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Cloudy, warm Tuesday with a chance for showers

Tuesday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 13 mph.

Tuesday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. West northwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming north in the evening.

Wednesday A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday NightMostly clear, with a low around 59. Light and variable wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.

ThursdaySunny, with a high near 90.
Thursday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.

FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 89.

News From the Oil Patch, June 17

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

It appears your summer vacation may be cheaper than expected, and cheaper than last year, if you’re driving. The government announced a big drop in its prediction for gasoline prices during the summer driving season. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday reduced its average price expectations for April through September, 2019 to $2.76 [[“two seventy-six”]] per gallon. Last month EIA said that average would be $2.92 [[“two ninety-two”]] per gallon. That average last year was $2.85 [[“two eighty-five”]]. EIA expects lower crude-oil prices to drive down gasoline prices.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 21 active drilling rigs west of Wichita, up one for the week. Eastern Kansas was unchanged at two active rigs. Operators were preparing to spud one well in Barton County and one in Ellis County.

Baker Hughes reported 969 active drilling rigs across the U.S. Friday, down one oil rig and five gas rigs. The count in Texas was down six.

Regulators approved 31 permits for drilling at new locations across Kansas last week, 17 of them east of Wichita and 14 in Western Kansas, including two in Ellis County. We’ve seen 413 new drilling permits thus far in 2019.

There are just seven new well-completions reported statewide, according to weekly reports from Independent Oil & Gas Service. All seven were west of Wichita. That’s 677 newly-completed wells so far this year.

The government reported a slight drop in its crude oil production estimates for the week ending June 7, down to 12.28 Million barrels per day. That’s 98-thousand barrels less than the week before but 11.4 million barrels per day more than a year ago at this time. U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 2.2 Million barrels to 485.5 million. That’s about eight percent above the five year average for this time of year, according to weekly numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Crude-oil imports were down 316-thousand barrels per day last week to 7.6 million barrels per day. EIA says total gasoline inventories increased 800-thousand barrels are are now about two percent above the five year seasonal average.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that “federal law is the only law” on the Outer Continental Shelf. The high court ruled unanimously against workers on oil drilling platforms off California who argued they should be paid for the off-work time they spend on the platform, including sleeping. The workers had argued that California law requires them to be compensated for that time. Justice Clarence Thomas said in an opinion that “there has never been any overlapping state and federal jurisdiction there.”

U.S. and Canadian producers continue to outpace last year in oil-by-rail shipments. The Association of American Railroads reported 13,351 car loads of petroleum and petroleum products in the week ending June 8. That’s more than 21% higher than last year. Canada’s total was 18% higher year-on-year.

Crude oil production in North Dakota dipped in April to 41.7 million barrels, according to the state’s Department of Mineral Resources. That’s 1.39 million barrels per day, which is down about 600 barrels per day from the finalized March total. State regulators are keeping a close eye on crude prices, with North Dakota light sweet crude dropping ten dollars per barrel in the last month. Natural gas production in the state soared to another all-time high in April.

Regulators in Texas say producers there pumped more than 116-million barrels of total oil production in March, or about 3.7 million barrels per day. That’s nearly three million barrels more than February’s total, but about nine million barrels less than in March of last year. Crude oil production excluding diluent was over 101 million barrels in March. The Railroad Commission said the first-quarter production total in the Lone Star State very nearly matched last year at just shy of four million barrels per day.

The first non-Texas crude pipelines connecting to the Port of Corpus Christi were announced by Phillips 66 last week. The company announced joint ventures with Bridger Pipeline and Plains All American Pipeline, under which two new pipelines would bring oil and gas supplies from the Rocky Mountains and Bakken Formation in northwestern North Dakota to Cushing, Oklahoma and from there to the port in southern Texas. A spokesman for the project told us the pipelines will follow existing pipeline corridors across Western Kansas, and will not cross through Ellis or Barton counties.

Office workers at Hays USD 489 paid less than peers, according to study

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board will hear a report on a recently completed classified staff wage study by the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Rockwell Administration Center.

The study found several classes of USD 489 employees are not making as much as their peers.

These included building secretaries, office assistants and clerical workers, and information technology assistants.

The starting wage for a USD 489 school secretary is $9.62 per hour, but the average starting wage for other Hays’ employers is $12.78. Comparable school districts pay an average of $11.08 and comparable cities pay an average starting wage of $13.45.

Office assistants and clerical workers start at $10.06 at USD 489, which is comparable to other school districts, but is more than $2 below the average in the Hays community and $4 below the average in comparable cities.

IT assistants start at $10.95 per hour in the USD 489 district, but the average at peer districts is $13.38 and $11.87 in the city of Hays.

The board has discussed creating a new pay scale for classified employees, but was waiting on the release of this study.

Budget

The board will have a budget hearing at 6:25 p.m. Monday at Rockwell so it can reauthorize its FY19 budget. The district received more special education funding than it anticipated and needs to reauthorize its budget in order to be able to spend all the money it has been allocated.

This will not affect local taxes.

Oak Park Complex

The board will consider several items regarding the Oak Park Medical Complex renovation.

Matt Gillam, vice president of Development for Overland Property Group, will provide an update to the board regarding the sale of the Washington school. The district has a contract with Overland Property to buy the property. Early Childhood Connections is moving out of Washington and will be located in the renovated Oak Park Complex.

Representatives from Nabholz Construction and Paul-Wertenberger Construction will provide an update to the board regarding the ongoing complex renovations.

Superintendent John Thissen will review the suggestions submitted by the community for the renaming of the Oak Park Medical Complex. Look to the right to see a list of proposed names.

The board will also vote on dissolving the Oak Park Condominium Association. The association is no longer needed because USD 489 owns all of the property covered by the association.

In other business, the board will:

  •  Vote on workers compensation/cyber liability/property casualty insurance renewal
  • Hear a SPED district assessment
  • Vote on the renewal of the district’s membership with the Kansas Association of School Boards and the KASB Legal Assistance Fund.
  •  Vote on the approval of the 2019-2020 student fees
  • Review student handbook revisions
  • Review the 2019-2020 board attorney contract
  • Review legally required changes to board policy

 

Hays Walmart among those selling plants infected with deadly tree disease

By LAUREN WALZ
Cottonwood District Horticulture Agent 

On June 7, the Kansas Department of Agriculture informed Kansas residents that Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum), the cause of sudden oak death, was found on rhododendron container plants in Kansas. The plants are part of a shipment to 60 Walmart stores across Kansas and one Home Depot store in Pittsburg from Park Hill nursery in Oklahoma.

The Walmart in Hays was one of the stores that the infected plants were sold to. If you purchased a Rhododendron from the Hays Walmart between April and June, it is very important to take action to help reduce potential spread of the disease. Homeowners who have purchased Rhododendrons from these stores should dig up the plant, including the root ball, double bag it in plastic, and send it to the landfill.

Sudden oak death is a disease that can take down entire forests of oaks in very little time. The cause and cure are unknown to this day. Oaks that are most susceptible to this disease are red oaks, which are native to Kansas. The risk for Phytophthora ramorum establishment into oak plantings in western Kansas is lower than eastern Kansas because it is typically drier and there are fewer susceptible trees, but there still is risk especially with the amount of rainfall that Western KS has had this spring.

Long distance spread of this disease is through the movement of infected nursery plants between states. The disease can survive in infected plant tissue, soil and water, so local movement into landscapes would be through infected plant material. Spread from Rhododendrons in the landscape to nearby oak trees would be through aerial splash dispersal (i.e. rainfall) or water runoff.

This is the first introduction of Phytophthora ramorum into Kansas and the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas State University, and the Kansas Forest Service will continue to monitor its progress. The disease is a threat to Kansas forests and landscapes. K-State Research and Extension will be sharing information on the disease as developments occur.

You can find more information about Sudden Oak Death at the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture Website, by contacting the Kansas Forest Service, or by contacting Lauren Walz, the Cottonwood District Horticulture Extension agent at 785-628-9430.

Ellis Co. restaurant and lodging inspections, 6/10 – 6/16

 

Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:


AFC Sushi @ Dillons 1902 Vine, Hays – June 13

A standardization inspection found four violations.

  • On the sushi make-table, a plastic container of rice had a date marking sticker of 6/12.
  • Sitting on the sushi prep table was a plastic container of cooked shrimp with seasoning the outside edge had an internal temp of 50 F and the middle had an internal temp of 44 F. Also on the sushi prep-table a squeeze bottle of Spicy sauce, made in house (mayo sriracha) was sitting out at room temp, and had an internal temp of 49 F. Sitting on the make table at room temp (the north one) a squeeze bottle of yum yum sauce (made on site) and Spicy sauce (made on site) the yum yum sauce had an internal temp of 46 F. On the top shelf of the wire rack next to the north make table a plastic container of cream cheese was sitting out at room temp. The internal temp of the cream cheese was 50 F.
  • When asked how often they the changed the plastic on the makisu, the person in charge said once a day.
  • Upon reviewing the HACCP plan, it was noticed that brown rice cooked on 6/11 did not reach 70 F in the first two hours. It reached 135 F at 12:30 p.m. and then the time stamp for 70 F at 3:10 p.m.  In the documentation book the person in charge said he changes the plastic on the makisu every 4 to 5 hours, but told the inspector he starts with a new one every day. In the HACCP record keeping book, the establishment for the date of 6/13, no calibration had been recorded or “pot # 1” of rice cooked and tested had been recorded. Upon entry of the kitchen area a container of rice was sitting on the sushi prep line.

The Golden Q 809 Ash, Hays – June 13

A standardization inspection found 14 violations.

  • The line cook had two pairs of gloves on, he then handled a raw beef patty and removed top pair of gloves and balled them up and threw them away. He then grabbed a clean plate and put tater tots on the plate.
  • The line cook checked the cooking temp of the chicken strip, he then wiped the thermometer with a towel from the sanitizer bucket. The cook then let the thermometer dry and stuck it in the AuJu sitting on the steam table.
  • In the dry storage area, five #10 cans had big enough dents in them to affect the seams of the can.
  • At the bar, the bartender grabbed the lime wedge garnishment with her bare hands and placed it on the drink rim.
  • On the far south make-table, the prep line had both top doors open. Three packages of sliced roast beef were found to have an internal temp ranging from 48 F to 51 F. Two packages of ham slices were found to have an internal temp of 54 F. The containers of lettuces and cheese were found above the cooling zone on the top 1/4 inch of the pan. The lettuce had an internal temp of 49 F and the cheese had an internal temp 54 F. Sitting on the shelf above the flat top cook area a bottle of house-made chipotle mayo had an internal temp of 95 F.
  • In the walk-in cooler, a plastic container of house-made spicy bbq had a prepared on the date of 6/11 and a use by date of 6/22. In the walk-in cooler, one metal container of house-made queso cheese had a made date of 6/12 and a use by date of 6/20. Dates were marked for too many days.
  • In the walk-in cooler, a metal container of commercially prepared nacho cheese (from a can) had a prep date of 6/12 use by date of 6/20.
  • In the wait staff make-table, one gallon worth of house-made ranch portioned into 2 oz containers had the prep date of 6/13, while the ranch in the back in the walk-in cooler was either prepared on 6/4 or 6/11.
  • An empty plastic container labeled as chili had a prepared date of 6/6 and a use by date of 6/14.  The chili should have had a use by date of 6/12. A squeeze bottle of spicy bbq had prepared on 5/31 and a use by date of 6/11. In the walk-in cooler, two containers of house-made ranch had a prepared on date of 6/4 and a use by date of 6/11.
  • This establishment cooks the “hangover” burger which comes with an egg cooked to order. No consumer advisory was present.
  • The plastic container used to store taco shells was a Sterilite container. The container had a paper lining on the bottom but not the sides. The taco shells were touching the sides.
  • This establishment uses quat in the sanitizer buckets for the kitchen and wait staff area. They do not have any quat test strips.
  • The first four full sheet pans that inspector touched had grease film on them.
  • The handwashing sink in the kitchen did not reach 100 F. It only got to 68 F.

Hickok’s Steakhouse 3402 Vine, Hays – June 12

A routine inspection found 15 violations.

  • In the ware washing area, a mechanical ware washing machine was found with an employee was spraying off dirty dishes. After the employee put the dishes through the ware washing machine he then grabbed clean dishes that were on the other side.
  • The line cook handled raw hamburger meat with gloved hands. He then removed the soiled gloves and donned new ones and grabbed a ready to eat bun and placed it on the grill.
  • In the wait staff area, where the alcohol is stored for service, one fruit fly was floating in a bottle of Glenlivet scotch.
  • In the wait staff make-table, a bag of commercially prepared chopped lettuce was opened and not date marked.
  • In the hot box, a pan of brown gravy was found with the date of 6/11. The temp of the gravy was 126 F.
  • On the food prep table, a box of bacon was sitting out that the food prep cook had used it to make bacon wrapped shrimp. The box was sitting out for about 45 minutes total and had not been used or touched in 20 minutes. The internal temp of the bacon was 56 F.
  • In the walk-in cooler, an open package of cream cheese was not date marked.
  • When asking the cook about an open container of milk, he said he opened it on 6-11 to make cheese sauce for the mac and cheese. An employee had portioned out the cheese and dated for 6-12.
  • In the make-table of the food prep line, a carton of cream had an open date of 5-31. It was held for too many days. In the same make-table, a metal pan containing portioned bags of spaghetti had a date of 6-2. It was held for too many days. In the walk-in cooler, a two-gallon container of B-rock sauce (prepared on site) had a date of 5/31. In make-table, a squeeze of the b-rock sauce had the date of 6-8. In the walk-in cooler, two plastic containers of 1000 P sauce (prepared on site) ranch and spices mixture were found, one of them was date marked with a date of 5/30 and the other was date marked 5/26. There was a squeeze bottle of these sauces in make table of the kitchen as well as the wait staff make-table.  In the walk-in cooler a plastic container labeled as tender sauce (made on site) mayo, ketchup and spices in it was found with the date of 5/31. It was held for too many days. In the walk-in cooler, a plastic container was found with chopped cabbage in it and was date marked 6/1. Also in the walk-in cooler, three full sheets pans of cooked on site bake potatoes had the prep date of 5/31-6/1. It was held for too many days
  • The establishment has a consumer advisory but not asterisk to determine what items can be undercooked.
  • Two of two cutting boards stored as clean had deep cracks and chips in them.
  • In the food prep area, 11 metal pans had sticker residue on the food contact surface. Two of two cutting boards store as clean, hanging in the food prep area, had dried food debris on the food contact surface.
  • In the ware washing area, the mechanical ware washing machine never got hotter than 136.8 F at plate level and the first time the inspector took the temp at plate level it was 117.2 F. There was also no chemical sanitizer connect for the machine.
  • Under the three-vat sink, a spray bottle containing an orange liquid was not labeled.
  • In the storage shed located in the parking, a chemical cleaner was being stored next to single-use soup lids. No leakage was detected.
  • In the closet located in the hallway to exit the kitchen, being stored in a box, three spray cans of raid insect killer were being stored, on the label, it said for residential use only. Also, in that same box were four boxes of roach bait killer being stored. They also had labeling for indoor residential use only. In the mechanical room that you can only access from the outside a 1-gallon spray bottle of Raid was being stored. The label on the bottle said for residential use only.

Old Chicago 383 Mopar, Hays – June 11

A standardization inspection found 17 violations.

  • In the ware washing area, the employee handled/cleaned dishes with spray nozzle and then sent them through the machine. The employee then handled clean dishes without washing hands.
  • On the cook line, the cook with gloved hands put a mixture of salt and pepper on a raw hamburger patty with gloved hands. He then removed gloves and donned a new pair without washing hands. The cook then handled a ready to eat food with the same gloved hands.
  • Two bottles of liquor, a bottle of Jameson about 3/4 full, had a fruit fly floating in, and a bottle of Tullamore dew about 1/2 full had a fruit fly in it.
  • A waitress used tongs to pick up a ready to eat breadstick, the breadstick started to fall from the tongs and the waitress used a bare hand to catch/adjust the breadstick. In the bar area, the bartender handled a lime wedge to garnish a drink with her bare hands.
  • In the make-table across from the grill, in the backup storage area, raw shell eggs in a plastic container were being stored over ready to eat lettuce.
  • On the top shelf of a wire rack in the walk-in cooler raw bacon in a box was being stored over deli meats, as well as full cooked bratwurst. No leakage was detected.
  • In the steam table located across from the grill, a plastic container of marinara was sitting in a metal container (doubled up), with the top 1/8 of the marinara above the heating zone. The middle of the marinara had an internal temp of 133 F and the top 1/8 above the heating zone had a temp of 114 F.  At the end of the pizza oven, in a plastic container that was sitting in a metal pan, was melted butter. The internal temp of the melted butter was 101 F.
  • At the pizza make-table located on the south wall, on the east side, five plastic pans had shredded mozzarella in them and were sitting on the prep area wrapped (at room temp) The internal temp was 55 F. Also sitting on the prep line was a plastic container of sliced tomatoes that had an internal temp 54 F.  At the pizza make-table, located on the south wall east side, on the prep line, a plastic container had a pepperoni cheese and herb mixture in, it had an internal temp of 46 F, shredded mozzarella on the prep line had an internal temp of 46 F, diced tomatoes in a plastic container had an internal temp of 46 F, on the prep line fully cooked sausage had an internal temp of 46 F, the pepperoni had an internal 48 F. In the back up storage below (at the same mak- table) single door, a plastic container of a shredded cheese and herb mixture an internal temp of 45 F. In the sliding drawer back up storage area of the make table, a crafted storage container had an internal temp of 47 F. Both the lids to cover the prep line were open, and the ambient air temp was 45 F. Sitting on the prep line was a craft of made in house beer cheese sauce, it had an internal temp of 65 F. In the back food prep area a carton of raw shell eggs and a plastic storage container of shredded cheese was sitting out at room temp. The raw shell eggs had an outer shell temp of 58 F and the shredded cheese had an internal temp of 55 F. In the make table located across from the fryers, on the food prep line, the top 1/4 of the deli sliced turkey had an internal temp of 47 F. The top 1/4 was stacked above the cooling zone. Next to the sliced turkey was a container of sliced tomatoes the top 1/3 had an internal temp of 49 F, the top 1/3 was above the cooling zone. Blue cheese crumbles had an internal temp of 45 F. The inspector temped the pesto which had garlic oil and herbs in, it was out of temp. In the back storage area of the make table bottom sliding drawer, a plastic container of chopped iceberg lettuce had an internal temp of 45 F, a container of mixed greens had an internal temp of 44 F and a plastic container of chopped romaine had an internal temp of 46 F. In the top sliding drawer of the same make table, in a plastic container, Canadian bacon had an internal temp of 44 F, diced tomatoes had an internal temp of 44 F, cheese had an internal temp of 46 F. In the single door back up storage area of the make table, prepared on site dressings had an internal temp of: ranch 48 F, buffalo sauce 44 F, jalapeno ranch 44 F. The ambient air temp was 46 F. A  pan of chopped cabbage had an internal temp of 44 F. In the cold holding unit below the grill, which became unplugged for about 15 minutes, in the top sliding drawer, a plastic container of cooked mushrooms had and internal temp of 48 F, and plastic container of cooked onions had an internal temp of 53 F, a plastic container of slice baby mozzarella had an internal temp of 48 F and a plastic container of sliced cheese had and internal temp of 47 F. In the bottom sliding drawer a pan had raw chicken in it with an internal temp of 49 F.
  • In the wait staff make-table, prepared on site blue cheese dressing was being held in a plastic container and not date marked.
  • In the wait staff reach-in cooler, an aerosol can of whipped cream was opened and not date marked.
  • On the cook line make table a squeeze bottle of made on site chipotle mayo had a prepared date of 5-28. In the back up storage area of the same make table a prepared on site cocktail sauce had a date of 5-28. In the backup storage of the make-table, prepared on site jalapeno ranch, had a date of 6-4. Sitting in a metal crafts of made on site sweet smoky bacon wing sauce had a prepared on date of 6/3, in a craft prepared on site buffalo sauce had a date of 6/4, in a craft maple brown sugar bacon wing sauce had a date of 5-30. All items held more than 7 days.
  • In the storage area next to the ware washing area, at least five plastic food storage containers had dried food debris on the food contact surface. On the east wall, in the food prep area where clean utensil are being stored, (hung up on the wall) four of six 3oz scoops had dried food debris or grease on them.
  • When dishwashing was going on during the inspection, the inspector ran his waterproof thermometer through the ware washing machine. The plate level temp was 151 F the first time with dishes. During the next three cycles, 2 without dishes,  the temp at plate level was 157.3 F. The next time the inspector ran a waterproof thermometer through the ware washing machine it reached 160.5 F at ware washing level.
  • In the kitchen area the hand washing sink next to the pizza prep line did not have hot water. This was one of four handwashing sinks in the kitchen area.
  • The water filter on the Pepsi machine in the back had a date of 5-3-18. The filter said it needed to be replaced every 12 months.
  • In the bar area, three spray bottles had a blue liquid in them and were not labeled. Also in the bar area, a spray bottle with an orange liquid in it was found and was not labeled. In the ware washing area a hang on the hand washing sink, a spray bottle with blue liquid in it was not labeled. Hanging next to that one, was a bottle with an orange liquid and was not labeled.
  • In the bar area in the south side, on the bottom shelf, a spray bottle of glass cleaner, and a container of chlorine tablets were being stored next to an ice scoop as well as plastic food storage containers. No leakage was detected.

Taco Bell 1730 Vine, Hays – June 11

A courtesy inspection found five violations.

  • The inspector watched an employee dip tongs in the wash, rinse, sanitize of the three-vat sink. The tongs were not fully dried and then were used, on nacho fries. The fries went out for service.
  • An employee was using a white plastic bag to shake cinnamon twist. The inspector asked the employee to show him where the employee got the bag from. The employee showed the inspector the box, the box was labeled with “can liners”, the inspector then asked “do you use those same bags for the trash cans,” and the employee answered “yes.” Employee said that was how he was trained.
  • Two of eight plastic pans had cracks on the food contact surface.
  • Above the three-vat sink 8 plastic pans, stored as clean, had grease residue and or dried food build up on the food contact surface.  In the walk-in cooler, nine plastic pans had sticker residue on the food contact surface. Three of the nine also had dried food on the food contact surface.
  • In the back storage area by the soda machine hookups, on the top shelf (wire rack), a box of chemical degreaser was being stored above the soda pop boxes. No leakage was detected.

9th Street Diner 230 9th, Hays – June 10

A licensing inspection found no violations.


Lucky Buffet 2405 Vine, Hays – June 10

A follow-up inspection following an administrative order found one violation.

  • In the walk-in cooler, there was a container of crab rangoon mixture that did not have a date of when it was made. In the walk-in cooler and two-door refrigerator, there were containers of fully cooked chicken that did not have dates of when they were prepared.

McDonald’s 1201 Vine, Hays – June 10

A standardization inspection found seven violations.

  • The line cook was taking his daily temp log for the flat top cooking area (using a pen and paper) to record info. The cook then placed the items in their storage area and donned gloves. The cook then grabbed frozen chicken breast and placed them in the fryer. The cooked did not wash hands before donning gloves for food prep.
  • On the food prep line, a plastic container of melted butter did not have a time stamp sticker on it. The internal temp of the butter was 74 F, the butter was about half gone. On the service prep line, a plastic container with the southwest mixture (black beans, corn, and tomatoes) was without a time stamp.  In the front of house area, a plastic container of single serve butter did not have a time stamp on it. The internal temp of the single serve packages of butter was 69 F.
  • The test kit that is establishment had, expired in May of 2018. The establishment using quat sanitizer in the three-vat sink, the level that the sanitizer was tested at was 150 PPM.
  • The quat sanitizer in the three-vat sink tested at 150 PPM with dishes in it. The label called for a min. of 200 PPM.
  • In the back storage area for clean dishes, at least five different food storage containers had sticker residue on the food contact surface.
  • A line cook came to the back of the kitchen where the ware washing area is with the yoke break tongs and dipped them in the wash, rinse and sanitize. She did not leave them in the sanitizing water for a full 30 seconds.
  • In the old walk-in cooler, now used for storage, a pump sprayer had a purple liquid in it. The sprayer was not labeled.

Walgreens 2600 Vine, Hays – June 10

A routine inspection found one violation.

  • On the retail side of the establishment, there were 10 or more containers of shampoo that was being stored on a solid metal shelf directly above ten containers of infant bottles, four packages of spoons and three containers for baby foods. No evidence of leaking was observed.

Suspects still at large after ’79 Trans Am stolen in Scott City

SCOTT CITY — Police are seeking information on the theft of a 1979 Trans Am from a storage unit last week in Scott City.

The classic vehicle was recovered in Norton, but the suspect or suspects remain at large.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Scott City Police Department at (620) 872-2133.

Click below for more.

Commerce Parkway railroad crossing closed Tuesday

CITY OF HAYS

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, Commerce Parkway will be closed to through traffic at the Union Pacific railroad crossing for pavement repairs. Work should be complete and back open to traffic by the end of the same day.

If anyone has questions or concerns, contact the Hays Public Works Department at 785-628-7350.

Smoky Hill-Saline Regional Advisory Committee to meet in Salina

KWO

TOPEKA – The Kansas Water Office’s (KWO) Smoky Hill-Saline Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), which includes Ellis County, will have a meeting to discuss current water issues affecting the region as well as the state.

The meeting will be Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m., at the Salina Water Treatment Plant, 401 5th Street in Salina, Kansas. The agenda items will include updates on regional action plan related activities for the region as well as the current Kansas Water Authority budget recommendation development process.

The agenda and meeting materials can be found when available at www.kwo.ks.gov or you may request copies by calling 785-296-3185 or toll-free at 888-KAN-WATER (526-9283).

If accommodations are needed for a person with disabilities, please notify the Kansas Water Office at 900 SW Jackson Street, Suite 404, Topeka, KS 66611-1249 or call 785-296-3185 at least five working days prior to the meeting.

NW Kansas students earn spots on McPherson College honor roll

MCPHERSON — McPherson College, a four-year private college located in central Kansas, recognizes its highest academic achievers in its spring 2019 Honor Roll and Honorable Mention.

To qualify for the honor roll, students must be a full-time student and earn a grade point average of 3.55 or higher during the previous term. Students earning a grade point average of 3.25 to 3.54 are named to the honorable mention.

Northwest Kansas students making the list included:

Gove
Haelie Kniesteadt, Junior, Honorable Mention

Logan
Riley Allen, Freshman, Honor Roll

Oberlin
Naomi Cartmell, Junior, Honorable Mention

Osborne
Cullen Grabast, Junior, Honor Roll
Parkes Wolters, Senior, Honor Roll

Portis
Brandt Wolters, Senior, Honorable Mention

Prairie View
Makenzie Jansonius, Freshman, Honor Roll

Stockton
Justin Wiltfong, Senior, Honorable Mention

‘Layers’ exhibit opens at Deines Cultural Center Friday

DCC

RUSSELL – Opening Friday, June 21, 5-7 p.m., is the Deines Cultural Center’s summer art exhibition. “Layers” features six artists from or currently living in Russell, Kansas. The show includes acrylic, oil, and mixed media paintings by Bill Farmer, David Friday, and Shannon Trevethan, bronze sculpture by Matt Lyczak, and multimedia sculpture by Dustin Poche’.

“Layers” will be on display in the Deines Galleries from June 21 through August 16, 2019.

The Deines is open to the public Tuesday – Friday 12-5 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is always free to visit the galleries, and everyone is welcome.

The Deines is located at 820 North Main Street in Russell. Call 785-483-3742 for further information.

Former Hays-area couple returns to build child care center in Hays

Andrea and Nick Felder with their children, Rowen, Rhett and Remmi are pictured at the intersection of 22nd and Wheatland where they are working to build a new child care center that is scheduled to open in January next year.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Former Hays residents Nick and Andrea Felder wanted their young children to have the same childhood they did growing up around Hays so, after some planning, they developed the idea to open and run a child care center in the city.

Now that plan is in action.

The Bright Minds Academy will be located at the intersection of 22nd and Wheatland, with the over 4,000 square feet facility expected to open in January of next year.

The center will have the room for up to 55 children from as young as two weeks old up to six years old.

“Right now, plans have been submitted to the city,” Andrea said. “So we are waiting for approval from them to start building,”

Construction is currently planned to be completed by early December.

The building will start with four rooms — an infant room named Beaming Babies, a room for children 1-2 years old, named Cosmic Kids, a room for children 2-3 years-old, named Twinkling Tots, and for the older children a room named Shining Scholars.

Originally they hoped the center would be open near the end of this summer, but were delayed during the permitting process with the city.

“They didn’t make it too painful. It was just submitting the requests,” Nick said. “It’s a three-meeting process, and they only meet once a month.”

They were further delayed after having to restart the process after the second plot of land was purchased to accommodate required parking.

While the process took longer than they hoped, they credited local realtors, Adam Prey, owner of the Platinum Group, 116 E. 11th St. and David Spady, agent, with keeping the project rolling while they were still living in Topeka.

“They have helped us out a lot,” Nick said. “They definitely went the extra mile on just about everything without any prompting from us, they were all over it.”

Nick said Pray found the location that perfectly fit their plans.

“We wanted something on this side of town,” Andrea said.

“The family area is here,” Nick said.”The other center is on the other side of town, so it’s nice to have the balance there for people to have two different options, not right in the same place to take their kids too.”


A labor of love

“After we had kids, we thought it would be so nice if they could be around their grandparents all the time and it just worked out perfectly that we are from the area and can be by both families why wouldn’t we want to come back,” Andrea said. “We want to give our kids the same upbringing that we had.”

Andrea grew up in Victoria and Nick was raised on a farm near Cedar Bluff, later attending Thomas More Prep-Marion, 1701 Hall St.

The academy not only allows the Felders to be closer to their extended family, but they also hope it will be a boon for the area and hope to partner with other business in the area in the future to provide child care to as an employee benefit.

“We are all in on this project,” Andrea said. “This is important to us, just from a personal standpoint, to provide care for people that need it because it is hard to find good quality care, so it’s become our personal mission to do as much as we can.”

In Topeka, both Nick and Andrea worked for Blue Cross, and while Andrea is still in her position, Nick is working in the Topeka daycare their children go to in order to fulfill a six-month experience requirement by the state to open their center.

“I used to take them to daycare and drop them off and go back to my job, now I just stay there,” Nick said.

“I didn’t know what to expect starting out, but it has definitely solidified the decision for me,” he said. “It’s made me more passionate about it.”

Andrea has an accounting background and Nick has an industrial engineering background.

Both have completed Masters’ of Business Administration degrees and see early education as a cornerstone of academic success.

“All of the programs will be education based,” Nick said. “That’s what our kids get and we see how much they are learning.”

Faith-based learning is also something the Felders’ believe strongly in and plan to incorporate that in their center.

“We are going to touch on Christian based faith as well,” Andrea said. “We think that is important.”

“Nobody is going to be forced to say anything, but it’s nice to participate if that is their background.”

Nick added, their goal is not to push religion, but rather to share with children the midwestern morals and values they grew up with.


Daycare vs. child care centers

While there are daycare centers peppered throughout the city, the Bright Minds academy will be classified as a child care center — only the second to be opened in Hays, the other being the Hays Area Children’s Center, 94 Lewis Dr.

“The regulations between a child care center and a daycare are completely different,” Andrea said. “You are getting a lot of different types of care at a center.”

“We are held to a little bit higher expectations as far as curriculum and education,” Nick said.

The staff to child ratio is also typically a lot lower in a child care center.

“Your child is getting more supervision, one teacher is not watching as many children in a center,” Andrea said.

The academy will also have a full day preschool.

“That’s kind of rare,” Andrea said.

While the academy will be open year-round, they plan to follow a typical nine-month school calendar for the preschool.

During the summer months, Nick said the learning will be a little less formalized, with a focus on exploration play, rather than curriculum.

Every staff member will be required to do safety training, including safe sleep practices, emergency preparedness, food handling.

“There are a lot of things that are common sense, when you go through those trainings, but there is also a lot of things that you haven’t thought about in a long time, or you didn’t know that exact way you are supposed to do it, so it irons out a lot of those details for people that might not be 100 percent confident in some of those things,” Nick said.

The center will also incorporate a live video feed parents can access at any time, something the Felders’ appreciate at their children’s current facility along with secure access.

“It provides extra piece of mind,” Nick said.

They will also utilize an app that will give daily tracking information, including naps, food, diapers, and educational activities.

As a full day child care center they plan to offer two snacks and a meal daily on a five-week rotating schedule.

They will prepare meals on site, with the goal of the programs director handling meals an experience Nick has received during his training.

The academy is currently accepting applications for staff as well as children, although infant spots are already full.

Applications can be sent via email with the address located on their facebook page.

“It’s all organic so far,” Nick said, “We sent up a backend end sales phone number for people to learn more about our facility and secure a spot by making a one-week deposit that will be credit back to their care once they start.”

As they prepare to open they will also be taking donations of any lightly used toys.

“The more stuff we can get from parents that don’t want it anymore…that’s just more we can provide to the kids sooner,” Nick said.

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