Southeast corner of Commerce Parkway and 27th Street (Click to enlarge)
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Hays city commissioners Thursday will discuss exercising the city’s option to purchase property near Interstate 70 and Commerce Parkway.
In April 2018, the commission purchased an 18-month irrevocable option to buy 91 acres in the northeast corner of the 27th Street and Commerce Parkway intersection at the east I-70 Exit 161. That option expires September 19 of this year.
The property, currently owned by the Cathy A. Braun Revocable Trust of Hays, has significant potential for future retail, commercial, and business park development.
According to a memo from City Manager Toby Dougherty, the cost to exercise the option is the original price of $800,000, less the credited option payment of approximately $17,500 if paid the day following the regular March 14 commission meeting, and prorated taxes of $108. The total remaining purchase price would be $782,608 plus shared closing costs and title insurance.
Staff is recommending the city commission approve the purchase.
(Click to enlarge)
Commissioners will also see an engineering design proposal to build an additional waterline under I-70 to the north. There is currently just one 16-inch water main going under I-70 to the 500,000-gallon water tower constructed in 1993.
The lowest cost proposal is from Kaw Valley Engineers, Junction City, for $59,860. It would be funded from Water Capital.
The project is included in the Capital Improvement Plan within the 2019 Budget.
On April 1, Kansas laws change to allow for the sale of beer with up to 6% alcohol under Cereal Malt Beverage (CMB) Licensing.
Commissioners will review an ordinance amending the current City of Hays Code of Ordinances to include the reference to 6% beer.
There are no changes needed to CMB licensing procedures or qualifications in the City Clerk’s office, according to Kim Rupp, finance director. All current CMB licenses in Hays will remain in effect and will automatically qualify under the new ordinance.
Rupp will also talk about improvements which have been completed in two areas:
• Heart of America Second Addition (Resolution No. 2016-010) – Water, Sanitary
Sewer, Storm Sewer, and Street improvements (extension of 9th Street east to Commerce Parkway)
• King’s Gate First Addition (2012-004) – Park improvements (south of I-70 between Hall Street and the Highway 183 Bypass)
The city will begin the process of assessing property owners in the improvement districts.
Heart of America Second Addition will be a fifteen-year assessment of $277,836.51 spread against each lot.
King’s Gate First Addition will be a ten-year assessment of $82,163.49 split equally per square foot within the improvement district.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reminds Kansans that March and April are a time when large areas of the state’s Flint Hills rangeland are burned. These burns help preserve the tallgrass prairie, control invasive species such as Eastern Red Cedar and Sumac and provide better forage for cattle. Prescribed burning minimizes risk of wildfires and is effective in managing rangeland resources. Smoke from the burns can influence the air quality of downwind areas. The use of smoke management techniques is vital to reduce impacts.
KDHE activated the Kansas smoke modeling tool on March 1, prior to widespread burning in the Flint Hills. The computer models use fire data and current weather conditions to predict the potential contribution of smoke to downwind air quality problems. On average there are approximately 2.3 million acres burned in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma each year.
“We encourage ranchers and land managers to take advantage of this smoke modeling resource to spread out their burns more effectively and mitigate potential air quality impacts,” said Douglas Watson, meteorologist at the KDHE Bureau of Air. “For burns to be safe and effective, weather and rangeland conditions must be ideal. Many landowners will burn at the same time when such conditions are met. Air pollutants from the burns can affect persons in the Flint Hills and can be carried long distances to more populated areas,” said Watson.
Prescribed burns release large amounts of particulate matter and substances that can form ozone. Particulate matter and ozone can cause health problems, even in healthy individuals. Common health problems include burning eyes, runny nose, coughing and illnesses such as bronchitis. Individuals with respiratory issues, pre-existing heart or lung diseases, children and elderly may experience worse symptoms.
Steps to protect your health on days when smoke is present in your community include:
Healthy people should limit or avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.
People with respiratory or heart related illnesses should remain indoors.
Help keep indoor air clean by closing doors and windows and running air conditioners with air filters.
Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water.
Contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath or severe fatigue.
For more information about the burning in the Flint Hills, the Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan, the April burn restrictions and the smoke modeling tool, please visit https://www.ksfire.org.
SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have a suspect in custody.
Starbuck -photo Sedgwick County
On February 25, police responded to a suspicious character call at A-Ok Pawnshop, 1525 south Broadway in Wichita, according a social media report.
Upon arrival, officers contacted a 25-year-old male employee who reported a suspect later identified as 41-year-old Patrick Starbuck attempted to pawn stolen items. Officers arrested Starbuck without incident and he was found to be in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
He was booked on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, burglary and theft.
Through the investigation many stolen items were recovered including items taken from a burglary a few days earlier. Starbuck remains in custody on a $25,000 bond, according to the online jail records.
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 3-year-old boy has been flown to a hospital with an abdominal wound after an apparent accidental shooting in a northeast Kansas home.
Authorities responded Tuesday after the boy’s mother reported that her son picked up a loose gun, which went off as he was handling it.
Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson said further details on how the boy came to find the gun and who it belongs to can’t be discussed at this time pending an investigation. Wilson says the cause of the discharge appears to be accidental.
The boy initially was taken to Atchison Hospital and flown from there to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man has been sentenced for sex crimes involving a 13-year-old Alabama girl who was brought to him by his mother and grandmother.
Michael Collins -photo MDC
Twenty-two-year-old Michael James Collins was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison without parole.
Investigators say Collins met the girl on a dating website in July 2017. At the time, Collins was a registered sex offender on probation for a previous conviction for sexual misconduct involving a child.
He admitted in November that he paid his grandmother $400 to bring the girl from Alabama to Missouri. His mother was with his grandmother when they picked up the girl.
Collins says he had sex with the girl in a van while the women were taking him to and from work and the Community Supervision Center in Fulton.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged online loan scam.
According to Salina Police Detective Sgt. David Villanueva, a 68-year-old Salina woman on a fixed income needed a loan to help cover expenses.
She received an email from “Mark Lee of Quick Cash Loans” informing her she was eligible for a $10,000 loan. After the funds were deposited into her bank account, she would be required to purchase Google+ cards and provide the card information to loan company, according to Villanueva.
The victim purchased four cards worth a total of $951at two retail locations in Salina.
After providing the card information to the company, the woman’s bank notified her that the deposit from Quick Cash Loans was fraudulent.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new study says expanding Medicaid in Kansas would have a net cost of $47.4 million in the first year.
Image courtesy KHI.org
The nonprofit Kansas Health Institute estimated in the study released Tuesday that an additional 130,000 low-income adults and children would sign up if the program was expanded. That accounts for adults who already are eligible but may not know it, as well as those who already have insurance but would switch if state assistance were available.
The number is lower than previous estimates that 150,000 would sign up for the coverage. KHI policy executive and lead author Kari Bruffett says that’s because economic improvements have left fewer people uninsured.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has made expansion a top priority, although Republican leaders are opposed.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a banner year on the court, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team picked up seven All-MIAA honors when they were released on Tuesday (March 5) by the league office. Senior forward Tatyana Legette was named the 2018-19 MIAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-MIAA first team roster, while head coach Tony Hobson earned his third MIAA Coach of the Year honor.
Legette was one of five Tiger student-athletes to earn a spot on an All-MIAA team, joined by Kacey Kennett on the second team, Lanie Page on the third team and honorable mention accolades for Carly Heim and Belle Barbieri.
The Tigers picked up five all-conference nods for the second year in a row and the fifth time in program history. It is the first time the Tigers have placed three players on the first-through-third teams of an all-conference list since 1993-94.
Tony Hobson guided the Tigers to a 27-1 overall record in 2018-19, the fewest losses in a regular season in program history. Fort Hays State finished the difficult MIAA slate 18-1, earning 18 conference wins for the third time in the last five years. An MIAA team has reached 18 league victories just eight times since the Tigers joined the MIAA in 2006-07, with no other school reaching the milestone more than once. Hobson led the Tigers to their eighth-straight 20-win season, extending the longest such streak in program history. Before this stretch began in 2011-12, the team reached the 20 win plateau eight times in its first 42 years of existence. Hobson became the all-time winningest coach in Fort Hays State earlier this season when he earned his 218th victory as a Tiger. He also earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Tatyana Legette has been a constant force for the Tigers all season, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. She scored in double figures 21 times in the regular season, including three games of 20 or more points. The forward averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game over the 28 contests to date, making her the lone MIAA player to rank in the top 11 in all three categories. She was also among the league’s best on the defensive end, ranking sixth in the league with 1.6 blocks per game and 14th with 1.4 steals each night. Legette brought her A-game night in and night out when it came to league play, boosting her averages to 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists against MIAA opponents. It is the third time Legette has earned All-MIAA status after picking up second team honors as a junior and an honorable mention selection following her sophomore campaign.
This is the sixth All-MIAA first team honor for the Tigers, and the second time a Tiger has been named MIAA Player of the Year (Lehman, 2014-15).
Kacey Kennett was named to the second team after earning honorable mention status a year ago. The junior averaged 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per night, ranking third on the team in both categories. Kennett knocked down 38 three-pointers on the year, making at least one long-range attempt in all but six contests. The Olathe, Kan. native hit more than 35 percent from behind the arc, third best on the team. She added 39 steals, swiping 1.4 steals every outing.
Lanie Page picked up All-MIAA honors for the second year in a row, earning a spot on the third team after being named honorable mention as a sophomore. The Wamego, Kan. native tallied 333 points in the regular season, ranking second on the team with an average of 11.9 points per outing. Page scored 20 or more points a team-best five times, including a career-high 23 points against Rockhurst. She poured in a team-high 47 three-pointers, making at least one shot from behind the arc in all but five contests. Page ranked second with a free throw percentage of 81.4 percent. In addition to adding 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists every game, the junior was a leader on the defensive end. She paced the team with 45 steals and 45 blocks on the year, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in both category.
Carly Heim picked up honorable mention for the third year in a row. The senior served as the team’s floor general until an untimely injury in early February. She averaged a team-high 1.7 steals in her 20 appearances, ranking seventh in the MIAA. Heim added 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing. The Hoxie, Kan. native dished out multiple assists in all but five her appearances, including nine games with three or more dimes.
Belle Barbieri picked up her first All-MIAA award after taking a major step forward in her junior season. After averaging just over three points per game in her first two seasons, the Abilene, Kan. native quickly became a double-double threat as a junior. Barbieri ranked third on the team with an average of 10.4 points per contest while ranking second with 6.5 rebounds each game. The forward grabbed 73 offensive rebounds on the year, fourth most in the conference. Barbieri posted 17 double-digit games, third most on the team, while posting the first four double-doubles of her career.
Legette and Heim become the fifth and sixth Tigers to earn a trio of All-MIAA honors, joining Kate Lehman, Jill Faxon, Beth Bohuslavsky and Katelyn Edwards.
2018-19 MIAA Women’s Basketball Postseason Awards Player of the Year – Tatyana Legette – Fort Hays State, Senior
Defensive Player of the Year – Jessica Wayne – Emporia State, Junior
Freshman of the Year – Kaylee DaMitz – Pittsburg State Coach of the Year – Tony Hobson – Fort Hays State
All-MIAA First Team
Paige Redmond – Central Missouri, Senior
Morgan Fleming – Central Missouri, Junior
Tyra Jones – Emporia State, Senior Tatyana Legette – Fort Hays State, Senior
Kallie Bildner – Lindenwood, Junior
Katrina Roenfeldt – Missouri Western, Junior
Reflects Tie In Voting
All-MIAA Second Team
Jessica Wayne – Emporia State, Junior Kacey Kennett – Fort Hays State, Junior
Chelsey Henry – Missouri Southern, Senior
Shelby Lopez – Pittsburg State, Senior
Reagan Phelan – Washburn, Junior
All-MIAA Third Team
Megan Skaggs – Central Missouri, Junior
Micayla Haynes – Central Oklahoma, Junior Lanie Page – Fort Hays State, Junior
Maya Williams – Pittsburg State, Sophomore
Caylee Richardson – Southwest Baptist, Senior
All-Defensive Team
Megan Skaggs – Central Missouri, Junior
Madison Lee – Central Oklahoma, Senior
Jessica Wayne – Emporia State, Junior
Melia Richardson – Missouri Western, Senior
Joi Bertrand – Northeastern State, Senior
Honorable Mention All-MIAA Central Missouri: Sydney Crockett – Senior Central Oklahoma: Ireon Smith – Junior Emporia State: Addie Lackey – Senior, Emily Miller – Senior, Tiana Moala – Senior Fort Hays State: Carly Heim – Senior, Belle Barbieri – Junior Lincoln: Zhanesha Dickerson – Senior Lindenwood: Lexie Moe – Senior, Charisse Williams – Senior Missouri Southern: Chasidee Owens – Junior Missouri Western: Brittany Atkins – Senior, Melia Richardson – Senior Nebraska Kearney: Brooke Carlson – Freshman, Maegan Holt – Freshman, Kelsey Sanger – Sophomore Northeastern State: Cailyn Long – Senior, Cenia Hayes – Sophomore Pittsburg State: Athena Alvarado – Junior, Kaylee DaMitz – Freshman Southwest Baptist: Laura Vierkant – Junior Washburn: Hunter Bentley – Sophomore, Taylor Blue – Senior, Alexis McAfee – Junior
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had three players named to the 2018-19 All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team on Tuesday (Mar. 5). Brady Werth headlines the Tiger selections, earning first team honors, while Marcus Cooper and Kyler Kinnamon each received honorable mention selections.
Werth helped the Tigers to a fourth-place finish in the MIAA this year, leading the team in points and rebounds. Werth averages 16.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game entering the MIAA Tournament this week. He is 11th in the MIAA in scoring and sixth in rebounding, while ranking third in total blocked shots with 35. He scored in double figures in 24 of 28 games during the regular season and has a 19-game streak of reaching double figures going into the MIAA Tournament. He also produced five double-doubles in points and rebounds during the regular season. He reached a season-high 27 points twice this year and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in the regular season finale. Werth gives FHSU its third All-MIAA First Team selection in the last four years after Rob Davis earned the honor in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Cooper receives an honorable mention nod after averaging 12 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during the regular season. He ranked second on the team in steals with 35. Cooper scored in double figures 17 times during the regular season, while pulling down at least five rebounds in a game 10 times. He scored over 20 points in a game five times, with a season-high of 26 points.
Kinnamon receives an honorable mention selection after averaging 7.1 points and 4.4 assists per game during the regular season. He dished out at least three assists in a game 23 times, including a career-high 12 in a win over Central Oklahoma at home. Kinnamon became the fourth player in program history to reach 400 assists, now with 422 in his career. He has 124 assists this year and has dished out over 120 each of the last two years. He scored in double figures eight times with a season high of 16 points.
Below is the 2018-19 All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team.
2018-19 MIAA Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year – Joey Witthus – Northwest Missouri, Senior
Defensive Player of the Year – Ryan Hawkins, Sophomore
Freshman of the Year – Trevor Hudgins – Northwest Missouri
Coach of the Year – Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri
2019 Men’s Basketball All-MIAA Teams First Team Brady Werth – Fort Hays State, Senior
Cam Martin – Missouri Southern, Sophomore
Trevor Hudgins – Northwest Missouri – Freshman
Joey Witthus – Northwest Missouri – Senior
Javion Blake – Washburn – Senior
Second Team
Adarius Avery – Central Oklahoma, Senior
Terrance Smith – Lincoln, Senior
Brad Newman – Lindenwood, Senior
Lavon Hightower – Missouri Western, Senior
Ryan Hawkins – Northwest Missouri, Sophomore
Third Team
Elyjah Clark – Missouri Southern, Junior
Caleb Smith – Northeastern State, Junior
Donovan Franklin – Pittsburg State, Senior
Grant Lozoya – Pittsburg State, Senior
Karim Mouliom – Southwest Baptist, Senior
All-Defensive Team
Diego Bernard – Northwest Missouri, Freshman
Ryan Hawkins – Northwest Missouri, Sophomore
Jonell Burton – Lincoln, Junior
Karim Mouliom – Southwest Baptist, Senior
David Salach – Washburn, Senior
Honorable Mentions Central Missouri: Daniel Farris – Sophomore, Jafar Kinsey – Senior, Jacob Lowrance – Senior Emporia State: Kooper Glick – Senior, Julius Jackson – Senior Fort Hays State: Marcus Cooper – Senior, Kyler Kinnamon – Senior Lincoln: Jonell Burton – Junior, Amariontez Ivory – Senior, Grant Olsson – Senior Lindenwood: Chandler Diekvoss – Senior, TJ Crockett – Sophomore Missouri Southern: Kinzer Lambert – Junior, Braelon Walker – Junior Missouri Western: Tyrell Carroll – Freshman, Bryan Hudson – Senior Nebraska Kearney: AJ Jackson – Junior, Kanon Koster – Freshman Northeastern State: Josh Ihek – Junior Northwest Missouri: Diego Bernard – Freshman, Ryan Welty – Junior Washburn: Tyler Geiman – Sophomore, David Salach – Senior
The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team will enter the postseason ranked third in both national polls, released Tuesday (March 5). The Tigers are third in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll for the third time this season while they sit third in the D2SIDA National Media Poll for the fourth week in a row and fifth time overall.
After two wins last week, the Tigers have won 10 games all-time when ranked third in the coaches poll, tied for the most wins at any spot in the standings (10-2 when ranked third, fourth 10-1). Overall, Fort Hays State is 78-23 when ranked in the top 25.
This is the third time Fort Hays State has entered the MIAA Championships ranked nationally. The Tigers are 3-2 in the conference tournament as a nationally ranked team, entering the 2015 tournament ranked sixth and the 2016 tournament ranked 16th.
Fort Hays State is the top-ranked team among both MIAA and Central Region rivals. Central Missouri is ranked 24th in this week’s coaches poll and 21st in the media variety. Southwestern Oklahoma State is ranked eighth according to the coaches and fifth in the media poll.
The Tigers head into postseason play Thursday (March 7) when they take on the winner of Nebraska-Kearney and Missouri Western in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals. First tip from historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. is set for 6 p.m.
The complete national polls for March 5, 2019 can be found below.
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A pancake-flipping Kansas teacher has bested her trans-Atlantic competitors to win an annual Shrove Tuesday tradition.
Maggie Lapinski ran the 415-yard Liberal, Kansas, leg of the race with a time of 62.98 seconds. That was almost 7 seconds faster than Amy Butler, who ran a similar race in Olney, England, with a time of 70 seconds. Contestants must carry a pancake in a frying pan and flip it at the beginning and end of the race.
Temperatures might be cold but we have a good crowd for the start of the kids race! pic.twitter.com/ztApWmmvtL
The race began in Olney in the 15th century. In 1950, Liberal challenged Olney to an international competition.
Lapinski, who coaches cross country, also won the Liberal leg of the race in 2017, but a winner couldn’t be determined because of a technical glitch in Olney.
