Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 23rd, 2018
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tiger’s upcoming game with Lindenwood Saturday afternoon in Hays. Brown and select players met with the media inside Lewis Field on Wednesday, a session that can be seen by clicking on the video below.
(00:00 Head Coach Chris Brown, 12:16 Linebacker Jose Delgado, 14:30 Running Back D.J. Hickman)
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The 18th annual Hays Alley Cleanup started Monday.
Residents were allowed to begin putting out their unwanted junk two weeks ago.
Items not normally picked up during the regular refuse collection were to be placed in the same location as the trash pickup for city customers.
Curbside pickup is being done first. Then workers from several city departments will move into the alleyways.
Parks Department employee Mike Windholz was working curbside collections early Tuesday morning, aided by Tanner Wulf of the service division.
The duo was using a pickup and trailer for smaller items. Windholz said a larger truck is reserved for construction debris.
Crews will make just one sweep across Hays with no specific timetable, according to Marvin Honas, solid waste superintendent, and spend no more than 20 minutes in each location.
“This is a great opportunity to clean out your shed, attic, garage, basement or whatever else you might have,” Honas said.
There is no cost to customers.
Residents should sort their items into four piles:
1. Tree limbs and Brush–No longer than 12 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter
2. Construction and Demolition Debris–Lumber, drywall, bricks, sinks, tubs, wires, fencing, etc. (Please pull or bend over nails and place small quantities of concrete, bricks, and plaster in containers)
3. White Goods/Metals–Guttering, siding, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, metal swing sets, etc.
4. Municipal Waste (All other items)–Furniture, carpet, TVs, foam, etc.
Items that will not be collected are tires, batteries, household hazardous waste, or medical waste.
For more details, contact the Hays Solid Waste Department at 785-628-7350 or check the city’s website.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
About 60 teachers crammed into the board room Monday night for the Hays USD 489 school board meeting.
Kim Schneweis, co-chair of the teachers negotiating committee, said the teachers wanted to show their strength following the district declaring on Oct. 9 they were at impasse with teachers in negotiating a contract for this school year.
The sticking point is over pay.
All other employees in the district received a 4.6 percent pay increase, but when the teachers looked at the pay schedule that was offered to them, the raise did not equal 4.6 percent, she said. Schneweis said the average increase per teacher was about 3.2 percent. The difference in the district proposal and the teachers’ request is $465 per person.
Although there was standing-room only during the meeting, no one spoke during the audience participation portion of the meeting. Schneweis spoke after the meeting.
“I think the teachers want the school board to know the teachers are paying attention and they feel fair is fair,” she said. “They are just asking for what everyone else in the district has been offered. I think they want the board to know we are paying attention and they care and they are watching and listening. It is not just the negotiations committee. It is the entire contingent of teachers that care about being offered a fair contract.”
The negotiations will now go to federal mediation, which is scheduled for Nov. 8.
Schneweis said the teachers still would be willing to come to an agreement locally and cancel the mediation.
Superintendent John Thissen, who is on the negotiations team for the board, declined to comment on the negotiations after the announcement the district had reached impasse two weeks ago.
He was not at the school board meeting on Monday.
ACT scores
The ACT scores at Hays High School for 2017-18 remained high.
The composite average for HHS was 22.8, which was the second highest in the school’s history and above the state average of 21.6.
The average English score of 22.6 was the highest in the school’s history. The average reading score was the second highest it has ever been at 23.3, down only .1 point from last year.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, said although some of the scores were down slightly from the previous year, they are still among the best scores HHS has recorded and above the state averages.
She also noted HHS has a far higher percentage of students taking the ACT than the state average. Last year almost 83 percent of HHS students took the test compared to 71 percent statewide.
Dinkel said full school performance report cards are expected to be released in December.
Technology update
The school board has requested a pilot study to determine if Chromebooks could be used in classrooms as opposed to the current laptops or iPads the district is using now. That pilot launched early this month.
Students at the Learning Center, Gina Johnson’s students at O’Loughlin Elementary School and Nathan Purdue’s eighth-grade science students at Hays Middle School are participating in the pilot study.
Dinkel said it was too early to tell much about the pilot because the Chromebooks were late getting to the classrooms because of problems with the supplier.
The board requested the study to see if less expensive Chromebooks could be used in district classrooms with the same success as current technology. The district is also evaluating how difficult it might be to migrate from a Microsoft Office platform to a Google platform.
Scott Summers, technology director, also said he thought the roll out of new laptops at the high school was going smoothly.
The Hays Optimist Club will distribute Merriam Webster dictionaries to Ellis County sixth-graders and their teachers Wednesday and Thursday.
This is the 34th year for the giveaway according to project chairman Gary Wentling.
“During that time, 11,969 dictionaries have been given away,” Wentling said in a news release. “That equates to over $71,800 to the youth of Ellis County.”
The project is made possible from the annual sales of natural Christmas trees by the Optimist Club.
“Please stop by the Optimist Tree Lot in the Walmart parking lot, 4302 Vine, and make an investment in the youth of Ellis County by purchasing a natural Christmas tree,” added Wentling. “Help us help the future generation of this great county.”
The Optimist Christmas Tree Lot will open Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving.
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen has submitted his letter of resignation to the school district.
A letter has gone out to staff of the resignation.
Thissen was called away for a personal emergency and was unable to attend Monday’s school board meeting where he was expected to address the resignation.
School board president Mandy Fox said Monday night she did not wish to comment on the resignation at this time.
The Hays Post will provide more information as it becomes available.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
There is no playground area for young children in the southwest quadrant of the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex west of Hays. Although there is play equipment in the northeast set of fields, families have been requesting something similar in the southwest fields.
“It’s been one of the most discussed items by folks visiting our facilities,” according to Jeff Boyle, director of parks. “It’s a discussion that’s been going on for years.”
The Hays Recreation Commission (HRC) and the city of Hays have both each budgeted to spend $50,000 this year for the purchase of a new playground unit for the southwest area.
Boyle showed the proposed playground purchase to Hays city commissioners last week.
“For the first time ever, this particular proposal (from among 12 submitted) received 100 percent of the votes by city and HRC staff,” Boyle told the commission, although he conceded “no 8-year-olds voted.”
“I could have gotten you a committee of six,” quipped father-of-six Mayor James Meier, which drew a big laugh.
The Riggs Recreation Equipment proposal has the most features. The overall design produces five levels of play including a ground level area with items for very young kids.
The $99,996.88 bid also includes a pour-in-place rubber fall zone and a shade canopy with netting on two sides to protect children from foul balls coming in from the adjacent baseball/softball diamonds.
“The only thing we would have to do in this (85′ by 43′) area is take our tree spade and remove three trees and move them to better locations, like by bleachers where folks can enjoy the shade,” Boyle said.
When the Parks Department contemplates purchasing playground equipment, there are three areas of consideration – the age group for the playground, how many features are on the unit, and the equipment warranty.
Each of the 12 companies bid ASTM (American Society for Standards and Testing) certified commercial grade playground equipment and offer similar warranties, according to Boyle.
The number of features is what pushed the Riggs Recreation unit into first place.
“When we went into this, we weren’t expecting to get quite this much,” Boyle said. “This has 21 playable features and five levels or heights to play from with major slides. It’s a really neat unit with a lot of character to it.”
An amount of $50,000 is budgeted in the Special Park and Recreation Budget for the equipment. HRC would also pay $49,998.44.
Boyle noted that Riggs Recreation has done other projects for the city including the playground equipment in East Frontier Park, funded by the Hays Rotary Club, and also the unit at the Pratt-Optimist soccer playground. The Kansas City company also paints the Municipal Park tennis courts.
The city commission will vote on the recommendation during their meeting Thursday night.
FHSU University Relations
Dr. Brooke Moore, interim chair of Fort Hays State University’s Department of Advanced Education Programs, was selected as an Outstanding Advising Award Winner in the Faculty Advising category as part of the 2018 NACADA Global Awards Program for Academic Advising.
This award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students. The Faculty Academic Advising category includes those individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time providing academic advising services to students. The award was presented at the recent NACADA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
Her advisees supported her nomination for the award, which honors Moore’s dedication to student success.
One student said, “She understands what each student is going through, makes time to speak and communicate with you, and will always help you find a solution to a dilemma. Many of us in graduate school are working full time, with many other obligations; Dr. Moore assisted in keeping us focused and grounded. Even at the most stressful times, I never felt like I was in dire straits.”
“This award recognizes that Fort Hays State University’s largest graduate department, Advanced Education Programs, has dedicated and determined academic advisors who are supportive of their students,” said Dr. Patti Griffin, director of the Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center.
“Dr. Moore is a true testament to the hard work and support provided to the students in the department. Their advisors have a mind and willingness to invest deeply and personally in their students and their programs,” said Griffin.
About NACADA
NACADA’s membership has grown to over 14,000 faculty, professional advisors, administrators, counselors, and others in academic and student affairs concerned with the intellectual, personal, and vocational needs of students. In addition, NACADA promotes student success by advancing the field of academic advising globally, providing opportunities for professional development, networking, and leadership for a diverse membership.
And whether Democrat Sen. Laura Kelly (who has reserved parking now) or Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach (who has reserved–but outside–parking near his current office) wins the governorship, nearly everyone else in the building is wondering not just about parking, but jobs.
Because the governor names his/her own cabinet members, 11 jobs are immediately on the line as the new governor prepares to start work. Those agencies? Administration, Aging and Disabilities Service, Agriculture, Children and Families, Commerce, Corrections, Health and Environment, Labor, Revenue, Transportation and Wildlife/Parks/Tourism.
They’re now Republicans, or at least acceptable to the current Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. He did change out the Secretary of Children and Families from Gov. Sam Brownback appointee former Rep. Phyllis Gilmore to Gina Meier-Hummel, largely to deal with legislative angst toward Gilmore, but not much else changed at the Cabinet table when Colyer moved up to governor earlier this year.
But…it’s clear the key agency leaders who carry out the governor’s programs and attitudes for state services are going to change after the election. That’s part of the reward that comes with being elected governor—choosing secretaries who will carry out their campaign promises and philosophies.
And, yes, there is some anxiety among those current secretaries. Catch them in the Statehouse hallways, and they aren’t talking about whether they plan to leave or retire. They generally look at their watches, and say they have an appointment or maybe lunch reservation and don’t really have time to discuss what the gubernatorial candidates have talked about in terms of policy for their agencies.
Most are expecting Kobach to be able to keep some Cabinet secretaries, except for a couple agencies that his campaign managers have shown interest in—say, Rep. J.R. Claeys, R-Salina–for Transportation. Kobach isn’t answering any questions about whom he’d hire.
For Kelly, well, it’s not gotten specific yet, though look for some of her supporters to start queuing up for jobs if she is elected. Kelly is similarly quiet, though she said Kansans can expect a more “diverse” Cabinet if she is elected. And that’s where she stops.
Orman? Well, he’s quiet, also, though as an independent he’ll have some friends who could wind up in his Cabinet…or maybe he’ll have interested Kansans quiz out for the jobs.
Downstream from the Cabinet secretaries is their staff, and they have dozens of jobs within agencies that are unclassified, which means that they have no actual rights to their jobs and serve at the pleasure of their bosses. Look for scores of those jobs to change as secretaries surround themselves with like-minded employees who have widely varying amounts of authority over just how agencies provide or don’t provide services to Kansans.
That vote on Nov. 6 for governor means that we’ll have a general idea of who’s going to run this state, his/her general philosophies and concerns and issues, but not a clue about who will interpret and implement those gubernatorial philosophies at street-level where most Kansans actually interact with the state.
***
Every candidate talks about efficiency, about performance, about serving Kansans better or more fairly, but once you get below the actual office of governor, you’re in the “swamp.” And whom the governor wants in that swamp and out of that swamp.
See how this one comes out, won’t we…?
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
FHSU University Relations
Jacob Ternes, assistant director of Fort Hays State University’s Memorial Union, and Bailey Talkington, graduate assistant for the University Activities Board, both received awards from the National Association of Campus Activities Central Region.
Ternes received the Markley Award, which is considered the highest honor a professional can receive from the Central Region.
This award is given to an individual who shows contributions to growth and development of on-campus student activities and who is seen as a positive role model for students and associates.
Talkington received the NACA Central Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award, given to a graduate assistant who shows great service to the institution and has great promise for a future in a campus activities profession.
Ternes and Talkington were presented with their awards at the recent NACA Central Conference held in Arlington, Texas.
Grow Hays has partnered with NCK Tech and KansasWorks to offer a short-term welding training class. Deadline for applications is Friday.
This is an introductory course requiring no experience and is funded by a generous grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. Classes will be held in the evenings and Saturdays so trainees can still work while taking the class.
The ideal candidate would be in northwest Kansas and want to apply for welding positions with local companies upon completion, but all are encouraged to apply.
Facts about the course:
Call the KANSASWORKS office at 785.625.5654 or stop by 332 E. Eighth in Hays for information on the application process.
Class Schedule
Attendance at all classes is mandatory
– Thursday, Nov. 1 , 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
– Saturday, Nov. 3, 8 am – 5 pm
– Tuesday, Nov. 6, 5:30 am – 9:30 pm
– Wednesday, Nov. 7, 5:30 am – 9:30 pm
– Thursday, Nov. 8, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
– Tuesday, Nov. 13, 5:30 am – 9:30 pm
– Wednesday, Nov. 14, 5:30 am – 9:30 pm
– Thursday, Nov. 15, 5:30 am – 9:30 pm
– Saturday, Nov. 17, 8 am – 5 pm
— Grow Hays
More than a foot of rain fell on the Ted Guetterman farm in Johnson County during a three-day stretch from Oct. 5-7. At roughly the same time, nearly four inches of rain fell on the Roger Glenn family farm in Finney County, approximately 365 miles west.
The Guetterman family walked around in water standing atop their no-till fields and the Glenns were slip-sliding away on their no-till land. Combines chomping at the bit to harvest the bountiful corn, bean and milo crops sat dead still.
It would be two weeks before the machines would move and that depended on no additional moisture. Kansas grain farmers waited on pins and needles from the eastern border of Kansas to the Colorado border hoping for sunshine and dry weather.
Glenn, who’s farmed with his father-in-law for 32 years can’t remember a fall so wet. Fortunately, he’d harvested some of his corn crop and sowed his winter wheat crop. Only one bin full of milo came out of his fields before the deluge during the first week of October.
Rainfall on the family farm in Finney and Kearny counties sprawls 25 miles from one end to the other. Moisture ranged from 2.6-3.8 inches during this rain event.
“We try to keep a rain gauge on every quarter of land,” Glenn says. “This allows us to check actual rainfalls and remains the most accurate method of charting rainfall so we can determine what crop to plant on every field.”
An October rainfall of this magnitude results in excellent crops for the winter wheat and next year’s corn and milo planted in the spring of 2019. Water stands in some of the low spots throughout their land. Some grader ditches stood nearly full and while others were at least half full.
While checking his fields after the three-day rain, Glenn probed several of the family quarter sections and punched his six-foot probe within four inches of the end of the steel rod.
“Every once in a while, we’re blessed with a full profile of moisture in our fields during the spring, but not like this in the fall,” Glenn says. “We finished drilling our wheat two days before the rain came and the new crop has emerged and looks really good – thick, green and lush. This new crop will really pop once the sun comes out and we have some more fall-like days.”
The early October rains made sure Glenn could drill his winter wheat within an inch from the top of the soil and residue. He says this newly-planted crop has the potential to be one of their best stands in a long while.
While the milo crop itself is dry and ready to cut, the leaf canopy will shade the ground and push harvest several days into the future. Glenn can’t wait to begin milo harvest.
“Two years ago, we cut one of our best milo crops ever,” the southwestern Kansas farmer says. “This year our milo looks like the best we’ve ever grown. The heads are big and full and while we don’t like to predict what a crop will make, we’re hoping for better than 100 bushels to the acre and some may make 130 bushels.”
Once the fall harvest begins again, it will no doubt take more time. Fields are saturated with water and trucks and grain carts will be kept out of the fields to prevent compaction and tearing up the soil.
“Anytime we receive rain in October, we’re happy for it,” Glenn says. “It may be Thanksgiving before we finish, or even later if it keeps raining. We’ve been faced with harvest delays before and we’ll finish up when we’re finished.”
John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.
Fort Hays State University is currently accepting applications for the position of University Police Officer.
For a full description and a list of requirements go to https://fhsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CAREERS.
Applicant must be at least 21 years of age, no felony convictions, no convictions for domestic violence, and must maintain a valid Kansas driver’s license.
Position open until filled.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. East wind 7 to 13 mph.
Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East southeast wind 8 to 10 mph.
Wednesday A 50 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 59. South southeast wind 8 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night Rain. Low around 44. South southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday A 30 percent chance of rain before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. South wind 6 to 8 mph.
Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.
