About 40 members from a Hays international trip are safe today after visiting the London Borough Markets district only hours before a terror attack on Saturday
Seven people were killed and more than 30 were injured when terrorists attacked a popular shopping area and London Bridge in London.
The assault began when a van veered off the road and barreled into pedestrians on London Bridge. Witnesses say three men fled the van with large knives and attacked people at bars and restaurants in nearby Borough Market.
Savannah Pfeifer, a Hays student, was on a European trip with her International Travel Club when the attack occurred.
The group was in London the day of the attack and had been in the market and had crossed London Bridge only a few hours before the attack occurred.
“I was scared and terrified,” she said via Facebook Messenger on Monday from Paris. “The first thing we all did was contacted our family back home and told them that we were safe. We found out when we got to the hotel, and so we just stayed up and watched the news.”
The Hays group left London the next morning for its next scheduled stop in Paris.
Pfeifer said she was not afraid of any further attacks, but the incident did make her more aware of the people around her.
“No, I am not afraid because attacks can happen anywhere, and I knew there was a chance of it happening,” she said.
Kristy Pfeifer, Savannah’s mother and an Eagle Communications employee, said she was terrified when she heard the news of the attacks.
“We worried about her getting sick or pick pockets,” she said. “We didn’t think anything like this would happen.”
Britain has been on an increased terror alert since a bomb was detonated May 22 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. The U.S. issued a travel alert after the concert bombing.
Savannah said she had not noticed any increased security in London. However, one of the members of the trip did post pictures of law enforcement with machine guns patrolling the London airport.
Three attackers were killed Saturday by police and 11 more suspects were in custody as of Monday.
Sen. Jerry Moran speaks to residents at Hays Medical Center Saturday during a town hall.
With the backdrop of Hays Medical Center Sen. Jerry Moran Saturday updated a group of local residents on efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Moran said he did not support the Affordable Care Act because of the limitations it puts on small business owners.
For those who say they support the act, he said Congress needs to find a middle ground to help all people.
“We need to figure out how to help you in your circumstance and not do damage to other people in their circumstance,” Moran said.
He said he would not have voted for the House’s version of a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, and he was glad the Senate is coming at a fix from a different approach.
He said he was not sure if any plan will be able to garner 51 votes in the Senate, although he hoped a solution could be found.
Although some would like to make health care a political issue, for many more it is a deeply personal issue, he said.
“I have had too many conversations with people we know on church on Sunday and with our kids’ teachers in which tears start streaming down their cheeks worried about what is going to happen particularly concerning pre-existing conditions and what this means in their family circumstance if changes are made,” Moran said.
Moran said he hoped committee hearings would be scheduled and experts brought in, but that is not what is happening.
He said he would like Republicans and Democrats to be able to offer amendments and figure out where the votes are.
However, Democrats have pledged no votes to change anything to do with the Affordable Care Act.
Moran said he wished to pay attention to how any changes would affect premiums, deductibles and coverage for pre-existing conditions for individuals.
However, he also thought it was important to take into consideration providers and rural hospitals.
“There is not a hospital that is in better financial condition today than when the Affordable Care Act passed,” he said.
This has a lot to do with increases in bad debt.
Moran also said he was concerned about the continued funding for Medicaid and the support of services for disabled persons who utilize that funding.
Moran said he really thought Congress should be dealing with the cost of health care and not the insurance system and questions of who pays.
“We are all fussing around with the system that pays instead of what do you do about the high cost of prescription drugs and what do you do about prescription drug companies who alter their formularies so they can get a longer patten and avoid brining generics to market,” Moran said….
“What do we do about the bureaucracy in health care? Could all the forms we get, whether it is Blue Cross Blue Shield or Medicaid, couldn’t they all be the same and uniform? Can’t we do something about the number of test we do not for medical purposes but legal liability purposes?”
Grayson Decker, 4, plays with slim with his dad, Thomas, during a Doodle Bug class at the Hays Recreation Commission Wednesday.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
There is still plenty of time to sign up for summer activities through the Hays Recreation Commission.
The commission’s current slate of classes runs through August. Classes are available for ages 9 months through senior citizens and cover a wide range of activities and interests.
Gail Wickham, program director for youth and seniors, taught a Doodle Bug class on Wednesday morning. The art class was for children ages 2 to 5.
The children dove into slim, blobbed paint with small balloons, molded clay and made fanciful neon sand art.
These activities are not only fun, but they help build fine motor skills in small children.
Picking up a small item like a bead, will help the children build the skills they need to grasp things such as pencils or scissors as they get older.
Grayson, 4, has been coming to art classes at the HRC sine he was 1-1/2. His father, Thomas Decker, said Grayson loves to experience things that involve new textures, such as the slime activity.
“He likes to touch things that are weird, strange and gooey,” Decker said.
He said his son also likes to bring home examples of his art.
For older children, Wickham said Hays Rec programs offer youth a way to stay active during the summer months and build social skills.
“Our School’s Out program encourages social interaction. They get to interact with different kids from different schools. It keeps them active,” Wickham said, “and it keeps them away from electronics.”
The programs for school-age children will be starting in earnest next week, Wickham said.
Sign up days are Wednesdays and can be done online at www.haysrec.org or in person at the HRC, 1105 Canterbury Drive.
Class space is limited, but there are wait lists for classes that are full. Some classes have already started to fill up.
If a class is full, the HRC may inquire if the teacher can handle a few extra kids or administration may consider adding another session.
You must pay in advance for all classes, including wait classes. If you or your child do not get into a wait list class, a refund will be issued.
“We will try to accommodate as many as we can.” Wickham said, “and we will try to take people off of wait list.”
Popular HRC courses come back year after year. New this year for youth is an arial yoga course.
Participants use a hammock to do yoga stretching positions.
Wickham, who is teaching the class, said youth and adults both can build confidence in arial yoga.
“Tweens have to learn to trust the hammock,” she said. “It builds self confidence. Once they have accomplished it, they don’t have to be afraid. If they can trust the hammock, sometimes they can trust more people.”
The HRC opened a new fitness center in April, which freed up more art and programming space in the main HRC building. For more information on the new fitness center, click here.
“The additional space has been a blessing,” Wickham said.
Jack Schramm, 93, died peacefully in his sleep on June 2, 2017 at Via Christi Village in Hays. A lifelong champion and supporter of Thomas More Prep-Marian he had just marked the 75 year anniversary of his graduation from its predecessor school, St. Joseph’s Military Academy.
Jack Schramm
Jack was born August 1, 1923, in Arkansas City Kansas to Vic and Maurie Schramm. He enrolled at SJMA as a freshman in the fall of 1936, earning both his high school diploma in 1940 and his associate’s degree in 1942. As a student he earned the school’s highest honor, the ROTC Medal of Honor. On the day of his junior college graduation, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and reported toFort Riley.He served with distinction in WWII, earning the Bronze Star for courage in 1944 after safely bringing his rifle company across the Danube River at night, avoiding enemy fire or any casualties.
In 1948 he married Roma Waters. They made their first home in Salzburg Austria while Jack continued his Army service during the occupation and rebuilding of Austria. They returned to the US living in Santa Fe and later Albuquerque, New Mexico, where all their children were born.
In 1967, Jack returned to Hays taking on the first of many roles at SJMA, later TMP-Marian. Over the next 25 years he served as Director of Admissions, established the school’s alumni office, ACE auction, golf tournament, and the Endowment Foundation. He retired in 1992, but came out of retirement to serve first as Director of Stewardship for the Dodge City Diocese and later the Heartland Parishes of Ellis County. In 2002, after the passing of his wife Roma, Jack fully retired enjoying many trips to TMP-Marian sporting events for most of the next decade. He was named an affiliate of the Capuchin Order, received the “Points of Light” designation at TMP-Marian, and was dubbed the TMPM “Number One Fan” by players, coaches, parents, and the Hays Daily News.
Jack is survived by his daughter Kathy Ensworth of Longmont Colorado and her husband John, and daughter Emma; his daughter Julie Clifton of Bogata Texas, her husband David, and children Steve Shade and Kelly Martin and her husband James; and his son David and his husband Ken Daigle and their children Tobias Lamai Ezra and Roma Schramm of San Francisco, CA. He is further survived by four loving nieces Vicki Leyba of Irving TX, Jody Howard of Thornton CO, Debbie Vanderlinde of Westmoreland, KS and Teri Parsons of Colorado Springs, CO. He is preceded in death by his wife Roma, his son Vic, his grandson John Shade, as well as his parents and sister Joan Howard.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Monday, June 5, 2017 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 215 W. 13th.Burial with military honors by the Hays VFW Post #9076 Honor Guard will be in the St. Joseph Cemetery.Visitation will be from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Sunday at the TMP-Marian Chapel, 1701 Hall, and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Monday at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine.A parish vigil will be at 7:00 pm followed by a Knights of Columbus Council #1325 rosary at 7:30, both on Sunday at the TMP-Marian Chapel.In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to TMP-Marian earmarked to the fourth floor renovation project, a portion of which will be named in Jack’s memory.Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com
The Hays fire chief proposed Thursday at a city commission work session the purchase of a new pumper/ladder truck for the City of Hays.
Gary Brown said the new truck would “complete the tool box” for Hays firefighters.
A 2016 demonstrator model with 2,500 miles on it would replace a 2002 model.
The older model is wider and uses more fuel than the newer truck. Because the truck is wider, it is more difficult to position in narrow streets.
The new truck would allow firefighters to provide better coverage of larger structure and city blocks. In addition, it could assist the city’s fire rating, which affects insurance premiums for all residents.
Because the 2002 truck uses 40 percent more fuel than the city’s 2007 pumper/truck, the fire department has been reticent to use it in regular rotation. The purchase of the new truck would result in a regular rotation of both ladder/pumpers, Brown said.
Brown is proposing buying the truck ahead of schedule, but the purchase is aimed at maximizing the trade-in value on the 2002 truck. Right now, the 2002 has about five years of useful life left. As it ages, resale value will go down significantly.
The city has an offer to purchase the used truck for $125,000.
With trade in, the cost of the new truck will be $476,850 from Rosenbauer America in Hays.
City Manager Toby Dougherty said other cities are paying as much $1 million to purchase ladder/pumper trucks. He said Brown has done a good job of keeping the cost of equipment purchases down.
Plans are underway to move the 40 & 8 Boxcar from its home at the former American Legion site to Veterans Park.
Plans are underway to move the 40 & 8 Boxcar from its present site at the former American Legion property.
The Boxcar was not a part of the recent sale of the American Legion property.
Members of the 40 & 8 are interested in moving the Boxcar to a new home at Veterans Park, Jeff Boyle, parks director told the city commission at a work session Thursday night.
The group is seeking preliminary approval for the move so that it can seek grant funding and donations to cover the cost of the move and the construction of a protective structure for the Boxcar.
The structure would be three-sided with a roof and be located directly north of the tank.
One tree would likely have to be removed to allow for the new structure.
Prior to the Boxcar being moved, the 40 & 8 group would bring back the item to city commission with complete moving and funding plans.
The name 40 & 8 came from the use of the Boxcar to carry troops and horses to the French front. One of the boxcars could hold 40 soldiers or eight horses.
Forty-nine of these boxcars were given to the United States.
The co-owner of the demolition crew working to tear down the Ambassador hotel will continue work despite a step by the city to start nuisance proceeding.
Carl Britz, co-owner, American Wrecking Services, Kansas City, Mo., said his company has been working every day for the last three weeks to finish the hotel’s demolition.
The demolition process was delayed earlier this year when asbestos was found. Click here for more on that story.
The permit issued to the company demolishing the hotel,3603 Vine St., expired on May 29. However, the company is legally allowed to continue work while the nuisance abatement proceeds.
The nuisance process takes about 30 days. City Manager Toby Dougherty said the “clock is ticking” on the process. If the property owner, who lives in Texas, has not cleared the site by that time, the city will be able to hire its own demolition firm to finish the project.
The city cited health and safety reasons for starting the nuisance abatement proceeding against the owner of the property.
Britz said he is confident his company will be able to finish the demolition and is working with the city to meet its needs.
“We will work on the demolition until the problem is solved,” he said.
However, he said he had no projection of when the project would be finished.
Mayor Shaun Musil expressed concerns about the demolition area, saying he had heard youth had been visiting the area.
Members of the commission expressed concerns about liability surrounding the property. However, city staff said the property owner would be responsible if anyone was injured.
Britz said his crew has had difficulty with people running over and knocking down gates and fences.
“People think it is a game. I wish they would not do that anymore,” he said.
Dougherty said the city is already working with demolition companies to gather bids on finishing the work at the site.
If the city has to assume the responsibility for finishing the demolition at the site, any cost would be added to the tax rolls and will be the responsibility of the property owner.
SMITH CENTER – Gene M. Sears age 92 passed away on Wednesday May 31, 2017 at the Smith Center H
Gene Sears
ealth and Rehab Center in Smith Center, KS. Gene was born the son of Alva & Ethel (Cronn) on January 31, 1925 in Cedar, KS. He was a mechanic and farmer.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Mary and sister Erma.
He is survived by his son Gary (Thirl) Sears of Smith Center; a sister Vivian Bruner of Kansas City, MO; 3 brothers Duane (Dorothy) Sears of Wellington, Derald (Ethel Belle) Sears and Dwight (Rose) Sears both of Smith Center; 2 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., will visit Hays as part of his Kansas Listening Tour from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. Saturday, June 3 at Hays Medical Center, Hadley Rooms 2 and 3, 2200 Canterbury Drive, Hays.
Area residents are encouraged to attend and share feedback with Sen. Moran on the critical issues facing Kansas and the nation. The issues Sen. Moran focuses on and the work he does in Washington, D.C., are largely based on the conversations he has with Kansans during these town hall meetings, a news release said.
Throughout his time in Congress, Sen. Moran has made it a priority to stay connected to the people he represents despite a distance of more than 1,000 miles between Capitol Hill and Kansas, the release said. Since his election to the U.S. Senate, Sen. Moran has continued to have town halls in each of Kansas’ 105 counties. Then-Congressman Moran traveled to each of the 69 counties during his annual “Big First Listening Tour.”
Members of the Hays City Commission Thursday night said they would not support the use of a sales tax to fund a proposed bond issue for Hays schools.
Superintendent John Thissen made a presentation to the commission during a work session. He said the district would like to pursue a half cent countywide sales tax.
The 25-year sales tax would be divided between all three school districts in the county based upon enrollment.
The district would like to use its share of a half-cent sales tax coupled with property tax for an $89 million bond project.
All the city governing bodies in the county and the county commission would have to approve the sales tax before the bond could be placed on the ballot.
Commissioner Henry Schwaller IV said he had a concern about the length of the sales tax. The city has never used a city sales tax on a project for more than five to eight years.
“I absolutely oppose a sales tax for schools for multiple reason,” he said. … “The major economic driver for a city is its education system as is its health care, so whatever the Vision Committee does is very important to me.
“I know with the research you have done is that you can do this with property tax and that’s makes me think that is best.”
He said he did not think that non-Hays residents should pay for Hays schools.
“My primary concern is that I do not believe outsiders, people who live in Rooks, Russ or Trego or Rush, should pay for our schools,” Schwaller said.
“The reason why we use the citywide sales tax the way we do is because outside people who visit here also use streets, fire, emergency help and police. The reason we decided to do this is they are using a service and paying for it,” he said. “They are paying for their own schools. Why should they pay for ours?
He said the sales tax needs a break. It should not be in perpetuity at a half percent. People in northwest Kansas are struggling. Sales tax is the most regressive tax and those with the least means struggle to pay it, he said.
Schwaller also said he did not think the school bond plan had been well vetted and needed more refinement.
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs said the schools need work, but property tax is where the funding should come.
Commissioner Lance Jones also said he would oppose sales tax for a school bond.
“I sent an email saying that if you pursue this bond issue, I will not support anything with the sales tax,” he said.
He also said he did not think people who come to Hays to shop need to pay a tax to support Hays schools.
“By tying up a half cent, it may not seem like a lot, but you are putting our taxing ability for twenty-years [on hold]” Jones said.
He said he thought there was a need for a bond, but any sales tax past five years, he would not support.
Mayor Shaun Musil said his children would benefit from the bond, but he was concerned about the length of the proposed sales tax and how it might affect the city’s taxing ability.
“We are really close to where our mill levy may have to go up if sales tax keeps going where it’s at,” he said.
He said he thought 25 years was too long.
Thissen said he thought a bond in some form will pass.
“I truly believe the community will support a project,” he said. “The issue is what project and how it is financed. I have no doubt that will occur. It is just a matter of working through the process.”
The proposed $89 million bond would include a new elementary school and improvements to Wilson and Roosevelt elementary schools to include storm shelters, additional security and additional and renovated classroom space.
Each elementary school would be able accommodate four sections of each grade.
O’Loughlin would be renovated for use by Early Childhood Connections, the students at Munjor and the students in the Westside program.
The middle school would have a new auxiliary gym to accommodate more physical education students, a new classroom addition, a cafeteria addition, right-sized classrooms and security improvements.
Hays High School would have a new auditorium, new auxiliary gym to accommodate more physical education students, a CTE addition, right-sized classrooms and a classroom storm shelter addition.
The alternatives to a $89 million bond project would be a $78 million project that would include a 10-year city sales tax or a $56 million project that would only be funded by property tax.
Starting the week of June 5, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin work on a chip seal project along I-70 in Russell County. The project will take place on a 10-mile stretch from the Ellis County line to the U.S. 281 junction at exit 184.
Work will be completed on the westbound lanes first, then move into the eastbound lanes. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in the work zone. KDOT reminds motorists to slow down, obey the warning signs and “Give ‘em a Brake!” when approaching and driving through work zones.
Heft and Sons of Greensburg is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of $850,000. Work is expected to be completed by the end of June, weather permitting.
For more information, contact KDOT area construction engineer Nick Rogers at 785-625-9718 or [email protected].
A 3-year-old white bison named Ghostbuster joined the heard at Frontier Park in Hays Thursday morning.
The white bison is from Ginther Farms, which raises bison across western Kansas and eastern Colorado for the restaurant industry.
The bison had no name prior to its arrival to Hays, but Brent Ginther of Ginther Farms indicated city crews said they may name the bison Ghostbuster.
Ghostbuster, which weighs about 650 pounds, carries a recessive gene that causes her coat to be light blonde or white instead of the dark brown of most bison.
Ginther said a white bison occurs once in about every 600,000 births. Because Ghostbuster carries the recessive gene, it is likely she will have a white offspring.
“It was pretty exciting the day she was born.” Ginther said. “I have been even more excited to see her grow up.”
Ghostbuster will be ready to breed in July and should have her calf here in Hays.
Ginther Farms has provided other members of the Hays bison herd, and usually purchases the city’s calves.
“I thought it would be good for the City of Hays to have a white buffalo for people to view,” Ginther said.
Ginther said he had a good working relationship with the city, and Ghostbuster can remain with her new herd as long as the arrangement is good for the bison and the city.
The rest of the members of the Hays bison herd were a bit shy of the newcomers when she was first released into the bison enclosure about 10 a.m. Thursday. The current bison herd ran in circles around the pen.
However, they soon warmed to Ghostbuster and could be seen feeding together in the pasture.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
