Tuesday, January 14th, 1930 – Monday, April 15th, 2019
An obituary is pending with Baalmann Mortuary.
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Month: April 2019
Tiger women claim three first-place finishes at Loper Invitational
FHSU Athletics
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team traveled to MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday (April 14) for the Loper Invitational. On the day, three events went to the Tigers with other notable performances taking place for FHSU.
Abby Stewart got the day started for the Tigers on the track as she captured first place in the 10,000-meters. Stewart navigated the track with a top-time of 39:56.47. Two field events went the Tigers as Alexcia Deutscher earned yet another top throw in the javelin, this time with a distance of 136 feet, 3 inches. The final top finish for Fort Hays State was a 5 feet, 3 ¾ height in the high jump as Summer Kragel claimed the first place.
Numerous Tigers finished in the top-ten in Kearney, including a ninth place finish in the 100-meters for Bree Hysaw with a time of 12.71. However, Hysaw’s top performance of the day was a fourth place finish in the 200-meters following a time of 26.46. In the 800-meters, three Tigers finished in the top-ten, led by Averi Wilson in fifth (2:27.41), Lucy Giles in eighth (2:37.44) and Lourdes Cavarrubias in ninth (2:37.78). Wilson also claimed a fourth place finish in the 1,500-meters with a time of 5:06.15.
Right behind Stewart in the 10,000-meters was Tessa Durnell who captured a runner-up time of 41:47.21. Courtney Batchman turned in a seventh place finish in the 100-meter hurdles as she finished the feat with a time of 17.59. Batchman also clocked a fifth place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:10.85. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Carson Pierce placed fourth at 12:56.29 and Rylea Oliver clocked a fifth place time of 13:04.85. A Tiger quad made up of Hysaw, Giles, Covarrubias and Tabby Stowers earned a third place finish in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 4:20.49.
On to field events, Robin Ritsema placed third in the high jump at 5 feet, 3 ¾ inches with Haley Jones coming in sixth at 5 feet, 1 ¾ inches. Rohey Singhateh captured eighth in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 2 ¾ inches along with a third place finish in the triple jump at 37 feet, 5 inches. Kayla Smith posted a ninth place finish in the long jump at 17 feet, 2 ¼ inches with a fourth place finish in the triple jump at 37 feet, 1 ¾ inches. Mariah Hammersmith claimed seventh in the triple jump at 35 feet, 11 ¼ inches with Abby Burton on her heels in eighth place at 34 feet, 6 ¾ inches.
In the shot put, Logan Batchman placed sixth with her throw of 41 feet, 1 inch while placing 10th in the discus at 116 feet. Laurel Haley finished in fourth in the discus with her throw of 138 feet, 6 inches. Haley also added a sixth place finish in the hammer with a throw of 164 feet, 3 inches. In the javelin, Kaci Vaughn captured sixth at 110 feet, 7 inches and Kalynn Foster earned an eighth place finish with her throw of 100 feet, 11 inches.
The Tigers will make a big trip out west as they will compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif starting Wednesday (April 17).
Rome claims 5,000-meters to lead Tigers at Loper Invitational
FHSU Athletics
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team traveled to visit inter-conference foe on Sunday (April 14) as they competed in the Loper Invitational hosted by Nebraska-Kearney. On the day, one event went to the Tigers while others finished with high placements throughout.
Reed Rome led the way for Fort Hays State as he captured first place in the 5,000-meters as he posted a top-time of 15:28.52. This was the lone first place finish on the day for the Tigers. Kaleb Crum was close behind Rome in third place with a time of 16:17.79 with Erik Chaparro placing fifth at 16:58.53 and Christopher Nemechek rounded out the Tiger performances in the event in sixth place at 17:03.72.
In the 200-meters, Shane Finegan placed eighth with his strong performance of 22.81. Michael Eisenbarth earned a third place finish in the 10,000-meters with a time of 34:45.64. In hurdles, Sabino Medrana placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.31 and earned a fourth place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.29.
Four Tigers claimed a top-ten finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase led by Israel Barco in second at 10:05.19. Robbie Schmidt placed third at 10:06.66, Peter Franklin earned fifth at 10:21.21 and Robert Loeffler finished in sixth at 10:28.28.
Moving to field events, Lucas Broxterman captured fifth place in the high jump at 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches with Blayne Godshall right behind in sixth place at 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches. In the pole vault, Mark Faber placed sixth with a jump of 14 feet, 11 ½ inches and Jonathan Ball coming in tenth at 14 feet, 5 ½ inches. Broxterman also added a fourth place finish in the long jump at 21 feet, 7 ¼ inches.
Gilbert Peters earned ninth place in the shot put with his heave of 49 feet, 11 inches, as well as a ninth place finish in the discus at 156 feet, 7 inches. Jacob Vaughn added a sixth place finish in the discus with his own throw of 158 feet, 6 inches. Hunter DeGarmo achieved a tenth place finish in the hammer throw by throwing for 161 feet, 7 inches. The javelin brought two top-ten finishes for the Tigers as Cameron Fouts earned third at 175 feet, 7 inches and Trey Teeter behind him in fourth with his throw of 158 feet, 5 inches.
The Tigers next travel to Azusa, Calif for the Bryan Clay Invitational which starts on Wednesday (April 17).
Tiger soccer takes part in community service activities
FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State men’s soccer welcomed their new Head Coach Gerry Cleary this past offseason and have been active in the community in the first four months of his tenure. The Tigers have been working in full on and off the pitch.
The lads have been to Shining Stars pre-school and the Little Sprouts pre-school over the past couple of weeks, interacting with kids and embedding themselves into the Hays community. The Tigers also put on a clinic for local kids to strengthen their soccer skills. More community service activities are set to begin in the next few weeks.
The spring semester has seen a large amount of hard work, with Cleary constantly looking to raise the bar that had been set from the previous eight years at the national level. To keep up the successful program standards, the Tigers have put in the work in the weight room, the classroom and on the field.
Junior midfielder Moritz Walther on the transition, “The first few months with coach [Cleary] have been intense but fun, both on and off the pitch. I think he has great energy and his new ideas and high standards for the team on the field and in the classroom as well as being involved in the community will have a lasting impact on the program for years to come. It feels good to be a part of the Hays community and to be able to give something back for their support they give us throughout the long season.”
The Black and Gold will finish the spring with scrimmages against FC Wichita (April 15) and UMKC (April 27).
The Tigers have their Summer ID Camp (June 27-30) as well as their Summer Skills Clinic on select dates from June 3rd-July 25th. More information about both events at the links provided above.
Catastrophic fire engulfs centuries-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
PARIS (AP) — A massive fire engulfed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital Monday, toppling its spire and sending thick plumes of smoke high into the blue sky as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.
A spokesman said the entire wooden frame of the cathedral would likely come down, and that the vault of the edifice could be threatened too.
“Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,” Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions.
So sad to see that a great history is burning at a fire in #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/RiEirSfC55
— Bulent GUNDUZ (@Bulentgnd) April 15, 2019
The cause of the catastrophic blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is “potentially linked” to a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the church’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. Paris police said there were no reported deaths.
Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Sights of the flames stopped passers-by in their tracks along the Seine River that passes beneath the cathedral.
French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a televised speech to the nation because of the stunning blaze and was going to the cathedral himself.
French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the fire was destroying “invaluable heritage.”
“It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris”, Pascal said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.”
He recalled that Notre Dame bells sounded the death knell following the 2015 Paris attacks.
“We can be only horrified by what we see”, Pascal said.
Associated Press reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the center of Paris.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is in despair at the “terrible fire.” Hidalgo said in a Twitter message that Paris firefighters are still trying to limit the fire and urged Paris citizens to respect the security perimeter that has been set around the cathedral.
Hidalgo said Paris authorities are in touch with Paris diocese.
Rahjes Report: April 15
Hello from Agra!
Our thoughts continue to be with the folks in the Norton community, we lift you up and wish you strength and healing in the days and weeks ahead.
The Kansas Legislature is on a “Spring Break” until May 1st, so it is a time to catch up on other work, visit with constituents and attend meetings to hear directly from those we serve.
I have the privilege of serving as Chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee and am a strong supporter of all of the university, colleges and technical schools in the state, and last weekend attended functions celebrating the successes and opportunities at Manhattan Christian College and Colby Community College.
There was a lot of activity right before first adjournment and I wanted to share a few highlights with you this week.
Following several rounds of negotiations, the budget conference committee was unable to come to a final agreement on SB 25, which is the bill in which all budget positions are being discussed. House and Senate negotiators left all decided positions frozen and will take up conferencing when the Legislature returns for Veto Session May 1.
House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means Committee will meet just before the start of Veto Session to put together Omnibus budget bills. The meeting is set for April 30.
The Committees will meet jointly to receive the Consensus Revenue Estimates (CRE), caseloads adjustments, and potentially Governor’s Budget Amendments (GBA), prior to holding separate meetings.
The CRE is determined by the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which has representatives of the Division of the Budget, Kansas Legislative Research Department, Kansas Department of Revenue, and economists from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University. The group meets twice each year, generally in November and April.
The CRE is the official revenue projection for the State General Fund. Estimates are made for the budget year and adjustments are made for the current and out year. The Governor uses the November estimate to finalize her budget recommendations. The spring CRE will be released on April 18 and may be used by the Legislature to adjust expenditures. The CRE and Budget Conference positions can be found here.
The House approved of the conference committee report of SB 67, which would require a physician to verbally inform a woman who is seeking a medication abortion that she may be able to reverse the intended effects of the abortion before the medication regimen is complete.
The bill specifically applies to medication abortions induced via mifepristone (also known as RU-486), which is followed by a second pill named misoprostol. The first pill is taken in the presence of a physician and the second is taken at home. Under this bill, the physician must inform the woman 24 hours before the abortion takes place of the possibility of reversing the intended effects of the abortion, before the second pill is taken. In addition, the facility where the first pill is administered must post a sign with the same details.
The conference committee amended the bill to require a report to be sent to KDHE regarding APR. The report would include the prescription/administration of progesterone, the failure of the progesterone treatment to reverse the effects of the medication abortion, and the maternal and newborn health conditions, at the time of birth, if a pregnant woman successfully reversed the pill-based abortion.
Seven states have enacted APR legislation, including Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah. Four states including Kansas are considering this type of legislation. This language was previously in HB 2274 (sponsored by 60 representatives) and SB 167 (sponsored by 21 senators). SB 67 was approved with a veto-proof majority vote of 85-35. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
The House passed HB 2144, which would require community colleges to post on their respective websites their tuition rates, fees, cost per credit hour, percentage of students attending each campus, enrollment, percentage of students residing inside and outside of the community college district, property tax revenues and mills levied over five fiscal years. Specific student fees imposed by the colleges would be required to be spent on those particular purposes. Billing statements must also include student fees broken down by purpose. The aggregate amount disbursed for the two previous fiscal years for scholarships, foundation scholarships, and Pell Grants for students residing in the community college district and those who reside outside the state.
Property taxes are levied within a community college district to fund the local community college. Requiring that these colleges post property tax information along with scholarship information, general credit hour costs and other information digitally ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and adequately. Disclosing the specific purposes of each student fee also guarantees this.
HB 2144 would also allow community college students and prospective students to verify which offered courses will afford them the opportunity to transfer to a Regents institution, should they decide to attend any of those institutions. The House concurred with amendments in conference with a vote of 116-6. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
And, the House passed HB 2209, which would primarily exempt a nonprofit agricultural membership organization in Kansas, the Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB), from the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Insurance should healthcare benefit coverage be provided to its members.
This healthcare benefit coverage would allow KFB to offer affordable plans that are available to members without the threat of cancellation. It would be individually rated, allowing KFB to accurately assess risk to keep premiums affordable as well.
KFB’s coverage is not considered health insurance and is not offered by an insurance company. It is not an association health plan, not compliant with the Affordable Care Act, and not a mandate.
HB 2209 and KFB’s coverage offers an affordable alternative to high healthcare coverage costs in Kansas, reduces the number of Kansans without coverage, provides an additional revenue source for the state, provides an incentive for Kansans to remain on the farm and helps starting businesses by reducing healthcare costs. The bill would also expand association health plans and amend the Insurance Code to exempt an entity providing non-insurance healthcare benefits coverage. Like the KFB portion of this bill, these provisions would also be exempted from the jurisdiction of the Insurance Commissioner.
Secondly, the bill would prevent life insurance companies from refusing to insure individuals who are living organ donors. Organ donors would be subject to the same standards as individuals who are not organ donors. This is a commonsense measure to protect those who have chosen to donate their organ(s).
Thirdly, the bill would require a life insurance benefit to be payable to owner or the beneficiaries, and in the event they could not be found, then the benefits would revert to the state as unclaimed property. The insurance company would be required to notify the State Treasurer should the beneficiary not submit a timely claim or the company has been unable to contact the beneficiary. The unclaimed policy would then be required to submitted to the State Treasurer.
Lastly, HB 2209 would allow the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) to purchase cybersecurity to protect student records and other sensitive information without typical purchasing compliance procedures of the Department of Administration, and also independent of the Committee on Surety Bonds. This would allow KBOR to more easily acquire protection for taxpayer kept data. The House adopted the Conference Committee Report with a vote of 116-6. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
If I can be of assistance or if you have questions or concerns, please reach out: email is: [email protected] and you can always try my cell number is (785) 302-8416.
It is my honor to serve you in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra), is the 110th state representative and chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee. House District 110 includes Norton and Phillips counties as well as portions of Ellis, Graham, and Rooks counties.
FHSU Department of Mathematics well represented at state conference
FHSU University Relations
Seven faculty members and five students from the Fort Hays State University Department of Mathematics attended the recent Kansas Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in Pittsburg.
“FHSU was well represented in the number of talks that were presented,” said Dr. Keith Dreiling, chair of the department. “Our university contributed almost half of all talks given during the conference. Special recognition should go out to our two students, Tyler and Ashley, for presenting at this conference.”
Two students and four faculty presented papers at the conference, making up six of the 13 speakers.
Tyler Bloom, Netawaka senior majoring in physics, presented “The Devil’s Chessboard and How to Solve It,” and Ashley Pritchard, Wichita freshman, presented “Fibonacci Cordial Labeling of Comb Graphs.”
Dreiling presented on “Kaprekar’s Constant”; Dr. Tom Dunn, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Algebraic Geometry and Intersections”; Dr. Sarbari Mitra, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Channel Assignment Problems of Circulants”; and Dr. Hong Zeng, professor of computer science, presented “Functional Programming and Math Problems.”
Two FHSU teams competed in a math event.
The first team was Fernando Guzman, Hays junior majoring in mathematics, and Bloom. The second team was Lailah Collins, Wichita freshman majoring in mathematics, Sheena Zeng, Hays freshman, and Pritchard.
🎥 Project Director: 43rd St. reconstruction should be done by Memorial Day
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
In Oct. 2018, 45th Street was reconstructed on the north side of the Hays Walmart by the project general contractor Vogts-Parga, Newton.
Work was stopped over the winter and resumed March 18 on 43rd Street on the south side of Walmart.
“They started busting out the old concrete and found out the base underneath was in bad shape, which we expected,” according to John Braun, Hays public works director. “It was really wet. The weather didn’t help a whole lot in getting it dried out quickly.”
A subcontractor, M&D Excavating, Hays, has been working diligently to prepare the base, and it’s now ready, Braun told Hays city commissioners Thursday.
Vogts-Parga began pouring sidewalks Friday.
This week crews are scheduled to pour concrete in the north lanes of 43rd near Wolf Furniture Galleries on Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday, the west end of 43rd, which is completely torn out, will be poured.
Next week traffic control will shift; the next few weeks, work will shift to the south lanes of 43rd in front of Wendy’s restaurant.
Braun anticipates the project will be completed before Memorial Day.
The sections of 45th and 43rd Streets adjacent to Walmart were approved for reconstruction due to pavement failure.
The pavement reconstructions are separate from the planned extension of 43rd Street by developers to serve the forthcoming Hilton Garden Inn and convention center west of Walmart.
Julie Norene Pope
Julie N. Pope, 66, Grinnell, KS, passed away, Wednesday April 10th, 2019 at Hays Medical Center.
She was born May 28th, 1952 to Hank and Elsie (Richardson) Morgan in Beatrice, NE. She had been a welder for nearly 20 years then worked for the Good Samaritan, both in Beatrice, NE. While residing in Nebraska, she had two sons, John (Lincoln, NE) and Corey (Beatrice, NE) Eggert. On July, 2nd 1999, she married Robert Pope. Julie truly enjoyed fishing, camping and helping others.
In more recent years, Julie spent a lot of time at the Senior Citizen Center in Grinnell, KS where her and Robert lived. She loved helping in any way she could while spending time at the Senior Citizens Center.
Survivors include, her husband Robert (Grinnell); Son John Eggert (Lincoln, NE); Son Corey Eggert (Beatrice, NE); Daughter-in-law Linda Pope (Hoxie); Step-daughters Lisa Winters (Topeka) and Kari Morris (Mankato); Granddaughter Arial Eggert; Grandsons Chase and Cayden Eggert; Step Grandchildren Chris, Cody and Mitchell Pope, Megan Felder, Alec Robins and Shawna Gilbert; Step Great Grandchildren; Corbin, Chloe and Kinley Pope, Dice and Drew Felder and Olivia and Amelia Gilbert.
She was preceded in death by her parents and Step Son, Russell Pope.
Pending inurnment, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to the Senior Citizen Center in Grinnell, KS; c/o People State Bank of Hoxie, 940 Oak Street/P.O. Box 869 Hoxie, KS 67740
Hays city commissioners to attend farewell dinner Tuesday
CITY OF HAYS
Hays City Commissioner Sandy Jacobs will host a small social event honoring Hays City Commissioner James Meier and Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood, who are both leaving Hays for other employment at the first of May.
Other city commissioners will be in attendance for a meal and refreshments and to bid farewell to Meier and Wood. No business will be conducted and the meeting is purely social.
The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Smoky Hill Country Club in Hays.
Meier will be moving to Wichita where he will be manager of the in-patient pharmacy at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital.
Wood has taken the position of deputy city manager in Salina.
Both men were thanked for their work for the city of Hays during the April 11 city commission meeting.
(Photos by Hays Post)
Police: Speed, alcohol both factors in fatal Kansas crash
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities have identified a Kansas man who died in an accident just before 2a.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.
A Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by 24-year-old Erik Luna of Wichita was southbound in the 3500 Block of South Broadway, according to officer Paul Cruz.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It struck the east bridge concrete barrier and overturned. The driver and a passenger were trapped inside.
Luna was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Cruz. The 20-year-old passenger was transported to a local hospital where he remains in serious condition.
The preliminary investigation shows that speed and alcohol were both factors in the the accident, according to Cruz. The accident remains under investigation.
East Eighth Street now open to traffic
CITY OF HAYS
Concrete shoulder work on Eighth Street east of Vine in Hays is now complete.
Traffic control has been removed and the roadway is now fully open to traffic.
The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this construction may have caused. Comments and questions may be directed to the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350.
🎥 City manager: Street markings took ‘a beating’ this winter
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The harsh winter in Hays was rough on the streets.
In addition to numerous potholes caused by freezing and warming temperatures, a lot of sand and salt was applied to the streets, and the snowplows were kept busy.
As the plows moved snow to the street edges, the machines were also scraping the street markings.
“Our street markings have taken a beating,” says Toby Dougherty, city manager, “especially on the arterials. They’re very rough and they degraded very quickly over the winter.”
Arterials are major streets at least 53 feet wide and are heavily trafficked. In Hays, Vine, U.S. Highway 183 Bypass, 8th, 13th, 27th, Hall, and Canterbury are classified as arterial streets.
Typically, the city improves the street markings as they begin to deteriorate. Employees can do some thermoplastic applications and painting in-house.
This year though, given the scale of the deterioration, the Public Works Department and the city project planner are devising a project to bid “a rather large marking project,” according to Dougherty, “probably a $150,000 to $160,000 project to get all the arterials back into place with professionally applied paint and thermoplastic markings.”
Funding is expected to come from the 2019 Street Maintenance budget of $774,455. It has some cost savings in it after no bids were approved for diamond grinding this year. Those bids were all well above staff estimates.
“We’ll probably utilize a good majority of that (saved) money for this. It’s money well spent,” Dougherty says. “We have to get these street markings done. It’s a safety issue.”