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Month: April 2018

Read with your child, not at your child

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Dr. Bradford Wiles

The Cottonwood Extension District, in partnership with the Hays Public Library, will host a free educational program on Emergent Literacy on Wednesday, April 25, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main Street, Hays.

Dr. Bradford Wiles, Extension Child Development specialist, will be the guest speaker for this program which is suitable for parents, grandparents, child care providers and early childhood professionals.

According to Dr. Wiles, children become readers and writers though a continuous developmental process called ‘emergent literacy’.

While each person learns to read differently, research shows that building emergent literacy skills can be done intentionally and provides great fun for both the adult and child. The most important aspect of the process is to read with the child, as opposed to reading to the child.

Join us for this free program to learn how it is done.

Pre-registration is helpful to ensure adequate program materials. Call the Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District at 785-628-9430 to sign up for this program and learn to set the stage for future development of the children in your life.

Hays High golf finishes 2nd at Bob Blazer Invitational

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HAYS – The Hays High Indians golf team combined to shot a 325 Monday just one shot back of first place Garden City at the Bob Blazer Invitational at Smoky Hill Country Club in Hays.

Hays’ Tradgon McCrae fired a four-over 75 and finished second individually.

Allen Zollinger was eighth with an 82. Josh Norris shot an 83 for an 11th place and Peyton Kieffer finished 15th.

Team Finish
Place: School: Score:
1. Garden City 324
2. Hays High 325
3. Liberal 346
4. Salina South 351
5. Salina Central 365
6. Dodge City 369
7. Topeka Seaman 375
8. Great Bend 397
9. Junction City 399
10. Hays High B 411
11. Topeka West No Score Only 3 players

Top 10 Medalists
Place: Name: School: Score:
1. Sion Audrain Garden City 72
2. Tradgon McCrae Hays High 75
3. Bryce Cowan Topeka Seaman 77
4. Cameron Riley Liberal 78
5. Parker Norton Salina South 80
6. Alex Carrasco Liberal 81
7. Gavin Berberich Topeka West 81
8. Allen Zollinger Hays High 82
9. Tyler Morren Garden City 82
10. Tyler Gromlovits Junction City 83

Measles outbreak that started in Kansas day care grows

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Health officials say a northeast Kansas measles outbreak that started in a day care has grown to 16 cases.

CDC photo-skin of a patient after 3 days of measles infection

Kansas Department of Health and Environment says 13 of the cases are in Johnson County, two in Linn County and one in Miami County.

The outbreak started March 8 after a traveler brought the virus back from Asia. It spread mostly through infants too young to be vaccinated at the day care in Johnson County.

Locations and Dates of Potential Measles Exposure:

*Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in the Lobby and Sanctuary; 13300 Kenneth Rd., Leawood, KS

April 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Casey’s General Store; 207 S. 9th St., Mound City, KS; March 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Olathe Health Family Medicine; 302 N. 1st St., Mound City, KS; March 28 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Olathe Health Family Medicine; 1017 E. Market St., La Cygne, KS; March 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Casey’s General Store; 406 E. Market St., La Cygne, KS; March 27 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

People who visited these locations are now outside of the time frame to develop symptoms of measles:

  • Chick-fil-A in Olathe
  • Olathe YMCA
  • Walgreens in Kansas City, MO
  • Chuck E. Cheese’s in Olathe
  • Auburn Pharmacy in Mound City
  • Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas – Emergency Department
  • Bath & Body Works at Legends Outlets Kansas City
  • Crazy 8 at Legends Outlets Kansas City
  • Orange Leaf in Overland Park
  • Budget Coin Laundry in Gardner
  • AMC DINE-IN Studio 28 in Olathe
  • El Potro Mexican Café in Paola
  • Payless Discount Foods in Olathe
  • ALDI in Olathe

Measles is extremely contagious, and health officials are warning that exposure was possible at several locations, including an Olathe doctor’s office and a Leawood church. Symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after exposure.

Officials say the Kansas outbreak isn’t linked to two measles cases in Kansas City, Missouri.

FHSU to offer BBA in finance, banking concentration completely online

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FHSU University Relations

Starting this fall, students who want to begin earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in finance online can start their course work through the Fort Hays State University Virtual College.

“FHSU’s Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship is excited to offer the BBA degree with a major in finance through distance learning,” said Dr. Mark Bannister, dean of the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Students pursuing the degree can choose between general finance or a concentration in banking.

“The quality of our on-campus finance program is well known,” said Dr. Dosse Toulaboe, chair of the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting. “We want to offer the same high-quality learning experience to those who are looking for the convenience and flexibility of the distance-learning platform.”

Studying finance prepares students for a wide variety of careers in both public and private sectors, including banking, corporate finance, investments, insurance and risk management.

“Finance is a popular and rewarding area of study. There’s a huge demand for this program and we want it to reach more students,” said Toulaboe.

The demand for FHSU’s program matches the demand for finance careers nationwide. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of business and finance operations occupations is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all [other] occupations.”

The online program will be taught by the same faculty who teach on-campus economics, finance and accounting courses.

“We want the content and rigor to be the same for both the on-campus and online programs. Our highly talented faculty will ensure that the online learning for our finance program is just as effective as in face-to-face education,” said Toulaboe.

The decision to expand the program online came from a desire to reach a more diverse group of students.

“Many students today are non-traditional. They are working professionals trying to balance work, life and school,” said Toulaboe. “By expanding our footprint online, we can reach more non-traditional students.”

“We are very proud of our finance graduates over the years,” said Bannister. “By offering a high-quality degree online, we will be able to expand our reach to serve students that are unable to come to campus.”

Both BBA degrees require a total of 124 credit-hours including 55 credit-hours of general education classes, 27 credit-hours of business core classes, 39 credit-hours of finance core and finance elective classes and 3 credit-hours of free electives.

“This effort is especially relevant to supporting FHSU’s innovative Robbins Banking Institute,” said Bannister. “Banking students can earn stackable credentials such as the 12-credit-hour banking certificate, a minor in banking, or a full BBA degree with a major in finance with a concentration in banking. These credentials can be earned anywhere a student has reliable internet access.”

To learn about the online Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in finance or the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in finance with a concentration in banking, please contact the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting at 785-628-4551, or visit https://www.fhsu.edu/efa/.

Carol Ann Wadley

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Carol Ann Wadley, age 69, passed away on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas.

Carol was born June 25, 1948 in Leoti, Kansas, the daughter of John Dewey & Ellen Caroline (Lonberger) Wadley. Carol graduated from Wichita County High School in 1966 and attended Dodge City Community College, graduating in 1968. She was a Medical Dietician serving in Denver, Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri, Salina, Manhattan, Syracuse and Dodge City, Kansas. Carol returned to Leoti, Kansas following her retirement in 2010.

Carol was a member of the United Methodist Church in Leoti, Kansas.

Carol is survived by her extended family, her cat, Callie, her church family and many friends, who will miss this gentle woman.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 pm Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the United Methodist Church in Leoti, Kansas with the Reverend Brad Kirk officiating.

Inurnment will be in Leoti Cemetery in Leoti, Kansas.

There is no visitation scheduled.

Memorials may be given to the Wichita County Library or United Methodist Church in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home, PO 161, Leoti, Kansas 67861.

Flame Engineering of La Crosse installs new robotic arm

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Flame Engineering’s robotic arm welds pieces at the manufacturer’s plant in La Crosse.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

LA CROSSE — Flame Engineering has installed a new $200,000 Miller robotic welding arm at its La Crosse plant.

The robotic arm, installed in January, replaces a similar piece of equipment the company has operated since the late 1990s.

Flame manufactures LP gas equipment. This includes torches for home, agriculture and tar roofing. Flame Engineering has been operating in La Crosse since the late 1950s and now sells all over the world.

The robotic welding takes about five minutes, whereas hand welding some products might take 20 minutes. It cut labor cost and increased production.

The company has multiple jigs for welding the different types of equipment it manufactures. Metal parts are clapped onto a jig, and the robot’s turn table rotates the parts into place so they can be welded.

The robotic arm can perform multiple welds on multiple pieces during a single pass.

A worker removes welded pieces from the Flame Engineering robotic welder.

On the afternoon Hays Post visited, workers had parts loaded into the machine for dollies for propane tanks. The arm made multiple welds on each of three bottom plates for the dollies.

Jason Pivonka, Flame Engineering vice president, said the arm is faster and more consistent than a worker hand-welding the parts.

The introduction of the arm into the shop has not eliminated jobs. When the company bought its first robotic welder, it added two workers to program and operate the arm.

The bottom platform of propane tank dollies are ready to be welded by Flame Engineering’s robotic welder

In addition to the dollies, the company uses the robotic welder to manufacture tow hitches and construction heaters.

The new arm can weld larger parts, the arm has a larger range of motion and the new machine can weld a lighter weight steel.

“It is so much easier to use and has new technology,” Pivonka said. “It was time for an upgrade.”

Portions of area counties designated as Kansas Opportunity Zones

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Kansas Opportunity Zones (Click to enlarge)

OFFICE OF GOV.

TOPEKA – Following an extensive review process involving officials from a number of state government agencies, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. is announcing the 74 census tracts he is nominating for designation as Opportunity Zones.

Census tracts designated as Opportunity Zones, a new economic development tool enacted by the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, will offer local citizens the opportunity to invest back into their communities and proactively be a part of the solution to problems such as population decline, lack of jobs, and crumbling infrastructure.

For the investor, the Opportunity Zone program offers tax incentives to citizens who re-invest their unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds dedicated to investing in designated census tracts. The program provides deferral and reduction of capital gains taxes when the gain is invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund and maintained for at least five years. Additional tax incentives are available for investments held for periods of seven and 10 years.

In February, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced it would begin accepting Letters of Interest from communities to have their eligible low-income census tracts designated as Opportunity Zones. Following the review of submissions, Gov. Colyer determined that each community who submitted an eligible census tract would be nominated for at least one Opportunity Zone designation. The governor has utilized the available 30-day extension from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to work with local leaders to finalize the specific census tracts designated within each community.

The specific census tracts and their counties to be included in the governor’s nominations for designation as Opportunity Zones are:

20001952900 Allen

20003953600 Anderson

20005081900 Atchison

20009971400 Barton

20009971700 Barton

20015020400 Butler

20029977200 Cloud

20035493700 Cowley

20035493800 Cowley

20037956600 Crawford

20037956900 Crawford

20037957500 Crawford

20037957600 Crawford

20045000200 Douglas

20045000400 Douglas

20055960501 Finney

20055960600 Finney

20057961800 Ford

20057962101 Ford

20059954200 Franklin

20059954400 Franklin

20063955100 Gove

20063955200 Gove

20065952100 Graham

20071958100 Greeley

20089576100 Jewell

20089576200 Jewell

20091052102 Johnson

20091052417 Johnson

20091053555 Johnson

20091053557 Johnson

20091053601 Johnson

20099950400 Labette

20101956600 Lane

20103070100 Leavenworth

20111000500 Lyon

20121100700 Miami

20125950200 Montgomery

20125951200 Montgomery

20125951300 Montgomery

20137951700 Norton

20139010400 Osage

20155000600 Reno

20155000700 Reno

20155001000 Reno

20155001300 Reno

20157978300 Republic

20161000500 Riley

20161000801 Riley

20161001100 Riley

20163974600 Rooks

20163974700 Rooks

20169000100 Saline

20169000600 Saline

20173000400 Sedgwick

20173000900 Sedgwick

20173001100 Sedgwick

20173002600 Sedgwick

20173003200 Sedgwick

20173003700 Sedgwick

20173003800 Sedgwick

20173004300 Sedgwick

20173006300 Sedgwick

20177000700 Shawnee

20177000800 Shawnee

20177004000 Shawnee

20181453700 Sherman

20185470600 Stafford

20209041800 Wyandotte

20209042200 Wyandotte

20209043905 Wyandotte

20209044101 Wyandotte

20209045100 Wyandotte

20209045200 Wyandotte

An interactive map of nominated opportunity zones, courtesy of Kansas Geological Survey, can be found at the link below:

https://arcg.is/0TPLD1 

Additional information about the Opportunity Zone program may be found at https://kansascommerce.gov/opportunityzones.

TMP softball picks up wins over Plainville and Sylvan-Lucas

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The TMP-Marian softball team earned a pair of wins Monday over Plainville and Sylvan-Lucas in Sylvan in a makeup triangular that was postponed from earlier this year.

GAME 1: TMP 16, Plainville 14
In the first game TMP jumped out to an early lead and held off a late rally by Plainville to earn the 16-14 win.

The Monarchs scored five runs in the fourth and sixth innings and added four more in the seventh to lead 16-9 to Plainville answered with five runs in the bottom of the seventh but the potential game-tying runner ground out to end the game.

Emilee Augustin was two-for-five with three RBI’s for the Monarchs and Annie Wasinger earned the win in relief. She allowed seven runs but just one earned over two and two-thirds innings.

GAME 2: TMP 16, Sylvan-Lucas 3
In their second game of the day the Monarchs scored multiple runs in the first three innings on their way to a 16-3 win in five innings over Sylvan-Lucas.

The Monarchs collected 13 hits and took advantage of 11 errors by Sylvan-Lucas.

Emily Schulte got the scoring started with a two-run double in the first inning. She drove in three runs in the game. Emilee Augustine also drove in three.

Kyleigh Allen earned the win for TMP allowing three runs over five innings. She struckout four and walked two.

In the finale game of the triangular Sylvan-Lucas beat Plainville 11-6.

The Monarchs improve to 7-3 on the season. They travel to Ellinwood on Thursday.

KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 4/17/18

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khaz cheesy joke logo 20110802Peaty Payment

A farmer went into a hardware store to purchase a bale of peat moss.

He gave a personal check in payment and said to the clerk, “I suppose
you will want some identification.”

The clerk replied, without hesitation, “No sir, that won’t be
necessary.”

“How come?” asked the farmer.

“Crooks don’t buy peat moss,” answered the clerk.

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

China takes aim at Kansas farmers in trade battle

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BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday ordered importers of U.S. sorghum to pay deposits for possible higher tariffs in an anti-dumping investigation, adding to growing trade conflict with Washington.

A preliminary ruling by the Commerce Ministry said U.S. sorghum was being sold at improperly low prices, hurting Chinese farmers. It said importers must post bonds of 178.6 percent of the value of their goods to cover possible anti-dumping duties while the probe is completed.

Beijing launched the sorghum investigation on Feb. 4 in what some businesspeople saw as a warning shot after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese-made washing machines and solar modules.

Since then, Trump has threatened to raise duties on up to $150 billion of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology policy. Beijing has responded with its own list of U.S. goods for possible retaliation.

The measures on sorghum, a grain used in animal feed and for making the fiery traditional Chinese liquor baijiu, target farm areas that voted for Trump in 2016. China is one of the biggest foreign markets for U.S. sorghum growers.

Investigators concluded dumping of U.S. sorghum “substantially damaged” Chinese competitors, the Commerce Ministry said. It said prices of U.S. sorghum fell 13 percent from 2013 to 2017, while shipments increased 14-fold.

According to the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, the Sorghum Belt runs from South Dakota to Southern Texas and the crop is grown primarily on dryland acres.  In addition to animal feed it is used for ethanol production. Kansas, Texas and Arkansas are among the top Sorghum producing states, according to the the commission’s web site.

 

Hydrant flushing, testing for Tuesday

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HFD

The city of Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Tue., April 17, in the area of Augusta Lane and Hall St. between 15th St. and 27th St.

Inspections will also be made on Vine St. to Indian Trail between 22nd St. and 27th St.

This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.

Hays, Goodland police officers graduate from KLETC

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KLETC

YODER — Fifty-eight new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on March 30. Sandy Horton, executive director of the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.

The new officers were members of the 249th basic training class at the center. Located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Professional & Continuing Education.

The graduates, who began their training Dec. 11, 2017, represented 43 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas.

Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.

Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968, the center trains the majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas and oversees the training of the remaining officers at seven authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

About 300 officers enroll annually in KLETC 14-week basic training programs. The center offers continuing education and specialized training to over 10,000 Kansas officers each year.

Graduates who granted permission to release their names are listed below by agency.

Allen County

Allen County Sheriff’s Office; Justin Thompson; deputy; Iola

Bourbon County


Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department; Nelson Blythe; deputy; Fort Scott

Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department; Steven Nelson; deputy; Fort Scott

Butler County


Butler Community College Public Safety; Toby Goff; patrol officer; El Dorado

Cherokee County


Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; Jornell Fondren; deputy; Columbus

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; Brandon Lero; deputy; Columbus

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; Nicholas Powell; deputy; Columbus

Cowley County

Cowley County Sheriff’s Office; Terry Rose; deputy; Winfield

Crawford County


Pittsburg Police Department; Robert Jambrosic; patrol officer; Pittsburg

Dickinson County


Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department; Stephen Gray; deputy; Abilene

Douglas County


University of Kansas Police Department; Amanda Reynolds; patrol officer; Lawrence

Ellis County

Hays Police Department; Derick Nordell; patrol officer; Hays

Finney County


Finney County Sheriff’s Department; Mark McClure; deputy; Garden City

Ford County


Dodge City Police Department; Kristopher Gonzales; patrol officer; Dodge City

Greeley County


Greeley County Sheriff’s Office; Jordan Lobmeyer; deputy; Tribune

Greenwood County


Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office; Taylor Ratcliff; deputy; Eureka

Harvey County

Newton Police Department; Austin Gronau; patrol officer; Newton

Jewell County

Jewell County Sheriff’s Department; Frank Vandaveer; deputy; Mankato

Leavenworth County


Leavenworth Police Department; Elijah Bagley; patrol officer; Leavenworth

Tonganoxie Police Department; Leslie Clark; patrol officer; Tonganoxie

McPherson County


McPherson County Sheriff’s Department; Isaac McIver; deputy; McPherson

Miami County


Miami County Sheriff’s Office; Kenneth Richardson; deputy; Paola

Montgomery County


Independence Police Department; Hilary Cook; patrol officer; Independence

Independence Police Department; Devin Mendoza; patrol officer; Independence

Nemaha County


Sabetha Police Department; Paul Streeter; patrol officer; Sabetha

Neosho County

Neosho County Sheriff’s Department; Rian Lahey; deputy; Erie

Ottawa County

Minneapolis Police Department; Richard Sandlin; patrol officer; Minneapolis

Pratt County

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism; Jared Ireland; natural resource officer; Pratt

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism; Mitchell Schwartz; natural resource officer; Pratt

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism; Brooks VanDerBeek; natural resource officer; Pratt

Reno County


Hutchinson Police Department; Eduardo Beckett; patrol officer; Hutchinson

Reno County Sheriff’s Office; Travis Vieyra; deputy; Hutchinson

Riley County

Riley County Police Department; Ronnie Bowden; patrol officer, Manhattan

Riley County Police Department; Carson Lang; patrol officer, Manhattan

Riley County Police Department; Holly Ugo; patrol officer, Manhattan

Saline County


Salina Police Department; Tyler Elmore; patrol officer; Salina

Sedgwick County


Derby Police Department; Austin Drinnen; patrol officer; Derby

Clearwater Police Department; Garrett Hoover; patrol officer; Clearwater

Seward County

Liberal Police Department; Ricardo Ramirez; patrol officer; Liberal

Shawnee County

Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office; Christopher Dahlke; deputy; Topeka

Shawnee County Parks Police Department; Jake Noble; patrol officer; Topeka

Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office; Dustin Weece; deputy; Topeka

Sherman County

Goodland Police Department; Erik Roeder; patrol officer; Goodland

Wyandotte County

University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department; Miranda Lawson; patrol officer; Kansas City

University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department; Wesley Winters; patrol officer; Kansas City.

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