Holy Family
Holy Family Elementary celebrated the upcoming birth of Jesus with a school-wide baby shower for Mother Mary.
A faculty committee plans and prepares for Mary’s baby shower. Classes sign up on a schedule to acquire a time to attend the baby shower in the school activity center.
Students open their gift, which is previously bought and wrapped, in their perspective classrooms and then head to the activities center for treats and refreshments.
Students place their gift on a set of tables lined along the wall. The items that were in most need were diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, teething rings and hooded bath towels. All items are donated to local Catholic Charities.
After eating their treats, students enjoyed a rousing game of Price is Right or took a spin on the wheel. Each section of the spinning wheel represented a different prayer that each student would then recite for the receivers of the gifts.
“Obviously, we can’t give gifts directly to Mary for the child Jesus, but we can assist the many brave women who have chosen life despite some of the difficulties they experience, and we can reinforce their joy through the child who comes as a gift,” Holy Family said in a news story on their website.
TMP students sponsor blanket drive for needy
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
You can donate blankets from now through the Jan. 15 for homeless individuals and needy families at area churches.
The Thomas More Prep-Marian Biology Club has organized a blanket drive for First Call for Help and Catholic Charities.
Boxes for the blanket drive are at St. Joseph’s, St Nicholas of Myra and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches.
Samuel Allen, a TMP junior and Biology Club fundraising coordinator, said the agencies have requested large, heavy blankets that would fit at least a twin bed. Gently used or new blankets are welcomed.
Allen said the club hopes to collect at least 50 blankets. This is the first year the Biology Club has sponsored the blanket drive.
For more information, contact TMP at 785-625-6577 and ask for Allen or Kerie Maricle.
Ellis County projects it will end year under budget
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission is projecting it will end the year under budget and approved a series of transfers of the unused funds Monday.
The county intends to keep $2.925 million in unencumbered cash in its general fund account. This is about 15 percent of the county’s expenditures less transfers, Phillip Smith-Hanes, county administrator, said.
Smith explained the county’s general fund is like the county’s checking account, and the unencumbered cash is extra money to help with the county’s cash flow and to use in case of emergencies.
The two departments that had the largest surpluses in 2018 were the Road and Bridge, and Sheriff’s departments. Road and Bridge saved money because the cost of diesel was less than budgeted. The department also spent less than expected on road commodities.
The jail had days this summer when its prisoner population was low. This meant the Sheriff’s Department didn’t have to spend as much money on housing prisoners in other counties.
By Dec. 31, the county will transfer $1.729 million back to departments’ capital funds for the purchase of equipment or building repairs. Up to another $900,000 will be transferred to departments if it is available after the county audit.
Although the county expects to come in under budget this year, it faces some difficult choices ahead, Smith-Hanes said.
Oil and gas tax revenues continue to decline. The county’s assessed valuation is the same as it was seven years ago, but the county’s costs continue to increase.
“I think long term the county has some challenges we’ve talked to about in terms of the future,” Smith-Hanes said, “but we are doing well right now and making responsible decisions and trying to forestall those future problems.
“If you look at our five-year outlook, the commission is going to face some decisions in the future on whether they adjust taxes rates or reduce services, because we have reached the end of our limits of what we can do with our reserve.”
In other business, the county commission:
• Approved a $5,000 grant for the Heartland Community Foundation.
• Approved a salary resolution for elected officials. This is done on an annual basis, and none of the salaries changed
• Approved a policy on purchase cards.
• Allowed EMS to distribute requests for proposals for two new ambulances.
Red Cross sets blood drives
Submitted
The American Red Cross urgently needs blood donors to make an appointment now to give and help ensure patients can get the treatment they need at a moment’s notice.
In November 2016, a 100-foot maple tree fell on Mike McMahon, causing life-threatening injuries. He needed 11 units of blood during emergency surgery and another seven units to treat complications after. Six weeks following the accident, McMahon was released from the hospital – just in time to spend the holidays with his family.
“I’m grateful for the donors who gave me such an amazing gift – the gift of life,” said McMahon. “I was an occasional blood donor before the accident. Today, I donate as often as I can to help ensure others receive blood when they need it most.”
Now is an important time to give blood A seasonal decline in donations occurs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day when donors get busy with family gatherings and travel. In addition, severe winter weather can cause blood drive cancellations and negatively affect the blood supply. Patients like McMahon can’t afford for there to be a shortage of blood.
Give the gift of life – make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
As a special thank-you for helping meet the urgent need, those who come to give Dec. 20 through Jan. 6 will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities Dec. 20-Jan. 15
Decatur County
Jennings
1/4/2019: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., United Methodist Church, 202 S Topeka Ave
Ellis County
Hays Blood Donation Center
208 E. Eighth St.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Fridays: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Hays
12/21/2018: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., USD 489 District Office, 323 W 12th
12/29/2018: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Big Creek Crossing Mall, 2938 Vine St.
1/2/2019: 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Sunflower Bank, 4720 Roth
1/4/2019: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Big Creek Crossing Mall, 2938 Vine St.
1/5/2019: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Battle of the Badges – Ellis County, 208 East 8th
Gove County
Grinnell
12/21/2018: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., VFW, 92 S. Oak
Quinter
12/20/2018: 12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Church of the Brethren, 700 Grant
Osborne County
Osborne
1/15/2019: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Veteran’s Building, 123 W Main St.
Phillips County
Logan
1/9/2019: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Logan High School, 305 N. Sherman
Rawlins County
Atwood
12/26/2018: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Knights of Columbus, Lake Road
Russell County
Lucas
1/11/2019: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., United Methodist Church, 332 N. Main St.
Luray
12/21/2018: 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Luray Community Center, 115 S. Main
Russell
1/14/2019: 12:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Fossil Creek Inn & Suites, 1430 S. Fossil
Sherman County
Goodland
12/27/2018: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Harvest Evangelical Church, 521 E. HWY 24
Thomas County
Colby
12/20/2018: 7:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Colby Community Building, 285 East 5th
Wallace County
Sharon Springs
1/3/2019: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Community Building, 316 W Roman St.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
Scouts spread Christmas magic to elderly
Submitted
A group of local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts shared some Christmas magic with residents of two care homes in Hays on Saturday.
Girl Scout Troops 11203 and 11266 met at Via Christi Nursing Home (formerly St John’s Nursing Home).
The girls were full of excitement, Christmas cheer and over flowing with giggles.
They each grabbed a gift bag and a blanket and skipped off to find their intended recipient. Not only did they bring much welcomed gifts, but the joy of youth.
After the gifts were delivered, the girls were off to the Hays Good Samaritan Nursing Home where they were met by Boy Scout Troop 101.
At Hays Good Sam’s, the Scouts went in teams to do Santa’s work delivering a gift bag and lap robe to their assigned recipients.
One dear lady was celebrating her birthday so the Scouts sung her a rousing version of “Happy Birthday,” much to her delight.
By all accounts the gift bags and lap robes were greatly appreciated as were the visits from these wonderful Scouts.
The Scouts were given keepsake of hopefully the first of many years to come of the annual Christmas Magic gift bag event. One was left on each home’s Christmas tree as well.
The Scouts are all excited and enthusiastic about doing it again next year.
Thanks to the generosity and compassion of donors, 68 deserving veterans and elderly will have a merrier Christmas.
Hays Accessible Recreation Complex raises $250,000 in two months
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays Accessible Recreation Complex has raised more than $250,000 in the last two and a half months, but still has a long way to go to meet its $1.6 million fundraising goal.
The park project announced Monday it received a $15,000 grant from the Heartland Community Foundation.
The park complex will include an accessible playground, baseball field and splash pad. It will be open for all children to play side by side.
See related story: ARC rolls out plans for new accessible recreation complex
The group believes the $250,000 that has been raised is a good jump in two and half months, said Brent Kaiser, activities director for Arc of the Central Plains and volunteer on the fundraising campaign.
Except for the one grant, the money has been raised through private donations, sponsorships and pledges.
The park project has received a $100,000 matching donation from the Schmidt Foundation. The project has already received $72,280 of those funds, but will receive another $27,720 from that match.
Advocates for the park hope to have $600,000 raised by March so they can seek further grants, Kaiser said.
The park project had a citywide dine-out day on Dec. 11. The group has not yet received numbers from that fundraising effort.
“We think it will be a decent day for us,” Kaiser said.
Kaiser said the community has rallied around the project. The Hays Area Young Professionals donated more than $1,000 from proceeds from its adult prom and a gift from the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
Members from the Fort Hays State University Leadership 310 class raised $1,500 through T-shirt sales, a Freddy’s dine-out night and a wheelchair basketball tournament.
“When we came up with the idea and talked about, I think we knew it is something that Hays really needs,” Kaiser said of the park complex. “I think we thought there was going to be some support, but I don’t know that we thought we were going to pick up steam as quick as we did. …
“Overall we have had a huge outpouring of support.”
The Rotary is partnering with Thirsty’s on an upcoming fundraising for the project. Details will be released on that event at a later date.
USD 489 school board set to approve financing for Oak Park project
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The USD 489 school board is set to take the next steps in the Oak Park Complex project at its meeting Monday night.
The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockwell Administration Center.
The petition period for the financing on the project ended without a protest petition being filed. The board is set to sign the lease agreement on the project Monday.
The school district will purchase the complex on 13th Street for about $2 million to be paid off $217,000 per year for 10 years. The school district has received a $1.47 million federal grant to renovate the complex for use by the Early Childhood Education program.
The aging Washington school and Munjor building, where ECC is now housed, will be closed.
HaysMed, the owner of the largest portion of complex, has agreed to donate $500,000 of the purchase price of the complex back to the school district for use in the renovations.
The board is also set to sign contracts with DLR Group and Nabholz Construction for the work on the renovation project.
The board will also discuss the possible sale of the Washington school property on Monday.
The federal grant requires the renovation work on the project be complete by June 30. The renovated center is set to open to students in the fall.
The school board has been split on its support of the project, with board members Greg Schwartz, Lance Bickle and Mandy Fox, consistently voting against the project.
Superintendent search
The school board will meet with a representative from the Kansas Association of School Boards to discuss the superintendent search.
Superintendent John Thissen gave his letter of resignation to the board on Oct. 19. He will finish out his current contract, which runs through June 30.
The board is set to interview candidates in late January or early February.
The board is also set to hear an audit report and a report from Hays High Principal Martin Straub on HHS curriculum guide revisions.
Longest Night candlelight service set for Dec. 20
The Center for life Experience invites the community to “The Longest Night: Awaiting the Hope of a New Day” candlelight service at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20 at the First Presbyterian Church, 2900 Hall St.
The service helps us remember those who have died as we celebrate the holiday season.
Refreshments will follow. Child care will be provided.
2018-19 USD 489 Master Teacher nominees named
USD 489
USD 489 is proud of all of this year’s Master Teacher nominees.
The overall winner for the USD 489 Master Teacher of the Year is Laura Gaughan.
Gaughan is a reading teacher at O’Loughlin Elementary School.
This year’s Master Teacher nominees include:
• Lincoln Elementary School— Deaira LaSage
• O’Loughlin Elementary School— Laura Gaughan
• Roosevelt Elementary School— Misty Lohmeyer
• Wilson Elementary School— Candace Sage
• Hays Middle School— Karen Nowak and Julie Zollinger
• Hays High School— Suellyn Stenger
• Head Start— Christine Weber
— Corrected to associate teachers with their correct schools.
O’Loughlin Elementary PTA earns playground grant
USD 489
The O’Loughlin Elementary School PTA for earned a grant from the Heartland Community Foundation.
The grant was for $10,000 and will be used toward purchasing playground equipment for the school.
The PTA has been raising funds over the past several years to purchase new equipment.
“USD 489 wishes to extend its sincere thanks to the Heartland Community Foundation for its continued support of education and wellness for Hays Public Schools,” the district said in a news release.
Teacher Kristy Oborny earns National Board Certification
USD 489
Kristy Oborny, O’Loughlin Elementary School fourth-grade teacher and media specialist, recently earned her National Board Certification this December.
Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher is an extensive process that requires countless hours of preparation. National Board Certified Teachers focus on five core propositions for teaching:
• Teachers are committed to students and their learning
• Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
• Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
• Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
• Teachers are members of learning communities
The district has four National Board Certified teachers, including: Kristy Oborny, Monica Dreiling, Amy Wasinger and Kathy Wagoner.
HHS students collect shoes in Calista Isbell’s memory
HHS Guidon Staff Reporter
In memory of Calista Isbell, the Isbell family and friends decided to help collect pairs of shoes to donate to Nashville-based Soles4Souls, by setting up boxes around town, including two at Hays High School.
Sophomore Alexis White said they plan to have the boxes out for a full calendar year, leaving them until next November.
Isbell’s family and members of Calista’s Crew met with Principal Martin Straub in late October to ask him if they could set the boxes up at school, and he approved it.
The students involved check the boxes regularly for any donations, and then they have to inspect the shoes. The shoes are supposed to be gently used or new, none with holes in them.
“We plan to put posters up around the school,” White said. “We also plan to make an announcement in the near future, like how StuCo has been doing the Dodge for a Cause.”
Sellers praise benefits of CBD; doctor questions effectiveness, safety
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Businesses that sell CBD, a substance derived from the hemp plant, have been popping up all over Hays.
The products have been touted to help everything from anxiety and backaches to seizures and Parkinson’s disease.
Despite a growing list of uses for CBD products and people ready to offer testimonials to the benefits, some health professionals are skeptical of the substance as a miracle cure and warn of side effects.
CBD oil is considered a dietary supplement by the FDA. It is a substance that is present in hemp and its cousin marijuana. But CBD oil that is sold in Kansas is not supposed to contain THC, the substance that gets you high.
Local retailers are selling the product as an oil, in salves, lotions, bath products, as a vape juice, in candy, and even formulas for pets.
Pure CBD oil has only been approved by the FDA for one rare seizure disorder in children. Some research in animals has indicated CBD as a treatment for anxiety, pain and inflammation, but those studies have not been replicated in humans.
Some research has indicated CBD may interact with prescription medications, including blood thinners, SSRI antidepressants and prescription anti-seizure medications.
Dr. Eric Voth, MD, an internal medicine physician and pain management and addiction specialist, is an international expert on the marijuana and drug policy. He is the vice-president of primary care at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.
“There is not good evidence except for one disorder that CBD works, and there is also not clearly defined what kind of doses or concentration that is the most effective,” he said.
Voth said sometime in the future, research might show CBD is effective in treating other ailments, but at this point more rigorous medical research needs to be done.
“Most uses of CBD are by rumor and reputation and sort of this hysteria behind it as a marijuana by-product. It is present in hemp and marijuana,” he said. “And it may work, but it really has not been submitted to the scientific rigor that medication needs to be submitted to.”
Jessica Moffitt, a Hays health educator, opened a new CBD franchise in Hays on Friday. Her store is one of many locations in Hays where CBD products can be purchased. Despite naysayers, Moffitt insists CBD is safe and effective.
Moffitt uses CBD oil to treat anxiety and night terrors. She said since she switched to the American Shaman CBD oil, her night terrors have decreased from about six per week to one per week. The American Shaman CBD oil is water-soluble so she drinks in her two daily doses with her coffee in the morning and with other supplements at night.
She said she does not have any side effects from taking the CBD.
Other purported uses for CBD include Alzheimer’s, dementia, nausea Parkinson’s, ADHD, autism, cramps, to address problems with sleep, depression, OCD, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, migraine, and some have even taken the substance while being treated for cancer.
Moffitt said she did not see CBD as a cure for cancer, but it may help the body deal with some of the stresses on the body from the disease and treatment.
Barb Pitcock’s mother-in-law took CBD oil when she was being treated for cancer. Neither woman could confirm what role CBD played in her recovery, but she is still taking the product today a year and half after her doctor gave her only weeks to live. Pitcock, a CBD wholesaler and retailer, said her mother-in-law took CBD oil after chemo treatments and it helped her significantly with her nausea.
Pitcock bottles the oil as well as other essential oils for retailers across the region. She opened a temporary store in Big Creek Crossing during the holiday season under the name Simple Pure Aromatherapy. Pitcock is not a medical professional, but takes CBD oil daily herself to help her sleep.
Pitcock had been selling essential oils for 10 years and was skeptical of the CBD oil. Her nephew has ADHD and was struggling in school. Her sister started giving him CBD oil and it helped, she said.
After that, Pitcock decided to try a cream containing CBD oil to address back pain she had from a prior car accident.
“When I put the cream on, I thought at first I was imagining things because within five or 10 minutes, the pain would go away,” she said.
The store’s manager starting taking CBD for migraines and hasn’t had a migraine in three months. She believed so strongly in the product, she offered to help Pitcock get the retail store off the ground.
Amy Jensen, co-owner of Professor’s, also sells a line of CBD products through Kannaway. Jensen and her husband, Mike, both take CBD oil daily. Amy said she takes the drops for overall health and she feels it helps improve her mental clarity. She first tried CBD topically to ease the pain of a shoulder injury. She said she was amazed at how quickly the salve eased her pain.
One of her employees at Professor’s, Rachel Cox, consumes CBD products to deal with social anxiety as well as migraines. When she is feeling anxious, Cox vapes CBD oil or uses a CBD chew.
“It still had the anxiety but things seemed easier to do. It seemed more like I was going to survive this,” Cox said. “The more I took it and the more it built up in me, it was just like a well-oiled machine. There were days I was not waking up with the anxiety. I was excited to meet people today and do things.
“It was at a bad time before where I couldn’t get out of bed and greet the day. With the CBD it just seemed more doable, more normal.”
Cox said she was having about one migraine a month, and she hasn’t had any since she started the CBD about a year ago.
Cox and Jensen claim to have no side effects from taking the CBD products. They both said they feel good about CBD because it is a natural substance derived from a plant.
Moffitt said she hopes the FDA and medical research will soon catch up to what she and others know about the CBD from using the products.
“I think that hemp is a plant just like vitamins and supplements, just like someone is OK with taking black cohosh or someone is OK with taking magnesium,” she said.
“I think when people realize that there is scientific processes to remove the THC to where people don’t have the psychoactive properties, when people begin to understand that and that misconception goes away … When people realize there is absolutely zero risk behind taking our product, I think it is going to be used a lot more.”
Moffitt said she does not see CBD as a cure-all as some tout it to be. She thinks it will be linked most strongly to stress, depression, inflammation, anxiety, pain, migraines and sleep.
“I don’t believe CBD is cure-all or CBD is a miracle drug,” Moffitt said. “I think there are things yo have to do in your lifestyle as well. I think we can all benefit from it for the reason that we all carry tension. We all have inflammation, and we all have some sort of stress and most of us have sleep issues.”
A barrier to further CBD research has been the federal ban on marijuana and its classification in the same category as street drugs like heroin. Attitudes and laws concerning CBD and hemp are starting to change, which may open more opportunities for study.
Thirty states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical uses and four states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Marijuana and products containing THC are prohibited in Kansas. Federal law prohibits sale of any product containing more than 0.3 percent THC.
All three of the CBD retailers the Hays Post spoke with said their products are made from hemp. They said because their products don’t contain THC or contain very small amounts, they should not result in a positive drug tests or result in addiction.
Because CBD is unregulated, Voth said consumers should remain cautious. They may not know what they are getting.
Since CBD is not regulated by the FDA, there is no guarantee the product that you are buying is THC free, Voth said. He said there is a concern there could be harmful substances or infectious agents in the products.
Parent whose children had seizure disorders flocked to Colorado to purchase CBD oil to treat their children once it became available there. Some parents unwittingly purchased what they thought was pure CBD oil, but it actually had THC in it.
The THC in the oil made the children’s seizures worse, Voth said.
Moffitt and her husband visited the lab in Kansas City, Missouri, where the product she will sell is made. She said she felt confident the product she is selling has no THC. The lab tests with a third party to ensure quality control and uses only organic substances in their products.
Jensen said the products she sells are also lab tested, and Pitcock said her CBD products are certified by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy as 100 percent pure and organic with no THC.
Voth said scientists who are studying CBD argue it could be snake oil or the next great cure, but without more research, no one knows.
“I would caution people not to waste money on it until we know more about it,” he said. “It may be wonderful, but even then you are going to want purified forms and a standardized dose and clearly understand what the indications are for it.”
Voth said he wanted to remind consumers there is a billion dollar industry that is pushing the CBD and THC markets. He compared it to tobacco lobby. CBD products are not cheap. Drops can cost $39 for a 30-day supply up to $70 per bottle, and creams can run as high as $150 per container.
“Beware of snake oil because it is not necessarily going to work and it may cost a lot and have minimal effect and even negative effect,” Voth said.