:45 AM
Urinating in Public–400 block W 6th St, Hays; 1:45 AM
Disturbance – Noise–1000 block W 37th St, Hays; 3:23 AM
Liquor Offense, sell, furnish, transport–1000 block W 37th St, Hays; 4 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 8:16 AM
Theft (general)–2700 block Hall St, Hays; 11:48 AM
Welfare Check–200 block W 12th St, Hays; 12:03 PM; 12:06 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block Ash St, Hays; 12:30 AM;
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1100 block Main St, Hays; 1:45 PM
Disturbance – Noise–1700 block Sunset Dr, Hays; 6:24 PM
Suspicious Activity–2500 block Gen Hays Rd, Hays; 8 PM
Aggravated Battery–500 block Mission Mt, Hays; 8:45 PM; 8:59 PM
Disturbance – Noise–200 block E 24th St, Hays; 11:01 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 1 animal call and conducted 27 traffic stops Sat., Jan. 13, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–500 block W 6th St, Hays; 1:31 AM
Driving Under the Influence–500 block W 8th St, Hays; 1:56 AM
Criminal Trespass–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 2:54 AM
Battery – Domestic–1200 block Donald Dr, Hays; 5:58 AM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 8:27 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2300 block Gen Custer Rd, Hays; 10:47 AM; 10:51 AM
Animal Bite Investigation–3200 block Tam O’Shanter Dr, Hays; 12:38 PM
Found/Lost Property–4200 block Vine St, Hays; 1:04 PM; 1:24 PM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 2:32 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–1100 block Centennial Blvd, Hays; 2:55 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–1300 block Schwaller Ave, Hays; 3:02 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7:28 PM
Domestic Disturbance–500 block Mission Mt, Hays; 1/2 10 PM; 1/4 1 AM
Domestic Disturbance–500 block Mission Mt, Hays; 1/3 10 PM; 1/5 1 AM
44 – Traffic Stop–800 block Vine St, Hays; 10:18 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 14 traffic stops Sun., Jan. 14, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Drug Offenses–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:51 AM
Liquor Offense, sell, furnish, transport–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 1:43 AM
Battery – simple–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 1:51 AM
Disturbance – General–1300 block Fort St, Hays; 2:43 AM
Parking Complaint–500 block W 17th St; 12:27 PM
Civil Transport–1300 block Kansas Highway 264, Larned; 2:10 PM
Theft (general)–1700 block MacArthur Rd, Hays; 11 AM; 2:23 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–200 block W 12th St, Hays; 1 AM; 9 AM
Animal Call–100 block W 25th St, Hays; 4:57 PM
Juvenile Complaint–2900 block E 13th St, Hays; 7:39 PM
Intoxicated Subject–200 block E 6th St, Hays; 11:48 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and conducted 21 traffic stops Mon., Jan. 15, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Bicycle – Lost,Found,Stolen–2100 block Fort St, Hays; 11:41 AM
Welfare Check–200 block Castilian Blvd, Hays; 12:36 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–3100 block Hall St, Hays; 1:18 AM
Found/Lost Property–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 1:55 PM
Aggravated Battery–200 block E 11th St, Hays; 1/14 9 PM; 11:30 PM
Suspicious Activity–1500 block E 17th St, Hays; 1/8 3:55 PM; 1/15 3:55 PM
Animal At Large–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 4:53 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 5:35 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2600 block Hall St, Hays; 6:54 PM; 6:56 PM
Suspicious Activity–100 block Ash St, Hays; 11:28 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 1 animal call and conducted 21 traffic stops Tue., Jan. 16, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Traffic Stop–700 block Main St, Hays; 2:02 AM
Suspicious Person–100 block W 4th St, Hays; 6:22 AM
Disorderly Conduct–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 1/14 8:45 PM; 9:15 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–4100 block Vine St, Hays; 1:32 PM
Phone/Mail Scam–100 block W 33rd St, Hays; 2:28 PM
Miscellaneous Investigation–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 4:45 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 9:10 PM
44 – Traffic Stop–2300 block Vine St, Hays; 11:32 PM

kbyw-november16

April K. May

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Hays, Kansas- April K. May, age 40, died Sunday, January 14, 2018.

She was born July14, 1977, in Lodi, California, to Sylvester K and Gayle L (Mallory) Hecky. She married Henry J. “Hank” May on September 25,1999, in Hays, Kansas.

She was a homemaker and moved to Hays in 1999 from California. She grew up in Wainae, Hawaii and San Jose, CA. She graduated from Independence High School in San Jose, CA. April enjoyed arts, crafts and spending time with her family.

Survivors include her husband, Henry J. “Hank” May, of the home; two daughters, Kallie May and Katie May, both of the home; her mother, Gayle Hecky-Kurup, Hays, KS; three brothers, Jacob Kurup and wife, Kristin, Russell, KS; Kaniela Hecky-Kanaka, Wainae, Hawaii; Nickolas Kurup, Hays, KS; two sisters, Melissa Sennett and Brian Summers, Hays, KS; Heather Gage and husband, Lee, Hays, KS; two nephews; five nieces; two great nephews and one great niece.

She was preceded in death by her father.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, January 19, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kanas 67601.

Memorial are suggested to her children in care of Henry May. Condolences can be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be sent via e-mail to [email protected]

TMP-M Pop Singers Present “THE ENVELOPE PLEASE”

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2018 Dinner Show

Where: TMP Cafeteria & Auditorium
When: Saturday, February 3 at 6:30pm
Sunday, February 4 at 12:00pm

Ticket Prices are: $20
Get your tickets by calling TMP at 785-625-6577 or Kathy Amrein at 785-650-4371

Dinner will be the traditional Wedding Roast and all the fixings!

Donna ‘Ruth’ (Sager) Hyde

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Donna “Ruth” (Sager) Hyde, 86, died January 14, 2018, in Hill City, Kansas. Ruth, as she was always known by, was born on March 25, 1931, on the family farm southwest of Edmond, Kansas to William Ernest and Margaret Neveda (Craig) Sager.

Ruth attended Mount Vernon Country School northeast of Hill City. She married Carl Hyde on April 17, 1951 in Lenora. They were married for nearly 50 years when Carl passed away September 19, 2000. During their marriage, they lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, spending the majority of their married life in Hill City. To this union were born seven children: Carl Eugene, Utanna May, Donna Marie, Linda Sue, Gary Lee, Sharon Kay, Charlotte Renee.

Ruth spent a number of years managing Hillcrest Foods (the rabbit plant) in Hill City. She later earned her CNA and RA (rehab aide) certificates and was employed by Dawson Place Nursing Home. Ruth and Carl were also camp hosts at Milford Reservoir from 1991 – 2000 until Carl’s death and then Ruth continued in this capacity for several more years until her health declined.

Ruth always enjoyed visiting with friends and strangers alike and she always had a story to share. She loved to spend time with her grandkids and family, reading, and playing cards especially Pitch and Skip-O. Ruth was an avid bowler and belonged to several bowling leagues, one was even named “The Hoppin Hyde’s Bowling Team”.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Carl; siblings: Morris Sager, Wilma Deibert, Betty Custine, Bill Sager, Margaret Mattlock and Linda Brown; and daughter, Donna Ambrosier and one brother who died in infancy.

Leaving to mourn her passing include: her children: Gene Hyde of Hays; Utanna (Dale) Ashbaugh of Hill City, Linda Hyde of Hill City, Gary (Kim) Hyde of Westcliffe, Colorado and Charlotte (Mark) Davidson of Fountain, Colorado; son-in-law, J.R. Ambrosier of Arkansas City; 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; and many other friends and relatives.

Click HERE for service details.

Attempt to thaw frozen water lines blamed for Tuesday fire

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Local fire crews were called to a structure fire Tuesday evening just before 5 p.m. after the residents tried to thaw frozen water lines under the home.

According to Ellis County Fire Chief Darin Myers crews were called to a structure fire in the 2300 block of East 7th Street at 4:48 p.m.

When they arrived crews found fire smoldering in the insulation under the home. Fire crews removed insulation along with other materials and extinguished the material using one hose line.

There was no damage to the interior of the structure.

Myers said the fire started during an attempt of the tenants to thaw frozen water lines under the home.

Crews were on scene until approximately 6:15 to monitor the residence.

Twenty-four ECFD firefighters responded from Hays, Munjor, and Victoria. Crews from Ellis County EMS, Ellis County Sheriffs Office, and the Hays Fire Department responded to assist.

Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge hosts annual raptor program

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USFWS

KIRWIN – Experience a close encounter with a live Bald Eagle. Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge is sponsoring an American Bald Eagle and raptor program for the public on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at Dane G. Hansen Scout Camp. The Dane G. Hansen Scout Camp is located on the south side of Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge. The program will be presented by Bill Whinery, from Operation WildLife, Inc. located in Linwood, Kansas.

The exciting ingredient is a live Bald Eagle and other raptors. The presentation will focus on the natural history of eagles, the recovery of the Bald Eagle, and wildlife rehabilitation.

All ages are encouraged to attend this very informative and entertaining program. For more information please call 785-543-6673.

Learn more about the refuges by visiting our websites: www.fws.gov/kirwin and “Like” us on Facebook.

HaysMed Hospice/Palliative relocate offices

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HAYSMED

HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, is relocating their hospice/palliative care program on Wednesday, January 17, 2018. The new location will be at the hospital, 2220 Canterbury Drive, right inside Entrance C, Main Entrance on the west side of the hospital.

“Our team is steadfastly committed to expanding access to and raising awareness of the availability of quality hospice and palliative care for those who qualify,” said Sue Noll, RN, Director of Hospice and Palliative Care. “Having a location at HaysMed makes it easier for patients, family and staff to coordinate assistance and provide quality care to those who use our services.”

HaysMed’s hospice/palliative care mission is to enhance life’s journey by offering care and education with respect, dignity and hope to individuals and families facing serious illness, death and grief by providing the best experience that humankind can offer.

Hospice/palliative care is compassionate care for people of all ages facing a life-limiting illness. They provide a team approach to medical care, pain & symptom management and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the person’s needs and wishes. Support is provided to the person’s loved ones as well.

Hospice at Hays Medical Center is Medicare certified and licensed and has been providing services in Ellis, Rooks, Rush and Russell counties and the surrounding areas since 1978.

The care team, which consists of physicians, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers, works together to meet the medical, emotional and spiritual needs of their patients. The company’s goal is provide the greatest possible comfort and care for those who experience one of life’s most intimate and challenging moments.

Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies.

For more information about HaysMed Hospice/Palliative Care – please call 785-623-6200.

Goodland native recognized as National Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year

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FHSU University Relations and Marketing

Amy Gildemeister, a Fort Hays State University graduate assistant for sexual assault prevention and student conduct in the Office of Transition and Student Conduct, was recently announced as the 2018 National Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year.

Gildemeister, a Goodland High School graduate, is majoring in education.

The award was given by the American College Personnel Association: College Student Educators International – Commission on Admissions, Orientation, and First Year Experience. It is presented to a full-time graduate student or graduate assistant studying at the master’s or doctoral level.

The ACPA Commission for Admissions, Orientation and First-Year Experience, according to its website, provides resources for scholarship, recognition and networking for all association members whose work is engaged in the management of student enrollment and adjustment.

The award will be presented at the ACPA Annual Convention in Houston from March 11 through March 13.

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