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Category: Local

KRUG: Back-to-school tips

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Donna Krug
Every year, I find myself saying the same four words, “Where did summer go?” Families with kids adapted to a summer schedule filled with t-ball, camp, swimming lessons, and 4-H activities and now the schedule is about to change again! With the start of school just a few short weeks away it is the perfect time to call a family meeting and get everyone on board with the new routine.

Research shows that kids ages 3 to 6 need ten to twelve hours of sleep each day. As youngsters begin pre-school or the early grades it is important to have a set bedtime with a routine that encourages success. Perhaps you want to target 8 p.m. as bedtime. If so you will want to begin the wind down process around 7. Perhaps a warm bath and bed time story help your child to relax. Planning what will be worn the next day or eaten for breakfast also encourages a less hectic morning when the alarm goes off. Whatever you want to adopt as a routine, now is a good time to start working toward your final goal. If the summer schedule has been lax, start moving the bedtime up a few minutes each day until your target is reached. That should help make the first day of school a success.

One of the most important messages I like to share at this time of year is to “Eat breakfast every day.” As kids start back to school they need to start each day with some nutritious food in their stomachs. It’s really brain food. Countless studies have shown that kids perform better in school, and are less irritable, when their day starts with breakfast.

There is no doubt about it: our bodies need to refuel after not eating for 10-12 hours. So why is it that breakfast is the meal most often skipped? The most common answers I hear are that “there isn’t time” or “my kids aren’t hungry in the morning.”

As you plan to start each day with breakfast, keep in mind the following tips. Breakfast does not have to be a big meal. Try to include something from the grain group as well as a fruit. Breakfast does not have to be traditional. Be creative; nutritious foods are healthy any time of the day. Last night’s leftovers can be reheated in a hurry. Peanut butter can be spread on a piece of whole grain toast and served with a glass of 100% fruit juice. Equal amounts of juice, milk and yogurt can be combined for a smoothie like treat. Get your day off to a great start and be a breakfast eater!

And finally, if you live close enough to school can your children safely walk or bike to school? Research shows that starting your day with some physical activity (i.e. walking to school) encourages better concentration and behavior in the classroom. If your schedule allows it, do a trial run with your child; either walking or biking on a safe route to the front door of the school.

Here’s hoping your school year gets off to a great start!

Donna Krug is the District Director and Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]

High Plains Music Camp helps propel Hays music student to FHSU and beyond

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Fort Hays State University senior Nick Schumacher, second from left, shown with members of the faculty tuba quartet at this summer’s High Plains Music Camp at FHSU – from left Steven Rathert, Osage City; Dr. Peter Lillpopp, FHSU; and Steve Novotny, Pratt.

FHSU University Relations

Nick Schumacher is looking forward to his final year as an undergraduate student at Fort Hays State University.

During his “super senior” year – his fifth at FHSU – the Hays native will serve as one of the drum majors for the Tiger Marching Band for home football games.

First, though, he put in a week of work at what could be his final year at the summer High Plains Music Camp on campus.

For the first time, Schumacher got to play with the camp faculty in both the tuba quartet and the trombone choir performances.

As early as his sophomore year at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays, Schumacher had begun working with Fort Hays State faculty, taking lessons from Dr. Lane Weaver, then assistant professor of music and theater and director of the FHSU Marching Band.

After graduating from TMP in 2014, Schumacher decided to stay close to home to attend college – partly because of finances, partly because of familiarity. After all, he had been coming to campus every summer for the music since he was in eighth grade.

He also participated in numerous activities during the school year, playing in the pep and marching bands, symphonic winds and wind ensemble and the jazz band. He also sang in the brass choir and served as the student conductor for the pep band at Tiger basketball games last winter.

Weaver has since left FHSU, and Schumacher now studies under Dr. Peter Lillpopp, assistant professor of low brass and director of athletic bands for the Tigers.

Schumacher, who writes music, would like to teach at the college level someday.

“If that doesn’t work out, I could work for a publishing company,” he said.

Schumacher thinks the variety of opportunities available to him at FHSU has helped build a solid foundation for whatever route he chooses.

That includes the summer music camp – five years of participating as a student, followed by four as an intern and counselor.

“A lot of the instructors at the camp are from out of state, so you learn different things,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about technicality, so much about being a better musician.”

Schumacher noted other advantages of attending the music camp.

“You get to know a lot of people; one of the cool things, I got to make more connections,” he said. “When I first started coming, that was back in the day when there were 600 or so kids going to the camp. They were way beyond the boundaries of Hays, America. Every year there are new faculty and students to meet.”

That was something that hadn’t even been on his radar his seventh-grade year at Felten Middle School (now Hays Middle School).

“After sixth grade, my band director wanted me to go to music camp, but I wasn’t that diehard into band. It was something I did as a hobby,” Schumacher said. “Then the next year, my mom and my band teacher coerced me into doing it.”

That one week in the summer of 2009 was life-changing for Schumacher.

“I knew no one going to the camp,” he said. “Going out of it, I loved it.”

Schumacher still was unsure if he wanted to make music his career choice, until about midway through his senior year in high school. He had been planning to go into pre-physical therapy.

“I started realizing I had a talent in music in high school,” he said. “I’m glad I chose that route.”

Partly sunny, mild Monday with a chance for thunderstorms

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Today A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Light north northwest wind becoming north 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 56. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 83. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 61. South southeast wind around 6 mph.

WednesdaySunny, with a high near 89. South southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.

Wednesday NightMostly clear, with a low around 65.

ThursdaySunny, with a high near 90.

Thursday NightMostly clear, with a low around 68.

FridaySunny, with a high near 92.

Suicide survivor to share story of hope in Hays

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Kevin Hines

High Plains Mental Health Center

Sometimes, telling a story can save a person’s life. That’s what motivates internationally known speaker and mental health advocate Kevin Hines to tour the nation, telling audiences of the bleak day in September of 2000 when he catapulted himself over the side of the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempted suicide.

He describes the “instant regret” he immediately felt, and how in the seconds as he was free-falling, all he wanted to do was live. Hines brings a message of healing and hope to his audiences, and soon will be sharing his story with northwest Kansas.

Hines will speak at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at Hays Middle School, 201 W. 29th, in Hays. The event is free and open to the public; no need to obtain tickets or RSVP. A book signing of Hines’ personal memoir, “Cracked, Not Broken,” will follow the presentation. Books will be available to purchase on-site.

The event is sponsored by High Plains Mental Health Center and Heartland Community Foundation, with sup- port from Hays USD 489, Fort Hays State University’s Kelly Center, NAMI Hays, The Center for Life Experiences and Breathe Coffee House.

“Suicide prevention is a critically important topic, and these are the kinds of conversations our communities need to begin having. Kevin will address this difficult subject in a way that sheds light on the struggles of mental illness but also brings hope to those who need it,” said Walt Hill, executive director of High Plains Mental Health Center. “We are thrilled to bring Kevin to northwest Kansas. We believe his story will benefit people in all walks of life and encourage you all to join us for this exciting opportunity.”

This presentation is timely and relevant, given Kansas’ suicide rate is up 45 percent since 1999 — one of the high- est increases nationwide. Rural Kansas has been particularly affected, with the least populated counties having the highest rates of suicide deaths in 2016. Data indicates agricultural workers are particularly at risk for mental illness, perhaps partly due to high stress and economic difficulties.
One of only 34 people to survive a jump off the iconic bridge, Hines is the only one who regained full physical mo- bility. Hines, diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, will share his remarkable story of survival and recovery.

Today, Kevin dedicates his life to saving others by spreading his message of hope and sharing his journey toward mental wellness. Thousands of people have told him his story helped save their lives.

Hines is one of the most respected and admired voices of lived experience. His story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder for us to love the life we have. His personal mantra is, “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”

Hines also is a filmmaker and is featured in a full-length documentary produced this year, “Suicide: The Ripple Effect.”

He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health. Kevin also has been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the U.S. Veterans Affairs and is a recipient of several military medals.

The event is intended to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness and to provide hope for those who might currently be struggling. Hines’ presentation also can offer hope and help for family members and friends to help iden- tify and support loved ones experiencing mental illness.

High Plains Mental Health Center is a licensed community mental health center dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of providing a comprehensive mental health program to residents of northwest Kansas. Embodied in this pursuit are fundamental principles of establishing quality services as close to home as possible, at an affordable fee and delivered in the least disruptive manner available. High Plains offers 24/7 emergency services to all residents within 20 north- west Kansas counties. Call toll free anytime at (800) 432-0333 for crisis support or to schedule an appointment with a qualified mental health professional.

The main office is located at 208 E. Seventh in Hays, with branch offices in Colby, Goodland, Norton, Osborne and Phillipsburg. Community outreach services are available in Atwood, Hoxie, Oberlin, Quinter, Russell, Smith Center, WaKeeney, Hill City, Plainville, La Crosse, St. Francis, Sharon Springs and Oakley.

Russell Co. Sheriff: 35-year-old dies in Lake Wilson accident Sunday

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Russell County Sheriff’s Office

At approximately 1:20 a.m. Sunday, Russell County 911 received calls reporting a swimmer who was missing at Lake Wilson.

Callers reported the man attempted to swim out to a boat that had came loose and was floating away. At approximately 7:20 a.m. searchers recovered the body of a 35-year-old male, who was identified as the missing swimmer.

“We are not releasing the name at this time pending the notification of family,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media posting Sunday morning.

Hays Larks will host home run derby, team send-off

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Join the Hays Larks Home Run Derby on Monday night.

In addition to the Home Run Derby, fans will have a Team Send-Off as the Hays Larks head to the NBC National Tournament this week.

The event starts at 7 p.m. on Monday. Discounted concessions will be available.

Larks players and coaches will be available for autographs.

Lighthouse Catholic Media founder to be featured banquet speaker

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Terry Barber
Terry Barber, the founder of Lighthouse Catholic Media – the well-known distributor of evangelical CDs – will be the featured speaker at Divine Mercy Radio’s eighth annual banquet, beginning at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8 in the Little Theater of Holy Family Elementary.

Barber will speak on the “Ten Commandments of Sharing Your Faith,” where he will tie personal, humorous stories into realistic ways all Catholics can be evangelists.

In addition to speaking at Divine Mercy Radio’s banquet, Barber will speak on “The Eucharist, the Summit of our Faith” on Friday, Sept. 7 at Hays’ Catholic schools, gearing the talk to the appropriate age groups. The presentation to Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High Schools will be at 8 a.m. in the school’s theatre. In the afternoon, Barber will speak to kindergarten through second grades from 1:45 to 2:15 p.m. and to third through sixth grades from 2:30 to 3 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Barber is not only the founder of Lighthouse Catholic Media, but he also established St. Joseph Communications and The Catholic Resource Center. Barber is the co-host of the Terry and Jesse Radio Show, which airs on Divine Mercy Radio at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. Saturdays. He is the author of “How to Share Your Faith with Anyone,” which has received endorsements from the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Most Rev. Jose H. Gomez, author and speaker Stephen Ray and Catholic Answers President Karl Keating. Currently, Barber is working on another book, which is due to be published this year.

Tickets for the banquet are $45 if purchased before Aug. 15. After Aug. 15, the ticket price goes up to $50. The banquet includes hors d’oeuvres with wine and beer as well as a full meal, including salad, choice of steak with wild mushroom demi glaze or Mediterranean chicken, chive mashed potatoes, autumn vegetable medley, dinner rolls and French silk pie or lemon berry mascarpone cake for dessert. Tickets are available online at dvmercy.com, by calling the studio at 785.621.4110 or coming to Divine Mercy Radio at 108 E. 12th St. in Hays during office hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Divine Mercy Radio, KVDM, Hays and KRTT, Great Bend, can be heard on the radio dial at 88.1, on the internet at dvmercy.com, on the free smart-phone app by typing in “Divine Mercy Radio” in the app or play store, and is on Amazon echo by saying, “Alexa, enable the Divine Mercy Radio skill.”

— Submitted

WINKEL: Ever seen field dodder?

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Rip Winkel
With vast geographic distribution and a plethora of vulnerable host plants, the irregular looking field dodder (Cuscuta campestris) is one of the most widespread and most harmful pests among the flowering parasitic plants. Field dodder can easily become a problem in flower gardens, vegetable gardens (e.g. tomato, sweet pepper, potatoes and cabbage), or possibly even show up in greenhouse crops. The most devastating damage, however, comes from field dodder outbreaks in newly-established perennial legume crops (alfalfa, clover, etc.), which are generally the preferred hosts of this plant species.

Field dodder may be known by common names such as strangleweed, witch’s hair, or devils’ hair. It is composed of golden yellow, leafless “threads” that twine all throughout and over its victim plant as well as those plants around it. These threads attach themselves with short, suction-cup-like suckers that originate from the base of the dodder stems. The suckers will then penetrate the stems of host plants where it will access all of its needed nourishment.

Because this plant is an annual it must replicate from seed, ergo flowering is crucial to its survival. The flowers of the field dodder are small, whitish, and 1/4 inch in diameter. They appear on the plant anywhere from April to October and will produce a seedpod that is two-celled and four-seeded.

Plants growing in the current season will be killed by the first frost of the fall. The seeds might sprout the following spring, or they may lie dormant for a number of years. Germination for this plant takes place in the soil, but interestingly the field dodder’s roots die as soon as the plant finds and penetrates an acceptable host. After attachment, the field dodder leeches its nourishment totally from the host plant. A single dodder plant can spread by branching and attacking additional host plants.

The field dodder cannot be destroyed by pulling it off the host plants. This is because remaining stem pieces will continue to grow, re-establishing itself once again. Destroying the host plants can control dodder. This method, however, usually is not too favorable a solution for many a gardener nor farmer. Chemical control can be had by using Trifluralin (Preen, Miracle-Gro Garden Weed Preventer, Treflan, Hi-Yield Herbicide Granules Weed and Grass Stopper). It is a pre-emergent herbicide that can be used for control if applied before the dodder seed germinates. This may be your best option. There is always glyphosate (Round-up, Kleen-up, Killzall, etc.), which is quite effective on dodder. However, glyphosate is a nonselective herbicide and will kill whatever it hits, including the host plants.

Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.

Hays PD will conduct tactical training this week

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The Hays Police Department will be conducting training on July 31 between the hours of 3 and 7 p.m. at 317 East Fifth.

Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.

As a homeowner, you may see law enforcement officers move through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger to the community.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the on-site supervisor (Team Commander Tim Greenwood or Team Leader Aaron Larson), or Chief Scheibler at 785-625-1030.

Hays Symphony goes on expedition

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Sadikov
By RUTH FIRESTONE
Hays music lover

“Symphonic Expedition” is the theme of the Hays Symphony Orchestra’s 2018-19 season, and it looks like it will be its most glorious venture yet. Under the baton of Shah Sadikov and a host of symphony guild volunteers, the HSO has made steady gains in every direction – innovative repertoire that appeals to a wide range of interests, high quality concerts, and post-concert opportunities for artists and audiences to mingle while enjoying delicious refreshments.
And all this is provided by generous sponsors. Every concert is free and open to all who wish to attend.

For the first time ever, musicians from the FHSU Department of Music and the HSO will perform a pre-season pops concert, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24, at the Downtown Hays Pavilion, 10th and Main, as part of the Hays Arts Council’s Fall Gallery Walk.

The official season-opener will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center in Sheridan Hall on the FHSU campus. Guest pianist Behzod Abduraimov and the orchestra will perform the “Piano Concerto in A minor,” by Edvard Grieg.

Abduraimov, a native of Uzbekistan, is well-known throughout Europe and the United States. Grieg’s piano concerto is one of those rare compositions that keeps on thrilling audiences whether they have heard it once or a thousand times.

Among other concerts will be the annual Children’s Halloween Concert, with its costumed parade around Beach/Schmidt, featuring Igor Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird,” adapted by Catherine Trietschmann and directed by Erin Renard, with local actors.

A Winter Vespers concert in St. Joseph Church, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m. will star the orchestra and FHSU choirs in Handel’s “Messiah.”

The New Year also holds great promise, with a Valentine’s concert, a Viennese Classics concert, the annual New Music Festival and the Cottonwood International Baroque Masters Festival. The HSO and FHSU Choirs will collaborate in the Grand Finale Concert, with a performance of Rutter’s “Gloria,” Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” (Symphony No. 6 in B minor) and the world premiere of a composition by FHSU’s own Dr. Tim Rolls.

Tickets for all concerts can be reserved on the Symphony’s recently launched website – www.hayssymphony.org.

Partly sunny, mild Sunday, chance of rain

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Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.

Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9pm. Increasing clouds, with a low around 62. Northeast wind 7 to 10 mph.

Monday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. North wind 8 to 10 mph.

Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light north northwest after midnight.

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 83. North northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday Night
Clear, with a low around 61.

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 88.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 63.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 90.

Strategic Doing workshops offered in two locations

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DHF

Betty Johnson at a Strategic Doing in Hays

LOGAN – The Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan, announces two workshops open to the public to learn more about the Strategic Doing process.

Since April of 2017, the Hansen Foundation has contracted with Betty Johnson, a certified Strategic Doing facilitator, to work with northwest Kansas counties to assess their needs and develop solutions using Strategic Doing. Many positive changes are underway as a result of this work.

The process is one that can be used over and over again in a community. It is offered as a tool to help communities continue creative and innovative work.

The workshop will teach participants how to better utilize local networks, strengthen collaborations, guide conversations for better understanding, how to promote action and ultimately, engage in successful projects.

Strategic Doing teaches how sharing values and building trust can be used to create strategic opportunities, while doing away with hierarchies and turf battles that impair progress in our communities.

The workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 16th at the Student Union at NCK Tech in Beloit, and again on August 22nd at the Student Union at Colby Community College in Colby.

Facilitators will be Betty Johnson and Tara Vance, director of the Norton County Community Foundation.

There is no cost to attend, however reservations are required. RSVP to: [email protected]. Be sure to note which workshop you will attend.

For more information on the content of the workshops, contact Betty Johnson, Betty Johnson & Associates, at [email protected] or 785-313-3632.

Ness City teacher to speak at Tiny House conference

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The exterior of Ness City High School’s tiny house.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The instructor of the building trades class at Ness City High School will speak about the school’s tiny house project at the international People’s Tiny House Festival  Aug. 3-5 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The buildings trades class, which is comprised of about 20 students, built its second tiny house this spring.

Brent Kerr, instructor, said the school could not afford to build a full-size house and, even if they could, it likely would be hard to sell in their small community.

Kerr and the school board saw the tiny house as a means of teaching students valuable building and carpentry skills.

“Not every school gets the opportunity to build a house. I know there was no way to build a large house in Ness City,” Kerr said. “In the tiny house, the students did all electrical. We didn’t use an electrician, but we had everything checked. They did the HVAC, plumbing, siding, windows and doors. They got to do the whole deal.”

Kerr and his students were a featured attraction at annual Western Kansas Technology Education Fair at Fort Hays State University this spring. The school brought the house, which was in progress at the time, and opened it up for tours.

See related story: 🎥 Tiny house big hit at tech ed fair for Ness City students

The house has since been completed and is for sale on a lot in Colorado.

Ness City High School’s tiny house kitchen.

Kerr said by speaking at the tiny house festival, he hoped to not only promote the teaching of building trades through the construction of tiny houses, but also find a buyer for the school’s tiny house.

If the house does not sell by the festival, Kerr hoped to transport the home to Colorado Springs and exhibit it there.

The school is asking $57,000 for the house. The funds raised from the house’s sale will go into the construction of a third tiny house and to upgrade NCHS shop equipment. Kerr said if the tiny house program continues to be successful, he would like to create a scholarship for NCHS students seeking post-secondary study in technical trades.

Much of the NCHS tiny house was custom built, including the concrete counter tops. The home is only 200 square feet, but includes a sleeping loft, bathroom and kitchen.

Gloria VonFeldt of Victoria is part of the tiny house movement and a promoter for the Colorado Springs festival.

She lives with her sister in a standard house now, but dreams of owning a tiny house and using it for travel.

VonFeldt and festival founder Marcus Alvarado said buying and living in a tiny house is more than economical living, it is about sustainable living. Tiny houses make a smaller environmental footprint. Some choose to have their tiny houses classified as RVs, so they can move with jobs or for travel.

Ness City High School’s tiny house loft.

Others use the tiny homes for bed and breakfasts for extra income, yet others are baby boomers who want to downsize and live more simply. Yet others see tiny houses as a way to address social issues, such as homelessness, especially in metro areas where space is at a premium and housing is expensive.

The Ness City tiny house is right in line with want a tiny house can run. It varies greatly depending on the materials used, the square footage and how much labor the owner wishes to put into the project. Most tiny homes run between $60,000 and $120,000.

Ness City High School’s tiny house bathroom.

The festival has assembled a variety of speakers and panels, who will discuss topics such as travel, construction, buying a tiny home and zoning, which differs from city to city and state to state.

The festival will also feature booths and vendors centered on sustainable living through other means. Alvarado said this year’s festival is expecting as many as 20,000 people from 31 states and six countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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