RUSSELL — Erratic driving on Interstate 70 east of Hays today resulted in drug arrests in Russell County.
According to a news release from Russell County Sheriff John Fletcher, two vehicles were reported driving recklessly eastbound on I-70 from Hays.
Witnesses reported a white Toyota pickup and a gray Volkswagen Jetta, both with Pennsylvania license plates, were driving side-by-side and blocking traffic on the interstate.
The suspects were seen passing items between the vehicles, and the pickup driver attempted to force the reporting party off the road
Deputies were able to stop the vehicles at Milepost 183 near Russell. The officers and a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper searched the pickup and reportedly found a significant amount of marijuana.
Both the driver and passenger were arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to distribute, and reckless driving. The pickup and drugs were seized.
The car driver was cited for reckless driving and allowed to leave the scene.
111th District Rep. Sue Boldra (R-Hays) greets constituents at Fort Hays State University.
As a longtime educator, State Representative Sue Boldra is concerned about adequate funding for Kansas public schools.
The Hays Republican represents the 111th District and is one of 23 members of the House Education Committee.
The state is awaiting a Kansas Supreme Court ruling regarding K-12 education funding, which could require more dollars to be budgeted, nearly half a billion dollars a year.
Boldra wonders there that money would come from:
Gov. Sam Brownback has said a ruling against the state would likely force legislators to re-examine the formula used to decide how much of the state budget goes to public K-12 education, currently more than 50 percent.
But House Minority Leader Paul Davis (D-Lawrence) believes the problem is the formula has not been properly funded. Davis is running for governor this year.
Boldra supports Gov. Sam Brownback’s recent call for full-time kindergarten. “Early education is key if we’re to grow the Kansas economy and have an educated workforce,” she says.
You can watch the entire interview with Representative Boldra Monday, January 13, at 4p.m. and 7p.m. on Eagle Community TV Channel 14.
The 2014 Kansas legislature opens Monday afternoon in Topeka.
Ellis County Commissioners and other county personnel talk with architect Brad Teeter about cost overruns in the EMS/Rural Fire building project.
“I don’t want to say we’re starting over, but it seems like it.”
That’s the opinion of Ellis County Commission Chairman Dean Haselhorst following a special meeting Friday afternoon via conference call with the architect of the new EMS/Rural Fire Building.
Commissioners recently rejected bids for the project which were nearly $1 million more than the county’s budgeted cost of $3.0 million to $3.2 million. The lowest bid was $3.95 million.
“Our biggest problem is cost overrun,” Haselhorst told architect Brad Teeter of Spangenberg Philliops Tice Architecture, Wichita. “You felt the project costs would be 20 percent higher because Hays is in a rural area, but we’re still way over,” Haselhorst pointed out.
Haselhorst suggested the building be constructed of steel, rather than concrete as planned. Teeter said changing just the garages to steel would save $300,000.
Public Buildings Commission member Tom Wasinger looks at current specs for the new EMS/Rural Fire building.
County Commissioner Swede Holmgren and Special Buildings Projects member Tom Wasinger agreed switching from a concrete building to a metal building is the biggest cost reduction.
“It’s the only thing that will keep us under budget,” said Holmgren.
Haselhorst also expressed displeasure that changes made in the project specifications which he and the other commissioners had not seen before the bids were let. “I feel like I’ve let the public down, when I can’t answer their questions about what’s changed.”
“I want you to communicate with us and County Administrator Greg Sund every two weeks with changes that are made as we go along,” Haselhorst directed Teeter.
“It’s going to delay the project again, but I don’t think any taxpayer is going to mind,” predicted Haselhorst.
“We don’t need to build the Taj Mahal in Hays,” said Holmgren. “We do need what keeps our emergency responders safe.”
The group gathered around the conference table also told County Administrator Greg Sund they’re amenable to the architect’s list of proposed items to cut, reducing costs another $400,000. They agreed plans for a basement should remain in place.
The new building, to be constructed at 22nd and General Hays Road, will be funded by a five year, one-half-cent county sales tax approved by voters.
Commissioner Barbara Wasinger was absent from the special meeting.
TOPEKA — Commissioner Shari Feist Albrechthas been elected to serve as Chair of the Kansas Corporation Commission, according to a news release issued today by the KCC.
Shari Albrecht was elected KCC chairwoman today by her fellow commissioners.
Albrecht was appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback and has served on the commission since August 2012.
Prior to the KCC, Albrecht served as Associate Chief Counsel at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, where she worked since 1993.
Albrecht is a licensed attorney who earned her B.A. at the University of Kansas and her J.D. at Washburn University School of Law. She was previously a supervisor of the Environmental Practice Group of the KDHE, and has served as a Director for the Oil and Gas Conservation Division with the Kansas Corporation Commission.
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and serve staggered four-year terms. State law provides that no more than two of the three commissioners may belong to the same political party. The Commission acts as an independent regulatory agency with authority to render judgments and decisions on regulated utilities. Nominations are subject to approval by the Kansas Senate.
Topeka — The Kansas Department of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2014 Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award, which is presented to a single Kansas business for excellence in international trade and marketing.
According to a news release, the winner of the 26th annual installment of the award will be announced in June during Business Appreciation Month.
Nominated companies will be evaluated on the totality of their international efforts. Qualifications include:
Number and/or percentage increase in jobs due to international activities
Innovations in global marketing
Number of countries exported to
Effective use of international distributors
Long-range international strategies and prospects for future growth
Commitment to the state and local community
Foreign language promotional materials and general promotional activities
Trade shows and/or international expositions
Businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by any other organization or individual. Visit KansasCommerce.com/Exporterto learn more about the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award and to download nomination forms.
Fort Hays State University is the top university in Kansas and one of the elite universities in the nation for the quality of its online education programs, according to a just-completed survey by U.S. News & World Report, a prominent national news magazine.
In a news release today from FHSU, it was also noted that online courses and degrees offered by Fort Hays State through its Virtual College are less expensive than every one of the universities that were ranked as high or higher than FHSU in the survey. The costs per credit hour were determined in a review by FHSU staff of university websites independent of the U.S. News survey.
U.S. News, which produces one of the most popular general rankings of colleges and universities, released today its third annual national rankings that specifically target online education. As in the previous two years, FHSU was among the leaders out of the thousands of public and private universities in the United States.
The news magazine evaluated online higher education in six categories: bachelor’s programs generally and master’s programs in business, education, engineering, nursing and computer information technology. FHSU offers online bachelor’s courses and master’s courses in business, education and nursing.
Based on the statistical data provided to U.S. News by FHSU, all four programs were rated highly:
· For online bachelor’s degrees, FHSU ranked 16th.
· For online master’s degrees in education, FHSU ranked 20th.
· For online master’s degrees in business, FHSU ranked 64th.
· For online master’s degrees in nursing, FHSU ranked 71st.
FHSU was the top ranked university in the state of Kansas for each category except online nursing, where the University of Kansas was ranked 24th.
The criteria used by U.S. News included student engagement; faculty credentials and training; peer reputation; student services and technology; and admissions selectivity.
“Fort Hays State was a pioneer in incorporating modern technology into our curriculum and using it to make higher education available at a distance, so we expect to excel in surveys like this one,” said Dr. Edward H. Hammond, FHSU president.
Hammond also noted that while it was not part of the survey, FHSU has emphasized academic rigor from the beginning in the development and delivery of its online courses.
The president and Dennis King, director of the Virtual College, also pointed out that in addition to high quality, FHSU offers exceptionally low tuition to its online students.
“We are in the lowest one percent nationally in terms of online tuition,” King said. “This survey further proves our claim that FHSU students are getting a top tier education at the most affordable price.”
Ellis County Commissioners will meet in special session Friday afternoon for a conference call with the new Rural Fire/EMS building project architect.
Possible building component changes will be discussed with architect Brad Teeter of Spangenberg Phillips Tice Architecture, Wichita.
Commissioners recently rejected all bids for the new Rural Fire/EMS building and the remodeling of the building at 718 Main for a new Administrative Center. Each bid was more than what the county had budgeted.
In a memo to commissioners, Ellis County Administrator Greg Sund suggested “the next time we bid this project we make sure we safely fit under the budgeted amount by approving cuts that reduce the estimated cost to $3.0 million to $3.2 million. My reasoning in this case is that although our low bid was $3.95 million, all of the other bids were over $4.0 million.”
“We shouldn’t assume that new bids will match the low bid range.”
Artist’s original drawing of the proposed EMS/Rural Fire building
Sund said if substantial cuts are made to the project, “then we can have alternates allowing us to add back things that may be desirable but were cut due to cost overrun concerns.”
According to Sund, Commission Chairman Dean Haselhorst plans to tour the Ford County EMS/Fire Building in Dodge City to see how it compares with Ellis County’s plan.
Rural Fire Chief Dick Klaus has said he’d be willing to standardize the garage doors and make the fire side doors 12 feet wide rather than 14 feet in order to reduce costs.
The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball conference room at 718 Main.
Topeka — The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) has implemented 12 new business licensing guides and updates to existing guides.
“As KDA works to encourage farms, ranches and other agriculture businesses to expand in or relocate to Kansas, the KDA Agriculture Advocacy, Marketing and Outreach team identified that understanding the application and regulatory process for establishing a new business can be overwhelming,” said Acting Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey in a news release.
“These business licensing guides were developed to assist people in building and operating successful businesses.”
The new licensing guides cover agritourism destinations; feed and pet food sales; fertilizer sales, blending and storage; food wholesale and distribution; greenhouses; nurseries and garden stores; home kitchens used for retail food sales; livestock markets and sales; lodging facilities; microbreweries; mobile food units; pesticide applicators, sales and businesses; poultry farm and egg sales; and seed sales.
More information about all 24 business licensing guides is available on the KDA website.
Low-flow showerheads utilize 1.5 gallons of water per minute while typical showerheads use 2.5 gpm.
ELLIS — The city of Ellis declared a Stage 3 Water Emergency in March because of low water levels in the city’s wells. Persistent drought and lack of rainfall have contributed to depletion of the Big Creek Aquifer, the city’s only water source.
Hoping to encourage Ellis residents to use less water, the city has implemented a free showerhead exchange. The average person uses 80 to 120 gallons of water per day — with the largest amount used in the bathroom.
The showerhead exchange was developed by a seven-member team of Fort Hays State University Leadership Studies students joining city leaders with ideas for promoting water conservation in Ellis.
“The FHSU team ‘Water for the Heartland’ gave away about 40 low-flow showerheads during last month’s Follow the Star craft fair,” said Ellis Assistant City Clerk Charlene Weber. “They were exchanged for the showerheads currently used in residents’ homes.”
Another 10 or so showerheads have been exchanged at city hall.
“You can choose between chrome or white,” Weber said. “We’re also giving away aerators for kitchen faucets.”
Ellis residents exchanging a regular showerhead for a low-flow head will also get an aerator
“The ‘price’ for the free devices is filling out a water conservation survey, which includes tips for using less water inside a home and outdoors, ” she said.
Weber plans to work with another FHSU Leadership 310 team next month to organize a community water festival this spring.
“We’ll continue to build on the program and offer more water conservation education and information about landscape xeriscaping, which uses little to no water,” she said.
Ellis city officials are examining ideas for obtaining alternate water sources, but most options would take years to implement and cost upwards of $10 million.
Workers remove Christmas decorations in downtown WaKeeney Tuesday.
WAKEENEY — Workers took advantage of Tuesday’s warm temperatures to take down the city of WaKeeney’s Main Street Christmas decorations.
Crews from the WaKeeney Public Works Department, Midwest Energy,Western Electric Cooperative and the Kansas Department of Transportation started at 9:30 a.m. and continued through mid-afternoon.
It takes a while to remove the once-fresh greenery, wooden stars and bells, and thousands of feet of electrical cords, which span several city blocks.
About 3,500 colored bulbs are used in WaKeeney’s Christmas decorations along Main Street.
There are about 3,500 colored bulbs in the decorations, according to Public Works employee Pat Deaver.
“We put it all up the week before Thanksgiving,” he said, “and that process takes a lot longer than taking them down.”
WaKeeney Public Works employee Pat Deaver removes colored bulbs from the city’s Christmas decorations.
The Christmas decorations are stored in the former courthouse.
WaKeeney is known as the “Christmas City of the High Plains.”
Supporters of the annual Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs want to encourage and mentor young storytellers.
“Live storytelling is the art that is so refreshingly personal in a technology-heavy culture, ” contends one of last year’s attendees.
A new student workshop, #mystory, will be introduced this Saturday, January 11, at the Downs Depot.
Professional storyteller Joyce Slater, Kansas City
“#mystory a workshop for students, middle school through high school,” explains festival coordinator Glennys Doane in a news release.
The pilot session will be taught by Joyce Slater, a professional storyteller from Kansas City who has appeared at the annual Kansas Storytelling Festival and has extensive experience working with young storytellers through schools and libraries.
Students can expect to learn how to develop stories from a favorite memory, a toy, a person, or experience, as well as understand and practice the skills of delivering a story to an audience. The individuality of each story and making a connection with an audience are tools that will be pursued.
“This outreach is natural extension of continuing the storytelling tradition from one generation to another,” says Doane.
The public is invited to the evening performance of stories beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Depot, following the afternoon workshop which starts at 1:00 p.m.
Contact [email protected] or Glennys Doane at 785.545.5105 for details or registration for Saturday’s event.
State Rep. Sue Boldra, R-Hays, hopes the upcoming Kansas legislative session is less contentious than last year.
Boldra represents the 111th District and serves on the House Education Committee. She’s a retired Hays High School government teacher and is now a teacher education professor at Fort Hays State University.
“We have much to do,” she says:
Last year, a three-judge panel ruled the Kansas Legislature is violating the state Constitution by underfunding public schools. The Kansas Supreme Court, which heard an appeal, is expected to make a ruling early this year.
The 2014 legislative session opens Monday in Topeka.
RUSSELL — Erratic driving on Interstate 70 east of Hays today resulted in drug arrests in Russell County.
