NCK Tech, with campus locations in Beloit and Hays, recently presented Recognition Awards to employees for years of service to the college.
5 years of service
Curtiss Anderson, Beloit (Welding)
A.J. Baxa, Beloit (Maintenance Director)
Leah Bergmann, Beloit (Financial Aid Director)
Linda Goss, Beloit (Accounts Payable/Payroll)
Jackie Haskell, Hays (Administrative Assistant)
Philip Kuhn, Hays (Culinary)
Gary Pingel, Beloit (General Education)
Angel Prescott, (Dean of Student Services)
Sheri Stone, Hays (Nursing)
10 years of service
Eric Burks, President
Amy George, Hays (Nursing)
Roxie Hake, Beloit (Retention and Mentoring)
Karen Kisner, Hays (Nursing)
Doug Marrs, Hays (Carpentry)
15 years of service
Doug Cox, Beloit (Ag Tech)
Debbie Geyer, Beloit (Student Accounts)
25 years of service:=
Beryl Dinges, Hays (Nursing)
Bob Gibbens, Beloit (Automotive)
NCK Tech offers sixteen programs of study, varying from 9-18 months, offering diploma and AAS Degrees. The college has received numerous recognitions itself. Currently NCK Tech ranks #1 in the nation for 2-year institutions in job placement from Zippia.com, #3 in the nation for graduation rates from The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10th best community college in America by NICHE.com, and are listed for the fourth consecutive time on the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s top 150.
For more information on NCK TECH, visit www.ncktc.edu.
Hays Post and Eagle Communications will live stream the following games for the remainder of the 2018-19 basketball season.
• Jan. 8: Hays High girls and boys at Great Bend.
• Jan 11: TMP-M girls and boys at Smith Center
• Jan. 18: Logan girls and boys at Palco
• Jan. 25: Quinter boys and girls at Hoxie
• Jan. 29: Hays High boys and girls at Salina South
• Feb. 1: Smith Center boys and girls at Hill City
• Feb. 8: Osborne boys and girls at Stockton
• Feb. 12: TMP-M boys and girls at Great Bend
• Feb. 15: TMP-M boys and girls at Stockton
• Feb. 19: Hays High boys and girls at Dodge City
Playoff schedules are to be determined, and the schedule is tentative and could be changed.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.Food packaging today is really about marketing and making money – lots of it. Food handlers and marketers care about competing for shelf space and selling their product. They’re in the business of selling their packaged products to consumers. Can’t blame them. It’s the American way.
Environmental consequences, consumer satisfaction and selling a product at a fair and equitable price doesn’t rank at the top of the ptiotity list of priorities for food marketers.
It’s estimated the global food packaging market is expected to reach $411.3 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Due to changing lifestyles that may alter eating habits, an increase in demand for convenience foods will propel their growth in the global market.
You know, processed, tasteless food you can pop out of your freezer, microwave and eat in a jiffy.
The industry exhibits rapid growth for single-serve and portable food packs. Increasing purchasing power of buyers owing to rising per capita income is expected to boost growth. Furthermore, increasing urban population and attraction toward ready-to-eat meals by consumers is expected to escalate industry growth.
As the amount of packaging increases, so does waste and environmental costs not to mention the added costs to consumers. The plastic bottle containing your favorite soda or the aluminum can that holds your favorite brew costs more than the soda or beer.
On average a beer can or bottle may cost three, four, five or maybe six times the cost of the beverage. The same is true for sodas. It depends on the company and the product.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for packaging that provides a protective coating between the food product we wish to eat and our environment, thus keeping the contents safe and ensuring hygiene.
Some packaging prolongs the food life while other packaging is necessary for safe and efficient transportation. And lastly, God bless their souls, other packaging is used to provide consumers with information and instructions for which there are some legal requirements. You know, like the small, rectangular preservative pack inside a bag of beef jerky with the instructions, “Do not eat.”
However, all this convenience, marketing and profit comes with a price – additional waste for this nation’s landfills and the rest of the globe. In this country and other wealthy nations, a decrease in the size of households has resulted in more people purchasing smaller portions of food and that means more packaging.
A higher living standard around the globe has also resulted in the desire to acquire “exotic” foods from other lands and eat them. Transportation of such food and the ability to keep it fresh also costs more in packaging.
So how much waste has this galloping packaging industry produced?
It’s difficult finding information like this in our country. Seems like our folks in the food, beverage and packaging companies would rather talk about their proposed plans to eliminate waste in the future, never mind the past.
Still, the packaging industry may be making some headway. According to figures by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the food, beverage and packaging companies intend to eliminate an additional 2.5 billion pounds of packaging waste in the United States during the next couple years. These companies already have avoided creating 1.5 billion pounds of packaging waste since 2005, the trade group says.
Because plastic wasn’t invented until the late 19th century, and production only took off around 1950, we have a mere 9.2 billion tons of the stuff to deal with. Of that, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste. And of that waste, a staggering 6.3 billion tons never made it to a recycling bin – a figure that stunned the scientists who crunched the numbers in 2017.
To achieve a change toward more sustainable packaging, it’s not just the packaging that requires alterations but also our lifestyles and habits of consumption.
Support companies that use packaging most efficiently. Avoid buying disposable items, such as non-refillable razors, alkaline batteries, etc. Recycle. Buy in bulk. Reuse shopping bags and buy only recycled products.
Change comes with personal responsibility and the ability to look in the mirror and say, “It’s up to me.”
John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.
GRAINFIELD — KSRE’s Golden Prairie District is hosting the Alternative Crops Workshop at the Gove County 4-H Building in Grainfield from 3 to 6 p.m. Jan. 10.
The workshop will focus on winter canola and field peas and will discuss variety selection, production practices, and local marketing.
This workshop is open to the public and there is no cost for admission. Online registration is requested by going to goldenprairie.ksu.edu.
The event is sponsored by K-State Research & Extension and ADM (Archer Daniels Midland).
Average Kansas gas price now $1.93, 18 cents lower than last month
AAA
WICHITA – Further falling prices at the gas pumps mean Kansas motorists continue to get good news when they fill up their tanks. At $1.93/gallon, the Sunflower State’s average gas price is now 31 cents lower than the national average and ninth cheapest in America. Kansas’ average gas price, which has fallen steadily for about the past three months, is now 15 percent lower than this time last year.
“Despite the recent busy holiday travel period, gasoline demand has remained low, while supply is still plentiful in the market,” said AAA Kansas spokesman Shawn Steward. “The result is great news for motorists, who get to enjoy the cheap prices at the pumps.”
Steward noted that two Kansas metro areas are among the Top 50 cheapest gas prices in America this week. Wichita, at $1.85/gallon, checked in with the 34th lowest gas prices among larger metro areas. Kansas City, Kan. ($1.88) is 44th lowest.
Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart below), seven registered average prices under $2/gallon. All except Salina, which rose two cents, experienced price declines in the past week. The largest price drops were seen in Garden City (-8 cents), Hays (-6) and Emporia (-5).
According to AAA Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are:
HIGH: Elkhart (Morton County) – $2.50
LOW: Galena (Cherokee County) – $1.72
National Perspective
The latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) data registers gasoline demand at 8.6 million b/d for the week ending December 28 – the lowest level on record since February 2017. Despite record motor vehicle travel for the holiday, demand was down nearly 900,000 bbl, suggesting that demand this winter could be lower than expected.
Today’s national gas price average is $2.24 and has declined for 12 weeks in a row. The national average is three-cents cheaper on the week, 20-cents cheaper than last month and 25-cents cheaper year-over-year.
“As the global crude market continues to be oversupplied, oil prices are dropping, continuing last week’s trend,” said AAA Kansas’ Steward. “This is good news for motorists filling up at the pump.”
Quick Stats
The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets are: Missouri ($1.82), Oklahoma ($1.90), Arkansas ($1.91), Texas ($1.91), Alabama ($1.91), South Carolina ($1.91), Mississippi ($1.91), Louisiana ($1.93), Kansas ($1.93), and Ohio ($1.95).
Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson ended the year 2018 at $36.75 a barrel. That price was down six dollars from December 1st, and was fifteen dollars less than a year earlier. The average price in December was $50.75 per barrel.
The government reports a slight drop in U.S. crude oil production last week to 11.695 million barrels per day. Inventories remained virtually unchanged for the second straight week.
The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes reported a drop of eight oil rigs nationwide over the last week. Two of those were offshore rigs. California’s count dropped five rigs, Louisiana was down two and New Mexico dropped by one.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reports a slight increase in its weekly drilling rig count in Kansas. There were ten active rigs in eastern Kansas, down one, and 27 out west, up three. Operators are preparing to spud two new wells in Stafford County.
Operators filed six new drilling permits last week, including one in Barton County and one in Russell County. Independent Oil & Gas Service says there were 43 wells completed last week across Kansas, including one in Stafford County. There were 17 new completions in Western Kansas, of which four were dry holes.
The Kansas Geological Survey reported statewide crude-oil production figures for September were slightly lower than the month before at 2.77 million barrels. Cumulative statewide production through the third quarter of 2018 was just over 23.4 million barrels, about three million barrels less than last year, which was the worst year for Kansas production in a decade.
KGS said Barton County produced more than 136-thousand barrels in September, Ellis County added nearly 213-thousand. Russell County reported production of 122-thousand barrels, and Stafford County chipped in 78-thousand.
For the first time in recent memory, Barton County led the state in the number of intent-to-drill notices filed last year. A search the Kansas Corporation Commission Web site shows 61 intents filed in Barton County for the year, 58 in Ellis County, 17 in Russell County and 40 in Stafford County. Regulators approved 102 intents across the state last month, bringing the year-end total to 1,903. That’s nearly 400 more than last year, and nearly 800 more than the year before, but down more than five-thousand intents from the boom year of 2014.
Triple-A reports at least nine states, including Kansas, have average gasoline prices below two dollars a gallon. The average in the Sunflower State Monday was just over $1.93 per gallon. You can find regular gasoline as cheap as $1.87 in Great Bend, and $1.98 in Hays. Your 15-gallon fill-up will cost you about a dollar less than last week, and nearly four dollars cheaper than a month ago. The auto club says the national average Monday was $2.237, down nearly 20 cents from a month ago and 38 cents a gallon cheaper than a year ago.
The latest Energy Information Administration totals show national gasoline demand at 8.6 million barrels per day for the week ending December 28, the lowest on record since February of 2017. AAA said despite record motor vehicle travel for the holiday, demand was down nearly 900,000 barrels. Demand is expected to dwindle further during the winter months.
Output from OPEC fell by the most in almost two years in December, according to a Bloomberg survey. The half-million barrel-a-day reduction preceded a cut that was scheduled to start this month, highlighting the urgency the cartel feels to stem a market that’s been in free fall.
Fort Hays State women continue strong start
The fifth-ranked Fort Hays State University women won their program record 13th straight game to open the season Saturday on the road against Southwest Baptist 92-67. The Tigers outscored the Bearcats 54-21 in the second and third quarters and scored 38 points off of turnovers to remain at the top of the MIAA conference. For more on the game, click here.
Tony Hobson the winningest coach in FHSU history
With the victory, FHSU women’s head coach Tony Hobson becomes the winningest coach in program history with 218. Hobson is now 631-198 in his 27 years as a collegiate head coach.
TMP girls go 2-0 over the weekend
The TMP girls, who were 2-3 early in the season, have improved to 5-3 after winning three in a row. TMP played back-to-back games over the weekend beating Ellis on Friday night 63-38 and Sacred Heat of Salina on Saturday 73-51. Adell Riedel scored 30 points over the two games with 13 against Ellis and 17 on Saturday against Sacred Heart. You can read more about Saturday’s game including highlights and interviews here.
Hays High’s Tradgon McCrae scores 20 for third straight game
The Hays High Indians opened the 2019 year and WAC play on the road in Liberal with a 68-56 win Friday night. Senior Tradgon McCrae has now scored 62 points in the last three games with 22 against Colby, 20 against Pratt and 20 Friday night. Hays High is now 4-2 on the year and 1-0 in the WAC. You can hear highlights and coach reactions here.
OVERTIME
Central Plains continues success
Central Plains’ junior Emily Ryan’s unprecedented high school career saw another milestone Friday night. Ryan scored 41 points in three quarters in a 98-25 win over Macksville.
Central Plains girls head coach Pat Stiles’ 92 consecutive wins is nearing the record of 107 set by Shelly Hoyt at Hoxie. Stiles is 157-4 since taking over as the head coach of the Oiler girls and has won five straight state titles.
Courtesy of Ben Mitchum.
Have highlights you want to share for next week’s Hoops Highlights? Email them to C.D. DeSalvo. Photos are encouraged!
The winning ticket was sold at Cerv’s at 2701 Vine Street in Hays
Kansas Lottery
Blake and Rachel Ruder of Hays only bought two tickets in the 2018 Holiday Millionaire Raffle and one of them was worth $50,000! The couple made the trip to Topeka on Friday to claim their prize and was all smiles the whole time.
“I didn’t even want to buy the ticket that was the winner,” said Ruder. “My wife brought it up while we were at the store, and I said we could wait until the weekend, but she persisted. I’m glad I listened to her!” The winning ticket number Ruder was glad they purchased was 091787.
“We were at home last night, watching Deal or No Deal, and they had a case with $1 million dollars in it that reminded me of our raffle tickets,” Ruder said. “I asked Rachel if she had checked our tickets yet and she hadn’t, so I pulled out my phone and went to the website. I couldn’t believe it when I saw what we had won!”
The couple was skeptical of their good fortune at first, so they went out to a convenience store to verify their win. “It was so funny, the kid that was working at the store had obviously never had a big winner before,” said Ruder. “When he scanned the ticket, it made the winner noise and printed off the claim form. He was almost as excited as we were!”
The couple says they plan on doing some renovations to their house with the winnings. “The kitchen could use an upgrade. After that I bet we’ll just put the rest in savings. No need to spend it all at once,” said Ruder.
The winning ticket was sold at Cerv’s at 2701 Vine Street in Hays. Other Holiday Millionaire Raffle winners have 365 days from January 3, 2019 to claim their prizes.
The incident occurred just after 9 p.m. Dec. 30, near U.S. 83 and the East Front Street crossing, according to Union Pacific spokesperson Hannah Bolte.
Union Pacific conductor Jeffrey Hague, 34, Bennington, died from his injuries. He had worked at Union Pacific for 10 years.
Bolte released no additional details Monday as the investigation continues.
——————–
OAKLEY — Officials from the Union Pacific Railroad are investigating an accident in Logan County that resulted in the death of a railroad employee.
UP spokeswomen Hannah Bolte said Monday the incident occurred just after 9 p.m. Sunday in Oakley near the crossing of U.S. 83 and East Front Street.
Bolte said she couldn’t go into detail about the incident because the investigation is ongoing and the company is making notifications to family.
“Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with that employee’s family,” Bolte said.
PHILLIPSBURG — The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about a suspect who tampered with aircraft at the Phillipsburg Airport.
The incident occurred Saturday night.
“We hope surveillance cameras in the area caught the activity and we’ll be able to identify the suspect(s) and refer them to federal authorities,” the department said in a social media posting. “If anyone has information on this situation, we ask that you contact us at (785) 543-6885.”
DENVER – Sunflower Bank’s annual signature ABC Program has raised over $1.2 million since 2001 for local schools and students in its Sunflower Bank and First National 1870 communities. The ABC Program runs January 1 through March 31, 2019 and supports approximately 300 schools across Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas. Recipients use the ABC Program funds for much needed educational supplies, equipment and books.
“We believe in solving problems and making possibilities a reality for our customers and our communities,” said Mollie Carter, Chairman of Sunflower Bank. “In 2001 we recognized that Sunflower Bank could meet an important need by helping provide funds to our local schools and motivate students for scholastic achievement. This is why we continue to expand the ABC Program each year through outreach to new schools and communities.”
Based on community participation during the campaign, the bank provides money to benefit local K-12 students and their schools by making ABC Program donations based on every Spend & Sign & Save checking and savings account package opened and registered to a participating school, and through “Cash for Swipes” when school-registered debit cards are used for signature transactions.
In addition, Sunflower Bank and First National 1870 branches invite all students to bring their report cards to their local branch for a chance to earn up to $100 for their As. Five report card winners per branch are chosen from entries by students. This year registered schools receive a matching donation if one of their student’s report cards are chosen.
“ABC donations were used to purchase supplies for ‘crisis kits’ for classrooms and district vehicles, which can save lives in the event of an emergency. Funds were also used for after school care, milk for children, and other worthwhile programs,” stated John Thissen, USD 489 Superintendent in Hays, Kansas.
Visit a local branch or SunflowerBank.com/ABC to learn more about the ABC Program and to register a Sunflower Bank or First National 1870 Debit Card to a specific participating school in support of education.
Schools are registered each fall for the next year’s ABC Program through a community outreach effort by their local bank branches. There is no cost to a school to register. As a new program benefit in 2019, the school that raises the most money in each participating state receives $500 toward a school spirit celebration.
NCK Tech, with campus locations in Beloit and Hays, recently presented Recognition Awards to employees for years of service to the college.
for about the past three months, is now 15 percent lower than this time last year.
