Female Actors – WE NEED YOU! Auditions for our stage production of “Steel Magnolias” will be held January 23 & 24 at the Hays Community Theatre, 121 E. 8th, Hays.
Auditions are open and will begin promptly at 6:30. All readings will be provided.
Roles available for six women, age 18+. Performance dates are March 22-24. Director: Rebecca Grizzell, Assistant Director: Dylan Werth, Stage Manager: Bill Brown.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the second robbery of a Sonic car hop in 8 days.
Just before 8:30p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a robbery to a car hop at the Sonic Drive-in, 3820 SW 29th Street in Topeka, according to Lt. John Trimble.
The victim reported that while he was delivering a drink to a woman in a black passenger car, another subject in the car, described as a white, male with several tattoos who was sitting in the passenger seat, ordered the car hop to give them his wallet.
The victim gave his wallet to the suspects and they fled the parking lot and were last seen northbound on SW Gage Blvd.
Police continue to search for the suspects. On January 8, police reported the armed robbery of a Sonic car hop at 3721 SW Topeka Boulevard.
Washington, D.C.– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Wednesday that many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers.
According to a media release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, during normal business hours. The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21.
In almost half of FSA locations, FSA staff will be available to assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans and to ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Service’s deadline.
“Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers,” Perdue said. “We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown.”
Staff members will be available at certain FSA offices to help producers with specific services, including:
• Processing payments made on or before December 31, 2018.
• Continuing expiring financing statements.
• Opening mail to identify priority items.
Additionally, as an intermittent incidental duty, staff may release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by producers.
Information on the locations of FSA offices to be open during this three-day window will be posted:
• On the USDA website.
• On Twitter at @SecretarySonny and @USDA.
• On USDA’s Facebook page.
While staff are available in person during this three-day window, most available services can be handled over the phone. Producers can begin contacting staff on January 17 here.
Additionally, farmers who have loan deadlines during the lapse in funding do not need to make payments until the government shutdown ends.
Other FSA Programs and Services
Reopened FSA offices will only be able to provide the specifically identified services while open during this limited time. Services that will not be available include, but are not limited to:
• New direct or facility loans.
• New Farm loan guarantees.
• New marketing assistance loans.
• New applications for Market Facilitation Program (MFP).
• Certification of 2018 production for MFP payments.
• Dairy Margin Protection Program.
• Disaster assistance programs, such as:
o Livestock Indemnity Program.
o Emergency Conservation Program.
o Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program.
o Livestock Forage Disaster Program.
o Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish.
While January 15, 2019 had been the original deadline for producers to apply for MFP, farmers have been unable to apply since December 28, 2018, when FSA offices closed because of the lapse in federal funding. Secretary Perdue has extended the MFP application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices end up being closed, once the government shutdown ends. These announced days of limited staff availability during the shutdown will not constitute days open in calculating the extension. Producers who already applied for MFP and certified their 2018 production by December 28, 2018 should have already received their payments.
More information on MFP is available at www.farmers.gov/manage/mfp.
SALINE COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 10p.m. Tuesday in Saline County.
A 2017 Hyundai Sonata driven by Patricia Grove, 66, Ellsworth was eastbound on Kansas 140 and attempted to turn eastbound onto Crawford, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.
The driver missed the turn and struck a 2011 GMC Acadia driven by Careasa Griffith, 39, of Ellsworth, who was westbound on Crawford and had just pulled up to the stop sign at K-140. The stop sign was also broken, according to Soldan.
EMS transported Grove to the hospital in Salina. Griffith was not injured.
Fog may have also played a factor in the accident, according to Soldan.
Hays Post
“In the long history of humankind – and animal kind too – those who learned to collaborate and improvise move effectively have prevailed.” Charles Darwin
Help celebrate Darwin Day Sunday at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, with a day of free admission.
Activities will be available around the museum gallery from 1 to 4 p.m.
This year features predator and prey interactions.
Children will be able to play a predator and prey game.
They will also learn how predators and prey evolved over time.
For example, horses were originally smaller animals but as they moved onto the Plains grew taller over time to better evade predators, Rachel Unruh, Sternberg marketing intern, said. Their eyes also became set differently to better scan for predators.
Pronghorn developed speed during the ice age when they were being preyed upon by saber-tooth cats.
Darwin Days is usually celebrated in February in conjunction with Darwin’s birthday, but this year the museum is conducting Darwin Days on Penguin Awareness Day. The museum will also have a station that talks about penguins. This will include information on penguin predators — sea lions and killer whales.
Museum-goers will be able to visit with staff, see fossils and even handle some museum specimens.
The museum’s newest traveling exhibit “Megalodon: The largest shark that ever lived,” will open to the public on Feb. 2. In honor of that upcoming attraction, children will be able to make a shark craft.
January signals a new year, with new hopes, opportunities, and aspirations. As I think forward each year, I also pause to think about my journey to the here and now. One thing always present in my mind is the number of people who helped me get to where I am today – the people who believed in me and supported me in so many ways – family members, neighbors, friends, colleagues, teachers, clergy, and supervisors.
I know how very fortunate I am to have been surrounded by so many people who invested in me. I also know that not everyone in this world is as fortunate as I am. And so, as a new year begins and resolutions abound, I often think about reaching up and reaching down: reaching up to thank those who helped me (after all, I do genuinely believe one cannot say “thank you” too much), and reaching down to find opportunities to offer an encouraging word, to help develop a skill or to invest in someone else’s dream.
At Fort Hays State University, I witness so many stories of how our faculty and staff encourage, support, and inspire our students. Those stories fill me with energy and hope. Those stories provide evidence that we walk our talk about being a student-centered university.
Take for example the words of Aaron Elsasser in describing Eric Deneault, an assistant professor of applied technology: “He is always there to listen when you need a friend. He is always looking for ways to make his curriculum enjoyable for students, along with ideas and activities to keep the students involved and willing to learn. With these lessons in class, he also pushes you to do your best. He always told me the sky is the limit. … He has a game plan for everything he does. He has not only taught me the things I need to know for my class, but the values of life.”
Every day, I experience the essence of this truly heartfelt mentoring relationship at our university – on campus, virtually, and internationally. This is our magnetic north.
Several years ago, I was introduced to National Mentoring Month. Launched in 2002 by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the month of January is designated as a time for all of us to think more deeply about the need for mentors, as well as how all of us – individuals, businesses, schools, faith communities, and nonprofits – can work together to amplify mentoring activity, thereby contributing time and effort to help assure positive outcomes for others. This year the national program features these key dates and activities:
Jan. 4: I Am A Mentor Day. A day for volunteer mentors to celebrate their roles and reflect on the ways mentees have enhanced their world.
Jan. 17: International Mentoring Day. A day of international conversations on social media where photos, video and powerful, mentoring stories are shared.
Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. A day to share in the inspirational words of MLK and to elevate the spirit of service through volunteerism. At Fort Hays State University, our community will celebrate MLK Day of Dreams in the Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stop by to browse a poster tour of MLK’s life while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Take time to write your hopes and dreams for our country on a campus display board.
Jan. 31: #ThankYourMentor Day. A day for all who have real-life mentoring experiences to thank those who helped them on their path to adulthood and beyond. Let’s do this. Won’t you join me on Jan. 31 and send a note, an email, or make a call to say “thank you” to someone who helped you?
It is not really about a month or a collection of activities, though. It is about people lifting up and supporting others every day, in a wonderful variety of ways. I hear so many beautiful stories about how people at the university and in our local community invest in one another. I see it, hear it, and feel it in action constantly – not just during the month of January. This focus on believing in and working towards positive outcomes for others makes me feel good about being a member of this community. This natural flow of generous spirit in Hays America is another reason why this place feels like home.
Note: Learn more about MENTOR and the many resources offered at www.mentoring.org.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a crash involving a police vehicle.
Just before 8p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a suspicious character call involving a 2018 Mercedes Benz at a private residence in the 2000 Block of North Greenwich in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
As officers made their way to the scene, they learned that the call also involved a disturbance with weapons after private security at the residence had alerted Sedgwick County 911 that the Mercedes had struck a private security vehicle.
Upon arrival, police contacted 40-year-old Aron White who was driving of the Mercedes. White placed the vehicle in drive and rammed through the metal security gates of the residence and traveled eastbound on the lawn destroying property.
The Mercedes then turned back to police and security vehicle that were on the private drive of the residence. The Mercedes rammed the front of passenger side of the police vehicle, continued west across the property, struck a tree and became disabled.
Officers arrested White and 58-year-old front seat passenger Daniel Moore into custody.
The officer received a minor injury to his hand and arm, according to Davidson. There were no other injuries.
White is being held on requested charges of Aggravated Battery of a law enforcement officer, criminal trespass, criminal restraint, criminal damage to property and a drug paraphernalia possession charge.
Moore was jailed on a probation violation. He has nine previous convictions that include burglary, theft, forgery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney, according to Davidson.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a crash involving a police vehicle.
Just before 8p.m. Tuesday, a police officer’s car was intentionally rammed near Greenwich and 21 Street in Wichita, according to Chief Gordon Ramsay.
The officer sustained minor injuries from the crash. Police took two suspects into custody.
Authorities are expected to release additional details on Wednesday including requested charges against those arrested.
“This could have been much worse and am thankful our officer only had minor injuries.” Ramsay said on twitter.
Norton – Ethel M. Dowling, 83, passed away Monday, January 14, 2019 at Norton Community Hospital, Norton, Kansas.
Ethel was born Oct. 1, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Otto and Mary (Cornelius) Amos.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Lawrence Amos and a great-grandchild.
Ethel is survived by her four daughters, Renne (James) Galgocy of Independence, Iowa, Roxanne (Bob) Williams of Eldora, Iowa, Claire Dowling and Beth (Steve) Horney all of Norton; a sister, Elizabeth Anderson of Largo, Florida; two grandchildren, Sara Barnes of Independence, Iowa, Kenneth Barnes of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and ten great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian burial will be at 3:00 p.m., Monday, January 21, 2019 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Norton, Kansas. Immediately following mass there will be a dinner at the church parish hall. There will not be a public visitation as cremation was chosen. Memorials may be given to the Andbe Home, 201 W. Crane St., Norton, KS 67654 and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.
James E. McReynolds, 88, of Concordia, Kansas (formerly of Osborne, Kansas) died on Sunday, January 13, at Cloud County Health Center, Concordia, Kansas. He was born in Osborne County, Kansas, on Feb. 12, 1930 to Alfred C. and Bessie (Porter) McReynolds. Jim was one of several children.
James graduated from high school. He was an elevator manager for Midway Co-op in Osborne for 30 years.
On Sept. 12, 1954, James married Merna D. Kaser at the Osborne Christian Church. They lived on a farm in the Covert area until they moved to Osborne in 1961. In August 2013, they moved to Concordia to live at Sunset Assisted Living.
James was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Merna in 2015; a daughter, Darla Keever in 2012; one great-grandson.
James is survived by a daughter, Dana (Bob) Hollerich of Tipton, Kansas; three sons: Daniel (Sheila) McReynolds of Concordia; Dwight (Deb) McReynolds of Alton, Kansas; Darwin (Tressie) McReynolds of Kensington, Kansas; sister: Rebecca Adcock of Osborne; brother: Robert McReynolds of Westminster, Colorado; 19 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
Donations may be made to the new Osborne Swimming Pool, Osborne KS 67473.
GARDEN CITY — Terry K. Gigot, 74, died on Monday, January 14, 2019 at St Catherine Hospital in Garden City. He was born on June 17, 1944 at Garden City the son of Clarence Joseph and Velma Irene (McLinn) Gigot.
He married Connie Jo Ray on Oct. 27, 1961 at Dodge City. She died on May 11, 2017.
Terry attended Plymell School and graduated from Garden City High School. While in school he was involved with showing livestock with 4-H and Future Farmers of America. After his schooling he started farming with his brother Jerry.
In 1965 after the first sprinkler was put in the sandhills he and his brothers formed Gigot Irrigation and Circle Land Company. They then formed Circle Feeders while also being involved with WW Feeders which later became Gigot Feeders. When they reached over 500 circle of corn they formed Maxima Fertilizer and later sold it to Helena. Then they started Southwest Corn Elevators to market their corn crop.
Terry did public speaking about the irrigation business and the brothers hosted international groups to educate them on irrigation. Away from work Terry’s passion was racing, he raced motorcross, snowmobiles, micro midgets, sprint cars and drag racing all across the Midwest.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and two brothers — Jerry Gigot and Dean Gigot.
He is survived by his daughter-Kim Stanford of Prairie Village, son- Kevin Gigot of Garden City, two brothers- Mike Gigot and Jeff Gigot both of Garden City, two sisters- Marjorie Van Camp of Topeka and Jennifer Priddy of Garden City and five grandchildren.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Presbyterian Church in Garden City with Rev Denise Pass officiating. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery in Garden City. Memorials are suggested to St. Catherine Hospice in care of Garnand Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.
Garnand Funeral Home, 412 North Seventh, Garden City, KS 67839, 620-276-3219
James Wayne (Jim) Showers of Edmond, Kansas, 73, surrounded by his loving family was delivered to the Lord Friday, January 10, 2019.
He was born in Hays, Kansas, March 24, 1945 to Kenneth and Norma (Overturf) Showers. He married Sherry Hazlett December 30, 1966. To this union three children were born: Michelle, Devra and James.
Jim was raised in Graham County and graduated from Hill City High School Class of ‘63. Following high school he attended Dodge City Community College and Fort Hays State University.
After college Jim returned to Graham County. He spent nearly a lifetime rearranging terrain in Graham, Rooks and Norton counties, building erosion-control terraces. This career began when he was 11 years old, and purchased his first piece of equipment two years later when he was only 13. Through the years he built over 5,000 miles of terraces and planted over 60,000 acres of CRP grass.
After his father-in-law passed away, Jim took over farming the 800 acres in Norton County. He loved to get in the tractor, working the ground, smelling the fresh-worked soil, and running his fingers through a load of wheat at harvest.
Nothing was more important to Jim than his family. Countless memories were made having big family Christmases, taking family trips and following his children’s and grandchildren’s activities. Education was also important to Jim, making sure all three of his children graduated from college, and was proud of all his nieces and nephews that continued their education. Together Jim and Sherry tried to be at all the graduations from high school and college for their family.
Jim was preceded in death by his father Kenneth Showers; step-father Lawrence Adams; in-laws Hubert and Margaret Hazlett; sister-in-law Joan Hazlett; one brother Eddy Showers; and a niece, Angie Dale.
He is survived by his wife Sherry Showers of the home; children: Michelle (Robert) Wiltfong, Edmond, Kansas, Devra (Lance) Dobbins, Bryan, Texas, and James Showers, wife Jennifer, Tyler, Texas. Four grandsons: Hunter, Hayden, Judson and Brody; his mother Norma Adams, Bogue, Kansas; brothers: John (Debbie) Showers, Spring Hill, Kenny (Rosanne) Showers, Athens Texas, Steve (Carla) Showers, Hugoton, Kansas, Doug (Lorna) Showers, Spring Hill, sister Cathy Logan, Spring Hill; sister-in-law, Jennifer Showers, widow of Eddy, Spring Hill, Kansas; nieces and nephews: Brenda, Dawn, Shane, Mickey, Cindy, Nikki, Nathan, Jessica, Justin, Jordan, Lindsay, Stephanie, Brandon, and their children.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Newly elected members of the Ellis County Commission and Ellis City Council were sworn into office Monday evening before their respective first meetings.
Ellis county commissioners were sworn in by Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus. Butch Schlyer, R-Hays, was elected to the First District seat formerly held by Marcy McClelland. Dustin Roths, R-Hays, was appointed in December by Republican Party precinct chair members to fill the Second District seat vacated by Barb Wasinger, who was elected 111th District state representative.
Schlyer is the retired longtime Ellis County Health Administrator. Roths is owner of Diamond R Jewelry in downtown Hays.
In Ellis, City Clerk Amy Burton administered the oath of office to new council members Martin LaBarge and Steve Ferland, who were both write-ins, as well as incumbent Jolene Niernberger.
LaBarge is a retired Ellis County employee, Ferland is employed by APAC, and Niernberger is the FHSU Senior Companion director.
(Ellis County pictures courtesy Phillip Smith-Hanes. Ellis City Council pictures courtesy Holly Ashenbrenner.)
