Mike Koerner talks to Fort Hays State’s Brian Gribben
Category: Local
Fort Hays State grad earns promotion with N.D. Highway Patrol
BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota Highway Patrol Colonel Brandon Solberg has announced the promotion of Trooper Jeffrey Bauske to the rank of sergeant.
Sgt. Bauske will be stationed in Devils Lake, which is in the NDHP northeast region. Bauske earned an associate degree from Fort Hays State University. Prior to joining NDHP, Bauske had 14 years of law enforcement experience. He is a 2005 graduate of the highway patrol academy and was initially stationed in Harvey and also served in Cando and Rolla.
Solberg presented Bauske with a promotional certificate and sergeant stripes at a ceremony in Devils Lake Jan. 30.
— North Dakota Highway Patrol
Russell Community Theater announces open auditions for ‘About Time’
USSELL – Open auditions for the Russell Community Theater production of “About Time” will be held February 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Auditions will be held at the RCT Playhouse at Fifth and Kansas, Russell. Prepared audition materials are not required.
In “About Time,” an elderly married couple is found in the kitchen of their condominium at breakfast, lunch, dinner and finally for a late snack. The couple talks about everything under the sun, including food, sex, children and aging. She is slowing down some and he can’t get around like he once could. But they are both still sharp as tacks, and the snappy dialogue proves humor is one of the essential factors in survival during the aging process. Through the four scenes, they grapple with what it means to share – and come to the end of – a life together.
The two characters are portrayed as in their mid- to late-60s, but men and women of all ages may audition. Production dates are Tuesday through Saturday, April 30, through May 4. “About Time” is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Inc., New York. For more information, contact RCT at 785-483-4057.
Russell Community Theater is a non-profit theater company in Russell, Kansas. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater. Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 94 full-scale theatrical productions.
SPONSORED: City of Wilson seeks police chief
The City of Wilson is accepting applications for Police Chief.
For job description and qualification information, contact the Wilson City Hall at 2407 Avenue E, PO Box J, Wilson, KS 67490, or call (785) 658-2272.
Initial application deadline is 3 p.m. on February 28, 2019.
Resume with references will be required. KLETC Certified preferred. Wage based on experience.
Must live in the City limits.
Check out Wilson on www.wilsonkansas.com
Equal Opportunity Employer
Exploring Outdoors Kansas: The flying wedge
A flying wedge is described simply as a body of anything moving forward in a triangular or “V” shaped formation. This V-shaped formation began as a successful military strategy in ancient times where infantry units would ban together in a wedge shaped formation and move forward to smash through enemy lines.
For a brief time in the late 1800s before it was outlawed two years later, the flying wedge was also a popular football formation where defenders locked themselves together in a V shape and moved down the field, protecting the ball carrier as they went.
The flying V can also be used to describe my wood splitting prowess. Inevitably when splitting firewood, I’ll hit the wedge crooked and it flies across the yard. If I happen to drop a piece of firewood on my foot or scrape my shin with the splitting maul, again the wedge flies across the yard….Anyway, this time of year the flying V is quite prevalent overhead as flocks of hundreds and perhaps thousands of geese use it to navigate across the central Kansas sky.
There is science to support geese and other migratory birds traveling in a flying V shaped formation. Tom Bidrowski, State Waterfowl Biologist and Program Director for Kansas tells me it’s all about aerodynamics, and the perfect example of how that works is a racecar driver “drafting” by using the car in front of him to part the air causing less wind resistance and drag on his car.
It works the same way for a large flying V of geese. Many geese that end up in central Kansas travel 500 miles or more to migrate here, so the front birds in the V that encounter the most turbulence are usually older, stronger, mature birds. The front birds alternate places with other stronger mature birds every few minutes to conserve their strength. Every bird in the V uses the bird in front of it to “draft” and help part wind resistance for it.
Bidrowski says numerous studies over the years have attached satellite or GPS units to migrating geese to tell biologists everything from flying speed to altitude. He says those studies have shown that each goose in the V also gains lift from the wing beats of the bird in front of it, helping each goose to save up to 70% of its energy. Flying in a wide V shape also allows the group to better see all around for both security and navigational purposes.
Bidrowski also gave me some interesting facts about goose migration. He says when going back north to nest, nearly all females will find their way back to where they themselves hatched and were fledged, and the males seem to follow. When heading back south for the winter, family groups stay pretty much together and with high frequency will end up at the same area they wintered the previous year. Habitat changes either man made or natural such as droughts or dramatic crop failures will change that, forcing them to find a different area that will sustain them.
Bidrowski also told me studies have shown that long annual migration times are based on lunar cycles. The birds seem to travel around peak full moon times, choosing also to travel at night using stars and other celestial features in the night sky to navigate.
Now I have one last tidbit concerning the flying wedge. As you train your eyes skyward to watch wave-after-wave of squawking, cackling geese crawl and meander across the sky, have you ever wondered why one side of the V is always longer than the other? That’s because there are more geese on that side…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Cloudy, wet Monday
Monday A chance of freezing drizzle before 10am, then a chance of drizzle between 10am and noon, then a slight chance of rain after noon. Areas of fog between 10am and noon. Widespread freezing fog between 7am and 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 39. Breezy, with an east southeast wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 23. Northwest wind 14 to 17 mph.
TuesdaySunny, with a high near 49. West northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.
Tuesday NightMostly clear, with a low around 24. South wind around 7 mph.
WednesdaySunny, with a high near 56.
Wednesday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 31.
ThursdayPartly sunny, with a high near 52.
Hays, WaKeeney natives interning with Brungardt Hower
The Certified Public Accountants and Management Consulting firm of Brungardt Hower Ward Elliott & Pfeifer, L.C. is pleased to announce that Mariah Brungardt and Raeleann Weigel will be completing an internship with the firm during the Spring 2019 semester.
Brungardt and Weigel will be working in the Hays office in the tax and audit departments. They are pursuing accounting degrees from Fort Hays State University.
Brungardt is originally from WaKeeney. Weigel is originally from Hays.
Brungardt Hower, with offices in Hays, Garden City, and Johnson serves clients in central and western Kansas.
– SUBMITTED –
Fire crews respond to smoke inside home on 40th Street
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Fire crews responded to smoke in a residence at 540 40th St. at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
The residents reported smoke in the home.
They were able to evacuate, and no one was injured.
Fire crews were still investigating the cause of the fire Sunday afternoon.
Traffic was restricted on Hall between 36th Street and 43rd Street.
Sheriff: Man who failed to appear at sentencing is in custody
ROOKS COUNTY —The Rooks County Sheriff’s Office reported Saturday that 51-year-old John Karl Swaney had been arrested thanks to “tips from the public,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Swaney had felony arrest warrants in Rooks and Phillips Counties for distribution of marijuana, according to a the sheriff’s department.
Swaney was to be sentenced to prison last week, the department reported. He failed to appear in court Wednesday in Rooks County District Court and earlier in Phillips County District Court.
Swaney has eight previous convictions including stalking, telephone harassment, aggravated assault, driving while habitual offender, and giving worthless checks, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
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ROOKS COUNTY — The Rooks County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating a fugitive.
John Karl Swaney, 51, has felony arrest warrants for his arrest in Rooks and Phillips counties. Both warrants are for distribution of marijuana.
“Swaney was to be sentenced to prison today,” the department reported. “Swaney failed to appear in court Wednesday in Rooks County District Court and last week in Phillips County District Court.
Swaney has eight previous convictions including stalking, telephone harassment, aggravated assault, driving while habitual offender, and giving worthless checks, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Swaney, please contact the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 425-6312.”
Russell, Scott City projects included in round of KDOT grants
KDOT awards $8.5 million in Transportation Alternatives projects
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Transportation has selected 23 projects for inclusion in its Transportation Alternatives Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2020.
Eligible projects under this federal program include facilities for pedestrians and bicycles; scenic or historical highway programs; landscaping and scenic beautification; historic preservation of transportation facilities; conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails; control or removal of outdoor advertising; archaeological planning and research related to transportation; and the Safe Routes to School program.
KDOT received 46 applications from eligible project sponsors requesting nearly $36.9 million in federal funds. Cities and counties across the state submitted applications for the TA program, which were received during an open application period from June 14, 2018, to Sept. 10, 2018.
“We were happy to see so many quality applications from across the state this year. This proves how popular the TA program is and how important these types of projects are to Kansas communities,” said Matt Messina, Coordinator of the Transportation Alternatives Program for KDOT. “The main goals of the TA program are to help provide communities with more transportation options and to preserve or improve what they already have, and that’s what these projects will do.”
KDOT reviews and evaluates every application and makes selections based on criteria developed using input from various internal departments and external partners, such as safety and network improvements, cost estimates, project readiness, public support and other factors such as geography and funding distribution. All project sponsors are required to provide at least 20 percent of the cost as a local cash match and are 100 percent responsible for non-participating items.
FHSU students to present at Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at Capitol
FHSU University Relations
Undergraduate researchers from Fort Hays State University will present their research projects at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Topeka as part of the Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol.
Students will join other undergraduates from Kansas Board of Regents public four-year universities on the first-floor rotunda of the Capitol building.
“This prestigious event is an opportunity for our state legislators and visitors to the Capitol to see the quality of research our undergraduate students are engaged in,” said Leslie Paige, director of Fort Hays State’s Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects.
Brief poster presentations will be given to students, faculty, KBOR members, state lawmakers, and members of the public from across the state. The event is intended to raise awareness of research being conducted by undergraduate students.
This event also highlights the importance of transformational educational opportunities available to students at these institutions.
“This event showcases the significance of undergraduate discovery and research activities at FHSU, and provides a sample of our contributions to Kansas communities and academic disciplines,” said Paige.
Students presenting are listed in alphabetical order.
Brittany Duer, Chapman senior majoring in agriculture, will present on “Analyzing Soil Health under Cover Crops and No Cover Crops in Western Kansas Dryland Farming.” Cordell Cyr, Clyde junior majoring in agricultural business, and Kinzie Bangerter, Leoti junior majoring in agriculture, were co-investigators. The team was mentored by Dr. Ammar Bhandari, assistant professor of agriculture.
Kiley Heine, Great Bend senior majoring in sociology, will present “Attitudes about Municipal Water Conservation and Participation in City-Sponsored Conservation Initiatives.” Heine’s co-investigator was Diane Hernandez-Ramirez, Kansas City senior majoring in organizational leadership. Dr. Amanda Buday, assistant professor of sociology, served as the research mentor.
Zoey Wallis, Littleton, Colo., junior majoring in biology, will present on “PCR Assay to detect Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERV) A, B, and C.” Dr. Eric Gillock, professor of biological sciences, served as the research mentor.
Jacob Lutgen, Basehor senior majoring in chemistry, will present “RNA Interference of X-Box Binding Protein in ‘Acyrthosiphon pisum’.” Lutgen’s research mentor was Dr. James Balthazor, assistant professor of chemistry.
Haley Jones, Clay Center junior majoring in psychology, will present “Military Troops: Protecting the Mental Health of Those That Protect Us.” Brooke Mann, instructor of psychology, served as the research mentor.
The public is invited to view the posters and talk to the student researchers.
Precise visitor tracking places Gella’s as a most-visited place in KS
CVB
Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co. received an award for being one of the most-visited places in Kansas from Arrivalist, a visitation-intelligence company, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism (KDWPT).
At the annual Travel Industry Association of Kansas’ (TIAK) legislative day in Topeka, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co. was the winner of the “Breweries, Distilleries, & Wineries” category for having more visitors than any other competitor in the state.
At this event – known as “Destination Statehouse” – TIAK members have the opportunity to network with legislators directly to advocate for Kansas tourism, observe House and Senate Legislative Sessions, and showcase the unique assets that Kansas has to offer visitors.
This year, KDWPT and Arrivalist handed out ArrivaLIST visitation awards. The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a member of TIAK, and CVB staff were on hand to accept the award on Gella’s behalf.
Arrivalist provides marketers with tools to evaluate the travel habits of a visitor in order to effectively measure creative messaging, targeting, and budgets to determine return on investment.
“Arrivalist’s unique data-location technology provides the most precise visitation tracking information in the travel industry,” according to Arrivalist CEO Cree Lawson.
Arrivalist defines a visitor as someone who travels at least 50 miles, stays at the destination for at least 30 minutes, and doesn’t go to that same location more than once in a two-week timeframe.
In 2014, KDWPT was the first state agency to partner with Arrivalist to track visitors who research the state online and then enter Kansas.
“Historically, out-of-state visitor information relied on self-reporting, providing KDWPT with a fraction of the data necessary to accurately understand visitation behavior,” said Colby Terry, fiscal manager, KDWPT. “Arrivalist uses concrete data to report actual, real-time foot traffic, and only captures unique visitors at each attraction once per trip for the most precise visitation behavior analysis. Using Arrivalist data, we can measure and evaluate our digital media buys to ensure we’re making effective use of every dollar spent on tourism marketing.”
Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. is an award-winning microbrewery and restaurant in the historic Chestnut Street District of downtown Hays. Named Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, it is the only Kansas brewery to hold this prestigious honor.
BOOR: Regional farmers’ market workshop in Hays this month
This is one of six regional workshops which are being held this winter to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2018, 95 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with
K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”
A keynote presentation will feature tips on marketing and making a profit, and a panel will provide information selling to institutions such as restaurants, groceries and schools. KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification for attendees. Workshop topics will include:
Pest Control Methods, Cover Crops and Soil Health
Regulations for Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
SNAP Program and Sales Tax for Vendors
Specialty Crops and Produce Safety
Kansas Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Training
The workshop will be held at the K-State Agricultural Research Center, 1232 240th Ave. in Hays. Onsite registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. Registration for this workshop is now open and is $20 per participant. Registration includes lunch; however, lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register by Feb. 14. Registration forms can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMWorkshop or at local extension offices.
For more information, contact Lexi Wright, KDA’s From the Land of Kansas marketing coordinator, at 785-564-6755 or [email protected]. Workshops are also being held in Olathe, Parsons, Dodge City, Wichita and Manhattan.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector, particularly in the western half of the state. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.
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