The Scott County Record

Scott City students competed in the county spelling bee on Tuesday Page 9

32 Pages • Four Sections

Volume 22 • Number 25

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Published in Scott City, Ks.

$1 single copy

ag’s uncertainty

New farm bill leaves farmers with more questions than answers In a profession filled with enough risk, farm bills have offered farmers a safety net they could rely on in the event of natural disasters or low market prices.

Changes to that safety net in the latest farm bill are raising concerns by farmers who are uncertain about the program’s impact and are facing a March deadline in which they must decide in which programs they will participate over the next five years.

That uncertainty has been evident during a series of heavily attended farm bill meetings which have been coordinated

by Kansas State University Extension officials and area representatives with the Farm Services Administration (FSA).

Tuesday’s meeting in Scott City drew more than 330 attendees while attendance at the previous day’s meeting in Goodland attracted more than 500.

“This is the first time that a farm program has required farmers to do so much guesswork about the future,” said K-State agricultural economist Mykel Taylor.

“Previous programs had a lot more definition to them and payments were a little more certain. This bill is dependent on what happens with prices and yield, and what program you sign up for. There are all kinds of variables driving this.”

Taylor, KSU ag economist Art Barnaby and Scott County FSA Director Lora Wycoff out(See FARM BILL on page 32)

K-State ag economist Art Barnaby (right) visits with one of the more than 330 farmers who attended the Farm Bill information meeting held in Scott City on Tuesday morning.

(Record Photo)

Only one race for council, BOE openings

and don’t forget this one

Registered dental hygienist Haley Lewton checks the teeth of Brandon Smyth during a Lifetime Smiles visit at Scott City Elementary School on Wednesday.

(Record Photo)

Giving kids something to smile about Parents are often times keenly aware of their child’s physical health. It’s easy to identify a problem that may require medical attention.

But what of a child’s dental health?

“A lot of parents don’t look inside their child’s mouth and have any idea that something unhealthy is going on,” says

Haley Lewton, a registered dental hygienist.

Dental problems can impact a child’s overall health and their ability to concentrate in school.

That’s one reason why school districts across the region participate in the Lifetime Smiles program that is coordinated through the United Methodist Mexican-American Ministries.

06 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com

First baby of 2015 finally arrives at the Scott Co. Hospital Page 8

Lewton and Lifetime Smiles coordinator Theresa Gonzales were at Scott City Elementary School on Wednesday where they conducted dental screenings for about 400 students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. During this visit, Lewton conducted a visual screening of each child and, with parental permission, a fluoride varnish

was applied to their teeth. Each exam lasted between one and two minutes.

“If the schools want us to come back, we will clean the teeth and apply sealants on our return trip,” says Lewton. “Ideally, we do both procedures during the same school year, but our schedule fills up pretty fast.

(See SMILE on page two)

406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Opinion • Pages 4-6 Calendar • Page 7 LEC report • Page 10 Health care • Pages 12-13 Deaths • Page 14

Church services • Page 15 Sports • Pages 17-24 Farm section • Pages 26-27 Classified ads • Pages 29-31

There will be a lot of familiar faces on the Scott City Council and USD 466 board of education following the April general election.

Three incumbents filed for re-election to four positions on the Scott City Council.

In Ward 4, Fred Kuntzsch will be challenged by Wesley Wernecke in the general election.

Bo Parkinson (Ward 1) and Perry Nowak (Ward 3), who were each appointed to the council, are facing no challengers in their election bids.

Seeking her first term on the council is Barb Wilkinson in Ward 2.

Each of the city council positions are four-year terms.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the decision by Mayor Dan Goodman to seek re-election after declaring he wasn’t going to run for another two-year term. With no one else announcing for the office, Goodman decided to seek another term.

Treasurer Dan Weides is also facing no opposition for another two-year term.

Four File for BOE All four incumbents for the board of education filed for reelection and will face no challengers on the ballot.

Seeking re-election to fouryear terms are Eric Erven, Mark Davis, Lynnette Robinson and Ben Taylor.

The general election will be on April 7.

Scott City boys are repeat champs in O&B Tourney Page 17

The Scott County Record • Page 2 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Legislature needs a quick fix to pay its bills Budget director says action needed by mid-February Kansas will have difficulty paying its bills if lawmakers do not pass a measure to fix a $279 million budget shortfall by midFebruary.

Shawn Sullivan, the gover-

nor’s budget director, said the Republican-dominated Legislature should pass a bill by Feb. 13 to ensure that the state can keep paying its bills on time.

Gov. Sam Brownback released a plan in December to close the shortfall through a combination of cuts and transfers from the state’s highway fund and other sources into the general fund.

More than $200 million of

Smile

the changes require legislative approval.

The nonpartisan Legislative Research Department previously said the state would be unable to pay some of its bills by mid-February. Sullivan couched his reply when asked if the state would begin bouncing checks next month.

“In mid-February, cash flow gets tight. We can write checks,” he said. “We have school pay-

ments going out of $45 million on Feb. 17. We’ve got another $129 million that goes out in late February, so our ability to pay all of those becomes impacted if we don’t have this rescission bill by then.”

The state’s cash balances ebb and flow as it collects tax revenue and spends money on services. The state approved borrowing $675 million in June to help fill coffers at times when

cash flow is low. It cannot do that again unless it is able to pay that money back, as required by statute.

The House Appropriations Committee began hearings Wednesday on budget-balancing measures, and Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. said he expects it to pass a bill by Monday, so that the full House can debate it next week.

(See FIX on page eight)

(continued from page one)

The cleanings are more time-consuming and can require them to set aside 3-4 days, especially in larger schools.”

Lewton, who has been with the Lifetime Smiles program for about 2-1/2 years, says they serve schools in 19 counties around Finney County.

Throughout the school year they can often be found conducting dental exams on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Lifetime Smiles hadn’t been to Scott County for about 3-4 years, but with Gonzales recently hired as the coordinator they hope to return to the school district on an annual basis and, possibly, twice a year for the follow-up procedure.

The service is free to the district and students.

Following the exam, information is sent home with each student so their parents can know “whether everything looks good, whether we found cavities or maybe if we found an infection in the mouth that needs attention. We can let them know if it’s an urgent situation and they need to get their child to the dentist,” Lewton points out.

She is also a big proponent of the fluoride varnish.

“This is a very important service that we provide. We’re trying to get more knowledge out there so parents will allow us to provide fluoride to more kids,” she says.

Following a day at SCES, Lifetime Smiles was examining nearly 80

Eliana Ayala has fluoride treatment applied to her teeth during the Lifetime Smiles dental exam at SCES on Wednesday.

(Record Photo)

youngsters in the Healy district on Thursday. The next stop will be Liberal where Lewton says they have exams scheduled for seven days.

“We will screen students from kindergarten through high school seniors if a school requests, but most districts put an emphasis on the elementa-

ry grades,” Lewton adds.

Lifetime Smiles will return for the “Survivor Health Fair” at Scott Community High School on March 27.

Friendship ‘Meals to Go’ Good for special diets • only $3.25/meal • Call 872-3501

What’s for Lunch in Scott City?

Sun. - Sat., Feb. 1-7

Majestic Theatre 420 Main • 872-3840

Hours

Lunch • Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Evenings • Thurs., Fri., Sat. 5:30 -10:00 p.m.

Tues. • Open faced prime rib sandwich with french fries.

Wed. • Spaghetti dinner with side salad.

Thurs. • Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Fri. • Taco dinner with rice and beans.

What’s for Supper?

The Broiler

102 Main St. • 872-5055

1211 Main • 872-3215

5Buck Lunch 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

• Chili Cheese Dog • Bacon Cheeseburger • 3 Piece Chicken Strips

Includes Fries, 21 oz. Drink and Small Sundae

1304 S. Main • 872-5301

6

$

49

Buffet

Mon. - Sat. • 5:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Sun. • 5:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Mon. • Chicken fry Tues. • Hamburger steak with mushrooms and onions Wed. • Fried chicken Thurs. • Mountain oysters Fri. • Seafood specials

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Sat. • Prime rib

Breakfast specials every night.

The Scott County Record

Community Living

Page 3 - Thursday, January 29, 2015

Start organizing your team for Walk Kansas Get moving! It’s as simple as putting one step in front of another.

That’s the idea behind Walk Kansas, an eightweek K-State Extension program that starts March 15. It’s designed to promote activity and better health.

The days are getting longer, and many of us are eager to get outside and be more physically active.

Even Kansans who do not routinely walk or have other fitness routines find Walk Kansas to be an easy

way to get moving.”

Groups of six people, one serving as a captain, work toward a common goal - typically to walk at least 150 minutes per person per week, which collectively is enough to walk 423 miles over the eight-week period. That

Football favorites . . .

Fabulous Football Dip Prep time: 2 minutes Ingredients 1 pound 1 (10 oz.) can

Cook time: 15 minutes

sausage diced tomatoes with green chile peppers cream cheese, softened

2 (8 oz.) pkgs.

Directions In a large skillet, cook sausage over a medium heat until it is browned and cooked through.

Mix tomatoes and cream cheese into the skillet. Stir and continue cooking the mixture over a medium heat until the cheese has melted.

Jalapeno Popper Spread Prep time: 10 minutes Ingredients 2 (8 oz.) pkgs.

1 cup 1 (4 ounce) can

Cook time: 3 minutes

cream cheese, softened mayonnaise chopped green chilies, drained canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained grated Parmesan cheese

2 ounces 1 cup

Directions Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes.

Hot Pizza Dip Prep time: 10 minutes Ingredients 1 (8 ounce) pkg.

1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup 2 tablespoons 2 ounces 2 tablespoons

Cook time: 5 minutes

cream cheese, softened dried oregano dried parsley dried basil shredded mozzarella cheese grated Parmesan cheese pizza sauce chopped green bell pepper pepperoni sausage, chopped sliced black olives

Directions In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.

Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

423 miles represents the distance across Kansas.

Registration is through the Scott County Extension office (www.scott. ksu.edu) or packets can be picked up in our office.

Registrations are due

by March 12. T-shirts will be available to order and must be placed at the time of registration. Cost is $7 per team member.

Teams that want a greater challenge can set a goal to walk the equivalent of across the state and back - 846 miles - or

Change in VIP dance schedule

Due to low attendance at the Friday dances, the Scott County VIP Center is moving their dances this year to the third Sunday of each month.

Dances will be held on Sundays only from 2:305:00 p.m. at the senior center.

Providing the music on Feb. 15 will be “Last Rezort.” Cost is $5 per person and those attending are asked to bring a snack.

Anyone needing more information can contact Todd Steele (874-1500) or Velda Riddiough (8742040).

around the perimeter of Kansas which is 1,200 miles.

Walking can be done individually or in groups, on a treadmill at home, in your neighborhood, or at a gym - whatever works for you.

Any activity can count as long as you do it at the intensity where you just barely carry on a conversation with someone, and you do it for at least 10 consecutive minutes. Log your minutes of activity each day, and report

that number to the team captain each week. The website converts the time walked into miles.

This year’s theme is “Walk Tall, Walk Strong, Walk Kansas,” with the emphasis on posture, strength training (which can count toward Walk Kansas minutes), and walking or any activity that promotes cardiovascular health.

Don’t have a team?

Give us a call at the office (872-2930) and we will place you on a team.

This year marks the 14th year for Walk Kansas. With a cumulative total of 203,250 participants over the first 13 years, it is considered one of the most successful programs in the state’s Extension history.

So now is the time to begin organizing your team and to get your workout gear.

For more information or if you have questions call the Extension office or visit our website at www.scott.ksu.edu.

The Scott County Record

Editorial/Opinion

Page 4 - Thursday, January 29, 2015

editorially speaking

Satisfaction:

Lack of candidates shows support for council, BOE

It’s not easy holding political office. That may be particularly true at the local level where the “politicians” are our friends and neighbors whom we can often see.

While it would be great to have more people choosing to get involved in their local government, that simply isn’t going to happen. We’re seeing that in the Scott City Council and USD 466 board of education where the minimum number of candidates filed for the BOE (all are incumbents) and there is only one general election race for the city council.

That should be interpreted as a sign that our local officials are doing a good job. If they weren’t - or if that were the perception - you can rest assured the field of candidates would be much larger.

This is particularly interesting considering the $1.1 million shortfall in the USD 466 budget less than a year ago. It would have been easy for an angry electorate to declare we should “throw the bums out of office,” but that isn’t the case.

Credit the community and the board for working through a difficult situation.

Likewise, the city council has done a great job over the years of being fiscally responsible while, at the same time, not being afraid to tackle infrastructure projects and keeping an eye on the future of this community.

Low taxes are not, and should not, be the measure of whether or not a governing body is doing its job. Scott County has very effective leadership at the county, city and school levels.

Given how quiet things are on the election front this year, it would appear that voters agree.

Voting laws:

Kobach’s policies stand in the way of democracy

There was a time when it was possible to walk into a voting booth in Kansas and with one stroke of the pencil vote for every Republican on the ballot, or every Democrat or every Socialist.

It was a practice called straight-ticket voting.

A voter didn’t have to “waste” their time checking the box by each candidate they supported.

The Kansas State Library found a sample ballot which had the straight-ticket option . . . from 1915. The library isn’t sure when Kansas quit the practice.

There are currently only 12 states which offer this voting option. Nine others have eliminated the practice over the past 20 years.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, never one to miss an opportunity to kick the democratic process to the curb when it suits his political agenda, wants to bring back this antiquated practice.

Kobach says it will make voting more “convenient” and quicker. And isn’t that what democracy should be about?

Kobach’s motive is to encourage more people to vote for the party, not the candidate, when his true objective as the state’s chief election official should be to encourage voters to know more about the candidates they are voting for - regardless of party.

Of course, democracy has never been Kobach’s goal.

Voter ID laws are a clear attempt to keep certain people away from the polls, even though voter fraud has never been a problem in Kansas elections. Kobach’s “suspended” voter list in the state currently includes more than 25,000 names.

Even using data from Kobach’s office, only about 2,500 of those on the list are non-citizens.

“It makes absolutely no sense to deny 22,500 Kansans - who have registered to vote and are lawful citizens entitled to vote - the right to vote,” says State Rep. John Carmichael (D-Wichita) during a recent meeting of the House Elections Committee.

Kobach dismisses any criticism of his Voter ID Law, noting that he predicted a 50 percent voter turnout in the November general election and the turnout was actually 51 percent. One of the most hotly contested general elections in Kansas in many years and the Secretary of State is bragging that his barely half of the state’s registered voters went to the polls.

As Kobach has repeatedly shown, it’s not the number of voters who show up, but it’s far more important in making sure the “right” voters show up. Kobach is doing everything within his power to make that happen and now he wants to make sure those voters don’t have too spend to much time thinking about who they want to vote for.

This is the way that democracy is supposed to look, right?

The blame game stops with us Two years ago, Gov. Sam Brownback and his conservative cohorts in the Kansas Legislature were boasting about their new tax cut plan that would create an 1800sstyle land rush to Kansas, bringing with it more jobs, more revenue and proving to the world that you can literally slice your revenue to the bone and the economy will respond on a scale never before seen in human history.

Today, that tax cut plan has to feel like the orphan child that was left on the doorstep of the state capitol. Nobody is taking responsibility for it.

Brownback says that, even though he signed it into law with a lot of fanfare, it’s not the plan he wanted.

“I proposed a flat tax with a small budget accelerator. What I got from the legislature was a naked tax cut with none of the pay-fors,” he recently said. “I took it because it was the best we were going to get.”

The governor didn’t express those same reservations when he signed

the first round of cuts into law, declaring they would “create tens of thousands of new jobs and help make Kansas the best place in America to start and grow a small business.”

While Brownback is blaming the legislature for sending him a bill he didn’t want, lawmakers are also stepping back from a bill they once voted for.

“When the tax plan was signed into law, I wasn’t in my current position as Speaker of the House,” says Ray Merrick (RStillwell). Stealing a page from Merrick’s playbook, Senate President Susan Wagle (R-Wichita) says she wasn’t in her current role when the cuts were passed in 2012, though, like Merrick, she also voted for them.

If Brownback isn’t responsible for the tax cuts which have created a potential fiscal disaster of

more than $710 million, and if the legislative leadership isn’t responsible, then who is?

Kansas voters?

It’s our responsibility to elect people who are supposed to be intelligent enough to run our state, provide the opportunity for a quality public education, make sure our infrastructure is maintained, provide that social services are intact and make sure that we have the money to make all of this happen.

Instead, we were all too willing to buy a warehouse of snake oil - not once, but twice - because we were promised that it would cure all our ills.

Kansas voters not only re-elected Brownback to another term despite all the dire budget warnings, but he was given an even greater working majority in the legislature to make sure his agenda meets the least resistance possible.

Even with the knowledge prior to the general election that school funding was inadequate and at risk of being reduced further, and that money had been cut for services that

aid Kansas families and their children, it didn’t keep 78% of the voters in Wichita County from casting ballots for Brownback, or 81% of the voters in Wallace County, 74% in Scott County and 73% in Logan County.

When three-quarters of the people who vote in an election ignore the warning signs and re-elect lawmakers who are responsible for sending the state’s economy over a fiscal cliff, then who is really to blame?

Brownback and conservative lawmakers haven’t made any secret about their intentions. From day one it’s been their goal to cut taxes. And they were going to accomplish that without having any impact on the level of government services we’ve come to expect.

It’s our fault for not questioning how this was going to be possible. How do you do more . . . or at least as much . . . with less money?

It can’t happen in any other phase of our everyday lives - certainly not (See BLAME on page six)

Oil experts missed crude crash I recently mentioned in a column on renewable energy that solar power could generate half of the world’s electricity by 2050. I cited the International Energy Agency as my source.

Actually, the IEA is predicting that rooftop, utility-scale, and industrial solar will fuel about one quarter of the global grid by then.

Wind energy will account for another 18 percent. All told, the IEA says renewable energy will generate at least twothirds of the world’s electricity 35 years from now.

Green energy’s future is clearly bright. But I felt bad, even a bit sick about my mistake. Then, I checked something out.

How precise is energy forecasting?

To put it politely, the experts who get paid to predict these things aren’t

Where to Write

another view by Emily Schwartz Greco

the most accurate arrows in the quiver.

Take the still-unfolding crude crash. Its cause boils down to one simple fact: The industry is producing way more oil than consumers want. With supply outweighing demand, prices have plunged by more than 50 percent since mid-2014.

Oil prices are always volatile and they’ve plummeted before. Steep declines generally follow events that no one could anticipate with precision, such as the global economic slowdown that began in 2008.

Not this time. As Morgan Stanley’s analysts recently observed in their 2015 outlook, “this is a self-inflicted crisis.”

Gov. Sam Brownback 2nd Floor - State Capitol Topeka, Ks. 66612-1501 (785) 296-3232

Legions of experts monitor the industry.

Their insights guide billions of dollars in oil-related investment decisions.

Surely they saw this coming, right? Nope.

Take Daniel Yergin, the world’s most prominent oil expert. He declared six months ago that without surging U.S. oil production, gas prices would have been painfully high.

Without higher U.S. output, “we’d be looking at an oil crisis,” Yergin told a high-octane gathering in the summer of 2014. “We’d have panic in the public. We’d have angry motorists. We’d have inflamed congressional hearings and we’d have the U.S. economy falling back into a recession.”

He really said that.

Instead, the low prices that “drill-baby-drill” boom helped trigger are

Sen. Pat Roberts 109 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4774 roberts.senate.gov/email.htm

disrupting millions of people’s lives. Alaska, North Dakota, and other states are bracing for economic downturns. Economic mayhem is lashing Russia, Venezuela, and other oildependent countries.

How about the U.S. Energy Information Administration? That’s the Department of Energy’s statistics arm. It tracks zillions of data points. Back when Yergin was toasting the U.S. oil boom, the agency said oil prices would average about $105 a barrel this year.

Oops. After crude nosedived to about $47 a barrel in January, the agency slashed its forecast to below the $60 mark.

Economic analyst Jesse Colombo was more prescient.

“Crude oil prices are likely to finally experience (See CRASH on page seven)

Sen. Jerry Moran 141 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-6521 www.house.gov/moranks01/

Think twice the cost about GOP’s Americans pay middle class for an economy compassion that pumps our treasure to the top The New York Times reported

The Scott County Record • Page 5 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

of inequality

by Robert Creamer

last week that in the closeddoor Republican Senate Caucus retreat, Republican Leader Senator Mitch McConnell “encouraged the Republican troops to refocus policy on the stagnant middle class.”

That would be like asking the wolves of the world to stop hunting and refocus on cultivating asparagus.

But, of course, McConnell didn’t really mean he wanted his fellow Republicans to do something about the wealth gap. He wanted them to look like they were doing something about the wealth gap while they actually deliver the goods for the owners of the Republican Party.

The Republican Party, after all, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the .01% and doing something meaningful about the gap in wealth and income in America - revitalizing the middle class - requires taking wealth and income that is now being siphoned off by the .01% and giving it to the people who earned and created it - the vast majority of ordinary Americans.

Of course, Republicans and apologists for Wall Street dispute that assumption. They argue that the economy is not a so-called “zero sum game” - that the best way to improve the standard of living or ordinary Americans is to grow the economy. And they say that the best way to do that is to allow the wealthy to control more and more of the nation’s wealth, since they invest that wealth in new productive enterprises that create more and more new jobs.

That premise, of course, is the essence of “trickle-down economics.” The problem is that we know empirically that “trickledown economics” doesn’t work.

Economic growth does not necessarily increase the incomes of ordinary Americans.

In fact, over the last 35 years we’ve had lots of economic growth. Over that period, per capita income has increased by a whopping 77% and made America wealthier per capita that any society in the history of the world. That should mean the average American is 77% better off today then he or she was three and a half decades ago.

Problem is, we aren’t. Instead, the real buying power of the wages of ordinary Americans has barely increased at all.

Instead, all of that growth had been siphoned off to the top one percent - and most to the top .01%.

That is not a theory. It is a documented fact.

Don’t get me wrong.

Economic growth - growth in productivity - is a very good thing. It is the foundation of a better life. But growth by itself doesn’t guarantee that the growing economic bounty will be widely shared.

In fact, today the stock market is at record heights, corporate profits are at record highs and the percentage of national income going to wages is at a record low.

Fixing these things requires that we change the rules of the economic game so they require that those who do the work to create the new wealth can share its benefits.

Rules like: •Minimum wage laws that guarantee that everyone who works 40 hours a week must be paid a living wage - a wage that allows them to support a family; (See MIDDLE on page six)

by Sam Pizzigati

Have you ever wondered what inequality costs the average American family?

That is, what price do we pay - in actual dollars and cents - for tolerating an economy fixated on pumping our treasure to the top?

That question has no simple answer.

How much, for instance, should we value an added year of life? We know from hundreds of research studies over the years - that people live longer, healthier lives in more equal nations.

We also know that more equal societies have lower levels of mental illness, higher levels of trust, and fewer teenage pregnancies and homicides. Placing dollar signs on quality-of-life indicators like these can get complicated.

On the other hand, dollar signs do come easy when we’re talking about income and wealth.

The Economic Policy Institute has gone through one exercise along this line. How much income would middleclass Americans be making today, EPI researchers asked, if the United States had the same distribution of income now as our nation had back at the end of the 1970s?

The difference between now and then could hardly be starker. Since 1979, households in America’s top 1 percent have more than doubled their share of the nation’s income, from eight to nearly 20 percent.

What if this increase in inequality had never happened? What if middle-class households were taking in the same share of the nation’s income they took in four decades ago?

EPI focused its calculations on 2007, the last year before the Great Recession.

In that year, the average middle-class income in the United States - that is, the average for the middle 60 percent of American households - amounted to $76,443.

If America had been as equal in 2007 as it was in 1979, that average income would have been $94,310. In other words, inequality is costing the average American family about $18,000 a year.

But the global economy, some might argue, has changed fundamentally over the past four decades. Simple comparisons of then vs. now, they say, no longer tell us much.

For argument’s sake, let’s accept this rather dubious claim - and make a different comparison. Let’s contrast the wealth of ordinary Americans today with the wealth of ordinary people in a more equal country.

France makes for a good comparison.

France and the United States, the Swiss bank Credit Suisse reported last fall, have about the same total wealth per adult.

If you divide the wealth of the United States by our adult population, that is,

you end up with $347,845 per adult. If you do the same for France, you end up with $317,292 per adult.

Total equality, of course, reigns in neither France nor the United States. But if both nations divvied up their wealth on a totally equal basis, the average American would have slightly more wealth than the average person in France.

What do we actually see?

In France today, “median” adults those with more wealth than the poorest half of France’s adult population but less wealth than the richest half - have $140,638 in net worth to their name. In the United States, by contrast, median adult wealth stands at a mere $53,352.

The bottom line? If the United States had as equal a distribution of wealth as France, typical American adults today would have almost triple their current net worth.

So how much does inequality cost America’s middle class? More than we realize. Much more.

Sam Pizzigati is an Institute for Policy Studies associate fellow and a co-author of the report ‘Fix the Debt’ CEOs Enjoy TaxpayerSubsidized Pay.”

Let’s adopt the GOP’s national policy platform

by Jim Hightower

Well now, here’s some unexpected news!

It comes from what purports to be an official document of the National Republican Party. And - wow! - the policy positions it contains show that party leaders really are serious about coming to their senses and rejecting the plutocratic extremism and far-right wackiness that was to evident in their congressional, and gubernatorial campaigns.

Right at the top, this 18-page manifesto proclaims that, “Our government was created by the people for all the people, and it (See PLATFORM on page six)

A GOP led budget crisis in Kansas Some lawmakers see an opportunity to reduce government Someone needs to write a book, “Kansas for Dummies.”

What is occurring in the state is so confusing, very few understand what’s going on.

What everyone should know is the answer to this simple question: When Gov. Sam Brownback and the Kansas Legislature slashed income and business taxes at a magnitude unprecedented in state history, what exactly were they looking to accomplish, respectively?

The answers are not the same across the board, and the differences are critical to understanding the various buttons being pushed right now.

The governor believed that, as he slashed rates, income and job growth would soar. So, therefore, he would not have to think about slashing expenses.

Meanwhile, many conservative legislators couldn’t care less about that premise. They have their agenda. Slash taxes, and they assumed it might raise less revenue, and if less revenue were

behind the headlines by Steve Rose

raised, they will have to cut government spending to balance the budget. Starve the beast, at last!

Needless to say, Brownback’s wish did not materialize. In fact, things went way south. The deficit that has been created because of plummeting revenues, is nothing short of a calamity.

Brownback has dealt with this first by lots of gimmicks, but those were not enough. He has decided that Kansas has, at least in part, a revenue problem, and his fix is to raise taxes on tobacco and liquor, as well as to close some tax loopholes. That will raise revenue but not nearly enough.

Back in the legislature, Speaker of the House Ray Merrick (R-Johnson County) reflects many views when he says he does not agree that we have a revenue problem. He has said the state has a spending problem. He wants to slash spending.

This is where things get very complicated, indeed.

You see, half the state’s budget is K-12 education.

Brownback said during his campaign that he would not cut spending on public education. Now, he says, the spending on K-12 education is “unsustainable.” He says schools cannot remain “untouched” in budget cuts.

Personally, I don’t believe Brownback thought during the campaign that schools would have to be cut. Until the billion dollar-plus deficits were dropped on him, he thought he could have his cake and eat it, too. He was convinced the revenue would materialize.

No matter, we are where we are, which is not good.

Many conservative legislators, like Merrick, don’t care about the impending deficit. They know, by law, the budget has to be balanced. To them, this is an opportunity, not a misfortune. Finally, they can shrink government - including school spending - and get what they have wanted all along.

In fact, they may not even agree to pass the modest tax increases Brownback proposed, even though they are allies of the same party. These would just get in (See BUDGET on page six)

The Scott County Record • Page 6 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Keystone Pipeline: foreign profit, American risk

by Katherine McFate

Media coverage of the Keystone XL pipeline is coalescing around a single narrative. It goes like this: Environmentalists oppose the pipeline because of climate change concerns, and U.S. construction companies support the pipeline because it creates jobs.

Environmentalists warn tar sands crude oil has three times the global warming potential of conventional crude. Oil industry interests shrug and

Middle •Laws guaranteeing that workers in every workplace can bargain through their unions and demand middle class wages and good working conditions - since union wages are consistently higher than non-union wages; •Laws that require that women who do similar work are paid just as much as men; •Rules that require employers to pay overtime to all employees except well-paid executives and professionals; •Financial regulation that prevents big Wall Street banks from siphoning off and then risking billions of dollars on speculative gambling schemes; •Laws preventing the sons and daughters of multi-millionaires from

Blame with our family budget or with our local businesses - but government is different, so we’ve been told. With government, it is possible to cut taxes even cut them a lot - and it will continue functioning as if nothing has happened.

And some 70 percent of the voters who exist in some sort of fantasy land in Western Kansas said that was good enough for them. If Governor Sam and Republican lawmakers say that will happen, then it must be so. They’re the experts, right?

Only now the experts are running from the “real live experiment” they once supported.

Budget the way of more spending cuts.

Meanwhile, lurking over the governor and Legislature are the courts.

A recent preliminary finding by a three-judge panel declared funding of Kansas schools inadequate and unconstitutional. Those findings will go to the Kansas Supreme Court, but despite the bravado of some legislators, no one wants a constitutional crisis.

Perhaps there is a way to cut school spending and skirt the courts, as well as confuse Kansans.

Brownback knows the

say Canadian companies will continue to extract tar sands, with or without the pipeline.

Pipeline opponents then counter: Fewer than 50 permanent jobs will be needed to staff the pipeline, a few thousand temporary construction jobs to build it.

But this rendering of the debate misses the larger picture.

Americans have been told for the past several years by the petroleum industry and members of Congress that Keystone is

“key to America’s energy independence” and will help ensure America has the energy it needs in the future. This is hogwash.

TransCanada wants to build a pipeline through the farmland and ranches of the United States in order to send its oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast for the export market. This crude is not meant to supply the U.S. market.

We have a glut of oil and gas in the U.S. because of largely unregulated fracking going on in 31 states. Between our

growing natural gas supply and OPEC’s effort to quash the U.S. energy boom, gas prices are so low that American producers might slow their drilling.

The Keystone pipeline will not reduce the cost of gasoline or home heating oil for American consumers.

What a TransCanada pipeline will do is put a large underground water supply at risk. Keystone XL would be built directly above the Ogallala Aquifer, located beneath most

of Nebraska and extending to seven other states.

The Ogallala is a shallow aquifer, meaning a pipeline spill could easily pollute the drinking water source for two million Americans.

The pipeline would cross thousands of acres of farmland in the Great Plains; a spill could make this land unusable for years.

In 2013, an oil pipeline spilled 840,000 gallons of crude near Tioga, N.D., and crews are still working to clean it up. Key-

By changing the rules of the economic game through the kind of Middle Class Economics outlined

by President Obama - it is entirely possible to end the cycle of increasingly concentrated wealth and once again allow the millions

of Americans who actually produce the wealth to share in its benefits.

We know it’s not impossible because we’ve done it before. Just half a century ago, America was in the midst of a widely spread, robust economic growth that benefited everyone. That, not incidentally, coincided with the New Deal and with growing union membership.

And that gets us to the most ironic fact of all. It turns out that far from being the enemy of robust economic growth, higher wages for ordinary Americans spur long-term growth by putting more money in the hands of consumers who buy more products and services.

That in turn entices more investment and creates more jobs.

(continued from page four)

A price will be paid for our state’s misguided tax policy. The money to fill a budget hole projected at more than $710 million will have to come from somewhere as the governor and Kansas lawmakers wrestle with how to keep the state fiscally solvent for the next two years.

It won’t be pretty . . . except for the wealthiest Kansans and corporations in the state who have been promised that they can keep their tax cuts.

Instead, the burden will continue to fall upon our schools and upon those among us who are struggling the most to get by from day-to-day.

But don’t blame

Brownback or ultraconservative lawmakers in the legislature who suck at the teat of the Koch brothers political finance machine. They are who they are. We know where their loyalties lie and their feelings about the role of state government.

The blame game falls squarely on those Kansans who were ignorant enough to believe that Brownback and fellow lawmakers could deliver on the impossible even when it was evident the impossible wasn’t going to happen.

A voter ID law? Are you kidding?

We need a voter IQ law.

Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com

(continued from page five)

people of Kansas would rise up if the per-pupil costs were cut any more than they already have been. Plus, the courts would go berserk.

So, he has come up with a clever way to do an end run, and, thus, muddle the issue. He would overhaul or even eliminate the complicated school finance formula that determines how much each school district receives.

Even we dummies know what this inevitably will mean. In the course of either rewriting or ejecting the formula, the

bottom line will result in a considerable haircut - no, make that a scalping - to school spending.

You can be assured, whether anyone writes a simple version in book form, that bad things are coming, particularly to schools.

But they will be shrouded in all kinds of complexity and confusion…anything to avoid the plain, simple, ugly truth.

Steve Rose is a longtime columnist from Johnson County. He can be reached at srose@kc.rr.com

Support Your Hometown Merchants!

(See RISK on page seven)

Platform

(continued from page five)

using the Trust Fund loophole to avoid paying billions in taxes - thereby forcing the rest of us to pay the difference if we want decent public services.

In his State of the Union Speech, President Obama outlined a program for Middle Class Economics that does just that. Not surprisingly, it was met with a resounding NO from the GOP - all the while they feigned increased interest in addressing the problem of stagnating middle class wages.

stone I, which runs from Canada through Illinois, had 14 reported leaks during its first year of operation.

TransCanada has been criticized for failing to comply with Canadian safety regulations, and the company does not intend to use the latest safety technology to detect spills along the Keystone XL route. With the pipeline travelling through miles of grassland, leaks could go undetected and unaddressed until water and

If consumer incomes don’t keep pace with growing economic productivity, it turns out that they don’t have enough money to buy all of those new goods and services that increased productivity produces and the economy stagnates.

That’s why in the long run, Republican economics is bad for everyone - even some of those corporate CEOs who would happily use slave labor if the law allowed.

Republicans and Wall Street never tire of making dire warnings that any action by government that increases the share of income going to the middle class will cause the economy to collapse.

But it turns out, in fact, that over the last quarter century, Democratic administrations have

massively out-performed Republican administrations when it comes to economic growth.

Annual per-capita real economic growth was just a tad over $200 per year during the two Bush administrations. Under the Clinton administration it was over $1,000 per year, and even though President Obama took over with the economy in a free-fall, per capita income grew about $750 per year during his administration - more than three times the rate that it grew during the two GOP Presidents who occupied the White House since 1988.

I guess that’s why they used to say, “if you want to live like a Republican, vote like a Democrat.”

(continued from page five)

must serve no less a purpose.”

ALL the people!

Forget pontifications by Wall Street billionaires dividing America into virtuous “creators” (like themselves) and worthless “moochers” (like you and me).

This document abounds with commitments to the common good. “America does not prosper,” it proudly proclaims on page three, “unless all Americans prosper.”

Shazam - that’s downright democratic!

And how’s this for a complete turnaround: “Labor is the United States. The men and women, who with their Robert Creamer is a senior strategist for Americans minds, their hearts and United for Change hands, create the wealth that is shared in this country - they are America.”

Holy Koch brothers, share the wealth?

Yes, and how about this: “The protection of the right of workers to organize into unions and

by Andy Borowitz to bargain collectively is WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - In the firm and permanent a historic Oval Office ceremony on Thursday policy of the (Republican morning, President Barack Obama signed an Party).” Eat your heart executive order closing Congress, effective out, Scott Walker, and you immediately. other labor-bashing GOP The President said that the move would dragovernors! matically increase the efficiency of the federal The document also government, noting how much he had accomsupports the postal serplished since he stopped working with Congress vice, the United Nations, in November. equal rights for women, Additionally, he said, the elimination of expanding our national Congress would result in annual savings of more than $5 billion, which Obama said would be parks, “vigorous enforcerefunded to American taxpayers. ment of anti-trust laws,” Acknowledging that “some sticklers” would and raising the minimum argue that the Constitution calls for three branchwage. es of government, the President said, “All this New enlightenment order does is reduce that number by one.” in the Grand Old Party.

The initial public reaction to the President’s Hallelujah! decision appeared to be overwhelmingly posiCan all this be true? tive, as news of the executive order sent his Yes - except it’s not new. approval rating soaring to 79 percent.

This document is the ReAsked by reporters if he had any message for publican Party Platform members of Congress, the President said, “I got . . . of 1956. it from here.”

Executive order closes Congress; Obama’s popularity on the rise

Andy Borowitz is a comedian and author

Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author

The Scott County Record • Page 7 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Risk

Crash

(continued from page six)

soil are irreparably damaged.

In Texas, where pipeline construction has already begun, landowners have reported issues to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and been told there are not enough inspectors to investigate their claims.

An additional concern is the effect on the Gulf.

The pipeline would carry Canadian crude to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, to communities such as Port Arthur, Tex., where residents are already burdened with disproportionally high levels of pollution.

These communities would bear the brunt of increased emissions from refining dirty tar sands crude and the Gulf Coast - still not recovered from the 2010 BP oil spill would take on the risk of further spills from increased export traffic.

The Keystone decision is being reviewed by the State Department because it is a critical issue for the nation. This project asks American farmers, ranchers and residents in the path of the pipeline and those in port communities along the Gulf Coast to put crucial parts of our nation’s water supply, grasslands and habitats at risk

so Canadian oil producers - and some U.S. oil refineries - can benefit.

This is a bad deal.

We can find alternative energy sources, but American water supplies are precious and under pressure. Just ask agriculturalists and consumers in the West.

Instead of responding to the narrow interests of a few oil companies, we need our elected officials to steward the natural resources that have allowed our country to prosper and feed the world.

Katherine McFate is the president and CEO of the Center for Effective Government, Washington

(continued from page four)

a bust in the not-too-distant future,” he correctly predicted in June of 2014.

There’s really no excuse for the collective failure of oil experts to reach the same conclusion.

Back to my mistake.

Predicting what will happen with solar power over the next 35 years is hard.

The same people who couldn’t spot oil’s “selfinflicted” wounds seven months ago surely can’t be trusted to get it right.

In 2002, a research firm called Management

Information Services Inc. assessed the accuracy of energy forecasts during the second half of the 20th century.

Experts consistently claimed that the world would hit “peak oil” - the point when petroleum supplies will stop meeting demand - within 15 years. And they insisted that solar energy and other renewable options were on the brink of hitting critical mass.

In light of that terrible track record, the researchers at Management Information Services cor-

rectly predicted that peak oil wasn’t around the corner. They also mistakenly said that solar and wind power wouldn’t be competitive with dirty-energy options by now.

But green energy, it turns out, is reaching that point. So I think it’s fair to say that their crystal ball failed in that regard.

I believe in learning from your mistakes.

I hope Daniel Yergin and other energy experts do too.

Emily Schwartz Greco is a former foreign correspondent and financial reporter

HUK

872-2090

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872-5328 Sunday

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No charge for community events

SCHS JV B/G BB tournament @ Lakin, 5:00 p.m.

Thursday

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Friday

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Saturday

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SCHS B/G BB @ Cimarron, 4:45 p.m.

7th Boys BB vs.

Ulyssis, 4:00 p.m.

Pack 66/Troop 149, 5:00 p.m.

8th Boys BB @ Ulysses, Valentine Spectacu4:00 p.m. lar @ The Majestic, SCHS JV/V Wrestling 6:15 p.m. dual @ Dodge City, 6:00 p.m.

ES TEAM mtg., 5:30 p.m.

Winter Homecoming SCHS B/G BB vs.

Hugoton, 6:30 p.m.

City Council mtg., 7:30 p.m.

Attend the church of your choice.

7 SCHS Wrestling GWAC @ Hugoton, 10:00 a.m.

7th/8th Boys BB @ Kenneth Henderson with Comanche, 10:00 a.m.

Valentine Spectacular @ The Majestic, 6:15 p.m.

Al-Anon meeting @ Community Christian Church, 6:30 p.m.

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P/T Conferences

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The Scott County Record • Page 8 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Fix

Pedro Rojas, Jr., with his parents, Pedro and Jessica, at the Scott County Hospital.

(Record Photo)

Pedro Rojas, Jr., is first baby of ‘15 born at SCH

The long wait is over for the arrival of the first baby of 2015 at the Scott County Hospital.

Pedro Rojas, Jr., was born on Jan. 25 to Pedro and Jessica Rojas of Scott City. He arrived at 12:34 p.m., weighing 8 lbs., 11 oz., and measuring 20 inches in length.

The delivering physician was Dr. Christian Cupp.

He was welcomed home by his four-year-old sister, Evanelen.

The first baby and his parents are recipients of the following merchandise and services provided by Scott City businesses: •Gifts, Etc.: a gift for the baby.

•Braun’s Butcher Block: $20 gift certificate.

•Z-Bottling: one case of gallonsized water jugs.

•Dairy Queen: Eight-inch ice cream cake.

(continued from page two)

“We are up against it,” Ryckman, R-Olathe, said.

The state faces not only a projected shortfall in its current budget, but a $436 million gap between anticipated revenues and current spending commitments for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The shortfalls arose after lawmakers, at Brownback’s urging, aggressively cut personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 to stimulate the economy.

In the past, Kansas has delayed monthly aid payments to public schools and other bills when budget problems have caused cash crunches. But Sullivan said if a budget-balancing plan passes quickly the state should be fine through June, “We’ll work it out,” said Sen. Jeff Melcher (RLeawood) when asked if lawmakers would pass the needed bill by mid-February. “We’re not going to

ever let a check bounce.

Whether it’s going to be exactly as it is (as proposed by the governor) I don’t know, but we’ll work to meet the deadline on that. I have no concerns about us honoring our responsibility.”

Sen. Ty Masterson (RAndover), chair of the Ways and Means Committee, also was confident that the Senate would be able to pass a bill on time.

He said the House presents more of a challenge.

“I’m highly confident that we will make it through the process.

The only caveat to that is if there’s members of the House who will try to thwart the process for political reasons,” Masterson said. “The House is a little less predictable.

Sub-factions are more common over there and that would be the only reason to slow it.”

Rep. Scott Schwab (R-

Olathe), who has been in the Legislature for 13 years, said lawmakers have been in similar situations under previous governors and have always managed to pass a bill in time.

“It’s not as big of a deal as it looks,” Schwab said.

“They (Democrats) will help us get it passed if we need to, because they understand this.”

Brownback has blamed much of the shortfall on unanticipated education costs connected to the aid for poor public school districts after the Kansas Supreme Court mandated increases in a lawsuit filed in 2010 by parents and school districts.

The governor is sticking by an earlier proposal to cover the extra costs, setting total school aid at $3.7 billion under the current budget, then drop it to $3.6 billion for the next fiscal year.

Murphy says:

Make a winning play this Super Sunday!

•Heartland Foods: one package of diapers.

•L&M Western Tire: $25 in fuel.

•Scott County Hospital: an embroidered blanket.

•First National Bank: a collector’s coin.

•Sager’s Pump Service: $100 in Chamber Bucks.

•American Implement: a John Deere toy.

•Bling: a Wabbanub pacifier.

•Wendy’s: combo meal coupons for Mom and Dad. •The Country Store: a baby tile decoration that includes the baby’s photo, date of birth, weight and length.

•Suzy B’s Flowers and More: a floral arrangement for Mom and the baby.

•The Scott County Record: a one year subscription.

Stop in for cold beer on your way to the party!

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Youth/Education

The Scott County Record

Page 9 - Thursday, January 29, 2015

Bill poses a new threat to schools, property owners Ominous predictions that schools and local property owners would be forced to pay for the reckless tax cuts enacted by the Kansas Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback are starting to play out.

The state Senate Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to hear testimony next week on a bill that would recalculate the money the state gives annually to most school districts to equalize disparities in wealth among local tax bases.

Nearly all of the state’s school districts would receive less money than anticipated this year, and Johnson County districts

would get hit with 28 percent of the overall $39 million worth of cuts.

In future years, school districts could adjust to the recalculated formula called for in Senate Bill 71 by raising their mill levies. But that would mean higher property taxes in some jurisdictions.

Coming on the heels of Gov. Sam Brownback’s suggestion that school districts - instead of the state - begin paying for increases in teacher pensions, this latest bill indicates a willingness to plug holes in the distressed Kansas budget by taking money from elementary and secondary education.

Cramer earns honors at Bethany Katren Cramer, Dighton, is among more than 180 students who earned fall semester academic honors at Bethany College, Lindsborg.

Cramer, who is majoring in elementary education (grades K-6) was named to the Dean’s list.

To qualify for the list, students must be enrolled full-time and earn a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Thornburg, Herndon earn fall honors at OU

Kaitlyn Thornburg, Scott City, and Sierra Herndon, Dighton, have been named to the fall semester Dean’s List at Ottawa University.

To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours over the preceding two semesters and maintained a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

Huck cast in KSU production

Catherine Huck, Scott City, has been cast in the upcoming Kansas State University production, “Bustown.”

The comedy will be presented at the Chapman Theatre, Nichols Hall, from Feb. 5-7 and Feb. 12-14 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sun., Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m.

Huck, a junior majoring in theatre, plays the role of Sylvia.

An exploration of smalltown life, “Bustown” questions the desperate move young people make to the city and how it affects the people and places they leave behind.

Enjoying the safety of their junk yard town, the people of Bustown happily wait for The Driver to return. But Axel and Cressida can’t stop thinking about Otherness. With a chain of keys in close reach, how long will they continue to wait?

Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at http:// www.k-state.edu/theatre/ buytickets.html.

That strategy seems destined to undermine public schools and cause more friction with the courts.

The bill does not list a sponsor, but it reportedly was initiated by Sen. Ty Masterson (R-Andover), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. It is scheduled for a hearing and possible committee vote next week, indicating that legislative leaders have given it a high priority.

Equalization Funds The pot of money in question - supplemental general state aid - is one of the issues the Kansas

Supreme Court dealt with in a ruling last spring. It is money the state allocates to subsidize districts with less property wealth than others. For several years, the legislature had budgeted less than its own formula decrees.

Prompted by the court ruling, the legislature agreed last session to give schools an additional $130 million in equalization funds, which was supposed to make up for the formula shortfall. But as it turned out, the calculation was underestimated by about $39 million.

Senate Bill 71 aims to resolve the issue by rewriting the formula,

meaning a permanent cut for most school districts.

Should the bill become law, districts in Johnson County, for example, would see a total of $11 million cut from their budgets this year. Shawnee Mission would lose $4.2 million and Olathe $2.6 million. The Kansas City School District would have to make do with about $1 million less.

Districts could get that money back next year by raising their mill levies.

Senate Bill 71 was introduced the same day that five Johnson County school districts learned that voters had resoundingly approved requests

to increase local funding from 31 to 33 percent of their general funds.

The districts - Shawnee Mission, Olathe, Blue Valley, De Soto and Gardner Edgerton - had told voters that “based on current known factors” the increase in local option funding would not mean higher property taxes.

That claim was accurate. District administrators had no idea legislation was in the works to undermine them.

If passed, the Senate bill would wipe out most or all of the gains that the school districts will receive by continuing their local funding increases.

Vulgamore is county spelling champ With the correct spelling of “sarcastic,” Parker Vulgamore earned the right to represent Scott County at the upcoming Sunflower Spelling Bee. Vulgamore, an eighth grader at Scott City Middle School, was among 10 finalists competing for the county title on Tuesday morning at the Scott Community High School auditorium. This was one of the better competitions in recent years with 52 words required to determine the winner.

“It’s not something I really studied for,” Vulgamore admitted. “I used to read a lot and I did look over the pamphlet (word list) that they gave us.”

Seven contestants still remained after three rounds of competition. By the seventh round the contests had been reduced to its final three spellers - Brynna Burnett, Jacobed Navarrete and Vulgamore. Navarrete, a fourth grader, and Burnett, a fifth grader, breezed through the next two rounds before each stumbled in the ninth round.

Burnett misspelled “regardless” and Navarrete was tripped up by “prescribe.”

In between those two contestants, Vulgamore correctly spelled “yacht” and then closed out the contest with the spelling

SCMS eighth grader Parker Vulgamore thinks for a moment before correctly spelling a word during the county spelling bee on Tuesday morning.

(Record Photo)

of “sarcastic.”

Vulgamore says he will spend more time in preparation for the next level of competition.

“Now that there’s a little more on the line, I’ll study a little harder,” he says.

8 area students on FHSU Dean’s list

Eight area students were named to the fall semester Dean’s Honor Roll at Ft. Hays State University.

To be eligible, undergraduate students must be enrolled in 12 or more credit hours and maintain a grade point average of 3.6 or higher for the semester. Full-time oncampus and FHSU virtual college students are eligible.

Honor roll students include: Dighton: Clayton Capra, a sophomore majoring in music education; and Hannah Speer, a junior majoring in agriculture (animal science).

Scott City: Allison Gough, a senior majoring in elementary education; Shelby Kite, a senior majoring in early childhood unified; Clay Mulligan, a junior majoring in biology (pre-physical therapy); Callan Rice, a sophomore majoring in education; Andrea Smith, a sophomore majoring in elementary education; Megan Thornburg, a freshman majoring in radiologic technology; Manuel Turner, a junior majoring in management; and Kelly Wycoff, a freshman majoring in health and human performance.

The Sunflower Spelling Bee accepts winners from 79 counties in Kansas. The number of county-level winners is determined by the number of schools enrolled through the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Sunflower Bee will be held

at Ft. Hays State University on March 7.

The winner of the Sunflower Spelling Bee will receive an all-expense paid trip for the student and a guardian to Washington, D.C., along with other prizes.

For the Record Consider the pros, cons of reverse mortgages The Scott County Record

Jason Alderman

Over the last decade, reverse mortgages have been marketed as an easy way for seniors to cash in their home equity to pay for living expenses.

However, many have learned that improper use of the product - such as pulling all their cash out at one time to pay bills - has led to significant financial problems later, including foreclosure.

In actuality, there are some cases where reverse

The Scott County Record Page 10 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

mortgages can be helpful to borrowers. However, it is imperative to do extensive research on these products before you sign.

Reverse mortgages are special kinds of home loans that let borrowers convert some of their home equity into cash.

They come in three varieties: single-purpose reverse mortgages, Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) and proprietary reverse mortgages.

Who can apply?

Homeowners can apply

Scott County Commission Agenda Monday, February 2 County Courthouse 3:00 p.m.

County business Approve minutes, accounts payable, January payroll

3:30 p.m.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield reps renewal of county health insurance

4:00 p.m.

Emergency Management Director Larry Turpin to discuss upcoming classes, mitigation

4:30 p.m.

Public Works Director Richard Cramer

Agenda may change before the meeting. Contact County Clerk Alice Brokofsky for an updated agenda (872-2420) or visit www.scott.kansasgov.com

Scott City Council Agenda Mon., February 2 • 7:30 p.m.

City Hall • 221 W. 5th •Call to Order •Approve minutes of Jan. 19 regular meeting •Fire Chief Ken Hoover 1) Request to purchase equipment for new fire truck •Request to use Scott City Airport on April 22 for SCHS ElectroRally race •Request from municipal clerk to attend new clerk’s orientation and spring conference •Open agenda: audience is invited to voice ideas or concerns. A time limit may be requested Police Department 1) Request to write specifications and request bids for a new police car Parks Department 1) Open mower bids Public Works Department 1) Request to attend Kansas Rural Water Conference in Wichita 2) 2014 water pumping log Clerk’s Department 1) Request to attend City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officer Association spring conference in Wichita 2) Reschedule second council meeting in February to Tues., Feb. 17 in observance of President’s Day •Mayor’s comments

Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)1t BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION RE: Landmark Resources, Inc- Application for New Pool Determination in the Janzen Unit 1-1 in Scott County, Kansas.

TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, unleased Mineral Interest Owners, Landowners, and all persons whosoever concerned.

You, and each of you, are hereby notified that Landmark Resources, Inc. has filed an application for New Pool Determination for the Janzen Unit 1-1, located 1627’ from the south line and 320’ from the east line of SE/4 Sec. 1-T17S-34W in

Scott County, Kansas.

Any persons who object to or protest this application shall be required to file their objections or protests with the Conservation Division of the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication.

These protests shall be filled pursuant to Commission regulations and must state specific reasons why the grant of the application may cause waste, violate correlative rights, or pollute the natural resources of the State of Kansas.

All persons interested or concerned shall take notice of the foregoing and shall govern themselves accordingly.

Landmark Resources, Inc. 1616 S. Voss Road, #600 Houston, TX 77057

Support Your Hometown Merchants!

for a reverse mortgage if they are at least 62 years old, own their home outright or have a low mortgage balance that can be paid off with the proceeds of the reverse loan.

Qualifying homeowners also must have no delinquent federal debt, the financial resources to pay for upkeep, taxes and insurance and live in the home during the life of the loan.

Consider the following pros and cons as a starting point for trying or bypass-

ing this loan choice. Even though HECM loans require a discussion with a loan counselor, you should bring in your own financial, tax or estate advisor to help you decide whether you have a safe and appropriate use for this product.

Pros of reverse mortgages: •They’re a source of cash. Borrowers can select that the amount of the loan be payable in a lump sum or regular payments.

Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)1t BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION RE: Lario Oil & Gas Company – Application for a permit to authorize the commingling of zones in the Socolofsky #1-9, located in Scott County, Kansas.

TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, Unleased Minerals Interest Owners, Landowners and all persons whomever concerned.

You, and each of you, are hereby notified that Lario Oil & Gas Company has filed an application to commingle Lansing, and Morrow zones in the Socolofsky #1-9, located approximately Sec. 9-17S-31W, in Scott County, Kansas.

Any persons who object to or protest this application shall be required to file

their objections or protests with the Conservation Division of the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas within (15) days from the date of this publication.

These protests shall be filed pursuant to Commission regulations and must state specific reasons why the grant of the application may cause waste, violate correlative rights or pollute the natural resources of the State of Kansas. If no protests are received, this application may be granted through a summary proceeding. If valid protests are received, this matter will be set for hearing.

All persons interested or concerned shall take notice of the foregoing and shall govern themselves accordingly.

Lario Oil & Gas Company 301 S. Market Wichita, KS 67202 (316) 265-5611 ATTN: Jay Schweikert 265-5611

Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)1t BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION RE: Landmark Resources, Inc- Application for New Pool Determination in the Krebs 1-5 in Scott County, Kansas.

TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, unleased Mineral Interest Owners, Landowners, and all persons whosoever concerned.

You, and each of you, are hereby notified that Landmark Resources, Inc. has filed an application for New Pool Determination at the Krebs 1-5, located 145’ from the south line and 1404’ from the west line of SW/4 Sec. 5-T17S-33W in Scott Coun-

Scott Co. LEC Report Scott City Police Department Jan. 23: Kylan Stroud, 19, was arrested on an out-of-county warrant and transported to the LEC. Jan. 26: Meghan Isaacson reported criminal damage to property at 513-1/2 South Main and disorderly conduct. Chaz Wilson was arrested.

Jan. 26: Troy Warta was arrested for driving on a suspended license, unsafe turning or stopping and no vehicle insurance.

He was transported to the LEC. Jan. 26: Luis Balderrama, 18, was arrested for minor in possession/consumption of alcohol.

Scott County Sheriff’s Department Jan. 23: Bradley Johnson, 23, was arrested on two counts of attempted murder in the second degree and criminal damage to property.

ty, Kansas.

Any persons who object to or protest this application shall be required to file their objections or protests with the Conservation Division of the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication.

These protests shall be filled pursuant to Commission regulations and must state specific reasons why the grant of the application may cause waste, violate correlative rights, or pollute the natural resources of the State of Kansas.

All persons interested or concerned shall take notice of the foregoing and shall govern themselves accordingly.

Landmark Resources, Inc. 1616 S. Voss Road, #600 Houston, TX 77057

•Proceeds are generally tax-free. Final tax treatment may rely on a variety of personal factors, so check with a tax professional.

•Generally, they don’t impact Social Security or Medicare payments.

Again, important to check personal circumstances.

•Most reverse mortgages have a “nonrecourse” clause, which prevents you or your estate from owing more than the value of your home when the loan becomes due and

the home is sold.

Reverse mortgages may be a smarter borrowing option for some downsizing seniors. With proper advice, some borrowers use them to buy new homes.

Cons of reverse mortgages: •You may outlive your equity. Reverse mortgages are viewed as a “lastresort” loan option and certainly not a singular solution to spending problems.

(See REVERSE on page 11)

Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)1t BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION RE: Landmark Resources, Inc- Application for New Pool Determination in the Decker 3-3 in Scott County, Kansas.

TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, unleased Mineral Interest Owners, Landowners, and all persons whosoever concerned.

You, and each of you, are hereby notified that Landmark Resources, Inc. has filed an Application for New Pool Determination at the Decker 3-3, located 691’ from the north line and 335’ from the east line of NE/4 Sec. 3-T17S-34W in Scott

County, Kansas.

Any persons who object to or protest this application shall be required to file their objections or protests with the Conservation Division of the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication.

These protests shall be filled pursuant to Commission regulations and must state specific reasons why the grant of the application may cause waste, violate correlative rights, or pollute the natural resources of the State of Kansas.

All persons interested or concerned shall take notice of the foregoing and shall govern themselves accordingly.

Landmark Resources, Inc. 1616 S. Voss Road, #600 Houston, TX 77057

Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Jan. 29, 2015)1t BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION RE: Landmark Resources, Inc- Application for New Pool Determination in the Dirks 1-2 in Scott County, Kansas.

TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, unleased Mineral Interest Owners, Landowners, and all persons whosoever concerned.

You, and each of you, are hereby notified that Landmark Resources, Inc. has filed an for New Pool Determination at the Dirks 1-2, located 348’ from the south line and 1563’ from the west line of SW/4 Sec. 2-T17S34W in Scott County, Kan-

sas.

Any persons who object to or protest this application shall be required to file their objections or protests with the Conservation Division of the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication.

These protests shall be filled pursuant to Commission regulations and must state specific reasons why the grant of the application may cause waste, violate correlative rights, or pollute the natural resources of the State of Kansas.

All persons interested or concerned shall take notice of the foregoing and shall govern themselves accordingly.

Landmark Resources, Inc. 1616 S. Voss Road, #600 Houston, TX 77057

Support Your Hometown Merchants!

The Scott County Record • Page 11 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Senate bill would boost penalties for burglaries

A bill in the Kansas Senate would stiffen penalties for home burglaries, but senators are worried that the measure might further strain the state’s crowded prisons.

Other than murders and rapes, home burglaries touch victims on a deeper level than any other crime, Assistant County Attorney for Leavenworth Christopher Scott testified to the Senate Corrections

Reverse (continued from page 10)

•You and your heirs won’t get to keep your house unless you repay the loan. If your children hope to inherit your home outright, try to find some other funding solution (family loans, other conventional loan products) first.

•Fees can be more expensive than conventional loans. Reverse mortgage lenders typically charge an origination fee and higher closing costs than conventional loans. This adds up to several percentage points of your home’s value.

•Many reverse mortgages are adjustable rate products. Adjustable rates affect the cost of the loan over time.

If you have to move out for any reason, your loan becomes due. If you have to suddenly move into a nursing home or assisted-living facility, the loan becomes due after you’ve left your home for a continuous year.

Bottom line: Reverse mortgages have become a popular, if controversial, loan option for senior homeowners. For some, they may be a good fit, but all applicants should get qualified financial advice before they apply.

and Juvenile Justice Committee on Tuesday.

He said victims are often incensed at what they see as disproportionately low sentencing guidelines that often result in probation even for serial offenders.

“Sometimes I joke when we get these burglary cases and they’re getting probation, ‘I wish they’d have had a little meth in their pocket

when they were caught after committing the burglary,’ because we may have actually gotten some decent time on them,” Scott told the committee.

While some home burglars could still receive probation under the bill, the first conviction of aggravated burglary would result in a minimum of more than five years behind bars and repeat offenders could

County Commission January 6, 2015 Scott County Commissioners met in a regular meet-

Kansas’ prison population is growing and is expected to exceed capacity by the end of 2014, according to estimates by the Department of Corrections. The department expects that state prisons will be over capacity by seven percent by 2024.

To compensate for the potential increase, public defender Jennifer Roth proposed to the committee

an amendment that would remove repeat shoplifting cases from the definition of burglary. Currently, shoplifters that have already been banned from a store are often charged with aggravated burglary, she said, rather than misdemeanor trespassing.

The Kansas Sentencing Commission is studying what impact such an amendment would have on prison populations.

(Published in The Scott County Record on Thurs., January 29, 2015)1t City of Scott City • 221 W. 5th • Scott City, Ks. 67871

TREASURER’S FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 1, 2014, THRU DECEMBER 31, 2014

ing with the following present: Chairman James Minnix, Commissioners Jerry Buxton and Gary Skibbe; and

FUNDS

County Clerk Alice Brokofsky were present.

General Fund

•County Attorney Rebecca Faurot presented plans and goals for the county attorney’s office. Commission will address this issue at budget hearings in June.

•Commission approved to pay the 2015 KAC membership dues in the amount of $1,979.39.

•Michael Beaver was appointed to serve on the Scott County Library Board.

Sept. 30, 2014 $ 1,468,446.96

Sewer Use Fee

Commission approved the following change order: Abatement Larry and Barbara Richard

$323.64

Larry Turpin, emergency management director,

RECEIPTS $

364,956.80

$

DISBURSED

Dec. 31, 2014

789,091.28

$ 1,044,312.48

30,125.78

231,503.33

209,388.94

52,240.17

Special Highway

82,387.66

26,016.30

Trans. Guest Tax

137,913.78

21,832.01

19,408.38

Airport Enterprise

16,354.64

5,366.82

7,180.75

14,540.71

Airport Sinking

285,872.83

1,179.98

17,280.26

269,772.55

Special Parks

16,916.63

1,131.98

4,684.00

13,364.61

Employee Benefit

60,521.96

2,903.41

45,346.63

18,078.74

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

Water Utility

991,826.65

240,258.01

112,202.87

1,119,881.79

Fire Equipment

129,537.02

875.77

Street Imp. Fund

(586,937.46)

Municipal Equip.

67,205.81

Water Improv. Fund

Clearing Fund

of arranging a local class for everyone who would be

TOTALS

108,403.96 140,337.41

130,412.79 (586,937.46)

20,000.00

950.00

23,995.05

23,997.15

(2.10)

117,334.61

374,782.88

372,666.50

119,450.99

$ 2,996,770.03

$ 1,135,539.18

$ 1,422,933.60

$ 2,709,375.61

AVAILABLE CASH

$ 2,709,375.61

Insurance Proceeds

informed the commission that he was in the process

86,255.81

involved in case of a county disaster.

•Frank Weisenberger presented plans for a Veterans Memorial to be located at the Scott County Cemetery in conjunction with the existing flag poles. Plans for the

I, Dan Weides, hereby certify that the above statement is correct

memorial were approved.

•Scott County Treasurer Lark Speer requested pay increases for her office staff which were approved by the commission.

Dan Weides City Treasurer

•Speer presented the Zella Carpenter, December special assistance check for Park Lane Nursing Home.

•Commissioners approved pay increases for the County Clerk’s office.

•Commission approved to pay premiums to KCAMP for property and liability insurance in the amount of $89,672 and a premium in the amount of $26,262 to KWORC for workers compensation.

J&R Car and Truck Center

Antique and Household

Sunday, February 8 • 10:00 a.m.

Sunday, February 2 • 11:00 a.m. Location: Community building, at the fairgrounds, east edge of Leoti

The Late Duwane and Irene Patton - Owner

Antique Furniture Double possum belly dough table Oak wardrobe Oak kitchen cabinet with frosted glass Buffet Singer treadle sewing machine in oak cabinet Antique and Collectibles Frankhoma pottery Wash board (unusual) Old cardboard ice cream sign Antique wall mirror G&N&W rail road lantern Red globe rail road lantern Shoe last Trap Old tools Coca Cola wood crate Coca Cola metal ice chest, 50s Large biscuit tin 2-Grocery store meat scales Bobbins store display with wood case (different) Old photo albums with pictures Stereo scope with cards Gold plated wrought iron wash stand Porcelain matching bed set, pitcher and bowl,cup,

face more than 14 years in jail.

The bill would also stiffen penalties for a burglary with the intent to steal a firearm, adding 12 months to such sentences.

Republican Sen. Jeff King of Independence said that while he was a strong proponent of the bill, the expectation that it would require space for about 100 more prisoners in state facilities gave him pause.

hair receptacle, chamber pot (nice) Coors beer sign Busch beer neon sign Miller Light beer sign Watt apple pottery collection (several pieces) 125 pieces of Kings Crown cranberry glass 73 pieces of “Chintz” Fostoria and Heisey etched rose glass 16-place setting of Conet china Cranberry and Ruby glass, including 2-baskets Pressed glass Zipper glass Oil lamps Cast iron items Sad irons, mini sad irons Paper weight collection Toothpick collection Picture frames Remington rolling ledger safe Trunk salt and pepper shakers Household and Furniture Round wooden dining table with 6-chairs Tan recliner Curio cabinet Book shelves Pots and pans Toys Kitchen utensils

Craft items End tables Small curio cabinet Lots of other items Guns Robinson & Lawrence US Model 1841 Mississippi rifle, 54 cal. (rare) Springfield 30-06 sporting rifle with 3x7 scope Savage Model 99 lever action rifle, 30 cal.

Stevens 12 gauge double barrel shot gun Ruger SR 22P pistol, NIB Stevens Model 22 shot gun, 410, over and under Marlin Model 3360S rifle, 35 cal. with Bushnell scope Remington Model 597 rifle, 22 cal., 10 shot clip with scope, NIB Mossberg 12 gauge pump shot gun Ruger 22 cal. rifle with clip Marlin 36A rifle, 30-30 cal., lever action 3-Bricks 22 cal. ammo Other shells Coins 1822 CC Morgan silver dollar 1889-1892-1899-19041921 Morgan silver dollars 1922-1923-1924-1926 Peace silver dollars

Eisenhower silver dollars Franklin half dollars Walking Liberty half dollars 1902 Barber half dollar 2-1893 Columbian Expo half dollar 1864-1865-1867-1869 1870 two cent pieces Barber dimes Mercury dimes Barber quarters 1854 half cent piece, XF 1854 and 1861 seated half dimes 1867 3-cent piece V nickels 1818-1819-18221827-1830-18311837-1838-18431845-1846-18471848-1849- 18501851-1852-18531854-1889 Large Cents 1857 and 1858 Flying Eagle 1859-1860-1862-18631864 copper nickels Lots of Indian head pennies Lincoln pennies, including 1909 VDB and 1922 D Buffalo nickels Many other coins Large selection of Foreign coins Call for complete list

Terms: Lunch Served. Must have ID to register, no exceptions! Cash or approved check day of sale. Everything sold as is.

No warranties expressed or implied. Not responsible for theft or accident. Announcements day of sale take precedence over printed material. Check us out: www.berningauction.com and facebook

208 W. 5th St., Scott City 620-872-2103 800-886-2103 Come Grow With Us!

www.JRCARandTRUCK.com 2515 Cars 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, GTS Package ...Silver/Black Cloth.. 111K mi.....(1514A) ..... $9,900 2011 Buick Lacrosse CXL, V6 ............................ White Dia/Gray Leather.... 81K mi.....(1898A) ... $13,900 2012 Nissan Maxima, S Package, V6, Sunroof ....... Black/Black Leather.... 43K mi.....(1694A) ... $18,500 2012 Chevy Impala LTZ, Sunroof, V6 ....................... Black/Black Leather.... 62K mi.... (1826B) ... $12,900 2013 Chevy Malibu LT ...................................................White/Gray Cloth.... 26K mi.......(1741) ... $17,900 2013 Chevy Sonic LT, FWD, Mylink ..................... Crystal Red/Gray Cloth...... 4K mi.......(1395) ... $15,500 2014 Chevy Malibu LTZ..................... Black Granite Metallic/Tan Leather.... 25K mi.......(1835) ... $21,900 2014 Chevy Cruze 2LT, RS, Sunroof............... Crystal Red/Black Leather.... 19K mi.......(1844) ... $17,500 2014 Buick Lacrosse Premium 2, V6, Snrf, Heads up, Silver/Tan Leather . 15K mi.......(1869) ... $30,500 2014 Chevy Cruze 2LT RS, Mylink ........................... Silver/Black Leather.... 11K mi.......(1909) ... $17,500 SUVs 2001 Nissan Pathfinder LE, 4x4, 3.5L V6................ Silver/Black Leather.. 167K mi.... (1907B) ..... $3,800 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV, AWD, NAV, DVD, Sunroof, 6.2L, White Diamond, 163K mi, (1896B) $CALL 2008 Buick Enclave CXL, AWD, DVD, Sunroof ..... Gold Mist/Tan Leather.... 84K mi.... (1676C) ... $18,500 2008 Chevy Tahoe LT, 4x4, DVD, Sunroof, 20” Wheels ..... White/Tan Lthr.... 92K mi.....(1880A) ... $20,900 2010 GMC Acadia SLT-2, AWD, Sunroof, DVD, V6 ....Silver/Gray Leather.... 82K mi.....(1768A) ... $20,900 2011 GMC Yukon XL Denali, AWD, Sunroof, DVD, NAV, Gold Mist/Tan Lthr, 85K mi ...(1814A) ... $33,500 2012 GMC Terrain SLT-2, AWD, V6, Sunroof .....Red Jewel/Gray Leather.... 47K mi.......(1710) ... $23,900 2013 Chevy Equinox LTZ, FWD, Mylink, NAV, Champagne Silver/Brownstone, 26K mi, (1908A) . $22,800 2013 Ford Escape SEL, FWD, 2.0L Ecoboost ..............Silver/Tan Leather.... 32K mi.... (1616B) ... $22,500 2013 Ford Escape SEL, FWD, 2.0L Ecoboost .......... White/Black Leather.... 45K mi.....(1764A) ... $19,500 2013 Buick Enclave, AWD ........................................ Silver/Black Leather.... 35K mi.......(1790) ... $32,500 2013 GMC Acadia SLT, AWD, 3.6L V6, 2nd R Buckets, Silver/Black Leather, 35K mi .....(1792) ... $32,600 2014 Chevy Equinox LTZ, AWD, Sunroof, V6................ Blue/Tan Leather.... 16K mi.......(1808) ... $29,700 2014 GMC Terrain SLT-2, AWD, Sunroof, V6 .............Gray/Black Leather.... 29K mi.......(1807) ... $28,500 Pickups 2000 Ford F150 Reg Cab XLT, 2WD, 4.6L V8 ............Maroon/Gray Cloth.. 196K mi.... (1625B) ..... $3,500 2004 Ford F250 Crew Cab, 2WD, Lariat, Diesel ......... White/Tan Leather.... 73K mi.... (1638B) ... $14,900 2006 Dodge Ram 2500HD Mega Cab, 4x4, 5.9L Diesel, Lifted, Gray/Gray Lthr, 134K mi, (1918A) $CALL 2008 Chevy 1500 Reg Cab LT, 4x4, 5.3L ...................... Silver/Gray Cloth.. 100K mi.... (1886C) ... $13,900 2008 Ford F250 Crew King Ranch, 4x4, 6.4L Diesel, Sunroof, Maroon/Saddle Leather, 186K mi (1571B) $CALL

2010 GMC 1500 Ext Cab SLE, 4x4, 5.3L......................Silver/Black Cloth.... 80K mi.... (1882C) ... $21,800 2011 GMC 2500HD Crew SLT, 4x4, 6.6L Diesel .........Silver/Gray Leather.... 92K mi.....(1798A) ... $35,900 2011 Chevy 1500 Ext Cab LT, 4x4, 5.3L ......................White/Black Cloth.... 65K mi.....(1885A) ... $23,400 2011 Chevy 1500 Crew LT, 4x4, 6.2L...........................Black/Tan Leather.... 54K mi.....(1903A) ... $28,500 2011 Chevy 1500 Crew LT, 4x4, Z71, 5.3L ..................White/Black Cloth.... 47K mi.....(1854A) ... $27,800 2012 Chevy 1500 Crew LS, 4x4, 4.8L V8 ....................White/Black Cloth.... 13K mi.... (1890B) ... $27,500 2013 Chevy 2500HD Crew LT, 4x4, 6.0L Gas, Z71, 20” Wheels, Wh/Blk Cloth, 24K mi, (1876A) . $35,900 2013 Chevy 3500HD Crew LTZ, 4x4, 6.6L Diesel, Z71, SRW, Red/Black Lthr, 32K mi, (1877A) ... $45,500 2013 Chevy 1500 Crew LTZ, 4x4, Z71, 5.3L ..............Black/Gray Leather.... 30K mi.......(1740) ... $33,900 2013 2500 HD Crew, LT, 4x4, 6.6L Diesel, ...................White/Black Cloth.... 57K mi.......(1745) ... $37,900 2013 GMC 2500HD Crew Denali, 4x4, 6.6L Diesel, 20” Wheels, Wh/Tan Lthr, 44K mi, (1883A)... $47,800 2013 Chevy 1500 Reg Cab LT, 4x4, 5.3L, Long Bed, Blue Granite/Gray Cloth, 68K mi, (1886B) ... $CALL 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew, SLE, 4x4, 5.3L..............White/Black Cloth...... 3K mi.......(1750) ... $37,900 2014 Chevy 1500 Crew LTZ, 4x4, NAV, Sunroof, Rhino Lining, Tonneau Cover, 20” Wheels, Brownstone/Tan Leather ... 27K mi .....(1785A) ... $41,900

2014 Chevy 1500 Crew 2LT, 4x4, 5.3L, Z71 .................White/Gray Cloth.... 19K mi.......(1837) ... $34,900

The Scott County Record • Page 12 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Federal officials are willing to negotiate on Medicaid expansion Jim McLean KHI News Service

A group of Kansas hospital leaders is doing what Gov. Sam Brownback has so far declined to do: negotiate with federal officials on Medicaid expansion.

A delegation of hospital executives recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and outline an expansion proposal they are developing for Brownback and Kansas lawmakers to consider this session.

They went seeking some indication of whether their plan would

pass muster. And they got it, according to Jeff Korsmo, chief executive of Wichita-based Via Christi Health. He told a legislative committee this week that CMS officials indicated the proposal, which relies more on the private sector to expand coverage, was “within the boundaries of what would be accepted.”

Tom Bell, chief executive of the Kansas Hospital Association, said the meeting and recent reports about President Barack Obama’s desire to compromise with Republican governors seeking to expand Medicaid on their own terms has convinced him that Kansas has an

opportunity to do the same.

“This is a great opportunity for states to design programs that work for them and go to the federal government and say, ‘This is what works for our state,’” Bell told the House Vision 2020 Committee.

Just this week, Indiana received approval for what Republican Gov. Mike Pence calls “the first-ever consumer-driven health care plan for a low-income population.”

The plan requires lowincome adults with annual incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level - $16,105 for individuals and $32,913 for

a family of four - to help pay for their coverage and to pay more if they make unnecessary trips to the emergency room.

The proposal being developed by Kansas hospitals would extend Medicaid benefits to many low-income adults and help others purchase coverage if they have access to it through their employers but have been unable to afford it.

The proposal would also give beneficiaries the option of purchasing highdeductible plans or help them create health savings accounts. And, like Indiana’s plan, it would require them to pay some (See EXPANSION on page 13)

80% of Kansans in ACA get financial aid Eighty percent of Kansas consumers who signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace are getting financial assistance to lower monthly premiums As the Feb. 15 deadline to sign up approaches, HHS is encouraging Kansas consumers to check out their options for quality affordable coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Through Jan. 16, 80,064 Kansas consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in Marketplace coverage. Of those: •80 percent selected a plan with financial assistance •39 percent were under 35 years of age •58 percent reenrolled in a marketplace plan and 42 percent selected a plan for the first time.

Nationwide, 9.5 million consumers selected or were automatically reenrolled in the ACA. More than 7.1 million were in the 37 states, including Kansas, using the HealthCare.gov platform.

Consumers can visit HealthCare.gov to review and compare health plan options. They can find local help at: Localhelp.healthcare.gov/. Or call the Marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596.

The good, and bad, of pacifiers for your baby Tara York, RCDC speech pathologist

The decision to use a pacifier - or not - is up to you Most babies have a strong sucking reflex.

Some babies even suck their thumbs or fingers before they’re born.

Sucking is necessary for baby’s nutrition and has

a calming and soothing effect. The desire to suck often remains after feedings are complete. Many parents provide pacifiers to their infants for contentment between feedings.

Some studies have shown that babies who use a pacifier during naptime or nighttime have a reduced risk of Sudden

Putting romance back into your relationship by the American Counseling Association

Yes, Valentine’s Day can seem like nothing but a massive push to sell romantic cards and gifts of flowers, candy or jewelry but, despite all the commercial hype, the reality is that Valentine’s Day can be a good opportunity for putting the romance back in a relationship.

It’s not uncommon that when someone has been in a relationship for a long time it can become easy to simply take the other person for granted and to let the romantic aspects just fall away. The sad fact is that most failed relationships don’t explode; rather they fade over time as romance disappears and one or both partners end up feeling unimportant, neglected and unloved.

No box of candy on Valentine’s Day will fix all the problems of a faded relationship, but it can be a start in showing the other person that you still care and are still paying attention.

With Valentine’s Day as a starting point, you can then continue the effort. Make sure birthdays and anniversaries are remembered, and then also celebrate special days, like the anniversary of your first date or the vacation you both enjoyed. Make a surprise celebration out of non-special days, just because you want to.

It’s also important to simply make time for each other. Romance in a relationship requires paying attention to the other person’s feelings and thoughts, not just to the problems, issues and details of daily life.

If necessary, add your partner to your schedule in order to insure that there’s time for each other.

Maybe you need a weekly “date night,” or a set 30 minutes each day to share thoughts, feelings, and future plans.

In our busy lives, it’s too easy to just pass each other by. We let problems overwhelm us, and take for granted the love and positive emotions that bring us happiness.

Keeping love alive as a relationship matures takes time and effort, though the work can be enjoyable. Giving your partner a small gift for no reason other than love will bring a loving smile to his or her face, and a warm feeling to you as well.

And isn’t that what a strong, romantic relationship should be giving you?

Valentine’s Day may be overly commercial, but the romance and positive emotions of the day can inspire us all to put in some effort to recharge and maintain a healthy relationship.

“Counseling Corner” is provided by the American Counseling Association. Comments and questions to ACAcorner@counseling.org or visit the ACA website at counseling.org

Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Pacifiers can help babies learn to control their feelings, relax them and make them feel secure.

If you decide to use a pacifier for your baby follow these guidelines to keep her safe: *Do use a pacifier that is bisphenol-A (BPA) free.

*Don’t secure a pacifier to your baby with a cord. It’s a strangling hazard. *Do use the right size for your baby’s age to make sure it fits his/her mouth. *Don’t let kids share a pacifier to avoid sharing germs. Also, wash pacifiers in soap and water to

keep them clean between uses.

Pacifiers are disposable. When it’s time to stop using them you can throw them away.

If your child prefers her thumb or fingers, breaking the habit is more difficult. Most children stop sucking their thumb by around age one or two.

The American Academy

of Pediatrics recommends eliminating pacifier use between 12 and 15 months. Children who continue to use the pacifier beyond this age can suffer problems with teeth and developing speech skills.

To wean your baby from pacifier use consider these techniques: (See BABY on page 13)

Know your rights as a health care consumer

Premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, copayments and provider networks are among the many items you might consider before choosing a health insurance policy that best suits you and your family’s needs. Most likely your current state of health and financial situation also will play a role in the decision.

No matter what health insurance policy you choose, know that you currently have access to various policies and cannot be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, says Roberta Riportella, Kansas Health Foundation professor of community health with K-State Extension.

You also cannot have a policy canceled because you get sick during the policy term.

Consumer rights such

“Premiums are the month- cation.

Health ly fixed cost you pay each Consumers also have Insurance Smarts month for your health the right to appeal a health insurance.” insurance company’s Part 2 as these coverage protections were included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition, the ACA offers consumers many other protections related to costs and care.

Policies Guaranteed Before the ACA, many families faced high outof-pocket medical costs when an insurer either denied coverage for a pre-existing condition or canceled coverage if the medical costs were too high, Riportella said.

Now all policies are guaranteed for renewal with one exception.

“That exception is if you do not pay your premiums,” she said.

Other coverage items protected by the law include those people age 26 and younger are now eligible for coverage under their parents’ health insurance policies.

Individuals under age 30, or are experiencing financial hardship, you may be eligible for a high-deductible and low-premium “catastrophic plan.”

Also, keeping the coverage you have and asking that insurance companies continue to pay for your health care claims are now more secure, Riportella said. The ACA stops insurance companies from canceling your coverage solely because you or your employer made an honest mistake on your insurance appli-

decision to deny paying for a claim or unexpectedly ending coverage.

No Lifetime Maximums The ACA eliminated annual and lifetime maximums on covered essential benefits, which means that insurance companies have to keep paying as long as you receive medical bills. There are also limits on how much your insurance can cost and how much insurance companies can raise premiums year-to-year.

Another cost protection in the law requires your premium dollars to be spent primarily on health care and not administrative costs, according to HHS. (See RIGHTS on page 13)

The Scott County Record • Page 13 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

House chair prefers private charity over federal aid Jim McLean KHI News Service

As a 25-year member of a Wichita Shriners Club, Rep. Dan Hawkins has seen what private charity can do for those who can’t afford medical care In addition to their social activities, the Shriners are well-known for the national network of 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children - facilities that use private donations to provide medical care for children regardless of their families’ ability to

pay.

“That’s what Shriners do,” Hawkins said.

“That’s their big thing. All their money goes toward those hospitals.”

Hawkins (R-Wichita), who is an insurance agent, was named chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee this year.

His political philosophy on health care matters is one that prefers relying on private charity care like that provided by the Shriners hospitals rather than increasing the share of medical care paid for

Rights Consumer Rights Lastly, the ACA established more consumer rights for types of care, Riportella said. A range of essential benefits is covered, including many free preventive care services.

“Many insurance policies before didn’t give consumers financial security when a major illness occurred,” she said.

“Many of these policies also didn’t cover preventive services - screening tests such as mammograms or colonoscopies - that help identify dis-

Lawmakers Serious The Vision 2020 Committee hearings mark the first time that legislators have formally discussed a Medicaid expansion proposal. But it doesn’t mean that legislative leaders have dropped their opposition.

The vision committee - which was formed to

Baby Younger infants Swaddling, rocking, singing, playing soft music and infant massage can be effective alternatives to pacifier use.

Older infants and toddlers - Activities, toys or other objects of affection

Obamacare and all of its parts,” it says on Hawkins’ campaign website. “I believe that government has no business providing healthcare.”

In an interview this week, Hawkins clarified that his opposition to government health care does not extend to Medicare, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals or TRICARE. He said his campaign statement applies only to the reforms that President Barack Obama spearheaded in 2010.

“I liked the system the

(continued from page 12)

More information about the ACA in Kansas is available through K-State Research and Extension fact sheets (http:// www.ksre.ksu.edu/issuesinhealthreform/p.aspx?tabid=21).

The Kansas Health Institute also has numerous resources on its website (http://www.khi.org/).

If obtaining insurance through the marketplace, the deadline is Feb. 15. Log on to www.healthcare.gov to learn more or to enroll. You also can learn more about the marketplace or KanCare by calling the marketplace, available 24/7, at 800-318-2596.

ease early and offer a better chance for successful treatment outcomes.

Now many people have policies that provide the kind of protections we all need, even if we think we won’t ever need them.”

“A comprehensive

Expansion of their health care costs.

The “personal responsibility” elements of the plan are intended to address the concerns of conservative legislators who don’t like the idea of extending taxpayerfunded health coverage to non-disabled adults.

Brownback shares those concerns. In an interview last summer with the conservative Heritage Foundation, the governor said getting people jobs was better policy than “giving (government) handouts to ablebodied individuals.”

Kansas’ privatized Medicaid program, known as KanCare, provides insurance to nearly 370,000 needy and disabled Kansans, but it doesn’t cover able-bodied adults without children no matter how poor they are.

Estimates vary, but Medicaid expansion would extend coverage to between 140,000 and 170,000 Kansans.

by the government.

“If we had more groups that did that, it would be awesome,” Hawkins said.

“If you go back in time, there were a lot of groups that helped with social service-type items. And then at some point in time the government stepped in and said, ‘We’re taking control of that.’”

Hawkins won his bid for re-election last fall, running on a platform that included unwavering opposition to the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

“I am opposed to

health insurance policy allows you to worry less about the financial implications of a major illness or injury and focus on the task of staying or getting well,” says Riportella.

All of these coverage, costs and care protections

are provided no matter how you obtain health insurance, whether that is through an employer, the Health Insurance Marketplace, a private insurer, TRICARE, Indian Health Service, Veteran’s Affairs, Medicare or KanCare, Kansas’ Medicaid program.

Health insurance is mandated by the ACA, Riportella said, so make sure you choose a policy for 2015. You must be covered for at least nine months of the year to avoid paying a penalty at tax time.

(continued from page 12)

This is a great opportunity for states to design programs that work for them and go to the federal government and say, ‘This is what works for our state.’

Tom Bell, chief executive of the Kansas Hospital Association

study issues - is perhaps the only House panel still controlled by moderate Republicans.

“No one has said we shouldn’t be holding these hearings, we shouldn’t be gathering information,” said Rep. Tom Sloan, a moderate Republican from Lawrence and chairman of the committee.

“There is a conversation this year; there hasn’t been one before.”

Sloan wants to have a bill written by Feb. 9. Once drafted, Sloan said he will ask Speaker Ray Merrick to have the bill worked by another committee, most likely the Health and Human Services Committee.

It’s not clear whether Merrick, a strong opponent of expansion, will honor that request. It’s also not clear what the new chair of the HHS committee, Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, would do with the bill. Hawkins is on record opposing the kind of Medicaid expansion called for in the federal health reform law.

But, he said that he’s open to considering alternatives.

Sense of Urgency Medicaid expansion is an urgent financial issue for many Kansas hospitals. The American Hospital Association supported the Affordable Care Act on the condition that planned cuts in Medicare reimbursements would be offset by increases in the number of people with private coverage or Medicaid.

Wichita’s Via Christi Health, the largest health care provider in the state, has absorbed nearly $25 million in Medicare reimbursement cuts since 2013, Korsmo said. Expanding Medicaid would generate nearly $14 million a year in additional revenues, he said.

Scott Taylor, chief executive of St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, said many of the small critical access hospitals that refer patients to his facility are struggling.

“There are a large number of critical access hospitals in Western Kansas, many of which already require a county subsidy to keep their doors open,” Taylor said. “They could benefit immensely from an expansion of

(continued from page 12)

such as a blanket might help distract your child from his desire for the pacifier.

Toddlers and older children - Allow your child to trade in her pacifier for a special book or toy.

More information on Russell Child Development Center’s early childhood programs in your community is available on our website at www.rcdc4kids.org or call our office at 620-2750291.

Medicaid.”

The hospital association estimates that Kansas has lost more than $370 million in additional federal funding since January 2014 due to its decision not to expand Medicaid.

The ACA promises to cover 100 percent of states’ expansion costs for the first three years.

In 2017, the federal share of expansion costs goes down gradually until 2020 when it reaches 90 percent, where the law says it will remain.

way we had it before,” Hawkins said.

He stood by his opposition to all parts of the health reform law, including more popular provisions like allowing people up to age 26 to remain covered by their parents’ health insurance and prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

Hawkins said that despite his opposition to the ACA, he is not opposed to having hearings on some kind of an expansion bill.

But any bill he supports would have to be significantly different than the approach called for in the ACA of extending eligibility to all Kansans who earn less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level - $16,105 for an individual and $32,913 for a family of four.

“Instead of just saying ‘no,’ we need to come up with a plan,” Hawkins said. “So while everybody in the media may be saying, ‘Dan Hawkins is against it,’ we’re out there working. We’re working on a conservative plan.”

Pastime at Park Lane We offer our sympathy to the family of Harriet Jones who passed away on January 19. Thanks to Harriet’s family for the flowers brought to Park Lane in her memory.

The Assembly of God Church led Sunday afternoon services.

Pastor Bob Artz led Bible study on Tuesday morning. Doris Riner and Elsie Nagel led the hymns.

Naomi Teubner gave a musical performance on Tuesday afternoon. Jewell Unruh furnished cookies.

Russel and Mary Webster led Bible study on Tuesday evening.

Rev. Warren Prochnow led Lutheran Bible study on Wednesday morning.

Madeline Murphy and Mandy Barnett helped with bingo on Wednesday.

Residents play pitch, dominoes

Residents played pitch and dominoes on Monday afternoon. Game helpers were Madeline Murphy, Dorothy King, Wanda Kirk, Joy Barnett and Mandy Barnett.

Residents played trivia on Thursday evening.

Fr. Bernard Felix led Catholic Mass on Friday morning. Rev. Warren Prochnow led Lutheran services on Friday afternoon.

We welcome Lowell Rudolph to Park Lane.

Thanks to Wanda Kirk and Ora Sharpe for making clothing protectors for the residents.

Yvonne Spangler was visited by Greg and Yvette Mills, Jerica VanCampen, and Les and MaryAnn Spangler.

Compassionate Allowances for severely disabled Q) My aunt became mentally disabled as a result of a car accident.

Does Social Security have a special program for people who are obviously physically or mentally disabled?

A) Social Security is committed to providing benefits to applicants who are severely disabled.

Through the Compassionate Allowances program, we can quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that qualify, based on minimal objective medical information, and that allow us to make payments much sooner than the usual review process allows.

Compassionate Allowances is not a separate program from the Social Security disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs. People who don’t meet the Compassionate Allowances criteria will still have their medical conditions reviewed by Social Security.

Learn more about our Compassionate Allowances at www. socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances * * * Q) I have been receiving my Supplemental Security Income by direct deposit for years, but I need to change my bank account. How can I do that?

A) The most convenient way to change your direct deposit information is by logging in to your personal my Social Security account at www.

Social Security Q and A socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. This is the safest and most secure method for updating and verifying your information.

And, it’s more convenient than visiting a local Social Security office.

With your account, you can also track your earnings, estimate future benefits, and get a letter with proof of your benefits. * * * Q) I receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and I just got promoted and received a pay increase at my job. Do I need to tell Social Security about the promotion?

A) Because the Supplemental Security Income program is needsbased, the amount of the payment you receive is partly based on your income.

You will need to report your wages monthly to make sure you get timely and accurate payments.

The law requires you to report your earnings by phone or mail or take your pay stubs to Social Security at the beginning of each month.

When you report your earnings, make sure to include overtime, vacation pay, and bonuses. If your income changes because of a job loss or promotion, Social Security will likely either increase or decrease your payments.

Dottie Fouquet was visited by Jon and Anne Crane, Mark Fouquet, Lil Francisco, Tava See, Marilyn Waters, Terri Fouquet and Donna Gaschler.

Jim Jeffery was visited by Libbie Joles, Kim Smith and Hugh McDaniel.

Emogene Harp was visited by Maranda Dawn Barnett and Joy Barnett.

Geraldine Graves was visited by Charlene Becht and Maxine Peterson.

Thelma Branine was visited by Bob and Linda Wilson and Sherri Smith.

The Scott County Record • Page 14 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

LaVera King was visited by Gloria Gough, Carol Latham, and Shellie and Kalacia Carter.

Cecile Billings was visited by Ann Beaton, Shantel Lobmeyer and Delinda Dunagan.

James Still was visited by Linda Dunagan, Tina Turley and Maranda Dawn Barnett.

Nella Funk was visited

by Dianna Howard, Kim Smith, Janice Drohman, Roy and Sheila Boyd; John, Kylee and Wyatt Kropp; Tava See, Mary Lou Oeser and Karen Harms.

Boots Haxton was visited by Rod and Kathy Haxton.

Arlene Beaton was visited by William Beaton, Colleen Beaton, and Holly and Landry Beaton.

Deaths Leland Calvin Stewart Leland Calvin Stewart, 85, died Jan. 11, 2015, at Covenant Medical Center, Lubbock, Tex. H e was born on Oct. 9, 1929, in Orion, the son of Leland and Anna ( K i t t e l ) Leland Stewart Stewart.

On Feb. 27, 1948, he married Helen Wray in Topeka.

He lived in Denver City, Tex., since 1956 where he was a member of the First Church of Nazarene and worked as a Charter Life Underwriter.

Survivors include: wife, Helen Stewart, Denver City, Tex.; two daughters, Ann Riggan, and husband, Roger, Abilene, Tex., and

Pamela Cates, and husband, Gary, Denton, Tex.; one brother, James Stewart, and wife, Marilyn, Bothell, Wash.; one sister, Vera Brown, and husband, Harold, Denver City, Tex.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one son, Kenneth Stewart.

Funeral service was held Jan. 16 at the First Church of the Nazarene, Denver City, with Pastor David Hollon officiating.

Burial was at the Denver City Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Denver City Church of the Nazarene building fund in care of Boyer Funeral Home, 120 W. 4th St., Denver City, Tx, 79323.

Phyllis Long Phyllis Long, 71, died Jan. 28, 2015, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City. Funeral arrangements will be announced later with a full obituary.

Angela S. Simpson Angela S. Simpson, 40, died Jan. 28, 2015, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City. Funeral arrangements will be announced later with a full obituary.

Sr. Citizen Lunch Menu Week of February 2-6 Monday: Turkey tetrazzine, green beans, whole wheat roll, strawberries.

Tuesday: Oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, winter mix vegetables, whole wheat roll, brownie.

Wednesday: Baked fish fillets, brussels sprouts, harvard beets, whole wheat bread, pears.

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, tossed salad, garlic bread, citrus fruit cup.

Friday: Ham and beans, marinated tomato, steamed cabbage, cornbread, rosy applesauce. meals are $3.25 • call 872-3501

by Jason Storm

Albert Dean was visited by Louise Crist and Jean Burgess.

Lorena Turley was visited by Bob and Neta Wheeler, Emily and Tracy Hess, Mary Lou Oeser and Karen Harms.

Vivian Kreiser was visited by Larry and Sharon Lock and Lorena Turley.

Bonnie Pickett was visited by Gloria Wright, and Larry and Philene Pickett.

Jake Leatherman was visited by Otto Harp and Hugh McDaniel.

Lucille Dirks was visited by Dale and Vicki Dirks, Floyd and Vivian Dirks, Willetta Payne and Darla Luebbers.

Ann Tedford was visited by Karen Harms, Mary Lou Oeser, Doris Riner and Mary Plum.

Elsie Coleman was visited by Janice Lockman.

Lowell Rudolph was visited by Steve and Mary Grigg, Larry and Connie Knobbe, LuAnn Buehler, Gene and Becky and Hutchins, Steve and Mary Grigg, and Tava See. Corrine Dean was visited by Dianna Howard, Kim Smith, Janice Drohman; John, Kylee and Wyatt Kropp; Tava See, Aaron and Mandy Kropp, Mary Lou Oeser and Karen Harms.

Herb Graves was visited by Tina Turley.

Darlene Richman was visited by Tina Turley and Maranda Dawn Barnett.

Dona Dee Carpenter was visited by Gloria O’Bleness, Larry LaPlant and Marvel Keyse.

The Scott County Record • Page 15 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Legislators skeptical of AARP caregiver bill Legislators expressed skepticism this week about a bill that would require hospitals to provide discharge instructions to patients’ designated caregivers.

Kansas AARP has made House Bill 2058 one of its priorities for the session, running ads for it on public television.

But the group has not come to an agreement with the state hospital association on the bill, and members of the House Children and Seniors Committee questioned whether it’s neces-

sary.

Rep. Melissa Rooker (R-Fairway) said hospitals provided sufficient discharge instructions on complicated medical issues when she served as a caregiver for her mother and father.

“I’m sympathetic to the need for this, but everything we got was both demonstrated, provided verbally and provided in writing to take home,” Rooker said.

Maren Turner, director of AARP Kansas, said some hospitals already provide the caregiver

Everyday behaviors put Kansans at greater risk for tax ID theft To coincide with Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, the AARP Fraud Watch Network is launching an education effort to help people protect themselves from tax scams, releasing a new video, a tip sheet and encouraging people to take advantage of AARP’s free tax preparation services.

Many taxpayers are putting themselves at greater risk of tax identity theft according to a recent national study released by the AARP Fraud Watch Network in conjunction with the education campaign to help prevent scammers from stealing Kansans’ hard-earned money.

“Throwing a pay stub in the trash may seem easier than finding a shredder, but the risk of having your tax refund stolen is just too great,” said AARP Kansas Director Maren Turner. “The Fraud Watch Network is urging all Kansans to file early so you can beat con artists to the punch.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Kansas ranks 30th in ID theft complaints. In the tax identity theft scheme, scammers electronically file a tax return under someone else’s name to collect their tax refund.

All they need is a birthdate and Social Security number, and many taxpayers make their personal information easy pickings by:

•Failing to lock their mailbox. Almost six in ten (59%) Americans do not regularly lock their mailbox, which leaves them open to a criminal stealing bills, tax forms and other documents that contain personal information.

•Leaving valuables exposed: Over half (54%) of Americans 18-49 have left at least one valuable personal item in their car in the last week that could be used to steal their identity.

•Failing to destroy personal information: More than one in five (21%) Americans say they never shred any of the personal documents that could be used to steal their identity.

Tips on how to protect yourself and your family from tax identity theft include: •Do mail tax returns as early in the tax season as possible before the cons beat you to it.

•Don’t give out personal information unless you know who’s asking for it and why they need it.

•Shred personal and financial documents.

•Know your tax preparer.

Kansans are also encouraged to visit aarp. org/taxaide (1-888-2277669) for information about AARP Foundation Tax Aide, a volunteer-run tax preparation program.

Tax Aide helps millions of low- to moderate-income taxpayers - especially those 60 years and older.

instructions that the bill requires, so for them it would be no change.

But she said some hospitals do not, and her group does not believe it would be overly onerous to require them to do so.

“With a law, we can guarantee that there will be more consistency,” Turner said.

The bill would help the state’s 600,000 caregivers and possibly save the state money by keeping frail Kansans at home and preventing hospital readmissions, she said.

Rooker said there are

other, non-legislative methods for improving discharge procedures.

Rep. Erin Davis (R-Olathe) said she was reluctant to put another mandate on Kansas hospitals given all that the federal Affordable Care Act requires them to do.

She and Rooker both said current Medicare regulations already require the caregiver instruction AARP hopes to put into state law .

“While there might not be a Kansas statute that necessitates such, all these hospitals that are partici-

pating in Medicare are required (to do it),” Davis said.

Legislators had other questions about what would be done for patients who had multiple caregivers or no caregivers and how the provisions of the bill would be enforced.

Turner said there were no specific penalties for noncompliance in the bill.

Those penalties, and how to enforce them, would have to be decided by state agencies through the rules and regulations process.

She said AARP Kansas

did not intend to increase liabilities on hospitals and was willing to change the text of the bill to make that more clear.

“There’s a disconnect between what the hospital officials believe - they honestly believe they are doing this - versus what the caregivers and patients honestly believe.”

The hearing was an informational briefing, not a hearing on the bill itself. But AARP brought several retired health care workers who also were caregivers to testify for the measure.

Attend the Church of Your Choice

Yawning at Tigers I wish I had come up with this book title. I didn’t but Drew Nathan Dyck did and then he filled its pages. The book is about the holiness of God, well the first half is. The second half is about God’s closeness to us. His premise is that we, the church, have become too comfortable with God’s presence. Probably because we do not understand or have forgotten about His holiness, His “otherness.”

To be honest as I write this I’ve only just started the second half. But I can honestly give the first half two thumbs way up.

Since it’s on my mind and since I brought it up I thought I’d share some of my thoughts so far about this topic.

Much ink has been spilled talking about God’s love, grace and mercy and believe me those are good and great and should be spoken of often, but let us not forget that God is also holy, pure and just. His nature is not like ours.

He is altogether greater and we should be careful to not assume that He is anything like we are.

We were created in His image and not the other way around. Therefore when we come to worship, to “meet Him,” we ought to come with extreme reverence and awe. “Let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28b NLT) Pulitzer-prize winning writer Annie Dillard says this: “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, (Early Christians were forced underground to worship due to persecution by the government. In fact many churches in China and other strict nations exist underground as well.) sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it?

The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares: they should lash us to our pews.

For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return.”

This makes God sound a little dangerous. So let me clarify; God is very dangerous, loving but dangerous.

Look, the point of all this is let us make sure we have a proper understanding of God’s true nature (as best as our puny minds can understand that is). He’s not the “big guy upstairs,” He’s holy and worthy of honor, reverence and our worship.

In Christ Alone, Pastor Scott Wagner First Christian Church, Scott City

Scott City Assembly of God

Prairie View Church of the Brethren

1615 South Main - Scott City - 872-2200 Ed Sanderson, Senior Pastor 9:00 a.m. - Pre-Service Prayer 10:00 a.m. - Sunday Worship Service and Children’s Church Wednesday: 7:00 p.m. - Bible Study and Prayer

4855 Finney-Scott Rd. - Scott City - 276-6481 Pastor Jon Tuttle Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

Morning Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Men’s Fellowship • Tuesday breakfast at 6:30 a.m.

Held at Precision Ag Bldg. west of Shallow Water Wednesday Bible Study, 7:00 p.m., at the church

St. Joseph Catholic Church

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

A Catholic Christian Community 1002 S. Main Street - Scott City Fr. Bernard Felix, pastor • 872-7388 Secretary • 872-3644 Masses: 1st Sunday of month - 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Other weekends: Sat., 6:00 p.m.; Sun., 11:00 a.m.

Spanish Mass - 2nd and 4th Sundays, 1:30 p.m.

1102 Court • Box 283 • Scott City 620-872-2294 • 620-872-3796 Pastor Warren Prochnow holycross-scott@sbcglobal.net Sunday School/Bible Class, 9:00 a.m.

Worship every Sunday, 10:15 a.m.

Wed.: Mid-Week School, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Pence Community Church

Community Christian Church

8911 W. Road 270 10 miles north on US83; 2 miles north on K95; 9 miles west on Rd. 270 Don Williams, pastor • 874-2031 Wednesdays: supper (6:30 p.m.) • Kid’s Group and Adult Bible Study (7:00 p.m.) • Youth Group (8:00 p.m.)

Sunday School: 9:30 • Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

12th & Jackson • Scott City • 872-3219 Shelby Crawford, pastor Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship, 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday: God’s High School Cru, 7:30 p.m.

First Baptist Church

Immanuel Southern Baptist Church

803 College - Scott City - 872-2339

1398 S. US83 - Scott City - 872-2264

Kyle Evans, Senior Pastor Bob Artz, Associate Pastor

Robert Nuckolls, pastor - 872-5041

Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. • Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Sunday morning worship: 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.

Gospel Fellowship Church 120 S. Lovers Lane - Shallow Water Larry Taylor, pastor Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

1st United Methodist Church 5th Street and College - Scott City - 872-2401 Dennis Carter, pastor 1st Sunday: Communion and Fellowship Sunday Services at 9:00 a.m. • Sunday School, 10:30 a.m.

All Other Sundays • Worship: 8:30 and 10:45 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. • MYF (youth groups) on Wednesdays Jr. High: 6:30 p.m. • Sr. High: 7:00 p.m.

First Christian Church

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

701 Main - Scott City - 872-2937 Scotty Wagner, pastor Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday is Family Night Meal: 5:45 p.m. • Study: 6:15 p.m.

Website: www.fccscottcity.org

Elizabeth/Epperson Drives • Scott City • 872-3666 Father Don Martin Holy Eucharist - 11:45 a.m.

St. Luke’s - 872-5734 (recorded message) Senior Warden Bill Lewis • 872-3347 or Father Don Martin - (785) 462-3041

Scott Mennonite Church

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

12021 N. Eagle Rd. • Scott City

9th and Crescent - Scott City - 872-2334 Bishop Irvin Yeager • 620-397-2732 Sacrament, 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School, 10:50 a.m.

Relief Society and Priesthood, 11:20 a.m.

YMYW Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.

Franklin Koehn: 872-2048 Charles Nightengale: 872-3056 Sunday School Worship Service: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening Service: 7:00 p.m.

Moving? Contact The Scott County Record to update your address, so you don’t miss your paper.

P.O. Box 377, Scott City, Ks. 67871 • 620-872-2090 • www.scottcountyrecord.com

The Scott County Record • Page 16 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Youngsters who have reached 100 to 1,200 book milestones in the Scott County Library’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” reading program are:

Patrick Goode 100

Karli Jones 200

Landry Beaton 1,000

Jordan Rufenacht 1,000

Water conservation workshop for educators in Garden City

Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), will host a Water Conservation workshop co-sponsored through a grant received by the Finnup Foundation.

The Water Conservation: Education to Action Workshop will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, at the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City.

Workshop participants will be treated to an “Educator’s Night Out” from 4:30-7:30 on Friday followed by Saturday’s workshop from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Pre-registration is required. The first 20 who apply receive half price registration at $48. One hour of graduate credit through Baker University will be offered also at half

price ($35) for the first 20 who register.

This workshop is open to all K-12 educators, school staff, community partners and parents. After workshop completion, which includes an online component, schools will be eligible to apply for a $100.00 school materials grant.

This workshop will explore many ways in which the school and home environment can conserve water, connect with community resources, and engage students with hands-on learning.

The program will include training in Project WET, Project Learning Tree, Discover a Watershed and WILD Aquatic.

Participants will receive all four curriculum guides. Participants will engage in a face-to-face

piece of the workshop as well as an online component after the workshop.

There will also be information about the Kansas Green Schools Program, including the Water Investigation and how to apply for free, statewide recognition through the Kansas Green Schools of Excellence Program.

This workshop is offered by KACEE and cosponsored by the Finnup Foundation with education program sponsors Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Kansas Forest Service, and National Project Learning Tree.

For more information, visit www.kacee.org/ workshop-schedule or contact Jolene Amtower at 785-532-1902 or jamtower@kacee.org .

Midwest’s solar energy site is now producing electricity Midwest Energy’s one-megawatt community solar array, the largest photovoltaic array in Kansas, entered service on Thursday and began generating electricity to the grid.

Located in Colby, the array covers eight acres of pasture and features 3,963 panels, owned by dozens of Midwest Energy electric customers throughout central and western Kansas. Each panel is attached to a tracking system, which follows the sun from east to west each day to yield maximum efficiency.

“This project is a long time coming,” said Keith Miller, Chair of Midwest Energy’s Board of Directors and himself a panel owner in the array.

“We’ve seen strong interest from our members in

solar, and this array brings them the latest in solar technology.”

Clean Energy Collective (CEC) of Carbondale, Colo., Midwest Energy’s partner in the array, has completed dozens of similar community-owned arrays nationwide.

Midwest Energy’s array is the 24th for the company, which builds arrays for maximum power production while delivering the lowest possible price for renewable energy.

With community solar, Midwest Energy members purchase panels directly from CEC; Midwest Energy then purchases the power from CEC, while Midwest Energy provides a credit directly to the member’s bill. Customers get the benefits of solar ownership, yet bypass the

research, construction, and ongoing maintenance and repair required of a rooftop system.

To date, roughly half of the array’s panels have been purchased, which is typical for a project where solar energy is new in the market. Midwest Energy is offering a rebate to its members on the panels, and CEC announced a financing option earlier this month, which allows buyers to purchase panels with no money down.

“We’re excited to put this array into operation,” said Earnie Lehman, Midwest Energy’s General Manager. “We believe this array brings cost-effective solar ownership options to our members, and are proud to add solar to our renewable portfolio.”

Joselyn Miller 1,000

Kirby Rohrbough 1,200

Kasey Rohrbough 1,200

Ava Hughes 1,200

USD 466 Menu Week of February 2-6 Breakfast Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Oatmeal breakfast rounds, fruit flavored yogurt, strawberries, fruit juice.

Wednesday: French toast sticks, grapes, fruit juice.

Thursday: Bubble bread, mandarin oranges, fruit juice.

Friday: Breakfast pizza, diced peaches, fruit juice.

Lunch Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Chicken pot pie, *chili Doritos, biscuit, tritator, diced pears.

Wednesday: Meat loaf, *turkey pot roast, potatoes and brown gravy, green peas, dinner roll, fruit cup.

Thursday: Pepperoni pizza, *cheesy fish squares, corn, mandarin oranges.

Friday: Macaroni and cheese, *ham patties, fish sticks, green beans, breaka-way bread, cherry pie. *second choice at SCMS and SCHS

Help WKCAC fight child abuse!

Casino Night Saturday, February 14 • 6:30 p.m.

Colby American Legion

Silent Auction and Live Auction

A fun Valentine Date!

30 per person $ 50 per couple

$

Tickets available now for a chance to win

7 Nights in Barbados or 7 Nights in Saint Lucia All inclusive getaway for two!

25 per ticket donation $ 100 for 5 tickets $

To be given away February 14 (Need not be present to win.)

For tickets contact: Kathy at The Scott County Record • 872-2090 or WKCAC • 872-3706

Sports The Scott County Record

NWKL tourney Lady Hornets fall to Hoxie in championship finals • Page 24

www.scottcountyrecord.com

Thursday, January 29, 2015

O&B repeat

Page 17

Beavers survive late run by Hays to claim tournament crown

With most of his night spent guarding, or being guarded, by 6-foot-7 Brady Werth, Scott City’s Sloan Baker wasn’t necessarily looking for a big offensive game against Hays in the finals of the Orange and Black Classic.

But the SCHS senior made the most 57 of his scoring Hays Scott City 62 opportunities in the paint and from beyond the arc.

The biggest basket in Baker’s nine-point effort may have come in the fourth quarter when Hays was on the verge of erasing a 10 point deficit. Scott City was protecting a 51-50 lead when senior guard Trey O’Neil drove to the right side of the basket and the ball kicked off the heel of the rim and back outside the cylinder. Baker, however, was already airborne, quickly grabbed the ball with both hands and put it back into the basket to give the Beavers a 53-50 cushion with 5:01 remaining.

“I was just thinking crash,” said the 6-foot-2 senior following Scott City’s 62-57 win over the Indians. “I’m always following Trey’s layups. He seldom misses, but every once in awhile it happens and I try to be there to put it back in.”

The followup basket by Baker and a driving layin by senior guard Brett Meyer put the Beavers back up by five, 55-50, with 4:25 remaining. O’Neil, who finished with a game high 29 points, added a clutch three-

pointer nearly a minute later which extended the advantage to 60-54.

But Scott City never could rest easy even though they didn’t trail for the final 20 minutes of the game.

Hays cut the lead in half with a three-pointer at the 2:06 mark and had another opportunity to pull even following a pass by Baker that led to a turnover. The senior quickly redeemed himself with a steal at the other end of the floor with :55 left in the game.

The outcome was still up in the air when Scott City twice missed the front end of oneand-one free throw opportunities that could have put the game away - with 34.1 seconds to play and again with 10.4 seconds.

Hays also came up empty on the two possessions that followed and O’Neil finally sealed the win with two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining.

“We played our most complete game of the year and we had to because Hays is so good,” says head coach Glenn O’Neil.

“It was a consistent effort and everyone contributed, whether it was scoring or defense.”

After cruising into the championship game, the Beavers knew they were facing a formidable opponent in the Werth-led Indians who are ranked in Class 4A-Division I. “Watching Hays (on Friday night) we could see they were definitely the bigger team and they might even be better than (See REPEAT on page 22)

SCHS guard Trey O’Neil drives inside as he avoids the block attempt by Hays center Brady Werth during the championship game of the Orange and Black Classic on Saturday.

(Record Photo)

Sub-state assignments are example of KSHSAA’s ineptitude

Lady Beavers not bedeviled with OT win

A determined Scott City squad found a way to come from behind in the fourth quarter and again in overtime to defeat Ft. Lupton, 4845, in the consolation semi-finals of the Orange and Black Classic on Friday.

“That’s probably the biggest difference between this year’s team Scott City 48 Ft. Lupton 45 and last year’s,” says head coach Shelby Crawford.

“Last year, if we fell behind late in a game, we couldn’t find a way to fight back and win. These girls were able to do that twice,” says Crawford.

SCHS led throughout most of the game, taking a 17-12 lead late in the first half on a three-point basket by freshman Bailey Latta. That lead held up until the final minute of regulation when a couple of turnovers led to baskets by the Lady Devils.

One of those was a three-pointer with just :29 remaining that put Ft. Lupton on top, 39-38.

Latta quickly tied the score just six seconds later by hitting one of two free throws and that was the last of the scoring in regulation.

The Lady Devils led for most of the overtime period. Latta’s steal and layup gave SCHS a brief 4443 lead, but Ft. Lupton answered (See OVERTIME on page 21)

SCHS junior guard Mariah Campbell drives for a basket during a consolation round win over Ft. Lupton in the Orange and Black Classic.

(Record Photo)

When it comes to the Class 3A sub-state basketball tournament assignments the Kansas State High School Activities Association blew it.

Actually, they Rod did worse Haxton, than that, sports but for editor the sake of maintaining the “G” rating for this publication, we’ll just say they blew it.

For those who may not already be aware, there is not a Class 3A basketball host site east of Chaparral High School which, for the sake of the geographically-challenged within the KSHSAA heirarchy, excludes the western onethird of Kansas.

Of the 105 counties in Kansas, 46 are located west of Chaparral High School (i.e., Harper/Anthony). That includes Class 3A schools Cimarron, Southwestern Hts., Lakin, Scott City, Norton, Phillipsburg, Hoisington and Russell.

Lakin, in the event that KSHSAA officials haven’t learned how (See SUB-STATE on page 20)

Outdoors in Kansas by Steve Gilliland

Giving yourself an edge with finicky ‘cats I drove along a craggy rutted lane that follows a mostly-dry creek bed into a pasture dotted with big overgrown cedars.

The creek bed winds around through the pasture like a long, slithering snake and is lined the whole way with thick, prickly locust trees and bentover willows, making for a rather unfriendly pasture, but excellent bobcat habitat.

The pasture borders an alfalfa field on one side, and the fence separating the two forms an “L” shape. The lane where I was driving turns and follows that fence around the front of the pasture.

At the corner where the fence and lane turn, a nice, big male bobcat awaited me in a cage trap placed there.

In trapping, nothing is more important than placing traps at just the right locations where you know from tracks, etc. that critters are traveling. I knew from experience that the lane along the creek was a favorite travel route of bobcats.

I catch one at that same place most years, so a trap there stood a good chance of connecting. But when trapping bobcats, there are also some other things you can do to turn the odds in your favor.

Bobcats are nothing more than oversized, wild housecats and behave much the same. If needing to describe bobcats in one word, it would be finicky.

What grabs and holds their attention today might not garner a second glance from them tomorrow, so the more different looks and smells you can give them the better.

I use a variety of smells at each trap. A dab of sweet smelling (See BOBCATS on page 21)

Hoops got ‘simple’ in JV win at Lakin

Basketball is so much simpler when you can score.

T h e S c o t t Community High Scott City 68 Lakin 42 School junior varsity boys found out just how simple in a 68-42 romp at Lakin on Tuesday night.

“We were playing at a much better tempo and that’s going to happen when you’re hitting your shots,” says coach Brian Gentry.

Sophomore guard Jess Drohman, who had been in a scoring slump through most of the first five games this season, finally found his shooting range with nine first quarter points on his way to a team high 22.

“Not only was he shooting the ball well, but he was very active on defense,” says Gentry. “It was good to see him finding his offense.”

Sophomore guard Drew Duff also contrib-

uted a pair of first quarter treys as the Beavers (4-2) jumped out to a 20-11 first quarter lead and extended that advantage to 33-16 at the half.

Scott City’s offense hit its stride in the third quarter when the Beavers poured in 25 points, including eight points each from Drohman and guard Dylan Hutchins.

“We wanted to give Dylan a little playing time to get ready for the varsity game and it provided us with another playmaker,” says Gentry. “We have so many guards who are capable of bringing the ball up the floor and we don’t just have to rely on Matt (Jenkins). Dylan gave us another player who could drive the ball and then kick out to Jess, Drew or Justin (Faurot) for shots from the outside.”

Gentry was also pleased with the decisionmaking by his team even as they were picking up the offensive tempo.

“We have played at

The Scott County Record • Page 18 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Scott City sophomore Jess Drohman leads a fastbreak opportunity for a layup during Tuesday’s action at Lakin.

(Record Photo)

a faster pace before and made some poor decisions in the process,” he says.

“Against Lakin, we made better decisions and we were still aggressive go-

ing to the basket. We were attacking the rim and also kicking out for threes.”

Scott City’s balanced offense saw 10 players making the scoring col-

umn. Drake McRae, with 10 points, was the only other player in double figures. Contributing six points each were Faurot, Kyle Cure and Duff.

SC roster uncertain for GC tourney After a strong performance that saw Scott City finishing fifth against a rugged field of Nebraska and Colorado teams in the Lexington (Nebr.) Invitational, one would expect SCHS head coach Jon Lippelmann to be excited about the upcoming Rocky Welton Invitational in Garden City.

Instead, Lippelmann was still wondering at midweek who would be available for the weekend.

“It seems that I’ve only had about five guys at practice (Monday and Tuesday) and they haven’t been the same five,” said Lippelmann.

Between staph infections, sickness and injuries, Lippelmann had no

gold medal performance at Lexington.

The 195-pounder was seeded third, but knocked off the No. 2 seed - Jessup Workman (Beatrice), by an 11-8 decision, and grabbed the gold with a 7-4 win over top-seeded Zach Sorich (Millard West).

“He should have been the No. 1 kid there according to Trackwrestling, but we can’t get anyone to respect our kids,” said a frustrated Lippelmann. “I think he got their attention by the end of the day.”

Griffith improved to 15-0 on the season.

“But it was a tough tournament for our kids.

Griffith Undefeated Junior Cooper Griffith I felt like we could have is coming off another out- gotten two more into the standing weekend with a finals, but we kept findidea who would be wrestling at Garden City.

“Just when we’re starting to build a little momentum, we get derailed with all this other stuff,” says the head coach.

While the Beavers won’t be competing for a team title at Garden City, they have several grapplers who have hopes of finishing on the awards stand which, against this outstanding field is a big accomplishment. With rare exceptions, a medal winner at Garden City can count on being a medal winner at their state tournament.

ing ourselves on the same side of the bracket as the No. 1 seed.”

Claiming third place finishes were 106-pounder Zach Tucker (20-5) and heavyweight Lane Hayes (17-6).

Tucker’s only loss came against No. 1 seeded and undefeated Conner Laux (Hastings). He was impressive on the back side of the bracket, getting a 16-8 major decision win over Branton Flanders (North Platte).

“Zach’s biggest problem is finishing strong.

He’s was leading (Laux) before getting pinned and he was leading (Flanders) 14-1 before giving up all those points in the third period,” says Lippelmann.

“If he doesn’t beat himself, he’s capable of doing some pretty great things for us.”

The only loss for Hayes also came against No. 1 seeded Gabriel Ledesma (Kearney) by a fall in the semi-finals.

The SCHS senior bounced back to win by a fall in the consolation semi-finals and then posted a 3-1 decision over Dominic Beyer (Sidney).

“He had real good movement on his feet, he was aggressive,” says Lippelmann. “If we can get him to clean up a couple of other things he’ll do just fine.”

James Jurgens (138) added a fourth place finish and Tre Stewart (182) was a fifth place medalist.

Fishing regulations available on-line It’s never too early to begin planning your next fishing trip - that’s why an online version of the 2015 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary has been made available to anglers at ksoutdoors.com.

Simply visit ksoutdoors. com and click “Fishing / Fishing Regulations” to download your copy of the free, easy-to-use, fullcolor pamphlet.

KDWP Report Printed copies are also available wherever licenses are sold.

Apart from a helpful section highlighting new regulations for the 2015 season, the summary also includes information on important fishing regulations such as special seasons, creel and length limits, license fees and legal

fishing methods.

Because creel and length limits vary from lake to lake, the 2015 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary is a must-read for all anglers.

Included in a special 16-page section, the summary also lists all public waters, along with their location and any special regulations in effect.

At the turn of a page,

anglers can see which community lakes don’t charge extra fees for fishing, as well as community lakes designated as Family Friendly Facilities (FFF) that will include flush toilet facilities, security patrols, security lighting, easy access to the water and do not allow alcohol.

Anglers can also read up on aquatic nuisance

species (ANS), as well as regulations governing the use of live baitfish.

Five pages are devoted to fish identification, featuring color illustrations by renowned fish illustrator Joe Tomelleri. Current state record fish are listed, and there is also a Master Angler Award Application for anglers who catch fish that qualify for this certificate award program.

The Scott County Record • Page 19 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

WCHS turns tables on Elkhart in HPL tourney

How does a team go from scoring just 15 points against an opponent to scoring 58 against that same team in a week’s time?

Wichita County High School head coach Haydon Parks doesn’t have the answer to that and he saw it happen.

His WCHS boys lost to Elkhart, 56-15, in the week before the Hi-Plains League tournament. Seven days later they defeated Elkhart, 58-52, in a consolation game in the tournament.

“The biggest thing is confidence. We hit a couple of shots early and we were able to build on that,” says Parks. “We also played a better game defensively. We didn’t give them so many second-chance points.”

WCHS trailed 29-13 at the half, but came out strong in the third period to take a 43-40 lead into the final quarter.

Jacob Schumacher scored a game high 24 points on 8-of12 from the field while senior Treven Burch, who was 6-of-9 from the field, scored a career high 18 points.

SCHS senior Sloan Baker avoids the block attempt by Lakin’s Ian Shelden as he scores a basket during Tuesday’s non-league win over the Broncs.

(Record Photo)

SCHS defense shuts down Broncs after torrid 1st quarter When you’ve appeared in four consecutive state championship games there isn’t much that can rattle you - not even when an opponent hits five three-pointers in the first quarter.

That torrid shooting pace had Lakin fans Scott City 62 on their feet Lakin 40 hoping for a major upset of Class 3A, No. 4 ranked Scott City on Tuesday night.

Instead of an upset, it was another routine night for the Beavers who rolled to a 62-40 non-league win. “(Lakin) was pretty pumped up before the game and we probably started out a little flat,” says head coach Glenn O’Neil.

After falling behind 6-1 following a pair of Lakin treys, the Beavers (11-1) put together a 10-1 scoring run that included eight points by senior center Sloan Baker. His 10-foot jumper with two minutes left in the quarter put Scott City on top, 11-7, before the Broncs closed out the period with three treys to regain the lead, 16-11.

Baker got off to a hot start with eight points in the opening period.

After that, it was a defensive clinic by the Beavers who limited Lakin to just 14 more points over the next 20 minutes. The Broncs didn’t add another threepoint basket until less than four minutes left in the game and Scott City holding a 56-30 lead.

SCHS turned the momentum around in the second period, including a pair of three-point baskets from Dylan Hutchins and Trey O’Neil.

Any thoughts that Lakin had of an upset quickly disappeared in the second half behind a 22-5 scoring blitz to open the third period that included four threepoint baskets.

Senior guard Chantz Yager drained a three-pointer early in the period. After scoring just one basket in the first half, senior guard Brett Meyer hit backto-back treys that extended the lead to 37-24.

Emotions were running a little hot at times during the second half with the Lakin coach drawing a technical foul midway into the third quarter. That

jump-started a 10-0 scoring run by the Beavers.

A steal and layin by Hutchins, followed by a three-pointer from O’Neil stretched the SCHS lead to 48-25.

Baker had a solid performance against Lakin’s 6-foot-4 senior Ian Shelden, finishing the night with 15 points.

He was joined in double figures by Meyer with 12 points.

“I don’t know that either team probably kept their composure as well as they would have liked,” says Coach O’Neil.

“Their crowd was into the game and there were a couple of moments when we probably got caught up in it.

“It’s something you learn from.”

Fall to Stanton Co. Leoti’s Jekyll and Hyde play on the court was evident in the consolation semi-finals when they lost to Stanton County, 4736, after defeating the Trojans prior to tournament play.

“It was a slow-paced defensive battle. Both teams knew what the other wanted to do,” says Parks.

The Trojans held a 16-13 lead at the half, but pulled away in the third period when they outscored the Indians, 17-12.

Senior Matt Huber was the only Indian in double figures with 14 points and four re(See TURNS on page 23)

JV boys, girls in Lakin tourney

Lakin will host a junior varsity basketball tournament on Saturday and Monday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.

Saturday’s schedule for the Beavers is: 10:00: SCHS girls vs Holcomb.

11:30: SCHS boys vs Ulysses.

1:00: SCHS girls vs Ulysses.

2:30: SCHS boys vs Holcomb.

Monday’s schedule: 5:00: SCHS girls vs Lakin.

6:30 p.m.: SCHS boys vs Lakin.

The Scott County Record • Page 20 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Wildcats aiming for an upset at KU on Sat. Opposing basketball teams are better off playing Kansas before rather than after the semester break.

When Coach Bill Self has three uninterrupted weeks of practice, the improvement in the Jayhawks is always noteworthy. This season is no exception.

KU played by superb basMac ketball in the Stevenson 75-62 win over Texas at Austin. Self’s team made just three turnovers for the game and none in the second half.

Turnovers have been KU’s Achilles’ heel for most of Self’s tenure at Kansas, but this team is becoming better and better at avoiding those costly mistakes.

“That’s the best game . . . that’s the best road game we’ve played in a long time.

I mean maybe years, in large part because we took care of the ball,” said Self.

The starters and reserves all played well against Texas and it’s difficult to single out individuals.

Guards Frank Mason and Devontʹe Graham are effective playing together or individually; they have become dependable and poised at either point guard or off guard.

KU plays K-State in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Kansas State is 5-3 in the Big 12 after a big win over Oklahoma State and then this week’s loss to West Virginia. Like KU, K-State has made great team progress since the semester break.

Size in the pivot remains an issue for the Wildcats.

Thomas Gipson (6-7, 255) plays hard and well at center, but he’s just not tall enough for that position.

But Gipson produces all he can considering his ability and height disadvantage.

Center Stephen Hurt (611, 270) hasn’t come along as quickly as Weber and his staff had hoped he would.

K-State’s biggest dilemma has been the lack of offensive production from their two sophomore point guards: Jevon Thomas and Nigel Johnson. Neither is a skilled three-point shooter and both can be erratic with their ball handling.

(See WILDCATS on page 23)

Baker adding his name to SC’s list of 3-point shooters Scott City’s ability to shoot - and shoot well - from long range is no secret.

“We have great shooters on our team,” noted senior guard Chantz Yager following the championship game in the Orange and Black Classic. “It’s very hard for teams to defend us when we have four or five guys who can shoot threes.”

And now you can add senior center Sloan Baker to that mix.

He drilled his first three of the season in the semi-finals against Kansas City Schlagle. But with the Beavers rolling along with a 21 point lead at the time, Baker didn’t think too much about it . . . until he was given the green light to shoot from beyond the arc again in the championship game. Only this time the circumstances were a little different with SCHS locked in a tight game with Hays.

Head coach Glenn O’Neil anticipated they might need to mix things up a little on offense so, with about 3-1/2 minutes remaining during the halftime warmups, he advised Baker that he might get a chance to shoot from long range again.

“He was already sitting on the bench, so he went back out there and shot a couple,” noted O’Neil.

With Hays focusing on taking senior guard Trey O’Neil out of the offense early in the second half, the Beavers switched to a different man offense for a couple of possessions.

“We told Sloan that their big guys

Sub-State to read a road map, is right at 205 miles from Chaparral.

That’s a pretty decent drive, even by Western Kansas standards.

Lakin fans aren’t particularly excited about the drive, but they do see a silver lining in the unexpected assignment.

Even though they are just 60 miles from Scott City, they don’t have to worry about seeing the Beavers in sub-state play since SCHS is heading in another direction (more on that in a moment).

What Lakin, and presumably most everyone else in the Chaparral sub-state enjoys, is the fact there is currently no one in the boy’s division that’s ranked within the top 10 in state. Cimarron (No. 2), Garden Plain (No. 4) and Kingman (No. 10) get to battle it out on the girl’s side.

A good team, but not a great team, is going to emerge from this tournament as part of the Class 3A state tournament

don’t like to step outside so he’d probably get an opportunity to shoot a three.”

The opportunity was there and Baker cashed in on a three-pointer.

“He chose a good time to knock down his second one (of the season),” said O’Neil.

While the head coach felt the Beavers played their most complete game of the season, it’s still just one more win.

“We only played one game really well (in the tournament). Even though we got wins against bigger schools, we didn’t grade out very well. We didn’t take that big of a step with the Pine Creek or the Schlagle wins,” O’Neil said. “The only big step we’ve taken was with the Hays game and now we need to back it up with other good games.

“Consistency is what defines good teams. We need more consistency before we can say we’ve grown much as a team.”

First Repeat Champ It was also interesting to note that the Beavers became the first-ever back-toback champions in the history of the Orange and Black. Of course, that can also be attributed to the unique nature of the

tournament.

First of all, not every school is invited to return every year as the tournament committee likes to bring in different competition.

When the Beavers were winning three consecutive state tournaments from 2011-13 they only competed in one Orange and Black Classic. Two of those years they were in the Dodge City Tournament of Champions.

This was one of those unique years when a returning champion had the opportunity to defend their title.

One also has to give credit to Scott City’s level of play that saw them knocking off some big-time competition.

“When we get into tournaments like this it’s a chance for us to prove a point against bigger schools. Over the years that we’ve been playing in the Orange and Black, we’ve played against Wichita South, Liberal, Olathe North and whoever shows up,” says Coach O’Neil.

“We’ve proven that kids from a smaller community can compete as long as their heart and the desire is there.”

(continued from page 17)

field.

So where does Scott City go for sub-state? You’ll love this.

Beloit.

Yes, the same Beloit that’s a mere 227 miles from SCHS. We can get to Denver, Colo., in about the same time it takes to travel to Beloit (but don’t mention that to KSHSAA or next year we’ll be assigned to a substate four hours in the opposite direction).

Oh, did we mention that this sub-state also happens to be stacked with three teams who are currently ranked within the top four in state - Beloit (No. 1), Norton (No. 3) and Scott City (No. 4).

There are times when geography will put two or three powerhouse teams into the same sub-state. When SCHS and Holcomb share the same school classification, it has meant that one team goes to the state tournament and the other stays home.

When two schools are only

about 45 miles apart it’s understandable. You deal with that reality.

That’s much different than forcing a team to travel about four hours to compete in a substate tournament in which one or two of the top teams in the state will be left behind.

It’s not as though the state couldn’t have seen this possibility. Scott City (Class 4ADII) and Beloit (Class 3A) were each state runners-up in their respective tournaments last season. A little homework would have revealed that each returns a strong nucleus from those teams.

In other words, this matchup in a sub-state tournament didn’t have to happen. If KSHSAA’s goal is to create the best state tournament field possible, this type of sub-state assignment shouldn’t have happened.

And that doesn’t even begin to address the fact one team will enjoy the ability to play on their home court and stay

in their own homes during the tournament while another will have a long bus trip and will (we hope) be staying in a motel. SCHS will also have the added responsibility of making some type of practice arrangements in another school’s gym on the day of the finals - should they advance that far.

No one is complaining about facing tough competition or travel. When you’ve enjoyed the kind of success that SCHS has had, you don’t just expect to play the best, but you look forward to it.

But KSHSAA has manufactured a sub-state scenario in which the playing field has been tilted and, even worse, it means that one quality team that could be in the state championship game the following week will instead have to sit at home and wait for next season.

KSHSAA, you blew it.

Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com

The Scott County Record • Page 21 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Quick start not enough for 8th grade Bluejays

Overtime (continued from page 17)

Scott City Middle School’s eighth graders jumped out to a quick start against Holcomb, but that wasn’t enough in a 39-27 loss on the home court Monday afternoon.

The Bluejays owned a 12-7 advantage late in the first half but couldn’t find any offense for the next eight minutes as Holcomb put together a 17-4 scoring run that put them on top, 28-16, early in the fourth quarter.

Marshall Faurot scored all nine of Scott City’s points to start the fourth quarter, including a threepoint play that cut the deficit to four points, 29-25, with 2:59 remaining.

Defeat Colby The eighth grade “A” team overcame a slow start against Colby, trailing 6-5 after one quarter, and rolled to a 31-18 win.

Scott City’s defense limited Colby to a single free throw in the second period as they opened up a 13-7 halftime lead.

Faurot led the Bluejays with 13 points while Miles Haire added four.

SCMS completed the sweep with a 36-18 win in “B” team action. Shea Morris led Scott City with 14 points - including four treys - while Jordan Smith chipped in six points.

Roll Over Holcomb In their first meeting with Holcomb this season, the eighth grade “A” team came away with a 34-24 win.

SCMS was protecting a 7-5 lead after one quarter. Faurot, who finished with a game high 17 points, drilled three baskets in the second period as the Bluejays extended their halftime lead to 16-10.

Parker Vulgamore finished with seven points.

Scott City was able to pull away for the win despite hitting just 10-of-24 at the charity stripe.

The SCMS “B” team was a 34-30 winner over Holcomb. Nine players contributed to a balanced scoring attack, led by Jose Trejo with six points.

SCMS eighth grader Jaren Berning puts up a shot during second half action against Holcomb on Monday.

(Record Photo)

just eight seconds later to regain the advantage, 4544, with 1:10 on the clock.

Aggressive play by Scott City at the offensive end of the floor forced the Lady Devils to foul. Junior guard Mariah Campbell drilled a pair of free throws with 18.4 seconds to play that gave the Lady Beavers a 46-45 edge.

Latta added two more free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining for the final three point margin.

Latta had a huge game with 23 points, including three treys.

However, Crawford says that with better execution Scott City could have ended the game in regulation.

“We had opportunity after opportunity to score.

We had four inbounds plays in the third quarter that should have given us easy layups and we couldn’t convert on at least three of them,” says Crawford.

However, it was still a much needed win for the Lady Beavers.

“If this team can find a way to stay in the game until the fourth quarter they will play well enough to give ourselves a chance to win,” Crawford added.

Lady Beavers have no answer for Bronc height A win over Lakin was going to be a tall order for the Scott Community High School girls . . . literally.

For the second time this season, the Lady Beavers (3-9) played the entire first quarter without a field goal on their way to a 48-17 non-league loss at Lakin.

Lakin dominated the boards at both ends of the floor and towered over Scott City’s guards any time they were able to drive the paint in hopes of stealing a basket.

“Even against a taller team we have to put a body on girls and get position. We let them have too many rebounds and too many second-chance baskets,” says head coach Shelby Crawford. “They were pretty much able to do whatever they wanted in the paint.”

Especially score.

Lakin scored 23 unanswered points to start the game before freshman guard Bailey Latta ended the scoreless streak with Scott City’s first field goal at the 6:34 mark of the second period.

Latta and freshman guard Jordan Miller did give the SCHS offense some life in the first half with three-point baskets that cut the Lakin halftime lead to 35-9.

Latta led the Lady Beavers with seven points Scott City’s Kiana Yager steals the ball during Tuesday’s action at Lakin.

(Record Photo)

Bobcats lure placed just above the trap, a different skunky smelling lure high on a post or tree limb where it will be picked up and carried by the wind, and a spray of bobcat urine nearby are some ways I do that.

Cats are known to hunt with their eyes a little more than coyotes, so the more intriguing things you can give them to look at the better. If using a foothold trap, I will dig a big,

(continued from page 18)

obnoxious looking hole then put a piece of fur, a rabbit carcass or a tuft of feathers down deep in the hole to make them wonder what’s there.

When using a cage trap, I’ll wire a rabbit, duck or goose carcass in the very front of the cage as though they were hiding there.

Above, out-of-reach on a tree limb or bush, I’ll hang a goose wing from a piece of fishing line so it will twirl and flap in the

breeze. I’ve heard of trappers hanging all sorts of things to get their attention, including CDs which will flash in the sunlight or moonlight as they spin.

I collect down stuffing from old, feather pillows and as a finishing touch I’ll toss a handful of it into a nearby cedar tree or bush. To any critter passing near, that sticks out like wearing white socks with black pants, or like white tape on the broken

nose piece of your glasses.

When I first started trapping in Kansas, catching a bobcat seemed as impossible as catching a marlin from Kannapolis Lake. With a little advice from other experienced trappers, lots of time spent in the woods and a few of the above tricks I now catch a few each season Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve can be contacted by email at stevegilliland@idkcom.net

Order your singing Valentine by the SCMS 7th grade choir $15 gets you two songs, a card and flower • Call 872-7640

The Scott County Record • Page 22 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Champions of the Orange and Black Classic for a second consecutive year were the SCHS boys (front row, from left) Bo Hess, Justin Faurot, Dylan Hutchins, Matthew Jenkins, Jess Drohman and Drew Duff.

(Back row) assistant coach Brian Gentry, Kyle Cure, Trey O’Neil, Drake McRae, Chantz Yager, Brett Meyer, Sloan Baker, assistant coach Jordan Carter and head coach Glenn O’Neil.

(Record Photo)

Repeat us,” said senior guard Chantz Yager. “We knew that to compete with them we’d have to show up with our best game.”

Both heavyweights were exchanging blows throughout the night. On three occasions, when one team drilled a three-pointer the other would answer with a trey. The threepoint line was particularly big for the Beavers who drilled seven treys in the first half and were 9-of-21 for the game.

There were 10 lead changes in the first 12 minutes with the Indians taking their biggest lead, 28-24, following a threepoint play with 3:51 remaining in the first half.

Just when it appeared that Hays might be threatening to pull away, O’Neil - the

(continued from page 17)

tournament’s Most Valuable Player - scored nine unanswered points that showed his offensive versatility.

After hitting a short jumper, he drove the lane for a shot off the glass and moments later he finished off a coast-to-coast drive with another layup.

O’Neil’s scoring run ended with a three-pointer at the 1:49 mark that gave him 20 points in the first half.

But the Beavers weren’t done. With time running out in the half, an O’Neil pass to Yager who was alone in the corner resulted in another threepointer just ahead of the buzzer and a 36-28 halftime lead.

“None of us are afraid to shoot,” said Yager.

“Trey and Brett do such a good job of driving that Dylan (Hutchins) and I can sit out on the threepoint line when they decide to dish it out.”

Adapt to Defense After getting scorched from beyond the arc in the first half, Hays made some defensive adjustments during halftime. They extended the defensive pressure and were also face-guarding O’Neil to prevent him from getting good looks at the basket.

The Beavers responded with a backdoor cut by Bo Hess that resulted in an easy layup and a 3828 advantage to open the second half. They also brought Baker from out of the paint and he responded with a three-point basket -

his second of the tournament.

“At Sunday shootarounds I found that I could shoot threes better than I thought. Coach gave me the go-ahead, so I got a couple under my belt this weekend,” Baker said.

“You find ways to adjust to what a team is giving you. Our guys know how to pass and where the reads should be (against a zone defense) during a game,” said Coach O’Neil.

T. O’Neil and Meyer were able to take advantage of those opportunities with four and three assists, respectively.

Baker, who contributed seven points in the third period following a scoreless first half, hit a basket

that gave the Beavers a 49-39 lead before the Indians were able to climb back into the game with a 9-0 scoring stretch that cut the lead to 49-48 early in the fourth period.

Despite hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the threepoint line, O’Neil was also a thorn in the side of the Indians with his ability to penetrate and draw fouls when not dishing the ball to teammates for assists.

“I wouldn’t say we felt like we had to attack them inside, but we wanted to hit them from all over the place,” says T. O’Neil. “We don’t want to just be known as threepoint shooters. We wanted to take it to the hole and challenge them in every aspect of the game.”

With Hays’ size advantage in the paint, rebounds didn’t come easy for the Beavers. Sophomore Bo Hess was the team leader with seven boards while Meyer finished with six rebounds to go along with his 11 points.

After scoring his team’s first two baskets, Werth was limited to 19 points for the night.

“I worked hard to front him the best I could,” Baker said. “He still had a good game, but we needed to hold him to a good game, not a great game, and I think we did that.”

“The kids from both teams competed hard,” added Coach O’Neil.

“This is what a championship game is supposed to look like.”

Beavers pull away in 2nd half against Schlagle If there was any doubt about the SCHS boys advancing to the finals of the Orange and Black Classic for a second consecutive year, they were quickly erased in the second half of their semifinal round game against Kansas City Schlagle.

T h e Beavers o u t scored Schlagle Schlagle 49 Scott City 784 17-3 in the first 4-1/2 minutes and cruised to a 74-49 win on Friday evening.

“We came out ready to play (in the second half),” says senior guard Brett Meyer. “We were fired up.”

Meyer led the charge with a game high 27 points, including a blistering 10-of-16 from the field.

Meyer drilled a pair of treys in the third period his second one giving the Beavers a 42-22 lead with 4:39 remaining.

Senior guard Trey O’Neil finished with 21 points, including a threepointer to open the third period.

Scott City’s biggest lead was 34 points which came with 4:39 remaining in the game when

Orange and Black Boy’s Division All-Tournament Team Trey O’Neil Scott City Brett Meyer Scott City Sloan Baker Scott City Matt Cameron Palmer Ridge Isiah Nunnery Hays Brady Werth Hays Keith Dryden Hays Jeremiah Pruitt Pine Creek Ladarius Brooks KC Schlagle Don Singletary Fountain/Fort Carson Most Valuable Player Trey O’Neil Academic Team Chantz Yager Army’s Championship MVP Trey O’Neil Orange and Black Girl’s Division Academic Team Taylor Goodman Cheerleader’s Academic Team

senior center Sloan Baker stepped outside the arc and hit his first threepointer of the season to put the Beavers on top, 59-35.

Despite the offensive display in the second half, Meyer emphasizes that the team’s success begins with defense.

“Sloan had a big guy to cover, so we were able to provide some defensive help,” says Meyer. “We had to keep on talking and know where their shooters were.

“And when they did drive to the basket we knew where our help (defense) was. It’s a lot of communication.”

Baker had a huge night at both ends of the floor,

Addie Price

scoring 16 points and also adding seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

O’Neil added a team high five steals and five assists.

Overcome Slow Start After a slow start to the game that saw SCHS leading 12-7 after the opening period and just 19-13 midway into the second quarter, the offensive tempo began to pick up.

Meyer drained a threepointer which was the start of an 11-3 scoring run by Scott City. Meyer added consecutive baskets on the back end of that run as the Beavers opened up a 30-16 cushion.

Pioneer Communications is proud to provide over

$12,000

in local scholarships for area high school Seniors in Southwest KS. Deadline is February 20, 2015

Download Application at:

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The Scott County Record • Page 23 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

SCHS Wrestling John Higgins Invitational Lexington, Nebr.

Jan. 24, 2015 Team scores: Kearney 199.5, Lincoln Southwest 192.5, Hastings 176, Millard West 131, Scott City 118, Holdrege 91.5, Beatrice 88, Lexington 86.5, Bennington 75, Sidney 72, Cozad 62, McCook 52, North Platte 47, Hershey 20, Holyoke (Co.) 28 106: Zach Tucker tech. fall Kaden Vower (Sidney, Nebr.) 4:58; pinned by Connor Laux (Hasting, Nebr.)

1:21; dec. Devin DeLancey (Bennington, Nebr.) 4-2; maj. dec. Branton Flanders (North Platte, Nebr.) 16-8. Third place 132: Jarret Jurgens pinned Tomas Margritz (Lexington, Nebr.) 5:51; dec.

by Cameron Williams (Lincoln Southwest, Nebr.) 9-3; pinned Ben Holman (Millard West, Nebr.) 2:26; dec.

by Hunter Weiss (Beatrice, Nebr.) 6-0.

138: James Jurgens dec.

Zane Hamaker (Kearny, Nebr.) 7-5; sudden victory

by Derek Robb (Sidney) SV-1 11-9; pinned Cameron Griffis (Cozad, Nebr.) 3:00; dec. by Dylan Petersen (North Platte) 9-8. Fourth place 145: Ethan Ford pinned

by Brian Messersmith (Cozad) 0:46; pinned by Matt Sorich (Millard West) 2:44.

152: Trey Loftis maj. dec.

by Prestin Melroy (Holdrege, Nebr.) 11-1; maj. dec. by Tyler Carstens (Lincoln Southwest) 9-1.

160: Wyatt Kropp pinned Jack Salmon (Bennington) 1:30; dec. by Mason Merritt (Kearney) 3-1; pinned Chaten Edgren (Holdrege) 1:49; dec. Jonha Pillow (Lincoln Southwest) 5-3; maj. dec.

by Joey Sutter (Millard West) 9-1.

170: Abe Wiebe pinned Christian Posekany (Bennington) 1:15; dec. by Doug Vawter (Millard West) 4-2; pinned Ethan Woehrle (Lexington) 1:18; dec. by Eric Langan (McCook, Nebr.) 7-4.

182: Tre Stewart dec.

Armando Pinedo (Lexington) 4-2; dec. by Dominic Rasmussen (Hastings) 3-2; pinned by Cameron Schlender (Kearney) 2:17.

195: Cooper Griffith pinned Tim DuBry (Kearney) 2:56; pinned Sam Nelson (Bennington) 1:56; dec. Jessup Workman (Beatrice) 118; dec. Zack Sorich (Millard West) 7-4. First place 220: Wyatt Eitel sudden victory by Bryan McGahan (Hershey, Nebr.) SV-1 8-6; pinned Fernando Rojo (Holyoke, Colo.) 2:36; dec. Bronson Titus (Holdrege) 6-0; dec. by Josue Ayala (Lexington) 3-2.

285: Lane Hayes pinned Luke Wilke (Holdrege) 3:08; pinned by Gabriel Ledesma (Kearney) 2:47; pinned Connor Clanton (Lincoln Southwest) 1:46; dec. Dominic Beyer (Sidney) 3-1. Third place

Takedown Kids Wrestling Ulysses Open Jan. 24, 2015 6-Years and under 46B: Konner Rohrbough pinned Collon Shockley (SW Grapplers) 0:45; dec. by Juan Ortiz (SW Grapplers) 10-6; pinned by Gannon West (Leoti) 1:28. Third place 55B: Blaze Gossman pinned Seth Torres (Greater Gold) 0:36; pinned Aiden Westeman (Bulldog) 0:22; pinned David Mesta (SW Grappler) 1:42. First place 8-Years-Old 61B: Kade John dec. Brandon Thopson (Bulldog) 10-7; pinned by Josiah Guerrero (Ulysses) 0:16; dec. Trenton Davis (Sublette) 9-8; maj. dec. by Daleb Otero (Greater Gold) 9-0. Fourth place 70: Jacob Franco dec Jacob Noriega (Bulldog) 9-4; maj. dec. by JJ Altman (Leoti) 11-3; maj.dec. by Ethan McMillan (SW Grapplers) 11-0. Third place 73: Houston Frank pinned Rebeca Lampe (Bulldog) 0:46; pinned Alexia Sanchez (Ulysses) 0:46; pinned Marco Alonso (Liberal) 0:33. First place 110-125: Jackson Rumford pinned Karson Perez (Hugoton) 0:38; dec. Hudson Rice (Liberal) 6-5. First place 9-10-Years-Old 70: Collin McDaniel pinned Broc Harland (Ulysses) 0:15; dec. by Daniel Vines (SW Grapplers) 7-4; pinned Caden Junell (Rebel) 0:59; maj. dec. Ryan Heiman (Greater Gold) 12-2. Third place 95-100: Izak Venegas pinned by Elijiah Guebara (Greater Gold) 0:23; pinned by Chandler Seaton (Leoti) 0:35. Third place 120-130: Lance Miller dec. Issac Ybarra (Liberal) 5-2; pinned Zachary Franco (Greater Gold) 0:55; pinned Justin Degollado (Ulysses) 0:48; maj. dec. Carmelo Orosco (Ulysses) 11-0. First place 11-12-Years-Old 84-88: Loren Faurot dec. by Jayden Escamilla (Greater Gold) 8-3; dec. Myles Conard (Leoti) 4-2. Second place 110-115: Jeffery Nix pinned Jonathan Pauda (Ulysses) 0:32; tech. fall by Joaquin Castillo (Leoti) 17-2; maj. dec. by Yoni Castillo (Leoti) 11-1. Third place 130: Caleb VanDegrift pinned Austin Rlght (Gray Co.) 0:09; pinned Madison Bergkamp (Meade Co.) 0:22. First place 165-190: Damien Oritz dec. Hannah Lampe (Bulldog) 2-0; pinned by Ayston Perez (Ulysses) 0:29. Second place 13-14-Years-Old 90-100: Justus McDaniel tech. fall Jagger Reese (Ulysses) 16-0; pinned Jagger Reese (Uylsses) 0:38. First place Lakin Mat Crew Open Jan. 25, 2015 6-Years and under 43A: Kasey Rohrbough pinned by Jackson Combs (SW Grapplers) 2:30; maj. dec. by Isreal Ortiz (SW Grapplers) 102. Third place 43B: Kirbey Rohrbough dec. by Haegen Hartman (SW Grapplers) 5-2; pinned by Jayce Caldwell (Ulysses) 0:26.

Third place 46C: Hunter Wells pinned Collin Shockley (SW Grapplers) 0:26; pinned by Aden Vazquez (Lakin) 1:30. Second place 49: Easton Eisenhour maj. dec. by Coutler Dohrmann (Gray Co.) 12-2; tech. fall by Theron Davis (Ulysses) 16-0; dec. by Dylan Burch (Holcomb) 7-1. Fourth place 49C: pinned Isaak Vogel (Gary Co.) 0:32; maj. dec. by Hence Gerber (Hugoton) 15-4; pinned by Elliott Williams (Dodge City) 0:20. Third place 55A: Brodey Rohrbough dec. Wyatt Mannel (Liberal) 5-2; pinned Seth Torres (Greater Gold) 0:42; pinned Aaden Westeman (Bulldogs) 0:33. First place 8-Years-Old 46-49: Eli Lisenby maj. dec. by Julius Medina (Greater Gold) 13-0; dec. by Jonathan Saucedo (Dodge City) 6-3; maj. dec. by Brayden Pacheco (Greater Gold) 12-1. Fourth place 52: Kamdyn Moore pinned by Alan Corrales (Holcomb) 1:38; pinned by Noah Richter (Lakin) 1:22; tech. fall by Devyn Geyer (Leoti) 15-0; pinned by Shelby Christman (SW Grapplers) 0:45.

58: Waylon Ricker maj. dec. Dylan Wainscott (Dodge City) 14-4; dec. by Ryland Price (Gray Co.) 4-2; maj. dec. by Wyatt Gardner (Leoti) 10-0.

58: Alex Rodriguez dec. by Austin Sams (Ulysses) 6-5; maj. dec. by Wyatt Gardner (Leoti) 10-0; pinned by Austin Sams (Ulysses) 0:59. Fourth place 64: Yulexis Robles pinned Jaiden Porter (Leoti) 2:50; pinned by Grant Mendenhall (Lakin) 1:27; pinned by Raymond Hernandez (Dodge City) 1:36; pinned Skyler Crawford (Sublette) 2:56; dec. Jaiden Porter (Leoti) 12-7.

9-10-Years-Old 70: Zachary Rohrbough pinned Lincoln Madison (Ulysses) 1:33; pinned Kaden Garvalena (Gray Co.) 1;15; pinned Zachary Willis (Hugoton) 0:28; pinned Tristen Porter (Leoti) 0:28; maj. dec. Elias Anguiano (Ulysses) 11-0. First place 76-79: Aiden Schwindt dec. by Geofrey Martin (Ulysses) 8-6; pinned Javion Ornelas (Lakin) 2:26; pinned by Ashlyn Christman (SW Grapplers) 2:21; dec. by Javion Ornelas (Lakin) 7-6. Fourth place 100-110: Izak Venegas pinned by Clariza Melendez (SW Grapplers) 0:47; pinned by Laila Rios (SW Grapplers) 0:45; pinned Colin Woelhof (Lakin) 1:36; pinned by Kolby Johnson (Holcomb) 0:43. Fourth place 100-110: Leightyn Heim pinned by Justin Degollado (Ulysses) 1:46.

120-130: Lance Miller pinned Zachary Franco (Greater Gold) 1:30; pinned Carmelo Orosco (Ulysses) 0:56; pinned Gavin Ramirez (Holcomb) 0:34; pinned by Sebastian Lopez (Greater Gold) 1:51. Second place 11-12-Years-Old 150-165: Damian Ortiz maj. dec. by Tyler Gonzales (Dodge City) 14-2; dec. by Hannah Lampe (Bulldogs) 5-2.

Third place

Wildcats Signing Day The college football letter-of-intent day is February 4. Kansas is in a precarious position because former coach Charlie Weis recruited too many juco players and ran off numerous players on scholarship.

Every Football Bowl Subdivision school is limited to 85 scholarship players and can give no more than 25 scholarships for each recruiting class.

KU’s roster for spring practice will have just 54 returning scholarship players.

Consequently, if the Jayhawks sign 25 new players, their roster this fall will be 79; that’s six short of the 85 limit. And that doesn’t allow for the attrition that’s sure to occur between spring prac-

(continued from page 20)

tice and fall drills.

Depth is the prime factor for big-time college football teams; without two-deep depth at every position, teams are dead in the water.

Coach David Beaty and his staff need a quality class of 25 and eight to 10 walk-ons to raise their roster to the needed number. And that’s just a start.

Kansas State doesn’t have a numbers problem.

Coach Bill Snyder has a well-established system that includes solid recruiting classes and a number of quality walk-ons that become established players.

Snyder’s recruiting system has been refined during his long tenure as Kansas State’s head coach and it has stood the test of time. Coach Snyder has

Turns bounds. Spenser Thurman added six points.

Tribune Rallies Leoti’s inconsistency on the floor again haunted them in a 59-46 nonleague loss to Tribune on Tuesday. The Indians led at the half, 30-20.

Tribune turned that 10 point deficit into a 37-36 lead going into the final period.

“We were playing real well defensively in the first half,” noted Parks after his team limited Tribune to no offensive

been justifiably lauded for many things during his great career with the Wildcats, but his consistency in recruiting quality players has been his most valuable asset.

Last week, Rivals.com ranked KU’s recruiting class number 51 in the nation and K-State at 62. The Jayhawks had 21 commitments with a star average of 2.57 (five stars is best) and K-State had 15 commits with a 2.87 average.

Kansas State has proved over the years that these team rankings are close to meaningless, but they do provide some indication of overall incoming talent. Both schools need to improve their level of recruits; K-State to stay nationally prominent and KU to make their team competitive.

(continued from page 19)

boards.

“We had only five turnovers in the first half and 11 in the second half,” said Parks. “We started forcing some passes that we didn’t force in the first half.”

The Indians were also 12-of-16 from the field in the first half and just 7-of-25 in the second half.

“We’re scratching our heads how things can change that much in a half.

Tribune didn’t make any huge adjustments,” said the head coach. “In the third quarter we came out flat and we couldn’t turn it around.”

The Scott County Record • Page 24 • Thursday, January 22, 2015

it’s always swim season Swimming becomes a year-round sport for more SC Stars Swim competition for Scott City youth has been thought of primarily as a summer activity during the hiatus from school sports.

For a number of athletes it’s becoming a year-round sport.

This is the fourth fall and winter that local athletes have been a part of the Scott City Stars winter swim team. During the past three years, swimmers had to make the trip to the YMCA indoor facility in Garden City to practice 2-3 evenings each week.

With the indoor pool reopened at the Scott City Fitness Center, it’s now much more convenient for approximately 50-54 youngsters. There were about 25-30 who competed in the fall season and that will climb to about 30-40 during meets in January and February.

Participation among the older swimmers depends on whether swim team conflicts with their junior high sports schedule.

“And it was tough for people to make the trip to Garden City a couple of times each week,” says coach Marci Patton of practices at the YMCA complex.

Only about 8-15 would usually schedule regular workouts.

“Now that we have a pool here where we can practice is making a big difference. We’re seeing a number of the kids, especially the older ones, getting pretty serious about this,” says Patton. “And it’s helping the younger ones. They see how hard the older kids are working and it’s helped them to step it up another notch.”

Beyond the obvious benefit of an indoor pool in the winter, Patton says it is also helping

Scott City Stars who are working out during a recent practice session at the Scott City Fitness Center are (top to bottom) Hope Wiechman, Claire Hawkins Kennedy Wasinger.

(Record Photos)

her swimmers in another way.

When doing the backstroke, there is a row of overhead flags which signal to a swimmer they are getting close to the edge where they need to make a flip turn. Once they reach the flags they can count how many strokes it takes before turning.

They don’t have that luxury at the outdoor public pool. The only times the racing flags are put up is for the home meet.

“This has given us a great opportunity to work on our backstroke,” notes Patton.

There are only a handful of meets during the fall and winter - involving primarily the larger cities in Western Kansas which have a high school program and access to an indoor practice facility. With more swimmers participating during the off-season, Patton and her squad are hoping it gives them a head start compared to where they would normally be when the summer season rolls around.

“When we start our practices later this spring, we’ll be able to tell who was in the pool over the winter,” says Patton. “The kids we have swimming now are the diehards. They really want to be here.”

While everyone enjoys the chance to swim, Patton and her squad also have a bigger goal in mind this summer. They are aiming for a Western Kansas Swim Club title. Over the past three summers they have finished fourth, third and second, in that order.

“My oldest swimmers started when they were real small and they’ve stayed with it all these years. They’re pretty hungry to win it all this year,” Patton says.

The Scott County Record

Page 25 - Thursday, January 29, 2015

Peterson Brothers to entertain at SCCD meeting

ASSARIA - Greg Peterson was hanging out with some friends in May 2012 at Sonic in Manhattan when he heard the song “I’m Sexy and I Know It” - and the light bulb in his head came on.

Peterson, then a Kansas State University student majoring in agriculture communications and journalism, realized the words of LMFAO’s song could be rewritten to reflect farming life. And what if he could persuade his younger brothers, Kendal and Nathan, to join him in making a music video parody of the song?

“I felt like there had never been anything like that done before,” said Greg.

The following June, the brothers spent about three weeks shooting and editing “I’m Farming and I Grow It,” a three-minute parody filmed on their family’s 1,000-acre farm in Assaria, where they feed about 1,000 head of cattle and grow wheat, corn, milo, soybeans and alfalfa.

They posted the video on their Facebook pages and YouTube, thinking it would only be shared with family and friends.

They didn’t expect their FFA and 4-H friends to share it with others, or people in the K-State agriculture department to send links to colleagues across the nation.

“What ended up happening was we got five million views in a week,” Greg said. “We ended up showing lots and lots of people how farming worked.”

“We went from working on the farm to Greg having to keep

SCCD Annual Meeting Sat., February 7 Wm. Carpenter 4-H Bldg. in Scott City Anyone planning to attend the dinner will need to RSVP to the SCCD office in Scott City (8723230) by Thurs., Feb. 5.

The dinner begins at 6:00 p.m.

The program by the Petersons will begin at 7:00 p.m.

track of phone calls, and then within two days we got a call to go on national TV in New York for Fox News,” Kendal said, adding he and Nathan had never been on an airplane before the New York trip.

After the success of “I’m Farming,” the brothers decided to make a second video - a musical parody of Psy’s redhot “Gangnam Style.” Titled “Farmer Style,” the video was posted on YouTube right after Thanksgiving in 2012 and encouraged viewers to thank a farmer and others in the agriculture industry for the food on their tables.

“We could’ve stopped after one video and said, ‘That was fun,’” Greg said. “We didn’t exactly know what our future plans were, but we realized that we’d been given a platform to reach people with a message.”

“Farmer Style” went viral worldwide. As of Dec. 15, the music parody had more than 15.7 million views from people - many of whom have no connection to agriculture - in 230 countries.

Since then, the brothers have grown into a global brand - the Peterson Farm Brothers. They have posted eight videos on their

The Petersons in a scene from their latest music video, “I’m So Farmer” (A Farm Parody Medley). It is a parody to the song from “I’m So Fancy” by Iggy Azalea.

YouTube channel, ThePetersonFarmBros, that together have racked up 35 million views.

One of the videos was made for the Kansas Department of Agriculture to endorse new products being produced in Kansas and involved flying around the state in a private jet with Gov. Sam Brownback and Jordy Nelson, former K-State football player who is now a wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers.

The Peterson brothers also are in-demand speakers at U.S. and international agriculturerelated conventions.

Greg, who graduated from K-State in 2013 and now lives in Lindsborg, books 50-75 speaking engagements a year.

Kendal is majoring in agriculture business at K-State and Nathan is majoring in agriculture technology management.

They join their older broth-

er for about 15 to 20 of those bookings.

They traveled to Germany in November 2013 for the biggest farm show in Europe, where they were the headliners and treated like celebrities, and were presenters at a national cotton conference in August in Australia. Most recently, Greg, who also posts daily on their Facebook page, tweets and writes a blog, traveled to Canada to speak.

They also offer tours of their farm family in Assaria and have an online store where they sell T-shirts, posters, bumper stickers, calendars and DVDs with a free CD of their parody songs.

“We just kind of went with the opportunities that were given to us right away and made the decisions, and they turned out to be great decisions,” Kendal said.

Serendipity Singers to perform

Members of the Serendipity Singers rehearse for their upcoming Valentine’s program to be presented at The Majestic on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7. Tickets are on sale for the musical program by contacting The Majestic (872-5738). The dinner begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:00 p.m.

(Record Photo)

However, there is one thing the brothers have shied away from: an offer to do a reality TV show.

“I think I don’t want to do it,” Greg said, adding his family sometimes “gets burnt out on exposure.”

At their presentations, the Peterson brothers encourage other farmers to make videos and tell their stories.

“I think the industry as a whole is realizing we can do a better job of communicating what we do,” Kendal said, explaining how farmers need to connect better with consumers.

“I think it’s important for there to be faces to the farming industry,” Greg said. “The root of the agriculture industry is the family farmers who are raising the food. In the U.S., 97 percent of the farmers are still families just like us.”

Farm

The Scott County Record

Page 26 - Thursday, January 29, 2015

USDA under investigation for animal abuse in Nebr.

A scathing media investigation uncovers a lengthy list of outrageous incidents of animal abuse - and not at some rogue packing plant, but at USDA’s premier animal research facility.

USDA officials are calling for an independent review of the department’s operations at the Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb., the federal complex where livestock have reportedly been subjected to “cruel and experimental breeding techniques,” according to a New York Times investigative report published last week.

In response, USDA

Meat of the Matter Dan Murphy contributing columnist Drovers CattleNetwork

Secretary Tom Vilsack directed agency staff to create an updated animal welfare plan within 60 days.

“Please remember we all own the responsibility for animal welfare; if you see something that disturbs you, please report it, first to your supervisor or their supervisor,” wrote Chavonda Jacobs-Young, ARS administrator.

The response outlined

by Vilsack and JacobsYoung included convening an independent panel to

review the group’s animal handling protocols, policies and research practices.

That’s the official spin: We are aware of some “incidents,” and we will take stern steps to ensure that they’re not repeated.

But here’s how the Times described the situation: “Pigs are having many more piglets - up to 14, instead of the usual eight but hundreds of those newborns, too frail or crowded to move, are being crushed each year when their mothers roll over. Cows, which normally bear one calf at a time, have been retooled to have twins and triplets, which often emerge weak-

ened or deformed, dying in such numbers that even meat producers have been repulsed.”

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals further made reference to: “Lambs born in open fields (and) left to die excruciating deaths during an experiment to see if their mothers, normally dependent on human help, would nurture their babies despite severe weather and predators” “This barbaric animal ‘experimentation’ is not only cruel but wildly out of step with modern sensibili-

Herbicide-resistant grasses are focus of K-State scientists K-State weed scientists would like some help from producers, extension agents, crop consultants, agronomists, and others in documenting the distribution of two herbicide-resistant grassy weeds.

“We are interested in knowing where there are populations of shattercane and Johnsongrass that producers or others had problems controlling in past years with ALS-inhibitor herbicides, such as Accent or Beacon in corn, or Pursuit in soybean,” said Anita Dille, K-State Research and Extension weed scientist.

The scientists would like to target problem sites to determine if the resistance still exists today. They hope to track the possible spread of the ALSresistance gene to populations of shattercane or Johnsongrass once the new Inzen Z grain sorghum hybrids are available.

(See GRASSES on page 27)

(See ABUSE on page 27)

Climate change threatens food diversity Climate change threatens the genetic diversity of the world’s food supply, and saving crops and animals at risk will be crucial for preserving yields and adapting to wild weather patterns, according to a U.N. policy paper.

Certain wild crops varieties not often cultivated by today’s farmers could prove more resilient to a warming planet than some popular crop breeds,

said the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

But these wild strains are among those most threatened by climate change.

Ensuring food security and protecting at-risk species in the face of climate change is one of “the most daunting challenges facing humankind”, the paper said.

Between 16-22 percent

of wild crop species may be in danger of extinction within the next 50 years, said the FAO paper. They include 61 percent of peanut species, 12 percent of potato species and 8 percent of cowpea species.

“In a warmer world with harsher, more variable weather, plants and animals raised for food will need to have the biological capacity to adapt more quickly than ever

before,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo.

“Preventing further losses of agricultural genetic resources and diverting more attention to studying them and their potential will boost humankind’s ability to adapt to climate change.”

To improve the resilience of food systems, the paper recommends strengthening gene banks

Survey: lower land prices, more non-working loans Agricultural lender sentiment for the end of 2014 shows that lenders have decreased expectations for the short- and long-term outlook. Respondents of a Kansas State University agricultural lender survey expect farmland prices to decline and non-performing loans to increase.

The five areas surveyed include farm loan interest rates, spread over cost of funds, farm loan volumes, non-performing loans and farmland values. Brady Brewer, agricultural economics doctoral candidate, outlined the major themes and implications for the agricultural sector that were found.

“One of these themes is the continued expectations that farmland values

will decrease; growing sentiment that farmland values will decrease in the short- and long-term,” Brewer said.

“Additionally, only two percent more respondents indicated that land values in their service territory increased during the last quarter, indicating that values have already stagnated.”

Brewer pointed out that lenders expect interest rates to increase in the short- and long-term.

Rising loan interest rates was expected on all loan types considered, operating, intermediate, and farm real estate.

“However, more lenders felt these increases would occur in two to five years instead of

Weed resistance update at Dighton

One of the biggest issues facing agriculture in recent years is chemical resistance by weeds in crop production.

Check out the most up to date research information at the “Weed Resistance Update,” hosted by the Walnut Creek Extension District. The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 5, starting at 9:00 a.m., at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Dighton.

There is no cost, but those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by Feb. 3 by calling 877798-3921.

There must be 10 registrations for the meeting to be held.

Scott City Lions Club Chili Cookoff on Sun., Feb. 8 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Wm. Carpenter 4-H Building

the coming year,” added Brian Briggeman, associate professor and director of the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center.

Another theme Brewer discovered is that while the long-term expectation for non-performing loans saw little change from the spring 2014 survey to the fall 2014 survey, more lenders expect nonperforming loans to rise in the short term.

Potentially, lenders are expecting tighter profit margins to strain loan repayment rates sooner than previously expected.

However, it is important to recognize that nonperforming loans are currently at a historically low level.

“The financial health

of the livestock and crop sectors appears to be headed in different directions,” said Brewer.

With lower commodity prices and higher farmland values, lenders expect non-performing loans to increase in the short- and long-term for crop sectors, while the livestock sectors, bolstered by high market prices and lower feed costs, are expected to see a decrease in nonperforming loans.

“As with the spring 2014 survey, lenders continue to express less optimism than they did during 2013,” said Christine Wilson, professor and assistant dean of academic programs, for K-State’s College of Agriculture.

(See LOANS on page 27)

to include crops now considered “minor”, a review of breeding practices, the creation of community seed banks, and improving seed exchanges between farmers in different regions.

Seeds and genetic material from crops under threat should be preserved in labs when they are not safe in the wild.

World food production will need to rise by

an estimated 60 percent by 2050 to feed a growing population, the FAO said, and climate change will make boosting yields tougher in many regions.

Cropping areas are set to shrink in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, India and northernAustralia, while warming temperatures will open new regions to agriculture in the northern U.S, Canada and much of Europe.

Market Report Closing prices on January 27, 2015 Scoular, in Pence Bartlett Grain Wheat..................

$ 5.12

Wheat.................. $ 5.10

White Wheat ......

$ 5.27

White Wheat ......

$ 5.20

Milo ....................

$ 4.31

Milo (bu.).............

$ 4.15

Corn ...................

$ 3.91

Corn....................

$ 3.90

Soybeans ...........

$ 8.91

Scott City Cooperative

Weather January 20

H L P 50 32 .02

$ 4.31

January 21

41

Corn....................

$ 3.91

January 22

44 20

Soybeans ...........

$ 8.91

January 23

52

Sunflowers..........

$ 17.10

January 24

60 28

January 25

57

31

January 26

71

35

Wheat..................

$ 5.12

White Wheat .......

$ 5.27

Milo (bu.).............

ADM Grain Wheat.................. $ 5.20 Milo (bu.).............

$ 4.01

Corn....................

$ 3.99

Soybeans............

Sunflowers .........

$ 8.91 $ 17.85

28 13

Moisture Totals January

0.08

2015 Total

0.08

The Scott County Record • Page 27 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Area conference on vegetable production The business of growing vegetables is the focus of a one-day conference at Seward County Community College in Liberal on Tues., Feb. 3. The conference is sponsored by K-State Extension in Grant, Haskell, Meade, Seward and Stevens counties.

Many people know that Kansas is an important state in cereal grains and livestock, which are two parts of the USDA’s food plate, said David Coltrain,

sustainable agriculture resources program specialist at SCCC. The other portion of the food plate is fruits and vegetables.

“Kansas only produces about four percent of the more than $700 million of vegetables and fruits consumed by Kansans.

We could probably produce 90 percent of the fruits and vegetables for Kansans and grow products for people across the country,” Coltrain said.

Currently, Kansas has

Abuse ties and ethical standards,” the ASPCA stated.

“It’s even more appalling that such activities conducted with the goal of helping a private-sector industry turn a higher profit - are supported by taxpayers.”

Mission Relinquished The situation at the Meat Research Center is absolutely intolerable.

Although the researchers there are working to find ways of improving productivity within the livestock industry, which is an important initiative, the extent to which that mission has impacted the well-being of the animals themselves is outrageous.

For example, as the Times story detailed, “In an effort to develop ‘easy care’ sheep that can survive without costly shelters or shepherds, ewes are giving birth, unaided, in open fields where newborns are killed by preda-

Loans (continued from page 26)

“They continue to expect interest rates to increase, non-performing loans to increase, and farmland values to decrease. They do however also still expect farm loan volume to remain strong.”

For more information about the outlook for agricultural credit conditions and commentary on areas of concern within agriculture, go to the K-State Agricultural Lender Survey http://www. ageconomics.k-state.edu/ research/ag-lender-survey/index.html. check us out at scottcountyrecord.com

Cary Rivard and Republic County grower Dan Kuhn, who grows about 150 acres of vegetables for the wholesale market, include: •Kansas Vegetable Production: Past, Present, and Future; •Growing Vegetables in Southwest Kansas; • M a r k e t i n g Considerations; •Making the Most of Your Water; •Wholesale Marketing; •Retail Marketing;

(continued from page 26)

tors, harsh weather and starvation.

“Last Mother’s Day, at the height of the birthing season, two veterinarians struggled to sort through the weekend’s toll: 25 rag-doll bodies.

Five, abandoned by overtaxed mothers, had empty stomachs. Six had signs of pneumonia. Five had been savaged by coyotes.

“It’s horrible,” one veterinarian said.

Yes, it is horrible, evidence that these research projects have truly crossed the line. Ideally, the well-being of all animals should be the most important priority with any animal research.

At the very least, there absolutely must be a balance between forcing the limits of productivity and ensuring that livestock remain healthy and wellcared for, no matter what kind of experiments are conducted.

What has happened at

Grasses “If you recall having a population of shattercane or Johnsongrass that was difficult to control with ALS-inhibitor herbicides in the 1990s, or is difficult to control today with these herbicides, please contact your Extension agent with the location of these populations. The agents will then report to us and we will come gather seeds for testing,” says Eric VanLoenen, an agronomy graduate student from Hill City who is working with Dille on the project.

“Even if the problem occurred several years ago, some plants from these populations may still exist on the perimeter

about 6,500 acres of vegetables.

Kansas was a larger producer of fruits and vegetables (more than 65,000 acres of vegetables in 1920) in the past.

It ranked in the top five producing states for some fruit and vegetable crops.

The meeting at SCCC begins with registration at 8:45 a.m. in the Student Union.

Presentations, including some by K-State Extension fruits and vegetables specialist

Clay Center is outrageous, and we have no reason to doubt it, since the Times article quoted a veterinarian who worked at the center for 24 years.

“They pay tons of attention to increasing animal production, and just a pebble-sized concern to animal welfare,” James Keen, a scientist and veterinarian, told the newspaper.

“And it probably looks fine to them because they’re not thinking about it, and they’re not being held accountable. But most Americans and even livestock producers would be hard-pressed to support some of the things that the center has done.”

In her email, JacobsYoung named Eileen Thacker, a USDA program leader in food safety and animal health, as the Meat Animal Research Center’s animal-welfare ombudsman. Employees were advised to contact

Thacker if their complaints aren’t being properly addressed.

No, there is a more appropriate way to properly address these complaints. Instead of being satisfied with an updated animal welfare plan, some employee training and possibly an independent review of the center’s activities, heads need to roll.

USDA needs to condemn the activities that have occurred, clean house at the center and explicitly prohibit any future research that involves developing “easy-care” varieties of any species when the project involves willfully letting animals suffer and die.

Anything less amounts to slapping some fresh paint on the outside of a rotting building.

Dan Murphy is a veteran food-industry journalist and commentator

(continued from page 26)

of what was a problem field.”

Growers using Inzen Z sorghum will be required to implement stewardship practices. Documenting the distribution of ALSresistant wild sorghum

species before and after the release of Inzen Z sorghum will help determine the success of the stewardship program.

For more information, contact any K-State agricultural agent; Anita Dille,

weed scientist at dieleman@ksu.edu; Eric VanLoenen, graduate research assistant at Ericv61@ksu. edu; or Curtis Thompson, Extension weed management specialist at cthompso@ksu.edu.

•Turning Your Hobby into a Business; and •Extending the Growing Season with Microclimate Modification.

Coltrain believes that Western Kansas has the potential to produce vegetables in a big way in the near future.

“In general, vegetable crops only require about 20 percent as much water as corn production. So the declining aquifer situation could be addressed,” he said. “Kansas has less

of a water quantity problem than Colorado and they are producing over 150,000 acres of vegetables each year.”

He noted that vegetable crops are high value, especially in the retail market. Some retail growers in eastern Kansas have reported gross sales of more than $100,000 per acre on vegetable crops.

For more information contact Coltrain at (620) 417-1354 or david.coltrain@sccc.edu.

$

7

The Scott County Record • Page 28 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Call 872-2090 today!

Per Week

The Scott County Record Professional Directory

There’s no better way to reach your potential customers in Scott County and the surrounding areas.

Clifton Smith Construction

Agriculture

Preconditioning and Growing

Formerly J.R. Smith, Handyman

• 45 Years Experience • Managed and owned by full-time DVM • 2,000 Head capacity Office - 872-5150 • Scott City

Call:

620-214-2674

Stuart Doornbos Home - 872-2775 Cell - 874-0951

Painting • Remodeling • Handicap Bath Remodels

Licensed and Bonded

Construction/Home Repair

Sager’s Pump Service CHAMBLESS • Irrigation • Domestic • Windmills • Submersibles

Cell: 874-4486 • Office 872-2101

ELLIS AG SERVICES • Custom Manure Conditioning • Hauling and Spreading • Custom Swathing and Baling • Rounds-Net or Twine • Gyp and Sand Sales • Custom Harvesting Call Brittan Ellis • 620-874-5160

20 years experience See us for any type of work!

ROOFING Residential

All Types of Roofing

Commercial

Cedar Shake and Shingle Specialists Return to Craftsmanship Attention to Detail and Quality Guaranteed

SPENCER PEST CONTROL RESIDENTIAL – COMMERCIAL Termite Baiting Systems • Rodents Weed Control • Structural Insects Termite Control Box 258, Scott City • (620) 872-2870

620-872-2679 • 1-800-401-2683

Dirks Earthmoving Co. Precision Land Forming of terraces and waterways; feed lot pens and ponds; building site preparation; lazer equipped

Richard Dirks • Scott City, Ks. (Home) 872-3057 • 877-872-3057 (Cell) 872-1793

Automotive Willie’s Auto A/C Repair Willie Augerot Complete A/C Service Mechanic Work and Diagnostics Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Walker Plumbing, Inc.

404 Kingsley • Scott City • 874-1379

Backhoe & Trenching services • Irrigation & gas leak repairs • Full-line irrigation parts T-L center pivot dealer Floor heat systems Pump & install septic systems Boring equipment

423 S. Mesquite Rd. • Scott City • 872-2130

Medical

Charles Purma II D.D.S. P.A. General Dentistry, Cosmetics, and Insurance Accepted

We welcome new patients.

324 N. Main • Scott City • 872-2389 Residence 872-5933

Contact:

Landscaping • Lawn/Trees

Berning Tree Service David Berning • Marienthal

620-379-4430

Tree Trimming and Removal Hedge and Evergreen Trimming Stump Removal

Fully Insured

SCOT AYTES • 874-1646

Red

Specializing in

all coatings t Paint i or any other color

PC Painting, Inc.

We service and repair all that we sell.

Paul Cramer 620-290-2410 620-872-8910 www.pcpaintinginc.com

1602 S. Main • Scott City • 872-2232 Toll Free : 1-866-672-2232

Over 20 Years Experience

Professional Extermination Commercial & Residential

• Termites • Rodents • Soil Sterilization • Pre Treats • Lawn Care • Fly Parasites

John Kropp, Owner • Scott City 874-2023 (cell) • 872-3400 (office) • prox2@live.com

RT Plumbing Rex Turley, Master Plumber

Residental and Commercial Plumbing Water Systems, water lines, sewer cleaning faucets and fixtures, garbage diposals and more

Marienthal, Ks.

Owner, Chris Lebbin • 620-214-4469

For your home medical supply and equipment needs!

Paint inside and out residential, commercial, and industrial.

Free estimates and 16 plus years of experience.

Pro Ex II

Call today for a Greener Healthier Lawn

Horizon Health

620-909-5014 (H) • 620-874-4128 (C)

Pro Health Chiropractic Wellness Center (Scott City Chiropractic) “TLC”...

Technology Lead Chiropractic

Dr. James Yager 110 W. 4th St. • Scott City • 872-2310 Toll Free: 800-203-9606

Dr. Jeffrey A. Heyd Optometrist 20/20 Optometry

Treatment of Ocular Disease • Glaucoma Detection Children’s Vision • Glasses • Contact Lenses

Complete family eye center!

106 W. 4th • Scott City • 872-2020 • Emergencies: 872-2736

$

7

The Scott County Record • Page 29 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Call 872-2090 today!

Per Week

Professional Directory Continued

Services

Berning Auction “Don’t Trust Your Auction to Just Anyone”

For all your auction needs call:

(620) 375-4130

Scott City Clinic

Russell Berning Box Q • Leoti

872-2187

Christian Cupp, MD

Melissa Batterton, APRN

Elizabeth Hineman, MD

Megan Dirks, APRN

Matthew Lightner, MD

Joie Tedder, APRN

Floyd Hockersmith, MD

Ryan Michels, PA-C

William Slater, MD FACS

Caley Roberts, PA-C

RN

105 1/2 W. 11th St., Scott City 620-874-1813 scottcitymfr@gmail.com FB: Scott City Myofascial Release

LENDERS OFFERING special government programs for manufactured homes. $0 down for land owners. FHA for firsttime buyers. VA: $0 down for veterans. Section 184 for federal tribe members.

Lenders accepting less than perfect credit. 866858-6862.

EXPERIENCED DRIVER or recent grad?

With Swift, you can grow to be an award-winning Class A CDL driver.

We help you achieve Diamond Driver status with the best support there is. As a Diamond Driver, you earn additional pay on top of all the competitive incentives we offer.

The very best, choose Swift. • Great Miles = Great Pay • Late-Model Equipment Available • Regional Opportunities • Great Career Path • Paid Vacation • Excellent Benefits. Please call: (602) 714-9455.

––––––––––––––––––––– HOGAN IS HIRING CDL-A truck dedicated drivers. Up to $75,000 annually. $4,000 signon bonus. Home weekly guaranteed. Roundtrip miles. Great benefits. Call 866-284-3594. www.butlertransport.com.

––––––––––––––––––––– BUTLER TRANSPORT. Your partner in excellence. Drivers needed.

Great hometime. $650 sign-on bonus. All miles paid. 1-800-528-7825. www.butlertransport.com.

Sports/Outdoors KANSAS HUNTING land wanted. Earn thousands on your land by leasing the hunting rights.

Free evaluation and info packet. Liability coverage included. The experts at Base Camp Leasing have been bringing landowners and hunters together since 1999. Email: info@basecampleasing. com. Call 866-309-1507.

BaseCampLeasing.com.

Call me to schedule your Myofascial Release

Retail

Education

Gene’s Appliance

CAN YOU DIG IT? Heavy equipment operator training. 3-week program.

Bulldozers, backhoes, excavators. Lifetime job placement assistance with national certifications. VA benefits eligible. (866) 740-7697.

–––––––––––––––––––– $2,000 SCHOLARSHIPS. Better Business Bureau Foundation Student of Integrity Award Scholarships. Application deadline is March 6, 2015. http://bbb.org/h/mqf or 316-263-3146/800-8562417, ext. 4208

Over 200 appliances in stock!

COMPARE OUR PRICES!

We have Reverse Osmosis units in stock.

Remember us for parts in stock for all brands of all appliances.

Sales and Service Days • Mon. - Sat. Deliveries • Mon.-Sat.

Largest Frigidaire appliance dealer in Western Ks. 508 Madison • Scott City • 872-3686

Networktronic, Inc.

Computer Sales, Service and Repair Custom computers!

Networking solutions!

Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

402 S. Main, Scott City • 872-1300

Office (620) 276-3131 Toll Free 1-800-794-9052 Cell (620) 874-0014 Fax (620) 276-8876 1007 N. 8th, Garden City, KS 67846 www.officesolutionsinc.biz

Truck Driving

C O N T R A C T SALESPERSONS to sell aerial photography of farms. Commission basis, $5,000-$8,000/mo. Proven product and earnings.

Travel required. More info at msphotosd.com or call 877-882-3566.

Sandy Cauthon

Sales Consultant b.rogers@officesolutionsinc.biz

Homes

Help Wanted

Scott City Myofascial Release

Brent Rogers

Kansas Classifieds Ad Network

The classified ads below are appearing in 147 Kansas newspapers with a total circulation of 500,000 the classified display ads appear in 142 Kansas newspapers with a total circulation of 457,000. KCAN line ad is $300 for up to 25 words and $12 each additional word. A 2x2 display ad is $800 per insertion and a 2x4 display ad is $1,650 per insertion. To find out more, contact The Scott County Record at 872-2090.

Northend Disposal A garbologist company.

Scott City • 872-1223 • 1-800-303-3371

For Sale VIAGRA AND CIALIS users. A cheaper alternative to high drug store prices. 50 pill special, $99.

Free shipping. 100% guaranteed. Call now, 1-800906-4338.

––––––––––––––––––––– ALL NEW. Happy Jack DuraSpot. Kills and repels fleas, ticks and larvae.

Repels mites, lice and mosquitoes.

Contains Nylar IGR. Orschlen Farm & Home. www.happyjackinc.com.

Legal Aid SOCIAL SECURITY disability benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We can help! Win or pay nothing. Contact Bill Gordon and Associates at 1-800-737-4275 to start your application today.

PC Cleaning Services, Inc. Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

www.reganjewelers.com

412 N. Main • Garden City • 620-275-5142

We'll clean your home, business or do remodeling clean-up Available seven days a week!

Paul Cramer, Owner

620-290-2410

All Under One Roof

Revcom Electronics

Dining

Your RadioShack Dealer Two-way Radio Sales & Service Locally owned and operated since 1990

1104 Main • Scott City • 872-2625

C-Mor-Butz BBQ

Barbecue, the only sport where a fat bald man is a GOD...

& Catering

Kyle Lausch 620-872-4209

Bryan Mulligan & Chris Price 620-874-8301 & 620-874-1285

Support your hometown merchants who back your school and community activities throughout the year!

www.cmorbutzbbq.com • cmorbutzbbq@gmail.com

Classifieds

The Scott County Record • Page 30 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Buy, sell, trade, one call does it all 872-2090 ot fax 872-0009

Classified Ad Deadline: Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Classified Ad Rate: 20¢ per word. Minimum charge, $5.

Blind ad: $2.50 per week extra. Card of thanks: 10¢ per word. Minimum charge, $3. Classified Display Ad rate: $5.50 per column inch.

BRING THE KIDS, DOGS AND HORSES!

Classified advertising must be paid in advance unless business account is established.

If not paid in advance, there will be a $1 billing charge.

Tear sheet for classified ad will be $1 extra.

Pine Village Apartments 300 E. Nonnamaker

Apartments available for qualifying tenants 62+ or disabled with rental assistance available.

Hours: Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. by appointment Call Steve 872-2535 or (620) 255-4824.

19tfc

To this 10 acre

country home! Lots of plenty of room for the

kids, dad’s toys and all

Thank you for all of the flowers, cards and condolences during our time of loss.

The Dan Depperschmidt Family

County Plat Maps Scott

Logan

Ness

Wichita

Gove

Wallace

Lane

Greeley

Finney

Kearney

406 Main • Scott City 620 872-2090

Rentals

Services

USD 466 NEEDS substitute route bus drivers. For applications and additional information contact Lance Carter at 620-872-7655.

HIDE AND SEEK STORAGE SYSTEMS. Various sizes available. Virgil and LeAnn Kuntz, (620)874-2120.

41tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– MULTIPLE HOUSES FOR RENT. 1 bedroom homes available. Also 8x10 storage units available. Stop by PlainJans to fill out an application or call 872-5777.

01tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– STORAGE UNITS in various sizes available at The Storehouse, Don and Trudy Eikenberry 620872-2914.

07tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– NICE HOUSES FOR RENT 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms. Serious inquires only. 620-872-2758 leave message.

25t2p

WANTED: Yards to mow and clean up, etc. Trim smaller trees and bushes too. Call Dean Riedl, (620) 872-5112 or 8744135.

34tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– FURNITURE REPAIR and refinishing. Lawn mower tune-up and blade sharpening. Call Vern Soodsma, 872-2277 or 874-1412.

36tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– MOWER REPAIR, tuneup and blade sharpening.

Call Rob Vsetecka at 620214-1730.

36tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– METAL ROOFING, SIDING and TRIMS at direct-to-the-public prices. Call Metal King Mfg., 620-872-5464. Our prices 37tfc will not be beat!

––––––––––––––––––––– “JEN’S GROOMING” also offering boarding.

By Jennifer Milner, hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. call 620-214-0097. Located in 09tfc Shallow Water.

02tfc

nice outbuildings plus

Card of Thanks

Help Wanted

your 4-legged friends!

Lawrence and Associates

Deb Lawrence, GRI Broker Shorty Lawrence, Sales Assoc.

513 Main • Scott City 872-5267 ofc. 872-7184 hm. lawrenceandassocrealty.com Sheila Ellis, Broker Assoc.

872-2056 Kerry Gough, Sales Assoc.

872-7337 Russell Berning, 874-4405 www.berningauction.com

For Sale SMALL DEEP freeze $75, water dispenser $50, trash compactor $45, fullsize mattress set and frame $50, lift chair $250 and oak table with 5-chairs $150. Call 872-2960. 25t1p

Agriculture WANTED TO BUY. Stored corn. Call for basis and contract information.

1-800-579-3645.

Lane County Feeders, Inc. 32tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– WANTED TO BUY. Wheat straw delivered.

Call for contracting information. Lane County Feeders. 397-5341. 44tfc

OPEN HOUSE Saturday, January 31 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

708 West 12th St., Scott City 3-bedroom, 3-bath, interior re-painted, basement cleaned. Price reduced!

Thomas Real Estate www.thomasreal-estate.com

914 W. 12th Scott City, Ks. 67871 (620)-872-7396 Cell: (620)-874-1753 or Cell: (620)-874-5002

New Listing!

Very nice home in great neighorhood! 3+1 bedrooms, 1+1 baths, full basement, spinkler system in front, SA garage, and 2-car garage in back, covered patio, fenced-in-yard.

24t2c

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS If you want to drink, that’s your business.

If you want to stop, that’s ours.

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Tuesday nights at 8:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church basement (use west door).

412 College, Scott City.

Al-Anon at same time and location.

Contact: 874-0472 or 872-3137. 30t52

The Scott County Record • Page 31 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Employment Opportunities Now Taking Applications Child Advocate/Forensic Interviewer: Must have good communication skills, like working with children and parents and have flexible schedule for travel in Western Ks.

USD 466 Technology Assistant Full-time, year-round position for Technology Assistant.

For more information go to www.usd466.com EXTENSION AGENT Family and Consumer Sciences opportunity in Wichita County, Leoti.

Details: www.ksre.ksu.edu/jobs Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2015 K-State Research and Extension is an EOE of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Background check required.

Full-time position, bilingual a plus.

Apply online at wkcac.com or call 620-874-2272

25t2c

25t2c

24tfc

CUSTODIAN Unified School District No. 466 is looking for a qualified applicant for a full-time night shift custodian position for all USD 466 Schools.

For applications and additional information please contact: Lance Carter Board of Education Building 704 College, Scott City, Ks. 67871 (620)-640-7276 USD #466 is an EOE Employer.

22tfc

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARA-PROFESSIONAL For High Plains Educational Cooperative Unified School District No. 466 is seeking a special education Para-Professional in each school building to work with students.

The positions are available as soon as possible.

For more information and applications please contact: Susan Carter Board of Education Building 704 College, Scott City, KS 67871 24tfc

Needing drivers.

Scott City, 872-3485 or 1-800-942-7411 25t2c

Has openings for the following positions: Part-time CNA (evening) Part-time CNA (night) Full-time Housekeeping Part-time Dietary Shift differential pay offered for evening and night shifts!

Please apply in person at:

Park Lane Nursing Home

210 E. Parklane Scott City, KS 67871 Or visit us at our website: www.parklanenursinghome.org “Quality Care Because We Care”

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GRAIN OPERATOR Now Hiring!!

Bartlett Grain, has an immediate opening for a hard working operator. This is a year-round position with opportunity for overtime. You will be involved in grain operations at both our Scott City and Healy elevators.

Bartlett offers competitive wages along with great benefits: health and life insurance premiums paid 100% for employee, dental, vision, 401k with company match, profit sharing and paid vacation.

Apply in person or send resume: Bartlett Grain Company, L.P. 305 W. Bellevue, Scott City, Ks. 67871 Fax: 816-753-1775 jobs@bartlett-grain.com or call Matt in HR 800-860-7290

EOE/AA/D/V/Drug Screen/Background Checks

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SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT Scott County Sheriff’s Department is accepting applications for: Two Deputy Sheriff’s Applicants must be 21 years of age with a valid driver’s license and clean driving record. Must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Preferred applicant needs to be a Kansas Certified Law Enforcement Officer. But we are willing to train the right person.

Looking for someone who is a team player. Must be willing to work shift work including days, nights, holidays and weekends. Background checks and UA’s completed on all prospective applicants.

Applicants must not have any felony or misdemeanor charges or convictions.

Scott County offers an excellent benefit package that includes BCBS health, KPERS, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays and furnished uniforms and equipment and up-to-date patrol vehicles.

Applications may be obtained at and returned to: Sheriff Office 602 W. 5th, Scott City • (620) 872-5805

PARK LANE NURSING HOME

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Scott County Sheriff’s Department is accepting applications for: Jailor Applicants must be 21 years of age with a valid driver’s license and clean driving record. Must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Looking for someone who is a team player. Must be willing to do shift work including days, nights, holidays and weekends. Background checks and UA’s completed on all prospective applicants. Applicants must not have any felony or misdemeanor charges or convictions.

Scott County offers an excellent benefit package that includes BCBS health, KPERS, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays and furnished uniforms and equipment.

Applications may be obtained at and returned to: Sheriff Office 602 W. 5th, Scott City • (620) 872-5805

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HOUSEKEEPING AIDE Scott County Hospital is seeking a full-time Housekeeping Aide.

This position requires a person who is dependable, in good health, energetic and who has high standards of cleanliness.

Applicants for this position are required to be able to read, speak and understand English.

Pre-employment physical, drug/alcohol screening, immunization titer, physical assessment and TB skin test required.

We offer competitive pay and great benefits.

SCH is a tobacco free facility.

Applications are available on our website at www.scotthospital.net or call 620-872-7772 for more information.

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SCOTT COUNTY HOSPITAL HAS OPENINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS PATIENT CARE Acute Care RNs Physical Therapist Respiratory Therapist Operating Room RN C.N.A.s Clinic RN/LPN ADMINISTRATIVE Foundation Director EXECUTIVE Chief Operating Officer CLERICAL Admissions Clerk Ward Clerk SERVICE Dietary Aide PRN Dietary Aide/Cook Housekeeping Aide Maintenance Worker Applicants for these positions are required to be able to read, speak and understand English.

Pre-employment physical, drug/alcohol screening, immunization titer, physical assessment and TB skin test required. We are a tobacco free campus.

We offer competitive pay and great benefits.

Due to our recent expansion of services and rapid growth, we are in need of Acute Care RNs and are offering financial incentives.

Applications are available on our website at www.scotthospital.net or call 620-872-7772 for more information.

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The Scott County Record • Page 32 • Thursday, January 29, 2015

Frequently Asked Questions on Title I Programs of the 2014 Farm Bill

What new programs are available with the 2014 Farm Bill?

Farmers have the option of two programs; Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC).

If not enrolled in ARC, they also have the opportunity to purchase a Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) as additional coverage to Risk Protection (RP), Risk Protection-Harvest Price Excluded (RP-HPE), and Yield Protection (YP), all reinsured by the Risk Management Agency (RMA). * * * What programs are no longer available with the 2014 Farm Bill?

Direct Payments, Countercyclical Payments and the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) were repealed. * * * How is the PLC guarantee set?

The PLC guarantee is written in the statutes of the 2014 Farm Bill. This “strike” or “reference” price for common Kansas commodities is $5.50 for wheat, $3.95 for sorghum, $3.70 for corn and $8.40 for soybeans. * * * When is a PLC payment received?

Payment is made if the Marketing Year Average (MYA) price falls below the reference price. The payment is calculated by taking the difference in the MYA price and the reference price, multiplied by the program yield, multiplied by 85% of base acreage. PLC payments are dependent on national commodity price and not related to yield. Planted acres that have no base are not eligible for PLC or ARC payments. * * * How is the ARC guarantee set?

The ARC guarantee is set by multiplying the 5-year moving Olympic average MYA price by the 5-year moving Olympic average County Yield and then by 86% (to factor in the 14% deductible). The farmer also has the option of selecting a farm level guarantee instead of the county level, in which case the average County Yield would be replaced by the “expected” Farm Yield. * * * When is an ARC payment received?

If a farmer selects the county level option, the farmer will receive payment if the actual county revenue is less than the guarantee. Actual county revenue is determined by the current year’s MYA price multiplied by the current year’s county yield, times 85% of the base acres. If the farm level is selected, a payment will be received if farm revenue is below the guarantee.

The payment will be in the amount of the difference between the guarantee and the actual revenue, times 65% of the base acres. Both ARC-county and ARCindividual are subject to a 10% stop loss that will cap the payment. ARC payments are dependent on price and yield (revenue). * * * What does 10% stop loss on ARC payments mean?

The maximum payment per acre that a producer can receive from ARC is 10% of the ARC approved gross revenue that is determined before the 14% deductible is applied. For example, if the county’s ARC guarantee is $190, then the gross revenue is $223.53 (86% x $223.53 = $190) and the maximum payment is $22.35 (10% x $223.53) per acre. * * * What is the difference between ARC at the county level versus the farm level?

If a farmer enrolls in ARC at the county level, they will receive payment on 85% of their base acres determined by the difference in county level revenue and the guarantee. They will also have the freedom to enroll some acreage in ARC and some in PLC. If a farmer chooses ARC at the farm level, they will only receive payment on 65% of the base acreage determined by the difference between farm revenue and the guarantee. To choose this option, all crops by farm serial number must be enrolled. If a farmer has multiple farms with multiple serial numbers, all production from all farm serial numbers, by county, enrolled in farm level ARC will count against the guarantee. Benchmark revenue will be established on the farm and the guarantee will be set at 86% times the benchmark revenue. * * * What is the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)?

Signing up for PLC and purchasing crop insurance gives you the option to sign up for SCO (SCO is not available if the farmer chooses ARC). SCO will help to cover some of the deductible in the crop insurance policy. SCO covers all planted acres, not just base acreage.

There is not a payment limit and it is not subject to budget sequestration. It can be purchased by talking to your crop insurance agent. Farmers must be in conservation compliance to be eligible for this program. * * * How is the Marketing Year Average (MYA) calculated?

Marketing years correspond to when the crop was harvested until the next harvest. For corn, sorghum, and soybeans, the Marketing Year starts on September 1 and ends on August 31 of the next year. For wheat, the marketing year starts on June 1 and ends on May 31 of the next year.

Wheat is most heavily marketed in the first three months after harvest and then varies in amount thereafter; consequently the Marketing Year Average is weighted by the percentage of the crop that is marketed each month. Corn, soybeans, and corn carry the largest weights in the five months of the marketing year.

The National Average price each month is multiplied by the percentage of the crop marketed that month and then these weighted prices are added up to become the Marketing Year Average. * * * What is an Olympic average?

The five most recent years of MYA prices are used to set the guarantee in ARC using an Olympic average. Out of the 5 years, the highest and lowest MYA’s are dropped and the remaining 3 years are averaged together. If the MYA price falls below the reference price (set by statute in the Farm Bill), that low price year is replaced with the reference price when calculating the Olympic average.

A county’s benchmark yield is also determined by a five-year Olympic average of county yield, which is used for the ARC program. * * * Once a farmer signs up for a program can they change their decision?

When choosing between ARC and PLC, no. The farmer will be locked in for five years (until the next farm bill). The option to purchase SCO, along with PLC, is an annual decision, so changes can be made numerous times until the next Farm Bill. * * * If a farmer does not sign up for a program, what will happen?

PLC is the default option if a farmer/landlord does not sign up. They also will give up any 2014 payment.

Farm Bill lined provisions in the new farm bill and answered questions during a three hour presentation.

According to Barnaby, the two programs drawing the most interest are Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage at the County Level (ARC-CO).

PLC is the simplest one and the default option should a farmer/landlord not elect to participate in a program.

PLC is based on a national average price of $3.70 for corn and $5.50 for wheat. Barnaby emphasizes this is the national average and not what farmers may be getting at their local elevator.

If the average falls below those numbers then farmers are paid the difference.

That makes it very similar to deficiency payments in previous farm bills.

ARC-CO, on the other hand, is essentially a revenue guarantee, says the ag analyst. That guarantee is currently based on a corn price of $5.29 - well above the current market - and the Olympic average county yield. In about a month, Barnaby says those yields will be available from NASS and it will be possible to calculate what payments will be under ARC-CO. “We’re talking about two very different programs,” Barnaby says.

“My guess is that farmers will be split about 50/50 between the two.”

Barnaby believes that PLC will probably pay more on wheat if a producer thinks the national average price will be below $5 a bushel. If they believe corn prices will be below $3 a bushel, it will likely be beneficial to be in the PLC. On the other hand, if a producer believes corn will average $3.50 to $4 over the next five years, then ARC-CO will probably offer the best return.

Barnaby acknowledges that the March 31 sign-up deadline, combined with some data not being available until October, “will require additional guesswork by farmers.”

“That’s just the first price that comes out on October 1. There will be

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a new price each year to reflect what’s happening in each new marketing year,” explains Barnaby.

“A bigger mystery is what the price will be on October 1, 2019.”

Five-Year Commitment The five-year commitment is another issue which is troubling to many producers.

“A lot of people are investing the time and energy to attend these meetings, to do research on-line and to visit with FSA in order to make the best choice possible,” says Taylor. “It’s because this is not a one year decision but a five year decision.”

If Congress should decide to extend the 2014 farm bill because they can’t come to a decision on the next farm bill, the commitment could be longer than five years, warns Barnaby.

“In the past, they did allow you to change programs, but there’s no guarantee that will be allowed in the future,” he says.

Because of the guesswork involved with projecting future market prices, and the variance with yields from farm to farm, a program that appears best for one producer may not necessarily be the best option for his neighbor.

“Each farmer is making a decision that’s based on their particular situation - their yields, their planting acreage and their program going forward,” Taylor notes. “Unless their operation is identi-

cal to yours, the decision that’s best for them may not be the decision that’s best for you.”

Decisions are also based on what one sees for the future.

“Farmers are also making decisions based on their own price and yield expectations going forward. No two people are going to agree on what the price of corn or wheat will be in 2018,” she says.

This is the first time, says Taylor, that a farm bill has required farmers to do so much guesswork.

“Previous programs had a lot more definition to them and payments were a little more certain. There are all kinds of variables driving this,” she says.

And while some safety net features remain, there’s no guarantee when safety net provisions will kick in and how often over the next five years.

“You can’t plan for it.

You can’t say with certainty that you will get certain payments that you can build into your cash flow statements. And you can’t build this into what lenders want to see when it comes to paying back loans,” Taylor says.

That could become an even bigger issue for some producers.

A good farm bill?

So does that make this a good farm bill or a bad one?

Barnaby said he doesn’t have an opinion one way or the other.

“It varies so much by farm whether or not it’s beneficial,” he says.

Producers ended up with a farm bill that was driven by so many different voices that one clear voice didn’t emerge to provide some direction, Taylor says.

Part of the driving force behind the current farm bill was to reduce program payments. One area in which that was achieved is by reducing the stop-loss provision from 25 percent in the old acreage program to 10 percent in the new farm bill.

“But we also have to be honest enough to say there were enough competing interests in this legislative process, and there was enough inability to build consensus that what we have now is a little bit of everything because of the inability to agree on one thing,” notes Taylor.

“I believe the burden falls upon farmers because they didn’t narrow it down during the legislative process. Congress was hearing so many competing interests that they turned it back on the farmers themselves and said ‘You decide what you want for protection and you decide what program you want to be in.’ In the past, there’s never been this many choices.”

Whether or not that works to the benefit of farmers will be determined over the next five years.

TRAINING SESSIONS Teeter Irrigation will be offering AgSense Training Sessions:

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 9:00 – 11:00 AM at Teeter Irrigation, Inc. in Garden City, KS 2:00 – 4:00 PM at the Lawson Room of the Grant County Civic Center in Ulysses, KS. For more information please contact: JR Hunter @ 620-271-8711 or Tom Leggette @ 620-353-4542 Brought to you by Teeter Irrigation, Inc. your full service Valley Dealer.