By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board discussed the five-year capital outlay plan during its work session on Monday.

Superintendent Ron Wilson said although the district has made significant investments in the bond, there are still regular capital needs and maintenance that will need to continue.

Wilson explained that the plan is revised frequently as needs change.

The district has an annual 8-mill capital improvement levy. The three-year revenue average is $4.7 million.

Chris Hipp, assistant superintendent of business services, said the district must keep reserves in the capital outlay fund. It can't spend the fund to zero.

The district receives half of its funding at the beginning of the year and the rest halfway through the fiscal year. The district must maintain cash on hand to continue paying lease payments and other expenses.

Hipp said of the five-year plan, "This is not a budget. It's an outlook and a map."

The district has three lease purchase agreements that it will continue to pay on through fiscal year 2029. These include Early Childhood Complex Renovation, which will be paid off in 2029, Roosevelt HVAC, and a lease agreement for turf, lighting, and past work at Wilson Elementary School.

The plan's operations line items include transportation and the annual technology replacement program.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/37908b9e-982b-42eb-becc-c7409b030396">The district contracted with Enterprise last fall to manage its nonbus vehicle fleet.</a> The fleet contract is budgeted at $125,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, with an estimated $295,000 in subsequent years.

Bus replacement is also on a rotation, but on a separate line item.&nbsp;

The district also has listed priorities broken down by building.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9c9d8521-815b-4f1d-8bf6-ddea11091306">O'Loughlin Elementary School is undergoing a renovation and expansion as part of the bond projects.</a>&nbsp;

From the capital outlay fund, the district has budgeted $45,000 for the removal of asbestos flooring from the building, $100,000 for furniture and equipment for fiscal year 2026 and $220,000 to replace the school's parking lot in FY27.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/4c2d3e85-7231-4f36-a2e0-a75c7231637b">With the opening of the new Hays High School in August, the district is remodeling the former high school for use as the new middle school.</a>

Students and teachers are set to move into the renovated school in January.

HMS projects in the 2026 capital budget include: • Classroom/bathroom renovation-$200,000 • Grandstands and fencing at game field-$160,000 • Parking lot-$120,000 • Furniture and equipment-$120,000

The fiscal year '27 budget includes roof work and further classroom renovations, with even more classroom renovations in FY28. The district is also planning on parking lot work at that location in FY28 and FY29.

Work will begin in January to renovate what is now Hays Middle School into a new four-section elementary school, Felten Elementary School.

Wilson is set to close as an elementary school at the end of the school year.

Although $3.8 million in bond funds has been budgeted for the Felten renovations, additional work at the school will be funded with capital outlay money.

The following projects will be funded out of the FY26 capital outlay budget: •&nbsp;Asbestos removal-$175,000 •&nbsp;Signage update-$50,000 •&nbsp;Classroom renovation-$50,000 • Furniture and equipment-$300,000. Some of this funding will be used to add storage in classrooms. •&nbsp;Playground relocation upgrades-$150,000 • Change football field to buffalo grass-$10,000. The grass change is being made to eliminate the need to water that field, Wilson said.

Once Wilson is vacated as an elementary school, the district offices will move into that building.

The district has budgeted $750,000 in 2027 and 2028 to renovate the former classrooms into offices. An additional $150,000 is budgeted in FY27 to equip a new boardroom in that building with audio and visual capabilities.

The district has budgeted $90,000 for grass seeding around the new Hays High building this year.&nbsp;

Wilson said the district hopes to eventually add another storage building on the Hays High grounds, but the project may be moved if other needs arise.

The board discussed adding bleachers to the Hays High football stadium. The stadium was built for 2,500, but crowds have been exceptionally large this season, with attendance estimates as high as 5,000.

Wilson said additional bleachers are not included in the capital outlay plan at this time.

The district is considering selling property north of the current Hays Middle School football field. The district also plans to sell the Rockwell property once all of the bond projects are complete.

The school board will make the final decision on the properties' fate. The revenue from the sale of property would be placed in the capital outlay fund.

Wilson said if the district had additional revenue from property sales, it could be used to fund bleachers.

The turf on the new fields at the high school will need to be replaced in the next 10 years, and Wilson said administrators will begin working on a schedule to work that maintenance into the capital outlay plan.

As bond projects near completion, Hays board hears report on capital outlay plan

Welcome to Cash Grab! It is your chance to win $250 on Friday's in October!

Keywords are given out at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. You will have 20 minutes to enter the correct keyword that you heard on our radio stations. We will then draw out one winner on Friday morning!

Cash Grab is presented by Robert Brogden GMC in downtown Hays, Whitetail Properties Agents Adam Hahn and Mitch Keeley, Tri-Central Office Supply, and Vanderbilt’s of Hays.

💰 ENTER CASH GRAB HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN $250!

RUSSELL COUNTY —A series of small earthquakes shook portions of north west and north central Kansas over the past two days.

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, the Kansas Geological Survey reported a 2.7 magnitude quake in Rooks County, according to the Kansas Geological Survey. 

Since then the KGS reported three additional quakes in Russell County. A 3.8 magnitude quake at 10:46p.m., a 2.8 magnitude quake at 11:12p.m. Tuesday and a 3.4 magnitude quake at 12:14a.m. Wednesday.

There are no reports of any damage or injury, according to the Russell County Sheriff's office.

Series of small earthquakes shake northwest Kansas

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

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/corrections-about-us">Click HERE for the Hays Post obituary policy.&nbsp;</a>

How to submit an obituary to the Hays Post

Please email obituaries to haysobits@eaglemedia.com.

Please allow up to 24 hours from the submission of the obituary for it to be posted on the Hays Post.&nbsp;

If you have questions, please contact Scarlett Deutscher at 785-301-2211.&nbsp;

If you have an issue outside of business hours or your obit has not been published within 24 hours, please email <a href="mailto:hayspost@eaglemedia.com" target="_blank">hayspost@eaglemedia.com</a> or call Cristina Janney, Hays Post editor, at 785-301-2077.&nbsp;

Recent obituaries, how to submit an obituary

While it’s not a genetic trait, storytelling can be passed from father to son.

It’s possible that’s how Ted Harbin developed a passion for writing. Harbin, a longtime journalist who has focused his attention to rodeo stories for the past 20 years, has authored "World’s Toughest Rodeo: How One Cowboy Blazed a Trail for Western Sports."

 From W. Brand Publishing and set for release Nov. 11, the book explains how Steve Gander took his meager start in life to be one of the sport’s most successful entrepreneurs.

“Steve Gander’s story fascinates me,” said Harbin, originally from Leoti and a graduate of Trego Community High School in WaKeeney. 

He now operating TwisTed Rodeo in Maryville, Missouri. “Having spent time with Steve over the last few years, I love hearing his stories about creating World’s Toughest Rodeo and the things he was doing 40 years ago that nobody had even considered.”

Harbin collaborated with Gander over the last two years to pen the memoir. With it, he added another level of storytelling, an attribute he obtained from his father, Dean.

“My dad loved to tell jokes and connect with people that way,” Harbin said. “Sometimes his jokes weren’t the most appropriate, but that’s OK; sometimes the content of my stories wouldn’t be appropriate without a little self-editing.”

Harbin began his journalism career as a student at Pratt Community College, then carried that on to a degree in mass communication from Fort Hays State University. Over a 22-year span, he worked at newspapers in Smith Center, Atwood, Hays, Dodge City,&nbsp; Hutchinson, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Guymon, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City; and Maryville.

He developed TwisTed Rodeo in 2005 and directs most of his attention to producing content for and about the sport. He serves as media director for several events and travels the country doing so, from southeast Texas to southern Idaho. He is one of eight who has been recognized with media award from both of rodeo’s premier sanctioning bodies, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

“In my lifetime, I have covered everything from school board meetings to murder trials to soccer games,” he said. “I believe every experience I’ve had in my career was instrumental in writing this book. Of course, the subject-matter helped. Steve is a storyteller, too, and that alone was intriguing to me. Allowing him and the others to help with details of his brand of rodeo was an incredible experience.”

When his parents needed help on their small, family farm in northeastern Iowa, Steve Gander was the first one to help. It comes with being the oldest of seven children raised on the rugged and hilly terrain in that part of the state. There were hogs to feed and crops to manage, and every helping hand was important to the family’s bottom line.

“We were poor, but we didn’t know we were poor,” Gander said in the memoir. “Everybody in northeastern Iowa was poor at the time.”

There may not have been much financially, but the rewards were plenty, which is how Gander became one of the most prolific promotors and producers in rodeo history. The biography details how Gander forged his own brand through work ethic and innovation.

Gander was raised in the 1950s and ’60s. Faith and family were foremost in the household, but there was work to be done. Whether he was slipping and sliding through the muck of a hog pen or driving the tractor – he first got behind the wheel of the family’s John Deere 50 at age 7 – Gander’s foundation was formed.

It carried him to extraordinary things. He produced hundreds of events, including the return of rodeo to Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Command Performance Rodeo, a special and spectacular event produced specifically for President Ronald Reagan and thousands of other dignitaries in 1983 near Washington, D.C.

“After two decades in newspaper and another two utilizing my journalism skills with TwisTed Rodeo, this book is like a dream come true,” Harbin said. “Steve gave me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and create something that will outlive me, much like he did with World’s Toughest Rodeo. This is a work of passion, not only for the sport of rodeo, which Steve and I share, but also for the storytelling that I love so much.

“I have been able to tell some incredible stories in my lifetime. This one might just be my favorite.”

Former Hays newspaper writer pens 'World’s Toughest Rodeo' as memoir about success

LENORA —&nbsp;Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Janette Meis as its new Executive Director. Meis brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, higher education, and youth programming, with a career dedicated to advancing opportunities for young people and strengthening Kansas communities.

Prior to joining Nex-Generation, Meis spent 10 years at Fort Hays State University, including two and a half years with the FHSU Alumni Association and the remainder as Communications Specialist in the Office of the President. Before her time at the university, she served 15 years as the State Director for Kansas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), where she led statewide efforts supporting volunteers who advocate for children in the foster care system.

“I’m thrilled to join an organization that’s making such a tangible difference in the lives of rural youth,” said Meis. “Nex-Generation’s programs open doors for young people to explore careers, build real-world skills, and envision a future right here in Northwest and North Central Kansas. I’m excited to help strengthen and grow those opportunities.”

Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth continues to invest in the region’s future leaders through a variety of educational and career-based programs:

· Internship/Work Study Programs: Connecting high school and college students with local businesses to gain hands-on career experience. Business applications to host interns are currently open until December 1.

· Life$kills: In-person Interactive classroom sessions that teach students essential financial literacy and personal development skills. The deadline to apply is November 21.

· Virtual Career Fairs: Engaging online events that introduce students to regional employers and career pathways. Deadline for participating is October 30.

· Young AmeriTowne of Kansas: A hands-on learning experience designed for 4th – 8th grades, where students operate a simulated town, learning about entrepreneurship, civics, and economics. School enrollment deadline for Young AmeriTowne is October 31. To enroll go to: <a href="https://www.nex-generation.org/young-ameritowne">www.nex-generation.org/young-ameritowne</a>

Starting in 2013, Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing and retaining youth for future careers in the 28 counties of Northwest and North Central. Through career exploration, leadership, and entrepreneurship programs, the organization helps young people envision their future close to home.

For more information about Nex-Generation’s programs or to apply/enroll in one of our programs, visit <a href="https://www.nex-generation.org/">www.nex-generation.org</a> or contact Janette Meis at jmeis@nex-generation.org.

Nex-Generation round up for youth welcomes new executive director

Wednesday, Oct. 29 Annual Fort Hays State University Agriculture Department Halloween Hoedown Trunk or Treat, 4 to 6 p.m., University Farm, Andrew D. Riegel Building. Free.

Trunk or Treat, 5:30 to 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 305 W. Seventh St. Free.

Thursday, Oct. 30 Sternberg Museum: Monster Mash, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.,&nbsp;3000 Sternberg Drive. $10 general admission, $8 for members, and children 2 and younger are free.

Friday, Oct. 31 Trick or Treat on the Bricks, 3 to 5 p.m., Main Street. Free.

Trick or Treating at The Northridge Plaza, 3 to 5 p.m., North Ridge Plaza.

Trick or Treat on the Bricks at Hays Public Library, 3 to 5 p.m.,&nbsp;1205 Main St.

Trick-R-Treating at Big Creek Crossing, 3 to 5 p.m., 2918 Vine St.&nbsp;

Trick or Treat at Centennial Towers, 3 to 7 p.m., 2502 Sherman Ave.

Trunk or Treat at North Oak Community Church, 5 to 7:30 p.m., 3000 Oak St.

Paisley Pear hosts: Dancin' Stew, 8 to 10 p.m.,&nbsp;1100 Main St.

Halloween events in Hays, starting tonight

<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

The Hays Area Chapter of Ducks Unlimited invites the community to its annual fundraising banquet on Friday, Nov. 1, at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for an evening of fun, food, and fundraising for wetlands conservation.

This year's event features an amazing meal catered by Chubb’s Que and includes an open bar, social hour, raffle games, a silent auction, and a thrilling live auction.

Attendees will have the chance to win an incredible selection of prizes, including:

A special Ladies' Table will also feature its own set of amazing prizes.

Tickets are $60 per couple. This event is expected to sell out, so advance purchase is required.

To secure your tickets, please visit the link below:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ducksunlimited.myeventscenter.com/event/Hays-Banquet-115190/purchase">https://ducksunlimited.myeventscenter.com/event/Hays-Banquet-115190/purchase</a>

Hays organizations receive 2026 Leadership Transformation Grant

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Cold Weather Rule, designed to help Kansans who are behind on their utility payments avoid disconnection during the winter months, will begin on Saturday, November 1 and remain in effect through March 31.

While the Cold Weather Rule is in effect, utility companies cannot disconnect a customer's service when the local temperatures are forecast to drop below 35 degrees within the following 48-hour period. The Kansas Corporation Commission, the agency that regulates public utilities in the state, implemented the rule in 1983 to prevent utility companies from disconnecting a customer's natural gas, electric or water service during periods of extreme cold.

The Cold Weather Rule also requires utility companies to offer a 12-month payment plan to allow consumers to maintain or re-establish service. Any residential customer with a past due balance will qualify for payment arrangements; however, it is the customer's responsibility to contact the utility to make those arrangements.

Payment plan terms to maintain or restore service require that customers agree to pay 1/12th of the total amount owed, 1/12th of the current bill, the full amount of any disconnection or reconnection fee, plus any applicable deposit to the utility. The remaining balance must be paid in equal payments over the next 11 months, in addition to the current monthly bill.

The Cold Weather Rule applies only to residential customers of utility companies under the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kcc.ks.gov%2Fabout-us%2Fjurisdiction%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0101019a2b2604a9-f6a7259d-a238-4342-817a-a8b2bdf0fdd8-000000/ICa2swsBADbyMHC6Ahz3wX6mzo_3T4Lvnyi38RiMN68=428">KCC's jurisdiction</a>, however many municipal utilities and cooperatives have similar winter weather policies.

Information about the Cold Weather Rule is available on the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kcc.ks.gov%2Fconsumer-information%2Fcold-weather-rule%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0101019a2b2604a9-f6a7259d-a238-4342-817a-a8b2bdf0fdd8-000000/dE6JZLddSVO2cTwiepzb8lIlZ6B8yZuYekimPxdSH3E=428">Commission’s website</a><a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Flinkprotect.cudasvc.com%2Furl%3Fa=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.kcc.ks.gov%252Fconsumer-information%252Fcold-weather-rule%253Futm_medium%253Demail%2526utm_source%253Dgovdelivery%26c=E%252C1%252CEFhPWc-npJHC7SLIDM6OMuVKUr3wX9Xg4C-2l1zFp6i2MFyzNb_qLElkJQELZugDIrGtLQMT5BD4XlfbuOEOM56KVuryQVxL6SMnhGA16QG8r25Q%26typo=1%26utm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0101019a2b2604a9-f6a7259d-a238-4342-817a-a8b2bdf0fdd8-000000/3Oz34MpIzAh2MQ-rohgr6rnjCvJD0DOzYw9a1dKCEmk=428">.&nbsp;</a>Kansans may also contact their local utility company or the KCC's Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at (800) 662-0027 or 785-271-3140 to learn more. A link to the Cold Weather Rule flyer appears below.

<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kcc.ks.gov%2Fimages%2FPress_Links%2FCold%2520Weather%2520Rule%2FCWR_Eng-Span_2025.pdf%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0101019a2b2604a9-f6a7259d-a238-4342-817a-a8b2bdf0fdd8-000000/B9VO4aBY_BYAw0JufMb5CZTjKDxk6AVvqIEYenXc1yc=428">Cold Weather Rule Flyer (English/Spanish)</a>

Kansas cold weather rule takes effect Nov. 1

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

Special thanks to <a href="https://www.visithays.com/183/Events">The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau</a> and<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/"> Fort Hays State University</a> for their contributions to the community calendar.

Community Calendar

Submit your fall harvest photo until Oct 29th at 11:59pm. The photo with the most votes will win their choice of Asgrow Soybeans, or DeKalb Corn seed! Voting takes place Oct 30th-Nov 5th!

Midland Marketing Farmers of Fall 2025

The deadline for letters to the editor about the upcoming local elections on Nov. 4 will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Letters can be sent to hayspost@eaglemedia.com. All letters must be typed and signed.

Letters must pertain&nbsp;to&nbsp;a local&nbsp;topic and be written by someone from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hays&nbsp;Media Center&nbsp;coverage area.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Hays Post reserves&nbsp;the&nbsp;right&nbsp;to&nbsp;reject&nbsp;letters.&nbsp;

Election letter to the editor deadline

Annual Turkey Shoot at New Almelo on Nov. 9; pre-shoot on Nov. 2

October 30 is a fifth Thursday of the month; therefore, there won't be a Hays City Commission work session that day.&nbsp;

No Hays City Commission work session Thursday

The Ellis County Landfill will be closed on the following days for the holidays:

Tuesday, November 11th - Veterans Day Thursday, November 27th - Thanksgiving Day Friday, November 28th - Day after Thanksgiving Wednesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve Thursday, December 25th - Christmas Day Thursday, January 1, 2026 - New Years Day

Normal operating hours will remain the same for all other days that we are open.&nbsp; If you have any questions, please feel free to call the landfill at (785) 628-9460.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Upcoming holiday closures for Ellis County Landfill

DORRANCE — The Dorrance American Legion Post 334 will host a steak feed Saturday, Nov. 8.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with the meal at 6 :30 p.m.

12 or 6-ounce ribeye steak with baked potato, corn, green beans, tea or water and a big selection of desserts will be served.&nbsp;

Cold beer and mixed drinks will be available.

Proceeds benefit the Dorrance American Legion Post 334.

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Dorrance American Legion steak feed Nov. 8

"The Three Little Pigs" are coming to Hays on Tuesday, Oct. 28. It's a free production by the popular Wichita Children's Theatre in cooperation with the Hays Arts Council. The performance is at 6:30 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center at Fort Hays State University.&nbsp;

On this episode of the Hays Post Podcast, news reporter Becky Kiser talks with Brenda Meder, director of school programming for the arts council. 

They also discuss the new Block Party on the Bricks on Saturday, Nov. 1. <a href="https://givebutter.com/c/HACblockpARTy">Tickets</a> for the fundraiser are on sale now.

🎙 Post Podcast: Free production of 'The Three Little Pigs' on Oct. 28 with Hays Arts Council  

The 2025 Annual Residential Fall Cleanup areas for trash and tree limb pickup have been completed.

The city of Hays thanks you for your cooperation.

If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at (785) 628-7350.

Fall residential cleanup 2025 complete for Hays

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansans who receive food assistance or are furloughed from federal jobs are scrambling to pay bills and feed their families as the federal government shutdown drags on.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tuesday was the deadline for the federal government to reopen so that November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments could go out to beneficiaries. It takes 72 hours for the payments to process, according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

More than 93,000 Kansas households — nearly 188,000 Kansans — use SNAP benefits to put food on their tables, DCF said in a press release. The bulk of those using SNAP are children.

As politicians on both sides exchange barbs on social media and in news releases about who is at fault for shutting down the government, Kansans like Daniel Scharpenburg, of Overland Park, are carefully tracking their bank account balances. He’s worried about a teenage son with a big appetite and the possibility of empty kitchen cabinets.

Scharpenburg, 45, is furloughed from the Internal Revenue Service office in Kansas City, Missouri. He worked the first five days of the shutdown, leaving Oct. 8 and receiving a paycheck in mid-October for those days of work.&nbsp;

“I have to be very careful with my bills, because I have now missed a paycheck,” he said. “I’m having to rely on food banks and things like that to make sure I have food. If I start thinking about my car payment and my phone bill and my rent, I’m gonna go crazy. I really do have to focus on the next bill that’s due and hope for the best.”

Scharpenburg is applying for jobs in the Kansas City area but isn’t having much luck. He said all furloughed workers in the area are competing for jobs.

The IRS location employs about 6,000 people, and reports from the federal government indicate about half of IRS workers have been furloughed, he said. Housing and Urban Development also has a Kansas City office, and those employees are affected by the shutdown too, Scharpenburg said.

Scharpenburg’s ex-wife is also a furloughed IRS employee, and he worries that his 15-year-old son at home will eventually be affected by the situation.

“I really thought it would be over before now,” Scharpenburg said. “In another week, it’s going to break the record for longest shutdown if it keeps going, and that’s not a record I want to see broken. So, yeah, I am worried that it will go on longer.”

Scharpenburg is first vice president in the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 66, which covers Kansas City, Missouri. In that role, he’s hearing daily from furloughed employees who are scared and frustrated.

The union put together lists of food banks and other local resources, he said.&nbsp;

“But you know, it’s hard times for a lot of people, so it seems like the resources we lean on to help us are being stretched thin, just like just like our dollars are,” he said.

Scharpenburg said union members tell him that landlords and bankers have been willing to work with furloughed employees, knowing that eventually they’ll get back pay. The idea floated in Washington of withholding back pay was like a “slap in the face,” he said.

“When a politician says something like that, it feels like, oh, they don’t respect our work at all,” he said. “I am nervous. The law is clear that we will get paid at the end of this, but that being said, if Congress could pass something to change that … I don’t know what will happen if the executive branch were to decide just to not pay us. They’d have to go to court, but I don’t know if that would be resolved quickly.”

Many pantries statewide are stretching to meet community needs generated by rising prices and furloughed employees. Now, missing SNAP payments are expected to intensify the situation, said Debbie Johns, director of the Geary County Food Pantry.

Located in Junction City, the food pantry has been adding 12 to 15 new families each time it has a food distribution, Johns said. Typically, the organization sees just three to five new families each time it opens its doors, she said.

“It’s a little scary,” Johns said. “We’ve got a pretty good stock but you just see it go each time. If they clear the shelves, how long are we going to be able to keep up with this?”

Johns said the food pantry adapted its guidelines to make sure they are able to serve furloughed federal employees. Many of them work at Fort Riley and would exceed income guidelines.

Johns is grateful many in the Geary County area are donating food and holding food drives to help out. The county has the highest child food insecurity rate in Kansas, she said, so all of the challenges this year have made the problem worse.

Gov. Laura Kelly added food drives to the remaining stops on her statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/796/55#!/" target="_blank">“The People’s Budget” listening tour</a>&nbsp;because of the widespread need. Working in partnership with the Kansas Food Bank and Harvesters — The Community Food Network, she encouraged anyone attending the town hall events to bring nonperishable, nonglass food items.

“As the federal government shutdown continues to drag on, Kansans who are furloughed, and especially those who receive SNAP and WIC benefits, are caught in the crossfire,” Kelly said.&nbsp;

Kelly also announced this week that she joined a coalition of 22 states and two governors in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for “unlawfully suspending” SNAP funds during the government shutdown.&nbsp;

“States cannot, and should not, take on the federal government’s responsibility to fund SNAP,” Kelly said in a news release. “Cutting off SNAP payments is an unprecedented choice made by the Trump Administration and Congress that will harm millions of families across the country. I joined this lawsuit to protect Kansans, because the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to fund this program, not to take food out of the mouths of Kansas children.”

Grocery stores are planning for changed buying patterns as SNAP funding cuts off, said Jon McCormick, president and CEO at Retail Grocers Association, Kansas and Missouri.

SNAP benefits put nearly $33 million each month into the Kansas economy, according to the USDA.&nbsp;

The effect on grocery stores of missing SNAP payments will be “immediate,” McCormick said, although multiple factors determine the effect in specific stores.

“A store in Lenexa is going to have minimal SNAP recipients shopping,” he said. “A store in the urban core of Wichita is totally different.That could be 40% of the business. It certainly is going to affect the urban core stores and the very small rural stores.”

McCormick serves on the National Grocers Association government relations committee, and he visited Washington, D.C., last week to discuss resolutions to continue SNAP funding.

“For us as an industry, including all food manufacturers and providers, it is disruptive for the customer. It’s disruptive for the supply chain. It’s disruptive for the retailer,” he said, adding that he’s confident retailers will be able to manage through this challenge.

“The independent retailer is rather resilient and creative when it comes to adversity,” McCormick said.

Grocery store owners and managers across the state are unsure exactly how they will be affected when SNAP payments stop. Some, like Pam Budenbender, owner of Onaga Country Market, don’t expect to see many changes because her store doesn’t serve many people using SNAP.&nbsp;

However, she said she’s worried about a customer who is deaf and needs the benefit to buy food. Budenbender already helps her out as much as she can.&nbsp;

Scott Bird, co-owner of Family Market in Quinter, said his store definitely will be affected, as it participates in eWIC, part of the Women, Infant and Children’s program that offers supplemental nutrition for mothers and infants.

“It definitely will have an effect on small-town stores and people who need those services,” he said.

He isn’t yet adapting inventory but is in a “wait-and-see” mode, Bird added.

Others affected by the federal government shutdown include banks, mortgage companies and property management companies that rent apartments.

“Kansas banks and bankers stand ready to work with and support their customers who may be facing any hardships due to the current federal government shutdown,” said Doug Wareham, president and CEO of the Kansas Bankers Association.&nbsp;

In a statement, he encouraged federal employees to reach out to their banks as soon as possible to discuss their personal situation and see what help may be available, including potential fee waivers, payment deadline extensions, or other accommodations.

“The banking industry will continue to support Kansans through major challenges such as this shutdown just as we did during the pandemic and previous interruptions in government operations,” Wareham said.

Gary Olds, with the Geary County Landlords Association, said it is early in the shutdown to determine how landlords will manage missed rental payments. The Junction City area is military-dependent, he said.&nbsp;

“I think in general, landlords are going to try to work with military with regards to the rent, but that’s a broadbrush statement on my part,” he said. “Most landlords can probably weather about 30 days because they have the security deposit. Hopefully at least some of the tenants that are military have some level of savings that can make a payment or make a partial payment.”

‘Hope for the best’: Government shutdown strains Kansas food resources, local businesses

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man with a long criminal history who is accused in a deadly Wichita shooting will return to court Wednesday.&nbsp;

Elijah Fanning, 27, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Judge Rodger Woods courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In July, Fanning was charged with criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. According to online jail records he is facing charges of second degree murder along with drug and other weapons violations.

Just before 2:30 p.m. June 29, officers responded to a shooting in the 2700 block of W. 2nd Street in Wichita.

First responders found a man later identified as 26-year-old&nbsp;Nicholas Aldridge of Wichita man on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased, according to a media release from police. Detectives learned the shooting followed a disturbance between the Aldridge and four other men. All four fled the area before officers arrived.&nbsp; 

Just after 6p.m. June 29, police<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/inmatesearch/Details.aspx?Id=228061">&nbsp;booked&nbsp; Fanning</a>&nbsp;into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for kidnapping, burglary, theft and&nbsp;Criminal possess of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

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