TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A Republican leader in the Kansas House who was ousted from his position will serve as chairman of new Rural Revitalization Committee.

Departing Majority Leader Don Hineman’s new assignment for 2019 and 2020 will have him leading a committee that will examine challenges facing rural areas that include declining populations and limited access to broadband service. He was appointed by House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a fellow Republican from Olathe who grew up in southwest Kansas.

Hineman is a farmer and rancher from Dighton in Lane County. He is a GOP moderate and was re-elected to the House this year but was voted out as majority leader earlier this month after the Republican majority became more conservative.

Ryckman said he created the committee to make sure rural communities “get a fair shake.”

The Eagle Media Center, 2300 Hall, will be closed at noon on Monday to allow employees to celebrate Christmas Eve.

Eagle and Hays Post wishes you and yours a very Merry Christas and a Happy New Year!

CITY OF HAYS

Due to the observance of the Christmas holiday, Monday, December 24, 2018 and Tuesday, December 25, 2018, refuse/recycling route collection schedules in Hays will be altered.

Although collections may not occur on your normal day, collections will be completed by the end of the week. Crews anticipate that the collection route will be:

• Monday, December 24, and Tuesday, December 25, refuse/recycling collections will be on Wednesday, December 26.
• Wednesday. December 26, and Thursday, December 27, refuse/recycling collections will be on Thursday, December 27.
• There are no anticipated changes to Friday, December 28th, refuse/recycling collection schedule.

It is anticipated that heavy volumes of refuse/recyclables will be encountered around the holidays. Please be sure to have your refuse/recycling out by 7:00 a.m. on the specified collection day, and keep in mind the trucks have no set time schedule.

City of Hays customers who may have any questions regarding this notice should contact the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department at 785-628-7350.

SHPTV

BUNKER HILL – The Arthur E. and Cornelia C. Scroggins Fund through the Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas has awarded Smoky Hills Public Television a grant for $3,500.

The Foundation’s grant will provide two books (one English/Spanish bilingual and one English only) to each of the 417 children enrolled in Head Start in Ford County during the 2018-2019 school year. As well as, support for children’s television programming.

“With this fund we are able to put books in children’s hands, therefore encouraging them to read and learn,” said Larry Calvery, Smoky Hills Public Television General Manager. “That’s what we do here at Smoky Hills Public Television, help educate our young viewers. With the fund from the Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas we expect that the children of Ford County will develop a greater love of learning with the new books they receive.”

The Arthur E. and Cornelia C. Scroggins Fund was established to support quality of life issues and provide education opportunities for youth in Ford and Gray Counties.

Smoky Hills Public Television serves 71 counties in central and western Kansas and has been named the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Non-Metro Station of the Year, broadcasting 64 commercial-free hours per week of educational programming. Of the 25 different children’s programs SHPTV airs each week, 17 are targeted toward preschool children with five focusing on literacy, eight on science and math, and four on social skills. SHPTV also broadcasts these programs on their 24-hour PBS Kids channel (Channel 21.2 in Ford County).

TMP-M

The Monarch Messenger is a student publication by TMP-Marian Junior High students covering the news and events of the seventh and eighth grades.

Click HERE to read the latest edition of the Monarch Messenger.

TodayPartly sunny, with a high near 47. South wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon.

Tonight Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind around 7 mph.

Christmas Day Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.

Tuesday NightA 40 percent chance of snow after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 30. East wind 6 to 9 mph.

WednesdayRain, possibly mixed with snow, becoming all rain after 9am. High near 45. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday NightRain. Low around 33. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

In the mood for some Christmas music? Click below to listen to the 2018 Cathedral Concert from St. Fidelis in Victoria. Brought to you by Gorham State Bank.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at the Eagle Media Center!