Inaugural VIRTUAL Golden Egg Hunt: Win Wild West Fest VIP tickets! Made possible by JD’s Country Style Chicken.
Hidden somewhere in Hays Post stories is the first Virtual Golden Egg! The egg is posted as a picture in articles published no earlier than June 29. Click on the Golden Egg, fill out the entry form and be entered for a chance to win TWO VIP tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows at the 2018 Wild West Festival. The winner will be announced Tuesday.
The actual Eagle Golden Egg Hunt will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 4. Click HERE for details!
The Fort Hays State University Alumni Association Board of Directors has announced the addition of four new board members.
They were introduced June 15 at the board’s summer meeting in Hays. New to the board are Chelsey Ladd, Hays; Dean Lavielle, Newton; Brooke Oleen Tieperman, Denver, Colo., and Doug Wright, Ph.D., Chanute.
Ladd, manager of constituent services with the Office of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, received a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from FHSU in 2008. She will serve a two-year term on the board and hold a position on the Membership and Marketing Committee.
Lavielle
Lavielle, retired high school principal, graduated from FHSU in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and again in 1993 with a Master of Science in education administration. He will serve a two-year board term and hold a position on the Membership and Marketing Committee.
Tieperman, program manager for the Environment, Energy and Transportation, National Conference of State Legislatures, holds two degrees from FHSU: bachelor’s degrees in foreign language (Spanish) and communication (public relations), both in 2001. She will serve a two-year term on the board and hold a position on the Membership and Marketing Committee.
Tieperman
Wright, clinical director of the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, will serve a two-year board term and hold a position on the Awards and Recognition Committee. He graduated from FHSU in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology.
“We are pleased to welcome four new directors to the FHSU Alumni Board of Directors,” said DeBra Prideaux, executive director of alumni and governmental relations. “All bring valuable insight and energy to the association as we continue our commitment to strengthen Fort Hays State University.”
The 2018-19 Executive Council is Betty Johnson CFRE, Lawrence, board president; Mike Koerner, Hays, vice president; Mike Slattery, Ed.D., Hays; Lance Tilton, Chapman; Jennifer Brantley, Ph.D., Wichita; and Leo Lake, Manhattan.
Johnson, a 1980 FHSU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication, is president of Betty Johnson and Associates. She was elected president of the board.
Koerner, operations and systems manager for Eagle Communications, has two degrees from FHSU, a bachelor’s degree in information networking and telecommunications, 2000, and a master’s degree in INT in 2005. He is vice president of the board and holds a position on the Finance and Operations Committee.
Slattery is a retired FHSU professor of education administration. He received three degrees from FHSU: 1973, a B.S. in physical education; 1977, an M.S. in education administration (secondary); and 1989, an Ed.S. in education administration (superintendent). He will serve as chair of the Awards and Recognition Committee.
Tilton, AVP-Ag/Commercial Lender for ASTRA Bank, is serving as chair of the Finance and Operations Committee. He graduated from FHSU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
Brantley, manager of public education with Envision Inc., will serve as chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from FHSU in 1993.
Lake will serve in an at-large position on the Executive Council and as a member of the Membership and Marketing Committee. Now a retired educator and volunteer, Lake graduated from FHSU in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education and again in 1961 with a Master of Science in education administration.
Other members of the board:
• Cathy Domsch, Atwood, organizational coach and facilitator for Bandura Plus.
• Angela Gaughan, Wichita, AmeriCorps project specialist for Wichita State Community Engagement Institute.
• Mitch Hall, Harper, owner of H2O Drilling LLC and Hall Family Land & Cattle LLC.
• Denise Riedel, Overland Park, data management specialist for EMB Statistical Solutions.
• Rob Schocke, senior implementation analyst for VISA Inc.
• Richard “Dick” Selensky, Shawnee Mission, retired educator and administrator.
• Dave Voss, Colby, a network development manager with Centene Corp.-Sunflower State Health Plan.
Emily Breit, Ph.D., Hays, associate professor of economics, finance and accounting at FHSU; and Adam Schibi, Hays, president of the FHSU Student Government Association, will also serve on the board in ex-officio positions.
Retiring board members were recognized for a combined 25 years of service: Sandy Billinger, Ph.D., Roeland Park; Emily Brandt, Hays; Rich Dreiling, Wichita; Ethan Harder, Elkhart; Roger Schieferecke, Ed.D., Hays; and Rich Sieker, Hays.
Established in 1916, the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association serves the population of FHSU graduates by identifying needs and providing solutions. More than 69,000 graduates live throughout the United States and approximately 77 foreign countries.
The board sets the policy and direction of the association in developing life-long relationships between the university and alumni.
Board nominations are accepted as positions become available. For more information, visit www.goforthaysstate.com, email [email protected] or call 785-628-4430 or toll free 1-888-351-3591.
JOHNSON COUNTY — There is a crowded field running for Kansas governor and the top two republican candidates are using social media to celebrate or dispute the result of an early straw poll.
Governor Jeff Colyer edged rival Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the weekend straw poll of the Olathe GOP.
The poll was taken after the two candidates in the race for the republic nomination for governor spoke at the annual Olathe faith and freedom picnic at Cedar Lake Park.
It shows Colyer with a comfortable lead. Kobach, the champion of strict voter ID laws claimed there was voter fraud.
It’s a shame we couldn’t have an honest straw poll today in Olathe. The governor prepaid for 106 people to vote! We are grassroots. They are Astroturf. #VoterFraud#ksleg#GrassrootsVsAstroturf
Fort Hays State University-Energy Division Seeking Position – Skilled Trades Technician, Plant Operations
The FHSU Energy Division/Power Plant is looking for a dependable individual to hire in the Power Plant Department.This is a full time position with benefits.
TASKS
Operation, maintenance and repair of industrial equipment such as boilers, generators, pumps and valves.Work involves all aspects of boiler operation to include general maintenance and repair of related Energy Division/Power Plant equipment.Follow written and oral procedures, reading and recording gauges and water testing.Able to lift 30-50 lbs.
Working hours during the heating season require 24/7 operation during the months of October to April, requiring shift work for continuous operation.Working hours from May through September are usually Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM.This position may be required to work a flexible work schedule as needed.
*More than one position may be available*
REQUIREMENTS
High school diploma or GED, valid driver’s license.Three years’ experience in some skilled trades area.Prefer experience in electrical or mechanical trades, but this is not required.Must be able to lift 30-50 lbs.
Application Process:To apply for this position, please visit https://fhsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CAREERS.Only electronic applications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
Required Application Documents:Applicants should submit a resume and names and contact information for three professional references.Applicant documents should be submitted in one PDF.
Notice of Non-discrimination – Fort Hays State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status.
Background Check: Final candidate will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.
Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERS employer. Please contact your KPERS representative or www.kpers.org for further information on how this might affect you.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
“Gramma, wuuuhms (worms), pops!” giggled my three-year-old granddaughter, calling from western Kansas. It’s July 3, so I realize her parents had taken her to buy childhood firecrackers such as black snakes and those little poppers that I, our daughters, and now our grand love to throw on hard ground. Sure enough, my little caller’s mother confirms that’s what’d happened. That was G’s first year to enjoy these holiday favorites, and she wanted to share her excitement.
This sweet, unexpected phone call sent me down memory lane to my own first visits to firecracker dealers. It’s been long enough since those shopping trips that the recollections count as antiques. I still remember the feel of silver coins, probably dimes and a nickel, in my hand and the sense of importance as my parents took my brother and me to select patriotic noisemakers.
Back then, folks didn’t have air conditioning the way they do now, so we were hot before we started shopping. It seems the stands were always under some kind of awning, perhaps old military tarps left over either from Korea or WW II. I recall stepping into the shade and appreciating cooler temperatures in the dim, gunpowder scented interior. The bad part was it made it harder to see kid- friendly fireworks displayed on homemade plywood and saw horse tables.
While I was older than our granddaughter when I picked out my first 4th stash, I still needed to stand on my tippy toes to peer at the dazzling merchandise with pictures of black cats and Chinese letters and wrapped in crinkly cellophane. Our parents guided us to sparklers, snakes, poppers, and a string of tiny ladyfingers they would help us light. Miracle of miracles, when we handed the clerk our sweaty change, she gave us each a free punk.
YOU FOUND IT! Click the picture for a chance to win Wild West Festival VIP tickets!
Once we bought our treasures, our father selected some surprises of his own. He was partial to Roman candles and cherry bombs, which were legal then. As we climbed into the furnace-like car to go home, he made it clear that we were not to touch his fireworks. After I met a boy who had a Roman candle burn scar his chest, I understood Dad’s emphatic warnings.
Back home, the oven-hot sidewalk became our launch pad. Our parents sat on the porch step, watching us arrange little black kernels that would become long, spiraling, snakes. We oohed and aahed watching them writhe and stain the cement black and grey. After those were ash, it was time for a popsicle and pockets full of poppers that we threw from distances and close up. We even stepped on them to make them explode.
After our stash was shredded tissue, our dad helped us use our spicy smelling punks to light one ladyfinger at a time and throw it safely away from our bodies. He had us save one string so we could hear a bunch pop at one time. When we’d had our fun, he would light a cherry bomb or two far enough away from us that we were safe, but close enough the explosion vibrated our eardrums for a spell.
After dark, we slurped bowls of mom’s homemade ice cream and watched dad launch his Roman candle display. While these don’t compare to modern pyrotechnic displays, they were magical to late 50s and early 60s youngsters. To end the evening, my brother and I waved lit sparklers and danced wildly about the yard.
We must have fallen asleep before our parents carried us inside. I was so surprised to wake up on July 5th to a yard full up burned up snakes, exploded popper tissue, shredded firecracker paper, and scorched sparkler skeletons. Cleaning up wasn’t nearly as much fun as waving lit ones.
I’m so glad Little Miss G called Gramma about her wuuuuhms and poppers. I enjoyed her excitement and my memory.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
RENO COUNTY — A Reno County judge has granted a request for the mental evaluation of a man charged with first-degree murder in a hit-and-run accident.
Taylor Lukone, 19, Hutchinson, is accused of hitting Jose Lopez who was on a bicycle with his car.
Lukone-photo Reno Co.
His attorney, Shannon Crane, wants the mental evaluation to see if Lakone is competent to stand trial. She was also granted permission to hire an investigator for the case.
The fatal incident happened in the 1200 block of East 4th Street in Hutchinson on September 21 of 2017.
Lopez was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he died from multiple blunt-force injuries.
Darion Maxey, Lukone’s best friend, testified at the preliminary hearing that Lukone struck Lopez because Lopez struck his mother with a lead pipe.
Lukone is free on bond. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 18.
Tonight A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South southeast wind 9 to 17 mph.
Mainly dry and hot weather can be expected. There are small chances of t-storms Monday evening and then again Thursday night through Friday pic.twitter.com/BBc0FsNSOV
TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed four people to the Supreme Court Permanency Planning Task Force and reappointed two others.
Their four-year terms begin July 1 and end June 30, 2022.
The new members are:
Deb Dickerhoof, coordinator, citizen review board, 5th Judicial District, composed of Lyon and Chase counties
District Judge Mary Christopher, who serves in the 3rd Judicial District, composed of Shawnee County
Kathy Ray, director of advocacy and education, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Laura Jurgensen, assistant director of early childhood, special education, and title services, Kansas State Department of Education.
The court reappointed:
District Magistrate Judge Mary Thrower, who serves in Ottawa County of the 28th Judicial District
Vivien Olsen, tribal attorney, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
The Kansas Supreme Court established the working task force in 1984. It advises the court on ways to provide and improve the care of children who are under jurisdiction of the court. Its responsibilities include:
developing and implementing a strategic plan for child welfare oversight;
collaborating with district courts, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, and Native American tribes in Kansas;
developing and implementing statewide legal training;
reviewing federally funded child and family services.
Overall, the task force recommends improvements and suggests programs that help children placed in foster care find safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
The 18-member task force includes district court judges, district magistrate judges, lawyers, court-appointed guardians, prosecutors, and representatives from Indian tribal courts, state agencies, Court Appointed Special Advocates; citizen review boards, and mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse treatment providers.
HAYS, Kan. – The Hays Larks continued their hot hitting on Sunday night at Larks Park and completed a three-game sweep of the Haysville Aviators by a score of 14-3. Tyler Blomster was excellent on the mound for Hays going six innings, giving up four hits and two unearned runs with a season high 12 strikeouts. Blomster got excellent run support from the offense in the first six innings. After taking a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Larks would hit three straight one-out singles. Aviators relief pitcher Jason Salva would walk Daryl Meyers and Wyatt Divis, scoring two runs and leaving the bases loaded for Easton Kirk. On a 1-2 count, Smith crushed a ball into right center field..the same spot he hit his last two grand slams. The Larks would take a 14-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth and only give up one run the rest of the way. The Larks outscored the Aviators 29-9 in the series.
Frank Leo Postgame Interview
Blomster got the win for Hays, his second of the summer. Sloan Baker gave up one hit in one inning pitched. Toby Scoles finished the game for the Larks giving up three hits and one run with four strikeouts in two innings. Easton Kirk was 3-4 with five RBIs and a grand slam home run.
The Larks go on the road for two road games in Dodge City and Great Bend. The Larks will be back home on July 4th when they take on Great Bend.
Frances Irene Berkgren, 82, was born Sept. 2, 1935 at Pinoak, Pennsylvania, to Earl and Irene Louie Hagerty Stephens.
She and her brother, Frank, were the second set of twins in the family. The other set of twins are John and Joan.
Frances graduated from Cranberry High School, Cranberry, Pennsylvania, in 1953. She graduated from Yennard College, University Park, Iowa in 1968. She worked at various mission fields, including Bethany Children’s Home in Kentucky, and the Salvation Army Home and Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
Frances had a special place in her heart for the American Indians, having worked at Brainerd Indian School, Hot Springs, South Dakota and All Tribes Indian School, Bernalillo, New Mexico, and worked with missionary friends in South Dakota and New Mexico. She also enjoyed going to Mexico to help the missionaries.
Frances met her first husband, Rev. Harry A. Zufall, at Brainerd Indian School. They were married Nov. 20, 1970 at Morgantown, West Virginia. They ministered together in South Dakota, New Mexico, and pastored churches in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.
Rev. Zufall passed away on May 26, 1983 at Miltonvale, Kansas. Frances was married to Harold Berkgren Nov. 21, 1987 at the Clay Center Bible Methodist Church (Alabama Conference). Harold passed away Nov. 1, 2008.
She enjoyed playing the piano, organ, keyboard and cow bells. She also enjoyed being a Senior companion. She enjoyed crocheting baby afghans and writing poetry.
Frances was preceded in death by her parents, baby sister Dorothy Maxine, sister Evelyn Audine Kerr and brothers Roland Earl, Williard Arden, twin brother Frank Roger, baby sister Maxine Dorothy, and beloved sister Joan Ruth Sheffer.
She is survived by brother John Edwin and wife Chris, Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, and sister-in-law Miriam Stephens, Reading, Pennsylvania, and several nephews and one niece.
Frances passed away Saturday, June 30 at Logan County Hospital.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 5 at the Wesleyan Church in Oakley, Kansas.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 4 at the Wesleyan Church. Memorials to Logan County Hospital Hanson Apartments.
SEATTLE (AP) – James Paxton limited Kansas City to two hits and struck out 11 in eight innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Royals 1-0 on Sunday for their season-best seventh consecutive victory.
Paxton, from Ladner, British Columbia, pitched on Canada Day – and his bobblehead day at Safeco Field.
Paxton (8-2) also allowed two walks.
Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the ninth for his 32nd save.
Kansas City rookie Brad Keller (2-3) allowed six hits in eight innings. He allowed only one extra-base hit, Kyle Seager’s double in the seventh inning.
The only run came in the second inning. Ben Gamel dropped a broken-bat single into shallow center to score Kyle Seager from second base. Seager singled to right before Ryon Healy singled to center.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who experienced tightness on his left side during his start Friday, had his normal throwing day in the bullpen Sunday, but Kansas City manager Ned Yost did not say whether Kennedy would make his next scheduled start. Yost said RF Jorge Soler (fractured toe and placed in the 10-day DL June 17) is still on a six-weeks-or-so recovery, so it’s likely another four weeks before he would return.
Mariners: Manager Scott Servais said they will monitor RHP Felix Hernandez and his back stiffness over the next few days. Hernandez pitched five innings Saturday night and earned the victory (three runs and six hits) but struggled with back pain and wasn’t able to sit down in the dugout between innings. “We’ll keep an eye on it,” Servais said. “We have the off day (Monday) so he’ll get an extra-day off between starts.” … Servais said he was hopeful RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, who underwent shoulder surgery last September, would be back by now, but Iwakuma’s throwing was shut down again last week. “He’s frustrated by that,” Servais said. “The doctors still are optimistic he’ll get back (this season) but I don’t have any timetable for it.”
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (5-9, 4.67) will make his 17th starts of the season Monday when the Royals return home to start a three-game series with Cleveland. Junis has allowed a major league-high 22 home runs over 96.1 innings.
Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (3-0, 3.38) will make his 12th starts of the season Tuesday when Seattle starts a three-game series at home against the Angels. LeBlanc hasn’t lost a decision in his 11 starts and the Mariners are 8-3 in those games.
TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) — A city in eastern Kansas is still seeing political changes after plans for a massive chicken processing plant caused uproar last year.
Photo Amy Hughes Overmiller
The $300 million Tyson project planned for the outskirts of Tonganoxie was canceled after residents of the town protested the pollution and the strains on local infrastructure they expected the facility would bring.
Republican Rep. Jim Karleskint of Tonganoxie, who drafted a bill that would have given locals more say about proposed poultry operations, said residents are still anxious about the issue.
“A lot of people are talking about it. It’s an anxious issue that people don’t want Tyson in the area,” Karleskint said. “I think there’s a fear that they may attempt to come back. I personally don’t think it’s an issue any longer.”
Karleskint is running for re-election in the 42nd District and said he isn’t expecting the plant to be an issue for him since he opposed it.
Democrat Stuart Sweeney said the plant is one of the reasons he decide to challenge Republican Rep. Willie Dove for his 38th District seat.
Dove, who’s also facing a primary challenge from Noel Hull, says he didn’t initially take a stance on the project because he wanted more information. He says some people interpreted that as support, even though he ultimately opposed it.
“I had people throwing things in my yard because they thought I was for it,” Dove said. “Telephone calls and my wife said ‘no, he’s not for it. He never said he was for it.’ But yet, some people say ‘yes you were.'”
Sweeney believes Dove only opposed the plant when it became a political liability.
“Our homes and our families and our communities are not politics. This is where we live, this is what concerns the people of the 38th District,” Sweeney said.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating sex crimes and have made additional arrests.
On June 27, and 28, police and detectives from the Wichita Police Department Vice unit conducted sex trafficking stings focused on individuals buying and selling sexual relation in the Broadway Corridor area, according to officer Charley Davidson
On Wednesday, police arrested three women for selling sexual relations. On Thursday police arrested seven men attempting to buy sexual relations. Police arrested on man for promoting prostitution.
Twelve sex trafficking stings have been conducted since August 2017. A total of 97 people have been arrested including 20 women and 77 men.
Inaugural VIRTUAL Golden Egg Hunt: Win Wild West Fest VIP tickets! Made possible by JD’s Country Style Chicken.
