The Russell County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday it has juvenile suspects in an armed robbery in Gorham that occurred Thursday morning and sparked a Hays High School lockdown.
At 11:40 a.m. Thursday, the Russell County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Hays Police Department. The initial information described a possible kidnapping in the area of Gorham, according to a press release from the sheriff released Friday.
Russell County deputies responded to a residence in Gorham and located a potential victim.
Responding deputies were informed this was possibly an armed robbery and not a kidnapping.
The description of the suspect vehicle was passed to surrounding counties, and a suspect vehicle was located in the Hays High School parking lot.
Hays Middle School was placed on lockdown for 15 minutes and then cleared. Hays High School was placed on lockdown at about 1:15 p.m. and remained on exterior lockdown until about 2:30 p.m. while Hays police investigated, said Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.
Scheibler said suspects were taken into custody later that day in Hays off of school property.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office indicated the victim and suspects in the case are juveniles, so no names will be released.
The investigation is continuing, the sheriff said in his new release.
Senior Johnny Fuller and sophomores Ginny Ke and Callie Raacke with their project and award. The three will now have their presentation displayed during the Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium. Courtesy Photo
A team of three students brought home the title of Night At the Lab State Champions after competing in the KU Medical School competition on Nov. 27 and 28 in Kansas City.
Students must register three weeks before regionals and are given a topic – somewhat based on the cardiovascular system – to create a visual presentation for the competition.
Senior Jonny Fuller, and sophomores Callie Raacke and Ginny Ke were given the topic of the effects of high blood pressure. They competed against several teams at regionals in Colby and won, then were able to move on to state.
“Dickerson was our sponsor, but Zimmerman ran over our presentation with us a lot,” Raacke said.
The students had to travel to Kansas City to compete for the state championship. For their presentation, they were given a real human heart from Fort Hays State University to show aspects of the hearts and how it can be affected by high blood pressure.
“When it was our turn to present, we really communicated with the judges,” Fuller said, “Instead of just reading a script, we got to have a conversation with them to show our knowledge and point out facts, which I think helped us win at regionals and state.”
To prepare for their presentation, the three kept logs of their own blood pressure for a week to relate it to their lives and add data to their presentation.
As an award for winning state, the three will have their presentation displayed during the Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium.
“We had a great time presenting our information we found and we all worked very hard to research, explore, and memorize our presentations to have a wide range of knowledge on the subject,” Fuller said, “The most exciting part of the KU event was touring KU’s medical institute and its different areas of studying.”
All three had a great time on the trip and enjoyed competing together.
“The best part for me was getting to travel with my friends,” Raacke said, “Ginny, Johnny and I are already close and traveling together gave us more memories.”
Backpacks for Kids is one of the programs that could be smaller in 2019 if the United Way does not meet its fundraising goal. File photo
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
As the United Way of Ellis County reaches the anticipated closing of its annual campaign, the agency is significantly below its fundraising goal.
“I will be blunt, we are desperate for help,” Sherry Dryden, UWEC executive director, said.
She called the agency’s situation dire and said agencies that are funded by United Way will likely have to cut service or the number of people served if the campaign ends significantly short of goal.
As of the end of the week, Dryden anticipated the agency will be only 40 percent to its $400,000 fundraising goal.
The United Way, which usually ends its annual campaign Dec. 31, has already decided to extend the campaign into January, but Dryden said she is still concerned the agency will have to make large cuts in funding to its agencies.
“It’s going to hurt,” Dryden said. “It means that we have to cut the support to the agencies by half.”
The United Way raises funding for many smaller non-profit community organizations that do not have the staffs or the resources to do fundraising on their own. Dryden said if these local agencies have to spend more time fundraising, that takes away time from those organizations providing services. Because of their size, some agencies will have no other way to address funding deficits other than to cut services.
“I don’t want to see anybody lose their jobs,” Dryden said. “We don’t want to see anyone lose services. We have averaged these last three years approximately 8,000 people being helped and even more in services. When you are looking at those kinds of numbers and you only make half of your campaign, you are looking at 4,000 people needing help and can’t get it. So who else is going to provide those services?”
Last year, United Way supported local programs at 15 partner agencies.
The Cancer Council of Ellis County received $25,000 from the Untied Way in 2018 to provide financial assistance and nutritional supplements to cancer patients. File photo
These included the American Red Cross, Big Brother Big Sisters, Cancer Council of Ellis County, Catholic Charities, Center for Life Experiences, Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas, Early Childhood Connections, First Call for Help, Hays Area Children’s Center, Options, Parents and Children Together, Salvation Army and Western Kansas Association on the Concerns for the Disabled.
Each agency has to meet guidelines and standards to receive funds.
At least two of the agencies the Hays Post spoke to said they would consider cutting staff hours or a staff position if they saw a significant decrease in United Way funding.
Less money for Big Brothers Big Sisters would mean less staff and fewer children served, said Jenny Bates, executive director.
Big Brothers Big Sisters will provide mentors for about 200 children this year. The agency would not be able to help as many children if its United Way funding is reduced. File photo
Big Brothers Big Sisters will provide mentors for about 200 children this year. Every match costs about $1,000 per year to support. This includes cost for background checks, reference checks as well as volunteer training.
Big Brothers Big Sisters received just more than $35,000 from UWEC in 2018. That equals about 35 matches.
“We serve children who are facing adversity whether that is something that is going on at home, struggles they are having at school or social things that are going on for them,” Bates said.
“What Big Brothers Big Sisters does is provide that consistent person in their life who is there for them and to support them and encourage them and help them be more confident,” she said.
“Our vision is that all kids achieve success in life. We want these kids to overcome the barriers they are facing. The Bigs help them go beyond that and become some of the first in their families to attend college or hold down full-time jobs after they graduate high school. It is making them productive citizens in society.”
First Call for Help was one of the biggest benefactors of UWEC funds in 2018, receiving a grant of $42,598.
Linda Mills, First Call for Help director, said she too was concerned about maintaining staffing if their agency’s funding was cut. Mills said the agency would do everything it could to replace funds by applying for grants or having another fundraiser. However, that is difficult, because the agency has only four staff members.
First Call uses the United Way funding to support the Backpacks for Kids program, its information and referral program and Meals on Wheels.
Mills said the agency would likely have to reduce the number of people served under the Backpacks for Kids and Meals on Wheels programs if its funding was cut. Backpacks for Kids provided school supplies for 657 children this fall. Thirty people in the community receive Meals on Wheels through First Call.
Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation received $7,000 from United Way in 2018 for family support services. File photo
“I think I would like to stress that the United of Way is an important piece of the many agencies that we have in our community,” Mills said. “If we see that not being fully funded, it means all of the services are going to suffer somewhat. I want to stress how important they are in the community.”
CASA only has one full-time staff person. The $19,650 the agency receives from UWEC supports its work to advocate for children in the court system.
“Without United Way funding, it would be very challenging for us to provide advocates for the children currently going through the court system due to abuse and neglect in the 23rd Judicial District,” Lyndsey Crisenbery, CASA executive director, said.
“United Way funding helps our agency maintain quality staff that recruit, train and supervise advocates. Our advocates help ensure abuse and neglected children are receiving the services they need by getting to know them, their families and the other professionals who have worked with the child. The CASA advocates then advocate for the best interest of the child in court.”
Early Childhood Connections received funding in 2018 from United Way for a pilot program for summer preschool for children who were getting ready to enter Kindergarten.
Donna Hudson-Hamilton, ECC director, said she thought those children who participated greatly benefited from the targeted help. However, the program was solely funded with United Way money. The ECC is planning to apply for the grant again in 2019, but if it does not receive the funds, the program will go away.
Parents and Children Together, which serves 80 families in Ellis County, also is 100 percent funded by the United Way. PACT offers Ten Steps to Positive Parenting, a parenting class that seeks to reduce instances of child abuse in the community.
Options uses its $15,000 annual allocation to support its shelter program. Abuse survivors receive assistance with food, clothing, medical needs and transportation. The shelter will serve about 100 men, women and children this year.
Reductions in United Way funding could mean reductions in staffing and the ability to offer services, Jennifer Hecker, Options director, said. The shelter allows abuse victims to leave abusers, but remain in Hays where they may have jobs and other support systems, she said.
“No one should ever be put in a position to have to choose between financial security and safety,” Hecker said. “They are one in the same for many people. Financial security means freedom for many people. If you have to leave the community where your job is, you are not going to have the same kind of freedom you need to move on with your life.”
DSNWK received $23,000 from United Way in 2018 for its job placement and Follow Along Program. File photo
Some lead businesses are still trying to wrap up their employee pledges, Dryden said. Most of those businesses are coming in the same as last year or are a little down.
“The United Way humbly appreciates our business partners who do internal campaigns, which collectively accounts for almost half of our campaign. We are currently working with one of our partners who is transitioning to a new giving model, and we anxiously look forward to the outcomes next year,” Dryden said.
However, she said other factors have played into the shortfall in the campaign.
Although she did not want to name the agencies, Dryden noted several other community groups have been working on major fundraising campaigns at the same time as the United Way campaign.
“It is so exciting to see how excited our communities are with fundraising, and people tend to give better toward the end of the year, but we may need to look at leaving that traditional fundraising season and look at different times throughout the year instead,” Dryden said.
Changes in the tax laws also likely had an effect on giving this year, Dryden said. Some employers have also said they have had longtime employees and contributors retire. If you have made payroll deductions in the past, UWEC can set up checking account automatic withdrawals to maintain you giving.
“We have so many more opportunities to give than we had in the past,” Dryden said.
The local Red Cross received $16,300 from the United way for disaster services, services for U.S. Armed Forces and biomedical services. File photo
Also periodically, the United Way has dealt with concerns about administrative expenses, which are 16 to 20 percent. The local United Way is trying to develop an endowment that would fund the local agency’s administrative expenses, so 100 percent of the money raised each year could go to partner agencies.
“What I am finding as we do the Dine Out Days, as we have more one-on-ones with the public is there is also a hesitancy to give because people don’t really know us,” Dryden said. “Even though we are trying to educate people about what we do and how we do it, there is still hesitancy.”
An estimate of the United Way CEO’s income has circulated on social media, but Dryden said this social media estimate is not accurate. The United Way CEO makes a fraction of what a for-profit CEO in America would make, and the current CEO donates a portion of his salary back to the organization.
The CARE Council, a board of volunteers, will start reviewing funding levels for allocation in January. The decision on how the money United Way raised in the campaign is spent is up to them. The United Ways is still looking for a couple of members for that group.
Eagle Radio is planning a fundraiser for the United Way on Dec. 27. Look for more details to be announced soon.
If you wish to donate to United Way, you can do so online, call United Way at 785-628-8281, send checks to P.O. Box 367, Hays, KS 67601 or make a donation or pledge in person at the United Way office at the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh St., Suite 111, Hays.
Note: Eagle Radio is owned by Eagle Communications, which also owns and operated the Hays Post. Cristina Janney is a member of the CASA board, which receives funds from United Way.
At about 1:15 p.m. Thursday USD 489 put Hays High School and Hays Middle School on exterior lockdown on the request of the Hays Police Department.
A text alert was sent to parents.
HPD officers were investigating an armed robbery that occurred in Russell County and had reason to believe a student or students at one of the schools might have information regarding the crime. A vehicle believed to be connected to the robbery was found in the HHS parking lot, HPD Chief Don Scheibler said.
HMS was cleared in about 15 minutes at 1:30 p.m. HHS remained on lockdown until about 2:30 p.m., said Superintendent John Thissen.
At about 2:30 p.m., a second text alert was sent to parents, saying the school was clear of the lockdown.
“We’re safe and will dismiss at normal time,” the alert said. “Communication will continue with HPD to monitor the situation.”
Thissen said no students were taken into custody at either school Thursday as a result of the HPD investigation.
However, Scheibler said suspects were taken into custody in connection with the crime in Hays on Thursday.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of the case and had no comment as of Thursday afternoon.
The HPD continues to investigate the crime, he said.
Students from Girl Scout Troop 10247 purchased clothing items for two angel tree children after school on Nov. 20.
Every year, Ellis County Teaming up for Tots (TUFT) sets up trees at Walmart, Walgreens, and Big Creek Crossing covered with pink and blue paper angels.
The angels represent local children in need. Each child in the program is assigned one clothing angel and one toy angel complete with their wish list information.
The same program also gives parents gift wrap and tape to wrap the gifts for their family. It’s all to help make sure every child has a happy Christmas.
In keeping with tradition, for the ninth year sophomores in Girl Scout Troop 10247 spent time shopping for those less fortunate. Every year, the troop chooses angel tree children, usually girls, around the same age who need clothing items.
“It started when our girls were just second grade Brownies,” troop leader for Senior Troop 10247 Kendra McBride said, “They learned about needs versus wants and comparison shopping through badge work, then put what they learned into practice.”
According to McBride, over the past nine years, the troop has purchased 38 angel tree gifts. Troop funds, earned by cookie and candy sales, cover the cost.
This year, the troop voted to purchase for two angel tree recipients, making a total of 40 children they have helped.
“I love that we are helping others,” sophomore Johnessa Gay said.
Gay joined Troop 10247 in sixth grade, but has been a member of Girl Scouts since Kindergarten. At the time she joined her current troop, there were 21 members.
Now just four remain, sophomores Alisara Arial, Johnessa Gay, McKena McBride and Alexis White. All but Arial, who joined in middle school, have been Scouts since Kindergarten.
All of the girls agree angel tree shopping is something they plan to continue in the future.
Anyone can pick up an angel and purchase gifts, a $30 limit, then return the paper angel and unwrapped gifts before Dec. 12 to one of the four drop off locations.
“My favorite memory from angel tree shopping is how all the girls in the troop grew so close to one another while doing something that would help change someone’s life,” White said, “My favorite thing about angel tree shopping is that we are able to help those in need.”
Once a year, the United Way of Ellis County facilitates the CARE Council process for allocation distribution from three funding sources; the United Way of Ellis County, City of Hays and Ellis County.
The CARE Council was established in 1992 and the process has evolved over the past 26 years. The three funding sources each appoint four representatives to the council. They are divided into four teams with three members each.
The current chairperson of the council is a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of Ellis County. The chairperson works with the four teams of volunteers to ensure the process is consistent among the teams.
They review applications in the focus areas of children and youth, community and neighborhood, family and individual, and health and rehabilitation programs. The teams meet with each agency it reviews, to ask additional questions regarding funding requests. Each team makes a funding recommendation for each program it reviews.
In 2009, the United Way of Ellis County went to program funding. Instead of making one allocation to the agency’s general fund, the funds were distributed to the programs offered by the agency.
This process was used to make funding recommendations for Social Service Funds. The CARE Council application requires each program to have identified outcomes, which includes a change in the knowledge, behavior, attitudes and beliefs of the individuals in the program.
The agency must also have a process to measure progress toward achieving those outcomes. The agencies continue refining their outcomes and their measurement tools.
The CARE Council recommends funding for programs that have an impact on the quality of life in Ellis County. Every agency requesting Social Service Funding through the City of Hays must justify to the Council how funding for services will offset municipal services. Allocation funds that are distributed through Ellis County, are for those agencies who provide resources/services in alcohol drug rehabilitation.
The length of volunteer time will be through most of the month in January with limited volunteer time in February. If this is something of interest to be involved, contact the United Way office at 785-628-8281.
Teacher Monica Dreiling and one of her students prepare for Beanie Babie sales.
Fifth-grader Addison Neuburger and teacher Monica Dreiling take payments for Beanie Babies during their class’s shop hours.
Children at Lincoln Elementary School gather for a school assembly to hear the announcement of how much money the Beanie Babie sale raised.
Lincoln fifth-grade students present a check and Beanie Babie to a representative of the Humane Society of the High Plains.
Linda Mills, director for First Call for Help, accepts a $100 donation from Monica Dreiling’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln.
Students from Monica Dreiling’s fifth-grade class, Dreiling and representatives of the agencies who received donations pose for a picture after an all-school assembly.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
It was like Black Friday, but the commodity was Beanie Babies and all the money went to charity.
Students descended on Monica Dreiling’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary School last week in a frenzy to buy pigs, chameleons, leopards, frogs and all sorts of other animals from the popular stuffed toy line. The class sold 1,440 Beanie Babies in less than two hours last week — a sell-out. The class raised $919.12.
“We never dreamed that we would make that much money,” Dreiling said during an all-school assembly Wednesday morning. “That is because all of you.”
The class was supposed to sell Beanie Babies before and after school for a week. After the morning sale Tuesday, the class was sold out. Dreiling contacted Bob Munsch, Hays auctioneer, and secured 600 more Beanie Babies for the store. By Wednesday afternoon, the class was sold out again.
The project was a part of a unit the class was working on entrepreneurship. The students had to sort their inventory, set the prices for the Beanie Babies, market the store, which included contacting local media, act as sales staff and decide what they would do with their profits, said Mariella Dreiling, fifth-grader.
Addison Neuburger, fifth-grader, said “It is harder than you think to start selling and get everything organized.”
During an assembly, the class donated the money to several nonprofit organizations. Each nonprofit representative was also given a Beanie Babie so they could remember where the donation came from.
This included $100 for the Human Society of the High Plains, $100 for First Call for Help, $100 to Cancer Council of Ellis County, $50 for Hays Public Library to purchase a brick and $569.12 for the Community Assistance Center.
A $50 donation will be made to the CAC to buy a holiday meal for a needy family. The rest of the money will be split among the students in the class, who will shop for non-perishable food items on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Dillons. Those items will be donated to the CAC food pantry.
“We did not do this on our own,” Monica Dreiling told the other Lincoln students Wednesday. “The kids realized this was not our money, but your money and your families’ money that made all these donations possible to your community.”
United Way in the past had printed a paper guide to assist people in finding, nonprofit and government agencies.
However, Sherry Dryden, UWEC executive director, said the app, which is free for download now for Apple and Android devices, can be updated constantly.
“One of the main things was to have first-responders and social workers to have something at their fingertips instead of having to go to their office to a website or having to pull out a book out of their vehicle or briefcase that is outdated the minute that you print it,” she said.
The idea for the app came out of a series of meeting sponsored by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation called Strategic Doing. The meetings urged local residents to focus on needs and goals in their communities. Another series of meetings will be conducted in March.
The Heartland Community Foundation supported the creation of the app through a grant.
“The Heartland Community Foundation is very interested in technology in our rural communities, but the key word she uses is collaboration,” said Sandy Jacobs, Heartland Community Foundation executive director. “It is really important in communities of this size to bring people together from different backgrounds and different agendas and put together things that work. This is one of the most important things that has been done in the last numbers of years, and we are very proud to be associated with it.”
The app was created by Simply LLC, a technology firm in Hays.
Brandon Purdy, app designer, said he was unsure how useful the app would be until he started to use it himself.
“When you don’t know what you are looking for, you just know you need to find something in financial services and you want local, the app is really useful to find something that is local and not just something you are going to find on Google,” he said. “I see it going more places than I originally thought.”
Sherry Dryden, United Way of Ellis County executive director, explains the new Ellis County Resources app on Tuesday at the Hadley Center.
More than 400 services, schools, government agencies and organizations are listed in the app.
The app allows you to search for services under categories, including child care services, communications specialists, community programs, counseling, disability and developmental services, drug and alcohol services, education resources and institutions, elderly resources, employment resources, family planning and support, financial resources, food programs, health services, housing resources, mental health, parenting resources, veterans resources, volunteer services, and youth programs.
The app gives phone numbers, addresses with maps and descriptions of the organizations.
The logo for the app looks like a life-preserver, because UWEC is trying to throw a lifeline to people, Dryden said.
“I think of the first responders who are called to something in the middle of the night and a family is needing some kind of service,” Dryden said. “They are able to go with this, get it off their phone, and be able to utilize that, and be able to get ahold [of someone] and get the family linked up to services they need.”
Although the app was made with first responders and social workers in mind, it can be used by anyone. Dryden used the examples of teachers, counselors, churches or business people.
You can still access an online version of the resources list at https://elliscountykshelp.com/. The United Way is working with USD 489 to develop a Spanish version of the list.
If your information needs to added or updated on the app, contact the United Way at 785-628-8281 or [email protected]. Purdy said some bugs are still being worked out of the system. Although the app is available to download now, an Apple update is waiting for approval and should be available shortly. Contact the app administrator if you experience problems.
COLBY—Manley Hemmy Mainus Jr. died Monday, Dec. 10 at Citizens Medical Center in Colby.
He was born June 2, 1960 in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.
He is survived by sons, Eddie Mainus and Evan Mainus, both of Colby; brothers, Bruce Mainus of Ulysses, Pennsylvania, Mike Mainus of Tucson, Pennsylvania, Harold Mainus of Franklinville, New York, Wayne Mainus of Santa Fe, New Mexico; sister, Lorraine Close of Galeton, Pennsylvania; and five grandchildren.
Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14 at First Baptist Church in Colby.
There will be no visitation as cremation has been chosen.
Memorials may be made in his name in care of the Kersenbrock Funeral Chapel, 745 S. Country Club Drive, Colby.
Rita Mary Bowles (Sabatka) was born Friday, Oct. 7, 1927.
She died Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, 2018 at Baalmann Mortuary in Atwood.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 508 Railroad Ave., in Atwood with Fr. Gnanasekar officiating.
Interment will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery, U.S. Highway 36, in Atwood.
On Friday, Dec. 7, the 77th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the Courtney-Spalding Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recognized Don and Chris Bickle, Hays, for their philanthropy and support of God, home and country.
Don, a WWII and Korean War veteran, was presented with the DAR Ellen Hardin Walworth Founders Medal for Patriotism and Chris was presented with a DAR Challenge Coin.
The Hays Community Theatre and Hays Arts Council will cosponsor a New Year’s Eve Celebration: The Good Old Days Again from 8 p.m. Dec. 31 to 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1.
The event will be in the newly remodeled HCT location at 121 E. Eighth St.
The evening will celebrate the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s with music, trivia and dancing.
Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, as well as a dessert bar will be served. There will be a cash bar, and champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight. You must be 21 years old or older to attend.
Guests can snap pictures in a selfie booth, watch a live stream of the ball dropping in New York at 11 p.m. CST, as well as enjoy the performance from a magician.
“There will be an opporunity to sing and dance and basically get together and have a good time and also act as a fundraiser for the HCT and HAC,” Travis Grizzell, HCT volunteer, said.
Party goers are encouraged to dress in their favorite decade’s attire. However, costumes are not required.
Tickets are $50 each. Proceeds will benefit the HCT and HAC.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Hays Arts Center, 112 E. 11th St. or online on the HCT website. A limited number of tickets are available. Tickets will be sold until Dec. 23 or until they are sold out.
Grizzell said the HAC and HCT had discussed this type of event before, but with HCT’s move to its new location in the former Eagle’s Lodge, it hadn’t seemed to be the right time.
“We finally got our new venue finished as far as the ADA bathrooms and other various things. We had a couple of wedding receptions and small things, but we are going to kick off the new year and the new venue with this,” he said.
Grizzell said if the party is successful this year, it might become an annual event.
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