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Month: October 2018

Cloudy, cool Saturday chance of rain late

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Today
Increasing clouds, with a high near 60. South wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.

Tonight
Rain, mainly after 1am. Low around 33. South southeast wind 8 to 18 mph becoming north northeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday
Rain before 9am, then rain and snow between 9am and 10am, then snow after 10am. Patchy blowing snow between 11am and 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Temperature falling to around 28 by noon. Breezy, with a north wind 21 to 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Sunday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. North northwest wind 13 to 18 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. North northwest wind around 9 mph.

Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 56.

Tuesday Night
Clear, with a low around 33.

Wilson Elementary dedicates new playground

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce officially cut the ribbon on a new playground at Wilson Elementary School on Friday.

However, the Wilson students have already had the chance to break in the equipment during recesses over the past week and a half.

The school children gathered on the playground for the ribbon cutting and cheered when they saw the chamber’s giant scissors. Sadly, because the new equipment was still wet from rain Friday morning, the children weren’t allowed to play on the equipment Friday for safety reasons.

The new playground, including installation, cost $78,000. The Dane G. Hansen Foundation contributed $5,000 for the project, the Home and School organization contributed about half of the funds — $38,000, and Wilson’s After School program contributed the other half. The district paid for the surfacing and concrete work out of its capital outlay budget.

Wilson’s Home and School organization has been raising money for years toward the goal of this new playground.

Andrea Dinkel, Wilson Home and School president, said, “I just want to say thank you to all of you for doing fundraising like Mrs. [Anita] Scheve said, and I want to thank the parents for helping us out and the community for opening up your wallets and helping us with fundraising and buying stuff from our kiddoes. That means a lot.”

Wilson Principal Anita Scheve also said she was thankful for the community for their support.

She said school’s old playground was past its warranty and had areas where the plastic was brittle and cracking. It was becoming a safety hazard for the children, she said.

The new playground has an accompanying physical education curriculum.

“We are excited to have a new playground,” Scheve said.

Chickadee Checkoff Small Grants proposals due Nov. 15

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KDWPT

PRATT — The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) is accepting proposals for the Chickadee Checkoff Small Grants Program through November 15, 2018.

Grant recipients may use the funds to carry out projects focused on wildlife diversity and native non-game wildlife species, while addressing the issues and strategies within the Kansas State Wildlife Action Plan.

Through the small grants program, KDWPT is able utilize the talents and expertise of people outside of the department to complete a wide variety of educational, research-based, and habitat projects, as well as the monitoring of nongame wildlife and critical habitats. Past projects include the creation of interactive exhibits at nature centers, and assessing the occupancy, abundance, and species richness of marsh birds at state- and federally-managed wetlands.

The diverse projects completed as a result of Chickadee Checkoff funding have led to numerous publications in scientific journals, educational products, and new information on native non-game wildlife species and their habitats.

Interested parties have until November 15, 2018 to turn in a completed grant proposal.

For more information, including eligibility requirements and to view a list of priority projects for 2019, download the grant guidance document at http://ksoutdoors.com/Services/Wildlife-Diversity/Chickadee-Checkoff/Chickadee-Checkoff-Small-Grants-Program

High school football scoreboard Week 7

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Western Athletic Conference
(Thurs) Buhler 21 Hays 41
Great Bend 35 Liberal 6
Garden City 7 Dodge City 27

1A District 5
Republic Co. (0-6)(0-1) 8 Smith Center (5-1)(1-0) 57

1A District 6
Ellis (2-4)(1-0) 0 Plainville (4-2)(1-0) 41 (AGOTW)
Oakley (3-3)(0-1) 22 LaCrosse (2-4) (0-1) 24

2A District 8
Minneapolis (3-3) (1-2) 7 TMP (1-5) (0-3) 14
Hoisington (5-1) (3-0) 21 Phillipsburg (6-0) (3-0) 51
Ellsworth (1-5) (0-3) 17 Norton (3-3) (2-1) 35

2A District 7
Lyons (0-6) (0-3) 0 Cimarron (5-1) (3-0) 60
Southwestern Heights (1-5) (1-2) 56 Ellinwood (3-3) (1-2) 28

3A District 7
Larned (0-6) (0-3) 7 Hugoton (2-4) (2-1) 23

3A District 8
Russell (2-4) (0-3) 26 Goodland (0-6) (0-3) 29
Colby (6-0) (3-0) 12 Scott City (6-0) (3-0) 35
Concordia (3-3) (2-1) 6 Beloit (3-3) (1-2) 16

8-Man 1 District 5
Moundridge (3-3) (2-1) 0 Central Plains (6-0) (3-0) 52
Pratt-Skyline (1-5) (0-3) 36 Macksville (3-3) (2-1) 50
St. John (0-6) (0-3) 0 Little River (5-1) (2-1) 50

8-Man 1 District 6
Spearville (5-1) (3-0) 8 Hodgeman Co. (6-0) (3-0) 54
Ness City (4-2) (2-1) 62 Kiowa Co. (3-3) (0-3) 14
Kinsley (1-5) (1-3) 14 South Gray (2-4) (1-2) 51

8-Man 1 District 7
Victoria (4-2) (2-1) 42 Hill City (4-2) (2-1) 41
Washington Co. (3-3) (1-2) 6 Clifton-Clyde (6-0) (3-0) 52
Lincoln (2-4) (0-3) 6 Stockton (2-4) (1-2) 54

8-Man 1 District 8
St. Francis (6-0) (3-0) 64 Trego Comm. (4-2) (2-1) 14
Wichita Co. (4-2) (1-2) 50 Rawlins Co. (1-5) (0-3) 0
Hoxie (5-1) (2-1) 52 Decatur Com. (3-3) (1-2) 6

8-Man 2 District 5
Northern Valley (5-1) (2-1) 0 Osborne (5-1) (3-0) 68
Wilson (1-5) (0-3) 6 Thunder Ridge (4-2) (2-1) 50
Logan-Palco (2-4) (1-2) 0 Sylvan-Lucas (2-4) (1-2) 48

8-Man 2 District 6
Dighton (4-2) (3-0) 50 Quinter (1-5) (1-2) 0

8-Man 2 District 8
Chase (0-6) (0-5) 6 Otis-Bison (4-1-1) (4-0) 70

6-Man
Natoma (3-3) 14 Cheylin (3-1) 60

Other games of note
Free State (6-0) 36 Shawnee Mission East (5-1) 30
Bishop Miege (5-1) 21 St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0) 41
Salina Central (5-1) 26 Maize (6-0) 48
Perry-Lecompton 0 Topeka Hayden (4-2) 20
Conway Springs (6-0) 53 Chaparral (6-0) 23

Andale 55, Clearwater 6

Andover Central 16, Andover 14

Arkansas City 34, Valley Center 20

Ashland 62, Rolla 12

Attica/Argonia 38, Medicine Lodge 9

Augusta 34, Abilene 27

Axtell 76, Frankfort 28

BV North 51, BV Northwest 7

BV Randolph 36, Doniphan West 12

BV West 53, BV Southwest 6

Basehor-Linwood 34, Atchison 7

Belle Plaine 27, Eureka 26, OT

Beloit 16, Concordia 6

Bennington 54, Herington 6

Bonner Springs 55, Leavenworth 34

Burlington 36, Osawatomie 0

Cair Paravel 46, Veritas Christian 0

Canton-Galva 38, Solomon 20

Central Plains 52, Moundridge 0

Centralia 52, Wabaunsee 14

Centre 48, Rural Vista 0

Chapman 38, Hesston 28

Cheney 37, Wichita Trinity 15

Cherryvale 28, Neodesha 12

Cheylin 60, Natoma 14

Cimarron 60, Lyons 0

Circle 40, Independence 34

Clay Center 27, Rock Creek 21

Clifton-Clyde 52, Washington County 6

Coffeyville 40, Chanute 24

Conway Springs 53, Anthony-Harper-Chaparral 23

DeSoto 14, Shawnee Heights 0

Derby 48, Wichita Campus 13

Dighton 50, Quinter 0

Dodge City 27, Garden City 7

Douglass 42, Fredonia 21

Elkhart 51, Stanton County 8

Ell-Saline 14, Salina Sacred Heart 9

Fort Scott 28, Bolivar, Mo. 27

Frontenac 33, Baxter Springs 0

Galena 38, Columbus 0

Garden Plain 52, Wichita Independent 12

Girard 21, Iola 13

Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 70, Linn 44

Goodland 29, Russell 26

Great Bend 35, Liberal 6

Greeley County 30, Wallace County 28, OT

Hanover 52, Wetmore 6

Hays-TMP-Marian 14, Minneapolis 7

Hillsboro 66, Bluestem 22

Hodgeman County 54, Spearville 8

Hoxie 52, Oberlin-Decatur 6

Hugoton 23, Larned 7

Humboldt 64, Northeast-Arma 6

Hutchinson 45, Salina South 24

Hutchinson Central Christian 72, Stafford 26

Hutchinson Trinity 24, Remington 6

Inman 28, Meade 27

Jackson Heights 38, Jefferson North 8

Jayhawk Linn 40, Erie 0

Jefferson West 41, Wellsville 6

KC Schlagle 44, KC Washington 15

KC Sumner 26, KC Harmon 20

Kapaun Mount Carmel 25, St. James Academy 0

Kingman 31, Nickerson 14

La Crosse 24, Oakley 22

Lakin 38, Sterling 22

Lansing 55, KC Turner 7

Lawrence Free State 36, SM East 30

Little River 50, St. John 0

Louisburg 25, Ottawa 0

Macksville 50, Pratt Skyline 36

Madison/Hamilton 26, Burlingame 24

Maize 48, Salina Central 26

Maize South 23, Goddard 22, 2OT

Manhattan 56, Topeka West 6

Maranatha Academy 24, Lebo 20

Marmaton Valley 22, Altoona-Midway 14

Marysville 6, Holton 0

Maur Hill – Mount Academy 38, Pleasant Ridge 22

McLouth 54, Central Heights 14

McPherson 57, Rose Hill 7

Mill Valley 18, Blue Valley 7

Minneola 92, Ingalls 80

Mission Valley 22, St. Mary’s 8

Mulvane 41, El Dorado 6

Nemaha Central 50, Atchison County 0

Ness City 62, Kiowa County 14

Newton 32, Goddard-Eisenhower 7

Norton 35, Ellsworth 17

Olathe North 48, Lawrence 23

Olpe 54, Marion 0

Osborne 68, Northern Valley 0

Oswego 22, Cedar Vale/Dexter 16

Otis-Bison 70, Chase 6

Paola 35, Eudora 0

Parsons 42, Caney Valley 22

Pawnee Heights 41, Moscow 27

Peabody-Burns 54, Goessel 52

Phillipsburg 51, Hoisington 21

Pittsburg 28, Olathe East 21

Pittsburg Colgan 46, Pleasanton 0

Plainville 41, Ellis 0

Prairie View 22, Anderson County 7

Pratt 51, Holcomb 15

Riverside 36, Horton 0

Riverton 22, Southeast 8

Rock Hills 50, Pike Valley 6

Rossville 43, Council Grove 8

Royal Valley 28, Hiawatha 12

SM South 38, Olathe Northwest 21

Sabetha 56, Wamego 0

Santa Fe Trail 64, KC Bishop Ward 8

Scott City 35, Colby 12

Sedan 44, Burden Central 22

Sedgwick 59, Sublette 14

Silver Lake 48, Osage City 26

Smith Center 57, Republic County 8

Smoky Valley 20, Halstead 14

South Barber 70, Burrton 8

South Central 52, Oxford 0

South Gray 51, Kinsley 14

South Haven 45, Fairfield-Cunningham 0

Southeast Saline 23, Riley County 21

Southern Coffey 46, Crest 0

Southwestern Hts. 56, Ellinwood 28

Spring Hill 24, KC Piper 22

St. Francis 64, Trego 14

St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 60, Lakeside 0

St. Paul 72, Chetopa 22

St. Thomas Aquinas 41, Bishop Miege 21

Stockton 54, Lincoln 6

Sylvan-Lucas 48, Logan/Palco 0

Thunder Ridge 50, Wilson 6

Tonganoxie 20, Baldwin 0

Topeka 27, Emporia 26

Topeka Hayden 20, Perry-Lecompton 0

Topeka Seaman 21, Junction City 20

Triplains-Brewster 54, Wheatland-Grinnell 6

Troy 35, Lyndon 0

Udall 62, Caldwell 42

Ulysses 35, Labette County 22

Valley Heights 38, Northern Heights 0

Victoria 42, Hill City 41

Wakefield 58, Marais des Cygnes Valley 0

Wellington 22, Winfield 7

West Franklin def. Oskaloosa, forfeit

Wichita Bishop Carroll 39, Wichita North 19

Wichita Collegiate 46, Haven 8

Wichita County 50, Rawlins County 0

Wichita East 41, Wichita Southeast 0

Wichita Northwest 65, Wichita Heights 26

Wichita West 57, Wichita South 21

Yates Center 7, Uniontown 6

Monarchs rally in fourth quarter for first district win

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The TMP-Marian football team kept their playoff hopes alive Friday night as they rallied to beat Minneapolis 14-7 at Lewis Stadium in Hays.

Minneapolis opened the game with the ball and dominated the time of possession in the first quarter. They put together a 14-play, 85 yard drive that took more than seven and a-half minutes off the clock and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown run by Tyson Villalpando to take a 7-0 lead.

After that the two defenses settled in and neither offense was able to get on the board until late in the fourth quarter.

Down 7-0 with just over six minutes left in the game the Monarchs put together a five-play 48-yard drive and cut the deficit to one on a two-yard touchdown run by Kaleb Hagans. He then gave the Monarchs the lead for good on the two-point conversion at 8-7.

Monarchs quarterback Carson Jacobs, who completed 3-of-7 passes for 63 yards with one interception, set up the touchdown run with a 33 yard pass to Bryce Hickman to the Lions two-yard line.

The TMP defense forced Minneapolis to punt on their next offense possession with 3:20 to play in the game.

On third down and long the Hagans struck again for the Monarchs walking the Lions sideline on the way to his second touchdown of the night, this one from 54 yards out giving the Monarchs a 14-7 lead.

The TMP defense held off a late drive from Minneapolis to secure the win.

TMP Coach David Bowen

Game Highlights

The Monarchs improve to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in district play and Minneapolis moves to 3-4 and 1-2 in district with just one district game to play.

TMP will be at Ellsworth next Friday where, with a win they would clinch a playoff spot for the first-time since 2002.

Agudelo’s five goal night leads Tiger soccer to fourth shutout of season

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated Southwest Baptist 8-0 on Friday evening. The Tigers improved to 10-2-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, while the Bearcats dipped to 1-11 on the season and 0-5 in MIAA play.

Santiago Agudelo led the Tiger offensive attack as he set a new program record for goals in a single match (five) and total points in a single match (ten). Agudelo got things started for FHSU in the 23rd minute when he and the Bearcat goalkeeper battled for a one-on-one ball and Agudelo won the battle and scored his 15th goal of the season.

Agudelo wasn’t done with the aggressive play, however, when in the 32nd minute he connected on a feed from fellow teammates Tobias Patino and Nathan De La Hoya for his 16th score of the year.

The Tigers would take the 2-0 lead into intermission on the cold and frigid night inside FHSU Soccer Stadium.

In the second half, Fort Hays State kicked it into another gear offensively as Agudelo knocked in his third goal of the contest. In the 48th minute, he outmaneuvered the Bearcat goalkeeper once again and placed the ball in the back of the net, increasing the Tiger lead to 3-0.

The Tigers advantage over the Bearcats grew again as Agudelo connected on his fourth and fifth goals of the match. At the 54:31 mark, he took advantage of a misplay by the Bearcats keeper and scored with an empty net. Then, at the 57:09 slot, Agudelo grabbed the rebound off a blocked shot and scored his 19th goal of the season.

At this point, Head Coach Brett Parker put in most of his bench players and senior forward Christopher Johnson netted his first goal as a Tiger in the 67th minute by powering a dribble drive past the keeper to give FHSU the strong 6-0 edge.

Another first time goal-scorer, Sami Sabrah recorded the Tigers seventh goal of the contest in the 76th minute on an assist from Christopher Johnson. Shortly after, Antonio De La Torre found the back of the net at the 78:06 mark for his second goal of the year with some help from the foot of Alonso Rodriguez.

The 8-0 score would prove to be the final as the Tigers took 35 shots in the match, while holding the Bearcats to two on the night. FHSU recorded 21 points in the match (eight goals, five assists).

Cullen Fisch earned the shutout victory in goal for the Tigers, improving his overall record to 5-2 on the season. Fisch picked up one save on two shots faced in the contest.

The Tigers are back in action on Monday (Oct. 15) as they host No. 17 ranked Northeastern State for a 3 p.m. tilt inside FHSU Soccer Stadium with a chance to seal the MIAA title with a victory.

FHSU volleyball rallies for five-set win over Bearcats

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team secured a thrilling come-from-behind victory Friday evening (Oct. 12) against Southwest Baptist, winning in five sets. The Tigers took the early lead before dropping sets two and three, but rallied to win the final two frames for their first conference win of the season. The Tigers are now 7-15 on the year and 1-9 in the MIAA, while the Bearcats dip to 4-19 overall and 0-10 in league play.

The teams traded the lead four times early in the opening set before the Tigers took control midway through the frame. Leading by one, 14-13, Fort Hays State captured five of the next six points to stretch the lead to five. Azlyn Cassaday recorded a pair of kills before combining with Tatum Bartels for a block to stretch the lead to 18-14, prompting a Bearcat timeout. Bartels added a kill out of the huddle, putting the Tigers up by five. Isabelle Reynolds added the set-winner soon after, giving the Tigers the 25-19 win.

Fort Hays State again led by five midway through the second set, 16-11, before the Bearcats roared back to tie things up at 17. The Tigers scored the next four to regain momentum, but SBU stormed ahead with a 7-1 run, reaching set point, 24-22. Fort Hays State then scored three-straight to have a serve for the set of its own, but the Bearcats battled to ultimately tie things up as the teams left for the locker room, 29-27.

Both sides were locked in out of the break, alternating points for much of the third set. The visitors began to pull away late, leading by as many as five when an ace gave them a chance at set point, 24-19. A kill from Cassaday sparked a momentary comeback for the Tigers, who scored three straight before falling behind 2-1 in the match, 25-22.

Behind a pair of early service aces from Reynolds, the Tigers quickly took control in the fourth set, scoring seven of the first eight points. Back-to-back kills from Reynolds helped the Tigers stretch the lead to double digits, 14-4. A service ace that fell on the back line from Bre Becker gave FHSU a dominating 25-13 win, leveling the match at 2-2.

The Tigers fell behind early in the final frame before a kill from Cassaday leveled things at 3-3. A spike from Morgan West put FHSU in front for good three points later, 5-4. The Black and Gold went in front by as many as three before SBU closed within one, 10-9. A block from Reynolds and Ashley Webb sparked four-straight points for the Tigers, anchored by a service ace from Taylor White. After the bearcats managed one final point, West wrapped things up with her 12th kill of the match, handing the Tigers a 15-10 victory.

Cassaday was one of four Tigers with 10 or more kills, leading the way with 16 kills. The senior added 12 digs for her third double-double this season. Reynolds contributed 14 kills to go along with a pair of service aces. Bartels and West contributed 12 kills each. Becker tossed up 40 assists in the win, second-most in a match this season. She added 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Libero Abbie Hayes led the match with a career-high 29 digs.

The Tigers posted season-highs in kills (74), assists (70), attempts (181) and digs (83) in the win. FHSU recorded a .249 attack percentage, anchored by two sets with a swing rate of .400 or better (1st .400, 4th .412) while limiting the Bearcats to a .167 hitting rate. The Bearcats hung around thanks to 14 total blocks.

Fort Hays State will look to make it two straight Saturday when Missouri Southern comes to town. The Tigers are slated to battle the Lions at 6 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Fans can get in FREE with a ticket stub from the football game.

Tiger women’s soccer comes up short on the road against the Jennies

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WARRENSBURG, Mo. – After claiming three-straight MIAA wins, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 road loss to NCAA Division II defending national champions, Central Missouri. The Tigers dip to 5-6-2 overall while owning a 3-3 record in conference play. The No. 17 Jennies improve to 10-2-1 and 4-1-1 in MIAA contests.

The Jennies had something to prove as they were coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 16 Central Oklahoma. Central Missouri made sure they would not be shutout tonight as they were quick to get on the scoreboard against FHSU. In just the 13th minute, Maria Wilder netted her second goal of the season off an assist from Haley Freeman on the right lower side of the goal. This put the Jennies up 1-0 and would be the only goal in the match as the defending champions claimed the close victory.

Fort Hays State was able to keep Central Missouri out of the net in the second half to keep the match within reach. The Tigers also were competive in shots, with 13 compared to UCM’s 15. Two Tigers were awarded yellow cards in the contest, as Zariah Smith recorded one in the 69th minute and Emily Naysmith earned her card just as time was expiring.

Megan Kneefel suffers the loss in goal to drop her season record to 5-5-2 while increasing her saves to 57 after collecting six on the night. UCM’s Lindsey Johnson captured the goalkeeper victory alongside five saves to earn her first win of the season and improve to 1-1.

The Tigers remain on the road for their next four contests. Next up is a visit to St. Charles to take on Lindenwood on Sunday (Oct. 14) set for an 11 a.m. kick off.

Kan. man on parole for bank robbery charged in new bank heist

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WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was charged in federal court Friday with robbing a local bank earlier this week, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Drees -photo Sedgwick County
security camera images courtesy Wichita Police

Brent Allen Drees, 50, Wichita, is charged with one count of bank robbery. A criminal complaint and affidavit alleges that on Oct. 9 Drees robbed the Conway Bank at 121 E. Kellogg. Drees was wearing a baseball cap and jeans when he entered the bank and gave a teller a note saying, “Give me $3,000 and you won’t get hurt.”

On Thursday, investigators identified Drees as a suspect and arrested him.

Photo courtesy Wichita PD

Drees was released from Bureau of Prisons custody in July 2017 after serving a 46-month sentence for bank robbery.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

Police: Kan. school resource officer hospitalized after attack

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and USD 250 officials are investigating a teen student after an attack on a school resource officer.

On Wednesday, police arrested a 17-year-old female student who had returned to Heights High School, 5301 North Hillside in Wichita, despite having been suspended or expelled, according to officer Paul Cruz.

When the Heights’ school resource officer made contact with her, she attacked the officer.

According to Cruz the student bit the officer several times and he received cuts to his face. The officer was hospitalized “code yellow,” according to Cruz.  Has since been released from the hospital

This student has had similar incidents with the SRO and other staff members. The faces charges of battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.  She was taken to the Juvenile Detention center, according to Cruz.

Eat at Gutierrez for United Way Dine Out Day Oct. 16

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UWEC

The United Way of Ellis County will be hosting a Dine-Out Day with Gutierrez Cocina Mexicana Tuesday, October 16 on BOSSES DAY from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1106 E. 27th in Hays, where bosses eat FREE!

Come join in the social media fun!

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the United Way and their 15 partner agencies. Watch for upcoming Dine-Out Days with participating restaurants online at www.liveunited.us.

Call 785-628-8281 for more information.

Kansas town says Kobach can’t use replica gun in parade

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade have told Republican Kris Kobach that he must remove a replica machine gun from the back of a Jeep that’s become a key part of his campaign for governor and emblematic of his support for gun rights.

An attorney for the organizing committee for Iola’s Farm City Days said it was in talks Friday with Kobach’s campaign to find a compromise. But Kobach said that he believes the organizers can’t prevent him from using the Jeep with the gun in the parade scheduled for Saturday without violating his free speech rights.

Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, has been riding in the Jeep with the replica gun at least since June. Its appearance then in a suburban Kansas City parade prompted criticism, an apology from the sponsoring city and what Kobach derided as a “snowflake meltdown.” He quickly made it a symbol of his defiance of liberal criticism and his support for gun-ownership rights protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

But Daniel Schowengerdt, attorney for the Iola parade’s organizing committee, said its members felt the replica gun’s “wartime message” clashed with the event’s message of bringing farms and cities together. Iola, with about 5,700 residents, is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City.

Schowengerdt said the organizers had no problem with the Jeep, which is decorated with U.S. flag designs and has a bobble-head of President Donald Trump on its hood — only with the replica machine gun. He said that under past U.S. Supreme Court decisions, private parade organizers have a right to choose the content of their events.

“They are pro-Second Amendment,” he said of the organizers. “This is not a leftist organization. In fact, the vast majority of the people on the committee are gun-owning Republicans.”

The entry form for the parade does not mention firearms or mounted guns but says parade organizers “reserve the right to refuse entry to any person, group or entity. It also bans semi-trucks and tells participants that they cannot throw candy or other items from a float or vehicle.

“They felt and feel that a mounted, replica, .50-caliber machine gun does not fit with their message,” Schowengerdt said. “The Jeep is free to be there.”

Virginia Crossland Macha, a local GOP activist who backs Kobach, said she was upset enough by the organizing committee’s decision that she resigned as its president; she was not present for its vote. She said Farm City Days is non-partisan and staffed by volunteers and has now been drawn into “a mess” that could hurt the event.

“I just find it kind of crazy,” she said.

Iola is the seat of Allen County, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 2-to-1 and President Donald Trump received 67 percent of the vote in 2016. Kobach carried it in a crowded Republican primary in August with nearly 43 percent of the vote.

Schowengerdt said the decision was made in mid-September. Kobach said he learned of the decision about a week ago, some days after parade organizers told his staff of their decision. He said Iola is the first community to express any reluctance about the replica machine gun.

“In contrast, we’ve had mayors from other cities asking us to bring the gun,” Kobach said. “The Second Amendment applies as well in the city as it does in the country, and there is no conflict whatsoever between the joining of city and country and the Second Amendment.”

Doyle G. Graham

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Doyle G. Graham

Doyle G. Graham, age 85, United States Army Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient, and retired Express Mail Clerk for the USPS, passed away peacefully at his home in Arlington, KS, Oct. 10, 2018.

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend, who will be dearly missed.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Carra Lee, sons, Mike, Steve, and Gerry, and siblings, Bertha, Beulah, Ross, Stan, and half brother, V.O. He is survived by his wife, Bobbie; daughters-in-law, Lori, Brenda and Rhonda; grandchildren, Amy, Chad, Sarah (Tom), Michael, Jamie (Beau), Jared, and Meghan (Ted).

Doyle’s visitation will be held from 12-4 p.m. with family receiving from 2-4 p.m. Sun. Oct. 14, 2018 and Funeral Service at 10 a.m. Mon. Oct. 15, 2018 both at Resthaven Mortuary.

Memorials may be made to your veterans charity of choice in Doyle’s name.

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