By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Two Hays Special Olympics athletes returned from the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle last week, both with fists full of awards.

Kacey Dannels and Joseph Reed both participated in track events.

Reed won silver medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He placed fifth in the 3,000 and sixth in the 4X100 relay.

Dannels placed fourth in the mini javelin, fifth in the shot put, seventh in the 100 and was also on the Kansas 4X100 relay team that placed sixth.

Both Reed and Dannels are athletes in The ARC of the Central Plains program and run with the local 5K Club, coached by Noalee McDonald-Augustine of Hays, who was the track coach for the Kansas team in Seattle.

The Special Olympics USA Summer Games are conducted every four years. They attract athletes of varying abilities from all 50 states. The participants ranged from 8 years old to athletes in their 60s. Both Dannels and Reed had to complete a lengthy application process to be selected to participate in the games. They also participated in fundraising for their trip.

Although winning medals is great, both of the athletes and their coach said meeting other athletes from across Kansas and nation was the best part of the games.

“It was a lot of fun getting to meet new people,” Dannels said. “We became close with team Kansas. I have several people on Facebook who have added me. We talked. It was awesome to meet everyone.”

Dannels said she became close with a fellow team Kansas tennis player as well as an athlete from Maryland.

The athletes stayed in dorms in an Olympic-village style setting. All of the Kansas athletes stayed on the same floor, which tightened the bonds between the team members.

The athletes were given pins representing their home states. They were encouraged to trade the pins as a means to become acquainted with athletes from other states. At closing ceremonies the athletes could trade T-shirts.

The athletes participated in a health fair at the games as well. Brooks Sports gave away new running shoes to any athlete who completed at least four stations of the health fair. Dannels brought home a new pair of shoes. She also received a new mouth guard from another station. The Lions Club performed vision screenings and gave away glasses and sunglasses to those who needed them.

“It was so neat that they came prepared for all of us,” Dannels said. “They were treating us like we were athletes. We had all sorts of levels, and they treated everyone like they were at the same level instead of one lower and one higher.”

Dannels and Reed with other members of the Kansas team watched their teammates participate in bocce and tennis. The team also took a boat tour of the harbor and a Mariners game, which was Joseph’s first trip to a professional baseball game.

Dannels said she enjoyed opening ceremonies and getting to march into a stadium full of people. As the athletes made their way from the dorms to the stadium, people lined the walkway almost a mile to cheer for the athletes. Members of Dannels’ family made the trip to Seattle to cheer for her during her competition, and Joseph had his own cheering section.

“It was nice that we had that support and people willing to travel and come up and see us,” Dannels said.

Both athletes said the competition was tougher than at their state meets.

Reed ran very closely with an athlete from Florida. He said the runner pushed him to go faster. He finished his 10K in 48:08, which was about 4 seconds faster than his previous personal best.

“It was hard,” he said. “We pushed each other.”

McDonald-Augustine was impressed with not only Reed’s performance, but her other Kansas athletes and the whole field of competitors.

“Not just Kacey and Joseph, but I had two other track athletes from Kansas,” she said. “All four of them performed great. They worked hard, certainly gave it their all. It was just really awesome to see them compete against others of similar and higher capabilities.”

She said some athletes were running the 100 meters in high school and college times. One of the runners in another section of the 10K posted a time of 35 minutes. McDonald-Augustine really said high performing athletes help inspire others to push themselves further.

Dannels’ next goal is to compete at the national games again in four years in Orlando. Reed is training for a half marathon and hopes to run in the Prairie Fire half marathon in October in Wichita.

The ARC is always in need of volunteer coaches. To learn more, contact Brent Kaiser, activities director, at 785-639-4010 or by email at [email protected].

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Within the first six months of forming, the new Wonder Women League (WWL) of the United Way of Ellis County (UWEC) had 35 members, hosted one fundraiser and completed their first Community Impact Project.

The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for the Born Learning Trail in Sunrise Park, 19th and Lawrence Drive, was held Tuesday morning.

“We’re very proud of our venture,” said WWL co-chair Nancy Jeter.

The trail was installed by the Hays staff of Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball (ABBB) as a community volunteer project.

The 50 or so employees split up the work over two sessions in June to first install the signposts and then paint the accompanying letters, numbers, colors and even hopscotch on the concrete walking trail. “We had about 25 people each time,” said Brenda Bickle, ABBB financial services coordinator.

“It’s so fun to have Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball as our partner in our first project,” Jeter added. The ABBB employees will also maintain the trail, repainting it as needed.

The city of Hays Parks Department, with the help of the volunteer Hays Beautification Committee, has installed a pollinators garden along the trail filled with plants to attract pollinating insects and other animals.

The Born Learning Trail is a series of 10 interactive signs describing fun learning activities to be done along the trail by children along with their families and caregivers. The adventures help with pre-literacy, gross motor skills and problem-solving skills.

“It’s fun and also a great learning experience. Studies have shown that children that have that advantage before they even hit preschool, they have an advantage by learning their numbers, their colors, their shapes, and everything,” Jeter reported. “They have a head start on everyone else. And when they don’t, they’re at a greater disadvantage of learning all the way through their education.”

The Wonder Women League is an affinity group of the United Way and operates independently.

“Please know we have no intention of taking away from the United Way of Ellis County,” emphasized Rhonda Meyerhoff, WWL co-chair. “Half of the proceeds from all of our fundraisers will go to the United Way of Ellis County. We want to support them and help that organization to grow and do even more of the really good things that they do.”

Sherry Dryden, executive director of the UWEC, who live streamed the event on Facebook, was full of praise for the Wonder Women League.

“They are a phenomenal group and we are totally blessed to have them in our community,” declared  Dryden told the crowd about recently attending a regional conference in Gatlinburg, Tenn., where that women’s United Way group took two years to get 35 members and do their first project, “and they were in a county of 300,000 people,” she pointed out.

“These women in our community are amazing. I tell everyone when you see them, don’t run. They will catch you,” Dryden continued as the crowd laughed. “And when they do catch you, you just say yes.”

“When we started this, we talked to a few businesses and they didn’t know who we were. They didn’t know what we were going to do,” Jeter recalled. “We said just give us a chance and we’ll prove ourselves.”  WWL now has several year-round sponsors including Werth Wealth Management, Golden Plains Credit Union, Eagle Communications, Bank of Hays and First Kansas Bank.

The next WWL project is a self-defense workshop for women to be held Sat.,  Sept. 8 at Fort Hays State University. Meyerhoff and Jeter encouraged Ellis County residents to contact the group with ideas for other community projects.

The group is still accepting new members, Jeter said, and hopes to have 50 by December.

“One woman can do a little, but a whole group… We’re going to change things in this community and make it such a better place,” Jeter said with a huge smile on her face. “Just give us the time. We’re going to get a lot of things done.”

For more information go to www.liveunited.us/wonder-women-league.

(Disclosure: Rhonda Meyerhoff is an employee of Eagle Communications which owns Hays Post.)

 

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

PFEIFER — You could say goats are the glue that hold the Neher family together.

Jessica and Jeff Neher, along with their seven children care for more than 100 goats on their 15-acre Sonrise Farm on the edge of Pfeifer. Jeff is the youth pastor at North Oak Community Church. He and Jessica started raising goats five years ago as a project to teach the children responsibility and life science.

“This is mainly to give our kids responsibility, teach them to work, teach them to be accountable for something,” Jeff said. “For us to play sports, can you imagine us taking seven different kids to seven different teams in seven different directions? We couldn’t imagine that. This is something that our whole family can do together, and we work the goats together. When we go show, we all go together. It is something our whole family can do together.”

Jeff grew up on a dairy farm near Hutchinson, so caring for animals has always been part of his life. He wanted to give that experience to his children.

The Nehers primarily focus on show goats that are sold to 4-H youth. The family recently had a clinic for local 4-Hers at their farm.

However, the family also raises meat goats and a few milk goats.

The family originally became involved with goats for their milk. The family was drinking about a gallon of milk per day. A milk cow was too expensive, too big and too hard to handle, so the family decided to purchase a milk goat from a neighbor who had a milk goat dairy. Karli, 13, the oldest daughter, today milks and cares for the Nehers’ three milk goats.

Although you can use goat milk to make soap, lotion or cheese, the Nehers drink most of their goat milk.

The children wanted to show goats at the county fair, but the fair did not have a category for milk goats, only meat goats, so the family bought meat goats.

“It just kind of exploded from there,” Karli said.

The goats breed in the late summer and give birth in January and February to two, three and sometimes four kids (baby goats). The family sells their wethers in the spring primarily to 4-H kids. These are castrated males—the equivalent of steers—that will be raised as show goats. Does, female goats, are sold for show or to breeders to build up their herds. About half of the Nehers’ Boer goats are registered.

The more significant money is made on the show goats, and that is where the family tends to focus. Prices range widely. Goats can sell for as little as $75. Most of the Nehers’ show kids sell for $250 to $300. Bucks cost about $600. The most pricey goat they ever sold brought $1,600. However, an elite show goat from another breeder sold last fall for $56,000.

“A lot of people have the goat deal in Kansas. 4-H wise it has really exploded,” Jeff said. “It is a lot cheaper than a steer. Some of these steers are $2,000, $5,000. A lot of families just can’t afford that, and they don’t have that place to house them. And goats have great personalities. They are kid friendly, and a lot more manageable to feed and take care of.”

Boer goats, which is the breed the Nehers raise, were imported from South Africa to the U.S. in 1993. The biggest challenge in the Kansas climate is parasitic worms. Keeping up with trimming feet and pairing the goats for breeding is also time consuming, Jeff said.

The family also sells some of its herd to processing plants for their meat. Goat meat has more protein than beef and less fat than chicken.

“It is one of the most healthy meats available,” Kaleb said.

The meat is highly sought after by Middle Eastern immigrants, Hispanics and Island people, Jeff said. The U.S. is importing about 1 million pounds of goat meat per week. Most of the meat is shipped to large cities like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia where there are larger concentrations of these immigrant populations. The Nehers are getting about $2.65 to $3 a pound for their goat meat at the sale barn.

Occasionally, the Nehers sell some goat meat locally. A group of Saudi Arabian students from Fort Hays State University visited the farm, butchered and roasted some of the goat meat, sharing some of the feast with the Nehers.

Mya, 6, the youngest girl, crinkled her nose, saying she did not like the taste.

Each child in the family has goat chores. Kaleb, 15, waters and cleans water buckets. Karli, 13, milks the milk goats. Ella, 9, helps with hay. Esther, 8, and Mya, 6, help where they can, such as carrying buckets of water. Joshua is 4 and the Tucker, the youngest, is not quite 2. All three of the oldest children along with Jessica help deliver kids. Goats need more help delivering than a cow, Jessica explained. Ella proudly acknowledged she helped deliver her first kids this winter.

“Boer goats have to be watched closely and often need help when they are kidding,” Jessica said of the birthing process. “That requires a lot of our time. Everybody has to pitch in and be patient. Little kids participate in that they have to be patient with everything. Dinner might not happen, and grandma might be here when they wake up to take care of them because the rest of us are out taking care of babies being born. Kidding season requires flexibility from all of us, and we learn so much, don’t we?”

To learn more about Sonrise Farm, follow them on Facebook or email Jeff at [email protected].

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

What started out as just a fun project for Josh Dechant and his daughter, Marley, to explore reading and science has blossomed into a series of books about a giant, friendly, red dinosaur named Roara.

Dechant, 32, has three books that have been published: “Hello Roara,” “Where’s Roara,” and “Macara’s Treasure.”

Dechant did not start out with the intent to be an author. He is an app designer.

When Marley, now 6, was a baby, he began to read to her. He eventually started to have Marley do small activities with the books. He asked her to look for a cloud or look for a tree. The father and daughter also made up some of their own stories.

Dechant started the Roara project with the intent of creating a hunt-and-find app, but it evolved into a book. Dechant worked side by side with his daughter in the creation of the book and its characters.

“Every piece of Roara, she had a hand in,” Dechant said.

Marley liked to visit the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and specifically enjoyed the T-Rex, although she was initially scared of it. The father and daughter decided their main character would be a dinosaur.

Dechant sketched pictures of the character and other illustrators he had worked with on apps did the same. Marley chose the images she liked best, including Roara’s red color. She also picked the dinosaur’s name.

“All of this time, she was still 2. Basically everything was designed for her,” Dechant said.

He had help creating the characters and original illustrations on the first Roara book. He took those beginnings and reillustrated the first book. Tamara Forge wrote the story after Josh and Marley had worked out the characters. Dechant then self published.

Dechant intended to just create the first book, but a second book was soon in the works.

“People like it, and it was a lot of fun to do,” he said. “I really enjoy it, and Marley really enjoys it, so we ended up doing more than going past that first book. It has really been a fun journey. ”

Dechant does all of his own marketing. He has been selling his books through book fairs and Amazon, and at museums, including Sternberg in Hays and the and Smoky Hill Museum in Salina.

“I really like to talk face to face with people about the book,” he said. “It is not just another book on a shelf. It is something me and my daughter created. It is just a really cool thing for me to talk about.”

They have attended book fairs in Topeka, Las Vegas, and Dechant was invited to speak to a classroom in Berkley, California.

Dechant recently read the Roara books to children in Hays USD 489 Summer Reading Camps at O’Loughlin and Wilson schools. He also told the children the story behind creating Roara and gave them the opportunity to create their own books.

“We had some really cool stories between both schools in all the classrooms that we visited,” he said. “There were just really funny stories that these kids came up with. They are so creative, and they are so awesome at telling their own stuff. It was fun.”

“I had a great time. It was an awesome experience, and I am glad Marley got to come with me,” he said.

Dechant said the Roara books have been popular enough he plans to publish more. He has three more books that have been written and are waiting for illustrations.

“Macara’s Treasure” is the first in a series. Dechant wrote this book and had it illustrated by someone else. The series includes STEAM activities. He has created Adventure Crates to go with the books that include science experiments.

In “Macara’s Treasure,” Macara has been looking for a magical treasure. She finally finds the island where the treasure is hidden, but she forgets her supplies. The reader has to help her create items, such as a compass. The child also goes through a map maze.

Dechant has several of these STEAM books in the works, but they are not yet ready for publication.

“This was just a little project, a fun thing to do with Marley,” he said of the books. “I never thought it would be that big. I never thought I would be invited to classrooms.”

Dechant’s wife owns a dance studio in town. A mother of one of her students realized Josh had written the Roara books. She told his wife “Hello Roara” is her son’s favorite book, and they read it every night before bed.

“How cool is that?” Dechant said. “I think that is just awesome that people are reading it to their kids and they love it just as much as we do.”

Find out more about Roara and print out coloring pages at roararex.com.

Hays Post

Merle McLaren, 89, of Hays was honored Saturday night with the Wild West Festival All American Citizen Award.

McLaren served in the Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars. He is a member of the VFW Honor Guard.

He ran the Hays GMC dealership and was instrumental in development on north Vine Street.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Hays city commissioners got their first look at the 2019 draft budget during a work session Thursday night.

City Manager Toby Dougherty reviewed highlights of the $39,466,072 proposal, noting the mill levy will remain unchanged at 25 mills.

A new pay plan for all city employees is included, while the amount budgeted per employee for health insurance has increased from $9,500 to $11,000.

Mayor James Meier praised city staff for their work on the budget.

“Valuation is down a half percent, and we’re budgeting down one percent on sales tax, and yet providing more benefits to our employees,” Meier said.

“It’s a balanced budget and the mill levy is the same. I know sometimes we get wrapped up in discussions in other smaller items in the budget but I think that’s the main message we should always be sending.”

The city commission asked for a few revisions and additional information which will be presented at the July 19 work session.

By CRISTINA JANNEY 
Hays Post

On the map: U.S. Highway 36 Norton to St. Francis Distance from Hays: 189 miles Drive time: 3 hours

I can’t really call my latest adventure in northwest Kansas a Day Trip.

My nephew and I were on our way to Denver for the an extended weekend and decided to take the scenic route. However, you could complete our U.S. Highway 36 odyssey from Hays to St. Francis in a day if you wished. Diverting from the usual route to Denver, we turned off Interstate 70 at WaKeeney and headed north on U.S. 283.

Norton

Although you pass through Hill City and very close to Nicodemus, which is just west of Hill City on U.S. Highway 24, our first stop was in Norton.

For such a small community, Norton has done much to preserve its historic architecture. Forty-four properties in the downtown are part of the Norton Downtown Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Three gas stations from the 1920s and 1930s have been restored in downtown Norton. All three are on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1934 Kent Filling Station was donated to Norton County and houses the Norton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Norton City/County Economic Development and Norton Area Chamber of Commerce.

We stopped into the office and someone from economic development loaded us up with information on history, attractions and businesses in the county and all along the U.S. 36 corridor. The Underwood Conoco Station, Main and First, circa 1928, is still used as a garage by a local classic car enthusiast, and the Sinclair Station, circa 1925, Washington and First, is used as an office building. The Norton County Courthouse, built in 1929, is also on the NRHP.

The historic Heaton Building, built in 1906, 112 S. Kansas, was recently restored. It houses retail businesses and a coffee shop on its lower floor and offices upstairs. It has beautiful skylights on the second floor. Also in the historic district is the Norton Theatre, built in 1906. The stucco building still has its original green marquee. Today it is run by volunteers.

Destination Kitchen, 115 Main, is filled with kitchen gadgets and premium cookware. They serve lunch in the back, which includes sandwiches, soups and brick oven pizza. The city of Norton was under a boil water advisory during our visit, so we decided to press on to Oberlin for lunch.

A couple of doors down from the Destination Kitchen is “They Also Ran” Gallery. If you don’t pay attention, you will miss it because it is located on the upper floor of First State Bank. The gallery includes photos and information on all the major candidates who ran and lost their bids for U.S. President. You will likely recognize many names on the walls as people who at some time later won a bid for the country’s highest office.

However, there are also those who tried, tried again, tried yet again and still never had political success, such as Henry Clay who ran repeatedly from 1924 to 1948 for president and was never elected. Two native sons of Kansas are among the also ran. Republican Sen. Bob Dole lost to Bill Clinton in 1996 and Republican and former Kansas Gov. Alf Landon lost to Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 in a landslide. Landon won only two states and neither was his home state of Kansas. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.

The bank also has a number of Frederic Remington sculptures, among them a cowboy on horseback in the main lobby. Remington was noted for his vivid bronze depictions of life in the Wild West.

The Pike’s Peak Express stagecoach once stopped in what is today Norton on its run from Leavenworth to Denver. A replica of Station 15 on the line offers a self-guided tour to see what the station would have looked like circa 1859. William Russell, partner in the Pike’s Peak Express, later was a partner in the Pony Express. According to information on Station 15, William Bonney Sr. was a station manager on the line and William Bonney Jr. AKA “Billy the Kid” was born in one of the line’s stations.

 

 

 

 

 

Prairie Dog State Park

 

Prairie Dog State Park is four miles west of Norton on U.S. 36. Just inside the park entrance is a prairie dog town. You can pull off and take pictures or just observe in a shaded picnic area. Prairie dogs have been historically thought of as vermin by farmers and ranchers, but biologists believe the animals are essential to the prairie ecosystem, turning soil with their burrows and channeling water into the water table. I think they have a high cuteness factor. My nephew was excited to have the opportunity to see the animals for the first time in the wild. A set of binoculars or a telephoto lens will help you get a better look.

Keith Sebelius Reservoir at the park also offers fishing, walk-in hunting, nature trails, water recreation and camping. You will need a state park permit to enter the park. Day permits run $5 per vehicle.

U.S. 36 runs from Indianapolis to Denver, including the entire length of Kansas. We did not stop there, but there is a U.S. Highway 36 Museum in Norcatur, 15 miles west of Norton. The museum is in a former bank and seeks to preserve the history of the highway and the U.S. 36 Association, which was formed in 1913. The association sponsors an annual  garage sale during the third week of September that runs 400 miles from border to border. This year it will be Sept. 14-16.

Oberlin

Hungry, we were looking for an interesting place to eat in Oberlin, and we found it. We stopped at the Teller Room Restaurant/ Landmark Inn, 189 S. Penn. The 1886 brick bank, which is on the NRHP, serves lunch during the week and dinner on the weekends on the ground floor and has suites on the second floor. The menu changes daily. My nephew and I enjoyed quiche with fresh fruit and toast. The formal setting of the restored bank building had my 13-year-old nephew displaying high manners, including a napkin in his lap.

Stroll under the covered canopies downtown to explore a variety of shops and antique stores. As you drive through the community note the barn quilts in residents’ yards. A tour list is available at area business. The Teller Room had information the day we were there.

The Decatur County Last Indian Raid Museum is an extensive network of historic buildings chuck full of artifacts from the community. The name pays homage to the last known Native American raid in the area in 1878. Cheyenne Chiefs Dull Knife and Little Wolf were fleeing their Oklahoma reservations, seeking to return to the Black Hills. The raid left 19 settlers dead. A monument to those settlers who died in the raid is at the Oberlin Cemetery just off U.S. 36. Admission to the museum is through donation.

If you are in Oberlin during the first week of August, you can attend the longest-running home-owned carnival in Kansas. The carnival has a Ferris wheel and other spinning rides.

A nice photo op is the pioneer sculpture in the middle of Penn St. It was created in 1971 by Hays native Pete Felten.

 

 

 

St. Francis

My brother-in-law has been a long-time Harley owner, so my nephew deemed a stop at the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum, 110 E. Washington, a must. The museum houses more than 115 motorcycles, including rare early Harleys and Indians.

The museum exhibits one of only two known 1902 Orient motorcycles—the earliest manufacturer to use the term “motorcycle.” The museum also houses 30 motorcycles older than 1929 (several of which only five or fewer are known to exist), according to its website. The museum is open seven days a week. Admission is a $7 suggested donation.

Parched from the road, we stopped in Fresh Seven Coffee at Union Square, 312 W. Washington. This coffee house started as a food truck and now is in an enclosed space that is reminiscent of a backyard patio with graffiti art on the concrete ways and brick pavers on the floor. Fresh Seven serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as cocktails. Find more on this quirky little coffee shop on the High Plains on Facebook.

Other stops of note in St. Francis are Sawhill Park, which contains a band shell that was constructed by the WPA. It is on the National Register of Historic Paces. The Cheyenne County Courthouse, 212 Washington, is also on the NRHP. The Quincy Gallery and Cheyenne Center for Creativity, 109 N. Quincy, features local and regional artists.

Philip and I’s original intent was to travel up to the Arikaree Breaks, which run north of St. Francis into Nebraska. However, we were tired and decided to press on to Denver. The breaks are sometimes referred to as Kansas’s grand canyon. You will encounter dry-weather roads. Maps are available at the Cheyenne County Museum in St Francis.

West from St. Francis on U.S. 36 a mile and a half and then north on U.S. Highway 27 is the Cherry Creek Encampment. The site was a place of assembly for Native Americans after a massacre of Cheyenne at Sand Creek on Nov. 29, 1864. Members of the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Northern Arapahoes gathered and formed an estimated group of 1,000 warriors to attack Julesburg on the South Platte River in retaliation. They attacked the stage station there on Jan. 7, 1865, and returned to Cherry Creek with plundered supplies to celebrate their victory. Today metal sculptures by Tobe Zweygardt mark the spot.

My next trip will be to Wilson Lake and the City of Wilson to explore Czech heritage in Kansas. See you on the road!

Other links to check out while you are planning your trip:

The Norton Local

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 

Oberlin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

City of St. Francis

Cheyenne County Museum

Cheyenne Theater

UPDATE 12:45 p.m.

The Flash Flood Warning for central Ellis County has expired.

UPDATE 11:54 a.m.

Police scanner reports indicated emergency responders were rescuing people from homes on Ash Street and on 17th Street due to flooding.

The following streets were impassible:

17th and Fort— Water was approaching homes in this area.

15th and Main streets

Thunderbird and 27th Street— Water is over the roadway on 27th Street. No traffic is recommended north of Hall Street.

UPDATE 11:20 a.m.

Sandbagging occurring around Hays City Hall/Hays Fire Station at 1507 Main

UPDATE 11:10 a.m.

3.45″ rain measured at Eagle Media Center, 2300 Hall

UPDATE 10:57 a.m.

Vehicle with water up to roof reported just west of 17th and Fort

UPDATE 10:42 a.m.

Disabled vehicle in at 2700 Thunderbird Drive

UPDATE 10:31 a.m.

Hays Fire Dept. reports the Lincoln Draw has water flowing south over the bridge at 20th and Lincoln; 20th Street flooded from Main to 13th and impassable; Disabled vehicle in 200 block of W. 17th–driver out and okay.

UPDATE 10:27 a.m.

Vehicle stranded at 20th and Oak, area to be blocked. VanDoren Pond (27th and Cottonwood) is flooding. First responders checking Lincoln Draw flow to the south.

UPDATE 10:22 a.m.

Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler is urging Hays residents to stay off the streets.

“We have got street flooding all over town. It is going to get worse before it gets better, I think,” he said.

UPDATE 10:15 a.m.

Emergency responders called out for two stalled vehicles, one taking on water; High water alarm activated at VanDoren Pond at 27th and Cottonwood Lane

UPDATE 10:08 a.m. 

National Weather Service reports more than 1 inch of rain in Hays falling in less than 20 minutes.

UPDATE: 9:52 a.m.

Hays police are reporting street flooding at 20th and Vine and the 2100 block of Main.

NWS

DODGE CITY – The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for…
Central Ellis County in central Kansas…

* Until 1245 PM CDT.

* At 937 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain across the warned
area. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Hays, Victoria, Catherine, Yocemento, Toulon, Munjor and Emmeram.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

All five seats on the Hays city commission are once again filled.

Ron Mellick was sworn in Thursday night by City Clerk Brenda Kitchen during the commission’s work session. Mellick fills the seat vacated June 20 by Chris Dinkel who is moving to New York City to attend law school this fall.

“I want to thank the commission for entrusting me with the responsibility of filling Commissioner Chris Dinkel’s vacant term,” said Mellick.

“I will try very hard to serve all the people of Hays.” The unexpired term runs until 2020.

Mellick previously served two terms as a city commissioner from 2007 to 2015, including a stint as mayor.

His experience was cited by the other commissioners when they voted June 28 to appoint Mellick to the unexpired term.

“I appreciate that you’re willing to step forward, Commissioner Sandy Jacobs said last night. “It’s nice having the experience and the background especially as we’re entering the budget process. So we appreciate you wanting to serve.”

City Manager Toby Dougherty then reviewed highlights of the 2019 budget proposal, noting the mill levy will remain unchanged at 25 mills. The commission asked for a few revisions and additional information which will be presented at the July 19 work session.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Avalon Advanced Health is providing a new health care model in Hays — direct primary care.

Dr. Marshall Eidenberg’s practice does not bill third-party insurance.

Instead, patients pay a monthly fee for services some of which include sick visits, weight management, house calls, pre-operation visits, in-office ultra sound, sports physicals, diabetes management, and pediatric sick visits and well checks.

By eliminating its back office staff, Dr. Eidenberg is able to provide services less expensively and more efficiently. He said 90 percent of services are covered under the monthly service fee, which starts at $75 for an individual. Per-person prices decrease for family memberships.

Eidenberg is the former director of the ER department at HaysMed. His medical background includes 12 years in the Army as an emergency medical physician. During that time he also worked in population health and preventive medicine. He also spent four years at Via Christ in Wichita in its ER department.

During his time as an ER physician, he learned the value of preventive care. He said he appreciates being able to spend more time with his patients in his new practice.

Whereas a visit to a physician in a typical clinic might last 20 minutes, appointments at Avalon can be 30 to 90 minutes. This time allows him the opportunity to counsel and educate and decrease patients’ need for medicines. In a fee-for-service model, clinics and doctors make more money if they see more patients and perform more procedures, Eidenberg said.

“By having the time and answering all the questions, making a comprehensive plan with the patient, we actually save them time because then they don’t have to make that appointment next month to come back in and pay another co-pay for the office visit,” he said. “We believe in the value of the comprehensive visit.”

The practice has on-site lab services. Eidenberg can draw labs at the beginning of the appointment and have results back before the patient leaves the office.

Eidenberg recommends patients still keep major medical insurance, but most direct primary care patients can increase their deductibles and save money. His family moved to a higher deductible and is saving $400 to $500 per month.

He said his experiences in the ER lead him to think there was a more efficient way to provide health care.

“I was the chief of the ER here at HaysMed, and we had no clue of what was being billed in our name. We were being given just a salary. My wife was injured and ended up going into the ER,” he said. “We had very good insurance, and there was still a $1,000 co-pay. Just from there, we figured there had to be a better way. Health care does not need to cost as much as it does.”

Of the 30 heads of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations, they made more than $100 million in 2016, Eidenberg said.

“That didn’t keep anybody’s rates down. In fact, most people saw an increase in their insurance rates,” he said.

Eidenberg compared health insurance to car insurance. Direct primary care takes care of the day-to-day needs of patients like changing the oil in a car, and health insurance is saved for major occurrences we hope never happen like heart attacks.

Eidenberg offers after-hours care, which can save costly trips to the ER for conditions that would normally be dealt with in a clinic setting.

“If you are a mother at 2 in the morning with three kids and one of them is sick, do you want to package everyone up at 2 in the morning to go to the ER?” he said. “We can make house calls and save that mother the time and effort and the cost. The ER is allowed to charge an after-hours fee, and believe me they do. I think we are an option for everybody if you want that personalized care.”

By providing easy access to primary care, Eidenberg said he hopes to free the ER to care for true emergencies.

The practice tries to limit specialist referrals by trying to have minor questions about ongoing care answered electronically through email. The practice also tries to save time and money when referring to a specialist by contacting the specialists about labs and studies that need to be done. Those labs can be done in advance. This allows the specialist to address issues in a single visit.

The practice also works with employers to perform site visits to identify instances in which an employee might be injured.

The clinic, 2703 Hall, Ste. 13, opened in April. Eidenberg said he has had good response from the community, including clients from the hospital.

He said he sees direct primary care as a growing trend. There are more than 1,000 practices across the country, although few at present in the state of Kansas.

By CRISTINA JANNEY 
Hays Post

RUSSELL — A patriotic mural sponsored by the Russell Original Art Review (ROAR) was completed last week on the exterior of the Russell VFW, Post 6240.

The mural depicts armed forces personnel from a buffalo soldier to the present.

ROAR commissioned the mural as part of its 50th anniversary celebration this fall. The mural will be dedicated Oct. 13 as a part of that celebration.

Micky Zorn, past post commander, said the VFW has received positive response from the public about the mural.

“It is amazing, and I tell you it really has hit home with the veterans, especially for our older veterans. It really has choked them up,” she said. “You know the VFW has been struggling across the board nationally trying to get members. We hope that maybe it might serve as a little spark because we are the ones who are up there at Congress constantly fighting for benefits for the veterans.”

The mural is 17 feet by 60 feet and painted by Dennis Schiel of Hays, who also painted murals on the exterior of the Fox Pavilion in Hays and the Hays VFW. Schiel began painting the mural in April.

The mural is painted in earth tones similar to the FOX mural with the exception of the American flag, bald eagle, poppies, VFW logo and a Purple Heart. It depicts a timeline of U.S. military history as well as U.S. military symbols. A kiosk will eventually be added to the mural to explain the images in the mural, including the Buddy Poppies, buffalo solider, code talker and military nurse.

He worked with ROAR and VFW to pick the subject matter for the mural and then based the images on historical photographs. He said he appreciated being able to create a tribute to those who served.

“It was fun to do,” he said. “I appreciate the town’s arts commission wanting to do the mural.”

Patty Driscoll, Russell Original Art Review organizer, said she was very impressed with the final artwork.

“We have had so many positive comments about it,” she said. “People are just overwhelmed by it, the size. I guess when they saw a picture of it, they just didn’t realize how large it would be — 20 feet by 60 feet. It was quite surprising for a lot of people. Everybody has been so supportive here in Russell of the mural. They have donated generously, so we are very pleased with the turnout and the response we have gotten from it.”

The mural was funded through a grant and donations. Each of the donors names or their honorariums are listed with the mural. Driscoll said all the funds for the creation of the mural have been raised, but ROAR is still taking donations for the upkeep of the mural. It will need to be resealed every several years.

 

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The Hays school board approved a pilot program to study the use of Chromebooks in the district at its meeting Monday night.

The program will include purchasing Chromebooks for students at the Learning Center, a middle school class and an elementary school class.

The total cost for 70 Chromebooks, licensing and teacher training will be $22,543.

The board recently approved the purchase of Dell computers for high school students. During that debate, some board members expressed frustration the technology committee did not present an option with Chromebooks. They thought Chromebooks might be a cheaper option.

Superintendent John Thissen said the real test of the pilot would be of the Google platform compared to the Microsoft Suite, which the district uses now.

Board member Sophia Rose Young voted against the pilot program, saying she was not convinced a switch to Chromebooks would save the district money. She said she was concerned about the cost of training on a new system. She said her employer, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas has been in the midst of a conversion to Google since she has been with the organization. Some systems are still not converted to Google.

“This could be bigger beast than a little study on a laptop,” she said.

Thissen said the investment would not be wasted if the district decided not to transition to Chromebooks. He said the computers would be used in the district in some way.

Board reorganization

The board elected Mandy Fox, former board vice president, as the new president of the board. It elected Mike Walker as the new vice president of the board. Lance Bickle vacated the position of president after serving three years.

The board approved a number of other annual appointments, but delayed board president appointments so nominations could be taken. Those included Hays Recreation Commission, Early Childhood Connections Policy Council, Hays Area Children’s Center Board, Technology Committee and USD 489 Foundation for Excellence Board.

More on the bond

At the end of the meeting, board member Luke Oborny asked if the board needed to direct the superintendent to collect opinions from the public through town halls or a survey since the board voted last week to delay any action on a bond until January.

Board president Mandy Fox said she thought the vote last week directed the administration to do nothing until January.

Board member Paul Adams said he wanted communicated to the public their opinions are valued and there are many opportunities to communicate with board, including attending board meetings and speaking during the audience participation period.

Other business:

• Sarah Wasinger of the USD 489 Foundation gave a report on a dinner and auction the foundation will conduct on Nov. 3. Proceeds will go toward security upgrades at USD 489 schools. The foundation hopes to raise $50,000 toward the cost of the upgrades, which are being done this summer.

• Student handbook revisions were approved