By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher History often repeats itself. This phrase used to seem like a cautionary warning but the last two years have transformed it to have a feeling more like a judgmental, “I told you so.” Events I had only read about in history books like a global pandemic, racial unrest as part of the fight for civil rights and the start of war in Europe are actually happening. Bad things happen in the world every day but this has felt heavier and closer. Six degrees of separation is a theory that any two people on earth can be connected to each other through the network connections of six or fewer people. This theory has been around since the 1920s and has shown up in pop culture as the subject of plays, movies and even a game featuring Kevin Bacon as the speculated most connected person in the entertainment industry. I have often thought that in the agriculture community we could cut the number of degrees in half. Maybe we are friendlier or there are just less of us, but I could give example after example of how small our world is and the interesting places I have meet people with whom I share a first or second social connection. For example, less than six months ago, I was traveling with Kansas Farm Bureau’s Casten Fellows program, learning about how farmers in the Baltic states have worked to build their businesses, infrastructure and knowledge over the last three decades after gaining independence from Russian occupation. Farmers we met on that trip have close family and friends who are in Ukraine and willing to fight for their freedom. That’s two degrees of separation for me. All of the people we met in the Baltics, who are thriving under their own sovereignty, know they will be a future target if the Ukraine falls to Russia. Then it would be just one degree of separation. That is why it feels so close. People I know or that know my connections are fighting a war. Not because they volunteered to help, but because invaders burst into their homes trying to rob them of their independence. Power, greed, hatred, disagreement and control are some of the most unfortunate motivators within human nature because they lead to separation, struggle and conflict. War is a dreadful and often repeated reality brought about by these motivators. With war just a degree or two away, the struggles and conflicts of our everyday lives seem to lessen a little in light of all the things we already have and the ways we universally alike. We all want to be safe, healthy, connected. War does none of these things but making new connections, sharing our lives and being good to each other reduces our degrees of separation and brings us all closer together. The world gets smaller and better with every connection we make. Hold your loved ones closer, reach out to friends and strangers to connect to the world around you, and continue to pray for the families in Ukraine and their connections all over the world.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575406519723.jpeg" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher History often repeats itself. This phrase used to seem like a cautionary warning but the last two years have transformed it to have a feeling more like a judgmental, “I told you so.” Events I had only read about in history books like a global pandemic, racial unrest as part of the fight for civil rights and the start of war in Europe are actually happening. Bad things happen in the world every day but this has felt heavier and closer. Six degrees of separation is a theory that any two people on earth can be connected to each other through the network connections of six or fewer people. This theory has been around since the 1920s and has shown up in pop culture as the subject of plays, movies and even a game featuring Kevin Bacon as the speculated most connected person in the entertainment industry. I have often thought that in the agriculture community we could cut the number of degrees in half. Maybe we are friendlier or there are just less of us, but I could give example after example of how small our world is and the interesting places I have meet people with whom I share a first or second social connection. For example, less than six months ago, I was traveling with Kansas Farm Bureau’s Casten Fellows program, learning about how farmers in the Baltic states have worked to build their businesses, infrastructure and knowledge over the last three decades after gaining independence from Russian occupation. Farmers we met on that trip have close family and friends who are in Ukraine and willing to fight for their freedom. That’s two degrees of separation for me. All of the people we met in the Baltics, who are thriving under their own sovereignty, know they will be a future target if the Ukraine falls to Russia. Then it would be just one degree of separation. That is why it feels so close. People I know or that know my connections are fighting a war. Not because they volunteered to help, but because invaders burst into their homes trying to rob them of their independence. Power, greed, hatred, disagreement and control are some of the most unfortunate motivators within human nature because they lead to separation, struggle and conflict. War is a dreadful and often repeated reality brought about by these motivators. With war just a degree or two away, the struggles and conflicts of our everyday lives seem to lessen a little in light of all the things we already have and the ways we universally alike. We all want to be safe, healthy, connected. War does none of these things but making new connections, sharing our lives and being good to each other reduces our degrees of separation and brings us all closer together. The world gets smaller and better with every connection we make. Hold your loved ones closer, reach out to friends and strangers to connect to the world around you, and continue to pray for the families in Ukraine and their connections all over the world."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Degrees of separation

<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/2022/3/1646252741142.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

🏀🎥 WATCH LIVE Hays High vs Maize South

First Call for Help is sponsoring its second annual Photo Frenzy fundraiser.

Strike a pose on Saturday, March 5. Select your team of up to four people, hop in the car, and get ready to make memories for a good cause. 

•	Call 785-623-2800 to register your team by the end of the day on March 3. Registration fee is $20 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and younger. This is a family friendly event. 	•	On the morning of March 5, receive your scavenger hunt clues and have a blast setting out to find the locations between 10 a.m. and noon. 	•	Snap photos of your answers and submit them for points. 	•	Team scores will be added together, and prizes will be awarded to the winning team members.

This is a fun, interactive event that brings people together to raise money and awareness for First Call For Help. All registration fees and any additional funds raised go directly to support community members in need of basic essential services, such as rent, utilities and diapers.

Last year was a great success and we hope to make this year even bigger and better, a news release said. To sign up or for more information, call Laura Shoaff at 785-623-2800. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643306693231.jpeg" alt="Photo Frenzy Flyer 2022USE1 (1).jpg" />
 <figcaption>Photo Frenzy Flyer 2022USE1 (1).jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedFirst Call for Help is sponsoring its second annual Photo Frenzy fundraiser. Strike a pose on Saturday, March 5. Select your team of up to four people, hop in the car, and get ready to make memories for a good cause. Here’s the full picture:	•	Call 785-623-2800 to register your team by the end of the day on March 3. Registration fee is $20 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and younger. This is a family friendly event. 	•	On the morning of March 5, receive your scavenger hunt clues and have a blast setting out to find the locations between 10 a.m. and noon. 	•	Snap photos of your answers and submit them for points. 	•	Team scores will be added together, and prizes will be awarded to the winning team members.This is a fun, interactive event that brings people together to raise money and awareness for First Call For Help. All registration fees and any additional funds raised go directly to support community members in need of basic essential services, such as rent, utilities and diapers. Last year was a great success and we hope to make this year even bigger and better, a news release said. To sign up or for more information, call Laura Shoaff at 785-623-2800.

Deadline extended for First Call For Help Photo Frenzy fundraiser

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported just one COVID-19 cluster in western Kansas as of Wednesday.&nbsp;

KDHE on Wednesday reported 239 active COVID clusters in the state, accounting for 7,081 cases, 84 hospitalizations and 70 deaths.&nbsp;

The only western Kansas cluster identified by KDHE was Wallace County Community Care Center in Sharon Springs with five cases.

A cluster is defined as a location that has five or more cases of COVID-19 with symptom onset in the last 14 days.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646253458706.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported just one COVID-19 cluster in western Kansas as of Wednesday.&nbsp;KDHE on Wednesday reported 239 active COVID clusters in the state, accounting for 7,081 cases, 84 hospitalizations and 70 deaths.&nbsp;The only western Kansas cluster identified by KDHE was Wallace County Community Care Center in Sharon Springs with five cases. A cluster is defined as a location that has five or more cases of COVID-19 with symptom onset in the last 14 days.&nbsp;

KDHE: Just one small COVID cluster reported in western Kansas

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported two new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.

<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/75f061b1-d7f1-4dba-ad9d-36bcbccc8ee8">RELATED: Drive-through testing site returns to Big Creek Crossing</a>

As of Wednesday morning, HaysMed reported 13 COVID inpatients, including five active and eight recovering cases.

Since reporting began, there have been 7,111 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 80 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646247133395.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported two new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/75f061b1-d7f1-4dba-ad9d-36bcbccc8ee8">RELATED: Drive-through testing site returns to Big Creek Crossing</a>As of Wednesday morning, HaysMed reported 13 COVID inpatients, including five active and eight recovering cases.Since reporting began, there have been 7,111 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 80 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646247200074.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Four new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Monday

Soroptimist International-Hays presents "Dueling Pianos 2022" Saturday, March 12, 6 p.m., at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Spend your St. Patty's weekend celebrating while helping raise academic scholarship funds for local women and girls. 

Musical entertainment provided by Howl At the Moon. Dinner to be catered.

Purchase tickets through Venmo: Soroptimist International-Hays @sihays. If you prefer to pay cash or check, please reach out and a member will get in touch with you!

Only 250 tickets will be sold. Ticket costs&nbsp;$50 through March 4, $75 after.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Must be 21 to attend.&nbsp;Cash bar available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646240026810.jpeg" alt="Soroptimist International-Hays (Courtesy photo)" />
 <figcaption>Soroptimist International-Hays (Courtesy photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>Soroptimist International-Hays presents "Dueling Pianos 2022" Saturday, March 12, 6 p.m., at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;Spend your St. Patty's weekend celebrating while helping raise academic scholarship funds for local women and girls. Musical entertainment provided by Howl At the Moon. Dinner to be catered.Purchase tickets through Venmo: Soroptimist International-Hays @sihays. If you prefer to pay cash or check, please reach out and a member will get in touch with you!Only 250 tickets will be sold. Ticket costs&nbsp;$50 through March 4, $75 after.&nbsp;&nbsp;Must be 21 to attend.&nbsp;Cash bar available.

Soroptimist International-Hays presents Dueling Pianos 2022

While the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and
international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert
said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.


Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern
Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled
to and from the country for research since 2018.

While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people
of Ukraine and those living in the area.

“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,”
Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks
here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it
takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right
now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”

And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies,
Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their
top five exports.

“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black
earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient-rich that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those
folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many
Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is
this is part of who they are.”

Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are
fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most
recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.

“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian
aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the
historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of
independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing
power over the Ukrainian population.

“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally
occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk,
and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over
4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”

While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the
conflict has become decidedly more pronounced. 

“Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past
five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that
I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children
doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders
looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's
heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”

Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she
said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the
country from around the globe.

"It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here,
where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come
from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging
really, regardless of what languages you speak.”

And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent
in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.

“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I
am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think
we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the
media that is coming out of these places.”

The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region,
she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national
complexities. 

“I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small
country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard
those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of
nowhere.”

The size of the nation itself is important for a good
understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase
their sphere of influence in Ukraine.

“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger
than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than
the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory,
we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative
to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the
Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”

The country is also a regional economic power, that despite
ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.

“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech
sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ...
They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are
exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm
biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're
working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated
in 2014, in the wake of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former
president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he
left in 2014.”

The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a
primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in
whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.

“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this
is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is
afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what
are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian
territory.

“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try
to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very,
very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”

Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation
of the situation, Nickell said.

“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and
thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr.
Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a
map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics
and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already
bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”

But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government
has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even
within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.

“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days
that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she
said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's
propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit
more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is
breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the
thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to
protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”

Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very
sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere,
showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights
potential threats to Putin.

“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid
right now.”

Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend
toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.

While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian
forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as
surprising to Putin and his allies.

“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he
thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under
the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate
within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which
Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught
something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and
everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what
happened.

“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is
fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”

A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is
based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in
historical fact.

He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict
both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related
things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella
Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now
distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.

While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts
and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War
Two.

“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric
coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that
Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman,
be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place
for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then
became something else after.

While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they
stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.

“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,”
Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or
pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after
that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we
succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not
succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks
violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing
this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine
gets into the Soviet Union.”

Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until
1991.

“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for
Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian
state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were
always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily
marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become
more overt in these calls.”

After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for
their independence.

But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation
that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.

“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States,
leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of
the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the
fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the
world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War
world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that
we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.

“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process
unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they
would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and
the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to
protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian
sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is
also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a
lesson and Putin's promises.”

As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic
leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the
Euromaidan.

“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is
why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment
that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they
demanded democratic policies.”

Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic
system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.

“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the
population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals
were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today
Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”

The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation
of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon
after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation
to invade Crimea.

It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,”
Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United
States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have
died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."

Until recently, military action has been confined to those
two regions.

“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention
in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression
there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid
escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is
sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using
weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is
a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming
to.”

And while allegiances in those regions created complex international
relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.

As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict
what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be
quickly resolved.

“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so
far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and
protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general
approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I
can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”

But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian
aggression.

“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian
Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think
protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan,
all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where
there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for
transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this
would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic
ideas.”

“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know
what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they
need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your
congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does
their bit. So do your bit and make change.”

Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic at the Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. Thursday. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting is also scheduled to live stream on the library Facebook page,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

<div><iframe title="Area Ukraine expert shares insights into situation; history" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=d3fid-11bd71a-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostWhile the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and
international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert
said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.
Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern
Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled
to and from the country for research since 2018.While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people
of Ukraine and those living in the area.“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,”
Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks
here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it
takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right
now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies,
Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their
top five exports.“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black
earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient-rich that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those
folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many
Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is
this is part of who they are.”Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are
fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most
recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian
aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the
historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of
independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing
power over the Ukrainian population.“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally
occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk,
and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over
4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the
conflict has become decidedly more pronounced. “Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past
five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that
I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children
doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders
looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's
heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”<h2>A civic nation</h2>Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she
said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the
country from around the globe."It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here,
where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come
from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging
really, regardless of what languages you speak.”And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent
in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I
am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think
we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the
media that is coming out of these places.”The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region,
she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national
complexities. “I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small
country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard
those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of
nowhere.”The size of the nation itself is important for a good
understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase
their sphere of influence in Ukraine.“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger
than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than
the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory,
we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative
to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the
Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”The country is also a regional economic power, that despite
ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech
sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ...
They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are
exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm
biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're
working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated
in 2014, in the wake of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former
president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he
left in 2014.”<h2>Why it matters</h2>The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a
primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in
whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this
is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is
afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what
are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian
territory.“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try
to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very,
very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation
of the situation, Nickell said.“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and
thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr.
Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a
map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics
and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already
bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government
has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even
within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days
that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she
said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's
propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit
more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is
breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the
thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to
protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very
sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere,
showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights
potential threats to Putin.“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid
right now.”Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend
toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.<h2>The conflict</h2>While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian
forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as
surprising to Putin and his allies.“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he
thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under
the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate
within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which
Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught
something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and
everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what
happened.“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is
fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is
based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in
historical fact.He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict
both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related
things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella
Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now
distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts
and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War
Two.“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric
coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that
Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman,
be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place
for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then
became something else after.While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they
stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,”
Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or
pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after
that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we
succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not
succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks
violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing
this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine
gets into the Soviet Union.”Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until
1991.“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for
Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian
state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were
always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily
marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become
more overt in these calls.”After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for
their independence.But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation
that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States,
leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of
the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the
fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the
world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War
world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that
we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process
unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they
would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and
the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to
protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian
sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is
also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a
lesson and Putin's promises.”<h2>The conflict heats up</h2>As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic
leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the
Euromaidan.“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is
why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment
that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they
demanded democratic policies.”Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic
system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the
population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals
were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today
Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation
of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon
after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation
to invade Crimea.It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,”
Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United
States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have
died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."Until recently, military action has been confined to those
two regions.“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention
in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression
there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid
escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is
sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using
weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is
a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming
to.”And while allegiances in those regions created complex international
relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict
what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be
quickly resolved.“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so
far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and
protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general
approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I
can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian
aggression.“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian
Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think
protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan,
all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where
there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for
transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this
would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic
ideas.”“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know
what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they
need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your
congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does
their bit. So do your bit and make change.”Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic at the Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. Thursday. The public is invited to attend.The meeting is also scheduled to live stream on the library Facebook page,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

🎙 'Democratic ideas overturn autocratic ideas': FHSU professor shares insights into Ukraine

There will be a reception for Hays artist Pete Felten from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Stone Gallery, 107 W. Sixth St.

A group is working on a documentary on Felten and his work and is inviting the community to admire his wall and work, and swap stories with others from the community to celebrate Felten.

The working title for the documentary is "Meet Pete."

There will be appetizers and beverages provided by Gella's Diner.

There will be a reception for Hays artist Pete Felten from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Stone Gallery, 107 W. Sixth St.A group is working on a documentary on Felten and his work and is inviting the community to admire his wall and work, and swap stories with others from the community to celebrate Felten.The working title for the documentary is "Meet Pete." There will be appetizers and beverages provided by Gella's Diner.

Filmmakers set reception for artist Pete Felten

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

Spring is nearly here and the community events calendar in Hays is bursting with fun-filled activities.

&nbsp;March is the month to enjoy live music, Special Olympics basketball and cheerleading, talking with area state legislators, and many more options, according to Melissa Dixon, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director.

For an up-to-the minute schedule, check the CVB <a href="https://www.visithays.com/calendar.aspx?CID=23,27,40,36,39,28,29,41,24,25,14,38,37,31,26,34,33,22">community events calendar at www.visithays.com</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646157587736.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By BECKY KISER Hays PostSpring is nearly here and the community events calendar in Hays is bursting with fun-filled activities.&nbsp;March is the month to enjoy live music, Special Olympics basketball and cheerleading, talking with area state legislators, and many more options, according to Melissa Dixon, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AYj2_KiQ4wg"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For an up-to-the minute schedule, check the CVB <a href="https://www.visithays.com/calendar.aspx?CID=23,27,40,36,39,28,29,41,24,25,14,38,37,31,26,34,33,22">community events calendar at www.visithays.com</a>.&nbsp;

🎥 CVB: March happenings in Hays

TMP-M Thomas More Prep-Marian junior high is hosting a pre-enrollment event from 3:30 to 6 p.m. March 8 from in the second-floor Learning Commons.

This is for any new student enrolling in the seventh or eighth grades.&nbsp; Students interested or planning&nbsp;to attend TMP-Marian junior high for the 2022-23 school year can request a pre-enrollment packet by calling 785-625-6577 or emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:office@tmpmarian.org" target="_blank">office@tmpmarian.org</a>. Packets will be available at the March 8 event, as well.

Enrollment is open throughout the spring and summer, but students wanting to reserve their space can do so at this event. The students and families can also meet with teachers and administration to ask any questions about the junior high. 

Holy Family Elementary students will receive their packets at school March 1 to 4.

New students interested in pre-enrolling for grades 9-12 can contact the school at any time as 2022-23 enrollment is rolling through the summer.

TMP-M Thomas More Prep-Marian junior high is hosting a pre-enrollment event from 3:30 to 6 p.m. March 8 from in the second-floor Learning Commons.This is for any new student enrolling in the seventh or eighth grades.&nbsp; Students interested or planning&nbsp;to attend TMP-Marian junior high for the 2022-23 school year can request a pre-enrollment packet by calling 785-625-6577 or emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:office@tmpmarian.org" target="_blank">office@tmpmarian.org</a>. Packets will be available at the March 8 event, as well. Enrollment is open throughout the spring and summer, but students wanting to reserve their space can do so at this event. The students and families can also meet with teachers and administration to ask any questions about the junior high. Holy Family Elementary students will receive their packets at school March 1 to 4. New students interested in pre-enrolling for grades 9-12 can contact the school at any time as 2022-23 enrollment is rolling through the summer.

TMP-Marian junior high pre-enrollment set for March 8

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646151345980.jpeg" alt="While raised in Plainville, KS, the City of Great Bend still can claim rights to the birthplace of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran. Moran was born in Great Bend on May 29, 1954. He was elected to the Senate in 2010 and is currently the senior United States senator from Kansas. Great Bend honored Moran with the above sign placed at Veterans Memorial Park. Courtesy Great Bend Post" />
 <figcaption>While raised in Plainville, KS, the City of Great Bend still can claim rights to the birthplace of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran. Moran was born in Great Bend on May 29, 1954. He was elected to the Senate in 2010 and is currently the senior United States senator from Kansas. Great Bend honored Moran with the above sign placed at Veterans Memorial Park. Courtesy Great Bend Post</figcaption>
 </figure>

Great Bend honors Moran with new sign

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646157230877.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>

🎥🏀Watch This Week's Tiger Talk

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

A 14-year-old student is set to run 48 miles in 48 hours to raise funds for a 3-year-old boy with a heart defect.

Dominic Hernandez, a Hays Middle School student, will run his second 48 in 48 starting Friday night.

William Scott is the son of Cade Scott, social studies teacher at HMS. William has a rare heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot with an absent pulmonary artery.

He will be going into open heart surgery March 8, where doctors will repair and replace parts of his heart. His surgery will be performed at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Funds raised through Dominic's run will go to William's family to help offset the cost of travel expenses. 

Dominic has already surpassed his goal of raising $2,500 for the family through a GoFundMe campaign. Any money raised above the $2,500 will also go directly to the family to help cover William's expenses.

Donations will remain open for the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/4x4x48-for-william-the-warrior?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet">GoFundMe campaign</a> until March 10.

Dominic recently had the opportunity to meet William and said you would never guess that the boy had a heart problem.

"He's super energetic. He couldn't stop running around, jumping around, kicking the ball," Dominic said.

He said William's strength has helped encourage him in his training.

"I thought to go through all these open-heart surgeries and recover at such a young age is just remarkable from my point of view," Dominic said. "He's done all of these big things that I couldn't even dream of."

Dominic will be running his night laps on the dyke in Hays. He'll be running his day laps along the U.S. 183 bypass. Dominic will be running his first lap on Friday with William's dad. 

He encouraged anyone who wants to join him to run the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. laps Saturday. Dominic usually can cover four miles in 30 minutes, but since this an endurance event, he will probably slow his pace to about 40 minutes.

Although only 14, Dominic is already training for a half Ironman. 

He comes from an athletic family. Both his father and brother are runners, with his father running endurance events. Dominic started running cross country when he was in the sixth grade as the HMS team manager.

Dominic rotates through a rigorous training program of running, biking and swimming. On an average training day, he runs six to eight miles. On days he bikes, he rides for about two and half hours, and days he swims he swims about 1,500 to 2,000 yards.

The 48 in 48 Challenge was spearheaded by David Goggins, a veteran and ultra-marathon runner. The challenge entails running 4 miles every four hours for 48 hours.

Dominic met Goggins through his father, and ran the first 48 in 48 last year with his father and brother. He raised $250, which he donated to the Hays Fire Department.

To train for the 48 in 48 specifically, Dominic runs after dark and at the end of the day when he's tired.

Dominic has some lofty goals as an athlete. He would like to one day qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii or complete the Badwater 135, which is ultra-distance and ultra-endurance marathon through Death Valley. The run gains about 10,000 feet in elevation.

Dominic wants to be a professional Ironman athlete, but he is a young man with a head on his shoulders. Athletes can receive a career-ending injury at anytime, he said, so he plans to go to school to become a dental hygienist. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646100995891.jpeg" alt="Dominic Hernandez, 14-year-old runner, William Scott, and his father Cade Scott, Dominic's social studies teacher at Hays Middle School. Dominic will run 48 miles in 48 hours to raise money for the Scott family to travel to California for William's heart surgery. Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>Dominic Hernandez, 14-year-old runner, William Scott, and his father Cade Scott, Dominic's social studies teacher at Hays Middle School. Dominic will run 48 miles in 48 hours to raise money for the Scott family to travel to California for William's heart surgery. Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostA 14-year-old student is set to run 48 miles in 48 hours to raise funds for a 3-year-old boy with a heart defect.Dominic Hernandez, a Hays Middle School student, will run his second 48 in 48 starting Friday night.William Scott is the son of Cade Scott, social studies teacher at HMS. William has a rare heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot with an absent pulmonary artery.He will be going into open heart surgery March 8, where doctors will repair and replace parts of his heart. His surgery will be performed at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Funds raised through Dominic's run will go to William's family to help offset the cost of travel expenses. Dominic has already surpassed his goal of raising $2,500 for the family through a GoFundMe campaign. Any money raised above the $2,500 will also go directly to the family to help cover William's expenses.Donations will remain open for the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/4x4x48-for-william-the-warrior?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet">GoFundMe campaign</a> until March 10.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646101234189.jpeg" alt="William Scott, 3, has a heart defect. He is scheduled for surgery in California next week. Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>William Scott, 3, has a heart defect. He is scheduled for surgery in California next week. Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>Dominic recently had the opportunity to meet William and said you would never guess that the boy had a heart problem."He's super energetic. He couldn't stop running around, jumping around, kicking the ball," Dominic said. He said William's strength has helped encourage him in his training."I thought to go through all these open-heart surgeries and recover at such a young age is just remarkable from my point of view," Dominic said. "He's done all of these big things that I couldn't even dream of."Dominic will be running his night laps on the dyke in Hays. He'll be running his day laps along the U.S. 183 bypass. Dominic will be running his first lap on Friday with William's dad. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646101356784.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>He encouraged anyone who wants to join him to run the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. laps Saturday. Dominic usually can cover four miles in 30 minutes, but since this an endurance event, he will probably slow his pace to about 40 minutes. Although only 14, Dominic is already training for a half Ironman. He comes from an athletic family. Both his father and brother are runners, with his father running endurance events. Dominic started running cross country when he was in the sixth grade as the HMS team manager. Dominic rotates through a rigorous training program of running, biking and swimming. On an average training day, he runs six to eight miles. On days he bikes, he rides for about two and half hours, and days he swims he swims about 1,500 to 2,000 yards. The 48 in 48 Challenge was spearheaded by David Goggins, a veteran and ultra-marathon runner. The challenge entails running 4 miles every four hours for 48 hours.Dominic met Goggins through his father, and ran the first 48 in 48 last year with his father and brother. He raised $250, which he donated to the Hays Fire Department.To train for the 48 in 48 specifically, Dominic runs after dark and at the end of the day when he's tired. Dominic has some lofty goals as an athlete. He would like to one day qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii or complete the Badwater 135, which is ultra-distance and ultra-endurance marathon through Death Valley. The run gains about 10,000 feet in elevation.Dominic wants to be a professional Ironman athlete, but he is a young man with a head on his shoulders. Athletes can receive a career-ending injury at anytime, he said, so he plans to go to school to become a dental hygienist.

14-year-old to go the distance for Hays child with heart defect

The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants Tuesday in the area from 1 Enersys Road to 27th Street west of Thunderbird Drive. 

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. Inspecting fire hydrants ensures that the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. 

Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes. The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains. Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public.

City of HaysThe Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants Tuesday in the area from 1 Enersys Road to 27th Street west of Thunderbird Drive. 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. Inspecting fire hydrants ensures that the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes. The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains. Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public.

Hays crews begin annual hydrant flushing maintenance

Ball in the House is an R&amp;B/Soul/Pop a cappella group based out of Boston, Mass., whose high energy shows have audiences singing, dancing, even&nbsp;beatboxing&nbsp;along.

Sponsored by Western Plains Arts Association, Ball in the House will appear at the Colby Community College Cultural Arts Center, at 3 p.m. CST, Sunday, March 13. Admission&nbsp;is&nbsp;by season ticket or adults $20 or students $10 at the door.&nbsp;<a></a>

This program is made possible through the support of numerous area businesses and grants, including special funding from the&nbsp;Greater Northwest Kansas Community&nbsp;Foundation-Dane Hansen Community Grant for Thomas County, Bird City; and the&nbsp;Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan.

With their extensive&nbsp;annual 200-show&nbsp;tour schedule Ball in the House has performed everywhere - from theaters to performing arts centers, fairs &amp; festivals, to opening for some of the biggest acts in the world, such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, Fantasia, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie, Jessica Simpson, Blondie, Smokey Robinson, KC &amp; The Sunshine Band, Diamond Rio, Colin&nbsp;Raye, Orleans, and numerous others.

They headlined the 2018 &amp; 2016 China International Chorus Festival in Beijing, won the 2016 Boston Harmony Sweepstakes, and were voted 2014 APCA Band of the Year and 2009 Best of Boston for Outstanding Musical Performers. For six years, they were the voices behind all the Cool Whip commercials and recently wrote and performed the jingle for Amazon’s Prime Day. Ball in the House has appeared on America’s Got Talent, The Today Show, The Daily Buzz, the Philadelphia 4th of July Parade, and SBS Culture Club and MBC News in Seoul, South Korea.

The vocal group features five men having wide and diverse&nbsp;professional&nbsp;music backgrounds: Kevin&nbsp;Cincotta,&nbsp;Wallace Thomas,&nbsp;Montario&nbsp;“Monty” Hill, Dave&nbsp;Guisti&nbsp;and Jon Ryan. In addition to tight harmonies,&nbsp;beatboxing&nbsp;in included in several of their songs.

Here is what their local newspapers say about Ball in the House.

The five guys of Ball in the House don't need instruments to make music. They redefine pop by presenting it a&nbsp;capella&nbsp;style, with just their voices. -&nbsp;Milva&nbsp;Didomizio, Boston Globe.

It's a tribute to Boston's Ball in the House that the first thing you marvel at upon hearing it's debut is the beauty of the songs - a tasty&nbsp;melange&nbsp;of classic street corner soul, funk and hip hop - and the remarkable way the band's five voices interlock. -&nbsp;Entertainment section, Boston Herald.

Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ballinthehouse.com/">www.ballinthehouse.com</a>&nbsp;for more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646066430139.png" alt="Courtesy Ball in the House" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy Ball in the House</figcaption>
 </figure>WPAABall in the House is an R&amp;B/Soul/Pop a cappella group based out of Boston, Mass., whose high energy shows have audiences singing, dancing, even&nbsp;beatboxing&nbsp;along.Sponsored by Western Plains Arts Association, Ball in the House will appear at the Colby Community College Cultural Arts Center, at 3 p.m. CST, Sunday, March 13. Admission&nbsp;is&nbsp;by season ticket or adults $20 or students $10 at the door.&nbsp;<a></a>This program is made possible through the support of numerous area businesses and grants, including special funding from the&nbsp;Greater Northwest Kansas Community&nbsp;Foundation-Dane Hansen Community Grant for Thomas County, Bird City; and the&nbsp;Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan.With their extensive&nbsp;annual 200-show&nbsp;tour schedule Ball in the House has performed everywhere - from theaters to performing arts centers, fairs &amp; festivals, to opening for some of the biggest acts in the world, such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, Fantasia, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie, Jessica Simpson, Blondie, Smokey Robinson, KC &amp; The Sunshine Band, Diamond Rio, Colin&nbsp;Raye, Orleans, and numerous others.They headlined the 2018 &amp; 2016 China International Chorus Festival in Beijing, won the 2016 Boston Harmony Sweepstakes, and were voted 2014 APCA Band of the Year and 2009 Best of Boston for Outstanding Musical Performers. For six years, they were the voices behind all the Cool Whip commercials and recently wrote and performed the jingle for Amazon’s Prime Day. Ball in the House has appeared on America’s Got Talent, The Today Show, The Daily Buzz, the Philadelphia 4th of July Parade, and SBS Culture Club and MBC News in Seoul, South Korea.The vocal group features five men having wide and diverse&nbsp;professional&nbsp;music backgrounds: Kevin&nbsp;Cincotta,&nbsp;Wallace Thomas,&nbsp;Montario&nbsp;“Monty” Hill, Dave&nbsp;Guisti&nbsp;and Jon Ryan. In addition to tight harmonies,&nbsp;beatboxing&nbsp;in included in several of their songs.Here is what their local newspapers say about Ball in the House.The five guys of Ball in the House don't need instruments to make music. They redefine pop by presenting it a&nbsp;capella&nbsp;style, with just their voices. -&nbsp;Milva&nbsp;Didomizio, Boston Globe.It's a tribute to Boston's Ball in the House that the first thing you marvel at upon hearing it's debut is the beauty of the songs - a tasty&nbsp;melange&nbsp;of classic street corner soul, funk and hip hop - and the remarkable way the band's five voices interlock. -&nbsp;Entertainment section, Boston Herald.Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ballinthehouse.com/">www.ballinthehouse.com</a>&nbsp;for more.

Boston singers set to entertain in NW Kansas

BUNKER HILL — "Doctors on Call," a local production of Smoky Hills PBS, will feature physical therapists Troy Herrman and Kerby Rice with Herrman Physical Therapy in Hays.&nbsp; The episode will air at 7 p.m. March 8&nbsp;and will focus on physical therapy.

"Doctors on Call" is a program that provides medical information on a variety of different topics. Medical professionals from throughout the state travel to Bunker Hill to provide information and answer questions from the viewing audience. The doctors selected each week have expertise in the topic chosen for that program.&nbsp; Questions can be called in during the show or emailed prior to the broadcast.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The program airs live on Smoky Hills PBS at 7 p.m. Tuesdays.&nbsp; You can also stream each episode live on the Smoky Hills PBS YouTube channel:&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/StreamSmokyHillsPBS">http://bit.ly/StreamSmokyHillsPBS</a>

A schedule of programs and past episodes are available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.smokyhillspbs.org/">www.SmokyHillsPBS.org</a>.&nbsp;

To submit questions electronically on a specific topic, viewers can send an email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:doctors@shptv.org">doctors@shptv.org</a>. Questions submitted through email must be received by noon on the day of the show. During the program, viewers can call I-800-337-4788.&nbsp;

"Doctors on Call" is made possible in part by these current sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield of KS, Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, Osborne County Memorial Hospital, Russell Regional Hospital, and Smith County Memorial Hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578663876107.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Smoky Hills PBSBUNKER HILL — "Doctors on Call," a local production of Smoky Hills PBS, will feature physical therapists Troy Herrman and Kerby Rice with Herrman Physical Therapy in Hays.&nbsp; The episode will air at 7 p.m. March 8&nbsp;and will focus on physical therapy."Doctors on Call" is a program that provides medical information on a variety of different topics. Medical professionals from throughout the state travel to Bunker Hill to provide information and answer questions from the viewing audience. The doctors selected each week have expertise in the topic chosen for that program.&nbsp; Questions can be called in during the show or emailed prior to the broadcast.&nbsp;&nbsp;The program airs live on Smoky Hills PBS at 7 p.m. Tuesdays.&nbsp; You can also stream each episode live on the Smoky Hills PBS YouTube channel:&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/StreamSmokyHillsPBS">http://bit.ly/StreamSmokyHillsPBS</a>A schedule of programs and past episodes are available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.smokyhillspbs.org/">www.SmokyHillsPBS.org</a>.&nbsp;To submit questions electronically on a specific topic, viewers can send an email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:doctors@shptv.org">doctors@shptv.org</a>. Questions submitted through email must be received by noon on the day of the show. During the program, viewers can call I-800-337-4788.&nbsp;"Doctors on Call" is made possible in part by these current sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield of KS, Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, Osborne County Memorial Hospital, Russell Regional Hospital, and Smith County Memorial Hospital.

'Doctors on Call' features Herrman Physical Therapy

By STACY CAMPBELL Cottonwood Extension District

In crop production we know that fertilizer is an important part of producing a good crop. We also know that it can be an expensive part of that crop production bill. Depending on the crop it can be 20 to nearly 50% of direct costs and 15 to 30% of total costs. This year it may be even higher. Compared to late last summer, fertilizer prices have risen steeply. Increases have ranged from 100% to over 200% depending on the type of fertilizer. (Homeowners and gardeners need to be prepared to see higher prices for their fertilizers also).&nbsp;While prices&nbsp;may&nbsp;have moderated slightly in recent weeks, we are still looking at fertilizer costs that may be nearly double what they were last year.

The first instinct for many is to blindly cut fertilizer application rates. While reducing application rates will definitely reduce how much you spend, it can also increase the cost per bushel as yields may very well drop. We are dealing with an economics principle known as the law of diminishing returns. The biggest response comes from the first pound of fertilizer applied. As you add more fertilizer the yield increases and the cost of production, per bushel, goes down, up to a point. You then get to the point where additional fertilizer doesn’t increase gain enough to justify the expense and cost per bushel starts to go back up. All of these factors depend on price of the fertilizer applied and value of the product produced.&nbsp;

As you make your fertility plans for any crop production this year, it is important NOT to make a knee jerk reaction on cutting fertilizer rates. Start with a good soil test so we can properly account for the nutrients that you already have in your fields. Some years I might encourage you to build soil nutrient levels for nutrients like phosphorus&nbsp;(P). This is not one of those years.&nbsp;

However, if you have been building&nbsp;P&nbsp;in your soil profile and have&nbsp;&gt;<a></a>20 ppm in the 0-6 inch&nbsp;soil profile.&nbsp;This is the year you could reap the benefits. By significantly cutting back P&nbsp;based on your yield goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Once we know what’s in the soil, we can determine a cost appropriate fertilizer application rate that won’t break the bank, hopefully. High prices do not negate the plant’s biological need for proper nutrient levels for good growth and decent yields. Now is not the time of making irrational decisions. Now is the time to approach crop production with a keen management mind to get the best return on your dollar!

If you have any questions or need to&nbsp;utilize our soil sampling probes to take your own soil samples--give us a call or drop by the Cottonwood District&nbsp;Offices in Hays and Great Bend.&nbsp;

Stacy Campbell is a Crop Production Extension agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at scampbel@ksu.edu or by calling 785-628-9430.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645724749655.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By STACY CAMPBELL Cottonwood Extension DistrictIn crop production we know that fertilizer is an important part of producing a good crop. We also know that it can be an expensive part of that crop production bill. Depending on the crop it can be 20 to nearly 50% of direct costs and 15 to 30% of total costs. This year it may be even higher. Compared to late last summer, fertilizer prices have risen steeply. Increases have ranged from 100% to over 200% depending on the type of fertilizer. (Homeowners and gardeners need to be prepared to see higher prices for their fertilizers also).&nbsp;While prices&nbsp;may&nbsp;have moderated slightly in recent weeks, we are still looking at fertilizer costs that may be nearly double what they were last year. The first instinct for many is to blindly cut fertilizer application rates. While reducing application rates will definitely reduce how much you spend, it can also increase the cost per bushel as yields may very well drop. We are dealing with an economics principle known as the law of diminishing returns. The biggest response comes from the first pound of fertilizer applied. As you add more fertilizer the yield increases and the cost of production, per bushel, goes down, up to a point. You then get to the point where additional fertilizer doesn’t increase gain enough to justify the expense and cost per bushel starts to go back up. All of these factors depend on price of the fertilizer applied and value of the product produced.&nbsp;As you make your fertility plans for any crop production this year, it is important NOT to make a knee jerk reaction on cutting fertilizer rates. Start with a good soil test so we can properly account for the nutrients that you already have in your fields. Some years I might encourage you to build soil nutrient levels for nutrients like phosphorus&nbsp;(P). This is not one of those years.&nbsp;However, if you have been building&nbsp;P&nbsp;in your soil profile and have&nbsp;&gt;<a></a>20 ppm in the 0-6 inch&nbsp;soil profile.&nbsp;This is the year you could reap the benefits. By significantly cutting back P&nbsp;based on your yield goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once we know what’s in the soil, we can determine a cost appropriate fertilizer application rate that won’t break the bank, hopefully. High prices do not negate the plant’s biological need for proper nutrient levels for good growth and decent yields. Now is not the time of making irrational decisions. Now is the time to approach crop production with a keen management mind to get the best return on your dollar!If you have any questions or need to&nbsp;utilize our soil sampling probes to take your own soil samples--give us a call or drop by the Cottonwood District&nbsp;Offices in Hays and Great Bend.&nbsp;Stacy Campbell is a Crop Production Extension agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at scampbel@ksu.edu or by calling 785-628-9430.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

CAMPBELL: How much fertilizer can I afford? 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646074714060.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>

THOMAS COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 8a.m. Monday in Thomas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Ford Escape driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Austin Leander&nbsp; Gilliland, 25, Oakley, was northbound on Kansas 25 just north of County Road DD The SUV veered off the roadway to the right, struck a field entrance, overturned and came to rest on its top.

EMS transported&nbsp; Gilliland to the hospital in Colby. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

THOMAS COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 8a.m. Monday in Thomas County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Ford Escape driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Austin Leander&nbsp; Gilliland, 25, Oakley, was northbound on Kansas 25 just north of County Road DD The SUV veered off the roadway to the right, struck a field entrance, overturned and came to rest on its top.EMS transported&nbsp; Gilliland to the hospital in Colby. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

NW Kansas man hospitalized after SUV overturns

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported two new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.

As of Monday morning, HaysMed reported 10 COVID inpatients, including one active and nine recovering cases.

The Kansas Hospital Organization reported on Feb. 23 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (5 and older) are fully vaccinated.&nbsp;

Since reporting began, there have been 7,107 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 80 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646073583412.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported two new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/75f061b1-d7f1-4dba-ad9d-36bcbccc8ee8">RELATED: Drive-through testing site returns to Big Creek Crossing</a>As of Monday morning, HaysMed reported 10 COVID inpatients, including one active and nine recovering cases.The Kansas Hospital Organization reported on Feb. 23 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (5 and older) are fully vaccinated.&nbsp;Since reporting began, there have been 7,107 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 80 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646073652021.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve</figcaption>
 </figure>

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