By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The Hays Public Library will host two stakeholder sessions to solicit input from the community to consider future services and events at the library.

Both sessions will be held on Monday, June 10. The first will begin at 1:30 p.m., the other will begin at 6 p.m.. The sessions are scheduled to last 90 minutes.

Brandon Hines, library director, said the sessions are an effort to develop ideas for ways the library can continue to develop as a community center.

“When I was hired on, we had a lot of projects we had already begun or had been discussed. They were teed-up and ready to go, so we set up a one-year plan to execute on quite a few of these,” Hines said. “We are kind of getting to the point now where we are wrapping those up so we need to transition to that next phase, and we know that we need to get some outside input.”

Some of the completed projects include a new digital sign located on 13th and Main, and the new RFID checkout system.

With the completion of those previous projects, now is a good time to consider services and features the community wants from the library, Hines said.

“We have many high-level ideas, but we really want the input from the community to help us hone that focus for the space and our services in general,” he said. “We see this as a three-year plan that will come out of this. We have our mission and our values established, and the idea now is to generate those specific actions we can take to uphold our goals.”

A large part of the changes Hines wants to see is better utilization of the layout of the library, noting major design changes have not occurred since the renovation that added a wing to the building and a new facade.

“So much has changed since then,” Hines said.

The reference section has transitioned to mostly digital, freeing room that could be utilized for other purposes.

“We know we want to recapture that space,” Hines said.

There are also more computers than are currently needed. At one point, there was a normally a waiting list to use a computer in the adult section, now many sit unused through the day.

“They don’t need to come to the library anymore because they can check (email) on their phones,” Hines said.

While Hines said input from the community will be important, they have some ideas for the space in mind, including smaller quiet rooms that could be used by patrons for a variety of purposes such as job interviews, proctored testing or phone calls.

Hines said another idea being considered is some type of a business center, with a coffee bar or a community space where people can be comfortable and engage with others.

“We are really lucky with the amount of space we have. That is not our problem, we just need design help right now is the way we see it,” he said.

Overall the goal is to create a library that continues to remain relevant in an ever increasingly digital landscape.

Events throughout the year help to keep traffic coming into the library, Hines said, with most focusing on literacy.

“We have probably the best events programming library in the state and probability beyond,” Hines said, driving an average of 450 people into the library daily. “The amount of programming we have drives our traffic at this point.”

RSVPs for the meetings are requested, but not required, and can be sent to [email protected].

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Gov. Laura Kelly participated in a town hall early Monday evening at the Sternberg Museum, 3000 Sternberg, along with Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-110th Dist.), Sen. Rick Billinger (R-Goodland), and Rep. Barb Wasinger (R-111th Dist.)

The event was organized by the Fort Hays State University student government association and moderated by Brett Zollinger, FHSU professor and chair of the Department of Sociology.

The group spoke to attendees about a variety of topics including the Kansas retirement system known as KPERS, Kansas Department of Transportation funding, education funding, funding for the arts, Medicaid expansion and the impact of tariffs on the local agriculture economy.

Kelly, a Democrat, was also on the FHSU campus Tuesday morning at a Community Engagement session focusing on early childhood. Check Hays Post for more on the Community Engagement session.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The Hays Police Department is investigating a string of vehicle burglaries that occurred early Sunday morning.

The investigation began on Sunday with a report at 7:20 a.m. of damage to a vehicle the 2500 block of Felton, according to HPD Lt. Brandon Wright.

Another five vehicles in that block were reported to have been entered with another report of a vehicle entered into on the 1200 block of Motz.

Four of the seven vehicles entered had windows broken to gain access, Wright said.

“A lot of things were ransacked, but not a lot of property was taken except … there was some cash taken out of one of the vehicles,” Wright said. “I want to use this opportunity to remind people to not leave valuables in their vehicles, at least not in plain sight, and even though they smashed some windows here, to keep your vehicles locked.”

He also said it is a good idea not to leave keys in vehicles.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hays Police at (785) 625-1030.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

No, it was not cloudy Friday morning, instead the darkened skies were the result of a Canadian wildfire.

“If you notice that haze in the sky that is from wildfires,” said Kelly Sugden, meteorologist from the National Weather service.

“There are several wildfires in northern Alberta and the flow pattern across the united states is bringing that down across Kansas.”

The smoke from those fires is expected to cover Kansas through parts of Sunday, until atmospheric changes will move the smoke out of the area.

“By Sunday, the upper jetstream becomes more southwest, so that might push it off to the northeast,” Sugden said. “It might linger until then.”

With the smoke cover, people who have sensitivities to allergens might need to limit their time outdoors Friday.

“Today, sensitive groups may want to stay inside,” Sugden said as air quality across central and eastern Kansas right now is rated as moderate.

“Air quality is acceptable, however with some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people,” he said.

The air quality is expected to be normal by Saturday according to Sugden.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The first Hays citywide garage sale is scheduled for this weekend and the community has embraced the event, with sales planned across the community.

Event organizer Laurie Mortinger said she wanted to organize the event in Hays after seeing successful events elsewhere.

“I know a lot of people that go to garage sales, and a lot of people that have them, and we thought we go out of town, and we go to those sales all the time in the surrounding communities they are kind of fun,” she said. “You take a day and go out and eat with the girls, goof off and garage sale. It is just a blast so I said ‘Let’s do it in Hays.’ ”

RELATED: Check out a listing of garage sales in the Hays area, including a map

After asking around, she found others in the community were interested, so she began planning.

“Hays never gets one going, so we got a few people together that wanted to have a sale and we picked out some dates and we said ‘Let’s do it,’ ” Mortinger said.

And now the event that started as a simple idea has gained a lot of traction in the community.

“I think we have had a pretty good response this year, so far I think there is over 70 in Hays,” she said.

And with the significant interest, Mortinger said she hopes the event will continue every year.

“That’s the goal, to continue to do it,” she said.

With so many people registering their sales, Mortinger said there are several places to get a listing of all the sales.

Flyers are currently being printed that should be available Thursday at the Hays visitor center, 2700 Vine; Kwik Shop, 1301 Vine; and Love’s, 2500 Vine.

Northwestern Printers, 114 W. Ninth, donated the printing of the flyers, Mortinger said, and a friend donated the paper.

“So we didn’t have to charge anybody to do the flyers,” she said. “That was very nice of them. We want to thank them.”

She hopes the flyers can be continued for future events.

“Sometimes when you get into printing you have to start paying for those things unless we could find a sponsor,” Mortinger said. “Hopefully we will continue to be able to get somebody to sponsor us, or help us out, so we won’t have to charge people to advertise it.”

Mortinger said there are also sales planned that missed the printing deadline that can be found online.

Hayspost will have a map of the available sales and a Facebook page for Hays garage sales will have listings, including sales that will go past the citywide sale times and days.

Those online listings will also provide specific items for sale.

While the citywide sale is a prime opportunity to find deals or unload some unwanted items, some are using the day to fundraise for community organizations.

“I think that is great,” Mortinger said, noting she was aware of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Ellis County Cancer Council were holding sales as fundraisers.

Mortinger said she hopes the event is a positive experience for the community and offered advice to participants.

“Get everybody you know and go out and have fun,” she said. “If you want to go and have a garage sale, let somebody watch your booth and you can go garage selling and come back.”

The citywide sale is scheduled for Friday from 8 a.m. to dark and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A map of the registered sales can be found by clicking here.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

A high-speed chase and crash on Interstate 70 led to the arrest of a fugitive from justice Monday morning after a warrant was found from Colorado Springs, Colo.

At 7:41 a.m. Monday, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper in Sherman County clocked the speed of a 2009 Chevy pickup at milepost 20 at 102 mph, according to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman.

The trooper attempted to stop the truck and the driver fled eastbound on I-70 reaching a top speed of 112 mph.

The trooper continued pursuit of the vehicle on I-70 approaching Oakley.

“At that point, at 8:14 in the morning, a little more than 30 minutes later, the driver entered the median and drove in the median for a while until he hit a culvert,” Hileman said. “That ended up crashing the vehicle out, and the vehicle rolled several times.”

The driver — Starsky Dresch, 41, Colorado Springs — was placed under arrest, and an ambulance was called.

He was taken to the Logan County Hospital and later flown to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver.

A female passenger in the vehicle was not charged. She was taken to the hospital, but no other information on her condition was made available.

While investigating the incident, it was discovered the vehicle had been stolen in Colorado Springs and Dresch had an outstanding warrant from Colorado for being a fugitive from justice.

His condition is unknown at this time.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

As tornado sirens sounded in Hays late Tuesday afternoon, the Ellis County Rural Fire Department was dispatched to fight a tank battery fire in rural Ellis County after a lightning strike.

At 5:13 p.m., the department responded to a fire at Toulon and Catharine Road, finding the tank battery on fire, But with the recent heavy rains, trucks were unable to get close to the fire, according to Darin Myers, Ellis County Fire Chief and Emergency Manager.

Instead, responders ran over 400 feet of water lines through a field to get to the tank.

“It seemed that the fiberglass top burnt off,” Myers said.

The crew was able to extinguish the fire using foam and water and had left the scene at 6:39 p.m.

With severe weather in the area, Myers said sometimes a decision needs to be whether the fire crew continues to fight a fire, or rather move to a safe location and let the fire burn until the situation is safe.

“We’ve had to do that,” he said, noting putting out a rural tank battery fire when the battery is already destroyed often does not necessitate risking firefighters’ safety.

“There is no reason to risk a lot to save a little,” Myers said.

With this fire, however, the crew was able to put out the fire before any weather hit the immediate area.

“They were able to get out of their trucks and fight the fire without the danger of another storm,” he said.

But a few weeks ago during a similar incident, crews were forced to wait for a storm to pass to put out the fire.

“Obviously, the best option is to put the fire out, but the primary concern for us is the safety of our personnel,” Myers said.

With a tank battery fire, there are sometimes concerns with not being able to put a fire right away that must be considered.

“The risk you have to look at by not putting the fire out right away (is) what else is going to happen?” he said, noting the possibilities oil leaking outside or a fire spreading to other tanks make the situation is more critical.

“In these cases, that didn’t happen,” he said.

Another risk with these types of fires is an explosion, which could spread to other tanks nearby.

“You have to be careful about accessing the situation to make sure you are not putting a firefighter up to a tank that is close to exploding,” Myers said.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

When former Hays resident Matt Glassman graduated from Thomas More Prep-Marian in 2000 he never expected that nearly 20 years later he would be receiving his Ph.D. from Yale.

“If you would have asked me 10 years or 20 years ago when I was graduating high school whether I thought I was going to go to Yale, I certainly wouldn’t have thought so,” he said.

Adding “definitely my teachers wouldn’t have thought so.”

But with a work ethic he attributes to growing up in Hays and a conversion to a more spiritual life, he completed a long educational journey graduating last week from the well-known school with a Ph.D. in near Eastern languages and civilizations.

“I was surprised as anyone was to end up here,” Glassman said.

Following his graduation from TMP, Glassman began college at Fort Hays State University and later transferred to the University of Kansas, where he completed an undergraduate degree in political science, with the intention of going to law school.

But life had other plans, and Glassman he spent some time in the workforce before finding a direction.

“I have to attribute some of it to grace,” he said. “My life in undergrad was going nowhere, then I had a religious conversion.”

He said that conversion reset his life.

After a couple of years in the workforce, Glassman returned to school in Ohio at Franciscan Univerity of Steubenville earning a master of arts degree in theology in 2008, later continuing his studies at Boston College earning a master of theological studies in Old Testament biblical studies, studying history, middle eastern languages and archaeology.

But getting there took dedication and focus, something he attributes to working in the family’s construction business in Hays.

“When I was growing up, starting when I was 13 or 14 years old, my dad pretty much pushed me into service in the family business out there doing construction every summer that gave me two very important things that advanced my academic career.”

No. 1, he said, was “it allowed me to see that I definitely didn’t want that for myself,” he said with a laugh and, No. 2,  “it gave me a real sense of determination and hard work.”

“I don’t think I would have gotten had I grown up in some other part of the country,” he said.

That work ethic allowed him to push through long nights with young children and pushing past his peers.

“High school, undergrad, certainly in graduate school, I was never the smartest guy to walk in a room, but I knew that regardless of what anyone else would say or what they are capable of that I would work harder than anybody else in the class,” he said. “I know a lot of smart people that didn’t get into Ph.D. programs when we were master’s students together … at some point it is beyond my explanation.”

Post-graduation, Glassman hopes to continue giving back what he has learned in a full-time tenure track academic position, continuing the work he as done as an adjunct instructor since 2016 at colleges near his Connecticut home.

Unfortunately, the job market for higher learning is more concentrated on the East Coast, so chance are slim he will return to the area in the near future, but he is hopeful.

“I always said if the opportunity arose to get back closer to home in the Midwest somewhere, I would jump at it. I would love to do it.”

Looking back, he said he hopes others that dream of attending a top-tier school know should know that it is possible with some determination.

“There is no real secret, you catch a couple of lucky breaks … but it’s real hard work,” Glassman said.

 

Here are some of our favorite recent interviews from the KAYS Morning Show:

Ellis County Fire Chief & Emergency Manager Darin Myers shares tips on safety with children over the summer.

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K-State Research and Extension office agent Stacy Campbell gives updates from the Cottonwood District.

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Hays Post reporter Jonathan Zweygardt gets updates from Ellis County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst and Ellis County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes.

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The Eagle Morning Show airs live on KAYS 94.3FM from 7 to 9 every weekday morning.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

“Protecting lives is our No. 1 priority,” said Col. Doug Guttormsen, Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District Commander in a news release Thursday, as they are using Wilson and Kanopolis Lakes to retain water that would have a significant impact where flooding is already occurring.

“We are not releasing water from the two lakes in order to not worsen conditions downstream,” said Dan Hays, operations manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers at Kanopolis and Wilson lakes.

“They have a confluence (in Saline County) where flooding is really occurring and, by us holding water back, hopefully we are helping mediate the impacts there.”

The release at both reservoirs is currently at the required minimum, while reservoir levels are slowing rising.

Hays expects water already moving into the reservoirs will raise levels at Kanopolis another 4 feet and Wilson another foot.

Water at Wilson Lake is being released at 15 cubic feet per second to maintain water quality downstream while water is filling the flood pool.

At Kanopolis Lake, the bottom of the designed overflow notch is full with the only water being released from the lake going over the edge of the notch.

Hays said the rise at the lake is “fairly substantial,” but was at a similar level last fall.

With more rain expected in coming days, Hays said there is potential to see a significant increase in levels if there is heavy rain, but there is currently no danger to the surrounding areas.

“The dams are functioning as designed,” he said. “We have the storage space to hold those flood waters should they come.

“Unfortunately that comes to impact lake users,” Hays said. “With an increasing lake, some of the facilities become a little less accessible.”

While the two largest reservoirs in the area being monitored closely, other area lakes are full or near full as well.

The Plainville Township Lake is listed as full Thursday, according to the Kanas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism.

Webster Lake is 1.17 feet above conservation level, and Stockton Lake is also 12 feet above normal.

The Ellis City and Big Creek Lakes are also full.

Harlan County Lake is only slightly above normal elevation and discharging at 150 cubic feet per second.

With many planning on traveling to lakes over the holiday weekend, Hays offered a few tips for people who plan to gather around the reservoirs.

“I would recommend that they call ahead and check to make sure that the facilities they are hoping to use are open and available,” he said.

He also said flooded roadways should be avoided and barricades should be respected.

Hazards may be present in the lakes, as well.

“If they do get out on the water, with the inflows, we do have some floating debris,” Hays said.

For more information about current lake levels visit the KDWPT website by clicking here.