On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Police Department communications Lt. Jeff Ridgeway shares information about the department's dispatchers as they celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators.   Transcript: EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.   James Bell  The Hays Police Department is celebrating their dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators week Communications Lieutenant Jeff Ridgeway stops by to talk to us about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast.   Jeff Ridgeway  Just a week of giving thanks to our dispatchers are 911 operators across the nation. They have a job that typically goes without, you know, I can't say they go unnoticed, because they are very much a key part of first responders and I will one calls and even the administrative calls. So this is just a week to be able to just say, Hey, thanks, thanks for taking that call answering the call being that life link and helping getting resources, those first response resources to where they need to go.   James Bell  Yeah, you know, I think it was maybe a year or two ago, you were kind enough to take me down into the dispatch center. We were working on a story. I don't know if the story is now but I was really taken aback by kind of the the professionalism of these folks, but also the stories that I heard, you know, of being that first first responder, and it's really, you know, they are kind of, in some ways behind the scenes, because he's on the phone. But some of the things that they have to deal with are just as heavy and serious as what you would think of as a street officer, right?   Jeff Ridgeway  Well, the people calling, these are some low points in some people's lives, they are in crisis, desperate need for help, just from a wide range of aspects eating anywhere from people who are contemplating taking their own life to crimes that just occurred, whether it be a robbery a homicide, or, or, or even something, perhaps not as critical as as you know, hey, my dog got out of the backyard, which might be critical for some, you know, so they definitely get a wide range of phone calls. And whether it be through the 911 system or just a non administrative or the non emergency line. They are definitely that first point of contact with the public safety agencies and are just able to route the the assistance that's needed redirect people to where they need to go or or just be that lifeline when needed.   James Bell  Yeah. Well, and they also have to deal with people like me calling down they're asking questions all the time. What was this? We heard sirens will tell us about it.   Jeff Ridgeway  They have they have a good filter system? So they know. Absolutely.   James Bell  Always professional, but also always. What's the word I'm looking for? Not correct. But you know, direct to the point very direct.   Jeff Ridgeway  Yeah, they, you know, we have a limited number of like 911 lines, we've only we've only got 5 911 lines in the county that come and of course, we serve for the whole county here in Ellis County. So when you have just a limited number lines, they're very, pretty much say we gotta get off the phone because somebody else might be needed next. So they're very mindful of that concept. Yeah.   James Bell  So you know, what is this? What are we doing this week to help kind of recognize those folks?   Jeff Ridgeway  Well, just as an agency for us, we're just kind of getting a couple extra treats and give him some thank you cards and stuff like that, you know, buying them lunch, dinner a couple times this week, getting some ice cream, and just doing some different activities like that just as appreciation. They've kind of come up as a team, they've came up with special themed days where they're kind of getting to relax a little bit not being in their their normal, uniform expectations and being able to dress down for example, today, it's kind of America Day, so they're wearing America style thing. outfits, and then tomorrow will be their favorite shirt day. And yesterday, they were dressed up with your favorite sports. So I mean, just different things for for everyday this week. As we just again, our focus is just to make sure they understand that they're appreciated. They are definitely kind of forgotten at times. But they're very much a very critical part of our emergency response system.   James Bell  Oh, absolutely. Yeah. And again, that first first responder, right,   Jeff Ridgeway  yes, absolutely.   James Bell  So you know, I don't know if we want to talk a little bit about kind of how that all works and kind of the jobs down there in the communication center. Because, you know, it's been what I think about two years now since the Hayes Police Department took over the responsibilities of running the center again,   Jeff Ridgeway  Well, actually the Hays Police Department has well, You're correct. The Hays police department in the city of Hays is operated for many years and the county has provided the equipment. It was prior to a couple of years ago it was their own department within the city and it got combined back down to the police department. And you know, in 2021, they answered over 70,000 phone calls down there. Over 11,000 was being 911 calls but so they they're constantly getting a lot of phone calls down there. We serve and dispatch for 10 public safety agencies in our county five law enforcement for fire and of course, are county wide EMS. So they're constantly being busy. And one of the really needs information was looking back at some numbers from last year is our dispatch staff are able to answer 99% of the 91 calls within 10 seconds of it ringing. Wow, that is just an outstanding ability that's much, significantly higher than the national average of about 90%. Or that's national standard, I should say. So we're definitely doing really good in that aspect. We just have a phenomenal staff down there that is committed to their job committed to the the the role in making sure they can provide that service to our community.   James Bell  That's incredible. You're looking for a couple more to join the ranks.   Jeff Ridgeway  At the moment, we've got two openings that we're trying to get filled. We've got a couple of candidates that are going through our process and but we're always looking for a good, good dispatcher.   James Bell  You know, I'm curious what you think about police officers in general the physicality the build a rundown somebody or the, you know, the quick action, quick thinking, you know, what kind of skills that does a dispatcher need to be effective at that job?   Jeff Ridgeway  All right. You know, that's, that's a real tough question. I'll try to get that answered here. But from, from my observation, the ability to think fast, limited information, deal with unusual problems, just some common sense is probably the most common or most needed. skill set is just having that ability to, and, of course, he's always the doesn't hurt if you can stay calm when someone's upset on that on that phone. And even if they are redirecting their anger, you know, at the dispatcher and unfortunate it happens at time. So just being able to manage that that are definitely valuable skill sets,   James Bell  I would think there's a pretty heavy tech component kind of involved in there, right. And especially right now, when you're redoing your system down there.   Jeff Ridgeway  We just went last month ago, we spent transitions to a new computer aided dispatch software program and some other software that that the long term goal will make the I believe will make the job for our dispatchers easier. And so we've got four consoles in our 911 Center, that the average six monitors on each console. So there's a lot of screens, a lot of information that they're able to see lots of stuff coming in. So there is a bit of a tech skill set. They're working with the different software and stuff. But again, all that's intended to help them one, be able to do their job easier and give them access to the resources and information. Not only does the dispatchers need, but then that they can relay to the first responders you're out in the field.   James Bell  Yeah, even before when I was down in there, the amount of information at their fingertips is actually it's it's mind boggling to me what they can access. And I can't even imagine what this new system I've got kind of an inkling of what it does.   Jeff Ridgeway  Bringing in a new employee, I feel like without counting them, there's like 20 different resources that we have to set up the user profiles and give them access to ranging anywhere from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to the FBI to various intelligence resources that we're able to provide them, again, the goal being there that they can read that information on to the first responders.   James Bell  And I also thought it was it was pretty cool. They had, they had some entertainment going on, they had a TV show playing as well, because there is there's those times I imagine in a dispatch center where you're you're got a little bit of a lull, but then it's like you got to be ready to go on a moment's notice   Jeff Ridgeway  Definitely has its ups and downs, there's moments of where the phones don't ring, perhaps more often than the early morning hours. And so there are moments where there are that downtime. And so to help get them through that downtime, we do have some opportunities, or we got a couple TV screens that are up on the wall, just they typically just have the video going they normally don't have much audio there. But but they all recognize that even though that's there, that phone rings, that's that's your focus on that. And it's a quick transition over and they're never seen there being an issue as far as not getting things done that they need to get done. And but you just have to recognize that it's not constant all the time something go go go there is some downtime. So to help break up that those downtimes we do provide some alternatives to help them.   James Bell  Yeah, and I had to imagine it helps keep focus because you know, if you're zoning out, I think that would probably be the worst kind of situation just sitting there waiting for something to happen at your desk. You know, you have to be in that mind frame at all times. Right.   Jeff Ridgeway  I mean, I don't think it's fair to expect anybody to just to sit there for hours and during those quiet times and just wait for the phone and you've you've, I mean, there's other tasks that they have that they'll take care of too, but I think we have realistic expectations on that aspect.   James Bell  And I think, you know, Jim, generally across the city, I think everybody recognizes the tremendous work that they all do down there.   Jeff Ridgeway  Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Well,   James Bell   I'll tell you, we've got just about a minute or so left. Any other last thoughts or anything you want to hit on before we go?   Jeff Ridgeway  Well, again, I just want to express an appreciation to our staff down there, they're a great staff. They, even when we've been short handed over the last couple months, and they'll come in on their days off to help cover if someone is ill. It's just a great team that we've got down here and I really, the community has, I feel very lucky to have such an awesome staff that we have here. And it's really it's really great to to be able to work with such a great crew and a great staff and know what the expectations have the skill set that they need and translates very well into our first responder system. Very effective at what they're doing.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun shares summer bike and walking safety tips.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun shares information about protecting animals during cold weather.   Transcript James Bell With winter weather well in place in the area, Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun says it's time to think about those animals that are outside. He talks to us about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast. Scott Braun We've got a lot of animals out there, this is about the time when we start getting a lot of phone calls from concerned citizens and, and a lot of times, it's justified. But I just want to touch on what's required by state statute doesn't mean that you can't go above and beyond, it just means that this is the minimum. So by state statute, they have to have shelter, they have to have water, and they have to have food. And so we get a lot of phone calls from, from concerned citizens about not having those things, and we do do those checks on a regular basis, if we receive them. Unfortunately, we cannot make them take them inside, if they meet all those requirements, and it's been pretty cold, I would encourage those people to take their dogs inside and animals to, to make sure they're safe. You know. But as far as an enforcement action, we can't take any unless they're not meeting one of those standards. So a lot of people are, are concerned with that. And when we leave, we kind of leave sometimes with a feeling that we didn't do anything, it's because we just can't, and I want to explain that to the people and and we do encourage you to call in if there are those concerns, and we'll definitely take a look at it for sure. James Bell So that's got to be difficult to not be able to, you know, take that action, because I'm sure you know, any of your deputies, you know, dog, cat, whatever is out there, and it's cold, and you just got to walk away, that's got to be rough. Scott Braun Yeah, it is, you know, and again, it's extremely cold in animals are really tough there, you know, but at the same time, you know, they get cold, like everything, like we do. And so if we can give them that safe environment, I would encourage people to do so. But I can't make them do that. Yeah, so I have a husky at home and stays outside most of the time. But when it was really cold, put him put the dog in the garage, got him out of the wind, even though they have a dog house. So that type of thing. And, and that dog loves the cold. So James Bell I was gonna say Huskies are like the one you don't have to worry about. They'll go play in the snow all day long. Scott Braun Oh, yeah, lays in the middle of the pile. So so I get that. But we were just concerned with the extreme cold and we have a place to put him so we put her inside and just getting up there in age. So it wasn't a big deal. So I encourage people to do that. So the other thing I'd like to talk about is talking about the cold. You know, we're traveling right now we're gonna have some extreme colds again on Friday, I believe it is coming in. Yeah, I'm hearing zeros. Yeah. So make sure your batteries are good to go. Make sure you have a blanket in there. Possibly a heat source if you can, make sure you have a cell phone charger. And also let people know I know, we're so used to being on the road and talking and those types of things. But let people know your plans, maybe the road you're going to take, if you're two couple hours later, something like that. contact law enforcement. And we'll run those roads to look for them. We'll put an ATL out to try to locate that vehicle, make sure they're safe. Sometimes things happen. And we want to make sure that no one freezes. So make sure you have gloves and hats and a heavy coat. Maybe throw some coveralls in there if you have them, those types of things and just be safe and try to stay with your vehicle if you can do not get out and walk unless you can see a farmstead or something close by if you're running those roads, but obviously cell phones work pretty well. But everything fails. So take some precautions. James Bell Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Because this is something I'm teaching my kids as they're growing up in this world of technology, and they've always got access to the internet, they've always got a cell phone in their hands. If that's not always the case, and those old school precautions that we used to think about 2030 years ago, are just as relevant even though most of the time unnecessary. Scott Braun Yeah, it doesn't hurt to put it in your trunk. It's there, you know, it's not like it's gonna cost you any more fuel to haul that around. Right? So I would encourage you to do so. And again, make sure people know the route you're going to take and in approximate time that you're going to be there that will help us and where they're coming from. So And last but not least, I know that we've heard a lot about this. The fires up north that started out west and worked away through Russell County. I want to recognize the Rural Fire Ellis County rural fire and those other agencies that came in to assist during the fires. I also want to definitely thank our dispatch center, all of the staff that was working the amount of call volume that they received and that was overwhelming. I tell you what, they are all true heroes for What they do, and they kept us safe. Yeah, obviously, the best outcome is not having it happen at all, but unfortunately did and I'm with you. It is amazing how the community pulls together. Law enforcement, first responders, just in general how counties that were not affected by we're sending people by the groves to help help with those fires to get them out and protect farmsteads and homes. There were obviously some buildings damaged in that but I tell you what our rural fire people were trying to save homes for the for our farmers and there were homes lost and unfortunately, we lost the life too. And that's really sad. But in overall think it could have been a lot worse and I think everybody did an outstanding job and I just want to thank you.

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Fire Department chief Ryan Hagans recaps 2021 and shares updates for next year.

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun shares tips on how to keep safe during the busy holiday shopping season.   Transcript   James Bell  The holiday season means increased shopping and increased risk of theft. Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun stops by to talk to us a little bit about how to stay safe while out collecting those holiday guests. On this episode of the Post Podcast.   Scott Braun  You know, there's a couple of things we can do to protect ourselves. One, if we're buying gifts online, go to a reputable site, make sure that you're using some type of card or something that has some security to it, monitor your, your purchases through that. Get on some of those sites that will tell you if you have some things to charge to you is monitored closely. As we know scams go up during this time, this year will be no different than any other year, that will be a large percentage, a large percentage of fraud cases being reported to law enforcement to investigate the pretty difficult for us to do. Typically, they're out of our jurisdiction. But unfortunately, you know, the card companies are pretty good about working with people, but monitor that because they can get away from you pretty quick, cancel those cards, if it happens. Regards to gifts, you know, everybody's going to all of the stores around town or out of our community or wherever they might be. Make sure that when you're parking your car, that it's secure. Try to cover those gifts in the back. You know, it just takes a brief moment for somebody to break a window. Or if you leave that door open by accident, kids getting in and out. We're busy. We forgot, forget to check our doors and our kids. Did you lock your door? Yes, well, we all know that sometimes happens, right? And they take the gifts and it cost you some money. And we have some kids unhappy and so just make sure that you're covering those items up and securing your vehicle. And And ladies, please make sure your purses when you're in the stores that you're not letting them by themselves in the cart while you're trying on something or you're dealing with your kids. I know what happens. But please be cautious. You know, those increase every year also. And if anybody's been watching the news, we've been seeing a lot of that stuff in the eastern and western part of the states. Not in Kansas necessarily. We'll knock on wood on that. But there's been a lot of thefts from from stores, a lot of looting and things of that nature. And so unfortunately, that's a trickle effect. Sometimes we hope that doesn't enter our community, but we just want everybody to be cautious.   James Bell  Yeah. And, you know, I heard a story a while back about some booze, doing some shopping and turned her back just turned her back from home to grab the purse out of the car. And then somebody tried to grab it from her. And more or less.   Scott Braun  Yes, you know, and and that's a good point. I know my reaction is to fight that person or, or the ad and I and I get that I can't say that I would be any different. But you know, it is a purse. And I don't want anybody to be harmed, because there are some people that will harm other people to get that item. So just be careful with that. And you just got to be aware of your surroundings. When when, during this time or any time to be for that matter of fact, just be careful around your surroundings. And if you get that kind of funny feeling. Probably something not right.   James Bell  Yeah, better safe than sorry.   Scott Braun  Yeah. So you know, the last the other thing, and we'll kind of get off because I talked about it briefly of people traveling. Again, and I know I spoke about this a long time ago, but please have some precautionary items in your vehicle. Let's get some blankets in there. And let's make sure we have a you know, charger cell phone might have some type of heating item in there. If you're stuck, watch the weather in, you know, years ago, it may have been more difficult. But now we get weather notifications, they pop up all the time on our phones, if you have a smartphone, make sure people know when you're going to arrive approximately at a location. So if you're extended a significant amount, they can start making some phone calls and say, hey, my loved ones not here. Please keep in contact with them. But travel safe. Take a little extra time if the roads aren't good, because the last thing we want to do is have someone injured and and we do see quite a few accidents. There's a lot of travel during Christmas time. And our weather changes in Kansas as we know 30 seconds from now. It could be snowing, who knows? You know? Yeah. So just take a few extra minutes.   James Bell  Yeah. And you know, I was talking to some friends of mine that are a little bit younger, just the other day about this very thing. And they said well, we have a cell phone failing happens. Let's make a phone call. And I'm like, oh gosh, I remember growing up and you know, we lived in a real small town. So travel was part of our daily life 30 minutes, 40 minutes every day. And we didn't have any way of contacting so those those that like the candle in the can and the blankets and all that you know still lives in my trunk. But these younger folks, I think they rely on the cell phones and just think well if I get in trouble I'm going to call but sometimes in service There's situations, you're going to wish that you had some way of staying warm, at least till somebody gets there. And you know, if you're stuck, pros are terrible, whatever it might be.   Scott Braun  You know, technology fails us. And maybe that cell phone's not working, or you were on an all day, and you're gonna make that last phone call. And for whatever reason, your battery just died and you're in this snowstorm, and you can't make that phone call. We don't know where you are, we can't get to you. So you're absolutely right, we've got to take care of ourselves a little bit. We got to make sure we have some means of staying for a period of time. I remember a few years ago, we had some pretty good it's been a number of years ago, pretty good blizzards where I 70 was shut down and, and we were having a hard time getting to people stranded, we actually had to call the National Guard and they started running up and down the road because they had the vehicles to do it. So those people sat there for a couple hours before we get to him. But the point is, is we've got to gotta have some precautionary things and it doesn't take anything, throw something in a bag and put it in the trunk.   James Bell  And just sit there for multiple years if you're like me.   Scott Braun  Yeah, correct. And you have it when you need it. So yeah, so just a few things to think about. And probably last but not least, I know we're probably close on time. On behalf of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office, we'd like to wish everyone a happy, happy New Year and Merry Christmas and I kind of turn those around but I think you get the idea. We want everyone to travel safely and want everyone to have a joyous Christmas for sure. We've had some tough years and everyone gets together as just a wonderful holiday.  

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.   Transcript   James Bell  COVID-19 booster shots are available in Ellis County. Ellis County Health Services director Jason Kennedy talks to us about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast.   Jason Kennedy  Last Friday, late last Friday, they approved booster shots really kind of for anybody that was able to get the additional shot. So right now that is individuals over 12 If you're looking at Pfizer, and then adults if you're looking at Moderna, J&J, so over 18, for those two, so I will tell you, this is probably one of the most I think COVID hasn't been confusing enough. But the FDA, the CDC and the KDHE have decided to make this booster rollout about as confusing as they possibly can so that the public is just generally has no idea what's going on, which is which is great. So   James Bell  Makes your job easier, right?   Jason Kennedy  Yeah, it does. It does. Um, so I think the easiest way to say this right now is boosters are approved kid vaccines or not, as of right now, and the primary focus is still getting primary vaccines into people that it's approved for. So the booster doses Yes, sir. there if you want one, absolutely. Come get one we have posted. We posted a couple of different locations or different options for people in town on our Facebook page, but essentially the private pharmacies, Dillons, both Dillons locations Walgreens, Walmart, pharmacy, and then Ellis County Health Department, we are all providing booster dose vaccines as well as primary vaccines. So if you if you're able to jump on our Facebook page, or if you give the office call, we can kind of direct you to not every location has every vaccine. But the health department does have every vaccine we have we have Pfizer, we have Moderna and we have Johnson and Johnson. So right now, if you want a booster dose, come get one. The boosters are safe. It is I've seen some misinformation about this, that it's a new formulation or it's a new there's new chemical there is there is nothing different or new about the booster doses it is the exact same same thing that was that was given as an initial primary dose. And so if if you didn't have any issues with with the initial shot, come get your booster shot if you want it. I will say that there is not a time critical crunch to getting booster doses done right now. We we don't see waning immunity with the initial vaccinations, we actually see them still very highly effective at that reduction in hospitalizations and really reduction in deaths. So yeah, we're giving them Yes, absolutely. Go get one if if it makes sense for you, if if you talk to your doctor, your doctor wants you to get it the patients that we still see some breakthrough infections that are leading to issues are the immunocompromised, And likely that is not due to waning immunity, it is just due to the fact that the vaccine just didn't work for them because they are unable to mount an immune response because of their their pre existing medical conditions. So boosters are a good thing. It is the exact same dose, there's there's nothing different about it, it will increase your level of immunity. It will hopefully you know continue to keep us safe here through the winter. But if if you're not able to get one today, it is not a it's not a giant thing like it your your your current vaccine is working. And it's working well. And we're not seeing any changes to that. So the people that aren't vaccinated, the vaccines work. The vaccines are safe. I know there's there's a there's a large political following with with with vaccines and they've really been attached to a political agenda, a political party. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Not that there's anything that says you're a bad person if you're unvaccinated. The unvaccinated people are not creating problems for people. They're creating problems for themselves. They are they are increasing the risk of hospitalization. They are increasing the risk of death, but they're not hurting anyone else. If if you want to be vaccinated, be vaccinated. I do highly encourage anyone that's eligible, be vaccinated. They are they are working and they work really well.   James Bell  You know, on the on the booster note, you know, I've heard a little bit about that they're they're looking at mixing the vaccines. So if you got Maderna you could maybe get a Pfizer booster to help boost up the little bit of remaining  efficacy that might be missing. I'm wondering if you want to share with us the latest you've heard on that.   Jason Kennedy  So yeah, you can you can mix boosters. Primary doses you still don't want to mix. So if you if you're on your first shot to Moderna get your second shot of Moderna. If you're on a first shot of Pfizer get your second shot of Pfizer if you're fully vaccinated with either Moderna, Pfizer or J&J, you can mix and match booster doses, you can get a booster dose of an mRNA if you had the J&J, you know, they asked the head of the CDC this weekend on the news, you know, what, what did she recommend? And she not duck the question, but but wisely said, hey, you know, we don't really have a recommendation of a better vaccine. I share that sentiment, we I don't have a recommendation of a better vaccine, they all work. They're all highly effective. We're not seeing, we're not seeing hospitalizations, and deaths of any vaccine. So it really is up to you, I would say, you know, if you didn't have issues with your first vaccine, stay with it. If you had issues with your first vaccine, call your doctor, talk to your doctor, see what they recommend as far as moving forward with a booster dose. But if if you had no issues with the first one, all these vaccines are safe, they're all effective. We really are seeing great response with the vaccine. So there's not a huge issue to fret over which one I got? Or did I get the right one that I get the wrong one? No, because they all work. And so if you didn't have any issues, stick with it. If you have questions or you you really are concerned you would you would like to get one over the other because you've read this call and talk to your doctor about it, they're gonna be the best people to guide your medical decision. You know, we don't rarely, it's pretty rare that that someone just decides like some internet research and then they're like, oh, you know what, I'm gonna start treatment on my own cancer. Like, you know, we go we go to the doctor, we trust the doctor to make the best decision, because it's, that's what they do. That's, that's what they're good at. And so same thing with this, if you if you have questions, give your doctor.   James Bell  Excellent. You know, I wonder if you want to talk a little bit to I'm hearing some new treatments are maybe coming down the pike or or are getting, I don't know what the right word but certified? I don't know, if you have anything there you'd like to share as well.   Jason Kennedy  Sure, um, you know, it's still pretty early on well, not not really, actually they, they've studied it there, there are effective treatments, they are still in the approval process. So as far as you know, running out and get them or anything like that they're not available. I do think that all in all, we've the medical system has gotten better at treating COVID-19. We know that some of the early on things that we were doing were leading to poor patient outcomes, they have they have changed that treatment course they have returned to kind of a standard course of treatment for other viruses. And then with these new over the counter treatments coming out, they they are effective. However, the most effective way to battle any viruses to not get it. So the best way to help yourself is to not get COVID then you don't have to worry about whether the treatments effective or not just don't get it. And so it's right now the best way to do that is really be vaccinated. And, you know, kind of just take those basic hygiene measures and live your life but there are there are some some good treatments on the horizon or some good evidence to support that. At least the treatments will will have a reduction in hospitalizations, deaths and that kind of stuff.   James Bell  Excellent. Well, sir, we've just about that time got to get over to news but any last thoughts before we go?   Jason Kennedy  No, you know, it's right now it's confusing for everybody. We understand that. If you if you have questions, talk to your doctor. If you have questions, call the health department. If you want to be vaccinated or want to if you want to get your initial vaccine, absolutely do it if you want to get a shot there. As far as the kid vaccines almost there, they're still in the process but likely in the next couple of weeks.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays Police Department, Lt. Tim Greenwood talks about Haloween safety.   Transcript James Bell  The Hays Police Department wants everyone to have a fun but safe holiday this Halloween weekend Lt. Tim Greenwood stops by to talk a little bit about Halloween safety on this episode of The Post Podcast. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  Yeah absolutely, Haloween safety. James Bell  Yeah, it always adds a layer of complexity when you're out there driving or even just kind of walking around town to I would imagine. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  You know that's the big thing that I want to touch on is the challenges we have from a law enforcement perspective surrounding Halloween always come between pedestrians and vehicles and you know that's a scary good way to ruin an awesome holiday is for those accidents to take place. James Bell  We get pretty lucky here in Hays though I think, don't we? Like there hasn't been, that I remember over the last few years, any major accidents or incidents on Halloween. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  We do pretty good. We have had some in my career that unfortunately didn't turn out so well. But yeah, for the most part, we do have good drivers just gotta have that reminder every now and then the big one is to put the phone down whether you're a pedestrian or whether you're out with the kids you know enjoying the festivities that go along with the holiday got to put that phone down Don't be driving and looking at the photos or calling the next house you're driving to or whatnot but the dang phone down. James Bell  That's good advice just in general I think. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  Absolutely. So you know and we do a really good job for the most part with our pedestrian staying on the sidewalk and you know crossing at the corners. Parents good reminder if you're sending your kids out without going with them. Make sure not only looking for those cars but make eye contact with the drivers whenever possible on that corner. So that driver sees you it's really easy to get distracted especially if they're looking for a house number trying to remember where you know Joe or Bob or whoever they're going to which houses there's got to make sure they're paying attention especially pulling in out of those driveways too. You know that's always a danger zone for us. James Bell  Yeah, yeah. So you know for those kiddos what's uh you know, I think that a lot of that relies on them being visible any thoughts or anything you want to share on that front? HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  Yeah, that's a great point make sure that those costumes are brightly colored there's a lot of highly reflective costumes out there and if you're going with the traditional witch or Goblin or whatnot that's kind of dark and mysterious make them put some of that reflective tape on you know their hands or ankles a little bit around their neck so they are reflective and visible. Got a lot of these Oh, glow sticks we used to call them I'm not sure what the official term is. But you're cracking me shake them up and they're they you know they glow kids like having fun with those and they are helping keep those kids safe when they're walking in the low light hours. James Bell  Okay. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  So another big thing if your kids are out walking really consider not wearing masks but going with the makeup it's those masks often fall down and you know when they're all excited about the candy and their friends and whatnot. It's really easy to get distracted by a mask whereas that makeup doesn't obstruct your vision near as much and is not near as problematic when you're out trick or treating. James Bell  Yeah, absolutely I remember I think it was maybe two years ago we had a pretty strong wind and one of my kids had a mask on and that's exactly what's happening but it just kept getting blown around and so instead of walking while watching where she was walking she was watching the mask and trying to figure that out. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  And we used to have in our family used as a rule you put the mask down you hit two steps for the porch other than that take that mask off so you can see so we don't lose it you know that kind of thing so just another one of those good general safety practices. James Bell  Very good yeah nothing groundbreaking or difficult. It's really just kind of common sense stuff that keeps everybody safe and on holidays like this.  HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  Absolutely. You know the just those subtle reminders that you know, we got to do our part to help keep everybody safe. Police Department's going to be out there they're going to be working if you need something you can always holler at a police officer for some assistance. But yeah, do your part and help the community stay safe. James Bell  Very good. Do you guys do enhanced enforcement on that day I mean and I don't mean for the kiddos and I'm not even sure which maybe you know which day Halloween is on this year is  HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  I believe it's on a Sunday this year. James Bell  Okay so probably not a lot of parties going on that Sunday. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  No, but I tell you what, it's always a good party, if you will, a good party night. Typically the Saturday before Halloween will see a lot of it's when he some of your bar scenes to the costume parties and that kind of thing or, or just your house parties turned into a costume party. So we do tend to do some saturation patrols on those nights that's where we have officers come in on overtime and their emphasis is to deter and detect impaired drivers. So you will see some increased activity out there. And Halloween the ghouls and goblins can get a little crazy sometimes. We've had some notable Halloweens in the past, always an exciting time to be a police officer, one of those fun weekends to work, if you will. But speaking of which we are needing more police officers. So if you're thinking about a career change, or you're a roofer that's got a pretty good record and thinking about a career change. Go to Haysusa.com and fill out an application. We need some good people out here. James Bell  Absolutely. And you'd be joining a group good group of people.  HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  Absolutely.  James Bell  At least every one I've met down there. HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  It's a good place to work. I enjoy it.  James Bell  Absolutely. All righty, sir. Well, anything else? People should know about Halloween before we move on? HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood  You know, I think we hit all the big spots and like you said, common sense dictates you know, just be careful and I've said it at least six times, if not more. Put the phone down. You know, you get those snapshots at home, put the phone down, have fun with the kids, watch for kids and make sure it stays a safe and happy home.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun shares information about area scams activity.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.   Transcript     Jason Kennedy  Yeah, absolutely. You know, and it is, it is not just a local trend, it is a statewide trend and a in a nationwide trend. That is obviously good. Less cases, less impacts. We've, you know, we've talked about this many, many times. But I think what has been lost in the entire COVID pandemic is the fact that the numbers are not the important part it is the the individuals the impact and that kind of stuff. So as we as we look at the numbers, less numbers means less impacts our communities, less people infected less people sick. And those are all good things for our community. James Bell  Absolutely. You know, I wonder if you want to speak to you know, and I know there's there's probably a million different ideas out there, and everybody's talking about why but I wonder kind of, if you want to share with us what your reasoning, or what you're thinking is is to the reasoning of that lowering number? Jason Kennedy  Sure, I don't know. You know, it's, the simple answer is No one knows. Nobody, nobody truly has a, I guess a crystal ball or can or can look into it right now or can look back at the data and aggregate it and say, this absolutely is the cause of this. Even as you look at at the statewide trend maps, you look and they show like when this when this vaccine came out when that vaccine came out when when these restrictions went away. And and in all reality, not much of that stuff corresponds with a giant change in cases. What we do know is that there is a giant change in reduction in hospitalizations and mortality once we got the vaccines out. That is that is a number that we can literally put your finger on and say yep, once we started vaccinating people, we stopped seeing hospitalizations of vaccinated people, we stopped seeing deaths of vaccinated people. And our enter mortality dropped off. As far as cases and waves of cases this stuff does seem to be does seem to come in cyclic waves, what we've seen is, you know, two to three weeks, early on in the pandemic, they will last a little bit longer. But that was because there was more people that hadn't had exposure to the virus. But it does seem to come in different waves where we see we see an increase in cases for a period of time then we see a waning or a decrease in cases back down to a hopefully low baseline of cases where we're we're, you know, down in that one to two cases a day. That's been no different with Delta. The good news with Delta is what we've seen is it's it's not as deadly. We have not seen the high mortality rate and the mortality rates skyrocketing like we did with with the previous versions, likely that is due to compounding factor so that is due to exposure. Obviously anytime we're exposed to a virus, our body mounts an immune response that immune response helps to limit the impact of that virus the next time we see it. You can do that through exposure you can do that through vaccinations. Right now we have both going on. We you know it's it's unlikely for me to believe that there's about anyone in this country right now that hasn't had some exposure to COVID at some point and we have a with a fairly decent amount of people that have been vaccinated so we are we are fighting the virus or or mounting the immune response really on two fronts with vaccination and exposure. So all of those factors really come together to mean that Delta was less impactful in Ellis County. The case rates stayed far below what we saw last year at the exact same time and the mortality thankfully. So like we've talked about is really the the worst outcome from a from a viruses is the morbidity mortality. So as we look at it, and we you know, what are the long term effects and and did it how many people did it did it, unfortunately, succumb to it. And so, with Delta, we've seen that to be really low in Ellis County. So that's that is the good news with this our case rates are falling off or case rates say well below the pace that we had last year at this exact same time, likely because half the population is vaccinated and the other half of the population has probably had some level of exposure. Now, that's not to say that they've actually had it or would have tested positive, but they've had some level of exposure. Minor amounts of exposure still mount a minor immune response, but it's still your body has recognition, it can hopefully fight it off better than next time. James Bell  Okay, you know, you mentioned the exposure piece. And and they kind of want to talk about this, because it's something that I've been super curious about, it's one of the things that we heard about, you know, real, a lot at the beginning of the pandemic, and that's herd immunity. And I think that kind of touches on what you're speaking to, if I'm, if I'm understanding it correctly, it's an exposure piece. And you know, well, we've only have about half of the country of four numbers I heard this morning, fully vaccinated, I think it's 70% or so that at least they had one shot. So they've got some of that as well. And then I just got to believe that so many people have been exposed that we're kind of almost to that point. I mean, who knows, exactly, but I don't know, do you think, am I missing the mark here, or does that sound kind of accurate? Jason Kennedy  Oh, you know, herd immunity has gotten such a such a bad rap, because it really identifies you with a political belief. Like everything else, masking and I mean, it's everything, your stance is based on a political belief, and that is just not how medicine works. We, we don't, you know, you probably wouldn't, wouldn't want to go to a doctor that this says, 'Hey, I only I only cure your cancer one way because because I'm a Republican,' like, that's, that's not the doctor you want to go to, you want to go to the doctor that says, hey, 'We look at all we look at all the cures, we look at all the treatments, and I use mine medical knowledge, my my, my judgment, all my schooling, to pick the best medical treatments for you.' And so what we have done with with COVID-19 medicine is we've sort of taken a political viewpoint, and then said, 'You know what, everyone else is a quack.' And it doesn't matter what side you're on. And so that is unfortunate. And herd immunity is one of those casually, and it's one of those ones that identifies you with a political belief. Now, the problem with with herd immunity or, or adopting like early on adopting a herd immunity strategy, where we just say, hey, our strategy is grip it and rip it. That is the that is that is going to lead to the highest amount of mortality in the shortest amount of timeframe. If no measures were put in place, we said, 'You know what, we're not doing vaccines, we're not doing anything, we're just going to let everybody get it.' Well, that's going to lead to to an excessively high mortality. So that's why you want to reach herd immunity through vaccination, through minor amounts of exposure. And you want to get there slower, or in a more controlled process so that you, you don't have this extremely high mortality. So while I don't know, no one knows what the number is for herd immunity, I, you know, Dr. Fauci was out, you know, it's 80%, then it was 70%, then it was 83%, then it was 92. The number has changed everywhere. So so no one no one knows what that point is. But I do believe that we are at a point where we have had enough levels of either exposure, or we have enough vaccination, that we're reaching a point where there is less people to be infected. Now, less people doesn't mean no people. And so what I have not seen from the state, or really the federal level is what is our strategy to mitigate this virus. Is it a zero COVID strategy, like is still being attempted in China in some of our socialist countries, where they say, you know, we will at all costs locked down, shut down, do everything we need to to make sure that there is no COVID? Is it a live with it type of COVID strategy, like Sweden adopted early on where we say, 'Hey, we're going to do some things to try and mitigate it. But we're going to understand that we can't control this virus. And we're going to try to protect the at risk the elderly, that type of stuff?' Or is it just that we're lost, and we have no idea what our strategy is, and we're, we're all individually fighting this on our own. And each state is doing whatever it wants, based on his political beliefs? Which is my belief of what our current COVID strategy is in this country. It is whatever your political beliefs are, is where you're going to stand and you'll do everything you can to uphold that political ideology, regardless of if medicine matters or not. And so that's that is that is unfortunately what what I've seen from the national level that is unfortunately what I've seen from the state level is we had no strategy. And so what I will tell you this strategy in Ellis county is that we are going to have to live with this virus. And what that means is it will never go away, we will never reach a level of vaccination or never a level of control where we will stamp out this virus indefinitely. It will be here, it will continue to circulate. My goal is to limit mortality. So mortality is obviously the worst outcome from any virus. So how do we limit mortality, and that is to vaccinate the population 65 and over, but really the population 50 and over are the ones that are being hospitalized are the ones that are still having, unfortunately succumbing to this virus. So vaccinating that population, continuing to just make some some decent choices. You know, if you're 65 and have preexisting medical conditions, probably not a good time to hit up the bars and maybe do beerbongs with all your buddies, like, it's just which probably shouldn't do that anyways, but it's, you know, making some of those smart choices as we as we move forward, getting vaccinated. Trying to continue those good hygiene measures as far as cleanliness, washing your hands, we can do everything in excess, do not do not Clorox your entire house every hour, like you do need some exposure to some of the viruses and bacteria that are out there. You know, but But getting back to a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy exercise. Public Health has missed its mark and its opportunity through this through this virus to say, hey, this virus has has shown us that that the underbelly of this country is not good. We are overweight. We are diabetic. We have we eat terrible. We don't exercise enough. We have too much stress, too many pressures. This has definitely opened up the void of suicide, mental health. You know, for the last six months, my question has been are we fighting the wrong pandemic. We're still battling this virus, but we are seeing the rates of homicide, suicide, just general unhealthy population cancers, all of that stuff is running rampant heart disease, diabetes, running unchecked. And so we need to use this opportunity to realize that that our country is unhealthy, physically unhealthy, mentally unhealthy, and we need to focus on that if we want to get through an out of this pandemic and the associated pandemic problems.  

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.   Transcript   Jason Kennedy  Yeah, absolutely. You know, and it is, it is not just a local trend, it is a statewide trend and a in a nationwide trend. That is obviously good. Less cases, less impacts. We've, you know, we've talked about this many, many times. But I think what has been lost in the entire COVID pandemic is the fact that the numbers are not the important part it is the individuals the impact and that kind of stuff. So we as we look at the numbers, less numbers mean less impact on our communities, less people infected less people sick. And those are all good things for our community. James Bell  Absolutely. You know, I wonder if you want to speak to you know, and I know there's probably a million different ideas out there, and everybody's talking about why but I wonder kind of, if you want to share with us what your reasoning, or what you're thinking is is to the reasoning of that lowering number? Jason Kennedy  Sure, I don't know. You know, it's, the simple answer is No one knows. Nobody, nobody truly has a, I guess a crystal ball or can or can look into it right now or can look back at the data and aggregate it and say, this absolutely is the cause of this. Even as you look at the statewide trend maps, you look and they show like when this vaccine came out when that vaccine came out when these restrictions went away. And in all reality, not much of that stuff corresponds with a giant change in cases. What we do know is that there is a giant change in the reduction in hospitalizations and mortality once we got the vaccines out. That is a number that we can literally put your finger on and say yep, once we started vaccinating people, we stopped seeing hospitalizations of vaccinated people, we stopped seeing deaths of vaccinated people. And our enter mortality dropped off. As far as cases and waves of cases this stuff does seem to be does seem to come in cyclic waves, what we've seen is, you know, two to three weeks, early on in the pandemic, they will last a little bit longer. But that was because there were more people that hadn't had exposure to the virus. But it does seem to come in different waves where we see we see an increase in cases for a period of time then we see a waning or a decrease in cases back down to a hopefully low baseline of cases where we're we're, you know, down in that one to two cases a day. That's been no different with Delta. The good news with Delta is what we've seen is it's not as deadly. We have not seen the high mortality rate and the mortality rates skyrocketing as we did with the previous versions, it likely that is due to compounding factor so that is due to exposure. Obviously anytime we're exposed to a virus, our body mounts an immune response that immune response helps to limit the impact of that virus the next time we see it. You can do that through exposure you can do that through vaccinations. Right now we have both going on. We you know it's unlikely for me to believe that there's about anyone in this country right now that hasn't had some exposure to COVID at some point and we have a with a fairly decent amount of people that have been vaccinated so we are fighting the virus or mounting the immune response really on two fronts with vaccination and exposure. So all of those factors really come together to mean that Delta was less impactful in Ellis County. The case rates stayed far below what we saw last year at the exact same time and the mortality thankfully. So like we've talked about is really the worst outcome of viruses is morbidity mortality. So as we look at it, and we you know, what are the long term effects and did it how many people did it, unfortunately, succumb to it. And so, with Delta, we've seen that to be really low in Ellis County. So that's that is the good news with this our case rates are falling off or case rates say well below the pace that we had last year at this exact same time, likely because half the population is vaccinated and the other half of the population has probably had some level of exposure. Now, that's not to say that they've actually had it or would have tested positive, but they've had some level of exposure. Minor amounts of exposure still mount a minor immune response, but it's still your body has recognition, it can hopefully fight it off better than next time. James Bell  Okay, you know, you mentioned the exposure piece. And they kind of want to talk about this, because it's something that I've been super curious about, it's one of the things that we heard about, you know, real, a lot at the beginning of the pandemic, and that's herd immunity. And I think that kind of touches on what you're speaking to if I'm, if I'm understanding it correctly, it's an exposure piece. And you know, well, we've only had about half of the country of four numbers I heard this morning, fully vaccinated, I think it's 70% or so that at least they had one shot. So they've got some of that as well. And then I just got to believe that so many people have been exposed that we're kind of almost to that point. I mean, who knows, exactly, but I don't know, do you think, am I missing the mark here, or does that sound kind of accurate? Jason Kennedy  Oh, you know, herd immunity has gotten such a bad rap, because it really identifies you with a political belief. Like everything else, masking and I mean, it's everything, your stance is based on a political belief, and that is just not how medicine works. We, we don't, you know, you probably wouldn't, wouldn't want to go to a doctor that this says, 'Hey, I only I only cure your cancer one way because I'm a Republican,' like, that's, that's not the doctor you want to go to, you want to go to the doctor that says, hey, 'We look at all we look at all the cures, we look at all the treatments, and I use mine medical knowledge, my my, my judgment, all my schooling, to pick the best medical treatments for you.' And so what we have done with COVID-19 medicine is we've sort of taken a political viewpoint, and then said, 'You know what, everyone else is a quack.' And it doesn't matter what side you're on. And so that is unfortunate. And herd immunity is one of those casually, and it's one of those ones that identifies you with a political belief. Now, the problem with herd immunity or, or adopting like early on adopting a herd immunity strategy, where we just say, hey, our strategy is grip it and rip it. That is the that is that is going to lead to the highest amount of mortality in the shortest amount of timeframe. If no measures were put in place, we said, 'You know what, we're not doing vaccines, we're not doing anything, we're just going to let everybody get it.' Well, that's going to lead to excessively high mortality. So that's why you want to reach herd immunity through vaccination, though minor amounts of exposure. And you want to get there slower, or in a more controlled process so that, you don't have this extremely high mortality. So while I don't know, no one knows what the number is for herd immunity, I, you know, Dr. Fauci was out, you know, it's 80%, then it was 70%, then it was 83%, then it was 92. The number has changed everywhere. So so no one no one knows what that point is. But I do believe that we are at a point where we have had enough levels of either exposure, or we have enough vaccination, that we're reaching a point where there is less people to be infected. Now, less people doesn't mean any people. And so what I have not seen from the state, or really the federal level is what is our strategy to mitigate this virus. Is it a zero COVID strategy, like is still being attempted in China in some of our socialist countries, where they say, you know, we will at all costs locked down, shut down, do everything we need to to make sure that there is no COVID? Is it a live with it type of COVID strategy, like Sweden, adopted early on where we say, 'Hey, we're going to do some things to try and mitigate it. But we're going to understand that we can't control this virus. And we're going to try to protect the at-risk the elderly, that type of stuff?' Or is it just that we're lost, and we have no idea what our strategy is, and we're, we're all individually fighting this on our own. And each state is doing whatever it wants, based on its political beliefs? Which is my belief of what our current COVID strategy is in this country. It is whatever your political beliefs are, is where you're going to stand and you'll do everything you can to uphold that political ideology, regardless of if medicine matters or not. And so that's that is, unfortunately, what I've seen from the national level that is unfortunately what I've seen from the state level is we had no strategy. And so what I will tell you this strategy in Ellis county is that we are going to have to live with this virus. And what that means is it will never go away, we will never reach a level of vaccination or never a level of control where we will stamp out this virus indefinitely. It will be here, it will continue to circulate. My goal is to limit mortality. So mortality is obviously the worst outcome from any virus. So how do we limit mortality, and that is to vaccinate the population 65 and over, but really the population 50 and over are the ones that are being hospitalized are the ones that are still having, unfortunately succumbing to this virus. So vaccinating that population, continuing to just make some decent choices. You know, if you're 65 and have preexisting medical conditions, probably not a good time to hit up the bars and maybe do beerbongs with all your buddies, like, it's just which probably shouldn't do that anyway, but it's, you know, making some of those smart choices as we move forward, getting vaccinated. Trying to continue those good hygiene measures as far as cleanliness, washing your hands, we can do everything in excess, do not do not Clorox your entire house every hour, like you do need some exposure to some of the viruses and bacteria that are out there. You know, but But getting back to a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy exercise. Public Health has missed its mark and its opportunity through this through this virus to say, hey, this virus has has shown us that that the underbelly of this country is not good. We are overweight. We are diabetic. We have we eat terrible. We don't exercise enough. We have too much stress, too many pressures. This has definitely opened up the void of suicide, mental health. You know, for the last six months, my question has been are we fighting the wrong pandemic. We're still battling this virus, but we are seeing the rates of homicide, suicide, just general unhealthy population cancers, all of that stuff is running rampant heart disease, diabetes, running unchecked. And so we need to use this opportunity to realize that our country is unhealthy, physically unhealthy, mentally unhealthy, and we need to focus on that if we want to get through and out of this pandemic and the associated pandemic problems.  

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Fire Department chief Ryan Hagans shares tips on home fire prevention.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Sheriff, Scott Braun shares information about teen drivers.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays Fire Department deputy chief Shane Preston speaks about the danger of fires from cigarettes.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy shares recent information about COVID-19 in Ellis County.