All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Haylee Jo Hoch, 21, Hays, was arrested at 11:14 p.m. Feb. 8 in the 200 block of East 12th on suspicion of drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jeffrey Gile Rhoden, 39, Hays, was arrested at 8:48 p.m. Feb. 7 in the 1400 block of Oak on suspicion of violation of an order of protection.
Haylee Jo Hoch, 21, Hays, was arrested Feb. 8 in the 100 block of West 12th on suspicion of drug distribution, use of a communication facility for a drug transaction and no drug tax stamp.
Arthur Rashad Dunnigan, 26, Hays, was arrested at 1:54 a.m. Feb. 9 in the 600 block of Main on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Justin Michael Keller, 36, Hays, was arrested at 3:03 a.m. Feb. 10 on U.S. 183 on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Brian Galindo, 18, Great Bend, was arrested at 12:40 a.m. Feb. 10 in the 400 block of West Seventh on suspicion of underage purchase/possession/consumption of alcohol.
Skyler Ray Cantrell, 19, Hays, was arrested at 9:55 p.m. Feb. 9 in the 400 block of West Seventh on suspicion of underage purchase/possession/consumption of alcohol.
Levi Robert Stein, 19, Spearville, was arrested at 9:55 p.m. Feb. 9 in the 400 block of West Seventh on suspicion of underage purchase/possession/consumption of alcohol.
DaShaun Neil Smith, 20, Hays, was arrested at 3:11 p.m. Feb. 10 in the 2700 block of Epworth on suspicion of criminal threat and battery.
John Louis Sanders Jr., 38, Hays, was arrested at 3:44 p.m. Feb. 9 in the 100 block of West Fourth on suspicion of drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Korey Christopher Allison, 28, Hays, was arrested at 12:19 p.m. Feb. 9 in the 2300 block of East 15th on suspicion of failure to appear.
Dallas-Jacob Raymond Stratton, 21, Hays, was arrested at 4:55 p.m. Feb. 8 in the 4300 block of Vine on suspicion of theft.
Jasmine Araceli Segura, 21, Hays, was arrested at 4:55 p.m. Feb. 8 in the 4300 block of Vine on suspicion of theft.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television’s local program, The Kansas Legislature, will be hosted Friday, Feb. 15 by Michael Walker, director of the Fort Hays State University Docking Institute.
Our guests will be State Representatives Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) of the 109th District, Steven Johnson (R-Assaria) of the 108th District, and Senator Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) of the 36th District. Tune in TONIGHT 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.
Hays city commissioners Thursday night approved six low bids totaling $774,456.39 for the 2019 Street Maintenance Program.
Monies will come from the Special Highway fund. A little more than $1.1 million is budgeted for street maintenance this year.
The street work includes include seal coat, asphalt rejuvenator, micro-surfacing, curb and brick repair, major rehabilitation of Ash Street from 23rd to 27th, and concrete shoulders along portions of 8th Street and Old Highway 40 east of Vine Street.
Circle C Paving and Construction, LLC, Goddard, in the amount of $153,535.20 for seal coat
Proseal Inc., El Dorado, in the amount of $84,466.84 for asphalt rejuvenator
Vance Brothers, Inc., Kansas City, MO, in the amount of $71,159.05 for micro-surfacing
J Corp., Inc., Hays, in the amount of $100,566.30 for curb and brick repair
J Corp., Inc., Hays, in the amount of $189,229.00 for Ash Street major rehab
(Click to enlarge)
J Corp., Inc., Hays, in the amount of $175,500.00 for concrete shoulders
Vance Brothers had the contract in 2018 for micro-surfacing but was unable to finish all the work, according to John Braun, the city’s project director. The company will return this year to complete last year’s remaining work and will add additional street work, all at the 2018 contract prices.
Commissioners rejected the sole bid for diamond grinding of Commerce Parkway as recommended by Braun.
“The unit bid the contractor submitted was 60% higher than the price they submitted last year,” Braun told the commission. “They indicated their schedule was pretty full and the price that they bid is the price they bid. That’s why we’re not recommending awarding the diamond grinding bid at this time.”
Instead, a portion of the estimated $393,000 for diamond grinding will be used to also extend the concrete shoulders on East 8th Street.
“That would leave about $237,000 remaining for other work which night include diamond grinding [bids] later this year for work next year,” suggested Braun.
“I had the pleasure of driving on Highway 40 today,” said Mayor Henry Schwaller.
“I saw an 18-wheeler go onto the gravel shoulder, and it was a stunning moment. Are they going to make it or are they not? So I’m glad we’re going to do those concrete shoulders. That’s a good suggestion.”
Hays city commissioners approved a 3% salary increase Thu. for City Manager Toby Dougherty (at left).
In other business, commissioners unanimously approved a 3% increase in the base salary for City Manager Toby Dougherty, beginning with the first pay period of Jan. 2019, as well as a 40 hour annual reduction in his Paid Time Off (PTO).
The commission thanked Dougherty for his leadership of the city.
“To recognize the wonderful job that he does is to recognize the department heads that he has,” said Sandy Jacobs.
“He allows them to work very independently. They do their job very well. He supports everything that they do and I think that kind of leadership is very important in our community.”
Dougherty was hired as the Hays city manager June 28, 2007.
PHILLIPSBURG — The Shepherd’s Mill in Phillipsburg will celebrate its 15th anniversary March 2 with a daylong downtown street fair, with a tour of the mill, live fiber animal display, educational workshops by fiber artists, presentations by llama farmer Cindy Ruckman, an alpaca/llama obstacle course, and short make-it and take-it projects.
The event, “Together, we are better!” is presented in collaboration with the Golden Plains Llama and Alpaca Association annual conference to elevate public awareness of fiber animals and fiber artists.
Full-day and half-day workshops are available with professional fiber artists on dyeing, weaving, silk painting, choosing yarn, knooking, and creating a cowl. Visitors can try their hand at leading animals and working with fiber at exhibits throughout the day.
“This fair is designed to bring producers of all fiber animals together with fiber artists and the general public,” says Sally Brandon, who opened The Shepherd’s Mill with her husband Jay in 2004.
Sally, who had learned to weave on an exchange trip to Finland in the 1980s, was hand-spinning at her booth during an Alpaca show in Denver, when Jay became intrigued while talking to the couple in the next booth who owned a small mill. On the way home, he proposed that they enter the field.
“I wrote the business plan to prove to him that wasn’t what we wanted to be doing,” she recalls. We started the mill from scratch in our hometown with wonderful support from our local economic development and our local community. Here we are 15 years later.”
The couple has served clients from 44 states with fibers from alpaca to yak, including opossum, brown bear, wolf, dogs, Shetland ponies, and Scottish Highland cows. The Shepherd’s Mill, which has six employees, moved into its own building at 839 Third St. seven years ago, creating space where visitors can watch the work, shop, and take classes in fiber arts.
Eighty percent of the business is spinning yarn that goes into the hand-knitting market, including the mill’s special blends for sale. The company also produces some fabric, especially scarves, shawls, and throws.
“Together, we are better!” is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 2 in the 800 block of Third Street in Phillipsburg. In case of bad weather, the event moves to Phillips County Fairgrounds. Register at www.KansasFiber.com, Education.
Nearly four years ago, the cities of Hays and Russell filed applications with the state of Kansas requesting the transfer of water from their jointly-owned R9 Ranch in Edwards County to Hays in Ellis County.
They’re still waiting.
At the end of Thursday night’s Hays city commission meeting, Mayor Henry Schwaller read a brief historical statement about the project to acquire a long term water supply. He acknowledged “the process is long.”
The Water Transfer Act, which takes water from one water basin to another, has never been triggered in Kansas.
Schwaller said the city has had a good working relationship with the Division of Water Resources (DWR), part of the Department of Agriculture. DWR is the state agency that will issue the final Master Order to allow the use of the water.
“To make this relationship work out, Hays and Russell went so far as to reduce the amount of water, called consumptive yield, that we would use from the R9 Ranch, far below what the state statutes allow,” Schwaller said, “with the promise this would speed up the process of approval.
“Unfortunately, it has not.”
Schwaller said the cities “will continue to work over the next three months with our representatives in Topeka and state officials to make this project happen.”
Each of the other Hays commissioners chimed in with their support of Schwaller’s statement.
“It’s beyond time for the state to step up to the plate, cross the t’s, dot the i’s and finish this,” said Commissioner James Meier.
“It’s my personal opinion that we have been treated quite differently from anybody else who would have filed a change order application. Some of that is justified because we knew there would be a transfer process at the end of this, but the vast majority of it, quite unfairly.”
Kansas now has a new governor, Laura Kelly and a new Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Beam.
“Very frustrating,” agreed Commissioner Ron Mellick. “We’ve been getting promises that haven’t been met.
“As a commission we’re going to start pushing a little harder. It’s not about playing nice. It’s about elected and appointed officials doing what they’re supposed to do.”
Sandy Jacobs is the shortest-serving city commissioner – two years – and said the water situation is the “only issue and frustration for me. It’s not been dealt with by me as long as it has by every other commissioner on this panel today.
“We’ve done everything we’re supposed to do,” Jacobs stressed. “We have a city manager that’s led us through the process that knows more about water and what’s going on in the state of Kansas than about anybody.
“It’s time we get it done.”
Vice-mayor Shaun Musil pointed out the water project is “not only for Hays, but our neighbors and western Kansas.
“We need western Kansas to grow and if we don’t get this soon, it’s going to hurt for a long time. I hope the mayor continues to push on this.”
The communities of Ellis, Victoria and La Crosse have supported the project and may become potential purchasers of the water in the future.
Following a public hearing in Greensburg last June, DWR Chief Engineer David Barfield began preparing the Master Order.
“The order is actually written,” Schwaller said after Thursday’s city commission meeting. “He is putting in the facts and bullet points he thinks are important that he got from that meeting before issuing it.”
According to Schwaller, the city was told the order would be completed before Christmas.
“There’ve been some friendly communications, some confusing communications. We do continue to stay in touch with the Division of Water Resources but we’re not gaining any ground.”
“Our communities in the region need the R9 Ranch in order to remain economically viable,” Schwaller said.
“This will be the largest project in our cities’ history and we are very concerned about the delay in issuing that Master Order.”
Schwaller added that he hopes to have some new information about the project status on Tuesday.
An archive of the city of Hays/R9 Ranch Water Right Changes and Water Transfer Application is available on the KDA/DWR website.
It’s the time of year when many gardeners are looking forward to nicer days ahead spent outside tending their plants. Many use this time to plan what plants they are going to buy, and research what varieties preformed the best last year. Every year, K-State Research and Extension compiles all of their horticulture research results on their website for easy access.
If you find something that you would like more information on, you can always call the Extension office at 620-793-1910 or come by the office at 1800 12th Street in Great Bend and we will be happy to help you. Through K-State and your local office, we can help you have a beautiful and productive garden this year using research and knowledge to give you a head start.
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.
Friday Snow, possibly mixing with freezing rain after 11am, then gradually ending. High near 22. East northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Friday NightMostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Wind chill values as low as 3. East wind around 8 mph.
SaturdayMostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Wind chill values as low as 3. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph.
Saturday NightA chance of snow and freezing rain before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
On Thursday, special agents of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation arrested a Russell man for his alleged involvement with child pornography.
On Thursday at approximately 11:30 a.m., Kenneth D. Herd, 54, Russell, was arrested at Enersys where he was employed in Hays, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.
Herd was arrested for transportation of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Lyons.
The arrest follows a Jan. 30 federal grand jury indictment for the child pornography related offenses. After his arrest, Herd was transported to Wichita where he was booked into the Sedgwick County jail.
The United States Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case.
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups filed a notice today of their intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect severely imperiled lesser prairie chickens under the Endangered Species Act.
The groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the birds in September 2016. The agency promised to make a decision on that protection by the end of summer 2017, but failed to do so.
“The Trump administration’s foot dragging is placing these unique, dancing birds at serious risk of extinction,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Endangered Species Act has saved more than 99 percent of the species under its protection. It can save the lesser prairie chicken too, but only if the birds are listed as a threatened or endangered species.”
In 2014 the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the lesser prairie chicken as threatened. But protection was overturned on procedural grounds after a lawsuit from the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and four counties.
The bird lives in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It is severely threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation caused by oil and gas development, cropland conversion, livestock grazing and roads and power lines.
“Listing the lesser prairie chicken as threatened or endangered is the first step toward recovering this iconic species,” said Jason Rylander, senior counsel at Defenders of Wildlife. “The lesser prairie chicken has waited long enough for Endangered Species Act protection. It’s time for the Trump administration to act.”
In addition to habitat loss, the lesser prairie chicken is threatened by climate change. The summer of 2011 saw some of the hottest and driest conditions on record in the Southern Plains, with ground temperatures exceeding 130 degrees Fahrenheit, a critical threshold above which lesser prairie chicken eggs cannot survive.
The following year prairie chicken populations plummeted to their lowest levels in decades. Overall, global warming is expected to drive a four-fold increase in the number of 100-plus degrees days on the Southern Plains.
“These incredible birds deserve better than continuing neglect from the Trump administration,” said Taylor Jones, an endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “Threats from climate change and habitat loss continue to grow, and this species needs the strongest legal protections possible to escape extinction.”
The lesser prairie chicken — an icon of the Southern Plains — once numbered in the millions but has declined to just roughly 38,000 birds across less than 17 percent of its original range. Experts estimate the population of lesser prairie chickens at 3 million birds before the beginning of Euro-American settlement on the Great Plains.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With over 1.8 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come.
WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and the health of the American West.
TOPEKA – Barbara Wasinger, 111th District Rep. (R – Hays), together with Ken Rahjes, 110th District Rep. (R – Agra), is pleased to host Kansas Commerce Secretary David Toland and Deputy Secretary of Transportation Lindsay Douglas in a tour of critical infrastructure and economic development projects in Ellis County on Friday, February 22.
Mr. Toland and Ms. Douglas, together with the two Representatives, will be joined by officials of Ellis County, the City of Hays, GrowHays, and the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center in meeting with business leaders from Midwest Energy and Hess Services as they tour the growing businesses along the Northwest Business Corridor Route connecting I-70 to US 183 via 230th Avenue and Feedlot Road.
“Local officials in Ellis County have been working to design and secure funding for improvements to this route for a number of years,” said Wasinger. “I am pleased to help Ellis County get the attention in Topeka that is warranted by the businesses in this Corridor, and I know that both Representative Rahjes and Rick Billinger, 40th District Senator (R – Goodland), share in my appreciation for this visit from officials of Governor Kelly’s Administration. This is a perfect example of how both political parties can work together for the common good.”
The group is also expected to view the North Vine Street project for which the City of Hays recently received a federal BUILD grant and hear about other economic development opportunities in Ellis County. While final details are still being confirmed, a full agenda for the visit will be released by the County no later than Wednesday, Feb. 20.
This past week I added my testimony of support for a bill that was put forward in the House Education Committee requiring that financial literacy be added to the State’s educational curriculum. As a former legislator, I was always somewhat reluctant of proposed legislation that added some sort of new regulation and/or requirement and I understand why some could be skeptical of the mandate HB 2166 imposes. However, after nearly two years serving as the Kansas State Treasurer, I have seen how families in our communities face a host of difficulties, many of which are rooted in a common source… Money.
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan once said, “The number one problem in today’s generation and economy is lack of financial literacy”. I have come to strongly agree with Greenspan’s statement. Educators who teach financial literacy witness the positive impacts of the knowledge they instill on their students and the financial skills they impart become a shield against many of the financial problems faced in our communities and our nation.
Imagine if every Kansas student who graduated was well-versed in interest rates. Would that knowledge make them a little more judicious when spending student loan money? Would it help them be a little more strategic in the homes or vehicles they purchase and from whom they make those purchases?
Imagine if every Kansas student was well informed of the practices of predatory lending. Would knowing and understanding these traps make them less likely to fall prey to predatory lenders?
Imagine if every Kansas student knew about credit scores. Would that knowledge help them make the kinds of behavioral choices that studies show could save them hundreds of thousands of dollars in the course of their lifetime?
Imagine if every Kansas student was aware of the benefits of a Learning Quest 529 education savings account. A generation who knows and understands the value of saving for the future and passes that knowledge on to their children perpetuates a culture of responsibility and increased opportunities. As Mothers and Fathers they will pass on the gift of planning ahead. By setting up 529 accounts for their children, they will help them alleviate massive student loan debt that stunts the professional and personal development of too many Americans.
Imagine if every Kansas student knew about compound interest and how to make their money work for them. Teaching our kids before graduation that investing as low as $20 a paycheck from high school graduation until retirement can build them several hundred thousand dollars in savings thanks to the help of compounding interest. We can take big steps towards addressing our society’s retirement savings problem when our teachers help create light bulb moments for students about how small investments over time return great dividends and create secure futures.
Imagine if every Kansas student knew the importance of creating a budget and balancing their household checkbook. More money smart households means Kansans who know how to live within their means and expect the same of their elected officials who are handling revenue and spending issues at the local, state and nation level.
This is our opportunity to get ahead of the curve. To give the next generation the proper tools that set them up for success. Everyone is going to face money problems throughout their lifetime, but there are so many money problems that can be avoided by first knowing the traps and the pitfalls. Mandating financial literacy before graduation is a gift not only to our kids, but also our state, and our nation.
While I certainly support HB 2166, I also stand ready to help advance other efforts to increase financial literacy in Kansas. Our children deserve every opportunity to succeed and taking steps to help them learn more about the financial sector will help on their path to success.
City commissioners will vote Thursday night on the proposed bid awards for the 2019 Street Maintenance program.
The recommendations from city staff total $774,456.39, which would be funded out of Special Highway.
• Circle C Paving and Construction, LLC in the amount of $153,535.20 for Seal Coat
• Proseal Inc. in the amount of $84,466.84 for Asphalt Rejuvenator
• Vance Brothers, Inc. in the amount of $71,159.05 for Micro-Surfacing
• J Corp., Inc. in the amount of $100,566.30 for Curb and Brick Repair
• J Corp., Inc. in the amount of $189,229.00 for Ash Street Major Rehab
• J Corp., Inc. in the amount of $175,500.00 for concrete shoulders
Other agenda items include annexation of property at Highway 183 Bypass and West 33rd Street owned by Robert and Sondra Swift. The couple has plans for an RV park on the land.
Commissioners will also consider approving a 3.0% pay increase of the base salary for City Manager Toby Dougherty and will recognize employee promotions and new hires.
Chad Ruder, IT director, will review the layout and efficiencies of the city’s new website design.
After pleading to three sex crimes involving a minor Thursday, a Hays man faces more than 20 years in prison.
Andrew Bayle Claude pleaded no contest to one count each of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and aggravated sexual battery in Ellis County District Court. He also agreed to an Alford plea of rape.
Under the plea agreement, Claude is expected to be sentenced to 155 months in prison for rape, 55 months for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and 31 months for aggravated sexual battery. All three sentences will run consecutively, for a total of 241 months in prison with the Department of Corrections.
In exchange for pleading the three counts, the state agreed to dismiss five additional charges.
According to court documents Claude had sexual contact with four teenage girls ages 16 and younger between November 2017 and March 2018.
In the initial criminal complaint, Claude was charged with raping a child under the age of 14, an off-grid person felony. According to Kansas law, a person convicted of the charge would be sentenced to 25 year to life in prison.
Under the Alford plea, Claude pleaded to rape, a level 1 person felony that does not carry the 25 year to life sentence.
An Alford plea means the defendant acknowledges that the charges do not exactly fit what happened, but it allows the court to impose the agreed-upon sentence. The defendant also acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prove he committed a crime.
As a result of the pleas Claude will also be subject to lifetime post release supervision and lifetime offender registration.
A sentencing hearing is expected to be held in March.
