Hays Post

Catholic Charities has announced it will offer assistance to those affected by the July 6 flash flood that hit Hays.

Cash assistance as well as food or clothing is available.

Catholic Charities offers non-denominational assistance. Proof of income is not required, but the organization would like to record addresses of those affected.

Jeanie Warner, Catholic Charities marketing, media and data coordinator, said the organization has contacted the city about the flood damage, but has not been able to determine who or how many people may have been affected.

To receive help, call 785-625-2644 or visit the Catholic Charities office at 122 E. 12^th St. in Hays. The local office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m to 2:30 p.m. Fridays.

 

KDWPT

BOISE, Idaho – Earlier this year, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) announced it would conduct a series of aerial surveys in five states to document lesser prairie chicken population trends. Results from the surveys, conducted March 16 through mid-May, are in and the outlook is promising. Continuing an upward trend for the species over the last few years, the newest data shows an estimated breeding population of 38,637 birds this year, compared to 29,934 birds last year.

“This approximately 30 percent annual increase is good news, but we know that year-to-year fluctuations are the norm with upland birds like the lesser prairie chicken,” said Roger Wolfe, WAFWA’s Lesser Prairie Chicken Program manager. “The most encouraging result from the survey is the steadily increasing population trend over the last six years, which likely reflects improving habitat conditions.”

Lesser prairie chickens are found in four ecoregions in five states: Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Many wildlife biologists attribute the species’ fluctuation in numbers to changes in habitat conditions, largely influenced by weather patterns. More favorable weather patterns this past year contributed to apparent increases in three of four ecoregions. There is concern that moderate-to-severe drought over portions of the lesser prairie chicken range this year may lead to a downturn next year.

The shinnery oak ecoregion of eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle saw the biggest annual increase in birds, followed by the sand sagebrush ecoregion of southeast Colorado and southwest Kansas. The shortgrass ecoregion, which covers northwest Kansas, also registered an annual increase in the number of breeding birds. The estimated number of birds in the mixed-grass ecoregion – spanning the northeast Panhandle of Texas, northwest Oklahoma and south-central Kansas – is similar to last year’s estimate.

The annual population surveys are conducted as part of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Range-wide Plan, a collaborative effort of WAFWA and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, as well as state wildlife agencies in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado. It was developed to ensure the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken with voluntary cooperation of landowners and industry, and allows agricultural producers and industry to continue operations while reducing impacts to the bird and its grassland habitat.

“We’re encouraged by this year’s numbers but are mindful that successful conservation of the lesser prairie chicken will require decades of consistent progress,” said J.D. Strong, Chairman of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative Council and Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “The continued success of the range-wide plan depends on ongoing participation by industry partners, and we are grateful for the support shown thus far. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be making another ruling on the status of the lesser prairie chicken later this year, and industry support of the plan is more important than ever. At such a critical juncture in the conservation of this important but imperiled prairie grouse, we encourage industry to contact us and get involved.”

For more information about the Lesser Prairie Chicken Range-wide Conservation Plan, contact Wolfe at [email protected].

Hays CVB

The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia will hold their 49^th Annual International Convention in Hays, Kansas Monday, July 30 – Thursday, August 2, 2018. Scheduled speakers will travel to the event from multiple U.S. states – some from as far as Germany and Russia.

This convention, titled “The Storm,” centers on the effects of the 1917 Russian Revolution on the Germans from Russia. It will also celebrate the traditions, history, genealogy, music, and food of Germans from Russia.

Attendees will have access to a research area for genealogy, AHSGR bookstore, silent auction room, and more. The convention begins with registration Monday, July 30, and will conclude on Thursday, August 2 with a banquet and polka dance.

All convention activities will be held at the Memorial Union on the Fort Hays State University Campus, except for Kindertag, a youth day for children to learn more about their German from Russia heritage. Kintertag will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 3:25 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1 at the Ellis County Historical Society Museum, 100 W. 7^th Street. The day will be filled with educational activities to show how the Germans from Russia lived, including sauerkraut and butter making, dancing, traditional games, German language, cooking, and life on the farm.

Registration is required and walk-ins are welcome. Registration for the entire convention is $125 for AHSGR members and $145 for non-members.

Ticket options are also available for individual meals, events, and tours, such as the Foundation/Society Recognition luncheon, Village Tour, Museum Tour, and Artisan Tour. Three German Cooking classes will be offered by Sam Brungardt and Charlie Dorzweiler for $10 per session.

Those interested can find details, register for the conference, and purchase individual tickets at www.ahsgr.org.

Talks for the event include:

• • Finding Your Ancestors
  • The German Russian Communities in the Age of Stalin’s Great Terror
  • Germans in Russia: History Milestone (Celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Volga German Autonomy)
  • Masterpieces of German Religious Architecture on the Volga
  • Remembering a Ravaged Century: The German Colonies Caught in ‘The Storm’ of the Russian Revolution
  • Letters to Pauline (Schlegel) Lehi: Volga German Family Correspondence from Russia to Oklahoma, 1913-1937
  • DNA 1: The Basics of Life / DNA 2: Analyzing Your DNA Results
  • Ethnic Clothing for Mennonites and Other Germans from Russia
  • Mennonites in Russia after the Revolution
  • The Immigrant Woman
  • Dutch Hop: Music of the Volga Germans
  • History of the HFDR (Historical Research Association of Germans from Russia)
  • Lives of Ethnic Germans in Soviet Exile during and after WWII
  • Religious Persecution of Germans in Siberia
  • Volga Famine Relief
  • Authors: Karen Schutte, Teddy Needham, Ulrich Merten
  • FHSU Ethnic Studies Center: A Roomful of History – The Volga Germans of Ellis and Rush Counties in Kansas

 

Speakers include:

 

• • Olga Litzenberger (Russia)
  • Michael Wanner (Germany)
  • Eric Schmaltz (University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK)
  • Maggie Hein (Chicago, IL)
  • Ulrich Merten (Florida)
  • Peggy Goertzen (Wichita, KS)
  • Norma Pipkin (Hays, KS)
  • Terry Batt (Denver,CO / Russell, KS)
  • Alex & Nancy Herzog (Boulder, CO)
  • Sisters Alice Ann Pfeifer, Mary Ann Schippers, and Mary Elise Leiker (Wisconsin/Hays, KS)
  • Brent Mai (Connecticut)
  • Patty Nicholas (Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS)

The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and houses one of the largest repositories for German Russian studies in the U.S. It includes, books, records, maps, photos and many more items.

The Sunflower Chapter of AHSGR, Hays, is a local Chapter of AHSGR striving to promote the heritage of the German Russian on a local level.

For more information on attending the AHSGR Hays Convention can be found at by contacting the national AHSGR office at 402-474-3363 or [email protected] or Kevin Rupp at 785-656-0329 or krupp@ruraltel,net.

The City of Hays has filed suit against Nex-Tech, LLC; Big River Telephone Company, LLC; and Eagle Communications, Inc., related to the imposition of franchise fees for services provided to customers in the city.
 
The suit, which was filed July 9 in Ellis County, seeks a court order requiring Big River to enter into a franchise agreement with the city intended to collect city franchise fees for Big River’s service to Eagle Communications for Eagle Communications’ IP-delivered telephone service. Cities with franchising authority currently collect franchise fees on traditional switched telephone service delivered through traditional methods, but not IP-based service, which is delivered entirely via internet.

The suit also asks the court to make a determination as to whether or not Eagle Communications, with or without services from Big River, should be required to enter into a franchise agreement to provide its internet-based telephone service. And, the suit seeks to establish that the city can continue to require Nex-Tech to enter into a franchise agreement to provide its service in Hays based on the technology Nex-Tech utilities.
 
“We have enjoyed a good and long-standing working relationship with the City of Hays and believe we have complied with all of the past franchise requirements and the legal requirements for delivering VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology,” said Eagle President and CEO Gary Shorman. “We are disappointed the city chose to use this process to pursue additional fees from our customers for the city, and we think the law is clear that no such fees are appropriate for the service and technology we provide.”

The Hays Police Department responded to 11 animal calls and conducted 18 traffic stops Tue., July 10, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Abandoned Vehicle–600 block E 5th St, Hays; 12:04 AM
Juvenile Complaint–300 block W 12th St, Hays; 8:31 AM
Animal At Large–200 block E 12th St, Hays; 8:36 AM
Theft (general)–200 block E 19th St, Hays; 8:50 AM
Animal At Large–300 block W 22nd St, Hays; 9:16 AM
Vagrancy–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 10:22 AM
Animal Injured–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 10:55 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–600 block E 6th St, Hays; 11:40 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1000 block E 17th St, Hays; 11:53 AM
Drug Offenses–Hays
Drug Offenses–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:25 PM; 12:35 PM
Animal At Large–3700 block Country Ln, Hays; 1:19 PM
Juvenile Complaint–3000 block Broadway Ave, Hays; 2:26 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–200 block W 13th St, Hays; 2:53 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–2500 block Henry Dr, Hays; 4:19 PM
Drug Offenses–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 4:27 PM
Theft (general)–1900 block Fort St, Hays; 1:25 PM; 5:15 PM
Suspicious Activity–2500 block Haney Dr, Hays; 12 PM; 12:30 PM
Criminal Trespass–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 6 PM; 6:30 PM
Welfare Check–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 7:51 PM
Stalking–200 block E 6th St, Hays; 1 PM; 1:15 PM
Suspicious Person–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 10:31 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–600 block W 13th St, Hays; 11:30 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and conducted 12 traffic stops Wed., July 11, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Suspicious Activity–3200 block Vine St, Hays; 12:45 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 12:50 AM
Disorderly Conduct–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 8:42 AM
Animal At Large–1700 block Sunset Trl, Hays; 9:09 AM
Burglary/storage unit–1200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–1900 block MacArthur Rd, Hays; 11:17 AM
Mental Health Call–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 12:18 PM
Theft (general)–1900 block Elm St, Hays; 12:22 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–Plaza Ave, Hays; 1:36 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–7th St and Main St, Hays; 1:54 PM
Disorderly Conduct–7th St and Main St, Hays; 2 PM; 2:02 PM
Found/Lost Property–Barclay Dr, Hays; 4:30 PM
Missing Person–100 block W 17th St, Hays; 5:28 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–1600 block E 27th St, Hays; 6/21 6:21 PM; 7/11 6:21 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1300 block Schwaller Ave, Hays; 6:56 PM; 6:55 PM
Suicidal Subject–2900 block Sherman Ave, Hays; 11:12 PM

FHSU University Relations

Kiley Heine, Great Bend senior majoring in sociology and a research assistant at Fort Hays State University, was the lead presenter of a research talk at the recent 24th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management in Snowbird, Utah.

“Assessing Attitudes About Municipal Water Conservation and Participation in City-Sponsored Conservation Initiatives” describes the attitudes about municipal water conservation and participation in conservation behaviors using data from a spring 2018 survey of Hays households.

“Our research examines factors associated with participation in city-sponsored water conservation initiatives and attitudes about the importance of water conservation among Hays residents,” said Dr. Amanda Buday, assistant professor of sociology.

“Since its inception in 1986, the ISSRM conference has always had a broad focus that encompasses a wide variety of international resource management issues, environmental justice, collaborative stakeholder processes and the social impacts of natural resource management,” according to the ISSRM website.

“Our work on water conservation is closely tied to community development as constraints on water resources in Hays pose a challenge for growth,” said Buday. “Water conservation is therefore important for protecting our local water resources for future generations and enabling Hays to continue to serve as a regional economic and cultural hub for western Kansas.”

FHSU faculty members Dr. Brett Zollinger, chair of the Department of Sociology, and Buday were co-authors of the presentation.

“I appreciate the support we received from the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects, the city of Hays Department of Water Resources, Kansas State University Watershed Specialist, Stacie Minson, the FHSU Motor Pool, the FHSU print shop and the FHSU Student Employment Office, whose support enabled us to carry out our research and provide our students with valuable educational experiences,” said Buday.

“Presenting at a professional meeting and the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research taking place at other institutions is icing on the cake!”

For more information about the 2018 conference, visit https://www.iasnr.org/?page_id=2202.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

WAKEENEY — The annual Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital Project Help golf tournament is set for Saturday in WaKeeney.

Project Help is a nonprofit committee that aims to help people in Trego County who need a hand.

Committee member Neva Flax said it was initially created to help with patient care.

“We saw that there were a lot of needs that we felt like we could meet pretty easily or that people were meeting through the hospital, but they were just paying for things out of their own pocket,” Flax said.

She said they have helped people who have dietary needs with buying certain kinds of groceries.

Project Help has also provided clothes, shoes and even transportation for people transported to the hospital after an incident on Interstate 70.

Because of the success in the number of people helped, the committee has expanded to offer help to people throughout Trego County.

“We’ve done different things around WaKeeney too,” Flax said. “People that have needed help to doctors appointments, or transportation or needing help paying for gas, lodging and food trying to get to a specialty clinic in Kansas City or Topeka.”

People wanting to receive help must submit a formal request to the committee, which will then determine the best way to help.

“It might not necessarily at that point be a patient for us but just to help that person in our community to get where they’re needing to go,” said Flax.

Last year, then the severe storm caused significant damage to the WaKeeney area, and Project Help hosted a bake sale to raise funds to help employees of the hospital.

All of the money is raised through fundraisers and does not come from the hospital. The golf tournament is the group’s biggest fundraiser.

Saturday’s golf tournament is a three-person scramble at the Big Creek Golf Court. The cost is $120 a team and lunch is provided. Registration is from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. with tee off at 9:00 a.m.

For more information, contact Flax at 785-743-2182, Ext. 101.