We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Local

MARSHALL: Doctor’s Note Oct. 7

Posted on
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

Friends,

President Trump delivered on his promise to America’s farmers and to rural America. Building off of the year-round E-15 rule President Trump announced earlier this year, a new agreement between the USDA and EPA will not only work to expand renewable fuel volumes but bring transparency to the RINs process.

Under an agreement announced by the USDA and EPA, the two agencies will work together to expand biofuel requirements, including seeking comments on actions to ensure that more than 15 billion gallons of conventional ethanol be blended into the nation’s fuel supply beginning in 2020. The agencies will also confirm volume obligation for biomass-based diesel is met, including accounting for relief expected to be provided for small refineries.

Additionally, the EPA will continue to evaluate options for RIN market transparency and reform. And the USDA will look for opportunities to consider infrastructure projects to facilitate higher biofuel blends.

The renewable fuel industry is not only good for producers and consumers but good for Rural America and our environment. I applaud the work of President Trump and his administration to remove burdensome red tape and uphold the RFS.

Medicare Open Enrollment Tele-Town Hall Opportunities
It’s time to get ready for Medicare open enrollment. From October 15 to December 7, America’s seniors will have the opportunity to find a plan that best suits their needs. During this period, I will host three tele-town halls to connect seniors in the Big First with regional experts from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide a general overview of 2020 options and answer questions.
Tele-Town Hall Dates: (conference call information to follow)

    • Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – 2:00 p.m.
    • Wednesday, November 13, 2019 – 10:00 a.m.
    • Wednesday, December 4, 2019 – 6:00 p.m.

For those that want to preview and compare 2020 health and drug plans, Click Here to get started with the newly updated Medicare Plan Finder.

NBAF Director Named
The United States Department of Agriculture announced the hiring of Dr. Alfonso Clavijo as the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility’s first permanent director. Dr. Clavijo brings international experience in animal research and diagnostic work that will help the new, state-of-the-art facility achieve its goal of protecting U.S. agriculture and consumers through cutting-edge research and the development of vaccines and countermeasures.

Since taking office, I have been a champion of the NBAF facility in Manhattan, doing my part to ensure it has the resources needed to meet its mission of protecting animal health. Congratulations to Dr. Clavijo, and if you would like more information on the appointment, Click Here.

National Manufacturing Day
Kansas is home to over 2,500 manufacturing companies, from Fuller Brush in Great Bend to AGCO in Beloit. These companies play an important role in growing local economies, contributing over $25 billion to the state economy annually.

Kansas manufacturers are constantly innovating, helping to maintain U.S. global leadership in the industry. I’m proud of all of the great manufacturing companies in Kansas and am happy to honor them.

Rural and Independent Innovators Conference
The Kansas Small Business Development Center will be hosting one of their Rural & Independent Innovators Conferences (RIIC) at Fort Hays University on October 15th. These conferences are modeled around supporting Kansan entrepreneurs and innovators with information and education, with the goal of fostering connections and business opportunities.

Executive Director of Grow Hays, Doug Williams, will be the keynote speaker at this upcoming RIIC and will be speaking on “Growth Through Innovation.” There will also be presentations on business growth, market access, and raising capital. This is a great opportunity to network and learn, and I hope many of you have a chance to attend. Additional information, along with registration details, can be found on their website Here.

Department of Labor Fighting for Workers
U.S. Department of Labor recently announced an update to its rules related to overtime pay eligibility under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

This rule gives hard-working American employees a much-needed opportunity to earn overtime pay. President Trump and his administration recognize the changing workforce climate and worked hard to deliver a rule that will deliver more income and prosperity for American workers.

The current rule was issued in 2004, and set the standard qualified salary level at $455 per week, or around $23,600 annually. Starting in 2020, that threshold will be raised to around $35,000 annually, which means that an additional 1.3 million American workers will now be eligible for overtime pay.

President’s Award for Distinguished Public Service
I was named the recipient of the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 2019 President’s Award for Distinguished Public Service.

ACC, which represents over 52,000 cardiovascular health care professionals across the US, recognized my efforts to advance legislation to streamline prior authorization in the Medicare Advantage program, advise the Trump Administration on various quality and access issues, and to address surprise billing. Having worked as a doctor for 25 years before coming to Congress, it has long been a goal of mine to advocate for policy issues that would best serve patients.

I will be honored to receive this award in person at ACC’s legislative conference next month.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

City manager: ‘Quivira water impairment claim should have little effect on R9’

Posted on

KDA

MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources (KDA-DWR) will host two public meetings on Monday, October 21, 2019, to share information related to upcoming action responding to the impairment complaint by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

Water rights owners in the area were sent notice this week of the KDA-DWR plan to regulate water rights. The meetings will review the anticipated regulation and the ongoing work with local stakeholders to develop a Water Conservation Area (WCA) that will provide flexibility in use for those regulated water rights.

Groundwater Management District 5 and the R9 Ranch in Edwards County (owned by the cities of Hays and Russell as a long-term water supply) are included in Zone A.

According to Toby Dougherty, Hays city manager, “only a small portion (few acres) of the R9 is in the Rattlesnake basin. Whatever the result of the Quivira impairment claim, it should have little, if any, effect on the R9.”

All area residents are welcome to attend one of the two meetings. KDA also plans to livestream the presentations and archive them on their website.

The public meetings will take place at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Stafford County Courthouse Annex, 210 E. 3rd Ave. in St. John. Both meetings will include the same information.

More information related to the impairment complaint and investigation findings, the planned water administration, and plans to develop a WCA to provide flexibility can be found at agriculture.ks.gov/Quivira. Questions can also be addressed by calling KDA–DWR’s Stafford Field Office at 620-234-5311.

Ellis Co. restaurant and lodging inspections, 9/30 – 10/06

Posted on

Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:

Washington Elementary 8100 E. 13th St., Hays – Oct. 3

A routine inspection found one violation.

  • On the floor mixer arm, there was dried food residue present. The mixing bowl was being stored directly underneath the arm.

Indigo by Jasmine 111 8th St., Hays – Oct. 1

A routine inspection found one violation.

  • In the GE single-door refrigerator, there was an opened container of Silk Milk that did not have a date of when it was opened.

Walmart 4301 Vine, Hays – Oct. 1

A follow-up inspection to an administrative order found three violations.

  • In the self-service meat department, there were eight containers of a raw plant-based burger that was being stored directly under six sealed containers of raw ground beef. No evidence of leaking was observed.
  • In the self-service reach-in cooler, there were six containers of uncured raw turkey bacon that were being stored directly next to six containers of raw pork bacon. No evidence of leaking was observed.
  • In the deli sliding door cooler, there was a container of cooked ham that had an expiration date of 9/30/19.

Hays Middle School 29th St. and Fort, Hays – Sept. 30

A follow-up inspection found no violations.

Super 8 Hotel 3730 Vine, Hays – Sept. 30

A routine inspection found no violations.

Woodrow Wilson Elementary 101 E. 28th St., Hays – Sept. 30

A routine inspection found one violation.

  • In the Hobart three-door refrigerator, there was a container of opened milk with no date of when it was opened.

Annual FHSU majors and graduate programs fair approaching

Posted on

FHSU University Relations

Fort Hays State University’s Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center will host its 11th annual come-and-go Majors and Graduate Programs Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the Memorial Union’s Black and Gold Room.

“The fair is designed to provide current FHSU students, prospective FHSU students and community members the opportunity to be exposed to academic opportunities available at our university,” said Nikki Brown, assistant director of academic advising and career exploration.

The event is open to current FHSU students, prospective FHSU students and community members.

Representatives from all academic departments, Career Services, the Graduate School, the Honors College and study abroad will be available to answer questions.

“The fair is a great opportunity for students to learn more about the majors, minors, certificates and research opportunities available at FHSU,” said Brown.

To explore careers in each major at FHSU, visit https://www.fhsu.edu/aace/what-can-i-do-with-a-major-in/.

For more information, call the Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center at 785-628-5577.

Touring theater group from Wichita will perform at area schools

Posted on

WPAA

Wichita Children’s Theatre Professional Touring Company will present “Three Billy Goats Gruff” Oct. 14 to 16 in several area schools.

One evening public performance is scheduled at the Decatur Community Junior-Senior High School Auditorium, Monday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. CDT. The performance of “Three Billy Goats Gruff” is free to all attendees. The school is located at 605 E. Commercial, Oberlin.

The Western Plains Arts Association and each sponsoring district school is making this traveling program possible to elementary school children in Hoxie, Atwood, Winona, Sharon Springs, Colby and Quinter, with the support of public grants.

This WPAA project is supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce. The KCAIC receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Area contributors include grants from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan; the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation- Dane G. Hansen Community Grants for Logan and Thomas County, and the Seele Foundation, Colby.

“Three Billy Goats Gruff” is the story of three sibling goats, Nanny, Billie, and Fred, who realize they have just run out of grass in their farmyard. Across the bridge they see a yard full of nice, green, yummy grass. The only problem is, underneath that bridge lives a grumbly, grouchy troll.

The three goats retreat into the barn to make their plans on how to get across the bridge to the new grass. Meanwhile, children meet a friendly, gentle troll that would never hurt anyone who loves to play but he’s just lonely for someone to play with. After numerous attempts, the three goats return and are determined to get across that bridge. Because the goats are so rude to the troll, he stops them before they can pass. The troll helps them understand how important manners are and that it’s not always greener on the other side. There is nothing to fear from the troll, in fact, they now have a new playmate– and lots of nice, fresh, new grass!

Wichita Children’s Threatre performs from September through February in Kansas and Nebraska. The company is professional in every facet, complete with storybook sets, costumes and props appropriate for each production.

Portion of E. 17th closed this week

Posted on
road closed sign cu

City of Hays

Beginning at8 a.m. Monday, the 600 block of East 17th in Hays will be closed to through traffic for pavement repairs. Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the day on Friday.

For more information, call (785) 628-7350.

FIRST FIVE: Funny or not, speech is still free

Posted on

By Katharine Kosin, Kirsti Kenneth and Pierce McManus
Freedom Forum Institute

Did you hear the one about the comedian who got fired from Saturday Night Live for making offensive comments before he ever set foot on the show? It’s no joke.

Earlier this month, comedian Shane Gillis was hired and then promptly fired by the long-running sketch comedy show after his racist and homophobic comments from a year-old podcast came to light. Several comedians came to his defense, claiming that Gillis was a victim and that his firing exemplified an erosion of free speech in the United States of America. But does it?

This latest comedy controversy highlights the tricky intersection between our fundamental freedoms and cultural trends; it also reveals the messy collisions that can take place between opposing viewpoints. And it illustrates commonly held misunderstandings about what is and is not considered protected speech under the First Amendment.

For the record, being fired from Saturday Night Live — or any TV show for that matter — is not a First Amendment issue. The First Amendment only protects people in the United States from government censorship. Private companies are not bound by its restrictions. NBC was well within its rights to terminate Gillis’s employment.

More importantly, the First Amendment does not protect individuals from facing social repercussions for their offensive speech. If Gillis’s podcasts never saw the light of day, odds are that NBC wouldn’t have been in a position to fire him. Nonetheless, his comments were publicized and the sizable public outcry that followed — also protected by the First Amendment — undoubtedly influenced the network’s decision.

From our viewpoint, Gillis’s firing and the clashing opinions surrounding it does not mean that our right to free speech is in jeopardy. It’s quite the opposite, actually.

Our founders included the First Amendment in our Constitution because they recognized the importance of a free flow of ideas and information to democratic government and of protecting the rights of people whose views might be unpopular. If the government were to determine which speech is too offensive to be allowed, that could put them on a slippery slope. Bans on offensive speech might morph into bans on any speech that makes government leaders look bad or comes from political enemies. The First Amendment and the breadth of its protections never changed for that very reason.

But public tastes have changed over the years. Significantly. Popular comedic routines from decades passed are considered objectionable by today’s standards. Today, comedians who make women, minorities or LGBTQ individuals the butt of their jokes can expect that at least some of their audience will push back. In August, popular comedian Dave Chappelle was publicly denounced for jokes he featured in his latest Netflix special that poked fun at the alleged victims of R. Kelly and Michael Jackson and mocked members of the LGBTQ community.

Why has our standard for “what’s acceptable” changed? The evolution stems in large part from having more diverse voices involved in the conversation, with historically marginalized communities taking advantage of increased opportunities to exercise their First Amendment rights and pushing back against speech that denigrates them. The advent of the internet and social media has provided these previously underrepresented groups with new, open platforms to speak out, offer a new and different perspective and generate broader support.

If the history of comedy in America is any indication, this undoubtedly won’t be the last controversy. In many ways, we’re glad that’s the case. These debates push us to revisit our understanding of free speech and look for ways to navigate a complex culture, full of differing viewpoints and experiences. But that can only happen if we look past the surface-level attacks and assumptions. Free speech isn’t always funny, nor is it always easy to understand. And it will continue to breed conflict. But more speech for more people puts us on a trajectory toward a better society.

And whether you’re a comedian that pushes boundaries or a comedian that merely pushes buttons, don’t cry foul or “free speech” when people invoke their own right to free speech and start to push back vocally on your material. The joke is on you, because that’s how the First Amendment works.

Man hospitalized after ejected in I-70 rollover crash

Posted on

ELLIS COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 10p.m. Sunday in Ellis County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Jordan M. Bae, 22, Greeley, Co., was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of Toulon Avenue.

The driver fell asleep and lost control, over-corrected and the pickup rolled several times and came in the north ditch,

The rear passenger identified as Fredrick W. Windrum III, 27, Tonawanda, NY,
was ejected. He was transported to Hays Medical Center. Bae and a second passenger were not transported for treatment. Windrum III, was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

FHSU grad joins Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball

Posted on

ABBB

The certified public accounting firm of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered (ABBB) is pleased to announce the addition of Michael Robinson to their professional team.  Robinson joins the firm as a staff accountant in the Hays office.

“I would like to extend a warm welcome to Michael as he joins the ABBB team,” said Brian Staats, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of ABBB. “We look forward to watching his career evolve with us.”

Robinson earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Fort Hays State University.   While at FHSU, he interned at a Big 4 accounting firm for two years and was involved in the university’s accounting club. He currently lives in Hays, Kansas.

Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered provides a wide range of traditional and non-traditional CPA and consulting services to clients throughout Kansas, including agriculture organizations, construction companies, feed yards, financial institutions, governmental and not-for-profit organizations, manufacturers, medical practices, oil and gas companies, professional service firms, real estate companies and small businesses. Founded in 1945, today the firm maintains 13 office locations throughout the state. For more information about Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, please visit www.abbb.com. 

Conference to cultivate innovators in rural Kansas

Posted on

SBDC

On Tuesday, October 15 the Kansas Small Business Development Center and Fort Hays State University will host the Rural & Independent Innovator Conference (RIIC) in Hays, Kansas.

The event will be held 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the FHSU Robbins Center.

Rural & Independent Innovators Conference (RIIC) is designed for innovators and entrepreneurs throughout rural Kansas. It will provide information, education, connections to resources and experienced entrepreneurs.

Topics that the RIIC will cover include:

  • Commercializing an innovative concept or prototype
  • Access to capital, research grants, and other means
  • Protecting intellectual property
  • Hearing from entrepreneurs about their journeys, challenges, failures, and successes
  • Meeting multiple resource partners and industry experts who can answer questions in person

RSVP: $15.00 registration includes lunch, refreshments, and networking. Register online by clicking HERE.

Contact our office at 785-628-5615 for more information.

Canned food drive Tuesday to benefit Community Assistance Center

Posted on
Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat is Oct. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Hays.

The annual Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat canned food drive is set for Tuesday, October 8, 2019 in Hays. Volunteers will be going door to door collecting non-perishable food items from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Food items such as canned meats, canned vegetables, canned fruit, and boxed meals are much needed at this time.

To assure residents that the items collected are for the Community Assistance Center, all volunteers will be wearing an identification badge with “Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat” clearly printed. Please leave items on the porch if you will not be home or do not want someone ringing the doorbell. Youth and adult volunteers from Hays give of their time to make this food drive a success.

Any house missed or those living in a rural area may take food items to the Community Assistance Center in Hays located at 12th and Oak until noon October 31, 2019.

Contact Shaina Prough at Hays High School, 623-2600, if you need further information.

– SUBMITTED –

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File