OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly appointed Thomas Hongslo and Donald Scheibler to the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (CPOST).

“Making sure that all of Kansas’ police and law enforcement officers are properly trained is imperative to the safety of every person in our state,” Kelly said. “We are lucky to have Thomas and Donald join our team. I know they will work hard to make sure every Kansas officer receives the training they need to best serve our communities.”

Thomas Hongslo, Lenexa, currently works as the Lenexa chief of police.

Donald Scheibler, Hays, currently works as the Hays chief of police.

The commission ensures that police or law enforcement officers in Kansas have met all requirements of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Act. It may suspend, revoke or deny the certification of officers who fail to meet the requirements, or has met the requirements by falsifying documents or failing to disclose information required for certification. CPOST also provides accredited instruction, which is required for the permanent appointment of full-time police and law officers.

The governor appoints 10 of the commission’s 12 members. The final two seats are filled by the superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol and the director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

 

PLAINVILLE – Jamie Keller, a member of the Palco 4-H club, knows a thing or two about raising award winning hogs. He also knows how to support a worthwhile cause.

Jamie, age 13 and the son of Jeff and Lacey Keller of Palco, wanted to help support the Rooks County Health Center (RCH) in some way, and with the guidance of his parents, hit on the idea of offering one of his show pigs as a donation for the upcoming fundraising event being held by the Rooks County Healthcare Foundation (RCHF).

Fairways For The Future, a charity golf tournament being held on September 14 to help fund the new hospital expansion project, includes a whole hog roast supper after the tournament.

Jamie is donating a market weight hog that earned him a blue ribbon at the Rooks County Free Fair.

Jamie won a total of three blue ribbons in the market weight category and a Grand Champion award in the breeding gilt category. Not just an award winning hog raiser, Jamie also earned Grand Champion ribbons in the visual arts and rocketry categories.

The 248-pound blue ribbon winner will be the “guest of honor” at the general admission event held after the golf tournament. The event includes an evening of music and dancing provided by local band Gypsy Road.

Fairways For The Future is a 3 Person Scramble charity golf tournament that will be held at the Rooks County Golf Course five miles north of Plainville.

Golfers in the 18-hole tournament receive the whole hog roast dinner, live music, silent auction for their registration fee. Cash prizes will be awarded, plus golfers can enter for a chance to snag $50,000 in the Hole in One Contest, sponsored by Solutions North Bank of Stockton.

For those who don’t play golf but want to join the after-tournament party, tickets are available for $25 per person for the supper and music. Tickets for the after-tournament party can be purchased at Carmichael True Value and Ruder Oil in Plainville and Solutions North Bank in Stockton or by calling 785-688-4428.

The golf tournament begins play at 9:00 a.m. Admission for the hog roast supper and music begins at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 14.

Golfers can register before Aug. 31 for early registration discount. On line registration is available at www.fairways4thefuture.com or by calling Eric Sumearll at 785-688-4428.

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City of Hays

Beginning on Wednesday, Walnut will be closed between 12th and 13th Streets in Hays for reconstruction.

Construction is expected to last two weeks.

For more information, call the Office of Project Management at 628-7350 or the contractor, J Corp, at 628-8101.

CITY OF HAYS

August 29, 2019 is a fifth Thursday of the month; therefore, there won’t be a Hays City Commission work session that evening.

FHSU University Relations

Dr. Chris Jochum, chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hays State University, was recently appointed to a position on the board of directors for a new organization designed to support and develop clinical practice in teacher preparation.

The National Center for Clinical Practice in Educator Preparation will work jointly with public schools and university teacher preparation programs throughout the United States.

The center was officially launched in June of this year. With the national prominence of the teacher education program at FHSU, Jochum had the opportunity to be a part of an organization that will have an impact on teacher preparation on a local, state and national level.

Jochum’s primary role will be to work with rural clinical practice, including internships and student teaching.

With many rural communities experiencing population decline, schools continue to be the center of the community and there is a high need for educators who are willing to teach and put roots down in rural America.

Growing up, Jochum attended a small school district in rural Nebraska. He said his desire to become a teacher stemmed from the educators and coaches who impacted him while he was growing up.

Jochum hopes to show future educators the “value and benefits” of teaching in these areas to help with the “revitalization and sustainability of rural communities.”

“I think this is a unique trait among our rural communities and schools,” said Jochum. “Teachers are truly an integrated part of the students’ lives, both inside and outside of the classroom.”

With educators in rural communities being so involved, it can mean they are held to higher standards in the classroom and the community at large.

Ensuring a quality student teaching or observation experience is key to keeping young educators in rural Kansas, he said.

“My goal is to strengthen and enhance clinical practice partnerships with rural schools so that we are not only serving these schools and communities but, hopefully, sending them students who will stay there and teach,” said Jochum.

ELLIS COUNTY

The Ellis County Joint Planning Commission will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday with the continuation of the Public Hearing from last meeting. It will be held at 7 p.m. at 718 Main Street in the Commission Chambers, Hays, Kansas.

Contact the Ellis County Zoning Office at 785-628-9449 for more information.

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

The Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday the closure of sections of the Minooka Campsite at Wilson Lake due to anticipated flooding with water covering many sites that had recently been reopened from flooding in May.

“Never expected flood closures in August but Kansas is what it is,” the corps announced on Facebook Tuesday afternoon.

“Much of north-central Kansas received heavy precipitation amounts last weekend with some reports in the five to six inch range,” they said. “Our office has recorded 9.9 inches for August.”

Lake elevation Monday was recorded at 1520.91 according to the United State Geological Survey.

All of section F of the Minooka Campsite, along with portions of section D and B are closed as water is creeping higher at the lake.

Reservations at those sites have been canceled and full refunds are being issued.

“Forecasting the lake elevation crest is not an exact science, but preliminary estimates show concern for public flood impacts during the upcoming Labor Day Weekend,” the corps said. “We have come up almost two feet with another two to three feet expected. Many of the campsites that were just repaired and opened on the 23rd are now going under again.”

The west and east boat ramps are closed along with the spillway boat ramp. The middle ramp is open, but the dock is inaccessible.

The fireworks show that was rescheduled after flooding during the Fourth of July holiday weekend is still planned for Aug. 31, at 8:45 p.m. according to the Wison Lake Area Association.

The Board of Directors of the United Way of Ellis County (Hays, KS), a local affiliate of the national charitable organization, is seeking an experienced and motivated

Executive Director. The Executive Director of the United Way of Ellis County is a visionary with the qualities of effective leadership and ability to lead change initiatives; has a proven track record of successful donor cultivation; is an effective relationship builder with a diverse, wide spectrum of constituencies, including corporate and community leaders and partner agencies.

Reporting to and working cooperatively with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is directly responsible for leading and developing staff, and day-to-day operations including resource development, community investment, and maintaining/strengthening the relationship with partner agencies. This individual must be a powerful communicator in telling the United Way’s story of “lives changed” and “people mobilized” within our community.    

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required
• Must be able to pass a background check
• Must be able to obtain a bond
• Demonstrate integrity and  high energy
• Business insight
• Experience managing and leading an organization or business unit of comparable size.

Salary:  Beginning compensation between $35,000 and $45,000 based on experience with opportunity for bonus pay based upon performance. 

Qualified candidates should send an application, résumé and cover letter including your vision of how to be a successful Executive Director, three references, three year salary history and requirements via e-mail to: [email protected].  Applications are available online at www.liveunited.us.  All submissions will be confidential, and references will not be contacted without the candidate’s approval. Priority deadline is September 6, 2019.  Review of applications will begin after the deadline and continue until the position is filled.

Please visit www.liveunited.us for more information about the United Way of Ellis County.

United Way of Ellis County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KDOT

NORTON – KDOT has started a chip seal and striping project that will reconfigure a portion of U.S. 36 through Norton from four lanes to three between Second Street and the east city limits.

The current four-lane design will be restriped with a dedicated left turn lane in each direction at the U.S. 283 junction, and one lane of traffic in each direction with a center turn lane east of the U.S. 283 junction.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of next week, weather permitting.

Dr. Jen Brull, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, has been named a Top 25 Innovator by Modern Healthcare.

Brull leads Aledade’s accountable care organization (ACO) in Kansas.

A key innovation she’s implemented is the “Roadmap to Awesomeness.” It’s an improvement tool for practices to assess data and follow best practices. The ACO is able to tap into real-time data to address gaps in patient care.

The road map helped Brull’s own solo medical practice in Plainville reduce ED utilization for diabetic patients.

Overall, the ACO cut hospital admissions by 23% for congestive heart failure patients and reduced ED visits by 11% in 2017 for Medicare patients (the most recent year for which data is available). The ACO also saw a 17% increase in breast cancer screenings and a 31% increase in well-child visits.

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