The United Way of Ellis County will be hosting their first Dine-Out Day this year with The Press on Tuesday, Sept. 24th from 11a.m. to 8 p.m. at 230 E. Eight S. in Hays. Come join us for lunch or dinner at The Press. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the United Way and their 17 partner agencies. Watch for upcoming Dine-Out Days with participating restaurants online at www.liveunited.us or Facebook at United Way of Ellis County. Call 785-628-8281 for more information.
The Academy of General Dentistry is pleased to announce Jeffrey Lowe, D.D.S. of Hays, Kansas, received the prestigious Fellowship Award during the AGD’s convocation ceremony, a commencement celebration that recognizes AGD member’s commitment to excellence in dental education.
During the event, which was at the AGD’s scientific session on Saturday, July 20 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Dr. Lowe accepted this award along with about 240 other recipients.
The Fellowship Award is presented to dentists looking to provide the highest quality of dental care by remaining current in their profession. In order to receive this award, Dr. Lowe completed 500 hours of continuing dental education, passed a comprehensive written exam and fulfilled three years of continuing membership with the AGD.
As a recipient of this award, Dr. Lowe has joined an elite group of more than 17,080 members of the dental community who understand that great smiles and good oral health for their patients are the result of going above and beyond basic requirements. The Fellowship Award symbolizes excellence in the dental profession and a commitment to providing exceptional patient care.
“The AGD is designed to influence professional growth and development through continuing education, and we are proud to honor Dr. Lowe for his commitment and dedication to provide his patients with advanced and exceptional oral health care,” says AGD President Neil J. Gajjar, DDS, MAGD. “Dr. Lowe is exceeding industry requirements and paving a path of success distinguishing himself professionally amongst his peers and exemplifying his allegiance to the dental community.”
Dr. Lowe graduated from The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in 1997 and currently practices dentistry at Lifetime Dental Care in Hays.
Shirley Mae McDonald, 83, passed away on Sept. 21, 2019 at the Ness County Hospital in Ness City, Kansas. She was born on March 7, 1936 in Hays, the daughter of Clarence and Claire (Hurt) Kutina.
Shirley was a homemaker, and she enjoyed cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, and arts and crafts. She was a member of the Gradatim Club and involved in the Ness County Relay for Life. She married Gerald McDonald on Saturday, July 22, 1989, in Topeka, Kan. He died on April 19, 2013.
Survivors include: four sons, Donald (Leann) McGranahan of Topeka, Bruce McGranahan of Wamego, Jeff (Jessica) McGranahan of Ness City, Jamie (Faith) McGranahan of Collinsville, Okla.; two daughters, Debra Kubes of Clay Center, Trudy Padilla of Paola; sister, Jeanette Parson of Ellis; 21 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and a brother.
Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 at First Baptist Church, Ness City, Kan. Burial will be in the Ness City Cemetery. Friends may call at Fitzgerald Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Ness City High School Girls’ Softball Team or Ness County Fire District No. 1.
Words of sympathy and support may be left for the family by signing the guestbook.
Marvin Willie Wudtke, beloved son of Paul Emil and Agnes (Dicks) Wudtke, was born Oct. 2, 1926 at the family farm 8.5 miles northwest of Norton, and passed away in Norton on Sept. 22, 2019 at the age of 92.
Marvin was baptized on Oct. 10, 1926, confirmed and remained a faithful member of Immanuel Lutheran Church throughout his lifetime. Marvin attended Lutheran parochial school completing the eighth grade in 1940. He later earned his high school diploma from Colby Community College in 1971.
On Jan. 3, 1976, Marvin and Mary Slipke were united in marriage. They were devoted to each other and lived their entire married life in Norton until Mary’s passing on April 28, 2007.
Marvin farmed northwest of Norton until he retired. He took pride in being a good farmer and supported the agriculture industry through local, state, and national organizations and was also an active member of the American Agriculture Movement in the 1970s.
Marvin enjoyed bowling for many years and competed in local and state tournaments. He was proud of his many trophies and awards. Marvin also collected toy tractors and was eager to talk about their history, and who in the neighborhood owned that specific model of tractor and when he operated them.
Survivors include: one sister, Norma Jean Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo.; one sister-in-law, Miriam Slipke, Hoxie, Kan.; many loving nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.
Marvin was preceded in death by his parents, wife, two brothers, Herman and Arthur Wudtke, three sisters, Leanora Braun, Ida Gowens, and Alma Schulze.
FUNERAL SERVICE – Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 – 10:30 a.m.
PLACE – Immanuel Lutheran Church – Norton, Kansas
VISITATION –from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 at Enfield Funeral Home in Norton.
INTERMENT – Norton Cemetery – Norton, Kan.
MEMORIALS – Immanuel Lutheran Church or Norton Senior Center
To send flowers to the family of Marvin Wudtke, please visit Tribute Store
Christopher Neal Espinosa, 50, passed away Sept. 21, 2019, at St. Luke’s on the Plaza, Kansas City. He was born July 17, 1969, at Great Bend to Lawrence Francisco and Karla (Neal) Espinosa. He married Rebecca Anderson on April 18, 1992 at Great Bend. She survives.
A lifetime Great Bend resident, Christopher was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He enjoyed weightlifting and was the founder of Brutal Strength weightlifting of Great Bend, and a member of Club One Fitness. Christopher also loved listening to music and especially enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.
Survivors include, his wife, Rebecca of the home; his parents, Lawrence and Karla Espinosa of Great Bend; one son, Zachary Espinosa of Great Bend; one daughter, Jazmine Jones of Great Bend; one brother, Michael Espinosa and wife Graciela of Great Bend; two grandchildren, Natalie Jones and Harley Jones; and two nephews, Michael Espinosa and Marco Espinosa of Great Bend.
There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorial Service will be at 11 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, with Edward Forton presiding.
Memorials are suggested to the Christopher Espinosa Expense Fund or Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Alice Schneider, 95, of Hays, passed away Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019 at Brookdale of Hays.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery.
Visitation will be at 9 a.m. Thursday until service time at the church.
Arrangements in care of Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.
A complete obituary is pending
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board will continue discussion Monday on a new wage schedule for classified staff.
The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockwell Administration Center.
The school board was first presented a classified wage study on June 16. It found several classes of USD 489 employees are not making as much as their peers. These included building secretaries, office assistants and clerical workers, and information technology assistants. The wages for information technology assistants have already been adjusted.
District officials hope to develop wage schedules for all classified staff, but Hall said the district can’t afford to make all the adjustments in one year. They hope to start with the secretarial staff.
The board will again discuss the naming of the new home for the Early Childhood Connections program. The former Oak Park Medical Complex on 13th Street was renovated with the help of a federal grant for the program. The board has a list of names that were submitted by the community.
The complex opened to students at the start of the fall semester.
In other business, the board will:
HEALY- Jason Carl “JP” Penka, 44, died on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 in Lane County. He was born on July 18, 1975 at Scott City the son of Larry J. and Brenda Lee (Powers) Penka.
Jason was a lifetime Lane County resident. He graduated from Healy High School in 1993 and joined the family farm. He was a lifelong farmer and also did some part-time jobs such as helping Rick Roemer dig graves. He was a member of St. Theresa Catholic Church of Dighton and the Lane County Bowling Association. He enjoyed cooking, fixing things, mechanics and especially being involved with youth.
He was preceded in death by his mother-Brenda Penka, step-mother-Jody Penka and sister- Monett LaPointe.
He is survived by his father Larry Penka of Healy, brother Michael and Jamie Penka of Healy, niece MacKenzie Penka and seven nephews Nathan Penka, Trenton Cantrell, Brian Penka, Skyler Cantrell, Mitchell Penka, Quinton LaPointe and Kaleb LaPointe.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St Theresa Catholic Church in Dighton with Father Bernard Felix officiating. Burial will be in Dighton Memorial Cemetery. Friends may call from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Boomhower Funeral Home in Dighton. Memorials are suggested to Jason Penka Memorial Fund in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com
Stella Marie Vonfeldt, age 90, of Aurora, Colo., passed away Sept. 19, 2019 in Aurora.
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday with a Daughters of Isabella Rosary at 6:30 p.m. followed by a parish vigil all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.
Brenda K. Urban, age 74, of Ellis, Kan., passed away Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019 peacefully at Hays Medical Center surrounded by her loved ones. May she now rest after suffering so long. She was born on May 3, 1945 in Hays, the eldest daughter of Earl and Eleanor (Stramel) Saunders. Brenda grew up in Hays and graduated from Hays High School in 1963.
Brenda was united in marriage to Darrell Dodge and this union was blessed with her daughters Dena and Kristi. Brenda was later united in marriage to the true love of her life Edward G. Urban. Brenda and Ed made their home in Ellis, Kan.
Some of Brenda’s greatest joy came from spending time with her grandchildren. Brenda also enjoyed traveling, especially if the destination was a casino. During her later years, Brenda suffered from numerous strokes as well as cancer. Throughout her illnesses she maintained her love of life and family. Brenda made a point to never miss a grandchild’s school program or ball game. Brenda loved to work on puzzles with her daughters while listening to Elvis.
Brenda is survived by her husband, Ed of the home; daughters, Dena Kreutzer and husband Kevin of Abilene, Kan., and Kristi Whitman and husband Fred of Paradise, Kan.; step-daughters Tammy of Oakley, Kan., and Debbie of Colby, Kan.; a step-son Mike of Oakley, Kan.; sisters Pam Bryant and husband Ernie of Hays, and Gloria Capaluto and husband David of Redlands, Calif. Brenda’s greatest legacy lives on in her four grandchildren that she loved so dearly. Brett Kreutzer, Holly Whitman, Ryan Kreutzer and Kyle Whitman who will carry fond memories of their grandmother throughout their lives. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Brenda was preceded in death by her parents Earl and Eleanor Saunders of Hays and her sister Barb Heuser of Ventura, Calif.
A celebration of Brenda’s life will be at a later date. Arrangements in care of Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected]
Don Mattson
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Thomas More Prep-Marian unveiled its new Learning Commons during a Hays Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.
Principal Chad Meitner said the school is undergoing a complete renovation of its interior, and this is just one stage of what will be a lengthy process.
School officials realized, he said, the school’s old library was antiquated and not being used by teachers or students.
“We realized that we needed to do the space differently,” he said, “organize it and stack it with flexible furniture, with materials that are meaningful for what the students are needing to research and learn and study. That required a complete new beginning and a new space.”
The new 3,600-square-foot space on the main floor of the building, includes shelves full of books, study areas, a conference room and a pull-down screen for multimedia presentations.
Students are being asked to work more in groups, give presentations and do more in-depth research than just a Google search. Meitner said he thought the Learning Commons would be a space conducive to that type of learning.
You can still check out a book, but also receive help with digital research, Meitner said.
“It’s a space for others too,” he said. “If there is a group that would like to reserve it because they have a reception or a speaker and they want to have a good, conducive setting to have an event, let us know. … We are open to listening to how we can share it with others.”
The former library on the third floor has been renovated into a junior high classroom and high school study hall.
The commons was named for Fr. Blaine Burkey, who served at TMP-M for 27 years. As the director for the Center for Research, he believed in the value of the written word and significance of preserving historical knowledge. He now resides at a friary in Denver, but was on hand Friday for the dedication.
“The word ‘commons’ means it is a place for everybody — learning for everybody,” Burkey said. “I thought that was pretty good.”
Bishop Gerald Vincke was also on hand to bless the commons.
“We listen to the news, and there is so much bad news,” he said. “This is great news. This is the desire of the Lord for this to happen. We are thankful to God for this day and this opportunity to bless this Learning Commons.”
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Students spoke out at a FHSU Student Government Association meeting Thursday night about getting sick after eating food from the McMindes cafeteria.
The senior director of Chartwells dining on campus, Amila Ramanayake, gave a short statement at the meeting and then answered questions from student senators and students in the audience. Chartwells runs the dining services at McMindes Hall and at the FHSU Student Union.
The McMindes Hall cafeteria had 12 priority health violations during an inspection on Aug. 28. Four repeat violations were found on Sept. 9.
Jake Boucher, a second-year transfer student, has a residence dining plan. He said he became sick multiple times this semester after eating eggs in the McMindes cafeteria. He told the Senate he also found moldy cheese and bread being offered by Chartwells.
“The panini press is gross,” he said. “I have had to microwave my burgers because they were raw. I pay $4,000 for my meal plan. I don’t feel safe eating in the cafeteria some times.”
Nathan Feldkamp, a junior who lives in the residence hall, also has a dining plan. He expressed concern at the meeting about food being mislabeled. He told Hays Post after the meeting he is allergic to tree nuts, and accidentally ate a cookie with nuts in it at the cafeteria because it had been mislabeled.
Brad DeMers, student body president, said SGA received 11 responses from students in its investigation of the health violations. Among these were students being served raw or undercooked chicken. He also said students complained about food workers not wearing gloves or sneezing or otherwise contaminating their gloves and not changing them.
Ramanayake told the Student Senate he did not wish to make excuses for what happened, but he and the Chartwells staff are working to correct the violations and problems through staff training.
He said he is in daily contact with Chartwells upper management since the violations. A culinary supervisor is set to visit the campus on Monday for an audit.
All Chartwells supervisors are required to have ServSafe training on food safety, and a supervisor is always on duty at each of the Chartwells locations during food service. New employees all go through training on food safety, and online refresher courses are mandated for continuing employees, Ramanayake said.
“We do take food safety very seriously,” he said. “It is a very important part of what we do, especially the quality assurance piece.”
Chartwells has a third-party auditor, EcoSure, that evaluates the food service at its locations. Chartwells as a corporation also does independent audits of its locations, he said. Chartwells has also requested training with an inspector with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the agency that oversees food inspections in the state.
SGA through the Kansas Open Records Act requested the Chartwells state health inspection records for the Union and McMindes since the Chartwells contract began on campus in 2010.
DeMers said SGA had seen a pattern in which the service would have a significant number of violations then be forced to come back into compliance, have no violations, then the number of violations would spike again. He asked what Chartwells planned to do to be more consistent and prevent violations in the future.
Ramanayake emphasized again training and education were going to be key in solving the food safety concerns.
One student senator asked if employees can be dismissed for repeated health violations. Ramanayake said employees can be dismissed on a fourth safety violation.
Several of the most recent violations during the Chartwells inspections were related to food not being stored and served at the correct temperature. Bacteria and other microorganisms can grow rapidly in food that is not kept cold. Hot food is required to be heated and maintained at temperatures that will kill the bacteria.
Ramanayake said he and other Chartwells staff are being more vigilant about checking food temperature and are teaching associates about the importance of food temperatures.
DeMers asked Ramanayake if employee turnover was a part of the problem in meeting food safety standards.
Ramanayake acknowledged Chartwells has an issue with turnover. He said he did not think it was an issue of pay but the seasonal nature of the employment. He said he is working with Chartwells corporate offices on hiring and retention.
He said associates also may feel the pressure to get food out to the line as fast as possible because lines are backing up in the cafeteria, but Ramanayake said he and the other managers are emphasizing to workers they need to make sure food is cooked correctly and at the correct temperatures before it is served.
DeMers concluded with, “There are a lot of freshmen and sophomores that don’t have a choice when it comes to dining on campus, so I am glad that you came today because this is a big step forward. We really need to address this. I think just continuing the communication and to stop that pattern, I think will benefit all of our freshmen and sophomores and everyone else who lives on campus who eats.”
Ramanayake encouraged students to report their concerns. The McMindes cafeteria has a HappyOrNot terminal where they can report with a happy face or unhappy face about how they felt about their service for the day. Chartwells also has a text service, Text2Chat, that goes immediately to Ramanayake and the supervisor for the specific area for that number — cafeteria, retail, catering.
The numbers are as follows
Feedback is shared monthly with the university.
He also extended an invitation to students and student senators to tour the Chartwells kitchens. He said students can contact him at 785-628-4731. He said he needs at least an hour notice and would prefer to have guests in the kitchens when they are not serving, which would be 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Guests will have to wear food safe attire, including hair nets, aprons and shoe covers.
