The Hays Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
Agenda items include a variance request for an additional sign on a building other than the storefront.
The applicant, John Kyle Doerfler, recently opened a new business at 810 E. 11th.
The property is zoned I-1 Light Industrial and sign regulations allow signs on the building front façade only. The applicant has placed a sign on the east side for visibility to Vine Street and would like to keep it there.
City staff supports a request to set a public hearing for the variance request.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 48. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
TuesdaySunny, with a high near 81. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 56. South southeast wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
WednesdayA 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Windy.
Wednesday NightA chance of showers, mainly between 8pm and 11pm, then a chance of rain after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
ThursdayA chance of snow before 9am, then a chance of rain and snow between 9am and 11am, then a chance of rain after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Very windy. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Crime can have a lasting impact on any person. Our office supports communities and victim service providers as they work to help victims to face their grief, loss and fear while seeking to find hope and renewal.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, and Take Back the Night events this month focus on victims of crime as well as those who advocate on their behalf.
“Take Back the Night” highlights efforts by victim advocates and law enforcement to build a community that is free of the threat of sexual assault and promote an atmosphere of healing for those impacted by it.
The U.S. Department of Justice will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.
“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured.”
Based in Wichita, Stephen McAllister is the U.S. Attorney for Kansas.
Budget Bill In Conference
Last week the Senate Ways and Means and the House Appropriations members met in what is referred to as conference committee to discuss the differing details of the budgets that were passed from the Senate and the House. We met numerous times each day, which actually started on Wednesday, March 27, to remedy those differences.
Some of the items that we continued to deliberate about were $100,000 from the state water plan and placing that within the conservation districts. We also discussed adding money for water contamination remediation and for the drinking water protection program.
We also discussed the amount of funding that we would restore to the Board of Regents, which would funnel those funds to all of the Regent schools, adding additional dollars for the K-State Polytechnic Campus in Salina for additional flight instructors, plus negotiating $650,000 for a new fund with K-State that would be named the Fire Suppression/State Forest Service Fund.
We also had discussion regarding the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to implement a new Cyber and Financial Crimes Investigative division. We also addressed the need for the KBI to hire four new positions for the Criminal Justice Application Security and Quality Assurance Program.
We had hoped to come to an agreement between the two chambers before we adjourned for our April break. Unfortunately, we will continue deliberations when we return on May 1, 2019.
Senate Bill 16 – K-12 Education Finance Remedy
Late Wednesday evening, the education finance conference committee between the House and Senate had intense negotiation. This conference committee had met numerous times this past week and could not come to a resolution that could appease both chambers. The Senate held firm to their position of adding additional funding of approximately $90 million each year for four years to satisfy the Supreme Court order that the Legislature must account for inflation increases. This is also the same plan that was provided and supported by Governor Kelly. The House did not technically have a financial position, which made the discussions more difficult, however, we did pass Senate Bill 16, which contained mainly pieces of policy. The conference committee report was finally debated and voted on in the House on Thursday afternoon and passed the chamber with a vote of 76-47. I voted “yes.”
Legislative Schedule
On Friday, April 5, the schedule for the Legislature is to adjourn for the better part of the month of April. During this time, I will be back home in the 109th District conducting numerous town-halls and forums, as well as other public events. I will also be working on our family farm while back home. Here is a list of the events that are planned:
April 16, Forum in Russell, KS at the Dream Theatre, 10 AM;
April 16, Forum in Lucas, KS at the Backstreet Bakery, 1:30 PM;
April 18, Forum in Rush Center at Golden Belt Telephone, 10 AM;
April 13, Forum in Lincoln, KS at Main Street Coffee and Things, 10 AM;
This is a list of the forums that will be conducted until we reconvene on May 1, 2019. I will also be traveling and meeting with the county commissioners of Barton and Ellis counties, attending the Kansas Counties Officials meeting in Colby, and we have meetings to review the applications for the Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee.
I will continue in sending out weekly newsletters when the Legislature reconvenes on May 1, 2019.
Contact Information
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]. Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. state representative and chairman of the House Appropriations committee. The 109th District includes Osborne, Russell, and Smith counties and portions of Barton, Jewell, Lincoln and Rush counties.
The Hays High School FFA students recently completed community service in the form of packaging 10,000 meals. The meals will be given to area families who are in need of assistance.
Alicia BoorLately, I have been getting a lot of calls into the office about weed control, mainly sand burrs. If you had sandburs last year, now would be a good time to control them. I found an article from K-State Research and Extension’s horticulture department that gives you some tips on how to get rid of this troublesome weed.
Grassy sandbur is the “sticker” plant that looks like a grass. It will often invade thin lawns, especially in dry years. Therefore, the best control for this weed is a thick, healthy lawn. However, if your lawn is thin this spring and grassy sandbur was a problem last year, use a preemergence herbicide before the sandbur comes up. However, not all preemergence herbicides are effective. The three products that can help minimize grassy sandbur are oryzalin, pendimethalin and prodiamine.
Oryzalin is sold under the trade names of Surflan and Weed Impede. It can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Oryzalin is also sold as a combination product with benefin as Green Light Amaze. As with oryzalin alone, it can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Apply Amaze or an oryzalin product about April 15 when redbud trees approach full bloom.
Pendimethalin is sold commercially as Pendulum as well as several other names. On the homeowner side, it is sold as Scotts Halts. Pendimethalin is best applied as a split application with the first half applied about April 15 and the second about June 1. Alternatively, make the first application when redbud trees approach full bloom and the second six weeks later.
Prodiamine is sold under the commercial name of Barricade. It is also the active ingredient in a number of homeowner products. It can be used on all of our common lawn grasses. Apply as is done for oryzalin, about April 15 or when redbud trees approach full bloom. Only one application is needed per year. None of the “weed preventers” will give complete control but each should help. Quinclorac (Drive) can provide some postemergence control especially if the sandbur is in the seedling stage. Quinclorac is also found in a number of combination products that control both broadleaf weeds and crabgrass such as one of the following.
Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max + Crabgrass Control
Bayer All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer
Monterey Crab-E-Rad Plus
Fertilome Weed Out with Crabgrass Killer
Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer
Bonide Weed Beater Plus Crabgrass & Broadleaf Weed Killer
Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer
Again, the best control for grassy sandbur is a healthy, thick lawn.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910.
Quilt Cottage is hosting the “Fly Me to the Moon” art quilt show through April 25.
This show includes 56 art quilts commemorating the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon. The show is part of a larger collection that has been shown all across the country.
The quilts can be viewed during regular business hours 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
One’s Company, with actress Pippa White, will perform Voices from Ellis Island for the public in Sharon Springs on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 Mountain (7:30 p.m. Central) at the high school auditorium. This is a reschedule due to an earlier snowstorm. On Friday, April 12, she will present school presentations in Colby Elementary at 1 p.m. with “The Extraordinary Ordinary,” and then at 2:45 p.m. for the Colby Middle School with “Voices from Ellis Island.”
Hosted by the Western Plains Arts Association, this project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition, numerous area sponsors, including the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan, are major contributors to WPAA this season.
Admission at the door for the Wallace County High School Auditorium public performance is $10 adults and $5 students, or by WPAA season ticket. The venue is located at 521 Main Street in Sharon Springs.
One’s Company is a collection of one-woman shows featuring White. White grew up in San Francisco, Calif. She appeared regularly on television as a child, trained at the American Conservatory Theatre Academy, and for five years was seen as a hostess of a daily morning television show on ABC. Moving to the Midwest led to her pursuing an education, starting a family, and reestabling a career with work in theatre, arts in eduction programs, and finally, not just one, but several one-woman shows drawing on many different sources for a collection of unusual and entertaining solo productions.
White has a love of dialects and accents which she tries to incorporate into her shows. Some of her dialects come naturally, thanks to a British father, and both her parents spent considerable time in England. “Other children came home to milk and cookies after school,” she says. “I came home to afternoon tea!” Her parents often recounted amusing stories in dialect. However, not all her dialects come easily. She uses the International Phonetic Alphabet learned from her mother who taught speech and dialects at San Francisco State University. She is always trying new dialects and accents.
One fan, Leslie Dileo, Hil Drama, New York City, said about One’s Company performances, “Riveting, heartbreaking and suspenseful. Literally wearing different hats to change characters, Ms. White tells stories in a nicely balanced rotation which adds tension to the already emotionally charged tales.” Steve Wedel, The Daily Oklahoman, wrote: “A history lesson that lasted more than 70 minutes. When it was over, the applause went on and on.”
A couple years ago, she presented pioneer stories As Far as the Eye Can See for a WPAA Kansas Day program. White has performed in more than 30 states also presents: The Story of the Orphan Train; Saints, Solider’s and Spies; Women and War; Angels and Troublemakers Women Who Changed the World; Marching Out of the Sweatshop; and several others.
Team Defiance, made up of Fort Hays State University Leadership students, is hosting an event for Cancer Council of Ellis County to help raise funds to give back to those who are and have been affected by cancer.
We will be hosting an event at Defiance Brewery, 2050 Old Highway 40, on Thu., April 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
During the event, snacks and live entertainment will be provided by Kristi Gray of Radio Active, and we will be having a silent auction with numerous items donated to us from businesses in the Ellis County community.
During the event, we will be accepting monetary donations. With a donation of $50.00 or more, you will be given a ticket for a free beverage of your choice.
Attendees must be 21 or older.
Paisley Pear Wine Bar, Bistro and Market gift basket
We just wanted to share one of the gift baskets donated to us that will be auctioned off during our event in April! It was generously donated to us by the Paisley Pear Wine Bar, Bistro and Market located in Downtown Hays!
We can’t wait to share with you the other items donated to us from our community!
Some of the items that we have already received include gift baskets ranging from $50-$100, two FHSU season football tickets with a signed football and FHSU gear ranging from $250-$300, and a multitude of gift cards!
Tammy Wellbrock, HACC exec. dir., reads an audience question during a Saturday forum with area legislators Sen. Rick Billinger, and Reps. Barb Wasinger, Leonard Mastroni and Ken Rahjes.
Saturday morning in Hays, four area state legislators, all Republicans, all agreed there is “just not enough of the pie” to go around. Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra), chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee, said the “state is being held hostage by K-12 funding.”
“We have all these programs that need funded. We have all these folks that need. And simply raising taxes is not going to solve the problem. We fed that beast and it continues to grow,” Rahjes said.
Rep. Barb Wasinger (R-Hays) voted against the school funding bill, saying the extra money was not going to students and teachers.
Rahjes reluctantly voted in favor of the school finance bill. Hays Representative Barbara Wasinger voted against it.
She said she was looking for accountability in the bill, with more funding going into classrooms and for teacher salary increases.
“Did you see the new activity buses that Great Bend did? Paid a quarter of a million dollars for each one of them,” Wasinger said. “Russell used money that they got to build an AstroTurf football field. Last year, Shawnee raised their administrators’ salaries 13%. I have nothing against administrators, but why wasn’t that spent for teachers?
“Good teachers are leaving us because they’re not being paid enough. Let’s start giving them some money.
“I would have voted for the House bill even though it was still a lot of money. It put in accountability measures and put kids and teachers first, finally. It was voted down, and so I voted against the Senate bill that came over.”
Wasinger contends her vote was “not a vote against education.”
Most Senate Republicans lined up behind Kelly’s plan last month after the four school districts suing the state – Wichita, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Kansas City – initially supported it, then withdrew their endorsement and called for higher spending after the 2019-20 school year.
According to Sen. Rick Billinger (R-Goodland), those school districts now want nearly $900 million over the next four years.
“Our (total state) budget is at $7.7 billion and a little over $4 billion is K-12 funding,” Billinger said, “and I support K-12 and I voted for the $92 million. I had an explanation for my vote – we’re being held hostage.”
Western Kansas schools are not the problem, according to Rahjes, especially the small rural districts.
“Most of our administrators could be a substitute teacher one day and cook the meals. They’re the athletic director. They drive the bus, all for a lot less money than some of the bigger districts in the eastern part of the state.
“I believe school board members in this part of the world are very judicious with their money and they want to make wise investments.”
Now that the school finance package is passed, it will be defended in front of the Kansas Supreme Court.
Rahjes expects the court to rule it’s not enough money.
Then, he predicts, “you will see a constitutional amendment try to get into your hands the next election to take the Supreme Court out of the appropriations process.”
“I believe that folks are fed up.”
The Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned Friday for its annual spring break and will reconvene May 1 to work on the budget.
First Dist. Congressman Roger Marshall (R-Great Bend) spoke at Saturday’s legislative forum in Hays.
First District Congressman Roger Marshall (R-Great Bend) attended an early portion of the forum presented by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
Marshall talked about the two issues he said are on the minds of Kansans and its biggest challenges – a lack of employees and the cost of health care.
CITY OF HAYS
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