Hays native Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, is set to be elevated to Kansas governor following the upcoming departure of Sam Brownback.
OFFICE OF GOV.
TOPEKA – Hays native Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer today issued the below statement following the announcement of Governor Sam Brownback’s presidential nomination to Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom:
“Sam Brownback has served our state and our citizens with distinction. I will be forever grateful for his service.
“As a doctor and a father of three beautiful girls, I am always optimistic for the future. As I’ve served in worn-torn countries, helping victims begin the healing process, I’ve seen first-hand the resilience of human beings. A Reagan alumni, I too believe people have an inherent dignity, requiring a respect for vulnerable life and civility for our fellow man.
“With humility and a deep sense of honor, I look forward to working with Kansans from across the state, listening to their vision for the future, as together we move toward a better tomorrow for the place that we love.”
Dr. Colyer’s biography can be found here. He is a 1978 graduate of Thomas More Prep Marian High School in Hays.
Colyer’s International Medical Corps mission to Sierra Leone in 2002 (Photo courtesy CBS)
While Dr. Colyer has made many International Medical Corps (IMC) trips since then, 60 Minutes documented a 2002 mission to Sierra Leone, one of his earlier IMC trips. The full interview can be seen below.
Dennis Schiel works on 150 Years of Service on the Hays VFW building.
Have you seen the huge mural project underway on the north side of the Hays VFW building?
The military history painting 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.
A spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the project will be held Sat., July 29, 5-8 p.m. at the VFW Post 9076, 2106 Vine. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
The meal is a free will donation, and includes spaghetti with meat sauce, meatballs, garlic bread and Caesar salad.
A raffle will be held during the meal with an oral auction held afterwards.
Dennis Schiel working Thu. on the 150 Years of Service mural on the north wall of the Hays VFW building.
SUBMITTED
Have you seen the huge mural project underway on the north side of the Hays VFW building?
The military history painting 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.
A spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the project will be held Sat., July 29, 5-8 p.m. at the VFW Post 9076, 2106 Vine. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
The meal is a free will donation, and includes spaghetti with meat sauce, meatballs, garlic bread and Caesar salad.
A raffle will be held during the meal with an oral auction held afterwards.
Morgan Mathews and Joanna Hodges are reunited after Mathews saved the 3-year-old’s life July 19 at the Hays Aquatic Park.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Three-year-old Joanna Hodges of Hays has made a new best friend under the worst of circumstances.
The little girl was revived by 20-year-old lifeguard Morgan Mathews last week as she nearly drowned while playing in the water at the Hays Aquatic Park.
Joanna and her parents Daniel and Gwen Hodges said a heartfelt “thank you” to Mathews Wednesday night during a public ceremony at Hays City Hall.
“Words seem to come up short when you’re thanking someone for saving a life,” Gwen Hodges told Mathews in a tear-choked voice. “But we are so grateful…you will always be a part of, and a very important person to our family.”
Mayor Shaun Musil, who has three children, and City Commissioner Sandy Jacobs, who has four young grandchildren, also were emotional.
Musil read aloud a recognition of excellence on behalf of Hays and its residents which said in part “…his prompt and infallible response saved a precious life. Morgan Mathews’ courage and leadership are highly commended…and to one little girl and her parents, he will be forever a hero.”
“I think it’s important to recognize this is the kind of youth we are raising, and we’re proud of that in this community,” Jacobs added, followed by a loud round of applause from the audience. There were many hugs and handshakes, including some from Hays and Ellis County emergency responders.
Musil also presented Mathews with a key to the city of Hays.
Grant Lacy and Roger Bixenman, Hays Recreation Commission, attended the ceremony.
From the audience, Roger Bixenman, Hays Recreation Commission superintendent thanked HRC Aquatics Director Grant Lacy, who was sitting next to Bixenman, and Lacy’s staff for the training provided to the swimming pool’s life guards.
“I want to thank Morgan for his quick response,” Bixenman said. “We appreciate it.”
Another life guard, Hannah Norris, came from her post at the HAP Lazy River to assist Mathews, according to Lacy. Hannah and her parents, Eric and Tami Norris, were in the audience.
Mathews, who has been an HAP lifeguard for four summers, said he was “very grateful that Joanna is doing so well and she’s made a full recovery.”
The youngster was unconscious when he pulled her from the deep end of the zero-depth entry pool mid-afternoon July 19.
“When I got out to her, I activated our EAP and that got everything set into motion. That calls 911, brings out the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) if we need it.” Before the pool opens each summer, the lifeguards practice their Emergency Activation Plan (EAP). “Everyone knew exactly what to do,” Mathews added.
Joanna and Morgan pose with their families for pictures.
Joanna is the first person Mathews has rescued from the water.
“I noticed when she was playing and jumping up and down, it didn’t look normal….looking closer, I noticed that her nose and mouth weren’t coming out of the water. And then, she started to float.
“By that time, I was out of my lifeguard chair and on the pool ledge thinking this is suspicious. I’ve never seen a kid do that. She’s little and little kids just can’t hold their breath that long. So I decided to check it out.
Mathews is thanked by a Hays Police officer for rescuing Joanna.
“Once I got to her, I immediately just grabbed her and took her to the side of the pool and began CPR right then. Thankfully, she came back after a minute, but it was very traumatic, very nerve-wracking for sure. When I got her rolled over, I just zoned in right away and she instantly became my entire world. This was my priority. All the training that I’ve done led up to that moment.”
According to the Hays Police Department, Joanna had been at the pool with a daycare provider and was lethargic when emergency responders arrived. Her parents were called to the scene. The Hodges declined to identify the provider Wednesday, saying their family has been with the provider for six years and is “appreciative of the day care staff.” Joanna was responsive when the Hodges took their child to HaysMed.
She was released in good condition from the hospital and also was in good condition at a follow-up appointment with the doctor the next day.
Joanna gave Mathews a keepsake lifeguard whistle engraved with her initials and the date she was rescued by him.
At the conclusion of last night’s ceremony, Joanna ran from her parents to give her new friend Morgan a present, a silver lifeguard whistle engraved with her initials and the date of her rescue.
“Joanna was asking the next morning if she could go swimming again,” said her dad Daniel. “She’s obviously fearless,” her mom Gwen added with a smile.
The Hodges, and Mathews and his parents, Cammy and Brennan Uehing, posed together for pictures in the commission chamber room which was filled to capacity with more family and friends.
Mathews returned to Lawrence today, getting ready for the fall semester at the University of Kansas where he is majoring in geology.
He says he’ll “probably” continuing working as a lifeguard.
“I was having my doubts about wanting to stay because it has been four years and I was getting kinda tired of it,” Mathews admitted. “But after last Wednesday, I told myself I don’t know if I can afford to get tired of it because who knows, this might happen again. I really hope it doesn’t but you never know.”
The United Way of Ellis County (UWEC) is needing input to ensure direction for community service impact.
As a result of the town hall meetings last month conducted by the United Way, a Community Needs Assessment Survey was developed. The survey is located on their website at www.liveunited.us and will be available through Monday, July 31st and takes less than five minutes to complete.
According to UWEC Executive Director Sherry Dryden, “we are going for one last push for respondents as this is the last week for the survey to be open.” So far, Dryden says, “we have been been getting great responses.”
The survey outcomes will be used by the local United Way for navigation in their strategic planning.
Mary Poppins – The Broadway Musical
July 27th – 29th, 2017 @ 7pm
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
600 Park Street
Hays, KS 67601
Everyone’s favorite practically perfect nanny takes the stage in this Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical adventure!
Adults – $15 + Fees
Children (12 & Under) – $10 + Fees
Please note that if you want to choose specific seats, you must purchase them from a computer internet browser. If you are using a mobile device to purchase tickets, the seats will be assigned by “best available” in each section.
“MARY POPPINS is presented by the Hays Community Theatre through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, www.MTIShows.com.
Hays city commissioners will be presented Thursday with addendums to the 2016-2018 Memorandums of Agreement with the three city employee unions which would provide a four percent pay increase in 2018 for members:
FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Lodge 48 Inc.–44 employees; Police officers and Emergency Dispatch officers
SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Local 513, AFL-CIO 2119–53 employees from Parks, Public Works and Water Resources
IAFF (International Association of Firefighters) Local 2119–18 employees; Firefighters
City Manager Toby Dougherty explains who each union represents and their relationship with the city.
“Several decades ago the city of Hays chose to go under the series of statues called the Kansas Public Employee/Employer Relations Act (PEERA) which governs the relationship between the city and the unions,” Dougherty said. “That act outlines what can and cannot be in employee contracts, the meet and confer process, and processes to deal with any disputes or discrepancies that arise from interpreting the contract.”
The city has a three year contract with each of the three employee unions and is in year two of the 2016-2018 contract.
Salaried personnel are not union members. Some clerical personnel and some personnel who deal with confidential information do not belong to the unions.
“It’s a pretty narrow scope of who’s eligible for unions,” Dougherty explained.
The city of Hays currently has 181 full-time employees. Of those, 115 are union members.
During negotiations, the city is represented by Human Resources Director Erin Giebler, lead negotiator Todd Powell of the city attorney’s office and Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood. Individual department heads are also part of the city’s meet and confer team.
“In any given year in the contracts, the wage and benefits section can be opened and all three unions exercised that opening this year. We participated in meet and confer sessions with each union and we came to an agreement essentially to amend that section of the contract,” said Dougherty. “The amendment will contractually provide a four percent wage increase to covered employees.”
City commissioners will consider the union amendment during their July 27 meeting.
The 2018 draft budget includes a four percent pay hike for all city employees.
For more information, call the Cedar Bluff KDWPT Area Office at 785-726-3212, or Lynn Davignon, Region 1 Fisheries Supervisor, at the Hays KDWPT Regional office at 785-628-8614.
An excavator moves a load of debris Monday afternoon at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel in Hays.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Monday, July 24 was the first day the city of Hays had the legal right to take over demolition cleanup of the former Ambassador Hotel and Conference Center, 3603 Vine, after voting July 14 to invoke a nuisance abatement.
Daily progress has been monitored since then by John Braun, interim director of Public Works.
Early Monday afternoon there were three excavators working at the site.
“At this point, the city hasn’t exercised any of the abatement right to hire somebody (to complete the work),” Asst. City Manager Jacob Wood said. “The only point at which we would do that is if we thought we could get it done quicker than what they’re doing. They’ve been making progress over the past couple of weeks.”
According to Wood, some of the demolition debris has been hauled away to Wichita and Chapman.
Discarded mattresses are among the piles of demolition debris.
“It’s not moving as quick as I want it to, but I don’t know that it’s any quicker than what the city could get somebody to do it,” he added.
Wood was unsure if any of the debris has been taken to the Ellis County Landfill. “Tipping fees vary wildly from one point to the next,” he pointed out. “Maybe these other locations are the places that have the space and the right tipping fees for them.”
“I would say, at this point, they’re making good progress and we’ll continue to monitor it, ” Wood concluded.
The hotel closed December 1, 2015 after several internal property maintenance issues. The owner chose to raze the structure for redevelopment. A demolition permit was issued Nov. 30, 2016 with little progress noted by the city over the next seven months.
Large debris piles still remain July 24, 2017, after a demolition permit for the defunct hotel was issued Nov. 30, 2016.
In March, 2017, the work was halted for remediation of additional asbestos found in the building. The city of Hays condemned the property May 30, after city inspectors determined minimal work had been done other than removal of some metal scrap.
(L to R) Sister Cities Santa Maria, Paraguay delegation Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez, Milciades Ramon Mancuello and Isabelino Victor Martinez Galiano address the Hays city commission assisted by translator Max Maximov, Sister Cities of Hays.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The sesquicentennial celebration of Hays has been made even more special this weekend with an honored delegation of visitors from Paraguay.
Four people from Hays’ Sister City Santa Maria de Fe, Paraguay, are in town to enjoy the festivities, including a dedication and reception Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Hays Public Library of the permanent display “Worlds Apart, Cities Together.” It was created by local artist Cody Custer to honor the Sister City relationship.
The Sister Cities display will be dedicated Saturday in the Hays Public Library. (Courtesy photo)
The group arrived in Hays Thursday in time to attend the city commission work session. One delegation member, Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez, is a Santa Maria city commission member as well as director of the Institute of Technology in Santa Maria.
With assistance from translator Max Maximov of the Hays Sister Cities group, she told the commission the “Santa Maria mayor and city commission send their appreciation of the Sister Cities partnership and congratulations to Hays on its 150th birthday.”
Santa Maria is considerably older. Established as a Jesuit mission in the 1600s, Santa Maria today has a population of about 4,000 and is located in southern Paraguay, some 160 miles from the country’s capital Asuncion.
Del Puerto de Ramirez was pleased to point out the similarities in the two municipalities’ governing bodies. Although Santa Maria is not incorporated and does not have a city manager, residents of both towns elect representatives to the city commissions, five year terms in Santa Maria, four and two year terms in Hays. The commissioners then elect their own chairman (Santa Maria) or mayor (Hays). “That’s what happens here,” replied the Hays commissioners.
Marianna Beach in 2012 (Courtesy Gwen Lang)
Isabelino Victor Martinez Galiano, is manager of Jesuit’s Museum, where the Santa Maria/Hays partnership began 41 years ago with a financial donation from Hays resident Marianna Beach for construction of the museum.
“It’s a great joy and great honor to be here. It’s been 40 years of conversations and unity between the two cities,” Martinez Galiano said through translation.
“This is an opportunity to thank the ‘natural’ ‘ ambassadors Ross and Marian Beach who in 1976 paved the way for this day to come true.” “We’re very proud to have you here,” Mayor Shaun Musil replied in greeting the delegation. The museum was dedicated Oct. 25, 1979. A document on display there signed by former Hays Mayor Dan Rupp.
The flag of Paraguay flies in Hays at the Sister Cities Plaza , 13th and Hall, which is sponsored by the Hays Rotary Club.
The Santa Maria tourism coordinator and manager of the town’s only hotel, introduced himself to the commission. Milciades Ramon Mancuello lived for a time in Scotland where he learned hospitality management, and some English.
Maximov, who teaches Spanish and German at Fort Hays State University, has visited Santa Maria twice, working to revive and help strengthen the Sister Cities partnership which had languished over the years.
Erma Elizabetk Del Puerto de Ramirez is a Santa Maria city commission member as well as director of the Institute of Technology in Santa Maria.
According to Del Puerto de Ramirez, many Santa Maria residents her age remember as school children they received small packages from young Hays students filled with items such as books, pencils and postcards. “Hays, our Sister City, was an intangible place that was always there. We grew up with these little interchanges.” She plans to update and continue the gift exchanges with Hays officials during a formal presentation at the 150th anniversary proclamation Sunday at 11 a.m. in Municipal Park.
A toast to Sister Cities Santa Maria and Hays, June 1, 2016, in Hays.
Also with the Paraguay delegation is Derlis Hernan Maidana Zarza, governor of Misiones, who was unable to attend the city commission meeting. He visited Hays last year for the first time with a Sister Cities delegation.
The group has a full itinerary, including visits to Fort Hays State University, where they were to meet Mauricio Etcheverry, an FHSU soccer athlete from Asuncion, Paraguay. They’ll be attending the Ellis County Fair, have already watched a Hays Larks baseball game, and will meet with Hays business people working in similar professions.
Sunday evening, the Sister Cities members will enjoy a private dinner at the home of Mayor Musil and his wife Heather, who is a member of the Hays Sister Cities Advisory Board.
The Santa Maria delegation will head back to Paraguay Monday morning from Wichita.
PRATT – Resident hunters and hunters purchasing deer permits available over the counter can obtain their 2017 permits beginning August 1. Deer permits available over the counter for the 2017 season include:
Resident Any-Season White-tailed Deer permits – valid for one white-tailed deer buck, doe or fawn – may be used statewide in any season, using equipment legal for that season.
$42.50 General Residents
$22.50 Resident Landowner/Resident Tenant
$87.50 Nonresident Tenant
$12.50 Resident Youth (15 and Younger)
Resident Archery Either-species/Either-sex Deer permits – valid for one white-tailed or mule deer buck, doe or fawn – may be used statewide with archery equipment only during archery season.
$42.50 General Residents
$22.50 Resident Landowner/Resident Tenant
$87.50 Nonresident Tenant
$12.50 Resident Youth (15 and Younger)
Resident Muzzleloader Either-species/Either-sex Deer permits – valid for one white-tailed or mule deer buck, doe or fawn – may be used either in the East Zone (3, 4, 5, 7, 16) OR the West Zone (1, 2, 17, 18) during the early muzzleloader season and the regular firearm season. Hunters may use muzzleloading equipment only with this permit.
$42.50 General Residents
$22.50 Resident Landowner/Resident Tenant
$87.50 Nonresident Tenant
$12.50 Resident Youth (15 and Younger)
Hunt-Own-Land Deer Permits – valid any white-tailed or mule deer only on land owned or operated by the landowner or tenant during muzzleloader, archery, and firearm seasons using equipment legal for that season – are $22.50. These permits may only be obtained by individuals who qualify as resident landowners or tenants, including family members living with the landowner or tenant.
Resident Antlerless White-tailed Deer permits – valid for any white-tailed deer without a visible antler protruding from the skull – are available to any hunter who has first purchased a resident deer permit that allows the taking of an antlered deer, unless the antlerless permit is purchased on or after Dec. 30.
$22.50 General Residents
$10.00 Resident Youth (15 and younger)
Hunters may obtain up to five Antlerless White-tailed Deer permits; the first is valid in Deer Management Units 1 thru 17 and 19, including lands managed by the Department. Additional Antlerless White-tailed Deer permits are valid in units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10A, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19, on private land with landowner permission, Walk-In-Hunting Areas, and Glen Elder, Kanopolis, Lovewell, Norton, Webster and Wilson Wildlife Areas and Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge.
No Antlerless White-tailed Deer permits are valid in Unit 18, and Either-Species Antlerless-Only permits are not available for 2017.
For more information, visit ksoutdoors.com or call 620-672-5911.
