Beginning Saturday, April 27th, 41st Street east of Home Depot in Hays will be closed to through traffic for construction.
Construction is expected to be complete by the end of July. Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public.
Motorists should use caution in these areas. The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350 or the contractor, Paul-Wertenberger Construction, at 785-625-8220.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television’s local program, The Kansas Legislature, will be hosted by Jay Steinmetz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science from the Department of Political Science from FHSU.
Our guests will be State Representatives Don Hineman of the 118th District, Troy Waymaster of the 109th District, and Susan Concannon of the 107th District. Tune in April 26 at 7 p.m., and call in with your legislative questions.
The show airs during the legislative session, which gives the legislators and viewers the opportunity to discuss up-to-date issues. During the program, viewers can call 800.337.4788 with their legislative questions.
The Kansas Legislature will air on Fridays at 7 p.m. To find a list of legislators that might be on the show each week, go to www.shptv.org where you will find the 2019 season schedule.
WeishaarRESTON, Va. — Annie Weishaar, a member of the Phillipsburg High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Chapter, has been selected to receive one of just 14 scholarships of the 2019 FCCLA Japanese Exchange, sponsored by the Kikkoman Corp. and FCCLA.
The exchange scholarship, worth more than $11,000, is for the FCCLA members to travel to Japan for four to six weeks as an exchange student.
“Part of the application included writing many different essays explaining my interest in studying in Japan, as well as my ideas about what I could contribute to the program. I also had to interview over Skype,” Weishaar said. “I am excited to be dropped into a culture with other students my age and get the opportunity to use the language I have been learning.
Heather Werner with Jeremy Werner, Kylee Shae and Brandon Werner at Craig Hospital. Courtesy photo
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The Plainville community has rallied around a local family who experience two tragedies in the matter of three months.
Plainville native Brandon Werner, the son of Rick and Karen Werner, was in a car accident near his home in Colorado. He was thrown about 90 feet from the vehicle and received a severe head injury, said family friend Rhonda Wolf. Brandon suffered two strokes, which left him partially paralyzed on his left side. He has also experienced difficulty with his speech.
Brandon, who is in his 30s, had no insurance, so his mother and father moved to Colorado to care for him.
Friends conducted a series of fundraisers for the family, including a soup supper that raised more than $7,700 in two hours.
“The Plainville community has been totally amazing,” Wolf said. “They sure come out like crazy to help their people.”
On March 23, Jeremy — Brandon’s younger brother — was in involved in a multiple motorcycle crash in Atlanta at the American Flat Track Races. He was paralyzed from the chest down. Jeremy is currently in rehab at Craig Hospital in Colorado, about an hour and a half from his brother.
The doctors are unsure of what Jeremy’s final prognosis will be.
He has a bruised spinal cord that has been labeled a “complete” injury. Spinal cord injuries take six months to a year to heal.
“He has regained stable sensation in his right ankle, so time will tell, but the family and community are hopeful,” said Kylee Shae, Jeremy’s girlfriend.
Jeremy works for Stahl Products in Plainville, and Wolf said the company has gone out of its way to help the family during this crisis.
Karen, a nurse, has had to take leave from her job to help care for her sons, Wolf said. Rick Werner works in the oilfield and has someone temporarily filling in for him.
Friends of the Werners are selling T-shirts and other items, proceeds of which are going to help the family. More information on these items can be found on the WernerStrong Facebook page.
On Saturday, the Free Tomorrow Motorcycle Club is sponsoring the Friends of the Werner Family Benefit Run. The poker run will begin at Westins in Stockton. Registration will be from noon to 1 p.m. Start time will be 1 p.m.
The first hand will cost $15. Additional hands will cost $5 each. The run will go from Westins in Stockton to Lucky Lady in Osborne to Roadside Park in Luray to Fossil Station in Russell and will end at the Burgers and Beer in Plainville. The special at the Burgers and Beer Saturday night will be prime rib.
All vehicles are welcome. Last vehicles need to be in by 5 p.m.
To make monetary donations, send them to Jeff Miller, 800 S. Broadway, Plainville, KS 67663. Make checks payable to Rick Werner.
For more information, contact Rusty at 785-302-0070 or Gary at 785-543-1874.
The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Fri., April 26, 2019 in the area of Vine St. to Thunderbird between 27th St. and 41st St. This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
“Significant Other,” an American play by Joshua Harmon, will be presented at Fort Hays State University’s Felten-Start Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The play, which premiered off-Broadway in 2015 followed by a Broadway production in spring 2017, follows the search of Jordan Berman for true love to be in love, but he has not found the right man.
Until he meets Mr. Right, he wards off lonely nights with his trio of close girlfriends. But as singles’ nights turn into bachelorette parties, Jordan discovers that the only thing harder than finding love is supporting the loved ones around you when they do.
Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones wrote, “Significant Other is both a good night out – a show ideal for a Friday night with pals after a few drinks – and a quite sophisticated exploration of the complex and changing dynamic between gay men and the women who love them. A black comedy about a painful transition that hits many of us urbanites in our late 20s or early 30s and goes a long way toward explaining why weddings can be such fraught affairs for anyone stuck in a tux or matching crinoline.”
This play contains adult language and subject matter that some may find offensive.
All seating is unreserved. Tickets are $5 at the door.
Eight graduating Kansas State University students will be recognized by the K-State Alumni Association for outstanding achievements throughout their college careers during an awards luncheon on April 24 at the K-State Alumni Center.
The honors include four upcoming graduates who earned the Anderson Senior Award, which recognizes graduating seniors for academics, leadership, inspiration and service. The award was established in 1998 and pays tribute to K-State’s second president, John Anderson, who served from 1873 to 1879.
Hays High School graduate Max Stieben, son of John and Jenny Klaus and Darren and Angie Stieben, was among the students honored.
The Alumni Association will recognize two graduate students with its Graduate Student Award, which was established in 2010. The award recognizes outstanding graduate students for academics, service and leadership.
Two students also will be presented with the Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Award at the ceremony. The award was established in honor of the late K-State professor Tony Jurich, who taught in the College of Human Ecology for more than 39 years. It recognizes both graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to community leadership and service through Jurich’s core leadership tenets.
Faculty and peers nominate students for the awards, and committees consisting of members of the Alumni Association board of directors and K-State students select the recipients.
“These students are role models for leadership, community service and academics and exemplify the caliber of students at K-State,” said Marcus Kidd, assistant director of student programs for the Alumni Association. “It is an honor to recognize their achievements.”
Recipients of awards from the Alumni Association are:
Kathryn Schieferecke, bachelor’s candidate in economics with minors in Spanish and financial counseling, Bennington, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Service. Schiefercke served as president of the Wildcats for International Development club, co-student coordinator for the Staley School of Leadership Studies’ Alternative Breaks program, as a peer financial advisor for Powercat Financial Planning, and is a member of St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center.
Max Stieben, bachelor’s candidate in sociology, Hays, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Leadership. Stieben has held many roles within K-State’s Air Force ROTC detachment including vice commander of the Honor/Color Guard, flight commander, field training preparation trainer, vice wing commander and wing operations group commander. He is a member of the Arnold Air Society, Wildcat Warriors, Criminology Club and Christian Challenge. Additionally, he has represented K-State as an intern at Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon working in the Air Force War Planning office.
Miranda Moore, bachelor’s candidate in communications studies, political science and pre-law with a minor in leadership studies, Pittsburg, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Academics. Moore is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a highly selective national honor society, and a member of Blue Key honor society. Her undergraduate cumulative GPA is 4.0. She was one of four Americans selected for a three-week institute on Children’s Literature and Leadership through the Fulbright Summer Institute in London during the summer of 2016. Additionally, Moore is a member of the K-State Honor Council where she acts as the Arts and Sciences Representative.
Adrianna Gordey, bachelor’s candidate in English with a minor in leadership studies, Overland Park, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Inspiration. Gordey served as a LEAD 212 class leader, TRIO McNair scholar, resident assistant for Boyd Hall for two years, Young Writer’s Workshop Program assistant and as 2018 International Leadership Association Case Competition Team member.
Amanda Martens, doctoral candidate in psychology, Shelby, Iowa, Graduate Award for Outsanding Academics. Martens served as president-elect and president of the Graduate Student Association in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, respectively. Compared to others psychology doctoral students, Martens has an unusually high number of publications to her name. They include: first author on two journal articles, co-author of seven articles, co-author on three book chapters and several other manuscripts in review or preparation. In addition to publishing her research activity, Martens has been actively engaged in professional associations in her field, presenting over 20 research posters at professional conferences.
Derek Lawson, doctoral candidate in personal financial planning, Lubbock, Texas, Graduate Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service. Lawson has served in leadership roles on the Graduate Student Council. He began by serving on the Research Forums Committee, which coordinates two annual research forum events for graduate students to share their research and scholarly work with the K-State community. During that same year, Lawson also served as the co-chair of the GSC Professional Development Committee, which coordinates approximately five seminars/workshops each semester to support graduate students’ professional career development. In the following year, Derek was elected as president-elect of the GSC, followed by a one-year term as GSC president.
Rafael Garcia, bachelor’s candidate in journalism and mass communications with minors in Spanish translation and economics, Emporia, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Undergraduate Award. Garcia has worked as a student journalist for the Kansas State Collegian and served as its editor-in-chief. Additionally, he is an Edgerley-Franklin Urban Leader.
Heather Love, doctoral candidate in human ecology, Gilbert, Arizona, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Graduate Award. Love was Graduate Student Council secretary for the 2017-18 school year; Women of K-State graduate student representative from 2016- 18; Critical Conversations Committee student member from 2016-2019; and president of the Student Associates Organization of the Couple and Family Therapy program from 2018-19.
Tuan Huynh at the opening presentations for the Leo Burnett Worldwide competition at Fort Hays State University on Monday, April 22.
By KURT BEYERS FHSU University Relations and Marketing
For 25 years, one of the largest advertising companies on the planet, Leo Burnett Worldwide, has been sending people to Fort Hays State University to cultivate the talent pool with money for scholarships and for the graphic design program.
This year was Tuan Huynh’s third trip to his alma mater as part of the Leo Burnett entourage. He and two colleagues distributed a total $25,000. Huynh was offered a job as a junior art director with Burnett right after graduation with a Fort Hays State BFA in graphic design in 2014.
It feels great, he said, to come back and recognize talent with money.
“It feels fantastic,” he said, adding that it is in keeping with the culture both of Leo Burnett and Fort Hays State.
“It’s looking at the individual, and dealing with the individual, and looking at the person, looking at the human being and their talent,” he said, “and on the Fort Hays State side, Chaiwat and Karrie have always embodied that. It’s about the person first and foremost and how they teach us, from ideas to projects. They care about us as individuals not just as students. In their classrooms, they care about us as persons.”
That is Chaiwat Thumsujarit (pronounced chye-WHAT TUM-sue-jair-it), professor of art and design, and Karrie Simpson Voth, chair of the Department of Art and Design and graphic design professor.
The good feeling about what was happening was evident in the awards ceremony, which was far less ceremonial than it was like a pre-party for the celebration that followed at Gella’s Diner.
Huynh (pronounced hwin) and his Leo Burnett colleagues, Kerri Soukup, a 1997 FHSU grad, and Tracie Roberson, were obviously having a good time giving Leo Burnett money to FHSU students.
Announcing the top prize, the $10,000 Pencil Award, they joined together in a chorus for the winner’s name: “rrr-ray-AAAY-von!” for Rayvon Lewis, a Blue Springs, Mo., junior who gave up football to follow his dreams in art.
After the program, Huynh talked for a few minutes at table in a corner of the back meeting room at Gella’s. The little room held around 40 people – students, the people from Leo Burnett, Simpson Voth and Thumsujarit, friends and other alumni of the FHSU graphic arts program come to help celebrate.
“I think as a student, as a former student, you can only appreciate someone coming back and recognizing your talent because someone gave you the opportunity by recognizing your talent,” he said.
In Huynh’s memory, it is the people in the program, students and faculty, who stand out. Born in Vietnam, he grew up in Wichita and came to Fort Hays State at age 33 with an associate degree in liberal arts and humanities from Donnelly College in Kansas City. He had no art or design background, but he had raw talent.
“My professors, my classmates, they all accepted me, despite me not knowing a lot about graphic design going into the program,” he said.
“I was never shunned because of my ignorance of what graphic design is. They have taken me under their wing and been patient with me and taught me everything. My classmates embodied the same spirit. We helped each other.”
Asked specifically what makes FHSU’s graphic design program special, his answer came with no hesitation.
“A hundred percent, it’s the conceptual aspect of it,” he said. “I consider our design program a conceptual design program – not just a design program – a conceptual program, a conceptual design program, because we put so much into ideation of a project to conceptualize an idea before the work is created.”
He illustrated what he meant with an example.
“One year I had an intern from here. I put her in every project I worked on. I challenged her as we were talking and concepting. I put her in big meetings, and I asked her, ‘What do you think about that?’ because I valued what she had to say, because she comes from good stock.”
He repeated that for emphasis. “She comes from good stock. I’d bring any of these kids” – he indicated with a wave of his arm the students talking and laughing at the tables next to him – “into a Leo Burnett brainstorming session. I would. I would.”
He continued, “When I do portfolio reviews in Chicago, all the top universities I do portfolio reviews for – I do judging and I do all kinds of stuff – one of the things they lack is conceptual idea, and that was taught that here every day.”
After about 15 minutes, he was ready to go join the students, to hear their stories share his own, but he summed up his work, the day, the money he and his colleagues had distributed, the party going on around him.
“All glory to God, man,” he said. “I’m so thankful for it. I’m living the dream, brother. I’m living the dream. I’m living on grace.”
Several homeowners, including Terry Blide, who spoke to the Hays city commission Thu., oppose the proposed extension of 37th St. as part of the north Vine Street roundabout project.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Before the Hays city commission voted 3-1 Thursday night to approve an engineering design supplement to the North Vine Street Corridor roundabouts project, two residents spoke during citizen comments against a portion of the project affecting 37th Street.
The $49,904.65 supplement agreement with WSP Engineers, Lenexa, includes the scope and fee for services related to right-of-way property acquisition. The original $396,895.26 engineering contract was approved May 25, 2018 with WSP. Both will be funded out of the Convention and Visitors Bureau contingency fund.
Four traffic roundabouts are to be constructed on Vine Street/U.S. Highway 183 at 32nd/33rd, 37th, 41st Streets, and a partial roundabout at the eastbound exit ramp of Interstate 70.
A portion of the engineering contract for the Vine Street traffic roundabouts includes extension of 37th Street to the west. (Click to enlarge)
In addition, the corridor project calls for W. 37th to be extended west to the new development area and for W. 41st – the west frontage road – to be realigned to meet W. 37th further west than the existing intersection location. A new public street would be constructed south of the new intersection to maintain access to the existing gas station south of W. 37th.
Some nearby homeowners are concerned about increased traffic with the extension of 37th and the possibility of falling property values.
Bill Lovewell lives in the 100 block of W. 37th.
“It’s a safe neighborhood with slow traffic and my granddaughter can ride her bike there without worrying about every kind of vehicle coming through,” Lovewell told commissioners, “and I’ve put in thousands of dollars in improvements on my home.
“I have concerns about traffic and the fact my home is not going to be as valuable it is now. … Who wants to buy a house on our street if all that traffic is going to go through?”
Lovewell said he doesn’t have a problem with the roundabout but questions why 37th needs to be extended to the west.
“Every kind of vehicle in the world is going will coming down that street,” Lovewell believes.
Mayor Henry Schwaller noted the city commission has not taken action and has had only informal planning discussions about the project.
“One of the options that we are considering but has not yet been brought to public discussion is connecting 37th across from the old (Ambassador) motel property to Skyline Drive.
“We have not made a decision where that road will terminate because if it comes through the middle of the lot, it won’t be 37th or 38th. It would be in the middle, approximately where the alley is,” Schwaller explained. “So, there may be a consensus one way or the other, but we have not taken any formal action.”
He encouraged Lovewell and others in the audience to attend the commission meeting when the street extension is on the agenda for discussion. “We want you to be involved as we move forward.”
Terry Blide, another homeowner in the 100 block of W. 37th, asked commissioners to “please keep it a residential street, not a business street.”
Blide is worried semi-trucks will drive into his neighborhood. “You really think they’re going to mind those signs about ‘no traffic on 37th Street’?”
The full design of the roundabout project is not yet complete, according to city manager Toby Dougherty.
“We will listen to you before we move forward, I promise,” Schwaller added.
Vice-Mayor Shaun Musil said “I one hundred percent do not think 37th Street should be a direct-through street. I am for connecting to Skyline because I believe – I know – it’s going to grow north of 38th Street. Some of us here don’t agree, but I’d like to see it more of a “T” from left to right.”
Musil and Schwaller both said they had talked with concerned residents earlier Thursday.
“Nothing has been voted on,” Musil reiterated. “Nothing has been designed. I promise you there will be more information before anything will happen.
“I live very close where you guys live. … I personally agree with you.”
Later in the meeting Schwaller voted against the supplemental engineering contract. “I don’t support the project as designed,” he said, “so I didn’t want to spend the money this way.”
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs was absent from the meeting.
The Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. May 8 at the Robbins Center (Eagle Communication Hall), One Tiger Place.
Registration is from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., with a short business meeting starting at 11:30 a.m. The program for the May meeting will be “Managing Employees with an Attitude,” presented by Mike Henke. The program will be submitted for SHRM continuing education credits.
Members can RSVP at wkhrma.shrm.org. The deadline to RSVP is noon on May 3. WKHRMA is an affiliate chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), a local professional organization for persons engaged in personal or human resource management.
For more information on WKHRMA, visit wkhrma.shrm.org.
Fort Hays State Athletics will be giving away 100 Tiger Nation t-shirts at the Fort Hays State vs. Nebraska-Kearney softball doubleheader on Saturday. Get out to Tiger Stadium to cheer on your Tigers in their quest to qualify for the MIAA Tournament. The doubleheader begins at 2 pm.
The top eight teams in MIAA play make it to the MIAA Tournament next week in Edmond, Oklahoma. Fort Hays State is currently one game back of seventh place in the MIAA standings. Three teams (Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg State, and Lindenwood) all enter the weekend of MIAA play tied for seventh. The Tigers are looking to vault into one of the last few spots in the tournament up for grabs this weekend in MIAA play. Only four teams are mathematically locked at qualifying for tournament entering this weekend.
