By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Sondra Hickert, teacher at The Learning Center, was honored with the Hays USD 489 February staff Best of the Best award.

She was nominated by Beth Ziegler, Learning Center administrative assistant, and Keri Petersen, Learning Center coordinator, who spoke on her behalf at the school board meeting Monday.

“Regularly, students of ours are dealing with things such as eviction or they simply do not have any food to eat in their homes. There are indeed many heart-wrenching plights a fair number of our students are up against,” Petersen said. “What they find in Sondra is a very smart woman who can connect them to community resources. Then once they are stable, she is able to fire up or refire an indignance in them against the insidiousness of giving up pressures.”

Petersen said she regularly sees Hickert use words of affirmation with her students.

“She is a one-of-a-kind servant in terms of working with and often counseling the population we have,” Petersen said. “Our students come in with many, many challenges. Not only does she calmly give them some rays of hope for their current predicaments, and there are a myriad of family and student challenges, she follows through and helps them elevate up from the dilemma and navigate to post-secondary enrollment and eventually success.”

Hickert is comfortable serving as a liaison between the program’s young people and adults and community organizations set up to help the students, Petersen said. She said Hickert is the poster teacher for learning center and high school teachers everywhere.

“Sondra makes sure our Learning Center students are well positioned with confidence and they are embraced, supported and boosted up for all of the good things in life,” Petersen said.

Hickert thanked the school board and the district for valuing alternative education and making sure no children are left behind.

Hickert also thanked her husband and children for supporting her in her work and allowing her to take the extra time and effort to help her students, including taking breaks out of family trips to deliver or pick up laptops or proctor tests.

Gavin Jacobson, Hays High School senior, was awarded the student Best of the Best award.

He was nominated by HHS administrative assistant Sue Rouse.

“It makes my day to see Gavin every day in the hallway with a wave and smile and a ‘Hi, Mrs. Rouse,'” she said.

Rouse met Jacobson when she was working as a job coach at HHS. Although he was not one of her students, Gavin always waved and smiled at her.

“Whenever I saw Gavin, I knew I could always count on that smile to pick me up and keep me going,” she said. “I loved it when he said, ‘Hey, Rouse.'”

She said she was thankful to have such a positive student as Jacobson at the high school.

Gavin said through a prerecorded digital recording “Thank you for this special award. Thank you to my family. I love them. Some of my favorite activities are playing basketball and music and dancing. I like to go to school and have many friends. Go Hays High!”

 

 

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

It will be the largest commercial solar project in Kansas, with 86,000 solar panels spread across 241 acres, to be built in far southwest Kansas.

It will also provide the first solar energy generation for Hays-based Mid-Kansas Electric Company, Inc. and its sister company Sunflower Electric Power Corporation.

Officials from both cooperatives announced the Johnson Corner Solar Project Tuesday in Hays. Construction on the 20-megawatt facility will start early next year.

“The location of two miles southwest of Johnson City was selected not only for its strong generating potential with some of the best solar irradiation in the Midwest but also because it will reduce loading on an existing transmission line that is currently operating at or near its full capacity,” said Stuart Lowry, president and CEO of both cooperatives. “This will potentially defer or eliminate a costly transmission upgrade that would otherwise be needed in the near future, great news for electric ratepayers as it represents a savings for them.”

The facility’s location was also a “compelling reason” to move forward with the Johnson Corner Solar project, Lowry said.

“This location has some of the best solar irradiance in the Midwest.”

Mid-Kansas has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Lightsource BP, an independent power producer that will build, own and operate the solar facility.

“I think Johnson Corner is going to get a lot of positive attention in the cooperative utility community,” predicted Kevin Christy, chief operating officer of Lightsource BP. The project will use single-axis trackers that track the sun as it moves from east to west throughout the day. “Work is now in its design-engineering-financing stages,” Christy told the crowd, “with the timeline to kick off construction by the beginning of next year which will take a few months to complete.”

The National Renewable Cooperative Organization (NRCO) with its member-owner Mid-Kansas, jointly developed the project and chose Lightsource BP as Mid-Kansas’ long-term partner.

“NRCO is thrilled to have achieved the Sunflower vision of having a solar project in its Kansas territory and engage with Lightsource BP to reach this tremendous milestone,” said Eric Spigelman, director of renewables development for NRCO.

The Mid-Kansas and Sunflower system is a summer-peaking system, according to Lowry. Most electricity is consumed during the hottest days of the summer.

“Wind energy tends to be the most abundant when we need it the least, during the night and in the winter,” Lowry said.

“The solar project is going to generate most of the energy when our system has the highest energy demand. Having a fixed-price energy resource to mitigate the fluctuating market cost of energy will be a great benefit to our cooperative members and those that they serve.”

“The decreasing cost of solar energy, along with other industry dynamics, makes it the right time to bring solar energy into our generation mix,” said Steve Epperson, Mid-Kansas board chairman.

Among the dignitaries attending yesterday’s announcement was new Kansas Lieutenant Governor Tracey Mann, a Quinter native.

The southwest Kansas location of the project is very familiar to Mann.

“My great-great grandfather John Winger actually homesteaded in Stanton County about 10 miles from this site. My mother grew up there just south of Johnson. My uncles and cousins and a lot of family members live near this site as well,” Mann told the group. “I could not be more ecstatic.”

Also attending the announcement ceremony were state representative Eber Phelps of Hays, city commissioners Sandy Jacobs and Shaun Musil and Ellis County Commissioner Barbara Wasinger.

Tuesday’s announcement fell on the 10 year anniversary of Mid-Kansas Electric Company, formed by members of the Sunflower Electric Cooperative. The six members include Western Cooperative Electric in WaKeeney, as well as Lance-Scott Electric Cooperative, Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Southern Pioneer Electric, Victory Electric Cooperative and Wheatland Electric Cooperative serving members in 32 Kansas counties.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Thomas More Prep-Marian teacher Joe Hertel wants to mold his students to be responsible young men and women who will fight for what is right.

As an English teacher and avid lover of the American classics, he looks to heroes such as Atticus Finch of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to show students examples of integrity.

Hertel, a teacher for 33 years at TMP, has been named the Hays Post Teacher of the Month for February. Hertel teaches English and coaches boy’s basketball at TMP.

In his many years of teaching, Hertel, 60, said he has come to love novels like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and American novelists such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. It is harder each year to entice students to read because of all the digital distractions, he said, and joked that, for his students, anything out of their lifetime does not exist.

On and off the court, Hertel said he hopes to build character in his students, and those classical American literary heroes are good role models.

“All of Steinbeck’s works are about the people on the bottom of the totem pole socioeconomically. In a way, I treat Steinbeck’s novels almost like a religion lesson,” he said, “because I think that is what we are called to do as Christians — as middle class or above Christians — to look out for those who don’t have anything. And that is what every Steinbeck book is about is people helping people. I think that is consistent with our TMP mission.”

Hertel’s students read “Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, and he related why he admires Hemingway’s characters.

“Ernest Hemingway, I really like him because all of his works, all of his novels, are about the testing and retesting of a man’s character— because I like sports so much, and I want my players to understand that competitive sports are like life. That’s Hemingway.”

Although his students aren’t assigned to read Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” or “A Farewell to Arms,” he noted those novels are also about character.

“Those are about people who are tough mentally, emotionally,” he said. “On the symbolic thing, they are tough physically too, but that is not the point. The point is, how tough are you in your mind and in your heart?”

He said the literature relates back to what he loves about coaching.

“What I love about coaching is taking some immature, adolescent boys and through competition, discipline, teamwork and commitment, molding them into good, decent, Catholic, Christian men by the time they graduate from high school,” he said.

Some are better success stories than others; it is no guarantee. However, he said he has given it his all and encourages his players and students to do the same.

“I don’t care if we end up with more points on the scoreboard than the other team,” he said. “What I care about is that we took our inner being and character and laid it out there. The old cliche — give ‘er all up for the group.”

Coaching was what really drew Hertel into teaching. He played three sports in college and knew he didn’t want to sever his connection with athletics when he was done with college. He came from a family in which six of the nine children were teachers. It just seemed natural to follow suit.

Hertel received dual degrees in English and physical education from St. Mary of the Plains College of Dodge City and eventually a master’s degree in counseling from Fort Hays State University.

Although he has a love of literature, Hertel said he feels his primary responsibility as an English teacher is to prepare his students to be able to write in college or for whatever profession they choose.

“As much as I like American classics, my top priority as a teacher of the language is that kids exit my class as competent writers,” he said.

He did not attend parochial school as a youth, but a contact at his Catholic college helped him land an interview with Bishop Miege High School in the Kansas City area. He taught at Bishop Miege for five years before coming to TMP. His family was looking to come back to western Kansas when the job at TMP became available. Hertel grew up on a farm in Burdett, Kansas.

Hertel said his Catholic faith has been a large part of both his family and professional life. Both of his children graduated from TMP, and he tries to pass on the Catholic faith to his students.

“(Catholicism) has been huge on both sides of the family,” he said. “It is traditional and engrained. My wife and our kids and extended family were meant to be Catholic, and we are very proud of that.”

He said he feels very fortunate to have been able to teach at TMP.

“I got to work with some really good kids in basketball, and we got to win quite a few games,” he said. “And lastly, I got to meet thousands of young people — not any two of them alike. Some with struggles and some with the-sky’s-the-limit abilities, and I got to have a little bit of a hand in their development.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

During a school board meeting Monday, the Hays superintendent and Hays school board president both apologized for the handling of a threat against Hays High School on Feb. 12.

A 14-year-old student was removed from school on the morning of Monday, Feb. 12, after police were informed about an alleged verbal threat the student made against the school.

However, the parents and the public were not informed of the threat until five days later.

Rumors swirled at the school following the students removal. The situation was complicated by a mass shooting at a Florida school on Feb. 14. Fifty students stayed home from school on Tuesday, Feb. 20 citing safety concerns.

Related story: 50 students stay home Tuesday after Hays High threat; USD 489 to discuss notification

Thissen said in a prepared statement, “It is I who could have limited the heightened fear by sending out a simple informative note on Monday or Tuesday. Florida’s tragic event on Wednesday may still have amplified concern, but at least no one in Hays would have felt that the threat was not being tended to. I am sorry for the fear and anxiety that developed due to this, and I am sorry that the board of education was subject to great negativity when they had nothing to do with it other than trusting in my judgment and performance.”

Law enforcement early on determined the threat had been contained by detaining the 14-year-old in question, Thissen said.

However, Thissen said he suspected some of those rumors spawned from the earlier questioning of students about the 14-year-old’s alleged threat. He also said rumors might have been heighten when the student in question, although in state custody awaiting placement, was still seen in the community.

The school’s attorney, building administration and Thissen met Thursday, Feb. 15 to discuss how they should proceed with the disciplinary process as the 14-year-old’s child in need of care case was being defined, Thiseen said. The group met again on Saturday morning, Feb. 17 and agreed the county attorney would release a statement on the incident.

Thissen said the Hays Police Department, judicial representatives and building administration did an amazing job throughout the process.

Bickle said he believes communication is key now and in the future.

“I, like many of you, had and still have many questions about everything that happened and how it all went down. I don’t currently have a student at Hays High, but I can tell you and assure you that I understand the frustration and concerns. You have every right to be upset. …

“The biggest thing I want to say is I am sorry. We screwed up. While I applaud John for explaining things and shouldering the brunt of the blame, this is by no means just John. We as a district failed the community on many levels—period. There are no excuses. I think we failed our students, our staff and our parents, and I want to personally apologize that we gave anyone a reason to doubt or give any reason to lose faith or trust in the district. Trust is a super easy thing to lose, but it is hard to rebuild that trust, and I think we have a road ahead of us to do that.”

Bickle said he can’t change what has happened, but he promised things would be handled differently in the future.

“We need to do everything in our power to make sure, God forbid this should happen again, that we are ready,” Bickle said, “to make sure, for a lack of a better term, that this runs smoothly—that we can do everything we can to let you know right away, like John said, this is what happened, we are getting more information, and as we know more, we will let you know more …

“Something as simple as that would have stopped a lot of the rumors, which grew and caused a lot of additional fear and unneeded angst that didn’t need to be there.”

Bickle said he hoped to further discuss what the district can do to better communicate with the public and prepare in case of a crisis.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to personally apologize to community that we as a the district failed you,” he said. “It will not happen again.”

Thissen also outlined some of the points of the district’s crisis plan.

The crisis plan was recently updated, and a summary sheet of the plan is in print form on all teachers’ desks. Two representatives from the Hays public and Hays private schools returned last week from a week-long training in PrePare, which is a program designed to organize the best strategy in dealing with any crisis.

Buildings have gone to only the front doors being unlocked throughout the school day. One elementary school and the middle school lock their front entrances during the school day. There are plans on having a ‘buzz in’ system for all school buildings. This transition might be possible this summer. Gradually, locks are being switched out throughout the district. Last year work went into having crisis bags for all classrooms.

Thissen also noted the district has an anti-bullying program and the Westside Alternative program in place to help students. The district would like to expand the Westside program, but space is an issue.  A new at-risk program is being considered to help boost the district’s graduation rate.

“It is a constant process to make changes regularly that will provide greater safety for our children,” Thissen said.

Below are Superintendent John Thissen’s complete prepared comments to the board:

“On Feb. 12^th early morning, the Hays Police came to Hays High to follow up on a possible threat towards the school. The student who was identified as making the threat was taken out of class and questioned. The front end of the investigation confirmed the threat and the source of the threat was contained. From the onset the boy’s family was very supportive and cooperative. The situation quickly turned into a Child in Need of Care case. The police were continuing their investigation to gather any details. Other students were questioned during that process. If I would have sent a message to parents and community on Monday or Tuesday, it would have been informative in nature and not a warning. Wednesday’s Florida tragedy effected the dynamics of our situation. The police’s earlier search for details turned into a process of tracking down rumors. I suspect some of those rumors spawned from the earlier questioning of students. Even on Feb. 21^st at the Council of Superintendents in Topeka, many superintendents described rumors of threats that developed in their communities since February 14^th. I’m sure it was amplified for Hays since we had an actual threat. The school’s attorney, building administration, and I met Thursday to discuss how we should proceed with the disciplinary process as the Child in Need of Care case was being defined. On Friday the 16^th, a decision was made for the Chief of Police, County Attorney, and Superintendent of Schools to meet and talk on how to proceed. The meeting occurred on Saturday morning. A statement was agreed upon and released to the media by the County Attorney. Complicating the situation was the sightings of the student in the community. He was in state custody still in Hays waiting for placement. The Hays Police Department, judicial representatives, and building administration did an exceptional job throughout the process. It is I who could have limited the heightened fear by sending out a simple informative note on Monday or Tuesday. Florida’s tragic event on Wednesday may still have amplified local concern, but at least no one would have felt that the threat in Hays was not being addressed. I am sorry for the fear and anxiety that developed due to this, and I am sorry that the Board of Education was subject to great negativity when they had nothing to do with it other than trusting in my judgement and performance.

It is important for all to know that we do have an organized crisis committee that meets 3 times a year. The committee members include representatives from the fire and police department. Homeland security regularly attends. We have secretaries, principals, custodians, and food service who also attend the meetings. The crisis plan was recently updated, and a summary sheet of the plan is in print form on all teachers’ desks. Two representatives from the Hays public and Hays private schools returned last week from a week-long training in PREPaRE which is a program designed to organize the best strategy in dealing with any crisis. All buildings regularly have their fire and tornado drills. An item discussed during one of our past crisis meetings was that there is not a typical situation. A crisis situation is very complex, and a single factor may change the process in which we act. Because of this, we conduct a variety of drills including active shooter. Buildings have gone to only the front doors being unlocked throughout the school day. Actually; one elementary and the middle school has the front doors locked as well. There are plans on having a ‘buzz in’ system for all school buildings. The transition might be possible this summer. Last year, work went into having crisis bags for all classrooms. Gradually, locks are being switched out throughout the district. Perhaps the more important activities deal with training and helping students. A new at-risk program designed to increase graduation rate is being considered for next year. Anti-bullying activities have been introduced. A social worker was added to our staff last year and an added counselor is planned for this coming year. Westside Alternative School was created 25 years ago and there have been recent discussions on how to expand the program. Lack of space is one of the key obstacles. Schools in Ellis County have been given an opportunity from High Plains Mental Health to have 30 school employees trained in Mental Health 1^st Aid. Focus is being placed on connecting every student to their school by participation in sports, clubs, or cocurricular activities. Engaged students are healthier students. It is a constant process to make changes so as to provide greater safety for our children.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Downtown has an evening of shopping, food and prizes scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. April 20.

Downtown Hays Development Corp. had a fashion show scheduled for this date, but that event was removed from the schedule because of a staffing change.

The event is now being called the Shop Hop on the Bricks.

The event will include drawings for gift cards and prizes ranging in value from $50 to $500 from downtown businesses. A ticket to the event will earn you an entry into the drawing. You can earn additional entries for every $25 spent at a participating business. Special discounts for attendees will be offered.

In addition, businesses will have the option of offering refreshments. This may range from appetizers to more fancy fare, Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director, said. Alcohol may be served at some establishments, so it is being billed as a 21-and-older event.

“I think it is a known fact in the retail world that after Christmas in January and February it can be a little slow for retailers. March and April are when people start shopping again and start thinking about graduation and Mother’s Day and other events that are coming up,” Bloom said, “so downtown really likes to reach out to the community at that time, remind them of the great gift options that are downtown and the unique options that are downtown.”

For people who have recently moved to the community or who are not familiar with downtown, this is their opportunity to explore downtown.

Bloom said this is a great time to visit downtown because of all the new businesses. The Niche, a painting and craft studio, will soon celebrate six months on the Bricks. German eatery Das Essen Hutte, which was briefly located in Big Creek Crossing, will soon open a location downtown. Bronze On Tanning is also new. The business offers ear piercings and other products in addition to tanning.

“This is a great event to enter businesses that you may or may not have been in before or maybe you are entering your favorite business and they are going to have some special discounts and food and drink for you as well,” Bloom said. “It is just a great time to see everything that downtown has to offer and do some shopping for your friends and family or maybe just for yourself.”

Tickets go on sale today. They are $10 each, and only 300 will be sold. Tickets can be purchased at the DHDC office at 106 W. 12th St. or online at https://www.downtownhays.com/

For the last several years, downtown has hosted a spring event, formerly called The Taste.

By JUDY SHERARD
Hays DAR

Hays High School senior Trinity Callis was named the winner of the Courtney-Spalding Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Scholarship.

She was recognized with a certificate, pin and wallet card, as well as a $100 scholarship, at the Feb. 17 chapter meeting.

Trinity, daughter of Ralph and Laci Callis, was nominated as the Hays High DAR Good Citizen by the school’s faculty, Hays High counselor Suellyn Stenger said.

Students selected must exhibit dependability, service, leadership and patriotism, according to the DAR website. “Patriotism means doing what’s right, no matter the circumstances,” Callis said.

In addition to serving as STUCO president, Trinity “is a talented, well-rounded student. She’s awesome,” Stenger said. Trinity also is a member of the musical group TX3 with her brothers, Tristan and Tanner.

Seniors named their school’s DAR Good Citizen have the option of entering the scholarship competition. The competition is two parts including a personal section describing how the student manifests the qualities of a good citizen, grade transcripts and letters of recommendation. A second part is a 550-word essay completed at one sitting without reference materials with no prior knowledge of the topic.

As the local chapter winner, Callis’s essay was entered in the state competition. Mary Hayford, Shawnee Mission, was named the state winner. “It’s a really tough competition,” Sherrie Smith, Courtney-Spalding Chapter Regent, said.

Senior Abria Fisher, daughter of Eva Kenter, was named the Quinter High School DAR Good Citizen.

“All students who are named their school’s Good Citizen, even if they opt not to participate in the essay contest, get a certificate, pin and wallet card, and they can put ‘DAR Good Citizen’ on their resume,” Smith said.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Construction of the new Water Reclamation and Reuse Facility in Hays began June 1, 2017, and the work is now about 30 days ahead of schedule.

Date of final completion for the $28.4 million project is Sept. 15, 2019.

Eric Farrow, HDR field engineer at the wastewater treatment plant, presented a bi-monthly progress report to city commissioners this week.

“January was particularly cold in Hays and productivity falls due to the elements, but they have remained productive at the site by pouring concrete,” Farrow reported.

“The prize possession out there right now is the new aeration basin just due to sheer size,” Farrow said. “We’re looking at a single circular tank of 185 feet in diameter. The forms that are going in for the wall sections are about 22 feet high. So you take a 185 foot diameter and raise it 22 feet high, it’s pretty significant.

“We’re currently working our way counter-clockwise around the basin. Next week we’ll be pouring the seventh of 10 sections there. So within the next month, the basin will be closed up.”

According to Farrow, walls for the number one final clarifier are also going up and will be poured next week. There will be two final clarifiers downstream of the aeration basin.

The wastewater treatment plant,  1498 E. U.S. Highway 40 Bypass, must be overhauled to meet future nitrogen and phosphorus limits as required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Environmental Protection Agency. The Design/Build team is Burns & McDonnell and CAS Constructors.

The public can watch the work via a live web camera installed by city workers on the northwest corner of the site looking to the southeast. The YouTube channel is available on the city’s website.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Hays City Commissioner Shaun Musil said Thursday night he “applauds” the Hays Police Department and the school district in their handling of a Feb. 12 incident that resulted in a 14-year-old male being taken into police protective custody following an alleged threat against Hays High School.

Musil referred to  social media comments he had read online that “badmouthed” both entities.

“I actually want to do the opposite and applaud the Hays PD and USD 489,” Musil commented at the end of the city commission meeting. “They may not have let everybody know exactly what was going on right away but the situation was taken care of right away.”

Musil said he talked to some of the officials involved in the incident. “They said there were things they learned and should have done better and they will do better next time.”

“Yes, people didn’t know the day it happened or two days after it happened, but they really did a good job taking care of the situation. It just amazes me people go off their rocker and are p***d off because they don’t know all the details.

“My kid actually sits directly behind the kid that was arrested,” Musil added. “Nothing happened, thank God. This kind of hits home, but I also feel really comfortable we in our community did what was right.”

On Feb. 14, two days after the Hays High incident, 17 people were shot and killed at a high school in Parkland, Florida, by a 19-year-old former student.

RELATED: About 7 percent of Hays High student body stays home Tuesday after rumors swirl.

“It’s a partnership that the Hays Police Department, in this case, works with the school district as well as the Ellis County Attorney, and we (the city) do not take the lead,” Commissioner Henry Schwaller pointed out. “We let them work out certain aspects of it. We rely on them to do certain things and we wait for the others to take the lead on informing the public. It’s not that there’s anything to hide, but as Commissioner Musil pointed out, with a minor, you’re not going to release that person’s name. The situation was well under control,” Schwaller agreed, “because we have very qualified people.”

He added that “there’s more that can be done about this going forward and we will talk about that.”

The sole public information about the incident was a news release emailed Feb. 17 from the office of Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees. In the release, Drees wrote “there is no indication that any other person(s) are involved in the alleged threat. There is no reason to believe that any further danger exists regarding this incident. The investigation into this incident continues by the Hays Police Department.”

According to Drees, as of Feb. 17 a “Child In Need of Care action has been filed, and the child remains in state custody.”

By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post

Bob Fisher was in junior high when he fell in love with the game of basketball.

Fisher grew up on a farm just outside Vermillion, Kansas, and played basketball for Centralia High School about eight miles east of his home town. Fisher would turn to coaching a little later on in life and ended up coaching high school and youth basketball in Kansas for about 20 years.

Fisher always had a special interest in the shooting aspect of basketball, and in 2006 a book titled “The Physics of Basketball” by John Fontanella found its way into Fisher’s hands.

“In the book, he broke it down into the four factors that affect the flight of the ball. That would be gravity, drag force, Magnus force and buoyancy of the ball,” Fisher said. “I, like a lot of people, was searching for the answer to shooting. What Fontanella did was point me down a different path, and that is: ‘Is it possible to use physics to help make shots?'”

Fisher started studying physics, anatomy, biomechanics and started reading a number of books that brought him to determine all it really takes to become good in anything is knowledge, practice and time.

At 52, Fisher decided to test this theory himself.

“I went to the gym and started practicing shooting free throws. Four months later, I set my first record with 50 free throws in one minute. That got a little bit of publicity, so I started looking at the two-minute record, and I broke that one a few months later,” Fisher said.

Fisher went on to break more free-throw records, teaching himself how to shoot left-handed and even blindfolded. To this day, Fisher has set 22 records in 14 different free-throw categories for Guinness World Records.

Fisher has been featured in a number of different TV shows, such as Inside Edition and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and has also been in the New York Times. Fisher has made instructional videos and is close to finishing his first book.

Fisher will be at Gross Memorial Coliseum at Fort Hays State University tonight to attempt to break another free-throw record at halftime of the Tiger men’s game. The record he goes for will be determined right before the event.

General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids and will be available at all gates at the coliseum.

Hays Fire Department

At 9:33 PM, Tuesday, February 20, 2018, City of Hays emergency dispatchers were alerted to a building fire at 207 Circle Drive. The City of Hays Fire Department, assisted by Ellis County Fire Department Company 5, the Hays Police Department and Ellis County EMS, was immediately dispatched.

Firefighters arrived to find a large fire burning in a two car garage attached to a single family dwelling. The fire had already spread into the attached split level house and to a vehicle in the driveway. The fire department officer-in-command called for additional help from Ellis County Fire Department Company 5, Elis County Fire Department Company 6, the City of Ellis Fire Department and the City of Victoria Fire Department.

As a precaution, officers from the Hays Police Department evacuated the occupants of neighboring homes. Ellis County EMS paramedics checked the occupants of the fire building for injuries.

Four hose lines were used to bring the fire under control. The garage, the attached dwelling and the vehicle in the driveway suffered heavy fire damage. There were no firefighter or citizen injuries.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Hays Police Department assisted by the Hays Fire Department.

Nine fire trucks and 42 firefighters responded. Most fire crews left the scene by 12:11 AM. However, one crew of Hays firefighters remained on the scene overnight to watch for rekindle.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Russell Original Art Review (ROAR) is planning a mural honoring veterans to be painted on the side of the Russell VFW, Post 6240.

The mural will be 15 feet by 60 feet and painted by Dennis Schiel of Hays, who also painted murals on the side of the Fox Pavillion in Hays and the Hays VFW.

Patty Driscoll, Russell Original Art Review organizer, said the team working on the project wanted the mural to be in a place where it would be highly visible to the community. The VFW, 248 Bob Dole Drive, is in proximity to Russell’s Memorial Park, golf course, baseball fields, tennis courts and new walking path.

“We decided it would add to the tourism and beautify the area,” she said.

Russell also has two murals downtown.

The mural will be 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.

Some of the image depicted in the mural will include a bald eagle, the five military seals, images of wounded warriors, buffalo soldiers, Native American code talkers, the POW/MIA flag, the Gold Star emblem with a folded flag, Flanders Field poppies, a nurse from the Korean War era, Purple Heart emblem, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Army tank and a chopper.

Organizers also hope to include an enclosed copy of the mural outside the VFW that would act as a key for the images in the mural.

Driscoll said she hoped the mural would be educational, helping students and adults alike learn more about the history of U.S. military service.

The mural will be started in April and is scheduled to be finished in four months with a dedication in the fall to coincide with the 49th-annual Russell Original Art Review.

The mural will cost more than $36,000. Grants have been written to cover a portion of the cost, and donations are being taken.

All donors will be listed in a registry inside the VFW. Donors making contributions of $1,000 or more will have their names included in the lower corner of the mural. Donations can be made in honor or memory of service personnel.

Donations can be made by contacting Patty Driscoll at 785-324-0308. The ROAR organization is a 501(c)(3), and donations are tax deductible.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Serenity Psychological Services and Consulting, 1010 Downing Ave., Suite 60, has added two new therapists, Lori Hertel and Brandie Bieker.

Hertel and Bieker join Robert Yates III and Jennifer Colby in private practice.

Yates and Colby have primarily focused on working with adults, and Hertel and Bieker both have experience working with youth and families.

Lori Hertel, 57, is a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist. She is currently working on her PhD in health psychology through Walden University and plans to finish that degree this year. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in resource counseling from Fort Hays State University.

She has been employed for the court system and at High Plains Mental Health Center for numerous years. Previously, Lori was the chief executive officer of her own business called Hertel Therapeutic Services, worked as a therapist at Turning Point Professional Counseling Services and was a prevention specialist with the school district.

Hertel is an adjunct faculty member in sociology at Fort Hays State University. She has been very active in the community, helping to start the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program and serving as a past president of the CASA of the High Plains board.

Hertel also operates several programs as a memorial to her daughter, Ana, who died eight years ago from a childhood muscular disease. These include a scholarship program; Ana’s gift, a program through emergency responders who provide stuffed animals to children in traumatic situations; and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library that provides free monthly books for Ellis County children birth through age 5.

Hertel just finished a position funded through a grant to offer therapy to community corrections clients. At Serenity, she will be working with juvenile services to do therapy with its clients.

Hertel will do a variety of psychological evaluations for both children and adults as well as offering therapy for children, adults and couples.

She will do anger management evaluations and will be a facilitator for an anger management program. In anger management, she uses a curriculum with different strategies to get out anger before it can become explosive. Group members also role play and talk about different situations and techniques members can use to be assertive.

She hopes to eventually complete training for competency evaluations.

Brandie Bieker, 40, will specialize in working with children 10 and younger.

Children in this age group are often seen for behavioral problems, depression, anxiety, ADHD and developmental issues.

Bieker works with the children on impulse control and identifying and coping with emotions.

Parents and guardians are integrally involved in the children’s treatment.

“Parents and guardians are such a big role in the child’s life,” she said. “They help guide them in their day. They help them get ready to go to school and as they come home. Adults play an important role in leading that environment. So they need to understand what the child may be experiencing and help those children learn those coping skills. Children, especially young children, are not always going to remember that ‘I need to take a break at this time because I am upset.'”

Parents or guardians can help children understand when they need to use their coping skills, she said.

Bieker received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washburn University and master’s degree in clinical psychology and an educational specialist degree in school psychology from FHSU. She worked as a therapist with children and adults at High Plains Mental Health Center and Turning Point Professional Counseling Services before coming to Serenity.

Bieker also works as a school psychologist for USD 399 Natoma and is an adjunct instructor in the Teacher Education and Advanced Education programs at FHSU.

Serenity remodeled and expanded its office to accommodate the new therapists.

As a clinic, Serenity accepts most major forms of insurance and Medicare. For Bieker, the clinic will accept KanCare and private pay. For Hertel, the clinic will accept private pay and is working to contract with major insurance providers. Both therapists are accepting clients now. You can call Serenity at 785-621-4417 to make an appointment. You may also request an appointment through the Serenity website.

Editor’s Note, Feb. 22, 2018: This story has been removed because of a lack of attribution and republishing of another’s work without permission or credit. The original reporting can be found HERE. Hays Post apologizes for the breach of professionalism.