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Author: Hays Post

Red & Green Quilts antique display at Hansen Museum

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DHM

LOGAN – This collection of Red and Green quilts from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum of Golden, Colorado, contains twenty-five quilts, dated from 1835 through the early 20th century, stitched with red and green fabrics, a popular color combination of the era.

The collection includes some applique quilts of the 19th century, which were often made to signify great events or reserved for the most careful designs, more expensive fabrics, and best stitches.

These quilts were often made before or immediately after marriage, as crib quilts, or after all children were grown. A woman’s best quilts, made with the most expensive fabrics or intricate applique designs, were proudly displayed in the front room of her home or on a guest bed. Applique quilts of the mid-to-late 1800s show a beautiful variety of decorative motifs inspired from nature and the most careful stitches, often from popular red and green fabrics of the time.

This collection from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum holds prime examples of this beautiful era in our quilting history.

Red & Green Quilt Exhibit opens December 7, 2018, and will remain on display through January 27, 2019, at the Dane G. Hansen Museum located at 110 W. Main Street, Logan, Kansas. Museum hours are Monday through Friday 9-12 & 1-4; Saturday 9-12 & 1-5; Sunday & holidays 1-5.

We are handicapped accessible and thanks to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, there is never an admission fee. For more information, please contact Shari at 785-689-4846.

Kan. felon back in jail after deputies find drugs, stolen rifle

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RENO COUNTY – A Kansas woman was arrested Friday on drug distribution charges after two search warrants were served by the Reno County Drug Enforcement Unit.

Wharton -photo KDOC

According to the Reno County Sheriff’s Department Francesca Wharton, 33, Hutchinson, was arrested and booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on suspicions of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of paraphernalia with intent to distribute, possession of personal use drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of stolen property.

It all started when the drug unit executed two search warrants. The first was on a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville. They found a locked bank bag which contained approximately 189 grams of methamphetamine, an operational digital scale and unused packaging materials. A smoking pipe with methamphetamine residue was found in the glove box. An additional zipper style bag was found containing approximately 1.7 grams of methamphetamine.

The second search warrant was served on the residence at 924 East 2nd and during a search of the residence, officers located approximately 6.3 grams of marijuana, multiple pieces of various drug paraphernalia, packaging materials, and owe sheets.

Officers also found a Winchester .22 caliber rifle that was reported stolen through the Reno County Sheriff’s Office. An additional handgun was also found in the residence.

Wharton has prior convictions for aggravated robbery, burglary, forgery, drugs and bringing contraband into a jail facility. She had been discharged from those convictions back in May.

Wharton is jailed on a $30,000 bond and should make a first appearance in court Monday morning.

Florida school for the gifted commissions musical work from FHSU professor

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Jordan
FHSU University Relations

Dr. Jeff Jordan, associate professor of music at Fort Hays State University, has been commissioned for an original composition for the 50th anniversary of Pine View High School for the Gifted in Sarasota, Fla.

Jordan was approached by a former classmate, Victor Mongillo, who is the band director at Pine View, to compose a work for the wind ensemble.

Jordan will travel to Sarasota to conduct the premier performance.

“I was looking to go beyond a traditional fanfare type of celebration format,” said Jordan, “and to do something reflective of the work ethic and drive necessary to succeed at Pine View.”

“Symbolic of the journey students at Pine View experience, the piece features a driving theme and another contrasting idea, which come together for a bold conclusion,” said Jordan.

“The piece is titled ‘Sure Stars Shining,’ from a poem titled ‘There Will Be Rest’ by Sara Teasdale, and was suggested by my wife,” said Jordan.

Jordan has commissioned other pieces for the FHSU Concert Choir, the High Plains Music Camp and the 2015 Kansas Music Educators All-State convention.

Employer applications open for summer 2019 interns from FHSU

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FHSU University Relations

Applications are now open for employers in northwest Kansas to apply for summer 2019 interns from Fort Hays State University through the FHSU/Dane G. Hansen Student Internship program.

FHSU students may apply for the internships beginning Jan. 28.

A grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation made 30 paid internships possible for the 2018-19 academic year, including the summer 2019 term. Ten internships will be available for summer and will be awarded through a competitive application process.

Jan. 18 is the deadline for businesses and organizations to apply for a summer intern.

Eligible employers must be located in the Hansen Foundation’s 26-county service area: the block of counties stretching from the Cheyenne-Wallace County area east to include the Republic-Saline County area, including Ellsworth County. Students do not have to be from the northwest Kansas area.

A participating employer invests $500 toward the student intern’s wages, and the remaining funding is through the Hansen Foundation grant. The intern will work 240 total hours.

Interested employers should go the Career Services page on the FHSU website – fhsu.edu/career/employers/hansen-internship-program – to learn more about the program and complete the application. The employer must also provide a detailed job description for the internship.

Beginning Jan. 28, students may apply for a summer internship through their Handshake account at fhsu.joinhandshake.com. The internships will be posted under the Jobs tab and can be found by selecting Employers and then searching the keywords “Hansen Internships.” The application deadline for students is Feb. 22.

Hoffman joins staff of Fort Hays State Foundation

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Hoffman

FHSU University Relations

Jessica Hoffman was recently welcomed to the staff of the Fort Hays State University Foundation as an administrative assistant.

Hoffman will be responsible for supporting the Foundation staff in raising endowment, capital, and other financial support to meet the funding needs of the university. Fort Hays State is in the midst of the largest fundraising campaign in school history – the Journey campaign – with a goal of raising $100 million in support of scholarships, academics, student life and athletics.

Hoffman is a native of Ellinwood but has called Hays her home for 10 years. She graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership and a certificate in marketing.

Hoffman was previously employed by Eye Specialists Associated P.A. of Hays.

“I am happily married with a toddler that brings daily excitement to my life,” said Hoffman.

“We enjoy the outdoors, whether that be a family BBQ, playing with our dog, or tailgating at an FHSU football game. I am proud to say that family plays a pivotal role in my life. With that being said, I am excited to be the newest family member of the FHSU Foundation.”

Established in 1945, the FHSU Foundation is committed to cultivating lasting relationships with alumni, friends, corporations and other organizations who have a passion for Fort Hays State and who want to continue its legacy of excellence. As an independent, non-profit organization, the Foundation’s donors have an impact on all facets of university life, and their support continues to translate into success for students and the FHSU learning environment.

Now That’s Rural: Lona Duvall, Finney County

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Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By Ron Wilson
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Where is the largest transloading facility in North America? Not New York, Chicago, Dallas or Atlanta. It is located in Garden City, Kansas. This project, along with a new dairy processing plant and more, are contributing to the growth and vitality of this part of rural Kansas.

Last week we learned about Lona Duvall, who worked to help bring the new milk processing plant to Garden City in September, 2017. Lona is president and CEO of Finney County Economic Development in Garden City. She grew up in the nearby rural community of Leoti, population 1,450 people. Now, that’s rural.

After college, Lona came to Garden City where she worked in banking. In 2010, she joined the Finney County Economic Development organization as its business retention director and was promoted to president in 2011.

Garden City has long been known as a center of the beef packing industry, but in 2000, the town’s big ConAgra beef packing plant was devastated in a fire. It never reopened, and one of Lona’s goals was to redevelop the area.

One day Lona was contacted by a couple of men from Wyoming. They informed her that they were working on a project and wanted to lease 10 acres along the railroad tracks in Garden City. She went to work to help them. They quickly learned they needed more space. In three days, they said to her, “Well, we need 50 acres and a railroad spur.” The project continued to grow.

The company was named Transportation Partners & Logistics, which specialized in intermodal port, truck, rail and distribution processes. The company’s first project in Garden City was to handle incoming wind turbine equipment. It was on a hard deadline.

“They had a unit train coming with this equipment in 19 days,” Lona said. It appeared impossible at first, but the city and county mobilized to make it happen. “I participated in four special meetings of the city council in five days.” With support from the city and county and KDOT, and with workers on the job day and night, 8,000 feet of railroad got built and the first train came on time in 19 days. The company was off and running, so to speak. TP&L’s transload facility is now 700 acres, the largest on the continent. It’s located at the site of the former ConAgra plant.

“It was a Godsend to get it redeveloped,” Lona said. The rapid success on this project also created positive momentum and a “can do” attitude in the community. “We showed what could happen when we work together,” she added.

Lona chairs the dairy committee for the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance. She is also attuned to the concerns about future water supply for the region. Lona noted that the new, large dairies have closed loop systems so that waste water and nutrients are saved and reutilized.

“These dairymen care every bit as much about the environment as anyone,” Lona said. “There is no better steward than the man who works the land for his livelihood.”

The new dairy processing plant is remarkable in that it converts fluid milk to powdered milk, thus generating water for the community. It is a net gain for the community’s water supply. The powdered milk is being trucked to Kansas City and ultimately to the export market. This created an opportunity in the transportation sector. Mies and Sons Trucking Company was recruited to Garden City and located next to the dairy plant so as to provide the hauling service for powdered milk.

Such projects are beneficial to the community and the entire region, according to Lona.

“We take seriously that our success directly impacts all the rural communities around us,” Lona said. “When we discuss projects as Finney County Economic Development, we ask how this can benefit outlying counties,” she said.

For more information, see www.ficoedc.com.

Where is the biggest transloading facility in North America? Garden City, Kansas. We commend Lona Duvall and all those involved with Finney County Economic Development for making a difference with regional economic development. They are carrying a big load.

President Trump Showers Law Enforcement Officials With Support At Stop In Kansas City

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By 

President Donald Trump visited Kansas City Friday to speak at a national conference for Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department initiative that aims to partner local and federal officials in order to reduce violent crime.

At the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, a crowd of hundreds of law enforcement officials and prosecutors from around the country greeted the president with warm applause, dozens of cell phones popping up in the air to capture his entrance.

“You keep America safe, and you maybe don’t hear it enough or sometimes don’t feel it enough,” Trump said to the crowd. “You do an incredible job. The people in this country know it and they love you. Just remember that, so true. On behalf of a grateful nation, I just want to say that we thank you. We salute you and we stand with you 100 percent.”

Trump said it is through Project Safe Neighborhoods that his administration has shown its dedication to supporting and protecting law enforcement officials. He said his administration has provided access to more than $600 million dollars worth of surplus military equipment and that there are more than 200 new violent crime prosecutors nationwide.

Western Missouri and Kansas have each received around a quarter million dollars in the past fiscal year from the federal program.

Trump said the core of the Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy “is restoring respect for law enforcement.”

“For too long, many politicians and radical activists have been smearing and slandering our police, making life easier for criminals and harder for law-abiding Americans. We will not tolerate attacks on the heroes who protect our streets and defend our communities. We will not allow it to happen,” he said as the room broke into a long stretch of applause.

Unlike most of his appearances, this one was missing that notorious campaign rally spirit, which could be attributed to the fact that it was a closed event.

But he did touch on many of his typical hot-button issues, like illegal immigration, the border wall and fake news, which he dropped in just three minutes into his speech, while congratulating Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley for his election to the U.S. Senate.

“So I just want to congratulate you, and you know, I keep listening to the fake news that they won the House, House, House. Nobody ever talks about the Senate,” Trump said.

Trump campaigned heavily for Hawley during the midterm race. He failed to mention that, as of Thursday, Hawley is under investigation for possibly using “public funds” in his bid for U.S. Senate.

On the whole, Trump did not have much to say about Kansas City — in fact, at one point, he mistakenly referred to it as St. Louis.

He was thanking officers, attorneys and advocates by name for their work, when he came to James Clark, vice president of community outreach for Better Family Life in St. Louis. He praised Clark for ending “more than 50 escalating gun battles between rival gangs right here in St. Louis.”

Though the fact that this conference was held here, in Kansas City, does hold significance. The city has seen rising levels of violence in recent years, and with just a few weeks left of 2018, homicides are only slightly off pace from 2017, which saw the highest number at in 25 years, with 150 people killed.

In his roughly 30 minute speech Friday, Trump spent a significant portion of the time talking about illegal immigration and his border wall. But U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Missouri Tim Garrison said that’s relevant for Kansas and Missouri.

“He understands that a lot of the problems that we face here in this district may not be obvious as border protection issues, most of the controlled substances that we find here in the heartland make their way to us over the border. So that’s important,” Garrison said.

In closing Friday, Trump told everyone in the room they were the “reason Americans sleep soundly in their beds at night.” As he did after his victory speech in 2016, Trump exited the stage Friday to the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

Andrea Tudhope is a reporter in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @andreatudhope.

Report: Kansas may be facing demographic changes

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KDHE

TOPEKA –  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has posted the Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, 2017 online at https://www.kdheks.gov/phi/as/2017/Annual_Summary_2017.pdf.

The annual report may suggest Kansas is facing demographic changes.

“The Annual Summary of Vital Statistics summarizes key demographic and health information gathered from vital event records registered in 2017,” said Lou Saadi, State Registrar and Director Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics. “Since the data collected represents the entire population of the State, it serves as an excellent source for policy makers, program managers and the public to assess and study the health of Kansans.”

The report documents:

  • slowing population growth and an aging population
  • continuing declines in the number and rate of births
  • total fertility rates below the replacement rate
  • decreases in the rate of natural increase,
  • decreases in marriage rates
  • decreases in teen pregnancy

Other trends being noted for 2017 included:

  • homicides in the state increased by 21 percent
  • suicides increased by 6.3 percent
  • unintentional injuries increased by 7.2 percent

Kansas’s total population as of July 1, 2017 was estimated at 2,913,123, an increase of 5,834 (0.2%) from the estimate of Kansas’s total population as of July 1, 2016 (2,907,289) released in 2017. The median age of Kansans in 2017 was 36.6 years, a 4.0 percent increase from the median age of 35.2 in 1998. The median ages for men and women were 35.4 and 37.9, respectively.

There were 36,464 live births to Kansas resident mothers in 2017. The most recent year with fewer live births was 1976, when there were 35,278 live births. The birth rate in 2017 was 12.5 births per 1,000 population, the lowest rate since Kansas began statewide recording of vital events in 1912.

The 2017 birth rate of 12.5 births per 1,000 population is the lowest birth rate on record. The rate is part of a birth rate decrease that began in 2008.

One element of the decline in childbearing in recent years is due to factors generally considered desirable: teen pregnancy rates have declined from 32.4 pregnancies per 1,000 young women in the 10-19 age-group in 1998 to 12.7 per 1,000 in 2017.

In 2017, the state’s rate of natural increase was 3.3 persons per 1,000 population, a decrease of 19.5 percent from 4.1 per 1,000 population in 2016, and the lowest rate of natural increase in the past twenty years. The rate of natural increase is the birth rate minus the death rate.  A negative value for rate of natural increase would mean the insufficient births are occurring to replace the number of people dying in the state. Over the past 20 years (1998-2017), the rate of natural increase has fluctuated between a maximum of 6.3 persons per 1,000 population (2007) and a minimum of 3.3 persons per 1,000 population (2017).

The Kansas total fertility rate (TFR) in 2017 was 2,053 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The Kansas TFR has been below the replacement rate of 2,100 for each of the last five years. Total fertility rate is the number of children who would be born per 1,000 women if women were to pass through the childbearing years bearing children according to the current distribution of age-specific fertility rates.

Deaths in Kansas, 26,725, represented a 2.3% increase from the 26,129 deaths in 2016. Increases in 2017 over 2016 were noted for selected causes:

  • Suicide, 512 in 2016 to 544 in 2017, up 6.3 percent;
  • Homicide, 148 in 2016 to 179 in 2017, up 21.0 percent;
  • Unintentional Injury, 1,468 in 2016 to 1,573 in 2017, up 7.2 percent.

Heart disease with 5,636 deaths was the leading cause of death in 2017, followed by cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, and stroke.

In 2017, 17,274 marriages occurred in Kansas, a decrease of 3.8 percent from the 2016 total of 17,948 marriages. The Kansas marriage rate in 2017 was 5.9 marriages per 1,000 population. This rate was 4.8 percent lower than the 6.2 marriages per 1,000 population recorded in 2016, and was the lowest rate recorded for the state of Kansas in the last twenty years (1998–2017). For the entire period, Kansas marriage rates have been lower than U.S. marriage rates.

The annual summary does not attempt to determine causes for these trends, as it is a summary of events recorded by the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics. Factors impacting the state’s demography cannot be discerned from vital event records.

Kansas Information for Communities in a query tool the public can use to look at specific birth and death outcomes and prepare statistics.  The web location is https://kic.kdheks.gov/

 

Sunny, mild Sunday

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Today
Sunny, with a high near 43. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Northwest wind around 7 mph.

Monday
Sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 26. South southwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. South wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 49.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Thursday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 10am, then a slight chance of rain between 10am and noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

🎥 USACE: Water safety is a concern year round

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USACE

KANSAS CITY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District urge caution when recreating on or near water this winter. No matter the season, water safety is a year-round concern. We want to remind you that safety is for all seasons.

“We urge you to consider your safety and that of others when recreating at a lake or river this winter,” says Col. Douglas Guttormsen, commander of the Kansas City District. “Weather conditions in the heartland are unpredictable and directly affect the condition of ice on the water. Don’t risk it.”

  • Before heading outdoors, make a plan, pack accordingly and know the risks.
  • Dress appropriately for the water temperature not the air temperature because you could find yourself capsized, or thrown from a boat.
  • Life jackets save lives and should be worn at all times by anyone in a boat, including those waterfowl hunting or fishing.

Do you know what might happen if you were exposed to cold water? You could find yourself unable to swim in a short amount of time as your arms and legs go numb and you lose the ability to rescue yourself. Many suspected drowning victims actually die from cold water immersion instead of hypothermia. Hypothermia is still something that you should be aware of.  It is a condition in which the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

Listen to the tips and information provided by the Kansas City District’s commander and park ranger in the cold water immersion safety video below.

For additional information on water safety or cold water immersion, visit www.pleasewearit.com.

Rush County teen hospitalized after pickup overturns

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RUSH COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Saturday in Rush County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1992 Chevy S-10 driven by Benjamin M. Welsh, 18, Bison, was eastbound on Ave M one mile south of Otis when a deer crossed the road ahead of the pickup.

The driver swerved to avoid the deer. The pickup crossed the center line, left the roadway to the left, overturned at least one time and came to rest on its top facing north.

Welsh was transported to the hospital in La Crosse. A passenger in the pickup was not injured. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

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