Please visit haysusa.com to browse and explore all of the new content including an expanded home page with current news and project information.
The new website also has a “Notify Me” feature that will soon replace these Nixle notifications. The Notify Me sign-up page can be found on our home page under “How Do I” and then “Sign Up For”, “Notifications / Notify Me”. From there you can sign up for email or text messages to notify you on topics of your choice.
The current Nixle notifications will no longer be used starting March 1st, so we invite you to sign up for Notify Me soon!
TOPEKA — The House Committee on Education recently discussed a bill that aims to prevent and prohibit bullying in schools through policies and procedures in accordance with state law.
Rep. Adam Thomas
House Bill No. 2330 would create three new sections of law and amend the current bullying statute in place. The amendment redefines bullying, harassment and cyberbullying and includes the requirement of the adoption of a policy to prohibit these forms of bullying. It contains detailed provisions for how investigations of reports are to be handled and lists appropriate responses to bullying behavior. The bill also requires any student or staff member who witnesses or has reliable information regarding bullying, harassment or cyberbullying to make an initial report within 24 hours.
W. Thomas Gilman, a lawyer from Wichita, gave a testimony about his friend’s daughter who committed suicide after being continuously bullied and the lack of action from her school. From spitting on her to putting gum on her hair, Gilman described the substantial impact it had on the family, as well as the missed opportunities the school could have taken to prevent it all.
“I’m here after promising her parents that I will not give up,” Gilman said last Wednesday. “Please do not let this continue. This is a time to say ‘alright, let’s have our students protected.’”
Opposition to the bill was argued through the ambiguous definition of bullying and that it is a people problem, not a policy problem.
“We’re not going to solve all of the problems in the world, but this policy is a step forward,” Rep. Adam Thomas (R-Olathe), the sponsor of the bill, said in response.
Mark Dessetti, a lobbyist for the Kansas National Education Association, suggested legislature create a task force to take on the bullying epidemic, similar to the Alzheimer’s and dyslexia task force. Rep. Brenda Dietrich supported the suggestion as well.
“You’re not destined to succeed the way you want unless the whole community is involved,” Dessetti said.
Chairman Steve Huebert delayed any decisions, proposing to adjust the bill in future legislature meetings as well as consider forming a task force.
“I don’t want this to be just a conversation. Let’s get something done for our kids,” said Rep. Mark Samsel (R-Wellsville).
Paige Henderson is a University of Kansas senior from Lenexa majoring in journalism.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a man lost money in an online scam.
The 38-year-old man had used Twitter to communicate with someone he believed was a woman named “Kira,” according to Salina Police Detective Sergeant David Villanueva.
“Kira” used the social media app to tell the victim she wanted to visit him. She needed him to buy and send her agent a pair of $100 Amazon gift cards, $400 in ITunes gift cards and an additional $600 in iTunes gift cards to assist her with travel from New York to Salina.
On Monday, the victim told police he decided the incident was a scam when he discovered that a $2,050 deposit into his bank account was fraudulent, according to Villanueva.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican bill that would have threatened prison for doctors who don’t try saving the life of infants born alive during abortions. The measure seemed doomed from the start but offered the GOP a chance to appeal to conservative voters.
The vote was the latest instance in which Republicans have tried to go on offense on the issue and put Democratic abortion-rights lawmakers in an uncomfortable position. Supporters said the measure presented lawmakers with a simple, moral choice.
On Tuesday morning, Kansas First District congressman Roger Marshall spoke at the Born Alive Act press conference and is critical of the outcome of the vote by those in the U.S. Senate.
“I want to ask each and every one of my colleagues whether or not we’re OK with infanticide,” said the measure’s chief sponsor, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.
Opponents, noting the rarity of such births and citing laws already making it a crime to kill newborn babies, said the bill was unnecessary. They said it is part of a push by abortion opponents to curb access to the procedure and intimidate doctors who perform it, and said late-term abortions generally occur when the infant is considered incapable of surviving after birth.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a leading Democrat on health issues, said the measure would force women to accept “care that may directly conflict with your wishes at a deeply personal, often incredibly painful moment in your life — because politicians in Washington decided their beliefs mattered more than yours.”
Senators voted 53-44 for Sasse’s bill — seven votes short of the 60 needed to end Democratic delaying tactics aimed at derailing the measure.
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Doug Jones of Alabama and Joe Manchin from West Virginia were the only lawmakers to cross party lines as Democrats demonstrated anew that even in the minority, they can derail abortion-related bills.
Several dozen House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stood on the Senate floor during the vote, just as a contingent of House Democrats did last month during a crucial vote on ending the government shutdown. Republicans control the Senate by 53-47.
President Donald Trump reacted to the vote while en route to his summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, tweeting: “This will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress. If there is one thing we should all agree on, it’s protecting the lives of innocent babies.”
Only 1 percent of all abortions occur after 21 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Abortions during the final weeks are rarer still.
Doctors’ and abortion-rights groups say it is extremely unusual for live infants to be born during attempted late-term abortions, which they say usually occur when the baby is extremely deformed or deemed unable to survive after birth. In such cases, families sometimes decide they want to induce labor so they can spend time with the infant before it dies.
“It only happens in instances in which we know that the baby will not ultimately survive, and a choice has been pre-made to provide just comfort care” to the baby so the parents can be with it, said Dr. Colleen McNicholas, a fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
If an infant is born alive during an abortion, Sasse’s bill would require doctors to render “the same degree” of care used for any birth. The baby would have to be immediately sent to a hospital.
Doctors who violate those requirements and other medical staffers who don’t report violations could face fines and up to five years in prison. Doctors who intentionally kill a child born alive after an abortion would face prosecution under federal murder statutes — potentially a death penalty or life in prison.
Republicans in the Democratic-run House plan to try forcing a vote on a similar measure this spring. They will employ a seldom-used tactic, a petition requiring signatures from most House members to succeed. The GOP is expected to fall well short of the 20 Democratic supporters they’d need.
Republicans, eager to put congressional Democrats from swing states in an uneasy political spot, have been pouncing on the issue since it arose earlier this year in Virginia and New York.
Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist, spoke favorably in January about state legislation to ease restrictions on late-term abortions. He said “a discussion would ensue” between doctors and the family over what to do if an infant is born who is badly deformed or incapable of living. Northam has since faced pressure to resign over a racist photo that appeared in his 1984 medical school yearbook.
Trump has criticized a new abortion law in New York that permits abortions of a viable fetus after 24 weeks of pregnancy if the mother’s life is in danger — codifying conditions specified by U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
Hays USD 489 school board members Luke Oborny and Sophia Rose Young inspect an iPad and Chromebook at the board’s meeting Monday night. The board is considering purchasing new computers for Hays Middle School.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Some Hays USD 489 school board members are questioning the need for touchscreens as a feature on computers for the Hays Middle School students.
The board was set to vote on the replacement of 680 computers at HMS at its meeting on Monday. The purchase is part of a four-year rotation of computer buying for the district.
The district technology committee looked at three different devices for the HMS students.
These included replacing the school’s iPads with new iPads. Over four years, the computers would cost $254,320, which is less than the $290,000 the district budgeted for replacement.
Chromebooks with the same capabilities would cost $317,612 with a significantly lower resale value at the end of four years. A Windows device was significantly above budget at a cost of $344,071.
If the district bought iPads, the technology committee planned on not buying new devices for teachers. The district also would not have to pay for professional learning time if it stayed with the iPads.
The technology committee conducted a study this fall on the use of Chromebooks at HMS, in an elementary classroom and at the Learning Center. After the study, the committee concluded the iPads better met the learning needs of the district’s students.
Members of the board still questioned if the iPads were the correct purchase for the district.
Board member Paul Adams said, “I am interested, and the other board members are, in the reasons touch is such a vital need.”
Adams wanted to know what touchscreens were being used for besides annotation while reading.
“It’s not what you want; it’s what you are using,” he said.
Nineteen HMS teachers out of 32 indicated in a survey PDF annotation was important to students mastering learning objectives.
Board member Luke Oborny suggested staff email teachers to gather more information about how the touchscreens are being used in their classrooms.
Scott Summers, technology director, said teachers provide worksheets to students via their tablets, and they use the touchscreen to write with a stylus or draw with their finger to complete those assignments. The teachers then use the touchscreens to grade the worksheets.
Superintendent John Thissen also said during an Eagle Morning Show interview Tuesday, teachers use a variety of free educational game apps that are touchscreen based.
The technology committee checked with other similar-sized schools to see what type of devices they were using.
Board member Lance Bickle noted 15 of 23 of the schools were using Chromebooks.
“If there was a big price discrepancy or a difference in there … We are not the only district that struggles with cost. I’m just curious of what they are doing differently that we are not seeing,” he said.
Bickle added, “At the end of the day, I am merely looking at this from a cost standpoint. That is the biggest part I have struggled with, especially seeing this list. I know that most of these other districts are not using touch. I am just trying to see how they are getting around it. I am sure there are advantages and pros and cons each way. I don’t know what those are.”
Bickle also questioned if district needed video editing software on all of the devices in the school. The editing software is included on the iPads but would have to purchased for the Chromebooks.
Board member Greg Schwartz said he thought the district is spending too much from the capital outlay budget on technology.
“In the time we have started the one-to-one initiative at the high school to now, I think we have spent probably between $15 to $20 million on technology. All of it is coming out of the capital outlay fund. The next item on our agenda is to look at the bond issue. If I am right and it is $20 million, that’s an elementary school.
“You could have had an elementary school that is still here and around as we are seeing most of our stuff last three years and it is worth between $10 and $60. It really has zero value. There were educational uses for that, and hopefully the students learned and got some benefits back out of that, but I am still waiting for that study that definitively shows our investment in technology is paying back dividends.”
Schwartz also questioned if other districts were paying for their technology out of capital outlay.
The board is set to reconsider the computer purchase at its March 25 meeting.
PRATT – In a continuing effort to monitor the prevalence and spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Kansas deer, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has collected and tested samples from 360 deer so far this year. Thirty-seven of those samples were confirmed positive. The targeted region for sampling deer taken by hunters this year was southwestern Kansas. However, sick or suspect deer observed in other parts of the state were also tested, and KDWPT recommends that hunters who take deer in counties where CWD is known to occur have their deer tested, as well.
The 37 confirmed positives came from deer taken in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Thomas, Sheridan, Gove, Rooks, Osborne, Scott, Lane, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Ford, Edwards, Stafford, Reno, and Pratt counties. While most positives are still coming from northwest Kansas, new counties were added to the list this year, including several that show the disease’s spread to the south and east – Haskell, Edwards, Pratt, Osborne, and Reno.
Testing History
CWD infects members of the deer family, including whitetail and mule deer, elk and moose. CWD testing in Kansas began in 1996 to help track the occurrence of the disease in the state’s wild deer, and more than 28,000 tissue samples have undergone lab analysis since. The first CWD occurrence documented in a wild Kansas deer was a whitetail doe killed by a hunter in 2005 in Cheyenne County. To date, 216 deer have tested positive, and most have occurred in a region that includes Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties.
Current Research
Although research about the disease is ongoing, currently there is no cure, vaccine or other biological method of preventing CWD. And while recent news has reported a potential vaccine based on research that indicated the disease may be caused by spiroplasma bacteria, attempts to duplicate that research have been unsuccessful, and many CWD researchers remain skeptical of the findings. Currently, the only tool to prevent the spread of CWD is to restrict the transport of deer and deer carcasses, especially from areas where it is known to occur. Once the infective particle (a mis-folded protein called a prion) is deposited into the environment – either through an infected carcass or from a live animal – it may exist for decades or more, capable of infecting a healthy deer.
While CWD is always fatal to infected deer and elk, humans have never been known to contract the disease. CWD is a member of the group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other diseases in this group include scrapie in sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
The Disease
CWD is a progressive, fatal disease that results in small holes developing in the brain, giving it a sponge-like appearance under the microscope. While deer may carry the disease for up to two years without showing any outward signs, in latter stages a deer may exhibit decreased brain function and display a droopy head, staggering, loss of appetite, and a lack of response to people. It is advised that hunters who take deer from areas where CWD has been found have their deer tested whether or not they exhibited any symptoms. KDWPT staff ask that any sick deer or elk observed with symptoms listed above be reported to the nearest KDWPT office or the KDWPT Emporia Research and Survey Office, 620-342-0658.
Hunters can help protect the health of the Kansas deer herd and slow CWD’s spread by properly disposing of deer carcass waste. The best way is to bone the deer out in the field, taking only the meat, antlers with skullcap and hide. Online electronic check-in is available to allow hunters to transport boned out deer taken with whitetail antlerless permits. If this is not possible, dispose of carcass waste by double-bagging it and taking it to a landfill. Landowners can also bury carcass waste on their own property.
The Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, www.cwd.info.org, maintains an online clearinghouse of information about the disease. More information is also available at www.ksoutdoors.com.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to 80 months in federal prison for acting as a courier to deliver more than three pounds of methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Demetrius Summerson, 28, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted that FBI agents had him under surveillance when he delivered more than 3.6 pounds of methamphetamine to a buyer in Lenexa, Kan. The buyer paid Summerson $10,000.
Summerson was working as a distributor for a drug trafficking organization operating in Johnson and Wyandotte counties that was obtaining methamphetamine from a provider in Michoacan, Mexico.
The media reports that many fiscal issues confront Governor Laura Kelly and the 2019 Legislature.An unreported vital issue is funding of the Kansas Water Plan (KWP).
For Fiscal Year 2019, the Governor recommends a State General Fund (SGF) Transfer of $2.75 million and an Economic Development Initiative (EDIF) Transfer of $0.5 million, totaling $3.25 million for the Kansas Water Plan. This amount is woefully inadequate.
I respectfully request Kansans to ask their legislators to take the following actions with respect to the KWP in Fiscal Year 2020 and thereafter:
To fully restore the $6 million State General Fund Transfer and $2 million Economic Development Initiatives Fund Demand Transfer, totaling $8 million in Fiscal Year 2020 and thereafter.
To fully recover the denied SGF Transfers and EDIF Demand transfers totaling over $77 million since their statutory establishment by the Legislature in 1989.
To support the dedication of 1/10 of 1 percent of state sales tax revenue to provide a more adequate, reliable, and long-term financial support of the Kansas Water Plan.
To support a required super majority vote, for example 80 percent, of the Legislature to transfer monies from the KWP to non-KWP purposes.
The “2019 Kansas Water Authority Annual Report to the Governor and Legislature” contains useful information. For example, pages 12 and 13 show in feet the 2017-2018 groundwater level changes and the years remaining until 0% reservoir storage occurs.
It also shows past year’s progress in meeting the challenges, which is appreciated.But much more and faster progress is needed to resolve challenges. Kansans can access the “Report” by typing “Kansas Water Office” in the search box of their computers.
Kansans are continuing to lose their surface and ground waters. They can reverse these trends by asking their legislators to take the above actions.
At 3:26 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, the Ellis County Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at 2670 E. Ninth St.
Upon arrival, heavy smoke was found coming from a metal storage building.
Fire crews made entry into the building and found multiple vehicles inside the structure, with one being on fire.
Firefighters used two fire attack lines to extinguish the fire and keep the fire to the vehicle of origin.
The building and other vehicles inside suffered extensive smoke damage.
The fire was reported out at 4:03 p.m. and under control at 4:13 p.m. at which times fire crews were starting to be released from the scene.
Midwest Energy was contacted to shut off utilities to the building. Fire crews remained on scene until 6:05 p.m. to assist the Ellis County Sheriff’s office with the fire investigation.
The employees of the business did a great job to keep the building closed. Keeping the doors shut slowed fire growth and stopped fire spread to the building and other vehicles inside.
Thirty-three firefighters from the Ellis County Fire Department (Hays, Ellis, Victoria, and Munjor) responded to assist. The fire was located within the automatic aid program area and the Hays Fire Department responded with an additional seven firefighters.
The ECFD was also assisted by the Ellis County EMS, Sheriff’s deputies, and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Firefighters are on scene at a fire in a commercial building at 2670 E. Ninth St.
According to scanner reports, everyone was able to escape the building.
Crews reported at least one vehicle on fire inside the building.
Crews were starting to be dismissed from the scene as of 4:30 p.m.
Watch the Hays Post for more information as it becomes available.
The Fort Hays State University Student Veterans Association in conjunction with the Hays Recreation Commission is proud to announce the kickoff of a project to give back to the community.
The SVA is starting an all-donation-based sports equipment locker to be located at the Hays Recreation Commission building.
The purpose of the Area Youth Equipment Locker is to provide new or gently used, sports equipment to those youth in our community that may not be afforded the opportunity to purchase sports equipment otherwise.The AYEL will not charge for the equipment that a child receives; however, we do request those participating in the program either bring in a piece of sports equipment that they are no longer using or return the equipment they take if it is still in good working condition.
Student Veterans Association is asking for the help of the community in providing some gently used equipment to help get us started or a monetary donation that can be dropped off at HRC marked attn: Area Youth Equipment Locker or AYEL.
The Student Veterans Association is just coming off a fundraiser that raised $2,500 for scholarships for veterans and current service members to take classes at FHSU.
The kickoff for AYEL fundraising will be a 50/50 raffle at the basketball game on Thursday when the Fort Hays State Tigers take on the Lions of Missouri Southern. A portion of the proceeds raised by the SVA will go to pay fees at the rec commission for the children whose families cannot afford to do so, the other half will go to one lucky winner at the game.
The goal of this program is to help make children’s lives a little better.
“We will never know the full impact of the AYEL.If a child receives a pair of cleats from the AYEL, gains confidence, becomes a world-famous soccer player, and changes the lives of others it is a big win!!!If a child receives a pair of cleats from the AYEL, and that child smiles, it is just as big of a win!!!” the SVA said in a news release.
“Please help us to start creating smiles for all those children in our community that may need it.We are looking for sports equipment for all ages for both boys and girls alike,” the release said.
See the following list of locations that will have a drop box for equipment.Continue checking for more drop off locations as the group is hoping this list continues to grow.
The Student Veterans Association would love your support on this community project.If you would like any further information, you can send an email to [email protected].
Logan County NRCS and KSRE’s Golden Prairie District are co-hosting a prescribed burn workshop from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 8 at the Northwest Educational Service Center at 703 W. 2nd St. in Oakley.
The workshop will focus on safe and effective means of burning the land that you manage. Topics include reasons for burning, regulations, weather considerations, liability, burn contractors, equipment and crew, hazards, fuels, firebreaks, fire types and behavior, ignition techniques, and burn plans.
This workshop is open to the public. There is a $25 fee for admission, which includes meals and materials. Registration is requested by calling Dana Charles at 785-672-3841 by March 1 or by visiting goldenprairie.ksu.edu.
K-State Research and Extension is a statewide network of educators sharing unbiased, research-based information and expertise on issues important to Kansas. Learn more at ksre.k-state.edu.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have wedded a popular proposal to cut taxes on groceries to a GOP income tax relief bill in hopes of winning over skeptical colleagues and making Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly think harder about vetoing it.
The House Taxation Committee endorsed its expanded tax relief bill Monday on a voice vote, sending the legislation to the full chamber for debate, possibly later this week. The Senate approved its version earlier this month, but as a measure aimed at keeping individuals and businesses from paying higher state income taxes because of federal income tax changes at the end of 2017.Top Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature see income tax relief — and returning what they call an unexpected revenue “windfall” — as a top priority . But their plan would thwart the new Democratic governor’s plans to boost spending on public schools and expand the state’s Medicaid health coverage for the needy.
Kelly has urged legislators to wait until at least next year to pursue changes in tax laws, but she also said repeatedly during her campaign for governor last year that she wanted to lower the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax on groceries to help poor and middle-class families. The idea also has strong bipartisan support.
“That had been a hot button across the state,” said House committee Chairman Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican. “That is one that has broad appeal.”
Kelly and her staff have called the GOP income tax relief proposals irresponsible, and Democrats have criticized the package as a corporate give-away. She hasn’t said explicitly that she would veto them, but her comments and those of her aides have lawmakers in both parties expecting her to do so.
“While the governor strongly supports reducing the sales tax on food, she knows it is critical that we first stabilize the state’s budget before we make changes to the tax code,” Kelly spokeswoman Ashley All said after the committee’s vote.
Rep. Jim Gartner, of Topeka, the Taxation Committee’s top Democrat, said Republicans are trying to box Kelly in by adding the provision to cut the sales tax on groceries to 5.5 percent, starting in October. Kansas is among only a handful of states imposing its full sales tax on groceries.
“I don’t think it’s going to make it any more palatable because of the mix,” Gartner told reporters after the committee’s vote.
The federal tax overhaul in 2017, championed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, cut federal income taxes for individuals and businesses but included provisions expected to raise revenues in some states and lower it in others. Kansas’ tax code is tied to the federal tax code.
This year’s bill in Kansas would save its taxpayers $208 million during the state budget year that begins in July.
The cut in the sales tax on groceries would save consumers about $44 million during the state’s next budget year, but the committee also added a provision to help Kansas collect more sales taxes on internet sales.
A key part of the bill would prevent thousands of individuals from losing itemized deductions on their state forms. State law now prevents people from itemizing on their state returns if they do not on their federal returns, and the federal changes discouraged itemization. The change would save individuals about $50 million during the next budget year.
Even with the cut in the sales tax on groceries, most of the tax relief still would go to corporations during the next budget year — $137 million, or 66 percent of the total. The federal tax changes included provisions preventing corporations from sheltering income and assets outside the U.S. that would otherwise lead to Kansas and other states taxing foreign income.
CITY OF HAYS
