Smith Center — Sheila S. Stewart, 85, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 at Via Christi Village, Hays.
Arrangements are pending with All Faiths Funeral Chapel.
Author: Cristina Janney
LaVern LaRue
LaVern LaRue
May 28, 1914 – Feb. 18, 2019
The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 at United Methodist Church-Stockton, 204 N. Elm in Stockton, KS 67669.
LaRue’s final resting place will be at Stockton City Cemetery, 2350 Cemetery Lane Stockton, KS 67669.
Memorial contributions may be made to Quilts Of Valor or the KU Medical Center For Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic Support and Research Department.
Arrangements are being handled by Plumer-Overlease Funeral Homes.
Martha Mary Fringer
Martha Mary Fringer
February 8, 1930 – February 19, 2019
Funeral services are pending with Pauls Funeral Home.
Lila May Sohm
Lila May Sohm, 70, passed away Feb. 20, 2019 at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita. She was born July 8, 1948 at Ellsworth to Jess and Elizabeth (Merrill) Mize. She married Clifford Sohm, Nov. 21, 1970 at Holyrood. He survives.
Coming from Ellsworth in 1970, Lila was a Great Bend resident. She worked in administration at Larned State Hospital, having previously worked as a Pharmacy Aide at Walmart and was owner of Mistletoe Express. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church and was a Girl Scout/Boy Scout leader. She enjoyed traveling and spending time with family and her grandkids.
Survivors include, her husband, Clifford of the home; one son, David Sohm of Great Bend; one daughter, Vicki James of Jetmore; and six grandchildren, Taylor James, Kaden James, Kaylee James, Tatum James, Walker Ruppe and Cody Griffith. She was preceded in death by her parents, and a sister, Zella Mize.
Visitation will be held from 1 to 9 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, at First Assembly of God Church in Great Bend, with Rev. Dwight Dozier presiding. Interment will be in the Great Bend Cemetery North. Memorials are suggested to the First Assembly of God Church or Kans for Kids, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Hays High’s Straub to interview for Manhattan principal position
According to information released by the Manhattan school district, Hays High Principal Martin Straub will interview for the Manhattan High School principal position on March 1.
Straub has been the principal at Hays High School for six years. He was assistant principal at HHS for 19 years prior to that. Before coming to Hays, he also worked in Derby and at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in Wichita.
Straub, one of five to be interviewed for the position, said he did not wish to comment on his application in Manhattan at this time.
Benjamin Jiminez, middle school high school principal at Decatur Community Schools in Oberlin, is also a finalist for the position, Manhattan USD 383 reported.
USD 383 invites the community to meet the Manhattan High school Principal Candidates. All sessions take place from 3:15-4:30 p.m. on the specific dates in the MHS West Campus Library. See Facebook for more details. pic.twitter.com/ZfDNaJ1mGT
— USD 383 (@usd383) February 19, 2019
Ellis Co. looks to cut 1.5 percent, raise taxes to meet budget shortfall
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Ellis County commissioners directed county departments Monday night to decrease their budgets by 1.5 percent for next year to meet an estimated $1 million projected budget shortfall.
The commissioners also asked County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes to prepare the budget impacts of several other options including either a one mill tax increase or a half-cent countywide sales tax.
One mill in property tax would raise about $388,000. On a $175,000 home, that would equal about $20 per year.
Commissioner Dustin Roths said he did not think the county could move forward without increasing revenue.
“I hate asking for across the board,” Roths said of potential cuts, “but I think part of the problem of not asking for across the board is picking favorites and not expecting everybody to do their part in fixing this fiscal situation.
“As little as I would like to do it, I think we have to figure out a little bit of revenue. At that point, that is not popular, but I think it is something that will have to be done at the most minimum inconvenience to our citizens as possible”
Other cost-cutting moves included a proposal to decrease the county’s contribution to employee health insurance. It is currently 92.5 percent for family plans. Roths suggested that be decreased by 3 percent each year for three years.
He said he wanted county employees to bear the smallest burden as possible of the cuts.
“It is always tough to tighten your belt on things like that,” he said, “but as we have alluded to before, we’re losing control of that cost structure because we cover a percentage. When we cover a percentage, we don’t know what it is going to cost from year to year. It starts getting out of control, and I think that is what has happened now. I would rather compensate more in salaries and try to hire for these positions than be stuck with a financial compensation for health care.”
Commissioner Butch Schlyer suggested the county look at decreasing funding to outside agencies. The county currently pays $1.052 million to outside agencies. Schlyer suggested cutting that amount by as much as $300,000 and perhaps not funding some organizations the county is not statutorily required to fund.
About $281,000 goes to High Plains Mental Health, but the county has a legal obligation to provide funding to that agency, Smith-Hanes said.
“I don’t think our Ellis County government or its employees should just take the brunt of everything,” Schlyer said. “Those outside agencies are going to have to take a hit and a big hit.”
Commission Chairman Dean Haselhorst said he was on the same page as Roths and Schlyer.
He suggested department heads hold off on hiring to fill vacant positions.
“One employee with benefits is a lot of money,” Haselhorst said.
However, Smith-Hanes said he was not aware of many positions that would be opening up in the next six months.
The commission earlier in the meeting discussed what to do with about $1.4 million in excess county sales taxes that were collected to complete several county building projects.
The county directed administration to look at replacing the elevator in the law enforcement center and finishing the basement at the EMS services center so donated gym equipment could be placed in the area for use by first responders.
The elevator project was estimated to cost $250,000, and the workout room was estimated to cost about $31,000. Smith-Hanes said the elevator project would likely come in above that estimate, but finishing the basement might be able to be bid for less.
The commissioners said they wanted to retain the rest of the funds for use for future projects or transfer the balance to the general fund to make up for budget shortfalls in 2020.
Smith-Hanes said the commissioners’ direction Monday on the budget was a starting point and the department heads will appreciate the 1.5 percent in recommended cuts, compared to a 5 percent cut that would have been required if all of the $1 million shortfall came from county departments.
In other business, the commission:
• Approved the extension of the solid waste contract with the Finney County Landfill
• Approved the 2019 Noxious Weed Management Plan
• Approved change in hours at the transfer station to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The change will take affect April 1.
• Heard a report from County Counselor Bill Jeter on foreclosure proceeding.
Ellis County approves funds for Northwest Corridor improvements
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved $800,000 Monday night for improvements along the Northwest Business Corridor.
230th Avenue would be paved from just north of 55th Street to south of Feedlot Road. This would include improvements to the intersection of 230th Avenue and 55th Street.
The county hopes to leverage the county funds for the application of grants and state funding.
111th District Rep. Barbara Wasinger, R-Hays, together with 110th District Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, will host Kansas Commerce Secretary David Toland and Deputy Secretary of Transportation Lindsay Douglas in a tour of the area Friday. They will be joined by officials from Ellis County, the City of Hays, GrowHays and the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center in meeting with business leaders from Midwest Energy and Hess Services.
The corridor has already seen significant development since 2011 with property values increasing by $25.4 million as of 2018. Expansions have occurred at Midwest Energy’s Goodman Energy Center, Celebration Community Church and Hess Services, with additional developments in various stages of planning at the corner of 55th and 230th as well as the Pertl Ranch Feeders feedlot.
The county broke down the project into three sections:
• Feedlot Road from 230th to Highway 183 — $5,018,081
• 230th Avenue from Feedlot Road to 55th Street — $4,375,807
• Intersection of 230th Avenue and 55th Street — $1,685,442
These three sections total $11,079,33. Additional improvements on 55th Street would bring the total amount up to $15,734,862.
The funds the county pledged Monday would come from cash on hand in the special road and bridge fund.
“We do have a number of other priority projects, but this one sees quite a bit of traffic, and I think this should rise to top of the list,” Phillip Smith-Hanes, county administrator, said.
County Commissioner Dustin Roths said he supported the project.
“I think this is probably the most important project we are looking at by far right now,” he said, “so I am happy to commit to it. As far as staff recommendation, as long as they feel comfortable with it, they can start shopping [for grants] with that commitment from us. I think this is critically important to northwest Kansas.”
Commissioner Butch Schlyer agreed with Roths.
“I do believe, as Dustin said, a very important project,” he said. “We do have to take some action to get something started on this road.”
In 2013, the county received an economic development grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation for $1.5 million toward the cost of the improvements at the intersection of 230th Avenue and 55th Street. This funding commitment, however, was contingent upon a development at that intersection that would serve travelers on Interstate 70.
During the past year, a private developer has approached the City of Hays about constructing such a development, but because municipal services are desired for the development, it is likely the city would annex the area around the intersection and the KDOT funding would go to the city for that project.
Fewer international students studying in U.S.; visa process can be tough
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
FHSU student Yuchen Wang-Boswell wanted to go home to visit her family during the summer of 2017, but President Donald Trump was in his first year in office, and the new administration was coming down hard on immigration with his newly instated travel ban.
Wang-Boswell was in the country legally on a student visa, but with nationalist sentiments running high, Fort Hays State University’s international student office advised Wang to stay in the States.
Wang-Boswell went three years between visits with her parents. She has since married an American and is embroiled in what she admits will likely be a prolonged and expensive process of applying for permanent residency in the United States.
She said she did not think Americans understood the complexity of the U.S. visa and immigration system or what it means to students or immigrants like herself.
Wang, who will graduate in May, said she thinks the perceived change in attitude toward foreigners in the United States has resulted in fewer students deciding to study in the United States.
Carol Solko-Olliff, FHSU director of international student services, said although FHSU has not seen a significant decrease in international student enrollment, nationwide universities are reporting a dip in international student enrollment. Some are attributing the decrease to election of President Trump.
Nationally, international student enrollment in the U.S. dropped by 6.6 percent during the 2017-18 school year, and universities and colleges reported further declines as of the fall of 2018.
The university can help international students prepare their VISA applications, but it has no control over whether those visas are granted. Solko-Olliff said the university has also seen an increase in the number of student visas that have been declined since Trump took office.
Both Wang-Boswell and Kingsley Udenze of Nigeria, were approved for their visas on their first attempts. However, Udenze said of the 20 people ahead of him the day he interviewed for his visa at the U.S. consulate, all 20 were denied. One friend applied five times for a student visa before he was accepted.
Only a fraction of the FHSU’s on-campus student body is international students — 4.5 percent. Most of the university’s international students come from China, but the college has 32 countries represented on campus.
The school’s cross-border program has an enrollment of about 3,500 students in China. The university also has international students who take courses online. Solko-Olliff said she predicted the number of international students taking online courses will increase.
“Some of the immigration rhetoric is for the border and people who are coming across who aren’t documented, and so sometimes I think our international students who are documented get blurred into that conversation,” Solko-Olliff said.
Wang-Boswell said although she encountered many friendly people in Hays, she had also experienced stereotypes.
“The other thing I personally feel people think about foreigners is ‘You are an immigrant. You don’t have value.’ They underestimate your value and abilities. They think you are poor and uneducated that is why you escaped your original country to come to the states,” she said.
The international students Hays Post spoke to said choosing to study at FHSU was highly influenced by the quality of the programs at the university.
Udenze, who is pursing a a degree in cyber security, said his program of study is not offered in Nigeria, yet he sees it as an emerging industry in his country. He said he appreciated FHSU’s efforts to make him feel at home on campus.
Affordability, cost of living and safety were other factors that led the students to choose to study at FHSU.
Despite a dip in international student attendance in the U.S., the number of FHSU domestic students wishing to study abroad has remained strong, Solk0-Olliff said. Just as the United States has become more selective in issuing visas for international students, U.S. students wishing to study internationally are seeing more stringent requirements for their visas, Solk0-Olliff said.
She said she thinks this has arisen from a heightened concern globally over terror threats. Students, as well as visiting faculty and researchers, are monitoring closely by the government. Information on the students and faculty are entered into a federal database.
Solko-Olliff said she thought it is unfortunate international students are having more difficulty coming to the United States to study because of the benefits they receive from the experience and what they offer to their fellow FHSU students and the Hays community.
“I think our campus is open and embraces international students. Obviously in a community, they bring cultural diversity to our campus and to our classrooms,” she said. “We are very rural, and it is very important for our domestic students to have that interaction with people from other backgrounds and countries and cultures. That is part of that liberal arts education.”
International students also engage residents in the Hays community through speaking engagements and visits to schools and community groups.
“I think they are ambassadors for their countries so we can learn more about misconceptions that Americans have, for instance about China or South Korea, about different countries. Then it helps our students to learn America is not that bad of a place.
“I think that exchange and interaction people have is so important to dispelling misconceptions, which is why it is disheartening students are having a difficult time coming to the U.S. to learn more about America but also educationally. When they go back to their countries and they are in government or leadership, they can rely back on their experience in the U.S., which hopefully was positive, and hopefully make change in their countries.”
Not only is the visa process time-consuming and complex, but it also can be expensive. Students also have to consider travel and living expenses once they are in the United States to study.
“They come to the U.S. They are coming for either two years or four years depending if they are undergraduate or graduate. They have two suitcases, so they can’t bring everything with them. They bring what they can and then they are going to buy the other things they need. Aside from the vast cultural diversity they bring to campuses, they bring a large economic impact to communities and, quite honestly, to the state of Kansas because they have to buy things when they come here.”
A round-trip ticket home to Nigeria costs about $3,000. As a result, Udenze hasn’t been home since he started his program at FHSU. He missed his sister’s wedding, the birth of her baby, and his brother’s wedding.
Wang-Boswell had not intended to stay in U.S. when she applied to study aboard. She intended to return to China, but after three years of dating, her husband, a classmate, he popped the question.
Wang-Boswell is set to graduate from FHSU in May. She said people assumed after she married, she automatically became a U.S. citizen. This is not the case. There are many steps she has to take. First, she has to apply to change her status from a student to a permanent resident, an application that could be denied.
The application packets is several inches thick and she and her husband, Korby, have hired an immigration attorney to help with the application process. She said she and her husband both have graduate degrees, but they still find the application difficult to understand. She said she feels lucky she and her husband have the means to pay the application fees and for an attorney.
“Think about those people who have limited resources and limited education or who do not have money, and they have to leave their original country and move to the States for their own safety. How are they going to get it done?” she said.
Her decision to remain in the United States with her husband has been a difficult one for her family in China. She is her parents’ only child. She also will be facing more time away from her parents as she can’t leave the country during the residency application process.
“I think my mom is pretty chill and flexible about it,” she said. “I remember one year after I studied here, she said, ‘I think you are happier and you are doing what you want to do,’ which is awesome. But my dad was closed-minded. At the beginning, it was hard for him to understand. He was, ‘Why? What is the point? You are far away from home. We can’t take care of you. You can’t see us regularly.’ I think eventually they understood, and now are happy for me, and they think I am happy, and I am valued.”
Big Creek Wedding Showcase set for Saturday
Hays Post
The 2019 Wedding Showcase at Big Creek Crossing will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Brides and grooms will have the opportunity to win a $1,000 voucher toward a honeymoon during the free event. Pickup a wedding passport and visit all the vendors for a chance to win. Vendors also will have individual giveaways.
Big Creek will host 34 local and regional vendors, including venues, photographers, caterers, transportation, florists, DJs, and apparel providers.
There will be no fashion show this year.
Quinter’s Center Pivot Restaurant and Brewery debuts first craft brew
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
QUINTER — The new Center Pivot Restaurant and Brewery in Quinter celebrated the first pull Saturday, Feb. 9, of its Cracked Pepper Cream Ale.
The restaurant opened Dec. 17, but brewer Steve Nicholson needed more time to perfect the brewery’s signature craft beer.
He said the inspiration for the ale came from something he had tasted years ago at a beer festival. Nicholson has been home brewing for 20 years, but this his first foray into commercial brewing.
He described the ale as smooth, low on the bittering hops with a golden color and cracked pepper added for seasoning.
“I went with a very easy-drinking style of beer and a unique flavor profile,” Nicholson said. “I put together the recipe in my home brewing efforts, and I am getting to be more comfortable with it in my commercial brewing efforts.”
Seven other craft beers from across the state will be on tap, plus more in cans and bottles.
The Cracked Pepper Cream Ale will be available only at the brewery at Quinter, and at this point, the Center Pivot is not offering growlers.
The launch of the ale proved popular, Nicholson said. The brewery sold out of its first 13-gallon batch. However, more will be available this week.
The restaurant serves comfort food — burger and fries, steaks and a buffet Thursday through Sunday. The restaurant also offers a full salad bar and desserts, such as homemade cinnamon rolls.
The Center Pivot fills a void in the community not only for a restaurant, but for a gathering space. Attendance was dwindling at the Quinter Senior Center, so the center moved to a smaller building, which opened up its former location, 300 Main, for the Pivot.
The investors spent six months remodeling the building, which had been a restaurant in the 1970s. They used barn wood and concrete floors to give the space a rustic feel.
Since the Center Pivot opened, it has hosted meetings and parties.
“It has been a blessing to have this facility in Quinter at this time,” Nicholson said.
The restaurant hopes to pull diners and beer enthusiasts from a variety of areas, including locals, interstate travelers and those who might see the Center Pivot as a northwest Kansas destination.
“We appreciate all of the help and support the community has given us to get open and be open to this point,” Nicholson said. “I hope we can continue to serve the greater portion of northwest Kansas and anyone else who comes through our neighborhood.”
Other partners in Center Pivot include Nicholson’s wife, Ericka; Rhonda and Lance Coburn; and Roger and Carrie Ringer.
The Center Pivot kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays for a buffet. The bar opens at 8 p.m. and closing varies depending on business.
Follow the Center Point on Facebook for more information on beer and food specials.
KNEA Reading Circle gives donation to Hays USD 489 libraries
USD 489
The KNEA Reading Circle gave a donation of $847 worth of books to the Hays Middle School and Hays High School libraries.
The KNEA Reading Circle was established in 1926 to assist in reading and screening children’s literature each year.
Quinter’s Center Pivot Restaurant and Brewery debuts first craft brew
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
QUINTER — The new Center Pivot Restaurant and Brewery in Quinter celebrated the first pull Saturday, Feb. 9, of its Cracked Pepper Cream Ale.
The restaurant opened Dec. 17, but brewer Steve Nicholson needed more time to perfect the brewery’s signature craft beer.
He said the inspiration for the ale came from something he had tasted years ago at a beer festival. Nicholson has been home brewing for 20 years, but this his first foray into commercial brewing.
He described the ale as smooth, low on the bittering hops with a golden color and cracked pepper added for seasoning.
“I went with a very easy-drinking style of beer and a unique flavor profile,” Nicholson said. “I put together the recipe in my home brewing efforts, and I am getting to be more comfortable with it in my commercial brewing efforts.”
Seven other craft beers from across the state will be on tap, plus more in cans and bottles.
The Cracked Pepper Cream Ale will be available only at the brewery at Quinter, and at this point, the Center Pivot is not offering growlers.
The launch of the ale proved popular, Nicholson said. The brewery sold out of its first 13-gallon batch. However, more will be available this week.
The restaurant serves comfort food — burger and fries, steaks and a buffet Thursday through Sunday. The restaurant also offers a full salad bar and desserts, such as homemade cinnamon rolls.
The Center Pivot fills a void in the community not only for a restaurant, but for a gathering space. Attendance was dwindling at the Quinter Senior Center, so the center moved to a smaller building, which opened up its former location, 300 Main, for the Pivot.
The investors spent six months remodeling the building, which had been a restaurant in the 1970s. They used barn wood and concrete floors to give the space a rustic feel.
Since the Center Pivot opened, it has hosted meetings and parties.
“It has been a blessing to have this facility in Quinter at this time,” Nicholson said.
The restaurant hopes to pull diners and beer enthusiasts from a variety of areas, including locals, interstate travelers and those who might see the Center Pivot as a northwest Kansas destination.
“We appreciate all of the help and support the community has given us to get open and be open to this point,” Nicholson said. “I hope we can continue to serve the greater portion of northwest Kansas and anyone else who comes through our neighborhood.”
Other partners in Center Pivot include Nicholson’s wife, Ericka; Rhonda and Lance Coburn; and Roger and Carrie Ringer.
The Center Pivot kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays for a buffet. The bar opens at 8 p.m. and closing varies depending on business.
Follow the Center Point on Facebook for more information on beer and food specials.
Hays High chess team wins Concordia tournament
USD 489
The Hays High School chess team won its first tournament in Concordia on Saturday, Feb. 9. Due to the team’s number of participants, they were able to take two teams to the competition.
The second team won third place overall in the tournament. All of the chess team members from HHS placed individually. The chess club is sponsored by Erin Holder.