Enter for your chance to win $20 a month for 12 months toward your purchase at Tiger Burgers, 700 Main St. in Hays! One lucky winner will be selected at random on August 15th, 2018. Get a coupon in your email just for registering!
[ss-promo op_id=”494997″ op_guid=”3fb5b4c2-cb6c-45db-bb4e-a4dbc103d726″ routing=”hash”]
Category: Local
SPONSORED: FHSU seeking Skilled Trades Technician
Fort Hays State University-Energy Division Seeking Position – Skilled Trades Technician, Plant Operations
The FHSU Energy Division/Power Plant is looking for a dependable individual to hire in the Power Plant Department. This is a full time position with benefits.
TASKS
Operation, maintenance and repair of industrial equipment such as boilers, generators, pumps and valves. Work involves all aspects of boiler operation to include general maintenance and repair of related Energy Division/Power Plant equipment. Follow written and oral procedures, reading and recording gauges and water testing. Able to lift 30-50 lbs.
Working hours during the heating season require 24/7 operation during the months of October to April, requiring shift work for continuous operation. Working hours from May through September are usually Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. This position may be required to work a flexible work schedule as needed.
REQUIREMENTS
High school diploma or GED, valid driver’s license. Three years’ experience in some skilled trades area. Prefer experience in electrical or mechanical trades, but this is not required. Must be able to lift 30-50 lbs.
COMPENSATION
Starting Pay: $14.50 / hr., with shift differential, when applicable. Full benefits package. Visit https://www.fhsu.edu/humanresourceoffice/Prospective-Employee/ for more about the benefits.
HOW TO APPLY
Application Process: To apply for this position, please visit https://fhsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CAREERS. Only electronic applications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
Required Application Documents: Applicants should submit a resume and names and contact information for three professional references. Applicant documents should be submitted in one PDF.
Notice of Non-discrimination – Fort Hays State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status.
Background Check: Final candidate will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.
Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERS employer. Please contact your KPERS representative or www.kpers.org for further information on how this might affect you.
KRUG: Food preservation is hot topic
Gardens overflowing with shiny red tomatoes and fresh green beans at the farmer’s market remind us that it is time to get the canner out of the cupboard. Common questions at this time of year at the Extension Office relate to the recommended canning practices. Whether you are canning for the first time or have years of experience, it is a good idea to reinforce correct procedures.
K-State Research and Extension has provided hands-on food preservation workshops in the past. We learned how to dry fruit and herbs, can carrots and salsa and made jelly a couple of different ways. Care was taken to follow food safety practices with all of the recipes we prepared. The book “So Easy to Preserve” from the University of Georgia,is a wonderful guide with question and answer sections at the end of each chapter.
People are always looking for shortcuts when food preservation is concerned. Unless food is preserved in some manner, it begins to spoil soon after it is harvested. This spoilage is caused by microorganisms; physical damage such as bruising, water loss, or punctures; or by chemical changes such as those caused by enzymes. Enzymes are the chemical substances in foods that help them to grow and mature. If the enzymes in fruits and vegetables are not inactivated, they continue to work after harvest, causing flavor and texture changes. Enzymes can be inactivated by blanching, which is a quick method when the food is held at boiling temperatures for a specified period of time.
Blanching is something many people want to skip, but I encourage them not to. Blanching just takes a few minutes. Once the food has been held in boiling water for a few minutes, (usually less than 5) you will want to put it in ice water for the same number of minutes. It is an important step that really should not be skipped.
Please note that some foods may be better suited for canning; others for freezing or drying. Consider how you would prefer to store your finished products, how much it will cost and how your family will like the product.
Remember, I have a testing device to check the accuracy of your pressure canner. I can check dial gauges in a matter of minutes, so give me a call at either the Hays or Great Bend offices and we can set up a time to test your gauge.
I plan to have a booth at the Hays Farmer’s Market on Saturday, August 18th and I will be sharing copies of my fact sheet titled, “Simple Seasonal Meals”. I will also be sharing samples of a couple of seasonal recipes including Sweet Melon Salsa and Frosty Cantaloupe Smoothie. Copies of several of our food preservation publications will be available too. I hope to see you then!
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District – Great Bend Office. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
HaysMed welcomes new hematologist/oncologist
HAYSMED
Dr. Anthony Accurso, Hematologist/Oncologist, has joined the medical staff of HaysMed as a full time physician. Dr. Accurso will join Drs. Tracy Coe and Robert Rodriguez at the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute.
Dr. Accurso completed medical school at the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed a residency at Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Kansas. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Accurso’s wife, Kelsey Accurso, MS, APRN, AGCNS-BC, has also joined HaysMed as the Director of Continuous Improvement.
Dr. Accurso is accepting new patients. Please call 785-623-5774.
Kellers buy Regeena’s Flowers, move to Main
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Norman and Sandy Keller have embarked on a new adventure.
They purchased Regeena’s Flowers as of June 1 and recently opened at a new location at 1013 Main St.
Norman Keller has more than 30 years of floral experience. He is one of 21 people in the state who is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers.
Norman studied art at Fort Hays State University. He started at his first floral shop as a delivery driver, but was soon moved to the design floor to help during holidays.
Norman said he will continue to deliver top-quality arrangements as he and Sandy move from being employees to owners.
Norman said it is hard to put a finger on his style.
“Everybody I talk to even at the hospital, they are like, ‘When we see flowers come in, we know that one had to be from Regeena’s.’ For some reason, I don’t know what we do different,” he said. “Something we do has a definite visual stamp of our own that we have created. I don’t know if it’s my combination of attention to the detail and texture and color or combinations of types of flowers. It was a God-given thing. I just kind of do what I love.”
Norman said his favorite aspect of floral arranging is giving back.
“My favorite part is probably the fact that no matter what I am doing the end result is that it is going to brighten or make a difference in someone’s day whether it be a simple birthday bouquet or a just because or to brighten your day. I love my brides. There is nothing like seeing their faces when you walk in the room and bring their bouquets to them. Sometimes I make them cry … but it is a good cry.”
“Even the sympathy part of it—the words that I have coming from clients after the funeral. We have lots of people come in and they are like, ‘The flowers were beautiful, and it was so comforting. What you created was perfect.’ It spoke to them, and it said exactly in flowers who that person was.”
Norman said he also enjoys working with a quality product. The store orders flowers from all over the world, including Holland, Ecuador and Kansas.
Sandy and Norman said they were excited to be downtown with more space to showcase their wares. Sandy said they have had a warm welcome to The Bricks. They were open during the recent Bazaar on The Bricks and look forward to participating in more downtown events.
The business has added a flower cooler, so customers can pick up last-minute, pre-made floral arrangements for special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or get well gifts. Norman said the arrangements cover different price ranges.
The business also takes orders for special events including weddings and funerals.
“Basically anybody who needs anything floral-related, we can make it,” Sandy said. “If they have a picture or some idea of what they want, somehow we will make a way to make it.”
Flower crowns for senior pictures and baby and pregnancy photo shoots are a new trend the business has been taking orders for.
Regeena’s also offers faux flower arrangements, and Norman said faux flowers for funerals is another trend.
The family can have something they can take home and have with them as long as they like, he said.
Regeena’s also carries other gift items, such as candles, fragrances and home decor.
“We want it to be ever-evolving, ever-changing as far as that part of the business goes, so people always have to come in to see ‘What the heck do they have in now,’ in addition to the flowers,” Norman said. “We think that is a necessary part of retail and always wanting your customers to come back to see what we are offering.”
Customers may also be greeted by the store’s mascots. The Kellers sometimes bring their Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Sophie and Jackson to the store.
Regeena’s is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays or by special appointment for weddings and funerals.
Larks can’t dig out of big early hole, lose to Stars
WICHITA, Kan. – The Hays Larks couldn’t dig out of an early 6-0 deficit and lost 9-6 to the San Diego Stars in their final pool play game at the NBC World Series. The loss marked the first time the Larks (35-12) dropped back-to-back games all season and eliminated them from the 84th and final tournament at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Frank Leo Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Larks pitchers walked 11 batters, five of which scored. Stater Fabian Muniz (5-2) walked four before giving up a first inning grand slam to Tristan Salinas. He left the game following a leadoff homer by Henry Gonzales in the second.
Walter Pennington walked three and left after recording only one out. Shane Browning pitched a season-high 3 2/3 innings and left after walking three and striking out five. Wyatt Divis pitched the final three innings and allowed two runs with a walk.
The Larks (35-12) scored two in the fourth on a groundout from John Rensel and single from Clayton Rasbeary to close the gap to 6-2.
The Stars (28-6) answered with three in the sixth to build the lead to 9-2 before the Larks would rally with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth. They had runners and second and third but Stars starters Noah Quintana struck out Matt Munoz to keep their lead at five.
A two-out walk in the ninth to Wyatt Divis kept the Larks alive. Divis later scored on a wild pitch following a dropped popup at third. John Rensel walked bringing the tying run to the plate but Clayton Rasbeary grounded to second to end the game and the season.
Sunny, hot Wednesday with a chance for thunderstorms
Today A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. East southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southwest in the morning.
Tonight A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South southeast wind around 7 mph becoming southwest after midnight.
ThursdaySunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 6 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.
Thursday NightMostly clear, with a low around 66. East wind around 6 mph becoming west after midnight.
FridayA 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. West northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Schlyer defeats McClelland in Ellis County Commission race
Longtime Ellis County Health Administrator Butch Schlyer defeated incumbent Marcy McClelland in the Republican race for District 1 County Commissioner in Tuesday’s primary election.
Schlyer received 69.25 percent of the vote (635 votes) while McClelland totaled 30.75 percent (282 votes).
The final canvass of the Primary Election will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 16 in the Ellis County Commission Chambers.
Schlyer will now face Democrat Chris Rorabaugh and independent John Walz in the November General Election.
Ellis Co. Commission approves 2019 budget without mill levy increase
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved the 2019 budget at Monday’s commission meeting but stressed that more needs to be done to cut potential budget deficits.
The commission approved the $22.35 million general fund budget on a 2-1 vote with Commissioner Barb Wasinger voting against the budget.
Wasinger has been the driving force on the commission for cutting spending and said projections that show the a nearly $9.9 million shortfall by 2024 are “scary.”
“While I appreciate that everyone’s trying to find ways to generate revenue and find small cuts to cut spending, unfortunately what’s been done to date is superficial and mostly symbolic and it doesn’t attack the core problem, overspending,” said Wasinger.
According to Wasinger the county would have to impose a $6.6 million tax increase over the next four years to continue operating at its current levels.
Wasinger called on departments to find more places to cut in the 2019 budget and the commission instructed staff to begin working on the 2020 budget in November.
The 2019 budget will be the third in-a-row without a mill levy increase. The mill levy for 2019 is 36.918.
In past years the commission has used carry over cash, money that is left over from the previous year to cover up the budget deficits. County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the county had $6 million in carry over cash just three years ago but that has dwindled to about $2 million for 2019.
They have also used money received from the state for the oil and gas depletion fund, money from the wind farm and money that was slated for saving as ways to avoiding an increase in the mill levy and pay down the deficit.
Commissioners Dean Haselhorst and Marcy McClelland also expressed concern with the current budget situation.
“Nobody likes to raise taxes,” Haselhorst said. “Nobody likes to raise the mill levy.”
“Going forward we’re probably have to make so more cuts that people are not going to like (and) that will probably amount to laying off personnel, that’s the only place we have left to cut.”
Haselhorst called for a hiring freeze. He said if someone retires they should not fill that position but said, “that’s a start, it don’t fix the problem.”
“It’s not popular, we’ve been talking about it for a long time and the day of reckoning is getting very close,” said Haselhorst.
Haselhorst again brought up the idea of cutting the commission’s salary. After calling for a 2 percent cut earlier in the budget process he called for a 5 percent cut starting September 1. The commission would also forgo a 1 percent pay increase scheduled for September.
The combined commission salary was $59,343 in 2018. But another $64,674 goes to benefits for the three commissioners.
Administrator Smith-Hanes reminded the commission that they are already working to cut the future deficits.
“You have already started fixing the problem,” Smith-Hanes.
“It’s going to just take time,” said Haselhorst. “It’s a process that didn’t happen in a year.”
The commission also approved an amendment to the pay and classification plan that allows the county to identify positions within the county that are having a difficult time finding and maintaining employees and then offer premium pay, for a limited time to fill those positions.
The commission also approved the creation of a Drug Court Grant Fund which will collected and hold any funds received for the Ellis County Drug Court. The commission also transferred $10,000 into the fund.
TMP, Holy Family enrollment Wednesday
Enrollment for Thomas More Prep-Marian will continue Wednesday.
Times are as follows:
Ninth grade 8–9:30 a.m.
Eighth grade 10-11:30 a.m.
Seventh grade noon – 1:30 p.m.
Holy Family Elementary School students will also enroll Wednesday. Enrollment times are 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria (Little Theater).
This year for enrollment at Holy Family, the school has linked each enrollment form as a fillable PDF format at https://hfehays.org/?page_id=2349.
Instead of picking up your family folder at enrollment and filling out several forms at school before paying, the school asks that you fill these out at your convenience on your computer this summer, print off one of each form for each child, and bring with you to enrollment day. You will still stop by the first table to pick up your family’s packet, which will now simply include your child’s new classroom and school fliers for you to take home.
Click here for a school supply list.
The first day for Holy Family is Thursday, Aug. 16. School will dismiss at 11 a.m. that day.
The first day of school for TMP will be Friday, Aug. 17.
Girl Scouts invite community to celebrate S’more Day in Hays
Hays Post
In honor of National S’more Day, the Hays Girl Scout office is sponsoring a free family friendly event from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at 2707 Vine St., Suite 8 behind Cerv’s in Hays.
The whole family is invited along with any girl interested in learning more about Scouts to the event, which will include hot dogs, s’mores, T-shirt tie dying, robots and a bounce house.
S’mores, the delicious marshmallow, chocolatey, graham-cracker treat, is rooted in Girl Scout history. The recipe for a s’more dates back to a 1925 Girl Scout Leader magazine and a 1927 Girl Scouts of the USA handbook, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts,” which featured a “Some More” recipe.
Through Girl Scouts, girls unleash the inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, and Leader).
Natalie EIlis, girl experience specialist in Hays, said Girl Scouts is a girl-lead leadership program for modern girls.
Girl Scouts USA recently released a new set of badges after a survey of girls in the program. Some of these include badges on cyber security, space science and primitive camping. Badges for juniors and seniors in high school urge girls to explore college options.
See related story: New Girl Scout badges now available in key 21st century issues
Girl Scouts is open to youth kindergarten through 12th-grade. If a girl is unable to afford dues or membership fees, assistance is available.
“We don’t want that to be a hinderance,” EIlis said. “We don’t want girls to miss out on opportunities because of that.”
The service unit for Ellis County, also covers Ness, Gove and Trego counties. The Girl Scouts of the Kansas Heartland covers 80 counties in Kansas. Local staff can help a girl or volunteer connect with any troop in that region.
For more information, go to kansasgirlscouts.org, call 888-686-MINT (6468), or email [email protected].
INSIGHT KANSAS: The old red barn (ain’t what she used to be)
When I was a youngster, one of my favorite places to play was my Uncle Joe and Aunt Anna’s red barn. My Uncle Bernie’s farm sported a barn as well. Both were must stops when we visited our cousins.
The cluttered sanctuary of these wooden structures served up a smorgasbord of playing opportunities. Both barns offered a relaxing place, especially if it was raining or snowing outside and the weather was too bad to work.
Following World War II, farm mechanization signaled the end for many barns. Some were torn down. Others were abandoned or replaced with Quonset huts made of plywood and galvanized steel.
We didn’t own a barn on our farm/ranch in Sheridan County. Instead, my dad built a machine shed and another larger building we called, “The Big Shed.”
This wooden structure, complete with a tin roof and sides, measured 90-feet long. The Big Shed housed our tractors, grain drills, trucks and other farm equipment. When blessed with a bumper wheat crop, we cleared out all the machinery and filled the shed with golden grain.
But back to Uncle Joe and Aunt Anna’s barn. This old, faded out, red structure wasn’t built from lumber sawn from timber on the farm. Heck, on the High Plains where I grew up, farms and ranches didn’t grow trees until folks drove down to the creeks, dug up cottonwood saplings, carried them back home and planted them.
Why were so many barns painted red?
Probably because of the available ferric oxide used to make red paint. Readily available and inexpensive, red became the choice of colors for barns.
These outbuildings, dotting the prairie countryside, rarely showcased cleanliness or order. In Uncle Joe’s barn, dusty horse blankets and cobweb-covered horse collars hung from wooden pegs or rusty nails.
Hay tongs also competed for space. Here and there a busted plow stock leaned against a wooden wall. Some barn corners were crowded with pitchforks and an occasional come-along. Tangled, broken, bailing twine littered the damp dirt floor mingling with the smells of rusting iron, manure and mildewed leather.
As youngsters, we hid in the hay mow (rhymes with cow) or hayloft when our parents searched for us. While wooden steps or a ladder existed to crawl up to this upper floor, we’d try to find new routes to the top. We’d risk life and limb crawling up the side of the barn grabbing onto anything that would hold our body just to wind up in the loft.
Once inside this cavernous space, we’d marvel at the wooden pattern of the rafters and shadows high over our heads. We’d yell out at the pigeons or starlings who tried to invade our private world of kid adventures.
If there were bales or scattered hay outside one of the two large doors at either end of the hayloft, we’d often make the 15-20-foot plunge into the soft landing.
Hay was hoisted up and into the barn through these doors by a system containing pulleys and a trolley that ran along a track attached to the top ridge of the barn. Trap doors in the floor allowed animal feed to be dropped into the mangers for the animals. As pre-teen youngsters, these doors also made a perfect getaway during hide and seek as we jumped through and made our escape.
I loved to explore the tack room with all the bridles and saddles. Before I could ride a horse, I’d struggle to take one of the saddles off the wall so I could place it on a sawhorse and pretend to ride like my (cowboy) hero, Roy Rogers.
And finally, who could forget the many idioms we heard about barns as children. You remember, “You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Were you born in a barn?” and my favorite, “Your barn door is open.”
Today, many of the old-fashioned barns we knew as kids are long gone. They’re mainly memories when folks with farm and ranch backgrounds visit at family reunions and weddings.
Still, these memories provide a warm glow of yesteryear. I’ll never forget the bitter cold days in January when the winter winds whistled under the eaves of my Aunt Anna’s barn and the icy rain played tic-tac against the cobweb-blotched windows…
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.
Former Hays High para pleads not guilty to sex charge
A former para at Hays High School pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted unlawful sexual relations with a student.
Taylor Rogers is accused of sending explicit images and offering to perform a sexual act on a 17-year-old Hays High student.
A trial date will be scheduled at a later date.