PLAINVILLE — A 4.5-magnitude earthquake was reported north of Plainville early Saturday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake was heard and felt across a wide region, including reports from Hays and WaKeeney, as well as Russell and Sheriden counties.

There were also unofficial reports of the quake being felt as far west as Goodland and in the Great Bend and Ellsworth areas.

It began at 3:50 a.m. Saturday and lasted a couple of minutes before subsiding.

As of Saturday morning, Hays Post had not received reports of damage.

The quake is the largest in a series of Rooks County temblors recorded recently by the USGS.

Click below to see reader reports from the Hays Post Facebook page.

SHPTV

BUNKER HILL – The Finnup Foundation has awarded Smoky Hills Public Television with a grant for $25,000.

This grant will provide educational resources to the children of the following counties: Finney, Hamilton, Hodgeman, Lane, Gray, Kearny and Scott counties.

“We are extremely grateful for the Finnup Foundation’s generous support of Smoky Hills Public Television’s educational mission,” said Kelli King, Smoky Hills Public Television Director of Finance and Administration. “We are extremely happy to be able to provide the children of southwest Kansas with valuable educational resources.”

The Finnup Foundation Trust was established in 1977 by siblings Frederick Finnup and Isabel Finnup, who carried on the legacy of generosity that was modeled by their father, George Finnup, and their grandfather, Frederick Finnup. The Finnup family’s interest in families, youth, education and conservation is expressed through the gifts to many organizations in the community.

Smoky Hills Public Television serves 71 counties in central and western Kansas and has been named the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Non-Metro Station of the Year, broadcasting 64 commercial-free hours per week of educational programming.

Sharon Springs student among those earning honor

FHSU University Relations

Ten Fort Hays State University Bachelor of Social Work students were recently inducted into the Epsilon Omicron Chapter of the Phi Alpha National Social Work Honor Society as lifetime members. This is the highest honor that a student can receive in social work education.

“These students have attained academic excellence, and they are dedicated to the idea of the action and service to humanity,” said Kendal Carswell, field practicum director and an assistant professor of social work.

“The students have also demonstrated a commitment to the mission, ethics, standards and goals of the profession of social work,” he said.

Students who received the honor are listed alphabetically by hometown.

ASHLAND: Maddi Guerra
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.: Lucille Partlow-Loyall
DODGE CITY: Claire Albert; Theresa Ochs; and Bailey Schafer
GREAT BEND: Kameko Schultz
KANSAS CITY: Melanie Arellano-Luna
MINNEOLA: Michele Stevens
SHARON SPRINGS: Annabelle Seader
SPEARVILLE: Shannon Indiek

Qualification includes social work as a declared major, achievement of senior status in the social work program and a minimum grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale in both social work courses and overall GPA.

“The purpose of Phi Alpha Honor Society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and to promote humanitarian goals and ideals,” said Carswell. “Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.”

FHSU’s chapter is one of over 400 chapters across the United States.

Albert, Indiek, Ochs, Schafer and Stevens completed their course work through the FHSU Bachelor of Social Work cohort program on the Dodge City Community College campus. Cohort courses are taught by FHSU social work faculty, and the opportunity is made possible through a partnership with DCCC. FHSU’s Department of Social Work also has cohorts at Garden City Community College, Seward County Community College, and, beginning this fall, Colby Community College.

PHILLIPSBURG — Topeka will be shy one politician next Tuesday, as Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers will host a Town Hall Listening Tour public meeting in Phillipsburg at 5:30 p.m. at the Huck Boyd Center, 860 Park.

The tour is designed to serve as an outreach to rural Kansans and to provide the opportunity for residents to voice their concerns.

Regarding this outreach to north-central Kansas Lt. Gov. Rogers said, “It’s time for elected leaders to be sincere about listening to people in rural communities who’ve been overlooked and taken for granted far too long. We can and will do better.”

In support of the visit to Phillipsburg, Governor Laura Kelly said “Rural Kansas has been overlooked and unheard for far too long. Our towns have been neglected. Today we’re taking an important step toward changing this serious problem.”

As part of their effort to seek out rural Kansans “who’ve been overlooked and taken for granted for too long,” Phillipsburg is one of four western Kansas communities that is a scheduled stop in this round of the Listening Tour and is the one closest in vicinity to Hays.

Both the governor and lieutenant governor state the following will be priorities of the listening tour:

• Developing Rural Housing
• Supporting Rural Hospitals
• Revitalizing Main Street Corridors
• Investing in Rural Infrastructure
• Incentivizing Active Tourism
• Making State Government Work For Rural Kansas
• Supporting Agribusiness