It’s huge and other states are envious.

That’s how Robin Jennison, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, describes the recent melding of what was two separate departments.

Jennison has just returned from a meeting of the National Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, where he fielded a lot of questions of just how this is working in Kansas.

“The tradition of hunting is starting to wane and the old days of Fish and Wildlife just taking care of licenses are gone,” explains Jennison.  “We have great employees who are biologists and know nothing about promotion.  By bringing in the marketers from Tourism, we’re getting closer to our long-term mission of conserving and enjoying Kansas’ natural resources,” he says.

“We have a real increase in economic activity.”

Jennison recently spoke to the Hays Area Young Professionals as part of the Eagle Communications Professional Development Series.

 

American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz, Booneville, Indiana, wants to increase membership in the nation’s oldest veterans organization.

Koutz is in the midst of a four-day tour of Kansas, where he’s visiting 19 American Legion Posts, including #173 in Hays.

During a breakfast meeting Wednesday, Koutz talked about his goal of 3.5 million members by 2019, the American Legion’s 100th year.

“We need to recruit younger veterans and also emphasize what the American Legion does for the general public, including sponsorship of Boys and Girls State, American Legion baseball, Junior Shooting Sports and our oratorical contest,” Koutz says.

Koutz is a Vietnam War veteran, serving in the U-S Army between 1969 and 1971.

 

Even with declines in the unemployment rate, job growth in Kansas this year has been slow.

Hays is among five regional economic outlook conferences presented this month by economic researchers at Wichita State University.

Jeremy Hill is director of the WSU Center for Economic Development and Business Research.  He says retail sales are also up, but it’s not necessarily good news.

“The problem is it’s for necessities, food and fuel with increased prices for both, ” Hill  points out.

In 2013, Kansas employment is projected to increase 1.8%, adding about 24,175 thousand jobs.

Did you have your vehicle lights turned on Tuesday morning?

A dense fog advisory was issued by the National Weather Service for the Hays area until 10a.m.

Visibility in Hays was less than a quarter-mile, as reported by the KSU Agricultural Research Center.

Kansas law requires motorists to use headlights when the windshield wipers are operating.  Headlights are also required if visibility is less than 1,000 feet.

An Ellis County man pleads no contest Thursday in Ellis County District Court to reduced charges in a fatality accident last year.

Scott J. Pfannenstiel, 33, pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and circumvention of an ignition interlock.   He’s scheduled to serve 48 hours in jail as part of 6 months probation for each count.

Pfannenstiel was severely injured October 15, 2011 when the pickup he was driving rolled on Hopewell Road.

Hays resident Dustin J. Steinert, 25, died in the accident.

Saturday is a full day of celebration for local cancer survivors.

The 17^th annual Day of Caring brunch and fashion show opens at 9a.m. in the Fort Hays State University Memorial Union.  The style show models, women and men, wearing fashions provided by local businesses, are all breast cancer survivors.

Paula Flesher is Executive Director of the Cancer Council of Ellis County, which sponsors the event.  “The models get lots of attention and pampering before they hit the runway, with makeup application and hairstyling donated by local professionals,” says Flesher.

“Our youngest survivor was 25 when she was diagnosed; our oldest is 84.  We’ll also have a number of one year survivors participating.”

The second event of the day is the Cancer Survivors Day tailgate celebration beginning at 1 p.m. at Lewis Field prior to the Fort Hays State University Hall of Fame football game.  Cancer survivors will also be recognized at halftime.

See more tonight on Eagle Local News, Eagle Community TV Channel 14.

 

The Bank of Hays is purchasing a Hodgeman county bank.

Bank of Hays, which opened in December 2004, will own Farmers State Bank of Jetmore.  Bank of Hays already owns Hanston State Bank, just 10 miles east of Jetmore.

According to CEO Randy Walker, the Jetmore bank has about $25 million in assets, while the Hays bank has nearly $210 million in assets.

The Jetmore bank will retain its local identity, operating as a branch of Bank of Hays.

Twenty-eight people were murdered in Kansas last year  in domestic violence-related homicides.  There were 24,159 reported incidents of domestic violence in the state in 2011;  14,550 resulted in arrests.

Although the 2011 statistics have not yet been released to the public, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt shared the information Saturday night during Jana’s Capital Campaign Kick-off in Hays.

Schmidt was a state senator when Jana Mackey’s mother and stepfather, Christie and Curt Brungardt of Hays, first testified to the Kansas legislature about Jana’s death July 3, 2008, and the need for Kansas to strengthen its laws regarding domestic violence.

Jana’s friends and family have since created Jana’s Campaign Inc. to reduce domestic and dating violence at the local, state and national levels.

“We are extreme pleased with the initial fundraising response,” said capital campaign chair and board member Kelley Parker of Manitou Springs, Colorado.  “At this point, we are at nearly 70% of our goal of $100,000 to be raised over the next year.”