During the 2019 Nicodemus Chautauqua several paintings, originals and prints will be on display by local artist Mike Boss.
Boss resides in Hill City and has spent years painting scenes from the railroad past. Boss was mentored by artist Jack Lynnwood from Los Angeles, who painted many posters for Hollywood and for the Northrop Corporation.
Boss also is a base player, with training from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and K-State.He has played with Hays Symphony and other venues around the state.
Most of Mike’s prints can be seen in area banks, libraries and businesses.His love for the railroad and its impact on Kansas is depicted in his many railroad paintings.His 2007 painting titled, “Sunset on an Era UP U23 at Hill City, KS,”of Union Pacific engine 247 coming into Hill City graces the cover of the recent railroad book, “Union Pacific’s Plainville Branch,”by Larry Dilts of Colby.
The National Park Service and the Nicodemus Historical Society are sponsoring the event and will include Boss’ exhibit from May 20 to June 1 at the Visitor Center.
The Nicodemus Chautauqua will be noon to 5 p.m. May 25 in Nicodemus. The event is titled “Steel Wheels, Steel Rails and Hell on Wheels” and will discuss the railroad bypassing the community.
Sunny, with a high near 69. Northwest wind 9 to 16 mph.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. East wind 7 to 16 mph.
Monday
Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 54. East northeast wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Monday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 1am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 51. East wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 24 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 81.
Wednesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81.
The Downtown Hays Market is set to open Saturday, May 25 with much of your favorite produce and products.
The market will be open from 7:30 to 11 a.m. every Saturday through October in the Union Pacific Plaza Pavilion, 10th and Main, Hays.
Sara Bloom, Downtown Hays Development Corp. executive director, said the market set a record last year with almost 80 vendors and the market is hoping to exceed that this year.
“Last year was our biggest year to date for the market,” Bloom said. “We credit a lot of that to our wonderful new downtown pavilion. It has changed the whole atmosphere and feel of the event. It has really created that gathering place that we were striving for. We are excited for that to continue to play an integral part in the Downtown Hays Market and continue to see this program grow.”
About 40 percent of those vendors in 2018 were not local, but came from across the state.
“People can expect a wide variety of products at the Downtown Hays Market,” Bloom said. “A lot of people come looking for fresh produce, which we absolutely have, but I think they are surprised at the variety of vendors when they get there.
“You can purchase custom T-shirts. You can purchase leather earrings. You can purchase crocheted water balloons. We have people who are serving coffee and breakfast. We have cheesecakes, and every item you can possibly imagine can be found at the Downtown Hays Market.”
The market does not turn vendors away. There is no fee for vendors nor maximum or minimum markets in which vendors must participate. You can find more on becoming a vendor on the DHDC website.
The market again this year will have theme days, including opportunities for non-profits to interact with the public, Master Gardener events, and markets with activities for children. The Girl Scouts featured a booth with education about sex trafficking at a past market and another themed day featured photos with pets.
“We are looking for anything that will make the market stand out, make it a little bit more special and specifically make it a fun place for families to gather on any given Saturday,” Bloom said.
Coffee will be offered free again this year and will be provided by Hays business, Black Label.
Starting June 1, Downtown Hays Market will be offering an online store. Each vendor will be able to stock one item in the store, such as earrings, jam or an ornament. Customers can order online and have the product or products shipped directly to them or to someone as a gift. Gift boxes for multiple items will be available.
Customers will also be able to purchase market-branded items, such as T-shirts and bags.
“We really feel this will be a popular addition to the website,” Bloom said, “and it gives people the opportunity to give gifts to their loved ones from Kansas, from their home they love. We have a lot of visitors who come in, and they are only able to shop once and wish they could do more. Well, now they can.”
DHDC will handle shipping and handling for the online market store. The vendors will keep the proceeds from their items that are sold. For more information on this program, contact the DHDC. The online store will be a part of the new DHDC website.
DHDC will again sponsor the Bargains on the Bricks sidewalk sale. This year it will be Saturday, July 27.
Vendors do not have to be a Downtown Hays Market vendor or a downtown business to participate. Cost for a booth is $75. A reduced rate is available for market vendors. Non-profits can participate in Bargains on the Bricks free of charge.
BARTON COUNTY — Three people were injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Saturday in Barton County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Chevy pickup driven by Brian T. Moeder, 45, Great Bend, was eastbound on U.S. 56 seven miles southwest of Great Bend.
The driver lost control of the pickup when it hydroplaned. It crossed into westbound lanes and struck a 2004 Ford pickup driven by Randall S. Parker, 54, Larned. Both vehicles came to rest in the North ditch.
Moeder, Parker and a passenger in the Ford Traci L. Coulson, 51, Larned were transported to the hospital in Great Bend. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
As strong storms rolled across the state Friday night one area resident captured video of a tornado on the ground near Dodge City on Highway 54 between Bucklin and Minneola.
In response to a request made by the city of Hays, the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources has issued a control order restricting the watering of lawns and other vegetation from private wells between noon and 7:00 p.m. from June 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019.
Currently, the city of Hays prohibits the following year-round:
Washing down of sidewalks, parking lots and driveways
Known loss of water through breaks or leaks in plumbing systems
Escape of water from private property onto public property such as sidewalks or into the street guttering from landscape irrigation
Outdoor water use between noon and 7:00 p.m. from June 1 through September 30
By RANDY GONZALES FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Thanks to the Virtual College at Fort Hays State University, Josh Fitkin is still learning while he is teaching.
As part of his course work, Fitkin has already passed on lessons he has learned to his students when he was teaching in Iowa and also to fellow educators in Canada, where he now lives.
Fitkin, through Fort Hays State, is already having an impact on people’s lives with his degree.
“As a working teacher, I could use activities that I was doing in class at Fort Hays State, I would use it in school,” Fitkin said of his teaching days in Iowa.
Distance learning through the Virtual College enabled Fitkin to achieve his career goal.
“I could not attend university in Canada,” Fitkin said. “No problem. I’m at Fort Hays State. I can take classes anywhere in the world. That’s the beauty of the distance learning program.”
Fitkin plans to walk across the stage at Saturday morning’s commencement exercises in Gross Memorial Coliseum after flying into Kansas from Canada just hours earlier. He will earn a master’s degree in instructional technology, part of the Advanced Education Programs Department in the College of Education.
An Iowa native, Fitkin moved his family to Canada about 11 months ago so his wife, a Canadian, could be closer to home. He had already started his online master’s program at FHSU and put the final touches on it just this week.
Since moving to Canada, Fitkin is waiting for the final paperwork for the work visa that will allow him to teach north of the border. In the meantime, his wife, Ruthann, is a substitute teacher, and he drives a shuttle car for a local car dealership in Trenton, Ontario. As part of his Fort Hays State online education, Fitkin was required to teach a professional development session with Canadian teachers.
“I was able to bring to them material that they had never heard of,” Fitkin said. “Again, Fort Hays is educating other teachers through their students. In a way, we’re impacting teachers and students in Canada.”
Fitkin’s advisor, Dr. Suzanne Becking, said the instructional technology master’s option is a popular online degree.
“It’s a degree that has been really well-received by teachers, people who have realized that the future for their students is in knowing and understanding some of our technologies out there,” Becking said. “The program itself is instructional technology. The focus is on instruction, not necessarily the technology or the devices. How do you use the technology to get at student learning?”
That is why Fitkin was looking for a master’s degree in the first place. His school in Iowa was buying laptops for each student, so he thought he should learn how to teach social studies and history while using that technology. Fitkin researched schools across the country before deciding on Fort Hays State. The lower cost of getting his degree at FHSU was a consideration, as was the fact he could do the entire program online.
“The master’s program was like thousands of dollars less than at my alma mater,” Fitkin said. “The thing that really made it possible was I never once had to step foot on campus as part of my program. A lot of other universities, even if they have an online program, you have to go there in the summer time for three weeks, something like that. Fort Hays State was completely off campus. I could be at home working from my recliner.”
Once his visa paperwork clears, Fitkin will again be working as an educator in Canada. Fort Hays State’s online degree will have furthered his career.
“With the master’s degree, I will be higher on the pay scale,” Fitkin said. “I also will be considered a highly qualified candidate as opposed to just a qualified candidate. It makes me more employable and gives me more opportunities.”
First, however, was the opportunity to walk across the stage for graduation. Fitkin, who struggled academically at the start of his college experience 20 years ago, has come full circle and will graduate from Fort Hays State with a 4.0 grade-point average. Even though his wife and two young children could not attend, Fitkin was determined to be part of commencement.
“It’s really a big deal for me,” said the 40-year-old Fitkin. “Having flunked out of college, I really wanted to walk, and I accomplished this. It’s going to be a little surreal to go through it. I am glad I am doing it.”
TOPEKA – Widespread spring rains haven’t dampened the outdoor spirit at Kansas state parks, although there will be impacts to some park facilities in eastern Kansas. However, many state parks in the western portion of the state were mostly unaffected by the rainy weather and are open and ready to welcome visitors. They include Wilson, Meade, Cedar Bluff, Glen Elder, Lovewell, Prairie Dog,Webster, Sand Hills and Historic Lake Scott state parks.
Most state parks in the eastern half of Kansas report that campsite and cabin rental opportunities remain even though some facilities in low-lying areas are not usable, such as campgrounds, boat ramps, courtesy docks, beaches and access roads. The campgrounds and cabins at Clinton State Park are on high ground and are open for visitors, although boat ramps and the beach are closed.
Many state parks are located adjacent to federal reservoirs, some of which are holding water to mitigate downstream flooding. As a result, rising water levels can overrun shoreline areas, including wildlife areas. State fishing lakes do not store water for flood control, so they are largely unaffected by rising water. Crawford State Park in southeast Kansas surrounds a state fishing lake, so that park has been unaffected by flooding.
At affected parks, staff are happy to work with visitors to change their reservations to a dry campsite if available, arrange for another date in the future, provide a gift card good for a future stay or issue a refund. Park staff remind visitors to never drive around barricades into floodwaters. Just like driving on streets and highways, the mantra, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” also applies to state park roads.
Many state parks have special events planned for the weekend prior to the Memorial Day holiday, so there is plenty for park goers to do. Visitors are encouraged to call park offices for up-to-date information and campsite availability for the holiday weekend before setting out on their trip.
PRATT – Three-hundred and fifty students from across Kansas aimed to prove their archery skills at the 10th Annual State Archery in the Schools Tournament at Blythe Family Fitness Center in Pratt on March 30.
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism staff, alongside members of the Kansas Bowhunters Association (KBA), erected the tournament’s 20-foot archery range the day prior. The set-up was complete with a 200-foot safety curtain – a purchase made possible last year thanks to a $3,000 district grant courtesy of the Pratt Rotary Club.
Archers shot for individual and team honors, and the opportunity to compete at the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) competition. Divisions include Elementary School (grades 4-5), Middle School (grades 6-8), and High School (grades 9-12).
How It Works
Each competitor shot 30 arrows over two rounds. Rounds consist of fifteen arrows from 10 meters and fifteen arrows from 15 meters. A bullseye scores 10 points, so a perfect score would be 300. A team is made up of 12-24 shooters, and the team score is the sum of the top 12 scores.
Following the last flight, a “Senior Scholarship Shoot-off” took place where high school seniors shot 15 arrows at 15 meters to compete for scholarship money. First place winners, each receiving a $1,000 scholarship, were Nathanael Godsell of Heritage Academy and Shelby Hettenbach of Chapman High School. These top tier scholarship donations were made possible by the KBA, The Peoples Bank in Pratt and NASP®. Second place winners, each netting a $500 scholarship, were Trenton Jones and Bailey Julian, both from Pittsburg High School. The donations for 2nd place scholarship awards were donated by Dakota Holtgrieve – Edward Jones in Pratt, Eagle Sportz and NASP®.
Participating Schools
Archers hailed from 22 schools, including: Chaparral High School, Chapman Middle School, Chapman High School, Clay Center Community Middle School, Clay Center Garfield Elementary, Clearwater High School, Clearwater Middle School, Dodge City High School, Dodge City Central Elementary, Douglass High School, Greeley County Schools, Heritage Academy, Maize High School, Pittsburg High School, Pratt High School, Riverton High School, Service Valley Charter Academy, Southeast Junior High School, Tyro Christian School, Wakefield High School, Wakefield Middle School, and Warriors Archery.
Construction is finished and now NCK Technical College, 2205 Wheatland, is getting ready to sell a custom-built house at public auction at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, for the first time in four years.
The project was overseen by Doug Marrs, NCK instructor of construction and cabinet making, once again this year.
Almost all aspects of the custom-built home — from design to finishing — were completed by NCK Tech students under the watchful eye of Marrs, who served as the general contractor on the project.
“It is a pretty good-sized home,” he said.
With the two cantilevers, the three-bedroom, three-bath house measures 1,960 square feet and was built to specifications of the latest International Resident Code.
“This house could be moved anywhere in Kansas,” Marrs said, adding it likely would be able to be moved to other states by the winning bidders.
The house was built to be extremely energy efficient, with an abundance of insulation and low-wattage lighting.
Insulation installed in the walls and attic goes far beyond minimum requirements.
“So this house is super-insulated, with very little air infiltration,” Marrs said. “Turn on every light in this house on, let it run 24 hours, it might cost you a quarter. Half a breaker is all it takes to run the lights.”
The usage of the urethane foam was one of only two aspects of the build that were not completed by the students, due to the specialized equipment needed and time constraint.
The trusses were brought in from a local company as a way to save time on the project as well as allowing the project to skip the building certification process that would be required in Hays when building trusses.
With the completion of construction last Friday, the house is ready for the move and to be plugged into its new location, with power and water fully functional inside the house and heating and air conditioning duct work in place.
“This house is pressure checked,” Marrs said. “Everything on this level works.”
Completely ready to go, the house utilizes some of the best materials along with side high-tech touches.
“All the cabinetry is done in solid cherry. There are not too many houses that have solid cherry cabinetry,” Marrs said. “There is 1,300 square feet of solid cherry in this house.”
Several pieces of the kitchen cabinets are integrated in a way that could not be purchased and gives the area a unique design.
“It gives it a lot more character and is prettier that way,” Marrs said.
While he approves of the features put into the house, Marrs points out almost all aspects of the build are specified by his students.
“In essence, when it comes down to it, is not my house. It is their house, and they will take possession of it,” he said.
The project started with 14 students coming up with individual plans.
“From there, the students all get together and make a determination as to which plan they like,” Marrs said.
They then take all the elements from the plans they like and combine them into the final plan for the house.
“That is how we end up with a floor plan that is buildable and sellable,” Marrs said.
While the house was built using classic materials, giving it a unique look, the students included some high-tech features.
“We are a tech college, so we try to throw in some of the new and more innovative things that are out there in the industry today,” Marrs said.
Some of the features of the house included a fireplace integrated into the living room with a drop-down television mount above the mantel, another television mount in the ceiling of the master bedroom, Bluetooth connected bathroom lights and a ring doorbell.
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Funds from the sale are used to cover the cost of the materials and taxes, with the intention of the project being, at minimum, revenue neutral.
Any profit from the sale will go back into the college.
“The whole intent is to sell this for what we have got into the materials, so we can go back next year and do the same thing over,” Marrs said.
Monetary concerns aside, the entire project must also fit into the academic school year, giving the students approximately eight months to complete the house.
“We don’t let any grass grow on our feet, because we do not have time,” Marrs said.
While the only reward for the fast and furious work is course credit, he believes it gives the students a leg up in the job market.
“A lot of businesses and business owners know that coming out of this school they have some background, they are not green off the street,” Marrs said.
That experience, he feels, is invaluable for his students as they enter the job market.
“Technical education is on the increase and has been for the last four or five years. It will continue, we are so far short on people,” Marrs said. “This is probably the best learning situation you can have when it comes to house building.”
There are not many schools left in the state that build a full house, he added, with most teaching individual construction elements on a modular basis.
“This is the real deal. You make a mistake, you will have to fix it, you will have to deal with it in the end, just like you would out there in the real world,” he said. “We feel there is nothing that compares to it.”
The Honors College at Fort Hays State has selected 42 new students for the 2019-20 academic year.
“The new, incoming 2019-20 class of the FHSU Honors College truly represents the best of the best,” said Matt Means, director of the Honors College. “These 42 individuals bring to the university a vast array of prior accomplishment; they have amassed a significant collection of leadership and academic successes that portend extraordinary futures at FHSU and beyond.”
“The Honors College set a new record for number of applications received this year, maintained a 90-percent yield rate among those accepted, and will grow to a total program size of around a hundred this fall,” he said.
“These new students are joining a program of great strength and will become part of an ethos that has established a high bar of success,” said Means.
The college offers three exclusive scholarships: The Regents Scholarship, the Tier 1 Scholarship and the Tier 2 Scholarship, all of which are renewable for three additional years.
The Regents Scholarship covers full tuition and fees up to 18 credit hours, room and board and includes $450 per semester for books. The Tier 1 Scholarship provides students with $4,000 for tuition and $6,000 for room and board. The Tier 2 Scholarship provides students with $3,500 for tuition and $3,200 for room and board.
New members are listed alphabetically by hometown. The list does not include students who requested privacy.
ALMENA (67622): Micah Kasson, an incoming freshman majoring in graphic design, is a 2019 Norton High School graduate.
ANDOVER (67002): Hannah Wiebe, an incoming freshman majoring in psychology, is a 2019 Andover Central High School graduate.
BELOIT (67420): Autumn Sneath, a sophomore majoring in general science, is a 2018 Beloit High School graduate. BOGUE (67625): Seth Thompson, an incoming freshman majoring in general science, is a 2009 Hill City High School graduate.
BOULDER, Colo. (80303): Reilly Madden, an incoming freshman majoring in communication sciences and disorders, is a 2019 Boulder High School graduate. COLBY (67701): Isabel Rosales, a sophomore majoring in biology, is a 2017 Colby High School graduate.
CONCORDIA (66901): Grace Carder, an incoming freshman majoring in art education, is a 2019 Concordia High School graduate.
Kali Harvey, a freshman majoring in radiologic technology, is a 2018 Concordia High School graduate.
GREAT BEND (67530): Kaitlin Adams, a sophomore majoring in management, is a 2017 Great Bend High School graduate. HAYS (67601): Kallie Leiker, an incoming freshman majoring in chemistry, is a 2019 Hays High School graduate.
Rebekah Porter, an incoming freshman majoring in accounting, is a 2019 Hays High School graduate.
HOUSTON, Texas (77084): Franklin Solorio, a freshman majoring in marketing, is a 2018 Mayde Creek High School graduate. HOXIE (67740): Brynn Niblock, a sophomore majoring in biology, is a 2017 Hoxie High School graduate.
LAWRENCE (66049): Lydia Wood, an incoming freshman majoring in psychology, is a 2019 Lawrence Free State High School graduate.
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (64082): Lily Flint, an incoming freshman majoring in nursing, is a 2019 Lee’s Summit West High School graduate.
LYONS (67457): Brady Stephenson, a sophomore majoring in finance, is a 2019 Little River High School and Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science graduate.
McPHERSON (67460): Ashley Achilles, an incoming freshman majoring in management, is a 2019 McPherson High School graduate.
OLATHE (66062): Natalie Miller, a freshman majoring in political science, is a 2018 Olathe South High School graduate.
OMAHA, Neb (68137): Tanner Lukowski, an incoming freshman majoring in management, is a 2019 V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School graduate.
PRATT (67124): Jorja Elliott, a freshman majoring in biology, is a 2019 Pratt High School and Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science graduate.
PRETTY PRAIRIE (67570): James Budge, an incoming freshman majoring in marketing, is a 2019 Haven High School graduate. RUSSELL (67665): Alexia Charbonneau, a sophomore majoring in biology, is a 2017 Russell High School graduate.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (78258): Daniel Huantes, an incoming freshman majoring in physics, is a 2019 Ronald Reagan High School graduate. SCOTT CITY (67871): Brenda Aguirre-Apodaca, a sophomore majoring in biology, is a 2018 Scott Community High School graduate.
SHARON SPRINGS (67758): Hayley Pierce, an incoming freshman majoring in psychology, is a 2019 Wallace County High School graduate.
STERLING, Colo. (80751): Jordan Matthews, an incoming freshman majoring in chemistry, is a 2019 Merino High School graduate.
STILWELL (66085): Kimberly Stone, a freshman majoring in political science, is a 2018 Stanford University Online High School graduate.
TONGANOXIE (66086): Rose Reilly, an incoming freshman majoring in biology, is a 2019 Lawrence Virtual High School graduate.
WAMEGO (66547): Caden Moore, an incoming freshman majoring in political science, is a 2018 Wamego High School graduate.
WASHINGTON (66968): Malari L’Ecuyer, an incoming freshman majoring in music, is a 2019 Washington County High School graduate.
WHITE CITY (66872): Jamie Beck, an incoming freshman majoring in chemistry, is a 2019 White City High School graduate.
WICHITA (67230): Isabelle Reynolds, a sophomore majoring in biology, is a 2018 Andover High School graduate.
WICHITA (67211): Megan Roth, a sophomore majoring in social work, is a 2017 Wichita East High School graduate.
Today
