Big Creek Crossing will have its Spring Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
There is no cost of admission for shoppers. A preliminary list of vendors is below.
Children are invited to “Thank You Mom for Helping Us Grow” at the Kaw Valley Greenhouse site in the mall parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 12. Children will be able to plant flowers for their mothers at this free event.
TOPEKA—Total Fiscal Year 2018 revenue receipts are 20 percent, or over $1 billion higher than last year, data from the latest collections report released Tuesday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Tax receipts for April are $293.1 million above April 2017, with individual income tax accounting for $239.2 million of that total. Sales tax receipts for the month are $202.9 million, or $10.7 million above last April.
“We anticipated higher individual income tax collections in April because last year’s state tax legislation allowed payments to be made without penalty as long as they were made before the April 17filing deadline,” Revenue Secretary Sam Williams said.
April tax receipts came in 7.6 percent or $66.1 million above newly revised consensus revenue estimates, for a total of $932.3 million in tax collections during the month.
NEW ORLEANS – After competing in the Drake Relays with a performance highlighted by multiple school records, both Fort Hays State track and field teams remain in the Top 25. In the latest USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll released Tuesday (May 1), the men stand at No. 15 with the women in at No. 16.
The FHSU women earned 62.45 points while the men captured 72.94. The points were tabulated from the computer-based system within the poll. On the women’s side, the Tigers are one of four MIAA programs to earn a mention alongside No. 6 Lincoln, No. 10 Pittsburg State and No. 17 Missouri Southern. Three conference programs for the men also made the list, led by No. 1 Pittsburg State and No. 13 Central Missouri.
The Drake Relays brought forth three new school records for the Tigers, starting with a third place finish for the men in the 4×1600 relay with a time of 16:57.68. This marked beat the previous record which was standing since 1978. Oscar Carmona, Israel Barco, Brett Meyer and Seppe van’t Westende made up the record-breaking team.
The women broke two records on the weekend in both the 4×800 and the distance medley. In the 4×800, Lindsay Roberts, Grace Buessing, Lauren Roberts and Yessenia Gonzales sealed the 9:16.34 time, breaking a record from 2003. This time was good enough for a fifth place finish for the Tigers. In the distance medley relay, Amber Forbes, Yanoudji Diarra, Sharee Zombo and Kelly Wycoff stormed away with a runner-up finish at 11:46.84. This school record time was 22 seconds faster than the previous record set one year ago at the Drake Relays.
The Tigers are back in action for the 2018 MIAA Outdoor Championships this weekend May 4-6.
Below are the latest USTFCCCA rankings.
Men
Rank Institution Points
1 Pittsburg State 183.43
2 Texas A&M-Kingsville 168.68
3 Texas A&M-Commerce 160.34
4 Adams State 151.78
5 Tiffin 143.93
6 Angelo State 116.12
7 West Texas A&M 107.49
8 Colorado Mines 101.02
9 Ashland 96.51
10 CSU Pueblo 94.91
11 Grand Valley State 94.68
12 Chico State 94.05
13 Central Missouri 77.90
14 Saint Augustine’s 74.34
15 Fort Hays State 72.94
16 Alabama Huntsville 70.44
17 Minnesota State 59.82
18 Western Oregon 56.62
19 Academy of Art 52.42
20 Cal State LA 50.36
21 Mount Olive 48.69
22 Eastern New Mexico 47.55
23 Western State 43.76
24 Lee (Tenn.) 42.33
25 Queens (NC) 42.07
Women
Rank Institution Points
1 West Texas A&M 162.33
2 Grand Valley State 129.52
3 Azusa Pacific 125.77
4 Adams State 124.49
5 Angelo State 120.25
6 Lincoln 114.82
7 New Mexico Highlands 108.70
8 SF State 103.61
9 Saint Augustine’s 101.63
10 Pittsburg State 99.18
11 Alaska Anchorage 97.82
12 Western State 74.19
13 Walsh 71.48
14 Concordia 70.67
15 UC-Colorado Springs 69.58
16 Fort Hays State 62.45
17 Missouri Southern 62.41
18 Minnesota State 61.55
19 Texas A&M Commerce 60.00
20 Wayne State 58.28
21 U-Mary 51.54
22 Fresno Pacific 48.75
23 Lewis 47.02
24 Mount Olive 45.65
25 Shippensburg 42.55
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Geologists are blaming a spate of small Kansas earthquakes on an underground pressure wave that is slowly creeping northward into the state from the Oklahoma border region.
There were 13 earthquakes that originated in Kansas last month and were strong enough to feel. There were just a combined total of 10 for the first three months of the year.
On the Oklahoma side of the border, the U.S. Geological Survey recorded another 57 quakes for April, many of which were felt in southern Kansas. Oklahoma’s quake rate has stayed consistent so far this year, averaging about 50 temblors of 2.5 and above per month.
Quakes in the two states have been tied to underground injections of wastewater from oil and gas drilling.
Donald Eugene Reif Sr., 83, passed away April 28, 2018, at Cherry Village Nursing Home in Great Bend. He was born on February 2, 1935, in Hoisington, to Joseph C. and Emma G. (Courange) Reif.
Don was united in marriage to Lorene Marie Lang on August 27, 1956, in Beaver. Lorene preceded him in death March 16, 2018.
A lifetime resident of Hoisington, he was a farmer, stockman, businessman and salesman. He was a graduate of Hoisington High School with the class of 1953. Don was a member of the United States Army Reserve. He was a member of the St John Catholic Church, and Knights of Columbus, he was also member of the American Legion in Hoisington.
He is survived by one son Donald E. Reif, Jr. of Hoisington; two daughters Sheila Metzger of Hutchinson and Diane Reif of Great Bend; grandson Hunter Metzger of Hutchinson and one sister, Yvonne Lang and her husband, Melvin, of Perry, Kansas. He was preceded in death by three brothers Alvin, Raymond, Joseph; four sisters Dorothy Hommon, Frances McDonald, Virginia Reif and Lucille Reif and a niece, Karol Rae Hommon, Miss Alaska of 1964.
A Funeral Mass for Don will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 2, 2018, at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, with Father Anselm Eke officiating. Interment will follow at St John Church Cemetery, Hoisington. Visitation will be from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, with a Knights of Columbus Rosary and Vigil at 7:00 p.m. at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Hoisington.
Memorial Funds have been established with St John Catholic Church, Rosewood Services or Kans for Kids, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, P.O. Box 146, Hoisington, Kan., 67544
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board approved a $2 per hour raise for paraprofessionals in the special education co-op at its meeting Monday night.
The superintendents for the four participating districts — Hays, Ellis, Victoria and La Crosse — all supported the recommendation as a means of increasing retention. Hays is the sponsoring district for the Hays West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative.
The raise would increase pay for most paras from $9.35 per hour to $11.35 per hour. Most of the paras work 20 hours per week and have no benefits.
The cost will be $180,000 and will come from the special education cooperative budget.
Hays Superintendent John Thissen said the pay was so low, paras could leave for fast foods jobs for better pay and in some cases receive benefits.
Thissen said three-fourths of the district’s new hires this year were paras. Some classrooms have had three paras in one year. This can be disruptive to special needs students who generally do better with consistency, he said.
The administration asked the increase be approved Monday night even though it was new business so the wage increase could be included in work agreements for the next school year. The hope was to retain more paras over the summer. The increase will not take effect until July.
The districts said they were not ready to reinstate benefits at this time, but it has been considered as a long-term option. The co-op estimates it will cost about $600,000 to reinstate benefits for the paras.
“We felt in the coop that was just not possible,” Thissen said of reinstating benefits at this time.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a home in rural Saline County.
Just after 11:30p.m. Sunday fire crews responded to the fire in the vacant home in the 1100 Block of South Holmes Road, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.
The home was destroyed and crews also had to battle the fire that spread to trees on the property, according to Soldan.
There were no injuries reported. Soldan believes the cause of the fire is suspicious and they are working with the homeowner to determine an estimated dollar loss.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
After much debate, the Hays school board voted Monday to approve the purchase of new two-in-one Dell laptops for Hays High School students.
The purchase will cost $335,750. However, the district hopes to offset the cost of the purchase through the sale of the Surface tablets the students are using now.
The district has had many issues with repairs on the Surfaces, and the warranty on the devices ends at the end of this school year. Cost for replacing the non-warrantied Surfaces would have been $310 each compared to the $395 purchase price of the new laptops.
Board members Greg Schwartz and Lance Bickle opposed the purchase, arguing the district should purchase Chromebooks, which are cheaper.
Scott Summers, technology director, said the cost difference between purchasing the recommended Dell and a Chromebook with the same warranty was $66 per device or $56,000 for the total purchase.
The tech committee and teachers expressed concern about switching platforms from a Windows-based operating system to a Google system. Summers said the district would lose countless hours worth of professional development. Also some equipment at the high school would not be compatible with the Google system, including $14,000 in science probes.
Other reasons the technology committee did not recommend Chromebooks include:
Bickle said he thought the district could weather a change in platforms.
“I remember when we changed from Apple to PC, and it was going to be the end of the world because everyone loved the Macs and there was a lot of, ‘Why are we switching to PCs?’ ” he said. “People got used to the PCs and now we are using the PCs. Part of the reason why they did that at the time was the sheer cost for the MacBooks. That is one of the reasons I wanted to look at the Chromebooks was the sheer cost.”
Bickle argue more software is becoming web-based, which makes using a Chromebooks more feasible.
Both Bickle and Schwartz cited other districts that use Chromebooks, including Thomas More Prep-Marian, Stockton and Plainville.
Bickle said the districts he talked to found ways for the Chromebooks to work. Some of the districts bought the cheaper Chromebooks for $200 each with one-year warranties and had students work on them in order to build technical skills.
Suzanne Stark, a business teacher at HHS, said she thought the Windows-based computers were important to the curriculum. She said swapping out their current computers for Chromebooks would be like taking away the board members’ cars and giving them bicycles and expecting them to do all the same work.
Stark said she did not think switching platforms would save the district money because of the need to retrain teachers.
Board member Paul Adams agreed.
“How much time are we going to spend on retraining instead of advancing the curriculum?” he asked. “We have invested the time and that costs money.”
HHS Principal Martin Straub said, “Technology is how we teach, and how students learn.”
Straub reiterated from the last meeting he felt technology is the top priority at the high school.
Bickle said he could not support the purchase in lieu of the district’s many facility needs.
“We have so many other things. From where I am sitting and trying to look at the budget, I just can’t say that technology is the No. 1 most important. … I just personally sit there and can’t say that technology is our most important thing that we have to do right now.”
The board asked the administration to study the possible use of Chromebooks in the future or a bring-your-own device policy. Computer purchases are now on a four-year cycle to make technology budget more consistent. The next computer purchase would be for the middle school in 2019.
Ellis St. Mary CYO Community Fried Chicken Dinner Sunday, May 13, 2018
Pan fried chicken dinner includes:
Mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, coleslaw, dinner roll and dessert.
10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. or until sold out.
Ellis Knights of Columbus Hall
1013 Washington St.
Ellis KS 67637
Costs:
Ages 5 through 9 $5.00
Ages 10 and over $10.00
Give Mom a break on Mother’s Day or take a break from graduation!
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays Public Library Herb Day kicked off Saturday with a presentation on healthy cooking with herbs.
Americans cook with a lot of salt, which can be unhealthy, said John Fitzthum, executive chef and food service director for HaysMed.
Fitzthum’s presentation was the first of a slate of speakers for Herb Day, which was sponsored by the Hays Public Library’s Herb Study group. The event also included vendors at the Downtown Pavilion.
Fitzthum gave several examples where home chefs could make their own dishes using herbs with little or no salt.
Fitzthum began with a mirepoix, which is carrots, onions and celery sautéed with herbs. Fitzthum added rosemary, thyme and garlic to his mirepoix. A mirepoix is often used as a base for a stew or soup or roast, but Fitzthum also recommended trying it as a side dish or over a steak.
Fitzthum used no oil or butter, he let the vegetables cook down using their natural moisture in a non-stick pan. Even extra virgin olive oil has 90 calories per tablespoon.
Instead of throwing away his leftover onion bits, the bottom of the celery stalk or the extra bits of carrot and additional herbs, he threw them in a pot with water to reduce into a vegetable broth. He suggested to reduce the liquid by half.
“We often don’t think about it, but we go to the store and we buy a can of beef stock or we buy a can of vegetable stock, but if you look at the label and what is the first thing on the label? Salt. It might not be the first thing, but there is a lot,” he said.
After you cook the broth, the veggies can still go in the compost.
“Everything is processed,” he said. “What I am doing here is processing, but you have to think about how the process is taken. Has it been designed to sit on the shelf for 580 days? When you buy a manufactured can of soup, it is designed to sit on the shelf for 580 days. We all eat it. You eat it. I eat it, but at some point we have to bring this back in. What you are doing being interested in herbs and growing herbs is phenomenal. The more (herbs) we use and the more (herbs) we talk about, the less (salt) we use.”
You can use dried herbs in recipes if they call for fresh, but you will need to cut the herbs in half. Two tablespoons fresh becomes one tablespoon of a dried herb, for example.
He said a key to cooking well is full experiencing the dish as you cook.
“We always say cooking is about taste, but cooking I start to hear it sizzle. I can smell it. I can see it and of course I’m going to taste it. We often underestimate when we are doing a recipe and this is the biggest thing I see … It says 10 minutes add this, add that and we follow it by the book and it is terrible because we are not hearing, we are not seeing, we are not tasting.”
As the mirepoix and vegetable stock cooked down, Fitzthum made a basil pesto. Fitzthum left out the salt when he made his pesto.
Pesto is multi-functional. It can be over pasta or in rice, quinoa or couscous. You can also substitute half of your mayonnaise with pesto.
Fresh basil can also be used with mozzarella, fresh tomato slices and balsamic vinegar to make a quick caprese salad,
“If you are cooking for a thousand people a day, we use a lot of fresh basil, but we don’t get into the different kids of basil. There is lemon basil and orange basil. You get into different flavors and that is how you change your recipe.
“I don’t want to beat anybody I up, I eat the fast food to. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but I think we get too involved in everything- has-to-taste-the-same-every-time mentality.”
Bringing in fresh ingredients, makes the food so much better, he said. The hospital has planted a herb garden, and Fitzthum is trying to compost.
Betty Pauline Ohnick, age 86, passed away on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas. Betty was born July 9, 1931 in Boise City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Bill & Frances (Stassi) Wood. Betty had been a resident of Leoti since 2014 moving from Rocky Ford, Colorado, where she had resided since 1977 moving from Scott City, Kansas. Betty was a Nurses Aide at several medical facilities throughout her career.
Betty was a member of Valley Community Church in Rocky Ford, Colorado
On June 9, 1946 she married Bob Ohnick at Clayton, New Mexico. Bob passed away on May 4, 2002 at Rocky Ford, Colorado.
Betty’s surviving family includes-
Two sons-
Gary & Marlyn Ohnick-Rocky Ford, Colorado
Steven & Yolanda Ohnick-Rocky Ford, Colorado
One daughter-
Beth & Gary Wilbur-Leoti, Kansas
A sister-
Bea & Ron Langerbacher-Keyse, Oklahoma
A sister-in-law-
Marjorie Wood-Boise City, Oklahoma
Six grandchildren, four step grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren, fourteen step great grandchildren and one step great great grandchild
Her parents, two brothers, Bill Wood and Bob Wood and a son-in-law, Richard Andrasek, precede her in death.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am (CST) Thursday, May 3, 2018 at the First Baptist Church in Leoti, Kansas with the Reverend Gary Salmans officiating.
Graveside services will be held at 3:30 pm (CST) Thursday at Fairview Cemetery in La Junta, Colorado with the Reverend Kurt England officiating.
Friends may call from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm Wednesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Leoti, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to Wichita County Long Term Care in Care of the funeral Home.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com
FHSU University Relations
Eric Deneault, assistant professor of applied technology at Fort Hays State University, recently earned the 2018 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Emerging Leader award while attending the 80th annual ITEEA conference in Atlanta, Ga.
The honor recognizes innovation, design and engineering educators who demonstrate high levels of competence and professional activity in the field of technology and engineering education.
Recipients of the award must have at least five years of professional experience in technology and engineering education, and they must exhibit outstanding performance and accomplishments in the field.
“The EL is a coveted mile marker for the achievement of professionals in technology and engineering education,” said the ITEEA website.
In addition to Deneault’s award, FHSU’s chapter of the Technology and Engineering Education Collegiate Association won three national championships and one student award.
Robert Joseph “Bob” Gross, of Victoria, Kansas, age 56, died Saturday, April 28, 2018, at his home in Victoria, Kansas.
He was born October 20, 1961, in Hays, Kansas, to Donald F. and Rita M. (Rome) Gross.
He worked in the corporate world for Cessna Aircraft, Boeing, and Coleman Company all of Wichita. He was a 1979 graduate of Victoria High School and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University in 1983. He was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.
His true passion was coming back to Ellis County playing the role of a country boy by helping his dad and grandfather work the land. He was an avid fan of the K-State Wildcats.
Survivors include one son, Bret Gross and wife, Kelsey, Overland Park, KS; one daughter, Lauren Smith and husband, Bryan, Littleton, CO; his mother, Rita M. Gross, Victoria, KS; children’s mother, Peggy Deiter, Wichita, KS; one granddaughter, Gwen Renee Gross; one brother, Mike Gross and wife, Virginia, Shawnee, KS; one sister, Janet Trombley and husband, Don, Newton, PA; one aunt, Marge Rome, Victoria, KS; three nephews, Ryan Trombley, Note Dame, IN; Sam Gross, New York, NY; Will Gross, Shawnee, KS.
He was preceded in death by his father, Donald F. Gross; one infant sister, Anne Marie Gross; his god-mother, Mary Lou Rome, his grandparents, John P. and Anna (Herl) Gross; and Joseph M. and Albina (Kuhn) Rome.
Services will be at 1:00 P.M. Friday, May 4, 2018, at The Basilica of St, Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas. Burial in St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.
A St. Fidelis Daughters of Isabella rosary will be at 7:00 P.M. Thursday, a Class of 1979 rosary will be at 7:30 P.M. Thursday, and a vigil service at 8:00 P.M. Thursday, all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas 67671.
Visitation is from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. Thursday and from 12:00 to 12:45 P.M. Friday, all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, Victoria, Kansas.
The family suggests memorial to the Smokey Hill Foundation: Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse, 209 E. 7th, Hays, Kansas 67601.
Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be sent via e-mail to [email protected]
