Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

PRATT–If you’re looking to introduce a youngster to the joys of dove hunting, opportunities for youth-only hunts will be available throughout the state this season. Listed below are two upcoming youth dove hunts that are sure to provide your kiddo with plenty of action and a memorable time afield.

HAYS- CEDAR BLUFF WILDLIFE AREA

Hosted by: Smoky Hill Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Hunt date: Sept. 5

Registration deadline: Sept. 1. Call to register.

Age limit: 10-17

Contact: Luke Winge (785) 726-1600

A managed crop field on Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area is reserved exclusively for this youth-only event. Hunters will meet at 1 p.m. at the old Cedar Bluff Fish Hatchery to receive wingshooting instruction and meet their mentors. The group will then head to the managed dove field until sunset. After legal shooting light, all participants will return for a free BBQ dinner and lessons on how to properly clean their doves.

Space is limited and kids who have not hunted before will be given preference to participate.

If requested, shotguns can be provided. Shot shells in 12 and 20 gauge will be provided. Hunters age 16 and older must have a hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit prior to hunting.

BUNKER HILL- WILSON WILDLIFE AREA

Hosted by: Black Gold Pheasants Forever Chapter in Russell and Big Brothers, Big Sisters JT VonLintel Memorial Outdoor Mentoring Program

Hunt date: Sept. 5 (with a dinner and trapshooting instruction on Sept. 4)

Registration deadline: Sept. 2. Call to register.

Age limit: 10-16

Contact: Scott Thomasson, (785) 726-1600, or Vickie Cikanek, (785) 501-0867

A managed crop field on the lake property will be reserved exclusively for this event, providing excellent hunting opportunities for youth hunters and their mentors, who may also hunt. Hunters will meet before sunrise on the morning of the hunt at the Wilson Wildlife Area shop to check-in, pair up with mentors if needed, and pick up shotgun shells. Hunters are welcome to spend as long as they choose in the field.

Kids who have not hunted before will be given preference to participate.

Some shotguns will be available for kids without one, and non-toxic 12 and 20 gauge shotgun shells will be provided. Hunters age 16 must have a hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit prior to hunting.

 

Can’t make a scheduled hunt? Visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” “Where to Hunt,” and “KDWPT Dove Hunting Fields” to plan your own hunt at a managed field near you.

The Kansas dove hunting season is open Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 and Nov. 7-15. Hunters 16 and older must possess a Kansas hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit, unless exempt.

Hunters make take up to 15 doves, mourning and white-winged, single species or in combination. There is no limit on Eurasian collared or ringed turtle doves, but any taken in addition to the mourning and white-winged dove daily bag must have a fully-feathered wing attached while being transported.

Non-toxic shot may be required on KDWPT-managed dove fields. Visit ksoutdoors.com for details.

BY BECKY KISER
Hays Post

“I probably won’t be giving quite as many ‘high-fives’ in the hallways. These students might look at me a little strangely.”

The new principal at Thomas More Prep Marian junior and senior high school, Chad Meitner, moved his family from Dodge City to Hays this past weekend.

Meitner most recently served as principal of Sacred Heart Grade School in Dodge City and says he’s been looking forward to working with older students. He also plans to spend some time in the TMP classrooms.

“I think the first goal–when you’re new–you want to come in and learn a lot about the people, about the culture, the people, the traditions, so I need to be a student first and learn about those,” Meitner said.

“My underlying philosophy, which is the foundation for a lot of our goals and they’re the same that TMP has had for quite awhile, is that we need to be focused on the whole student. Their spiritual well-being, their mental well-being, their physical well-being, and their academic process–we can’t necessarily neglect one or the other when we do that.

“My goal is to get an idea of the teachers’ styles in the classrooms, and I need to get in the classrooms every day and watch lessons–be a part of that–and find out how I can help. My job is to help the teachers, help the parents, and help the staff–to help the students. That all flows down to them–the students–they’re the reason we’re here.

“Those goals, although they’re not very specific, those are the goals that are behind the foundations of all our decisions at TMP,” Meitner added.

The first full day of classes for TMP-Marian and Holy Family Elementary school was Wednesday.

Meitner takes over for Kathy Taylor, who filled the role the past two academic years as interim principal.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

A local hotspot that has received national attention over the last few years will celebrate a significant milestone Thursday as Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., 117 E. 11th, will officially recognize 10 years in business.

Over the years, the diner has been the recipient of numerous awards and was even listed as the “one thing to do in Kansas” by Huffington Post. But for anyone that has frequented the establishment, it doesn’t come as surprise as online reviews can attest.

While the food and service is noteworthy, the success of the establishment has no doubt been in part due to the quality of beer produced in-house and that can only be bought in the location.

Gerald Wyman has been the brewmaster at the location since before it was open.

“Hays was ready for it,” he said about the opening of the location in 2005. “It’s our 10-year anniversary. It’s kind of a big deal.”

When Wyman arrived, he was no stranger to brewing beer, and many of the award-winning brews served at Gella’s evolved from his recipes, but he is insistent that beer be brewed in a way that drinkers will expect what the drink will taste like before ordering.

“All the beers I brought here evolved from my home-brewing recipes,” he said. “You drink a beer you really like and then you clone it, but the way you do that, you clone it to the style.”

“I’m very passionate about brewing beer to style,” Wyman said.

This creates a consistency in the product and in combination with a detailed process has helped keep customers coming back year after year.

“It’s pretty much a given how things will turn out,” he said adding, “attention to detail through the brewing process, in my opinion, (is) incredibly important.”

Cleanliness and purity also weigh heavily on the final product.

“When you drink a pint of Lb. beer, it’s as pure as I can possibly make it,” Wyman said. “That makes a better tasting beer.”

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From his home-brew beginnings, Wyman has adapted the brew house at Lb. to be an expanded version of what he already knew, but expansion is still possible.

“After 10 years, it’s just an overgrown home-brew system,” Wyman said, however the brew house has not yet reached peak capacity.

“That’s always been one of my goals to, to get the brew house to capacity,” he said.

While the success of the establishment has been driven by local interest, an expanding craft beer market has helped as well.

“I’m really happy with the way everybody in Kansas went to craft beer,” Wyman said. “It’s like people really want a beer with more flavor and more to it. It’s so much more than your commercial lagers.”

In celebration of the anniversary Thursday night, Gella’s will offer some special features, but much like the low-key rustic design of the building and the humble nature of the staff, the event will be subtle.

“At 8:30 p.m. is when the music starts, and then we are doing a toast with the staff and whoever’s here to 10 years and then be serving complimentary anniversary cake,” said Derrick Broeckelman, front of house manager, who has been with the restaurant for seven years.

Jessica Paige, who plays frequently at the establishment, will be the musician of the night.

As with any new restaurant, getting established took some time, but Broeckelman said management and staff have worked hard over the years to continuing improving.

“I know since I’ve got here, it’s been nothing but progression,” he said. “Every day, we’re just doing more to make it better.”

But the establishment has had plenty of help with notoriety.

“I guess it’s surprising when we started gaining popularity,” Broeckelman said. That popularity came from all over including magazine features, favorable online reviews and awards from national beer competitions. That popularity has created a spot where people from all over come to find great beer and local food.

“It is surprising when you walk down and see how many different people are here at the restaurant from all over the country. Not only just all over the country, but all over the world,” Broeckelman said.

“I just think it’s great how we are celebrating 10 years. Not only have we been in business, but to be a downtown business and really just help try to be that cornerstone business of downtown and bring people down here to eat and shop and see a different side of Hays than you may see from the interstate or from a highway traveling through and to see that small-town charm that we are trying to develop here in downtown,” he said.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

A 27-year-old Hays man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a Tuesday morning accident that caused significant damage to Mount Allen Cemetery in the 2600 block of Vine Street.

According to Lt. Brandon Wright with the Hays Police Department, just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, Tyler J. Luecke was driving a 2000 Infinity QX4 northbound on Vine Street.

The vehicle went left of center and crossed the southbound lanes of traffic before crashing through the wrought-iron fence at the cemetery.

Luecke suffered minor injuries in the accident. As of Wednesday morning, he remained in Ellis County jail.

Wright said several gravestones were damaged in the crash.

• Photos by JAMES BELL, Hays Post

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

A recent string of scams has local law enforcement officials warning the public of suspicious phone calls purportedly from the IRS.

According to Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin, the department has been getting reports of people receiving phone calls from someone portraying an IRS official claiming the person owes money.

According to Harbin, the caller scammers threaten people with arrest if they don’t send money.

If you receive one of these calls, Harbin said, most importantly, don’t send any money.

“If somebody gets a call like that, they should call their local law enforcement agency,” he said.

Harbin added a good way to tell if the number is legitimate is to search for it on the Internet. He said if it has already been reported as a scam, it will come up in an Internet search.

Earlier this month, Fort Hays State University reported a number of students have been receiving the same types of phone calls and FHSU’s Financial Assistance Office has sent out an email warning students not to field these calls, and instead contact the police immediately.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Another 18 miles of sewer lines in Hays will be cleaned starting Monday, Aug. 24., in an area located generally south of 27th Street between Ash and Vine Streets.

This is the third year the city has contracted with Mayer Specialty Services of Goddard to do the work, according to Bernie Kitten, director of utilities. The project will take about two months and is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 24.

In addition to preventative maintenance which significantly reduces the chance for damaging sewer blockages and backups, the workers will inspect the condition of the sewer lines. In some areas of Hays, the sewer lines are 75 to 100 years old and need to be replaced, Kitten explained.

“This company has camera equipment and trained technicians that know how to look at cracks and breaks, roots, and other things in the sewer line.  Right after they clean these, they send their TV camera in–a little rover–and run it through the pipe.  It videos all the lines.  The operator runs it by remote control and he’ll see a crack.  He logs it–1 through 5–as to how bad it is.  Then he’ll log that data.

“We are collecting that data to create a new project–sewer repair.  They’re getting data for that project which is starting soon,” Kitten said.

The hike in sewer rates for Hays customers approved last week by the city commission will be used in part to fund sewer line repair and replacement.  There are 120 miles of sanitary sewer lines in Hays.

Door hanger notices will be placed on homes affected the day before the cleaning. Click here for more information.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission approved the modified 2016 budget at Monday evening’s commission meeting.

After some discussion, the commission elected to cut subsidies to outside agencies back to 2015 levels for next year.

The commission had previously budgeted $1.38 million for outside agencies, an increase of $62,000. The equates to an increase of 0.16 of a mill, according to Auditor Ken Beran with Adams Brown Beran and Ball. The county instead opted to spend $1.32 million on aid to those outside agencies.

The changes reduced the final mill levy to 36.561, bringing the taxes owed on a $100,000 dollar home to $420.45, an increase of $26 dollars from last year.

Commissioner Barb Wasinger said she was disappointed with the budget and said, because of declining revenues, the county is going to have to do more with less.

“We padded this budget so that we wouldn’t have to raise the mill levy too much,” Wasinger said. “When we say we don’t want the public to wait in line and we don’t want the public to be unhappy, I think the public appreciates that these are tough times.”

Commissioner Dean Haselhorst echoed Wasinger’s statement and called on county employees to cut  5 percent for 2017.

“Next year, I’m not going to vote for this budget,” Haselhorst said. “We’re going to cut 5 percent.”

“We may to do more with less and that is just the fact of life,” he added. “You can’t keep asking the citizens over and over to keep chipping in.”

The county’s 2016 total budget will be $13,569,391.

Hays-area public safety officials are on the scene of an apparent single-vehicle accident in the 2500 block of Vine.

Details have yet to be made available, but a sport-utility vehicle had smashed through the wrought-iron fence at the cemetery. Several tombstones were damaged.

Southbound traffic on Vine has been reduced to one lane at the scene.

Check Hays Post for more as details become available.

The City of Hays Utilities Department has contracted Mayer Specialty Services to conduct sewer line cleaning and inspections at the locations described below and shown on the attached map.

The approximate date is Aug. 24 through Oct. 24. The date may change due to breakdowns, weather, or other problems.

Door hanger notices will be placed on homes affected the day before the cleaning.

During this process, residents may experience a rumbling sound, in addition to the possibility of water entering your sink, bathtub and/or toilet. Sewer lines can develop air pressure or a partial vacuum from the cleaning process. Usually any excess air pressure or vacuum will dissipate through the plumbing vents, but occasionally there are facilities with inadequate plumbing vents (i.e.: no vents, undersized vents or obstructed vents). In the case of inadequate venting, air pressure could escape through the toilet, floor, sink, tub or shower drains, causing water to splash out or, a vacuum could draw the water out of the fixture traps allowing unpleasant odors.

If you will not be home or on vacation during the time of the sewer line cleaning which starts Aug. 24, please protect your home by keeping your toilet lids down. Other ideas on how to protect your home while away are as follows.

Do I need to do anything before you clean/inspect the sewers on my street?
Yes. Occasionally during cleaning and inspection, air pressure in the sewer can cause water to splash out through toilets, sinks and drains. Take the following precautions to prevent water damage in your home:
• Close the lids on all toilet bowls when not in use.
• Insert drain plugs in all sinks and bathtubs when not in use.
• Remove all floor mats in bathrooms.
• Place an old towel around the base of toilets, or cover all toilets with plastic or old towel and close the lid on the plastic or towel.
• If you have a float plug in your floor drain or a backwater valve installed in your house, ensure that it is free of debris and operating properly.
• Wrap the cover of your basement and other floor drains with thick plastic (i.e., a freezer bag or a car floor mat). Place something heavy over the floor drains to keep the plastic-covered floor drain covers in place.

The precautions are recommended only during our working times as provided.

You may put things back as they were when the equipment has moved off your block.

See map above for detailed locations. On the map, the red lines indicating 2015 project – 18 miles, is the area that will be cleaned.

The area between 27th Street and Ash Street and 27th Street and Vine to 11th Street.
Crews will continue south from this area to the south end of town by Third and Fort.

Why are you cleaning and inspecting the sewers?
The cleaning and inspection program keeps the sewer system operating efficiently by:
• Preventative maintenance significantly reduce the chance for damaging sewer blockages and backups
• removing built-up debris, such as tree roots, grease, grit and sand
• determining the condition of the sewer for repairs or replacement of sewers as necessary

How do you clean the sewers?
The sewers are cleaned using a high-pressure nozzle to flush water down the sewer. The dirt and debris are sucked up through a manhole by a large vacuum truck and taken to the landfill.

How do you inspect the sewers?
They are inspected by inserting a remotely operated video camera into the sewer to record its condition. The video shows us if repairs or replacement of the sanitary sewer is needed.

Will I notice anything after you have cleaned/inspected the sewers on my street?
Sometimes the sewer cleaning and inspection leaves an odor in the home. If so, run some water down the sink and bathtub drains, flush the toilets, pour a pail of water into each basement floor drain, and open the windows. After a short time, the odor should disappear.

Can I use the toilets and my water while you are cleaning and inspecting the sewer on my block?
Yes. However, be careful as air pressure in the sewer during the cleaning and inspection can sometimes cause water to splash out through toilets, sinks and drains. Remember to close the lids on all toilet bowls when not in use, and insert drain plugs in all sinks and bathtubs when not in use.

The City of Hays apologizes for any inconvenience this may impose. Performing this preventative maintenance by cleaning the sanitary sewer will improve the sewer’s performance and significantly reduce the chance for future sewer backups and related problems.

Should you have any questions or concerns, call the Utilities Office at (785) 628-7380, or via email [email protected].

Video by COOPER SLOUGH, Hays Post

The Hays Aquatic Park swung open the doggie doors for a last swim of the season Saturday, inviting dogs and their owners a chance for a dip.

The program is hosted by the Hays Recreations Commission. Regular chemicals in the pool water are lowered, making the pool unsafe for humans to swim in, but makes it safe for dogs. Owners were allowed to get wet only up to their thighs, for safety purposes.

About 100 dogs took part in the two-hour event.

Kansas Historical Society

TOPEKA — At its regular quarterly meeting held at the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka on Saturday, Aug. 8, the Historic Sites Board of Review voted to forward seven nominations to the office of the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington to be evaluated by its professional staff. If staff members concur with the board’s findings, the properties will be included in the National Register.

The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of historically significant properties.

Among the nominees is Papes Barn, 890 Ellis Avenue, rural Ellis.

The Papes Barn, constructed circa 1910, is nominated for its local significance in the area of agriculture as it relates to Ellis County’s early agricultural history and the family farm economy of the early 1900s.

The limestone barn also is nominated for its architectural significance as a vernacular gambrel-roof barn, which was specifically designed for hay storage essential to raising livestock. Czech immigrants Ignaz & Josephine Papes were part of a six-family settlement south of the town of Ellis in Smoky Hill Township.

Their barn is one of two surviving resources associated with early Czech settlement in the township. It is nominated as part of the Historic Agriculture-Related Resources of Kansas multiple property nomination.

Other nominees were:

Great Bend AAF Hangar – 9047 N 6th Street, Great Bend, Barton County
The Great Bend Army Air Field (AAF) hangar is directly associated with the federal government’s wartime aviation operations from 1939 to 1945. Constructed in 1942-1943, the concrete, wood, and metal squadron hangar was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers for the maintenance and modification of aircraft as part of a national defense strategy that placed air fields in south central and southwest Kansas. The well-preserved hangar is the oldest remaining resource from Great Bend’s World War II air field and is therefore nominated as part of the World War II-Era Aviation-Related Facilities of Kansas multiple property nomination for its statewide military significance.

Great Bend AAF Norden Bombsight Storage Vaults – 9047 N 6th Street, Great Bend, Barton County
The Great Bend Army Air Field Norden Bombsight Storage Vaults, built in 1943, are utilitarian concrete structures designed by the Army Corps of Engineers for the storage and issue of the Norden Bombsights during World War II. These vaults were constructed as part of a national defense strategy that placed air fields in south central and southwest Kansas. The structures are nominated as part of the World War II-Era Aviation-Related Facilities of Kansas multiple property nomination for its statewide military significance.

Fulton High School and Grade School – 408 W. Osage Street, Fulton, Bourbon County
The Fulton High School and Grade School is comprised of three buildings. Designed by Wichita architect Fred G. McCune, the 1917 Progressive Era school building is a two-story brick example of a Town Graded School, which was built during a period of standardization in the education system. In 1936 a gymnasium/auditorium was attached to the north side of the brick school. This gymnasium, constructed as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, contains salvaged limestone from the demolition of an 1882 school building at the same location. The third building at the site is a free-standing, one-story cafeteria constructed in 1964. The property functioned as a combined high school and grade school until 1966 when the high school consolidated with Fort Scott; the elementary school closed in 1978. The property is nominated as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas and New Deal-era Resources of Kansas multiple property nominations for its local significance in the areas of architecture and education.

Evangelical Lutheran School – 308 N. Indiana Street, Sylvan Grove, Lincoln County
The Evangelical Lutheran School is located on the east edge of Sylvan Grove, directly north of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The two-and-a-half-story building reflects the Prairie School style of architecture and is constructed of native limestone, a common building material in this area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The school is associated with the early German Lutheran immigrants who settled in this area, following the efforts of Christ Kruse, a railroad man from Chicago known as a community builder and founder of Lutheran churches. The 1913 school, designed by Salina architect C.A Smith, replaced an earlier building at the same location. The parochial school operated every year except one between 1913 and 1981. At the start of the 1918-1919 school year, Lincoln County’s Council of Defense closed the Evangelical Lutheran School due to anti-German hysteria during World War I. The school is nominated for its local significance in the areas of architecture and social history.

Francis Byron (Barney) Kimble House – 720 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Riley County
The nominated property was home to Barney Kimble and his wife, Mary Ann, from 1912 until Barney’s death in 1920. It is a two-story limestone, Queen Anne Free Classic style house with Colonial Revival influences. The form and layout also relate to the American Foursquare with a large hipped roof over the core of the house and smaller intersecting gables on all four sides. The nomination includes the main house and two limestone outbuildings (a stable and a barn), a grouping rarely found within the Manhattan city limits, particularly in an area that has seen growth and change throughout the 20th century. The Kimble House is nominated as part of the Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century Residential Resources of Manhattan multiple property nomination for its local significance in the area of architecture as a vernacular interpretation of the later Queen Anne Free Classic style.

Martin Cemetery – US-50 Highway, St. John vicinity, Stafford County
The Martin Cemetery is nominated for its local significance in the areas of Exploration/Settlement and African American Ethnic Heritage. This small half-acre burial ground south of St. John in Ohio Township holds the remains of members of the Joseph Martin family. It is significant as the only known vestige of a unique group of African American settlers from Illinois. Their houses of worship are gone, and their descendants have moved away. The cemetery, however, remains as a reflection of their contributions to the history of Stafford County. The cemetery includes the graves of approximately 20 people, though only a few are marked.

FHSU University Relations

The sound of snare drums and brass instruments began ricocheting off the buildings on the Fort Hays State University campus as the Department of Music and Theatre opened its annual marching band camp on Aug. 10.

The camp, which ends Aug. 15, allows the FHSU marching band to prepare for the upcoming season by reviewing marching fundamentals and learning music. Dr. Lane Weaver, assistant professor of music, directs the band and Dr. Jeff Jordan, assistant professor of music, assists.

“We don’t have many rehearsals once school starts, so this allows us to polish things before we are able to go to Lewis Field,” said Jordan.

The band practices in the field behind the President’s House every morning to learn the drills and play with the color guard and Tiger Debs. The players hold their drills — maps of every member’s different places on the field — and sing their parts while marching from one position to another.

Weaver writes the drills and composes all of the arrangements. The band will learn three half-time shows and perform each one at two games.

“Dr. Weaver has such a good vision,” said Jordan. “He’s the reason behind the huge success of the band and why they look and sound so good.”

He said the band also relies heavily on student leadership. Upperclassmen lead their sections, ensuring that everyone knows the music. During camp, they coordinate evening social activities, such as an ice cream-eating-contest, barbeque and pool party.

Low brass section leader Cole Harrison, a Leawood junior majoring in music technology, said that the most difficult part of camp is staying focused and keeping everyone on task, but he likes working with all of the new students.

“Marching band is an important way of integrating students into the department and the university,” said Harrison.

Jordan said that the camp is an important bonding time, preparing students for an entire semester of playing with one another.

“I’m amazed at how quickly everyone is learning. It’s been two days and we’ve already learned pre-game and the first song for the half-time show. I’m excited for how good we will look and sound by the end of the season,” said Harrison.