COLBY — The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about scam phone calls originating from police telephone numbers.
“We have been getting calls today from our local residents about receiving calls from our office (785-460-4570) and the Colby Police Department (785-460-4460) informing them that they have a warrant for their arrest and they need to send money,” the sheriff’s office reported in a social media release. “These calls vary slightly, but the caller usually reports that their Social Security number has been suspended.”
The sheriff’s office warned residents those calls are not coming from law enforcement, as well as advising them not to send money to the callers.
Officials also asked that scam calls be reported to either the sheriff’s office or the Colby PD.
Fort Hays State Volleyball plays host to No. 3 ranked Washburn University on Tuesday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. The game serves as the volleyball team’s annual Dig Pink event in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Wear pink to get free admission into the match.
Here are the promotions surrounding the match:
• Purchase Dig Pink T-shirts at the match for $10. Sizes XXL or larger are $12.
• Purchase raffle tickets for $1 each in a chance to win a prize. Prizes and raffle tickets will be located near Gate 2 as you enter Gross Memorial Coliseum. Winners will be announced between sets 2 and 3.
• Stick around after the match to get team photos signed by the volleyball team.
All proceeds from T-shirt sales and the raffle will go toward the Dig Pink Scholarship Fund.
Phillip Smith-Hanes, Ellis County administrator since 2016, has provided notice that he will resign from county employment effective at the end of November. He is leaving to pursue an opportunity as county administrator in Saline County.
“I want to thank both current and past commissioners, as well as all Ellis County staff, for the opportunity to be a part of this organization and this community,” Smith-Hanes said. “While I am excited about my new opportunity, I will truly miss being a part of the Ellis County family. I look forward to visiting as often as I can.”
On Monday, Ellis County commissioners appointed Director of Fire and Emergency Management Darin Myers as interim county administrator. While the appointment will be effective Thursday, Nov. 28, the commission is making the announcement at this time in order to provide opportunity for Myers to work with the departing administrator to assure a smooth transition, the commissioners said in a news release.
“We will miss Phil, but as he pointed out in his letter to us, we have excellent department heads,” County Commission Chair Dean Haselhorst said. “I know Darin will do a great job for us during this transition and getting him to work with Phil on knowledge transfer is a huge benefit.”
Myers, who has been with the county since 2015 after serving with the Hays Fire Department for 14 years, said he is looking forward to the new challenge.
“We have some big projects going on in Ellis County right now, so I know I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Myers said. “I had hoped I’d get the chance to work with Phil a little bit longer, but I’m excited. I want to thank the commissioners for their faith in me and all our department head team.”
Education – BS Psychology FHSU, MS Education Administration FHSU
Do you have a student currently attending USD 489 schools?
I have a granddaughter attending Wilson Elementary School currently.
Qualifications – I have 38 years of experience as a teacher and principal with the last 25 years as the principal of Hays Middle School.
Do you support USD 489 trying for another bond issue? What do you think that bond should include? If you don’t support a bond issue, how do you think the school district should address its infrastructure needs?
I support a bond issue to meet the facilities needs of USD 489.The facilities bond issue needs to address the elementary school needs with renovations and replacement where needed.The middle school and high school need additions and renovations for specific needs such as the cafeteria at the middle school.
What would you do to secure the financial health of the school district?
The financial health of the district is an ongoing need to lobby the Kansas Legislature, governor, and the public to adequately fund K-12 public education in Kansas.
The Hays school board is at impasse with its teachers for the second year in a row. What would you do to improve relations with teachers?
The district needs to listen and respect the teachers and staff and move towards a“win – win” negotiation style that will build trust for the teachers and staff in the board of education.
Do you support the district’s current one-to-one technology policy? If not, what would you propose?
I support the district’s one-on-one technology plan.The use of technology allows the districtsteachers additional tools and strategies to meet expectations and to be successful K-12.
How would you support the district in its work to improve student performance?
The district is involved with KESA the state accreditation plan and the teachers, staff, and administration need the support of the board financially as well as the “time” to plan and implement the programs to improve student learning.
Is there anything else you would like to add about you or your campaign?
USD 489 is an outstanding public school district that the community of Hays should be proud of K-12. I believe the district needs a public relations person to inform the patrons of the district’s outstanding achievements of our students, teachers, and staff as well as needs of the district.I also would like the district to support local businesses and vendors when possible.
ABILENE — Abilene’s own Marlin Fitzwater returned Wednesday to discuss his new book, “Calm Before the Storm: Desert Storm Diaries & Other Stories.”
His front row seat as White House press secretary to some of America’s most defining moments provides an intimate look at what transpired inside the White House.
– courtesy of Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, @IkeLibrary on Facebook.
Ribbon Cut, Courts Open, Play Pickleball by Guy Windholz
Compulsion, obsession and addiction may be defined in different ways, but in the world of pickleball, they are the same. Like Lays potato chips, they advertised that “betcha can’t eat one”. So betcha you can’t play one game? (side note, maybe Lays will co-sponsor the next Hays tournament.)
Evidence is seen that weekly, returning newbies on the courts are taking on signs of these COA traits. It is not a disorder to worry about unless you are playing alone under the lights of the newly opened courts at Frontier Park in Hays, Kansas, from dusk to dawn.
However, if you are fast enough to serve up a ball over the net and get to the other side to return the volley, within the marked lines, you are destined to earn some gold medals in national competitions. You might be more concerned if you get a bill from the city for the electric light usage. That problem would be solved by having any one of the good City Commissioners with you that have blessed and funded the restoration of these outdoor courts. Add pickleball to the list as an additional quality of life activity we have in this community.
BIRD CITY – LiveWell Northwest Kansas, located in Colby, partners with the health departments of Rawlins and Cheyenne Counties, and the mental health industry to promote change and understanding of the field.
Open to the public, the first of three regional mental health forum meetings will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Bird City Legion Hall, 107 W. Bressler.
Northwest Kansas professionals whose work aligns with mental health issues, as well as people who are affected personally by mental disease, are encouraged to attend. RSVP to the event by emailing one of three program coordinators: [email protected] (Colby), [email protected] (Bird City), or [email protected] (Atwood).
The purpose of the forum is to highlight problems related to mental health in northwest Kansas.
Attendees will learn about mental health issues and solutions will be identified so that actionable steps can be taken to address regional concerns.
Anyone from the entire northwest Kansas region who is interested should attend, especially including school faculty, administration and counselors, clergy, healthcare and mental health professionals, criminal justice and legal representatives, and community members with personal connections.
“Mental health, addiction, incarceration, poverty and trauma are discussed frequently, but no clear collaborative steps toward addressing the issues have been taken,” says Travis Rickford, director of LiveWell Northwest Kansas. “ We hope that by coming together, we can build regional understanding and implement collaborative efforts to truly bring about change. Only by gathering people of all sectors of our community can we hope to overcome the unique struggles of mental health.”
Funded by the Kansas Health Foundation as part of Health Equity Initiatives in northwest Kansas, LiveWell comes together with the Cheyenne County Health Department and Rawlins County Health Department to host this three-part meeting series.
“LiveWell is honored to collaborate with the public health departments of Cheyenne and Rawlins County,” said Rickford, “and we are excited to bring together other organizations, health care providers and residents to address this important issue and get to the root of the problem. We are focused on building momentum to take action.”
“The meetings will all be open to the public and facilitated by a mediator to help us better identify problems and define community-based approaches and solutions. By the end of the third meeting, we hope to have plans for action in place.”
The second and third meetings will be Dec. 5, 2019, and Jan. 7, 2020, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Bird City Legion Hall.
For many people the huge amount of rain our area encountered last May is a distant memory. But for those who have been dealing flooded basements the saga continues. Recently a home owner brought a jar of a white powdery substance that was coming out of the cracks in the floor and walls of his basement into our office. He didn’t think it was mold and he was right in his assumption.
The white substance is “efflorescence.” It often looks like mold, but really it is caused by salt deposits. When water seeps through concrete, brick, or stone, it can leave behind salt deposits. When the water evaporates, what remains is a white crystalline substance that resembles mold. It’s not a fungus, though, won’t grow or spread, and does not cause any of the health problems that mold sometimes causes.
How can you tell if you have white mold or efflorescence? First, look at the type of material on which you see the white substance. If you see it on anything other than concrete or masonry, it is most likely mold. Second, spray the substance with a little water in a spray bottle and simply wipe it with a rag. If that removes it, it is not mold.
The steps to get rid of efflorescence include:
Fill a bucket with warm water. Use a large sponge to thoroughly wet down the efflorescence spots on the walls. Work in sections about 3 square feet so the water does not dry before you have a chance to get rid of the efflorescence.
Scrub the section of the basement wall briskly with a plastic-bristled scrub brush. Rinse that section of the wall with a clean sponge and water. Use plenty of water when rinsing the wall. Let the walls air-dry.
Fill a bucket with undiluted white vinegar if the efflorescence remains. Fill a separate bucket with warm water. Use a plastic-bristled scrub brush to scrub 3-square-foot sections of the walls with the vinegar. Rinse well with plenty of clean water.
I have continued to direct people with questions to the EPA Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. It has excellent pictures and descriptions on how to clean up mold. You can download a copy HERE.
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
SSRT training by Hays Police Dept. (Photo courtesy HPD)
HPD
The Hays Police Department will be conducting training on Tuesday between the hours of 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at 203 E. 17th.
Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.
As a home or business owner, you may see law enforcement officers move through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger to the community.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the on-site supervisor Team Commander Tim Greenwood or Chief Don Scheibler at 785-625-1030.
Looking for a fun, free and educational Halloween celebration that people of all ages will enjoy? Join the Hays Symphony Orchestra at the upcoming Halloween Children’s Concert at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Fort Hays State University’s Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
This year’s program is titled “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” and features a delightful combination of music, story and theatre.
The story begins when young Christoph writes to his uncle about a wild-haired, cranky stranger who has moved into the apartment upstairs. Who could it be? None other than Ludwig van Beethoven! Christoph comes to understand the genius of Beethoven, the beauty of his music and the torment of his deafness.
Isaac Bloom, son of Kale and Sarah Bloom, and Everett Roberts, Hays Community Theater, will play the roles of Christoph and Uncle Kurt with Meredith Cory, Hays Community Theater, directing.
The orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Brian Buckstead, assistant professor of music and theatre at FHSU, will perform alongside these actors with excerpts from some of Beethoven’s best-known works.
While the program is especially designed for kids, the beauty of the music and the charm of the story are appropriate for all ages.
Pre-concert activities will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include an instrument petting zoo, drum circle, arts and crafts, story time with the Hays Public Library and a How We Hear presentation by the FHSU Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
The instrument petting zoo gives children the opportunity to play string, wind and brass instruments with the assistance of a music educator in the community.
Children may also participate in group lessons on the violin or cello led by Buckstead and Ben Cline, chair of the Department of Music and Theatre. Students who enroll in advance for the group lessons are assigned their own kid-sized instrument for the 20–minute lesson.
Participation is limited and advance registration for this activity is strongly encouraged. To register visit www.hayssymphony.org.
The pre-concert activities will conclude with a children’s costume march led by FHSU music students. Children are encouraged to wear their costumes to participate in the march.
The concert offers an extensive amount of educational exposure for all who attend. It provides children with the opportunity to have hands-on experience with a vast number of instruments and leave with a deeper appreciation of music.
A special thanks to the following supporters and organizations for making this event possible: Hays Symphony Guild; FHSU Department of Music and Theatre; Sandra Gottschalk; Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau; FHSU National Association of Music Educators; Sigma Alpha Iota; Hays Arts Council; Hays Community Theater; Hays Public Library; FHSU Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; McDonalds of Hays; KC Strings; USD 489 music teachers; and numerous local musicians and actors.
Tickets for this free event may be reserved at www.hayssymphong.org.
For additional information about this event or the Hays Symphony Orchestra contact Cathy Drabkin at 785-639-3060 or by email at [email protected].
In one of the more interesting political machinations in recent memory, Kansas Democrats have virtually eliminated a costly and party-divisive primary election campaign for the nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being retired by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.
That whirlwind change? State Sen. Barbara Bollier, D-Mission Hills, formally announced she will run for the U.S. Senate. Former U.S. Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom — a couple of months into his campaign for the nomination — about the time most of us were walking back in from the driveway with our newspapers with the Bollier-in story, got out of the race.
Bollier immediately became the No. 1 Democrat candidate to take Roberts’ chair. There are a couple other Democrat candidates for the Senate nomination: Manhattan city councilwoman and former mayor Usha Reddi and retired Sedgwick County Court Services Officer Robert Tillman, of Wichita.
But…we’re thinking that Reddi and Tillman aren’t going to get a lot of cosigners for their races with most of the attention directed to Bollier. The Democratic nomination is essentially locked up for her, especially after the leading candidates, Grissom and former 2nd District U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda D-Kan., looked and then dropped out of the contest.
So, for Democrats in Kansas, it’s pretty well wrapped up. Reddi and Tillman can have a good time campaigning, meeting people, probably spending less than $100,000 on their races, and generally getting free dinners and drinks at Democratic events until next August.
Republicans? Well, they have a real scrap on their hands to select a nominee, with former Kansas Secretary of State — and pretty well healed-up after his beating by Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly last year — Kris Kobach, State Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, 1st District U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, former KC Chiefs football player and restaurant owner Dave Lindstrom, Manhattan political consultant Bryan Pruitt and already-filed Gabriel Mark Robles, of Topeka, in the race.
But, practically, we’re wondering whether Pruitt and Robles would have to offer free drinks to attract enough voters to fill a room at a campaign rally.
Count on Kobach to be worth maybe 35% of the GOP primary vote, Marshall to have to introduce himself to Republicans in three congressional districts, Wagle to have to manage a typically divisive election-year Senate, and Lindstrom may have to dig out his old football jersey because, well, who knows him for owning a few Burger Kings?
At this point in the GOP campaign, Kobach’s supporters will be loyal to him, and represent the biggest identifiable portion of GOP primary voters…for now. But he’ll have a spirited and expensive and likely exhaustive primary that if he manages to win, will see him spend a lot of money that he’s going to need in the general election.
Wagle? Marshall? Lindstrom? They will spend probably better-used campaign funds trying to defeat Kobach. Now, the party will, of course, gather behind the GOP primary winner, but the contest will be not only expensive but divisive.
That’s how primary elections work: Candidates tout their best ideas, their most politically attractive actions…and a laundry list of reasons to vote against their party’s other candidates. Chances are good that whoever survives the primary will have some flesh wounds from his/her own Republican Party voting base.
And don’t forget that every primary election issue that Republicans use to win the nomination is a primer for the Democrat who runs in the general election. Yes, Democrats will politely hold the coats of Republicans as they punch each other in the primary.
Might just make the GOP primary more interesting to Bollier and Democrats who work to win a Kansas seat in the U.S. Senate for the first time since the 1930s.
Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com
