By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

You could just about feel the excitement and anticipation in the air Monday morning as people began gathering at 10 a.m. at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays to watch the first total solar eclipse to cross the entire United States in 99 years.

By 11:30 a.m. you could actually feel the rain drops falling from an overcast sky.

A few umbrellas popped up in the crowd, while some people headed straight inside the museum lobby where they could watch a live video feed by NASA and slip inside the inflatable planetarium to learn more about constellations in the fall sky.

Gail and Linda Palmberg, Yocemento, and their friend Karen Rankin, who is in the process of moving to Hays from Caney in southeast Kansas, stayed put in their portable chairs in the parking lot.

“I think it’s going to clear off and we’re going to see it,” Linda predicted.

And she was right.

About 12:12 p.m., the wind picked up and the clouds began to part. Even though the moon first began to cover the sun in Hays at 11:32 a.m., it was hard to discern because of the cloud cover.

Twelve-year-old Seth Tripp was ready for the big event with his handcrafted pinhole viewer made from an empty cereal box, one of several activities at Sternberg. Seth is a 7th grader at Hays Middle School who came with his family to the solar eclipse celebration.

“I learned about this in 5th and 6th grades and we’re probably gonna learn more about it now (in 7th grade.) I like science,” said Seth, who was wearing a constellation t-shirt.

Shawn Demuth, Hays, teaches K-6th grade music in Ellis. He was walking up to people he didn’t know, offering to share his solar sunglasses, a hot commodity since most places have been sold out for a while.

“You’ve seen it in pictures, you’ve seen videos and you’ve seen it on TV everywhere, but it’s just not as cool as seeing it in real life,” Demuth said.

Other types of viewing devices could be seen in the crowd including welding helmets, Sternberg’s solar viewing telescope, and large cardboard viewers which could be used to look through and as a filter over a camera phone.

Glen Teel was sharing two welding helmets. “They’re #12 shade, so you can’t look through them too long,” Teel cautioned those who took a peek at the sun. A #14 shade is the darkest shade made for a protective welding helmet.

“It’s the first day of classes and the end is here,” joked Fort Hays State University biology major Jon Beck, Seminole, Colorado. He and some friends were placing their solar sunglasses over the camera lens on their iPhones and using the Snapchat app to take pictures of the eclipse. “It’s pretty cool because you can see the sun through the clouds and it gives it a kind of misty, apocalyptic look to it,” Beck said.

Delilah Meyers, 9, was using the same technique. Delilah said her mom “actually got the day off for me from school so I could come do this. It’s pretty cool.”

The maxim eclipse in Hays occurred at 12:59 p.m. with 94.6% of the sun occluded. As she took another peek through her glasses “that let me look at the sun,” Delilah was sure the temperature felt cooler.  “That’s because the sun is hidden by the moon and so it’s not shining down to make us hot,” explained the Lincoln School 4th grader.

Anna Luhman was also taking pictures with her phone during the darkest part of the eclipse in Hays. She plans on sharing them with her two sons Monday evening who are both astrophysicists and graduates of Hays High School

“I remember taking them outside all the time with their telescopes to look at the sky,” Luhman reminisced.

Kevin Luhman, 46, studies deep space with the Hubble and Kepler telescopes for NASA at Penn State. Michael Luhman, 52, is an astrophysicist for the Department of Defense in Alexandria, Virginia. “Hays High has had some good science graduates,” said Luhman.

By 2:27 p.m., it was back to normal in Hays with the full diameter of the sun’s disk emerging from behind the moon. The eclipse ended at 3:10 p.m. on the east coast in Charleston, South Carolina.

More than 600 people participated in paid activities inside Sternberg, according to Dean Zerr who was manning the visitors’ desk.  He said many other people enjoyed the free events in the lobby and parking lot where there were also food trucks set up for the solar eclipse celebration.

People in the far northeast corner of Kansas were in the path of totality, meaning they witnessed the eclipse in its entirety.

Many people from Kansas traveled north to Nebraska to experience the totality. You can watch it below.

(Video by David Hawksworth, Eagle TV)

According to NASA, the last time a total solar eclipse occurred exclusively in the U.S. was in 1778.  The next  total solar eclipse will be visible in the United States on April 8, 2024.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

RUSH COUNTY — It looked like an informal gathering of friends sitting under the shade trees to while away a perfect summer afternoon Friday in Loretta.

But the 20 or so people were there to voice their concerns about a proposed expansion of a hog farm 2 miles southwest of Pfeifer in northern Rush County and just south of the Ellis County line.

The residents of Rush and Ellis Counties had asked State Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, to hear the concerns of locals about the expansion by Bison Rush Genetics, LLC, which could increase the permitted number of animals from 3,840 to 24,408.

The group is troubled about environmental damage, property values, health issues, road maintenance and their livelihoods.

“This is gonna ruin people’s lives,” said one young man to Waymaster.

Melanie Urban lives 1.1 miles from the edge of one of the proposed buildings.

“Right now when the wind blows, you can smell it. If it gets that much bigger, you’ll be able to smell it all the time.

“We’re worried our water wells are going to get polluted or even depleted,” she told Waymaster. “We’re also concerned about how much (animal) waste will be generated, how they’ll contain it and how it will spread so it doesn’t pollute our water resources.”

The Smoky Hill River is 1.5 miles away from the site and the source for drinking water, private wells and agricultural wells in the area. The Pfeifer well field on the Smoky Hill River is the primary source of water for the city of Russell.

According to the public hearing testimony, a certified land surveyor has determined dead swine and carcasses are being left in open trenches closer to one habitable structure (a home) than the required distance of 5,000 feet. That would be a violation of KDHE regulations and state law.

“The dead pigs are at the same depth as some of our water wells,” Urban continued. “They’ve been burying them there for 20 years. We’re worried about that getting into our water.”

If a waste lagoon were to break, the slurry would run downhill into the Smoky Hill River, according to Urban.

“To our knowledge, that lagoon has never been pumped out, never been cleaned. They’re not telling us that information. We don’t have access to that information,” she said.

Urban presented Waymaster with a copy of the public comments alleging several state violations during a public hearing July 25 in La Crosse. Several times during Friday’s 90-minute meeting, Waymaster looked up from his cell phone, promising the group he was “taking notes, not playing on my phone.”

“I have four little ones,” said Emily Billinger. She and her husband Jim, who grew up in Pfeifer, are parents to four children under the age of 8. “I want the state to know there are young families here who are worried about their kids not being able to play outside because of polluted air and water.”

Waymaster told the group he had talked with KDHE Secretary Dr. Susan Mosier on Thursday. He read out loud a lengthy email from Mosier detailing the status of the KDHE permit application and what action steps might be next for residents in Rush County.

“This could be brought up to a public vote as to whether or not they would want this type of facility moving into their county. But the unfortunate fact is the people in Rush County would have that voice. But the people in Ellis County will not,” Waymaster pointed out. “That’s why this discussion was a combination of Ellis and Rush County residents so I could hear their concerns and relay those back to Dr. Mosier.”

Under state law, Kansas counties do not have any control in regulating confined swine feeding operations owned by an LLC or corporation. The state does allow county commissions to “request an election to determine whether corporate swine production facilities shall be allowed to be established in _______ county, pursuant to K.S.A. 17-5904.”

“We went door-to-door talking to people about what was going on, showing them the application so they’re aware of this hog facility. We went to the county commission and the zoning committee to make them aware,” Urban said. “So, in November of this year, it’s gonna go to a vote of Rush County residents whether they want a corporate swine production facility in this county.

If the result is a “no” vote, Urban is unsure how it would affect the proposed expansion.

“We’re still worried about it, but it’ll for sure stop others from coming in.”

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has prepared a proposed Kansas Water Pollution Control Permit for Bison Rush Genetics. The permit is being reissued for a 20-year-old existing confined animal feeding operation, which was sold recently.

According to the permit application, the proposed expansion would be a full production unit with up to 12,822 hogs more than 55 pounds and up to 11,586 hogs less than 55 pounds.

The applicant is listed as Bison Rush Genetics LLC, with a post office box address in Carthage, Ill. That address is associated with Professional Swine Management. The application includes a facility address of rural Bison in Rush County.

“We don’t know who the actual owners are yet,” said Urban, wife of Rush County Commissioner Ken Urban.

Waymaster told the group he is a firm believer in local rights. “Local government should be deciding what’s going on in their particular cities and counties, and obviously, local citizens need to have a voice.

“It does feel like this firm has moved in without the locals being able to express their concerns, but they (Bison Rush Genetics LLC) have done everything within the law and within Kansas state statutes. Nothing has been violated,” Waymaster said. “But I do have a concern about this because it’s going to be affecting the livelihoods of people in Ellis and Rush counties, who’ve been pushed aside and basically had no voice in this type of facility moving into the area.”

The 109th District state representative wouldn’t go so far as to say state statutes need to change but did say “we definitely need to have more regulation on if and when this type of business is moving in … and also in making the counties say whether or not they want this in their county.”

According to Ken Urban, Rush County has had zoning regulations in place since 2003, “but we just found out in the past few weeks we have no control over this. I’m not opposed to corporations but it would have been nice for the applicants to meet with us.” Urban, in his sixth year as a county commissioner, said he’s “disheartened,” adding that several attorneys are involved on behalf of Rush County.

His wife, Melanie, summed it up with “they’re putting it way too close to people and way too close to water resources.” She said dirt work has already been done at the site and four water wells have been drilled in preparation for the expansion.

Click HERE to view the permit application. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment oversees those permit applications.

Attempts to contact Professional Swine Management were unsuccessful Friday.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The huge mural project underway on the north side of the Hays VFW building, 2106 Vine, is nearing completion.

The military history painting “150 Years of Service” by Hays artist Dennis Schiel has been consigned by the Hays Arts Council in observation of the 150th anniversary of Ellis County, the city of Hays and historic Fort Hays. Hays Arts Council is celebrating its 50th year in 2017.

Schiel started with a depiction of the Buffalo Soldiers, the black troops who served at Fort Hays, and then he painted Walker Air Force Base which was open during World War II just east of Hays.

“Every war will also be represented and every armed service will be represented,” Schiel explained as worked in black, gray and white tones on the World War I picture.

“Since it’s our 150th anniversary, I wanted to paint something that shows 150 years of military service.”

Schiel, a professional artist for more than 30 years, usually paints on a much smaller scale, often portraits and other consigned images which will hang on indoor walls.

“This is really fun,” he laughed, making large swooping passes with a large paintbrush on the light red brick. “I don’t have to make sure every line is real straight because if you get away from it, you can’t tell the difference.”

In comparison, the subjects in the Kansas mural he painted which hangs in the Topeka state capitol “took as long as these pictures will and the Kansas subjects are just two by three inches.”

He likes to call his large work “slopping paint.”

“This wall is presenting a challenge. It’s so porous, it’s hard to make everything work. We initially started with 2.5 gallons for the base and ended up using 7 gallons of paint just to get the base down. It just sucks it in.”

Schiel also painted the mural on the north side of the Fox Pavilion in downtown Hays which depicts the 150 years of history in Ellis County.

“The Fox wall was smooth brick,” he noted.  After working on the VFW wall for a while, Schiel said he learned some secrets to painting on porous brick. “You have to use a fan brush and that way the paint gets down into the pores.”

He hadn’t planned to use little fan brushes but discovered the need since the military scene subjects are quite a bit smaller than those on the two-story Fox Pavilion.

And the secret to working in the summer heat?

“Move fast,” Schiel answered with a big laugh. He actually prefers the paint dry quickly so he can layer it if necessary.

Schiel has been keeping plenty of water with him and says the veterans inside the air-conditioned environs of Post 9076 have been “really nice, inviting me in for a drink at the end of the day.”

When completed, the mural will include scenes of Buffalo Soldiers, WWI, Walker Air Force Base, WWII, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War, Gulf Wars, symbols of the five armed services,  a bald eagle–the nation’s symbol–and a jet, all set against the red, white and blue background of a flying American flag.

The original plans for the VFW mural called for painting it on the west side which faces the heavily trafficked Vine Street, according to Schiel.

“But the sun would get to it constantly and that just won’t work. This should last a lot longer,” he predicted. Following a little bit of research, he’s now hoping the mural will last at least 20 years after applying a sealing coat.

Schiel expects to be done with the mural by the end of the month.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

It’s expected to be the most viewed total solar eclipse in human history.

Monday, Aug. 21, will be the first total solar eclipse to cross the entire United States in 99 years, since June 8, 1918.

People in the far northeast corner of Kansas will be in the path of totality, meaning they’ll witness the eclipse in its entirety. Those watching elsewhere in the state will see a partial solar eclipse.

While Hays is not in the path of totality, residents will experience a deep partial eclipse. The moon will cover nearly 95 percent of the sun during maximum eclipse at 12:59 p.m. Monday.

“That’s really good,” according to Greg Walters, exhibits director for the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays.

“Eclipses happen several times a year in different locations,” he explained. “The last time a solar eclipse touched anywhere in the lower 48 states was Feb. 26, 1979. That one only touched part of the U.S., from Washington state to North Dakota. Monday’s eclipse goes coast to coast.”

Sternberg is celebrating the event with exhibits, activities and programs, both indoors and outdoors.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any certified eclipse glasses available for purchase.

“We sold out what we had Tuesday,” confirmed Brad Penka, manager of Visitor Services, “and our supplier won’t be shipping us any more.”

Activities include:

• The Big Blink, a special exhibition detailing the What, When, Where, Why, How, & Who of the total solar eclipse
• Telescopes with various solar filters for viewing the partial eclipse, possible sunspots, and more
• Play-with-sun-shadows interactive station
• Planetarium shows
• Large screen projection of NASA’s live feed as the eclipse progresses across the U.S.  Images will include before, during, and after the eclipse collected from 11 spacecraft, more than 50 high-altitude balloons, at least three NASA aircraft, the International Space Station, and ground stations along the path of totality.
• Food trucks
• Make-your-own pinhole projection viewers.  The museum will provide boxes while supplies last or bring your own empty cereal box and they’ll supply the rest.
• Investigation stations. Learn how you can explore more with downloadable planetarium software, science phone apps, citizen science projects, local science clubs, local science programs, and  monitoring and charting the changing light levels and temperatures.

Sternberg Museum director Dr. Reese Barrick was a sophomore in high school during the 1979 eclipse across a portion of the northwest U.S.

“I remember getting to walk out the door and see it,” he recalled. “It’s not often you walk out in the middle of the day and it starts to get dark.”

Barrick is especially pleased about the NASA feed Sternberg will receive Monday, which will go live at approximately 11 a.m.

“If it’s cloudy out, you miss it. But with a live feed from NASA, it’s not going to be cloudy everywhere, and NASA will have a nice feed of it, so you’ll get a chance to see it,” he said.

The extended weather forecast for Monday in Hays from the National Weather Service calls for mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms with a high of 94 degrees.

The NASA live feed and the planetarium will be in the museum lobby which can be seen for free. Regular admission applies to the exhibits and some activities which will be in the galleries.

Barrick encourages Hays residents to take their lunch break at Sternberg. “There’ll be 95 percent totality at 12:59 p.m. so you can come out, buy some food at the trucks in the parking lot, and watch the eclipse.”

Schedule of events:

10:00 a.m. Celebration begins.

11:05 a.m. First contact in Salem, Oregon, moon starts to cover the sun’s disk on west coast.

11:32 a.m. First contact in Hays, moon first starts to cover the sun’s disk.

12:35–37 p.m. Totality in Salem, Oregon (west coast).

12:59 p.m. Maximum eclipse in Hays, 94.6% of the sun’s occluded.

1:46–48 p.m. Totality in Charleston, South Carolina (east coast).

2:00 p.m. Eclipse Stamp postmark deposit deadline.

2:27 p.m. Fourth contact in Hays, full diameter of the sun’s disk emerges from behind the moon.

3:10 p.m. Fourth contact in Charleston, South Carolina. Eclipse ends on the east coast.

According to NASA, the last time a total solar eclipse occurred exclusively in the U.S. was in 1778.

Click here to watch a Community Connection interview by host Mike Cooper with adjunct FHSU chemistry professor Dean Stramel who explains what happens in a solar eclipse as the moon in its orbit around the earth moves directly in between the sun and the earth, blocking the sun.