By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

WAKEENEY — Rob Todd of Wyoming was cruising along Interstate 70 when he slammed on his brakes and shot off the west exit at WaKeeney.

He couldn't believe his eyes. He was looking at an F-14 Tomcat just like the ones he helped launch when he worked on the deck of a carrier when he was in the Navy.

However, as he ran his hand along the fuselage of the mighty warbird he said he almost began to cry.

The plane, which was on display in this rural Kansas community in honor of its nearby veteran's cemetery, had been severely damaged in a hail storm.

Todd was determined to get the plane repaired.

The F-14 was loaned to WaKeeney in 2006. The then-mayor of WaKeeney helped raise $40,000 to have the plane shipped to WaKeeney where it has been on display at Eisenhower Park right off Interstate 70 ever since.

The F-14 Tomcat was the premier fighter aircraft for the U.S. Navy, beginning at the end of the Vietnam War until 2006. It was the famed fighter that was flown by Tom Cruise's character in "Top Gun" and again in a portion of the movie "Top Gun: Maverick."

<a href="https://archive.hayspost.com/2017/08/10/wakeeney-residents-begin-cleanup-after-thursday-storm/">Fast forward to August 2017, a storm dropped softball size hail on WaKeeney. Although the F-14 is made of titanium alloys, it sustained significant damage during that storm.</a>

None of that damage was repaired, and the plane has been allowed to further deteriorate.

"This is American history," said Todd, who is also a co-host of a radio show on the F-14. "It's naval aviation history. This is a warbird. It fought in operation Preying Mantis in the '80s against Lybia. It represents veterans. It represents this community. 

"It represents everyone who worked on this aircraft, who sacrificed their lives for this aircraft. You want to preserve that history."&nbsp;

He was determined to have the plane repaired. However, there was a snag. The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla., still owned the plane and did not want to approve the funds necessary to repair it.

Todd began writing emails demanding repairs for the plane until he was writing multiple emails per day. This went on for years. Finally, the naval museum relented and has now given the OK for Todd to pursue fundraising to make repairs to the aircraft.

WaKeeney's F-14 served in the U.S. Navy from March 1980 until November 1998.&nbsp; It was part of several strike force fighter squadrons as well as fleet replacement squadrons. These included The Black Lions, Black Knights, Gun Fighters, Black Aces and Grim Reapers.

While serving in 1995, this aircraft carried commemorative markings for The Sundowners. The F-14 sat at a U.S. Navy Reserve station in Texas for five years before it was awarded to WaKeeney.

Lorenzo Bencini, F-14 Radio show producer,&nbsp; described the power of the F-14. A pilot who flew over Irag in the F-14 was recently on the F-14 radio show. He told of being on one side of Iraq and getting a call about troops in trouble on the opposite side of the country near the border with Syria.

The F-14 has a top speed of more than 1,500 mph. The pilot flew full throttle, crossed the entire country in about 12 minutes, dropped bombs to cover the troops on the ground and still had enough fuel to get home.

"No other plane in our inventory could have done that and today we still have that gap," he said.

The WaKeeney F-14 was dismantled and transported by truck to Kansas. This was no small feat considering the F-14's size—40,000 pounds and 62 feet long with more than a 30-foot wing span.

After it finally arrived in WaKeeney, a team of four retired military men from Virginia rebuilt the plane in a downtown parking lot. A large crane was brought in to unload the plane from the trailer. The jet became the center of attention in downtown Wakeeney while it was being rebuilt. Locals brought their lawn chairs and sat and watched for hours.&nbsp;

"I think it's important for WaKeeney to have this because we are right along I-70 and it reminds people of what we have gone through as a country to maintain our freedoms," said Lynelle Shubert, director of WaKeeney Travel and Tourism.

"This jet has fought for that freedom," Todd added.

When F-14s were retired from service, the U.S. had concerns enemies would begin to acquire the spare parts through the black market.&nbsp;Museums and memorials are now the only places where the U.S. F-14s survive.

In short, there aren't a lot of spare parts lying around for F-14s. Todd said the goal of restoration is not to make the F-14 flight worthy. The engines and other key components of the plane have already been removed. Finding the rare and expensive alloys used to build the plane is impractical.

The goal is to restore the plane using available materials to better represent its history and service as well as preserve it for future generations.

Much of the plane has been dented by hail. The canopy has been cracked. The whole plane needs to be repainted. The wind also forced the plane off of its platform.

Todd estimates the repairs will cost at least $150,000. The project will have a little bit of money from insurance because of the hail storm.

The project  likely will take at least a year and a half but could be completed in phases, Todd said.

Todd is trying to rally support through the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCY6oENeWNlHhRinkQzQEMw">F-14 Tomcat ATG Radio Show</a>, which is produced out of Long Island where the F-14 was manufactured.

Todd is raising funds for the restoration through a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/fighting-213-f14a-tomcat-restoration">GoFundMe</a> account under Fighting 213 F14A Tomcat Restoration. He also is recruiting craftsmen who either served in the Navy or worked in the manufacturing plants that built the planes.

You can also follow the show and the restoration progress on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/F14tomcatpodcast">F-14 Tomcat ATG Radio Show's Facebook page</a>.

F-14 fans near, far seek to restore WaKeeney warbird

&nbsp;Submit events to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:admin@hayspost.com">admin@hayspost.com</a>. Cover photo courtesy Pixabay

Community Calendar

<a href="https://postpodcast.podbean.com/">For more about the Post Podcast, including a full list of episodes and episode transcripts click here.</a>

🎙 The latest from the Post Podcast

On Sunday, April 16, at 3 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, 2703 Fort, Hays, will be holding an Easter service in the German language.&nbsp; 

This service is much the same as the services that were held by the Lutheran Russian-German immigrants who came to Ellis, Barton and Russell counties.&nbsp; 

The service will be led by Rev. Delvin Strecker, whose family emigrated to the Barton county area of Kansas from the Lutheran area along the Volga River in Russia. He grew up speaking the Volga German dialect but learned to speak High German and was a high school German teacher until he retired and went to seminary.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Even though the Volga Germans who came to this area did not speak High German, the worship services were held in High German because their hymnals, catechisms and Bibles were written in High German.&nbsp; Pastor Strecker’s sermon will be in High German but he will conclude his sermon making some comments in the Volga German dialect. Come join us as we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord using the German language. There will be a time for fellowship following the service.&nbsp; 

Komm danket dem Heiland mit freudigen Zungen!

German worship service upcoming at Trinity Lutheran

The new and improved Hays Post native app for iOS and Android devices is now available FREE for your mobile device. And you'll never have to hunt for it in the shrubs '-)

<a href="https://hayspost.com/download">Click HERE to download from the App Store or Google Play.</a>

📲 Hays Post app available on App Store, Google Play

The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Monday in the area of Hall St. to Oak St. between 7th St. and 17th St. also Vine St. to Canterbury Dr. between 22nd St. and 33rd St. 

This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.&nbsp;

Fire hydrant flushing, inspections continue this week by Hays Fire Dept. 

The Victoria Knights of Columbus will be holding their final Lenten Fish Fry on Friday, March 31, beginning at 5 p.m. at the VFW Hall. 

 Serving will be Deep Fried Pollock, Fried Noodles and Beans, Cole Slaw, Baked Potatoes, Bread and all the trimmings.

Victoria K of C fish dry will be Friday

The successes of tomorrow begin today, Catholic education is a lifetime advantage.

Catholic schools...schools you can believe in.

Holy Family Elementary weekly update

The forum will serve as an opportunity for residents of all ages to come together to ask questions about the disease, share their personal experiences, learn about available resources and discover volunteer opportunities to support families affected by the disease.

Alzheimer's dementia the topic of community conversation in Hays

GREAT BEND - The Barton Music Department will treat the community to the breathtaking piano playing of Chiara D’Odorico at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in the Fine Arts Auditorium, Barton Community College. Admission is free.

She will be presenting a program of Paraguayan classical music and will be joined by Argentinian pianist David Lonardi for some four-hand numbers. D’Odorico is from Paraguay and has played all over the world with numerous groups including the world-famous Orquesta Sinfonica de la Ciudad de Asuncion. She has performed in Brazil, Colombia, U.S., Italy, France, The Vatican, Spain, Austria, Russia, South Africa, Lebanon, and India. Some of the most distinguished venues include The Kennedy Center, Palácio Foz, Salón Dorado del Teatro Colón, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, National Gallery of Canada, Palazzo Capizucchi, and Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.&nbsp;

D'Odorico has two albums that have been released: “Purahéi che retãgua” (nominated for the 2020 Gardel Awards for Best Classical Music Album) and “Ofrenda a mi tierra” with the aim of disseminating Paraguayan academic music. She will have CDs for purchase after the concert.

For more information, please contact Instructor of Keyboard Studies and Director of Accompaniment Alejandro Avila at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:avilaal@bartonccc.edu">avilaal@bartonccc.edu</a>&nbsp;or (620) 792-9384.

International pianist Chiara D’Odorico to perform at Barton Community College 

TOPEKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly announced five appointments and two reappointments to the following board, councils, and commissions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Information Network of KS Board of Directors Purpose: The Information Network of Kansas (INK) was created by an act of the Kansas State Legislature (K.S.A. 74-9302) in 1990 to provide Kansans equal electronic access to state, county, local and other public information.

Coordinating Council on Early Childhood Developmental Services Purpose: Solicit information and opinions from concerned agencies, groups and individuals on proposed policies and recommendations for the delivery of health, education, and social services for young children from birth through age five with or at risk for disabling conditions and for their families.

Commission on Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Purpose: The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training (KS·CPOST) is a 12-member body appointed by the Governor that oversees law enforcement training in the State of Kansas.

911 Coordinating Council Purpose: To monitor the delivery of 911 services, develop strategies for future enhancements to the 911 system and distribute available grant funds to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

W. Kansas resident appointed to state 911 Coordinating Council

The NCK Technical College held its 19th annual GMAW welding competition. The college division was March 1. The high school competition was March 2 and 3. Participants for the college competition included NCKTC- Beloit, NCKTC-Hays, Salina Area Technical College, Hutchinson Community College, Central Community College- Hastings, NE, Central Community College- Columbus, NE, and Central Community College, Grand Island, NE.

The competition allows students the opportunity to demonstrate their blueprint reading skills to fabricate various weldments and showcase their ability to weld in all positions using the GMAW process. A written test is also given to evaluate their technical knowledge of the GMAW process. Blueprints were developed by Matt Brown and Derek Larimore of Caterpillar Work Tools in Wamego and the written test was developed by Wes Mosier. The blueprints and test were presented to the students the day of the competition to ensure a fair and equitable contest. Weld inspection was done by Certified Welding Inspectors, advisory members and industry professionals.

Machines were donated by Lincoln Electric, Miller Electric, and wire was donated by ESAB electric. Matheson Gas supplied shielding gas, Caterpillar Work Tools of Wamego, AG-CO Beloit and&nbsp;Bohnert&nbsp;welding supplied the metal. Prizes were donated by Matheson of Hastings, NE, AG-CO Beloit, Lincoln Electric, Miller Electric, Winkel Manufacturing- Glen Elder, Outlaw Leather,&nbsp;Markal, Benchmark Abrasives, Everlast, Blue Demon and Webber Gross Welding-&nbsp;Bazine, KS.

The College competition held Wednesday, March 1 went well for NCK Tech of Beloit, with 7 students in the top ten. 1st- Brayden Doughman- (NCKTC) Canton, 2nd- Hunter Teasley- (NCKTC) Pratt, 3rd- Gunner Sheetz- (NCKTC)&nbsp;Belleville, 4th- Ross&nbsp;Eckroat- (NCKTC) Hays, 5th- Colten Bohlen- CCC Hastings, 6th- Evan Claassen- (NCKTC) Whitewater, 7th- Eli Schmidt- (NCKTC) Junction City, 8th- Alexis Gutierrez-CCC Columbus, 9th- Aiden Bock- CCC Hastings, 10th-&nbsp;Mavrik&nbsp;Griffin- (NCKTC) Minneapolis.

Thursday, March 2, and Friday, March 3, the high school competition was held with 48 schools and 167 competitors from Kansas and Nebraska. The high school students have drastically improved over the past years and did a fantastic job of showcasing their blueprint reading and welding ability.

Individual placings were: 1st- Jesse&nbsp;Gillgannon- Seaman, 2nd- Bradley&nbsp;Bogert- Quinter Tech, 3rd- Michael&nbsp;McConnaughy- Sterling, 4th- Connor Griffith- Salina Tech, 5th- Dane Free- Salina Tech, 6th- Brennen&nbsp;Newbrey- Gothenburg, 7th- Kevin Salazar- Salina Tech, 8th- Mason Herrick- McPherson, 9th- Jace&nbsp;Schowengerdt- Salina Central, 10th- Riley Gillespie- Quinter Tech.

Top three teams were 1- Salina Tech, 2- Quinter Tech, 3- Deshler, NE.

The competition is not possible without the great support of various business and industry leaders along with volunteers from NCK Tech.

NCK Tech holds 19th annual GMAW welding competition

On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger and Cottonwood Extension district agent Stacy Campbell, discuss area resources for plants and landscaping in Ellis County.

🎙 Post Podcast: As spring approaches area resources available for plants and landscaping

TREGO COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday in Trego County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Hyundai passenger vehicle driven by David Lee Allen, 57, Sherman, Texas, was westbound on Interstate 70 just west of the Ogallah exit.

The driver attempted to pass a 2106 Ford Escape driven by Clayton James Sargent, 24, Canton.&nbsp; Allen lost control of the Hyundai. It struck the Ford and then collided with a guardrail.

EMS transported a passenger in the Hyundai Chong&nbsp; Allen, 59, Sherman, Texas, to the Trego County Hospital. The drivers were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

One hospitalized after 2-vehicle I-70 crash

🎥⚾️🥎 Watch This Week's Tiger Talk

Crude prices are rising from 15-month lows. Friday's settlement price for near-month light sweet crude on the Nymex dropped 70 cents to $69.26 per barrel, $3 higher than a week earlier. In morning trading Monday that contract gained more than a dollar, trading over $70 per barrel. London Brent was over $76 per barrel. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at $59.50 per barrel. US Crude inventories increased by 1.1 million barrels per day in the week through March 17. Stockpiles (not including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) reached 481.2 million barrels. The government says inventories are about eight percent above the five-year average for this time of year. The government has been underreporting supplies and overstating the final disposition of crude in the US. In a report last week, the Energy Information Administration said that in order to address growing differences between supply and disposition they are making some changes to their surveys and to their calculations. The agency said the problems stem from tallies of unfinished oils used for field blending. A first-in-the-nation bill to investigate and punish oil companies for price gouging at the gas pump breezed through the California Senate, the first major vote in an effort to pass the law by the end of the month. The bill would let a five-member panel decide whether to impose civil penalties on oil companies for price gouging. The commission would rely on a new state agency with the power to subpoena oil executives and force companies to disclose financial information. The proposal is a response to price increases last summer, when a gallon of regular gasoline in California soared to a record high average price of $6.44. Drivers in some places paid as much as $8 per gallon, prompting widespread outrage. US regulators last week approved Canadian Pacific's $31 billion purchase of US carrier Kansas City Southern, creating a North American rail network stretching from Canada to Mexico. The US Surface Transportation Board voted 4-1 in favor of the merger, enabling the two Class I railroads to combine into a new one, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The merger joins CP's operations in Canada, the US Midwest and the US northeast with KCS' operations in the south-central US and Mexico. Total US railroad freight traffic is down more than seven percent in the US compared to a year ago. In the most recent tally from the Association of American Railroads, US operators moved 9,563 tanker carloads of petroleum and petroleum products. Canadian shippers added 8,196 carloads while Mexico notched 2,057. Operators last week completed 12 new wells in eastern Kansas and 20 in the western half of the state, including two in Barton County, one in Ellis County and two in Stafford County. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 471 well-completions so far this year, compared to 374 a year ago at this time.&nbsp; Kansas regulators okayed 14 new drilling permits last week, with two east of Wichita and 12 in Western Kansas, including one in Russell County. That's 296 new drilling locations so far this year, compared to 336 a year ago. The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes showed 758 active rigs nationwide on Friday, an increase of four oil rigs. The count in New Mexico was up two, Texas was up one and Oklahoma was down one rig.&nbsp; A weekly government report shows US operators pumping more than 12.3 million barrels of crude oil per day. The Energy Information Administration reports output was 103,000 barrels per day higher than a week earlier, and more than 700,000 barrels per day higher than a year ago. US crude imports averaged 6.2 million barrels per day, down 45,000 barrels per day from the week before. The four-week average is down slightly from from a year earlier. Russia tops Saudi Arabia as China’s top oil supplier for the second month in a row in February. Chinese government reports show arrivals from Russia were up 23 percent, while flows from Saudi Arabia dropped 29 percent to the lowest level since last June. The Oil Minister of Venezuela resigned amid a growing corruption probe into the state-owned oil company. The government did not immediately name a replacement nor confirm it had accepted the resignation. Numerous public officials were arrested in weekend raids in the wake of claims that the country is missing between $3 billion and $5 billion in cryptocurrency.

News From the Oil Patch: California anti-gouging bill advances

FHSU’s Muslim Student Association will host an event to provide information about Ramadan in the Memorial Union Ballroom from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday. During the event, students will answer questions about fasting, the origin of Ramadan, and its observation.

Following the presentation will be a breaking of the fast. Due to limited seating, food for the event is limited to the first 40 attendees. All are invited to attend.

For more information about the event, contact Diane Hernandez,&nbsp;<a href="mailto:dmhernandez.se@fhsu.edu">dmhernandez.se@fhsu.edu</a>

Ramadan feast planned for Wednesday evening at Fort Hays State

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/category/obituaries">HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners.

Hays Post is honored to publish full obituaries and photos at no cost to families.

Recent obituaries and service times

TOPEKA&nbsp; — U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;State Director&nbsp;Christy Davis&nbsp;last week announced&nbsp;the availability of grants to help&nbsp;people repair&nbsp;their&nbsp;homes&nbsp;that were damaged by&nbsp;snow storms or wild fires in 2022.&nbsp;

The homes must be&nbsp;located in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations">presidentially declared disaster areas</a>.&nbsp;People living in&nbsp;22 counties&nbsp;in&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;are eligible for the funding.

“When an unexpected crisis&nbsp;impacts&nbsp;our lives, it reminds us of our connection to our communities and to the places we call home,”&nbsp;Davis&nbsp;said. “That’s why the&nbsp;USDA stands ready to help&nbsp;people across rural&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;access the resources they need to&nbsp;rebuild their homes, their communities and&nbsp;their lives.”

The grants are being made available through supplemental disaster funding under theRural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program.&nbsp;Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from USDA to repair their homes.&nbsp;

Funds will be available until expended.&nbsp;They&nbsp;may be used to:

•pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a Presidentally declared disasters in calendar year 2022 •prepare a site for a manufactured home •relocate a manufactured home.

•applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/RD-DirectLimitMap.pdf">low-limits</a>&nbsp;based on their household size and county. •&nbsp;homes must be located in an&nbsp;<a href="https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do">eligible rural area.</a> <a href="https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do"></a>•homes must be located in a Presidentially declared disaster areas2022.

For more information&nbsp;on how to apply, contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:KSDirect@ks.usda.gov">KSDirect@ks.usda.gov</a>.

Residents in the&nbsp;following counties&nbsp;may be&nbsp;eligible for the funding:

Barton&nbsp; Clark&nbsp; Comanche&nbsp; Edwards&nbsp; Ellis&nbsp; Ford&nbsp; Graham&nbsp; Gray&nbsp; Harvey&nbsp; Hodgeman&nbsp; Kiowa&nbsp; Lane&nbsp; Meade&nbsp; Ness&nbsp; Pawnee&nbsp; Phillips&nbsp; Reno&nbsp; Rooks&nbsp; Rush&nbsp; Stafford&nbsp; Trego&nbsp; Wallace

Grants available in NW Kan. for those affected by 2022 disasters

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

Traffic will greatly increase on East 13th Street when the new Hays High School is built just east of the current building and the existing facility is reconstructed as Hays Middle School.

City commissioners unanimously approved three agenda items during their meeting last week to improve that traffic flow.

The Hays USD 489 property where the new high school will be built, 2500 East 13th, was annexed into the city and rezoned from agriculture district to public institutional district.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A $120,000 design contract with MKEC Engineering of Overland Park - which is already working with the school district on the high school project - was approved for reconstructing and widening 13th Street between Anthony Drive and Commerce Parkway. The 3,5oo ft. segment is currently maintained by Ellis County and is an arterial road, carrying about 3,500 vehicles per day.

The street will be widened to 36 ft. when completed, according to Jesse Rohr, public works director.

"The street itself is currently two lanes wide, asphalt, with no shoulders," Rohr said.&nbsp;

"When we're done we intend on having a three-lane asphalt street there with three-foot shoulders. We will also extend the pedestrian and multi-use path along the north side of the street. It will extend the full length of the project and be eight-foot wide going out to Commerce Parkway."

Rohr expects design to begin this spring with bid letting by the end of the year. Construction would start in the spring of 2024 and be completed by the end of next year.&nbsp;

Although concrete is now being used to build most city streets, Rohr said the existing asphalt road is in good shape and so it will remain asphalt.&nbsp;

Total estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million.

The city received a Kansas Department of Transportation cost share grant to cover $1.2 million of the cost. The city's share of $750,000 is included in the capital improvement plan in the 2023 budget. Ellis County has budgeted $500,000 in participating funds.&nbsp;

Commissioner Sandy Jacobs commended the financial partnership between the city and county for the reconstruction project.&nbsp;

"It's going to be very necessary with the new school and the middle school moving out there," Jacobs said. "I just appreciate the commitment from the county."&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Not only for the school district, it's time [to widen the street] for the city, for the county, for all the people living out there, and new housing," Commissioner Shaun Musil added.

Once completed, the city will take ownership of the road section and be responsible for its maintenance.&nbsp;

Ron Wilson, USD 489 Superintendent, was in the audience and told commissioners the district improvements financed by the new bond issue are "on pace."

In other business, commissioners approved a $3.2 million bid from RDH Electric &amp; Construction, Hays, for construction of a new building at the south end of the hanger area to house the airport's snow removal equipment. The current building was constructed in 1996 when Hays Regional Airport had just two pieces of snow removal equipment.&nbsp; There are now seven pieces in the fleet. The bid was below the engineer's estimate.

The building project and the associated construction engineering contract with Burns &amp; McDonnell for $385,000 are both eligible for a 90/10 match with the Federal Aviation Administration.&nbsp;

Total project cost is $3.95 million dollars with the city's share being $456,000.&nbsp;

Once the FAA grants are awarded, construction could begin as early as this summer.

In other business, commissioners approved the low bid of $321,000 from Mayer Specialty Services, Goddard, for lining 10,000 linear feet of 8-inch sanitary sewer line.&nbsp; Cleaning and inspection of sewer lines has been performed by contractors annually since 2013.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A public hearing, which brought no comments, was held for special assessments of  water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and street improvements in the King's Gate 2nd Addition Improvement District.&nbsp;

The 22 homeowners' assessments will be $21,363 per lot.

At the start of the meeting, one agenda item, a nuisance abatement for 1700 Marshall Road, was removed by Mayor Mason Ruder with no comment.

Commissioner Reese Barrick was absent from the meeting.

🎥 Anticipating increased school traffic, East 13th Street to be widened in Hays

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Fort Hays State saw its win streak reach nine games behind a no-hitter by&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/morgan-schmidt/7087">Morgan Schmidt</a>&nbsp;in the first game of a doubleheader at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday. It was the 14th&nbsp;no-hitter in the program's NCAA Division II history in a 4-0 win by the Tigers. However, the season's longest winning string came to an end in the second contest as the Tigers fell 4-2. FHSU moved to 22-11 overall, while SWOSU moved to 7-27 overall. Game 1: Fort Hays State 4, Southwestern Oklahoma State 0 <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/morgan-schmidt/7087">Morgan Schmidt</a>&nbsp;had not seen action in the pitching circle for just over two weeks, but returned with a bang by throwing the 14th&nbsp;no-hitter in Fort Hays State Softball's NCAA Division II history. After retiring the first seven batter of the game, she allowed just one walk to the second batter of the third inning for SWOSU. Following that, she retired 14 consecutive batters on the way to her first career no-no. Schmidt holds a high strikeout rate in the circle this year, averaging 12.32 per seven innings entering Tuesday. However, she did not need very many punchouts in this contest, finishing with just three. Eleven of the outs were flyouts and seven were groundouts. She threw 91 pitches. Schmidt has two complete games this season and both have been against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She threw a five-inning shutout against the Bulldogs in a 12-0 run-rule win in Wichita Falls, Texas back on February 11. Schmidt's no-hitter was the first since Michaelanne Nelson's 8-inning no-hitter against Oklahoma Baptist back on February 16, 2020 in Oklahoma City. The last three FHSU no-hitters have been thrown in the state of Oklahoma as Paxton Duran threw a no-no at Northeastern State in Tahlequah back on March 21, 2014. Schmidt is the seventh individual to join the individual no-hitter club at FHSU. Six of the seven have all thrown one, while Maddie Holub threw seven in her career. Head coach Adrian (Mohr) Pilkington joined Holub for the only combined no-hitter in the program's NCAA Division II history. The Tigers picked up their first run of the contest in the second inning on a&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/lexi-mohr/7091">Lexi Mohr</a>&nbsp;two-out RBI single.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/lilliana-ramirez-johnson/7093">Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson</a>&nbsp;had an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to make it 2-0. The Tigers picked up another pair of runs in the fifth with two outs. Three walks in the inning loaded the bases before&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/carly-stuke/7096">Carly Stuke</a>&nbsp;hit a single up the middle to plate a pair of runs, pushing the lead to 4-0. Game 2: Southwestern Oklahoma State 4, Fort Hays State 2 Fort Hays State saw its 9-game win streak come to an end in game two as a timely two-out, two-run double by SWOSU in the bottom of the sixth broke a 2-2 tie between the teams. The Tigers got the potential tying run to the plate in the seventh, but the game ended on a flyout. The Bulldogs took its first lead of the game in the second inning, also in a two-out situation. A pair of RBI singles pushed them in front 2-0.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/bailey-carlson/7078">Bailey Carlson</a>&nbsp;relieved&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/emma-montoya/7092">Emma Montoya</a>&nbsp;after just 1.2 innings of work. Montoya struck out four batters, but allowed three hits and three walks in her outing. The Tigers immediately evened the score in the third when&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/peyton-shepard/7094">Peyton Shepard</a>&nbsp;led off with a single and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/sarah-tiffany/7088">Sarah Tiffany</a>&nbsp;walked.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/softball/roster/loren-beggs/7075">Loren Beggs</a>&nbsp;then brought both in to score on an RBI triple to the right field corner. However, not getting Beggs across to score when they had no outs was costly for the Tigers as they went scoreless the remainder of the game. The Tigers had a runner in scoring position in the top of the sixth, but could not come up with a two-out hit to score the run. SWOSU had a pair of two-out scoring chances in the third and fifth innings and went scoreless, but it finally cashed in on its opportunity in the sixth. A two-out walk and single set up Skyla McPhillips' game-deciding double. Carlson worked 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and five walks, while striking out two. Taryn Westbrook threw a complete game for the Bulldogs, allowing six hits and two walks. She struck out four. The Tigers return to MIAA play this weekend in Hays, hosting Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern. The doubleheader with Pittsburg State on Friday begins at 1 p.m., then the doubleheader with Missouri Southern begins at 12 p.m. on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🥎 Schmidt throws no-hitter, Tigers split at SWOSU

GARDEN CITY - The Hays High softball team opened their season 13-6 win over Garden City Tuesday. Aubrey Thomas went the distance in the circle and hit a home run.&nbsp;

Thomas allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits with nine strikeouts and three walks over seven innings. Her three-run homer highlighted the Indians five-run fourth inning which gave them a 6-4 lead.

After the Buffaloes scored two in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 6-6, Hays answered with three in the fifth to take the lead back for good. Avery Solida's sac fly scored Lakyn Zimmerman. Haley Rees then doubled driving in Elle Dreiling.

HHS would add two runs on the sixth on a Riley Dreher double then add two more in the seventh on an error and D Schmidt single.

The Indians grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Dreher double that scored Thomas. Garden City responded with four in the bottom of the inning.

HHS returns to action Friday with a doubleheader at Valley Center.

🥎 HHS wins season opener over Garden City

McPHERSON – The Hays High girls’ soccer team dropped their
first match of the season, losing to Valley Center 2-1 in the semifinals of the
McPherson Invitational. 

Arely Maldonado scored the Indians (2-1) lone goal in the
second half on an assist from Dani Willeford.

The Indians will play Salina South in the third-place game
Friday (March 31) at 2:30pm. The Cougars lost 9-0 to Maize South.

⚽ HHS falls to Valley Center in McPherson Invite semifinals

WICHITA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped game two of their midweek series against the Newman Jets on Tuesday by a score of 14-4 in eight innings. The Jets scored in all but one inning to secure the series win. Newman improved to 13-18 (7-10 MIAA) while FHSU falls to 13-20 (4-13 MIAA). Newman took the lead in the bottom of the first frame and didn't look back. The Jets produced five runs through two innings off Tiger starter&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/andrew-hansen/7259">Andrew Hansen</a>. It wasn't until the top of the third when the Tigers were able to push across their first run.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/ed-scott/6827">Ed Scott</a>&nbsp;started the inning off with a leadoff walk.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/trey-degarmo/7257">Trey DeGarmo</a>&nbsp;found his way on-base via a single to center field. The bases became loaded for the offense after an error by Newman's second baseman.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/emile-boies/7253">Emile Boies</a>&nbsp;pushed Scott around to score with a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-1. The Jets responded right away with single runs in both the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Fort Hays got one more run in the fifth inning after Ural showed off his speed with a triple to left field, followed by another sacrifice fly from Boies. The small dose of momentum came to a quick halt in the bottom of the sixth when the Jets rattled off four more runs off three hits and two Tiger errors to push the score to 11-2. Boies continued to stay hot on the day with a solo home run in the seventh and collected another RBI after a groundout in the eighth. The infielder manned the offense for the Tigers, driving in all four of the team's runs.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/isaiah-ural/7272">Isaiah Ural</a>&nbsp;stretched his hit-streak to seven games and notched his 14th&nbsp;multi-hit game of the season with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate. Newman's starter C Wilson (1-4) picked up his first win of the season on the hill after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing just one earned run. Hansen (1-3) was used for 1.1 innings and was one of six pitchers used throughout the game. The Tigers will finish their midweek series against the Newman Jets on April 11 at Larks Park in Hays. The team will return home to Larks Park this weekend (Mar. 31-April 2) as they welcome in the frontrunner in the MIAA, the Missouri Southern State Lions. The three-game conference series is set to start at 1 p.m. on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚾ Jets soar to midweek win over Tigers

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Morgan Brasser of Fort Hays State won the MWSU Holiday Inn Express Classic for a second-straight year on Tuesday (Mar. 28). Sitting just one stroke back in second place to start the final round at 2-over par, Brasser carded five birdies on her way to a 2-under par final round of 70. She won the tournament by three strokes over Julie Hofmanova of Missouri Western. The tournament took place at its usual location of St. Joseph Country Club. Last year Brasser won the Holiday Inn Express Classic by five strokes over Jessica Green of Rogers State with a total of 146 (+2). This year she was two strokes better at an even-par 144, thanks to seven birdies throughout the tournament to counteract five bogeys and one double bogey. Her seven birdies led the tournament field, while her 23 pars ranked sixth. Navigating her way to even-par golf in the final round through 15 holes, Brasser put the tournament away by carding birdies on two of her last three holes. <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/aliyah-north/6953">Aliyah North</a>&nbsp;also had a great showing for the Tigers by putting together her best tournament of the season. North carded back-to-back rounds of 77 to finish at +10 (154) to tie for ninth. It was the first top-10 finish of the season for North. She filled her first-round scorecard with nine-straight pars on the back nine and 13 overall to go with five bogeys. In the second round, she had three birdies to offset eight bogeys to get to a total of 5-over par for the second-straight day. With Brasser and North finishing in the top 10, it helped Fort Hays State to a fifth-place finish as a team with a total of 638. It was the Tigers' highest placement as a team in a tournament so far this season. Missouri Western won its home tournament by 21 strokes at 604. Maryville was second at 625 and Northwest Missouri State was third at 626. <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/shauna-lee/6949">Shauna Lee</a>&nbsp;shot rounds of 83 and 82 to tie for 24th&nbsp;individually.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/lexie-ridder/6951">Lexie Ridder</a>&nbsp;carded rounds of 90 and 85 to finish alone in 45th. Lee carded three birdies in the second round. Brasser now has four individual tournament titles in her career at FHSU, twice now at the MWSU Holiday Inn Express Classic. Earlier this fall she won the Augustana Fall Regional Preview and Tulsa Cup. The Tigers return to action next week at the Newman Invitational, which will be held at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kansas April 3-4.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⛳ Brasser defends title at MWSU Holiday Inn Express Classic

Fort Hays State women's basketball coach Tony Hobson discusses his decision to retire and reflects on his 31 year coaching career.

🎧 Defend the Fort Podcast: Tony Hobson

Fort Hays State University women's basketball will have a new, but very 
familiar face as its leader going into the 2023-24 season. On Monday, head coach <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/tony-hobson/1136">Tony Hobson</a>
 announced his retirement after putting together a phenomenal career 
record of 745-227 in 31 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including a 
332-121 mark over 15 years that made him the winningest coach in Fort 
Hays State program history. The university and Director of Athletics 
Curtis Hammeke looked no further than the individual who has been 
instrumental in helping Hobson build the program into one of the 
strongest in NCAA Division II the last 11 years. Assistant coach <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/talia-kahrs/1137">Talia Kahrs</a> will elevate into the role of head coach. 
A press conference to officially introduce Kahrs as the next 
head coach will be held on Thursday, April 13, at the FHSU Memorial Union
 Lobby at 5 p.m. On Saturday, April 15, the university will be holding a
 celebration of <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/tony-hobson/1136">Tony Hobson</a>'s
 coaching career at the Robbins Center at 11 a.m. The delay for these 
in-person celebrations is to allow for family members to be in 
attendance. 
Hobson has elevated the FHSU women's basketball program to heights it 
never saw at the NCAA Division II level prior to his arrival, serving as
 head coach from 2008 to 2023. The program has won 20 or more games in 
12-straight seasons going back to the 2011-12 campaign, which is the 
longest-running streak in NCAA Division II. He guided the Tigers to 30 
or more wins three times and the Tigers were the No. 1 seed in the 
Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament four times under Hobson's 
leadership, making the regional final three times (2015, 2019, 2022) and
 the regional semifinals twice. FHSU was an NCAA Tournament qualifier 
seven of the last nine years after qualifying for the NCAA national 
tournament just once before Hobson became head coach. 
The Tigers enjoyed six MIAA Championships under Hobson's guidance, which
 included four regular season titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2022) and two 
tournament titles (2019, 2022). He was the MIAA Women's Basketball Coach
 of the Year four times (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021). Hobson was also the 
WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2019 and was named the 
Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Four-Year College Coach of the 
Year in 2019 and 2022. 
"Tony has done an outstanding job with our women's basketball program 
over the past 15 years," said Hammeke. "Our program has become 
consistently competitive at the conference, regional, and national 
levels during his tenure." 
Hobson started his career as head coach at Cloud County (Kan.) Community
 College in 1983-84, where he coached for six years. Eventually, he 
became head coach at Barton County (Kan.) Community College for three 
years from 1997 to 2000. Hobson notched 202 wins as a head coach in nine
 years as a junior college head coach. He then moved on to Hastings 
College (Neb.), where he put together a national powerhouse program at 
the NAIA level for seven years from 2001 to 2008. Hastings won three 
NAIA national titles (2002, 2003, 2006) under Hobson's guidance and won 
211 games, reaching the 30-win plateau in five of his seven seasons. 
Hobson then came to FHSU, where he enjoyed his longest tenure as a head 
coach and tacked on 332 wins to his career total of 745. 
"Everybody in their career knows this time will come, and hopefully you 
get to go out on your own terms like I get to," said Hobson. "It's good 
timing for me to retire. I always hoped I'd be able to leave a really 
good team and have somebody take over for me that I'm confident in and 
will take really good care of that group that I'm leaving. Both of those
 things have happened. We've been able to sustain success for a long 
period of time and hopefully the way we are transitioning into this next
 phase of the program will give us the best chance of keeping that 
going. This is a great group of players we have right now and I think 
it's going to be about as seamless of a transition as possible." 
Helping Hobson push FHSU to new heights in the NCAA Division II realm since the 2012-13 season has been FHSU graduate <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/talia-kahrs/1137">Talia Kahrs</a>
 (formerly Miller), who played for Hobson at FHSU from 2008-11. She then
 served as a student assistant coach in 2011-12 and elevated to 
assistant coach in 2012-13, highly instrumental in the success of the 
team and several great players that have been a part of the program the 
last 12 years. She has been here as both a player and coach during 
Hobson's entire 15-year tenure at FHSU. 
"I really believe in Talia," said Hobson. "She is a really intelligent, 
hard-working person and one of the more unselfish individuals I've ever 
been around. I know she has the players' respect and I think that is of 
utmost importance. She has turned into a really good recruiter, and to 
recruit kids you have to be genuine and she is that. You can't try to be
 something you're not because kids are smart, they figure that out. As 
far as X's and O's go, she's on top of it. The hard part of coaching is 
getting individuals here that fit into what you want to do, on and off 
the court. Talia has been one of the main reasons why we have been able 
to sustain what we have going here at FHSU because we have stability as a
 coaching staff. She has had plenty of interest from the outside the 
last few years and she has been very patient on doing her job at a very 
high level, waiting for her opportunity. As much of I think of her as a 
coach, I think even more highly of her as a person. I think she will do 
an excellent job." 
The Tigers have garnered 42 All-MIAA selections while Kahrs has been on 
the sideline with Hobson since 2011 to go with the six conference 
championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. They have also 
coached three All-America players in that span, including Kate Lehman, 
Tatyana Legette, and <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaden-hobbs/6437">Jaden Hobbs</a>. Lehman and Legette also garnered MIAA Player of the Year honors in their time as Tigers. 
"I'm just really thankful for this opportunity and to have spent as much
 time as I have with Tony. To learn under him with as successful as he 
has been over the years," said Kahrs. "I'm thankful for the way he 
allowed me to do more in my role as assistant over the years to get me 
to this point where I feel confident that I'm prepared to be head coach.
 I'm very excited and willing to take the opportunity to lead this group
 of women, a team that we've worked really hard to put together." 
"Talia possesses all the traits we want to see in a coach to lead our 
program forward," said Hammeke. "She is passionate, knowledgeable, 
enthusiastic, and has a strong work ethic. These characteristics coupled
 with her personality, love for the game, and care for our 
student-athletes, makes her well suited to take over where Tony left 
off." 
Kahrs will be the seventh head coach of women's basketball at Fort Hays State since 1969.

🏀 Hobson to retire; Kahrs new head coach of FHSU women’s basketball

The TMP-Marian Lady Monarchs soccer team dropped their home opener Monday
against Wichita Independent 9-0 at Bickle Schmidt Sports Complex.

The loss drops the Monarchs and coach Shawn Lawson to 0-2 on the season
after losing to Dodge City in their season opener Thursday.

Coach Lawson has 12 players out for soccer this year, one of the smallest
teams in recent years and three of them are relatively new to the game.

Lawson said they are taking it one step at a time.

"Building on the progress, making sure they don't get down on
themselves. Because it's real easy to down on yourselves when you are losing
games 10-0, 8-0," Lawson said. "You've got to keep the perspective,
make sure they keep the perspective, we're still learning."

The Monarchs will host Nickerson Tuesday at 4 p.m.

⚽ Lady Monarchs drop home opener vs Wichita Independent

HAYS – The TMP-Marian softball team opened their season with
a pair of lopsided run-rule wins. The Monarchs defeated Russell 22-2 and 18-2
to start the season 2-0.

Game 1: TMP-Marian 22, Russell 2 (3 innings) 
The Monarchs scored 19 runs in the second inning to blow the game open. Brooke
Koeningsman had three hits and drove in four. Addison Watson also drove in four
runs.

Tegan Gottschalk pitched all three innings with three strikeouts
and three walks.

The Monarchs took advantage of eight walks and six hit
batters.

Game 2: TMP-Marian 18, Russell 2 (3 innings) 
After Russell struck for a run in the top of the first, the Monarchs answered
with 12 in the second then added six in the third.

Jaci VonLintel and Addison Watson both had three hits. VonLintel
and Brooke Koeningsman both drove in three runs.

Tegan Gottschalk walked three but did not give up a hit and
picked up her second win of the day.

🥎 TMP-Marian opens season with pair of wins

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man has been sentenced for&nbsp;shooting his brother during a disturbance last year.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=34156">&nbsp;Phoukhong Khamvongsa,</a> 63, Wichita, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In January he pled guilty to aggravated battery in the case.

On April 25, deputies were sent to a disturbance call involving a weapon in the 4500 block of south Meadowview in Wichita, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

When deputies arrived, they located a 55-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard of a residence.

EMS transported the victim, later determined to be&nbsp;Khamvongsa's brother, to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries.&nbsp; 

Deputies arrested <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=34156">Khamvongsa</a> at the residence&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=142445">and booked&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;him into the Sedgwick County Detention Facility where he has been since.

Kansas man going to prison for shooting his brother

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A Salina man who allegedly drove his car into the back of a pickup Monday night also faces requested drug charges after police say they found methamphetamine and 155 pills believed to be fentanyl in his possession.

Just before 11p.m. Monday, officers were sent to the 700 block of E. Neal Avenue in Salina after a car struck a parked pickup, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

First responders found a 2006 Lincoln LS driven by Gregory Walburn, 36, of Salina, had rear-ended a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500.

According to police, Walburn appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He also had a felony arrest warrant from Dickinson County.

A search conducted when Walburn was taken into custody allegedly found 155 pills believed to be fentanyl and a plastic bag of a substance believed to be methamphetamine, Forrester said.&nbsp;

Walburn is being held on requested charges of Distribution of a depressant, Possession of a depressant, Possession of methamphetamine, No drug tax stamp, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Police found 155 fentanyl pills after Kansas crash

BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — The family of a toddler who was fatally shot by a police officer during a standoff last year between her father and law enforcement has filed a federal lawsuit over her death.

Kansas authorities&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-kansas-shootings-police-a5a42807451835c84f12756d322064d7">have said</a>&nbsp;that 2-year-old Clesslyn Crawford was shot by a Joplin, Missouri, police officer during a confrontation March 26, 2022, in Baxter Springs.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation had said Crawford's 37-year-old father, Eli Crawford, shot and killed the girl's mother, 27-year-old Taylor Dawn Shutte, and fired at officers for more than three hours before fatally shooting himself.

The girl's family sued the cities of Baxter Springs and Joplin along with Cherokee County and the unnamed officer who fired the shot that killed the toddler. The lawsuit said they were responsible for the girl's death.

Those cities and Cherokee County didn't immediately respond to calls from the newspaper seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Officers from the Joplin police department and Cherokee County sheriff's department responded to the standoff. Joplin is 15 miles (25 kilometers) northeast of Baxter Springs.

Family of girl killed by police during Kansas standoff sues

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/28/kansas-legislature-on-cusp-of-raising-to-21-minimum-age-to-buy-tobacco-products/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature put an exclamation point on 
opposition to tobacco consumption by young adults Tuesday by sending to 
Gov. Laura Kelly a bill raising the minimum age for buying, possessing 
or consuming tobacco products in the state from 18 to 21.

The legislation was approved by the Kansas Senate on a vote of 28-11, which followed passage of the bill 68-53 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/vote_view/je_20230302115606_550943/">by the Kansas House in early March</a>.
 If signed into law, Kansas could gain $2.1 million in federal funding 
for tobacco enforcement and lose an estimated $7.6 million in state 
sales tax and cigarette stamp revenue.

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, said previous attempts to achieve 
compliance in Kansas with a federal law hoisting the age to 21 failed to
 survive the legislative process at the Capitol. He said <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2269_00_0000.pdf">House Bill 2269 </a>could be different.

“It was packaged in several bills over the last couple of years that 
had various regulations and it just never passed out,” Thompson said.

Legislators, health organization lobbyists and medical professionals 
urged the Legislature to bring Kansas into line with the measure signed 
into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. More than 30 states have 
passed laws setting the age at 21, but neither Kansas nor Missouri has 
done so.

Roy Jensen, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, said 
nearly all smokers started as children or young adults. During 
adolescent years, he said, experimentation with cigarettes, e-cigarettes
 and other tobacco products could accelerate into a daily habit.

“The adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to the effects of a 
powerful addictive agent like nicotine,” he said. “Younger teens also 
benefit from raising the nicotine/tobacco age requirement. About 90% of 
those who provide cigarettes to kids under 18 are themselves under 21. 
As a result, raising the tobacco sales age to 21 has been shown to 
reduce high school smoking by over 50%.”

Local

Region

Sports

Announcements