Marion F. Frieb, 89, died Sept. 8, 2019, at River Bend Assisted Living Home, Great Bend, Kan. He was born Nov. 13, 1929, in Great Bend, Kan., the son of Carl F. and Elsie E. (Schober) Frieb. Marion graduated from Olmitz High School in 1947 and then served as a sergeant in the U. S. Army during the Korean War.
On July 16, 1952, he married Rose Marie Bahr at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Olmitz.
A lifetime Olmitz resident, he was a farmer and stockman. He also worked as a fieldman for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.
Marion was a lifelong member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council #2100, where he was a Fourth Degree Knight, and served as financial secretary for over 30 years. He was involved in numerous community boards, including the Farm Bureau, co-op, school board, and township board.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Rose Marie Frieb of the home, and their six children; Carol Scheuerman (Craig) of Bison, Cathi Farha (Ned) of Wichita, Anita Hobbs (Bruce) of Mount Hope, Daniel Frieb (Teresa) of Olmitz, Timothy Frieb (Amy) of Olmitz, and Jan Frieb of Hutchinson; a brother, Neil Frieb of Olmitz, brother-in-law, Eugene Bahr of Olmitz, sister-in-law, Tessie Jilg of Great Bend; 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and one on the way.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Friends may call from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home with family to receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Olmitz. Vigil with Knights of Columbus Rosary will begin at 7 p.m..
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, celebrated by Father Anselm Eke, MSP. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Ann’s Catholic Cemetery, Olmitz.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Ann’s Catholic Church, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
Laura Jean Kraft, 89, passed away Sept. 7, 2019, at Country Place Home Plus, Hoisington. She was born Aug. 10, 1930, in Brownell, Kan., the daughter of Vincent and Mae (Squire) Fairbank. On Jan. 1, 1949, she married Elden Kraft in Bazine, Kan.. He died Aug. 31, 2011. A longtime resident of Great Bend, she was head of Fabrics at TG&Y in Great Bend for many years.
Mrs. Kraft was a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church. She was a member of the Altar Society and Women’s Guild, and also taught Sunday school for many years. She was an expert seamstress.
Survivors include, one son, Marlin Kraft of Albuquerque, M.M.; two daughters, Marlane Haberman and husband Marvin of Great Bend, and Lavada Kraft of Great Bend; two sisters, Carol Small of Temple, Texas, and Dora Yoder and husband Bill of Gorham, Kan.; two brothers, Paul Fairbank of Independence, Kan., and Bob Fairbank and wife Earline of Hays; four grandchildren, Marcie Mattson and husband Dan, Brian Haberman and wife Rebecca, Angie Cook and husband Duston, and Liberty Dictson and husband Eric; 11 great-grandchildren and one great-grandson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Mae Fairbank; four brothers, Ralph Fairbank, Elmer Fairbank, Chet Fairbank and Richard Fairbank; and four sisters, June Bartlett, Audrey Lentz, Burdene Schweitzer and Esther Zordel.
Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, at St. Mark Lutheran Church, with Pastor Adam Wutka presiding. Interment will be in the Great Bend Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to St. Mark Lutheran Church, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Boun Thorne, who was abused as a child in Cambodia, realized that God loved her when she received a gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Now she tells others of how God changed her life with just a few special gifts. Boun will be in Hays at 4 p.m. Saturday at Messiah Lutheran Church. The public is invited to hear her remarkable story.
The Hays Arts Council is again presenting a week-long residency with Jay and Leslie Cady (Laughing Matters). The duo will be visiting the elementary schools in Hays, Ellis, Victoria, Plainville and Russell today through Friday.
There will also be a free HAC public performance of a different show by Jay and Leslie for children and families at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hays Public Library.
This year the Cadys will perform “Sum’ of ur Favorite Numbers” in schools.
In “Sum Of Our Favorite Numbers, they share reasons why they like various numbers—the way they look, the way they sound, and (most importantly) their mathematical quirks.
They explore the square number pattern by juggling bean bags and putting them in square arrays (2 x 2 =4; 3 x 3 = 9; etc.). Jay and two volunteers use stacking cups to examine the triangular number pattern (1 + 2 = 3; 1 + 2 + 3 = 6; etc.). We discover that 36 is in both number patterns.
Later in the assembly, Leslie becomes increasingly frustrated trying to divide 13 rolls of toilet paper into equal sets of 2, 3, 4, or 6. The kids roll with laughter each time she has one left over. Who knew that division and remainders could be so much fun?
“The Ruler Who Measured Too Much” is laden with bad puns about units of measurement and their equivalents. Queen Cecily is under a spell that makes her constantly measure everything she sees. Sir Cumference helps her break the spell. After the story, students identify the units of measurement that were used in the wordplay.
Full-time professional entertainers since 1980, the Cadys have performed more than 6,000 times in 36 states and seven foreign counties. These Kansas City artists are highly acclaimed, bringing a special brand of entertainment and education to their programs.
Hays High School is hosting its annual Financial Aid Night for all interested seniors and parents at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16 in the Hays High School Lecture Hall.Families will learn how to apply for all types of state and federal financial aid using the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Completing the FAFSA is a required step when seeking most need-based scholarships, grants, loans and work-study.The FAFSA is used across the U.S. at nearly all colleges, public career/tech ed schools, and some private trade schools. Vanessa Flipse, financial aid director of Fort Hays State University, will be the guest speaker for the evening.She will be speaking on behalf of all Kansas Financial Aid Administrators.If questions regarding the Financial Aid Night, call the Hays High Counseling Office 623-2608.
The starting wage for a USD 489 school secretary is $9.62 per hour, but the average starting wage for other Hays employers is $12.78. Comparable school districts pay an average of $11.08 and comparable cities pay an average starting wage of $13.45.
Office assistants and clerical workers start at $10.06 at USD 489, which is comparable to other school districts but is more than $2 below the average in the Hays community and $4 below the average in comparable cities.
IT assistants start at $10.95 per hour at USD 489, but the average at peer districts is $13.38 and $11.87 in the city of Hays.
The board has discussed creating a new pay scale for classified employees.
The board has also set an executive session to discuss negotiations.
The 40-member “Seussical” cast dance during their opening number.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Local children will take audiences on a fanciful tour through the world of Dr. Seuss during performances next weekend of the musical “Seussical.”
Addy Brull portrays JoJo in the Hays Community Theatre’s youth performance of “Seussical.”
The musical is the annual children’s production sponsored by Hays Community Theatre. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 and 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 in the gym of Celebration Community Church. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or online at www.hctks.com.
“Seussical” is by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and is based on the Dr. Seuss stories. Although the musical does not follow exactly any of the Seuss plots, you will recognize many of the Seuss characters. The plot is most closely related to the story of “Horton Hears a Who.”
“It is a lot of singing. It is a lot of Dr. Seuss characters all in one story,” Wendy Richmeier, director, said. “We have the Whoes. We have the Grinch. We have The Cat in the Hat. We have Horton. We have a lot of Seussical-like jungle creature and circus creatures. It is all one ‘think’ rolled into one.”
Richmeier and student director and choreography 15-year-old Faith Fondoble have taken on quite a challenge with a cast of 40 kids ages 7 to 14 plus an eight-student stage crew. Fondoble, Ellis High School sophomore, assisted with choreography last year in HCT’s youth production of “Junie B Jones” and stepped into a larger role this year.
“She is wearing a big hat this year,” Richmeier said of Fondoble. “She has done a great job. I am very proud of her. It has to be very nerve-racking — one, taking this role when she has never done it and also doing choreography. She knows she has 40 kids that she has to choreograph a dance for.”
The production has put as much color and fantasy in the props, costumes and set design as possible.
“A zebra is not going to look like a regular zebra,” Richmeier said. “It is going to be a colorful Dr. Seuss zebra. A tiger is not going to look like a regular tiger. It is going to look like a Dr. Seuss tiger. Kids’ imagination is what it is.”
Richmeier said not every child is athletic or academic. Theater gives some kids a niche and a place to be, she said.
“Seussical” is by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and baed on the Dr. Seuss stories.
“They meet new friends. They learn new things about themselves. Some of them just wanted to try it,” she said. “Maybe they will find this isn’t for them or maybe they will find this is my love, my passion.
“We see a lot of kids just grow. We have some kids with our children’s theater program since our very first show. We have some from this who have gone on to vocal lessons because they enjoy singing — they enjoy doing musicals. It is really getting them out of their box and out of their normal shell — trying something new.”
Although this a children’s story performed by children, Richmeier said she thought it is a musical all ages can enjoy.
“I think everybody read Dr. Seuss at one time, whether it was to themselves or to a child or to a classroom, so this is an opportunity to see a little Dr. Seuss come alive on stage,” she said.
Despite having the roof ripped off its worship center in August, Celebration Community Church is again hosting the HCT youth production. The production will be in the gym, which has been converted into the church’s worship center pending repairs to the main hall. A free-will donation to benefit the church repairs will be taken during all three performances.
“Our kids show is all about the kids learning and having fun and experiencing something new,” Richmeier said. “The one thing that I never worry about is perfection. This is about them. This is what makes our children’s productions so enjoyable to direct is seeing them have a good time, try something new and just enjoying themselves.”
The Sternberg Museum is having its annual Star Wars Day event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be special Star Wars-themed displays of animals, life-size characters and vintage toys.
Enjoy the fun activities and learn about the amazing science behind Star Wars. Kids will have a chance to win prizes in the Star Wars costume contest.
Although the census is not set until next year, you may see census employees in your neighborhood now verifying addresses. Courtesy photo
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
You will be able to count yourself in the 2020 census in a new way — on the internet.
The U.S. Census Bureau will send invitations for your household to sign in online to complete your census form beginning March 9. Ninety-five percent of Americans will receive their invitations by mail, but 5 percent will have invitations dropped off at their homes. This is because the U.S. Census Bureau will not be sending census invitations to post office boxes.
You will be able to login to the website using computers, tablets and smartphones. You will also be able to complete the census by phone, by mail or in person with a census taker.
Steven Hale and other representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau in Kansas were in Hays Wednesday talking to the Western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance about the ramp up to the 2020 Census.
You may be seeing census employees in the community now who are verifying addresses prior to the census next year.
The U.S. Census Bureau is also forming Complete Count Committees to help ensure accurate counts across the country. There is a state Complete Count Committee, but they can also be formed at the local level by local governments or civic groups. In some areas, librarians and even Girl Scout troops are leading the push to have their communities correctly counted.
The U.S. Census Bureau knows from past census audits communities with Complete Count Committees have more accurate counts.
Hale said people are more likely to listen to community members and trusted local officials.
In areas such as Liberal, where some census tracts are more than 80 percent Hispanic, U.S. Census Bureau is working with a local Complete Count Committee as well as Hispanic partnership specialists like Carlos Urquilla-Diaz to bridge culture divides.
“Let me help you be the bridge,” Urquilla-Diaz said. “I can initiate those conversations. It may be hard at first, but I can be a bridge and translate and create trust and understanding through those communities. After all this is over, we are still going to be dealing with their souls for 10 or more years. Whether you count them or not, whether you like them or not, they have a significant impact on the economics of and the political part of the state of Kansas.
“If you don’t get the money for the state of Kansas, that money will go somewhere else. The checks will be cut. How much is in that check every year depends on all of you.”
Group quarters counting will start in January. This includes college dorms, military barracks, senior living centers and prisons.
Hale said the modern census faces a number of challenges, including a mobile population, a diverse population, a distrust of government, complex living arrangements and rapidly changing use of technology.
The two hardest populations to count, Hale said, are children younger than 5 and adults older than 65.
The 10 questions on the census form will include:
Name
Phone number
Age
Sex
Race
Hispanic/non-Hispanic
Relation to householder
Household tenure (rent/own)
Number of people in household
Usual place of residence
All information that is taken will be kept confidential. Anyone releasing confidential census data is subject to up to a $250,000 fine and five years in jail. When data is released, it is only released in summary form. Census information is not shared with other government agencies.
Hale talked about why the census is important. The census is constitutionally mandated as a means to apportion U.S. House seats. Hale said Kansas is not expected to lose representation in the House as a result of this census, but that will not be determined until all of the numbers are in.
Perhaps a larger impact is money. Kansas receives $6 billion in federal funds annually. The census data is used to allocate funds for a bevy of government program. The top five are Medicaid, federal student loans, SNAP (food stamps) Medicare Part B and infrastructure projects.
“When you ask why should we care about listening to you guys about the U.S. census, the answer is very simple. It’s in front of you,” said Urquilla-Diaz, “All of these programs in front of you, and there are many more. If any of those programs affects you, your family or your friends, that is a reason why you should care. For example, when we undercount children, the needs of those children will be there period. K through 12 can be affected in a very negative way. The same thing with senior citizens.”
The 2020 count will affect funding through 2030.
“We have one shot to get it right in 10 years,” Hale said.
The U.S. Census Bureau will need to hire 4,500 people in Kansas, both part-time and full-time.
One audience member, asked where the census bureau was going to find these employees in a tight labor market. Emily Kelley, census coordinator, said anyone who is 18 or older, has a driver’s license and passes a federal background check can be a census employee. You can set your own hours and the number of hours you wish to work.
“It is a great side hustle job,” Kelley said. “It is a great gig economy job. Instead of driving Uber, get out and walk and earn money that will help pay for your holiday shopping or the next family vacation.”
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS – To recognize and encourage safe driving, Charles McClurg of Hays has been honored with the CHS Million Mile Safe Driving Award. The award from CHS Transportation and Distribution honors employees who have driven 1 million miles without an accident.
“Attaining one million accident-free miles is an outstanding professional accomplishment. These employees’ dedication to safety is a great example of how CHS lives out our core value of safety every day and takes responsibility for the well-being of those living in the communities we serve,” says Patrick Hessini, vice president, CHS Transportation and Distribution. “By encouraging and rewarding safe driving behavior, we’re setting an example across the industry to lead with a safety-first culture and mindset.”
McClurg has driven 2 million miles for CHS. He primarily hauls crude oil throughout the Great Bend, Kansas region.
In its inaugural year, the CHS Million Mile Safe Driving Award will honor 47 employees for safely completing one million miles, 11 employees for safely completing two million miles and one employee for safely completing 3 million miles.
Employees achieving the 1 million milestone were inducted into the CHS Million Mile Safe Driving Club and received a recognition plaque and personalized leather jacket. Employees that completed 2 million and 3 million miles were also honored at an awards banquet.
CHS Transportation and Distribution specializes in the transportation of bulk liquid, petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas products. Its fleet of more than 700 trucks logs almost 35 million miles every year.
