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Author: Cristina Janney

Phyllis Jeannette (Handlen) Bloss

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Phyllis Jeannette (Handlen) Bloss, 88, Hays, died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 at Via Christi Village.

She was born March 29, 1929 in rural Pottawattamie County, Iowa, to Helen Mettalena Julius and Vere Parish Handlen. She attended rural grade schools and graduated in 1946 from Underwood High School, Underwood, Iowa. She attended Iowa State Teachers College and taught for two years in Hancock, Iowa.

On Aug. 20, 1949 she was united in marriage to Donald R. Bloss at the Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He preceded her in death on July 7, 2013. In 1949-50 she taught third grade in Story City, Iowa.  She also taught for three years in Plover, Iowa, and for three years in Davenport, Iowa, retiring in 1960, when her son James Ralph Bloss was born. She and Don adopted Jeannine Lyn Bloss in Dubuque, Iowa.  Phyllis completed her B.A. degree in Elementary Education in 1959 from Iowa State Teachers College and an M.S. degree in Elementary Education in 1974 from Fort Hays State University.

After living two years in Columbia, Missouri, the family moved to Hays, Kansas in 1970, where Don was a Professor of Counseling at Fort Hays State University. The family joined the First United Methodist Church, Hays. Phyllis was a homemaker and volunteer in the Hays Medical Center Auxiliary, and she belonged to the United Methodist Women, the Humane Society of the High Plains, Centennial Club and Eastern Star.

Survivors include her son; James Bloss and wife Marie of McKinney, Texas, her daughter; Jeannine Bloss of Hays, a brother; Tom Handlen and wife Opal of Davenport, Iowa, a sister; Alice Beach of Omaha, Nebraska, six grandchildren; Brendan, Aaron, Kirsten, Caitlin, Rachael, and Alexis and four great-grandchildren; Antonia, Raphael, Ivan and Elrik.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vere Parish Handlen and Helen Mettalina Julius and her husband, Donald Ralph Bloss.

A celebration of Phyllis’s life will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 at the First United Methodist Church, 305 W. 7th St., Hays with Rev. Michael Rose officiating, following a private family burial at Mount Allen Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday at the church.

Phyllis desires that in lieu of flowers, memorials be given to the First United Methodist Church or to the Humane Society of the High Plains in care of the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine St., Hays. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com.

Dewey Griffin

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COLBY—Dewey Griffin, 90, died Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 at his residence in Colby, Kansas.

Services are pending with Kersenbrock Funeral Chapel in Colby.

Pre-enrollment being taken for summer drivers ed

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Anyone interested in taking drivers education this summer through Hays High school needs to contact Bruce Rupp at Hays Middle School.

You may call 785-623-2450 or email Rupp at [email protected].

There will pre-enrollment meetings at 11:30 a.m. at Hays High School on Thursday in the multi-purpose room and at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8 in the HHS cafeteria.

Enrollment forms will be available at both the middle school and high school offices.

 

Norton Community Schools install new classroom locks

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Staff install new locks on classroom doors at Norton Community High School. Courtesy photo.

NORTON – Norton Community Schools USD 211 is equipping classroom doors with new security locks.

A portion of the barrier lock fits into the floor and a metal piece slides into place in the case of an emergency to keep the door from being opened. The security devices work doors that swing in or out.

Superintendent Phil Wilson said the district was working on the project before the latest school shooting in Florida last Wednesday.

School staff did active shooter training with local law enforcement last fall. Elementary school teachers especially found that it would be difficult to barricade doors with a heavy desks or file cabinets when they were alone in a classroom of small children.

The district researched security locks, keeping in mind fire safety, and bought the devices that are currently being installed with a grant from Norton County Emergency Management.

Staff install new locks on classroom doors at Norton Community High School. Courtesy photo.

Installation of the Norton Community High School locks has already started with the help of staff, and the district hopes to move on to the Eisenhower Elementary School next.

Wilson said staff will undergo additional active-shooter training after all the security devices are installed.

Ellis St. Mary CYO sets community fried chicken dinner

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ELLIS—Ellis St. Mary CYO will have its monthly community fried chicken dinner from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sell out Sunday Feb. 25 at Ellis Knights of Columbus Hall,  1013 Washington St., Ellis.

The dinner will include pan-fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, coleslaw, dinner roll, and dessert.

Cost for ages 5 through 9 will be $5. Cost for ages 10 and older will be $10.

Serenity Psychological Services adds therapists with experience with children, families

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Brandie Bieker, left, and Lori Hertel are the new therapists at Serenity Psychological Services and Consulting.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Serenity Psychological Services and Consulting, 1010 Downing Ave., Suite 60, has added two new therapists, Lori Hertel and Brandie Bieker.

Hertel and Bieker join Robert Yates III and Jennifer Colby in private practice.

Yates and Colby have primarily focused on working with adults, and Hertel and Bieker both have experience working with youth and families.

Lori Hertel, 57, is a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist. She is currently working on her PhD in health psychology through Walden University and plans to finish that degree this year. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in resource counseling from Fort Hays State University.

She has been employed for the court system and at High Plains Mental Health Center for numerous years. Previously, Lori was the chief executive officer of her own business called Hertel Therapeutic Services, worked as a therapist at Turning Point Professional Counseling Services and was a prevention specialist with the school district.

Hertel is an adjunct faculty member in sociology at Fort Hays State University. She has been very active in the community, helping to start the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program and serving as a past president of the CASA of the High Plains board.

Hertel also operates several programs as a memorial to her daughter, Ana, who died eight years ago from a childhood muscular disease. These include a scholarship program; Ana’s gift, a program through emergency responders who provide stuffed animals to children in traumatic situations; and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library that provides free monthly books for Ellis County children birth through age 5.

Hertel just finished a position funded through a grant to offer therapy to community corrections clients. At Serenity, she will be working with juvenile services to do therapy with its clients.

Hertel will do a variety of psychological evaluations for both children and adults as well as offering therapy for children, adults and couples.

She will do anger management evaluations and will be a facilitator for an anger management program. In anger management, she uses a curriculum with different strategies to get out anger before it can become explosive. Group members also role play and talk about different situations and techniques members can use to be assertive.

She hopes to eventually complete training for competency evaluations.

Brandie Bieker, 40, will specialize in working with children 10 and younger.

Children in this age group are often seen for behavioral problems, depression, anxiety, ADHD and developmental issues.

Bieker works with the children on impulse control and identifying and coping with emotions.

Parents and guardians are integrally involved in the children’s treatment.

“Parents and guardians are such a big role in the child’s life,” she said. “They help guide them in their day. They help them get ready to go to school and as they come home. Adults play an important role in leading that environment. So they need to understand what the child may be experiencing and help those children learn those coping skills. Children, especially young children, are not always going to remember that ‘I need to take a break at this time because I am upset.'”

Parents or guardians can help children understand when they need to use their coping skills, she said.

Bieker received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washburn University and master’s degree in clinical psychology and an educational specialist degree in school psychology from FHSU. She worked as a therapist with children and adults at High Plains Mental Health Center and Turning Point Professional Counseling Services before coming to Serenity.

Bieker also works as a school psychologist for USD 399 Natoma and is an adjunct instructor in the Teacher Education and Advanced Education programs at FHSU.

Serenity remodeled and expanded its office to accommodate the new therapists.

As a clinic, Serenity accepts most major forms of insurance and Medicare. For Bieker, the clinic will accept KanCare and private pay. For Hertel, the clinic will accept private pay and is working to contract with major insurance providers. Both therapists are accepting clients now. You can call Serenity at 785-621-4417 to make an appointment. You may also request an appointment through the Serenity website.

Elwin J Kern

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SMITH CENTER—Elwin J Kern, age 87, passed away on Friday Feb. 16, 2018 at the Smith County Memorial Hospital in Smith Center. He was born Aug. 5, 1930.
Arrangements are being handled by Simmons-Rentschler Mortuary.

Richard Smith

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Richard Smith died Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018.
Visitation will be 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23 at Baalmann Mortuary in Atwood.
Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at Fairview Cemetery in Atwood with Rev. David Todd officiating.

Court rules in FHSU’s favor; bookkeeper denied millions in Field will case

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

A former Hays bookkeeper who was seeking millions from her former employer’s estate lost her appeal in a decision released Friday.

The bulk of the estate of Earl O. Field instead will go to the Fort Hays State University Foundation to be used for scholarships.

Wanda Oborny alleges her employer, Earl O. Field, signed a codicil to his will shortly before his death in 2013, leaving half of his $20 million estate to her with a quarter of the estate going to Fort Hays State University and the rest going to Field’s attorney, Joseph Jeter.

FHSU has been fighting Oborny’s claim to the will, including a claim she filed with the court for $1 million in attorney’s fee for the case and another $134,000 for attorney fees for an appeal.

A district court ruled Oborny or someone on her request forged the codicil to the will. Oborny appealed.

Although the lower court found in FHSU’s favor on the will, a district court judge ruled Oborny’s attorney be awarded fees from the estate.

The appellate court found in favor again for FHSU on Oborny’s appeal and overturned the district’s court decision on the attorney’s fees.

The appellate court found Oborny or someone on her request forged the codicil to Field’s will.

In the decision, the court noted Field told the FHSU after the date on the alleged codicil that the college would receive more from his estate than the college had originally anticipated. In a 2005 email to a friend, Earl’s wife, Nonie, wrote about the couple’s desire to leave a legacy with the college that would carry on their name as they had no children.

The decision pointed to evidence the codicil was not consistent with Field’s previous wills. It also noted Oborny’s testimony was often inconsistent and she had a history of taking other people’s money.

The court concluded Oborny was not acting in good faith and therefore the attorney’s fees should not be paid from the estate.

Click here for a copy of the appellate court’s decision on the attorney fees.

In the original case, Oborny alleged 98-year-old Field went to a local car dealer to have the codicil of his will witnessed by two of Oborny’s longtime friends, Steve and Kathy Little.

The Littles died in a murder/suicide after they had been visited by federal agents and received federal grand jury subpoenas. However, their deaths were never definitively linked to the Field will case.

Oborny was Field’s part-time bookkeeper and a cosigner on his accounts. FHSU alleged in its appellate brief Oborny received $300,000 in questionable gifts and bonuses from Field’s accounts before his death and another $600,000 in payments after his death.

After a lengthy 2016 trial, District Court Judge William “Buck” Lyle found the codicil was a forgery created by Oborny or an associate on her behalf.

Although the court found the codicil that benefited Oborny was a forgery, a judge appointed after the initial trial, Kansas Senior Judge Jack Burr, found Oborny could claim $1 million in attorney’s fees from the estate.

Oborny’s attorney took her case on a contingency basis, which means that if she does not win her case, she owes nothing to her attorney.

Coy Martin, attorney for the FHSU Foundation, said he wanted to thank all the judges for their hard work and prompt review of the case, but he could not comment further on the case.

Oborny also faces felony charges in federal court stemming from the codicil.

 

Hays Arts Council sets creative writing, Famous Figures contests for youth

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Hays Post

The Hays Arts Council is currently accepting entries for its annual Creating Writing Awards for youth.

The HAC’s longest running annual program has been a recognition and celebration of young writers in poetry and prose.

Each year, the HAC invites writing submissions from students in kindergarten through 12th grade, working through the public and private schools in Ellis County but also accepting independent submissions from those whose teachers or schools don’t participate. This includes homeschool students.

The deadline for entries is March 16. More information on how to enter can be found on the Hays Arts Council website.

Members of the FHSU English Department serve as the judges for the hundreds of works submitted (all anonymously coded).

Publications of all the winning works are printed, award ribbons are purchased, and an awards ceremony and reception will be Sunday, April 29.

The Hays Arts Council will also be working through schools to organize the annual Famous Figures competition. Fifth-graders dress in costumes and portray famous historical figures.

The finals for the contest will be May 4 at the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.

TMP Scholars Bowl team ends season 91-38

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TMP

TMP Scholars Bowl team competed in the 3A state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 10 at Douglass High School.

The Monarchs finished the day with a 2-3 record which included wins over Cheney and Atchison County Community High School.

Over the course of the season the TMP Scholars Bowl team accumulated a record of 91-38.

The team wishes seniors Ethan Rohr and Katy Walters the best of luck in their future endeavors.

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