Hays set another record low Thursday of 15 degrees.
The previous record for Halloween of 18 degrees was set in 1991 and again in 1993. The high Thursday for Thursday was 50 degrees.
Hays also set a record low on Wednesday of 12 degrees.
The forecast for this afternoon is mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a north wind 16 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. The forecast for the weekend is for skies to remain clear with highs in the 50s.
Daylight savings time ends on Sunday. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour. Sunrise on Sunday will be at 7:06 a.m. and sunset will be at 5:34.
KIOWA COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a high-speed chase and crash that sent a Kansas deputy to the hospital.
Mason photo Pratt County
Just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, law enforcement authorities informed officials in Greensburg of a chase with a motorcycle was heading to Kiowa County from Pratt County, according to Sheriff Chris Tedder.
A Kiowa County Sheriff deputy located the red 2001 Honda motorcycle on U.S. 54 at about the 111 milepost and traveling at a high rate of speed.
As officers turned to stop the vehicle, the motorcycle accelerated gaining about a half mile on the deputies and traveled into Greensburg. As deputies caught up with the motorcycle, the driver of lead patrol unit lost control and the vehicle crashed into a drainage ditch, according to Tedder.
The suspect on the motorcycle identified as 18-year-old Isaac Mason of Wisconsin was located at the Ford-Kiowa County line and taken into custody without further incident.
The deputy was transported to Kiowa County Memorial Hospital and he was later transported by ambulance to Wichita, in stable but critical condition. The sheriff did not release the name of the deputy.
Mason is being held in Pratt County on requested charges that include “flee or attempt to elude, five or more moving violations and vehicles; Unlawful Acts; e.g. registration: STAT,” according to online booking records.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Republican candidate in a Kansas congressional race is making impeachment an issue against one of her GOP primary opponents.
Sara Hart WeirAmanda Adkins
Sara Hart Weir has accused GOP rival Amanda Adkins of remaining “eerily silent” on opposing the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
They are seeking the 3rd District seat in the Kansas City area held by freshman Rep. Sharice Davids. Republicans have criticized Davids for supporting the inquiry even though her 2018 victory was seen as a repudiation of Trump by suburban voters.
Weir opposes the impeachment inquiry and suggested Thursday that Adkins is “waiting to see where the wind blows.”
Adkins called the criticism “irrational.” She issued a statement praising Trump and criticizing the “DC circus since Trump’s election” without specifically mentioning impeachment.
Coming off the best season in the program’s NCAA Division II history, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team opens exhibition play for the 2019-20 season Friday when the Tigers travel to Manhattan, Kan. to play Kansas State. First tip is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Bramlage Coliseum, with tickets available for as low as $5.
This is the sixth meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats in exhibition play, with K-State coming away victorious in all five previous contests. This is the third year in a row that FHSU has made the trip to Manhattan for a preseason matchup. The Tigers kept things close in a defensive battle one year ago to the day, leading by as many as nine late in the third quarter before coming up two points short, 48-46 (11/1/18). Kacey Kennett averages 9.5 points per game in two trips to Manhattan.
FHSU and K-State played annually during the infancy of both programs, with the Wildcats leading the regular season series 11-2. The last regular season matchup was played in 1976.
Fort Hays State returns 10 letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 32-2, the most wins in a season during the DII era. The Tigers won both regular season and MIAA tournament titles and reached the regional championship game. Among the returners are three All-MIAA performers in Kacey Kennett (second team), Lanie Page (third team) and Belle Barbieri. Four newcomers, including two transfers and two true freshmen, round out this year’s roster.
Two Tigers have strong K-State ties in Madison Mittie and Lanie Page. Mittie’s father, Jeff Mittie, is in his sixth season as head coach at Kansas State. He has led the Wildcats to the postseason each of the last five seasons, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament and a pair of WNIT appearances. Page played for Mittie two years in Manhattan, redshirting her first year before appearing in 25 games in 2016-17.
K-State returns nine letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 21-12 and qualified for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Peyton Williams and Rachel Ranke were selected as preseason All-Big 12 honorees this season, while Williams and Christianna Carr return after earning All-Big 12 accolades last year. The Wildcats opened exhibition play with a 75-59 win over Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
Suspect in the incident at the Springfield Walmart photo courtesy KYTVDmitriy Andreychenko photo Greene Co.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A man who caused panic at a Missouri Walmart when he walked inside wearing body armor and carrying loaded weapons in what he described as an effort to test his Second Amendment rights has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko pleaded guilty Friday to an amended charge of making a false report. He will likely face two years of probation. He initially was charged with making a terrorist threat.
Police arrested Andreychenko on Aug. 8 after he filmed himself walking through the store with the weapons, prompting shoppers and employees to leave. The incident came just days after 22 people were killed during an attack at another Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
An off-duty firefighter held Andreychenko at gunpoint until officers arrived.
The Kiwanis Club of Hays is now taking orders for poinsettia plants for the Christmas season… beautiful, fresh, Kansas grown poinsettias directly from Stutzman’s Greenhouse in Hutchinson.
Need a gift for someone who is hard to buy for? Poinsettias make great gifts for friends, family, teachers, clients… and many more. Your purchase makes it possible for Kiwanis to support youth activities and organizations in Hays. All profits from this fund-raiser go directly back into the community to support local programs.
Supplies are limited so we encourage you to place your order early. To place an order, go to www.hayskiwanis.org to print the order form or find us on Facebook at Kiwanis Club of Hays, Kansas. Mail your form and check to the address listed on the form. For more information contact Janette Meis at 785-650-7113.
Delivery is available in Hays only. Order deadline is November 21st, delivery on Wednesday, December 4th.
We need new ideas in government. But we also need people that have been there and done it. New ideas combined with institutional knowledge is the best combination to help make local government successful.
Some of the candidates think there should be more new faces. And if the voters want, that could certainly happen. Hays is unique because voters can throw a majority of the Commission out every two years if wanted.
Why should we throw them out? From what I’ve seen, it’s because a small group of people are unhappy with a road project.
The Vine Street corridor project was first discussed with me when the city received word the Ambassador hotel may be closing. At that time, we started having discussions about what the city could do to ensure that the lot could be redeveloped. Even though it is in a desirable location, the access is very poor. Developers would need a protected left turn on to Vine.
A solution for North Vine traffic has been studied for decades but nothing has ever moved forward. Several ideas were pursued before getting where we are today, include a light at 37th/Vine (KDOT required a light removal at the interstate) reverse access roads (expensive, lots of property taken) among others.
Initially, I was not in favor of a roundabout solution. Not because I have a distaste of roundabouts, but because it was a lot of money and I didn’t believe that the problem was big enough to warrant a large expenditure.
As I thought about it more, I began to wonder if Vine has become the place you don’t want to stop because you can’t get back on I-70. I’ve worked in a lot of places in western Kansas, and I tried to think of some place where I don’t stop because of the access. The only place I could think of was the Kwik Shop in Salina on Schilling across from Walmart. Once you get in, you can’t get back out because you can’t make a left turn.
Has Vine become the Schilling Exit of western Kansas? I think it has.
And now we arrive at the upset 37th St. neighborhood. I am sympathetic to them. Change is hard and there’s no way around it, this is going to be a big change. But my sympathy doesn’t mean I agree.
A lot of candidates think we just need to “find a better solution.” I’m all for that. Please, find a better solution. If there is a better solution out there that will impact citizens and businesses less, I’m all for it. (I do enjoy politicians who say we need a better solution and yet never seem to provide a better idea…)
Here are some of the “solutions” that the 37th St. neighborhood initially wanted.
Just close 41st after the antique mall
Close 41st at Country Lane
Make 41st one way to the west only
There were more, but all of the ideas had a common thread of doing what was advantageous for their area while hurting people living on Country Lane or 33rd, not to mention the antique mall on 41st and traffic on 33rd or 41st.
Is traffic going to increase on 37th St? Absolutely. But how much? Looking at the facts, it’s clear to me it’ll be whatever combination of traffic from 33rd and 41st that now decides to use 37th. With multiple stop signs on 37th between Hall and Vine, it’s only going to be local traffic. Why would I use 37th and stop multiple times when I can use 33rd or 41st and not stop at all?
That’s the logical conclusion based on facts and evidence.
One candidate is upset because they, “weren’t listened to.” Well, the Commission did listen. You may have not agreed with their view or what they said, but they did listen.
I listened to a lot of people when I was on the Commission. I spent 3 hours with a room full of upset Realtors when we bought an option on land at Commerce Parkway. I listened to over 20 upset homeowners from around the Blue Sky addition. I listened to a group of upset homeowners on Thunderbird when two of their homes flooded and they believed it was the city’s fault. I listened to multiple people over the lane reductions on Canterbury.
But if a certain candidate is to be believed, I didn’t listen in any of these circumstances except the last, because that’s the only one where I did what the “majority” wanted.
I have no idea what has happened in our culture, but listening doesn’t mean agreeing or bowing down to the loudest. Listening means really reflecting what the other side is saying and then having a conversation. It means looking at the evidence and then coming to a logical conclusion based on that evidence.
Doing what the loudest group wants at the expense of everyone else around them is not leadership.
A Commissioner never acts alone. Elections in Hays are special because when you’re trying to get in the top three, it becomes a campaign about the candidate and what they can do for the whole community. It’s not a campaign against the other guy. Anyone who thinks they will get elected by trashing the other guy may not like it so much when they both get elected and he finds himself in a minority.
Any candidate who is telling you they can single handedly solve your problems while providing no solutions and trashing the other guy has a fundamental misunderstanding of how to get something done. If you just want a loud voice who causes a stir but accomplishes nothing, then that’s your candidate. But if you want real progress, find one who can work with others. When elected, you’re a Commissioner of everyone, not just one neighborhood.
It’s easy to forget how good people have it in Hays. Our sales tax is 8.25%. That compares to 9% in Colby, 8.95% in Garden City, 8.65% in Dodge City, 8.75% in Salina, 9.15% in Topeka, etc… We have the lowest mill levy of anywhere outside Johnson County.
The city has had the same number of employees for years without diminishing services. Hays is spending more than ever on general street maintenance and paying cash to do it. We’ve paid down debt and refinanced what little debt is left to lower interest costs. We have a credit rating in the top 2% of all municipalities in the nation.
The city is so well managed, candidates can now literally campaign on spending city tax dollars on county road projects. Seriously, stop and think about that.
Most importantly, we have city employees who truly care about the city and want to see it succeed. I would put them up against any of their peers in any other city. Hays is very blessed.
The Commissioners are not perfect. I can attest to that. I made a lot of mistakes. But until Jesus is on the ballot, at least consider voting for a candidate who looks at evidence and can work with a others to make a positive change. I know for sure two of those candidates are Henry Schwaller and Ron Mellick. Mason Ruder and Michael Berges appear to have that capacity.
May God Bless the City of Hays.
James Meier, Whitewater Former Hays City commissioner, mayor
Editor’s Note: The deadline for submitting letters to the Post regarding the 2019 election is noon Saturday.
The Hays USD 489 school board will discuss the purchase of three new buses at its work session at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Wilson Elementary School.
The purchase is part of the district’s transportation plan. One of the buses is a gas route bus, and the other two buses will be diesel route buses. The low bid was from Kansas Truck for a total of $279,223, which is $24,777 under budget.
The district’s transportation plan does not have the purchase of cars or Suburbans in the budget for this school year.
Rusty Lindsay, director of buildings and grounds, will give a presentation about infrastructure projects and the capital improvements budget for 2019-20.
The school board will also tour Wilson during its meeting.
Midland Marketing firmly believes in supporting Fort Hays State University and the surrounding community, and the company’s new annual $1,000 Midland Marketing Agriculture Scholarship will support students at Fort Hays State University with a major or minor in agriculture.
“We are fortunate to have a great working relationship with the university, and we are pleased to be growing that relationship this year,” said Kevin Royer, general manager.
Midland Marketing has also established the Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund to support FHSU’s Department of Agriculture with equipment and technology upgrades.
“We had already planned to increase our support of Fort Hays State University, but decided to apply for a matching grant offered through Land O’Lakes that would double the impact of our gift,” said Royer. “Thank you to Land O’Lakes as we’ve secured funding through their matching gift opportunity, and we’re excited about the potential moving forward.”
Discussing FHSU and the agriculture needs of today, Midland Marketing’s Palco coordinator Anna Luna said, “Everything in agriculture is so technology driven. That’s what’s nice about Fort Hays State University – it’s the hands-on opportunity.”
Luna, a 2007 FHSU agriculture graduate, said, “That’s what I love about being a Fort Hays State alum. I, too, had the opportunity to go out into the field and gain real-world, hands-on experiences.”
“By creating the Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund, we’re hoping to increase the opportunities for success within FHSU’s Department of Agriculture,” said Brian Staab, Midland Marketing board president.
“Those in the agriculture business are facing more challenges than ever, and technology integration is critical,” said Staab. “It is Midland Marketing’s belief that students must learn as much agriculture technology as possible, which will not only prepare them for the current industry, but it will enable them to adapt to future technological changes.”
“Currently, only 2 percent of the population is feeding the other 98 percent,” said Dr. Clyde Cranwell, chair of FHSU’s Department of Agriculture and the University Farm superintendent.
“We warn our agriculture freshmen every year that they’re going to be expected to feed a larger population with fewer resources and more government regulations than ever before,” he said. “Thankfully, our students are up to the challenge.”
Cranwell said Midland Marketing’s support is essential because students need to learn ever-changing technologies and how to use them in order to succeed in the field. FHSU, he said, does this with “hands-on” application.
Midland Marketing’s gift, he said, is also timely in another way.
“This gift has fortuitous timing,” said Cranwell. “The opportunity to expand offerings in precision agriculture dovetail well with FHSU President Tisa Mason’s strategic plan for the institution.”
“We are grateful for the support of Midland Marketing,” said Dr. Grady Dixon, interim dean of FHSU’s Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics. “They’re not only impacting students’ lives by offering scholarship support, but they’re helping us to stay ahead of the curve with the latest technologies and equipment.”
Midland Marketing has partnered with Fort Hays State since 1982. The company first sponsored an agriculture scholarship in 1992, and has given $30,000 to support agricultural education at Fort Hays State.
The funds created by Midland Marketing are open-ended, meaning that others can support their specific initiatives by visiting https://foundation.fhsu.edu/donate. Simply type “Midland Marketing Agriculture Scholarship” or “Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund” as the area of designation.
WICHITA — The water coming out of your tap might meet legal standards, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe to drink — at least according to the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy nonprofit.
EWG found that nearly all of the 870 water utilities in Kansas tested for at least one contaminate above what it considers safe, though most water utilities in the state meet federal standards, which are different than EWG’s.
The nonprofit’s latest update to their tap water database comes from testing data submitted to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Generally, the number of contaminants that EWG considers safe is much lower than EPA standards. EWG bases its limits on independent scientific research and public health goals set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
EWG senior scientist Tasha Stoiber said more than half of the contaminants detected in U.S. tap water aren’t regulated by the federal government, things like PFAS (a so-called forever chemical that can accumulate in the body and lead to cancer) and cyanotoxins found in harmful algae blooms. Plus, she said, contaminants that are tracked haven’t been updated in 20 years.
The science that details health impacts of contaminants in drinking water has moved forward during the past two decades, but experts say the political environment has made it difficult to get some policies passed, especially at the EPA.
“One contaminant after the other rises up, but it doesn’t mean we have a strategic, proactive approach for dealing with it,” according to Kristine Kirchoff, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Connecticut.
‘Each one has its own story’
Generally speaking, most water utilities in the state of Kansas meet federal safety standards. Most of the worst offenders — those with contaminant levels higher than the legal limits — are smaller rural water providers.
“Each one has its own story, each one has its own situation that we bring all those tools to bear to try to bring them back into compliance,” said Tom Stiles, who is KDHE’s director of the Bureau of Water.
KDHE is responsible for enforcing the federal Safe Water Drinking Act. Stiles said when the state discovers a higher-than-legal limit for a contaminant, it offers technical assistance, helps find a new place to put a water well and, when able, provides money to update infrastructure.
Safe water violators
In Kansas, 22 utilities have tested above the legal limit for total trihalomethanes. — cancer-causing contaminants that are a byproduct of the disinfection process. EWG noted that the small town of Elmdale, Kansas, near Cottonwood Falls, had the fifth-highest levels of the contaminant in the U.S.
Dealing with the issue is a balancing act: If the source water is of poor quality to begin with, more disinfectant is used in the water treatment process. The more disinfectant that’s used, the more likely a utility is to exceed the legal and safe levels of trihalomethanes.
“The best way, in an ideal world, to improve water quality would be to prevent contaminants from entering source water and needing treatment in the first place,” Stoiber said.
Studies have shown that trihalomethanes increase the risk of developing bladder cancer. It’s also associated with an increased risk for problems during pregnancy.
In Kansas, 791 utilities reported tests with total trihalomethane levels above EWG’s health guidelines (.15 parts per billion, or ppb), which represents a one in 1 million lifetime cancer risk level. The federal guidelines of 80 ppb were established in 1998.
Another major issue in Kansas’ drinking water is nitrate, a chemical fertilizer that’s often a problem in water sources where there’s lots of agricultural production.
Six utilities in Kansas exceed the legal limit for nitrate.
The small towns of Ford in western Kansas, Norwich in south central Kansas, and Elmdale all exceed federal limits too.
One way to reduce the amount of nitrates in a system is to install an expensive reverse osmosis filtration system. But most small towns just struggling to survive can’t afford that.
Ford City Clerk Penny Mcallister said they’ve been working with KDHE to try and solve the issue in other ways that don’t involve spending half a million dollars on reverse osmosis.
But until then, she said, “I’ve learned that it doesn’t pay to worry. Especially on something that I can’t control.”
Brian Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett or email him at grimmett (at) kmuw (dot) org. The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on the health and well-being of Kansans, their communities and civic life.
HARVEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged sex crimes.
Mueller photo Harvey Co.
Ted Mueller, 84, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at his North Newton home on Aug. 1, 2018, according to Police Chief Randy Jordan.
She contacted the North Newton Police Department in January about the incident. Police investigated, submitting their information to the Harvey County Attorney’s Office in February.
“I understand how difficult and traumatizing these incidents are for the individual, but I urge any victim of abuse, please reach out to law enforcement. There are organizations and advocacy groups right here in Harvey County dedicated to helping you. You do not have to do this alone,” said Jordan.
The Harvey County Attorney’s Office charged Mueller with two counts of sexual battery and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct. Mueller has no previous criminal record. Following his arrest, Mueller bonded out of jail, according to online jail records.
1968 Beach 95-B55 involved in the mishap -courtesy photo
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) — No one was injured when the pastor of a Colorado church crashed the small plane he was flying in Kansas.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says emergency crews were called around 10 a.m. Thursday to Freeman Field Airport in Junction City. Investigators determined the accident happened when landing gear malfunctioned on the 1968 Beechcraft 95-B55 that was flown by 55-year-old John Burgess, of Colorado Springs. The report says Burgess and his passenger suffered no apparent injury.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s N-number registry shows the fixed-wing, multi-engine plane is owned by Heritage Pentecostal Church in Colorado Springs. Burgess is the pastor of the church.
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GEARY COUNTY —A small plane was involved in an accident just after 10a.m. Thursday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the landing gear malfunctioned on a 1968 Beach 95-B55 piloted by John E. Burgess, 55, Colorado Springs, CO., at the Freeman Field Airport in Junction City.
Burgess and a passenger Matthew D. Watson, 30, Port Aurthur, Texas, were not injured. The accident remains under investigation.
