To recognize International Children’s Book Day, the Hays Public Library held a day-long read-a-thon on April 2. Several community members, as well as, library staff read various children’s books every half hour from 9 am to 8 pm at the library.
Some of the community members included Mayor Henry Schwaller, City Commissioner Shaun Musil, FHSU Volleyball Coach Jessica Wood-Atkins, FHSU Assistant Professor Dr. Peter Lillpopp and Wilson Elementary School Principal Anita Scheve.
The celebration extended beyond the library with staff taking storytime to O’Laughlin, Wilson and Lincoln Elementary Schools and two daycares. In all, 48 storytimes were conducted reaching 455 children.
The Hays Public Library appreciates everyone who volunteered to share their love of reading with the children.
The library regularly holds storytimes for three-to-five-year-olds on Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 am, for infants and toddlers on Wednesdays at 10 am, and a storytime in both Spanish and English on Fridays at 10 am.
WAKEENEY – This summer, Gavin Garza from WaKeeney will join outstanding high school students from across the nation to take part in a unique academic and career oriented development experience, National Youth Leadership Forum for National Security, in Washington on June 23.
NYLF for National Security is one of the Envision family of programs (www.envisionexperience.com) that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom.
Gavin Garza is the son of Trego County Undersheriff James Grayson and WaKeeney Chief of Police Ashley Garza-Grayson. He is a sophomore at Trego Community High School and is involved in football, wrestling, tennis, KAY, forensics, choir and many other programs.
Gavin was nominated by his teacher to attend NYLF for National Security. Gavin aspires to attend college and major in foreign language and to also study abroad. He one day hopes to work at one of the U.S. embassies where he can interact with representatives of the host government, local businesses, nongovernmental organizations, the media and educational institutions, as well as private citizens to increase understanding of the United States and its policies and to collaborate on shared interests.
Gavin said he is excited to attend the NYLF for National Security to get a behind the scenes and up-close look at those who help keep our county safe and to have a unique opportunity to talk directly with national security experts, learn about the latest intelligence strategies, and experience public service in action with highly respected civilian policy makers and senior military officers who are responsible for global and national security decisions
“As an alumna of Envision myself, I am excited for Gavin Garza to meet, work, and collaborate with other high-aspiring students from across the country and the globe,” said Amanda Freitag Thomas, SVP for Envision. “Hands down, my favorite part of attending an Envision program was being with motivated students in an environment designed to help us challenge our assumptions, meet new people, and grow. Creating that same learning environment is a central focus for all of our programs. At National Youth Leadership Forum for National Security students build the confidence and skills needed to excel at college and in the workplace. They learn how to adapt to and communicate in new situations, to new challenges, and with new people, which, given how rapidly the world is changing due to technology and innovation, are essential skills for success.”
Since 1985, Envision programs have served more than 800,000 students in more than 145 countries, with programs designed to help students develop the leadership, scholarship and career skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive college and career landscape.
Eagle Communications is collecting monetary donations at its Kansas radio stations for victims of the recent catastrophic flooding in Nebraska.
A GoFundMe account is now available for online donations.
Hays-area residents wishing to make a contribution may bring cash or checks to the Eagle Media Center, 2300 Hall Street, Hays. Checks should be made out to the Nebraska Red Cross.
Donations will be collected through Thu., April 4.
The Hays contributions will be combined with those collected by our Eagle Radio stations in Great Bend, Salina, Hutchinson, Manhattan and Junction City. The final amount will then be matched by the Schmidt Family Foundation and will be distributed to the Nebraska Red Cross.
For more information, contact the Hays Eagle Media Center at 785-301-2211.
Disclosure: Eagle Communications is the parent company of Hays Post.
Over four years ago, after being approached by the USD 432 School Board, the Victoria Alumni Association began raising funds for the much-needed Victoria Junior/Senior High School Gymnasium Floor Replacement Project. It is the original floor that the first basketball game was played on it in January of 1950.
Last December, I had a vision at a basketball game that if we would put on a large-scale German Meal Fundraiser, we could help raise funds more quickly and the replacement project could get underway sooner.
Following your kids and grandkids through their sporting activities, you create close bonds with their fellow athletes’ parents and grandparents. You become “One Big Family,” so to speak. When I brought this idea up to them, they were all on board because we all realize how badly in need of repair the floor is, and we would all like to see our kids/grandkids have the opportunity to play on the new court.
First a VISION – then ACTION!!! Just by word of mouth and School Way, we planned an organizational meeting at my house on Wednesday, February 20. What an outstanding response of interested parents and grandparents! I had already checked possible dates, so by the end of the meeting the German Meal Fundraiser for the VHS Gym Floor Replacement was in MOTION.
By Friday, February 22, at a 3:05 assembly at the High School, we handed every Jr./Sr. High student an envelope with five advance meal tickets to sell. Students who sold at least 10 tickets by Friday, March 8, were included in a drawing for cash prizes of $100, $75, $50, and $25. For each additional 10 tickets they sold, their names would be entered in the drawing again.
The students only had two weeks to sell their tickets, because we had such a short amount of time to order supplies and make dumplings in the Grade School kitchen during Spring Break. We also asked parents and community members if they would make and donate desserts. Not knowing if we would have enough desserts, we also made mini kuchen that we could use if needed. However, with our pastor Fr. John’s encouraging words at weekend Masses, it got our community in the “Giving Spirit” and we were able to sell the mini kuchen, which added to our bottom line. An anonymous donor paid for all the groceries and supplies which also helped our cause.
Ethel Younger graciously donated her labor to make 125 pounds of homemade noodles (even though she had back surgery during that span of time), and Warren Wittman (Warren’s Meat Market) made our German Brats at an exceptional price. If you happened to join us for the German Meal Fundraiser, you will agree, both the noodles and brats were delicious!
Besides all the cash donors and raffle prize donors, I want to send out a huge “Thank You” to Shannon and Mark Karst for accepting my invitation to serve on the Committee as one of the leaders and to Melissa Schmidt who headed all financial aspects of our fundraiser. Also to my daughter, Natasha Hammerschmidt, and my sister, Rose Ann Dreiling, thank you for doing so many things behind the scenes and participating in every aspect of the fundraiser when you got off work. Rose Ann had a prior commitment before we set our date, or she would have been in the kitchen the whole weekend also. (Don’t worry Sis, if we ever do another big fundraiser, we’ll make sure you’re free before we set the date!) Two other “Grandma’s” that I want to thank are, Kathy Kuhn and Mary Brungardt. They were at every cooking/baking workday we had. We didn’t even have to ask, they just told us they would be there or just showed up when they knew we were working. Connie Windholz, thank you for all the hours you put into the project for us also.
In addition, I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes during both meals. There were so many people that stepped up to the plate and helped out for this fundraiser. The men outside grilling and cooking dumplings, cooks in the kitchen, meal servers, runners, dishwashers, ticket takers, raffle table workers, dessert table attendants, people who cleaned the tables, and last but not least all of the students who gave up their time to set up, tear down, and do whatever was asked of them throughout the weekend. But for me to mention every single person by name, would be impossible and I would fear I may miss someone. Know that you all hold a special place in my heart for coming out and helping us make this such a successful fundraiser.
By the next school board meeting, April 8, we should find out what the current bids are for completing the gym floor replacement. To date our net profit from the Fundraiser is $35,698.58; however a portion of that has been ear-tagged by the donor for new balls and equipment to be used on the new floor. So with the collected amount from the Alumni Association of $26,000, we should have almost $57,000 to put towards the project. We are so close to making the new gym floor a reality!
Last but not least, the Committee members would like to thank their husbands and families for being so understanding during this entire fundraising project.
I have received so many compliments on how smoothly and well organized it was. That is all because we had such great help in every aspect from students, coaches, school staff, parents, grandparents, community members, and faithful alumni!
The Fort Hays State University Center for Entrepreneurship welcomed aspiring entrepreneurs to the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship on March 30 for the Faulkner Challenge business plan competition. Reorganized this year, it is the largest event of its kind in northwest Kansas.
The Faulkner Challenge was developed to seek new, independently proposed ventures in the conceptual, seed or startup stages. The event is made possible by the generosity of Kevin Faulkner, a Fort Hays State University alumnus.
Entries from high school students, college students and community members were received. Teams submitted written plans for a chance to compete for $10,000 in prize money. A record twenty-seven business plans were received with a total of 47 participants involved in working on the projects. The eight most comprehensive plans were chosen as finalists to attend the event on campus. These teams delivered ten-minute oral presentations before an exceptionally qualified panel of judges which included Coleen Ellis, Kevin Faulkner, Steve, Riat, Dustin Roths and Tammy Wellbrock. The three highest scoring teams were selected as winners.
The second place award of $3,000 went to Wright Enterprises, LLC.
“For the first time hosting this event with the enhanced format, it was impressive to see the level of interest in entrepreneurship in the region and the variety of ideas from the competitors,” said Dr. David Snow, the director of entrepreneurship for Fort Hays State University.
SafeDrop won first place and the $6,000 prize. The team members are FHSU undergraduate students Hayden Hutchison, Haley Jones, Pablo Garcia, and Adam Schibi who are working on a gunshot detection software application to notify law enforcement and warn app users in the vicinity of an active shooter.
“I had a tremendous learning experience at this year’s Faulkner Challenge. Our team collaborated on refining our project, we spent hours together practicing and worked hard,” stated Hutchison. “I’ve grown in the areas of research, writing, speaking, collaboration and understanding the fundamentals of launching a product or service.”
Kalliope, LLC won third place and $1,000.
The second place award of $3,000 went to Wright Enterprises, LLC. Dennis and Donna Wright are farmers from Bird City, Kansas who have started their own line of sunflower oil products.
“I feel like the Faulkner Challenge was an excellent experience giving us great feedback from experienced entrepreneurs. It was the perfect opportunity to reevaluate our company and gave us new direction on where we would like to go,” said Dennis Wright.
Kalliope, LLC won third place and $1,000. Kristin Blomquist from Assaria, Kansas, started this cosmetic company selling high-quality lotions, soaps, and other skincare products.
“I enjoyed meeting the other competitors and having a chance to share my business. It is helpful to participate in these types of events as they require you to sharpen your thinking and refine your plans,” said Kristin Blomquist. “It was a good day!”
A.P. Kalem said, “War is never a lasting solution for any problem.” However, is that statement completely true? War, through the ages, has brought great advances and solutions in medicine.
Perhaps the first innovation in medicine that evolved during warring times came with drilling holes through the boney skulls of warriors whose heads were smashed in by clubs. Once a hole was made, one could insert a finger and pull out the caved-in skull bone with the added benefit of providing an escape hole for bleeding, releasing pressure off the brain. There are museums that have 7,000-year-old skulls with healed over burr holes, and this treatment called trephination, is still done today.
During the 1700 and 1800s, the world-wide imperialism of the British came from their conquering navy. This was partially because the Brits knew lime and lemon juice with vitamin C prevented scurvy which is a life-threatening progressive condition of profound weakness, gum disease, skin ulcers and bleeding. Opposing navies riddled with scurvy had no chance against the Brits.
During the Crimean War of the 1850s, Florence Nightingale and her team of newly trained nurses showed how nursing made a difference. They cleaned up injured soldiers, provided a warm dry bed, gave healing nutrition and, in general, cared for the soldier, which remarkably reduced the death rate by two-thirds. Nursing grew from that beginning.
The Civil War brought the advancement of anesthesia with easily used ether and the education of myriads of surgeons who spread their surgical skills throughout the country after the war. Also, the Civil War generated the development of the ambulance wagon, an effective method of transferring the injured from the battlefield to a place for treatment and comfort. For example, in the battle of Antietam, every wounded-living Union soldier was off the battlefield by the end of the day.
During the Boer War and World War I, X-Ray machines became available at portable hospitals, facilitating the repair of boney injuries. The field of orthopedics evolved as surgeons had growing trauma experience along with the aid of anesthesia and antisepsis. Also, blood transfusions and intravenous fluids came to be used during WWI and brought into reality how very sick people no longer had to die from dehydration.
Civil War General William T. Sherman said, “War is cruelty . . . and at best barbarism. Its glory is all moonshine . . . war is hell.” That said, in response to the terrible injuries and illnesses of war, we have learned and improved medicine in ways to relieve suffering and enhance healing during times of both war and peace.
For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow The Prairie Doc® on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming live most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.
Thursday A 10 percent chance of showers before 7am. Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 66. North wind 8 to 11 mph.
Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.
Friday Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Friday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 55. South southeast wind around 16 mph.
SaturdayA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Saturday NightA chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SundayA 20 percent chance of showers before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy.
“The only way to attack child abuse is to lift that veil of silence that has been over families.”
That was the message from Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees, who spoke during Tuesday’s listening session in Hays about sexual abuse by Catholic priests and Capuchin friars in Hays and throughout the Salina Diocese.
The meeting at St. Nicholas of Myra Church was hosted by Bishop Jerry Vincke along with Frs. Christopher Popravak and Joseph Mary Elder of the Denver Province of Capuchins.
Late last week, the Capuchins and the Salina Diocese released separate lists of clergy who have been investigated for “substantial” or “credible allegations” of sexual abuse of a minor.
“For so many years, children were not comfortable reporting,” Drees said in an interview following the meeting. “Children would report to their family. The family would not report it.
“Hopefully, this (meeting) will give parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends the encouragement that when a child does tell you about a situation like this, you report it to law enforcement, let law enforcement properly investigate it and see what’s going on.”
Between July 2012 and March 4, 2019, the Ellis County Attorney’s office was notified by the Capuchins of seven possible sexual abuse cases involving more than one abuser.
Drees believes it’s “very good for persons who have been abused in the past to bring that information forward. Everyone is encouraged to report. … The local parish priest will help you report, and the diocese wants to hear from people.”
The Kansas statute of limitations is very specific.
“We have to know all the details to know whether a case is outside the limitations,” Drees said.
Many times, the crimes are reported years after the abuse, but the Kansas statute of limitations has changed over time.
“Today, if you have a rape or if you have a aggravated criminal sodomy, that would be unlimited. So that’s within a lifetime, if you find that out, you can prosecute it,” Drees explained to the audience.
But that’s a fairly recent change in state law. Previously, the statute of limitations was 10 years.
Other sexual violent crimes against children can be prosecuted until the victim turns age 18, or 28 if a suspect is identified through DNA. There are some exceptions, Drees noted.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation launched its own inquiry in early February into alleged sexual abuse by clergy and is working with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
KBI agent Mark Kendrick, Colby, attended Tuesday’s meeting but would not comment on why he was there. Standing in the back of the church were several Hays and Ellis County law enforcement officers.
It’s unknown at this time whether reported cases will be referred back to local prosecutors or if the state will prosecute, according to Drees.
There are still an unknown number of unreported sexual abuse incidents.
“Statistically, you know that there are more cases out there,” said Drees.
“What we’re hearing about are people who are old enough and set enough in their careers and families, that they’re now willing to come forward.”
Drees noted sexual abuse is reported in areas other than the Catholic Church.
“All walks of life. All clergy, doctors and lawyers, teachers. Abuse transcends all occupations,” he said. “We have to give the young children and teenagers who have been abused to have the courage to come forward and report.”
The 2019 Hays Area Job Fair will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday just off center court in Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine.
Job seekers are reminded to dress professionally and bring copies of their resume.
Sponsors of this years job fair are Berexco, Good Samaritan Society Hays, Hess Services, NCK Tech, Rebel Staffing, Wilkens Manufacturing, Big Creek Crossing, KANSASWORKS, HaysHasJobs.com and Grow Hays.
A complete list of employers attending and their open positions can be found at www.HaysHasJobs.com/jobfair.
RUSSELL — Shawn Henderson has been named principal of Russell High School for 2019-20, USD 407 announced Tuesday.
Henderson comes to the district after spending four years at Fort Hays State University as director of field experiences in the College of Education. In this role, he oversaw and led the placement of all students observing and student teaching in PreK-12 placements in Kansas, the U.S. and abroad. During his time, Shawn also served as the lead instructor for classroom management, which he innovatively redesigned to better reflect the needs of new teachers entering the profession.
Henderson brings his experienced background of nine years as K-12 music educator, four years as a 7-12 principal, and the FHSU work to USD 407.
“I am very excited to see Mr. Henderson’s energy, professionalism, vision and personality impact our students, staff and community in Russell,” said USD 407 Superintendent Shelly Swayne.
“While I enjoyed my time serving the COE at FHSU and am grateful for the incredible opportunity, it further underscored my desire to return to the public schools where I could serve, interact and impact students, faculty, staff and community members on a daily basis,” Henderson said.
Henderson will begin work on July 1. Shawn and his wife, Marie, have two children who will attend schools at Ruppenthal Middle School and Russell High School.
The district also announced Jordan Perez has been named principal of Simpson Elementary School for 2019-20.
Perez
Perez joins USD 407 from the Manhattan/Ogden USD 383, where he has spent his eight-year career as a second grade, fourth grade, and Title specialist in the classroom.
“Jordan brings a level of understanding to the primary grades that will give us the focus we are looking for and the leadership needed at SES. It will be excellent to have both elementary buildings with leadership of the caliber we have for the future,” Swayne said.
“I could not be more excited and ready to get to Russell with my family and begin the work,” Perez said.
Perez will join the leadership team on July 1 as he and his family move to Russell in the early summer.
Henderson and Perez will be at USD 407’s regular April 15 board meeting beginning at 5:00 PM. The community is invited to meet both of the community’s new educational leaders beginning at 4:15 PM in the USD 407 Board Room.
While the more than 200 bridges in Ellis County continue to age, they are in pretty good shape in comparison with neighboring entities.
That was the message Monday to the county commission as members were presented the results of November’s bridge inspection by Penco Engineering.
The county conducts bridge inspections every two years, and Jordan Dettmer of the Plainville firm led the effort this past fall.
Dettmer told the commission that under the new federal guidelines there are only seven bridges considered “structurally deficient.” That accounts to just 7% of bridges in the county.
The government defines structurally deficient bridges are ones the receive a rating of four or less. The condition of the deck, superstructure, substructure and culvert all determine the rating according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
A bridge’s age and the way it was built is also considered.
Bridges that are considered “structurally deficient” needs repairs but are not unsafe.
According to ARTBA’s 2019 Kansas Bridge Profile 1,288 of the 24,906 bridges in Kansas are classified as structurally deficient.
Public Works Director Bill Ring said report shows they need to continue upkeep on the bridges throughout the county.
“There was nothing major that came out,” said Ring. “I wasn’t like we need to worry about closing a bridge tomorrow.”
“But it does point out that continued maintenance is extremely important,” Ring said.
Dettmer said there are two bridge decks that are “pretty bad” and that they Palco Blacktop Bridge deck was considered the worst deck in the county. Ring said the deck may need to be completely replaced.
The older structures with masonry abutments or arches suffered damage over the last couple of years because of the moisture the area have received.
He said those structures make up most of the seven that are considered in poor condition.
Dettmer also added that changes by the federal government will require a lot of the bridges in the county that don’t have a posted weight limit will, in the future require the county to post a weight limit.
He said that they some of the heavier emergency vehicles, like fire trucks and special haul vehicles may require posting.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation post loading restrictions are placed on bridges that can no longer carry the legal load. KDOT said approximately a quarter of the bridges in Kansas are load posted.
In other business, the commission
• Approved a proclamation declaring April as National County Government Month. The proclamation is an effort to spread awareness of the services provided by local county governments. This year’s theme is “Connecting the Unconnected.”
• Approved Mason Ruder as the Interim Administrator of the Environmental Office for one month. Ruder replaces Environmental Sanitarian Karen Purvis who retired on Friday while they look for a permanent replacement.
• Accepted $1,000 for a one-acre track of land owned by the county.
• Met in an executive session to discuss potential litigation. No action was taken.
PHILLIPSBURG — A “perfect storm” of long-standing problems converged in far northwest Phillips County last week, resulting in multiple accidents on K-383 highway, all of which will shortly have a spillover effect on into the city of Phillipsburg.
That perfect storm of problems includes years of legislative underfunding of needed upgrades to K-383; flooding in Nebraska; and huge overweight wind turbines traveling local highways.
While thousands of oversize, overweight loads have been passing through Phillips County for the past five years — at least 5000 in four years, according to KDOT — that number was increased recently as additional loads have been funneled here as a result of other highways being closed off due to flooding in Nebraska.
As that increase arrived in Phillips County, it was routed through Long Island and Almena along K-383, which is only 23 feet wide and has no shoulders. And all that precipitation that caused the flooding in Nebraska was also falling on Phillips County, resulting in dirt shoulders turning into mud quagmires.
With K-383 being just 23 feet wide, oversize loads of up to 16 feet wide have been permitted to travel down that highway’s 25 mile length.
So between mud, narrow roads, wide loads and increased volume of loads came that perfect storm of factors last week, resulting in one grain semi, and two semis carrying wind turbine tubes becoming casualties of K-383.
Adding to the concern, a photo of a school bus being forced off the road by an oversize load along K-383 went viral locally last week.
So far, there have been no injuries. With the knowledge that this situation is extremely dangerous and won’t be getting any better until the legislature starts funding fixes along K-383 around a half decade from now, local officials got together at the Phillips County Courthouse on Monday morning, and made some tough decisions that will reduce this dangerous situation.
Present at the meeting were the three Phillips County commissioners, two officials from the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Phillipsburg mayor, two Phillipsburg city council members, the Phillipsburg supervisor of public works, and the Phillips County Review.
How We Got To This Point
The problem originally arose around 2014. At that time a dozen or more trucks carrying oversize wind turbine components were passing through the county every day. Sometimes four or five an hour would come through.
Along with them came the pilot car drivers who seemed to have been recruited from Hollywood stunt driver schools.
And stunts they would perform. Driving on sidewalks, driving in reverse past traffic on highways, driving down ditches, driving on the wrong side of the road, swerving and forcing surprised oncoming motorists into ditches, coming to screeching-sideways-brake-slamming-tire-rubber-smoking stops to block traffic in multiple lanes — these guys were likened locally to drivers from “Fast and Furious” or “Smokey and the Bandit.”
And those were the complaints just in Phillipsburg. Since the loads were detoured to K-383, the bad behavior of the pilot car drivers has continued. Last week, a photo of a school bus being forced off the road outside Long Island went viral, and included a comment by a local resident, Tamme Johnson, regarding wide loads and pilot driver behavior on K-383 — “I know of people who have been run into the ditch. I have held my breath when road conditions were horrible, but they were out anyway. Anyone who travels this highway has stories, and they seem to have no end. This community is my home and I never want to respond to another oversized load related accident on this stretch.”
As for the oversize semis, they don’t have the maneuverability that the pilot car operators do, but in Phillipsburg they have made up for it by driving on sidewalks, plowing over road signs, and ignoring simple rules of geometry and the basic laws of physics. At least twice, they got stuck at the bank intersection in Phillipsburg because the wind turbine blades were too long to make the corner without taking out buildings.
Public complaints made directly to the motor carriers were sometimes met with responses that their permits from the Kansas Department of Transportation allowed them to ignore traffic regulations. There were also at least two comments from carrier drivers that hollering at them would result in a visit from FBI agents for interfering with interstate commerce.
With public outrage slowly building in 2015, a large number of complaints were directed to the Phillips County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The reaction from KDOT was initially somewhat slow. In response to direct contact from the Phillips County Review at one point KDOT did state they were aware of the local problem; that the special permits that oversize/overweight load carriers receive do not allow them to break any traffic laws whatsoever; and that complaining to motor carrier drivers about their lack of observance of traffic laws would not result in FBI investigations.
A lukewarm response to citizen’s complaints by the Phillips County Sheriff’s Department was seen by some local political observers as playing a very large part in the 2016 election, and in Phillips County’s new sheriff, Charlie Radabaugh, winning the August 2016 primary (he ran uncontested in the November 2016 general election). During his campaign Radabaugh ran on a law-and-order platform, and is widely seen by the local populace as keeping his promise, including holding traffic law breaking heavy load drivers to account throughout 2017, 2018, and into 2019.
During the earlier 2015 and 2016 time period the Kansas Highway Patrol did step into the void quite aggressively. As they began pulling over and ticketing oversize load scofflaws, the freewheeling Wild West atmosphere began easing a bit towards the end of 2016.
But while the over-the-top driving tactics did settle down by late 2016 as a result of the Highway Patrol’s efforts, there were still problems with the massive 200 foot-plus blades coming through the county.
Platooning in three-truck convoys, it was impossible for vehicles to get by them, resulting in mile long traffic jams.
In addition, as those blades, some of which are over 230 feet long, would come south down U.S. 183 they eventually ran into those nasty problems of physics and geometry.
U.S. 183 southbound out of Nebraska reaches a t-intersection at U.S. 36 a block west of the stoplight in downtown Phillipsburg.
So these convoys of exta-long loads would have to make a 90 degree turn there. And as those wind turbine blades are making that 90 degree turn, the 200 foot-plus blades swing outwards, out of the lane of traffic, over the curbs, over the grassy right-of-way, over the city sidewalk, and on toward the First National Bank and Trust building on the west side of U.S. 183.
So some semi drivers would back up, get out of their cabs, and go to work physically tearing down road signs on the opposite side of the road so they could cut the corner and reduce their 90 degree turn to maybe a more manageable 70 or 80 degree turn.
And, in doing so, after tearing up the street signs they would have to drive across curbs, and sidewalks, and city rights-of-way next to the other First National Bank building on the east side of U.S. 183.
Then, as they were continuing that turn, they would have to drive up on the sidewalk on the south side of U.S. 36, requiring anybody parked there to move their vehicles and causing the denizens of Shelly Ann’s Cafe to wonder if the trucks might come through the front window and ruin their meal.
Twice in 2016 — once in February and once in July — the blade loads just could not readily make the turn, no matter how much maneuvering they did. And once committed to the turn, they couldn’t back up. During those two times, all four lanes of U.S. 36 and both lanes of U.S. 183 were completely blocked for 45 minutes. Back and forth, inches at a time, finally broke the impasse.
The time that happened in July 2016 was the final straw — KDOT finally cracked down, at which point the oversize overweight loads were detoured around Phillipsburg.
That detour necessitated the loads cutting off of U.S. 183 and onto K-383 just south of the Nebraska state line 20 miles north of Phillipsburg.
So this particular KDOT solution eased the pressure in P-burg, but created a whole new set of issues for drivers in northwest Phillips County and northeast Norton County.
Primary among those new problems is the fact that K-383 is only 23 feet wide, compared to the almost-30-foot wide U.S. 183.
And while around six-feet of that extra length on 183 is road shoulder–383 has no shoulders at all.
But for almost three years along that narrower 383 roadway — a roadway that KDOT and the Kansas Legislature both recognize as being extremely hazardous — there were no major incidents other than some close calls, additional run-ins with hot dog pilot car drivers, and major traffic backups behind slow-moving heavy loads.
That all changed for the worse when in early 2019 constant snowfall and constant rainfall turned the Midwest into a quagmire. While that precipitation resulted in flooding around our region, it also had a serious effect along the sides of no-shoulder K-383. That effect was deep mud.
So driving down K-383, there was no room for error for heavy load drivers. Deviate 6 inches over the white line at the edge of the road on U.S. 183, and you still have close to three feet of shoulder. Deviate six inches over the white line at the edge of the road on K-383 and the entire right side of a heavy oversize wide load semi gets sucked into an unforgiving bog.
And that is exactly what happened near Long Island in northwest Phillips County on Monday, March 25.
In that incident, once the truck tires hit that mud shoulder the vehicle quickly overturned.
The semi tractor and trailer were able to be recovered using regular heavy duty wreckers. The giant wind turbine tube was another matter. Special cranes had to be hauled in, and the entire 25 mile length of K-383 had to be shutdown for hours on March 27.
One estimate put the cost of the recovery of the tube at $100,000. In addition, at least 70 motorists wanting to drive K-383 during this period were turned away by law enforcement at the eastern terminus of the route.
With the tube being recovered and loaded on the afternoon of March 27, Phillips County Sheriff Charlie Radabaugh gave the all-clear at 3:50 p.m. K-383 was open for business again.
Less than 15 hours later, disaster struck again. Another oversize semi carrying a wind turbine tube was traveling down K-383 less than two miles from the site of the other accident.
Perhaps cautious of the mud shoulder that caused the previous accident, that semi came upon an oncoming grain semi, and the two trucks side-swiped each other.
Once again K-383 was shut down for hours.
To top it off, during that same time frame last week a school bus was forced off the highway by an oversize wind turbine load. A concerned resident in a vehicle behind the bus snapped a photo, which then went viral throughout Phillips County.
These incidents had a more widespread effect than just causing local concern or shutting down the highway however, — the shockwaves quickly reverberated all the way to the state capital.
As this all was blowing up, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office made the following post on social media — “Sheriff Radabaugh was interviewed by KFRM 550 AM Radio this morning in regards to Highway 383 issues….Another interview was completed with the Phillips County Review….Numerous other phone calls have been received from concerned citizens and Sheriff Radabaugh wants everyone to know that the issue is being addressed in Topeka.”
The next four days resulted in a flurry of contact between the Sheriff’s Office, the Phillips County Commissioners, the Phillipsburg mayor, the Phillipsburg City Council, and the Kansas Department of Transportation.
At this point, it was generally recognized by all parties that there were not going to be any easy solutions. While earlier this year a legislative task force recognized poorly-designed K-383 as being hazardous, budget cuts and underfunding of highways for the past seven years has put any fixes off into the future. Under current planning, K-383 is not slated to begin undergoing upgrades until 2022. Maybe then, maybe longer.
And that’s just a tentative beginning date for a project that will then take years.
So it is now widely recognized by those involved that K-383 is too dangerous to continue to run these oversize loads down the highway.
With that knowledge, on Monday morning. April 1, the decision-making parties got together at the County Courthouse during the regularly scheduled meeting of the Phillips County Commissioners.
The result of that meeting? With controls in place, loads will soon be coming back through the City of Phillipsburg again.
The Temporary Solution
During the April 1 meeting, KDOT informed those present that 110 heavy loads are permitted to come down U.S. 183 in the next 30 days.
KDOT engineer Jeff Stewart noted, “Highway 183 is the preferred rout out of Nebraska due to the Nebraska flooding.”
It was also pointed out that a number of these heavy wind turbine and wind blade loads are heading to a new wind field near Colby, while others are heading on south to Garden City to be stockpiled on a 700 acre site.
Regarding getting them there, Stewart stated that other alternative routes, K-283 and K-8, “are even worse than 383.”
There was a consensus among those present at the meeting that while the wide loads that had come through Phillipsburg from 2014-2016 had been somewhat of a problem, the major issue back then lay primarily with the drivers of the pilot cars.
“While there’s a problem with the size of the loads, the real problem is that some of the pilot car drivers are a bunch of idiots,” said Phillipsburg Councilman Mike James.
Not only was there no disagreement, this comment resulted in a discussion of examples of actions of the pilot drivers, which were said to be “a disaster.” Specifically discussed was the practice of some pilot cars in driving the wrong way down roadways and suddenly swerving into oncoming traffic.
Sheriff Radabaugh told the group that he would make sure his people did their part.
“Any pilot car driver who gets out of line, I’ll see to it that it is brought to his attention,” said Sheriff Radabaugh. Explaining further, Radabaugh said “that attention will be expensive for them,” pointing out that his department will be diligent in ticketing violations of traffic laws.
Ultimately and without exception, those at the meeting acknowledged that the cold hard fact of the matter was that the situation along K-383 was “a serious safety issue,” was unacceptable, and that sooner or later somebody was going to get hurt or killed along K-383 if a change wasn’t made.
As a result, loads will soon be coming back through Phillipsburg — an increase will probably be noticeable within the next 30 days. KDOT’s Stewart stated at the meeting that they will limit lengths on the blades to 200 feet, which may help avoid situations of motor carriers getting stuck making turns at the bank intersection.
Stewart also said that when permitting the loads to come through Phillipsburg they will include a requirement that motor carriers call ahead to the Sheriff’s Department.
It was stated it was hoped that law enforcement assistance provided coming through town would make the situation easier for all involved. With that Radabaugh commented he’ll provide whatever help he can, noting that it would be on the motor carriers to make sure the phone calls for assistance were made.
