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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704496605364.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><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

Hays USD 489 will not have school on Monday, Jan. 8 because of the forecast of snow.

Hays Catholic schools also will be closed, Holy Family and TMP-Marian.

Fort Hays State University will also be closed on Monday.&nbsp;

Hays USD 489 will not have school on Monday, Jan. 8 because of the forecast of snow.Hays Catholic schools also will be closed, Holy Family and TMP-Marian.Fort Hays State University will also be closed on Monday.&nbsp;

No school Monday for FHSU, Hays USD 489, TMP-Marian, Holy Family 

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of rain before 3 a.m. Monday then rain, possibly mixed with snow. The low will be around 33. Gusts will be as high as 36 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Little or no snow accumulation is expected overnight on Sunday.

Monday the forecast is for snow, possibly mixed with rain. There will be patchy blowing snow after 4 p.m. High near 33. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Monday night&nbsp;snow may mix with rain, becoming all snow after 9 p.m. The forecast is for widespread blowing snow, mainly between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. The low will be around 16. Wind chill values will be as low as -4. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 28 to 33 mph increasing to 35 to 40 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.

Tuesday the forecast is for patchy blowing snow before 3 p.m., sunny, with a high near 31. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704649636614.png" alt="National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of rain before 3 a.m. Monday then rain, possibly mixed with snow. The low will be around 33. Gusts will be as high as 36 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Little or no snow accumulation is expected overnight on Sunday.Monday the forecast is for snow, possibly mixed with rain. There will be patchy blowing snow after 4 p.m. High near 33. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.Monday night&nbsp;snow may mix with rain, becoming all snow after 9 p.m. The forecast is for widespread blowing snow, mainly between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. The low will be around 16. Wind chill values will be as low as -4. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 28 to 33 mph increasing to 35 to 40 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.Tuesday the forecast is for patchy blowing snow before 3 p.m., sunny, with a high near 31. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704650662195.png" alt="National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704650727993.png" alt="National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704650797194.png" alt="National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure>

Possibility of 2-6 inches of snow, windy for Hays Monday

A couple important occurrences helped shape the history of Inman, Kansas, one an historical fact and the other a legend. The fact is that the Santa Fe Trail passed just a few miles outside of town on its way through Kansas, and the legend is that of the mythical wetlands creature affectionately known far and wide as Sink Hole Sam. The story of Sam has been told and retold many times, but the coming of a new year seems an appropriate time to retell it yet again.

Once upon a time near a small town called Inman, in the land of Kansas, a legend was born; a legend that nearly 70 years ago would bring this sleepy little town notoriety for a season. The legend became that of Sink Hole Sam. Prior to the 1920’s, a string of small freshwater lakes stretched across part of central Kansas, coming within a couple miles of the town of Inman. It’s widely known that back then people from all around the state came here to fish and hunt ducks in those lakes. Eventually the lakes were drained, leaving Lake Inman and a few low pockets of water that became known as “sinkholes.” Inman Lake remains as the largest natural lake in the state of Kansas. The largest of the sinkholes became known locally as” the Big Sinkhole,” and here a legend was born in the form of a large serpent-like creature that became Sink Hole Sam. People speculated that Sam had been living in some prehistoric underground cavern that had somehow filled with water from the sinkhole, allowing him to finally venture forth. Or maybe Sam had lived there in some of the lakes all along, and now with them drained had nowhere else to go. Evidently no one got close enough to see if the creature should be named Sam or Samantha, but I’ll stay true to the legend and call it “Sam.” Two unidentified Inman men fishing at the sinkhole first reported seeing Sam, and soon after, local “Inmanites” Albert Neufeld and George Regehr spotted him also. The story goes that Albert sought to save the town by taking pot shots at poor Sam from a nearby bridge (I suspect the bridge was not really all that nearby!) Of course, descriptions of the beast varied according to the audience and to the time of day, but Sam ended up being a very large snake-like creature, about fifteen feet long and the diameter of an automobile tire.

Now everyone likes a good legend, and the discovery of Sam was no exception. The story spread like hot peanut butter! Newspapers caught wind of the tale, (no pun intended) and locals started getting calls from strangers all across the country. Today, some residents still recall seeing hundreds of cars parked around the big sinkhole hoping “Sammy” would make a curtain call.

In an attempt to quell speculation about their new prehistoric mascot, (here the legend takes a slight southern detour) some “great scientific minds” were brought on board in the persons of Ernest Dewey and his assistant Dr. Erasmus P. Quattlebaum. Earnest D. and the Dr. informed Inman that Sam was a “Foopengerkle,” one of a species thought to be the “extinctest” creatures ever to inhabit the Kansas Plains. This must be where he became Sam rather than Samantha, because Ernest D. and Dr. Q. maintained that no female “Foopengerkles” ever existed. Their final report urged caution, since Sam did not seem to realize he was extinct. Sam soon disappeared from sight, never to be seen or at least acknowledged publicly again.

Perhaps Sam still comes out at night to prowl the waters of the Big Sinkhole, frolicking and doing whatever else it is Foopengerkles do. Tromping through the wetlands there

I’ve heard strange sounds I always figured were muskrats or beavers rummaging around through the cattails, but maybe it was really Sammy out for a stretch and a snack! Each time I’m there and I get that feeling that someone or something is watching me, I peer optimistically over my shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the big lug. But now with the wetlands and the sinkholes nearly dry again, ole’ Sam has probably for sure retired to his cavern until he has water enough to swim once more.

Millions of dollars have been spent attempting to prove or disprove the existence of Bigfoot and The Loch Ness Monster, and as far as I know, all such attempts have failed at both. Sink Hole Sam put Inman on the map and in the news those many years ago, and no one has yet disproven his existence to me. Like I said, everyone likes a good legend; after all this is America, and stranger things have happened! …Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A couple important occurrences helped shape the history of Inman, Kansas, one an historical fact and the other a legend. The fact is that the Santa Fe Trail passed just a few miles outside of town on its way through Kansas, and the legend is that of the mythical wetlands creature affectionately known far and wide as Sink Hole Sam. The story of Sam has been told and retold many times, but the coming of a new year seems an appropriate time to retell it yet again.Once upon a time near a small town called Inman, in the land of Kansas, a legend was born; a legend that nearly 70 years ago would bring this sleepy little town notoriety for a season. The legend became that of Sink Hole Sam. Prior to the 1920’s, a string of small freshwater lakes stretched across part of central Kansas, coming within a couple miles of the town of Inman. It’s widely known that back then people from all around the state came here to fish and hunt ducks in those lakes. Eventually the lakes were drained, leaving Lake Inman and a few low pockets of water that became known as “sinkholes.” Inman Lake remains as the largest natural lake in the state of Kansas. The largest of the sinkholes became known locally as” the Big Sinkhole,” and here a legend was born in the form of a large serpent-like creature that became Sink Hole Sam. People speculated that Sam had been living in some prehistoric underground cavern that had somehow filled with water from the sinkhole, allowing him to finally venture forth. Or maybe Sam had lived there in some of the lakes all along, and now with them drained had nowhere else to go. Evidently no one got close enough to see if the creature should be named Sam or Samantha, but I’ll stay true to the legend and call it “Sam.” Two unidentified Inman men fishing at the sinkhole first reported seeing Sam, and soon after, local “Inmanites” Albert Neufeld and George Regehr spotted him also. The story goes that Albert sought to save the town by taking pot shots at poor Sam from a nearby bridge (I suspect the bridge was not really all that nearby!) Of course, descriptions of the beast varied according to the audience and to the time of day, but Sam ended up being a very large snake-like creature, about fifteen feet long and the diameter of an automobile tire.Now everyone likes a good legend, and the discovery of Sam was no exception. The story spread like hot peanut butter! Newspapers caught wind of the tale, (no pun intended) and locals started getting calls from strangers all across the country. Today, some residents still recall seeing hundreds of cars parked around the big sinkhole hoping “Sammy” would make a curtain call.In an attempt to quell speculation about their new prehistoric mascot, (here the legend takes a slight southern detour) some “great scientific minds” were brought on board in the persons of Ernest Dewey and his assistant Dr. Erasmus P. Quattlebaum. Earnest D. and the Dr. informed Inman that Sam was a “Foopengerkle,” one of a species thought to be the “extinctest” creatures ever to inhabit the Kansas Plains. This must be where he became Sam rather than Samantha, because Ernest D. and Dr. Q. maintained that no female “Foopengerkles” ever existed. Their final report urged caution, since Sam did not seem to realize he was extinct. Sam soon disappeared from sight, never to be seen or at least acknowledged publicly again.Perhaps Sam still comes out at night to prowl the waters of the Big Sinkhole, frolicking and doing whatever else it is Foopengerkles do. Tromping through the wetlands thereI’ve heard strange sounds I always figured were muskrats or beavers rummaging around through the cattails, but maybe it was really Sammy out for a stretch and a snack! Each time I’m there and I get that feeling that someone or something is watching me, I peer optimistically over my shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the big lug. But now with the wetlands and the sinkholes nearly dry again, ole’ Sam has probably for sure retired to his cavern until he has water enough to swim once more.Millions of dollars have been spent attempting to prove or disprove the existence of Bigfoot and The Loch Ness Monster, and as far as I know, all such attempts have failed at both. Sink Hole Sam put Inman on the map and in the news those many years ago, and no one has yet disproven his existence to me. Like I said, everyone likes a good legend; after all this is America, and stranger things have happened! …Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!Steve can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Kansas Outdoors: The Legend of Sink Hole Sam

A changing climate looks poised to increase wildfire conditions significantly. That would compound other growing risks, such as the aggressive spread of eastern red cedars.

&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/people/celia-llopis-jepsen">Celia Llopis-Jepsen</a> <a href="https://www.kcur.org/">Kansas News Service</a>

A changing climate may bring many more days per year of extreme wildfire risk to Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

The findings from&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF003823" target="_blank">a new study</a>&nbsp;also suggest people in those states should brace for more of these days at seemingly unlikely times of the year.

“Even in the winter,” said Guo Yu, an assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institute who studies precipitation and climate change. “In the future, when we have a drier and warmer winter, there’s a high probability wildfire could occur.”

Yu and his colleagues looked at the four most common North American indices that firefighting agencies use to stay alert about wildfire-prone weather.

Think of these as more advanced versions of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nwcg.gov/fpetdl/fire-danger-levels-with-smokey-bear" target="_blank">Smokey Bear fire danger levels</a>&nbsp;that parks sometimes display, he said.

The indices pull together conditions such as wind speed and humidity relative to temperature.

Researchers combined them with climate change models to project wildfire risks into the future.

This analysis suggests that by the last decade of this century, the region that includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas will see 30 more days per year of extreme risk for wildfire, Yu said. Today, this region typically experiences about six of these days annually.

The extra days of extreme risk will be scattered throughout the year, including more instances of these conditions in the wintertime.

Kansas dealt with just that in 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-12-22/kansas-ranchers-face-a-long-road-to-recovery-after-devastating-wildfires" target="_blank">the Four-County Fire</a>&nbsp;struck the Smoky Hills just two weeks before Christmas.

An&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/3b83accf-a254-45ea-a2fb-10f31bf5587c" target="_blank">extreme windstorm</a>&nbsp;with gusts up to 100 mph carried flames across more than 120,000 acres of Russell, Ellis, Osborne and Rooks counties. Scattered blazes burned thousands of acres elsewhere, with 54 wildfires starting in 34 counties on a single day.

The expected increase in wildfire-prone weather conditions highlights the importance of taking preventive measures in a region that has begun to see more destructive blazes than in decades past.

And it raises questions about how to support the already stretched firefighting agencies that protect rural areas. About 80 percent of the state’s fire departments consist entirely of&nbsp;<a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/wildfire-task-force" target="_blank">volunteers</a>.

When fires are small and easily contained, firefighters can get the job done quickly. But increasingly, volunteers find themselves called upon to tackle blazes that last many hours and days.

“They have jobs, they have families,” state forester Jason Hartman said earlier this fall. “They aren’t available for those longer-term (firefights) as easily as they are for the shorter-term grass fires — true grass fires — we used to have in this state.”

The landscape of Kansas and neighboring states is moving from&nbsp;<a href="https://centerforresilience.unl.edu/Woody-Plant-Encroachment" target="_blank">grassland to shrub and juniper woodland</a>, a transformation caused by humans.

Native juniper trees — commonly called&nbsp;<a href="https://agronomy.unl.edu/eastern-redcedar-science-literacy-project/invasion" target="_blank">eastern red cedars</a>&nbsp;— are spreading aggressively and greatly intensifying wildfires.

“They look like a Roman candle going off,” Hutchinson fire Capt. Troy Mueller said while training firefighters near Scott City last April. “A 30-foot, 40-foot tall cedar tree … will have 50-, 60-foot flame lengths above the top of the tree and can throw an ember out into the grass a quarter mile (away) and start another fire.”

<a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/wildfire-task-force" target="_blank">A recent report</a>&nbsp;issued by a new task force on wildfire in Kansas calls for helping communities and landowners beat back these trees.

It also calls for clear regulation of certain kinds of poorly maintained, rural power lines that are suspected of starting some wildfires.

The new study led by Yu shows that climate change will likely make risky situations such as juniper expansion and sagging power lines even riskier. The study appeared in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF003823" target="_blank">Earth’s Future</a>.

Major fires increasing on the Great Plains

Large wildfires have become more common on the Great Plains in recent decades, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL072901" target="_blank">concluded in 2017</a>.

Some of the biggest recorded blazes in Kansas happened in the past decade:

The biggest — the March 2017 Starbuck fire — and other fires that ignited at about the same time burned more than 2 million acres across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Eastern red cedars played a significant role in intensifying the 2016 and 2017 fires, the state’s wildfire task force said.

“Over the last 20-plus years,” the panel wrote, “the Kansas landscape has evolved in a manner that creates greater risks for wildfires that are almost impossible to contain during dry and windy conditions.”

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has created a&nbsp;<a href="https://agronomy.unl.edu/eastern-redcedar-science-literacy-project" target="_blank">public education campaign</a>&nbsp;to help residents of the Great Plains understand why junipers are spreading, and the reasons for concern. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched the Great Plains Grassland Initiative to help&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/kansas/ks-great-plains-grassland-initiative" target="_blank">ranchers in Kansas</a>, Nebraska and Oklahoma combat the trees.

Many ranchers, especially in the Flint Hills, use controlled fires to fight the junipers that otherwise eat up their rangeland.

But some landowners don’t have the means to combat the trees, even if they want to.

And plenty of people outside the ranching industry enjoy the trees and allow them to spread, creating tension at times among neighbors.

Often homeowners like the privacy these dense evergreens create, so they aren’t necessarily bothered by the increase in juniper woods hugging their suburban neighborhoods and semirural ranchettes.

But in March 2022, wildfire struck juniper-packed suburbs in Reno County. More than 6,000 acres burned. One person died and more than 100 buildings, including 36 homes, were destroyed.

The wildfire task force says all those eastern red cedars made it hard to stop the flames.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly created the task force in 2022. Its November report encourages state and federal agencies to control problem species on their property — along highways, for example. And it calls for helping private landowners do the same.

The task force recommends more resources, equipment and training for firefighters and local burn associations that carry out controlled blazes called prescribed fire.

The Kansas Forest Service should get more state funding to that end, it says, and to help the agency coordinate community wildfire protection plans.

Federal grants can help communities and landowners take prevention measures, but these often require matching funds to qualify. The report suggests the state government could help out.

It also says documenting the causes of all wildfires — “no matter how small or large” — could help guide prevention measures. Many Kansas wildfires go uninvestigated.

In particular, the task force found a common suspicion that some wildfires are started by poorly maintained, rural power lines that carry electricity to facilities such as oil fields and that are not owned by utilities.

It recommends putting the Kansas Corporation Commission, which oversees the energy industry in Kansas, in charge of regulating the situation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704488532134.png" alt="Mark Penner, of the Kansas Forest Service, helps carry out a controlled fire on property owned by the University of Kansas in November. Prescribed burns help keep habitat healthy and make wildfires less dangerous.&nbsp;Celia Llopis-Jepsen/Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Mark Penner, of the Kansas Forest Service, helps carry out a controlled fire on property owned by the University of Kansas in November. Prescribed burns help keep habitat healthy and make wildfires less dangerous.&nbsp;Celia Llopis-Jepsen/Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A changing climate looks poised to increase wildfire conditions significantly. That would compound other growing risks, such as the aggressive spread of eastern red cedars.</h2>&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/people/celia-llopis-jepsen">Celia Llopis-Jepsen</a> <a href="https://www.kcur.org/">Kansas News Service</a>A changing climate may bring many more days per year of extreme wildfire risk to Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.The findings from&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF003823" target="_blank">a new study</a>&nbsp;also suggest people in those states should brace for more of these days at seemingly unlikely times of the year.“Even in the winter,” said Guo Yu, an assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institute who studies precipitation and climate change. “In the future, when we have a drier and warmer winter, there’s a high probability wildfire could occur.”Yu and his colleagues looked at the four most common North American indices that firefighting agencies use to stay alert about wildfire-prone weather.Think of these as more advanced versions of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nwcg.gov/fpetdl/fire-danger-levels-with-smokey-bear" target="_blank">Smokey Bear fire danger levels</a>&nbsp;that parks sometimes display, he said.The indices pull together conditions such as wind speed and humidity relative to temperature.Researchers combined them with climate change models to project wildfire risks into the future.This analysis suggests that by the last decade of this century, the region that includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas will see 30 more days per year of extreme risk for wildfire, Yu said. Today, this region typically experiences about six of these days annually.The extra days of extreme risk will be scattered throughout the year, including more instances of these conditions in the wintertime.Kansas dealt with just that in 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-12-22/kansas-ranchers-face-a-long-road-to-recovery-after-devastating-wildfires" target="_blank">the Four-County Fire</a>&nbsp;struck the Smoky Hills just two weeks before Christmas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704488698235.png" alt="An excavator lowers dead cattle into a burial pit in the Smoky Hills in 2021 after the Four-County Fire swept through this ranching region, including Ellis County, too fast to protect livestock.&nbsp;David Condos/Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>An excavator lowers dead cattle into a burial pit in the Smoky Hills in 2021 after the Four-County Fire swept through this ranching region, including Ellis County, too fast to protect livestock.&nbsp;David Condos/Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>An&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/3b83accf-a254-45ea-a2fb-10f31bf5587c" target="_blank">extreme windstorm</a>&nbsp;with gusts up to 100 mph carried flames across more than 120,000 acres of Russell, Ellis, Osborne and Rooks counties. Scattered blazes burned thousands of acres elsewhere, with 54 wildfires starting in 34 counties on a single day.<h2>Fire agencies are stretched thin</h2>The expected increase in wildfire-prone weather conditions highlights the importance of taking preventive measures in a region that has begun to see more destructive blazes than in decades past.And it raises questions about how to support the already stretched firefighting agencies that protect rural areas. About 80 percent of the state’s fire departments consist entirely of&nbsp;<a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/wildfire-task-force" target="_blank">volunteers</a>.When fires are small and easily contained, firefighters can get the job done quickly. But increasingly, volunteers find themselves called upon to tackle blazes that last many hours and days.“They have jobs, they have families,” state forester Jason Hartman said earlier this fall. “They aren’t available for those longer-term (firefights) as easily as they are for the shorter-term grass fires — true grass fires — we used to have in this state.”The landscape of Kansas and neighboring states is moving from&nbsp;<a href="https://centerforresilience.unl.edu/Woody-Plant-Encroachment" target="_blank">grassland to shrub and juniper woodland</a>, a transformation caused by humans.Native juniper trees — commonly called&nbsp;<a href="https://agronomy.unl.edu/eastern-redcedar-science-literacy-project/invasion" target="_blank">eastern red cedars</a>&nbsp;— are spreading aggressively and greatly intensifying wildfires.“They look like a Roman candle going off,” Hutchinson fire Capt. Troy Mueller said while training firefighters near Scott City last April. “A 30-foot, 40-foot tall cedar tree … will have 50-, 60-foot flame lengths above the top of the tree and can throw an ember out into the grass a quarter mile (away) and start another fire.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704488897217.png" alt="As birds carry seeds away from a grove of eastern red cedars, saplings pop up across this Flint Hills grassland in Morris County. Areas that aren’t burned regularly convert into juniper woodland.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ryan Armbrust/Kansas Forest Service" />
 <figcaption>As birds carry seeds away from a grove of eastern red cedars, saplings pop up across this Flint Hills grassland in Morris County. Areas that aren’t burned regularly convert into juniper woodland.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ryan Armbrust/Kansas Forest Service</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/wildfire-task-force" target="_blank">A recent report</a>&nbsp;issued by a new task force on wildfire in Kansas calls for helping communities and landowners beat back these trees.It also calls for clear regulation of certain kinds of poorly maintained, rural power lines that are suspected of starting some wildfires.The new study led by Yu shows that climate change will likely make risky situations such as juniper expansion and sagging power lines even riskier. The study appeared in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF003823" target="_blank">Earth’s Future</a>.<h2>Major fires increasing on the Great Plains</h2>Large wildfires have become more common on the Great Plains in recent decades, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln&nbsp;<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL072901" target="_blank">concluded in 2017</a>.Some of the biggest recorded blazes in Kansas happened in the past decade:<ul>
 <li>March 2016: Anderson Creek Fire (280,000 acres).</li><li>March 2017: Starbuck Fire (460,000 acres).</li><li>December 2021: Four-County Fire (120,000 acres).</li>
 </ul>The biggest — the March 2017 Starbuck fire — and other fires that ignited at about the same time burned more than 2 million acres across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Eastern red cedars played a significant role in intensifying the 2016 and 2017 fires, the state’s wildfire task force said.“Over the last 20-plus years,” the panel wrote, “the Kansas landscape has evolved in a manner that creates greater risks for wildfires that are almost impossible to contain during dry and windy conditions.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704488988003.jpeg" alt="The evergreens spreading into these deciduous woods in Riley County are eastern red cedars. In dry, windy weather, these junipers make the woods more prone to fast-moving, hard-to-stop crown fires.&nbsp;Ryan Armbrust/Kansas Forest Service" />
 <figcaption>The evergreens spreading into these deciduous woods in Riley County are eastern red cedars. In dry, windy weather, these junipers make the woods more prone to fast-moving, hard-to-stop crown fires.&nbsp;Ryan Armbrust/Kansas Forest Service</figcaption>
 </figure>The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has created a&nbsp;<a href="https://agronomy.unl.edu/eastern-redcedar-science-literacy-project" target="_blank">public education campaign</a>&nbsp;to help residents of the Great Plains understand why junipers are spreading, and the reasons for concern. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched the Great Plains Grassland Initiative to help&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/kansas/ks-great-plains-grassland-initiative" target="_blank">ranchers in Kansas</a>, Nebraska and Oklahoma combat the trees.<h2>What can Kansas and its residents do?</h2>Many ranchers, especially in the Flint Hills, use controlled fires to fight the junipers that otherwise eat up their rangeland.But some landowners don’t have the means to combat the trees, even if they want to.And plenty of people outside the ranching industry enjoy the trees and allow them to spread, creating tension at times among neighbors.Often homeowners like the privacy these dense evergreens create, so they aren’t necessarily bothered by the increase in juniper woods hugging their suburban neighborhoods and semirural ranchettes.But in March 2022, wildfire struck juniper-packed suburbs in Reno County. More than 6,000 acres burned. One person died and more than 100 buildings, including 36 homes, were destroyed.The wildfire task force says all those eastern red cedars made it hard to stop the flames.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly created the task force in 2022. Its November report encourages state and federal agencies to control problem species on their property — along highways, for example. And it calls for helping private landowners do the same.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704489093722.png" alt="Homes on the outskirts of Manhattan overlook a gully of eastern red cedars and prairie.&nbsp;Celia Llopis-Jepsen/Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Homes on the outskirts of Manhattan overlook a gully of eastern red cedars and prairie.&nbsp;Celia Llopis-Jepsen/Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>The task force recommends more resources, equipment and training for firefighters and local burn associations that carry out controlled blazes called prescribed fire.The Kansas Forest Service should get more state funding to that end, it says, and to help the agency coordinate community wildfire protection plans.Federal grants can help communities and landowners take prevention measures, but these often require matching funds to qualify. The report suggests the state government could help out.It also says documenting the causes of all wildfires — “no matter how small or large” — could help guide prevention measures. Many Kansas wildfires go uninvestigated.In particular, the task force found a common suspicion that some wildfires are started by poorly maintained, rural power lines that carry electricity to facilities such as oil fields and that are not owned by utilities.It recommends putting the Kansas Corporation Commission, which oversees the energy industry in Kansas, in charge of regulating the situation.

Kansas may face 30 more days yearly of high wildfire risk as its climate changes

BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills PBS will cover Governor Laura Kelly’s 2024 State of the State Address live. This live coverage will air at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 on Smoky Hills PBS.

During the annual State of the State speech, Governor Laura Kelly will address the Kansas Legislature and the public, outlining her administration's priorities.

“We are honored to bring this momentous event to our audience,” said Michael Quade, SHPBS director of broadcasting of Smoky Hills PBS. “This live coverage underscores our dedication to delivering vital information to our viewers across Kansas.”

Streaming access will also be available on our YouTube channel and Smoky Hills PBS’ Facebook page. Click here for streaming access and to set your notification so you don’t miss this important speech: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87Jnm7WGLk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87Jnm7WGLk</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704487203079.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedBUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills PBS will cover Governor Laura Kelly’s 2024 State of the State Address live. This live coverage will air at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 on Smoky Hills PBS.During the annual State of the State speech, Governor Laura Kelly will address the Kansas Legislature and the public, outlining her administration's priorities.“We are honored to bring this momentous event to our audience,” said Michael Quade, SHPBS director of broadcasting of Smoky Hills PBS. “This live coverage underscores our dedication to delivering vital information to our viewers across Kansas.”Streaming access will also be available on our YouTube channel and Smoky Hills PBS’ Facebook page. Click here for streaming access and to set your notification so you don’t miss this important speech: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87Jnm7WGLk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87Jnm7WGLk</a>

Smoky Hills PBS to provide live coverage of 2024 Kansas State of the State Address

By Michael A. Smith Insight Kansas

Here’s a New Year’s Resolution for the Kansas Legislature:&nbsp; no more wasting our time and money on election conspiracy theories.&nbsp; In September and October of 2023, Senator Mike Thompson and others hosted hearings featuring speakers peddling truly insane speculations.&nbsp; These included the contention–really–that Italy and the Vatican have infiltrated Kansas elections by manipulating military satellites.&nbsp; Other speakers were linked to QAnon, the deranged, violent, and deeply anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Under questioning, these speakers admitted that they had no actual knowledge of how elections are conducted in Kansas.&nbsp; Many of the conspiracy theorists relied on the idea that Kansas election equipment is connected to the Internet, which is false and easily disproved.&nbsp;Slate&nbsp;dubbed this, “The Election Denialist Roadshow.” &nbsp; Some Republicans actually believe this nonsense, while others know better but play along for fear of getting primaried.

Satellites, “ballot harvesting,” and George Soros are not legitimate concerns, but there are a few things that would improve Kansas elections.&nbsp; A serious election security bill would begin by properly updating the registration rolls.&nbsp; While there is no evidence of ballots being cast in the name of dead people here, and it is extremely rare elsewhere in the U.S., good recordkeeping still calls for the rolls to be current.&nbsp; Voters rarely notify election authorities that they have moved or that a loved one has passed away.&nbsp; New death certificates along with change-of-address filings at the Post Office can be quite helpful here.&nbsp; A nonpartisan, multi-state system called ERIC shares this data across state lines. ERIC has also been targeted by conspiracy theorists, but this should not affect policymaking.

Additional challenges include signature matches, now the usual way to validate ballots.&nbsp; Many signatures are now taken on a digital pad rather than with a pen and paper, and many people make only a squiggly line on those rather than actually signing.&nbsp; In addition to setting standards for signatures, the bill should also require all digital voting machines to print a piece of paper for each ballot.&nbsp; These can be inspected by the voter before being cast in the ballot box, and also used for both machine and hand recounts, when necessary.&nbsp; Even more crucial are better pay and training for poll workers.&nbsp; In today’s toxic political environment, providing for the security of election workers is also vital–some have received death threats.

On the other hand, certain so-called “election security” measures are really just sleazy political tactics.&nbsp; First and foremost is voter “caging,” targeting certain voters (usually people of color living in urban areas) and sending them postcards that must be completed and returned or the voter is removed from the rolls.&nbsp; With most of us overwhelmed with junk mail, these often get tossed out by mistake.&nbsp; The tactic is a blatant attempt to target certain voters and remove them from the rolls.&nbsp; A good election security bill would include a strong, enforceable ban on caging.

A good bill would also ban the de-registration of any voter based on name duplicates alone.&nbsp; These do not target actual fraud but rather people who are likely to have similar names.&nbsp; African-American, Latinx, and Asian-American voters are more likely to have similar names than are white non-Hispanic voters, and the tactic is another blatant attempt to de-register targeted groups of people.

Kansas elections could indeed be better, but deranged conspiracy theories and legislative sideshows are not the answer.&nbsp; Actual election experts have a number of thoughtful ideas that would make a welcome alternative to the noise and the nonsense.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700168795368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By Michael A. Smith Insight KansasHere’s a New Year’s Resolution for the Kansas Legislature:&nbsp; no more wasting our time and money on election conspiracy theories.&nbsp; In September and October of 2023, Senator Mike Thompson and others hosted hearings featuring speakers peddling truly insane speculations.&nbsp; These included the contention–really–that Italy and the Vatican have infiltrated Kansas elections by manipulating military satellites.&nbsp; Other speakers were linked to QAnon, the deranged, violent, and deeply anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Under questioning, these speakers admitted that they had no actual knowledge of how elections are conducted in Kansas.&nbsp; Many of the conspiracy theorists relied on the idea that Kansas election equipment is connected to the Internet, which is false and easily disproved.&nbsp;Slate&nbsp;dubbed this, “The Election Denialist Roadshow.” &nbsp; Some Republicans actually believe this nonsense, while others know better but play along for fear of getting primaried.Satellites, “ballot harvesting,” and George Soros are not legitimate concerns, but there are a few things that would improve Kansas elections.&nbsp; A serious election security bill would begin by properly updating the registration rolls.&nbsp; While there is no evidence of ballots being cast in the name of dead people here, and it is extremely rare elsewhere in the U.S., good recordkeeping still calls for the rolls to be current.&nbsp; Voters rarely notify election authorities that they have moved or that a loved one has passed away.&nbsp; New death certificates along with change-of-address filings at the Post Office can be quite helpful here.&nbsp; A nonpartisan, multi-state system called ERIC shares this data across state lines. ERIC has also been targeted by conspiracy theorists, but this should not affect policymaking.Additional challenges include signature matches, now the usual way to validate ballots.&nbsp; Many signatures are now taken on a digital pad rather than with a pen and paper, and many people make only a squiggly line on those rather than actually signing.&nbsp; In addition to setting standards for signatures, the bill should also require all digital voting machines to print a piece of paper for each ballot.&nbsp; These can be inspected by the voter before being cast in the ballot box, and also used for both machine and hand recounts, when necessary.&nbsp; Even more crucial are better pay and training for poll workers.&nbsp; In today’s toxic political environment, providing for the security of election workers is also vital–some have received death threats.On the other hand, certain so-called “election security” measures are really just sleazy political tactics.&nbsp; First and foremost is voter “caging,” targeting certain voters (usually people of color living in urban areas) and sending them postcards that must be completed and returned or the voter is removed from the rolls.&nbsp; With most of us overwhelmed with junk mail, these often get tossed out by mistake.&nbsp; The tactic is a blatant attempt to target certain voters and remove them from the rolls.&nbsp; A good election security bill would include a strong, enforceable ban on caging.A good bill would also ban the de-registration of any voter based on name duplicates alone.&nbsp; These do not target actual fraud but rather people who are likely to have similar names.&nbsp; African-American, Latinx, and Asian-American voters are more likely to have similar names than are white non-Hispanic voters, and the tactic is another blatant attempt to de-register targeted groups of people.Kansas elections could indeed be better, but deranged conspiracy theories and legislative sideshows are not the answer.&nbsp; Actual election experts have a number of thoughtful ideas that would make a welcome alternative to the noise and the nonsense.

INSIGHT KANSAS: How to Get Election Security Right

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704496402805.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

🎥 City to decide which type vehicles, trailers prohibited from parking on Hays residential streets 

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas will be acquiring some much-needed fire and safety equipment thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. DSNWK announced it has received a grant award of $100,000, which will go toward enhancing fire safety measures in four DSNWK locations.

With the grant funds, DSNWK will install essential fire safety equipment such as sprinkler systems, fire alarm panels, and dialers in locations in Hays, Hill City, Norton and Victoria. By investing in these measures, DSNWK will enhance the safety for both the people it serves, as well as its employees. These enhancements will also protect community assets, quicken emergency response, and include employee education and awareness.

“This project not only strengthens DSNWK resilience against fire-related disasters but also fosters a healthier and safer environment for the individuals we serve and the employees who provide care,” said Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president and CEO. “By investing in comprehensive fire safety measures, DSNWK will experience a significant improvement in safety, infrastructure protection, emergency response capabilities, and overall quality of life.”

DSNWK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 18 most northwestern Kansas counties. Visit <a href="http://www.dsnwk.org">www.dsnwk.org</a> or <a href="http://dsnwk.giftlegacy.com">dsnwk.giftlegacy.com</a> to learn more about services and ways to support DSNWK’s work with individuals with developmental disabilities throughout northwest Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602261714960.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedDevelopmental Services of Northwest Kansas will be acquiring some much-needed fire and safety equipment thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. DSNWK announced it has received a grant award of $100,000, which will go toward enhancing fire safety measures in four DSNWK locations.With the grant funds, DSNWK will install essential fire safety equipment such as sprinkler systems, fire alarm panels, and dialers in locations in Hays, Hill City, Norton and Victoria. By investing in these measures, DSNWK will enhance the safety for both the people it serves, as well as its employees. These enhancements will also protect community assets, quicken emergency response, and include employee education and awareness.“This project not only strengthens DSNWK resilience against fire-related disasters but also fosters a healthier and safer environment for the individuals we serve and the employees who provide care,” said Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president and CEO. “By investing in comprehensive fire safety measures, DSNWK will experience a significant improvement in safety, infrastructure protection, emergency response capabilities, and overall quality of life.”DSNWK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 18 most northwestern Kansas counties. Visit <a href="http://www.dsnwk.org">www.dsnwk.org</a> or <a href="http://dsnwk.giftlegacy.com">dsnwk.giftlegacy.com</a> to learn more about services and ways to support DSNWK’s work with individuals with developmental disabilities throughout northwest Kansas.

DSNWK receives Dane G. Hansen Foundation grant

The Kansas Department of Transportation announces approved bids for state highway construction and maintenance projects. The letting took place Dec. 13, 2023, in Topeka. Some of the bids may include multiple projects that have been bundled based on proximity and type of work.

&nbsp;Atchison ‑&nbsp;7‑3 KA‑7132‑01 ‑ K‑7, from the north city limits of Atchison north to the Atchison/Doniphan county line, milling and overlay, 5.1 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $825,457.93.

Doniphan ‑&nbsp;7‑22 KA‑7119‑01 ‑ K‑7, from the Atchison/Doniphan county line north to the Kansas/Nebraska state line, milling and overlay, 28.4 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $4,827,271.23.

Lyon ‑&nbsp;35‑56 KA‑5714‑01 ‑ Bridge #010 over Lincoln Street, located 1.78 miles east of Graphic Arts Road in Emporia, bridge replacement, King Construction Company Inc. &amp; Subsidiaries, Hesston, Kansas, $4,320,297.65.

Shawnee ‑&nbsp;4‑89 KA‑7115‑01 ‑ K‑4, from the north edge wearing surface of S.E. 2nd Street bridge north to the south edge wearing surface of the Kansas River bridge, pavement patching, 1.9 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $893,485.00.

Shawnee ‑&nbsp;75‑89 KA‑7213‑01 – U.S. 75, from 0.03 mile north of S.W. 49th Street north to the I‑470/U.S. 75 junction, pavement patching, 0.6 mile, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $659,641.00.

Shawnee ‑&nbsp;75‑89 KA‑7214‑01 – U.S. 75, from the north edge wearing surface of the Kansas River bridge north to the south edge wearing surface of the Soldier Creek bridge, and from the north edge wearing surface of the Soldier Creek bridge north to end of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP), pavement patching, 5.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,076,763.90.

Wyandotte ‑&nbsp;435‑105 KA‑7194‑01 ‑ I‑435, from 0.5 mile north of Leavenworth Road north to end of south approach for bridges #235 and #240 over the Missouri River, milling and overlay, 4.0 miles, Ideker Incorporated, Saint Joseph, Missouri, $2,449,037.07.

Statewide ‑&nbsp;70‑106 KA‑7195‑01 ‑ I‑70; beginning 0.39 mile east of K‑30 east to the Shawnee/Wabaunsee county line in Wabaunsee County, and beginning at the Shawnee/Wabaunsee county line east to 0.32 mile west of Valencia Road in Shawnee County, milling, 8.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $4,929,314.35.

Cloud ‑&nbsp;81‑15 KA‑7130‑01 – U.S. 81, from 5.085 miles north of the Cloud/Ottawa county line north to 12.680 miles of the Cloud/Ottawa county line, recycle and overlay, 7.6 miles, Dustrol Inc., Towanda, Kansas, $1,355,517.98.

Marion ‑&nbsp;15‑57 KA‑7082‑01 ‑ K‑15, from east U.S. 56/K‑15 junction north to the Marion/Dickinson county line, milling and overlay, 17.0 miles, Shilling Construction Co. Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, $3,733,007.70.

Statewide ‑&nbsp;106 KA‑7069‑01 ‑ K‑4; from the south city limits of Gypsum east to the Saline/Dickinson county line in Saline county, and from the Saline/Dickinson county line east to the north city limits of Hope in Dickinson county, milling and overlay, 21.2 miles, Shilling Construction Co. Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, $3,306,212.55.

Gove ‑&nbsp;23‑32 KA‑6950‑01 ‑ K‑23, bridge #030 over I‑70 located at the I‑70 /K‑23 junction, bridge repair, Reece Construction Company, Inc., Salina, Kansas, $211,891.89.

Russell ‑&nbsp;18‑84 KA‑5737‑01 ‑ K‑18, bridge #056 over the Wolf Creek Drainage located 0.90 mile east of the K‑232 junction, bridge replacement, Klaver Construction Company Inc., Wichita, Kansas, $1,654,435.83.

Trego ‑&nbsp;70‑98 KA‑6951‑01 ‑ I‑70, bridge #016 over 310th Avenue located 5.11 miles east of the I‑70/U.S. 40Buisness junction, and bridge #028 over Spring Creek located 4.36 miles east of the I‑70/K‑147 junction, bridge repair, PBX Corporation &amp; Subsidiary, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, $707,007.49.

Wallace ‑&nbsp;27‑100 KA‑7073‑01 ‑ K‑27, from the U.S 40/K‑27 junction north to the Wallace/Sherman county line, milling and overlay, 16.2 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $3,061,287.20.

Wallace ‑&nbsp;27‑100 KA‑7074‑01 ‑ K‑27, from 1.05 miles south of the south city limits of Sharron Springs north to the west U.S. 40/K‑27 junction, milling and overlay, 2.1 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $632,052.84.

Chautauqua ‑&nbsp;99‑10 KA‑5411‑03 ‑ K‑99, located 3.28 miles north of the K‑99/U.S. 166B junction, grading and culvert, 0.1 mile, Bruce Davis Construction LLC, Emporia, Kansas, $815,683.74.

Cherokee ‑&nbsp;400‑11 KA‑7135‑01 – U.S. 400, from the Labette/Cherokee county line east to the U.S. 400/K‑7 junction, milling and overlay, 13.4 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,052,235.84.

Coffey ‑&nbsp;16 C‑5122‑01 ‑ RS 2066, from Fauna Road to U.S. 75, grading and surfacing, 7.0 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,175,168.49.

Crawford ‑&nbsp;126‑19 KA‑7122‑01 ‑ K‑126, from the U.S. 400/K‑126 junction north to the K‑7/K‑126 junction, and from the east city limits of Pittsburg east to the Kansas/Missouri state line, milling and overlay, 17.9 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,121,057.46.

Greenwood ‑&nbsp;54‑37 KA‑5718‑01 ‑ U.S. 54, bridge #008 over Homer Creek located 4.17 miles east of the east K‑99/U.S. 54 junction, bridge replacement, Bridges Inc., Newton, Kansas, $3,786,610.05.

Labette ‑&nbsp;101‑50 KA‑7152‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Montgomery/Labette county line east to the west U.S. 160/U.S. 59 junction; K‑101, from the U.S. 166/K‑101 junction north to the U.S. 160/K‑101 junction, milling and overlay, 24.0 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,644,677.40.

Labette ‑&nbsp;400‑50 KA‑7136‑01 – U.S. 400, from the York Road/U.S. 400 junction east to the Labette/Cherokee county line, milling and overlay, 0.8 mile, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $162,999.70.

Linn ‑&nbsp;69‑54 KA‑7156‑01 – U.S. 69, from 0.1 mile south of sugar creek bridge north to the Linn/Miami county line, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 6.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,871,550.28.

Montgomery ‑&nbsp;160‑63 KA‑7075‑01 – U.S. 160, from the U.S. 169/U.S. 160 south junction east to the Montgomery/Labette county line, milling and overlay, 4.5 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $598,657.33.

Statewide ‑&nbsp;33‑106 KA‑7112‑01 ‑ K‑33, from the Franklin/Douglas county line north to the U.S. 56/K‑33 junction in Douglas County, and from the K‑68/K‑33 junction north to Shawnee Road and then from 0.06 mile north of 6th Street north to the Franklin/Douglas county line in Franklin county, milling and overlay, 8.8 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,323,524.96.

Barton ‑&nbsp;96‑5 KA‑7183‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Rush/Barton county line to the west city limits of Great Bend, milling and overlay, 13.6 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,414,837.00.

Cowley ‑&nbsp;160‑18 KA‑7137‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Sumner/Cowley county line east to the west city limits of Winfield, milling and overlay, 7.6 miles, Pearson Construction LLC, Wichita, Kansas, $1,566,583.70.

Edwards ‑&nbsp;50‑24 KA‑7159‑01 – U.S. 50, from the west city limits of Kinsley east to the Edwards/Stafford county line, milling and overlay, 22.8 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $5,099,481.63.

Kingman ‑&nbsp;54‑48 KA‑6952‑01 – U.S. 54, bridge #094 over the South Fork Ninnescah River located 11.47 miles east of the Pratt County line, bridge repair, PBX Corporation &amp; Subsidiary, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, $76,436.09.

Reno ‑&nbsp;14‑78 KA‑7128‑01 ‑ K‑14, from the U.S 50/K‑14 west junction to 3.9 miles east of the east city limits of Nickerson, pavement patching, 7.7 miles, Iowa Civil Contracting Inc., Victor, Iowa, $3,559,085.14.

Rush ‑&nbsp;96‑83 KA‑7108‑01 ‑ K‑96, from 0.13 mile east of the U.S. 183/K‑96 junction east to the Rush/Barton county line, milling and overlay, 14.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $4,608,731.50.

Stafford ‑&nbsp;50‑93 KA‑7037‑01 – U.S. 50, from the Edwards/Stafford county line east to the U.S. 281/U.S. 50 junction, milling and overlay, 15.0 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $4,850,016.86.

Sumner ‑&nbsp;160‑96 KA‑7138‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Sumner/Harper county line east to the west city limits of Wellington, milling and overlay, 21.5 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $4,490,212.13.

Sumner ‑&nbsp;160‑96 KA‑7247‑01 – U.S. 160, from the east edge wearing surface of the Arkansas River bridge east to the Sumner/Cowley county line, milling and overlay, 0.7 mile, Pearson Construction LLC, Wichita, Kansas, $168,423.12.

Clark ‑&nbsp;160‑13 KA‑7095‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Clark/Meade county line east to the U.S. 283/U.S. 160 north junction, milling and overlay, 5.0 miles, J &amp; R Sand Company Inc., Liberal, Kansas, $1,017,079.60.

Finney ‑&nbsp;83‑28 KA‑7133‑01 – U.S. 83, from 0.46 mile north of the U.S. 50/U.S. 400 north junction north to the Finney/Scott county line, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 17.8 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,091,347.15

Grant ‑&nbsp;160‑34 KA‑7077‑01 – U.S. 160, from the east city limits of Ulysses (Stubbs) east to the Grant/Haskell county line, recycle and overlay, 14.2 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,971,391.40.

Haskell ‑&nbsp;160‑41 KA‑7012‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Grant/Haskell county line east to the U.S. 83/U.S. 160 junction, recycle and overlay, 12.1 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,412,533.85.

Meade ‑&nbsp;160‑60 KA‑7096‑01 – U.S. 160 from the U.S. 54/U.S. 160 east junction east to the Clark/Meade county line, milling and overlay, 12.3 miles, J &amp; R Sand Company Inc., Liberal, Kansas, $2,329,394.10.

Scott ‑&nbsp;96‑86 KA‑7076‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Wichita/Scott county line east to the west city limits of Scott City, milling and overlay, 11.5 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,002,373.60.

Scott ‑&nbsp;83‑86 KA‑7134‑01 – U.S. 83, from the Finney/Scott county line north to the south city limits of Scott City, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 14.3 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $2,458,732.65.

Wichita ‑&nbsp;96‑102 KA‑7054‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the east city limits of Leoti east to the Wichita/Scott county line, overlay, 11.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $6,253,116.40.

Wichita ‑&nbsp;96‑102 KA‑7121‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Greeley/Wichita county line east to the west city limits of Leoti, milling and overlay, 10.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $2,662,972.74.

Wichita ‑&nbsp;167‑102 KA‑7052‑01 ‑ K‑167, from the K‑96/K‑167 junction north to the end of K‑167, milling and overlay, 0.5 mile, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $128,974.50.

SubmittedThe Kansas Department of Transportation announces approved bids for state highway construction and maintenance projects. The letting took place Dec. 13, 2023, in Topeka. Some of the bids may include multiple projects that have been bundled based on proximity and type of work.District One — Northeast&nbsp;Atchison ‑&nbsp;7‑3 KA‑7132‑01 ‑ K‑7, from the north city limits of Atchison north to the Atchison/Doniphan county line, milling and overlay, 5.1 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $825,457.93.Doniphan ‑&nbsp;7‑22 KA‑7119‑01 ‑ K‑7, from the Atchison/Doniphan county line north to the Kansas/Nebraska state line, milling and overlay, 28.4 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $4,827,271.23.Lyon ‑&nbsp;35‑56 KA‑5714‑01 ‑ Bridge #010 over Lincoln Street, located 1.78 miles east of Graphic Arts Road in Emporia, bridge replacement, King Construction Company Inc. &amp; Subsidiaries, Hesston, Kansas, $4,320,297.65.Shawnee ‑&nbsp;4‑89 KA‑7115‑01 ‑ K‑4, from the north edge wearing surface of S.E. 2nd Street bridge north to the south edge wearing surface of the Kansas River bridge, pavement patching, 1.9 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $893,485.00.Shawnee ‑&nbsp;75‑89 KA‑7213‑01 – U.S. 75, from 0.03 mile north of S.W. 49th Street north to the I‑470/U.S. 75 junction, pavement patching, 0.6 mile, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $659,641.00.Shawnee ‑&nbsp;75‑89 KA‑7214‑01 – U.S. 75, from the north edge wearing surface of the Kansas River bridge north to the south edge wearing surface of the Soldier Creek bridge, and from the north edge wearing surface of the Soldier Creek bridge north to end of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP), pavement patching, 5.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,076,763.90.Wyandotte ‑&nbsp;435‑105 KA‑7194‑01 ‑ I‑435, from 0.5 mile north of Leavenworth Road north to end of south approach for bridges #235 and #240 over the Missouri River, milling and overlay, 4.0 miles, Ideker Incorporated, Saint Joseph, Missouri, $2,449,037.07.Statewide ‑&nbsp;70‑106 KA‑7195‑01 ‑ I‑70; beginning 0.39 mile east of K‑30 east to the Shawnee/Wabaunsee county line in Wabaunsee County, and beginning at the Shawnee/Wabaunsee county line east to 0.32 mile west of Valencia Road in Shawnee County, milling, 8.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $4,929,314.35.District Two — North CentralCloud ‑&nbsp;81‑15 KA‑7130‑01 – U.S. 81, from 5.085 miles north of the Cloud/Ottawa county line north to 12.680 miles of the Cloud/Ottawa county line, recycle and overlay, 7.6 miles, Dustrol Inc., Towanda, Kansas, $1,355,517.98.Marion ‑&nbsp;15‑57 KA‑7082‑01 ‑ K‑15, from east U.S. 56/K‑15 junction north to the Marion/Dickinson county line, milling and overlay, 17.0 miles, Shilling Construction Co. Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, $3,733,007.70.Statewide ‑&nbsp;106 KA‑7069‑01 ‑ K‑4; from the south city limits of Gypsum east to the Saline/Dickinson county line in Saline county, and from the Saline/Dickinson county line east to the north city limits of Hope in Dickinson county, milling and overlay, 21.2 miles, Shilling Construction Co. Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, $3,306,212.55.District Three — NorthwestGove ‑&nbsp;23‑32 KA‑6950‑01 ‑ K‑23, bridge #030 over I‑70 located at the I‑70 /K‑23 junction, bridge repair, Reece Construction Company, Inc., Salina, Kansas, $211,891.89.Russell ‑&nbsp;18‑84 KA‑5737‑01 ‑ K‑18, bridge #056 over the Wolf Creek Drainage located 0.90 mile east of the K‑232 junction, bridge replacement, Klaver Construction Company Inc., Wichita, Kansas, $1,654,435.83.Trego ‑&nbsp;70‑98 KA‑6951‑01 ‑ I‑70, bridge #016 over 310th Avenue located 5.11 miles east of the I‑70/U.S. 40Buisness junction, and bridge #028 over Spring Creek located 4.36 miles east of the I‑70/K‑147 junction, bridge repair, PBX Corporation &amp; Subsidiary, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, $707,007.49.Wallace ‑&nbsp;27‑100 KA‑7073‑01 ‑ K‑27, from the U.S 40/K‑27 junction north to the Wallace/Sherman county line, milling and overlay, 16.2 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $3,061,287.20.Wallace ‑&nbsp;27‑100 KA‑7074‑01 ‑ K‑27, from 1.05 miles south of the south city limits of Sharron Springs north to the west U.S. 40/K‑27 junction, milling and overlay, 2.1 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $632,052.84.District Four — SoutheastChautauqua ‑&nbsp;99‑10 KA‑5411‑03 ‑ K‑99, located 3.28 miles north of the K‑99/U.S. 166B junction, grading and culvert, 0.1 mile, Bruce Davis Construction LLC, Emporia, Kansas, $815,683.74.Cherokee ‑&nbsp;400‑11 KA‑7135‑01 – U.S. 400, from the Labette/Cherokee county line east to the U.S. 400/K‑7 junction, milling and overlay, 13.4 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,052,235.84.Coffey ‑&nbsp;16 C‑5122‑01 ‑ RS 2066, from Fauna Road to U.S. 75, grading and surfacing, 7.0 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,175,168.49.Crawford ‑&nbsp;126‑19 KA‑7122‑01 ‑ K‑126, from the U.S. 400/K‑126 junction north to the K‑7/K‑126 junction, and from the east city limits of Pittsburg east to the Kansas/Missouri state line, milling and overlay, 17.9 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,121,057.46.Greenwood ‑&nbsp;54‑37 KA‑5718‑01 ‑ U.S. 54, bridge #008 over Homer Creek located 4.17 miles east of the east K‑99/U.S. 54 junction, bridge replacement, Bridges Inc., Newton, Kansas, $3,786,610.05.Labette ‑&nbsp;101‑50 KA‑7152‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Montgomery/Labette county line east to the west U.S. 160/U.S. 59 junction; K‑101, from the U.S. 166/K‑101 junction north to the U.S. 160/K‑101 junction, milling and overlay, 24.0 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,644,677.40.Labette ‑&nbsp;400‑50 KA‑7136‑01 – U.S. 400, from the York Road/U.S. 400 junction east to the Labette/Cherokee county line, milling and overlay, 0.8 mile, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $162,999.70.Linn ‑&nbsp;69‑54 KA‑7156‑01 – U.S. 69, from 0.1 mile south of sugar creek bridge north to the Linn/Miami county line, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 6.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,871,550.28.Montgomery ‑&nbsp;160‑63 KA‑7075‑01 – U.S. 160, from the U.S. 169/U.S. 160 south junction east to the Montgomery/Labette county line, milling and overlay, 4.5 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $598,657.33.Statewide ‑&nbsp;33‑106 KA‑7112‑01 ‑ K‑33, from the Franklin/Douglas county line north to the U.S. 56/K‑33 junction in Douglas County, and from the K‑68/K‑33 junction north to Shawnee Road and then from 0.06 mile north of 6th Street north to the Franklin/Douglas county line in Franklin county, milling and overlay, 8.8 miles, Bettis Asphalt &amp; Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,323,524.96.District Five — South CentralBarton ‑&nbsp;96‑5 KA‑7183‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Rush/Barton county line to the west city limits of Great Bend, milling and overlay, 13.6 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,414,837.00.Cowley ‑&nbsp;160‑18 KA‑7137‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Sumner/Cowley county line east to the west city limits of Winfield, milling and overlay, 7.6 miles, Pearson Construction LLC, Wichita, Kansas, $1,566,583.70.Edwards ‑&nbsp;50‑24 KA‑7159‑01 – U.S. 50, from the west city limits of Kinsley east to the Edwards/Stafford county line, milling and overlay, 22.8 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $5,099,481.63.Kingman ‑&nbsp;54‑48 KA‑6952‑01 – U.S. 54, bridge #094 over the South Fork Ninnescah River located 11.47 miles east of the Pratt County line, bridge repair, PBX Corporation &amp; Subsidiary, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, $76,436.09.Reno ‑&nbsp;14‑78 KA‑7128‑01 ‑ K‑14, from the U.S 50/K‑14 west junction to 3.9 miles east of the east city limits of Nickerson, pavement patching, 7.7 miles, Iowa Civil Contracting Inc., Victor, Iowa, $3,559,085.14.Rush ‑&nbsp;96‑83 KA‑7108‑01 ‑ K‑96, from 0.13 mile east of the U.S. 183/K‑96 junction east to the Rush/Barton county line, milling and overlay, 14.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $4,608,731.50.Stafford ‑&nbsp;50‑93 KA‑7037‑01 – U.S. 50, from the Edwards/Stafford county line east to the U.S. 281/U.S. 50 junction, milling and overlay, 15.0 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $4,850,016.86.Sumner ‑&nbsp;160‑96 KA‑7138‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Sumner/Harper county line east to the west city limits of Wellington, milling and overlay, 21.5 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $4,490,212.13.Sumner ‑&nbsp;160‑96 KA‑7247‑01 – U.S. 160, from the east edge wearing surface of the Arkansas River bridge east to the Sumner/Cowley county line, milling and overlay, 0.7 mile, Pearson Construction LLC, Wichita, Kansas, $168,423.12.District Six — SouthwestClark ‑&nbsp;160‑13 KA‑7095‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Clark/Meade county line east to the U.S. 283/U.S. 160 north junction, milling and overlay, 5.0 miles, J &amp; R Sand Company Inc., Liberal, Kansas, $1,017,079.60.Finney ‑&nbsp;83‑28 KA‑7133‑01 – U.S. 83, from 0.46 mile north of the U.S. 50/U.S. 400 north junction north to the Finney/Scott county line, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 17.8 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,091,347.15Grant ‑&nbsp;160‑34 KA‑7077‑01 – U.S. 160, from the east city limits of Ulysses (Stubbs) east to the Grant/Haskell county line, recycle and overlay, 14.2 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,971,391.40.Haskell ‑&nbsp;160‑41 KA‑7012‑01 – U.S. 160, from the Grant/Haskell county line east to the U.S. 83/U.S. 160 junction, recycle and overlay, 12.1 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,412,533.85.Meade ‑&nbsp;160‑60 KA‑7096‑01 – U.S. 160 from the U.S. 54/U.S. 160 east junction east to the Clark/Meade county line, milling and overlay, 12.3 miles, J &amp; R Sand Company Inc., Liberal, Kansas, $2,329,394.10.Scott ‑&nbsp;96‑86 KA‑7076‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Wichita/Scott county line east to the west city limits of Scott City, milling and overlay, 11.5 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,002,373.60.Scott ‑&nbsp;83‑86 KA‑7134‑01 – U.S. 83, from the Finney/Scott county line north to the south city limits of Scott City, ultra thin bonded asphalt surfacing, 14.3 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $2,458,732.65.Wichita ‑&nbsp;96‑102 KA‑7054‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the east city limits of Leoti east to the Wichita/Scott county line, overlay, 11.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $6,253,116.40.Wichita ‑&nbsp;96‑102 KA‑7121‑01 ‑ K‑96, from the Greeley/Wichita county line east to the west city limits of Leoti, milling and overlay, 10.9 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $2,662,972.74.Wichita ‑&nbsp;167‑102 KA‑7052‑01 ‑ K‑167, from the K‑96/K‑167 junction north to the end of K‑167, milling and overlay, 0.5 mile, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $128,974.50.

KDOT announces approved December bids

By Stacy Campbell Cottonwood Extension District

The Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station fertilizer reports include preliminary results of research conducted on fertilizer use and management practices for crops in Kansas. These studies are conducted across the state, varying from year to year. In this report, research was conducted in Barton, Brown, Clay, Dickinson, Ellis, Franklin, Gove, Jefferson, Jewell, Logan, McPherson, Mitchell, Reno, Republic, Riley, Saline, and Shawnee counties. The research reports included in the 2023 issue are listed below.

· Nitrogen and Phosphorus Rates’ Impact on Different Varieties of Alfalfa in Central Kansas

· Assessing the Impact of the 4R Nutrient Management on Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Corn

· Evaluating the Impact of Long-Term Phosphorus Placement on Corn and Soybean Rotation under Minimum Tillage System

· Could the Use of Nitrification Inhibitor Optimize the Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Corn Production?

· Corn and Soybean Yield as Affected by Cover Crop and Phosphorus Fertilizer Management

· Evaluation of Plant Tissue Analysis to Assess Phosphorus Nutritional Status for Corn and Soybean

· Chloride Fertilization’s Impacts on Kansas Winter Wheat Grain Yield During 2021-2022

· Field Evaluations of Nitrogen-Fixing Products in Grain Sorghum

· Assessing Corn Response to Cover Crops and Nitrogen Fertilization in a No-Till, Three-Year Rotation in Northeast Kansas

· 2022 Fertilizer Station Weather Report To access the Fertilizer Research Report for 2023, https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr/vol9/iss8/

Cover Your Acres Winter Conference – Jan. 17 &amp; 18

The January 10th early bird registration is quickly approaching for Cover Your Acres (CYA) in Oberlin, KS. It is a producer-driven meeting focused on new ideas and research-based updates in crop production in northwest Kansas and the Central High Plains region. The same programs will be offered both days of the conference. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 5:00 p.m. To register or see the conference details go to www.northwest.ksu.edu/coveryouracres For question call 785-462-6281.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681266655144.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By Stacy Campbell Cottonwood Extension DistrictThe Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station fertilizer reports include preliminary results of research conducted on fertilizer use and management practices for crops in Kansas. These studies are conducted across the state, varying from year to year. In this report, research was conducted in Barton, Brown, Clay, Dickinson, Ellis, Franklin, Gove, Jefferson, Jewell, Logan, McPherson, Mitchell, Reno, Republic, Riley, Saline, and Shawnee counties. The research reports included in the 2023 issue are listed below.· Nitrogen and Phosphorus Rates’ Impact on Different Varieties of Alfalfa in Central Kansas· Assessing the Impact of the 4R Nutrient Management on Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Corn· Evaluating the Impact of Long-Term Phosphorus Placement on Corn and Soybean Rotation under Minimum Tillage System· Could the Use of Nitrification Inhibitor Optimize the Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Corn Production?· Corn and Soybean Yield as Affected by Cover Crop and Phosphorus Fertilizer Management· Evaluation of Plant Tissue Analysis to Assess Phosphorus Nutritional Status for Corn and Soybean· Chloride Fertilization’s Impacts on Kansas Winter Wheat Grain Yield During 2021-2022· Field Evaluations of Nitrogen-Fixing Products in Grain Sorghum· Assessing Corn Response to Cover Crops and Nitrogen Fertilization in a No-Till, Three-Year Rotation in Northeast Kansas· 2022 Fertilizer Station Weather Report To access the Fertilizer Research Report for 2023, https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr/vol9/iss8/Cover Your Acres Winter Conference – Jan. 17 &amp; 18The January 10th early bird registration is quickly approaching for Cover Your Acres (CYA) in Oberlin, KS. It is a producer-driven meeting focused on new ideas and research-based updates in crop production in northwest Kansas and the Central High Plains region. The same programs will be offered both days of the conference. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 5:00 p.m. To register or see the conference details go to www.northwest.ksu.edu/coveryouracres For question call 785-462-6281.

Campbell: K-State Fertilizer Research Report available online

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704496212859.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with Kan. 110 District Rep. Ken Rahjes.

<div><iframe title="Forward Ever: 110 District Rep. Ken Rahjes" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=br6zm-1541579-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=60a0c8&size=315" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with Kan. 110 District Rep. Ken Rahjes.

🎤Forward Ever: Kan. 110 District Rep. Ken Rahjes

TMP-Marian vs Sacred Heart Friday, Jan. 5 – 6 p.m. Hays, Kan. - Al Billinger Fieldhouse&nbsp;

Radio: KFIX (99.5)&nbsp;<a href="https://99kzcountry.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video: TMP-Marian Sports Network&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/879757">CLICK HERE TO WATCH
($)</a>

The TMP-Marian Monarchs return to the hardwood Friday night,
in their first action since the holiday break, against the Sacred Heart
Knights.

The TMP girls are looking to bounce back from their second
straight loss to close out the month of December and they take on a Knights
team that has also lost two straight. 

The Sacred Heart boys are out to their best start in five
years, at 8-0, with the TMP boys are looking for their second straight victory.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575411582384.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TMP-Marian vs Sacred Heart Friday, Jan. 5 – 6 p.m. Hays, Kan. - Al Billinger Fieldhouse&nbsp; Radio: KFIX (99.5)&nbsp;<a href="https://99kzcountry.com/">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> Video: TMP-Marian Sports Network&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/879757">CLICK HERE TO WATCH
($)</a>The TMP-Marian Monarchs return to the hardwood Friday night,
in their first action since the holiday break, against the Sacred Heart
Knights.The TMP girls are looking to bounce back from their second
straight loss to close out the month of December and they take on a Knights
team that has also lost two straight. The Sacred Heart boys are out to their best start in five
years, at 8-0, with the TMP boys are looking for their second straight victory.

🏀🎥 TMP returns to action against rival Sacred Heart

GOVE COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 8 a.m. Friday in Gove County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Toyota Corolla driven by Savannah L.&nbsp;Hayman, 24, Lakeland, Florida, was&nbsp;westbound on Interstate 70 near fifteen miles west of WaKeeney.

The driver lost control of the car. It&nbsp; slid off the road, struck a delineator post, traveled into the north ditch, continued northwest through ditch, slid off the bridge and rolled onto its top.

EMS transported&nbsp;Hayman to the Gove County Medical Center. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

GOVE COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 8 a.m. Friday in Gove County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Toyota Corolla driven by Savannah L.&nbsp;Hayman, 24, Lakeland, Florida, was&nbsp;westbound on Interstate 70 near fifteen miles west of WaKeeney.The driver lost control of the car. It&nbsp; slid off the road, struck a delineator post, traveled into the north ditch, continued northwest through ditch, slid off the bridge and rolled onto its top.EMS transported&nbsp;Hayman to the Gove County Medical Center. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Florida driver hospitalized after violent I-70 crash

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

After an absence of two years, Hays' band Dangerously Biased makes a comeback.

The Hays-based band is set to make their return Jan. 13 at Rose Garden Banquet Hall &amp; Catering, 2350 E. Eighth St.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703880915741.jpeg" alt="Dangerously Biased featuring&nbsp;Matt Isley (left) and&nbsp;Sutton Thompson (right). Photo by HarrisonHale Photography." />
 <figcaption>Dangerously Biased featuring&nbsp;Matt Isley (left) and&nbsp;Sutton Thompson (right). Photo by HarrisonHale Photography.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostAfter an absence of two years, Hays' band Dangerously Biased makes a comeback.The Hays-based band is set to make their return Jan. 13 at Rose Garden Banquet Hall &amp; Catering, 2350 E. Eighth St.Dangerously Biased &amp; Friends at Rose Garden Hall will feature Aether, Thunderbird Hotel,&nbsp;Tree Kitty and Black Cat J.Bassist and vocalist for Dangerously Biased, Matt Isley, has been playing music since he was in high school.He performed with different bands before working alongside drummer and vocalist for Dangerously Biased, Sutton Thompson.Isley and Thompson performed two shows every weekend for months in 2021 before taking a break lasting over two years."We were ready to work on other aspects of our lives,"Isley said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704227453855.jpeg" alt="Dangerously Biased band members Sutton Thompson (left) and Matt Isley (right). Courtesy Photo." />
 <figcaption>Dangerously Biased band members Sutton Thompson (left) and Matt Isley (right). Courtesy Photo.</figcaption>
 </figure>Thompson has since moved to Wichita, providing a challenge for the two-piece rock band to practice."It'll be every couple of weeks when we meet up and practice for an hour or two," Isley said.After discussing the idea of organizing a concert with Aether and Thunderbird's guitarist, Hugo Hernandez, Isley felt inspired to re-enter the music scene."That conversation was an opportunity to set a goal and try to make something happen," Isley said.Songs that Dangerously Biased will perform at the concert include "Whisper," "Jailbreak Maria Ross," "Same As I Once Was" and "I Saw It All.""We play modern rock. It's not really heavy music but rock music with palatable vocals," Iskey said.Iskey said he expects a big turnout and is excited yet nervous at the same time."It does help that it's a Hays show, and we know mostly everyone involved," he said. "It will be fun to reconnect with the scene after such a hiatus." Future projects are in the works for Dangerously Biased who will remain in the music scene following their return."We have music that hasn't been recorded yet and music that is currently being written. It's a work in progress," Isley said.You can follow Dangerously Biased on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dangerouslybiased">Facebook</a>.<h2>Aether and Thunderbird Hotel</h2>Guitarist Hugo Hernandez performs with Aether and Thunderbird Hotel, both out of Dodge City.Hernandez was originally part of a band with Orlando Galvan, who serves as the vocalist for Aether and Thunderbird Hotel, before the band disbanded."Orlando and I have been friends for a long time," he said. "We used to be in a band called Guns on Mars, but eventually they broke up, and we wanted to keep doing music."The two would start a band together, Aether, enlisting bassist Chris Clark and drummer Alex Rodriguez.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704225676408.jpeg" alt="Aether featuring Chris Clark, Alex Rodriguez, Orlando Galvan and Hugo Hernandez (left to right). Photo By Mira 3 Photography. " />
 <figcaption>Aether featuring Chris Clark, Alex Rodriguez, Orlando Galvan and Hugo Hernandez (left to right). Photo By Mira 3 Photography. </figcaption>
 </figure>"Aether is my main project. We're a hard rock band with a more modern mainstream radio rock like&nbsp;Chevelle or&nbsp;Deftones," Hernandez said.The four-man band will be performing original song titles such as "Blue Pill," "Cheat Code" and "Make Me."You can follow Aether on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aetherdc">Facebook</a>.Thunderbird Hotel is Hernandez's second band, which he started with his brother, Alonso Carranza and drummer Dwight Imel."Alonso wanted to play and get involved in the music scene," Hernandez said. "We got him a bass, and we started writing music together."Initially meant to be a three-man band, Thunderbird Hotel would introduce Galvan as their vocalist.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704235191196.jpeg" alt="Thunderbird Hotel featuring Orlando Galvan, Alonso Carranza, Hugo Hernandez and Dwight Imel (left to right). Photo by Visual Voice Artistry." />
 <figcaption>Thunderbird Hotel featuring Orlando Galvan, Alonso Carranza, Hugo Hernandez and Dwight Imel (left to right). Photo by Visual Voice Artistry.</figcaption>
 </figure>"Thunderbird is a mesh of other bands because we all play in different bands," Hernandez said.&nbsp;Songs that Thunderbird will be performing include "Thin, "Queen of the Radio" and "Complacent.""'Complacent'&nbsp;is more of a laid-back alternative jam Orlando wrote," Hernandez said. "It was originally an acoustic song, but we decided to make it a band song, and it came together really nicely."Hernandez said both bands continue to practice and are confident about their upcoming show."We're feeling pretty good about it. We're getting in a couple more rehearsals, so we're as tight as we can be when performing," he said.You can follow Thunderbird Hotel on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thunderbirdhotel">Facebook</a>.<h2>Tree Kitty</h2>Tree Kitty is the second band performing that is based in Hays.Guitarist and vocalist Ryne Timken proposed the idea of creating a band with Ian Lewicki and Zach Martin as he was set to perform at an upcoming show in 2018."He asked the rest of us if we wanted to be in a band so he didn't have to do the gig alone, and it took off from there," Martin said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704397099195.jpeg" alt="Tree Kitty featuring Zach Martin,&nbsp;Ian Lewicki and Ryne Timken (left to right). Photo by O'Live Greendreams." />
 <figcaption>Tree Kitty featuring Zach Martin,&nbsp;Ian Lewicki and Ryne Timken (left to right). Photo by O'Live Greendreams.</figcaption>
 </figure>Lewicki serves as the bassist and vocalist for Tree Kitty, while Martin takes on the role of the drummer.Martin has been in the music scene since the fall of 2012, playing in various bands and maintaining his involvement in different musical projects."Over the last five years, I've filled in for four to five bands as the drummer," he said. "I'm currently active in two bands, Tree Kitty and another band called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Billyfromkansas">Billy</a>."Martin said that he would characterize Tree Kitty Music as not adhering to any specific style."It usually comes out in more punk fashion or psychedelic experimental," he said.The trio will be performing songs such as "Comatose," "Creamy &amp; Delicious" and "Millville."The group is determined to achieve the goals they've set for themselves in the new year following months of being less active than usual."We're trying to write more and get new material out because we've been playing the same stuff for the last couple of years," Martin said. "We want to start working on getting another album out by the end of the year."You can follow Tree Kitty on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TreeKittyBand">Facebook</a>.<h2>Black Cat J</h2>Black Cat J is a band based in Wichita featuring Johnny Gamero as the only member who entered the music scene at 15 years old.Gamero went through three different bands with various members before forming his own due to time restraints."I got tired of having to figure out people's schedules so I decided to be a one-man band," he said.Gamero drew inspiration from other solo performers, admiring their capacity to deliver performances independently."Being in a union and seeing how other people do it all by themselves is impressive to me so I decided to try it out," he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704399735007.jpeg" alt="Black Cat J featuring&nbsp;Johnny Gamero. Photo by Durty Boatz." />
 <figcaption>Black Cat J featuring&nbsp;Johnny Gamero. Photo by Durty Boatz.</figcaption>
 </figure>Black Cat J's music is similar to '50s and '60s music with the influence of punk rock and horror."I love horror movies so I like to base my work off the horror genre," Gamero said.Through his multitasking abilities, Gamero will perform songs such as "Witch's Cell" and "Vampirine Sk8ers.""I play the drums with my feet while also playing the guitar and singing," he said. "It's really easy to get the band members together because it's just me."Having experienced the demands of being a one-man band, Gamero recognizes the challenges that come with it and has joined another band called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555011429008">Ghost Town Strays</a>."I finally got some people that want to be in a band with me," Gamero said. "I'm excited to be in a full band again and have two projects."The concert begins at 7 p.m. as Black Cat J is scheduled to go first followed by Tree Kitty, Thunderbird Hotel, Aether and Dangerously Biased as the finale.Dangerously Biased &amp; Friends at Rose Garden also celebrates the 40th birthday of Marshal Anderson, event planner and longtime friend of several band members who will be part of the performance.Attendees of all ages are invited for a fee of $10, excluding those aged 12 years and younger. Food and beverages will be available.Dangerously Biased and Thunderbird Hotel will perform in Dodge City on Feb. 3 alongside other local bands. For more information, click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/882035066911501">here</a>.

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