At 5:36 a.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Mission Mount for a female gunshot victim call. The female died at the scene.

Officers are investigating the incident, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations Crime Scene Unit has been called in to assist. Officers will be working in the area. The scene is secure, and the neighborhood is safe.

“However, we are asking the general public to avoid the area to allow the officers to work,” the HPD said in a news rleease. “Names are not being released as this is an ongoing investigation. No further information will be released at this time.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Hays’ Wednesday overnight low temperature, 12 degrees, matching a record set in 1993, according to the K-State Ag Research Center.

Wednesday’s high only hit 26 degrees.

Only three years ago on Oct. 30, Hays set a record high of 92 degrees.

Although temperatures are forecast to climb throughout the day to a high of 44, it is still forecast to be quite cold for trick-or-treaters tonight. Skies are forecast to be clear with a low of 20.

Sunset will be at 6:36 p.m. with temperatures falling into the 30s through the evening.

Hays received a 0.2 inches of snow this week. Total moisture for the month has been 1.48 inches. Total year-to-date moisture is 28.37 inches, compared to a year-to-date average of 21.26 inches.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

After failing to come to a contract agreement during federal mediation, the Hays USD 489 school board and Hays NEA have moved on to a fact-finding process.

The compensation package, specifically health insurance is the stumbling block in the negotiations.

“The compensation package is the difficult issue,” Mike Walker, board president, said. “The board had proposed a compensation package addressing both a salary increase and an adjustment to the health benefits package. Hays NEA has stated that they would like to consider each item separately.”

Walker said the board wants to provide a total compensation package to teachers and staff that increases base salaries and addressed the benefit package.

“We hope to reach agreement on the total compensation package soon so that employees will have time review their salary increases and any adjustments to the health benefits package before open-enrollment the following year,” he said.

RELATED: Teachers, Hays USD 489 locked in dispute over wages, insurance

The district had proposed setting a specific amount it pays toward family plans instead of a percentage. It currently pays about 83 percent. The district proposed continuing to pay 100 percent for single plans.

The district proposed capping the amount the district pays for dependent plans at $1,000. Having a set amount the district pays for dependent insurance rather than a percentage would help the district in setting its annual budget, the board contends. The district proposed the change in the insurance take affect next year.

Kim Schneweis, Hays NEA board president, said Tuesday night via email the major issues keeping teachers  from an agreement are health insurance and salary.

“Less than two years ago, the school board left the state employee’s Blue Cross & Blue Shield  insurance plan and chose Aetna,” she said. “The school board said they would find a plan that was the same or better than our Blue Cross plan, but the new plans are worse. The school board wants to cap how much they pay toward health insurance, starting in the 2020-2021 school year.”

She continued, “The teachers have serious concerns about the new insurance plan, especially the $3,500 deductible. Our previous deductible was $1,000, so that was a 250 percent increase. Teachers are paying more out-of-pocket for their health care due to the large deductible.

“Some are neglecting health care because they cannot afford the $3,500 deductible up front. We hesitate to agree to a cap on the premium when we already had a recent and dramatic increase in deductible. We also see no reason to rush this decision because health insurance premiums for the district did not increase this year.”

On the issue of salary, Schneweis said the district has received $1.3 million in new money this year from Topeka.

“The governor and legislators passed this finance bill with the expressed intent to increase teacher salaries and classroom funding,” she said. “Kansas teacher salaries lag behind in our nation, ranking around No. 40. The salary proposals from our school board this year are not proportionate with the new money sent from Topeka.

“The school board won’t agree to salary increases for the 2019-2020 school year unless we agree to reducing our insurance benefit for 2020-2021. In a year the legislators moved a mountain to increase teacher salaries, we feel frustrated our school board isn’t willing to pass on our intended share.”

 Schneweis said the teachers have offered numerous times to work with the school board to explore options for health insurance. She said the teachers support using a committee of all stakeholders to find the best option.

“Our last big insurance change was rushed and resulted in employees struggling with large increases in health care costs,” she said. “If we are going to consider changes to our insurance benefit, we do not want to rush the decision. We also do not want to negotiate insurance for the 2020-2021 school year, while we still have no contract for 2019-2020.”

 Schneweis said she did not know how long the fact-finding process could take, but it could be lengthy. She added the delay in reaching a contract agreement is creating a hardship for teachers.

“Currently, 11 weeks into the school year, teachers still do not have a contract for this year, and do not know their salary for certain,” she said. “When the new finance bill was finally passed, teachers were optimistic things would improve, so we are disappointed that the school board wants to further reduce benefits. We certainly have teachers who spent money on college hours with the expectation they would move on the pay scale.”

Schneweis said she thought the district needs to improve pay and benefits to retain and attract quality teachers.

 “It is a hardship for our current teachers, but the long-term effects on our district are hard to determine,” she said. “It’s hard to measure the effect of a promising new teacher choosing to go to another district or different career, or a seasoned professional retiring early due to stagnant pay.

“When we create hardships for our teachers, we create hardships for our students, because their working conditions are the student’s learning conditions. We want the best for our students. Teachers would rather be preparing for their students than rushing off to a second or third job. Students are at the center of everything we do, and they deserve well-rested teachers who feel appreciated and supported.”

This is the second year in the row the school board and teachers union have come to an impasse during negotiations.

Further attempts were made during mediation to end the impasse, but as that was not a public session, Walker said he did not wish to disclose that information at this time.

“The board hopes to end the impasse and the board and Hays NEA will agree on a total compensation package,” he said.

Walker also said he did not know how long the fact-finding process might make.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Although he’s never held public office, Ryan Rymer knows leadership.

Rymer is an ER nurse at Russell Regional Hospital and a longtime Army nurse reservist with a unit in Topeka. He’s held various leadership positions including company commander.

“I’ve had some challenging roles put upon me that I think I did fairly well at,” Rymer says. “Leadership, and certainly having a military background, gives me a set of tenets and beliefs that I think translate well.”

Living on 37th Street, Rymer initially became interested in running for a seat on the Hays city commission when he learned the North Vine Street Corridor Improvement project could impact his residential neighborhood.

“It seems a little excessive but hopefully there’s some wiggle room where we can get some compromises and actually come up with some good solutions that benefit both the citizens of the neighborhoods and the business proprietors in Hays.”

But what really compelled Rymer to run, he says, was the interaction he had with the city commission when he presented a petition with 200 signatures in May.

“We thought it was a good move forward and they might have a positive reaction and possibly hear alternative plans. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears.

“We were berated by some city leaders, mocked by others, and I felt those weren’t the qualities of a leader that this city deserves. I realized I’ve got the qualities that I think can do better than that.”

Rymer and his wife Alicia, an occupational therapist at HaysMed, have two children. Garrett is a freshman at Fort Hays State University and Audrey is a Hays High freshman.

The family moved from Wichita to Hays in 1997. Rymer, 45, has never looked back. “It’s a great place to raise children,” he says, “and hopefully with those who came before me offering sage advice, we can make good things happen for the city of Hays.”

One of those good things would be more affordable housing, according to Rymer.

“I think if we’re going to attract people to move to Hays, whether it be incoming businesses, a distributorship, maybe even retail, that they would want their employees to have a good availability of housing.

“Retail sales, I think, will be largely dependent upon population and growing economy.”

The city’s general fund is primarily funded by a retail sales tax.

Rymer believes attracting jobs to Hays that pay higher wages along with more affordable housing will “give more people the option to go out and spend money, putting money back into our economy that Hays so direly needs.”

The top two city commission candidates will serve for four years, while the third-place vote-getter will serve for two years.

Advanced voting is underway. The election is Nov. 5.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran., R-Kan., recently announced the addition of Sharon Springs native and Fort Hays State University alum James Robben to his staff to serve as a district representative based in the Hays office. Robben – one of Sen. Moran’s three First Congressional District representatives – will serve as a liaison with community leaders, local government officials and businesses and provide assistance for Kansans seeking help with federal agencies.

“James has a strong understanding of northwest Kansas, a vast background in agriculture and a deep commitment to his community,” Moran said. “As our district representative in Hays, James will ensure northwest and central Kansans who request assistance with federal agencies are provided guidance and helped in a timely fashion. I have no doubt that James will be an asset to my staff as we continue working to serve the great people of Kansas.”

Robben graduated from Wallace County High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Fort Hays State University in 2015. Following graduation, he worked at Carrico in Hays.

Robben is a member of St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church in Hays, Hays Rotary Club and serves as chair of the Hays Area Young Professionals Advisory Council. James and his wife Kaitlin (Fabrizius) live in Hays, where Kaitlin is a registered nurse at Hays Medical Center.

— Office of Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.

The American Red Cross is partnering with the Russell Rotary Civic Organization and the Russell Fire Department, to install free smoke alarms to those who register.

“I can’t think of a better way for a community like Russell to come together and host a Home Fire Campaign to install free smoke alarms for the families of their town,” said Deb Tucker, Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross.

Dustin Smith, Community Bank President of UMB Bank and Rotary Club member, said he learned about the “Sound the Alarm” event through the partnership Rotary Rescue has with the Red Cross. The Rotary Rescue is a group of volunteers within the Russell Rotary Club. They serve as first responders in the event of a fire or natural disaster to provide Red Cross services to the families and first responders. The group has seen first-hand the devastation fires cause and wants to do what it can to prevent the unthinkable from happening in the Russell community. Dustin states this will be the first “Sound the Alarm” event and wants to schedule more in the future. The Russell Fire Department does install “one off” alarm requests as needed through their partnership with the Red Cross.

“As Rotary Rescue volunteers, we have provided comfort to dozens of families over the years at a time when they were at their worst,” Smith said. “The toughest part of any response is when there are children living in the home. Thankfully the Red Cross provides comfort packs including a stuffed Mickey Mouse for children. Through all the devastation and heartache I have witnessed and families endure, the one thing that always sticks with me is the smile on a child’s face when we give them a stuffed Mickey Mouse.”

Smith said the Russell Rotary Club is vry appreciative of the support it has received from the Red Cross and the Russell Fire Department to bring the event to Russell.

“The partnership between the Red Cross and both Russell Rotary Club and the Russell Fire Department has been phenomenal over the last couple of years,” Tucker said. “With this partnership, we are now able to install free smoke alarms on Nov. 3, which will help people prevent and respond to home fires which will ultimately save lives. That is what this campaign is all about — saving lives.”

There are still alarms available for the Nov. 3 event. Russell residents can call 211 or visit Getasmokealarm.org to register.

— Submitted

Trick or Treat on the Bricks runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Participating businesses will open their doors to children of all ages for a safe trick-or-treating experience.

Click HERE for more.