County Commissioners spent nearly half of their two-hour Oct. 1, 2024, meeting discussing the roads of Stonewood Estate North Addition with Homeowners Association (HOA) President Jennifer Teget, HOA Roads Committee Member Ty Wilson, and Ellis County Public Works Director Brendan Mackay.
“Mia Bella.” Those words mean “my beautiful” in Italian. Today we’ll meet a Kansas rural-preneur who is bringing beautiful home products to her community and serving other community needs. She chose to name her business Mia Bella. Ronna Trosper and her husband, Tony, are founders and owners of Mia Bella Interiors and MBI Laser Engraving in the Marshall County town of Waterville, Kansas. Ronna is from western Oklahoma originally. She married a Kansan and moved to Waterville. “I had worked in retail,” Trosper said. She found the options for shopping in Waterville were limited. “There was no place in town to get a nice gift for a wedding or a special birthday.” Instead of complaining about it, she chose to do something about it. “I’ve always wanted to have my own store,” Trosper said. She and Tony, a disabled veteran, founded a home interior products business in Waterville. Because of her interest in beautiful, quality products, they named the business Mia Bella Interiors. Mia is also the name of their youngest daughter, who is a seventh grader. In March, 2022, the Trospers opened Mia Bella Interiors. As they looked to expand, they purchased the former restaurant building in town and made an interesting find: A non-working espresso machine had been left behind by the previous owners. The Trospers looked into it and found that the machine could be fixed. Now the business operates as Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse. It has a full espresso bar and a seating area where people can work or relax with an iced or hot coffee. This has become a gathering place for the community. Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse offers an extensive line of home décor and self-care products plus much more. There are baskets, candles, vases, frames, mirrors, pillows and throws, rugs, signs, tray décor and wall decorations. These hand-picked items are truly beautiful. As the company’s website says: “We love having the opportunity to style any home with a mix of industrial farmhouse and boho style with hand-picked vintage items.” In addition, the store offers bath and body products, kitchen items, gifts and a variety of books, including devotionals. Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse also supports other local entrepreneurs. The store offers handmade gift cards made by an artisan from Riley and snacks, soups and dips from another local small business. In January 2024, the Trospers launched another enterprise and bought a laser engraver. Using the initials of Mia Bella Interiors, this business is called MBI Laser Engraving. The business offers personalized and customized projects, made right in the store. They use acrylic, wood, metal, stone, glass, leather and other materials to create unique products. “We’re both creative people,” Trosper said of she and her husband. “He is really good at designing things and we can engrave all types of items.” For example, MBI Laser Engraving designs and produces custom products for a lodge in Colorado. “We put their logo on their cutting boards, wooden magnets, tumblers, cups, wine glasses and other things,” Trosper said. MBI is also an affiliated licensed vendor for K-State materials, so they can create items for Wildcat fans. They support local fundraisers as well. “Being in a small town, everybody knows you and you can count on each other,” Trosper said. “If we’re closed on Sunday afternoon and somebody needs a last minute gift, we can open up for them.” For customers, that’s a benefit of being in a rural community such as Waterville, population 658 people. Now, that’s rural. What does Ronna Trosper enjoy most about the business? “I think it’s the happiness that we can bring to our customers,” she said. “It’s wonderful when we can design just the right thing or help someone find just the right gift.” For more information, see www.miabellainteriors.net. Mia Bella means my beautiful, and it’s an appropriate name for this business that has brought beautiful items to small town Kansas. We commend Ronna and Tony Trosper for making a difference with their creative entrepreneurship. I think it’s a thing of beauty.
During the Oct. 1, 2024 City of Hays Press Briefing, Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sales Manager Janet Kuhn opened her review of the October schedule of community events by reminding residents that the Downtown Hays Market’s last day, which is held 7:30-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Pavilion, will be Oct. 19.
At the Hutchinson Invite Thursday morning, Hays High’s Jaycee Oakley ended the day with a 12th place finish, shooting an 80 to lead the Indians. As a team, Hays finished 11th of 19 teams with a 397.
Following a Public Hearing on Oct. 1, 2024, where no citizen comments were made, Ellis County Commissioners unanimously approved the sale of the old Public Works Facility (real estate located at 1195 280th Avenue) to Midwestern Pipeworks, Inc. for $605,000. County Counselor Bill Jeeter stated following the vote that he would prepare a contract and once Midwestern Pipeworks approval was obtained, the contract would be presented to the Commission for final approval.
Fort Hays State University launched a historic affiliation partnership with North Central Kansas Technical College and Northwest Kansas Technical College in July of this year. This fall, more than 14,617 students, including 8,998 Kansans, are enrolled at one of the three Fort Hays institutions. Enrollment at Fort Hays Tech | North Central is up 3.1 percent, with 987 online and on-campus students in Hays and Beloit. This figure includes 966 Kansans. Enrollment at Fort Hays Tech | Northwest campus in Goodland is up 3.7 percent at 752 online and on-campus students, including 577 Kansans.
Fort Hays State University (FHSU) President Tisa Mason opened and closed her update to Ellis County Commissioners on Oct. 1, 2024; by thanking the County for its continued support of FHSU, including the establishment of a new scholarship for County employees.
Fort Hays Tech | North Central is proud to announce a significant achievement in its ongoing commitment to student success. Thanks to the generous support of numerous donors, in collaboration with the Fort Hays Tech | North Central Foundation, a record-breaking 111 scholarships totaling $185,900 have been awarded across both the Beloit and Hays campuses during the 2024 academic year.
HaysMed welcomes Rhiannon “Annie” Frasier, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), to its Convenient Care Clinic. With a background in acute care and a dedication to patient-centered service, Frasier is qualified to provide top-tier healthcare to the Hays community. Holding both a Master and Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she brings several years of valuable experience to HaysMed.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and Democratic challenger Paul Buskirk shared frustration Thursday that Congress failed to pass a new five-year Farm Bill despite a reprieve when gridlock blocked progress a year ago.