Q: What has four wheels and flies?
A: A garbage truck!
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Month: October 2018
Hays PD SSRT training today
HPD
The Hays Police Department will be conducting training Tue., October 9, 2018, between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 1710 Ash Street, Hays.
Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.
As a homeowner, you may see law enforcement officers move through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger to the community.
If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the on-site supervisor Team Commander Tim Greenwood or Team Leader Aaron Larson, or Chief Don Scheibler at 785-625-1030.
Thank you for your cooperation.
HaysMed expands cardiac care services with new heart failure clinic
HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, recently added a monthly heart failure clinic at the DeBakey Heart Institute.
Bhanu Gupta, MD, Nicholas Haglund, MD and Andrew Sauer, MD, all with The University of Kansas Health System, will be in Hays on a regular basis to see patients diagnosed with heart failure. This team brings advanced treatment options for heart failure that are not currently available in the region, such as CardioMems and ventricular assist devices.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure. Early detection and diagnosis are critical for improving quality and length of life. Common symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Cough or wheezing
Fatigue
Swelling of the feet, ankles or legs
Sudden weight gain
Reduced appetite and nausea
“We’re fortunate that being part of the system has afforded us the opportunity to offer specialized expertise and advancements not previously available in our region,” said Jeffery Curtis, MD, FACC, FACP, cardiologist and director of cardiology services at HaysMed DeBakey Heart Clinic. “Our cardiology team continues to explore innovative ways to broaden the depth of heart services for our patients.”
For more information, call 888-625-4699 or go to www.haysmed.com.
— HaysMed
NCK Tech Foundation scholarship recipients announced
Hays campus students receiving scholarships from the NCK TECH Foundation and other benefactors were honored with a reception Oct. 3.
Recipients, in many cases, had the opportunity to meet the scholarship contributors.
Hays campus recipients and their benefactors included:
Bob and Patricia Schmidt Nursing Scholarship
Sarah Carroll
Reaghan Davis
Brandi Fritts
Brandy Grogan
Kayla Hitchcock
Rachael Kuhlman
Jennifer Labes
Mark Pakkebier
Shayna Rogge
Rylie Rowland
Jordan Smaglick
Lindsey Villarreal
Brandon Weigel
Alexander Wilson
Samantha Younie
Megan Zodrow
Dane Hanson Career Enhancement Scholarship
Chloe Beougher, Nursing
Whytney Herrman, Nursing
Jesse Lyle, Electrical Technology
Harold and Eileen Frasier Scholarship
Shaelyn VanLoenen, Tech Studies, Pre-Nursing
Mike and Jeannie Michaelis Scholarship
Austin Miller, Business Technology
Kade Rittenhouse, Electrical Technology
Bob and Patricia Schmidt General Scholarship
Lynnsey Elling, Culinary Arts
Robert and Dorcas Severance Scholarship
Chidinma Oligbo, Associate Degree Nursing
Taylor Travis, Pharmacy Tech
Tyra Younie, Nursing
Hays Medical Center Volunteers Scholarship
Gwendolyn Housely, Nursing
Mark Pakkebier, Associate Degree Nursing
Judy Murphy Memorial Scholarship
Shayna Rogge
NCK TECH’s Endowment Association and Foundation enables the college to provide scholarships, materials, buildings and equipment to train individuals to be successful and productive.
MIAA Basketball Media Day Set for Tuesday in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tuesday (Oct. 9) marks the unofficial start to basketball season as all 28 coaches descend upon Kansas City for MIAA Basketball Media Day presented by Seigfreid Bingham. The event, hosted at The College Basketball Experience, will be live streamed in its entirety for FREE on The MIAA Network.
For the first time since 2009, coaches from each MIAA program will take to the podium in the same place to kick off the basketball season. MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy will open the festivities at 9 a.m. before coaches from all 14 schools follow over the next five hours.
Head women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson and head men’s basketball coach Mark Johnson are scheduled to speak to the media at 12:15 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to tweet questions for coaches during their press conference by using #AskMIAA. Any person whose question is read during a press conference will receive two tickets to the MIAA Championship games Sunday, March 10.
Both teams start the regular season precisely one month after Media Day (Nov. 9), with the women opening at home against Southwest Minnesota State while the men take on Sioux Falls in Marshall, Minn.
Police: Juvenile in custody after Kan. man beaten, car stolen
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have one suspect in custody.
Just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to 2930 SE Highland CT in Topeka on a report of a robbery, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz. The victim reported being struck on the head by several subjects and they stole his car keys. One of the suspects was a black male wearing a white and red coat. The suspects then took his Gold Honda Accord and were last seen leaving the area.
Officers quickly located the car traveling westbound at SE 6th and Lafayette and attempted to stop it. Several occupants ran from the vehicle and were last seen running east through the neighborhood.
Officers quickly set up a perimeter and a K9 unit was brought in to assist. Officers took a juvenile female into custody at the intersection of SE 6th and Locust. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment with non-life threatening injuries, according to Munuz.
Anyone with information on the crime is encouraged to contact police.
Hays USD 489 school board accepts ECC renovation grant
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board voted Monday to formally accept grant funds that will allow it to renovate the Oak Park Medical Complex for use by Early Childhood Connections.
The $1.473 million federal grant can only be used for the ECC Oak Park project.
The ECC would move out of the former Washington Elementary School building on Main Street and the former Munjor school. The district has had persistent maintenance problems with the 92-year-old Washington building.
The building has plumbing and heating/cooling issues and has sewer back-up in the classrooms. The two-story building does not allow for students to be housed on the second floor due to delays in evacuating students in the case of an emergency. The building has no elevator and is not ADA compliant.
The new building would allow all of the birth through age 5-year-old students to be located in one building, eliminating the need for parents to drive their students to Munjor. The renovations will also include a new HVAC system and include a structurally designed tornado shelter.
Munjor would go back to the Catholic dioceses per contract. The board would have to decide what to do with Washington building.
Board member Greg Schwartz, who voted last week against moving forward with the building purchase, again expressed concerns with the project. He said he was concerned this would take a building off of the tax rolls.
Board member Mike Walker said Washington or the land that it was on could be sold, and that land could go back onto the tax rolls.
Schwartz noted the Washington land was in the flood plain. He also said the district had discussed in bond planning that if a new elementary school was built, one of the vacated buildings could be used for ECC.
Superintendent John Thissen said it was a matter of weighing pros and cons.
The former medical complex would come off the tax rolls, but the taxpayers would not have to see an increase in their taxes to pay for the newly acquired building or the renovations.
Schwartz was also concerned the renovations might cost more than the amount allotted in the grant.
Thissen said the scope of the renovations would be limited to what could be paid for through the grant.
The board voted to accept the grant on a vote of 5-2 with Schwartz and Lance Bickle voting against.
The next step in the building project is connected to the $2 million that would be needed in the form of a lease agreement to buy the building. The money to pay for that lease agreement will come out of the capital outlay fund — $250,000 per year for 10 years.
Because the lease agreement would be more than $100,000, there will be a 30-day window in which voters can file a protest petition. If more than 5 percent of voters would sign a petition, the question would go for a district-wide public vote.
The district is on a time crunch because the grant money must be used by the end of June. The board must publish a notice that will begin the protest period as soon as possible because it can’t start work on the project until that protest period has passed.
If a successful protest petition is mounted, the district would not be able to move forward with the project because the public vote would delay the project enough that the district could not complete the renovations by the June 30 deadline.
The district hopes to have all the information for the legal publications ready by Wednesday, and the legal notice published by the end of the week.
HaysMed Welcomes new Ear, Nose and Throat physician
HAYSMED
Justin R. Bond, MD, FACS, has joined the medical staff of HaysMed.
Dr. Bond, ENT, joins Dr(s). Douglas E. Barnes, Michael Franklin, Matthew D. Glynn, Tyler Grindal, Scot Hirschi, Robert V. Lane and Jason A. Meyers at the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic at HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System.
Dr. Bond graduated from medical school and completed a residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City.
His clinical practice is focused on Head & Neck Cancer, Head & Neck Oncology, MicroVascular Reconstruction, Parathyroid Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Bond’s specialties include Cosmetic/plastic Reconstructive Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, ENT-Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Oncology and Head and Neck Cancer Surgery.
“We are excited to add another ENT specialist to our group,” said Bryce Young, Chief Operating Officer at HaysMed. “Being a part of the system played an integral role in arranging for Dr. Bond to see patients in Hays.”
Dr. Bond is now accepting new patients. Please call 785-650-2880 or go to haysmed.com/ent.
Violet C. Weber
Violet C. Weber, 94, Oakley, Kansas, formerly of La Crosse, Kansas, died Saturday, October 6, 2018, at Logan County Manor, Oakley, Kansas.
Mrs. Weber was born August 6, 1924, in Loretto, Kansas, the daughter of Hugo and Barbara (Urban) Weiser. She was a resident of Oakley, Kansas, for approximately a year, moving from La Crosse, Kansas, where she had lived since 1974. A 1941 graduate of Healy High School, Healy, Kansas, she was a homemaker and farm wife. She was also a housekeeper at Rush County Memorial Hospital, La Crosse, Kansas, before she retired.
She was a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, and St. Michael’s Altar Society, both of La Crosse, Kansas. She was also a member of the VFW Auxiliary, Grinnell, Kansas.
On June 10, 1946, she married Rudolph A. “Rudy” Weber at Grainfield, Kansas. He preceded her in death July 7, 2013.
Survivors include: two sons, Butch Weber (Carol), Grainfield, Kansas, and Jerry Weber (Marla), Elizabeth, Colorado; two daughters, Marilyn Hughes (Jess), Salina, Kansas, and Deloris Zelfer (Tom), Grainfield, Kansas; nine grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; two great great grandchildren; and one brother, Floris Weiser, Oakley, Kansas.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and her twin sister, Viola Seifried.
Visitation will be Friday, October 12, 2018, from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La Crosse, Kansas, with the family receiving friends from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. A vigil service and rosary will be at 7:00 P.M.
Church visitation will be Saturday, October 13, 2018, from 9:00 A.M. to 9:50 A.M. at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, La Crosse, Kansas.
Funeral service will be Saturday, October 13, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, La Crosse, Kansas, with Father Eric Gyamfi officiating. Interment will be in the La Crosse City Cemetery, La Crosse, Kansas.
In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests memorials to masses or Logan County Manor, Oakley, Kansas.
Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.charterfunerals.com/locations/janousek-lacrosse.php.
Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.
Windy, wet Tuesday
Today Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 47. North wind 14 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Some areas of central and south central Kansas has seen 5+ inches of rain. An additional 1 to 3 inches is expected late tonight-Tues #kswx pic.twitter.com/py7ur6MM7M
— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) October 9, 2018
Tonight Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 2am. Low around 37. North northwest wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.
Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 34. North wind 6 to 10 mph.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 50.
Thursday NightA 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
FridayA 50 percent chance of rain before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53.
Trump to allow year-round sales of high-ethanol gasoline
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, a boon for Iowa and other farm states that have pushed for greater sales of the corn-based fuel.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce he is lifting a federal ban on summer sales of high-ethanol blends during a trip to Iowa on Tuesday.
The long-expected announcement is something of a reward to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman led a contentious but successful fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The veteran Republican lawmaker is the Senate’s leading ethanol proponent and sharply criticized the Trump administration’s proposed rollback in ethanol volumes earlier this year.
At that time Grassley threatened to call for the resignation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s chief, Scott Pruitt, if Pruitt did not work to fulfill the federal ethanol mandate. Pruitt later stepped down amid a host of ethics investigations.
A senior administration official said Monday that the EPA will publish a rule in coming days to allow high-ethanol blends as part of a package of proposed changes to the ethanol mandate. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Trump’s announcement.
The change would allow year-round sales of gasoline blends with up to 15 percent ethanol. Gasoline typically contains 10 percent ethanol.
The EPA currently bans the high-ethanol blend, called E15, during the summer because of concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days, a claim ethanol industry advocates say is unfounded.
In May, Republican senators, including Grassley, announced a tentative agreement with the White House to allow year-round E15 sales, but the EPA did not propose a formal rule change.
The senior administration official said the proposed rule intends to allow E15 sales next summer. Current regulations prevent retailers in much of the country from offering E15 from June 1 to Sept. 15.
Lifting the summer ban is expected to be coupled with new restrictions on trading biofuel credits that underpin the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, commonly known as the ethanol mandate. The law sets out how much corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels refiners must blend into gasoline each year.
The Renewable Fuel Standard was intended to address global warming, reduce dependence on foreign oil and bolster the rural economy by requiring a steady increase in renewable fuels over time. The mandate has not worked as intended, and production levels of renewable fuels, mostly ethanol, routinely fail to reach minimum thresholds set in law.
The oil industry opposes year-round sales of E15, warning that high-ethanol gasoline can damage car engines and fuel systems. Some car makers have warned against high-ethanol blends, although EPA has approved use of E15 in all light-duty vehicles built since 2001.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, many from oil-producing states, sent Trump a letter last week opposing expanded sales of high-ethanol gas. The lawmakers called the approach “misguided” and said it would do nothing to protect refinery jobs and “could hurt millions of consumers whose vehicles and equipment are not compatible with higher-ethanol blended gasoline.”
The letter was signed by 16 Republicans and four Democrats, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a key Trump ally. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, whose state includes several refineries, also signed the letter.
A spokeswoman for the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol industry trade group, said allowing E15 to be sold year-round would give consumers greater access to clean, low-cost, higher-octane fuel while expanding market access for ethanol producers.
“The ability to sell E15 all year would also bring a significant boost to farmers across our country” and provide a significant economic boost to rural America, said spokeswoman Rachel Gantz.
New peer support program for families of children with special needs
KDHE
TOPEKA – Families of children with special needs benefit from the care and support that can only be offered by others who have shared their experience.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Special Health Services Family Advisory Council (SHS-FAC) announce a new peer-support initiative in Kansas that will enable individuals and families who have similar experiences to communicate and gain support from one another, by sharing ideas, resources and strategies to meet the needs of their children.
“The program offers participants the opportunity to express their grief, concerns and questions, without feeling judged,” said Heather Smith, KDHE Special Health Services Director. “We know that peer support is one of the strongest measures of individual/family support.”
Implementation of the network will occur in three phases, Support Peer Recruitment, Support Peer Training, and Peer Matching. We are actively recruiting Support Peers—those who has navigated various service systems, have experience with advocating for a loved one or themselves, and have learned lessons that can be shared with others. It does not take specialized training, specific experience with services or systems, or any kind of degree to be a Support Peer. It simply takes a caring individual who has a desire to help others and shares experiences with caring for a child with special health care needs.
In the next phase, Support Peers will provide training on confidentiality, communication, active listening and helping families who are dealing with loss, grief or fear. Training will take place in-person and online through November and December. The final phase, Peer Matching, will take place in early 2019, and begin matching those looking for supports with the trained Support Peers recruited.
Two existing programs are part of the initial launch, the Kansas Special Health Care Needs program and the Kansas School for the Deaf, to connect families of children served through these programs with peer supports.
Supporting You will be administered by KDHE’s Special Health Services Section, within the Bureau of Family Health. The network has been developed by the SHS-FAC, which will provide oversight to monitor consistent practices and fidelity among partnering organizations, ultimately ensuring that participating programs are meeting the needs of the families served through the network.
More information can be found on the Supporting You website at www.supportingyoukansas.org or by contacting Heather Smith, Special Health Services Director, at 785-296-4747 or [email protected].
Workers comp insurance rate decreases for 5th straight year
KID
TOPEKA – For the fifth consecutive year, many Kansas business owners will pay less for workers compensation insurance again in 2019, according to Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.
“With another rate decrease, Kansas companies will potentially have more money to grow their businesses,” said Commissioner Selzer. “This happens because they will pay less to cover medical claims costs and lost wages for job-related injuries and deaths.”
The decreases affect many of the approximately 70,000 Kansas businesses that pay workers compensation insurance.
The 2019 rate filing for the workers compensation rate shows a decrease of 6.4 percent in the voluntary base rate and a decrease of 10.8 percent for assigned risk workers compensation rates.
Adding together the rate decreases Kansas business owners saw from 2015 through 2018 and now for 2019, the cumulative rates will have dropped almost 45 percent in the voluntary base rate and nearly 50 percent in the assigned risk rate.
“Voluntary workers compensation base rates are used by all insurance companies writing workers compensation in the competitive market,” said Heather Droge, Director of the Property and Casualty Division at the Kansas Insurance Department. “Assigned risk rates are used for insured businesses in the Kansas Assigned Risk Plan, a state organization for those businesses who are unable to obtain coverage in the competitive market.”
“It’s important to remember that the decreases are only an average,” Commissioner Selzer said. “That means that an individual employer may see a larger decrease, no change in their rates, or an increase, depending on the employer’s own industry, claims experience and payroll. Many of our state’s businesses will see a positive outcome because of the decrease. It’s a win-win for both businesses and potential employees.”
In Kansas, 67 percent of workers compensation benefit distribution goes to pay medical claims, and 33 percent goes to indemnity claims, according to statistics from the National Council on Compensations Insurance, Inc. (NCCI).
The 2019 NCCI filing applies to all insurance carriers writing workers compensation policies for businesses in the state. The Kansas Insurance Department staff approved the new filings for a Jan. 1, 2019, effective date.
NCCI prepares workers compensation rate recommendations and manages the nation’s largest database of workers comp information.