ES&S sales representative Angie Frison explains voting equipment during a February demonstration in Hays.
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post
Ellis County residents will cast their votes on paper in future elections after the county commission approved the purchase of new voting equipment Monday.
The commission approved the purchase of 11 ballot counters and 11 touchscreen machines that are ADA compliant from Election Systems & Software (ES&S) of Omaha, Neb., for $85,391.
The new machines replace the more than decade-old existing equipment and also allows the county to comply with state law that requires paper ballots for a post-election audit.
Officials from ES&S and two other companies held demonstrations of the equipment to groups of election officials and Ellis County voters in February.
The commission also approved the purchase of poll books for an additional $24,896 from Election Source. According to Election Officer Donna Maskus the poll books are the tablets that scan the voter’s ID and tell the election worker what ballot that voter gets.
Maskus said the election officer has been setting money aside in the equipment fund for several years to pay for the new equipment.
Barton County also recently purchased similar equipment from ES&S.
In other business Monday, the commission:
• Approved the use of $29,424 of excess sales tax revenue to build a fitness room for emergency services personnel in the basement of the Emergency Services Building.
• Accepted a bid for $180,900 from Commercial Builders to make improvements to the elevator at the Law Enforcement Center.
• Approved the reorganization of the Environmental Division within the Public Works Department and rejected a bid for the removal of the staircase in the central atrium at the Administrative Center.
The commission will also take part in a tour of county roads on April 29.
Tia Koreé Hatten, 51, passed away April 15, 2019 at her home in Great Bend. She was born March 9, 1968 at Fall City, Neb., to Albert and Cleo (Allen) Hatten.
Tia was a homemaker and avid animal lover. She loved the Lord and was very good with real estate.
Survivors include, her father Al Hatten and his wife Connie of Great Bend; significant other of 17 years, Virgil Clawson; two daughters, Crystal Wilder and Faith Hatten of Great Bend; two brothers, Albert L. Hatten of Baltimore, MD and Adam Hatten of Great Bend; and three grandchildren, Aiden, Damon and Chloe. She was preceded in death by her mother, Cleo Allen.
There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place and services will be announced at a later date.
PLAINVILLE, Kan. – Both the TMP-Marian boys and girls track teams finished first at the Plainville Invitational.
The Monarchs boys had eight first place finishes. Ethan Lang won the 200 and 400 and was on the winning 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams. Blayne Riedel won the 800, Jared Mayers the high jump and Jace Wentling the long jump and triple jump.
The girls brought home three gold medals. Jenna Romme won the high jump and the 4×400 and 4×800 relays finished first.
The Ellis girls had a couple of first place finishes. Cassie Waldschmidt won the 400 and Grace Eck the 800. The Railers Antonio Jones won the boys 100 meters.
The Plainville girls brought home three gold medals. Jersey Kaiser won the 100 and 300 hurdles and Brooklyn Staab won the discus. Jordan Finnesy won the boys 300 meter hurdles and Jared Casey the shot put and Brennan Staab the discus.
Trego’s Helen Giefer won the 1600 meters, Sybil Giefer the 3200 meters and Lili Shubert the pole vault. Wyndom Gieger won the boys 3200 meters, Hunter Price the 110 meter hurdles.
After one year as the head coach of the Hays High girls basketball program, Alex Hutchins has been chosen to take over the boys program at Hays High.
Hutchins, a Scott City native, led the Lady Indians to a 14-8 record this past season. He previously coached the boys at Minneapolis and Elizabeth, Colo., and served as an assistant boys coach in Scott City.
He replaces coach Rick Keltner, who stepped down as the boys coach earlier this year after 34 seasons as head coach of the Indians.
The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Wed., April 17, 2019 in the area of Thunderbird to Vine St. between 41st St. and 27th St. also at Enersys. This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
Inspecting fire hydrants ensures that the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes. The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains.
Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public. Drivers are asked to avoid driving through water discharging from a fire hydrant during the short flushing period.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —A former employee of a Kansas mechanical contracting company was sentenced to probation for stealing more than $300,000 in copper piping from work and then selling it to scrap yards.
Belshe- photo Sedgwick County
Matthew Belshe, 42, Wichita, a former employee of Kruse Corporation, entered a plea to two counts of felony theft, according to a media release from Sedgwick County District Attorney Mark Bennett,
Belshe was accused of unlawfully using funds from his employer to order copper piping, which he then sold to scrap yards. Belshe sold copper piping to the scrap yards for almost four years, from April, 2014 to November, 2017, before the theft was discovered and prosecuted.
Judge Bruce Brown told Belshe on Friday that he could serve 26 months in prison if he failed to be successful on probation, which requires him to make regular payments on the restitution.
Representatives of the Kruse Corporation agreed to probation in the case. The total loss in the case was $338,778.58.
As part of his probation, Belshe must not consume alcohol or drugs. He also was ordered not to participate in gambling and enter into and remain on the Kansas Voluntary Exclusion Program for people with gambling problems through the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.
TOPEKA — Forty-one schools representing 19 districts across Kansas will take part in Apollo, the fourth phase of the Kansans Can School Redesign Project, the Kansas State Department of Education announced Tuesday.
The names of the schools and districts were shared during the Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Tuesday’s announcement brings the total number of schools taking part in the redesign process to about 150, representing 66 school districts.
Goodland USD 352 and Oberlin USD 294 are the two northwest Kansas districts taking part in the effort.
The Kansans Can School Redesign Project was announced in 2017 in support of Kansas’ vision for education – Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. The vision was created in 2015 based on feedback from 20 community meetings and seven business conversations that took place across the state.
During those conversations, Kansans said that schools need to place an equal amount of focus on helping students develop nonacademic skills, such as social-emotional growth, as they do on developing academic skills. This vision calls for a more student- focused system that provides support and resources for individual success.
In order for the state to achieve this vision, Kansans have to think differently about how students are educated. The current educational system has worked well for some students, but not for all students. By personalizing education, students engage in learning that is personalized to their individual preferences and at a pace that ensures they are achieving to their fullest potential.
More engagement means fewer student absences, fewer behavior referrals and an increase in student achievement. When a student’s learning is designed around what he or she is passionate about, the likelihood of that student graduating and moving toward a successful future increases.
School redesign is a process driven by four principles:
Student success skills: An integrated approach to developing social-emotional growth.
Community partnerships: Partnerships are based on mutually beneficial relationships and collaboration.
Personalized learning: Teachers support students to have choice when it comes to time, place, pace and path.
Real-world applications: Project-based learning, internships and civic engagement make learning relevant.
The first phase of the school redesign project was Mercury 7. All Kansas school districts were invited take part in the inaugural phase – only seven spots were available. To be considered for the project, districts had to designate one elementary school and one secondary school to be redesigned around five outcomes established by the Kansas State Board of Education, the five elements identified as defining a successful Kansas high school graduate, and what Kansans said they want their schools to look like in the future.
Each district also had to have support of their faculty, school board and the local Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) or other professional organization.
KSDE received 29 applications for the first phase. The seven districts were announced in August 2017. Each district represented one of the Mercury 7 astronauts.
KSDE gave the remaining Mercury 7 applicants an opportunity to take part in Gemini I. Twenty-one districts accepted the challenge.
Mercury 7 districts and a few Gemini I districts launched their redesign plans in the fall of the 2018-2019 school year. The remaining Gemini I participants will launch no later than the spring of 2020.
In February 2018, KSDE announced the third phase – Gemini II: The Space Walk Begins. Nineteen school districts were announced as participants for Gemini II.
For the Apollo phase, KSDE invited districts to designate one or more elementary and/or secondary school to be designed around the five outcomes established by the Kansas State Board of Education, the five elements identified as defining a successful Kansas high school graduate, and what Kansans said they want their schools to look like in the future. Like the phases before, each district applying to become an Apollo district also had to have support of their faculty, school board and the local Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) or other professional organization.
The Apollo districts must be able to launch a new school design in the 2020-2021 school year.
All schools selected for the redesign process will serve as demonstration sites for other Kansas districts.
Districts and the schools taking part in the Apollo phase of school redesign process are:
Augusta Unified School District 402: Ewalt Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Robinson Elementary School and Garfield Elementary School.
Barber County North USD 254: Medicine Lodge Grade School and Medicine Lodge Junior/Senior High School.
Columbus USD 493: Columbus Unified High School.
Deerfield USD 216: Deerfield Elementary School, Deerfield Middle School and Deerfield High School.
Easton USD 449: Pleasant Ridge Elementary School.
Ell-Saline USD 307: Ell-Saline Elementary School and Ell-Saline Middle/High School.
Frontenac USD 249: Frank Layden Elementary School and Frontenac Junior High School.
Goodland USD 352:West Elementary School, North Elementary School and Goodland Junior/Senior High School.
Herington USD 487: Herington Elementary School and Herington Middle/High School.
Holton USD 336: Holton Middle School and Holton High School.
Hutchinson USD 308: Wiley Elementary School and Hutchinson STEM Magnet School at Allen.
Kaw Valley USD 321: St. Mary’s Grade School, Rossville Grade School, St. Mary’s Junior/Senior High School and Rossville Junior/Senior High School.
Lawrence USD 497: Broken Arrow Elementary School, Deerfield Elementary School, Hillcrest Elementary School and Free State High School.
Northeast USD 246: Northeast High School.
Oberlin USD 294: Oberlin Elementary School and Decatur Community High School.
Perry-Lecompton USD 343: Perry-Lecompton Middle School and Perry-Lecompton High School.
Uniontown USD 235: Uniontown Junior/Senior High School.
Wabaunsee USD 329: Maple Hill Elementary School.
Washington County Schools USD 108: Washington Elementary School and Washington County Junior/Senior High School.
It is the goal of the State Board of Education and KSDE, to have all 286 Kansas school districts started in the redesign process by 2026.
Donna KrugThis is a busy weekend with the celebration of Easter and also Earth Day on April 22nd. I’m offering a free educational program “It’s Easy to be Green” Wednesday, April 24th in Great Bend that is based on a fact sheet I wrote several years ago by the same title. If there is interest in the Hays community for this educational program, I’ll be happy to share. Just give me a call. There are countless ways you can reduce your ecological footprint by consuming less energy and water, and reducing solid waste. Consider these recycling tips from A to Z in your daily living.
Avoid fast food. Most fast food is over-packaged in containers that will take forever to break down.
Buy recycled products whenever possible. Good things come in less packaging.
Change a light bulb. Consider replacing standard bulbs with compact fluorescent ones and you will get more light for less money.
Don’t buy aerosols. They cannot be recycled so they fill up the landfill.
Eating food from your garden is better for your health and the environment.
Find out how to dispose of hazardous waste. The Barton County landfill offers this service on the third Saturday of each month. Items like paint cans, unused pesticides and used motor oil are some common waste materials.
Get your water from the tap. While it may be necessary to filter contaminants from your water supply, drinking filtered water will keep plastic bottles out of the landfill. (And FYI: plastic beverage bottles take 450 years to decompose.)
Have a green picnic. Avoid using paper or plastic plates or utensils. Use separate trash bags to collect paper, glass and aluminum.
Identify energy wasters. (Examples: turning off lights, fix dripping faucets, etc)
Join an environmental group. Get involved in your community and encourage others to do their part.
Keep the car at home. Whenever possible walk or ride a bike to complete errands. An added benefit to this tip is that you will be exercising regularly.
Look at labels. Is it hazardous? Also check to see if the packaging is recyclable.
Make scratch pads from paper you have written on one side.
Say No to paper and plastic bags at the supermarket. Bring your own bags along.
Observe the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Plant a tree. Trees add beauty to the landscape & shade provided can save energy.
Quit throwing away batteries. Use rechargeable batteries whenever possible.
Recycle everything. Set up storage bins at home to collect newspapers, glass, aluminum, plastics and cardboard. Recycle food waste by starting a compost site.
Stop a leak. Organize a stop a leak day where family members tighten, insulate, replace, caulk or do whatever else they can to make their house tight.
Turn off the lights. Add stickers to lights reminding family members.
Use recycled paper and other recycled products whenever possible.
Visit the recycling center in your community. Ask for a list of items they accept.
Write a letter. If a company is doing something you do not like let them know. It is also good to let a company that is working hard to be earth friendly that you appreciate their efforts.
Examine the world around you. Try to make everything you do “Earth friendly.”
Yell at a litterer. Well, maybe don’t yell, but you should say something. Remind the person how unsightly scattered trash is and how bad it is for the environment.
Zero in on specifics. There are so many issues related to environmental problems and solutions. Choose one or two to really get serious about. Do not try to do everything at once.
I hope your awareness has been raised so that every day is Earth Day in your household.
Donna Krug is the District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: [email protected] or (620)793-1910.
In the months and years leading up to the most recent presidential election, you may have heard me say, “There is no question we will have a female president someday, I just hope it’s not her.”
Hilary Clinton didn’t get votes like mine; not because of her gender, because of who I observed her to be.
There is a subtle feeling of hypocrisy that creeps into the ongoing conversation about gender on the national level. Singling a woman out as the first to do something or talking about how great it is to see a woman in a specific position feels like a fail for feminism in my mind.
Yes, women can do anything they set their minds to, but so can men. Equality is the basic tenant of feminism. Yet gender remains front and center in the national debate.
Professionally, I don’t feel disadvantaged because of my gender. In a boardroom, people respect me because I work hard to be engaged, understand the issues and share my opinions. The few people who have shown signs of sexist behavior in my presence quickly learned I don’t tolerate it, and they no longer have the privilege of working with me. That may sound arrogant, but I understand my value and know how others should treat me.
Conversely, it is naïve to think gender never matters. It absolutely does. There are women pioneers who have fought for my current comfort. Women still often have a completely different set of expectations and challenges to face — from the pressures of conforming to stereotypes, to the considerations required to maintain personal safety.
Amid this complex and often uncomfortable conversation surrounding gender, I wonder about my generation’s role. We won’t be like the pioneers of previous generations sacrificing and fighting for the far-off dreams of equality. Our firsts and successes are in some ways only a matter of time.
Recently, I attended an event aimed at helping women in agriculture grow. Surprisingly, there were more adults in attendance than students. These women worked as university professors, highly skilled industry professionals, and farmers and ranchers. Each are excellent role models and wanted to share because they are proud of what they have achieved.
Students at the event were genuinely interested in developing their skills. They were excited to have access to great role models, but I wonder if our efforts where actually counterproductive. We were, in some cases, the ones saying they need to fight to have a chair in the boardroom or they will be treated differently. They already expect a seat at the table.
It’s time to stop acting surprised when a woman does something outstanding. Anyone can find a reason to be an outsider in the group: the only woman, the youngest person, the most rural or any number of other qualifiers. None of that matters if the person brings value to the conversation.
We should be teaching young women and men the same things. If you are a person who brings value by your words and actions, you will earn respect. Focus all your energy on being your best. It will make you stand out, but in the most desirable way.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
ANDOVER − Life Care Center of Andover, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, is welcoming a new executive director, Daniel Laffery.
Laffery earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Fort Hays State University and completed his Nursing Home Administrator license in curriculum a Via Christi Villages in Manhattan, Kan. He originally entered the medical field as a medic in the Army National Guard. Long-term care became a passion of his, and he has been in the industry for 20 years.
“I personally enjoy working with the seniors of this nation as they have played a vital role in making it what it is today,” said Laffery. “I have respect for them and believe they deserve to be cared for properly and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Originally from Clay Center, Kansas, Laffery and his wife of more than 20 years relocated to Mulvane, Kan., with their two children. Before coming to Life Care Center of Andover, Laffery served as a long-term care consultant and an executive director for a veterans home and assisted living.
“I had actually been looking for a few months before joining,” said Laffery. “After interviewing with Matt, the regional vice president, and observing the Life Care facility in Andover, I realized this could be a great place to serve the seniors of this area.”
Life Care Center of Andover is one of eight skilled nursing and rehab facilities in Kansas managed by Life Care Centers of America.
Founded in 1976, Life Care is a nationwide health care company. With headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, Life Care manages more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states. For more information about Life Care, visit lcca.com.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has given initial approval to legislation that would block developers of a high-voltage power line from using eminent domain to string it across Missouri.
The overview map on this page depicts the route of the Grain Belt Express Clean Line in Kansas- Image Clean Line Energy Partners.- click to expand
The bill endorsed Tuesday targets the proposed Grain Belt Express — a 750-mile transmission line that would carry wind power from Kansas across the Midwest to a power grid serving eastern states. A portion of the power also would be sold to municipal utilities in Missouri.
The $2.3 billion project recently received approval from Missouri regulators. That decision could allow developers to use eminent domain to acquire easement rights from landowners unwilling to sell. The legislation seeks to block that.
Chicago-based Invenergy is in the process of trying to acquire the project from Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners.
Wednesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming north 15 to 20 mph in the morning.
Wednesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Breezy, with a north wind 17 to 20 mph.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 64. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 14 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 39. North northwest wind 8 to 17 mph.
