FHSU University Relations

Denver will be President Tisa Mason’s first stop of 2019 in Fort Hays State University’s annual month-long, 12-city, three-state tour to recognize high school and transfer students who have been awarded scholarships from the university. The event also provides an overview of what makes FHSU a special place, both in and out of the classroom.

The Denver Student Recognition Program begins at 1 p.m. Mountain Time Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec St.

A highlight at each event is when President Mason individually recognizes students who have already been awarded scholarships to FHSU for the next academic year. Other university officers, administrators and faculty also attend the programs to answer questions and to visit with prospective students and their families and friends.

Another highlight is the dessert or pizza buffet after the recognition portion of the program. Dessert is served at the Denver SRP. Students and their friends and families have the opportunity to mingle with FHSU faculty, staff and administrators before and after the scholarship presentations.

Since its beginning in the 1987-88 year, Fort Hays State’s SRP program – unique in higher education – has had the mission of recognizing all students interested in college, and their friends and families. The events provide them with the opportunity to meet faculty and staff from the university. The public is welcome to attend.

Students and families in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska can sign up now to attend programs in their areas. High school juniors, seniors and transfer students have already been invited to Student Recognition Programs in their areas.

For more information or to sign up, visit www.fhsu.edu/admissions/srp/.

Many high school seniors and transfer students will receive certificates for a variety of scholarships awarded to them by FHSU.

Scholarships to be awarded at the SRPs include the $3,500 Presidential Award of Distinction, the $2,000 University Scholar Award, the $1,500 Hays City Scholar Award, and the $1,000 Traditions Scholar Award. All are awarded only to incoming freshmen enrolling in college for the first time, but each is renewable provided students maintain the minimum required academic standing.

A renewable $1,500 scholarship is available for transfer students, and a $1,000 non-renewable transfer scholarship is also available.

Other one-time awards recognized at the SRPs are the $900 or $500 Academic Opportunity Awards, given to scholars by individual academic departments.

Each SRP event also features two scholarship drawings – a $400 FHSU Student Recognition Program Scholarship and a $600 textbook scholarship – and a drawing for a laptop computer. Four $400 SRP scholarships are awarded at the reception in Hays.

The SRP schedule includes the core area served at each program site, but students are welcome to attend any SRP program. However, they must RSVP by calling 785-628-5673 or by signing up online through the RSVP link at www.fhsu.edu/admissions/srp/.

The program schedule:
Denver, 1 p.m. Mountain time Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec St. Dessert will be served. The Denver SRP serves students from all Colorado counties except for Bent, Baca, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Kit Carson and Prowers counties, which are served by SRP programs in Colby and Garden City.

Wichita, 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Marriott, 9100 Corporate Hills Drive. Dessert will be served. The Wichita SRP serves students from 19 south-central and southeast Kansas counties: Barber, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Reno, Sedgwick, Sumner, Wilson and Woodson.

Salina, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Hilton-Garden Inn, 3320 S. Ninth St. Pizza will be served. Students from eight counties are invited to Salina: Chase, Clay, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Marion, McPherson, Ottawa and Saline.

Great Bend, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, at Great Bend High School, 19th and Morton (east entrance door). Pizza will be served. Students invited to the Great Bend SRP are from Barton, Pawnee, Pratt, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties and from the cities of Bison and Otis in Rush County.

Colby, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at Colby High School, 1890 S. Franklin. Pizza will be served. Students from nine Kansas counties, two Colorado counties and four Nebraska counties are invited to the Colby SRP: Cheyenne, Decatur, Gove, Logan, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas and Wallace in Kansas; Cheyenne and Kit Carson in Colorado; and Chase, Dundy, Hayes and Hitchcock counties in Nebraska.

Overland Park, 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Doubletree Hotel, 10100 College Blvd., serving 12 eastern Kansas counties and the Kansas City metropolitan area. Dessert will be served. The Kansas counties served are Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami and Wyandotte.

Topeka, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Ramada Inn, 420 SE Sixth St. Dessert will be served. Topeka serves students from 14 counties: Brown, Coffey, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Lyon, Marshall, Morris, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee and Wabaunsee.

Beloit, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at Beloit High School, 1711 Walnut. Pizza will be served. The Beloit SRP is for students from the Kansas counties of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic and Washington and from the cities of Osborne and Downs in Osborne County. Students from the Nebraska counties of Clay, Jefferson, Nuckolls and Thayer are also invited.

Kearney, Neb., 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Holiday Inn, 110 S. Second Ave. Dessert will be served. Students from 14 Nebraska counties are invited to the Kearney SRP: Adams, Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hall, Harlan, Kearney, Lincoln, Phelps, Red Willow and Webster.

Hays, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, in the Fort Hays Ballroom of FHSU’s Memorial Union, 700 College Drive. Dessert will be served. The Hays SRP serves students from seven counties: Ellis, Graham, Norton, Phillips, Rooks, Smith and Trego counties and from the cities of La Crosse in Rush County, Natoma in Osborne County, and Ransom in Ness County.

Garden City, 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at Garden City High School, 2720 Buffalo Way. Dessert will be served. Garden City serves students from 13 southwest Kansas counties and four southeast Colorado counties: Finney, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Morton, Scott, Seward, Stanton, Stevens and Wichita in Kansas; and Baca, Bent, Kiowa and Prowers counties in Colorado.

Dodge City, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at Dodge City High School, 2201 W. Ross Road. Pizza will be served. The Dodge City SRP serves eight counties – Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Ford, Gray, Hodgeman, Kiowa and Meade – and Ness City in Ness County.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

ELLIS — A new restaurant has opened in downtown Ellis, the Riverside Espresso & Cafe, 814 Washington.

Owner Jade Baalman said she tries to focus on dinner-style home cooking in addition to all-day breakfast.

The cafe also offer wraps, burgers, sandwiches, homemade bierocks and salads. Baalman offers regular comfort food specials on Thursdays and Fridays, such as meatloaf, casseroles, Salisbury steak and cordon bleu. Every other Saturday night, the cafe is open from 5 to 8 p.m. for a prime rib special.

Baalman, who opened Riverside in September, bills her cafe as family friendly. She will even make your kids pancakes in fun shapes on request.

The cafe has an espresso bar and also offers smoothies.

If you are in a hurry in the morning, you can grab already-prepared 12-ounce breakfast burritos or sausage and cream cheese bagels. Baalman offers homemade cinnamon rolls, scones and breakfast cookies and hopes to eventually offer made-from-scratch pie.

Baalman managed Oscar’s Cafe in Hoxie before opening the cafe in Ellis. She also has a background in catering and gourmet food.

Baalman, 34, became interested in cooking when she became a mother. She has four children, a 14-year-old son, 10-year-old daughter, 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.

“I love food,” she said.

At home, she focuses on paleo and whole 30, which is a diet free of dairy that focuses on whole foods rather than processed foods. Initially, she introduced some of these concepts at the cafe, but found many of her diners preferred more traditional American foods.

Baalman chose to open the restaurant in Ellis to be closer to her family. She believed the community needed another dining option.

Baalman is renting the space on Washington, which is the former home of the All in a Day’s Grind. The space is available for rent for parties.

She says she hopes the restaurant can be a community gathering place.

“That is one of the things that I had hoped for this place — that it is small enough and in a small town that people would feel they could come in here and drink their coffee with their groups. We definitely have the mom-and-pop, small-town feel that you could just come in and sit down and enjoy,” Baalman said.

The restaurant is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

You can follow the cafe on Facebook.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Theraplay Learning Center, a pediatric occupational and physical therapy center, is opening a new location in Hays.

Theraplay was founded in Norton by Renee Miller, OT, Sue Rossi, OT, and Randa Vollertsen, PT. It is the only outpatient clinic for pediatric occupational and physical therapy in northwest Kansas.

Hannah Hesston, who will be an occupational therapist at the new clinic, said the partners in Norton hoped they could reach more children by expanding into Hays. She said the center hopes to be another resource for parents.

“The children right now get services through the school district,” Hesston said. “That has all that has been around because there hasn’t been a clinic. There’s additional interventions and activities and areas that an out-patient clinic could focus on.”

Both clinics will serve young people ages birth through 21 years old.

Some of the areas that the therapists at the centers specialize in are traumatic brain injury, autism, spectrum disorders, sensory processing differences, handwriting challenges, fine and gross motor developmental delays, feeding difficulties, genetic disorders, reflex integrations, orthotics, infant torticollis (which is condition affecting the muscles in a newborn’s neck), and plagiocephaly, which is a flat spot on a baby’s head.

The therapies at both centers are play based. Hesston gave the example of child who might have sensory issues. A therapist might introduce play using water or have them dig through beans to help that child to feel more calm when experiencing that sensation.

The enter also has a climbing structure. The climbing helps the children learn to use both sides of their bodies and develop motor planning, where your brain learns to move one arm and then the next. Swings help children with balance and their sense of movement.

Play can also help with children’s attentiveness and mood regulation.

“Children, play is their biggest occupation. It is how they learn, so we wanted to create a space where we could address the needs in more of a play-based setting,” Hesston said.

She said the ultimate goal is to increase children’s independence.

Insurance generally covers the cost of therapy. Both centers work with insurance companies from across the state, and Theraplay is working to contract with insurance providers in Nebraska.

The owners also hope to soon add speech therapy services to their clinics.

Parents can seek referrals from their children’s physicians or can self refer.

You can make an appointment with the Hays center by calling (785) 675-0443 or emailing [email protected].

Hesston said she and the other therapists would be happy to answer any questions. The Hays center will have an open house from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 1007 E. 13th.

The Hays center will open for business on Monday. Definitive hours have yet to be set, but the center will be open Mondays through Fridays by appointment.

 

RUSSELL – Today, Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents arrested a former detention officer of the Russell County Jail.

On Oct. 24, 2018, the Russell County Sheriff requested the KBI investigate allegations made against an employee of the jail for reportedly having sex with inmates. The detention officer, Frank D. Alexander, 42, Russell, was then fired on Nov. 8.

The KBI presented case findings to the County Attorney on Nov. 30. Alexander was arrested Thursday at approximately 2:30 p.m. for two counts of unlawful sexual relations. The arrest occurred without incident at 1105 N. Fossil, Russell.

Following his arrest, Alexander was booked into the Russell County jail and was then transferred to a nearby jail. He also had his first appearance Thursday.

Nothing further will be released at this time.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Goodwin Sporting Goods will open Thursday morning to begin its final sale.

After 66 years in downtown Hays, owner Terry Bright will be liquidating the store’s inventory and closing permanently sometime in February. Customers will have opportunities to win prizes during the liquidation.

Bright said some of his suppliers will no longer allow him access to their full lines. Online companies have also cut into his business. Because he felt he could no longer provide full service to his customers, he decided it was time to shut the store down and retire.

“When it takes my ability to service my customer out of the equation,” Bright said, “I told them I was done. It is just going more and more to larger chains.”

The store first opened as Dee Erickson Sporting Goods on July 1, 1947, at 119 W. 11th in Hays. Duane Goodwin bought the store in 1952.

Bright started working at the store part-time in 1974. He was playing tennis on scholarship at Fort Hays State University at the time.

In 1975, Bright took over the store from Duane Goodwin.

Bright said has had many loyal customers over the years. Since he posted the notice that store would be closing on Facebook over the holidays, he has been inundated with well wishes and calls.

One customer posted on Goodwin’s Facebook page, “I am eternally grateful to Mr. Goodwin, in 1972-74, this store accommodated me in my basketball shoes. I needed a size 9…and size 12. They split a pair, and only charged my folks for one pair!! PERSONAL TOUCH WILL BE MISSED!’

Another customer commented, “Hate to see a local, independent business close its doors. Thank you for your many years of service to the community! We don’t live in Hays, but made a point to shop at Goodwin’s because we believe it’s so important to support the downtown, locally owned businesses. Good luck to you!”

Bright said his customers have valued the customer service the store has been able to offer over the years, and he wished to thank the customers and community for their support.

Although Bright said he will not miss dealing with suppliers or the long days, he said he will miss the people.

Nicale Ney worked for Bright ordering stock for 20 years. Shane Lynch left two years ago, but worked for Bright for many years in his production department. He remembered Robyn Powell, who helped when the store doubled its space from 25 to 50 feet of store front.

The store has marked down its merchandise and will be liquidating its stock as well as its fixtures. Bright will also be selling his screen printing and embroidery equipment. He has had some interest expressed in the equipment and may work with the purchaser as a consultant for a few months for training.

Bright owns the building at 109 W. 11th and plans to sell it as well. He has had several inquiries about the space, but no serious offers. The building is a retail-ready space, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if another retailer went into the space.

Bright, 64, said he was looking forward to retirement. He plans to enjoy playing more golf.

“When you have a business, it is not uncommon to have 10- to 12-hour days,” he said. “For me to get out of town, that will be a rare occurrence and something that I am looking forward to.”

“It’s a commitment,” Bright said of owning a small business, “if you want to do things right.”

By PETER LOGANBILL
The Collegian

MANHATTAN — Faith Tuttle, junior in political science and international studies, grew up in Gove, Kansas, with a population of only 80. Her graduating class had 12 people. Now at Kansas State, she is the state relations director for Student Governing Association and the de facto chair of legislative advocates.

“I wanted a new experience because I came from such a small town,” Tuttle said. “Everyone [there] goes to Fort Hays. If I would’ve [gone to college] closer, it would have been a continuation of high school. K-State was somewhere I could really blossom and be my own person.”

As the local relations director for SGA, Corbin Sedlacek, junior in accounting and management, has worked with Tuttle extensively. He first met her during their freshman year when they were in leadership studies.

“At first, she’s really quiet,” Sedlacek said. “I didn’t know whether that’s because she was shy, but then I quickly realized, ‘Oh, she’s just absorbing information.’ She’s absorbing information, but then, if someone asks a question, she’s able to just answer it like that. She has a unique presence in a room.”

Tuttle said she easily gets bored and hates just sitting and doing nothing. She wants to always be doing something productive.

“I really enjoy what I do,” Tuttle said. “I think that’s really what drives people. If you had to do something you hated, you just get burnt out and you don’t want to do it. I keep doing it because I enjoy it. You’ve got to find something that you enjoy in life.”

Through legislative advocates, Tuttle leads a group of students who go out to the capitol building in Topeka to advocate for the interest of K-State students. Last year, legislative advocates pushed for restoration of the funding cuts to higher education.

“I’m a facilitator really,” Tuttle said. “[This year] our committee decided on sexual assault, mental health and universal transfer credits. If you take a credit in high school, it will transfer to any major Board of Regents schools in Kansas.”

As a member of the College Republicans, Tuttle said sometimes the asks of legislative advocates conflict with her personal political ideals, but she pushes her own beliefs aside to represent the student body.

“It’s not easy,” Tuttle said. “I’m not representing my beliefs as a Republican, I’m representing the students’ beliefs. As chair of legislative advocates, I’m not advocating my own conservative beliefs, I’m a facilitator for the committee. I facilitate and they decide on what we’re going to do. I think people give bipartisanship a bad name, but I think really the answer is usually in the middle.”

Although she is involved in a partisan group, Sedlacek said he believes Tuttle works very well with those across party lines.

“Overall, she’s brought a sense of professionalism, in the sense that she’s able to be very diplomatic and isn’t afraid to address things that need to be addressed,” Sedlacek said. “She does so in a non-confrontational way — being able to have real conversations that don’t result in real conflict.”

While at night she’ll be eating popcorn and watching Netflix like anyone else, in her free time during the day, Tuttle said she enjoys doing her extracurricular work.

“I’m involved in extracurricular activities; that’s what I do for fun,” Tuttle said. “That’s my fun. That’s what I love to do.”

After she leaves K-State, Tuttle wants to go Washington to work potentially in the office at U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. She interned in Washington last summer.

“Either there, start as staff assistant, work my way up or any member office,” Tuttle said. “Something like that I think would be really cool, but really public service, I think that’s really interesting. I love politics.”

For now, Tuttle is content to stay in Manhattan to advocate for her peers.

“She has an internal motivation,” Sedlacek said. “She strives to make the lives of students better in all that she does, and that’s really apparent.”

Pete Loganbill is a staff writer at the Collegian and a junior majoring in Public Relations. Story republished with permission.

By STEPHEN KORANDA

Kansas News Service ksnewsservice.org.

Erin Wolfram, with the University of Kansas Career Center, enters a small room in Summerfield Hall on the KU campus, where she is suddenly surrounded by hundreds of suits, dresses, shirts and ties filling floor-to-ceiling racks. The Professional House of Garments is filled with clothes waiting to help students dress for success as they prepare for job and internship interviews.

The P.H.O.G., a reference to legendary basketball coach Phog Allen, connects donated professional clothing with KU students.

The facility, housed at the University Career Center in Summerfield Hall, is aimed at combating a financial challenge many students face. Wolfram said students are often working part-time jobs or in unpaid internships that don’t leave them money to pay for much more than room and board.

“Clothing, especially suits, is not something that students are really thinking about that they’re going to have to pay for,” Wolfram said.

That poses a problem when it comes time to interview for a job or summer internship.

“All of a sudden they have an interview, they need something to wear and they don’t have it,” Wolfram said.

That’s where the clothing closet comes into play. The donated suits, dresses and more can equip students for a critical part of the job interview: the first impression.

Wolfram said many employers can choose whether they want to pursue a candidate in as little as 30 seconds, and clothing is a big part of that.

“First impressions are huge in interviews,” Wolfram said.

More than 100 students have visited the clothing closet in recent months. It opened in 2011 and was based on a similar program at Kansas State University.

This time of year is a critical time for the clothing closet. Wolfram expects a rush soon as students prepare for career fairs in the early spring.

“We’re definitely looking for donations now to help replenish the closet for students who come in when they get back from winter break,” Wolfram said.

The P.H.O.G. accepts donations at Summerfield Hall, room 206, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

KU isn’t the only school in Kansas with this type of service. Similar clothing programs assist students at Pittsburg State University, Emporia State University and Kansas State University.

Fort Hays State University’s program is called Tailored for Tigers.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

First Lt. Russell Mortinger received a special gift this holiday.

He received a Quilt of Valor on Wednesday night from the Kansas Grateful Stitchers while he, his wife Keegan and two young sons were home in Hays for Christmas.

He said he was very surprised by the tribute.

“It really means a lot,” Mortinger said of his quilt. “I don’t do my job for that. I didn’t think people would do that for service members. I don’t see that in other places. I think it is more typical in the Midwest. It is greatly appreciated. It is not just for the service members. It is also for family members and what they have to put up with. It is nice to know other people are thinking of us — people who we don’t even know.”

Quilts of Valor is a national organization. Volunteers make quilts for active service personnel as well as veterans in red, white, and blue patriotic patterns.

Local quilter Bev Glassman made Mortinger’s quilt. She has made more than 20 quilts for service personnel. She was inspired by her son, who is in the Air Force and returned from a deployment in the Middle East in July.

“I made a quilt for him,” she said. “It was very special to him and meant a lot to my own son. I wanted to do it for others.”

Mortinger’s mother-in-law Tammy Weigel nominated him to receive a Quilt of Valor.

“It really means a lot,” Mortinger said of his nomination for the quilt. “It was such a big surprise. I appreciate that my mother-in-law thinks greatly of my job and the sacrifice her daughter makes. She puts up with more and sacrifices, taking care of the kids and holding up the fort.”

This is Mortinger’s second stint in the military.

He enlisted in the Army in 2008. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, where he regularly engaged the enemy.

He left active duty in 2012 to return to school at Fort Hays State University.

He served in the Army Reserves and went back to active duty in 2016. He is now an infantry platoon leader.

“I missed it,” he said of his military service. “I had some unfinished business. I wanted to get some other training. I missed the community and bond military members share. I wanted to deploy again. I really like it.”

It has been about a year since he has been able to come home and visit family in Hays. Although he and his family will be headed back to Louisiana and likely be stationed stateside for the next year, he knows he will eventually be deployed again.

He said he hoped the quilt will be a reminder to Keegan and his sons, Ansen, 5, and Rone, 2 of why daddy has to leave.

“It is not just for me,” he said of the quilt.

You can nominate an active serviceman or woman or veteran for a quilt on the Quilts of Valor website. The national organization refers nominations to local groups like Kansas Grateful Stitchers to make quilts for recipients. You can also donate through the site. Monetary donations help purchase fabric for the quilts.

By CRISTINA JANNEY 

Hays Post

The Eagle Radio of Hays sales team in partnership with its Days of Giving sponsors raised $1,296 for the United Way.

The sales team sold a radio advertising package surrounding The Ellis County United Way Days of Giving, and a portion of the proceeds was donated back to The Ellis County United Way.

Spots featuring Sherry Dryden, United Way Executive director, will air on Eagle’s Hays area radio stations, 101.9 FM The Bull, 1400 AM KAYS, 103.3 FM The Mix, 99.5 K2 Country, and Hull Broadcastings 96.9 FM KFIX through Sunday for a push to make the agency’s fundraising goal.

“The United Way of Ellis County is continuously humbled by the dedicated commitment of support from Eagle Communications with their tireless efforts of building awareness for the United Way,” Dryden said. “The advertising supporters for this project are amazing in their understanding of the important work the United Way does for Ellis County. Everyone’s help and support on this project is so very much appreciated.”

The agency is only 50 percent to its $400,000 goal. It has extended its annual fundraising drive, which typically ends on Dec. 31, into January.

The agency fears funding will have to be cut to its partner agencies, which may mean the number of people served in the community and the number of services provided may have to be reduced.

See related story: Shortfall in United Way campaign could mean cuts to community services

In 2018, United Way supported local programs at 15 partner agencies.

These included the American Red Cross, Big Brother Big Sisters, Cancer Council of Ellis County, Catholic Charities, Center for Life Experiences, Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas, Early Childhood Connections, First Call for Help, Hays Area Children’s Center, Options, Parents and Children Together, Salvation Army and Western Kansas Association on the Concerns for the Disabled.

There is still time to donate and there are several ways to do so.

You can donate online, call United Way at 785-628-8281, send checks to P.O. Box 367, Hays, KS 67601 or make a donation or pledge in person at the United Way office at the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh St., Suite 111, Hays.

Note: Eagle Radio is owned by Eagle Communications, which also owns and operated the Hays Post. Cristina Janney is a member of the CASA board, which receives funds from United Way.

Updated: 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27 with quotes form Barb Wasinger.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

All parties who sued to contest the 111th District Kansas House race have agreed to dismiss the case.

Attorneys for Barb Wasinger, who was declared the winner in the race after a recount and those who filed to contest the race said paperwork to dismiss the case will be filed in district court Thursday.

The move to dismiss was announced during a pre-trial hearing in front of District Judge Blake Bittel at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Democrat Eber Phelps lost to Republican Wasinger by 35 votes after a recount was conducted.

The attorneys said the group of Ellis County voters who filed the lawsuit still have issues with how the election was conducted, but agreed to dismiss for the sake of judicial efficiency.

A group of seven Hays residents filed a lawsuit against Wasinger alleging voting irregularities led to Wasinger improperly being named the winner of the election. The group most notably included former Kansas State Sen. Janis Lee. Lee currently serves as vice president of the Ellis County Democratic Party.

Wasinger was present by phone for the pretrial hearing Thursday.

She said later in an interview with the Hays Post, ” I’m just delighted this is done and I’m looking forward to serving the 111th district.”

“Just as I have since Election Day, canvass, recount, and now the dismissal, I look forward to serving my constituents in the 111th District in the Kansas Legislature,” Wasinger said.

The lawsuit had been set for trial Monday, Dec. 31.

This clears the way for Wasinger to take her seat when the  Kansas 2019 Legislative session opens Monday, Jan. 14.

See related story: Judge sets date for Phelps/Wasinger election hearing

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

A winter storm is closing roads and knocking out power across parts of western Kansas.

The National Weather Service has issued a combination of blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in about three dozen counties.

Forecasts are calling for ice and from 2 to 12 inches of snow Thursday. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph also are possible, creating whiteout conditions.

Ellis County is in a Winter Weather Advisory with 2-5 inches of snow predicted.

The Blizzard Warning includes Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Thomas, Sheridan, Graham, Logan, Gove, Greeley and Wichita counties, where some businesses and government offices are closed for the day.

Soldiers from the Hays-based Army National Guard 997th Brigade Support Battalion left Wednesday night about 9 p.m. to stage in Sharon Springs as part of the state’s Stranded Motorist Assistance Teams after Gov. Jeff Colyer declared a disaster.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says Interstate 70 is completely snow covered west of Hays. At least two vehicle slide offs were reported this morning in the Hays area near Toulon. Another semi-truck was off the road blocking traffic at mile marker 151 between Hays and Ellis. At 8:45 a.m., I-70 remained open across the state.

Several highways in the southwest corner of the state are closed, including stretches of U.S. 50. About 2,500 Wheatland Electric Cooperative customers in southwest Kansas are without power.

For the latest road conditions, go online to www.kandrive.org or call 511.

For the latest local cancellations and postponements, check Hays Post.

By CHANCE HOENER 

The Hutchinson News

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) – Over the past two years, the breadbasket of America has planted less and less wheat.

Acres planted to wheat in 2017 and 2018 neared 100-year lows, with last year’s 7.7 million wheat acres hitting the lowest point in 60 years. Low prices and a wheat surplus moved farmers away from the Kansas staple. This year, those problems combined with a delayed fall harvest and unfavorable weather to push wheat acres to what could be the lowest point in a century.

“Also this fall in addition to low prices, we had very wet weather, which delayed planting, and for many farmers, they simply could not plant wheat,” said Lane County wheat farmer Vance Ehmke.

Wet weather delayed planting in a couple of ways. It kept tractors and grain drills out of fields that were too soft, but also kept combines and grain carts out of the fields. Some farmers who planned to plant wheat following grain sorghum or soybeans didn’t have time to plant once harvest was over. Many were harvesting late into November.

Ehmke believes Kansas will see a 100-year low in planted wheat, because of delays from wet weather and the effects of the weather itself.

“My personal bet is that for the 2019 crop we will have the lowest acreage in over 100 years and will not harvest even 7 million acres,” Ehmke said. “We had fewer acres planted plus abandonment will be much higher than the normal 10 percent because many stands, especially in North Central, Central and South Central Kansas, are poor because of wet and cold weather.”

Unplanted acres that were meant for wheat won’t stay that way. Farmers will likely plant the fields to soybeans, grain sorghum or other fall harvested crops. Ehmke also expects to see a rise in triticale acres, a sort of wheat/rye combination. Ehmke said Kansas farmers planted 170,000 acres of triticale last year for hay, silage or grazing. He expects those numbers to increase in 2019.

“I guess everything I have said centers around the old saying that the cure for low prices is low prices,” Ehmke said. “If farmers don’t make any money doing something, they eventually quit doing it, and as is the case with wheat, when they cut back on production, surpluses disappear and prices go back up.”

While recent surpluses and low prices have driven Kansas farmers away from wheat, a report from a former Kansas State University Extension wheat marketing specialist outlined Western Kansas farmers have been losing money on wheat for some time.

Bill Tierney, who now works as a market analyst for Ag Resource in Chicago, authored the report using data from Agri Benchmark. Participants in the Agri Benchmark network use standard procedures to best replicate the “standard” farm in their country or region.

The data used by Tierney compares wheat growers in Western Kansas to those in Australia, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and more. The study looks at cost of production, yield and prices for the average farm in each country from 2013 to 2016.

The data shows that while Western Kansas enjoyed one of the highest prices for wheat — at around $5.41 per bushel — it also had one of the highest average costs of production over the four-year period at $5.69 per bushel.

Tierney said U.S. farmers may see better export prices due to cheaper freight costs.

“I think that overall, U.S. farmers enjoy relatively low total logistical costs (per mile to a Freight on Board terminal) compared to some other major exporters,” he said. “That means that the US farmer captures more of the FOB price paid for wheat.”

But with lower average yields and higher costs of production, the report notes from 2013 to 2016 the average Western Kansas wheat producer lost around 12 cents per acre — before low prices and unfavorable weather hit.

Ehmke doesn’t expect Kansas farmers to stop growing wheat. As there is less wheat, he expects prices to rise. Those prices could get very interesting in 2019, he said.

“A wise old man once told me that there is a reason why wheat goes to six dollars,” Ehmke said. “You ain’t got any!”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Karen Nowak, Hays Middle School teacher, is asking kids the big questions — questions that many adults would have difficulty answering.

She poses these big questions in her new life skills class, which is like ethics, philosophy and debate all rolled into one. Nowak gave some examples of the of the class’s topics.

Would you want to know the exact date you would die?

Is success in life about who you know or what you know?

Is second place synonymous with losing?

Would you support the death penalty even if a personal friend had been sentenced to death?

Discuss an occasion in which you took responsibility for your actions and paid the consequences.

Do African Americans discriminate just as much as white Americans?

“They are things that kids have really never thought about, so it makes them really think,” she said. “They use a lot of their life experiences to help them. It is amazing how much some of the kids will open up. I think just being able to talk about things that go on in their lives knowing that they are not going to be judged [is important]. I think talking about it just helps.”

For her work in the life skills as well as advanced communications, Nowak was nominated as December’s teacher of the month. She was nominated by fellow teacher, Cade Scott. He student-taught under Nowak before taking a job as a social studies teacher at HMS.

In Scott’s nomination of Nowak he wrote, “In her classes, she teaches very relevant life skills for kids these days to know. She teaches how to have good face-to-face conversations with one another. She also teaches how to express feelings verbally with conversation with one another.

“These skills are somewhat lost with students these days due to technology. There are many character and leadership skills built in her classes that are applicable to any part of student life. She does a great job teaching role model skills and also is a great model for kids to follow. She has worked extremely hard to get this new curriculum going. It has been a very valuable addition to our school’s curriculum and education.”

Nowak has both general education and special education students in her life skills class, which focus on a character and leadership curriculum. The class looks at character traits and role models who exhibit those traits.

“The kids really open up,” Nowak said, “and the best part about it is that I feel I have been able to connect with the kids.”

Some of the discussions Nowak has with her students in class have thrown up flags that the children need more help and support than they are getting.

“I really have a soft spot for kids who struggle and have a rough home life,” she said.

Nowak has been a middle school teacher in the USD 489 Hays School District for 22 years. She has taught all the core classes — math, science, language arts and social studies. She also coached volleyball, basketball and track for many years, but left coaching when her own children began playing sports.

However, she said she has never been happier than she is this year.

“I will tell you this is the happiest I have been in 22 years with my teaching assignment,” she said, “and mostly because of my life skills class. The passion and the love I have for that class is amazing.”

Nowak said her ultimate goal as a teacher is to earn the trust of her students so they feel they can come to her if they have problems. She said there were people who supported her when she was a child and this her way of giving back.

Nowak’s father died when she was only 16 months old. Her mother and siblings were loving and supportive, but her mother often worked two and three jobs to support her family. She couldn’t always be very involved in Karen’s school activities. Her fifth-grade teacher, David Ottley, and his wife, Andrea, were neighbors and took Karen under their wings. She often ate dinner at the Ottleys’ home.

David Ottley, who recently retired as the superintendent at Victoria, encouraged Karen in school and was her inspiration to become a teacher.

“I am very thankful I had the Ottleys because I think they made a huge difference in the person that I am today,” Nowak said. “Truly I feel that losing my dad at such a young age molded me also to be the person that I am. In the back of your mind, it was always, ‘Would he be proud of me?’ ‘What would he think of this decision I am making?'”

Nowak said she tries to reinforce that kids are going to make mistakes, but it is important to reflect and learn from those mistakes.

“I had a kid come with her mom to parent teacher conferences and she broke down crying because of how much she loves my life skills class just because she feels like it focuses on life skills, on how to function and situations that they will encounter as they get older,” Nowak said.

The life skills students’ latest assignment is to write to a role model in their lives. The role model has to be someone they know personally. They will be mailing the letters soon.

“What has been hard is there are some kids who couldn’t think of somebody,” Nowak said. “That was really eye-opening. A lot of them were grandparents, aunts, teachers, parents, but there are some kids that unfortunately struggle to pick somebody in their life because some of these kids, the stuff they go through at home and in their lives is unreal.

“So many kids go home to situations that are really hard. I can’t tell you how many kids I wish I could take home because their lives are tough at home. Ever since I started teaching, I tried to reiterate that school should be every kid’s safe place — that every kid should be accepted and treated with respect because we don’t know what these kids go home to and go through on a daily basis at home.”

“It is so important to me that even if they come from situations like that they can overcome them. There is hope that they can make their lives better and have a better life.”

Nowak has consistently gone above and beyond in and out of the classroom to make this a reality for kids. She had one student whose mother was legally blind. She picked him up after school and took him home after she finished coaching at night. She visited his home, ate dinner with the family and even encouraged the boy to clean his room.

She’s been called to the police station when a couple of her students were in trouble. She takes calls even from former students to just talk about difficult times in their lives.

Nowak also encourages other students to help and accept their fellow students.

Nowak has students in her classes from the special education program. One student was not able to tie his shoe. Nowak said a big burley eighth-grade football player helped him do it. The students in her sixth-grade class are learning basic sign language so they can communicate with people who are hearing impaired and other students helped a young man who has struggle with his wardrobe.

“People say that kids have changed, but I can’t think of one kid who doesn’t have good in them. We just need to find it. The compassion and empathy kids have for others … I think kids are still the same, I think it is just the lives they are thrown into is what has changed. There is so much more that they have to deal with and go through.”

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Submit your nomination for Hays Post’s Teacher of the Month honor!

Hays Post and Eagle Communications seeking nominations for the next Teacher of the Month!

From October through April, Hays Post will solicit nominations from through the area from parents, students and colleagues. Fill out the form below to nominate your favorite educator!

This recognition is made possible by the support of Midwest Energy, Diamond R Jewelry, Top Notch Cleaners, Commerce Bank, Hickok’s Steakhouse and Ultimate Massage.

The winning teacher will receive a Chamber Cheque and Hickok’s Steakhouse gift certificate.

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