If you dine out at participating Hays restaurants on Tuesday, Dec. 11, a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Hays ARC Park.
The Hays Accessible Recreation Complex is a project being led by ARC of Central Plains and would create a handicap accessible recreation area.
Click HERE for more information on the effort.
Participating restaurants are:
KLA
WICHITA – Twenty-two scholarship winners for the 2018-19 school year were recognized during the annual Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) Convention November 28 in Wichita. A total of $23,500 was presented by the Kansas Livestock Foundation (KLF) and its partners.
Braxton Butler of Virgil and Jessie Schulteis from Lincoln each received a $1,500 Cartridges for Cash (CFC) scholarship from Merck Animal Health and KLF. Butler is the son of Leland and Rochelle Butler. He is a second-year veterinary student at Kansas State University. Schulteis is the daughter of Scott and Wyvonne Lyne. She is a fourth-year K-State veterinary student. This award recognizes K-State veterinary school students with a career goal of being a large animal veterinarian.
Four Kansas students each have been awarded, through KLF, $1,000 CFC Scholarships. Bailey Allen is the daughter of Nick and Amy Allen from Council Grove. She is a junior at K-State majoring in animal science. Amy Collins, daughter of Steve and Carie Collins from Burlington, is a senior at K-State majoring in animal science. Mallory Meek is the daughter of Matt and Jennifer Meek from Spring Hill. She is a senior majoring in animal science with a business option at K-State. Cody Wondra is the son of Kelly and Kristen Wondra from Ellinwood. He is a junior at K-State majoring in animal science. This scholarship is presented to students entering or returning to a Kansas community or senior college and pursuing degrees in agriculture or a related field. CFC scholarships were funded by Merck’s donation of 25¢ for each used Ralgro wheel and Revalor cartridge turned in to KLA.
Two students each received a $1,500 Douglas A. Laue Memorial Scholarship. Braden Draper is the son of Neal Draper from Ford. He is a junior majoring in animal science at Fort Hays State University. Brooke Falk, daughter of Brian and Mona Falk from Harveyville, is a senior majoring in animal science with a pre-vet option. This scholarship is awarded to students entering their junior or senior year at K-State or Fort Hays State University and pursuing degrees in agriculture.
Riley Sleichter of Abilene has been awarded the $1,000 Cattlemen’s Scholarship from GoBob Pipe & Steel and KLF. Sleichter is the son of Jeff and Meredith Sleichter. He is a sophomore at K-State majoring in agricultural engineering. This scholarship is awarded to a student entering or returning to a Kansas community or senior college and pursuing a degree in agriculture or a related field.
Two $1,000 Hampel Oil/Mobil Delvac Scholarships have been presented to K-State students. Ashley Swaim, daughter of Larry and Tammy Swaim from Delia, is a junior majoring in agronomy. Karrie Van Winkle is the daughter of Bob and Karen Van Winkle from Corning. She is a junior majoring in agribusiness. This scholarship is awarded to students entering their junior or senior year at K-State or Fort Hays State University and pursuing degrees in agronomy, agribusiness or ag economics. Preference is given to applicants with a career goal of being actively engaged in a farming or feedyard enterprise.
Four K-State students from across the state have received $1,000 “Youth in Agriculture” scholarships from KLF. Walker Clawson is the son of Dan and Tamra Clawson of Meade. He is a freshman majoring in agricultural economics and animal science. Cooper Imthurn of Maple Hill is the son of Dan and Stephanie Imthurn. He is a sophomore majoring in animal science. Alyssa Leslie, Inman, is the daughter of Garret Leslie and Toni Woodson. She is a freshman majoring in animal science. Joel Nelson is the son of Jerry and Jo Ann Nelson from Soldier. He is a junior majoring in animal science. Funded by the KLF Club Calf Sale held during the Kansas Junior Livestock Show, these scholarships recognize students entering or returning to a Kansas junior or senior college and pursuing degrees in agriculture or a related field.
The Kansas CattleWomen (KCW) awarded five $1,000 scholarships to K-State students. Ella Barrett is the daughter of Gene and Anna Barrett from Grantville. She is a freshman majoring in animal science. Ellen Carp, the daughter of David and Susan Carp from Wichita, is a senior majoring in dietetics. Elizabeth Donaldson is the daughter of Bruce and Stephanie Donaldson from Berryton. She is a junior majoring in animal science.
Ashton McGinn, daughter of Mike and Susannah McGinn from Sedgwick, is a freshman majoring in food science. Michaela Musselman of Clifton is the daughter of Michael and Melanie Musselman. She is a sophomore majoring in animal science. This scholarship, funded by the KCW silent auction, is awarded to students entering or returning to a Kansas community or senior college and pursuing degrees in dietetics, food safety, agriculture or a related field.
The $1,000 Glenn & Clyde Lindstrom Scholarship has been awarded through KLF to Seth Yenni, the son of David and Kim Yenni of Lindsborg. He is a sophomore at Hutchinson Community College majoring in agricultural technology. This scholarship is awarded to a student of sophomore level or above attending a Kansas junior or senior college and pursuing a degree in agriculture. Preference is given to students residing within the boundaries of Unified School District 400 in northern McPherson and southern Saline counties.
Chad Hibdon was awarded the $500 Fred H. Woodbury Memorial Scholarship through KLF. Hibdon is the son of Darren and Julie Hibdon of Princeton. He is a freshman at Butler Community College majoring in agribusiness. This scholarship is presented to a student attending a Kansas junior or senior college and pursuing a degree in agriculture. Preference is given to students residing within Chase, Franklin, Lyon, Osage or Wabaunsee county.
KLF was established in 1983 to operate solely and exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes. For information about KLF scholarship opportunities or to receive an application, contact the foundation at 6031 S.W. 37th St., Topeka, KS 66614 or email [email protected].
KLA is a trade organization protecting the business interests of independent ranchers, feeders and dairy farmers. Members of the association are involved in all segments of the livestock industry, including cow-calf production, backgrounding, cattle feeding, swine, dairy and sheep. The association’s work is funded by voluntary dues dollars paid by its 5,600 members.
Think about the bags full of trash that will be sitting by the curb waiting to be picked up the day after Christmas. It is a lot of waste and not very friendly to our environment. Here are some tips you can incorporate during this Christmas season to make your holiday a little greener for both the environment and your wallet.
I want to give credit to Nadine Sigle for sharing these tips when she was the Family and Consumer Science Agent in the Post Rock District. Now Nadine serves as a Community Vitality Specialist in Northwest Kansas.
Donna Krug is the Family and Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
The Hays Public Library has hired Katie McCall for the position of business manager.
McCall previously worked for Kansas Granite Industries. Prior to that position, she was employed by Fort Hays State University in the Student Fiscal Services office.
McCall, originally from WaKeeney, attended Fort Hays State University and was the first graduate of the Tourism and Hospitality Management program.
McCall, who started working at the library on Dec. 3, will take over for Patty Rohr. After over 18 years serving as the financial administrator, Rohr will retire on Jan. 31.
— HPL
MCPHERSON —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged burglary and robbery.
On Saturday, a 90-year-old man was in need of medical assistance in the 800 block of North Cedars in McPherson, according to a media release.
EMS was dispatched to the scene and the victim was transported to the McPherson Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police launched an investigation at the scene which led to the arrested of 48-year-old Michael Hodges for suspected charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and aggravated battery.
Hodges has over two dozen convictions for burglary, robbery, forgery and theft, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Anyone with additional information on this case is asked to the department at 620-245-1200 or Crime Stoppers of McPherson County at 620-241-1122.
Today Sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.
Tonight Clear, with a low around 25. South southwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. South southwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 25. Northwest wind around 9 mph.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 51. West northwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night A chance of rain and snow between 1am and 2am, then a chance of snow after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
ThursdayA 30 percent chance of snow before 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Windy.
By JOHN HANNA
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ new Democratic governor promised not to raise taxes to meet her goals of boosting spending on public schools and social services. Republicans who control the Legislature argue that a tax increase is coming even if state politicians do nothing.
One of the first big political fights Gov.-elect Laura Kelly faces upon taking office in January will be over cutting income taxes. The state is receiving a revenue windfall thanks to changes in the federal tax code at the end of 2017.
Kansas has been roiled by <a href=”https://www.apnews.com/f5741d8d0d8c40979857c9d2d6afae9f”>a debate over tax cuts</a> for most of this decade, since a previous Republican experiment in slashing income taxes went awry and most voters came to view it as a failure. Lawmakers rolled back most of the experiment, and Kelly built her campaign on a pledge that Kansas wouldn’t repeat it.
Now, according to a spokeswoman, Kelly wants to “let the dust settle” and stabilize the budget before considering new tax changes. But there will be no hiatus: Top Republicans are saying that an early priority for them is rewriting income tax laws to cancel out the unintended revenue increase from the federal tax changes.
“I’ve been working on it the past few weeks,” said state Sen. Caryn Tyson, a GOP conservative and chairwoman of the Senate tax committee. “We should take a vote as legislators to say, do we want to stop that increase? Which I absolutely do.”
<a href=”https://www.apnews.com/e3990de7f5bc45ffb7e171cfcc364fce”>Policies championed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress</a> slashed federal income taxes but included provisions that will have some people paying more to their home states. The federal standard deduction increased — further limiting who can itemize — and it triggered a change in Kansas because its tax code is tied to federal law.
The federal overhaul is expected to raise revenue in some states and lower it in others. Officials in Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri and Utah cited new revenues in justifying state tax cuts adopted this year. In each, Republicans control the governor’s office and legislature.
Kansas officials have struggled to calculate the size of the boon. One early estimate put the gain at $138 million for the state’s current budget year. By last month, they had whittled the figure to $84 million.
That uncertainty hurt efforts by Republicans to rewrite Kansas tax laws earlier this year. They passed <a href=”https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2228_01_may3.pdf”>a bill</a> in the Senate, only to see it fall a few votes short in the House.
A bill has a better chance of passing in 2019. While voters statewide chose Democrat Kelly, a veteran state senator from Topeka, as the next governor, local contests left the Legislature more conservative.
“A lot of Republicans ran on giving that money back to the taxpayers,” said state House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area conservative.
But Kelly <a href=”https://www.apnews.com/461ce99d524a4058ad2399ad5dd7eb2c”>plans to increase spending</a> — for public schools alone, possibly $90 million a year — which could require the state to keep that tax revenue.
“Kansas still faces massive financial challenges,” said Kelly’s spokeswoman Ashley All. “After years of self-inflicted budget crises, we need to be more cautious and fiscally responsible.”
Kansas was ground zero for a national debate over trickle-down economics after then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback successfully pushed GOP legislators to slash income taxes in 2012 and 2013 in hopes of stimulating the economy. Persistent budget shortfalls arose, and Kansas became a cautionary tale, even for Republicans elsewhere who favored tax cuts.
Voters turned on Brownback’s legislative allies, and bipartisan majorities in 2017 <a href=”https://www.apnews.com/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d”>reversed most of his tax policies</a>, raising income taxes $600 million a year.
In the November election, voters had an overwhelmingly negative view of Brownback’s tax experiment: 77 percent said his tax policies were bad for Kansas, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 115,000 midterm voters nationwide, including nearly 4,000 in Kansas. The margin of sampling error among Kansas voters was plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Kansas voters had a more favorable view of the federal tax cuts. According to AP VoteCast, about half, or 51 percent, said they approve, while a little less than half, or 44 percent, said they disapprove.
Many Republicans view adjusting state tax laws as a moral imperative. New House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a conservative Wichita Republican, said the state is “just robbing” taxpayers.
Democrats acknowledge that they worry about lower-income families being hurt by inaction. New House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, said he is open to working with Republicans on legislation dealing with itemized deductions but fears GOP lawmakers will push for tax breaks for multinational corporations.
Jared Walczak, a senior policy analyst for the conservative Tax Foundation, said revenue windfalls allow states to pursue broader tax reforms, citing Georgia, Iowa and Vermont as examples. He said reverting to a state’s previous status quo on taxes is “the path of least resistance.”
“You’re missing an opportunity,” he said. “Other states are saying this is an opportunity for meaningful reform.”
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.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A former Olathe teacher and Shawnee City Council member will go to trial after pleading not guilty to having a sexual encounter with a student.
Thirty-three-year-old Justin Adrian waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday in Johnson County District Court.
The alleged sexual encounter occurred in a classroom at Olathe East High School, where Adrian was a history teacher.
The student was 18, but Kansas law makes it illegal for a teacher to have sexual contact with a student at the same school.
Adrian was a member of the Shawnee City Council but resigned when the allegations surfaced.
He is free on bond while the case is pending. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 23.
RENO COUNTY— A man who was extradited to Kansas from Florida is now charged with three felonies that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison.
Charles E. Richmond is charged with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. All three fall under Jessica’s Law statutes, meaning he could face a life sentence on each count if convicted.
The alleged crimes occurred over a period from Jan. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2017. However, the crimes were not reported until August of this year.
District Attorney Keith Schroeder says he received the information in October and filed the charges. It involves a relative of Richmond and started when the victim was 8-years-old.
Richmond apparently left for Florida after learning there was an investigation involving the report. He was brought back to Kansas to face the charges.
In court, District Judge Joe McCarville set a bond of $50,000 and set another court date for Jan. 9.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The new attorneys for a man charged with fatally shooting three people and wounding two others in downtown Lawrence say they are optimistic that they will be ready for trial in two months.
Shaye Downing and another attorney were appointed to represent 21-year-old Anthony Roberts Jr. after his old attorney was kicked off the case over concerns about her competency. The concerns culminated in a judge declaring a mistrial last month.
Downing said that she intends to hire an investigator and ballistics expert. She says she is hopeful their work will be done in time for a Feb. 4 trial.
Roberts is charged with three murder counts and one attempted murder count. Two other suspects face less series charges in the October 2017 shooting.
RENO COUNTY— Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday morning house fire in Hutchinson.
Just before 10a.m., fire crews responded to a fire at a single family, one story home at 1621 East 30th Avenue in Hutchinson, according to Fire Chief Steven Beer.
Upon arrival, first arriving units reported heavy smoke coming from the structure. An adult female and daughter were located outside the structure on the front lawn along with their dog.
All parties were evaluated by Reno County EMS and released.
Engine 7 crew immediately performed an aggressive interior attack in order to locate and extinguish the fire. Main body of fire was in the rear portion of the house where the kitchen was located. The home sustained smoke and heat damage with extensive damage to the kitchen area.
Truck crews ventilated the roof to contain the spread of the fire into the attic space. Crews remain on scene completing salvage and overhaul, along with checking for hot spots.
Investigators know that the fire started in the kitchen. Authorities released no additional details.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita’s last remaining drive-in will be back to show movies next year.
An anonymous person has purchased The Starlite Drive-In, which closed in October. The deal was announced Friday by Landmark Commercial Real Estate, a Wichita-based group that brokered the deal.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
The new Starlite buyer will lease drive-in operations to Blake Smith, co-owner of the Admiral Twin of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The drive-in is expected to reopen in spring.
Chuck Bucinski, the previous owner, said in October that he was closing the drive-in because of financial difficulties.
The two-screen outdoor theater is one of only five still operating in the state, and the only one in south-central Kansas. It opened in 1953.
