HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System is sponsoring a name the robot contest for it’s newest Xi Robotic system.
Any school age child is welcome to submit a name until November 22. Five finalists will be chosen and the names put on social media from Nov. 27 through December 6 for the public to vote. The winner and finalists will be announced on Dec. 16. The winner of the contest will be awarded $250 and each of the 4 finalists will receive $50.
HaysMed has provided robotic surgery to patients since 2014. The Xi is the second robot the hospital has purchased. The purchase of the Xi robot was made possible by the generous support of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the HaysMed Foundation.
NCK Tech in Hays and Beloit has been named one of the nation’s top 150 community/technical colleges by the Aspen Institute and is now eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
“NCK Tech is pleased to receive this recognition from the Aspen Institute for the fifth consecutive year,” said President Eric Burks. “It is a tribute to the wonderful people who work at NCK Tech. We are proud that our collective efforts have consistently helped students at such a high level.”
Based on strong and improving student outcomes – including in learning, completion rates, employment rates and earnings, and equity – 15 percent of community/technical colleges nationwide have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize. Data show that over the last two years, student retention, graduation rates, and degree completion have improved at the top tier of 150 Aspen Prize-eligible colleges.
“Community (and technical) colleges play a vital role in developing talent and enabling social mobility across the country and it’s critical for them to get better at what they do,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “We’re pleased to see evidence that these institutions are improving, that more are delivering on their promise.”
NCK Tech has campus locations in both Beloit and Hays. The college has 17 programs of study and offers both certificate and Associate of Applied Science degrees. To learn more about NCK Tech programs, certificate and degree options, visit www.ncktc.edu.
COLBY — Wesley Banguria of Colby Community College capped his historic cross country season by earning the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Male Athlete of the Year award. Twice during the season, he was the USTFCCA national athlete of the week.
Banguria, a sophomore from Eldoret, Kenya, won the individual title at the NJCAA Division I Championships Nov. 9 in Albuquerque, N.M. He turned in his most dominant performance of the year, clocking 22:55 for the 8K course to win by more than a minute. His time made him just the fourth runner in NJCAA Division I history to finish under 23 minutes at the national championships.
He won all five races he started during the season, including the Region VI Championships, Fort Hays State Tiger Open, Emporia State Invitational and Colorado College Invitational.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Wichita’s mayoral election is supposed to be nonpartisan, but that virtually disappeared in this year’s campaign. Mayor-elect Brandon Whipple has served since 2012 as a Democratic member of the statehouse. Before that, he was vice-chair of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party. His winning strategy came straight from the Kansas Democrats’ playbook. Whipple downplayed his party affiliation and played up accountability and good government, while the city’s Republican establishment tried to throw their weight behind incumbent Jeff Longwell. Whipple’s upset looks remarkably similar to the gubernatorial campaigns of Governors Kathleen Sebelius and Laura Kelly, both Democrats who pulled off wins in deep-red Kansas.
Like Sebelius and Kelly, Whipple won his election by emphasizing themes that cross party lines, such as improving transportation and putting the city’s budget online. He also benefitted from the ham-fisted gaffes of his opponents. Controversy surrounding Longwell’s involvement in a last-minute, no-bid contract to upgrade a water treatment plant made the perfect foil for Whipple’s focus on efficient administration. At 37 years old, Whipple’s relative youth also reinforced his time-for-a-change message. Having been involved in political action since college, Whipple knew how to stick to his message. The same cannot be said for his opponents’ supporters, who miscalculated badly.
The Sedgwick County Republican Party tried to help Longwell. Unaccountable dark money funded a harsh attack ad against Whipple, making unfounded allegations about his sex life. Apparently that was not bad enough, so two area Republicans then got into a protracted, heavily publicized, and irresolvable you say-I say squabble about who was responsible for the ad. This mess probably helped Whipple—not to mention his libel lawsuit. Meanwhile, a write-in candidate backed by two former mayors helped to split the vote. Whipple won with 46%, a plurality but not a majority.
What does this mean for Kansas? First, it shows that the Sebelius-Kelly playbook works in this state’s largest city. To make this winning formula, downplay your party affiliation, stress public improvements and efficient administration, and run against an entrenched but divided Republican Party.
It also helps when the Republicans make embarrassing mistakes, such as Kris Kobach’s courtroom antics in 2018 and Wichita Republicans’ finger-pointing this time. Both Kelly and Whipple also faced a third candidate who played the potential spoiler. It is unclear whether wild cards Greg Orman and Lyndy Wells ultimately helped or hurt Kelly and Whipple, but they certainly did keep things interesting.
There is yet another similarity between the mayor and the governor. In this time of angry voters and hyper-partisan voting, governors continue to be one office for which voters will cross party lines. Currently, America’s most popular governors are blue state Republicans: Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland, and Phil Scott of Vermont. Kelly cannot quite match their numbers, but her approval ratings are still well above those of Kansas’ last elected governor, Sam Brownback.
When it comes to state and local chief executives, many voters still value good administration over partisanship. These offices can serve as vestiges of bipartisanship and good government, in a time when these values would seem obsolete anywhere else.
Meanwhile, back in Wichita, Whipple is about to face his next test. Can he govern as well as he campaigned?
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Two churches in Ellis Countywill be among 5,000 U.S. drop-off locations collecting shoebox gifts for needy children overseas during Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, Nov. 18 to 25.
Drop-off times and dates at the two Hays churches, Messiah Lutheran and CrossPoint church, are listed below.
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, a disaster relief organization headquartered in Boone, N.C.Each year thousands of individuals pack shoeboxes with toys, school supplies and personal hygiene items to distribute to needy children around the world.
For many of the children, this shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
The Samaritan’s Purse project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need.In 2018 more than 10.6 million shoeboxes were collected worldwide, with more than 6,800 of those collected in Northwest Kansas.
This year’s drop-off days and hours are listed below:
Messiah Lutheran Church
2000 Main St., Hays
Operating Hours:
Monday, Nov. 18, [4-6 p.m.]
Tuesday, Nov. 19, [11 a.m.-1 p.m.]
Wednesday, Nov. 20, [11 a.m.-1 p.m.]
Thursday, Nov. 21, [11 a.m.-1 p.m.]
Friday, Nov. 22, [4-6 p.m.]
Saturday, Nov. 23, [Noon-2 p.m.]
Sunday, Nov. 24, [Noon-2 p.m.]
Monday, Nov. 25, [9-11 a.m.]
CrossPoint Church
1300 Harvest Road, Hays
Operating Hours:
Monday, Nov. 18, [11 a.m.-1 p.m.]
Tuesday, Nov. 19, [3-5 p.m.]
Wednesday, Nov. 20, [4-6 p.m.]
Thursday, Nov. 21, [3-5 p.m.]
Friday, Nov. 22, [11 a.m.-1 p.m.]
Saturday, Nov. 23, [4-6 p.m.]
Sunday, Nov. 24, [4-6 p.m.]
Monday, Nov. 25, [9-11 a.m.]
Participants can find gift ideas at www.samaritanspurse/occ.Those packing boxes are asked to donate $9 to pay the box’s shipping fee overseas.Participants may do this in one of two ways:
They may place the $9 inside their shoebox gift before taking it to the drop-off site. Or,they can donate the $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.
Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
More information about Operation Christmas Child is available from Rachel Albin, Northwest Kansas coordinator, at (785) 639-1325 or [email protected].
Though this summer was exceptionally wet, recently we have had dry weather for much of Kansas. Watering now is important if soils are dry to help alleviate moisture stress.
A good, deep watering with moisture reaching at least a foot down into the soil is much better than several light sprinklings that just wet the top portions of the soil. A deep watering will help ensure that the majority of roots have access to water. Regardless of the watering method used, soil should be wet at least 12 inches deep. Use a metal rod, wooden dowel, electric fence post or something similar to check depth. Dry soil is much harder to push through than wet.
Although all perennial plants benefit from moist soils before winter, it is especially important for newly planted trees and shrubs due to limited root systems. Even trees and shrubs planted within the last 2 to 3 years are more sensitive to drought than a well-established plant. Evergreens are also more at risk because moisture is lost from the foliage.
Trees or shrubs planted within the last year can be watered inexpensively with a 5-gallon bucket. Drill a small hole (1/8″) in the side of the bucket near the bottom. Fill the bucket and let the water dribble out slowly next to the tree. Refill the bucket once more, and you have applied 10 gallons. Very large transplanted trees and trees that were transplanted two to three years ago will require more water.
A perforated soaker hose is a good way to water a newly established bed or foundation plantings. However, soaker hoses are notorious for non-uniform watering. In other words, you often receive too much water from one part of the hose and not enough from another. Hooking both the beginning and the end of the soaker hose to a Y-adapter helps equalize the pressure and therefore provide a more uniform watering. The specific parts you need are shown in the photo above and include the soaker hose, Y-adapter and female to female connector. It is also helpful if the Y-adapter has shut off valves so the volume of flow can be controlled. Too high a flow rate can allow water to run off rather than soak in.
On larger trees, the soaker hose can circle the trunk at a distance within the dripline of the tree but at least ½ the distance to the dripline. The dripline of the tree is outermost reach of the branches. On smaller trees, you may circle the tree several times so that only soil which has tree roots will be watered.
If using a soaker hose, note the time watering was started. Check frequently to determine the amount of time it takes for water to reach 12 inches. From then on, you can water “by the clock.” Use a kitchen oven timer so you remember to move the hose or shut off the faucet. If you are seeing surface runoff, reduce the flow, or build a berm with at least a 4-foot diameter around the base of the tree to allow the water to percolate down through the soil, instead of spreading out.
If you have any questions, or would like more information, you can contact me by calling 620-793-1910, by email at [email protected] or just drop by the office located at 1800 12th street in Great Bend. This is Alicia Boor, one of the Agriculture and Natural Resources agents for the Cottonwood District which includes Barton and Ellis counties. Have a good week!
Next week, Hays Post readers will notice a change to their local source for news, sports and information.
A website upgrade will be implemented, offering a more stable and secure experience for readers, significantly boosting the speed of the site, and offering an improved experience on mobile devices.
The current website has been virtually unchanged since 2014.
Technology has changed drastically in the past five-plus years, and we are evolving with it — and confident this change will give us a stable, secure and fast platform for years to come.
Some slight design changes will accompany the upgrade, but readers should expect to find the same local news, sports, information, weather and obituaries — with no paywall.
Keeping our Community Connected is what Eagle Radio does. And Hays Post is a big part of how we do it.
As part of the upgrade, Hays Post also will disable anonymous comments.
Comments were a way to stimulate conversation in a day when people were much less comfortable attaching their opinions to their names. However, the vast majority of engagement with Hays Post content has migrated from our on-site commenting system to Facebook, which sparked the change. We hope nearly a decade of offering our readers an open forum for ideas and commentary helped create a more open environment in our community.
Expect more changes in the coming months, as Eagle’s development team is creating new native apps for mobile devices, as well as integrations for other platforms, including Alexa-enabled devices.
Our goal is to deliver our content where readers and listeners are — whether that’s commuting in your car, checking Post at work or on your phone from the porch, or wanting to get caught up while you’re cooking dinner in the evening. Keeping you connected to the local information that matters to you — that’s what matters to us.
When the update is made, it could be as long as 24 hours before every device recognizes the change — and don’t be surprised if you see an occasional 404 Page Not Found redirect, especially if visiting off older links from social media.
Stories published prior to Nov. 18, 2019, will remain online at archive.hayspost.com, which will be active by the end of the week.
An important side note, the new platform will not be supported on Internet Explorer. Microsoft no longer supports Explorer and has advised Explorer users to switch to Microsoft Edge. Hays Post will be continually optimized for best use on Google Chrome, but is supported by most web browsers, including Firefox, Safari, Edge and most mobile browsers.
ELLIS COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 10a.m. Thursday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by William Kirk Sauer, 52, Victoria, was eastbound on Old Highway 40 two miles west of Gorham. The motorcycle struck a deer.
Sauer came to rest in the roadway. The deer and motorcycle came to rest in the south ditch. EMS transported Sauer to Hays Medical Center. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.
A resolution to begin condemnation proceedings of private properties included in the North Vine Street Corridor improvement plan will be considered by Hays city commissioners tonight.
Since May, WSP Engineers has been developing design plans for the construction of improvements to North Vine between 32nd and 41st Streets.
Appraisals and compensation estimates were prepared. On September 26 the city commission authorized making offers to adjacent property owners for the necessary easements and rights of way to construct the project.
According to a memo from John Bird, city attorney, city staff has not been able to successfully negotiate the acquisitions and the city now finds “it is necessary to adopt a resolution authorizing the steps required to begin condemnation proceedings.”
A resolution has been prepared by Bird declaring the necessity to acquire by use of eminent domain certain real property and to authorize a survey and description of the land and the interest to be acquired.
If the resolution is adopted tonight by the city commission, the next step would be passing an ordinance of eminent domain proceedings pursuant to K.S.A. 26-201, et seq. and K.S.A. 26-501, et seq.
Adoption of that ordinance would likely be considered at the Nov. 21 work session for action at the Nov. 26 regular meeting. The commission will meet Tuesday rather than Thursday, Nov. 28 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Other agenda items for the Nov. 14 meeting include:
Consideration of a resolution setting a public hearing on Dec. 12, 2019, regarding establishment of the Saffron West 43rd Community Improvement District (CID) for a proposed new hotel
Approval of construction of the fire/rescue training facility classroom
James Arnold has been given notice to leave the only home he knows — a makeshift encampment behind Wolf’s Furniture in Hays.
If you weren’t looking for it, you probably won’t see it. The encampment is made out of shipping pallets, sheets of plastic and cardboard. The makeshift shelter has just enough space for James to crawl into for the night. He has a small space heater that kept his hideaway warm even as the temperature dipped into the single digits this week.
He has squirreled away a few possessions — dishes and a few household items he hoped to use to start a new life in his own apartment — in a couple truck toolboxes. He recently adopted a mother cat who took advantage of the warmth of his shelter to have her kittens.
Preston Wolf, owner of Wolf Furniture and James’ friend, received a letter on Oct. 30 from the City of Hays Planning Inspection and Enforcement Department saying James could no longer stay in his encampment because the area was not zoned for residential use. Wolf was given until Friday to have James out.
James, who has been homeless for 16 years, wants to stay in Hays. His face tells the tale of those years, mostly lived in similar makeshift shelters. A long white beard stretches halfway down his tall, lean frame. The heavy lines in his weather-worn face make him appear much older than his 57 years.
James has been in Hays for the last year and half, working odd jobs, hoping to save up enough money to get an apartment of his own.
Wolf befriended James. He helped him apply for and receive a new ID and Social Security card, which took almost a year. Although James said he prefers his encampment, Wolf put James up in a hotel last winter at his own expense.
James said he doesn’t want to keep taking advantage of Wolf’s kindness.
“I can stay back there and it doesn’t cost him as much money. … I’m homeless. I’m used to this stuff back here by now,” James said. “The first three or four years I wouldn’t have made it, but now it’s been 15 years and I’m used to it. It doesn’t bother me as bad. He’s so nice. I’m not going to let him spend that much money on me this winter. I’d rather stay back there if he’ll let me and do it cheaper and save more money.
“This guy’s like a gift — like a banker, but I don’t want to abuse him,” James said.
James said he has made a connection with people in Hays.
“I have people who I like now and a lot of people I enjoy being around,” he said.
The inside of James’ shelter. There is just enough room to crawl in and lie down.
James appears to have no family ties or support system outside of what Wolf has offered him here in Hays. He has mentioned an ex-wife and kids, but James’ mind wanders from one grandiose topic to the next. It’s hard to nail down a history and tell what is truth and what is fantasy. Wolf said he suspects he might have mental health issues.
Wolf expressed great distress about what might happen to James after Friday. James said he plans to hitchhike to another encampment up north, but Wolf has tried to dissuade him.
“It’s just a field,” Wolf said.
James has COPD, a lung condition, which means he is winded easily. Wolf said he doesn’t think James will last long out on the road.
“If he leaves here, he is probably going to die because he has no place to go and no help,” Wolf said. “If there was someplace he could go where he would have a roof over his head … We understand that is not the ideal out there.”
“It’s not harming me,” James said of his Hays encampment. “If he ain’t mad about, it ain’t harming me. I have been saving a little money.”
Few resources in Hays for homeless
The City of Hays says James Arnold can no longer stay in this makeshift shelter behind Wolf’s Furniture because it is not zoned for residential use.
Linda Mills, director of First Call for Help, which helps transients in the community, said Hays unfortunately has little to no resources for a person in James’ predicament.
“It’s frustrating,” Mills said. “The thought of someone sleeping outside when it was a cold as it was last night … I couldn’t do it.”
There are housing programs for veterans, but the veterans have to have proof of service. Hays also has a housing program for people who have mental illness, but recipients must have a diagnosed mental illness and meet other criteria to qualify.
First Call needs $215,000 to remodel the rear of its building into transitional living areas for its new First Step housing program. Now that First Call has a firm bid in hand, it hopes to start applying for grants for the project. You can donate to that project by clicking here.
Even if the transitional housing project was ready, Mills said James would likely not qualify for the program because he has not been able to hold down steady work.
In addition to his COPD, which makes it difficult for him to do physical labor, his mind tends to wonder, Wolf said.
“I definitely don’t mind him staying there,” Wolf said. “He causes no problems. What we were trying to when we got his ID and his Social Security card, we were try to get him a job at Walmart or someplace. The ideal thing was to try to get him back into society to find a little one-bedroom apartment or something. We are trying. We just haven’t got that — with the job application. I don’t know if James could work eight straight hours.”
Mills said James might qualify for disability, but that process can take months or even years. Initial applications are often denied and applicants have to appeal and even employ an attorney to secure disability payments.
“If he doesn’t want to leave Hays, I’m not sure unless people are willing to set up a GoFundMe or something and match what he has saved up to get into an apartment,” Mills said. “But even if he gets into an apartment, how is he going to pay for the rent month to month? It probably doesn’t makes sense to raise money to get him into the apartment unless they are going to raise money to keep him in the apartment because he’ll get evicted.”
Mills said the best First Call could do for James is to offer him a bus ticket to Salina, the location of the nearest men’s shelter.
James said he has been in shelters in Denver and Wichita, and said they were like being in prison. He doesn’t want to go.
It’s the law
Curtis Deines, superintendent of Planning Inspection Enforcement, said Arnold’s situation was unfortunate and he hoped Arnold would be OK, but he had to follow the law. He said the city had worked with Wolf to try to resolve the situation, noting it’s Wolf’s obligation as the property owner to remove Arnold from the property, according to Deines.
Deines said the the city was first made aware of Arnold’s encampment when police were called to the area because of a civil disturbance involving Arnold. He allegedly pulled a knife, threatened another individual and was arrested.
“I know it can seem like the city is going after somebody, and that is not the case,” Deines said. “There was an unfortunate event there and that prompted the situation.”
Wolf described James as mild-mannered and said he has never had any issues with him since he took up residence behind the store. James doesn’t drink or use drugs.
James said he just wants the city to leave him alone until summer comes and he can move to his encampment up north — home.
Wolf said, “We just don’t know what to do. That’s what it boils down to.”
TOPEKA – Marie Reveles of Hays, daughter of LaVerna Reveles, was awarded a $1,000 Kansas Livestock Foundation/Kansas CattleWomen Scholarship.
She was one of 21 students awarded a grand total of $23,000 in scholarships through KLF for the 2019-20 school year. These students will be recognized during the KLA Convention, December 4-6 in Wichita.
Reveles is a junior majoring in agricultural education at Kansas State University. She currently is serving as a K-State College of Agriculture Ambassador. Reveles is a member of the K-State Agricultural Education Club and the Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority. She received her American FFA Degree earlier this year.
This scholarship, funded by the KCW silent auction, is awarded to a student entering or returning to a Kansas community or senior college and pursuing a degree in dietetics, food safety, agriculture or a related field.
KLF was established in 1983 to operate solely and exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes. For information about KLF’s scholarship offerings or to receive an application, contact the foundation at 6031 S.W. 37th St., Topeka, KS 66614 or email [email protected].
KLA is a trade organization protecting the business interests of independent ranchers and feeders. Members of the association are involved in all segments of the livestock industry, including cow-calf production, backgrounding, cattle feeding, swine, dairy and sheep. The association’s work is funded by the voluntary dues dollars paid by its 5,600 members.
HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System is sponsoring a name the robot contest for it’s newest Xi Robotic system.
