RENO COUNTY – A 34-year-old man arrested in Hays Thursday for the shooting death of another man also has a case pending in Reno County.
Ryan Thompson is charged with criminal possession of a firearm by a felon for reportedly having been found with a Beretta Tomcat 32 automatic on Feb. 24, according to police.
The state also claims the weapon was stolen, leading to a second charge of possession of stolen property.
He was scheduled to be in Reno County District Court on Friday morning for the reading of the two charges, but Magistrate Judge Daniel Gilligan was told that he was being held in Ellis County on suspicion of the fatal shooting.
Hays Police responding to a domestic disturbance call on Indian Trail on Wednesday night found a 26-year-old man dead from a gunshot wound. Thompson fled the scene but was apprehended with the help of officers in Ellis.
Thompson has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated endangerment of a child and drug charges.
On Friday, Gilligan issued a bench warrant with a $10,000 bond to bring Thompson back to Reno County.
DODGE CITY – Snow and Bitterly Cold Temperatures on the Way…
(Click to enlarge)
…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM SATURDAY TO NOON CST
SUNDAY…
Trego-Ellis-Scott-Lane-Ness-Rush-Finney-Hodgeman-Pawnee-Stafford-Gray-Ford-Edwards counties including the cities of WaKeeney, Pfeifer, Hays, Scott City, Scott State Lake, Dighton, Ness City, La Crosse, Garden City, Jetmore, Hanston, Larned, St. John, Stafford, Macksville, Cimarron, Montezuma, Dodge City, Kinsley, and Lewis
* WHAT…Light freezing drizzle and flurries Saturday afternoon are expected to change to all snow Saturday evening, with total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches. North winds at 20 to 30 mph, along with gusts as high as 35 mph, will cause blowing and drifting of snow and reduced visibilities under a quarter of a mile at times. Bitterly cold air along with the wind will result in dangerous wind chills as low as -20. Any freezing drizzle that develops ahead of the snow could cause slick spots Saturday afternoon.
* WHERE…Portions of central, south central, southwest and west central Kansas.
* WHEN…From 6 PM Saturday to noon CST Sunday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Plan on slippery road conditions. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Winter Storm Warning for snow means severe winter weather conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5-1-1.
A Hays bookkeeper who tried to claim millions from her former employer’s estate entered into a plea agreement Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Wichita.
Wanda Oborny, who was charged with seven counts of mail fraud, changed her plea from not guilt to guilty on one count of mail fraud. The other six counts were dismissed.
The charges stemmed form her mailing a fraudulent codicil for her employer’s will to Fort Hays State University and other parties who were beneficiaries in the will, including Field’s relatives.
Under the plea, Oborny will serve 12 months of probation, make a charitable donation of $100 each month for 12 months to Fort Hays State University and pay a mandatory special assessment of $100.
By taking the plea, Oborny avoids a sentence of up to 20 years of prison and $250,000 fine.
Oborny was a bookkeeper for Hays resident Earl O. Field. Oborny alleged 98-year-old Field signed a codicil to his will shortly before his death in 2013, leaving half of his $20 million estate to her with a quarter of the estate going to Fort Hays State University Foundation and the rest going to Field’s attorney, Joseph Jeter.
After a long court battle, the Fort Hays University Foundation received the bulk of the estate as was stated in the original will.
Jack King of ElectionSource talks about the Dominion Voting System precinct ballot counter.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The third and final public demonstration of new voting systems for Ellis County was held Wednesday with poll workers and election staff.
The group in the county Administration Center commission chambers was much smaller than that at the first two presentations. Ellis County Clerk and Election Officer Donna Maskus attributed it to the extreme cold.
Josh King and Don Vopalensky did get out in the winter weather and drove to Hays. The two Kansas residents work for ElectionSource, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and showed their Dominion Voting Systems.
King talked about the extra security layer built in the precinct ballot counter, which requires both a USB key and a unique password.
“You have to have this little physical device and you have to know the password the county has chosen for that election,” explained King. “You can have it programmed to each specific machine or one for everyone. It’s all up to the county and how granular they want their security to be.”
The precinct counter, which holds 3,000 ballots and has a separate write-in ballot bin, costs approximately $5,000. The ADA compliant ICX touch screen voting booth prints ballots but does not tabulate. Its cost is about $3,000.
Ellis County must replace its aging iVotronic voting system in order to comply with a new Kansas statute requiring post-election audits done on paper. The iVotronic machines do not produce a paper ballot.
Maskus said all three companies are “excellent” and they each work with other counties in Kansas as well as other states.
Don Vopalensky is the Kansas State Elections Manager for ElectionSource.
Each company showcased systems that would require less work by poll workers and put more responsibility on the voter.
“I’m very much considering that it will take less election board workers,” Maskus said. “Once that ballot is handed to the voter, the voter goes to the table, does their secret voting, and then comes to the machine and puts it in. If they choose to do the touch screen option, it will print a ballot and they will have to put it in the machine to be tabulated.”
The printed ballots will go into a ballot precinct counter which does the tabulations. Write-in ballots are also scanned, counted and printed.
“We’re going to be able to print reports and combine those results. It should be a faster process on election night and that is exciting to me,” she said with a smile.
Maskus has talked with several Kansas counties who are using the new systems which print and tabulate ballots and “they just love them. It’s less time and they say they feel so much better about them. It’s tabulating there in the machine and you don’t have that human error.”
Attendees at Wednesday’s ElectionSource demonstration.
Ellis County election board workers who’ve attended the presentations have also told Maskus the new systems look much easier to use. “They’re also looking forward to some new equipment.”
Whichever company is selected, it will provide training for the poll workers on the new system. “We want to be trained correctly and what to do if something happens to a machine or if the electricity goes off.”
The county budget has capital reserve set aside to purchase new machines as part of the election budget. Maskus will decide which system to go with after reviewing all three bids.
“I do want input from my staff, people who have attended the meetings, my board workers and supervisors, and the county commissioners. It’s a big dollar investment. We will review all that very thoroughly.”
“It’ll be great to have new equipment. There’ll be a learning curve but everybody is excited.”
Ellis County has 10 polling sites and 69 iVotronic machines.
Maskus expects to use the new equipment for the upcoming election in November and a possible primary election in August.
Eagle Communications announced Friday the promotion of Mark Trotman to vice president of radio, effective immediately.
Trotman has served as Eagle’s market manager in Hutchinson since 2010. He will now focus on coordinating the company’s revenue development, sales training and additional processes for Eagle’s 28 radio stations.
“Mark’s experience and success in Hutchinson is valuable in each of our markets, and we look forward to his leadership in these important areas,” said Eagle Communications Chairman and CEO Gary Shorman Eagle
With Trotman’s promotion, sales manager Terry Drouhard will now serve as market manager in Hutchinson. Drouhard was appointed to operations manager in Hutchinson in 1989 and promoted to sales manager in 1996.
Terry Drouhard
“Terry has outstanding team-building skills and a commitment to growing each of our customers,” Shorman said. “As an employee-owned company, we build for the long term. Terry’s strong leadership and knowledge of the market make him the right choice for this new role.”
Saturday evening is expected to bring another round of snow into the area.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for much of northwest Kansas, including Ellis County. Forecasters are calling for new snowfall accumulation of 4 to 6 inches, with some areas possibly receiving more.
North winds between 15 and 25 mph are expected to lead to drifting and make road conditions hazardous, the NWS warned. In addition, the storm will bring dangerously cold temperatures, with wind chills dipping as low as 15 below.
The weather is expected to arrive in the region Saturday evening and continue through Sunday morning.
USD 489 Early Childhood Connections is currently housed in the former Washington Elementary School. The program will relocate to the Oak Park Medical Complex once that building is renovated.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The former Washington Elementary School in downtown Hays will retain its historical significance when repurposed as affordable housing in a project proposed by Overland Property Group (OPG) of Leawood.
The city commission Thursday night unanimously approved a Resolution of Support sought by developer Matt Gillam for federal tax credits through the state.
Washington School opened its doors in 1926 and May 19, 2015.
“I know a lot of people have said you’re going to come in and tear it down. That is not what I put in front of the state. It is for historical rehab of that school and it’s to put 18 apartment units inside that school,” Gillam told commissioners.
Fifteen of the units in StonePost Lofts will be one-bedroom apartments. There aren’t very many of those in Hays.
“This is a really cool opportunity to be able to fill the gap with one-bedrooms, do a historic renovation on the school and money is spent so that it is not an eyesore for the community,” Gillam added. “It’s going to be a contributing piece of real estate in a very vital piece of downtown.”
Gillam said the state now has the application for the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and he has talked with the state historical society. His contractors have also checked out the building.
He noted the school gymnasium cannot be converted to apartments.
“There’s a lack of windows and because of the historical significance, I’ll have to maintain that as a kind of internal community activity space.”
Plans are to replace the building roof and and the HVAC system. A large asphalt parking lot on the property will be improved for use by the tenants.
Gillam estimates the renovation will cost a minimum of $4 million.
“I think this is a wonderful project,” said Commissioner Sandy Jacobs. “I’ve lived here all my life and I’m very attached to that building. I think it’s going to do much for our downtown.”
Vice-Mayor Shaun Musil asked how much of the renovation work would be done by local contractors.
OPG is not a contractor, Gillam pointed out.
“We use McPherson Group of Topeka a lot which has done some recent stuff at Fort Hays State University. We’ve really dialed in that local subcontractor.” An OPG project underway in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, utilized 70 percent local subcontractors, according to Gillam.
StonePost housing locations in downtown Hays
Apartment rental prices would range from $380 to $600 a month plus utilities.
OPG has three other qualified-income housing projects open in the area of south Main Street.
“We have a very substantial waiting list on StonePost on all phases right now,” Gillam reported.
Belle Barbieri had her third double-double of the season and led four Tigers in double figures as Fort Hays State cruised to a 79-59 win over Missouri Southern State Thursday at Gross Coliseum. Barbieri scored 18 and had 11 rebounds, Kacey Kennett added 17 points, Tatyana Legette scored 14 and Whitney Randall had 10.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Tigers (26-1, 17-1 MIAA) raced out to a 9-0 lead and never led by less than six. A 12-0 run pushed their lead to 18 midway through the second quarter and were up as many as 23 on a couple occasions in the second half.
FHSU shot 47-percent from the floor and outscored the Lions (13-15, 5-13 MIAA) 25-14 off of turnovers and 17-8 on second chance points.
MSSU was led by Chelsey Henry’s 12 points. Layne Skiles came off the bench to add 10.
The Tigers, who received their MIAA Championship trophy at halftime of the men’s game, close out the regular season at home Saturday afternoon against Pittsburg State. It will be Senior Day as the honor Tatyana Legette and Carly Heim.
DODGE CITY — Western Kansas Manufacturers Association (WKMA), sponsor of the annual 3i SHOW, has once again announced the availability of scholarships to area technical colleges, vocational colleges and universities for the 2019-2020 school year.
Scholarships are available at Barton Community College, Colby Community College, Dodge City Community College, Garden City Community College, NCK Tech (North Central Kansas Technical College), Northwest Kansas Technical College, Seward County Community College/Area Tech School, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University and the University of Kansas.
Qualifying students are U.S. Citizens residing in Western Kansas who have graduated from a Western Kansas high school. The scholarships are for freshman students with preference given to those enrolling in Agri-Business, Industrial or Mechanical Engineering, Pre-Engineering or Business Administration. Scholarship applications should be made directly through the individual school’s financial aid or scholarship department.
WKMA scholarships are partially funded each year by the sale of three hundred limited-edition belt buckles commemorating the upcoming 3i SHOW. Buckle order forms are available online at www.3ishow.com/3ishow/merchandise. Buckles will also be available for sale March 21-23 at the 65th Annual 3i SHOW in Dodge City at the Western State Bank Expo Center.
For more information regarding scholarships, buckles or the 65th Annual 3i SHOW, visit www.3ishow.com, or contact the WKMA office directly toll-free at 877-405-2883 or locally at 620-227-8082. To receive continued updates and information about the 3i SHOW and upcoming events, follow the 3i SHOW on Twitter and like the 3i SHOW Facebook Page.
Next week is the first full week of March, which the Federal Trade Commission marks as National Consumer Protection Week. The Kansas Attorney General’s office and our In Your Corner Kansas campaign focuses year-round on protecting consumers from scams and rip-offs, but next week in particular we remind Kansans to be diligent and to keep yourself and your personal information safe.
One of the ways we do that is to report to you some of the most commonly-reported scams to our office over the past year. This year’s report looks very familiar, as all five scams return from 2017 list.
Card Services. Remaining atop our list for the second year in a row, the folks from “card services” took the top spot in 2018. In this scam, a robocaller placing thousands of calls at a time will ask you to “press 1” to speak to an account representative about lowering your credit card interest rate. These scammers are after information. If you press anything on your phone, that lets the scammer know they have reached a working number and you’ll get more calls. If you do speak to a representative, he or she will try to trick you into giving them more personal information, including your real credit card number. Our best advice on this or any other robocall scam is to not answer calls from numbers you do not know. If you do answer, once you know it’s not someone you know, just hang up. Never give your credit card information to someone over the phone.
Computer Repairs. In this scam, the caller claims to be from a well-known computer company telling you they’ve detected a virus on your computer and offers to help you remove it by connecting remotely to your computer. But instead of trying to fix your computer, the scam artist is actually trying to install a virus to give them access to all your files and your personal information that is in them. The scammer may also be trying to hack into your machine to send out spam emails from your account, or even to take over your computer’s camera and microphone to spy on you and try to obtain additional personal information. If your computer really does have a problem, take it to a reputable, local computer repair shop or call your computer manufacturer’s customer service number directly. Never give a stranger access to your computer over the phone.
IRS. The scam involves someone impersonating the IRS saying you owe taxes and asking you to pay immediately via your credit card or by purchasing a pre-paid debit card and calling them back with the card number. Remember, when you owe money to the IRS or any government agency, it will send you notices by mail. If you do get something in the mail, it’s a good idea to look up that agency’s number in the blue pages of a phone book or on the agency’s official website and call to make sure it’s a legitimate letter. Never give your personal information to someone over the phone.
Car Warranty. Another robocall, this scammer claims to be from your auto manufacturer or dealer letting you know that your car warranty is about to expire. They will then try to sell you an extended warranty. Usually, like the card services scam, this is a way to gather information about you that can then be sold to other scammers. And just like the card services scam, the best way to deal with these scammers is to just hang up.
Government Imposter. This one is a variation on the previously-mentioned IRS scam, where scammers claim to be from different federal, state, or local government agencies. In Kansas, we’ve seen them call and say you’ve missed jury duty and need to pay a fine. We’ve actually had scammers call impersonating the attorney general’s office saying they were going to come arrest you if you don’t pay a fine immediately. I assure you, we won’t do that. Like the IRS scam, take similar steps to verify anything you receive from someone purporting to be from a government agency is telling the truth and never feel pressured to give your personal information away over the phone.
More information on how to protect yourself from these and other scams is available on our consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org or by calling our consumer protection hotline at (800) 432-2310.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is accepting applications for the federally funded Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).
LIEAP provides an annual benefit to help qualifying households pay winter heating bills. Persons with disabilities, older adults and families with children are the primary groups assisted. In 2018, more than 36,000 Kansas households received an average benefit of $498.
To qualify, applicants must be responsible for direct payment of their heating bills. Income eligibility requirements are set at 130 percent of the federal poverty level. The level of benefit varies according to household income, number of people living in the home, type of residence, type of residence, type of heating fuel and utility rates.
Applicants must demonstrate they have made payments on their heating bills two out of the past three months.
Applications will be accepted until March 29, 2019.
If you are needing assistance filling out or submitting an application, the Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging can help. Call the office at 1-800-432-7422 or 785-628-8204 for an appointment.
Author and Victoria native Tammi Sauer introduces children at Wilson Elementary School to her book’s character, Wordy Bird.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Tammi Sauer, children’s author and Victoria native, is home this week for school visits that will culminate in a performance based on her book, “Your Alien,” on Friday at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
First and second graders will see a live performance of “Your Alien” at 12:45 p.m. Friday. A public performance will be at 7 p.m., also at Beach/Schmidt. Cost is $3 for children 12 and younger and $5 for those 13 and older. All seating is general admission, so tickets will be sold only at the door beginning at 6:20 p.m.
Sauer’s school visits and the performance are being sponsored by the Hays Arts Council.
Sauer said Wednesday she was excited to be home and sharing her stories with local children. Although several of her books have been adapted into live performances, this is the first time she will be able to see one of them on stage. She has invited members of her family from Ellis County to join her in watching “Your Alien” for the first time.
“It is going to be amazing to have something that I had this idea for come to life on stage,” she said.
Sauer also presented the schools with a copy of “Your Alien Returns,” the sequel to “Your Alien.”
Sauer travels all over the country giving presentations to schools, and she has had some of her books translated into foreign languages.
Wilson students react to Tammi Sauer’s presentation at their school on Wednesday.
During a visit this week to Wilson school, Sauer introduced the children to one her characters, “Wordy Birdy,” read several books to the children, talked about the inspiration for her books and offered second graders an extended session on developing their ideas into stories.
Sauer said much of her inspiration for her books came from growing up on a farm near Victoria. She told the children her job in the family was pig chaser. When the family’s pigs got out of their pens, she had to chase them back in.
A zoo of of other animals play prominently in her books, including chickens, ducks bears, a moose and a shark among others.
She told the second-graders she finds inspiration for her books in the “weird stuff” in her life.
“I have 27 books,” she said, “and most of those have started with something weird.”
Her first book was “Cowboy Camp,” which was inspired by a young man who knocked on her door one night trying to sell her a newspaper subscription to earn money to go to a cowboy camp. Sauer thought this young man did not look like the type of person that would fit in at a cowboy camp. The struggle of her main character was born.
Another idea for a book came from a plate. It had a picture of a bear in bright red underwear on it with the words, “Cake? What Cake?”
“When I saw this picture of the big hairy bear in the giant red underpants standing in a bunch of cake crumbs, I thought I need to write a book about an animal who likes cake as much as this guy,” Sauer told the children.
The book became “I Love Cake.”
Sauer studied elementary education at Kansas State University and was teacher before she started her writing career. Even before she graduated college, one of her instructors noted her talent with words and encouraged her to consider writing children’s books. In honor of that teacher, she named a chicken in one of her books after her.
Sauer said she placed the thought of writing on the back burner until a children’s author visited her daughter’s school. That reignited that dream of being an author. She squeezed in time to write when her children were napping. Her first book was published in 2005.
Sauer told the children,”I think my job is the best job in the world. I think being a children’s book author is better than being a race car driver and vooming around the curves. I think it is more fun that being an astronaut and blasting into outer space. I think my job is the best, because I love books.
“Books can take people on adventures. You can open up any book in your library and go on a new adventure.”
Sauer has made frequent visits to Victoria to share her love of writing and books.
“I just wanted those kids to see, ‘Hey, you can go to this little school and you can go do big things. You can do whatever you want. You just have to put in the time and the heart.
“It is my favorite,” she said of visiting her former school. “I have those feelings when I was in here. I know where some of my favorite books where on the shelf. It is a nice feeling to be back. When I walk in there, it even has the same kind of smell I remember when I was a little kid.”
Sauer can still remember some of her favorite books when she was a child. She loved the golden egg book when she was in first grade because of its beautiful cover, the Ramona books when she was a little older and “Are You There God? It’s Me Margret.”
“I have always been a big reader and just didn’t ever know I was going to be a writer,” she said. “It is just great to know all that reading I was doing helps me to be a better writer even now.”
Sauer acknowledged the children’s book market is very competitive. Less than 1 percent of the manuscripts that are sent to the major publishing houses make it to print. Sauer has an agent who helps find buyers for her books. Even with a children’s literature, revisions are extensive.
“I feel most of my job is not as a writer, but a reviser,” she said. “That is the truth for every writer out there who is trying to make a good thing better.”
