Tornadoes most often occur in Kansas during the spring months.  But they can, and do, strike year round.

That’s the reminder from National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Hutton of Dodge City.  He was in Hays Wednesday night for the annual NWS Severe Weather and Spotter presentation along with Ellis County Emergency Mangement.

Hutton says the last year’s tornado season started early in Kansas–February 28. The season’s sole fatality occurred in Harveyville that day.

The day with the most tornadoes in Kansas was April 14.  There were 43 tornadoes; 12 of those were in Rush County.

The final tornado of the season was September 17 in Shawnee County.

50 tornado-related injuries were reported in 2012.

In Ellis County since 1950, the National Weather service has recorded 53 tornadoes with only 6 injuries and no deaths.

Ellis County 4-H Day is an annual event where individuals and teams of 4-H members make public presentations about their project work.  Categories include demonstrations, project talks, speeches, skits, music and readings.

Kate Pope of the Bits and Spurs 4-H Club presented her project talk “My Horse Lena,” for which she earned a blue ribbon. Not quite enough to go on to regional competition however.

The Regional Blue Ribbon award winners will compete next Friday, March 22 at Hays High School beginning at 5p.m.

“We’ll have 4-H’ers from a six- county area participating,” says Ellis County Extension 4-H & Youth Agent Susan Schlichting.   “Trego, Graham, Norton, Rooks, Phillips and Ellis.  The public is welcome to come out and watch.  It’s free and a really great showcase of 4-H in action.”

REGIONAL BLUE RIBBON QUALIFIERS:

* Junior-intermediate demonstrations/illustrated talks — Colton Vajnar, Good Hope; Aubry Appelhans, Bits & Spurs. Alternates: Kirk Huser, Bits & Spurs; Dustin Rajewski, Gemini Juniors.

* Senior demonstrations/illustrated talks — Anthony Walters, Buckeye Junior Farmers; Katie Weisenborn, Gemini Juniors. Alternates: Kristina Herl, Bits & Spurs; Lisa Quinn, Shooting Sports.

* Public speaking — Mesa Eckroat, Bits & Spurs; Kristina Herl, Bits & Spurs. Alternates: Conrad Vajnar, Good Hope; Konner Buxton, Bits & Spurs.

* Junior-intermediate project talks — Anna Kuhn, Ellis Sunflowers; Jaylinn Pfeifer, Bits & Spurs. Alternates: Emma Pope, Bits & Spurs; Jacob Schmeidler, Buckeye Junior Farmers.

* Readings — Katy Walters, Buckeye Junior Farmers; Ross Eckroat, Bits & Spurs. Alternates: Grace Pope, Bits & Spurs; Melany Huser, Victoria Vikings.

* Senior instrumental solo — Katie Weisenborn, Gemini Juniors.

* Junior instrumental solo — Katy Walters, Buckeye Junior Farmers. Alternate: Zoe Buffington, Good Hope.

* Other talent — Rylee Torline, Ellis Sunflowers.

* Skits — Buckeye Junior Farmers.

 

Even a preschooler can be taught about the value of money, and at age 5, a child should understand at least 17 ways to save money.  That’s according to “America Saves”, a national non-profit campaign encouraging individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth.

And what better way to get youngsters interested than a Piggy Bank Decorating Contest, along with a story time breakfast, featuring “silver dollar” pancakes.

The Ellis County Extension office and Hays Public Library’s Children’s Department recently partnered to make the learning fun.

“It’s basic concepts that can help kids learn about money, “says FACS Extension Agent Linda Beech.  “Show them coins.  They may not remember the value, but they can see that each coin is different.”

Beech and Youth Services Librarian Brandon Hines helped demonstrate the spending of $1 using 100 pennies while HPL’s “Queen of Fun” Miss Vanessa read the book, “Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, ” by Judith Vorist.

“You can illustrate that what appears to be a lot of money actually goes away once it is spent,” says Beech.

Winners of the piggy bank decorating contest were given rolls of coins to put in their banks from area financial institutions.

 

 

 

 

Preliminary Damage Assessments began March 11 in a number of Kansas counties affected by the severe winter storms that struck the state in February. The assessments will gather data to determine if any of the counties will be eligible to apply for federal Public Assistance money to recoup disaster-related expenses.

“The widespread effects and prolonged duration of the winter storms resulted in additional costs for snow removal and debris clean-up in addition to restoration of electrical power to thousands of Kansans,” said Angee Morgan, Kansas Division of Emergency Management deputy director. “We believe those added costs will make many counties eligible to receive federal assistance.”

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency March 1 requesting the assessments. Counties named in the letter were Barber, Barton, Butler, Dickinson, Douglas, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Stafford, Sumner, Trego and Wyandotte. An amendment was sent later requesting that Clay, Lyon, Miami and Wichita counties be added to the list.

The assessments are being conducted by joint FEMA/KDEM inspection teams.

 

The Kansas Highway Patrol is offering free classes to law enforcement agencies and to schools to help them prepare for possible shooting incidents.

The Patrol’s Special Response Team (SRT) has been working with Dr. Diane DeBacker, Kansas Commissioner of Education, as well as Dr. Bob Hull, Director of the Kansas Center for Safe and Prepared Schools, to develop these training sessions to address the needs of Kansas schools and law enforcement agencies.

“These training sessions have been developed, not in response to a specific threat, but rather to help equip our schools and law enforcement agencies to preplan and mitigate these acts of school violence, in an effort to protect our children,” said KHP Major Jason De Vore.

The training will be offered March 25 at Fort Hays State University.  The day-long session addresses school violence awareness; active shooters; and law enforcement response and mitigation.

High-achieving Korean high school students will actively be recruited for Fort Hays State University’s Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science now that the university and KAMS have signed an agreement with Guardian Edu Inc. to serve as a referral partner in Korea.

The agreement was signed by Cindy Elliott, FHSU’s assistant provost for strategic partnerships, and Ron Keller, director of the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science.

Guardian Edu Inc. and its Korean associate, AimHigh Education, is a referral partner in Korea for KAMS, for FHSU’s English as second language program and for undergraduate FHSU students.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has appointed Jana’s Campaign President, Curt Brungardt of Hays, to the Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.

“This is a great opportunity to work with other experts to investigate and propose system-wide changes to reduce domestic violence homicides in our state,” says Brungardt.

His appointment to this board began March 1, 2013.

HaysMed has postponed its controlled burns of the campus native grasses and nature trail areas.  According to Administrative Assistant Luanne Kramer, the burns are now scheduled to begin Thursday and continue through March 26.

The project was to have started Tuesday.

 

 

From the City of Hays:

Hays Area Planning Commission Meeting  Monday, March 18, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in Commission Chambers at City Hall.

AGENDA:
1. City Manager to brief the Planning Commission on matters pertaining to upcoming proposed changes to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.

2. Discussion of Stormwater Regulations & their relationship to the Zoning/Subdivision Ordinances.

3. Set the Public Hearing for a request for a change of zoning classification from “A-L” Agriculture to “C-2” General Commercial & Service District on a tract of land in the NW/4 of S27-T13S-R18W of 6th p.m. (2.186 Acres) Location East 41st St East of Sherman Ave.

4. Set the Public Hearing for a request for a change of zoning classification from “A-L” Agriculture to “R-3” Two-Family Dwelling District on a tract of land in the NW/4 of S27-T13S-R18W of 6th p.m. (11.767 Acres) – Location East 41st St East of Sherman Ave.

Public Works -Planning, Inspection and Enforcement
785-628-7310

The first day of spring is next Wednesday, March 20, and it will soon be lawn mowing time again.

About 30 people took advantage of Saturday’s clinic at Fort Hays State University  to have their lawnmowers tuned up for the season.

The fundraising idea for the Agri-Business Club comes from the advisor, Craig Smith.  “I was a student at Kansas State and we did this,” he said.    It went over very well in that community.”

The Techs Education Department donates the use of their shop in Davis Hall.  Members of the Agri-Business Club do the work.

“Most of us are farm kids,” says FHSU senior Craig Zerr, “and we’ve grown up working on machinery. For $40 we do routine maintenance–blades sharpened, put in a clean air filter, change the spark plugs.”

Yearly maintenance is a good investment, according to Smith.  “Most of the mowers brought in cost between $200 and $400.”

There’s a hidden bonus, he says.  “A sharp blade will make cleaner cuts to the grass, which will result in a nicer-looking lawn.”

The book selected by the state library for this year’s Kansas Reads program is a comedy satire about the American workplace.

“Then We Came to the End” by Joshua Ferris, takes place in a fictitious Chicago ad agency  experiencing a downturn at the end of the ’90s Internet boom.  Copies of the book are available for checkout at the Hays Public Library.

Margy Stewart, Washburn University professor emerita, lead a discussion of the novel Monday afternoon at the Hays library.

“It would appeal to anyone who has ever worked in an office or other business with lots of coworkers, ” said Stewart. “There’s a lot to discuss in this book, including the timeliness of the subject matter–layoffs.”

Stewart and other volunteers with the Kansas Humanities Council are leading discussions of “Then We Came to the End” with book clubs and libraries across the state through March 20.