On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams shares information about the upcoming Imagine Ellis County committee town hall.&nbsp;

The Imagine Ellis County committee has set up a town hall to solicit community feedback, Grow Hays executive director, Doug Williams stops by to talk to us about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;

We're having this meeting on February 7, at the Hilton Garden Inn, from 530 to 8 pm. And it's a town hall meeting that's put on by our Imagine Ellis County committee. And this is the committee that was put together a large group of cross-section of the community, very diverse in terms of age group in terms of occupations and backgrounds, to try and take a look at where we want to be in Ellis County 510 25 years from now. And we're in the input gathering state where we're trying to get feedback from the community. And that's what this town hall meeting is part about is to get people from the community to come to this event and tell us what they'd like to see what they think Ellis County should be.

Yeah, and you know, this is kind of what we talked about quite a bit the economic development here in Ellis County. But as the committee starts firing up and starts having events like this, really what kind of feedback are you looking for? I mean, are you wanting to know what we're looking for in retail, what kind of sectors we need to build on? Or is it really just open to whatever you think, Ellis County might be in 20 years 30.

It's kind of all of the above, we initially brought in the larger employers' business in the business community, and have them each give five minutes on what their strategic plan is, and where they're headed, and what their challenges are. And, and we've gone through that we've heard from them, there are some recurring themes, and all of those things. And I'm sure there'll be some recurring themes and from the public in general. But we're kind of taking this to this next step where we want to hear from the general public, what they would like to see how they feel about things. And it could be retail for some it could be, you know, better-paying jobs for others. And the ones we hear time and again, you know, housing, and childcare, and workforce, and all of those kinds of things. But we don't have any preconceived notions about where this might lead and what people might come up with. We're just eager to get input. And that's what it's all about.

And I understand, you know, as little incentive for people maybe to go if you want to share an idea, but try game ideas, not that great. Can we give away some free food right?

To feed everybody? Does that always hopefully helps a little bit, get people to come and participate? So hopefully, that increases attendance and people come and give us their thoughts. Yeah, you know, I think we want to keep it positive, but we're not we want to look at what some of our our weaknesses might be as well, I think in the community, because we know we have some every community does. But we really need people are to participate. This summer, we're going to do a community survey that we're going to send out the docking Institute has been contracted to do a community survey, asking some specific questions of as many participants as they can get, as to, you know, some of the things that people would like to see what they would like to what they would like Ellis County to look like in the future.

Doug, I'm curious, do you know when the last time that something like this was either attempted or done in haste? I know that the Imagine Ellis County committee has been around for a couple years now. But what kind of got derailed with COVID. But previous to that, as there have been similar efforts?

Well, this, this committee comes out of the strategic doing process, which is a process that the Hansen Foundation has supported across western Kansas, where they have had, they got a facilitator who comes in and hosts a meeting like this, and lots of ideas come out of that this is this Imagine Ellis County group came out of that strategic doing initiative. And it's it's similar in what it does this just bores down into more specifics, you know, they imagine or the strategic doing sessions are really broad-based, you know, nothing's off the table, nothing. You know, just what would you like to see, you know, do you think Ellis County or rooks, county or wherever they're holding needs, needs a theme park, you know, something like that, just to let your imagination run wild? We're kind of honing in on some things right now and trying to be a little bit more specific. Okay, what can we do in our community, that's going to make it a better place to live. And yes, it's going to be broad in some senses that it may include retail, it may include housing, it may include lots of different things, but we want to make sure that we're addressing those things and find, you know, come up with some what might be some great ideas. So I would say that to answer your question that Strategic Soing was kind of the first event that I'm aware of, and that was probably three or four years ago. And this has kind of been the ongoing effort from that initial event.

Okay. You know, in the economic development word world, I'm kind of curious how important our strategic sessions like this, because I think of other cities that, you know, have seen like a pretty good explosive growth over the last few years where Hayes's relatively stagnant in its growth and the county in their region, I should say, are losing people. So they're not even seeing growth. Does this really make an impact on that? Or is this just a kind of cherry on top?

Well, we hope it makes an impact on that. I mean, we're, we believe that we have an amazing community and a great place to live, we have a lot to offer, whether it be companies that might move here, whether it be the local companies that want to expand, or people that want to retire here, people that want to relocate here, because they work remotely. But we have to identify the type of things that people want, and see what we can do about delivering those type of things. If we want to be successful in those efforts, and in attracting people and keeping people in our community.

And as we've talked about in the past, this time, right now, there's so much urban fly, people are looking for, hey, cities, like Hayes to move to. And if we can get everybody involved and start to develop those ideas, we could see some potential economic development in a really big way in the next few years. Right?

I think we can I mean, I've read different statistics. One of them is that there's 20 million people in the next 10 years will migrate away from these urban areas. They're looking for places to go. If you watched, there was an episode on 60 minutes last week, and a lady named Karen Kimbrough, who was the chief financial officer, chief economist for LinkedIn, which is the largest job hunting site, that there is online. She said pre-pandemic, one in 67, of the jobs they had posted, was for remote workers. Today, it's one in seven. Wow, that's a huge transformation of the workplace transferring to knowing that they have to accommodate people in different ways. So one in seven jobs now on LinkedIn is, for a remote worker, they'll let you work from anywhere you want to work. And that's huge. And so as these people look to flee the urban areas, as you said, and find a different type of life. We have to look as a community, what do we have to offer because we're in the competition, and they can go anywhere, right? They have the skills, they now can work remotely, so they can choose where they live? Well, how do we make sure that they choose here, at least some of them, obviously, we don't want 20 million, but some of them are some share of them are willing to come here. And that's why things like housing, that's why things like schools, that's like things like safe communities and activities in the community and, and that type of thing make a huge difference. And so part of our job within grow Hays as economic development organization, but also within this Imagine Ellis County committee is to identify the things that we need to put in place for this community to be able to attract those people because as I say, all the time, you know, I have lots of people say I like hate dislike it is we want to stay the same. And my response to that is we have to grow to stay the same, because our region is losing people. And so we have to increase in population, just to stay the way we are much less to grow and have more activities and more choices with retail or whatever it might be.

Yeah. And to dig a little bit deeper into that. Something that I hear pretty frequently is is the pull factor in Ellis County, or I don't know, maybe it's in Hayes, but it's a 1.7 1.8, I believe, which means that for every dollar spent here, we're getting point eight from outside of the community.

That's correct. We're typically in the top three in the state, the county or pull factor, and then Hayes's about the same. And that's important, but we're we're slipping a little bit in that area, because other areas have done a better job of developing retail, and we have some shortcomings in that area. So we've got to do better. But our pull factor is still critically important. And we're still ranked very high. And but we've got to have, you know, as our as our region, our trade area shrinks, we've got to make it up someplace or will not have that typo factor for very much longer.

Yeah. And you know, the other piece of this on the remote work that I think about is, you know, unlike any other employer, if you're employed in Ellis County and you spend that money in Ellis County, that movie's just or money is just circling around. But if you're employed by Amazon, let's say, and living in Ellis County, you're getting money from other places and bringing that into the community. And as for my understanding, that is just going to be vital going on to the next 10/20 years.

Sure, we want to we're an exporter, if we can get those kind of people, we're exporting labor. Basically, we're bringing in money from the outside. These people are buying homes, they're buying cars are buying groceries, they're buying appliances, and everything else. And they typically have great jobs and make a good salary. So that's exactly the type of people we want coming into our community. So it's critical that we identify what's important to them, and then try and meet those requirements.

Yeah, you know, I'm curious if along with the input from the local community, is there any effort with this Imagine Ellis County committee to get that feedback from people say, from Denver, or the front range that are looking to move into a more rural setting?

Well, there is part of our marketing initiative. And we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Schmidt foundation to do some marketing, and part of that is going to be specifically targeting people on the eastern slope of Colorado, we, we believe that's fertile ground for people looking to relocate. And so we've got some marketing efforts, we've created some quality of life videos about what it's like to live in Ellis County, not only in Hays, but also in Allison Victoria, the smaller communities around the county, and to try and show them that we have a great quality of life here. We have lots going on, and we have a great place to live. And so but that's all great, but it's not if they don't know it. So we've got to let them know what it is. And that's what these videos and other methods of advertising are being produced to get to these people and help them understand the quality of life that we do have here.

Absolutely. Well, Doug, I tell you, we've got just about a minute left. Anything else on this that he thought you want to share?

Well, I just I hope everybody you know, as many people as possible come out, we are going to feed you. It runs from 530 till eight o'clock at the Hilton Garden Inn on February 7. We will kind of go over what we've done so far. And then we're going to just kind of open it up to people and get their input we want input. We don't have any. As I said, we really don't have any preconceived notions. We have some recurring themes that we continue to hear and we know about but we know there's some things that people have on their minds that we're not seeing. So we're eager to get good representation out and tell us what they think. Very good

Free to attend but you are asking for registration in advance right? Just say of a meal count, right?

We would like you to register ahead of time. If you can't get that done and at the last minute find out you can come out, go ahead and come out. But if you can register that be great. You can do so on our Facebook page, the Imagine Ellis County Facebook page, call our office, email us, however, you want to do it but we look forward to having a big crowd.

<div><iframe title="Upcoming Imagine Ellis County town hall seeks to inform the future to the county" allowtransparency="true" height="450" 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=kmmbc-118654e-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=f6f6f6&size=450" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams shares information about the upcoming Imagine Ellis County committee town hall.&nbsp;<h2>Transcript</h2>James Bell&nbsp;The Imagine Ellis County committee has set up a town hall to solicit community feedback, Grow Hays executive director, Doug Williams stops by to talk to us about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;We're having this meeting on February 7, at the Hilton Garden Inn, from 530 to 8 pm. And it's a town hall meeting that's put on by our Imagine Ellis County committee. And this is the committee that was put together a large group of cross-section of the community, very diverse in terms of age group in terms of occupations and backgrounds, to try and take a look at where we want to be in Ellis County 510 25 years from now. And we're in the input gathering state where we're trying to get feedback from the community. And that's what this town hall meeting is part about is to get people from the community to come to this event and tell us what they'd like to see what they think Ellis County should be.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah, and you know, this is kind of what we talked about quite a bit the economic development here in Ellis County. But as the committee starts firing up and starts having events like this, really what kind of feedback are you looking for? I mean, are you wanting to know what we're looking for in retail, what kind of sectors we need to build on? Or is it really just open to whatever you think, Ellis County might be in 20 years 30.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;It's kind of all of the above, we initially brought in the larger employers' business in the business community, and have them each give five minutes on what their strategic plan is, and where they're headed, and what their challenges are. And, and we've gone through that we've heard from them, there are some recurring themes, and all of those things. And I'm sure there'll be some recurring themes and from the public in general. But we're kind of taking this to this next step where we want to hear from the general public, what they would like to see how they feel about things. And it could be retail for some it could be, you know, better-paying jobs for others. And the ones we hear time and again, you know, housing, and childcare, and workforce, and all of those kinds of things. But we don't have any preconceived notions about where this might lead and what people might come up with. We're just eager to get input. And that's what it's all about.James Bell &nbsp;And I understand, you know, as little incentive for people maybe to go if you want to share an idea, but try game ideas, not that great. Can we give away some free food right?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;To feed everybody? Does that always hopefully helps a little bit, get people to come and participate? So hopefully, that increases attendance and people come and give us their thoughts. Yeah, you know, I think we want to keep it positive, but we're not we want to look at what some of our our weaknesses might be as well, I think in the community, because we know we have some every community does. But we really need people are to participate. This summer, we're going to do a community survey that we're going to send out the docking Institute has been contracted to do a community survey, asking some specific questions of as many participants as they can get, as to, you know, some of the things that people would like to see what they would like to what they would like Ellis County to look like in the future.James Bell&nbsp;Doug, I'm curious, do you know when the last time that something like this was either attempted or done in haste? I know that the Imagine Ellis County committee has been around for a couple years now. But what kind of got derailed with COVID. But previous to that, as there have been similar efforts?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, this, this committee comes out of the strategic doing process, which is a process that the Hansen Foundation has supported across western Kansas, where they have had, they got a facilitator who comes in and hosts a meeting like this, and lots of ideas come out of that this is this Imagine Ellis County group came out of that strategic doing initiative. And it's it's similar in what it does this just bores down into more specifics, you know, they imagine or the strategic doing sessions are really broad-based, you know, nothing's off the table, nothing. You know, just what would you like to see, you know, do you think Ellis County or rooks, county or wherever they're holding needs, needs a theme park, you know, something like that, just to let your imagination run wild? We're kind of honing in on some things right now and trying to be a little bit more specific. Okay, what can we do in our community, that's going to make it a better place to live. And yes, it's going to be broad in some senses that it may include retail, it may include housing, it may include lots of different things, but we want to make sure that we're addressing those things and find, you know, come up with some what might be some great ideas. So I would say that to answer your question that Strategic Soing was kind of the first event that I'm aware of, and that was probably three or four years ago. And this has kind of been the ongoing effort from that initial event.James Bell&nbsp;Okay. You know, in the economic development word world, I'm kind of curious how important our strategic sessions like this, because I think of other cities that, you know, have seen like a pretty good explosive growth over the last few years where Hayes's relatively stagnant in its growth and the county in their region, I should say, are losing people. So they're not even seeing growth. Does this really make an impact on that? Or is this just a kind of cherry on top?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, we hope it makes an impact on that. I mean, we're, we believe that we have an amazing community and a great place to live, we have a lot to offer, whether it be companies that might move here, whether it be the local companies that want to expand, or people that want to retire here, people that want to relocate here, because they work remotely. But we have to identify the type of things that people want, and see what we can do about delivering those type of things. If we want to be successful in those efforts, and in attracting people and keeping people in our community.James Bell&nbsp;And as we've talked about in the past, this time, right now, there's so much urban fly, people are looking for, hey, cities, like Hayes to move to. And if we can get everybody involved and start to develop those ideas, we could see some potential economic development in a really big way in the next few years. Right?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;I think we can I mean, I've read different statistics. One of them is that there's 20 million people in the next 10 years will migrate away from these urban areas. They're looking for places to go. If you watched, there was an episode on 60 minutes last week, and a lady named Karen Kimbrough, who was the chief financial officer, chief economist for LinkedIn, which is the largest job hunting site, that there is online. She said pre-pandemic, one in 67, of the jobs they had posted, was for remote workers. Today, it's one in seven. Wow, that's a huge transformation of the workplace transferring to knowing that they have to accommodate people in different ways. So one in seven jobs now on LinkedIn is, for a remote worker, they'll let you work from anywhere you want to work. And that's huge. And so as these people look to flee the urban areas, as you said, and find a different type of life. We have to look as a community, what do we have to offer because we're in the competition, and they can go anywhere, right? They have the skills, they now can work remotely, so they can choose where they live? Well, how do we make sure that they choose here, at least some of them, obviously, we don't want 20 million, but some of them are some share of them are willing to come here. And that's why things like housing, that's why things like schools, that's like things like safe communities and activities in the community and, and that type of thing make a huge difference. And so part of our job within grow Hays as economic development organization, but also within this Imagine Ellis County committee is to identify the things that we need to put in place for this community to be able to attract those people because as I say, all the time, you know, I have lots of people say I like hate dislike it is we want to stay the same. And my response to that is we have to grow to stay the same, because our region is losing people. And so we have to increase in population, just to stay the way we are much less to grow and have more activities and more choices with retail or whatever it might be.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah. And to dig a little bit deeper into that. Something that I hear pretty frequently is is the pull factor in Ellis County, or I don't know, maybe it's in Hayes, but it's a 1.7 1.8, I believe, which means that for every dollar spent here, we're getting point eight from outside of the community.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;That's correct. We're typically in the top three in the state, the county or pull factor, and then Hayes's about the same. And that's important, but we're we're slipping a little bit in that area, because other areas have done a better job of developing retail, and we have some shortcomings in that area. So we've got to do better. But our pull factor is still critically important. And we're still ranked very high. And but we've got to have, you know, as our as our region, our trade area shrinks, we've got to make it up someplace or will not have that typo factor for very much longer.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah. And you know, the other piece of this on the remote work that I think about is, you know, unlike any other employer, if you're employed in Ellis County and you spend that money in Ellis County, that movie's just or money is just circling around. But if you're employed by Amazon, let's say, and living in Ellis County, you're getting money from other places and bringing that into the community. And as for my understanding, that is just going to be vital going on to the next 10/20 years.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Sure, we want to we're an exporter, if we can get those kind of people, we're exporting labor. Basically, we're bringing in money from the outside. These people are buying homes, they're buying cars are buying groceries, they're buying appliances, and everything else. And they typically have great jobs and make a good salary. So that's exactly the type of people we want coming into our community. So it's critical that we identify what's important to them, and then try and meet those requirements.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah, you know, I'm curious if along with the input from the local community, is there any effort with this Imagine Ellis County committee to get that feedback from people say, from Denver, or the front range that are looking to move into a more rural setting?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, there is part of our marketing initiative. And we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Schmidt foundation to do some marketing, and part of that is going to be specifically targeting people on the eastern slope of Colorado, we, we believe that's fertile ground for people looking to relocate. And so we've got some marketing efforts, we've created some quality of life videos about what it's like to live in Ellis County, not only in Hays, but also in Allison Victoria, the smaller communities around the county, and to try and show them that we have a great quality of life here. We have lots going on, and we have a great place to live. And so but that's all great, but it's not if they don't know it. So we've got to let them know what it is. And that's what these videos and other methods of advertising are being produced to get to these people and help them understand the quality of life that we do have here.James Bell&nbsp;Absolutely. Well, Doug, I tell you, we've got just about a minute left. Anything else on this that he thought you want to share?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;Well, I just I hope everybody you know, as many people as possible come out, we are going to feed you. It runs from 530 till eight o'clock at the Hilton Garden Inn on February 7. We will kind of go over what we've done so far. And then we're going to just kind of open it up to people and get their input we want input. We don't have any. As I said, we really don't have any preconceived notions. We have some recurring themes that we continue to hear and we know about but we know there's some things that people have on their minds that we're not seeing. So we're eager to get good representation out and tell us what they think. Very goodJames Bell&nbsp;Free to attend but you are asking for registration in advance right? Just say of a meal count, right?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams&nbsp;We would like you to register ahead of time. If you can't get that done and at the last minute find out you can come out, go ahead and come out. But if you can register that be great. You can do so on our Facebook page, the Imagine Ellis County Facebook page, call our office, email us, however, you want to do it but we look forward to having a big crowd.

🎙Post Podcast: Imagine Ellis County town hall scheduled

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services along with the Options' Students Advisory Council sponsored a Freedom Walk Saturday on Vine Street in Hays to being awareness to human trafficking.

The advisory council is made up of Hays High School students.

"We're trying to bring awareness to human trafficking," Deserea Stover, Options outreach advocate, said. "I think it is very overlooked in smaller towns, but it is happening."

Stover said she thought it is important for young people to be aware of the issue. They are potential victims, or they may be able to identify trafficking among their peers. 

Morgan Hart, Options volunteer specialist, said he thought involving youth in awareness campaigns early can be a means of preventing human trafficking.

Most people are introduced into the sex trade between the ages of 12 and 17, Stover said.

Rylee Burd, HHS junior, is the student leader of the advisory group.

"It is something I have always been interested, and I think it something that other people should learn more about and be aware of," she said. ...

"I think it is a very bad stereotype that people only think it happens in big cities, and they don't think it is something that can happen in Hays, but it is a very real possibility of something like that happening."

Options worked two human trafficking cases in northwest Kansas in 2020. Interstate 70 also has been identified as a corridor along which human trafficking victims are moved.

Read more on a human trafficking session offered by ICTSOS in Hays on Monday's Hays Post.

<figure>
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 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services along with the Options' Students Advisory Council sponsored a Freedom Walk Saturday on Vine Street in Hays to being awareness to human trafficking.The advisory council is made up of Hays High School students."We're trying to bring awareness to human trafficking," Deserea Stover, Options outreach advocate, said. "I think it is very overlooked in smaller towns, but it is happening."Stover said she thought it is important for young people to be aware of the issue. They are potential victims, or they may be able to identify trafficking among their peers. Morgan Hart, Options volunteer specialist, said he thought involving youth in awareness campaigns early can be a means of preventing human trafficking.Most people are introduced into the sex trade between the ages of 12 and 17, Stover said.Rylee Burd, HHS junior, is the student leader of the advisory group."It is something I have always been interested, and I think it something that other people should learn more about and be aware of," she said. ..."I think it is a very bad stereotype that people only think it happens in big cities, and they don't think it is something that can happen in Hays, but it is a very real possibility of something like that happening."Options worked two human trafficking cases in northwest Kansas in 2020. Interstate 70 also has been identified as a corridor along which human trafficking victims are moved.Read more on a human trafficking session offered by ICTSOS in Hays on Monday's Hays Post. <figure>
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Options Freedom Walk in Hays brings attention to human trafficking

The Ellis County Conservation District has selected Gary and Millie Haas as the recipients of the 2021 Conservation Maintenance Award. This award recognizes producers who have utilized exceptional conservation efforts in their operation.

Gary and Millie Haas are the second generation to live on and farm the Haas homeplace purchased by Gary’s parents in 1949. They have three sons – Danny, Daren and Dylan along with two granddaughters and one grandson.

Early in Gary and Millie’s marriage, along with farming, they ran a small dairy on the farm with the help of Gary’s mother, Hazel. They added a beef cattle herd in 1984 after they got out of the dairy business and continued that portion of the operation until 2017. Their farm is now a wheat, grain sorghum, fallow rotation managed with family help for harvest and planting and much help from Gary’s brother Jim, who also farms.

Gary and Millie were awarded the Conservation Award by the Ellis County Conservation District in 2007.

Since Gary and Millie’s Conservation Award in 2007, they have continued to maintain and build the soil and land they farm with conservation practices. They have practiced no-till since 2004 on their owned and rented farmland to keep the crop residue in place on the soil. They have tried adding cover crops to the no-till practice and are still testing this to see what fits.

Gary has found maintaining terrace height has been much easier since the no-till practice was established. In the past couple of years, they have had to perform some minimum tillage due to chemical resistant weeds, but still remain predominantly no-till. In 2020 they added 9,689 feet of new terraces on some land they recently purchased.

On pastureland, they added waterlines and tanks for more even grazing and to keep cattle out of the creek to prevent erosion and improve water quality. In a pasture they used to feed cattle, they removed fences and left a buffer area by the creak for wildlife and use the upland area for hay.

Gary and Millie’s future conservation plans include adding a new waterway in the summer of 2022 on their recently purchased farmland. They will then add terraces to this ground when the grass is established in the waterway.

They also plan to continue the practices described above along with soil sampling to understand fertility needs as their goal is to pass the land on in best condition possible.

The Ellis County Conservation District is honored to award the 2021 Conservation Maintenance Award to Gary and Millie Haas.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642193313801.png" alt="Gary and Millie Haas" />
 <figcaption>Gary and Millie Haas</figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedThe Ellis County Conservation District has selected Gary and Millie Haas as the recipients of the 2021 Conservation Maintenance Award. This award recognizes producers who have utilized exceptional conservation efforts in their operation.Gary and Millie Haas are the second generation to live on and farm the Haas homeplace purchased by Gary’s parents in 1949. They have three sons – Danny, Daren and Dylan along with two granddaughters and one grandson.Early in Gary and Millie’s marriage, along with farming, they ran a small dairy on the farm with the help of Gary’s mother, Hazel. They added a beef cattle herd in 1984 after they got out of the dairy business and continued that portion of the operation until 2017. Their farm is now a wheat, grain sorghum, fallow rotation managed with family help for harvest and planting and much help from Gary’s brother Jim, who also farms.Gary and Millie were awarded the Conservation Award by the Ellis County Conservation District in 2007.Since Gary and Millie’s Conservation Award in 2007, they have continued to maintain and build the soil and land they farm with conservation practices. They have practiced no-till since 2004 on their owned and rented farmland to keep the crop residue in place on the soil. They have tried adding cover crops to the no-till practice and are still testing this to see what fits.Gary has found maintaining terrace height has been much easier since the no-till practice was established. In the past couple of years, they have had to perform some minimum tillage due to chemical resistant weeds, but still remain predominantly no-till. In 2020 they added 9,689 feet of new terraces on some land they recently purchased.On pastureland, they added waterlines and tanks for more even grazing and to keep cattle out of the creek to prevent erosion and improve water quality. In a pasture they used to feed cattle, they removed fences and left a buffer area by the creak for wildlife and use the upland area for hay.Gary and Millie’s future conservation plans include adding a new waterway in the summer of 2022 on their recently purchased farmland. They will then add terraces to this ground when the grass is established in the waterway.They also plan to continue the practices described above along with soil sampling to understand fertility needs as their goal is to pass the land on in best condition possible.The Ellis County Conservation District is honored to award the 2021 Conservation Maintenance Award to Gary and Millie Haas.

Haases awarded 2021 Conservation Maintenance Award

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. // It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of color are concerned. —&nbsp;Martin Luther King Jr., “March on Washington” (1963)

The fierce urgency of today’s now means we must let go our unresolvable, circular arguments about Critical Race Theory.

As in other states, the Kansas Legislature and many local school boards want to ban “CRT” in the K-12 classroom. The outrage probably stems from a negative reaction to&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’&nbsp;1619 project, an in-depth exploration of slavery’s role in settling what became the United States. While “CRT” as such is rarely taught in K-12 schools, it has certainly influenced projects like 1619, which do indeed come with lesson plans for the lower grades. This is controversial, but legislators’ responses have been truly alarming. For example, Iowa’s new law prohibits teaching anything that makes anyone “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress” because of one’s race or sex. This will likely prove impossible to enforce and a legal mess. No matter — similar legislation is probably coming here in Kansas.

Slaves did much of the labor building the early United States, while the Native Americans lucky enough to survive at all were displaced from their land, heritage, and livelihoods. These are historical facts, not a theory. Yet Dr. King still offers us hope. What he did so well is to extract the&nbsp;promise&nbsp;of the Constitution and the Declaration-- the&nbsp;belief&nbsp;that we are all equal—from the difficult history. The founders who set these words to paper did not live up to that ideal themselves. Some owned slaves, while others profited from the slave trade. Too often, we try to excuse away these actions by minimizing them, like when Southerners called slavery a “peculiar institution.” Dr. King pivoted away from this. Instead, he sought to restore a promise, calling upon us all to pay that promissory note. King celebrated the&nbsp;idea&nbsp;of America, while making redemption the business of all Americans. He called this work “the fierce urgency of now.”

If conservatives will still answer Dr. King’s call, they must confront the depth of American racism, past and present, including today’s troubling rise of the so-called “alt-right.” If progressives are to do the same, they must avoid treating King’s words as mere platitudes. To understand Dr. King is to see him as he was-- a Baptist preacher, steeped in centuries of Christian and Jewish theology. Many of today’s young progressives have turned away from religion. This is for understandable reasons, but unfortunately, it makes it much harder to understand Dr. King’s message as something besides a poster caption.

Our own time brings unique challenges, but our history offers hope. Never mind Critical Race Theory — America still has a promise to redeem.

Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639601062071.jpeg" alt="Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University." />
 <figcaption>Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.</figcaption>
 </figure>When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. // It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of color are concerned. —&nbsp;Martin Luther King Jr., “March on Washington” (1963)The fierce urgency of today’s now means we must let go our unresolvable, circular arguments about Critical Race Theory.As in other states, the Kansas Legislature and many local school boards want to ban “CRT” in the K-12 classroom. The outrage probably stems from a negative reaction to&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’&nbsp;1619 project, an in-depth exploration of slavery’s role in settling what became the United States. While “CRT” as such is rarely taught in K-12 schools, it has certainly influenced projects like 1619, which do indeed come with lesson plans for the lower grades. This is controversial, but legislators’ responses have been truly alarming. For example, Iowa’s new law prohibits teaching anything that makes anyone “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress” because of one’s race or sex. This will likely prove impossible to enforce and a legal mess. No matter — similar legislation is probably coming here in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Slaves did much of the labor building the early United States, while the Native Americans lucky enough to survive at all were displaced from their land, heritage, and livelihoods. These are historical facts, not a theory. Yet Dr. King still offers us hope. What he did so well is to extract the&nbsp;promise&nbsp;of the Constitution and the Declaration-- the&nbsp;belief&nbsp;that we are all equal—from the difficult history. The founders who set these words to paper did not live up to that ideal themselves. Some owned slaves, while others profited from the slave trade. Too often, we try to excuse away these actions by minimizing them, like when Southerners called slavery a “peculiar institution.” Dr. King pivoted away from this. Instead, he sought to restore a promise, calling upon us all to pay that promissory note. King celebrated the&nbsp;idea&nbsp;of America, while making redemption the business of all Americans. He called this work “the fierce urgency of now.”If conservatives will still answer Dr. King’s call, they must confront the depth of American racism, past and present, including today’s troubling rise of the so-called “alt-right.” If progressives are to do the same, they must avoid treating King’s words as mere platitudes. To understand Dr. King is to see him as he was-- a Baptist preacher, steeped in centuries of Christian and Jewish theology. Many of today’s young progressives have turned away from religion. This is for understandable reasons, but unfortunately, it makes it much harder to understand Dr. King’s message as something besides a poster caption.Our own time brings unique challenges, but our history offers hope. Never mind Critical Race Theory — America still has a promise to redeem.Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: The critical promise of redemption

Nex-Tech, a leader in broadband and technology, is an avid supporter of community, education, and athletics, and is giving back to area high schools through a cumulative donation of $7,180 amongst 28 schools. For the 2021 season, schools that signed up received $10 for each home game touchdown.

The football campaign, which began in 2005, builds on Nex-Tech's commitment to the community by supporting athletic programs in the area. It also supports another of our basic beliefs, which is that having fun is important, since high school football is just simply enjoyable for us!

Director of Customer Engagement Dustin Schlaefli says, "Here at Nex-Tech, our passion is to make life better for our friends, neighbors and our customers. Getting more involved in the communities we serve while being able to provide some booster support at the same time means a lot to us as a company. It's significant when a coach comments to us, 'what a fantastic program! Thank you very much for including us. The funds are extremely beneficial to small schools.' To all the local high school coaches, instructors, and students, thank you for allowing Nex-Tech to be a part of your 2021 football season."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601562391147.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedNex-Tech, a leader in broadband and technology, is an avid supporter of community, education, and athletics, and is giving back to area high schools through a cumulative donation of $7,180 amongst 28 schools. For the 2021 season, schools that signed up received $10 for each home game touchdown.The football campaign, which began in 2005, builds on Nex-Tech's commitment to the community by supporting athletic programs in the area. It also supports another of our basic beliefs, which is that having fun is important, since high school football is just simply enjoyable for us!Director of Customer Engagement Dustin Schlaefli says, "Here at Nex-Tech, our passion is to make life better for our friends, neighbors and our customers. Getting more involved in the communities we serve while being able to provide some booster support at the same time means a lot to us as a company. It's significant when a coach comments to us, 'what a fantastic program! Thank you very much for including us. The funds are extremely beneficial to small schools.' To all the local high school coaches, instructors, and students, thank you for allowing Nex-Tech to be a part of your 2021 football season."

Nex-Tech football donation campaign supports area high schools

<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/2022/1/1642786134453.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

More and more, we hear about the need for advance planning for our medical care. If you were in a situation where you were unable to express your wishes, what kind of care would you want at the end of your life? Advance directives are legal documents that give family, friends, and health care providers information about your end of life wishes. Having advance directives in place can help avoid confusion and stress in an emergency.

The most common advance directives are:&nbsp;

In Kansas, an attorney is not needed to complete these documents but you must have witnesses sign them. Advance directives can be a difficult topic to both contemplate and discuss. Here are some steps to help.

For more details on completing these legal documents, refer to a new K-State Research and Extension publication <a href="http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf">Advance Health Care Planning in Kansas.</a> <a href="http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf.">http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf.</a>

Berny Unruh is the Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District.&nbsp; She can be reached at 785-628-9430 or at <a href="mailto:bunruh@ksu.edu">bunruh@ksu.edu</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588274071306.jpeg" alt="Berny Unruh is Family and Community Wellness agent for the Cottonwood Extension District." />
 <figcaption>Berny Unruh is Family and Community Wellness agent for the Cottonwood Extension District.</figcaption>
 </figure>More and more, we hear about the need for advance planning for our medical care. If you were in a situation where you were unable to express your wishes, what kind of care would you want at the end of your life? Advance directives are legal documents that give family, friends, and health care providers information about your end of life wishes. Having advance directives in place can help avoid confusion and stress in an emergency.The most common advance directives are:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>durable power of attorney for health care,</li><li>living will, and</li><li>pre-hospital Do Not Resuscitate.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>In Kansas, an attorney is not needed to complete these documents but you must have witnesses sign them. Advance directives can be a difficult topic to both contemplate and discuss. Here are some steps to help.<ul>
 <li>Gain more understanding of each option from your physician, health care providers, financial providers or your attorney.</li><li>Discuss your personal preferences with family, friends or a religious advisor. At any point, you can change your preferences, and revise your documents.</li><li>If this is difficult for you to bring up with your loved ones here are a few ideas to try.&nbsp;</li><li>You can write a letter expressing your desire to discuss this topic.</li><li>Show them copies of the forms, emphasizing the importance of the subject to you.</li><li>If you are really uncomfortable, you can hire an attorney to facilitate the discussion.&nbsp;</li><li>Or ask a trusted friend to assist with the discussion.</li><li>Once the forms are completed, make copies, hand them out to family, trusted friends, hospital, and physician. Finally store extra copies in your important files, purse, and glove box of your car.</li>
 </ul>For more details on completing these legal documents, refer to a new K-State Research and Extension publication <a href="http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf">Advance Health Care Planning in Kansas.</a> <a href="http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf.">http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3280.pdf.</a>	Berny Unruh is the Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District.&nbsp; She can be reached at 785-628-9430 or at <a href="mailto:bunruh@ksu.edu">bunruh@ksu.edu</a>

UNRUH: Advance directives for medical care

Years ago, shortly after I’d first moved to Kansas, I stored my boat for the winter in an airy old shed at my dad’s farm. To help keep it clean inside and to keep out the moisture, I wrapped it with a tarp. When I pulled it out the following spring, I found corn stalks, milo stalks, (some with heads still attached) and wads of various other crop residue stuffed into every imaginable nook and cranny inside the boat. Dad took one look at the mess and nonchalantly mused “Packrats huh.” I think I replied “Pack what?”&nbsp;

I don’t know about present day, but as a kid growing up in Ohio, we knew nothing of packrats. But in this part of the country, they seem to have been the bane of every farmer and rancher for generations. They build nests around the bases of trees and in old farm machinery in tree rows, and also under the hoods or inside of any vehicles they can get into. That in itself is bad enough, but they also have a love for electrical wiring and seem to feel it’s their life’s purpose to chew any and all they can reach, often causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage and requiring extensive repairs.&nbsp;

Also known as eastern wood rats, packrats get that nickname because of their habit of “collecting” interesting and often shiny objects and storing them in their nests. Some years ago, Joyce and I stumbled upon a packrat “commune” a few miles away. There were dozens of nests four or five feet off the ground in scrubby thorn trees in the midst of a low swampy thicket. I picked up a good sturdy stick and began poking and tearing apart nests to see what I could find. What looked like a slipshod, willy-nilly mess of bark and limbs on the outside became a snug almost cocoon-like nest lined with fur, grass and even tufts of wool on the inside. In the nests I found yellow plastic trash bag ties, pieces of a plastic 1-gallon anti-freeze container (which I spotted nearby,) freshly chewed sticks, fresh green plant leaves, a large bone of some description and what appeared to be coyote droppings, but no shiny trinkets of any sort.&nbsp; Evidently those particular pack rats were of a more frugal persuasion and no longer saw the value of wasting time collecting shiny baubles. Or maybe they just don’t want to lug them up the tree.

A couple years ago, a local farmer whose land I trap for coyotes called me about exterminating some packrats that had become a problem. They had gotten into a small barn and built a nest under the hood of an old classic grain truck he still liked to use, causing it to catch fire in the driveway. The last straw was when they recently chewed wires under the hood of his semi tractor parked in the farmyard, making expensive repairs necessary. I had never dealt with packrats, so I contacted two trapper friends who both do nuisance control trapping. The first friend runs a large pest control company with his family; his advice was to forget trapping them and use potent poison bait he recommended. The second friend, who has been my coyote trapping mentor whenever I need advice, told me that in his experience, poisoned bait just ends up carried back to packrat nests as nesting material, so he gave me suggestions for trapping them using sardines for bait. He said packrats love sardines and find the shiny lid of the can attractive. 

I had the traps and not the poison, so I built small enclosures (cubbies) from empty one-gallon tin cans with the labels removed to make them shiny, and from short pieces of galvanized furnace pipe. I stapled small pieces of 2x4 in one end of each furnace pipe so the rats could only gain entry from one end and fastened a short piece of old vinyl flooring on the end of each to hold a weight. I smashed the one-gallon tin cans partially shut and fastened a 2x4 down one side to keep the can from rolling around. One small jaw trap was fastened to each cubby. In the small barn I placed 3 cubbies and baited them with sardines of different varieties and with peanut butter which I also read to be good packrat bait. There was a long notch cut out of the foundation in the back of the barn that was obviously letting the rats in, but I left it open to start. In another big shed I placed two more cubbies with the same baits and weighted them all down with bricks.

The next morning two possums awaited me in the barn and had pulled the traps and cubbies around, entangling them in stuff setting along the wall, but nothing was caught in the shed. I partially blocked the notch in the barn foundation to exclude any animal bigger than a rat, but caught nothing more all week. The owner then called me and said he was ready to order some of the bait recommended by my other friend.&nbsp;

A tree row a couple hundred yards long runs just behind all his buildings, and like most tree rows here in Kansas, is full of dandy places for packrat nests. I’m afraid that like coyotes, roaches and possums, packrats are here to stay and will still be here when mankind is long gone. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>Years ago, shortly after I’d first moved to Kansas, I stored my boat for the winter in an airy old shed at my dad’s farm. To help keep it clean inside and to keep out the moisture, I wrapped it with a tarp. When I pulled it out the following spring, I found corn stalks, milo stalks, (some with heads still attached) and wads of various other crop residue stuffed into every imaginable nook and cranny inside the boat. Dad took one look at the mess and nonchalantly mused “Packrats huh.” I think I replied “Pack what?”&nbsp;I don’t know about present day, but as a kid growing up in Ohio, we knew nothing of packrats. But in this part of the country, they seem to have been the bane of every farmer and rancher for generations. They build nests around the bases of trees and in old farm machinery in tree rows, and also under the hoods or inside of any vehicles they can get into. That in itself is bad enough, but they also have a love for electrical wiring and seem to feel it’s their life’s purpose to chew any and all they can reach, often causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage and requiring extensive repairs.&nbsp;Also known as eastern wood rats, packrats get that nickname because of their habit of “collecting” interesting and often shiny objects and storing them in their nests. Some years ago, Joyce and I stumbled upon a packrat “commune” a few miles away. There were dozens of nests four or five feet off the ground in scrubby thorn trees in the midst of a low swampy thicket. I picked up a good sturdy stick and began poking and tearing apart nests to see what I could find. What looked like a slipshod, willy-nilly mess of bark and limbs on the outside became a snug almost cocoon-like nest lined with fur, grass and even tufts of wool on the inside. In the nests I found yellow plastic trash bag ties, pieces of a plastic 1-gallon anti-freeze container (which I spotted nearby,) freshly chewed sticks, fresh green plant leaves, a large bone of some description and what appeared to be coyote droppings, but no shiny trinkets of any sort.&nbsp; Evidently those particular pack rats were of a more frugal persuasion and no longer saw the value of wasting time collecting shiny baubles. Or maybe they just don’t want to lug them up the tree.A couple years ago, a local farmer whose land I trap for coyotes called me about exterminating some packrats that had become a problem. They had gotten into a small barn and built a nest under the hood of an old classic grain truck he still liked to use, causing it to catch fire in the driveway. The last straw was when they recently chewed wires under the hood of his semi tractor parked in the farmyard, making expensive repairs necessary. I had never dealt with packrats, so I contacted two trapper friends who both do nuisance control trapping. The first friend runs a large pest control company with his family; his advice was to forget trapping them and use potent poison bait he recommended. The second friend, who has been my coyote trapping mentor whenever I need advice, told me that in his experience, poisoned bait just ends up carried back to packrat nests as nesting material, so he gave me suggestions for trapping them using sardines for bait. He said packrats love sardines and find the shiny lid of the can attractive. I had the traps and not the poison, so I built small enclosures (cubbies) from empty one-gallon tin cans with the labels removed to make them shiny, and from short pieces of galvanized furnace pipe. I stapled small pieces of 2x4 in one end of each furnace pipe so the rats could only gain entry from one end and fastened a short piece of old vinyl flooring on the end of each to hold a weight. I smashed the one-gallon tin cans partially shut and fastened a 2x4 down one side to keep the can from rolling around. One small jaw trap was fastened to each cubby. In the small barn I placed 3 cubbies and baited them with sardines of different varieties and with peanut butter which I also read to be good packrat bait. There was a long notch cut out of the foundation in the back of the barn that was obviously letting the rats in, but I left it open to start. In another big shed I placed two more cubbies with the same baits and weighted them all down with bricks.The next morning two possums awaited me in the barn and had pulled the traps and cubbies around, entangling them in stuff setting along the wall, but nothing was caught in the shed. I partially blocked the notch in the barn foundation to exclude any animal bigger than a rat, but caught nothing more all week. The owner then called me and said he was ready to order some of the bait recommended by my other friend.&nbsp;A tree row a couple hundred yards long runs just behind all his buildings, and like most tree rows here in Kansas, is full of dandy places for packrat nests. I’m afraid that like coyotes, roaches and possums, packrats are here to stay and will still be here when mankind is long gone. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: What’s in your hedgerow?

Mountain lion is spotted on Ellis County, Kansas, trail cam.

Courtesy Danny WasingerMountain lion is spotted on Ellis County, Kansas, trail cam.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mWhnCvWbmz8"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

🎥 Mountain lion filmed on Ellis County, Kansas, trail cam

The TMP-Marian Monarchs girls and boys basketball teams will play in the championship games of the MCL tournament Saturday in Plainville.

The girls game against Phillipsburg is scheduled to start at about 3:40 p.m. with the boys game at approximately 5:10 p.m.

&nbsp; You can listen to the game by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/KHAZ">HERE&nbsp;</a>or on 99.5 KHAZ.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The TMP-Marian Monarchs girls and boys basketball teams will play in the championship games of the MCL tournament Saturday in Plainville.The girls game against Phillipsburg is scheduled to start at about 3:40 p.m. with the boys game at approximately 5:10 p.m.&nbsp; You can listen to the game by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/KHAZ">HERE&nbsp;</a>or on 99.5 KHAZ.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀📻 LISTEN: TMP-Marian vs Phillipsburg/Trego

The Hays High Indians girls take on Colby in the third place game of the Orange and Black Tournament in Colby and boys take on Olathe North in the championship game.

The girls game is scheduled to tipoff at 2:30.

Click the player below or click&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348791">HERE&nbsp;</a>to view the game girls game.

The boys game is also available by clicking <a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348792">HERE</a>.

You can also download the Team1Sports app for your phone or connected device, including smart TVs.

The Hays High Indians girls take on Colby in the third place game of the Orange and Black Tournament in Colby and boys take on Olathe North in the championship game.The girls game is scheduled to tipoff at 2:30.<div><iframe src="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348791?autoplay=1" width="640" height="360" allow="fullscreen;" style="border:0;overflow:hidden;"></iframe></div>The boys game is set to tipoff at 6 p.m.<div><iframe src="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348792?autoplay=1" width="640" height="360" allow="fullscreen;" style="border:0;overflow:hidden;"></iframe></div>Click the player below or click&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348791">HERE&nbsp;</a>to view the game girls game.The boys game is also available by clicking <a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348792">HERE</a>. You can also download the Team1Sports app for your phone or connected device, including smart TVs.

🏀🎥 WATCH LIVE Hays High vs Colby/Olathe North

GOVE COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Friday in Gove County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Freightliner semi driven by Timothy B. Reeves, 53,&nbsp;Pfafftown, North Carolina, was westbound on Interstate 70 three miles west of the Castle Rock exit.

The semi sideswiped a 2020 Toyota 4-Runner driven by&nbsp;Godfrey, Spencer N. Godfrey, 25, Fletcher, North Carolina.

EMS transported Reeves and a passenger in the Freightliner&nbsp;Tyree, Tammy H. Tyree, 48, Wilmington, North Carolina, to the Gove County Medical Center. Godfrey was not injured. Tyree was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

GOVE COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Friday in Gove County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Freightliner semi driven by Timothy B. Reeves, 53,&nbsp;Pfafftown, North Carolina, was westbound on Interstate 70 three miles west of the Castle Rock exit.The semi sideswiped a 2020 Toyota 4-Runner driven by&nbsp;Godfrey, Spencer N. Godfrey, 25, Fletcher, North Carolina.EMS transported Reeves and a passenger in the Freightliner&nbsp;Tyree, Tammy H. Tyree, 48, Wilmington, North Carolina, to the Gove County Medical Center. Godfrey was not injured. Tyree was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Two hospitalized after semi sideswipes an SUV on I-70

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Zadi Méndez, 36, of Mexico was recruited to work in a local hog farm.

Although she has a university degree in animal science and took English classes while she was in school in Mexico, she said speaking the language every day has been much different and more difficult.

Even ordering specific foods has been difficult, she said.

The Hays Public Library has offered English as a second language classes on and off. When the library faced COVID restrictions and a major remodel, the classes fell by the wayside.

In the fall, the library relaunched the program with Méndez and about 10 to 12 other regular students.

The class meets at 6 p.m. Mondays at the library. It is not for credit, and there is no cost. Participants must be 18 or older. No registration is required. Students are encouraged to attend as often as they can.

This semester's classes will run through April 25.

Méndez said she first hoped the English class would help her at work as her supervisor speaks English. 

Several other employees at the farm were also contracted from Mexico and speak little English. She said she hoped she would be able to help translate for them. She invited them to join her at the library class.

"It's a good opportunity for me to rise in my job," Méndez said in English.

She said the class has also helped her grow friendships with her co-workers in the class. Although making the transition to living and working in Hays has been difficult, she said the people of Hays have been kind to her.

The library's class is an immersive English course, which means it is taught entirely in English. 

A few library volunteers have joined the class to help the students practice conversation.

Most of the students taking the class now are native-Spanish speakers, but the class has also had a Korean-native speaker and can accommodate speakers of any other languages, said Amy Lucio, who has helped organize the class.

The class is not leveled, so students of all skill levels meet together.

Lucio speaks Spanish and helps clarify for Spanish speakers if there are questions.

The class poses common conversational scenarios. Some of them might include how to speak to someone when you are trying to buy car or rent an apartment or buy something at the store.

Méndez said she and her co-workers also practice English using online tools and YouTube.

"When we knew [about] the class in the library, we ran to take the class," Méndez said. 

Lucio just moved to Hays from Texas in April, but she said offering English classes is important anywhere.

"At the library we want to serve the community, and that means everyone in the community," she said. ...

"I think we have a need here, and I expect that need to grow."

The library offers some resources in Spanish. It also has a couple of staff members who speak Spanish. The library offers lessons for a variety of languages through the online program, Mango. You can find a link under online resources on the <a href="https://hayslibrary.org/">library's webpage</a>.

Library officials have also considered offering a class for English-speakers to learn Spanish if enough interest is expressed, Lucio said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642541425025.jpeg" alt="The Hays Public Library offers free English as a second language classes at 6 p.m. Mondays. " />
 <figcaption>The Hays Public Library offers free English as a second language classes at 6 p.m. Mondays. </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostZadi Méndez, 36, of Mexico was recruited to work in a local hog farm.Although she has a university degree in animal science and took English classes while she was in school in Mexico, she said speaking the language every day has been much different and more difficult.Even ordering specific foods has been difficult, she said. The Hays Public Library has offered English as a second language classes on and off. When the library faced COVID restrictions and a major remodel, the classes fell by the wayside.In the fall, the library relaunched the program with Méndez and about 10 to 12 other regular students.The class meets at 6 p.m. Mondays at the library. It is not for credit, and there is no cost. Participants must be 18 or older. No registration is required. Students are encouraged to attend as often as they can.This semester's classes will run through April 25. Méndez said she first hoped the English class would help her at work as her supervisor speaks English. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642542023326.jpeg" alt="English student Zadi Méndez discusses a lesson with a library volunteer. " />
 <figcaption>English student Zadi Méndez discusses a lesson with a library volunteer. </figcaption>
 </figure>Several other employees at the farm were also contracted from Mexico and speak little English. She said she hoped she would be able to help translate for them. She invited them to join her at the library class."It's a good opportunity for me to rise in my job," Méndez said in English.She said the class has also helped her grow friendships with her co-workers in the class. Although making the transition to living and working in Hays has been difficult, she said the people of Hays have been kind to her. The library's class is an immersive English course, which means it is taught entirely in English. A few library volunteers have joined the class to help the students practice conversation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642542205498.jpeg" alt="Teacher Sharon Graham leads an English as a second language class at the Hays Public Library. " />
 <figcaption>Teacher Sharon Graham leads an English as a second language class at the Hays Public Library. </figcaption>
 </figure>Most of the students taking the class now are native-Spanish speakers, but the class has also had a Korean-native speaker and can accommodate speakers of any other languages, said Amy Lucio, who has helped organize the class.The class is not leveled, so students of all skill levels meet together. Lucio speaks Spanish and helps clarify for Spanish speakers if there are questions. The class poses common conversational scenarios. Some of them might include how to speak to someone when you are trying to buy car or rent an apartment or buy something at the store.Méndez said she and her co-workers also practice English using online tools and YouTube."When we knew [about] the class in the library, we ran to take the class," Méndez said. Lucio just moved to Hays from Texas in April, but she said offering English classes is important anywhere."At the library we want to serve the community, and that means everyone in the community," she said. ..."I think we have a need here, and I expect that need to grow."The library offers some resources in Spanish. It also has a couple of staff members who speak Spanish. The library offers lessons for a variety of languages through the online program, Mango. You can find a link under online resources on the <a href="https://hayslibrary.org/">library's webpage</a>. Library officials have also considered offering a class for English-speakers to learn Spanish if enough interest is expressed, Lucio said.

Hays Public Library relaunches English class

The Hays USD 489 school board will hear a recommendation from its bond committee at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.

The committee is set to recommend a $143.5 million bond that would include building a new high school. The project will also include:

• The middle school moving into the renovated high school • Hays Middle School being renovated into a new elementary school • O'Loughlin and Roosevelt Elementary Schools would be renovated • Administrative offices would be moved to Wilson • Rockwell Administration Center and Lincoln Elementary School would be closed

The new high school would include an auditorium. As part of the renovations, any facility issues that were rated a one or two out of four on the district's facility report would be addressed.

It will be up to the board to decide how the bond is funded. If the bond is funded only through property tax, it would cost a taxpayer $35.94 per month on a $200,000 home.

However, district officials have considered funding the project partially through a half-cent sales tax. That would drop the per month property tax bill for the bond to $21.56 per month on a $200,000 home.

The Hays City Commission would also have to approve a ballot question involving a sales tax.

The board could vote on moving forward with a vote of the people at its meeting on Feb. 7. District officials have discussed bringing the bond to a vote in May.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/ba4071e3-f735-4eab-b6ba-2b7b0cac9303">RELATED STORY: Bond committee to recommend new high school to school board</a>

The board will also consider district level employment contracts and hear the audit report from Adams Brown.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Hays USD 489 school board will hear a recommendation from its bond committee at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.The committee is set to recommend a $143.5 million bond that would include building a new high school. The project will also include:• The middle school moving into the renovated high school • Hays Middle School being renovated into a new elementary school • O'Loughlin and Roosevelt Elementary Schools would be renovated • Administrative offices would be moved to Wilson • Rockwell Administration Center and Lincoln Elementary School would be closedThe new high school would include an auditorium. As part of the renovations, any facility issues that were rated a one or two out of four on the district's facility report would be addressed.It will be up to the board to decide how the bond is funded. If the bond is funded only through property tax, it would cost a taxpayer $35.94 per month on a $200,000 home.However, district officials have considered funding the project partially through a half-cent sales tax. That would drop the per month property tax bill for the bond to $21.56 per month on a $200,000 home.The Hays City Commission would also have to approve a ballot question involving a sales tax. The board could vote on moving forward with a vote of the people at its meeting on Feb. 7. District officials have discussed bringing the bond to a vote in May. <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/ba4071e3-f735-4eab-b6ba-2b7b0cac9303">RELATED STORY: Bond committee to recommend new high school to school board</a> The board will also consider district level employment contracts and hear the audit report from Adams Brown.

Hays USD 489 school board to hear bond group recommendation

The Associate Spirit Award at HaysMed recognizes an outstanding Associate who has gone above and beyond their daily job duties to care for a patient, visitor, or Associate at HaysMed,&nbsp;Recent award winners include Abby Scinto, PCT, and&nbsp;Molly Goodnow, LPN, both working on the surgical unit.

In addition to her duties at HaysMed, Scinto has recently completed cosmetology school. After a call from one of the charge nurses, Scinto volunteered her time to come in and take care of a patient whose hair needed attention.&nbsp; She spent five hours cutting, cleaning and styling the pateint's hair on her weekend off.&nbsp; The patient and her husband were beyond pleased with the result.

On a hot August day, Goodnow received a call asking if she would be willing to come help Bone, Joint &amp; Spine out for a few hours. She said she would but her car was in the shop so it would be a little while before she could get to the hospital. Knowing the importance of coming to help her teammates right away, she decided not to wait on her car and began the walk from her house, which is near Thomas More Prep-Marian, all the way to the hospital. On arrival, she caught her breath, cooled off, and asked what she could do to help — all of this with a smile on her face.

Both associates went above and beyond with their dedication to the care of patients at HaysMed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642628508542.jpeg" alt="Molly Goodnow" />
 <figcaption>Molly Goodnow</figcaption>
 </figure>HaysMedThe Associate Spirit Award at HaysMed recognizes an outstanding Associate who has gone above and beyond their daily job duties to care for a patient, visitor, or Associate at HaysMed,&nbsp;Recent award winners include Abby Scinto, PCT, and&nbsp;Molly Goodnow, LPN, both working on the surgical unit.In addition to her duties at HaysMed, Scinto has recently completed cosmetology school. After a call from one of the charge nurses, Scinto volunteered her time to come in and take care of a patient whose hair needed attention.&nbsp; She spent five hours cutting, cleaning and styling the pateint's hair on her weekend off.&nbsp; The patient and her husband were beyond pleased with the result.On a hot August day, Goodnow received a call asking if she would be willing to come help Bone, Joint &amp; Spine out for a few hours. She said she would but her car was in the shop so it would be a little while before she could get to the hospital. Knowing the importance of coming to help her teammates right away, she decided not to wait on her car and began the walk from her house, which is near Thomas More Prep-Marian, all the way to the hospital. On arrival, she caught her breath, cooled off, and asked what she could do to help — all of this with a smile on her face.Both associates went above and beyond with their dedication to the care of patients at HaysMed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642628534143.jpeg" alt="Abby Scinto " />
 <figcaption>Abby Scinto </figcaption>
 </figure>

HaysMed recognizes Associate Spirit Award winners

NORTON —&nbsp;Norton County Community Foundation will be hiring a new Executive Director, following the announcement of Tara Vance’s resignation to pursue another opportunity. NCCF was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting local charitable activities in Norton County through endowments made to the foundation. Since then, NCCF has grown in assets to nearly $3 million with an additional $4.5 million in impact investment projects. Thanks to its generous donors, NCCF has reinvested more than $10 million into the community through grants supporting qualifying programs and projects. By connecting donors to nonprofits, programs, and causes, Norton County Community Foundation aims to serve as a catalyst for positive change in Norton County.&nbsp; NCCF is seeking an Executive Director to provide vision, leadership, and management of all aspects of the organization. The Executive Director is appointed by and reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for hiring and maintaining a qualified staff, overseeing the annual budget, and providing daily operational supervision. Building on 28 years of tradition, the community foundation plays a critical role in the health and success of Norton County. The position offers a unique opportunity to partner with donors, non-profit organizations, and civic/community groups for the development of the community foundation and betterment of life in Norton County. Vance has led NCCF for nearly 10 years and has grown the foundation’s asset value to nearly $3 million, plus significant assets of historically-renovated commercial properties.

“This job has been a career dream,” said Vance. “I have been blessed to be a part of a team that is visionary, thoughtful, and progressive. In addition, I’ve been able to support Norton County, a place unique in so many ways. &nbsp;Norton County’s economic diversity, competitive spirt, and loyalty to one another makes representation really easy. I’m excited about where I will leave this foundation and even more excited about where it can go in the future!” The job description can be read in full on NCCF’s website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nortonccf.org/employment">www.nortonccf.org/employment</a>.&nbsp; About Norton County Community FoundationThe Norton County Community Foundation was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting local charitable activities in Norton County through endowments made to the foundation. Connect with the Norton County Community Foundation at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nortonccf.org/">www.nortonccf.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624440063597.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News releaseNORTON —&nbsp;Norton County Community Foundation will be hiring a new Executive Director, following the announcement of Tara Vance’s resignation to pursue another opportunity. NCCF was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting local charitable activities in Norton County through endowments made to the foundation. Since then, NCCF has grown in assets to nearly $3 million with an additional $4.5 million in impact investment projects. Thanks to its generous donors, NCCF has reinvested more than $10 million into the community through grants supporting qualifying programs and projects. By connecting donors to nonprofits, programs, and causes, Norton County Community Foundation aims to serve as a catalyst for positive change in Norton County.&nbsp; NCCF is seeking an Executive Director to provide vision, leadership, and management of all aspects of the organization. The Executive Director is appointed by and reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for hiring and maintaining a qualified staff, overseeing the annual budget, and providing daily operational supervision. Building on 28 years of tradition, the community foundation plays a critical role in the health and success of Norton County. The position offers a unique opportunity to partner with donors, non-profit organizations, and civic/community groups for the development of the community foundation and betterment of life in Norton County. Vance has led NCCF for nearly 10 years and has grown the foundation’s asset value to nearly $3 million, plus significant assets of historically-renovated commercial properties. “This job has been a career dream,” said Vance. “I have been blessed to be a part of a team that is visionary, thoughtful, and progressive. In addition, I’ve been able to support Norton County, a place unique in so many ways. &nbsp;Norton County’s economic diversity, competitive spirt, and loyalty to one another makes representation really easy. I’m excited about where I will leave this foundation and even more excited about where it can go in the future!” The job description can be read in full on NCCF’s website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nortonccf.org/employment">www.nortonccf.org/employment</a>.&nbsp; About Norton County Community FoundationThe Norton County Community Foundation was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting local charitable activities in Norton County through endowments made to the foundation. Connect with the Norton County Community Foundation at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nortonccf.org/">www.nortonccf.org</a>.

Norton Co. foundation to hire new executive director

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642785716723.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>

The&nbsp; National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs has announced 16 awards of nearly $50,000 in end of year grants to our members to address several distinct categories of need:

The 16 grants were awarded to programs in 14 states; the majority of these grants went to rural programs. An average of 79 percent of participants in each program are in the greatest social and/or economic need as defined by the Older Americans Act. 100% of participants in five of these programs are in greatest need.

Linda Miller, Chair of NANASP’s Board of Directors, said, “These awards are so indicative of member needs and resiliency—they always make such a little bit of money go a long way.”

Bob Blancato, NANASP Executive Director, said, “We are so pleased to award these grants. They include support for initiatives such as:

In total, NANASP has awarded more than $100,000 in member grants in 2021.”

Miller and Blancato also noted that all grantees were advised of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act nutrition program and that they expect some of these local programs to be featured in the festivities.

The programs receiving funding from this initiative are:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642545434855.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News releaseThe&nbsp; National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs has announced 16 awards of nearly $50,000 in end of year grants to our members to address several distinct categories of need:<ul>
 <li>Four grants to support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives</li><li>Three grants to address rising costs associated with inflation and supply shortages</li><li>Five grants to support public-private partnerships</li><li>Four grants to support congregate programs’ in-person reopening efforts</li>
 </ul>The 16 grants were awarded to programs in 14 states; the majority of these grants went to rural programs. An average of 79 percent of participants in each program are in the greatest social and/or economic need as defined by the Older Americans Act. 100% of participants in five of these programs are in greatest need.Linda Miller, Chair of NANASP’s Board of Directors, said, “These awards are so indicative of member needs and resiliency—they always make such a little bit of money go a long way.”Bob Blancato, NANASP Executive Director, said, “We are so pleased to award these grants. They include support for initiatives such as:<ul>
 <li>Conducting a community needs assessment and equity scan</li><li>Providing several programs some protection from inflation, especially from food and gasoline price increases</li><li>Continuing and further developing several new and existing restaurant/supermarket partnerships developed during the pandemic</li><li>Establishing a Latino Lunch Club</li><li>Providing PPE and related supplies for congregate programs to reopen</li><li>Providing buffalo meat to be served to Lakota elders in South Dakota</li>
 </ul>In total, NANASP has awarded more than $100,000 in member grants in 2021.”Miller and Blancato also noted that all grantees were advised of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act nutrition program and that they expect some of these local programs to be featured in the festivities.The programs receiving funding from this initiative are:<ul>
 <li>Catholic Charities of Fairfield County, Bridgeport, CT</li><li>Center for Workforce Inclusion Labs, Silver Spring, MD</li><li>Curative Connections, Inc., Green Bay, WI</li><li>Goodwill Industries of Western NY, Inc., Buffalo, NY</li><li>Homestead Nutrition Project, Hays, KS</li><li>Meals on Wheels of Staten Island, Staten Island, NY</li><li>Meals on Wheels of SW Michigan, Benton Harbor, MI</li><li>Meals on Wheels People, Portland, OR</li><li>Meals on Wheels Western South Dakota, Rapid City, SD</li><li>People For People Meals on Wheels, Union Gap, WA</li><li>REAL Services, South Bend, IN</li><li>Rufty-Holmes Senior Center, Salisbury, NC</li><li>Senior Friendship Centers, Sarasota, FL</li><li>Six County Association of Governments, Richfield, UT</li><li>Southwest Human Resource Agency, Henderson, TN</li><li>TVCCA, Jewett City, CT</li>
 </ul>

Homestead Nutrition Project in Hays earns grant

RUSH COUNTY–The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Rush County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the death of a male from LaCrosse. 

Preliminary indications are the death is a result of homicide.

Leslie Randa, 61, was discovered in his home, located at 205 E 5th St. in LaCrosse.

Randa was found by a family member who then contacted 911 at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21. 

The Rush County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with this investigation at approximately 2:10 p.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response team responded.

Randa’s vehicle is missing. Randa owns a black 2006 GMC Envoy with Kan. plate 463HAE.

 The front grill guard is chrome in color. Law Enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance.

 If you have any information about this crime or the location of the vehicle, please contact the Rush County Sheriff’s office at 785-222-2578 or the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME.

An autopsy will be performed Saturday, Jan 22.

No further information will be released at this time.

KBI Press ReleaseRUSH COUNTY–The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Rush County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the death of a male from LaCrosse. Preliminary indications are the death is a result of homicide.Leslie Randa, 61, was discovered in his home, located at 205 E 5th St. in LaCrosse.Randa was found by a family member who then contacted 911 at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21. The Rush County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with this investigation at approximately 2:10 p.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response team responded.Randa’s vehicle is missing. Randa owns a black 2006 GMC Envoy with Kan. plate 463HAE. The front grill guard is chrome in color. Law Enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance. If you have any information about this crime or the location of the vehicle, please contact the Rush County Sheriff’s office at 785-222-2578 or the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME.An autopsy will be performed Saturday, Jan 22.The investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.

Homicide investigation underway in Rush Co.

The TMP-Marian Monarchs girls take on the Smith Center Lady Red and the TMP boys play the Norton Blue Jays in the semifinals of the MCL Tournament Friday in Plainville.

The girls play the first game of the day, set to tipoff at 3 p.m.

The boys will play the final game of the day scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.&nbsp; 

You can listen to the game by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/KHAZ">HERE&nbsp;</a>or on 99.5 KHAZ.

The Hertz Rental Car Pregame show starts at 5:40 p.m.

The TMP-Marian Monarchs girls take on the Smith Center Lady Red and the TMP boys play the Norton Blue Jays in the semifinals of the MCL Tournament Friday in Plainville.The girls play the first game of the day, set to tipoff at 3 p.m.The boys will play the final game of the day scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.&nbsp; You can listen to the game by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/KHAZ">HERE&nbsp;</a>or on 99.5 KHAZ.The Hertz Rental Car Pregame show starts at 5:40 p.m.

🏀📻 LISTEN: TMP-Marian vs Smith Center/Norton

The Hays High Indian girls take on the Goodland Cowgirls and the boys play the Beloit Trojans in the semifinals of the Orange and Black tournament in Colby Friday afternoon.

The girls game will tipoff first at 3:00 p.m. with the boys to follow.

Click the player below or click&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348221">HERE&nbsp;</a>to view the game. You can also download the Team1Sports app for your phone or connected device, including smart TVs.

The Hays High Indian girls take on the Goodland Cowgirls and the boys play the Beloit Trojans in the semifinals of the Orange and Black tournament in Colby Friday afternoon.The girls game will tipoff first at 3:00 p.m. with the boys to follow.Click the player below or click&nbsp;<a href="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348221">HERE&nbsp;</a>to view the game. You can also download the Team1Sports app for your phone or connected device, including smart TVs.<div><iframe src="https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/embed/348221?autoplay=1" width="640" height="360" allow="fullscreen;" style="border:0;overflow:hidden;"></iframe></div>

🏀🎥 WATCH LIVE Hays High vs Goodland/Beloit

On this episode of the Post Podcast Downtown Hays Development Corporation executive director Sara Bloom and director of events and operations Allie Glidewell shares updates from downtown Hays.

The Downtown Hays Development Corporation is getting ready for a busy spring season. Executive Director Sarah bloom and director of events and operations, Allie Glidewell stops by to talk to us about that on this episode of the post podcast.

What are you talking about? First? We got a whole list?

Well, yeah, I thought it was kind of a slower time a year. But then I'm here. I know you guys actually are getting prepared for a lot of things going on. I think we got to do this chronologically. Right Valentine's Day. That's the first thing coming up.

Sure. Well, it's kind of something new and different that we're trying to do just a promotional thing for businesses. But know that a lot of people spend money downtown, spend gifts, spend money for guessing their loved ones. So what we've done is we put together three baskets. And when you spend money in downtown, you can bring your receipts into us, whether that's paper or you know, I know a lot of square receipts go virtual. But bring that to us will stamp it and you can enter to win a basket will draw it on Valentine's Day. And there's all sorts of I mean, almost every single store is represented in those baskets. We

had so much fun shopping, we picked, what Tuesday when it was 60 degrees outside, we walked all over downtown. And we're talking from like reds all the way down to Indigo and breathe and all the things in between.

Yeah, super awesome. So we spent a little bit of money in every store to put together different baskets. We got stuff from even like the baskets themselves, or from the ark. We went everywhere. There. I mean, there's great things we put together a little men's basket that's got Gosh, soaps and goodies and all sorts of Thai

and mugs and coffee and trees and all sorts of stuff. Yeah, that's and that's just that. That's just the men's baskets, toothbrush and a really nice electric toothbrush for my smile. Yeah, yeah. So if you give love to our downtown businesses, you could have the opportunity to get the so we'll be posting pictures of those baskets later today along with that promotion. But essentially, starting next week, if you shop downtown, bring in a receipt, and it doesn't matter if it's for a $3 coffee from breeze or a $3,000 couch from furniture, luck. Bring your receipts in and you can enter to win one of these baskets and we'll draw Valentine's.

Yeah. Because we love you. Yes, amazing. Well, it's fun.

So you can the interim all the way up until Valentine's Day, so that Friday before Friday before okay.

Or like bringing in your receipts from the weekend on that Monday. Valentine's is on a Monday and we could draw

<div><iframe title="DHDC kicks off year with upcoming downtown events" allowtransparency="true" height="450" 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=2qyp3-11863ed-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=450" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast Downtown Hays Development Corporation executive director Sara Bloom and director of events and operations Allie Glidewell shares updates from downtown Hays.<h2>Transcript</h2>James Bell&nbsp;The Downtown Hays Development Corporation is getting ready for a busy spring season. Executive Director Sarah bloom and director of events and operations, Allie Glidewell stops by to talk to us about that on this episode of the post podcast.Sara Bloom&nbsp;What are you talking about? First? We got a whole list?James Bell&nbsp;Well, yeah, I thought it was kind of a slower time a year. But then I'm here. I know you guys actually are getting prepared for a lot of things going on. I think we got to do this chronologically. Right Valentine's Day. That's the first thing coming up.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Yeah, sure is.James Bell&nbsp;What are you guys going on for that?Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Sure. Well, it's kind of something new and different that we're trying to do just a promotional thing for businesses. But know that a lot of people spend money downtown, spend gifts, spend money for guessing their loved ones. So what we've done is we put together three baskets. And when you spend money in downtown, you can bring your receipts into us, whether that's paper or you know, I know a lot of square receipts go virtual. But bring that to us will stamp it and you can enter to win a basket will draw it on Valentine's Day. And there's all sorts of I mean, almost every single store is represented in those baskets. WeSara Bloom&nbsp;had so much fun shopping, we picked, what Tuesday when it was 60 degrees outside, we walked all over downtown. And we're talking from like reds all the way down to Indigo and breathe and all the things in between.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Yeah, super awesome. So we spent a little bit of money in every store to put together different baskets. We got stuff from even like the baskets themselves, or from the ark. We went everywhere. There. I mean, there's great things we put together a little men's basket that's got Gosh, soaps and goodies and all sorts of ThaiSara Bloom&nbsp;and mugs and coffee and trees and all sorts of stuff. Yeah, that's and that's just that. That's just the men's baskets, toothbrush and a really nice electric toothbrush for my smile. Yeah, yeah. So if you give love to our downtown businesses, you could have the opportunity to get the so we'll be posting pictures of those baskets later today along with that promotion. But essentially, starting next week, if you shop downtown, bring in a receipt, and it doesn't matter if it's for a $3 coffee from breeze or a $3,000 couch from furniture, luck. Bring your receipts in and you can enter to win one of these baskets and we'll draw Valentine's.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Yeah. Because we love you. Yes, amazing. Well, it's fun.James Bell&nbsp;So you can the interim all the way up until Valentine's Day, so that Friday before Friday before okay.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Or like bringing in your receipts from the weekend on that Monday. Valentine's is on a Monday and we could drawJames Bell&nbsp;on a Monday this year. It isAllie Glidewell&nbsp;okay that Monday, we love Monday.Sara Bloom&nbsp;That means you have all weekend to spoil your love. That's what that means. I suppose that's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe we do Monday at the end of the day. That way you can bring in your seats. Have coffee yet.James Bell&nbsp;It is still pretty early in the morning. It's especially talking about like Valentine's Day and all the craziness that comes along with that.Sara Bloom&nbsp;And it's not that far away. We are at the end of January already.James Bell&nbsp;It's sneaking up on us only 22 It's it's firmly here.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Well, it's pretty cool Valentine's I would watch our Facebook page and other downtown business Facebook pages because I know there are a lot of Valentine dinners and events being planned right now and you have to make reservations right now specifically the strand and the Paisley pair are already booking very quickly for their ValentineAllie Glidewell&nbsp;audience always has really great deals around this time too. And they book out soSara Bloom&nbsp;far. The new Brickhouse Spa has some ones going on. So be watching. We'll try and share as much as we can, of course, but just be aware that there's some really wonderful stuff happening in downtown makes it easy. And Halo it is a partnership going on. All sorts of stuff.James Bell&nbsp;Awesome. Yeah, you support your loved ones. Or shows love to your loved ones, I guess and support downtown Hayes at the same time. Exactly. I love that. Very cool.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Yeah. Also happening this weekend is the winter sidewalk sale. We did not go chronologically, but there are several businesses that have their winter sidewalk sale going on. Specifically couture has like 75% off simply refine, are all participating so check that out.James Bell&nbsp;And I think we're gonna have decent weather this weekend. So it'd be a nice day to walk around and I think I'm gonna check a hole 35 today. Yeah, not nice today. Today is nothing better than the last two days it is currently eight degree by the way. Yeah, no, it looks like Saturday. Well, not not great, but mid 40s so decent weather is gonna be nice and sunny anywaySara Bloom&nbsp;there's no wind that's what a beautiful day that's walkable.James Bell&nbsp;five mile an hour winds. That's doable.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;It's great down there.James Bell&nbsp;You know andSara Bloom&nbsp;actually buildings will block anyone that might be OhJames Bell&nbsp;yeah, you always get that that nice buffer down there. But you know I already do this Saturday morning. You guys know this, but pretty much I take my kids in this what we do we walk down to On Hayes, we go when we hit different shops, they've got their little favorite hit spots they like to hit and we get some lunch at one of the restaurants down there. And it's a great time. And you see so many people down there even when there's no events going on. There's always people walking around and it's it's it's just a fun, energetic time to do it. And a third, some sidewalk sales on top of that, and it's just over the moon over the moon. That's what we'reSara Bloom&nbsp;saying. Believe it or not, I did not know that you walk downtown every Saturday though. I'm not down there every I usually at a basketball tournament or a baseball tournament.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;So to be fair, we're walking around downtown all the time.Sara Bloom&nbsp;It's true. Time down Saturday morning.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Their weekend is his community theaters. It's showtime. It's a fun new thing that they're putting on that'll air on Friday and on Saturday, but the community theater has all sorts of Valentine's things coming up too. So if you want to support a really, really fun cause, go give them a show. They're always exciting.Sara Bloom&nbsp;ks.com Yeah. For tickets.James Bell&nbsp;Yeah. Yeah, we had the director for this one. Cheryl Glassman come in earlier this week, I think. Yeah. Sounds like a really fun show. And I last time I talked to him. I don't know for sure. But they still had some tickets available. So if you're interested, well, it's Friday. I guess you probably need to get him today anyway, but but don't wait because they might sell out. So get them if you're interested.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Yeah. And Kylie Frey at the fox.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Kylie Frey at the fox. Yeah.James Bell&nbsp;That's rodeo. She's a former country, right? Yeah, rodeo. Yeah, I don't know what I saw. It's, uh, yeah. It's really good. But it's kind of a little bit genre bending, ISara Bloom&nbsp;think, Oh, 20? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, yeah, youAllie Glidewell&nbsp;might say that genre bending sounds way cooler. And I just came up with it. I like that. That's why you're good at the job, James.Sara Bloom&nbsp;What else is on your list? What else do we want to talk about?James Bell&nbsp;Easter, you got to do some Easter stuff, too. I mean, that's a little bit down the road. ButSara Bloom&nbsp;like your face, you can't see your face. But we're very excited forAllie Glidewell&nbsp;Easter. Easter is going to be very fun. We're hoping to incorporate a lot of different stores and just put something on for the kids. We don't have all the details yet, which includes, you know, the full format or a date. But we had a great brainstorming session yesterday. So look out for marketing on that something was eggs and something with candy. Yes, candy and children come downtown. It's gonna be a good time.James Bell&nbsp;Really, you get those two things together, and you're gonna have a good time no matter what.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Maybe even cupcakes, I don't know, there's a lot of brainstorming happening. But something will be happening in downtown for Easter. So be watching our Facebook page for that. And then Allie had a great another great brainstorming session last night with our downtown Hayes market vendor. Yeah, we hadAllie Glidewell&nbsp;our little end of year meeting to talk about everything that went really great or things that need tweaking, and we want to kind of vision board in 2022. We're really excited, they're all very passionate about what they do. All of our market vendors are very excited to come back already. They were working their calendars for day one and figuring out you know, different promotions, especially for some of the bigger days like National honeybee day or what to do during Oktoberfest weekend. So it was really, really great. The markets gonna kick off October 28. And then go every single Saturday, maybe? Yep, May 28. So sorry. I was thinking October 20.James Bell&nbsp;Of course, October.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Definitely the last Saturday of MayAllie Glidewell&nbsp;springtime. Yes. And it'll still run 730 to 11. Every day. We're gonna have all sorts of fun things going on all the time. But stay tuned to our Facebook page for that as well.James Bell&nbsp;Very cool. Yeah. And you mentioned a couple times now. But absolutely. If you want to stay tuned into what's going on to downtown Hayes, you guys do a really fantastic job of keeping that Facebook page updated. It's an easy and efficient way to do it on the website as well. You guys have the calendar. And it's all right there in handy. And yeah,Sara Bloom&nbsp;yeah. And we kind of mentioned it too. Even if it's not an event organized by the DHDC. Office, we would love to promote it for you. Let us know anything happening in downtown. If it's if it's a benefit to downtown, it's bringing foot traffic and attention to downtown. Let us know we'll try and get it on our Facebook page. We'll get it in our weekly newsletter, we'll get it on the website, at least the events calendar, let us know how we can help promote what's happening in downtown Hayes, whether it's out of our office or not, because I support the community. But that's kind of it. We're working on a lot of things, but those are the most pressing.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;It is a slow time of year, but it just leads a lot of room for game planning.James Bell&nbsp;Yes, and that's you know, that's what I love about this time of year. It's all the ideas it's the energy it's thinking about, you know, all the stuff that is going to be going on and you know, as we as we warm up in the spring, and I love it because just the planning bit and then the excitement starts to build and you get to talk about things like the Farmers Market, which is going to beSara Bloom&nbsp;a next month we'll be telling you in brews tickets go on sale.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;There's all sorts there's all sorts of things all the time.Sara Bloom&nbsp;But yeah, always check the Facebook page. Always check downtown, he's calm. We've got a great Instagram. Lots of new businesses are opening it downtown. We just celebrated the fort opening. We're going to be celebrating the bloomin barber lounge opening soon. Lots of changes, and it's all very exciting. Yeah.James Bell&nbsp;Absolutely. And, you know, and this is part of what we were talking about before we went on air downtown. It's it's full. I mean, it's not you know, if you remember if you're if you're listening, I can't imagine a lot of people that are listening haven't been in downtown Hays in the last couple years. But if you haven't, like come and check it out, because it is the the the energy is just so incredible. And there's this this attitude of just building and fixing and, and driving business and I love it. I don't know what else to say.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Thanks for getting excited about it. We're excited. It's great.James Bell&nbsp;Truly. Alrighty, guys. Well, any last thoughts when we go?Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Downtown hayes.com Thanks for supportingSara Bloom&nbsp;local shop downtown. Downtown. Downtown.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Love downtown. Stay on the lookout for the Valentine. Yes.Sara Bloom&nbsp;Yeah, we're very excited. We're like, well, maybe we can change our names on.Allie Glidewell&nbsp;Yeah, maybe we can when we will give ourselves basket but they're really great and we want them to. We want to win. We picked out everything. They're very curated.

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