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Month: September 2019

Fort Hays State earns top-5 national ranking

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FHSU UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Fort Hays State University, with almost a third of its enrollment over the age of 25, has been recognized for being among the best four-year colleges in the United States for modern students.

This marks the second consecutive year the university earned top-10 honors in Washington Monthly magazine’s annual Best Colleges for Adult Learners rankings. Fort Hays State University President, Tisa Mason, believes this recognition is again the result of the university’s keen focus on meeting the needs of the modern adult learner.

“Serving the needs of the non-traditional learner has long been the focus of our university,” she said. “Whether our students pursue their educational goals on campus in Hays, online, or in their hometown, they all benefit from the unique blend of academic challenge, personal attention and unmatched affordability that are the hallmarks of a Fort Hays State University experience.”

Fort Hays State University is the only public university in Kansas to earn a top-100 ranking. MidAmerica Nazarene, a private liberal arts college in Olathe, earned a  No. 46 ranking.

“Over the last 15 years, we’ve steadily added new data to our rankings of what colleges do for their country by promoting social mobility, research, and public service,” said Kevin Carey, director of the Education Policy Program at New America, editor of The Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Guide.

The Monthly used data from several sources: the federal government; the Annual Survey of Colleges; the College Board; and university records on enrollment, graduations and other information.

The magazine considers eight primary criteria in reaching its adult learner rankings:
(1)        Ease of transfer or enrollment: not only how easy it is for students to enroll or transfer in, but also whether students can transfer in at an upper level and whether a transfer advisor is available.
(2)        Flexibility of programs.
(3)        Services available for adult students: financial aid counseling, on-campus daycare, counseling and job placement services and veterans services.
(4)        The percent of adult students (age 25 and older): “the age at which students are automatically considered independent from their parents for financial aid purposes.”
(5)        Graduation rates of part-time students: “part-time graduation rates are more relevant for students who will be juggling work, school, and family obligations all at the same time.”
(6)        Mean earnings of adult students 10 years after entering college: a three-year average of data gathered from the College Scorecard.
(7)        Loan repayment rates of adult students five years after entering repayment: based on a three-year average of College Scorecard data to get a percentage of independent students who “were able to pay down at least $1 of their loan’s principal.”
(8)        Tuition and fees for in-district students: for the adult learner category, a measure of affordability based on federal data rather than a ranking of net prices, which mainly apply to first-time, full-time students.

Fort Hays State was also No. 27 Best Bang for the Buck of the 372 institutions in the 12-state Midwestern Region. This category, separated into five geographic areas, ranks institutions “according to how well they help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.” It focuses on the Social Mobility set of criteria from the overall four-year university rankings.

Washington Monthly’s overall four-year rankings are based on three sets of criteria:
•        Ten social mobility measures, including percentage of students graduating within eight years, a first-generation performance rank and a net price rank; the number and success rate of Pell Grant recipients and first-generation students;
•        Two research criteria – total amount of money spent on research and the number of “bachelor’s recipients who go on to receive Ph.D.s, relative to college size”;
•        and five service criteria, two based on the number of alumni who serve in the Peace Corps, another on ROTC service, Work Study funds spent on service grants, AmeriCorps matching grants and voting engagement points.

FHSU was the top institution in Kansas in its category, Master’s Universities, which covered 606 colleges that offer a “significant number” of master’s degrees but few or no doctorates.

The other categories for four-year institutions are National Universities, which award “a significant number of doctoral degrees”; Liberal Arts Colleges, baccalaureate colleges that focus on arts and sciences; and Bachelor’s Colleges, which confer bachelor’s degrees “almost exclusively.”

The Washington Monthly’s full rankings, explanations of methodology and articles on issues in higher education are available at washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/september-october-2019/.

KRUG: Making wellness a priority

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Donna Krug

A meme is an idea, thought or piece of information that is passed from generation to generation through imitation and behavioral replication. A meme can be life-changing for sure.

One I saw recently resonates with the work I do as an Extension Educator. It said, “If you do not make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.” That is a powerful statement and a perfect segway to the message I want to share during National Wellness Month.

At my recent Extension Agent update, a team of 5 educators had returned from a study trip to Greece. It was amazing to hear stories of their visit to a Blue Zone in Ikaria, Greece. There are five recognized Blue Zones in five locations around the world where a significant percentage of people live a healthful life into their 90’s and even 100. Through interviews and immersing themselves into the culture for a period of time, our team learned about nine healthy lifestyle habits shared by people who have lived the longest.

Down shift – Improve your overall wellness by finding a stress relieving strategy that works for you.
Purpose – Wake up with purpose each day to add up to 7 years to your life.
Plant slant – Put less meat and more plants on your plate.
Wine @ 5 – Responsibly enjoy a glass of wine with good friends each day.
Family first – Invest in spending time with family and add up to 6 years to your life.
80% rule – Eat mindfully and stop when 80% full.
Move naturally – Find ways to move more! You’ll burn calories without thinking about it.
Right tribe – Surround yourself with people who support positive behaviors.
Belong – Belong to a faith-based community and attend services four times a month to add 4-14 years to your lifespan.

You will hear more about the Power 9 when the 2020 Walk KS program rolls around next March. But for now, let’s focus on making small changes. Don’t try to do the entire list in one week. Focus on one suggestion at a time. So, let’s talk about the first one – Down Shift. Find something that helps you relieve stress. Those of you who know me well can probably guess that a bike ride would be my first choice to relieve stress. Thankfully it has worked to bike commute to work on most days the past few years and that can provide 48 minutes of exercise into my day. Other stress relievers for me include sitting down and playing the piano for a few minutes whenever time allows, or hand stitching a quilting project.

Consider ways to make wellness a priority in your life in the weeks ahead!

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]

KHP investigating wrong-way, head-on crash that injured 2

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GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that injured two people just after 9p.m. Sunday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Nissan Maxima driven by Denilson Acosta Rodriguez, 19, Manhattan, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Kansas 18 three miles from Interstate 70.

The Nissan struck a 2013 Chevy Cruz driven by Christina D. Tanguay, 17, Junction City, and a 2005 Nissan Altima driven by Tori A. Lamb, 19, Ellsworth, head-on.

EMS transported an unidentified occupant in the Nissan and a passenger in the Chevy Hannah R. Burkhart, 17, Fort Riley to KU Medical Center.

Acosta Rodriguez fled the scene of the accident, according to the KHP.

Tanguay, a passenger in the Maxima Odalis M. Castaneda Carranza, 20, La Puente, CA., and Lamb were not injured. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Man walks the U.S. to raise awareness of issues facing veterans

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By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post

Jeremy Miller takes his current mission personally. Miller, a veteran, is walking across the United States to raise awareness of veteran suicides.

Miller spoke with Salina Post during a stop in Kanopolis Sunday afternoon.

Veteran Jeremy Miller with members of the Ellsworth Fire Department. Photo courtesy Jeremy Miller

Miller, who was a Specialist E4 with the Army Reserve out of Idaho, said he began his journey on May 22 in Crescent City, Calif. His plan is to walk to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., by the end of November.

Miller explained that his Army Reserve group did not lose anyone while deployed in Iraq in 2011, however, upon their return to the United States, three of the soldiers killed themselves, Miller said. Miller, himself, attempted suicide, and continues to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, he said.

Deciding that he needed to turn his life around and get his mind in a better place, Miller decided to walk across the U.S. to raise awareness of the high rate of veteran suicides, he said.

“You have to find your happiness and I decided that this walk is the best for me,” Miller explained. “You also have to be vulnerable and talk about what you are going through. It’s good to talk and get it off your chest.”

Walking veterans’ paths cross in Ellsworth

Miller said that while he was in Ellsworth over the weekend, he got to meet Michael Gmur, a Marine veteran who is walking across the U.S. to raise awareness of and funds for homeless veterans.

With route change, Gmur plans to walk into Salina on Thursday

Gmur, who is walking from Portland, Maine, to San Diego, Calif., switched his route last week and spent the night Thursday in Salina. He continued west on Kansas Highway 140 Friday morning and met up with Miller in Ellsworth.

The two spent a good part of Saturday hanging out with the Ellsworth Fire Department.

Miller plans to make it to Salina on Tuesday, and from here will continue walking east on Old Highway 40. He said he tries to walk 20-25 miles per day, but would like to get to the point where he is walking 30 miles per day.

Miller said he was appreciative of how kind and supportive Kansans have been to him. He said that the Ellsworth Fire Department put out a collection jar for him at the barbecue fundraiser they were having. Others have provided meals, places to stay, a haircut, and even followed along behind him to make sure he didn’t get hit by a vehicle.

Once he completes his journey, Miller said he would like to start a non-profit organization that continues to draw attention to the serious issue of veteran suicides.

You can follow Miller’s journey through his Facebook page: Walk Across America. The page also contains a link to his GoFundMe page.

No. 12 Tiger men’s soccer falls to Regis

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Courtesy FHSU Athletics

DENVER – The No. 12 Fort Hays State University men’s soccer team faced off against the Regis University Rangers on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers entered into the matchup on a two-game skid and that form continued as the match resulted in a 3-0 loss.

Fort Hays State found themselves behind early in the match. Just one minute into the contest, Regis’ Ben Shepherd slid a ball past goalkeeper Cullen Fisch to begin the score tally.

With only five minutes remaining in the first half, the Rangers struck again. Parker Klein ripped his shot to Fisch’s left-hand side for a 2-0 lead.

Following halftime, the Rangers marched down the field. Defending inside of their own 18-yard box, the Tigers were backed into an uncomfortable position. Mariano Benitez made contact within the box and was called for a foul. Shepherd stepped up to the spot for the Rangers and tucked his shot away to mark the third goal of the contest.

Fort Hays State took 10 shots through the duration of the match. Goalkeeper Cullen Fisch was kept busy in net as he faced 15 shots and made six saves.

Within the 90 minutes, six yellow cards were handed out. The Tigers’ Santiago Agudelo, Alec Bevis, and Alonso Rodriguez all had bookings.

For the Tigers, this marks their second-worst start to a regular season in program history, with 2017 being the only one to top this in those ranks. FHSU started 0-4-2 in 2017, but went on an 11-1 tear over its next 12 and made the NCAA Tournament, finishing the year at 11-6-2.

The black and gold were knocked out of the NCAA Championship tournament in 2017 by Northeastern State University, but FHSU defeated Northeastern State in all three meetings last year (NCAA Tournament included). On Thursday, Sept. 19 the Tigers square off with their long-time conference rival, but this time playing as members of the Great American Conference. The Tigers are 9-7-5, all-time against Northeastern State.

This will be FHSU’s first game played in Hays since its victory over Rockhurst in the season-opener and its first game in Great American Conference play. The men’s soccer program still holds a 17-game home win streak and will look to keep that alive.

Pineiro’s 53-yard field goal lifts Bears past Broncos

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DENVER (AP) — Eddy Pineiro kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Chicago Bears a wild 16-14 win over the Broncos and their former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whose gutsy 2-point call 31 seconds earlier had given Denver the lead.

The Broncos (0-2) thought time had expired when Mitchell Trubisky stepped up and threw a 25-yard pass to Allen Robinson on fourth-and-15 from his 40-yard line. Robinson was tackled at the Denver 35 by Chris Harris Jr.

The clock showed all zeroes and both teams milled around on the field not knowing whether to celebrate a win or lament a loss. Then referee Adrian Hill announced there was 1 second remaining and Chicago was using its last timeout.

Pineiro’s winner sent the Bears (1-1) streaming back onto the field in celebration of a victory that seemed so unlikely after they’d surrendered the lead moments earlier.

In a whipsaw of emotion, cornerback Kyle Fuller, whose goal-line interception with five minutes left seemingly sealed Chicago’s win, surrendered a 7-yard tiptoe TD to Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders barely got both feet toes down in the right corner of the end zone.

The Broncos lined up for 2 but a delay pushed them back 5 yards. Fangio sent Brandon McManus out instead for the extra point and the tie. But McManus was wide right and the Bears went wild.

Hold on: a flag on Chicago.

Buster Skrine was offside and the Broncos moved up to the 1. Out came their offense again, and with an empty backfield, Joe Flacco backpedaled and hit Sanders at the goal line in front of Fuller to give Denver a 14-13 lead.

For the second straight game, the Broncos failed to get a sack, but linebacker Bradley Chubb came close, hitting Trubisky just as he got off a throw to tight end Trey Burton for 10 yards. A debatable roughing call on Chubb tacked on 15 yards and the Bears were suddenly in business at the Broncos 45-yard line.

Three incompletions were followed by a 12-men-in-the-huddle infraction, however, and the Bears were facing fourth-and-15 from their 40 with 9 seconds remaining.

Trubisky found Robinson over the middle in the nick of time. Harris’ tackle came one second too early for the Broncos, who saw their 13-home-game September winning streak snapped.

HONORING MR. B

The Broncos held a moment of silence before kickoff for late owner Pat Bowlen, who died in June at age 75, two months before he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

INJURIES:

Bears starting DT Bilal Nichols was knocked out with a hand injury in the third quarter. … Broncos starters ILB Todd Davis (calf) and CB Bryce Callahan (foot) were held out for the second straight week.

NEXT UP:

Chicago: visits Philadelphia on Sept. 23.

Denver: visits Green Bay on Sunday.

Kan. man convicted in cold case killing of pastor, choir director

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been convicted of fatally shooting a Baptist church pastor and choir director three decades ago in Kansas City, Kansas.

Shields photo Wyandotte Co.

Wyandotte County prosecutors announced Thursday that 51-year-old Melvin Shields of Wichita was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the April 1988 killings of 27-year-old Jolene Jones and 33-year-old Steve Ray.

The victims were longtime friends who had a daughter together. They had met for lunch one day before their bodies were found in a secluded area near the Kansas River. Authorities say Jones’ purse was found several blocks away, and her car was abandoned.

A few months after the killings, Jones was sentenced to prison for unrelated burglary and theft convictions. He later was convicted of other crimes, including aggravated battery and burglary.

Kan. man gets probation for providing drugs that nearly killed teen

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 56-year-old Lawrence man was sentenced to three years of probation for giving a teenager drugs that nearly killed him.

Wingert photo Douglas Co.

Dana Wingert pleaded no contest Wednesday to seven charges, including two counts of endangering a child. He had previously pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to go to trial in October.

A police affidavit says the boy and his 16-year-old friend passed out from a cocktail of drugs and alcohol they took at Wingert’s home on April 21. Police were able to revive the 16-year-old but the 15-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition and placed on life support.

Cheryl Wright Kunard, assistant to the Douglas County district attorney, said Thursday she could not update the boy’s condition.

Mahomes’ 4 TDs in 2nd quarter lead Chiefs past Raiders

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes bounced back from the first scoreless opening quarter of his career in the regular season by throwing four touchdown passes in a near perfect second period that led the Kansas City Chiefs to a 28-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

The Raiders (1-1) held Mahomes in check for the opening 15 minutes before he carved up an overmatched defense with big play after big play in the second quarter for the Chiefs (2-0).

Mahomes didn’t take long to strike, finding Demarcus Robinson open on a blown coverage for a 44-yard touchdown pass on the first play in the second quarter. He didn’t slow down from there.

After the Raiders opted to punt on a fourth-and-1 near midfield, Mahomes and the Chiefs marched 95 yards and scored when Mahomes found rookie Mecole Hardman on a 42-yard deep strike for his first career catch to give Kansas City a 14-10 lead.

The Chiefs didn’t stop there with Mahomes connecting on two more long TD passes in the final two minutes of the half, a 27-yarder to Travis Kelce and a 39-yarder to Robinson as the absence of injured star Tyreek Hill did little to slow Kansas City.

Mahomes finished 30 for 44 for 443 yards. Robinson had six catches for 172 yards and two scores and Kelce had seven catches for 107 yards and a TD to give the Chiefs their ninth win in the past 10 meetings in this long-time rivalry.

The Raiders had broken out to a 10-0 lead with a field goal on the opening drive and a 4-yard TD pass to Tyrell Williams later in the first quarter. But Carr also threw an interception in the end zone on a pass to Williams in the third quarter and the Raiders didn’t score over the final three periods.

BY THE NUMBERS

Mahomes’ 278 yards passing in the second quarter were the most for a player in any quarter since Drew Brees had 294 in the fourth period against Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2008. Mahomes ended the quarter with a bang, with his last five pass attempts each going for at least 27 yards, with TDs to Hardman, Kelce and Robinson. The streak extended with a 28-yarder to Robinson on the first play of the third quarter before Mahomes finally threw an incompletion.

RECORD SETTER

Carr became the Raiders’ all-time passing leader on a 16-yard pass to Darren Waller in the second quarter, breaking the mark of 19,078 set by Hall of Famer Ken Stabler. Carr finished the day 23 for 38 for 198 yards with one TD and two interceptions. He has 19,196 yards in his career.

INJURIES

Chiefs: LT Eric Fisher left on the opening drive after reinjuring his groin that he hurt in practice on Friday. Cam Erving replaced him.

Raiders: Returner Dwayne Harris injured his left ankle covering a punt in the second quarter and didn’t return.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: host Baltimore in home opener Sunday.

Raiders: begin a long stretch away from home at Minnesota on Sept. 22. Oakland won’t return to the Coliseum until Nov. 3, with four road games, a bye and a “home” game against Chicago in London on Oct. 6.

Reddick has 5 hits, Miley wins 14th as Astros sweep KC

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Wade Miley bounced back from two disastrous starts with six strong innings and Josh Reddick’s five hits included a two-run homer Sunday as the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 12-3, completing a three-game sweep.

Abraham Toro and Reddick each drove in three runs, Kyle Tucker banged a two-run homer and Yuli Gurriel’s solo shot was his 28th homer.

The Astros’ 98th victory tied them for tops in the majors with the New York Yankees, who lost at Toronto. Both are 98-53.

Houston rebounded after getting swept in three games at home by Oakland and got a welcome outing from Miley (14-5), who was knocked out in the first inning in each of his previous two starts. Last Tuesday, the A’s tagged him for seven runs in what became a 21-7 drubbing.

It was Jakob Junis (9-14) who left early on Sunday, allowing five runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing in 77 career starts.

Gurriel homered to open the second, and the Astros later got RBI singles from Toro and Michael Brantley to make it 3-1.

Reddick pulled a two-run homer down the right-field line off reliever Eric Skoglund in the fifth inning for a 7-1 lead. Tucker went the same direction with his two-run shot off Kyle Zimmer in the eighth.

Miley didn’t make it through the first unscathed. Adalberto Mondesi got an infield hit and raced home on Jorge Soler’s first triple of the season, a gapper to right center. Soler has 44 home runs this year, but this was only his third career triple and his first since he was with the Chicago Cubs in 2015.

Miley allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings.

ADVANTAGE ASTROS?

Manager A.J. Hinch said his team should be plenty motivated to finish with the best record in the majors and earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

“We want to win as many games as we can,” Hinch said. “Of course, the home field matters but it’s not an end-all, be-all. There’s a lot that has to happen to get to the finish. It’s important. We’re trying to win every game. Our mentality in (the clubhouse) is really good. … We feel like we have the best team in baseball. That can be represented in the record, sometimes it’s not. We don’t control what the Yankees do or what the Dodgers do or what the Braves are doing. We only control what we’re doing.”

UP NEXT

The Astros, after an open date Monday, return to Houston on Tuesday night for the first of two games against Texas. The Rangers will match RHP Lance Lynn (14-10, 3.72 ERA) with Justin Verlander (18-6, 2.58). Verlander has held opponents to a .168 average, tied with teammate Gerrit Cole for the majors’ best.

The Royals travel to Oakland to open a three-game series Monday night, sending RHP Glenn Sparkman (4-11, 5.94) against RHP Tanner Roark (10-8, 4.01).

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