RUSSELL COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Russell Police Department, and the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, have made an arrest for first-degree murder.

According to a media release, an arrest warrant was issued for Jody S. Fox, 27, of Russell connected to the murder of a 14-month-old child. The child died in April 2017. Fox was in a relationship with the child’s mother.

Just after 1p.m. Thursday, Fox was arrested at 115 West 17th St. in Russell. He was booked into the Russell County Jail for first-degree murder, and abuse of a child.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.

CLARIFICATION: 3:55 p.m. Thursday: According to Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus, cellphones will be allowed at Thursday’s canvass. Maskus also clarified her comment that “on the provisional ballots, we find that most ballots are counted other than a few that are not registered to vote in Ellis County.”

The story has been edited to reflect Maskus’ clarifications.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

With the race for the Kansas House of Representative 111th District still too close to call, all eyes will be on the Ellis County election office and Clerk and Election Officer Donna Maskus on Thursday night as the vote tallies are finalized.

Just 40 votes separate incumbent Democratic State Rep. Eber Phelps and Republican challenger Barb Wasinger after the final votes were tallied on election night. Wasinger led Phelps 4,259 to 4,219 votes.

There are still approximately 200 provisional ballots and more than 30 advance ballots that still must be counted, a process Maskus said could take a significant amount of time Thursday.

The election canvass will be at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Ellis County Administrative Center in the commission chambers and a vault nearby.

During the canvass, the remaining provisional and advanced ballots are opened, counted and then added to the vote totals to determine the final tally, which is then approved by the canvassing board.

In Ellis County, the canvassing board is made up of the three county commissioners but, at Tuesday’s commission meeting, Wasinger and her campaign co-chair and fellow commissioner Dean Haselhorst both recused themselves from the process.

“While I appreciate everyone telling me what they thought I should do, I did it on my own, for the primary, and I’m very well-versed in making that decision on my own as well,” Wasinger said.

During the primary election in August, Wasinger recommended Mike Morley fill in for her on the canvassing board. Morley had to leave for another meeting before the process was over and the commission appointed County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes to finish the canvass.

Wasinger has again recommended that Morley take her place on the board, and Haselhorst suggested the Sheriff Ed Harbin fill in for him.

The only remaining commissioner on the board, Marcy McClelland, will nominate two people to fill in on the board. It does not have to be the two people recommended Tuesday.

According to Maskus, the evening will start with the canvassing board opening the advanced ballots and dropping those in a ballot box, which will then be taken to the machines that count the ballots.

Advanced ballots are requested and mailed to the voter ahead of the election. They are then either dropped off at any polling site or mailed back to the county Elections Office.

If they are returned through the mail, they must be postmarked the day of the election, Nov. 6, and received in the elections office by the end of the day Nov. 9.

Maskus said her office did receive some ballots postmarked Nov. 7 and they will not be counted because state statue requires them to be postmarked by election day.

She said some counties are having issues with some ballots not having been postmarked. Representatives with the U.S. Postal Service told Maskus not all mail that is dropped in a mail box will be postmarked.

But Maskus said she worked with the post office in Hays to guarantee that all ballots were stamped.

“Every ballot that came here to us they stamped when they received it,” said Maskus. “Not when it was processed but when they received it here before they put it in the box.”

If they do not have a postmark, state statute says they are not to be counted, according to Maskus.

On the outside of the advanced ballots, the voter must sign the envelope and Maskus said that signature must match the one on file when the voter registered. If it does not match, it cannot be counted, she said.

Maskus said if they determine a ballot cannot be counted, she will give the canvassing board the reason why under the Kansas statue.

Once they are opened, making sure to keep the anonymity of the voter intact, they will then hand the ballots off the election board workers who will run the ballots through the vote tabulating machine.

Because there were some precincts that had a greater than expected turnout, there are some ballots that were photocopies that are made of a different paper and must be hand counted. Maskus said those official ballots have a special stamp to guarantee they were handed out by certified election staff.

Once the ballot stock is ran through the machine, Maskus said the election board will then go back over the ballots.

Maskus said she has three election boards made up of three people each.

They will be responsible for counting and tabulating the write-ins. They will also look over ballots to ensure that the correct vote is counted, if there is a question as to the voter’s intent.

While the election board is counting and rechecking the results from the advanced ballots, the canvassing board will begin the process of opening provisional ballots to determine whether they will be counted, according to state statute.

A voter may receive a provisional ballot, which is a paper ballot, if there is a question about their voter status.

CLARIFIED, 3:55 p.m. Thursday: Maskus said most provisional ballots are counted other than a few that are not registered to vote in Ellis County. Those individuals are then given a voter registration card to fill out so they are registered in the next election, but that provisional ballot will not be counted.

Provisional ballots are also given to someone who comes to the polls without a valid ID, who has changed their name or address and not re-registered, or if they received an advanced ballot but the attempted to vote at the polls.

They canvassing board will then determine if those can be counted or not, according to Maskus.

“They’ll decide per Kansas statue which ones can be counted,” she said.

Anyone who receives a provisional ballot can contact the county clerk’s office or attend the canvass to determine if their vote was counted or not.

Once they determine what provisional ballots can be counted the canvassing board will go through the same process of opening the ballots and then transferring them to the election board, which will run them through the tabulation machines.

Once that process is completed, election officials will go through and count any write-in candidates and look over every ballot.

“Our ballots are always doubled-checked by another board,” said Maskus.

Once all of the ballots are counted and the write-in votes are recorded, all of the results will be tallied and presented to the canvassing board, which will then decide whether to accept the final results.

Maskus said the public is invited to attend and can watch the process.

She will also take questions from the public after the final results are presented.

Any candidate wanting a recount must call for one by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16. Maskus said her office would have five days to complete the recount, which includes the weekend.

The Hays Police Department responded to 10 animal calls and conducted 16 traffic stops Tue., Nov. 13, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Found/Lost Property–1400 block US 183 Alt Hwy, Hays; 8:22 AM
Animal Call–2600 block Donald Dr, Hays; 9:25 AM
Dead Animal Call–300 block W 27th St, Hays; 10:44 AM
Animal At Large–1500 block 40 Bypass Hwy, Hays; 1:49 PM
Found/Lost Property–3700 block Vine St, Hays;  2:59 PM
Dead Animal Call–500 block W 33rd St, Hays; 4:28 PM
Sex Offense–500 block Walnut St, Hays; 5:01 PM
Animal Call–100 block E 19th St, Hays; 5:40 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–100 block E 18th St, Hays; 9:19 PM
Suspicious Activity–600 block Ash St, Hays; 10:57 PM
Disturbance – Noise–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 11/13/2018 11:06:12 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 1 animal call and conducted 11 traffic stops Wed., Nov. 14, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Assist – Other (not MV)–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 4:04 PM
Suicidal Subject–2700 block Hickory St, Hays; 4:24 PM
Parking Complaint–3200 block Barclay Dr, Hays; 11/4 12 PM; 11/14 4:56 PM
Suspicious Activity–600 block E 7th St, Hays; 6:20 PM
Burglary/residence–200 block W 6th St, Hays; 7:59 PM
Aggravated Battery–300 block E 6th St, Hays; 12:10 AM; 12:14 AM
Burglary/business–100 block E 27th St, Hays; 2:10 AM; 2:45 AM
Suspicious Activity–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 6:35 AM
Burglary/business–1100 block E 27th St, Hays; 6 AM; 6:20 AM
MV Accident-Personal Injury–1000 block E 27th St, Hays; 7:32 AM
MV Accident-Property Damage–400 block W 8th St, Hays; 7:55 AM; 7:59 AM
Found/Lost Property–2700 block Plaza Ave, Hays; 8:34 AM
Welfare Check–2100 block E 21st St, Hays; 9:01 AM
Credit Card Violations–2900 block Grant Ave, Hays; 9:55 AM
Shoplifting–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 10:15 AM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–2500 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 1:15 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–100 block W 37th St, Hays; 3:48 PM

There will be a book-signing and reception this weekend for a Hays author’s first book.

Lisa McGrath will be at The Paisley Pear, 1100 Main, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday to sign copies of “The JOurneY Between Us.”

Books will be available for purchase at the reception.

McGrath, a native of Healy, is a graduate of Fort Hays State University.

Click HERE for more.

Wichita County hospital also receives loan for improvements

USDA

TOPEKA – USDA Rural Development State Director Lynne Hinrichsen today announced that USDA is investing in health care infrastructure and services in rural Kansas.

“Ensuring that rural Kansans have access to quality medical care, close to home is a top priority for USDA Rural Development,” said Hinrichsen. “Several of our rural hospitals are aging, and we are committed to assisting communities with financing for innovative health care projects that meet the needs of rural Kansans.”

Today’s announcement is part of USDA’s commemoration of National Rural Health Day, which is held annually on the third Thursday of November to focus on the specific health care issues facing rural communities. The Department is investing $501 million in 60 projects nationally, through the Community Facilities direct loan program. These investments will expand access to health care for approximately 2 million people in 34 states.

In Kansas, the following projects are receiving financing, which totals more than $34 million:

CMH Foundation is receiving a $9.525 million loan to acquire Community Memorial Healthcare’s (CMH) critical access hospital in Marysville. The CMH Foundation will lease the facility back to Community Memorial Healthcare to operate and maintain the campus. The CMH Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2009 to support health care in Marshall County. This project will help ensure that the hospital can continue to serve the area’s 10,000 residents. Additional funding includes a $6,570,277 Community Facilities loan guarantee.

Jewell County is receiving a $7.5 million loan to renovate and expand the critical access hospital in Mankato. The expansion project will include a new main entrance to the hospital, and the emergency department will be expanded. Other areas of the hospital will be renovated to meet new building and health care codes. This project will serve the area’s 3,077 residents. Additional funding includes a $500,000 USDA Community Facilities loan guarantee.

Rural Health Resources of Jackson County, Inc., doing business as the Holton Community Hospital, is receiving a $14.619 million loan to expand and renovate the critical access hospital in Holton. A two-story rural health clinic will be built adjacent to the current hospital. Updates to the hospital facility include expansion and renovations to the emergency department, inpatient rooms, specialty clinic, public restrooms, corridors and roof. Additional funding includes a $2 million USDA Community Facilities loan guarantee and a $1 million applicant contribution. The population to be served by this facility is 16,328.

Sheridan County is receiving a $2.250 million loan for improvements to the critical access hospital at the Sheridan County Health Complex in Hoxie. Patient rooms and restrooms will be remodeled to meet accessibility standards, and the plumbing and electrical systems will be replaced. The complex serves 2,556 people.

Wichita County is receiving a $760,000 loan to install a new heating and air conditioning system for the Wichita County Health Center Hospital in Leoti. The existing HVAC system has exceeded its life expectancy and is too expensive to maintain. This project will benefit the area’s 2,234 residents.

USDA is investing in health care projects in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

This funding announcement complements the finalization of a partnership between USDA and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) to identify issues causing financial strain on rural hospitals, which are an important part of the rural health care system. NRHA and the Department will work together to identify management and financial indicators that often precede a hospital’s closure. This proactive strategy is designed to help rural hospitals before they are in financial distress. Intervention steps may help the hospitals continue to operate and serve rural communities.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.

To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, contact the USDA Rural Development office in Kansas at (785) 271-2700 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ks.

CFLE

Healing Hearts of Hays Special Event

Holiday Children’s Memorial Tree hanging of ornaments and dedication
Saturday, November 17, 2018, 11 a.m. at Jackie Creamer’s, The Dance Studio, 1003 Main Street, Hays.

Healing Hearts Support Group
* Offers hope, comfort, and empowerment to bereaved parents and families in a confidential, caring, respectful environment.
* Healing Hearts is an open group for anyone who has lost a child of any age from miscarriage and stillborn through adulthood.

For more information contact Doris Schmidt at 785-735-2578 or Ann Leiker with the Center for Life Experiences at 785-259-6859.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Several older areas in Hays have sanitary sewer lines in need of repair because of pipe collapses, holes, or off-set joints, according to Jeff Crispin, director of water resources.

The annual sewer cleaning and inspection program has identified 26 locations where the lines are impassible and can’t be cleaned or examined by a video camera, Crispin wrote in a memo to Hays city commissioners.

Some of the abandonments, due to protruding taps and large vegetation root balls, are an easy fix and can be cut out internally without having to dig up the sewer. The abandonments caused by pipe collapses, holes or joint offsets can only be fixed by digging down to the failure spot and replacing a section of line.

Bids to replace sections of sanitary sewer line in 26 locations were received Oct. 23 from four bidders. The low bid was made by M&D Excavating of Hays for $198,380, which would be funded out of Water Reclamation Capital.

Crispin will present the bids during Thursday’s work session.

The only other item on the agenda is review of the Nov. 1 work session minutes.

The complete Nov. 15 agenda is available here.

The work session starts at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

NCKTECH

For the second consecutive year, Thomas More Prep-Marian school Spanish teacher Melissa Pinkney has brought a group of her students to the NCK Tech Culinary program to participate in a hands-on Latino cultural experience.

With the assistance of Chef Philip Kuhn and the culinary class, TMP students were able to help prepare a spicy feast. Tamales, guacamole, salsa verde and pico de gallo were on the menu for this year.

One of the culinary students is actually a current TMP senior. Jillian Lowe is taking the program at NCK TECH during the afternoon.

She takes her TMP classes in the morning and then heads to the culinary program every day from 12:30-3:30 p.m. In order to participate, Lowe was required to meet her high school credits. “I have always had an interest in cooking and this is a great opportunity even while I am still in high school,” stated Lowe. “I am taking two online (general education courses) college credit courses now and hope to finish my last general education course in the spring.”

With the completion of these courses and the culinary program, Lowe will graduate in May from NCK Tech with a certificate.

“It’s always enjoyable to see students come into our kitchen and not really know how food is prepared and experience it first hand,” commented Chef Kuhn. “Bringing her (Melissa Pinkney) students in for a few hours to experience a different culture’s food is a great way to add to their learning environment.”

Pinkney, who this year brought students from the Spanish Level I and II classes, hopes to continue to make this field trip a yearly event.

For more information on the Culinary program and NCK Tech, contact our web site at www.ncktc.edu. Applications are now being accepted for 2019-2020 school year.

Submitted

Gordmans is joining forces with the Marine Corps to share the magic of the holidays with children through Gordmans’ Toys for Tots Toy Drive, Nov. 20 through Dec. 4 at Gordmans stores across the country.

Stage Stores, parent company of Gordmans, also has contributed $100,000 to Toys for Tots. Gordmans is inviting its guests to participate in making a difference by purchasing and donating a new toy to Gordmans’ Toys for Tots in-store toy boxes.

In addition, Gordmans’ guests also have the option of purchasing a plush bear named Gordy Hugglesworth, which they can donate or take home to enjoy. For every Gordy plush bear purchased, Gordmans will donate $1 to the Toys for Tots Foundation.

In addition, shoppers who take a Gordy bear home can document his journey with photos on social media using the hashtag #GoGordyGo. For every photo and #GoGordyGo hashtag on social media, Gordmans will make an additional donation to Toys for Tots.

The Marine Toys for Tots program has been delivering hope to less fortunate children since 1947 and has distributed 548 million toys to date.

Submitted

The Kansas Western Horseman’s Association recently honored a local young rider as the High-Point Champion in her age group for the third year in a row. 

This year Cameryn Kinderknecht, 18, of Ellis and a KWHA member for six years, won the High-Point Champion Belt Buckle for the 14-17 age group. Not only did she win this year, but she has won the High-Point Champion for the past three years, a clean sweep of the 14-17 age group.

An advocate for KWHA, Kinderknecht has been on the Board of Directors as a junior representative since 2015 and has won the KWHA Scholarship for the past two years.

Kinderknecht has ridden horses since she was 4 and participated in KWHA horse shows since she was 12.

These accomplishments have helped Kinderknecht achieve her goals and chase her dreams as a horse rider and trainer. She has met amazing people and horse riders along the way in KWHA and encourages people to join the family-friendly organization as it presents opportunities and friendships like no other.

KWHA is a family-oriented organization that brings horse owners together to compete in various events.

The organization was started in 1948 and consists of numerous saddle clubs from all over the state of Kansas.

Horse shows are conducted every year, starting in March and ending Labor Day weekend with the annual state show.

To compete at the state show, you as a competitor must qualify with a total of four points in each event. Points are earned by winning first (four points), second (three points), third (two points), or fourth place (one point).

At a typical horse show, there are 10 to 15 different events, and there can be up to 100 riders at each show.

There are seven age groups: 1-9, 10-13, 14-17, women (18-50), senior women (50 and older), men (18-50), and senior men (50 and older).

The events range from slower judged events to speed events.

The KWHA Year-End Banquet is in November. This event recognizes those who have accumulated the most points throughout the show season and presents awards to the high-point earners.

KWHA prides itself in being a family-oriented organization where any rider of any age or skill level can ride, enjoy themselves and participate in activities with their beloved horses. To find more information on KWHA, you can visit the KWHA website www.kwhaonline.com.

FHSU University Relations

Dr. Babu George, associate professor of management and international coordinator in Fort Hays State University’s W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, was selected to participate in the 2018 Jewish National Fund Winter Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel.

George, along with 27 other participants from colleges across the United States, will travel to Israel for two weeks, starting in Haifa and ending in Tel Aviv.

U.S. universities that will be represented include Temple University, the University of California-Davis, the University of Texas-El Paso, Arizona State University, Stetson University, Cornell University, Washington State University, the University of Florida, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Loyola University-New Orleans.

Participants will meet Israelis from all walks of life and hear from a variety of speakers. They will also be exposed to contemporary Israeli society, culture, historical sites, the people and the way of life in Israel.

Professors will also have the opportunity to meet with professors of similar disciplines with the goal of developing collaborations, research projects, co-authoring articles, and establishing exchange programs between faculty and students. George aims to discuss possibilities of developing inter-institutional partnerships in business and allied areas.

Those who take part in the program will develop a deeper awareness of Israel as a nation and how the country addresses regional and global challenges.