Hays Post
The Hays Public Library celebrated the 50th anniversary of Woodstock Saturday with the Bookstock Music Festival. The event included a free concert, featuring local musicians, and a food truck rally. The outdoor concert featured Tree Kitty, Earl Ruder, Company 11, Taylor Kline and Miles on End.
FHSU University Relations
Dr. Grady Dixon, professor of geosciences and interim dean of the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics, was announced today as the 2019 President’s Distinguished Scholar at Fort Hays State University.
“In his five years at the university, Grady has over 40 published scholarly works. His research on weather and climate is at the forefront of his discipline,” said Dr. Jill Arensdorf, emcee of the ceremonies at the 2019 FHSU fall convocation.
“He has garnered over half a million dollars in grant monies, with the assistance of both undergraduate and graduate students,” said Arensdorf, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“Grady, thank you for your contributions to the university and to your discipline.”
The President’s Distinguished Scholar Award was first conferred in 1989. All unclassified employees of the university are eligible for consideration and are evaluated for this honor by analysis of their performance in the categories of research and creative activities, service, and instruction. Acceptable levels of performance must be demonstrated in service and instruction, with the primary focus of this award on research and creative activities.
An evaluation committee, composed of five of the most recent award winners, reviews applications, and a recommendation is forwarded to President Tisa Mason. The provost chairs the committee and is responsible for administering the award process.
Several other awards were also presented at the convocation.
Faculty Member of the Year, Dr. Laura Wilson, associate professor of geosciences and interim chair of the department. Commerce Bank provides a $1,000 stipend for the award. The award was presented to her by Dr. Jill Arensdorf, provost and vice president of academic affairs, and Deron O’Connor, president of Commerce Bank.
The Faculty Member of the Year is selected from the past year’s recipients of faculty awards for teaching, for research and scholarly activity, and for service.
Wilson, and Dr. Nicholas Caporusso, instructor of informatics, were the winners of last year’s awards for research and scholarly activity.
The 2018-19 awards for service went to two assistant professors of advanced education programs, Dr. Kim Chappell and Dr. Elliot Isom.
Last year’s outstanding teaching awards went to Dr. C.D. Clark, associate professor of physics, and Dr. Lanee (pronounced lah-NAY) Young, associate professor of mathematics.
The Edmund Shearer Faculty Advisor of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Kim Chappell, assistant professor of advanced education programs in the College of Education.
The Shearer Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding academic advising of students.
Shearer, a former chair of the Department of Chemistry, was known for the high value he placed on student advisement. One advisor can be recognized from each of the five academic colleges.
The recipient of this award will also be nominated for the National Academic Advising Association Award. Each FHSU winner will be presented a certificate and a monetary award. The nominees receive a stipend of $150, and the winning recipient receives $500. Commerce Bank also sponsors this award.
Besides Chappell, the nominees were Karrie Simpson Voth, professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design, representing the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Dr. Robert Lloyd, assistant professor of management in the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship; Anita Walters, instructor of health and human performance in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; and Joe Chretien, associate professor of applied technology in the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.
Dr. Tamara Lynn, associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, was named the John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor.
This award recognizes faculty members for their commitment, time and energy in promoting undergraduate research. All current faculty and unclassified staff members at levels comparable to academic faculty are eligible. The winner’s home department is awarded $500 of budget funding to benefit the recipient. The Office of the Provost, the Undergraduate Research Environment Committee, and the Office of Scholarships and Sponsored Projects sponsors the award.
The “Closing the Loop” Departmental Award went to the Department of Advanced Education Programs. The department receives $2,000, provided by Voya Financial, in additional operating budget for the year. This award recognizes a department that implements improvements in its degree programs.
The Department of Management won the Advancing Assessment Award, receiving an additional $1,000 in operating budget funds, sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office for Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement. This award recognizes departments that make advances in their program assessment procedures.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 summer lunch program almost doubled the number of meals it served to children this summer after the program moved to the Hays Public Library.
This summer, the program served 8,101 children’s meals — an average of 168 daily. Last year, the program served a total of 4,866 children, a 101-meal daily average.
The lunch program offers free hot lunches to children 18 and younger. Adults can dine with children for a small fee.
Adult numbers were also up — 936 total meals this year compared to 671 total meals in 2018.
The program had been located in the former Washington school, but the program had to be moved this summer because the Early Childhood Connections program that is housed at Washington was being moved to its new home on 13th Street.
Jessica Younker, USD 489 director of nutrition services, said there were some challenges in the move to the library because the library does not have a full kitchen. However, after the first couple of weeks, the staff fell into a routine and worked out the issues with space and the influx of more children being served.
USD 489 was in its second year of a snack program offered at HPL. That program’s use was down slightly. The program served 2,939 snacks in 2019 compared to 2,977 snacks in 2018. That equals about 61 snacks per day.
Younker attributed the increase in the number of meals served to the change in location and the programming the library offered around the lunch program.
“It was a one stop shop for fun, enriching activities and a tasty meal,” she said. “It’s really a win-win for the families in our community!”
The library offered a program — Astronaut Training Academy — right before the lunch program opened for meals. Children learned about space and the planets and also did weekly exercise programs just as astronauts would have to do to stay healthy in space. The summer reading program theme was space.
Meagan Zampieri, HPL youth services manager, said she also thought having the lunch program helped boost participation in the library’s programs.
“I do think the lunch program brought more kids to the library for our offerings,” she said. “We had a significant increase in program attendance even outside of our lunch numbers. I believe we had an increase of about 300 registrations, and an additional several hundred at programs in July.”
The library had 1,665 youth who registered for the summer reading program. Of those, 785 children completed the program. The library received 1,727 reading logs, which was equal to eight hours and 20 minutes of reading each.
Overall, 18,841 people attended youth services programs through the summer, and there were 1,534 adults at adult department events.
Children’s programs will fire up again in September. After school activities are offered at the library. To learn more about the HPL programs, visit the library website or call the children’s department at 785-625-9014.
Both Younker and Zampieri said they intend to recommend a continued cooperation between the library and USD 489 on the summer lunch program.
“I do recommend that the library be the lunch site again next year,” Zampieri said. “We’ve learned a lot, and so far as I know, we are all in agreement at the value that the program has to our community.”
Younker said, “Our goal is to provide a great service to the community, and we hope it continues to grow.”
Jana’s Campaign announced the week the award of a $30,000 grant from the Sunflower Foundation in Topeka, KS. Resources will be used to further expand and enhance implementation of our gender and relationship violence prevention education programs across the state of Kansas. Our educational programming provides an understanding of the warning signs of unhealthy relationship behaviors to ultimately stop the violence before it starts, teaches leadership to empower those in attendance to continue to be a part of the solution and encourages a strong culture of respect.
The Sunflower Foundation provided this funding through the Social Determinants and Social Needs: Moving Beyond Midstream grant opportunity. The programs selected to receive funding aligned with the mission to advance the collective efforts of state and local nonprofits to address social determinants of health and improve health outcomes for Kansans.
“We are excited that the Sunflower Foundation has invested in us and the mission of reducing gender and relationship violence throughout Kansas,” said Kaiti Dinges, Jana’s Campaign Interim Executive Director. “The approach and focus of Jana’s Campaign is on prevention education. We believe that education is the most powerful tool to create social change. Through education, one can change and improve social attitudes, behaviors, interactions, and norms.”
The Sunflower Foundation is guided by their mission: to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans. They seek partnerships with organizations and communities that focus on similar goals. Their mission focuses on three primary approaches:
Healthy Living and Active Communities
Health Care
Advocacy and Policy
To learn more about the Sunflower Foundation and their grant opportunities, visit www.sunflowerfoundation.org.
Jana’s Campaign is a national education and violence prevention organization with the single mission of reducing gender and relationship violence. In honor of the late Jana Mackey and other victims and survivors of gender and relationship violence, Jana’s Campaign delivers educational programs that prevent domestic and dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Superintendent Ron Wilson estimated district enrollment close to 3,000 students during a report to the Hays USD 489 school board on Monday.
An official count will not be taken until September. The enrollment numbers were taken from enrollment forms that have been turned in thus far, and Wilson acknowledged the district likely has students who are attending who have not completed the forms. More students also may enter the district yet this fall.
The enrollment at the elementary schools is 1,415.
That includes:
Wilson described the middle school as “busting at the seams.” Enrollment at HMS is 677 students, including:
Hays High School’s enrollment is 857 students, including:
The district’s full-time equivalent enrollment was 3,049 students in 2018-19. Enrollment has increased slightly each year since 2015-16 when enrollment was 2,807.
Enrollment is significant in that the state bases the district’s funding in part on enrollment numbers. The district’s budget is based on 3,005 students this school year.
Kansas Farm Bureau
If you’re like my family, you don’t have much reason or opportunity to have a regular discussion with the people responsible for growing and raising our food. We order our beef from a local meat locker every year and supplement it with occasional trips to a local butcher. Outside of that, all of our food comes from the grocery store.
I recently asked my wife, “When was the last time you talked to a farmer or rancher?” She couldn’t remember the last conversation she had with a farmer. Prior to joining Kansas Farm Bureau, I’d have a similar struggle.
My background is like my wife’s. We are both removed from farm families in rural Kansas, though we grew up on opposite ends of the state. If the two of us have trouble connecting with the people growing our food, I can only imagine the struggles others face.
While our communication might be lacking, one thing that isn’t is our access to food. I can’t think of the last time I left a grocery store without an item I wanted. In fact, I usually buy more than I need – as my waistline indicates.
I’ve heard the repeated pleas for farmers and ranchers to tell their stories. It’s good advice, but any conversation requires at least two participants. While farmers weren’t telling their stories, consumers didn’t exactly burn up the gravel roads to go knocking on farmhouse doors, either.
“When I was a kid in the ’70s and ‘80s no one was talking about telling our story to the consumer,” Greenwood County rancher Matt Perrier said. “We figured they didn’t care, or they knew it already. I think we were sorely mistaken.”
The fifth-generation stockman said as fewer and fewer people grew and raised food, it left a void between farmers and shoppers. Lacking the direct knowledge, consumers glommed onto any morsel of information they could.
“I think that it’s kind of the perfect storm between one, the small percentage of people who actually raise our food and consequently the small percentage of people who know any of us, coupled with this whole foodie movement … has made people passionate about food, and the story behind the food,” Perrier said. “These people on TV, their recipes aren’t any better than the Methodist Church ladies’ cookbook, but they tell a story to go along with it.”
Fifty or 100 years ago, people could have just asked grandma where their food came from, Perrier said. Because there are fewer farmers around, people have instead turned to social media.
“Consequently, the people who do want to tell a story about animal agriculture or agriculture in general, they are probably the loudest storytellers of all,” Perrier said. “Quite often that’s not a story that’s very representative of most of our farms and ranches in America.”
It’s a compelling one. Through a combination of technology and market efficiency, all consumers see is what appears to be an endless supply of food.
“When you don’t have to face the option of, ‘Do we have something to eat or don’t we?’ we get pretty picky,” Perrier said.
Picky or not, today’s farmers and ranchers are doing a better job of reaching consumers, Perrier said.
“We can tell it very well,” he said. “We just have to do it.”
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies – today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding $1,259,650 in Quality Improvement Awards to 18 health centers in Kansas. Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Kansas health centers will use these awards to improve the quality, efficiency and value of the health care they provide.
“Health centers across Kansas provide an invaluable service to their communities, and the healthcare professionals they employ are committed to improving outcomes for Kansans,” said Sen. Moran. “This HHS grant funding will make certain these centers have the resources to continue providing high-quality care. I’m pleased to support the work of these health centers and will continue to work with HHS and health center leadership to advance the wellness of Kansans.”
Kansas Health Center Quality Improvement FY2019 Grant Recipients:
· Atchison Community Health Clinic, Atchison
· Cowley County Community Health Center, Winfield
· Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg
· First Care Clinic, Hays
· Flint Hills Community Health Center, Emporia
· GraceMed Health Clinic, Wichita
· Health Ministries Clinic, Newton
· Health Partnership Clinic, Olathe
· HealthCore Clinic, Wichita
· Heart of Kansas Family Health Care, Great Bend
· Heartland Medical Clinic, Lawrence
· Kansas State Department of Health & Environment, Topeka
· Konza Prairie Community Health & Dental Center, Junction City
· Prairie Star Health Center, Hutchinson
· Salina Health Education Foundation, Salina
· County of Sheridan, Kan., Sheridan
· Hunter Health Clinic, Wichita
· United Methodist Western Kansas
Click here for more information on these grants.
By providing patients access to high quality, value-based care, health centers are uniquely positioned to meet the nation’s most pressing health care needs, as well as emerging health priorities. HRSA-funded health centers are the first line of care in combatting the nation’s opioid crisis. In 2018, health centers screened nearly 1.1 million people for substance use disorder and ultimately provided medication-assisted treatment to nearly 95,000 patients nationwide.
HRSA-funded health centers are also playing an important role in the White House Initiative Ending the HIV Epidemic by serving as a key point of entry for the detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of HIV. In 2018 alone, health centers provided over 2.4 million HIV tests to more than two million patients. Nationwide, health centers provide care to 1 in 6 patients diagnosed with HIV.
HRSA’s Quality Improvement Awards recognize the work that health centers do to address health priorities by designating health centers that ranked in the top 1-2 percent in one or more key areas – behavioral health, diabetes prevention and management and heart health – as National Quality Leaders. The top 30 percent of health centers that achieve the best overall clinical performance receive designation as Health Center Quality Leaders.
These awards also recognize health center achievements in other areas, including improving cost-efficient care delivery while also increasing quality of care, reducing health disparities, increasing both the number of patients served and patients’ ability to access comprehensive services, advancing the use of health information technology, and delivering patient-centered care.
For more than 50 years, health centers have delivered affordable, accessible, quality and cost-effective primary health care services to patients. Today, nearly 1,400 health centers operate approximately 12,000 service delivery sites that provide care to more than 28 million patients nationwide.
CITY OF HAYS
The city of Hays Water Resources Department has contracted with Pro-Pipe to conduct sewer line cleaning and inspections at the locations shown on the map below.
Cleaning will begin Wednesday, August 21, 2019. Pro-Pipe should be completed with the entire project on Friday, November 1, 2019.
Door hanger notices will be placed on homes and businesses affected prior to cleaning.Work will begin at the North end of the project area and proceed South until completed. During this process, residents may experience a rumbling sound, in addition to the possibility of water entering your sink, bathtub and/or toilet. Sewer lines can develop air pressure or a partial vacuum from the cleaning process.
If you will not be home or on vacation during the time of sewer line cleaning, please protect your home by keeping your toilet lids down.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Pro-Pipe’s project manager at 909-568-7070 or the Water Resources Dept. at 785-628-7380.
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
UPDATE 12:15 p.m.:
A single-engine agricultural biplane crashed south of Hays Tuesday morning killing the pilot shortly after taking off from his private runway about a mile west of Schoenchen.
The pilot was identified as John Werth, 70, Schoenchen, who died in the crash according to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman.
“At about 9:15 a.m. he took off from his runway, on his farm,” Hileman said. “Not long after that, the plane crashed into a ditch about a mile north of the end of his runway.”
The crash is near the intersection of Smoky Hill River Rd. and 240th Ave.
Smoky Hill River Rd. will remain closed from 220th Ave. to 240th Ave. through Wednesday as the accident is investigated.
A KHP pilot will lead the crash investigation until the Federal Aviation Administration arrives to determine the cause of the crash, according to Hileman.
Deputies from the Ellis County Sherrif’s office and Ellis County EMS were also assisting at the scene.
The plane was identified as an Ag Cat 1985 bi-wing spray plane and was carrying chemicals for spraying at the time off take off.
The Ellis County Fire Department was on scene and was responsible for chemical cleanup, according to Hileman.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board approved its 2020 budget Monday night after a brief budget hearing.
The $52 million budget is up from last school year’s budget, which was $43.9 million. The budget includes an increase in state funding and a slight decrease in the mill levy, which Keith Hall, interim director of finance, attributed to an increase in the district’s assessed valuation.
The total mill levy for 2019-20 will be 42.116 mills, which is down from last year’s 42.792 mills. The capital outlay mill levy remains at 8 mills.
Hall said the district hopes to increase salaries this year and increase cash balances in some of its funds. However, the school board has yet to complete negotiations with the district’s teachers union.
“You can see the state came through with the increase funds they have been talking about in the general fund … Surprisingly with the transfers we would like to make for our cash balances in some of our funds as well as possible salary increases, the additional funds, which we are certainly delighted to have and receive, do not go as far as one would think,” Hall said.
State revenue is estimated to increase by about $3.5 million this year. The final number will be based on enrollment, which will be recorded in September. Superintendent Ron Wilson told the commission Monday night the district is estimating enrollment at about 3,000 students based on the number of enrollment forms that have been turned in to date.
Federal revenue was up by more than $3 million, but that included the $1.47 million federal grant the district received to remodel the Oak Park Complex for use by Early Childhood Connections. ECC moved into all but one of the buildings this summer, and classes started in the new facility this week.
The Recreation Commission mill levy, which is run through the school district, was reduced from what was published. Instead of 1.418 mills., the rec mill levy will be .707 mills.
Before approving the budget, the hearing was opened to any comments from the public. No comments were offered.
They also recognized members of the custodial crew who worked late Tuesday night and over the weekend to clean up after the storms.
The Learning Center has temporarily moved its classes to the former Washington school. The area that the center uses in the basement of Rockwell Administration Center was flooded Tuesday night and again over the weekend. Wilson said three inches of water was standing in the basement.
He said the district will be working on a tuck pointing project in attempts to keep the water out of that area. Until the district can ensure the area will stay dry, students will meet at Washington. That school was recently vacated when ECC moved to its new home at the remodeled Oak Park Complex on 13th Street.
In other business, the board:
Friends,
I want to thank Tyson for its commitment to rebuild its beef plant in Holcomb, following last weekend’s devastating fire. This is good news not only for the plant’s 3,500-plus employees, but for Kansas farmers and ranchers. Tyson is a major employer in southwest Kansas, responsible for millions of dollars in payroll and economic impact annually.
I was in Finney County Tuesday to personally thank the fire crews in both Garden City and Holcomb, as well as all first responders who assisted with the fire. I am thankful no one was hurt, and will continue to keep first responders and Tyson employees on the forefront of my mind as rebuilding moves forward.
American Wind Week
I received a tour of NextEra wind turbine in Cimarron as part of American Wind Week, a celebration of American wind energy and the benefits it delivers to communities. Kansas is home to nearly 3,000 wind turbines that produce enough electricity to power about 1.7 million homes.
Last year, Kansas generated 36% of its electricity from wind power, ranking first in the nation for wind energy as a share of total electricity generation. Wind power creates economic opportunities for rural communities across America, paying more than $1 billion in state and local taxes and land lease payments every year, which supports our schools and local infrastructure.
$587 Million to Aid Communities Impacted by Natural Disasters
Nearly 70 counties across Kansas are now covered by the Presidential disaster declaration issued in response to the terrible flooding and damage caused by storms this spring.
In response to the ongoing need for recovery assistance, the Economic Development Agency under the Department of Commerce announced the availability of disaster grants to impacted communities.
Through their Economic Adjustment Assistance Program, supplemental funding of $587 million will be available to support disaster recovery and resiliency efforts. This assistance comes in addition to resources available through the U.S. Small Business Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
While there are no application deadlines for this assistance, proposals should be based on long-term, regionally-oriented, and collaborative development strategies that foster economic growth and resilience. Disaster recovery projects must be consistent with the U.S. Department of Commerce Disaster Recovery Investment Priorities.
Hours of Service Update for Livestock Haulers
Livestock haulers across the country have the difficult task of ensuring motorist safety while also tending to the health and welfare of the animals being transported. However, “Hours of Service” regulations for these drivers lack the flexibility needed to address the unique challenges posed by transporting these commodities.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published their proposal for updating existing “Hours of Service” rules. FMCSA’s proposal will change the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers, modifying the maximum on-duty periods and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate. These changes will provide greater flexibility for livestock haulers as they work to safely, efficiently, and humanely transport these goods to market.
The public comment period will be open for 45 days, and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as well as information on how to submit comments can be found Here.
Kansas Hospital Association Health Care Roundtable
I took part in a Kansas Hospital Association Roundtable, hosted by Pawnee Valley Community Hospital in Larned, to discuss solutions to issues affecting communities and hospitals across my district. This was a valuable opportunity to gather with Kansas health care leaders to discuss issues impacting patients and providers in Kansas, including the 340B program, surprise billing, alternative rural health models, mental health care, and the opioid epidemic.
Also taking part in the conversation were representatives for the University of Kansas Health Systems, Clara Barton Hospital, Rice County District Hospital, Ellsworth County Medical Center, Kearney County Hospital, Lindsborg Community Hospital, University of Kansas Health Systems Great Bend Campus, and University of Kansas Health Systems Pawnee Valley Campus.
Thank you Kansas Hospital Association and Pawnee Valley Community Hospital for hosting this group in pursuit of our shared goal of improving health care in Kansas.
Great Bend Company Receives Industry Award from EPA
R&S Digital Services, a full-service Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping company in Great Bend, was recently selected to receive an Industry Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for its work in emergency planning in the wake of several natural disasters in Kansas.
In 2007, in the hours immediately following a devastating F-5 tornado which destroyed most of Greensburg, R&S suspended work on all other projects to produce maps for search and rescue efforts and to ascertain the damage. R&S Digital Services prepared a base map for the city and all sections affected by the path of the tornado, and expeditiously completed maps which were of critical importance to responders. Bruce Schneider, President of R&S, waived all fees associated with the work, and stated “We were moved by the tragedy in Greensburg. I was never more proud of my staff.” Additionally, in 2016 and 2018, R&S provided GIS assistance in response to tornado strikes in Eureka.
Thank you to Bruce Schneider and the team at R&S Digital Services for your remarkable service to Kansas communities, and congratulations on this honor!
Visiting Miller Dairy
I had the opportunity to visit Miller Dairy outside Hutchinson, Kan. The Millers milk about 300 Holstein cows and are members of the Midwest Dairy organization, which works on behalf of dairy farmers to promote milk and dairy products.
Drinking milk is part of a nutritionally balanced diet and I have long advocated for whole milk to return to school meals. Milk delivers calcium to the body, which is essential for nutrient absorption and strong bones.
I had the opportunity to feed a day-old calf and learn how to milk a cow, using modern equipment. I will continue to support the milk checkoff program and advocate for the consumption of milk both domestically and abroad.
Eisenhower Sculpture Displayed in Italy
This month, the city of Pietrasanta, Italy, unveiled several sculptures commemorating former U.S. President and Kansas native, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Inspired by the famous photograph of General Eisenhower with the 101st Airborne paratroopers on the eve of D-Day, the statues will be displayed for three weeks before being moved to a memorial site for installation later this year.
During World War II, Pietrasanta was strategically situated on the Gothic line—a German defensive fortification—in northern Italy. It was here where U.S. troops fought during the final Allied offensive of the Italian Campaign in spring 1945.
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
