Kansas Klips
Partial building collapse in downtown Lyons
LYONS—Fire crews and other city employees helped with traffic control following a building collapse Sunday morning, November 12th, in downtown Lyons. According to a release from the City, at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, firefighters were dispatched to the 100 Block of West Main Street in response to a report of a structural collapse in the downtown business district. A two-story building had partially collapsed on the north side of the square in Lyons. The building was vacant, as it was Sunday morning, and business owners confirmed no one was inside. Emergency crews remained on site for the rest of the day and strategically placed barricades to provide for public safety. (Hays Post)
Weinermobile in Hays
HAYS—Did you glimpse the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile spotted at the 27th and Hall Dillons in Hays on Thursday, November 9th? Oscar Mayer launched the Weinermobile in 1936 during the Great Depression and relaunched it in 1986. The current fleet comprises 23-foot-long vehicles that travel the country, promoting the Oscar Mayer brand. (Hays Post)
Former Northwest Kansas postal employee sentenced for opening mail
WICHITA—A former northwest Kansas U.S. Postal Service worker was recently sentenced to 24 months of probation for criminal conduct related to her employment. According to court documents, Tammy L. Frink, 50, of Beardsley, pleaded guilty to one count of opening mail by a postal employee. On September 21st, 2022, Frink, while working at a post office in McDonald, opened a sealed greeting card destined for an address in Missouri. Frink did not have the authority or permission to open the mail. Frink was ordered to serve 60 hours of community service and pay a total restitution of $1,686.00, with the U.S. Postal Service receiving $1,075.00 and $611.00 to five individuals who were victims in other instances of mail theft linked to Frink. (Hays Post)
Man dies after falling from trash truck on Kansas highway
JEFFERSON COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that on Wednesday, November 15th, a 2017 Kenworth trash truck driven by Donald Dean Oxley, 22, Lawrence, was northbound on Saratoga Drive negotiating a left curve when 34-year-old Patrick Anthony Jones of Perry, Georgia, fell from the rear passenger side of the trash truck. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. Oxley and a second passenger were not injured and not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP. (Hays Post)
Kansas county bans commercial wind, some solar projects
HARVEY COUNTY—The Harvey County Commission approved regulation updates at its meeting on Tuesday, November 14th, that will ban commercial wind and utility-scale solar renewable energy projects in the county. The vote was unanimous, according to the media release. The regulations will take effect once legal notification is published in the County’s newspaper of record. The Commission approved updating Harvey County Unified Development Code Section 16.14, which addresses commercial renewable energy. The revisions prohibit commercial wind and utility-scale solar projects while allowing limited- scale solar construction. Personal wind and solar energy installations are permitted, such as those used at residences. The Harvey County Planning and Zoning Advisory Board recommended the changes to the code. In October 2022, the county commission revised its commercial renewable energy regulations to update language regarding setback distance, permissible locations, restrictions, and financial protections. Later, the Planning and Zoning Advisory Board requested the county commission institute a sixmonth moratorium on commercial renewable energy construction. (Hays Post)
Colby receives USDA rural development loans for the construction of motels
TOPEKA—U.S. Department of Agriculture Kansas State Director for Rural Development Christy Davis announced that Rural Development is investing more than $6.6 million in loans and grants to spur economic development through rural cooperatives in Kansas, including in Colby. A $2 million loan will provide loan funds for WWS, Inc. to construct an 81-room hotel in Colby. The project will result in the creation of 30 jobs.Another $2 million loan will provide loan funds for Wooden, Inc. to construct a 93-room hotel in Colby, creating another 30 jobs. (Hays Post)
