Jake Erickson and Mike Bliss, Service Division employees, install new Welcome to Hays banners on north Vine Street last week.
Hays CVB
The light poles on Vine Street from 27th to 48th Street will get special attention from the Hays Department of Public Works in the next few weeks as new welcome banners are installed.
Banners were purchased by the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), whose staff hopes they will do much more than welcome visitors.
“I want the banners to work harder than that,” said CVB Executive Director Melissa Dixon.
“Our goal is for these banners to welcome visitors, but also to inform them of unique Hays attractions, like our historic Fort and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.”
Joe McKenna
The banner designs feature bold graphics and bright colors created by Joe McKenna, the CVB’s graphic design intern, who stayed on as a part-time employee after graduating from Fort Hays State University.
One particular design boasts Hays and Ellis County’s title of “The German Capital of Kansas” and features a dancing couple wearing traditional German dress.
When it became difficult to find imagery of dancers in authentic German attire, CVB staff called on a local couple for help.
Leo and Viola Dorzweiler, of the community of Catharine, are special friends of the CVB. Last fall, the couple accompanied CVB staff and Hays Mayor James Meier to Westport, a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, MO, to teach German polka dancing at the area’s first Oktoberfest celebration.
Viola and Leo Dorzweiler
The Dorzweilers, who have been married – and dance partners – for 64 years, obliged a CVB request to pose for pictures: Leo in his lederhosen and Viola in her dirndl. McKenna then used the photos, taken by CVB Marketing Manager Brandon Cooley, for the basis of the German banner design.
The result is an authentic representation that friends of the Dorzweilers recognize immediately.
“When visitors walked by printouts of the German banner design in our office, they’d point and say, ‘Oh, that’s Leo!’” said Dixon.
Previous welcome banners eventually became a casualty of strong Kansas winds. Public Works employees are working with the banner provider, Rupp Arts and Signs, to secure the banners with additional zip ties in order to provide extra reinforcement.
Last Friday morning, Service Division employees Jake Erickson and Mike Bliss were installing the new banners high atop light poles on the east side of Vine, just north of the Hays Welcome Center.
Phase two of the banner project involves a partnership with Fort Hays State to add gold Tiger banners on 8th Street as visitors enter the FHSU campus.
The CVB is funded entirely through Transient Guest Tax, a tax paid by guests on lodging rentals.
This light pole banner points the way to the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine.
The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau is located in the Hays Welcome Center at 2700 Vine Street.
For additional information on CVB efforts or community events, call 785-628-8202 or go to www.VisitHays.com.
The Hays Police Department responded to 6 animal calls and conducted 17 traffic stops Thu., July 26, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Unwanted Person–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:35 AM
Drug Offenses–200 block E 8th St, Hays; 2:12 AM
Found/Lost Property–1500 block US 183 Alt Hwy, Hays; 8:40 AM
Animal At Large–16th and Main St, Hays; 8:59 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9:28 AM
Animal At Large–1300 block MacArthur Rd, Hays; 9:41 AM
Found/Lost Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 10:19 AM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 10:48 AM
Theft (general)–1200 block Main St, Hays; 7/13 11:22 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 11:38 AM
Animal At Large–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 1:10 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 1:12 PM
Welfare Check–2000 block Patio Dr, Hays; 5:37 PM
Disturbance – General–200 block W 7th St, Hays; 6:34 PM
Civil Dispute–2500 block Gen Hancock Rd, Hays; 7:22 PM
Found/Lost Property–300 block W 6th St, Hays; 7:32 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–1100 block Drum Ave, Hays; 7:55 PM
Suspicious Activity–3100 block Thunderbird Dr, Hays; 9:43 PM
Theft (general)–2900 block Willow St, Hays; 7/22 9:30 PM; 7/23 1 AM ‘
The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 56 traffic stops Fri., July 27, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:02 AM
Underage Possession of CMB/LIQ–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:17 AM
Suspicious Vehicle–100 block Main, Hays; 2 AM
Theft of Vehicle–2800 block Vine St, Hays; 1:12 PM; 1:17 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–1200 block Motz Ave, Hays; 2:01 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–600 block E 13th St, Hays; 2:06 PM
Civil Dispute–1700 block Walnut St, Hays; 2:23 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 2:29 PM
Welfare Check–600 block E 7th St, Hays; 3:50 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 4:27 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–2200 block Haney Dr, Hays; 6:34 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and conducted 29 traffic stops Sat., July 28, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Disturbance – Noise–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 12:15 AM
Driving Under the Influence–400 block E 10th St, Hays; 2:28 AM
Animal Injured–8th St and College Dr, Hays; 7:49 AM
Animal At Large–1400 block W 44th St, Hays; 9:49 AM
Suspicious Activity–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 2:54 PM
Found/Lost Property–2000 block Vine St, Hays; 4:01 PM
MV Accident-Co Road/St Hwy–100 block W 11th St, Hays; 2 PM
Dead Animal Call–27th St and Broadway Ave, Hays; 5:02 PM
Theft (general)–400 block E 13th St, Hays; 10 PM; 7:08 PM
Suspicious Activity–300 block E 16th St, Hays; 7:30 PM
Driving Under the Influence–200 block E 7th St, Hays; 11:33 PM
MV Accident-Co Road/St Hwy–1300 block Canterbury, Hays; 4:46 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 6 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Sun., July 29, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Driving Under the Influence–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 1:02 AM
Driving Under the Influence–100 block Main St, Hays; 2 AM; 2:29 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–500 block W 20th St, Hays; 9:43 AM
Animal Bite Investigation–1700 block Ash St, Hays; 9:56 AM
Drug Offenses–600 block Oak St, Hays; 11:01 AM; 11:16 AM
Theft (general)–1500 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 7/24 12 PM; 7/29 11:40 AM
Open Door/Window–1000 block Vine St, Hays; 3:57 PM
Found/Lost Property–1200 block E 27th St, Hays; 4:43 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 10 traffic stops Mon., July 30, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Criminal Damage to Property–500 block W 29th St, Hays; 8:26 AM
Welfare Check–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 9:36 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 10:46 AM
Welfare Check–1700 block Henry Dr, Hays; 10:53 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2100 block Milner St, Hays; 11:36 AM
Theft (general)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:23 PM
Suspicious Activity–200 block W 15th St, Hays; 2:02 PM
Worthless Check–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7/11 6:25 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–500 block Main St, Hays; 3:52 PM
Theft (general)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 4:06 PM
Theft (general)–200 block E 8th St, Hays; 4:23 PM
Animal Call–1300 block Haney Dr, Hays; 4:40 PM
Burglary/residence–200 block E 4th St, Hays; 2 AM; 2:10 AM
Welfare Check–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 7:49 PM
Disturbance – General–400 block E 7th St, Hays; 8:11 PM
USD 489 central enrollment will be from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hays High School cafeteria.
At central enrollment, you can speak with any of the building administrators, get building-specific information, speak with the Nutrition Department, the Special Education Department, and many other services as well as community information.
If you need to pay enrollment fees, there will be an express line for people who have enrolled online and need only to make payment. If you have any questions, contact the Rockwell Administration Center, 785-623-2400, or your student’s school.
Hays High School 785-623-2600 Hays Middle School 785-623-2450 Lincoln Elementary 785-623-2500 O’Loughlin Elementary 785-623-2510 Roosevelt Elementary 785-623-2520 Wilson Elementary 785-623-2550 If you have problems going through the enrollment steps, you may contact Amy Arnhold at [email protected] for assistance.
Please also note any families with new students or incoming kindergarten students should attend central enrollment in person. Information regarding enrollment and the 2018-2019 school year can be found at https://www.usd489.com/?p=5559.
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Brian McClendon said he wants to make registering to the vote easier and voting more secure in Kansas.
He was in Hays on Monday to speak to the Rotary Club.
McClendon said all states are facing election security problems, but he ranked Kansas’ concerns an 8 out of 10.
McClendon was the founder of the company that ultimately became Google Earth. He has also worked for Uber and currently is a researcher at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, and works with tech startups in Kansas.
McClendon spoke to a group at Hays High School in November about his time at Google and Uber.
Kansas Secretary of State candidate Brian McClendon speaks to the Hays Rotary Monday afternoon.
McClendon became active in Kansas voting issues when he helped develop a voter registration app for the state, ksvotes.org. It’s a web app, so type the web address into the web browser on your phone. The app uses the federal election form, can be accessed through a cellphone and sends an email to your county clerk’s office. The form takes less than three minutes to complete.
McClendon said more than 6,000 Kansans in 102 of the state’s 105 counties have been registered through the app, which he claims is more accurate than paper entry.
“I think as we roll up to the general election, we’ll get a lot more Kansans registered, get a lot more Kansans participating ” he said, “and I think that is important because I think we need to make some very good decisions this year. There are some very good people on the ballot. Let’s see if we can pick them, and have a good race in November.”
The site will allow you to make changes to voter registration, for example if you have moved. You can also check your registration. This will allow you to see your voting district, polling place and a sample ballot.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is running for governor, has not gone on the record about the app. His office has given verbal approval of the use of the app, and the creators of the app have been receiving positive feedback from the state’s county clerk about the registrations they have been receiving.
Kobach championed a state law that required people to provide proof citizenship when registering to vote in Kansas. That portion of the law was struck down by the courts, and Kobach defended the state in its last appeal in May.
Kobach was given the ability by the Legislature to prosecute those who voted illegally. Kobach fought for the law on the grounds it was needed to keep illegal immigrants from voting. Only one non-citizen was successfully prosecuted in seven years for voting illegally. That was someone who had a green-card and was in the citizenship process.
The other eight people who Kobach prosecuted were all Trump voters who had voted in two states, McClendon said.
The law also blocked 35,000 Kansans from voting because they were unable to produce a birth certificate.
“We had 35,000 citizens disempowered for one apparently guilty immigrant citizen,” he said. “I think that is a terrible, terrible ratio and against everything that the United States stands for.”
A portion of that law that requires voters to present ID at the polls is still in effect. McClendon said he would support the voter ID portion of the law if Kansas can easily make IDs available for free to all non-drivers, but he said he did not think that was the current reality. Some counties have been proactive in getting IDs for people who can no longer drive or young people who chose not to drive.
On the issue of security, McClendon said he supported the use of paper ballots so that elections can be audited.
“Without a paper ballot, if a machine was compromised, you couldn’t detect it,” he said. “If we can detect it, we can stop it.”
He said the second step would be to use voting machines with better operating systems that can be tested from the outside more effectively.
McClendon also expressed concerns about the Crosscheck System. This system sends voter registration records from Kansas to 26 other states to determine if a person has moved out of state. However, there was a breach in the security of that system last year, when an election worker in Florida sent 945 Kansas voting records to a private person as part of an open records request. This information included partial Social Security numbers.
McClendon said Crosscheck is still vulnerable to hacking and could open the state up to lawsuits if the database is compromised.
He said there is a risk of someone hacking the voter registration files and moving or deleting voters’ registration records. This would mean people would have to vote provisionally, which could discourage voting. It could also result in long lines at the polls, which could also discourage voters.
“The biggest risk is really around people,” he said, “having people give out their password information, which allows a hacker to get in and allows them to portray themselves as one of our own employees. I would make sure through training that people don’t fall for these spear phishing techniques that are intending to steal identity and steal login information.”
He said both workers in the Secretary of State’s office and local county clerks’ offices need to have thorough training, something McClendon said he did not think is happening now.
McClendon also said he thought the state needs to invest more wisely in its technology.
“Right now the state struggles with technology purchases,” he said. “We spend $400 (million) to $500 million on technology each year, and if you look at systems like the DMV and the other purchases we have made, we do not spend it efficiently. I think there is an opportunity to make the state far more efficient and reduce costs in technology and get twice as much out of it.”
Although registration is closed for the Aug. 7 primary, you can still use the ksvotes.org app/website to register for the Nov. 6 general election. The deadline to register for the general election is Tuesday, Oct. 16.
In-person advance voting is under way and can be done at the Ellis County Clerk’s Office. Advance voting ends at noon on Monday Aug. 6. Primary polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7. Find a list of polling places by clicking here.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri topped both the coaches and media poll in the 2018 MIAA Football Preseason poll. The Bearcats received 14 first-place votes and 382 points in the media poll. NWMSU had four first-place votes and 103 points in the coaches poll.
Fort Hays State came in second in both polls after receiving five first-place votes but was edged out by a point in the coaches poll. In the media poll, the Tigers had 13 first-place votes and 375 points.
In third place, for both polls, was Central Missouri as it received eight first-place votes between the two polls. UCM had 349 points in the media poll and 96 points from the coaches. Pittsburg State came in fourth place for the two polls and earned one first-place vote from the media. PSU had 311 points from the media and 81 points from the coaches.
The coaches had a tie for the fifth spot between Emporia State and Central Oklahoma. The Hornets took the fifth slot in the media poll, followed by the Bronchos. Washburn claimed the seventh position in both polls. Missouri Western was picked eighth in the media poll and ninth by the coaches. Lindenwood was tabbed ninth by the media and eighth from the coaches.
Nebraska Kearney was slotted 10th followed by Northeastern State at 11th in both polls. Missouri Southern rounded out each poll in the 12th spot.
MIAA Football kicks off its opening week on Thursday, August 30 as all 12 teams are in action that night. For the complete 2018 MIAA Football schedule, click HERE.
MIAA Coaches Poll
Northwest Missouri (4) – 103 Fort Hays State (5) – 102
Central Missouri (2) – 96
Pittsburg State – 81
Central Oklahoma – 67
Emporia State – 67
Washburn – 63
Lindenwood – 46
Missouri Western – 40
Nebraska Kearney – 30
Northeastern State – 19
Missouri Southern – 12
MIAA Media Poll
Northwest Missouri (14) – 382 Fort Hays State (13) – 375
Central Missouri (6) – 349
Pittsburg State (1) – 311
Emporia State – 243
Central Oklahoma – 229
Washburn – 223
Missouri Western – 171
Lindenwood – 160
Nebraska Kearney – 98
Northeastern State – 66
Missouri Southern – 45
Two Hays veterans among those lost in 2011 in Afghanistan
Nichols
A Kansas City, Mo., brewery will once again honor fallen veterans — including two from Hays — by releasing a beer crafted in their honor.
Torn Label Brewing’s “31 Heroes” will be released for the third time, in honor of the soldiers who died in August 2011 when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.
Carter
Among the fallen were 1998 Thomas More Prep-Marian graduate Bryan Nichols and 1982 Hays High School graduate Dave Carter.
RUSSELL COUNTY – Authorities have released the name of the victim of Sunday’s drowning accident at Wilson Lake.
google image
Cody J. Maris, 35, Great Bend died early Sunday morning after he attempted to swim to a boat that had come loose and was floating away.
According to the Russell County Sheriff’s Department, several 911 calls were received around 1:20 a.m. to report Maris was missing. At approximately 7:20 a.m., searchers recovered the body of a man who was identified as the missing swimmer.
Gasoline demand jumps as supply declines,
pushing Kansas average price up 4 cents to $2.68
AAA
TOPEKA – The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Kansas jumped 4 cents in the past week, tied for the fifth largest increase in America. Today’s Kansas average is $2.68, which is 51 cents higher than one year ago.
“As we’ve expected and predicted, ‘volatility’ is the name of the game with this summer’s gas prices,” said Jennifer Haugh, AAA Kansas spokeswoman. “Steady demand and a relatively low gasoline inventory level in our region are the reasons we’ve seen this most recent increase in retail prices, after seeing some declines in recent weeks. We are still pretty fortunate here in the Sunflower State to have the nation’s 12th cheapest average gas prices, 18 cents less than the national average.”
Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart below), only Manhattan (-1 cent) experienced a gas price decline this week, while Pittsburg remained flat. Garden City and Salina saw 7-cent increases, and Kansas City, Kan. and Wichita prices rose 6 cents.
According to AAA Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are:
HIGH: Howard (Elk County) – $2.90
LOW: Montezuma (Gray County) – $2.43
National Perspective
As U.S. gasoline demand strengthened and supply declined, the national gas price average jumped two-cents on the week to land at $2.86. According to the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, total crude inventories fell on the week and now register at 405 million bbl, which is 80 million bbl lower than levels at the same time last year.
“As crude and gasoline inventories tighten, motorists can expect gas prices to trend higher and remain volatile,” said AAA Kansas’ Haugh. “On the week, pump prices increased as much as 11-cents for some states with others seeing decreases of up to four-cents.”
While today’s gas price average is one-cent less than last month, it is 55-cents more than a year ago and crude oil prices are up $20/bbl compared to this time last year.
MANHATTAN – In its ongoing support of Kansas FFA, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) awarded 13 grants worth a total of $3,900 to new FFA chapters across the state. The $300 grants provide funding to new FFA chapters chartered during the 2017-2018 school year to help them build a solid foundation for tradition and success.
Chapters receiving new chapter grants include:
Belle Plaine FFA in Sumner County
Cheney FFA in Sedgwick County
Fowler FFA in Meade County
Golden Plains FFA in Thomas County
Junction City FFA in Geary County
Little River FFA in Rice County
Nemaha Central FFA in Nemaha County
Renwick FFA in Sedgwick County
Sublette FFA in Haskell County Thomas More Prep-Marian FFA in Ellis County Victoria FFA in Ellis County Weskan FFA in Wallace County
Wichita Southeast FFA in Sedgwick County
These chapters were recognized on stage during the 90th Kansas FFA Convention Wed., May 29 through Fri., June 1 at McCain Auditorium on the Kansas State University campus.
