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Fort Hays State, K-State partner on juvenile justice initiatives

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By L. Sue Williams, Greg Paul, April Terry and Michael Walker

A team from Fort Hays State University is partnering with the K-State Juvenile Justice Collaborative on a project awarded funding by the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Advisory Group.

Terry

The project, titled “Our Town, Our Kids,” aims to work with local communities in developing support systems for youth and families in order to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system and to provide services that maximize their chances of leading productive, successful lives.

Michael Walker, director of the Docking Institute, and Dr. April Terry, assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, are providing content expertise in the areas of data management and juvenile justice. They are joined by Luis Montelongo and Dr. Jian Sun as data analysts. The K-State JJC is comprised of Dr. L. Susan Williams, professor of sociology and criminology; Dr. Greg Paul, associate professor and interim department head of communication studies; Dr. Elaine Johannes, associate professor of family studies and human services and Extension specialist; and Bruce Chladny, K-State Research and Extension specialist.

Walker

Over the next two years, the group will work with stakeholders in 23 pre-selected Kansas counties. They will build community capacity in data collection and analysis and foster community collaboration in support of youth and families.

Professionals from K-State Research and Extension will facilitate local conversations that identify areas of concern and develop knowledge bases that will prepare communities to deliver best-practice programs in their respective areas. As part of the effort to engage positive community support, the group will develop a comprehensive toolkit for all Kansas communities that will facilitate local, sustainable systems that serve unique needs of youth.

SPONSORED: Hays chamber seeks Communications Coordinator

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The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking qualified applicants for the full-time position of Communications Coordinator. This position reports to the Executive Director of the HACC and works closely with the rest of the HACC staff, Board of Directors, Chamber members and other stakeholders. This position is responsible for writing, design and production of any internal and external communications for the HACC.

Must have proficiency in general computer skills in Word, Excel and Adobe Creative Suite; strong written and oral communication abilities; photography experience; be highly energetic, organized and self-motivated with superior attention to details; be able to understand, assist and promote the Chamber mission. Must have portfolio of work to share during interview stage. Send cover letter and resume to:

Tammy Wellbrock

Hays Area Chamber of Commerce

2700 Vine Street

Hays, KS 67601

[email protected]

Resumes will be accepted until position filled.

Megalodon shark exhibit splashing down at Sternberg Feb. 2

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Two visitors stand next to replica jaws of the now-extinct megalodon shark. (Courtesy photo)

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The newest traveling exhibit to come to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History will feature the biggest shark to ever swim in the oceans.

“Megalodon: The largest shark that ever lived” will have a walk-in replica of the massive shark that stretched to 60 feet and weighed an estimated 72 tons.

The exhibit is set to open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 2. The museum will have a members-only opening from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1. The traveling exhibit is set to be at the Sternberg through Labor Day.

Megalodon are believed to have lived 23 million to 2.6 million years ago. Despite myths and legends perpetuated by movies like last summer’s “Meg,” the megalodon is long extinct.

As with modern sharks, megalodon bodies were primarily comprised of cartilage. All that remains of these giants today is their teeth, which could grow to seven inches. Megalodon were on the scene after the inland sea that covered Kansas vanished. However, fossil teeth can still be found in the Carolinas.

Visitors touch megalodon shark teeth at the “Megalodon: The largest shark that ever lived” exhibit. The traveling exhibit will open at the Sternberg on Feb. 2. (Courtesy photo)

Portions of the exhibit will allow people to look and touch megalodon teeth as well as view the progression of the shark’s jaw size as they grew from 30 feet to their full 60 feet.

Scientists believe megalodon preyed upon whales. Tooth marks have been found in fossilized whale bones.

Scientists are divided about the relationship between megalodon and modern sharks. Some scientists believe the megalodon are related to modern great white sharks and makos. However, others believe the megalodon evolved into another shark species that is also now extinct.

Visitors to the exhibit will also learn about modern sharks, their habitats and prey.

Darrah Steffen, Sternberg public relations assistant, said she thinks Americans’ fascination with sharks is born out of fear. However, she said it is important to dispel myths and create awareness to protect modern sharks in the wild.

“I think it is important to bring awareness even if we are in the middle of the United States,” she said. “Because you don’t want people to fear [sharks] if they ever come in contact with them.”

A boy stands inside the mouth of a life-size sculpture of a megalodon shark. (Courtesy photo)

Rachel Unruh, marketing intern, noted sharks are not the mindless killing machines as they have been portrayed. Sharks are calculated hunters and humans are not their typical prey.

“It is fear to fascination,” she said of the exhibit.

The exhibit was created by the University of Florida.

 

19-year-old from Hays dies after I-70 crash

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GEARY COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after noon Tuesday in Geary County.

Traffic backed up on I-70 as a result of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KHP

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Malibu driven by Ashlen Leigh Lemon 19, Hays,was westbound on Interstate 70 two miles west of Junction City.

The driver lost control due to icy road conditions. The vehicle entered the median and struck the guardrail.

Lemon was transported to the hospital in Junction City where she died. Lemon was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Arrangements are pending at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.

Sheriff: Large amounts of meth, heroin found during Larned traffic stop

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(Photos courtesy Pawnee Co. Sheriff’s Dept.)

Hays Post

LARNED — A traffic stop conducted in Larned early Tuesday morning has yielded large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin, police reported Tuesday.

According to a social media post by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday, a Pawnee County deputy conducted a traffic stop at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday in Larned.

A search of the vehicle was conducted with other deputies and K-9 Officer Noa.

Hidden inside in the vehicle was 1.5 kilos of meth and a kilo of white heroin, a little more than 5.5 combined pounds of drugs.

The two subjects in the vehicle were arrested for possession with intent to distribute drugs and are each are currently held on a $100,000 bond.

The Facebook post included thanks to the “Pawnee County Attorney’s office for paying for specialized drug training to assist deputies in taking dangerous drugs off the streets. Thank you to the deputies for staying focused on a dangerous job and keeping Pawnee County safe!”

Sunny, cold Wednesday

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Today Sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values as low as -1. West wind 9 to 15 mph.

Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. West wind 7 to 11 mph becoming north after midnight.

Thursday Scattered flurries before 9am, then a slight chance of snow between 9am and noon. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 26. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. Wind chill values as low as 4. North wind 5 to 13 mph becoming south in the evening.

FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.

Friday NightMostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

SaturdayMostly sunny, with a high near 44.

Jobless rate flat in Ellis County, extremely low in western two-thirds of Kan.

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in December. This was up from 3.2 percent in November and down from 3.5 percent in December 2017.

In Ellis County, the unemployment rate remained low at 2.1 percent, the same rate as November.

In the the western half of the state, only three counties — Graham with 3.1 percent, Barton with 3.4 percent and Pawnee with 3.1 percent — had a jobless rate higher than 3.0 percent.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 1,100 from November. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 900 from the previous month.

“Kansas posted significant job growth over the last 12 months with 17,200 additional private sector jobs,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “Employers in the state have demonstrated a growing demand for labor as evidenced by upward trends in average weekly hours worked and real hourly earnings in the last 12 months.”

Since December 2017, Kansas gained 20,100 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 17,200 private sector jobs.

December 2018 estimates are not impacted by the partial federal government shutdown. The reference period for nonfarm job estimates is the pay period that includes the 12th of the month and the reference period for the unemployment rate is the calendar week containing the 12th (December 9-15, 2018). Both occurred prior to the partial shutdown which began on December 22, 2018.

 

UPDATE: Interstate 70 reopened at Colby

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KDOT

4:15 p.m. Tuesday: The Kansas Department of Transportation has reopened westbound I-70 from Colby to the Colorado border. Motorists are reminded to use caution when driving during winter weather conditions.

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11 a.m. Tuesday: The Kanas Department of Transportation has closed westbound I-70 from Colby to the Colorado border as of 11 a.m. CST because of winter weather conditions in Colorado.

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9:45 a.m. Tuesday: The Kansas Department of Transportation has closed westbound I-70 from Goodland to the Colorado border as of 9:30 a.m. CST because of winter weather conditions in Colorado.

For up-to-date information on road closures and road conditions, call 511 in Kansas or 866-511-5368 outside Kansas, or check travel information online at www.kandrive.org.

News From the Oil Patch, Jan. 22

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By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Baker Hughes reported a huge drop in its weekly rotary rig count on Friday: 1,050 active rigs. That’s down 21 oil rigs and four gas rigs. Texas was down eleven rigs and Oklahoma was down ten. Independent Oil and Gas Service reported a ten percent drop weekly count of active Kansas operators. There are five active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, down four for the week, and 28 west of Wichita, which is unchanged. Operators are about to spud two new wells in Barton County and one in Ellis County.

Out of 18 permits for drilling at new locations approved in the last week, just one was east of Wichita. There were 17 in Western Kansas, including two new permits in Barton County and one in Stafford County.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported eleven new well completions for the week in eastern Kansas. There was one producing well reported in Ellis County out of 16 completions west of Wichita. Six of those sixteen were dry holes. Of the 98 wells completed so far this year, 20 came up dry.

U.S. crude production last year saw record growth to record heights, 10.9 million barrels per day, up 1.6 million barrels per day over the year before. The Energy Information Administration now predicts U.S. production will jump to 12.1 million barrels per day this year and up to 12.9 million next year.

U.S. crude oil production spiked again last week, reaching an all-time record. The Energy Information Administration said domestic production was more than 11.9 million barrels per day, up 202-thousand barrels from the week before and more than 2.1 million barrels more than a year ago at this time.

EIA’s monthly price forecast predicts London Brent will average $61 a barrel this year, with West Texas Intermediate about eight dollars less. But by the end of the year EIA predicts that spread between benchmarks will shrink to four dollars, with WTI at $61 and London Brent at $65 a barrel by the end of 2020.

Crude oil inventories dropped 2.7 million barrels from the previous week but remained about 8% above the five year average for this time of year. The government said crude imports averaged 7.5 million barrels per day last week, down by 319,000 barrels per day from the previous week. U.S. crude oil imports last year dropped dramatically, down 1.6 million barrels per day from the year before at 2.4 million barrels per day. The government says net imports will continue to fall to an average 1.1 million barrels per day this year, and predicts less than 100-thousand barrels per day in 2020 as the U.S. As we told you back in November, the United States was briefly a net exporter of crude and petroleum products. EIA now predicts that will happen again during the fourth quarter of 2020.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says domestic refineries will be much busier by the end of this year. That’s when a new international agreement lowers the maximum sulfur content of marine fuel oil used in ocean-going vessels. EIA says total U.S. refinery runs will spike four percent to a record 17.9 million barrels per day in 2020. Beginning next year, the International Maritime Organization is lowering the maximum sulfur content of marine fuel from 3.5% to 0.5% for ocean-going vessels.

The Colorado Supreme Court says state law does not allow regulators to make public health and the environment their top priority when setting rules for oil and gas drilling. The ruling said state law requires regulators to “foster” oil and gas production, while protecting public health and the environment. But the court says regulators must take into account whether those protections are cost-effective and technically feasible. The ruling is a victory for the industry.

North Dakota reported another record month for oil and gas production. The Department of Mineral Resources says the state produced more than 1.39 million barrels per day in October, the latest numbers available. November will not be far behind, with a preliminary estimate of 1.37 million barrels per day. The state also posted records in October for natural-gas production, permits, and the number of producing wells. The statewide gas-capture rate is going down since regulators relaxed the rules. Operators burned off more than 21% of the gas produced at oil wells in the state in November.

The Association of American Railroads reports continued growth in oil-by-rail shipments in the U.S. and Canada. Domestic traffic for the week ending January 5 was up 25% over a year ago. Oil by rail in Canada is up nearly 52% over last year, as pipeline capacity shortages continue to slow deliveries.

🎥 Grammy Award-winning songwriter Monte Selby visits Chamber Singers

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Alicia Feyerherm and Caitlin Leiker

Caitlin Leiker, Staff Reporter HHS Guidon

Grammy Award winning songwriter, recording artist, educator, author, and speaker Monte Selby came to talk with Chamber Singers on Jan. 11.

Before he made it big, he was the assistant principal, principal, and basketball coach at Hays Middle School.

He described the middle school as being a “songwriter’s playground,” and used his experiences with his students to entertain fellow teachers and parents.

“[Kids] will throw anything out there, and I like that,” Selby said.

Selby’s musical journey began in his church where his mother was the organist in their band.

“I think I was in third or fourth grade when the two guitar players at my church asked ‘How come you’re not playing with us?’” Selby said. “That, for me, was a big motivating factor.”

He’s been playing guitar ever since.

Selby has professionally written and produced songs, but said it isn’t as glamorous as some make it sound.

“I wasn’t very inspired by that,” Selby said. “You’re meeting with pro writers to try to write a song that a certain publishing company wants in a certain style. That just didn’t do it for me.”

He prefers to stick to writing about “real stuff in the moment.”

“I’m not trying to write a song that Vince Gill is going to record because he’s looking for medium-tempo, positive-lyric stuff,” Selby said.

He prefers to travel to places like the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in North Dakota to help troubled kids release emotional tension through music.

“Once kids hit a point where they think of going somewhere other than backwards, and instead think of going forward, that’s the point where they need to write a song about what they’re thinking about,” Selby said. “Realizing that changed everything.”

Selby has spoken at countless schools and has written songs with over 39,000 students from around the world.

He told Chamber Singers the most important thing is to keep working hard and practice whatever you’re doing. The goal right now isn’t “to sound like that 26 year old on ‘The Voice’ that blew the doors down.”

“That’s not in very many 15 year olds,” Selby said. “There were so many things that my voice would not have done at 17 that it did when I was 27 or 37, so just know that there’s more that’s going to come.”

Selby never planned on song writing becoming such an important part of his life. He said he’s so into music because he loves making noise.

“If it’s just piano or if somebody has some weirdo instrument, I start messing around with it and seeing what sounds I can make,” Selby said. “That’s all it takes to start.”

He also said there’s so much more to writing a song than just making it sound like a song. It’s all about technique and patterns.

“If you don’t stick to the main idea, the human brain will want to get distracted,” Selby said. “There’s no room for that as a songwriter. You cannot lose the listener.”

Aside from sticking to the main idea, Selby said the most important part of songwriting is being able to convey what you feel.

“Your listeners have to connect emotionally if you want something to be unforgettable,” Selby said.

 

City pet licenses due before March 1

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By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

City registrations for dogs and cats in 2019 are on sale now at the finance office in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

The city registers about 1,750 pets each year, according to Nikki Hausler, Hays Police Department Animal Control Officer, but “that’s really low,” she says. The annual dog and cat tax is due before March 1.

“You look around Hays and we’ve got a lot of animals out there.”

HPD Animal Control Officer Nikki Hausler with City Commissioner Shaun Musil

Hausler urges residents to get their pets registered with the city.

“It’s that one-way ticket for your animal to get home.”

If a person finds a dog or cat wearing a city pet tag, they can all the phone number on the tag – 625-1011 – which is the HPD dispatch center, and then give dispatch the tag number.

“We have 24-hour access to that data base,” explained Hausler.

A rabies vaccination certificate must be presented when purchasing a city tag for a pet. The cost is $5 if the animal is spayed or neutered. If not, the cost is $25 per animal.

“All the cool dogs are blinging this year,” Hausler quips with a smile.

Some pet owners may use microchips to for identification of their animals. Hausler says she has a “love/hate relationship” with microchips.

“I think they’re wonderful if you suspect somebody has stolen your pet because you’ve got that hidden chip inside that animal.”

Most veterinarian offices have a scanner that can read the microchips.

“If the microchip comes back to you, we know that’s your dog.”

The problem is people get their pets microchipped and then they don’t follow up.

“After you get a microchip at the vet clinic, you then have to get online and pay a monthly or yearly subscription.

“A lot of times we scan these animals, which takes about 30 minutes to get through the process, just to find out the owner never registered the microchip in their name. And it doesn’t go back to the vet clinic. They don’t keep track of who microchipped what when.

“So that microchip does no good,” Hausler says. “City pet registration is the way to go, especially inside the city limits.”

More about purchasing a pet license in Hays is available by calling 785-628-7300 or on the city’s website www.haysusa.com. If not paid by March 1, the tax is delinquent.

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