By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Fort Hays State University student Cole Murphy has big plans for his fledgling cleaning company in Hays.

Murphy, 20, formed The Clean Team Hays in August, and is slowly growing a customer base and expanding service offerings.

The Clean Team cleans businesses and homes. Starting in January, the business will clean private planes and cars.

The business eventually plans to expand into cleaning home and business exteriors. This could include pressure washing, exterior window cleaning and cleaning gutters, among other services.

The business offers service within 50 miles of Hays. Prices are quoted on a square footage basis. Both regular and deep cleaning options are offered.

Basic cleaning runs 8 to 10 cents per square foot, and deep cleaning runs about 12 cents per square foot.

"It's always been a passion of mine to start my own business," he said. ... "This is what I intend on growing in the future moving forward."

Murphy of Amarillo, Texas, is a junior in business administration and entrepreneurship at FHSU. He was trading stocks when he was 18.

"To me it's not so much about the money," he said. "It's about finding the win and getting the win and feeling like I did something on my own."

Murphy is also the president of Sigma Chi at FHSU.

"I get to help people grow," he said,"and that is a lot of what it is with the business. I like helping employees and the customers. It helps me feel good that we do good for other people. It's about that win — that emotional win for me."

Murphy said he thinks the need is going to be in the service industry in the future. 

Murphy has largely built his business thus far through word of mouth and referrals. The company bills through Square.

He has built a regular customer base of about 20 to 25 clients, with all of his three employees being college students who work part-time.

Murphy is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He goes out on jobs regularly, which he says helps build a rapport with his clients.

Although many businesses in the service industry are struggling to find employees, Murphy said the flexible schedules he offers have been popular with his peers at FHSU.

He said he has had no problem finding employees.

Murphy said he would like to work toward hiring someone in Hays full time. This is part of a plan to expand his business to Wichita by 2023 and eventually to his native Texas.

He said finding someone to work full time may be more challenging. 

"Being a small business right now is a thrilling experience, because we actually get to make sure all of our customers are happy and make sure we're doing right by all of our people," Murphy said.

Customers interested in hiring The Clean Team Hays can visit the <a href="https://thecleanteamhays.com/">business's website</a> or Facebook page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069839566673">The Clean Team</a> or call 806-420-9884.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640908967921.jpeg" alt="Cole Murphy, 20, cleans a home as part of his business, The Clean Team Hays. Submitted photo " />
 <figcaption>Cole Murphy, 20, cleans a home as part of his business, The Clean Team Hays. Submitted photo </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostFort Hays State University student Cole Murphy has big plans for his fledgling cleaning company in Hays.Murphy, 20, formed The Clean Team Hays in August, and is slowly growing a customer base and expanding service offerings.The Clean Team cleans businesses and homes. Starting in January, the business will clean private planes and cars.The business eventually plans to expand into cleaning home and business exteriors. This could include pressure washing, exterior window cleaning and cleaning gutters, among other services. The business offers service within 50 miles of Hays. Prices are quoted on a square footage basis. Both regular and deep cleaning options are offered.Basic cleaning runs 8 to 10 cents per square foot, and deep cleaning runs about 12 cents per square foot. "It's always been a passion of mine to start my own business," he said. ... "This is what I intend on growing in the future moving forward."Murphy of Amarillo, Texas, is a junior in business administration and entrepreneurship at FHSU. He was trading stocks when he was 18. "To me it's not so much about the money," he said. "It's about finding the win and getting the win and feeling like I did something on my own."Murphy is also the president of Sigma Chi at FHSU."I get to help people grow," he said,"and that is a lot of what it is with the business. I like helping employees and the customers. It helps me feel good that we do good for other people. It's about that win — that emotional win for me." Murphy said he thinks the need is going to be in the service industry in the future. Murphy has largely built his business thus far through word of mouth and referrals. The company bills through Square.He has built a regular customer base of about 20 to 25 clients, with all of his three employees being college students who work part-time.Murphy is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He goes out on jobs regularly, which he says helps build a rapport with his clients.Although many businesses in the service industry are struggling to find employees, Murphy said the flexible schedules he offers have been popular with his peers at FHSU.He said he has had no problem finding employees.Murphy said he would like to work toward hiring someone in Hays full time. This is part of a plan to expand his business to Wichita by 2023 and eventually to his native Texas.He said finding someone to work full time may be more challenging. "Being a small business right now is a thrilling experience, because we actually get to make sure all of our customers are happy and make sure we're doing right by all of our people," Murphy said. Customers interested in hiring The Clean Team Hays can visit the <a href="https://thecleanteamhays.com/">business's website</a> or Facebook page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069839566673">The Clean Team</a> or call 806-420-9884.

FHSU student expanding local cleaning business

For an up-to-the-minute list of events, check the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau website at <a href="https://www.visithays.com/calendar.aspx">www.visithays.com</a>.

City of Hays<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641206512611.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For an up-to-the-minute list of events, check the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau website at <a href="https://www.visithays.com/calendar.aspx">www.visithays.com</a>.

CVB: January events in Hays

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

The first snow of 2022 brought four inches of the white stuff to Hays over the New Year's holiday weekend.

According to official statistics from the K-State Agricultural Research Center south of town, an even four inches of snow was measured Sunday with 1.2 inches of that snow falling Saturday.

The precipitation yield was a total of 0.27.

A winter weather warning was in effect for much of western Kansas due to blowing snow and dangerously cold temperatures.

The overnight low in Hays on Saturday was -11 degrees, just missing the record of -12 degrees set on January 1, 1912.&nbsp;

Temperatures will be warmer for the start of the work week. The <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8ae30c1a-0390-487a-b4a7-3d6570488a4d">three-day weather forecast</a> calls for highs in the upper 30s to mid-40s.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641205623016.png" alt="(Pixabay)" />
 <figcaption>(Pixabay)</figcaption>
 </figure>By BECKY KISER Hays PostThe first snow of 2022 brought four inches of the white stuff to Hays over the New Year's holiday weekend.According to official statistics from the K-State Agricultural Research Center south of town, an even four inches of snow was measured Sunday with 1.2 inches of that snow falling Saturday.The precipitation yield was a total of 0.27.A winter weather warning was in effect for much of western Kansas due to blowing snow and dangerously cold temperatures.The overnight low in Hays on Saturday was -11 degrees, just missing the record of -12 degrees set on January 1, 1912.&nbsp;Temperatures will be warmer for the start of the work week. The <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8ae30c1a-0390-487a-b4a7-3d6570488a4d">three-day weather forecast</a> calls for highs in the upper 30s to mid-40s.

First snow of 2022 measures 4 inches

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas will be getting new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) thanks to a $7,200 grant from the Heartland Community Foundation. The AEDs will be utilized in four of its residential living locations in Ellis County that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The AEDs will allow DSNWK staff to be better equipped for cardiac arrest-type situations should they occur. Having AEDs in all DSNWK locations helps increase the ability to implement EMS advice on-site to save the life of someone as they wait for an emergency responder to arrive on scene. All DSNWK staff are trained to use the AED devices through its staff training program.

“DSNWK hopes never to be put into a situation where an AED is needed,” states Jerry Michaud, DSNWK President.&nbsp; “This grant will help us secure these life sustaining devices.&nbsp; With them we are better prepared for these time sensitive situations with the right equipment to ensure the best care and response, especially as our population continues to age.” &nbsp;

DSNWK is a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving 18 counties in northwest Kansas with a mission to advocate for persons with disabilities and those who care about them by planning and supporting a life of dignity, interdependence, and personal satisfaction in the community. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602261742827.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DSNWKDevelopmental Services of Northwest Kansas will be getting new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) thanks to a $7,200 grant from the Heartland Community Foundation. The AEDs will be utilized in four of its residential living locations in Ellis County that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.The AEDs will allow DSNWK staff to be better equipped for cardiac arrest-type situations should they occur. Having AEDs in all DSNWK locations helps increase the ability to implement EMS advice on-site to save the life of someone as they wait for an emergency responder to arrive on scene. All DSNWK staff are trained to use the AED devices through its staff training program.“DSNWK hopes never to be put into a situation where an AED is needed,” states Jerry Michaud, DSNWK President.&nbsp; “This grant will help us secure these life sustaining devices.&nbsp; With them we are better prepared for these time sensitive situations with the right equipment to ensure the best care and response, especially as our population continues to age.” &nbsp;DSNWK is a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving 18 counties in northwest Kansas with a mission to advocate for persons with disabilities and those who care about them by planning and supporting a life of dignity, interdependence, and personal satisfaction in the community. &nbsp;

Heartland Foundation supports DSNWK residential locations

Each year, I like to look back and create a “Top 10 list” in David Letterman style. The list, roughly in chronological order, is certainly not all-encompassing – there are great stories and good news every day at Fort Hays State University. However, it does provide a means of looking back and recounting some of the many blessings we enjoyed in 2021. So, in keeping with tradition, here is my top 10 list for 2021.&nbsp;

March brought the exciting news that beginning fall of 2021, thanks to the generosity of the Schmidt Foundation, five students would receive full-ride scholarships to FHSU. The Schmidt Foundation Scholarship includes 30 hours of tuition and fees for fall and spring courses, books, and room and board over a period of four years. Each year, five students will be selected – so in the fall of 2024, we will have 20 Schmidt Foundation scholars on campus.&nbsp;

Speaking of outstanding students, we were enamored with the accomplishments of Brynn Wooten, a sophomore from Westminster, Colo., who was named a 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholar in May. This nationally competitive scholarship will fully fund her final two years of undergraduate study. Brynn’s passion for science, especially paleobiology, began at a very young age as a visitor to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. During her college search process, she learned of Sternberg Museum’s affiliation with Fort Hays State and immediately decided she wanted to become a Tiger. Brynn is the first FHSU student to receive this prestigious award.

The return to in-person commencement ceremonies was definitely a highlight of 2021. The thrill of having students once again walk across the commencement stage was fantastic. Hats off to the planning committee that thoughtfully balanced honoring our students and their families with best practices for health and safety.

In June, the Kansas Board of Regents approved our new 2022 regional tuition for on-campus students. Fort Hays State doubled down on its commitment to providing quality accessible education by making the bold move to redefine the meaning of regional on-campus tuition. We now offer the equivalent of in-state tuition to students from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. I can’t wait to welcome more students home to Hays, America!

Over the summer, we celebrated the accomplishments of two student-athletes: basketball standout Whitney Randall received the MIAA Women’s Winter Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Award, and pole vaulter Ryan Stanley earned the MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Award after claiming the NCAA Division II national championship in the pole vault. Extraordinary accomplishments for both student-athletes. Tiger proud!

Fully returning to face-to-face classes and a myriad of student activities, from football to theatre, was a spectacular high point in fall 2021.

In August, we dedicated the Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design. I especially loved listening to the personal stories about Bob and Pat Schmidt, who enjoyed nearly 69 years of married life together before Pat passed away in 2015 and Bob in 2017. The couple was known for their love of FHSU and their philanthropic support. With a generous $2.5 million gift, the Schmidt Foundation has carried on Bob’s and Pat's legacy and their love for education, the arts, and Fort Hays State by naming a building after them – a building with which the couple would have been enamored.

Speaking of extraordinary generosity, September concluded our Journey campaign. The Journey campaign kicked off Homecoming of 2016 with a goal of raising $100 million in support of FHSU and its students over a five-year period. Those years flew by, and not only was that ambitious goal reached – it was surpassed. The Journey campaign raised a total of $112,769,457!

In October, the university hosted a ribbon-cutting event for the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success. Similar to the Center for Art and Design, this celebration honored two extraordinary individuals, the late Richard Fischli and Dolores Wills-Fischli. Richard and Dolores began their journey with Fort Hays State as two rural Kansas kids pursuing a college education. Both earned bachelor's and master's degrees from FHSU in the 1950s, then moved to southern California. Upon retiring from their careers in education, the Fischlis moved back home to Logan, Kansas. Today, this impressive new facility has become a reality thanks to a $5 million gift from the Fischlis’ estate. Although the generous couple is no longer with us, their legacy of impacting students will continue to live on at Fort Hays State.

Given our focus on improving the lives, our Criminal Justice Department chair, Dr. Tamara Lynn – in partnership with Chief of University Police, Ed Howell – put together a de-escalation center. With the invaluable assistance of U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, FHSU began our Thanksgiving break by celebrating a $1.25 million federal grant for the training center. Fort Hays State’s regional training center will train police on how to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations using a psychological approach. The training provided by FHSU places the university at the forefront of this vital law enforcement training initiative.

And while I have mentioned 10 items, like that extra cookie in a baker’s dozen, I must add how excited I am, that at the writing of this column, both our men and women’s basketball teams were undefeated, and our women were ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II coaches poll. Perhaps this is a foreshadowing of what will appear in my 2022 Top 10 list.

I end 2021 and begin 2022 by expressing my deepest gratitude to our faculty and staff for their resilience and innovation, never losing sight of our enduring commitment to caring for our students. Simply put, our faculty and staff rose to the challenge in 2021 and continued to deliver robust support services and outstanding teaching and learning experiences in thoughtful, impactful, and personal ways. I also thank our students for having faith in Fort Hays State University and working together to create an environment of respect and kindness.

Happy New Year to you and yours – and to FHSU!&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>Each year, I like to look back and create a “Top 10 list” in David Letterman style. The list, roughly in chronological order, is certainly not all-encompassing – there are great stories and good news every day at Fort Hays State University. However, it does provide a means of looking back and recounting some of the many blessings we enjoyed in 2021. So, in keeping with tradition, here is my top 10 list for 2021.&nbsp;March brought the exciting news that beginning fall of 2021, thanks to the generosity of the Schmidt Foundation, five students would receive full-ride scholarships to FHSU. The Schmidt Foundation Scholarship includes 30 hours of tuition and fees for fall and spring courses, books, and room and board over a period of four years. Each year, five students will be selected – so in the fall of 2024, we will have 20 Schmidt Foundation scholars on campus.&nbsp;Speaking of outstanding students, we were enamored with the accomplishments of Brynn Wooten, a sophomore from Westminster, Colo., who was named a 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholar in May. This nationally competitive scholarship will fully fund her final two years of undergraduate study. Brynn’s passion for science, especially paleobiology, began at a very young age as a visitor to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. During her college search process, she learned of Sternberg Museum’s affiliation with Fort Hays State and immediately decided she wanted to become a Tiger. Brynn is the first FHSU student to receive this prestigious award.The return to in-person commencement ceremonies was definitely a highlight of 2021. The thrill of having students once again walk across the commencement stage was fantastic. Hats off to the planning committee that thoughtfully balanced honoring our students and their families with best practices for health and safety.In June, the Kansas Board of Regents approved our new 2022 regional tuition for on-campus students. Fort Hays State doubled down on its commitment to providing quality accessible education by making the bold move to redefine the meaning of regional on-campus tuition. We now offer the equivalent of in-state tuition to students from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. I can’t wait to welcome more students home to Hays, America!Over the summer, we celebrated the accomplishments of two student-athletes: basketball standout Whitney Randall received the MIAA Women’s Winter Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Award, and pole vaulter Ryan Stanley earned the MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Award after claiming the NCAA Division II national championship in the pole vault. Extraordinary accomplishments for both student-athletes. Tiger proud!Fully returning to face-to-face classes and a myriad of student activities, from football to theatre, was a spectacular high point in fall 2021.In August, we dedicated the Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design. I especially loved listening to the personal stories about Bob and Pat Schmidt, who enjoyed nearly 69 years of married life together before Pat passed away in 2015 and Bob in 2017. The couple was known for their love of FHSU and their philanthropic support. With a generous $2.5 million gift, the Schmidt Foundation has carried on Bob’s and Pat's legacy and their love for education, the arts, and Fort Hays State by naming a building after them – a building with which the couple would have been enamored.Speaking of extraordinary generosity, September concluded our Journey campaign. The Journey campaign kicked off Homecoming of 2016 with a goal of raising $100 million in support of FHSU and its students over a five-year period. Those years flew by, and not only was that ambitious goal reached – it was surpassed. The Journey campaign raised a total of $112,769,457!In October, the university hosted a ribbon-cutting event for the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success. Similar to the Center for Art and Design, this celebration honored two extraordinary individuals, the late Richard Fischli and Dolores Wills-Fischli. Richard and Dolores began their journey with Fort Hays State as two rural Kansas kids pursuing a college education. Both earned bachelor's and master's degrees from FHSU in the 1950s, then moved to southern California. Upon retiring from their careers in education, the Fischlis moved back home to Logan, Kansas. Today, this impressive new facility has become a reality thanks to a $5 million gift from the Fischlis’ estate. Although the generous couple is no longer with us, their legacy of impacting students will continue to live on at Fort Hays State.Given our focus on improving the lives, our Criminal Justice Department chair, Dr. Tamara Lynn – in partnership with Chief of University Police, Ed Howell – put together a de-escalation center. With the invaluable assistance of U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, FHSU began our Thanksgiving break by celebrating a $1.25 million federal grant for the training center. Fort Hays State’s regional training center will train police on how to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations using a psychological approach. The training provided by FHSU places the university at the forefront of this vital law enforcement training initiative.And while I have mentioned 10 items, like that extra cookie in a baker’s dozen, I must add how excited I am, that at the writing of this column, both our men and women’s basketball teams were undefeated, and our women were ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II coaches poll. Perhaps this is a foreshadowing of what will appear in my 2022 Top 10 list.I end 2021 and begin 2022 by expressing my deepest gratitude to our faculty and staff for their resilience and innovation, never losing sight of our enduring commitment to caring for our students. Simply put, our faculty and staff rose to the challenge in 2021 and continued to deliver robust support services and outstanding teaching and learning experiences in thoughtful, impactful, and personal ways. I also thank our students for having faith in Fort Hays State University and working together to create an environment of respect and kindness.Happy New Year to you and yours – and to FHSU!&nbsp;

MASON: Top 10 list brimming with good news

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-12-22/kansas-ranchers-face-a-long-road-to-recovery-after-devastating-wildfires">Kansas News Service</a>

PARADISE&nbsp;— This time of year, rancher Rich Koester is 
normally busy caring for newborn calves or feeding his herd to get them 
ready for winter.

As 
he walked up to the edge of a freshly dug pit roughly the size of a 
backyard swimming pool, the charred stubble of prairie grass crunched 
beneath his feet.

Days after the wildfire that torched his pasture went out, the smell of smoke still hung in the air.

“It
 was burning so fast that it just went over the top of everything. … A 
lot of the cattle didn’t have a chance,” he said, fighting back tears. 
“I don’t know how any of mine survived.”

To his right, a construction excavator just finished lowering one 
more dead cow onto a pile of about 20 carcasses in this mass grave.

Koester said the fire killed more than a third of his 200-head herd and engulfed every bit of his roughly 800-acre pasture.

“As far as you can see around here, it’s burnt,” he said. “It took all of it.”

The
 unrelenting wind storm that tore across Kansas on Dec. 15 sparked 
widespread, devastating wildfires fueled by dry grass and up to 100 mph 
gusts. For ranchers like Koester, the days and nights since the storm 
have been long and filled with difficult choices. And this is just the 
start of a much longer road to recovery.

The land Koester has 
ranched in Russell County for three decades sat squarely in the path of a
 fire that tore through well over 100,000 acres following the storm.

Still,
 he considers himself luckier than most around here. The fire only 
burned his land and cattle. He said some of his neighbors lost a lot 
more — homes, barns, vehicles.

“So you can see how much it’s affected a lot of people, not just me,” he said. “I’m just a little drop in the bucket.”

Along the dirt roads near Koester’s 
ranch, other fields and rolling grassland hills have been charred black.
 Some that aren’t black are tan — the color of the wind-blown soot now 
covering them in rippled dunes that resemble a desert.

Ash gray 
tree stumps and scorched yucca stems poke out from mounds of dust. 
Half-burned wooden fence posts hang from barbed wire.

The blaze 
that covered this area has been dubbed the Four County Fire because it 
burned parts of Russell, Ellis, Osborne and Rooks Counties.

This 
Four County Fire alone incinerated more than 190 square miles. That’s an
 area larger than all of Wyandotte County (156 square miles) or the city
 of Wichita (166.5 square miles).

But it wasn’t the only wildfire that the wind storm sparked. In all, 
the Kansas Forest Service recorded 16 wildfires in western and central 
Kansas that day, singeing more than 160,000 acres across 13 counties.

Shawna
 Hartman, a Kansas Forest Service spokeswoman, said the destruction was 
so extensive that local fire suppression teams — which often travel to 
assist neighboring counties — were stretched thin.

“That storm was
 such a widespread storm that every county had something going on,” she 
said. “Or if they didn't, the storm was still on its way.”

And the
 extreme wind made it too dangerous for state firefighters and 
water-toting aircraft to arrive on the scene until the next day.

Hartman said the state’s usual wildfire season hits in the spring. 
But the abnormally dry conditions in western and central Kansas this 
fall — Kansas State University’s research center in Hays has recorded <a href="https://twitter.com/WKREC/status/1473664784054763528" target="_blank">no rainfall</a> in the area since November 3rd — left the region ripe for an earlier fire of this magnitude.

“It
 was definitely a perfect storm,” she said. “These fires ran for 20-plus
 miles in an afternoon. … It's very, very reminiscent of what you would 
see in California.”

The Kansas Forest Service knows all too well what those California fires look and feel like.

Its
 fire suppression team is often dispatched to fight wildfires all over 
the country. And its experience in the West prepared it for the 
fast-moving fires in Kansas.

But Hartman said that seeing these types of fires so close to home hit firefighters in a way those far-off fires did not.

“When
 it's at home, when it's your neighbors and your friends and your 
family,” she said, “it hits really hard emotionally on everybody.”

Even in the face of such widespread 
destruction, communities all over western and central Kansas quickly 
sprang into action to help those who were in the fire’s path.

The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RussellEMS/posts/1713347578861684" target="_blank">4-H building</a> in Russell was set up to collect donations, everything from barbed wire and hay bales to winter clothing and phone chargers. <a href="https://www.kwch.com/2021/12/17/ways-help-kansas-wildfire-victims/?fbclid=IwAR0Uuk68OQLGgLiF_sPoHD2WXd8f1RB5MwgbEmVBlXIL5bALk-Yhjuej2mA" target="_blank">GoFundMe pages</a> for Kansans who lost their farms, ranches and homes drew tens of thousands of dollars in donations from across the country.

In
 the days following the fire at Koester’s ranch, he said people showed 
up with horses and four-wheelers to help round up his remaining live 
cattle, many of which escaped to neighboring land after the fences 
burned. Trucks arrived with hay to feed them because their grazing grass
 went up in smoke.

On the day Koester buried some of his cattle, 
volunteers brought in Jeeps and ATVs from two counties away to help him 
gather carcasses from across his land.

Matt McCune, a farmer and sales agronomist in Rooks County, said 
similar community initiatives have been popping up across the region. He
 has been one of the many people helping to organize local recovery 
efforts on <a href="https://twitter.com/ksufearless" target="_blank">social media</a> and get supplies distributed to people who need them.

He
 said ranchers in the area have collectively seen thousands of cattle 
die the same way Koester’s did. Many people lost everything they had — 
homes, trucks, tractors, sheds — so it can be difficult for them to even
 know where to start.

“Most people haven't wrapped their heads 
around what they need,” McCune said. “(Ranching is) all they put their 
heart and soul into, and a lot of these guys were completely wiped out 
and have nothing left.”

He said most ranchers’ immediate needs 
include getting financial help to pay insurance deductibles and getting 
the materials and labor they need to rebuild their fences. But with so 
much demand for fence posts and wire in such a remote area, he said it’s
 nearly impossible to find the supplies to get started.

And the 
long-term recovery — rebuilding their businesses and herds — hasn’t even
 begun. So he’s concerned this region’s critical needs will fall off the
 national radar long before they’re met.

“Usually, a couple weeks 
from now, these events drop off of people's minds,” he said. “But this 
could take forever to get this stuff back built back up. … We’re 
probably talking two, three years.”

As the sun dipped down at his pasture in Russell County, Rich Koester
 watched a bulldozer push the last pile of soil onto his cattle's burial
 site. It immediately blends in with the dust-covered ground that 
surrounds it.

He paused for a moment to look down at the patch of 
dirt that now covers many of the animals he’s cared for since they were 
born. Then, he climbed onto his four-wheeler with his dog, Gibbs, and 
got back to work.

“We pick up everything in pieces,” he said, “and try to put everything back together that we can and go on.”

His
 biggest concern in the coming days will be deciding which of his 
remaining cattle need medicine for their burns and which ones should be 
put down.

But first, he stopped to check in on his neighbor, who 
also lost his pasture to the fire, to ask if there was anything he could
 do to lend him a hand.

“You help them, they'll help you, and you just pass it on,” Koester said. “That’s the way it is out here.”

If you've been affected by Kansas wildfires or if you're looking 
for ways to help those who were affected, the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture has set up a <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/news-events/kansas-wildfire-recovery-resources-december-2021" target="_blank">recovery resources hub</a>.

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> @davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627619537.png" alt="Russell County rancher Rich Koester sits on his four-wheeler with his dog, Gibbs. Koester estimates that all of his roughly 800-acre pasture burned in the Four County Fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Russell County rancher Rich Koester sits on his four-wheeler with his dog, Gibbs. Koester estimates that all of his roughly 800-acre pasture burned in the Four County Fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-12-22/kansas-ranchers-face-a-long-road-to-recovery-after-devastating-wildfires">Kansas News Service</a>PARADISE&nbsp;— This time of year, rancher Rich Koester is 
normally busy caring for newborn calves or feeding his herd to get them 
ready for winter.Instead, he’s busy burying livestock.As 
he walked up to the edge of a freshly dug pit roughly the size of a 
backyard swimming pool, the charred stubble of prairie grass crunched 
beneath his feet.Days after the wildfire that torched his pasture went out, the smell of smoke still hung in the air.“It
 was burning so fast that it just went over the top of everything. … A 
lot of the cattle didn’t have a chance,” he said, fighting back tears. 
“I don’t know how any of mine survived.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627691055.png" alt="An excavator lowers cattle carcasses into a burial pit on Koester's ranch. He estimates he lost more than a third of his herd to the fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>An excavator lowers cattle carcasses into a burial pit on Koester's ranch. He estimates he lost more than a third of his herd to the fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>To his right, a construction excavator just finished lowering one 
more dead cow onto a pile of about 20 carcasses in this mass grave.Koester said the fire killed more than a third of his 200-head herd and engulfed every bit of his roughly 800-acre pasture.“As far as you can see around here, it’s burnt,” he said. “It took all of it.”The
 unrelenting wind storm that tore across Kansas on Dec. 15 sparked 
widespread, devastating wildfires fueled by dry grass and up to 100 mph 
gusts. For ranchers like Koester, the days and nights since the storm 
have been long and filled with difficult choices. And this is just the 
start of a much longer road to recovery.The land Koester has 
ranched in Russell County for three decades sat squarely in the path of a
 fire that tore through well over 100,000 acres following the storm.Still,
 he considers himself luckier than most around here. The fire only 
burned his land and cattle. He said some of his neighbors lost a lot 
more — homes, barns, vehicles.“So you can see how much it’s affected a lot of people, not just me,” he said. “I’m just a little drop in the bucket.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627734259.png" alt="A half-burned wooden fence post hangs on barbed wire near Koester's ranch in Russell County. The wind covered the burned grass in this area with a layer of tan soot and dust. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>A half-burned wooden fence post hangs on barbed wire near Koester's ranch in Russell County. The wind covered the burned grass in this area with a layer of tan soot and dust. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Dust, soot and ash</h2>Along the dirt roads near Koester’s 
ranch, other fields and rolling grassland hills have been charred black.
 Some that aren’t black are tan — the color of the wind-blown soot now 
covering them in rippled dunes that resemble a desert.Ash gray 
tree stumps and scorched yucca stems poke out from mounds of dust. 
Half-burned wooden fence posts hang from barbed wire.The blaze 
that covered this area has been dubbed the Four County Fire because it 
burned parts of Russell, Ellis, Osborne and Rooks Counties.This 
Four County Fire alone incinerated more than 190 square miles. That’s an
 area larger than all of Wyandotte County (156 square miles) or the city
 of Wichita (166.5 square miles).<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627772377.png" alt="This map from the Kansas Forest Service shows the locations of the 16 wildfires that burned parts of western and central Kansas on Dec. 15." />
 <figcaption>This map from the Kansas Forest Service shows the locations of the 16 wildfires that burned parts of western and central Kansas on Dec. 15.</figcaption>
 </figure>But it wasn’t the only wildfire that the wind storm sparked. In all, 
the Kansas Forest Service recorded 16 wildfires in western and central 
Kansas that day, singeing more than 160,000 acres across 13 counties.Shawna
 Hartman, a Kansas Forest Service spokeswoman, said the destruction was 
so extensive that local fire suppression teams — which often travel to 
assist neighboring counties — were stretched thin.“That storm was
 such a widespread storm that every county had something going on,” she 
said. “Or if they didn't, the storm was still on its way.”And the
 extreme wind made it too dangerous for state firefighters and 
water-toting aircraft to arrive on the scene until the next day.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627811397.png" alt="Kansas Forest Service personnel work to control the Four County Fire. Chris Hanson / Kansas Forest Service" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Forest Service personnel work to control the Four County Fire. Chris Hanson / Kansas Forest Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Hartman said the state’s usual wildfire season hits in the spring. 
But the abnormally dry conditions in western and central Kansas this 
fall — Kansas State University’s research center in Hays has recorded <a href="https://twitter.com/WKREC/status/1473664784054763528" target="_blank">no rainfall</a> in the area since November 3rd — left the region ripe for an earlier fire of this magnitude.“It
 was definitely a perfect storm,” she said. “These fires ran for 20-plus
 miles in an afternoon. … It's very, very reminiscent of what you would 
see in California.”The Kansas Forest Service knows all too well what those California fires look and feel like.Its
 fire suppression team is often dispatched to fight wildfires all over 
the country. And its experience in the West prepared it for the 
fast-moving fires in Kansas.But Hartman said that seeing these types of fires so close to home hit firefighters in a way those far-off fires did not.“When
 it's at home, when it's your neighbors and your friends and your 
family,” she said, “it hits really hard emotionally on everybody.”<h2>Long road back</h2>Even in the face of such widespread 
destruction, communities all over western and central Kansas quickly 
sprang into action to help those who were in the fire’s path.The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RussellEMS/posts/1713347578861684" target="_blank">4-H building</a> in Russell was set up to collect donations, everything from barbed wire and hay bales to winter clothing and phone chargers. <a href="https://www.kwch.com/2021/12/17/ways-help-kansas-wildfire-victims/?fbclid=IwAR0Uuk68OQLGgLiF_sPoHD2WXd8f1RB5MwgbEmVBlXIL5bALk-Yhjuej2mA" target="_blank">GoFundMe pages</a> for Kansans who lost their farms, ranches and homes drew tens of thousands of dollars in donations from across the country.In
 the days following the fire at Koester’s ranch, he said people showed 
up with horses and four-wheelers to help round up his remaining live 
cattle, many of which escaped to neighboring land after the fences 
burned. Trucks arrived with hay to feed them because their grazing grass
 went up in smoke.On the day Koester buried some of his cattle, 
volunteers brought in Jeeps and ATVs from two counties away to help him 
gather carcasses from across his land.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627867571.png" alt="One of Koester's dead cows lies in front of the burial pit. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>One of Koester's dead cows lies in front of the burial pit. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Matt McCune, a farmer and sales agronomist in Rooks County, said 
similar community initiatives have been popping up across the region. He
 has been one of the many people helping to organize local recovery 
efforts on <a href="https://twitter.com/ksufearless" target="_blank">social media</a> and get supplies distributed to people who need them.He
 said ranchers in the area have collectively seen thousands of cattle 
die the same way Koester’s did. Many people lost everything they had — 
homes, trucks, tractors, sheds — so it can be difficult for them to even
 know where to start.“Most people haven't wrapped their heads 
around what they need,” McCune said. “(Ranching is) all they put their 
heart and soul into, and a lot of these guys were completely wiped out 
and have nothing left.”He said most ranchers’ immediate needs 
include getting financial help to pay insurance deductibles and getting 
the materials and labor they need to rebuild their fences. But with so 
much demand for fence posts and wire in such a remote area, he said it’s
 nearly impossible to find the supplies to get started.And the 
long-term recovery — rebuilding their businesses and herds — hasn’t even
 begun. So he’s concerned this region’s critical needs will fall off the
 national radar long before they’re met.“Usually, a couple weeks 
from now, these events drop off of people's minds,” he said. “But this 
could take forever to get this stuff back built back up. … We’re 
probably talking two, three years.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640627904793.png" alt="Rancher Rich Koester looks over his roughly 800-acre pasture that was burned in the Four County Fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Rancher Rich Koester looks over his roughly 800-acre pasture that was burned in the Four County Fire. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>As the sun dipped down at his pasture in Russell County, Rich Koester
 watched a bulldozer push the last pile of soil onto his cattle's burial
 site. It immediately blends in with the dust-covered ground that 
surrounds it.He paused for a moment to look down at the patch of 
dirt that now covers many of the animals he’s cared for since they were 
born. Then, he climbed onto his four-wheeler with his dog, Gibbs, and 
got back to work.“We pick up everything in pieces,” he said, “and try to put everything back together that we can and go on.”His
 biggest concern in the coming days will be deciding which of his 
remaining cattle need medicine for their burns and which ones should be 
put down.But first, he stopped to check in on his neighbor, who 
also lost his pasture to the fire, to ask if there was anything he could
 do to lend him a hand.“You help them, they'll help you, and you just pass it on,” Koester said. “That’s the way it is out here.”If you've been affected by Kansas wildfires or if you're looking 
for ways to help those who were affected, the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture has set up a <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/news-events/kansas-wildfire-recovery-resources-december-2021" target="_blank">recovery resources hub</a>.David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> @davidcondos</a>.

Kan. ranchers face a long road to recovery after devastating wildfires

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640893721356.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

UPDATE: Equipment has been repaired and 99KZ Country is back on the air.&nbsp;

An equipment issue is preventing KHAZ radio from broadcasting on air at this time. We appreciate your patience until repairs are made. 

Due to the weather and the holiday, we do not have a timetable on when broadcasting on air will resume. 

Our Real Country programming is still available through these platforms:

<a href="http://hayspost.com/?fbclid=IwAR1LYRYUstam_X_XQ0isZvpcJAteRfUCmmttH3eJUqoYLmrJPpIYB7pwCgw" target="_blank">hayspost.com</a><a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KHAZ?fbclid=IwAR01ebWHM58ucCnSUvO9bHXl4OnA1OP3Sq50VbfhDuQ2o70XCYnv79gBPzk" target="_blank">https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KHAZ</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641068943159.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>UPDATE: Equipment has been repaired and 99KZ Country is back on the air.&nbsp;Eagle RadioAn equipment issue is preventing KHAZ radio from broadcasting on air at this time. We appreciate your patience until repairs are made. Due to the weather and the holiday, we do not have a timetable on when broadcasting on air will resume. Our Real Country programming is still available through these platforms: KHAZ app<a href="http://hayspost.com/?fbclid=IwAR1LYRYUstam_X_XQ0isZvpcJAteRfUCmmttH3eJUqoYLmrJPpIYB7pwCgw" target="_blank">hayspost.com</a><a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KHAZ?fbclid=IwAR01ebWHM58ucCnSUvO9bHXl4OnA1OP3Sq50VbfhDuQ2o70XCYnv79gBPzk" target="_blank">https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KHAZ</a> smart speaker (tune in K H A Z Radio)

UPDATE: Radio station back on the air; 99KZ Country temporarily off the air

NATOMA — Area and state leaders, along with representatives of
several area agencies, gathered Wednesday in Natoma to share information with those
affected by the Dec. 15 wildfires that ravaged the area.

Throughout the almost three-hour meeting offered by the
Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association, attendees heard supportive
words from Gov. Laura Kelly and other leaders as many continue to struggle piecing
their lives back together.

“We, as a state, cannot come out here for a week or two and
help, but we need to stay in constant touch over the next, at least a year,
probably longer,” Kelly said. “As we really work through this, this is not
going to be something that we can resolve you can resolve in a week or two,
this is going to take a long time. So, we need to be sure to stick with you
through this time.”

She praised the countless people and organizations that have
come together to support those affected.

“All sorts of folks coming out as soon as the fire struck
working to mitigate the damage, but also then to start the recovery still, you
know, what I saw today was heart-wrenching, to say the least, the fields, the
homes,” Kelly said. “But it was also, in some ways, heartwarming, because I
also in addition to hearing about the really tragic things that happened to
folks, I heard about the really wonderful things that others are doing. The
neighbor helping neighbor ranch or helping ranch or folks from out of state
coming up in really trying to provide unsolicited aid in recovery. The folks
working at the United Methodist Church, you know, providing meals, you three
times a day, for what, two weeks, at this point. It's really incredible.”

Kelly also outlined actions she plans to take to help in
those recovery efforts.

“One of the things that we plan to do… when the fires were
around Ashland, I believe, we passed legislation that eliminated the sales tax
on all the supplies, materials for fencing,” Kelly said. “I'm going to be
working with our legislators…so that we can put that sales tax exemption for
fencing materials, and yes, it will be retroactive.”

She said vital documents from state agencies would also be
reproduced free of charge for those in need.

“So, we will, we will look for ways to help,” Kelly said. “And
we would welcome if you have suggestions of things that we could do that would
make a difference.”

“I just want you to know that we recognize how devastating
this is. We recognize how long-running this is going to be. And that we are
putting all the resources we possibly can into this, and we will continue to do
that. And please, as I said, don't hesitate to reach out if you need something.
We want to be there for you.”

Speaking next, First District U.S. Representative Tracy Mann
echoed many of Kelly’s remarks.

“Thanks for pulling us together and Farm Bureau and the K.L.A
and all of our first responders,” Mann said. “Two weeks ago, the unthinkable
happen two weeks tonight. And, and a lot of gratitude goes to everyone that
stepped up and got involved over the last couple of weeks.”

Russell and Ellsworth County Emergency Manager Keith Haberer,
also shared his gratitude for everyone that has offered assistance.

“I just want to say thank you,” Haberer said. “It's beyond
me that that thing raged through here so bad and ravaged so much. It was truly the perfect storm for a firestorm. And you guys got it stopped. And you stopped
any loss of life and property damage from getting any worse than it was. And
there's a lot of country that it should have continued to ravage over to
Lincoln County, but it didn't because y'all got to stop. So, thank you. Thank
you.”

Haberer also encouraged anyone that needs assistance going
forward to contact his office.

Turning to more practical relief efforts, Kelsey Olson, deputy
secretary at Kansas Department of Agriculture shared how to access resources
from the KDA, but also spoke to the mental health struggles that can arise in
situations like the ones being faced after the fires.

“One of the things that I noticed when I started this job is
that there's a lot of stress in agriculture,” Olson said. “I grew up on a farm.
I have cattle myself now. And there's daily stress.”

In order to help ag producers with that stress, she said the
KDA has developed, a website to help with finding resources that can be seen at
<a href="http://www.kansasagstress.org/">kansasagstress.org.</a>

“Sometimes seeking that help that you need is a little bit
more than just relying on a conversation with a friend,” Olson said. “And
that's okay.”

Kaley Conner, manager of education and outreach at the High
Plains Mental Health Center also shared with the group how their organization
can help.

“In light of everything else going on, you have so many
things you're trying to take care of,” Conner said. “But it's so important that
we don't neglect to take care of ourselves and our families and our neighbors
as we begin the process of recovery from this event that took place.”

The significant trauma experienced by those in the area is a
critical incident, meaning an uncommon response for many.

“Following a critical incident, it is common to experience a
wide range of emotional and physical reactions,” Connor said.

“It's important to talk to others, openly and honestly about
your experiences and about how you're feeling,” she said. “I call it venting,
you know, venting can really help right now, if you can find that person that
you trust that you can be open and honest with friends and neighbors, people
who are here today to support, one of the most powerful things we can do is
just to listen to just be a good listener to just be a shoulder to cry on, that
can sometimes be very helpful.”

She said it's also important to make healthy decisions as much
as possible.

“If we can try to eat healthy foods, if we can try to maybe
get a little bit of exercise and physical activity, if we can try to get a
decent amount of sleep every night or most nights, I'm sure that's not always
going to be possible for you, but those three things are the big three that can
really help alleviate stress in difficult circumstances,” Connor said. “It's
also important, you know, to the extent possible, if you can make any time for
leisure activities for hobbies that you enjoy doing, it can be anything from,
you know, spending a few minutes out in nature, or spending time with a family
member grabbing coffee with a friend, connecting with your community, any of
those activities that are healthy that you enjoy, that can help possibly
relieve some of the stress again, that you might be feeling.”

Finding and completing routine activities can also help maintain
a sense of control, perhaps easing the stress of loss and uncertainty.

Currently, she said High Plains is offering services in
Osbourne and Hays, and critical incident stress management services available
to eight affected communities at no cost.&nbsp;Clarified 9:45 a.m. Monday

“So, if there's ever a need to have a therapist come in and
just be available and just provide some trauma debriefing services for the
community and for those affected, please call us in and we would be very happy
to take that call and to work with you and to help to the extent that we can,”
Connor said.

Outside of the discussions of self-care, access points and
instructions on how to seek relief from government agencies were featured prominently
during the meeting. 

Agriculture Program Specialist at USDA-Farm Service Agency Todd
Barrows spoke about the livestock indemnity program and the emergency loss
program, outlining what livestock is eligible and explained in detail the forms
needed to seek relief from those programs.

Josh Ridder, USDA-FSA farm loan chief, shared what financial
resources are available.

Carla Wikoff, USDA-FSA shared information about the
emergency conservation program.

“It's a program that's not active continually,” Wikoff said “It
just happens when there is some type of natural disaster in the area.”

She said requests to activate the program in Russell, Osbourne,
Ellis, Graham, Trego and Wichita counties had already been received.

The program is currently awaiting national approval. 

Representatives of the National Resource Natural Resources
Conservation Service also presented resources available through their office as
well as fencing requirements as producers rebuild.

Locally, Heather Lyle, treasurer with the Paradise United
Methodist Church, outlined how those seeking assistance can apply for relief
from the donation fund through two applications, for those that lost homes during
the incident, and those otherwise affected.

Wrapping up the meeting, Matt Teagarden, Kansas Livestock
association CEO, shared ways they will continue to support those in need as
well, including access to hay feed and fencing supplies.

“Let me make clear this is available to all Kansas producers,”
Teagarden said. “It isn't reliant on KLA membership or anything like that. If
you suffered a loss due to the weather on the 15th of December, you're
eligible, fill out this application and get it submitted.”

For more information about relief efforts, visit the KLA
website, <a href="https://www.kla.org/">kla.org,</a> the KFB website, <a href="http://www.kfb.org/">kfb.org,</a> or the <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/news-events/kansas-wildfire-recovery-resources-december-2021?fbclid=IwAR10UvqmCjpLL7JY1zYSOaQQrrdnxPE5AKC33Ji9Z-cpXxY9d_gxyGXT1wg">Kansas
Department of Agriculture.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640120183716.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostNATOMA — Area and state leaders, along with representatives of
several area agencies, gathered Wednesday in Natoma to share information with those
affected by the Dec. 15 wildfires that ravaged the area.Throughout the almost three-hour meeting offered by the
Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association, attendees heard supportive
words from Gov. Laura Kelly and other leaders as many continue to struggle piecing
their lives back together.“We, as a state, cannot come out here for a week or two and
help, but we need to stay in constant touch over the next, at least a year,
probably longer,” Kelly said. “As we really work through this, this is not
going to be something that we can resolve you can resolve in a week or two,
this is going to take a long time. So, we need to be sure to stick with you
through this time.”She praised the countless people and organizations that have
come together to support those affected.“All sorts of folks coming out as soon as the fire struck
working to mitigate the damage, but also then to start the recovery still, you
know, what I saw today was heart-wrenching, to say the least, the fields, the
homes,” Kelly said. “But it was also, in some ways, heartwarming, because I
also in addition to hearing about the really tragic things that happened to
folks, I heard about the really wonderful things that others are doing. The
neighbor helping neighbor ranch or helping ranch or folks from out of state
coming up in really trying to provide unsolicited aid in recovery. The folks
working at the United Methodist Church, you know, providing meals, you three
times a day, for what, two weeks, at this point. It's really incredible.”Kelly also outlined actions she plans to take to help in
those recovery efforts.“One of the things that we plan to do… when the fires were
around Ashland, I believe, we passed legislation that eliminated the sales tax
on all the supplies, materials for fencing,” Kelly said. “I'm going to be
working with our legislators…so that we can put that sales tax exemption for
fencing materials, and yes, it will be retroactive.”She said vital documents from state agencies would also be
reproduced free of charge for those in need.“So, we will, we will look for ways to help,” Kelly said. “And
we would welcome if you have suggestions of things that we could do that would
make a difference.”“I just want you to know that we recognize how devastating
this is. We recognize how long-running this is going to be. And that we are
putting all the resources we possibly can into this, and we will continue to do
that. And please, as I said, don't hesitate to reach out if you need something.
We want to be there for you.”Speaking next, First District U.S. Representative Tracy Mann
echoed many of Kelly’s remarks.“Thanks for pulling us together and Farm Bureau and the K.L.A
and all of our first responders,” Mann said. “Two weeks ago, the unthinkable
happen two weeks tonight. And, and a lot of gratitude goes to everyone that
stepped up and got involved over the last couple of weeks.”Russell and Ellsworth County Emergency Manager Keith Haberer,
also shared his gratitude for everyone that has offered assistance.“I just want to say thank you,” Haberer said. “It's beyond
me that that thing raged through here so bad and ravaged so much. It was truly the perfect storm for a firestorm. And you guys got it stopped. And you stopped
any loss of life and property damage from getting any worse than it was. And
there's a lot of country that it should have continued to ravage over to
Lincoln County, but it didn't because y'all got to stop. So, thank you. Thank
you.”Haberer also encouraged anyone that needs assistance going
forward to contact his office.Turning to more practical relief efforts, Kelsey Olson, deputy
secretary at Kansas Department of Agriculture shared how to access resources
from the KDA, but also spoke to the mental health struggles that can arise in
situations like the ones being faced after the fires.“One of the things that I noticed when I started this job is
that there's a lot of stress in agriculture,” Olson said. “I grew up on a farm.
I have cattle myself now. And there's daily stress.”In order to help ag producers with that stress, she said the
KDA has developed, a website to help with finding resources that can be seen at
<a href="http://www.kansasagstress.org/">kansasagstress.org.</a>“Sometimes seeking that help that you need is a little bit
more than just relying on a conversation with a friend,” Olson said. “And
that's okay.”Kaley Conner, manager of education and outreach at the High
Plains Mental Health Center also shared with the group how their organization
can help.“In light of everything else going on, you have so many
things you're trying to take care of,” Conner said. “But it's so important that
we don't neglect to take care of ourselves and our families and our neighbors
as we begin the process of recovery from this event that took place.”The significant trauma experienced by those in the area is a
critical incident, meaning an uncommon response for many.“Following a critical incident, it is common to experience a
wide range of emotional and physical reactions,” Connor said.“It's important to talk to others, openly and honestly about
your experiences and about how you're feeling,” she said. “I call it venting,
you know, venting can really help right now, if you can find that person that
you trust that you can be open and honest with friends and neighbors, people
who are here today to support, one of the most powerful things we can do is
just to listen to just be a good listener to just be a shoulder to cry on, that
can sometimes be very helpful.”She said it's also important to make healthy decisions as much
as possible.“If we can try to eat healthy foods, if we can try to maybe
get a little bit of exercise and physical activity, if we can try to get a
decent amount of sleep every night or most nights, I'm sure that's not always
going to be possible for you, but those three things are the big three that can
really help alleviate stress in difficult circumstances,” Connor said. “It's
also important, you know, to the extent possible, if you can make any time for
leisure activities for hobbies that you enjoy doing, it can be anything from,
you know, spending a few minutes out in nature, or spending time with a family
member grabbing coffee with a friend, connecting with your community, any of
those activities that are healthy that you enjoy, that can help possibly
relieve some of the stress again, that you might be feeling.”Finding and completing routine activities can also help maintain
a sense of control, perhaps easing the stress of loss and uncertainty.Currently, she said High Plains is offering services in
Osbourne and Hays, and critical incident stress management services available
to eight affected communities at no cost.&nbsp;Clarified 9:45 a.m. Monday“So, if there's ever a need to have a therapist come in and
just be available and just provide some trauma debriefing services for the
community and for those affected, please call us in and we would be very happy
to take that call and to work with you and to help to the extent that we can,”
Connor said.Outside of the discussions of self-care, access points and
instructions on how to seek relief from government agencies were featured prominently
during the meeting. Agriculture Program Specialist at USDA-Farm Service Agency Todd
Barrows spoke about the livestock indemnity program and the emergency loss
program, outlining what livestock is eligible and explained in detail the forms
needed to seek relief from those programs.Josh Ridder, USDA-FSA farm loan chief, shared what financial
resources are available.Carla Wikoff, USDA-FSA shared information about the
emergency conservation program.“It's a program that's not active continually,” Wikoff said “It
just happens when there is some type of natural disaster in the area.”She said requests to activate the program in Russell, Osbourne,
Ellis, Graham, Trego and Wichita counties had already been received.The program is currently awaiting national approval. Representatives of the National Resource Natural Resources
Conservation Service also presented resources available through their office as
well as fencing requirements as producers rebuild.Locally, Heather Lyle, treasurer with the Paradise United
Methodist Church, outlined how those seeking assistance can apply for relief
from the donation fund through two applications, for those that lost homes during
the incident, and those otherwise affected.Wrapping up the meeting, Matt Teagarden, Kansas Livestock
association CEO, shared ways they will continue to support those in need as
well, including access to hay feed and fencing supplies.“Let me make clear this is available to all Kansas producers,”
Teagarden said. “It isn't reliant on KLA membership or anything like that. If
you suffered a loss due to the weather on the 15th of December, you're
eligible, fill out this application and get it submitted.”For more information about relief efforts, visit the KLA
website, <a href="https://www.kla.org/">kla.org,</a> the KFB website, <a href="http://www.kfb.org/">kfb.org,</a> or the <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/news-events/kansas-wildfire-recovery-resources-december-2021?fbclid=IwAR10UvqmCjpLL7JY1zYSOaQQrrdnxPE5AKC33Ji9Z-cpXxY9d_gxyGXT1wg">Kansas
Department of Agriculture.</a>

Wildfire relief meeting outlines areas of need; assistance

The Fort Tavern and Patio Bar will soon be a hub of activity with axe throwing, duck-pin bowling and virtual reality in addition to the typical bar games of pool, darts and arcade games.

The Fort, 109 W. Seventh, will open on Wednesday. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily with the kitchen open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.

"It's basically more of an activity bar," owner Wes Rathbun said. "We wanted to get you up and doing stuff instead of just the usual sit around."

Duck-pin bowling uses smaller balls and pins. The bar has four lanes for that. The bar also has four pods for virtual reality with a variety of games, as well as four lanes of axe throwing.

The axe throwing area is caged, but spectators can sit on a bar rail outside of the cage and watch. Projectors cast images of targets on the walls. Real axes are used.

Another unique feature of the bar is a 30-tap, self-pour beer system. The user puts money on an RFDI scannable card, similar to a hotel key. When they receive the card, they're also carded.

The user then scans the card to access the beer. The card charges by the ounce, so you can buy a pint at a time or assemble yourself a flight, Rathbun said.

The Fort's self-pour system is only one of three in the state, Rathbun said.

Although Rathbun noted the bar will be fully staffed, so you don't have to pour your own drinks if you don't want to.

In addition to beer, The Fort will have a full bar and Rathbun hopes to offer signature cocktails in the future.

The Fort will have a limited menu, but Rathbun said the offerings proved popular in its soft opening. Some of the menu items include Detriot-style deep-dish pizza, burgers and giant nachos.

"We aren't trying to be a big restaurant or have 20 burgers like the [Golden] Q. It's a lot more specialized," he said.

The Fort is located in the former longtime location of the Wild Rose bar. Rathbun said he completely gutted and renovated the inside of the facility.

"If you were ever in here, it doesn't look anything the same," he said.

The upstairs has been opened with additional seating, games and restrooms.

Many local visitors and residents have already enjoyed the mural on the south side of the building, which includes selfie opportunities. Inside, you can take a photo with the axe throne, which was custom made locally for the bar.

Future expansion is on tap for the building. A private party room in the front of the building is yet to be remodeled. Rathbun is also planning to begin a remodel of the patio in January.

The bar's indoor capacity is 334 people. The new bar expects to employ about 22 people.

Rathbun said he hopes the new bar will draw more people downtown and off of the interstate, people he said he hopes will also eat and shop at other businesses on the Bricks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640806490309.jpeg" alt="The virtual reality pods at The Fort Tavern and Patio Bar. The new bar is set to open Wednesday. " />
 <figcaption>The virtual reality pods at The Fort Tavern and Patio Bar. The new bar is set to open Wednesday. </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Fort Tavern and Patio Bar will soon be a hub of activity with axe throwing, duck-pin bowling and virtual reality in addition to the typical bar games of pool, darts and arcade games.The Fort, 109 W. Seventh, will open on Wednesday. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily with the kitchen open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m."It's basically more of an activity bar," owner Wes Rathbun said. "We wanted to get you up and doing stuff instead of just the usual sit around."Duck-pin bowling uses smaller balls and pins. The bar has four lanes for that. The bar also has four pods for virtual reality with a variety of games, as well as four lanes of axe throwing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640806653930.jpeg" alt="The Fort will have four lanes of axe throwing. " />
 <figcaption>The Fort will have four lanes of axe throwing. </figcaption>
 </figure>The axe throwing area is caged, but spectators can sit on a bar rail outside of the cage and watch. Projectors cast images of targets on the walls. Real axes are used. Another unique feature of the bar is a 30-tap, self-pour beer system. The user puts money on an RFDI scannable card, similar to a hotel key. When they receive the card, they're also carded.The user then scans the card to access the beer. The card charges by the ounce, so you can buy a pint at a time or assemble yourself a flight, Rathbun said.The Fort's self-pour system is only one of three in the state, Rathbun said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640806800743.jpeg" alt="The Fort has four lanes of duck-pin bowling. The pins and balls are smaller than regular bowling. " />
 <figcaption>The Fort has four lanes of duck-pin bowling. The pins and balls are smaller than regular bowling. </figcaption>
 </figure>Although Rathbun noted the bar will be fully staffed, so you don't have to pour your own drinks if you don't want to. In addition to beer, The Fort will have a full bar and Rathbun hopes to offer signature cocktails in the future. The Fort will have a limited menu, but Rathbun said the offerings proved popular in its soft opening. Some of the menu items include Detriot-style deep-dish pizza, burgers and giant nachos."We aren't trying to be a big restaurant or have 20 burgers like the [Golden] Q. It's a lot more specialized," he said. The Fort is located in the former longtime location of the Wild Rose bar. Rathbun said he completely gutted and renovated the inside of the facility."If you were ever in here, it doesn't look anything the same," he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640806962812.jpeg" alt="The Fort Tavern will offer a full bar, as well as a 30-tap, self-pour beer system. " />
 <figcaption>The Fort Tavern will offer a full bar, as well as a 30-tap, self-pour beer system. </figcaption>
 </figure>The upstairs has been opened with additional seating, games and restrooms.Many local visitors and residents have already enjoyed the mural on the south side of the building, which includes selfie opportunities. Inside, you can take a photo with the axe throne, which was custom made locally for the bar. Future expansion is on tap for the building. A private party room in the front of the building is yet to be remodeled. Rathbun is also planning to begin a remodel of the patio in January.The bar's indoor capacity is 334 people. The new bar expects to employ about 22 people. Rathbun said he hopes the new bar will draw more people downtown and off of the interstate, people he said he hopes will also eat and shop at other businesses on the Bricks.

Axe throwing, self-pour beer on tap at The Fort Tavern in Hays

PLAINVILLE — Taylor Ayers wanted to find a part-time job in his hometown of Plainville, but, at 13, no would hire him.

With COVID looming, he couldn't even find somewhere to volunteer. 

Ayers created his own job and business in May and, in less than a year, has donated $1,600 to the USD 270 Plainville special education department.

Ayers founded Ayers Buddies, a pet sitting business in Plainville.

For $20 per day, Taylor will visit your pet at its own home, feed, water and potty it, as well as take it for a walk, weather permitting.

The bulk of Taylor's business is dogs and cats, but he has also cared for rabbits, fish and chickens.

He said he loves animals, including his own three pets, Ghost, an American shorthair cat; Mittens, a calico cat; and Lolly, a golden retriever.

"I like happy dogs. I like happy cats. I like walking them," he said.

After a profitable summer, Taylor donated 25 percent of his profits — $200 — to USD 270 Plainville special education department. He followed that up with a Ayers Buddies drinking tumbler raffle, which raised an additional $1,400 for the department.

Taylor's younger sister Trissan, 12, has a rare chromosome disorder, which has left her in a wheelchair. She is largely non-verbal and is served by the USD 270 special education department.

"I wanted to donate to make their year better for her and everybody else," Taylor said.

Ayers Buddies also sponsored the Plainville Turkey Trot in 2021.

Taylor's mother Chantel Ayers, said Taylor and his sister are very close. She added she and her husband, Dustin, are extremely proud of Taylor for taking on the responsibility of the business and being generous with his earnings.

Taylor said he was assisted in building his business by the Vision Leadership program out of Stockton.

Taylor will also compete in a youth entrepreneurship competition in March with his Ayers Buddies business.

Taylor, a freshman at Plainville Junior-Senior High School, wants to study law after he graduates.

However, he said he would like to hand his business off to another Plainville youth so they could continue donations to the special education department and use the rest of the proceeds for college.

He's not exactly sure what they might look like yet.

Taylor only offers services in Plainville. At 14, he doesn't drive and rides his bike to clients' homes. 

However, if you live in Plainville and would like to hire Ayers Buddies, you can reach Taylor through his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ayers-Buddies-Pet-sitting-100119215684887">business Facebook page</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640730889990.jpeg" alt="Taylor Ayers, right, with his younger sister, Trissan Ayers. Taylor donated $1,600 from his Ayers Buddies pet sitting business to the USD 270 Plainville Special Education Department in her honor. Submitted photo. " />
 <figcaption>Taylor Ayers, right, with his younger sister, Trissan Ayers. Taylor donated $1,600 from his Ayers Buddies pet sitting business to the USD 270 Plainville Special Education Department in her honor. Submitted photo. </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostPLAINVILLE — Taylor Ayers wanted to find a part-time job in his hometown of Plainville, but, at 13, no would hire him.With COVID looming, he couldn't even find somewhere to volunteer. Ayers created his own job and business in May and, in less than a year, has donated $1,600 to the USD 270 Plainville special education department.Ayers founded Ayers Buddies, a pet sitting business in Plainville.For $20 per day, Taylor will visit your pet at its own home, feed, water and potty it, as well as take it for a walk, weather permitting.The bulk of Taylor's business is dogs and cats, but he has also cared for rabbits, fish and chickens.He said he loves animals, including his own three pets, Ghost, an American shorthair cat; Mittens, a calico cat; and Lolly, a golden retriever."I like happy dogs. I like happy cats. I like walking them," he said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640731445755.jpeg" alt="Taylor Ayers' first donation of $200 to the USD 270 Plainville Special Education Department. Submitted photo " />
 <figcaption>Taylor Ayers' first donation of $200 to the USD 270 Plainville Special Education Department. Submitted photo </figcaption>
 </figure>After a profitable summer, Taylor donated 25 percent of his profits — $200 — to USD 270 Plainville special education department. He followed that up with a Ayers Buddies drinking tumbler raffle, which raised an additional $1,400 for the department.Taylor's younger sister Trissan, 12, has a rare chromosome disorder, which has left her in a wheelchair. She is largely non-verbal and is served by the USD 270 special education department."I wanted to donate to make their year better for her and everybody else," Taylor said.Ayers Buddies also sponsored the Plainville Turkey Trot in 2021.Taylor's mother Chantel Ayers, said Taylor and his sister are very close. She added she and her husband, Dustin, are extremely proud of Taylor for taking on the responsibility of the business and being generous with his earnings.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640731544379.jpeg" alt="Taylor Ayers was part of the Rooks County Vision Leader 2021 program, which helped him launch his pet sitting business. Submitted photo " />
 <figcaption>Taylor Ayers was part of the Rooks County Vision Leader 2021 program, which helped him launch his pet sitting business. Submitted photo </figcaption>
 </figure>Taylor said he was assisted in building his business by the Vision Leadership program out of Stockton.Taylor will also compete in a youth entrepreneurship competition in March with his Ayers Buddies business. Taylor, a freshman at Plainville Junior-Senior High School, wants to study law after he graduates.However, he said he would like to hand his business off to another Plainville youth so they could continue donations to the special education department and use the rest of the proceeds for college.He's not exactly sure what they might look like yet.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640731626596.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Taylor only offers services in Plainville. At 14, he doesn't drive and rides his bike to clients' homes. However, if you live in Plainville and would like to hire Ayers Buddies, you can reach Taylor through his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ayers-Buddies-Pet-sitting-100119215684887">business Facebook page</a>.

Plainville teen donates money from pet sitting to USD 270 spec. ed dept.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640893693364.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather click here.</a>