Video by Cooper Slough

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

For many, it might be the coolest video game system in town, but the simulator being installed at The Tactical Experience is much more than a video game — it is a valuable tool for military, police and residents looking to sharpen tactical skills in a safe setting.

Brad Crawford, The Tactical Experience owner, brought the system to Hays after a career in the military.

Originally from Cincinnati, Crawford served in the military for the last 15 years, but decided Hays was a good fit with his wife’s family in the area. She is originally from Victoria.

“I couldn’t continue service, so what I decided to do is get out in the civilian sector and use all the experience I have and do something really cool,” he said.

Opening the simulator, located at the Hadley Center in downtown Hays, gave Crawford an opportunity to continue teaching – something he said he really enjoys.

Initially, Crawford looked at opening a live fire range but found the cost to be prohibitive. He then looked at the technology available and realized there was a virtual way to do business with the shooting industry.

“It just worked hand-in-hand. I got in touch with some of the guys in the industry, and they were actually really interested in the concept of a commercial deal with this because this is usually a military or law enforcement technology,” he said.

The technology used at the Experience is what Crawford used during his time as a trainer in the military and provides numerous options to give an experience similar to what trainees would experience in the real world.

“It’s probably the best stuff you’re going to get. We use this kind of simulation technologies in the military to train soldiers going overseas because it’s cost effective,” Crawford said. “I’ve been deployed five times, and I can tell you some of the stuff that happens in this simulator is very realistic.”

The simulator also offers advantages to standard range training.

“There are certain things you can do in a real steel application setting, and there are certain things that you can’t because of safety considerations. With this, you are a little more open to the things you can do,” Crawford said.

He also said it broadens the experience, adding things trainees can do that they may not do in a real world training setting.

“We can actually put aggressor forces in there that come at you … you have to use everything in your tool box,” he said.

Support forces can also be added during a simulation.

“It’s just amazing what we can do,” Crawford said.

As an added benefit the simulator can also record performance, in order to track training progress as users return to the simulator.

“When somebody comes in, as a repeat customer, we can pull all the old data that they had and compare to the new data and actually see the progressive learning curve,” Crawford said.

While the current simulator is already impressive, around the middle of next month a MILO Range will also be added, giving users even more training options, including the full range of law enforcement tools, including tasers, OC spray and batons.

The Experience

The options available to users are almost limitless, and a number of integrated technologies in the simulator provide a simulation that can be invaluable to military, police or residents wanting to sharpen their skills and can provide a good amount of fun for anyone just wanting to have a realistic firearms or flight experience.

For a fully immersive environment, an Oculus Rift system is available at the simulator. Oculus Rift is the premiere virtual reality hardware available on the market today.

“Basically, you are in a fully immersive world when you put those things on,” Crawford said. “You really feel like you are in it.”

While the level of reality with the Oculus system might not be suitable for everyone, the full-size simulator is better, Crawford said, but even the full-size simulator offers features that create a realistic environment complete with on-screen visual tracking.

The simulator is like a sandbox can be developed into scenario specific situations from range firing, home defense scenarios that include barricades to simulate obstacles in the room, flight operations and vehicle training.

Weapons used in the simulator are real weapons, with modified laser bolt assemblies that include combat shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, OC spray, batons and service rifles.

Those weapons will soon feature a CO2 blowback system.

“When you actually pull the trigger the bolt will go back and give pretty good recoil,” Crawford said. “This is a really good tool because we can actually use these for training.”

Auditory feedback is provided by a Dolby Surround Sound system, which gives realistic audio to the simulation, and a smoke machine in the room gives sensory feedback to explosions in the simulator.

“With the simulator, I can do everything from shooting at a range to shooting off the side of a helicopter. It’s really just what the client wants,” Crawford said. “We can design a template and they can come in and have some fun.”

While a user is in a simulation Crawford can also manipulate the simulator behind the scenes, adapting the scenario in real time giving the user an even more realistic training experience.

The Experience details

Crawford is currently in talks with law enforcement in the area and military recruiters to set up training time blocks, and a mobile operation is also available for those departments looking to use the simulator to beef-up training — but the system is available for individual use, as well.

Individual sessions will be booked on their website, along with the type of simulation desired.

The cost for an individual session is $60 an hour, with reservations, and $100 for two people at once.

The simulator will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The simulator is located in the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh, and can be easily accessed from Eighth Street, with parking available near the door.

The Tactical Experience opened to customers Saturday after a Hays Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting Friday afternoon.

Customers can schedule simulator times by visiting their booking website, which allows the customer to see times available and select their desired scenario.

For more about the range, visit their website or facebook page.

Opening of first Kansas Glik’s planned Oct. 20

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The name Glik’s may not be known to many in the area, but an expansion program into Kansas will bring the 14th oldest retailer in the nation to Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine, later this year.

The location will be the first in Kansas.

“Hays is an amazing small town that we just felt that there was a tremendous need for us to be there,” said Jeff Glik, owner and CEO.

But the allure of Hays was not the only factor that brought the first Kansas store to Hays. Big Creek Crossing’s parent company – DP Management – was a draw for the location.

“We have an affiliation with the owner of the mall. We are in four of his other centers. He asked us to stop by, and he had the perfect space for us,” Glik said.

Management at the shopping center was happy to include the newest store to the center, first announced Monday.

“We’re very excited to have them here in Hays. We’re very excited that we were chosen, specifically Big Creek Crossing was chosen, as their first premier location in Kansas,” said James Younger, Big Creek Crossing marketing director. “We think it’s going to be a great fit for our community.”

The new location in the shopping center is only the first of several stores that are expected to move into Big Creek Crossing soon, and exterior facility upgrade plans are being finalized now.

“There are two to three others ones that are in the process of getting the leases signed,” said Josh Vickery, DP Management development investment specialist. “The lease agents are working hard on that.”

In May, Big Creek Crossing announced at least two new stores would be entering the shopping center, but the addition of Glik’s was not one of those expected at that time. Those announcements are expected soon.

But, in the meantime, Vickery is excited to add Glik’s to Big Creek Crossing.

“We’re happy to have them. I think they’re going to be a great addition to the mall. They’re a great store,” he said. “I think it will be great. They cater to the younger generation and, with the college, they will really like that.”

About Glik’s

Glik’s is a family-owned boutique that began in 1897 that selects offerings specific to each location, meaning no two stores are the same.

Some of the more well-known clothing lines carried by the chain include The North Face, Under Armour, Silver Jean Co., Patagonia, Sperry and Converse, along with others.

“It will be similar to what we have, but once we open a store, we really tailor it to the community,” Glik said. “We will open with our best foot forward and fine-tune from there.”

And Big Creek Crossing said the store will fit perfectly with Hays shopping.

“Their clothing brands are a breath of fresh air, at a mid-range price point,” Younger said. “I think it will be a win-win.”

The Hays location will be the 65th in the chain – with plans to bring three more to Kansas within 18 months.

“We are looking at other sister stores throughout the state. One town that we are pretty excited about is eventually to move into Lawrence,” Glik said.

With the openings in Kansas, Glik’s will cover 10 states and has over 600 employees.

The store in Hays is expected to employee eight to 10 people, according to Glik, and will occupy the 4,000-square-foot location formerly occupied by Rue 21.

Al Ratkewicz, store design and construction manager with Glik’s, was at the site Tuesday.

“After Jeff has made a selection, I come out and do a survey and draw a design for the store,” he said. “Initially, we plan to stay very similar to this footprint that’s here now.”

Plans for the space include a rustic look, similar to other Glik locations, but tailored to the space in Big Creek Crossing.

An opening date is planned for Oct. 20, but shoppers can get a look at clothing and shoe lines offered by the chain by visiting their website or facebook.

By James Bell
Hays Post

Around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, the Hays Fire Department responded to a fire inside the east wall at the construction site of Pasta Jay’s in the 4300 block of Vine.

According to scanner traffic, embers from welding on the outside of the building caught fire inside the exterior wall.

Construction workers used a hose to get water inside the wall and no flames or smoke was visible as fire fighters arrived.

After arriving, members of the HFD ran a water line and checked outside and inside the wall for fire and continued spraying water into an opening on the exterior wall.

By around 6:30 p.m., no remaining signs of a fire were detected either inside or outside of the building.

HFD was already on the scene of a structure fire at 1605 E. 27th which was called in about 5:53 p.m.  No flames or smoke were seen upon the crew’s arrival. Early reports indicate there was a fire in a bathroom and all occupants were out of the building. The last fire crew left the scene at 7:04 p.m.

Video by Cooper Slough

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

It’s been 95 years since the Hays Fire Department bought its first motorized fire truck, but for those who saw the fully restored 1921 REO Speedwagon over the weekend in Hays, it might not have seemed so long ago.

The fully restored vehicle was brought to Hays by Brad Corley, retired captain in the Wichita Falls, Texas, fire department and president Wichita Falls Fire and Police museum, who purchased the vehicle while in the process of searching for a fire truck for the Wichita Falls Firefighter’s museum.

“About four years ago, our museum had the opportunity to go to a private museum in Lawton, Oklahoma. While we were there, we were offered a couple of fire trucks,” Corley said.

They had 14 trucks, and while looking for a truck for the museum, he bought the REO for his own collection.

Little did Corley know Richard Shubert, a retired member of the Hays Fire Department, had been searching for the truck for over 30 years.

“Never could find it. It found me actually,” Shubert said.

He said he felt relieved after Corley contacted him while searching for the history of the truck after his long search.

After writing the history of the HFD and finding other original trucks from the department, the REO remained missing. Shubert followed the purchase history through several Kansas fire departments, until it was bought by someone in Oklahoma through a cash sale and the trail ran cold.

Traveling several times through Oklahoma, stopping at fire museums through the state, he thought maybe the truck had been lost to history, as many from that era had been destroyed in the war effort of World War II.

But the truck escaped the fate of many others and not only was the truck spared, it had been brought back to life through an intensive restoration.

In 1985, the owner fully restored the truck, one of the few examples still in existence from the era.

“One of the things that makes this rare is that it has its original engine and original frame. Everything’s original,” Corley said.

He estimated there are only five left in the country, and the Hays truck is in the second best condition.

While the previous owner had diligently worked to restore the truck to its original condition, a few details, including paint on the truck, are slightly different than when it was used in Hays.

The truck had been hand painted in a process that took months to complete.

“It makes it unique, but it doesn’t make it exactly as it came from the factory,” Corley said.

After Corley purchased the truck, he spent over two years again working to get the truck in running condition, including rewiring the truck and searched for its original department.

“When you buy a truck, you want all the history you can find,” he said, “but that history is what makes the trucks special.

“The department, the guys that rode it, the fires it went to, it’s your history and Hays’ history was missing one part.”

Now that history is complete as Shubert has located the original trucks from the department, including the first equipment, a hand-pulled fire cart nicknamed the Prairie Bell.

That cart, however, is in a precarious location — buried by the city in a pit behind the city shop, likely after the REO was purchased, Shubert said.

“We’ve got all of the trucks, except the Prairie Bell,” he said.

Sharing the historic truck was important for Corley and the full restoration was a treat for Shubert and Tim Detrixhe, president of Hays Firemen’s Relief Association.

“To have this where they came come touch it and see it means a lot for the community,” Corley said.

“It’s a muesum piece. It’s beautiful,” Detrixhe said. “The work and the love that’s gone into rebuilding this truck is amazing. The attention to detail and the care that Brad and the people that have gone before him have put into this truck over the years to make it that, in 2016, a 1921 truck runs like a top.”

While finding the truck in such good condition was a surprise, he said, maintaining equipment is a part of the firefighter’s ethos.

“Theses trucks are like an extension of ourselves in a way. Without our trucks, we can’t do our job and, without us, they can’t do their job,” Detrixhe said. “It speaks to the firefighters’ nature about preserving things and keeping them in top working order.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video courtesy Dawn Marlett

By James Bell
Hays Post

 

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, emergency responders were on scene at Mid Kansas Auto Auction, 700 W. 48th, as a large fire was burning throughout the building.

Smoke from the fire could be seen throughout Hays as responders worked to extinguish the fire.

Traffic was being blocked on 48th St. from Roth to 240th while crews were on scene.

According to an eyewitness, the fire was started by a vehicle that caught fire inside the building.

“We were driving out to Home Depot and saw some flames coming out of the garage,” said Travis Keller. “It looked like a pickup or car was on fire.”

After pulling around the building and sounding his vehicle horn to alert anyone inside he made a call to 911 at around 2:20 p.m.

He said he did not see anyone in the building at the time and before responders arrived the fire was progressing quickly through the building.

The Hays Fire Department was called at 2:47 p.m. to assist the Ellis County Fire Department, establishing a water line from a hydrant over 2,000 ft away, according to a media release.

“This water supply was limited because of the distance from the fire scene,” the release said. “Under the direction of the Ellis County Fire Department Incident Commander, Hays firefighters assisted in fighting the fire and cooling the near-by LPG fuel tank using hose streams and an aerial ladder stream.”

Two fire trucks, an air supply truck and six firefighters from the HFD assisted.

Crews from the HFD left the scene at 9:01 p.m.

Hays Post will update the story as more information becomes available.

Video by Harrison Brent

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

In a continued expansion program, western Kansas-based Bling Inc. has announced the opening of its newest location, bringing their unique apparel and accessories to the Kansas City area.

Opened last Thursday, the location in the Hawthorn Plaza, 4949 W. 119th, Overland Park, will be a part of the chain that began just seven years ago in Scott City, and has quickly become the largest privately owned boutique in Kansas.

“People had asked for it for so long. We kind of go off of what people are asking for,” said Nicole Campos, owner.

Campos was initially nervous about expanding in a location so far from the chain’s headquarters in Scott City, but with people driving from KC to shop in the Hays location and a district manager based in Hays, Campos said she decided to pull the trigger.

“She has done such a phenomenal job that I felt like we were at the point where we could take the leap and get farther away from us,” Campos said of Sammy Grollmes, district manager.

And the location, she said, is a perfect fit.

“It’s definitely a busy area,” Campos said. “Hawthorn Plaza just felt right. It’s kind of in the middle of a lot of different shopping centers.”

The center is both a retail center and has restaurants that complement the store, she continued.

And since last Thursday’s opening, the store has had a warm reception.

“It’s so cool because we’re having plenty of new customers,” but they have also seen customers from other locations coming in, Campos said.

While opening seven locations since its inception, Campos said getting to this point was full of ups and downs.

Just a year and a half ago, a warehouse fire destroyed inventory for the entire chain.

“We lost all the merchandise for all the stores going into fall,” Campos said.

But after the incident, they saw “tons and tons of support.”

“That was kind of a turning point, and we knew we were going to keep going,” she said.

Soon after recovering from that loss, the location in Hays was closed after a partial roof collapse in Big Creek Crossing destroyed that location’s inventory.

Again, with support from loyal customers, Campos said they kept moving forward.

“The community support in Hays, I always say it’s definitely one of my favorites, because the community supports us, the people support us like crazy,” she said, noting people would drive to other locations while the Hays location was closed.

“It’s just been wonderful,” she said of the support the chain has been given over the years and even as the newest location gets on its feet, future expansion is already being planned.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

At around 3:30 p.m. Friday, Hays Fire and Police Departments responded to an RV on fire in the Dillons parking lot at 1902 Vine.

The front of the RV was fully engulfhed in flames when the department arrived.

While crews worked to extinguish the fire, traffic was blocked from entering and exiting the north parking lot.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Hays Post will update as more information becomes available.

By James Bell
Hays Post

Hastings, 3300 Vine, will close its doors by the end of October after the chain was bought by a joint venture that plans to liquidate the entire company’s assets.

“Five weeks ago, Hastings filed for Chapter 11 protection with the goal of expediting our search for a buyer that would help us complete our remerchandising strategy and position our business for long-term success,” according to a release from the company. “At the completion of the sale process yesterday, the winning buyer was a joint venture that will instead oversee a liquidation of our stores to ensure we are maximizing the value of all of our remaining merchandise and assets as we prepare to close.”

As a part of the sale agreement, the chain will be authorized to sell merchandise through a going out of business sale, with at least 75 percent of the proceeds going towards the company’s debt.

“All Hastings stores, our e-Commerce business, and our corporate office will all discontinue operations at the end of this process,” the company said.

Specifics for the Hays location are not yet available, but all stores must complete their sales by Oct. 31 and could close at any time.

As part of the agreement employees must be given seven days notice before a store closure.

While the agreement has yet to be approved by the Bankruptcy Court, the company expects the agreement to be accepted Friday.

The chain’s new owners – Hilco Merchant Resources LLC and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC – who bought the company in a joint venture, will oversee the closing sales, according to the company.

“We thank our customers and employees for their loyalty over the years, and we hope to see our customers at store closing sales,” the company said.

 

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

In brief court appearances Monday, July 18, Holliann Marie Stramel, 24, and Trevor Jay Calvin, 27, plead not guilty to all counts stemming from a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of Ellis County resident John J. Befort, 67, on July 18, 2015.

Stramel and Calvin appeared in person during the proceedings – the first appearance for both since a preliminary hearing found probable cause in the case on May 4 of this year.

Judge Glenn Braun presided over today’s arraignments that lasted less than 30 minutes, with both defendants declining to have the charges against them read.

Now the case will proceed to a jury trial, to be preceded by a pretrial that will be scheduled within 180 days.

Before the trial commences, Tom Drees, Ellis County attorney, said he intends to file a motion to consolidate the cases and Paul Oller, Calvin’s attorney, said he intends to object to the motion.

Oller also informed the court he intends to file a motion to suppress evidence and a Jackson-Denno motion. That motion calls for a hearing outside the presence of a jury to determine the admissibility of Calvin’s statements to police officers.

Calvin is charged with two counts: Concealing or altering evidence of a crime and impeding or obstructing an officer’s duty.

Stramel is being charged on three counts: Failure to stop and render aid at a fatality accident, concealing or altering evidence of a crime, and vehicular homicide. The first two counts are felonies in Kansas and the third is a Class A misdemeanor.

Under Kansas sentencing guidelines the three counts together carry a punishment of 38 to 129 months in a state penitentiary, fines up to $402,500 and up to a year in county jail.