Most of Hays and large swaths of Ellis County were without power for a short time late Wednesday night after a major power outage.

The outage began just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. According to Midwest Energy spokesman Mike Morley, the outage occurred after a snake in the Knoll substation blew out an insulator and several fuses, leaving much of western Hays and Ellis without power.

The outage, which affected several thousand customers, lasted about 45 minutes.

OJA

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed five judges to the Judicial Education Advisory Committee and reappointed a sixth judge.

Appointed to three-year terms beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2021 were:

• District Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell, serving in Pawnee County of the 24th Judicial District
• District Judge Steven Hornbaker, serving in Geary County of the 8th Judicial District
• District Magistrate Judge Paula Keller, serving in Cheyenne County of the 15th Judicial District
• District Judge John Weingart, serving in Brown County of the 22nd Judicial District
• District Judge Robert Wonnell, serving in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District.

The court reappointed District Magistrate Judge Douglas Jones to a three-year term. He serves in Chase County of the 5th Judicial District.

The Judicial Education Advisory Committee recommends and organizes education and training programs for Kansas appellate judges, district judges, and district magistrate judges. Members include judges from each of the six judicial departments in the state, a representative from the Office of Judicial Administration, and a Supreme Court justice.

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According to Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring, crews have repaired a section of Old U.S. 40 after extreme heat caused a portion of the road to lift to lift Wednesday, leading to a lane closure.

The highway was limited to one lane just east of Victoria, Ring said, but reopened Wednesday evening in both directions.

The Ellis County Fair is right around the corner.

Entry in the open class division is open to everyone. You can find a link to the fairbook with all the divisions, classes, and requirements at https://www.elliscountyfair.com/4H.html.

Entering exhibits is easy. Go to fairentry.com and search for the Ellis County Fair. All open class and 4-H exhibits will be entered through the online system by midnight on July 9. If you need assistance, please contact the Cottonwood Extension District.

“We are excited for the upcoming fair and want to see your projects,” organizers said in a news release.

For a full schedule of events, go to elliscountyfair.com. This will provide a listing of when exhibits should be entered and picked up.

MAINTENANCE WORKER

The City of Hays is looking for dependable Maintenance Workers in the Water Resources, Parks and Street Departments. Duties include manual labor, equipment operations, snow removal and minor construction projects. Specialized duties dependent on department may include concrete, asphalt, street and alley maintenance, or turf, tree, and landscape maintenance or reading meters, pipe repairs, and maintenance duties.

Working days include Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. but depending on the department, hours may change to 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the summer months. This position is subject to call outs and may be required to work a flexible work schedule as needed.

*Part Time Positions with flexible hours available as well.*

REQUIREMENTS

Valid driver’s license required.  Paid on-the-job training for the right candidate. A working knowledge of general construction, plumbing, and equipment preferred but not required.

Exposure to hazardous chemicals, machinery, excessive noise and all types of weather conditions is expected. This position requires a CDL Class B and has a residency requirement of 40 minute response time within 6 months of employment.

COMPENSATION

2018 Starting Pay:  $12.35 with additional pay available for experience. Plenty of room for advancement to a Maintenance Worker II and Equipment Operator position.  Starting wage based on experience.  The City of Hays offers great benefits including health insurance, KPERS, Paid Time Off & Holidays. Visit www.haysusa.com for more about the benefits.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications will be accepted in City Hall, 1507 Main, Hays, KS or online at www.haysusa.com.  Position opened until filled. Questions about the position may be sent to Human Resources at [email protected] or by calling 785-628-7320. EOE

CITY OF HAYS

Beginning Thursday, June 28, 2018, the intersection of 20th and Allen Street in Hays will be opened and the intersection of 18th and Allen will be closed. Allen Street will be closed from north of 17th Street to south of 20th Street. The intersection of 19th and Allen remains closed.

This work is part of the Allen Street Reconstruction Project.

Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. Motorists should use caution in these areas.

The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350 or the contractor Paul-Wertenberger Construction at 785-625-8220.

About three years ago, my father was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. I did not know much about the disease. I went to see him in Texas. I realized that the disease process had progressed to the point that he was tethered to an oxygen hose.

Yet, he was still working. He was a real estate broker. He had his own office. He had done that since 1963. He lived in a small town, and he was just one of a handful of brokers for the whole town. Everyone knew him.

Hauling around a big oxygen tank was embarrassing for him. He had one installed behind the backseat of his pickup. He had one installed behind the desk in his office. Many times when he would see one of his clients, he would try to take off the oxygen and make it through the meeting.

Shortly after I saw him, he had a major episode, similar to a stroke. We simply did not think he was going to make it, but he did.

In the course of my conversation with him after the stroke, he was really wanting to get back to work. I asked him why he did not use a portable oxygen machine. According to him and my stepmother, he would get anxious when he would go to the doctor and his oxygen level demands would get too high, higher than a portable oxygen machine would put out for him. Apparently, the oxygen machine, which compresses the air without a tank, could not go beyond eight pounds per hour. He was recommended to have higher than that.

After our conversation I got on the phone and started calling around. I finally got a hold of a representative at a company and told her what was going on. I told her that every time we went to the doctor, he would get anxious and his need for oxygen would go up. She acted like her hands were tied.

After a couple of more phone calls, she relented. She agreed to send the oxygen machine to me rather than my dad. I, in turn, took it and provided it to my dad.

I cannot tell you how happy it made him. If he had won the lottery, he would not have been happier. He was so proud of his little machine. Right away, I got a photograph of him sitting on his back porch with the machine sitting on the table and him enjoying the backyard. He would take his machine, go to the office, draft his contracts, close his deals, and see his clients. He was back on track.

About three months after my dad got the machine, he passed away.

I want to share this story with you because sometimes we do little things that can mean so much to people. I have friends that go to nursing homes just to visit with people who do not have families. I have other friends through our church that visit people in their homes that might not otherwise get out.

Just taking a meal over to someone’s house when they are dealing with a crisis, or a health issue, or a loss, can mean so much. It is a little bit of joy in a time when perhaps there is none.

That oxygen machine cost me about three or four phone calls. That is it. But, it made my dad feel like he had worth; it let him enjoy his last days; and it made me feel like I had done something important for him.

If you have somebody in your life, whether it is a friend, a relative, or even someone that you know is alone that has no one else or someone who is going through a crisis, take some time to say hello; make a cake; or just spend time with them. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference in someone’s life.

Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.