The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to begin a resurfacing project on a portion of U.S. 283 in Graham County the week of July 23.
The construction area will start approximately 3 miles north of the Trego County line and extend 12 miles north, ending near the South Fork Solomon River bridge south of Hill City. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and directed through the work zone via flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays not exceeding 15 minutes should be anticipated.
KDOT expects work to be completed by the end of August, weather permitting. Bettis Asphalt and Construction is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of approximately $911,000.
For more information on the project, contact KDOT area construction engineer Nick Rogers at 785-625-9718 or [email protected].
The Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Fort Hays State University is presenting a free Business Startup Workshop for people who are interested in starting their own business.
This no-cost Lunch and Learn workshop It will be held at the BriefSpace, 219 W. 10th St., Hays, 12-1:30 p.m., Tue., July 24.
We will identify issues and answer questions about how to keep track of business finances for your Start-Up or even an established business.
This interactive workshop will help take the confusion out of your efforts and allow you to avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary stress.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump will visit Kansas City next week to deliver his first address as president to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.
Trump addressed the VFW convention in 2016 as a candidate for president -image courtesy CSPAN
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will head to Kansas City on Tuesday to address the gathering.
On Wednesday, Trump gave his “full and total endorsement” to Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in a Kansas district that Democrats see as competitive after Hillary Clinton narrowly carried it in the last presidential election.
Thank you to Congressman Kevin Yoder! He secured $5 BILLION for Border Security. Now we need Congress to support. Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets. @RepKevinYoder has my full and total endorsement!
Trump tweeted his support for the four-term congressman after House Republicans released a spending bill providing $5 billion next year for building Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yoder is chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.
Yoder is expected to have no trouble winning his Aug. 7 primary race against two unknown and underfunded GOP challengers. Six Democrats are running for the right to challenge him in November, and their party has made Trump a key focus for months.
Trump’s endorsement of Yoder came less than a week after Vice President Mike Pence came to the district for a fundraiser. The tweet also was two days before New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising Democratic star, planned to campaign in the district with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for one of the party’s candidates, labor lawyer Brent Welder.
“This election is going to be a referendum on whether or not, in the 3rd District, voters want somebody who’s going to carry Trump’s water or not,” said Ethan Corson, the Kansas Democratic Party’s executive director.
Yoder has touted his work in recent weeks on immigration and border security issues. He pushed the Trump administration last month to end the separation of children from parents during a crackdown on illegal entries at the border.
Trump’s tweet Wednesday thanked Yoder, saying he “secured” the $5 billion for “border security.”
“Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets,” Trump tweeted, adding that the congressman “has my full and total endorsement!”
Trump carried Kansas in the 2016 presidential election by nearly 21 percentage points and some counties with more than 80 percent of the vote. But Clinton received 47 percent of the vote in the 3rd District to Trump’s 46 percent, and Yoder won a narrower-than-expected race against an unknown Democrat.
Still, Republicans are bullish on Yoder’s chance for re-election. He already has spent more than $1.4 million on his re-election campaign and ended June with nearly $1.9 million in cash in his campaign fund — more than four times as much as the top Democrat.
PFEIFER — In a nondescript metal building in rural Pfeifer is a child’s dream.
Doyle Neher’s Harmony Toy Farm Museum has more than 1,000 toys — 900 tractors and more than 100 farm sets. The collection has been accumulated over almost three decades.
Behind every toy in that collection, some hand crafted by Neher, is a story.
Neher, 81, started collecting in 1991 when his oldest grandchild was 3 years old.
Doyle Neher, 81, talks about some of his toy tractors at his Harmony Toy Farm Museum in Pfeifer.
“We were discussing what to get them for Christmas, and I thought that every kid needed a toy tractor. We went to Tractor Supply and picked them out a tractor. We went to Tractor Supply, and they had an A-Farmall model in there. That was the first tractor my dad bought, and the tractor that I learned to drive first. I was standing there looking at it, (my wife) says, ‘If you want it, go ahead and buy it.’ I bought a toy tractor in 1991, and this is what has happened since,” Doyle said motioning to the room filled floor to ceiling with shelves lined with toy tractors of all makes and models.
Doyle grew up on a hatchery and dairy near Oswego and then ran a dairy farm near Hutchinson until his retirement in the 1990s. He had toy tractors when he was a kid, but those are all long gone.
In honor of a lifetime of farming, he create a model of his father’s farm and his and his wife’s Sharon’s home in Hutchinson.
A replica Neher built of the dairy farm he grew up on.
Doyle as a farmer was used to working with machinery and working with his hands. If you visit the museum, you will see dozens of toys with small wooden blocks in front of them. All of these toys, mostly tractors, are ones that he made, restored or customized. In many instances, he took toy tractors that were mass manufactured and altered them to look like the life-size equipment that ran in the fields. He made multiple copies of some of these original models and sold to other toy collectors.
“My favorite part is finding old tractors and restoring them and making them look nice,” he said. “I have restored over 100 pieces in here. … The second thing would be meeting the people.”
As Doyle has gotten older, his wife has helped him with some of his work on the toys. She helps place small pins and screws that Doyle doesn’t quite have the dexterity to manage anymore.
Of his collection, Sharon said, “I just tell him to go for it.”
However, Sharon acknowledged she was pleased Doyle had his own building to house the toys and her house is no longer taken over by the collection.
Doyle has a small workshop in the rear of the museum where he still works on the tractors, constantly making new creations.
One of his latest projects is to add a second railroad track to the H-O gauge he has in a farm scene displayed in the middle of the museum.
Neher finds his tractors and farm sets all over. He goes to garage sales, auctions, flea markets, antique stores and toy shows.
His oldest farm set was built in about 1900. He found the set at an antique store in Iowa.
A cast iron tractor from the 1920s.
Another set was made in Erzgebirge region of Germany in 1920. Neher had a friend from McPherson who was visiting his daughter in Maryland. The friend saw the farm set in an antique store during the visit and sent a picture to Neher. He called the antique store, made a deal and secured the set for his collection.
He has a paper set that came as a reward in 1948 Quaker Oats puffed rice and puffed wheat cereal. Eight cards were available to collect in the set.
One of his favorite farm sets is a 1945 Whitman set that was sold by Montgomery Ward. The 36 cardboard figures each had the description of the animals printed on the back. He collected many of these sets and sold them at toy shows.
A toy farm set from the 1920s.
The first farm sets were made out of wood. Animals in the 1930s were made from rubber. When World War II broke out, the animals were made from the same molds but out of clay because rubber was essential to the war effort. After the war was over, they went back to rubber. In the 1950s, the barns started being made out of tin.
The early tractors were made of cast iron. His oldest toy tractor dates back to the 1920s. After searching for years, he drove to Kansas City to buy this rare tractor from a flea market vendor. Neher said he went into a garage in a nice residential area, and it was packed floor to ceiling with boxes. With great anticipation, he made his way through a narrow path to a table in the back of the garage where the toy was sitting. He made the deal and took home the tractor.
Neher also has a scale replica of the largest tractor every made — Big Bud, which was powered by a 16V, 747 engine. During a rebuild, the tractor was increased to 900 horsepower. Only a limited number of the toys were manufactured. The life-size tractor is currently on display at a museum in Clarion, Iowa.
A replica of Big Bud, the largest tractor built.
Neher shared a little bit of tractor trivia as he surveyed his collection of Ford tractors. The first mechanical farm equipment was driven by steam. Henry Ford came out with a smaller, less expensive gas-powered F-series tractor to replace the bulky steam-powered implements. The F-series was very popular with farmers, so General Motors bought the Sampson Company and came out with a tractor similar to F-series.
GM couldn’t beat Ford on price. They tried to make the tractors less expensive, but the product was so bad, almost all the tractors that were manufactured ended up back with GM on warranty. Neher has a couple of models of these rare tractors in his collection.
“That was the end of General Motors being in the tractor business,” he said.
Doyle and Sharon have met many friends through Doyle’s toy collecting through toy shows and selling and farm sets and tractors.
Neher voice began to shake and his eyes began to gloss over with tears as he talked about a particular tractor he received from a man he never met.
The man was from Pennsylvania, and he sold him a couple of farm sets through the mail.
“He kept writing back, saying that when he got better he was joining to do such and such and when I got a mate (toy) I’ll send you one,” Neher said. “Well, he never got better. He died. I got that tractor in the mail one day from his wife. She said he wanted you to have that tractor. … That is something really special for someone to give you something — something from someone you never met.”
A rare model of a Ayrshire cow that Neher restored.
Another woman from Vermont sent an Ayrshire cow model to Neher. The models are rare. They were awarded at the state fair for grand champion cow. However, the Ayrshire headquarters burned down and it is unknown how many of the models were manufactured before the fire.
Neher searched for 10 years for the model. The woman from Vermont found the prized cow model in a box of things she bought at a garage sale. He restored the cow, which had one ear, both horns and the tail broken off.
Another long table in the museum is hung with dozens of blue and purple ribbons from the livestock the Nehers showed at fairs. The family stood first in the class over 300 times and was premier breeder and exhibitor 20 times at the state fair. They had a reserve national grand champion in 1978. In 1985, they had a best breed cow known exhibitor at the national show in the 2-year-old and 3-year-old category.
Doyle and his son, Jeff, also collected baseball cards at one time. They have sold all of them except one complete set from 1953. This includes Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson.
In addition to this set, he also has a card for a pro player who was born in 1922 in Pfeifer — Monty Basgall. He was a second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later in his career, he was a coach for the Dodgers under Tommy Lasorda.
Jeff is a pastor and is busy with a large family and a goat farm in Pfeifer. However, Jeff had a role in his dad’s collection. One Christmas break when he was home from college, the farther and son made a farm shed equipped with an old truck and farm tractors. The set even has a tiny jack, air compressor and mechanic’s tool box.
Doyle said his older grandchildren, who are teenagers, are not interested in the toy collection anymore, and Jeff is too busy to be very involved. Doyle and his wife made a little carpeted corner in the museum where the smallest grandchildren, Joshua, 4, and Tucker, almost 2, can play with some of their own less collectible toy tractors.
Doyle said he is not sure what will happen to his collection, but he hopes the youngest grandchildren will eventually take interest in the toys and catch the collecting bug.
“It will be our children’s problem,” Sharon said.
The Harmony Farm Toy Museum is open for tours by appointment. Call 620-662-7592 or email [email protected].
Doyle Neher talks about the replica of his father’s dairy farm that he built.
A replica of the Nehers’ home in Hutchinson.
toy museum
toy museum
A replica of the dairy farm that Neher grew up on.
toy museum
A farm set circa 1920. Neher’s oldest
toy museum
Toy tractors from South Africa.
Ribbons from the Nehers’ cattle that were show at the state fair.
A rare model of a Ayrshire cow that Neher restored.
toy museum
A model of a farmer’s shop that Doyle and his son made.
A model of Big Bud, the largest tractor made.
Neher and his wife customized or refurbished dozens of tractors in his collection.
WASHINGTON – A Kansas man who traveled to the Philippines and had sex with minor females there pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister of the District of Kansas.
Anthony Shultz, 55, Lindsborg helicopter pilot, was charged by complaint in July 2016 and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren of the District of Kansas. Sentencing is scheduled for December 6.
According to admissions made in conjunction with the guilty plea, Shultz engaged in sex acts with minor females in the Philippines. He videotaped his sexual encounters with two minors and transported the videos to his home in Kansas.
One of the girls was only 12 years old at the time; the other was 15 years old. In one of the videos, Shultz is seen giving the 15-year-old money after having sex with her. Shultz also produced child pornography of an 8-year-old girl in the Philippines by communicating on Skype with the child’s mother and directing the mother to expose the child’s genitals and live-stream it on web camera.
The FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Lauren E. Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart of the District of Kansas prosecuted the case.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is defending a flyer it mailed comparing the civil rights records of the leading Republican candidates for Kansas governor, calling it voter education.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach pointed to the flyer in seeking to portray Gov. Jeff Colyer as the ACLU’s “man” during a Tuesday fundraiser.
Colyer’s campaign distanced itself from the civil rights group, calling it a dirty trick to help Kobach and ensure that Democrats and the ACLU have an easy opponent to defeat in the general election just as they’ve defeated Kobach in the courtroom.
The ACLU has won several lawsuits against Kobach over voting rights.
Kobach is mounting a threat from the right to unseat Colyer in a Republican primary in which the candidates seek to burnish their conservative credentials.
HOYT, Kan. (AP) — Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says 12 horses were removed from a farm this week after a veterinarian determined they were not receiving proper care.
Morse says the horses were taken Monday from a farm near Hoyt. Medical staff is caring for the four stallions, two colts and six mares.
He says some horses were not getting adequate water despite recent high temperatures and hay on the farm was old.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports another 35 horses were determined to be in adequate health and remained at the farm. Those horses will be checked daily.
Morse says the sheriff’s office received complaints for almost 18 months about poor conditions at the farm but substantial evidence wasn’t found before Monday despite repeated visits to the property.
The Jackson County attorney will determine if any charges are filed.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Congress moved one step closer to delivering a strong, new farm bill to the president’s desk. On Wednesday, the speaker appointed lawmakers to the House-Senate conference committee on the Farm Bill. Congressman Marshall was selected as one of the members on the committee.
Rep. Marshall during Feb. 2017 Farm Bill Hearing
In a media release, Marshall said. “Before I was even elected to Congress, I made Kansas a promise that I would see a Farm Bill, with our producer’s needs in mind, to the finish line,” Rep. Marshall said.“It is a great honor to be appointed to the Farm Bill conference committee, where I will be able to advocate for Kansas ag producers. During these upcoming discussions, my top priority is to provide our farmers and ranchers certainty during already tough times.
“America’s farmers and ranchers and rural America are struggling right now and they deserve the certainty of a strong farm bill to see them through to better times,”said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (TX-11).“The House has pulled together a solid team of conferees – including Rep. Marshall. I’m looking forward to working with Roger, who has been a strong voice for agriculture through this process, and the rest of our House and Senate colleagues to reach a final product that helps millions of low-income Americans climb the economic ladder, while standing by our nation’s hard-working farm and ranch families.”
“I am proud of the bill the House passed and thankful for the leadership of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway,”Rep. Marshall said.“The current farm bill expires in September, today’s action means there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to finish the 2018 Farm Bill before then. I am eager to get to work and ensure our farmers have the appropriate resources and safety nets in place for next year’s crop.”
View the full list of members chosen to the committee here.
COLBY—Douglas W. Hills, 68, of Colby, Kansas passed away on July 18, 2018 at Citizens Medical Center in Colby.
He was born on April 27, 1950 in Colby to Harold A. Hills, Jr. and Elizabeth Jane (Ostmeyer) Hills and resided in Colby. He graduated from Colby High School in 1968 and attended Colby Community College after high school and then joined the family farming business with his father and brother, Craig Hills. He married Kathleen (Jackson) Tallman on Oct. 17, 1969 and divorced in 1983.
Doug enlisted in the Kansas National Guard Reserve in 1970 and completed his training in Columbia, South Carolina and Huntsville, Alabama. Doug married Junelle (Zerr) on Feb. 2, 1985 and was a life-long farmer and rancher in Colby.
Throughout his life, Doug was known for his sense of humor, mischievous streak and impatience. He was an avid outdoorsman, particularly hunting and fishing, and was feared equally by elk, deer, geese, pheasants, moose, quail, dove, halibut, salmon, and backyard squirrels. He enjoyed following the Kansas Jayhawks in basketball and attended many games in Allen Fieldhouse. Doug especially loved spending time with his three grandchildren.
Doug was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Junelle, of Colby; his daughter Wendy Hills, of Prairie Village, Kansas; son Brent (Darcie) Hills, of Fargo, North Dakota and grandchildren Hannah, Alyssa and Carter Hills; brother Craig (Anita) Hills, of Colby, Kansas; and sister Rhonda (Gary) Holstein of Leoti, Kansas.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 20, 2018 at the Colby Methodist Church with a private burial immediately following at Beulah Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the U.S. Special Olympics or the Harold Hills Memorial Wrestling Scholarship at Colby Community College and can be sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, P.O. Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For condolences or information, visit www.baalmannmortuary.com.
TOPEKA —The Topeka Fire Department Investigation Unit has arrested a juvenile in connection with the eight intentionally set fires, according to Division Chief Michael Martin. Authorities released no additional details Wednesday evening. There were no injuries reported.
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TOPEKA— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of arson fires set starting late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.
The first fire was reported on SW Clay and the 8th fire on SW Lindenwood Ave. google map
Just after 11:45p.m.Tuesday, the Topeka Fire Department responded to the first fire in the 1100 Block of SW Clay Street. They found dry leaves and grass on fire behind a home. A nearby vehicle was also damaged by the fire.
Fire crews responded to seven additional fires in trash bins, structures and over the following 4 hours, according to Division Chief Michael G. Martin.
Several fires were in the same vicinity and one fire in the 900 Block of SW Lindenwood caused an estimated $10,000 damage to a garage, according to Martin.
Investigators determined all the fires were intentionally set. No injuries or fatalities were reported at any of these incidents.
Battalion Chief Mark Brannock says four of the fires were reported in one block, and neighbors reported seeking three young people running away from the scene.
Anyone with information about the circumstances of the fires is asked to please contact Crime Stoppers at (785)234-0007 or Toll Free at 1-800-222 TIPS (8477).
