USD 489 was selected by Midwest Energy to receive a grant in the amount of $980 to purchase workbooks to train area school officials and emergency responders in the PREPaRE curriculum.
This grant will allow for the purchase of 28 workbooks for the first workshop within the training series that focuses on crisis prevention and preparedness and comprehensive school safety planning.
Julie Zollinger, Hays Middle School psychologist, Theresa Clark, TMP and Holy Family counselor, and Josh Tanguay, FHSU virtual college instructor, became certified to teach the PREPaRE curriculum this year.
Prepare stands for: P—Prevent and PREPaRE for psychological trauma R—Reaffirm physical health and perceptions of security and safety E—Evaluate psychological trauma risk P—Provide interventions a—and R—Respond to psychological needs E—Examine the effectiveness of crisis prevention and intervention.
The team of three will work together over the course of the next year to provide training for school administrators, counselors, teachers, other school district personnel, police, fire, EMS, highway patrol and Homeland Security personnel within Ellis and Rooks counties.
The first of these trainings will be on May 30. The Hays Schools Crisis Committee will continue to seek other grant opportunities to fund these trainings.
“Thank you to Midwest Energy for supporting this very worthwhile cause in the community and for their continued investment in Hays schools,” USD 489 said in a news release.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident.
Fatal crash scene Wednesday morning-photo courtesy KAKE
Just after 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, police responded to an injury accident at 4501 W. Irving in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
A 45-year-old man was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle behind a large-wheel loader with forks on the front.
The motorcycle rider attempted to pass the loader while the 42-year-old loader operator turned into a private drive. The motorcycle rider struck the forks of the loader and was ejected from the
motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider was taken to Via Christi Hospital St. Francis campus, where he died. David did not release the victim’s name.
This is the eighth vehicle fatality in Wichita for 2018, according to Davidson.
The Hays school district has named two new principals who will take over schools in the fall.
Tom Albers, assistant principal at Hays High School, will become the new principal at Hays Middle School. He is taking over for Craig Pallister, who is retiring.
Kerri Lacy, a fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, will take the position as principal at Lincoln. She is replacing Elaine Rohleder, who is also retiring.
Tom Albers
Albers graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1988 with bachelor of science degree in mathematics. He taught math and coached football, basketball and track at Pratt High School for 13 years.
He was assistant principal for one year at Pittsburg High School before joining HHS as an assistant principal. He said he decided to move to Hays to be closer to family.
He has been an assistant principal at HHS for 16 years.
His wife, Tina, works as a USD 489 preschool teacher. Her program is also housed at Hays High.
His children include Mackenzie, Kord, Adyson (currently a junior at HHS), Brenlynn (currently a sixth grader at Hays Middle School), and Brogan (currently a third grader at O’Loughlin Elementary School).
“I am excited to be part of the Falcon family,” Albers said. “The middle school has a great tradition of excellence and outstanding teachers and staff. I am looking forward to being part of that great tradition.”
Kerri Lacy
Lacy began her teaching career straight out of college at Kennedy Middle School in Hays. Many of her students at Kennedy are now Lincoln parents.
She taught at Kennedy for 13 years before moving to Solomon in 2004. She and her husband moved their family to Solomon so she could become the principal at the elementary school there.
Her first two years there, she was the K-6 principal, and then the district moved the sixth-grade students to the middle school, so she was the K-5 principal.
After three years, she took over as the middle school principal also. When she completed her ninth year, her husband took a job back in Hays. She returned to the classroom, one year at Hays Middle School and then her last five years have been in the fifth-grade classroom at Lincoln.
“I am so blessed to able to continue being part of the Lincoln family as the principal,” she said.
Lacy and her husband, Brian, have two daughters.Kelsey attended Lincoln School until the family moved after her fourth-grade year.Kelsey just completed her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees at Northwest Missouri State University where she was also a member of the volleyball and track teams.She has recently taken a job in Kansas City.
Lacy’s youngest daughter, Bailey, is a senior at Thomas More Prep-Marian. She will be continuing her education and her softball career at Highland Community College next fall.
“After 24 years of having kids in our house, Brian and I are soon to be empty nesters!” she said.
“Although I will be the new principal at Lincoln, I will not be new to being a school leader,” Lacy said. “I am so excited for Mrs. Rohleder as she begins the next chapter of her life with retirement.I am sure she will be a huge support as I take over in July.I can only pray that I am half as successful at Lincoln as she has been.I am excited to continue as part of the Lincoln family.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that aims to add and strengthen work requirements for public assistance and other welfare programs.
The order, signed in private, promotes “common-sense reforms” that policy adviser Andrew Bremberg said would reduce dependence on government programs.
“Part of President Trump’s effort to create a booming American economy includes moving Americans from welfare to work and supporting and encouraging others to support common-sense reforms that restore American prosperity and help them reclaim their independence,” he said.
The order focuses on looking for ways to strengthen existing work requirements and exploring new requirements for benefits such as food stamps, cash and housing assistance programs.
Trump has long accused beneficiaries of abusing government assistance programs and has claimed many who have no intention of working make more in benefits than those with jobs.
“I know people that work three jobs and they live next to somebody who doesn’t work at all. And the person who is not working at all and has no intention of working at all is making more money and doing better than the person that’s working his and her ass off,” Trump said in November. During the campaign, he pledged that, under a Trump administration, families “trapped in welfare” would be “provided with jobs and opportunity.”
Most people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, who are able to hold jobs do work, but they don’t earn enough to pay for food and cover other expenses. According to 2015 data from the Department of Agriculture, 44 percent of the total households using the SNAP program had someone in the family earning money.
The administration has made several moves pushing work for Medicaid recipients and those who use the SNAP program.
In January, officials announced that states would be able to impose work requirements for Medicaid. And they’ve proposed tightening the existing requirement that able-bodied adults who want to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months at a time must work in some capacity.
The proposal would raise the age limit for recipients who are exempt from the requirement and restrict the ability of states to offer waivers. The Department of Agriculture has been soliciting public comment on the issue.
The administration has also been exploring more stringent work requirements for those who receive assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as minimum weekly work hours for those who receive housing assistance.
The order gives various Cabinet secretaries 90 days to review the programs their agencies offer, and recommend possible changes.
Advocates argue that, while encouraging people to work is fundamentally a good thing, imposing strict requirements on already vulnerable populations, particularly when coupled with an aggressive effort to slash funding and shrink public assistance programs, could be disastrous for those in need.
Such requirements could have dire consequences for those already experiencing barriers to finding, and keeping, a job, including single mothers who can’t afford child care, people who lack access to transportation and those who suffer from mental illness.
Rebecca Vallas, vice president of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress, said Trump’s executive order served to reinforce myths about poverty in the U.S.
“By using dog-whistle terms like ‘welfare,’ Trump’s trying to paint people who turn to Medicaid, SNAP, and other public programs as Reagan’s mythical ‘welfare queen’ — so we don’t notice that he’s coming after the entire working and middle class,” Vallas tweeted.
The White House had once identified overhauling the welfare system as one of its top two legislative priorities for 2018, along with a major investment in infrastructure. But GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, told the president there was little chance of passing anything that needs Democrats’ votes.
Trump appeared to agree as he huddled with GOP leaders at the Camp David presidential retreat in January.
“It’s a subject that’s very dear to our heart,” Trump said then. “We’ll try and do something in a bipartisan way. Otherwise, we’ll be holding it for a little bit later.”
Michael M. Rupp, age 94, of Hays, Kansas passed away Sunday, April 8, 2018 at Via Christi Village, Hays. He was born September 17, 1923 in Hays to Andrew and Adeline (Rupp) Rupp. He married Mildred “Mickey” Bowie Schauvliege on August 5, 1957. She preceded him in death on April 24, 2010.
Mike was a farmer, truck driver for H.M. Popp Truck LIne, Farm Implement Dealer and a Financial Planner for various financial institutions. He was a US Navy veteran serving from 1944 – 1946. He was a member of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, VFW, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Central Plains ARC and a member of the Council Estate Planning and Giving.
He is survived by a son, Tim Rupp of Hays; step-son, Mike Schauvliege of Hays; a daughter, Jennifer Rupp and husband Gus Hallin of Durango, CO; a step daughter, Vicki Runge of Hays; a sister, Blanche Von Lintel of Hays; a brother, Marvin Rupp of Hays; 7 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Francis Rupp and Henry Rupp; a step-son, Chuck Schauvliege and a son-in-law, Tom Runge.
Funeral services will be 10 AM Thursday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays, KS with Fr. Earl Befort officiating. Burial to follow in the church cemetery with Military Honors courtesy of the Hays VFW Honor Guard.
Visitation will be Wednesday 5 PM – 8 PM with rosary service at 6:30 PM all at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Joseph’s Church or for Masses.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected]
The Hays USD 489 superintendent said the capital outlay budget is not enough to keep up with the district’s building needs in a report to the school board Monday.
Superintendent John Thissen said the district has not neglected maintenance, saying the district simply does not have enough money to make all the needed repairs.
“The district this size with the number of buildings it has and the age of the buildings, you can’t conceivably tend to those needs with $2.5 million on a yearly basis. We disappoint our principals on a yearly basis because we can’t tend to what needs to be done because we are the ones trying to prioritize what is most important,” he said.
The last bond election for a new building was almost 40 years ago for Hays High School. Two bonds have failed in the last two years.
Thissen said there is a public misconception about the building needs in the district.
“When I first came in two years ago, people said there was a mistake that was made in this district of not fixing the needs every year as they came up. I would go so far as to say they have,” he said. “They have fixed things and made things work. It is actually very admirable you have people over time who have made the buildings work as they are and try to do it as effectively with the dollar amount as you possibly can.”
Thissen said a district of Hays’ size probably would have had another new building in that 40 years since the last major bond.
“We are at a spot that seems very dire. We are always talking about having a bond election to try to make some improvements, but I assure you it is not different from the districts I have come from. …
“The difficulty is there are some who think we can end up running our district on just the money that comes from the state. What is sad is that I don’t believe that is true. There is a push that (schools are funded) locally including the local option budget … and bond elections as well,” Thissen said.
The school district has estimated capital outlay revenue of $2.51 million in fiscal year 2018 and $2.85 million in 2019. With carry over, the available balance in the capital outlay fund would be about $5.66 million in 2018 and $4.48 million in 2019. Carry over numbers are estimates and may be reduced by unforeseen repair needs.
USD 489 capital outlay budget for FY2018 and FY2019
Thissen said he thought keeping a balance in the capital outlay fund is important in case of unforeseen expenses. A prime example is a recent water main break at the high school. The break closed school for a day last week.
The school is currently operating on one water source instead of two. The district plans to replace the broken main this summer. Thissen said he is unsure of the exact cost of the project, but was sure it would exceed the $20,000 mark the district has set to send projects out for bid. Insurance might pay part of the cost.
The district is also facing significant problems with plumbing at Roosevelt Elementary School and issues with windows at Wilson that have not been budgeted.
Among some of the larger line items in the capital outlay budget, $910,000 is budgeted in 2018 and 2019 for building repairs, parking lots, roofs, HVAC repairs and lighting. The budget has dedicated $520,000 in 2018 for repairs to the Hays High School HVAC system. Transportation will account for $317,000 in both 2018 and 2019.
If the district receives more funding under the state’s new funding plan, it could move $284,000 in salaries and benefits for maintenance staff from the capital outlay budget to the general fund budget. This would free up that money to be used on more deferred maintenance projects.
Board member Greg Schwartz asked Rusty Lindsay, buildings and grounds director, to give a broad estimate of the district’s deferred maintenance. Lindsay said he thought it was about $20 million.
Schwartz said, “Right now, it seems like we are trying to plug a few holes here and there and we are constantly behind, and I understand that we have tried to sell two bonds that have failed. If they continue to fail, we continue to be in that same boat. It just doesn’t seem like we make any progress.”
The board discussed technology spending Monday night as well, including a $335,750 expenditure on new computers for Hays High students. The district technology committee has recommended buying Dell two-in-one laptops. However, Schwartz and board president Lance Bickle have advocated purchasing Chromebooks, which would be cheaper than the Dells. The administration and the tech committee have argued the Chromebooks don’t meet the educational needs of he students.
“We have always been on the cutting edge, and some would argue the bleeding edge, of technology expenditures for the last 13 years,” Schwartz said. “I think one of the new areas that is coming in technology is bring-your-own device, but we don’t want to be on that. We don’t look at spending on a Google Chromebooks instead of a Dell.”
Schwartz said either plan could result in substantial savings, which could go to building projects or transportation.
The board is set to vote on the computer purchase at its next meeting on April 30.
The board approved a $42,541 bid from American Electric Co. to replace lighting at Roosevelt Elementary School. The district hopes to save on electricity costs and replacement bulbs by going to longer-lasting LED fixtures. Lindsay said he also hopes to purchase and install light controls, which will allow the district to use the networking capability of the lights. This will allow the school to use timers to dim the lights and use sunlight as much as possible for a further savings.
Lindsay bid specific lights that matched the lights that have been replaced at the high school and other buildings. He said he has attempted to standardize as many fixtures in the district as possible because it requires the district to keep fewer parts on hand and provides for more speedy repairs.
Bickle voted against the purchase, saying the district bidding specific parts and brand names has led to the district paying more for equipment. He favored the district using one of the other vendors who bid for the project, but who were disqualified because they did not meet specifications. Bickle argued some companies can’t meet bid specs because brand name parts are being requested.
The lights are set to replaced at Roosevelt this summer.
The district also heard a report on a bid for roof repairs at Hays Middle School. Staff is recommending the low bid with alternates of $189,204 from High Plains Roofing of Hays. Roosevelt and HMS are the oldest roofs in the district and where the district is experiencing the most roof leaks, Lindsay said. This repair would fix the roof over the classroom areas.
The board is set to vote on the bid at its next meeting.
Gaylyn Jean Andrews passed away on April 9, 2018 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita at the age of 81. She was born on the family farm near Codell, Kansas on December 10, 1936 to Everett Aaron Lamb and Eula Madeline (Winters) Lamb. On May 23, 1954 she married William Carroll Hutton in Codell, Kansas. They were blessed with 5 children: Vickie, Joleen, Janiece, Dawn, and Vawn. They later divorced and on June 12, 1965 she married Eldon Dean Andrews in Stockton, Kansas. They were blessed with a daughter: Tialisa.
Gaylyn attended school in Codell. She played basketball and the clarinet in the band. She started working when she was in 7th grade at Apple’s Café. Gaylyn graduated from Codell High School in 1954. While her children were young she was a homemaker and worked as an avid seller for Avon. She later worked for Smith’s Furniture in Stockton from 1984 until it closed. Gaylyn had a great sense of humor and loved to joke around. Her favorite day of the year was April Fools’ Day. Not too long ago she made cupcakes stuffed with cotton balls in the middle to share with many of her loved ones. She also loved Halloween, bowling in her earlier years, and her dog Coco.
Gaylyn is survived by her children Vickie St. Clair and husband Scott of Stockton, Joleen Hutton and husband Robert Lanham of Loveland, CO, Janiece Cook and husband Wes of Plainville, Dawn Palmer of Stockton, Vawn Hutton and wife Karen of Stockton, and Tialisa Muir and husband Patrick of Stockton; sisters Karolyn Eastep and husband Don of Sedalia, MO, Sharolyn Gramm and husband Don of Mountain Home, AR, Beverly Nelson of Lee-High, FL, and Jacquelyn Werner and husband Ron of Plainville; 18 grandchildren, Chad Hutton (Julia), Raelyn Holmes, Stefani Fitts, Zach Plante, Tyler Plante (Julie), Quintin Plante (Randi), Wayne Cook (Brooke), Lynn Finnesy, Jennifer Lucio, Krista Klingenberg, Robert Klingenberg, Heath Muir (Lacey), Monica Hutton, Tabitha Meier (Ryan), Nathan Palmer, and Shayla Palmer; and 35 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents Everett and Eula Lamb and infant son Everett Dean Hutton.
Gaylyn was a hardworking and fun-loving woman. She knew how to have fun and enjoy life along the way. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her, but the celebration of her life and memories will never be forgotten.
A funeral service will be held Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 2:00 P.M. at Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Stockton. Burial will follow in the Stockton Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday 3:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home.
HARVEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bank robbery and have identified the suspect.
Paris -photo courtesy Newton PD
Just after 5:45 p.m. Monday, a suspect entered the First Bank of Newton South Branch, 1404 South Kansas Avenue, and communicated to the clerk his intent to commit a robbery, according to a media release. The man left with an undisclosed amount of cash in a silver passenger car.
On Wednesday, police identified the suspect as 50-year-old Martin L. Paris. He is on federal probation in Oklahoma for previous bank robberies.
Paris was identified when someone he knew recognized a surveillance image of him in media coverage and alerted authorities.
Paris was last known to be in the Oklahoma City area Tuesday night. He is about 5-foot-5 inches tall, approximately 170 pounds, and is believed to be driving a silver 2015 Kia Optima.
Bank security image
Law enforcement agencies across multiple states are looking for him. If you know his whereabouts, please call 911. Do not approach him or try to confront him.
Life happens, an expression used in part to describe situations that distract us from our plans. Sometimes those distractions lead us down new, exciting paths. Sometimes not. I think about that phrase, “life happens,” often in my own life. It reminds me to be reflective, resilient, and make a plan for my next step – not my whole life.
When I went off to college, my mom gave me great advice. She said, “Take one class and each semester at a time. Work hard. No matter what happens, no one will be able to take away the classes you completed.” When college got challenging, I remembered those words, dug down deep and kept going to class – completing my degree one day at a time.
Over the years, as I focused my career on paying forward the opportunity to earn a degree, I came to realize that sometimes the challenges people face in college require them, for all the right reasons, to “stop out” – to pause rather than to quit. Indeed, life happens. But the great thing about a college education, as my mom reminded me, is that the door of opportunity always remains open. That is especially true at Fort Hays State University – an institution focused on heart and home.
While we respect students’ decisions to stop out, we remind them that at FHSU the door of opportunity is always open. Our university is home – a home where we care about our students, their hopes and dreams. That front door is sort of an antidote to “life happens” by providing a renewed opportunity and a plan. We accomplish this through our Tiger Comeback program.
Tiger Comeback re-engages Fort Hays State students who had to stop out. This is a proactive campaign, checking in with our Tigers periodically to see if now is the time to return. In 2010, our first outreach initiative resulted in 115 students coming back to FHSU. That is incredible!
As we continue to develop the program, we are grateful for a new partnership with the Dane G. Hansen Foundation that builds on an initiative begun by a donation from Dolores Borgstadter. This funding supplements FHSU support services and helps Tiger Comeback students to the finish line by providing scholarships that make that reentry goal even more attainable.
Take for example FHSU student Michelle Prewo. When life happened, Michelle made some important decisions – one being to stop out of her education at Fort Hays State. Stopping out does not mean dropping out – a reality that she took to heart. In her own words:
Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I used to be overwhelmed at the thought of changing the world. I thought it seemed like a task that was way too big, so what was the point of trying? However, I have learned that by starting small with myself, I can make changes that will make me a better person and that can create ripples of change which can then change the world. One change I need to make for myself is to complete my bachelor’s degree, which will empower me to continue to change the world.
After reviewing my transcript, I will have 9 credit hours to pass in order to obtain a Bachelor of General Studies degree with a business emphasis. I believe I can handle one class in each of the next three semesters to complete my degree.
While I do want to change the world, obtaining my degree would be more personal than that even. I have always felt slightly inferior because I didn’t finish my degree. It makes me feel like a quitter. I feel like a hypocrite when I try to teach my children not to quit. Finally finishing my degree would give me a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Also, I do worry about my ability to provide for my family since I don’t have a degree. It would definitely give me a sense of peace knowing that if something happened in my current position, that my chances for other, good quality employment would be greatly enhanced by having a degree.
Please help me finish my education so that together, we can change the world.
I am so proud of FHSU for investing in our students throughout their lives and not ever giving up on their educational dreams. I am also very proud of Michelle, who will complete her degree next fall through reflection, resilience, and making a plan. Michelle will indeed change our world.
A Missouri woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of drug charges after a high-speed chase that began just east of Oakley.
According to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman, at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, a 2001 Lincoln with Indiana temporary tags pulled out in front of a trooper just north of Oakley on U.S. 83 and proceeded to head eastbound on Interstate 70.
After a few miles, Hileman said, the trooper attempted to pull the driver over at mile marker 74 and “she fled at a high rate of speed.”
The chase reached speeds of about 115 mph, and the driver avoided several spike strips placed by the KHP and officers from the Gove County Sheriff’s Office.
Just after 2 p.m., the Lincoln hit a spike strip, disabling the vehicle at mile marker 110.
During the chase, Hileman said, the driver was throwing “what appeared to be drugs” from the vehicle, which were immediately recovered by officers.
Carol Ann Johnson, Springfield, Mo., 48, was arrested on suspicion of fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman whose boyfriend died of a drug overdose has been sentenced for drug distribution.
Moody-photo Saline Co.
Racheal Moody, 27, Junction City, was sentenced Monday to nearly two years in prison. Prosecutors say she supplied the methadone that her boyfriend, 27-year-old Christopher Allen, overdosed on in October 2015.
She was sentenced for interference with law enforcement and distribution of methadone.
Moody originally was charged with distribution of a controlled substance causing great bodily harm or death but pleaded to lesser charges in February.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is seeking to put the brakes on out-of-state gubernatorial candidates after 10 people living outside its borders took the initial steps to run.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Tuesday that he’s filed a lawsuit as part of an effort to keep non-residents out of the race. He said in a statement that it appears lawmakers always intended candidates for Kansas governor to reside in the state. He says he’s asking the court to interpret Kansas law, which currently says nothing about candidates’ age or residency.
News coverage about the lack of requirements has led to a slew of teenagers and non-Kansans forming campaign committees for a gubernatorial run. A man even tried, and failed, to get his dog on the ballot.
USD 489 was selected by Midwest Energy to receive a grant in the amount of $980 to purchase workbooks to train area school officials and emergency responders in the PREPaRE curriculum.
