By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

A former para at Hays High School was sentenced to 18 months of probation Monday after pleading no contest earlier this year to aggravated child endangerment.

Taylor Nicole Rogers was initially charged with unlawful attempted solicitation of a 17-year-old Hays High School student but pled to the lesser charge in November.

Court documents stated Rogers offered to perform a sexual act on the teen but the teen refused.

Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees also said Monday that, as part of the plea agreement, Rogers was to take part in an alcohol and drug treatment program. Her attorney said she had already completed the program.

KDHE

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has awarded approximately $900,000 to county health departments for implementation of community-level responses to the opioid crisis in Kansas. The funding for these efforts is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Opioid Overdose Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement which was awarded to KDHE earlier this fall.

The county health departments receiving awards are Barton, Crawford, Finney, Franklin, Geary, Harvey, Johnson, Labette, Mitchell, Neosho, Pottawatomie, Rawlins, Reno, Riley, Sedgwick and Stevens.

“We are pleased to partner with 16 county health departments to prevent the problems the abuse of opioids causes in Kansas communities,” said Cristi Cain, KDHE’s director of Local Health Program. “A local response is critical to addressing opioids and other substance abuse issues. We look forward to continuing cooperation with the county health departments to attack this epidemic.”

The local health departments will be implementing numerous strategies which include:

• Providing community education about adverse childhood experiences, trauma informed systems of care and Mental Health First Aid
• Providing trainings to health care providers on best practices for prevention and treatment strategies
• Creating/implementing media campaigns to raise public awareness of the risks associated with prescription opioids
• Educating professionals about the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment process (SBIRT) and facilitating implementation in Kansas communities
• Engaging local emergency departments to identify and implement promising emergency department opioid overdose protocols, policies, and procedures
• Implementation of an innovative and effective model of community-level coordination

Funded county health departments will have representatives participating in a kickoff event Thursday, December 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wichita State University, Old Town, 238 N. Mead.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Just as it appeared the race for the 111th Kansas House District seat was settled, several Ellis County residents filed a civil suit against the winner of the race, Republican Barb Wasinger challenging the election claiming that it was incumbent Democrat Eber Phelps who actually won.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Ellis County District Court by seven Hays residents, most notably former Kansas State Sen. Janis Lee. Lee currently serves as vice president of the Ellis County Democratic Party.

In the November general election, Wasinger, R-Hays, defeated Phelps by 32 votes and the Board of Canvassers certified the results.

Phelps campaign requested a recount and, on Nov. 20, it was determined Wasinger had won by 35 votes. The Board of Canvassers voted 2-1 to certify the results a second time.

The suit levels a number of allegations against County Clerk and Election Officer Donna Maskus. They range from not properly maintaining and testing the county’s electronic voting machines to improperly handling the recount — all issues previously raised by the Phelps campaign.

But in new allegations, the filers of the suit claim that because Maksus failed to do her job properly that “some voters were deprived of the right of voting for the candidate they intended and such deprival could change the result of the election.”

The suit goes on to claim that illegal votes were counted while legal votes were not and that errors in counting the votes could change the outcome of the election.

They claim that for all of those reasons the Certificate of Election should have been presented to Phelps instead of Wasinger.

Click here to see the notice of election contest.

In a letter last week, Phelps announced he would not contest the results of the election.

The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and conducted 23 traffic stops Fri., Dec. 7, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Suspicious Person–2000 block Main St, Hays; 12:02 AM
Driving Under the Influence–400 block block W 8th St, Hays; 1:41 AM; 1:42 AM
Disturbance – Noise–1100 block Oakmont St, Hays; 3:05 AM
Domestic Disturbance–500 block W 36th St, Hays; 5:20 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–200 block E 7th St, Hays; 9:09 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1500 block W 27th St, Hays; 9:31 AM
Found/Lost Property–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9:47 AM
Suspicious Activity–2700 block Hall St, Hays; 6 AM; 10:07 AM
Parking Complaint–2900 block Willow St, Hays; 11:18 AM
Credit Card Violations–100 block W 19th St, Hays; 11:24 AM
Found/Lost Property–1500 block Vine St, Hays; 12:55 PM; 1:15 PM
Found/Lost Property–700 block Main St, Hays; 1:21 PM
Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 1:25 PM
Theft (general)–2400 block Main St Terr, Hays; 2:01 PM
Drug Offenses–4500 block Larned Cir, Hays; 4:14 PM
Animal At Large–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 4:33 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 7:58 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1800 block Pine St, Hays; 9:13 PM
44 – Traffic Stop–13th and Canterbury, Hays; 10:08 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 11:33 PM
Probation/Parole Violation–2500 block Gen Lawton Rd, Hays; 11:42 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 29 traffic stops Sat., Dec. 8, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Burglary/residence–1700 block Pine St, Hays; 12/7 8 AM; 12/8 12:04 AM
Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 1:11 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–300 block W 17th St, Hays; 1:34 AM
Drug Offenses/DUI–I-70 and Vine, Hays; 3:20 AM
Domestic Disturbance–1700 block Sunset Trl, Hays; 4:40 AM
Civil Dispute–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 5:38 AM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–1800 block E 27th St, Hays; 9:08 AM; 9:20 AM
Mental Health Call–300 block W 33rd St, Hays; 12:10 PM; 2:45 PM
Animal Call–4100 block Fillmore Dr, Hays; 2:17 PM
Welfare Check–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 3:40 PM
Animal Call–400 block E 13th St, Hays; 4:56 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1500 block Henry Dr, Hays; 9:45 PM
Disturbance – Noise–400 block Walnut St, Hays;  10:06 PM
Criminal Trespass–400 block W 6th St, Hays; 11:09 PM
Disturbance – Noise–2700 block Ash St, Hays; 11:51 PM
Drug Offenses–1300 block E 33rd St, Hays; 11:58 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 3 animal calls and conducted 16 traffic stops Sun., Dec. 9, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:45 AM
Intoxicated Subject–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:51 AM
Driving Under the Influence–800 block Park St, Hays; 12:58 AM
Found/Lost Property–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 1:26 AM
Driving Under the Influence–600 block Park St, Hays; 1:45 AM; 1:50 AM
Disorderly Conduct–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 2:14 AM
Suspicious Vehicle–1300 block Marshall Rd, Hays; 6:33 AM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 12/7 11:58 AM; 12/9 11:58 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 12:10 PM
Domestic Disturbance–500 block W 37th St, Hays; 3:40 PM; 3:54 PM
Battery – Domestic–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 5:34 PM
Criminal Threat–500 block W 37th St, Hays; 6:19 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–22nd and Henry St, Hays; 6:46 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–3200 block Ash St, Hays; 12 AM; 7:07 PM
Suspicious Activity–200 block E 13th St, Hays; 10:49 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–500 block W 32nd St, Hays; 11:02 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Mon., Dec. 10, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Domestic Disturbance–1700 block Western Plains Dr, Hays; 12 AM; 12:10 AM
Drug Offenses–1000 block E 41st St, Hays; 1:40 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–32nd and Vine St, Hays; 7:44 AM
Animal At Large–1200 block Steven Dr, Hays; 8:39 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block Halladay St, Hays; 12/8 11:50 PM; 12/9 3 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block E 7th St, Hays; 10:56 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block E 6th St, Hays; 11:01 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1500 block 40 Bypass Hwy, Hays; 11:21 AM
Drug Offenses–1500 block E Hwy 40 Bypass, Hays; 1:50 PM; 2:34 PM
Welfare Check–3000 block E 14th St, Hays; 11:29 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–200 block W 6th St, Hays; 11:33 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 12:18 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 2:33 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 2:57 PM
Shoplifting–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 12/8 2 PM; 2:10 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–32nd and Vine St. Frontage, Hays; 4:53 PM
Shoplifting–1000 block Main St, Hays; 3:30 PM; 4 PM
Animal Cruelty/Neglect–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 5:56 PM
Dangerous Animal–1300 block E 32nd St, Hays; 7:02 PM
Battery on LEO–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7:34 PM; 7:42 PM
Civil Dispute–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 7:30 PM
Battery on LEO–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 7:55 PM; 8 PM

CITY OF HAYS

Beginning Tuesday, Allen Street will be closed from the railroad tracks to the south side of the 13th Street intersection.

The contractor will be widening and sealing pavement joints and doing some fine grading before sealing. This final work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the work day on Thursday.

Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. Motorists should use caution in these areas.

The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350 or the contractor, Paul-Wertenberger Construction at 785-625-8220.

NASA

NASA astronauts Nick Hague — a Hoxie native — and Christina Hammock Koch will discuss their upcoming mission to the International Space Station in a news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website.

Hague, Koch, and their crewmate Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, are scheduled to launch Feb. 28 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft, commanded by Ovchinin.

Hague, Koch, and Ovchinin will join Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Oleg Kononenko  of Roscosmos for Expedition 59, returning the orbital laboratory to a full complement of six crew members. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Kononenko will have been living and working on the station as a crew of three for about two months. Hague and Koch will serve as flight engineers for Expeditions 59 and 60. Ovchinin will serve as a flight engineer on Expedition 59 and commander of Expedition 60. The trio will return to Earth in October.

During the planned six-month mission, the station crew will take part in about 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth to advance scientific knowledge of Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences. Science conducted on the space station continues to yield benefits for humanity and will enable future long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. The crew is also scheduled to be aboard during test flights of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will resume human spaceflight launches from U.S. soil.

Hague and Soyuz commander Ovchinin returned to Earth safely after their mission was aborted Oct. 11. The booster malfunctioned during ascent, but the spacecraft’s abort system worked as designed and pulled the crew away safely, resulting in a landing in Kazakhstan.

This will be Koch’s first spaceflight. Flight dynamics specialists determined Hague and Ovchinin achieved enough altitude on their aborted climb to orbit to qualify for previous spaceflight status, making this Hague’s second spaceflight and Ovchinin’s third.

Hague is a native of Hoxie and a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Prior to his selection, he was part of the Air Force Fellows program in Washington, where he worked as an adviser to the U.S. Senate on matters of national defense and foreign policy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2013.

Koch, who grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Her career includes experience as an electrical engineer, focusing on space science instrument design, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab, in Laurel, Maryland. She also worked as a research associate with the U.S. Antarctic Program, completing several deployments, including a winter at the South Pole. Her work at remote scientific research stations went on to include sessions as a field engineer in the Arctic and as station chief with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in American Samoa. NASA also selected her as an astronaut in 2013.

Follow Hague on social media at:

https://twitter.com/AstroHague

https://www.facebook.com/astrohague

https://www.instagram.com/astrohague/

The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its annual awards. The awards will be presented at the chamber’s annual banquet, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Tickets are on sale now.

The awards are:

• Golden Belt Bank Hall of Fame
• Nex-Tech Citizen of the Year
• AFLAC-Jody Hipp Business Woman of the Year
• Eagle Communications Rising Star
• James Motor Co. Small Business Achievement
• Helping Hands

Click HERE to see the nomination form.

Click HERE to see a list of previous award winners.