The Scott County Record

Hannah Tucker offers some pointers to the SCHS wrestling cheerleaders during the Garden City tournament

56 Pages • Five Sections

Volume 22 • Number 26

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Published in Scott City, Ks.

$1 single copy

County okays steps to improve jail security In the “B movies” of old, the jail escape was often times aided by the file or hacksaw somehow hidden in something that was delivered to prisoners.

Hard to imagine, right?

Not necessarily.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Department recently discovered a hacksaw during an inspection of the jail that prisoners were in the process of using to file away bars for a potential escape.

Tools found for possible escape attempt This was only the latest in a number of security and vandalism issues at the Law Enforcement Center.

“A lot of what we’re dealing with is because we’ve had so many prisoners, especially from other jurisdictions,” noted Sheriff Glenn Anderson when

he and Deputy Jeff Pounds met with county commissioners on Monday.

“I don’t think it’s our local prisoners who are causing most of the trouble. It’s the ones we’re getting from outside the area who have been in other jails and have picked up things

they can do that create problems for us.”

For some time, the department has been dealing with metal slats being removed from vent covers. Those slats have been used to vandalize glass and to remove the caulking from below the frame in one of

tasty memories

the cell windows. Enough caulk was removed to allow a hacksaw blade to be passed through the opening.

“The plan was apparently to use the hacksaw to cut bars in the window so they could escape,” said Pounds.

Because the window is located six feet high, the missing caulk wasn’t easily visible until further inspection. It was esti(See SECURITY on page two)

USD 466 could lose $136,000 under Senate proposal

Tonja Williams pours freshly mixed toffee from a stirring vat onto a pan where it will cool before it’s scored, broken into smaller pieces and then packaged for retail sales.

(Record Photo)

Gov. Sam Brownback’s pledge to hold education harmless in an effort to close the state’s budget gap has apparently fallen upon deaf ears in the state legislature.

One proposal being floated by the state senate would cut just over $39 million in state aid to school districts. Many, but not all, districts would be impacted by the budget cuts.

The Scott County district (USD 466) would lose $136,249 under SB 71. That money would come out of the current year’s budget.

The Wichita County school district would lose $68,400.

The Dighton and Healy school districts would not see a cut in funding since they do not receive LOB state aid.

The state aid referred to in the Senate proposal is based on the local option budget (LOB).

Scott County currently collects just over $2 million in local property taxes through the LOB. In addition, based on the LOB funding formula, the district is supposed to receive another $272,550 from the state.

SB 71, as being considered by the Senate, would change the formula and reduce state aid to $136,301.

The impact on Western Kansas school districts would vary greatly. The Garden City school district would lose $471,021; the Colby district would lose $108,487; and the loss of funding to Goodland schools would be $102,731.

A number of other districts do not get LOB aid from the state and would not be impacted by the senate’s proposal.

Williams transforms her family’s holiday treat into a thriving business Sales tax

Tonja Williams has great memories of family gatherings during the holidays - particularly of the cookies, fudge and toffee that her mother would cook.

“Everything was so good, but the toffee was always my favorite,” she recalls.

However, toffee was only a holiday treat. Carrie Marion would fix a batch so the family would have something to munch on while playing cards or visiting.

Tonja reasoned that when

toffee tasted as good as her mother’s, it was meant to be enjoyed more than a few times during the year. That was the inspiration for Tonja’s Toffee which is building a steady clientele of satisfied taste buds.

“I feel that I’m winning over a lot of customers who weren’t big fans of toffee before now.

I’m getting a lot of people - and a lot of repeat customers - who really like it,” says Williams, who has been making and selling toffee since December of 2009.

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

Crowning of SCHS winter royalty is Friday Page 9

The growth of her business on the family farm in western Scott County prompted Williams, with the help of her husband, Alan, to convert a garage into a commercial kitchen with the latest candy baking equipment. In the weeks leading up to Christmas “we were baking around the clock, making somewhere between 200 and 300 pounds a week,” she says.

the demand for Tonja’s toffee grow so rapidly over the past six years. One key to her success has been Williams’ willingness to try new ideas.

“I’d sample toffee at other stores and taste things that I liked then I’d go home and try it,” she says.

Her mother, for example, used crushed rather than whole walnuts in their traditional recipe. Williams has adopted Creating a Recipe whole almonds for her tofThe original, family recipe is fee “because I really liked the (See TOFFEE on page eight) just one element that has seen

406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Opinion • Pages 4-6 Calendar • Page 7 Youth/education • Page 9 LEC report • Page 10 Health care • Pages 12-14

Deaths • Page 14 Church services • Page 15 Sports • Pages 17-24 Farm section • Pages 26-27 Classified ads • Pages 29-31

committee to meet Monday

Organizations that have requested grant funding through the Scott City sales tax are reminded that the Sales Tax Committee will meet on Mon., Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m., at City Hall.

Organizations are invited to have a representative in attendance to answer questions from the committee regarding their grant requests.

Defense sets the stage for SCHS rout of Bluejays Page 17

The Scott County Record • Page 2 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

House budget fix is not enough to plug hole $800,000 gap is still anticipated in current budget The Kansas House passed a budget fix for the current year by a margin of more than 50 votes Wednesday, but few lawmakers were cheering the vote as a victory.

The bill may actually fall $800,000 short of closing the state’s budget hole after the state missed revenue expectations again last month, and lawmakers on both sides argued that the bill fails to address the causes of the state’s budget woes.

The vote inspired florid and fiery statements from lawmakers explaining their votes for the official House journal.

Lawmakers will have to re-

Security mated that cutting through the bars would have been a 2-3 day process.

While the department has an idea of who was using the hacksaw, they aren’t able to accuse a specific individual involved in the potential escape since the hacksaw was found in the shower area.

“It wasn’t found in a personal cell, so no one can be charged with having it,” says Pounds. “We have charged prisoners with criminal damage to property when we knew who was responsible.”

Increasing Vandalism But that’s only the latest in a growing number of incidents at the LEC. Prisoners have used metal slats to chisel into cinder block though doing so would offer no opportunity for escape.

“They’re doing it just to see what’s behind the wall,” Pounds said.

group after this budget fix and fill the shortfall for the next year, which is estimated to be between $600 million and $700 million, according to the state’s Legislative Research Department.

‘No’ Votes “We have a cancer in Kansas government. It is growing rapidly and is destroying essential services, diminishing our public

schools, reducing public safety and denigrating our infrastructure. Senate Bill 4 hurts poor children and damages KPERS but does nothing to cure the cancer killing the quality of life in Kansas. I vote no,” said Rep. Jim Ward (D-Wichita).

He argued that SB 4 does not address the causes of the state’s revenue shortfall, which he contends are income tax cuts passed in 2012

“Across-the-board cuts are a blunt instrument. Priority-based budgeting is a laser. Until we quantify and annually evaluate the effectiveness of programs, we cannot confidently defend blunt cuts,” said Rep. Marc Rhoades (R-Newton), one of the few Republicans to vote against the bill, arguing that the state needs to analyze the effectiveness of its programs (See HOLE on page seven)

(continued from page one)

Officers have found contraband that’s been tossed over the side of the building and into the exercise area. A chain link mesh covers the area, but items are packaged small enough to sometimes slip through the openings in the mesh. Pounds says they have found a number of items, including cell phones, lighters, marijuana and tobacco.

Jailers check the exercise area for contraband each day before prisoners are released into the yard.

There has also been a continuous problem with people coming up to the north side of the LEC at night to visit with prisoners.

“Do we put up a fence?

Do we go that far?” wondered Commissioner Jerry Buxton.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea. If there was ever a fire or something and we had to get prisoners out of the LEC, we could send them out the back side and

they would still be in a secure area,” said Anderson.

While there are cameras to monitor activity in the commons area used by prisoners, cameras can’t be located in the individual cells “because they are entitled to a certain level of privacy,” explained Pounds.

Anderson and Pounds also offered a number of ideas to improve security: •Removing the household vent covers and replacing with angle iron and mesh that can’t be dismantled.

•Using a material more durable than caulk to seal the windows. In addition, there will be two bars, located four inches apart, attached to the metal frame outside the cell windows that would make it impossible for prisoners to escape by that route.

•Cameras to monitor activity on the east and north sides of the LEC. •Bird netting to be placed over the exercise

area to make it impossible for contraband to be passed to prisoners by that system.

•Window tinting for the room occupied by the jailers so that prisoners can’t tell when a jailer is present to monitor their activity.

The commission authorized the sheriff’s department to make these improvements at an estimated cost of less than $10,000. They were also advised to get bids for security fencing.

“We need to do something. This is way too easy (for the prisoners),” said Buxton.

Commission Chairman Jim Minnix also authorized the department to look at its internal policy.

“We need to put a stop to this in a quicker time period. This shouldn’t be going on for several weeks or longer before it’s brought to us,” Minnix said.

Pounds acknowledged that some of the security

and damage issues have been taking place for quite awhile and the department has tried to address them with more regular searches of the jail area. In addition, Anderson says they are trying to hire another jailer.

Part of the problem is also related to heavy occupancy, says Pounds.

Over the last couple of weeks, the LEC has had 18-23 people for a facility that was designed to handle 24 male and female prisoners.

“If it’s a female, they’re being sent here,” said Pounds, noting that the local LEC is one of the few sites in the area where male and female prisoners can be segregated.

“If a prisoner is a problem somewhere else, we’re getting them. If there are mental issues, we’re getting them,” Pounds added.

“More needs to be done with internal security,” advised Minnix.

What’s for Lunch in Scott City?

Sun. - Sat., Feb. 8-14

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. • Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Thurs. • Chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes and corn.

Fri. • Beef enchilada dinner.

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, February 5, 2015

Women can’t overlook risk of heart disease Since February is American Heart Month this seems a good time to share some information on that subject.

According to the American Heart Association, “Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. CHD is caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, and often results in a heart attack.”

Coronary artery dis-

ease (CAD) occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed due to buildup of a material called plaque on their inner walls.

As the plaque increases in size, the insides of the coronary arteries get nar-

rower and less blood can flow through them.

Eventually, blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced, and, because blood carries much-needed oxygen, the heart muscle is not able to receive the amount of oxygen it needs. Reduced or cutoff blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart muscle can result in what is known as angina.

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart does not get enough blood.

The heart works 24

Researchers study spending patterns, diets of Generation Z

Millennials have been in the spotlight for years, but now the next generation is starting to claim some of that attention call them Generation Z. They range in age from 23 years and younger, they make up some 32 percent of this country’s population and technology is second nature to them.

Researchers and marketers have been taking a hard look at this new group to assess their habits and interests. At their young age, they already wield about $250 billion in spending power.

Food is an area where they are likely to spend that money, and some of them may already be the primary decision makers for the majority of their food and beverage purchases.

When it comes to deciding what to eat, Generation Z shows a strong interest in healthy eating, according to a new survey by The NPD Group. They found that the majority of Generation Z consumers prefer fresh foods that are prepared fresh - vegetables, fruits, meat and poultry.

They’d rather have home-cooked foods than processed or ready-to-eat foods; they’d rather rely on the stove or the oven to prepare their meals than pop them in the microwave.

The report predicts that Generation Z consumers will show an 11.1 percent increase in fresh food demand between 2013 and 2018 - a number that’s

substantially higher than the two percent projected population growth that the group will be responsible for during that time.

The NPD report predicts that these consumers will want more salads and quick-assembly meals (meaning sandwiches and meal kits); demand for microwaveable foods is expected to decline.

Favorite Foods An NPD study from 2013 revealed some of Generation Z’s favorite fresh foods: chicken, eggs, potatoes, bananas, apples, bacon, carrots and hot dogs. Favorite snacks included granola and dried fruit, and they were fans of frequently turning snacks into meals.

Generation Zers are also more likely to be vegetarians than older generations, according to Supermarket News, a choice that the authors thought could be attributed to the messages around sustainability that they’ve been hearing basically all their lives.

Their interest in fresh foods is not surprising, considering that the generation also grew up with the local foods movement, the Food Network and ubiquitous celebrity chefs.

They’ve also been steeped in messages about healthy food choices in light of the pervasive problem of obesity.

Research also shows that food is a high priority for them. They spend a majority of their monthly allowances on food and snacks - more than any other category - and 58 percent of teenagers are willing to pay more for organic and natural products.

As this generation of consumers comes onto the stage, they will be getting plenty of attention from food marketers, but of course, they will not be alone.

In NPD analyst said, “Generation Z, Millennials and Hispanics will be the growth drivers of this country’s eating patterns over the next five years.”

hours a day, pumping oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the body. Blood is supplied to the heart through its coronary arteries. In coronary heart disease (CHD), plaques or fatty substances build up inside the walls of the arteries.

The plaques also attract blood components, which stick to the artery wall lining. Called atherosclerosis, the process develops gradually over many years. It often begins early in life, even in childhood.

The fatty buildup or plaque can break open and lead to the formation of a blood clot that seals the break. The clot reduces blood flow. The cycle of fatty buildup, plaque rupture and blood clot formation causes the coronary arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow.

When too little blood reaches the heart, the condition is called ischemia.

Chest pain, or angina, may occur. The pain can vary in occurrence and be mild and intermittent,

or more pronounced and steady.

It can be severe enough to make normal everyday activities difficult. The same inadequate blood supply also may cause no symptoms, a condition called silent ischemia. If a blood clot suddenly cuts off most or all blood supply to the heart, a heart attack results.

Cells in the heart muscle that do not receive enough oxygencarrying blood begin to (See HEART on page seven)

The Scott County Record

Editorial/Opinion

Page 4 - Thursday, February 5, 2015

editorially speaking

A disaster:

Fair Tax Act meant to appease anti-IRS faction

The Kansas Congressional delegation, led by Sen. Jerry Moran, is on board with what’s called the Fair Tax Act. The plan is pretty simple.

•Eliminate the IRS. •Adopt a nationwide sales tax of 23 percent.

There you have it. Under the FTA, the cost of a $30,000 vehicle would increase by $6,900. You can also add 23 percent to the cost of your groceries, clothing and farm equipment.

And that’s just the national sales tax. Add in local and state sales taxes and that figure will jump to more than 30 percent in many instances.

The day after the tax takes effect, everything you purchase in a store will cost 23 percent more than it did the day before. Is there anyone out there who’s foolish enough to believe that won’t have a detrimental impact on Main Street?

And this would be in a perfect scenario. Some experts who have been studying the effects of a so-called “fair tax” for years have estimated it would need to be closer to 35 percent to meet the costs of running our government.

But we no longer have to pay an income tax, so it all balances out in the end, right?

In theory, maybe. But the income tax takes a little out of your paycheck each week. Most people never miss it. In fact, for most people it’s a savings account that pays them back each spring.

Not perfect, not ideal, but it works.

Who benefits? Let’s start with who doesn’t. It’s the middle- and low-income wage earner. That 23 percent sales tax hike will have an immediate impact on their purchasing power, regardless of the income tax deductions that no longer appear on their pay check. The higher sales tax will take a bigger bite out of a low-income wage earner’s budget than it does the wealthy individual. That’s an unavoidable fact.

But, argues Moran, it will encourage corporations to bring an estimated $20 trillion back into the U.S. instead of sitting overseas where it’s been stashed to avoid taxes. So wealthy corporations have been able to avoid income taxes that they owe because Congress refuses to go after the money and those same corporations are going to be rewarded by having all income and corporate taxes eliminated so they can bring that money back.

And, promises Moran, that’s $20 trillion these corporations will spend on rebuilding our infrastructure and creating jobs. It’s just a different version of the trickle-down economics theory that has failed time and again.

Our current form of taxation is convoluted. The tax code is a mess. But it got that way, in large part, because Congress (with the help of corporations) wrote into law countless ways by which corporations and wealthy individuals can avoid paying taxes.

And what happens if consumers are so repulsed by a sales tax of 23 percent or more that they sharply curtail spending? What does the government do if revenue doesn’t meet expenditures?

What of the black market for products and services which anyone who has studied the FTA says will almost assuredly occur? That would further cut into the anticipated revenue stream.

Without a doubt, the Fair Tax Act offers a more simple solution. But, in this instance, simple isn’t better. It would be a disaster waiting to happen.

In denial:

GOP response to state’s fiscal crisis is disturbing

If you thought that a potential $1 billion (and growing) shortfall in revenue for the State of Kansas was a problem, guess again.

Rep. Steve Brunk, a Wichita Republican, isn’t concerned. During a recent interview he called the looming budget disaster “not unusual.” “Nothing to see here. Nothing to see here,” he added.

Rep. Gene Suellentrop (R-Wichita) called it a “temporary blip in the cash flow.”

Rep. Brunk tried to characterize the budget crisis as something that’s been dealt with in the past under the administrations of Govs. Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson. Despite his efforts to make comparisons which don’t exist, there’s nothing in Kansas history that rivals the budget mess we are facing today.

Kansans should be deeply concerned that we have lawmakers who can appear so casual about a fiscal disaster of their own creation. Erasing a $1 billion shortfall in revenue is going to touch the lives of every Kansan in some way . . . and it’s not going to be pretty.

That we have legislators who dismiss this as “nothing to see here” should cause everyone to take notice and ask, “Who did we put in charge of this fiasco?”

A responsibility to the truth I can recall my first day of high school chemistry.

Of course, the idea of having beakers of chemicals and bunsen burners at our disposal so that we could make things explode was hard to resist and Delos Miller, our teacher, was more than willing to give us an instant lesson.

A small piece of potassium tossed in a beaker of water sent glass shattering across the lab table.

At the time, we never thought much about what Mr. Miller was trying to prove. In retrospect, we imagine it was two things.

First of all, he didn’t get to be nearly 65-years-old by having high school students blowing up his chemistry lab. And, secondly, certain things that occur in science are unavoidable fact and the quicker you realize that the better your odds of ending the semester with the same number of body parts you started with.

Following his little demonstration, Mr. Miller didn’t divide the class into two sections - one for those who believed that the potassium/water mix-

ture would cause an explosion and another section for those who didn’t.

You believed. The laws of science were indisputable. There was no debate.

Something has happened in the four decades since. Scientific evidence isn’t enough to convince people that life on this planet has existed for more than 6,000 years.

Scientific study after study won’t keep people from claiming that climate change is a hoax.

And now we have people who want to dispute the effectiveness of vaccinations that all but eradicated measles and have dramatically reduced the likelihood of contracting a number of other oncecommon childhood diseases.

In today’s political and socially divisive climate, we are being told it’s okay to substitute opinion for fact and that reality show

celebrities, discredited doctors and right-wing politicians carry the same level of credibility as real doctors and scientists.

It’s always been this way, we are told. The only reason we didn’t know it before now is because the liberal, main stream media forced us to wear blinders.

We were being force fed what they wanted us to believe.

How do we know this?

Well, Fox News and rightwing radio, of course.

We had no idea there was a war on Christmas until informed by Bill O’Reilly . . . year after year after year. We had no idea of the evil lurking behind Planned Parenthood because, as everyone really knows, only bad things can occur when you put planned and parenthood in the same sentence.

A national health care plan? A good, Republican idea as long as it came from Teddy Roosevelt (which it did) and was proposed by Richard Nixon (which it was), but a threat to our democracy and economic well-being once it became Obam-

acare.

Who could have imagined the dire consequences of making sure that more Americans have access to good health care if it wasn’t for Fox News?

The “lame stream media” sure wasn’t sharing this vital piece of information with us.

Without the support of those in the right-wing media, how could Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach be so effective in making voter fraud the next major threat to our democracy. The liberal media sure isn’t sounding the alarm.

And without Fox News, would Kansas or the United States have ever been able to enjoy the benefits of trickle-down economics?

Fox News and the right-wing media like to claim that before they came along the real truth was being hidden from Americans by the liberal media. That’s the story line they enjoy selling like a sideshow huckster trying to draw the curious into his carnival tent.

(See TRUTH on page six)

GOP wed to trickle-down failure Congressional Republicans, led by U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia and others, have reportedly decided to introduce so-called “dynamic scoring” into the preparation of the federal budget.

Under that approach, they propose to just “assume” that their favored economic policies, such as tax cuts for corporations and the rich, will produce additional economic growth and jobs and thus additional federal revenue.

Then they’ll go ahead and make policy based on that additional revenue, before this supposed “economic boom” materializes. (Ironically, they call that approach “conservative”.) The first step in implementing that approach will reportedly be the replacement of Douglas Elmendorf, head of the Congressional

Where to Write

another view by Jay Bookman

Budget Office, with a director more amenable to GOP illusions.

With that in mind, let’s update ourselves on the experiment still playing out in the Sunflower State.

Back in 2012 and 2013, you may recall, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and his GOP allies in the Legislature passed significant tax reductions, for example cutting the top income-tax rate by 29 percent and exempting 191,000 small businesses altogether from the income tax.

At the urging of conservative celebrity economist Arthur Laffer, they then used “dynamic scoring” to assume that their tax cuts would inspire significant job growth and revenue

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

growth and allow them to balance the state budget.

It hasn’t panned out.

None of it.

Last year, state revenue was $330 million below what “dynamic scoring” had predicted, which is a lot in a state with a population less than a third the size of Georgia’s.

After draining reserves and making cuts that he had promised would never be necessary, Brownback narrowly won re-election by promising that the worst was over and things would improve quickly.

Within days of the election, new projections were released showing the financial picture had instead gotten significantly worse, with revenue now projected to fall below predictions by more than $1 billion over the next two years.

Just to get through the rest of fiscal 2015, the

Sen. Pat Roberts 109 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

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

state faced a $280 million shortfall, which Brownback proposes to close in part by raiding transportation and earlychildhood-education trust funds and cutting pension contributions for state employees.

Even before those cuts, the state faces court rulings that education funding falls $548 million short of its own constitutional requirement of “adequacy.”

Last week came news that revenue in January had come in $47 million lower than the already lowered projections in November had predicted, which in turn were significantly lower than the projections of last April.

Oh, and what about all the jobs that the tax package was supposed to create?

(See FAILURE on page six)

Sen. Jerry Moran 141 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

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

The Scott County Record • Page 5 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Congress proposing a tax cut for tax cheats

by Bob Lord

If the most frequently dialed federal agency in America can’t even answer two-thirds of the millions of phone calls it gets, should the government cut its budget?

Congress thinks so. That agency is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And lawmakers have hacked at its budget yet again.

Worse still, those cuts will cost more money than they’ll save. They’re basically “a tax cut to tax cheats,” said IRS commissioner John Koskinen.

Regardless of your feelings about the IRS, Koskinen is right.

The government has slashed the enforcement portion of the IRS budget by nearly 20 percent over the last five years. That’s forcing the IRS to shrink the number of employees working

on enforcement by 15 percent.

Talk about being penny-wise and pound-foolish. For every dollar the IRS spent in 2013, it collected $255, according to National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson.

Imagine that someone told a CEO that a given department was bringing in hundreds of dollars to his company for every dollar it spent.

“It is difficult to see how the CEO would keep his job if he chose not to provide the department with the funding it needed,” Olson said. Yet, she noted, “that is essentially what has been happening with respect to IRS funding.”

Congress has slashed the IRS budget four times in five years.

And those cuts are feeding the budget deficit that conservatives supposedly fret about.

It’s all about political expedi-

ence. Remember when the IRS faced accusations of singling out conservative nonprofits for tax scrutiny? Along with other experts, I predicted that it would spur further IRS budget cuts.

Now Republican lawmakers are taking their revenge.

It’s a vicious cycle. Critics attack the IRS for making mistakes, darkening the public’s view of it. That gives political opportunists a chance to lobby successfully for cuts. A smaller budget virtually guarantees future mistakes by a cashstrapped agency.

Taxpayer services are underfunded too. The IRS now is unlikely to answer even half the phone calls it gets from taxpayers, Olson says. The average wait time is 30 minutes.

So another vicious cycle plays out as taxpayers who try to do the right thing get frustrat-

ed. Evasion rates rise. Pressure on the IRS enforcement team mounts.

On top of all that, taxpayers and collectors alike are coping with a tax code that’s more complex than ever. The IRS is responsible for implementing about 40 new provisions of the Affordable Care Act alone, for example.

And it could get more absurd.

The Republican Party is

fundraising on the promise of abolishing the IRS altogether, as Citizens for Tax Justice reports.

What happens when a country can’t collect taxes?

“Italy and Greece have been stuck in vicious cycles in which tax evasion runs rampant,” Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell recently wrote. So politicians “raise tax rates to extract more money (See CHEATS on page six)

It’s possible to end love affair with sugar

by Jill Richardson

do. But I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well, so that’s the balance that the government has to decide.”

Whoa - this is the same Chris Christie who had no hesitation about imposing mandatory, and medically unnecessary, quarantines on healthcare workers returning from Ebolaravaged countries?

Quarantine Christie was happy to spout off about governors’ responsibility to protect public safety. Now, Vaccination Christie is all about parental choice versus public officials. Christie is consistent only in that he was against the best scientific evidence both times.

You know Christie had a problem because his office in Trenton issued a swift clarification: “The governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated.”

Paul made Christie look like Jonas Salk. “I have heard of many

A cartoon drawn by Marty Bucella going around Facebook these days depicts an overweight man on a scale with his doctor. “No, it’s not water,” the doctor says. “You seem to be retaining food.”

That was me.

Yes, it’s true, I write about food. And I generally do eat a healthy diet made up of whole foods. In fact, most of my food is organic and locally grown.

But there was one not-so-local food that was tripping me up: sugar. Sometimes abetted by another: chocolate.

The eggs and butter that went with them, those were all local. Sadly, that didn’t make them healthy - or at least not in the quantities I enjoy eating.

My downfall is apple blackberry crisp with homemade vanilla ice cream. I’ll also gladly stuff myself with berry cobbler topped with whipped cream. And, for about a year, I would have joined Cupcakes Anonymous, if only it existed.

I retained some food during the six months I worked at a bakery and the year I lived near a restaurant called Extraordinary Desserts.

I retained more after my brother died and life seemed bleak. I decided my only remaining earthly pleasure was food, so I ate tiramisu, fruit tarts, and that cobbler I love so much until my pants didn’t fit.

Fortunately, my days of retaining food are ending. My relationship with sugar changed last summer. And my tush’s relationship with the couch changed, too.

Recently, I tried on a dress I haven’t worn since 2007 and it fit again for the first time. To put that in context, I wore it to my cousin’s Bat Mitzvah, and she’s now in college.

There are many theories about health and fitness, and I tend to subscribe to the ideas of Linda Bacon, author of Health at Every Size.

She focuses on eating well because it’s delicious and moving your body because it’s fun and allowing your body to establish what size it should be based on your healthy lifestyle.

Don’t focus on the numbers on the scale.

I thought I was doing that. I would hike three miles a few times a week (but then sit on my behind the rest of the time). I ate lots of vegetables. I also ate lots of sugar.

However, in the context of the standard American diet, I ate a relatively normal amount of sugar. I haven’t had much soda since college. But I like my treats.

Here’s the problem: The “normal” amount of sugar people eat in our country isn’t actually healthy. On average, U.S. adults eat more than twice as many calories from added sweeteners than they should.

To cut the sugar, don’t attempt moderation.

Make rules for yourself. For me, that means no more cupcakes. No milk shakes.

I ruled out milk chocolate because I would eat the whole bar. I switched to very dark chocolate - 80 percent - instead.

I’ll also put honey or jam on a peanut butter sandwich. Along with a few squares of dark chocolate, that’s my sugar for the day. Do this, and your cravings largely stop.

One more rule: Avoid “tastes” and “bites” of sweets. It’s easier to say no if you haven’t tasted something than if you have.

(See OUTBREAK on page six)

(See SUGAR on page six)

Shoveling our wealth to the top

by Jim Hightower

As an old country saying puts it, “Money is like manure - it does no good unless you spread it around.”

Yet, America’s corporate and political leaders have intentionally been shoveling wealth into an everbigger pile for those at the top.

They’ve gotten away with this by lying to the great majority, which has seen its share of America’s prosperity steadily disappear.

Yes, they’ve told us, the rich are getting richer, but that’s just the natural workings of the new global economy, in which financial elites are rewarded for their exceptional talents, innovation, and bold risktaking.

Horse dooties. The massive redistribution of America’s wealth from the many to the few is happening because the rich and their political puppets have rigged the system.

Years of subsidized offshoring and downsizing, gutting labor rights, monkeywrenching the tax code, legalizing financial finagling, dismantling social programs, increasing the political dominance of corporate cash - these and other selfserving acts of the moneyed powers have created the conveyor belt that’s moving our wealth from the grassroots to the penthouses.

Not since the Gilded Age, which preceded and precipitated the Great Depression, have so few amassed so

much of our nation’s riches. Having learned nothing from 1929’s devastating crash, nor from their own bank failures in 2008 that crushed our economy, the wealthiest of the wealthy fully intend to keep taking more for themselves at our expense.

Now, however, the people are onto their lies. Polls show that two-thirds of Americans support increased taxes on millionaires, an end to corporate tax subsidies, and policies to more evenly distribute the wealth we all help create.

This rising egalitarianism shows the true American character, and it’s changing our politics - for the better.

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

Outbreak of scientific illiteracy

Move over Michele Bachmann.

Here comes the 2016 Republican presidential field on the scientifically indisputable but ideologically fraught issue of vaccination.

You may recall Bachmann’s campaign implosion in 2011, when the then-Minnesota congresswoman warned of “very dangerous consequences” of the HPV vaccine, citing a woman whose daughter “suffered mental retardation as a result.”

This week, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul performed a full Bachmann, with a Lazio twist (Rick Lazio, the New York congressman whose 2000 Senate campaign against Hillary Clinton foundered after an overaggressive debate performance).

Paul proved that a medical degree provides no inoculation against scientific illiteracy, suggesting that vaccines could cause “profound mental disorders.” And he made Lazio look, well, gentlemanly, instructing CNBC’s Kelly Evans to “calm down a bit here, Kelly” and, finger to lips, shushing her in midsentence during a discussion on tax policy.

Yes, he actually said “shhh.” And,

behind the headlines

by Ruth Marcus

yes, you can almost hear Hillary Clinton laughing in anticipatory delight. Rarely has a single interview offered double grounds for presidential disqualification. Paul shot himself first in one foot and then the other.

Monday’s Republican vaccination follies began with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose gaffe ended up seeming rather statesmanlike after he was out-crazied by Paul.

Christie, on a European tour to spiff up his foreign policy credentials, was asked whether parents should have their children vaccinated.

“We vaccinate ours, and so, you know, that’s the best expression I can give you of my opinion,” Christie said. “You know it’s much more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official. And that’s what we

The Scott County Record • Page 6 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Tax policy puts state’s core functions at risk

by Jim Ward

The good news is the economy in Kansas and the nation continues to improve.

The bad news is our state government is in crisis, and the core functions of government - public safety, sound education and strong infrastructure are at risk.

Gov. Sam Brownback is in denial and is now proposing dangerous solutions. He wants to raise

Truth Of course, that isn’t quite true. The major media journalists and broadcasters of another era - Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and their brethren - understood the great responsibility they had to millions of Americans who saw and listened to them each night. They never saw themselves as the door to censorship but a window for the truth.

Cronkite believed in what America was doing during the Vietnam War until he personally toured Vietnam following the 1968 Tet Offensive. After

taxes on beer and tobacco while killing your homemortgage deduction.

He wants to choke off funding for public education behind a smoke screen of talk about “complex” school formulas and block grants. The bottom line of his “solution” is less money for our schools.

Many of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, believe these are not answers for

rebuilding Kansas. We need to face reality and make the difficult decisions to end this crisis.

Kansans have a right to the truth.

We need solutions that we know work: •Return to a sane tax policy that shares the costs of the essential business of Kansas government fairly among all those who benefit from its products of safety, education and infrastructure.

•Restore the full homemortgage deduction, which has successfully helped working families obtain home ownership for decades.

•Renew our commitment to funding public schools that works for all students, from special education to honors, from small rural schools to the largest schools in big cities.

•Raise the Kansas minimum wage so that no one

who works a full-time job lives in poverty and finds themselves unable to provide the essentials of life for their family. An increased minimum wage also helps improve the wages for all Kansans.

•Expand Kansas Medicaid and provide health insurance to about 175,000 Kansans who still do not have basic health care. Hospitals around the state tell us that acceptance of Medicaid expansion - something you have

already paid for with your federal taxes - is critical for the future of health care. It is the right thing to do for the Kansas economy.

Kansans have faced adversity before. We know what it takes to get through it. With determination and a willingness to enact real solutions, together we can build a better Kansas.

and the TV broadcasters of their time, or who followed in their steps, were died-in-the-wool liberals who didn’t feel that conservative viewpoints should be heard. Instead, the national media served as a filter from the insane and the inane.

Yes, the internet has further complicated - or we could say enhanced - the ability of people to say just about whatever they want. That can’t be stopped, nor should it.

That’s part of a free society.

The result can sometimes be a zone that’s

free of rules . . . and facts.

Unfortunately, that same standard now applies to a major news outlet like Fox News which is riding the coattails of journalism standards and expectations that were established by an earlier generation without the restriction of actually living up to those standards.

Unfortunately, too many Fox News listeners don’t know the difference.

That’s not to say the major media was perfect.

But, unlike Fox News, they didn’t treat the truth as something to be tossed

aside if it should ever get in the way of a good story or if it was contrary to a political objective.

The result is millions and millions of Americans who continue to believe the president was born in Kenya, vaccinations are harmful, oil spills are actually good for the environment and the road to economic prosperity is paved with tax cuts.

Just imagine how ignorant we would be if all we had to rely on was the old, liberal media.

Jim Ward is a Democratic state representative from Wichita

(continued from page four)

that, he declared on national TV that the only rational way out of the war was to negotiate “not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy.” With that announcement, the end of America’s involvement in the war had officially begun.

Cronkite wasn’t tasked with selling an ideology or supporting my government “right or wrong.”

His obligation was to his viewers and in telling the truth as he saw it.

You wouldn’t have found some nut job ap-

guest editorial

A spending problem In a Jan. 18 Journal story, Salina Republican legislators Rep. J.R. Claeys and Sen. Tom Arpke told reporter Michael Strand that Kansas doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.

In a sense, they’re right - in the same sense that even a broken clock is right twice a day. How can that be? Look at the problem this way.

Let’s say you earn $100 a week. And like most people, your family has $100 a week in expenses.

Then you decide to cut your revenue by 10 percent, even though your expenses are fixed at $100 a week.

Voila! You have a “spending” problem.

This, in the most basic sense, is the situation Kansas finds itself in. Gov. Sam Brownback and the GOP Legislature, including Arpke, cut income taxes in an attempt to give the state’s economy a “shot of adrenalin.” Now, Brownback et al., are, figuratively, looking in the sock drawer and under the sofa cushions, trying to grab enough loose change to meet our spending obligations.

This includes a proposal to raise taxes on smokers and drinkers, to go along with the sales tax Brownback and the Legislature passed.

Former state budget director Duane Goossen, a Republican, noted in a recent post that the National Association of State Budget Officers showed that over the past 30 years, states averaged yearly spending increases of about 5 percent, with Kansas at about 4.85 percent.

It’s on the revenue side that Kansas departs from the norm. This past year, Kansas income tax collections dropped 25 percent, while in most states, revenue collections grew, wrote Goossen, now a senior fellow with the Kansas Center for Economic Growth.

As Goossen notes, for the current fiscal year, 2015, the state has general fund expenses of about $6.4 billion and revenue of $5.8 billion. In addition, we’re going to blow through the $380 million we had in savings at the beginning of this fiscal year.

So, Arpke, Claeys and similar broken-clockers are right. We do spend too much. But notice that our spending became a problem only after we unnecessarily cut revenue.

What we need now is not for them to warn us of our profligate ways but to come up with the millions more in cuts that we have to have to balance the budget.

Go to it, guys.

The Salina Journal

pearing on the air in order to pitch the idea that people shouldn’t allow their children to be vaccinated.

The major media of the day understood its responsibility.

Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Steve Doocy would have never been allowed public air time - not because of some censorship conspiracy but because of the timehonored tradition among real journalists to report the facts to the best of their knowledge. It’s not that Cronkite, Brinkley

Outbreak tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines,” he told Evans. “I’m not arguing vaccines are a bad idea.

I think they are a good thing. But I think the parent should have some input. The state doesn’t own your children.

Parents own the children, and it’s an issue of freedom and public health.”

Where to start? For one, Dr. Paul, confusing correlation with causation.

For another, ignoring the overwhelming scientific evidence refuting suspicions of vaccine-induced autism or other disorders.

And then there is Paul’s

Cheats

Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com

(continued from page five)

creepy phrasing about who “owns” children.

Um, no one? Government and parents play a dual role - not in ownership of children, but in protecting them.

And there are broad categories in which government (that is, society as a whole) has long decided, correctly, that child safety cannot solely be left to parental discretion.

Thus, from the moment they leave the hospital, children must be buckled into car seats and later into seat belts. They must attend school. They cannot purchase cigarettes or alcohol, or work extended hours or in unsafe occupations.

(continued from page five)

If anything, vaccination presents an easier case for trumping parental rights, not just because the safety concerns are so overblown but because the risk of failure to immunize extends beyond the individual child.

In some (rare) cases, vaccines don’t work. In others, children and adults have underlying medical conditions, leaving their immune systems too compromised to be safely vaccinated. One family’s irrational decision not to vaccinate threatens other families’ children as well.

The current debate is useful not just because of the measles outbreak that began in California and

Failure

is spreading alarmingly.

The conversation will help illuminate would-be presidents’ attitudes about the proper roles of both science (how to assess the evidence on climate change, for example) and government (when it should step in, when it should leave individuals alone).

At the moment, anyway, this episode also demonstrates that, as big as it is, the GOP presidential field enjoys no herd immunity from ideological blindness.

Ruth Marcus is an editorial writer for The Washington Post, specializing in politics, campaign finance, the federal budget and taxes

(continued from page four)

from the few law-abiding saps still out there, encouraging people to hide economic activity from even higher tax rates, and so on.”

That kind of dysfunction hurts honest taxpayers and bankrupts governments.

Let’s change course before it’s too late.

Since passage of those job-growing tax cuts, the Kansas City Star reports, Kansas has ranked 38th in job growth. In 2014, we added 2.6 million jobs nationwide, but job growth in Kansas averaged 1,000 a month.

The situation has gotten so bad that Brownback, the king of tax cuts, is now proposing significant tax hikes on cigarettes and alcohol to help close the huge gap.

But so far, Republican legislators are balking, insistBob Lord, a veteran tax lawyer, practices and blogs in Phoenix, Ariz. He is an Institute for Policy Studies associate ing that they will continue to govern by credo (“We fellow. don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem”) rather than pragmatism.

Again, just as in Washington.

Sugar

(continued from page five)

Ending my lifelong love affair with sugar wasn’t enough for me. My bottom also had to break up with its true love, the couch. Now I am in a new long-term relationship with hiking.

And you know what? Now I love my body too.

Not only does it fit back into that dress, it’s capable of climbing mountains.

Jill Richardson is the author of “Recipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It”

Jay Bookman is a columnist for The Atlanta JournalConstitution

The Scott County Record • Page 7 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

editor’s mail . . .

Sunday dances will hopefully boost turnout In 2014, I accepted responsibility for managing the senior dances at the Scott County VIP Center. The dances have been held on the second and fourth Fridays of each month with live bands providing the music.

In recent years, however, attendance has continued to fall and the gate wasn’t enough to pay the bands. On one occasion, the band was paid at the intermission and the dance was stopped.

We are trying something different this year with dances being held on the third Sunday of each month from 2:30-5:00 p.m. Our January dance got off to a good start with 31 in attendance.

The next dance will be February 15 at the VIP Center with music provided by the Last Rezort.

Even if you don’t dance, they play a lot of good, listening music from the Big Band era. We would encourage you to come and support the VIP dances. It only costs $5 per person and we ask that you provide a snack to be enjoyed during the break.

It’s been rumored that you have to be a senior to attend, which is not true. Anyone who enjoys dancing, or listening to great music, is encouraged to stop by.

It’s good, clean fun with no smoking or drinking.

If you have any questions please contact myself, Todd Steele, at 874-1500, or Velda Riddiough (874-2040).

Todd and Dorothy (Milburn) Steele Scott City

Hole

Heart

(continued from page two)

“The vote today is not a choice. The state has an obligation to pay its bills.

But I will not support any other temporary fixes that enable magical thinking in favor of responsible public policy,” said Reps. Melissa Rooker (R-Fairway) and Diana Dierks (R-Salina) in a joint statement.

Both insisted they would not vote for another budget fix that fails to address the causes of the revenue shortfall An Addiction “I vote yes because I cannot bear the fact of Kansas not paying our bills. This bill is tantamount to handing a bottle of vodka to an alcoholic, and this must stop. Members of the body, it is time for us to go to taxation rehab. Kansas cannot continue on this selfdestructive path,” said

Rep. Stephanie Clayton (R-Overland Park).

She compared the state’s commitment to income tax cuts to an addiction.

“Four years ago a consultant told us we were a high tax state on our way to being poor. We were advised that if we lowered our income tax we would be a wealthy state. That analysis was flawed and the advice we followed has led to the desperate budget and cash flow situation we face today,” said Reps. Don Hill (R-Emporia) and Susie Swanson (R-Clay Center), “A yes vote today signals that our period of denial is finally over.”

They were referring to the advice economist Art Laffer gave the state when Gov. Sam Brownback first pushed for steep income tax cuts.

(continued from page three)

die. The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart.

Over time, CAD can weaken the heart muscle and contribute to heart failure. With heart failure, the heart can’t pump blood effectively to the rest of the body.

Heart failure does not mean that the heart has stopped or is about to stop. Instead, it means that the heart is failing to pump blood the way that it should. It can also lead to arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are changes in the normal beating rhythm of the heart. Some can be quite serious.

CAD is the most common type of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women. Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal.

About half of those deaths occur within one hour of the start of symptoms and before the person reaches the hospital.

Fortunately, everyone can take steps to protect their heart - and their life or that of someone else.

The key is seeking medical care as soon as possible.

HUK

872-2090

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Monday

8 Lions Club Chili Cookoff @ Wm. , Carp. Bldg., 5:00-7:00 p.m.

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Tuesday

9

Wednesday

10

11

7th Boys BB @ Goodland, 4:00 p.m.

P/T conferences @ SCMS, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

SCHS Class Leadership @ SCHS

8th Boys BB vs.

Goodland, 4:00 p.m.

SCHS B/G BB vs.

TMP-Marian, 4:45 p.m.

P/T conferences @ SCMS, 3:30-6:00 p.m.

SCMS Quiz Bowl @ Oakley, 4:00 p.m.

Attend the church of your choice.

15

No charge for community events

Thursday

Friday

12

Saturday

13

P/T conferences @ SCHS, (evening)SCMS, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

No School P/T Conferences @ SCHS, (a.m.)

7th Boys BB vs. Colby, 4:00 p.m.

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

8th Boys BB @ Colby, 4:00 p.m.

SCMS Valentine Dance 7th/8th, 7:00 p.m.

14 SCHS Forensics Invitational

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

7th/8th BB

16

SCHS B/G BB

17

18 GWAC Music Festival

Seeds of Hope

19

20 HS Wrestling Regionals

21 HS Wrestling Reg.

Billy Allen Products, Inc. The complete

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The Scott County Record • Page 8 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Toffee flavor.” During the Christmas season she made different varieties, such as butter toffee with white chocolate (no nuts) and almond toffee with white and dark chocolate.

It took several years for Williams to make a full commitment to the business venture. Preparing toffee in a large pan on her stove, Williams started in 2009 making toffee for friends and fellow teachers at Scott City Elementary School. “(The teachers) really encouraged me. I would put some on the break table at school and they would tell me ‘You need to be selling this,” she says. “I didn’t take them that seriously until a couple of years ago.”

In the summer of 2013, her son was planning a mission trip to the Ukraine and Williams decided that toffee sales would be a good way to raise money.

“I put on Facebook what I was doing and my Facebook blew up. It was a huge success,” she says.

“And my sales at Whimmydiddle later that year were great. I was really encouraged.”

Despite that success, Williams was still hesitant to move forward.

“If I was going to grow the business I needed to do something. Selling at craft shows was too timeconsuming,” she says.

In the spring of 2014, the Scott County school district experienced a $1.2 million cash shortfall that required some staff members to be laid off and others to have their hours reduced. Williams was able to work out an arrangement with the district where she could work three days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and still keep her health insurance.

“I know it was a terrible situation for the district, but Alan and I talked

(continued from page one)

about it and we knew this was a perfect situation for me,” she notes. “We still had my income from teaching, my insurance and I could devote more time to building my toffee business.”

Retail Sales Network With more time to spend on cooking and sales, Williams has been able to build a retail network that includes Suzy B’s, The Taylor House and Gifts, Etc., in Scott City, plus nearly 10 other locations from Leoti to Manhattan.

“The local businesses have been real supportive,” notes Alan who lends a helping hand when not busy with the farming operation.

“It’s really tough getting retail stores to give you a chance. I’ve learned not to take rejection personal,” Tonja jokes. “Usually, if I can get them to taste it that opens the door a little wider. Every time you have success it makes you a little braver to try the next place.

“I prefer being in the kitchen, but I also know that I have to create a market for my toffee,” she says.

Distinctive packaging was also designed for the retail outlets.

“Packaging is everything. It will either get you in the door or it won’t,” says Williams who sells her toffee in one-quarter, one-half and one pound packages. Those who visit her website can also purchase three-quarter and 1-1/2 pound packages.

As retail sites have expanded, Williams knew that she would have to find a way to increase production in her “onewoman operation.” That included the purchase of a candy cooking vat that is specially designed for toffee and peanut brittle, which she also began bak-

Tonja Williams (above) in her commercial kitchen on the family farm south of Modoc.

(Right) Chips of chocolate are poured onto the toffee.

(Bottom left) Williams breaks the toffee into squares for packaging.

(Below right) Fresh toffee soon after it’s been cooked and scored.

(Bottom right) Finished toffee is broken into pieces.

(Record Photos)

ing and selling this past Christmas.

It’s not only been a huge time-saver, but has tripled the amount of toffee that Williams can make in a single batch.

No longer must she be constantly standing over a stove and stirring toffee.

She’s also becoming more creative in marketing her product.

When her daughter was married in 2011, Tonja prepared specially wrapped one-serving

samples of her toffee which were placed at each guest’s plate during the reception dinner.

“People loved it,” she says.

The next challenge facing Williams is to build demand for her product beyond what was an extremely successful Christmas season and the leadup to Valentine’s Day. She will also try to market her toffee with Easter baskets and as gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“I want people to see my toffee as something special that they can give to family members or friends throughout the year,” she says.

Some businesses have provided their customers with Tonja’s Toffee gift boxes during the holidays.

product in major retail outlets such as Dillon’s or WalMart but would prefer remaining in the smaller retail outlets that have supported her from the start.

“It’s not my goal to be the biggest toffee maker. I want to grow at my pace and provide something that people will enjoy,” Steady Growth Williams has seen she says.

And to create memosteady growth in her business, which is just fine for ries for her toffee lovers. the entrepreneur. She’s Visit Tonja’s Toffee website not aiming to place her at www.tonjastoffee.com

The Scott County Record

Youth/Education

Page 9 - Thursday, February 5, 2015

SCHS fourth at GC forensics tournament The Scott Community High School forensics squad opened its season at the Garden City Invitational last weekend with two participants qualifying their selections for state.

Megan Smith was a second place medalist in impromptu speaking.

“It was an event we literally put her in that morning and she did great,” says forensics coach Summer Ford.

Senior Macy Davis was a gold medalist in original oration.

Other top finishers were Josh Walters, fifth in impromptu and extemporaneous speaking; Carson Haupt, third in informative speaking; and Davis/ Haupt, third in improvised duet acting.

SCHS will be hosting its invitational tournament on Sat., Feb. 14, and judges are needed.

Anyone interested in being a judge can attend a clinic on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the SCHS library.

The tournament will be a day-long event.

Beeson, Mehl on fall Dean’s list at WSU Brenna Beeson, Scott City, and Hannah Mehl, Leoti, were named to the Dean’s honor roll at Wichita State University.

To be included on the Dean’s list, a student must be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours) and earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

New P/T conference schedule at SCMS

Next week’s schedule for parentteacher conferences at Scott City Middle School have been changed.

The new schedule is: Tues., Feb. 10: 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Wed., Feb. 11: 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Thurs., Feb. 12: 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Conferences at Scott Community High School will be held on Thurs., Feb. 12, from 3:30-10:30 p.m.

Two named to NCK fall semester honor list Dylan Larsen, Dighton, and Colin Foos, Scott City, have earned fall semester academic honors at North Central Kansas Technical College.

Both are majoring in electrical technology.

Foos was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll for maintaining a grade point average of 3.5-4.0. Larsen was on the Honor Roll for a 3.0-3.5 gpa.

Scheuerman earns chiropractic degree SCHS Homecoming queen candidates are (from left) Macy Davis, Bre Smull and Emily Buxton. King candidates are Brett Meyer, Marshal Hutchins and Wyatt Eitel.

(Record Photo)

SCHS winter sports coronation is Friday Scott Community High School winter Homecoming activities will be held Fri., Feb. 6, when the Beavers host Hugoton High School. Crowning ceremony will take place during halftime of the boy’s basketball game.

Queen candidates are Emily Buxton, daughter of Jerry and Jynette Buxton; Macy Davis, daughter of Mark and Stacy Davis; and Bre Smull, daughter of Paul and Chris Smull.

King candidates are Marshal Hutchins, son of Devin and Dawn Hutchins; Brett Meyer, son of Joe and Margie Meyer; and Wyatt Eitel, son

of Rod and Sue Eitel and Jennifer Eitel.

Class attendants are: Juniors: Mariah Campbell and Draven McRae. Sophomores: KelsiJo Crouch and Carson Haupt.

Freshmen: Olivia Prieto and Conner LeBeau.

The junior attendants are Jacqueline Gerber and Carson Taylor.

A dance will be held in the SCHS commons area following the game.

Andrea Scheuerman, Scott City, received her Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Logan University in St. Louis, Mo. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Logan.

She is the daughter of Randy and Cindy Scheuerman.

At Logan University, Scheuerman served as a senior intern assistant and earned academic achievement awards. After completing 10 trimesters (the equivalent of five twosemester academic years) program of study, Andrea graduated magna cum laude.

She is currently practicing and is part owner of Western Kansas Chiropractic in Scott City.

USD 466 Lunch Menu Week of February 9-13 Breakfast Monday: Whole grain cereal, string cheese, fresh orange, fruit juice.

Tuesday: Pancake sausage on stick, fruit cocktail, fruit juice.

Wednesday: Biscuit and gray, banana, fruit juice.

Thursday: Sausage breakfast sandwich, pineapple chunks, fruit juice.

Friday: No school.

Lunch Monday: Pizza pockets, ravioli, sweet potato tots, broccoli, pears.

Tuesday: Chicken fried steak, *salisbury steak, potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots, dinner roll, peaches.

Wednesday: Burrito and salsa, *egg rolls, fried rice, mixed vegetables, mandarin oranges.

Thursday: Chicken nuggets, *steak fingers, potato salad, green beans, dinner roll, applesauce.

Friday: No school. *second choice at SCMS and SCHS.

Pioneer Communications is proud to provide over

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in local scholarships for area high school Seniors in Southwest KS. Deadline is February 20, 2015

Download Application at:

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For the Record Getting serious? Five money questions to ask The Scott County Record

Jason Alderman

Valentine’s Day is often a time to reflect on your relationship, and consider the next step. If your relationship is heading toward joint finances, it’s essential to talk about it first openly and honestly.

A 2014 survey (http:// w w w. n e f e . o r g / p r e s s room/news/financial-infidelity-poses-challengefor-couples.aspx) by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) found that 13

percent said they had failed to share information about their personal debt or income, which had “an effect on the relationship.”

This year, consider thinking beyond the roses and candlelight dinners to a potential future of merged finances. Here are five key questions that should drive your conversation: Where are you financially as individuals?

Take time to talk about your household debt including student loans,

Scott Co. LEC Report Scott City Police Department Dec. 27: Tomas Alonzo was southbound in the 600 block of Antelope when he struck a legally parked vehicle.

Dec. 31: A report was taken of a theft in the 900 block of South Elizabeth.

Feb. 1: Police responded to a child in need of care case.

Feb. 1: Matthew Murray, 16, was arrested for contributing to a child’s misconduct and furnishing alcohol/cereal malt beverage to a minor (on Jan. 29).

Feb. 1: Richard Golightly was driving in the 1300 block of South Main when he struck a parked vehicle belonging to Sandra Herndon.

Feb. 1: Donald Brau backed into a parked vehicle in the 600 block of North Main.

Feb. 1: Bumper to Bumper reported the theft of property/services.

Scott County Sheriff’s Department Jan. 27: Brian Nicholson, 22, was arrested in Garden City on a Scott County warrant and transported to the Scott County LEC. Jan. 31: Brian Nicholson, 22, was served Finney County warrants while incarcerated in the Scott County LEC.

Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Feb. 5, 2015; last published Thurs., Feb. 19, 2015)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS IN THE MATTER OF THE MARRIAGE OF: ERICA OLIVIA RODRIGUEZ PETITIONER HOLDING ZEPEDA VASQUEZ RESPONDENT Case No. 14-DM-53 Notice of Suit The State of Kansas to Holding Zepeda Vasquez and all other persons who are or may be concerned:

You are hereby notified that a petition has been filed in Scott County District Court by Erica Olivia Rodriguez praying for Divorce, and you are hereby required to plead to the petition on or before March 2, 2015, in the District Court at Scott City, Kansas. If you fail to plead, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the petition.

Erica Olivia Rodriguez Petitioner Colton D. Eikenberry Attorney at Law 310 Court St., Ste. 8 Scott City, Kansas 67871 (620) 872-0300

Friendship ‘Meals to Go’ available from the VIP Center only $3.25/meal • Call 872-3501

The Scott County Record Page 10 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

credit cards, mortgage and medical bills, and share your credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Each can be obtained once a year for free (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index. action).

It’s also important to discuss assets - not only the savings and investments you hold, but also how future job or education plans can improve the marriage or family’s

financial health.

What are your money personalities? This is a personal finance question that many financial planners still ask to get a sense of your money management habits. It’s intended to identify which person in the relationship is the spender or the saver.

It’s particularly important to ask each other whether you save or spend to make sure you’re on track to achieve your long-term goals.

How do you want to

Public Notice (First Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., Feb. 5, 2015; last published Thurs., Feb. 12, 2015)2t REQUEST FOR ZONING CHANGE Notice is hereby given that the Scott City Planning Commission will hold a special meeting on February 26, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., at the Scott City Council Meeting Room at City Hall, 221 West 5th Street, Scott City, Kansas, to consider the following agenda items: 1. Application for amendment of the official zoning map

by Brookover Family Farms, LLC to change the zoning classification from R-1 Single Family Residential District to R-2 Two Family Residential District or R-3 Multiple Family Residential District for the following described property to wit: Lots Six (6) thru Ten (10), Block Five (5) and Lots Four (4) and Five (5), Block thirteen (13), Eastridge Subdivision to Scott City, KS. 2. Application for amendment of the official zoning map

by Earl and Barbara Roemer to change the zoning from R-1 Single Family Residential District to R-2 Two Family Residential District or R-3 Multiple Family Residential District for the following described property to wit: All of Blocks Six (6) Nine (9) and Ten (10) and Lots Six (6) thru Eighteen (18), Block Thirteen (13), Eastridge Subdivision to Scott City, KS. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at such hearing.

Dated: February 3, 2015 Rodney Hogg, chairman Scott City Planning Commission

live? This question is about shared financial and personal goals and how you will achieve them together. Discuss how you’ve been living thus far, and what you might change.

Be honest about where you want to live, what kind of home and family you want to have, what kind of career or retirement you want and start discussing concrete ways you both will get there.

How will you handle everyday spending?

Determine how you will share accounts, pay bills, budget, save for the future and bank - jointly, separately or both. Figure out how will you jointly manage credit and the smartest ways to save for retirement.

If you want a family, decide how you’ll plan for kids financially. Finally, work together when problems come up. As with all issues in a relationship, ongoing communication is key.

(See SERIOUS on page 11)

The Scott County Record • Page 11 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Opposition to body camera mandate for police “In this provision, if there is no video, regardless of the reason, the officer or agency is presumed guilty of any allegation.”

He said law enforcement agencies were generally supportive of deploying cameras, but a statewide, unfunded mandate would prove difficult to implement.

Capt. Scott Harrington, representing the Kansas Highway Patrol, said the agency relied on a system of cameras installed in patrol vehicles and a voice recorder on each

officer’s vest.

The estimated cost for the KHP’s wholesale transition to a body-camera system would be $1.4 million for implementation and nearly $900,000 annually for maintenance.

“During these tight budget times, it would be impossible for the patrol to add a recording platform to our current budget without a fiscal enhancement from the Legislature,” Harrington said.

Eric Smith, legal counsel to the Kansas League

Strong criticism emerged earlier this week about legislation in the Senate requiring Kansas law enforcement officers to wear body cameras capable of videotaping interactions with the public.

The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee concluded the second day of testimony about a bill stipulating state, county and local officers must be outfitted with tiny cameras to document the behavior of community members and

the conduct of officers.

The bill’s provisions for capturing images, storage of that footage and public access to material came under attack in testimony faulting the proposal as an expensive edict by state government that could jeopardize the public’s privacy rights.

The panel took no action Monday on the bill.

“The most troublesome is the ‘gotcha’ provision,” said Ed Klumpp, a lobbyist for three law enforcement agencies and a former Topeka police chief.

Serious

Legislature studies hike in seat belt fines

(continued from page 10)

What if you need help?

There are options if you or your partner don’t know where to start. Licensed financial and tax professionals can provide guidance on issues from basic budgeting (http://www. practicalmoneyskills. com/personalfinance/savingspending/budgeting/) to prenuptial agreements.

Friends and family are a good resource for recommendations. Also keep in mind that some religious denominations actually offer solid financial planning advice as part of premarital counseling and the NEFE has a quiz (http:// www.smartaboutmoney. o rg / To o l s - R e s o u r c e s / LifeValues-Quiz.aspx) for potential spouses.

For debt issues, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling is a good independent resource that can offer advice on improving credit issues as a couple.

The earlier you can put together an advisory team that fits your needs, the better.

Bottom line: If you and your sweetheart are considering tying the knot or expanding your family, don’t ignore money issues. It can be a difficult conversation to initiate, but it’s an important one to start planning your financial future together.

There is not much legal incentive to wear a seat belt in Kansas.

Sure, police can pull you over and write you a ticket if you’re not wearing a belt. But at $10, the fine barely equals the cost of lunch.

It is the lowest fine for a seat belt violation in

the country, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is backing a Senate bill that would increase the fine to $60, which would make it higher than at least half the states.

The bill has the support

of Municipalities, said local units of government had complained about the projected cost of the bill and the presumption of guilt if video evidence wasn’t available.

Smith also said legislation on the subject should contain an exemption to the Kansas Open Records Act for most videos collected by body cameras possessed by law enforcement officers.

“We would support a separate bill that would ensure privacy rights and at the same time be sure

that providing video to the public does not become a drain on local government budgets,” he said.

Supporters argued during a Senate committee hearing the reform would provide greater transparency and public safety.

Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said the proposed legislation would act as a tool for law enforcement agencies to deter false allegations while advancing the goal of government accountability.

of the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Highway Patrol and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The bill is estimated to raise $1.2 million, of which about five percent would go toward promoting seat belt use for children.

Local elections may move to November Kansas State Sen. Mitch Holmes (R-St. John) said he would introduce a bill this week to move city and school elections to November, Hawver’s Capitol Report said.

The bill would also require candidates that serve in offices with “major taxing authority” to declare whether they are Republicans, Democrats or something else. Presumably that

would apply to city council members, school board members or county legislators.

The St. John Republican, whose bill is titled the “Help Kansans Vote Act,” is chair of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee.

Local governments have traditionally opposed a move to the more partisan election dates in August or November and any requirement to move

away from non-partisan elections.

Republicans see this as a way to gain clout in scores of cities and counties across the state in bright-red Kansas.

The bill also would allow 16 and 17 year olds to serve as poll workers with recommendation letters from school officials.

Many states, including Kansas, face a shortage of poll workers.

J&R Car and Truck Center

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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 12 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Consider access to drugs in early testing phase Andy Marso KHI News Service

Legislators heard emotional testimony last week from an Emporia woman about a bill to allow access to drugs in preliminary federal testing.

They also heard questions about whether the

“Right to Try” legislation is sound policy or an ideological quest that will give terminal patients false hope.

Versions of “Right to Try” have passed in Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, Missouri and Louisiana.

Kansas’ version, House

Bill 2004, is based on model legislation from the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank from Arizona with a focus on limited government.

It seeks to allow Kansans with terminal illnesses who otherwise have been unable to enter clinical drug trials

to access drugs that have passed the first phase of trials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

They would still need the permission of their doctors and the drug manufacturers.

The bill was introduced by three conservative Republican legislators:

Where income tax returns intersect with health insurance MANHATTAN - With January coming to a close, taxpayers have likely received all documents to file their income tax returns for 2014. Those without health insurance in 2014 will face a penalty of $95 per individual or one percent of their annual household income above the tax-filing threshold whichever is the greater amount - when filing tax returns this year.

Because Feb. 15 is the health insurance marketplace deadline to enroll in a plan for 2015, taxpayers might want to file their returns early to understand the financial implications of not having health insurance. The Affordable Care

Act requires Americans to have health insurance for at least nine months of the year, or they will face penalties.

Elizabeth Kiss, family resource management specialist for K-State Research and Extension, said people should understand that in addition to being at risk for uncovered medical expenses if you are uninsured, there are penalties assessed for those without insurance.

Those penalties are prorated for every month you and your family members remain uninsured.

“If you decided not to follow the mandate in 2014, you may want to in 2015, because the penal-

ties will get bigger every year for not being covered by health insurance,” Kiss said.

People might have heard the $95 penalty for being uninsured in 2014 and were willing to pay this rather than paying for a health insurance plan, she said. However, these people might not have heard the one percent part.

For example, a person who made $40,000 in 2014 and didn’t have health insurance would pay a penalty of one percent of his or her income, rather than the $95 flat penalty rate.

That one percent is calculated using income above the tax-filing thresh-

old, which is $10,150 for an individual under age 65. The income above the threshold in this case is $29,850, and one percent of that would mean a penalty of $298.50 for this person.

Using the one percent method, the payment amount is capped at the cost of the national average premium for a bronze level plan available through the marketplace in 2014.

For 2014, that is $2,448 per individual, or $204 per month. It is $12,240 for a family with five or more members, which figures out to $1,020 per month.

(See INCOME on page 15)

Bill would allow chiropractors to clear athletes with concussions Medical doctor must currently give clearance Ashley Booker KHI News Service

Testimony last week on a bill that would expand who could clear middle school and high school athletes to return to sports after a head injury revealed a split between medical doctors and chiropractors.

Currently, the state’s school sports statutes only allow medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine to sign a written clearance following a concussion.

Bryan Payne, immediate past president of the Kansas Chiropractic Association, said during a legislative hearing that chiropractors currently are able to diagnose and treat concussions but aren’t

allowed to sign the form to release their patients to play or practice.

“Chiropractic physicians are very welltrained to diagnose and treat concussions,” Payne said. “We go through an extensive period of our education, and all chiropractic programs hold that stringent education requirement.”

Chiropractors generally have more training in anatomy but less in physiology than medical doctors (M.D.) and doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.). Chiropractic school is similar in length to medical school, but chiropractors have fewer residency requirements afterward.

The proposed bill, HB 2016, was discussed Wednesday in the House Health and Human Services Committee. It would change the definition of health care provid-

er within the school sports act from a M.D. or D.O. to a “licensee of the healing arts,” as defined by a separate state statute that includes chiropractors.

Sean Hubbard, who owns a chiropractic and balance center in Wichita, told the committee that after treating patients for head injuries, he must tell them to go back to their M.D. or D.O. to clear them to return to their field of play. “(That’s) one more day off work, one more day out of school - and many of these kids I end up seeing have missed weeks of school at a time,” Hubbard said. “So that just adds another undue burden when they are ready to go back.”

One of Hubbard’s patients, Ryan King, a graduate student at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, has suffered four concussions

in his lifetime. The first occurred when he was playing a club soccer game in high school.

He told the committee how chiropractic care from Hubbard relieved symptoms that couldn’t be cured with more traditional medicine.

The symptoms from his concussions were so debilitating, King said, that he removed himself from sports between concussions, became depressed and had to take a semester off from college.

King’s pastor suggested he see Hubbard, and within a couple weeks of chiropractic care, King was able to go a full day without a headache.

He was shocked when he heard the Kansas State High School Activities Association and the state don’t give chiropractors the authority to clear athletes for competition.

(See ATHLETES on page 13)

Rep. Craig McPherson from Olathe, Rep. Brett Hildabrand from Shawnee and Rep. Mike Kiegerl from Olathe.

Hildabrand told the House Health and Human Services Committee that the full FDA approval process routinely takes more than 10 years and

the bill is “all about compassion.”

“This is a liberty issue, where patients have the right to determine for their own person what is best for them, so that government bureaucracy would not stand in the way of their health care (See TESTING on page 14)

Nearly 83,000 Kansans enrolled in health plan Nearly 7.5 million consumers selected a plan or were automatically re-enrolled through the HealthCare.gov platform as of Jan. 30, including 82,960 in Kansas.

According to latest numbers, 101 individuals have signed up in Scott County. Enrollment in other area counties include: Finney (671), Ford (496), Grant (114), Logan (66) and Kearny (56).

Individuals wanting more information about health plan options and costs can do so on-line at HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov.

Marketplace call center representatives are available to help all day, every day at 1-800-3182596.

Consumers can find local help by visiting: Localhelp.healthcare.gov Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace continues through Feb. 15. Consumers should visit HealthCare.gov to review and compare health plan options and find out if they are eligible for financial assistance, which can help pay monthly premiums and reduce out-of-pocket costs when receiving services.

To sign up for coverage, visit: https://www. healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/ For more information about Health Insurance Marketplaces, visit: www.healthcare.gov/marketplace

The Scott County Record • Page 13 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Kansas ranks 39th in measles vaccination rate

With measles making a comeback in the United States after it was thought to have been eradicated 15 years ago, a new analysis finds that fewer than 90 percent of preschoolers nationwide have received the recommended vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella.

Both Kansas and Missouri fell below the 90 percent threshold for preschooler vaccinations, the baseline goal set by Healthy People 2020, a federal interagency task force.

An analysis shows that Kansas ranks 39th low-

est for its percentage of preschoolers vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. The vaccination rate is 89.4 percent.

Health experts say that when vaccination rates drop below 90 percent, there’s a danger that “herd immunity” - the protection afforded a community when a certain percentage of the population is immune to a disease may be lost. Communities in which immunity falls beneath that threshold are vulnerable to measles outbreaks.

“We rely on the rest of the herd, the rest of

Athletes King said the current law is “doing a disservice to all Kansas athletes that have or will get concussions in the seasons to come.”

After the hearing, Rachelle Colombo, director of government affairs for the Kansas Medical Society, said there is a distinction between chiropractic training and medical training.

“Physicians should be the one to make the call on return to play,” Colombo

the community to take the vaccines to protect those individuals who cannot take it,” says Lisa Hubbert, an epidemiology specialist with the Kansas City, Mo., Health Department. “And so if the anti-vaxxers choose not to take it - those parents (who) choose not to vaccinate their children we are putting those who cannot at risk.”

Some individuals can’t take the vaccine because their immune systems are compromised, they’re allergic to ingredients in the vaccine or they’re

infants whose immune systems are insufficiently developed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a health advisory about the measles outbreak, which has been traced to Disneyland in California and so far has afflicted more than 100 individuals in 14 states. Most of those who came down with the disease had not been vaccinated.

Last year, there were 22 reported measles cases in Kansas City, Mo. Last summer, measles cases in Wichita were

(continued from page 12)

said, “because physicians and those who work under a physician-led team are trained in a medical model that’s trained in the whole body.”

The medical society represents medical doctors from across the state.

Bart Grelinger, an M.D. and board-certified neurologist in Wichita, also told the committee that the treatment of concussions should stay within the traditional medical community.

Grelinger said physicians look at the patient holistically, considering what diseases they have, what medications they are on that could be affected by the head injury and what medications could help relieve symptoms.

“A concussion is going to make those particular medical diseases more problematic,” he said.

“Physicians cannot be left out of the loop. It affects the health of the patient

far beyond just a concussion.”

Rep. Dick Jones, a Republican from Topeka, asked whether chiropractors and medical doctors could work together to treat concussions and clear athletes for play.

Grelinger said it’s an option, and referrals happen often in medicine.

But Grelinger said care of head injury patients needs to be kept in a “physicianled group.”

linked to the Kansas City outbreak.

Measles is highly contagious - 90 percent of those not immune to the virus will become infected if exposed to a carrier - and spreads rapidly: One infected person can infect 12 to 18 others.

Worldwide, some 20 million people contract the measles and 146,000 die from it every year.

The CDC recommends that all children get two doses of the MMR vaccine, one at 12-15 months of age and the other at 4 to 6 years of age. The vaccine is 95-97 percent

effective and considered safe. Side effects are rare.

Health experts attribute the recent outbreak in part to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children because they deem the vaccinations unsafe or because they have religious or philosophical objections.

Some anti-vaccine proponents have linked vaccinations to autism, a widely debunked notion that finds little support in the scientific literature. A 1998 research paper in the Lancet that first made that claim was later deemed fraudulent and withdrawn.

The Scott County Record • Page 14 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Testing

Deaths Phyllis Ann Long Phyllis Ann Long, 71, died Jan. 28, 2015, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City.

S h e was born on May 29, 1943, in Garden City, the daughter of Gene and Mad- Phyllis Long elene (Gish) Holloway.

A resident of the Scott City community since moving from Hays in 1967, she was a secretary for Blick’s, Inc., for 25 years and then retired from working at Suzy B’s Flowers and Gifts in January of 2015.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church, Scott City.

On Nov. 27, 1968, she married Greg Long in Scott City, he survives.

Other survivors include: two sons, Robert Long, and wife, Karen, Pratt, and Thomas Long,

and wife, Melissa, Wichita; one brother, Kirk Holloway, and wife, Desiree, Wichita; two sisters, Kyle Carroll, and husband, Chris, and Tracey Richmeier and husband, Terry, both of Scott City; two sister-in-laws, Linda Robertson, Montezuma, and Marsha Holloway, Scott City; four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Ronald and Kim Holloway.

Funeral service was held Feb. 2 at the United Methodist Church, Scott City, with Rev. Warren Prochnow officiating.

Interment was at the Scott County Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Scott County EMTs or the American Cancer Society in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., Scott City, Ks. 67871.

Angela Sue Simpson Angela Sue Simpson, 40, died Jan. 28, 2015, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City.

S h e was born on July 22, 1974, in Syracuse, the daughter of Roger Angela Simpson and Kay (Lindner) Potter.

Angela was a member of the First Baptist Church, Scott City.

On Nov. 23, 1996, she married Curtis Simpson in Syracuse. He survives.

Other survivors include: the parents, of Scott City; one daughter, Dakota Sue Simpson, Scott

City; two sisters, Tracy Wendt, and husband, Gerald, Tribune, and Misty Peirano and husband, Shawn, Junction City; nine nieces and nephews and 12 great-nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents.

Funeral service was held Feb. 3 at the First Baptist Church, Scott City, with Rev. Kyle Evans officiating.

Interment was at the Syracuse Cemetery.

Memorials may be sent to Angela Simpson Memorial Fund in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., Scott City, Ks. 67871.

Sr. Citizen Lunch Menu Week of February 9-13 Monday: Baked cod, au gratin potatoes, gingered carrots, whole wheat bread, ambrosia.

Tuesday: Chicken pot pie, broccoli, biscuit, peaches.

Wednesday: Beef and beans, California blend vegetables, whole wheat bread, apple crisp.

Thursday: Pork roast, sweet potatoes, green beans, whole wheat roll, strawberries and pears.

Friday: Chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, capri vegetables, whole wheat roll, pineapple. meals are $3.25 • call 872-3501

needs,” he said. “These are terminally ill patients.

These are patients whose doctors have essentially given them a death sentence.”

Emporia resident Kelli Johnson told legislators about when a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota diagnosed her with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The doctor informed her that the illness would slowly paralyze her and that most people only live two or three years after the diagnosis.

Johnson now uses a motorized wheelchair and speaks with difficulty because of her weakening diaphragm. She told legislators she remains “fully aware of what’s happening” to her as she loses physical function.

She said she realizes the risks of taking unapproved drugs but sees little downside.

“The worst-case scenario is it will make me die faster, and even then we might learn something,” Johnson said.

“These are patients whose doctors have essentially given them a death

(continued from page 12)

sentence.”

John Carney, president of the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City, said the bill does not meet ethicists’ five-part test for sound public policy that seeks to “rescue” patients facing imminent death.

The five parts, he said, are that the patients must be easily identifiable, they must be under acute risk of impending death, there must be a reasonable chance of rescue, the risks or costs to the rescuer must be acceptable and the circumstances leading to the rescue must be exceptional.

Carney said the legislation introduced in Kansas does not do enough to identify who it will benefit or provide a reasonable chance that they actually would benefit.

The Kansas Medical Society, which represents doctors throughout the state, offered an amendment to clarify that doctors who help their patients gain access to such drugs would not be liable for negative consequences. McPherson said those who introduced the bill would be supportive of the amendment.

Income However, Kiss said almost 90 percent of those applying for plans in the marketplace would receive financial assistance in paying for those premiums. This means their actual cost may be as low as $50 or $100 per month.

Those whose income does not require the 1 percent penalty will pay $95 per person and half of that, $47.50 per child under age 18. The maximum penalty per family using this method is $285.

Plan Ahead The nearly two-week window between now and Feb. 15 is important, Kiss said, because those who haven’t already chosen a health insurance plan in the marketplace for 2015 would need to do so by the Feb. 15 deadline to avoid a penalty to be paid

by April 2016 for tax year 2015.

Filing tax returns early might cause some who had initially planned to remain uninsured to take action for 2015, she said.

Waiting until April to file means they would miss the chance to reconsider in time to enroll in a plan in the marketplace. Once open enrollment ends Feb. 15, it will be more difficult to obtain health insurance.

In 2015, the penalty for being uninsured will go up to $325 per person, $975 per family or two percent of household income above the tax-fil-

The Scott County Record • Page 15 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

(continued from page 12)

ing threshold, whichever is greater.

The penalty growth continues in 2016 and beyond. Those uninsured in 2016 will pay the greater amount of $695 per individual or 2.5 percent of household income above the tax-filing threshold.

Other than the marketplace, people can also get health insurance through an employer, a private insurer, Medicare, TRICARE, Veteran’s Affairs, Indian Health Service or KanCare, Kansas’ Medicaid program. Having coverage through one of these ways will keep people from paying the tax penalty, Kiss said.

She added that because of the intersection of the health insurance mandate and tax returns, taxpayers should consider seeking expert assistance in filing for 2014.

“If you don’t normally do your own taxes, you might not want to start this year, and even if you do, you might need to consult with someone,” she said. “If you’re not familiar with or maybe you’ve never used the free tax preparation help that comes through the IRS, you might want to think about that for this year.”

Those who have received assistance paying for their health insurance premiums should have received a 1095-A form that will be used in

helping prepare their tax forms, Kiss said.

If obtaining insurance through the marketplace, log on to HealthCare.gov (https://www.healthcare. gov/), and sign up before Feb. 15. To learn more about how to enroll in the marketplace or KanCare, call the marketplace, 800318-2596, at any time.

More information about the ACA in Kansas is available through K-State Research and Extension (http://ksre.ksu.edu/ issuesinhealthreform/).

Attend the Church of Your Choice

Let Him In Believing in Jesus Christ is a life changing experience. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17). A friend asked my opinion about an acquaintance of his who was supposed to be a Christian, but who cussed like a sailor. I said that maybe his mouth didn’t get saved. Well, my opinion really didn’t square with the Bible; “old things have passed away, behold, new things have come”. Many who claim to believe in Christ display little if any of a changed life.

It seems simple that “whoever believes in Him (Jesus) shall not perish but have everlasting life”. Then there is James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder”. So, there is more to the belief thing than you may realize.

Ephesians 2:8-9 is a passage of scripture we quickly and easily latch onto, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast”.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God. But what is faith? It is the believing we read of in John 3:16. But it is more than just head knowledge.

Someone has said most people will miss heaven by about 15 inches. That is the distance between the head and the heart. To believe in Christ with your heart is so much more than head knowledge. Saving faith is comprised of two elements: belief and trust. Some believe without making the commitment to trust Jesus. Many make a profession of faith, are baptized, and join a church without ever allowing Jesus to come into their lives.

Jesus comes into our lives by invitation only.

“Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him and dine with Him and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). If you hear Him knocking at your heart’s door, let Him in. You will be a new person.

Pastor Robert Nuckolls Immanuel Southern Baptist 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, February 5, 2015

Watching for signs of video game addiction Parents should observe warning signs, take action Recent studies have shown that video gaming has surpassed watching television as teens’ favorite activity to defeat boredom, but this tradeoff could have harmful consequences.

K-State Research and Extension youth development specialist Elaine Johannes said there is a national concern about the addiction to video games, especially among the young adults. Johannes, an associate professor in Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University, referred to data collected in youth risk behavior surveillance surveys from 2007 to 2013 that shows an increase in video game use between both boys and girls, and the use is more than occasional.

In 2011, about 24 percent of teenagers used video games three or more hours a day, while in 2013, that statistic jumped to 34 percent. She warns that parents should know when youth have free time and limit the free time they spend playing video games.

“There is a sweet spot,” Johannes said. “Less than three hours per day, based on the game, may be developmentally positive. Between three and five hours, we begin to see some issues related to their social development and maybe even some physiological effects. But, with more than five hours a day there is real harm and potential danger.”

The American Institute of Pediatrics recently published a study, completed in 2011, that tracked electronic gaming use and psychosocial adjustment - meaning how well adjusted that teen is to be with friends, to work within groups, to navigate

through school well, or to get and keep a job.

Johannes said the study mentions some positive things that come with game use when it’s under three hours a day. The positives might include allowing the child to establish friendships, play challenging games with friends, and begin feeling comfortable around the technology or around games if they are not familiar with them.

Psychological Impact However, she said once you get into the range of three to five hours a day, negative psychological impacts are more apparent. If the child is playing a game filled with a great deal of violent action, it can disrupt how the brain functions and the child’s ability to concentrate.

The real danger of video game addiction comes from spending five or more of a teen’s waking hours every day video gaming - not necessarily playing violent games but just gaming in general.

Johannes said this could lead to lower satisfaction with life, lower satisfaction within relationships and what concerns her most, an increase in suicidal thoughts.

Action Isn’t Easy Johannes served as project director of focus group interviews with nearly 400 Kansas teenagers revealed teens are not only playing video games at home, they’re also playing them away from the home on their cell phones and tablets.

This can make parenting against video game addiction difficult.

“What was surprising for us when we did our focus groups was that this gaming is going on in school,” Johannes said.

“The use of cell phones, not as a phone or communication device, but as a gaming instrument is hap-

pening during the school day.”

She knows that new mobile technologies create obstacles for parents, but she stresses the importance of setting limits and controlling the amount of time spent video gaming in the home.

“If we as parents don’t attend to our child’s behavior in our house, even if they are 14 or 17 years old, we put them at risk,” Johannes said.

She said parents can help prevent addiction in three steps: research video games, reflect on their own personal behavior and then have a conversation for a positive outcome, not a punitive one.

Step 1: Do some research “Video gaming is not going to go away,” Johannes said. “The internet and technology are here to stay. We need to move within video gaming to understand it more.

We need to be informed of it, not just try to avoid it or get overwhelmed.”

Johannes said that in the focus groups, Kansas teens bluntly told researchers their parents aren’t informed, and many of them are not aware of the ratings on the video games they play.

Every video game produced in the United States has a rating system based on difficulty of the game as well as violence, which is similar to those for television and movies. Parents should always check the ratings before purchasing a game or allowing their child to play a game, Johannes said.

“If I’ve never looked at the game my son is playing, how can I remark about what he’s playing and understand what his world is like when he’s in that game?” she questioned.

“We as parents need to find out more about these games, including the edu-

cational part of the game if there is one and what’s the real downside.”

Johannes recommends the website, www.commonsensemedia.org, to parents wanting to investigate and read about the risks and benefits of a particular video game.

Step 2: Be a model Once parents understand the games that children are playing, Johannes said it is time to parent by modeling.

“If we ourselves are staying up late playing video games, that might not be healthful,” she said. “We are using our cell phones during dinner, and the children in our families and communities are watching us.”

Johannes’ assessment indicated children and teens are asking for parents to model positive behavior by showing them how to properly handle boredom and down time.

to ask questions about why they are playing the games so often.

If a child is playing games because of sheer boredom, which often is the case, find other activities to occupy their time. But, if the child is using video games to deal with a feeling of being depressed, professional help may be needed.

“Our suicide rates in this state are higher than the national average, and they aren’t going down,” Johannes said. “We do have issues with depression in our youth. I think it’s important for that young person and parent to sit down, and if that

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More information on adolescent health is available at county Extension offices and on the Extension website www.ksre.ksu.edu

Step 3: Have a conversation Finally, it is time to talk to children, Johannes said.

This isn’t a time to punish or chastise, but rather

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young person is suffering from depression and is using video gaming as a way to self-medicate, then it is important to get help from a mental health professional.”

Johannes said most of all from her needs assessment she learned most children are really just asking parents to be there for them.

“Instead of spending lots of money on things to occupy their time, kids want us to occupy their time,” she said.

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

Sports The Scott County Record

Stampede Horns SCHS JV boys avenge earlier loss to Holcomb with tourney win • Page 19

www.scottcountyrecord.com

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Page 17

Beavers prepare for big stretch run A tough stretch of games over the next two weeks will determine whether the Scott City boys can gain at least a share of the Great West Activities Conference title and possibly earn a No. 1 seed in the Class 3A sub-state tournament at Beloit.

In three of their next four games the Beavers will face teams who are ranked in Class 4A-Division II. That stretch be-

gins with home games against Hugoton (No. 4) on Friday and Hays-TMP (No. 10) the following Tuesday. Following a league game against Colby, the Beavers will then be in a GWAC title showdown on the home floor with undefeated Holcomb (No. 1) on Feb. 17.

“This will be a big challenge,” says O’Neil. “Hugoton, of course, is important because it’s a league game, but they’re

all important in the sub-state picture and we’re obviously looking at that as well when you get to this time of the season.”

Hugoton (10-4) is entering Friday’s game after back-toback losses to Guymon (63-58) and Holcomb (67-56).

“They’re going to be hungry for a win to try to regain some momentum for sub-state,” notes O’Neil.

That will be followed with

the renewal of the annual rivalry with former league foe TMP (85) which saw their seven game win streak snapped by Abilene.

Prior to the Abilene loss, the Monarchs had drilled previously undefeated Norton, 80-48.

TMP’s record may be a little deceiving. Three of their early season losses were by a total of seven points.

“TMP will be interesting to play because they play a lot of

matchup zone and they press a little more than most people we’ve played so far,” O’Neil says.

The head coach feels the tough stretch of games prior to sub-state is good preparation for his squad.

“You’d rather play a lot of good teams at the end so you have to be sharp every night.

That’s better than having a (See STRETCH on page 22)

Defense sets the stage for barrage of 3s

SCHS senior Chantz Yager drives the lane for a basket against Cimarron’s Nick Ast during Tuesday’s non-league win.

(Record Photo)

There’s no mistaking the offensive explosiveness of a Scott Community High School boys squad that’s averaging 70 points per game.

But what happens at the offensive end is often a reward for what occurs at the other end of the floor.

Cimarron learned that lesson first-hand on Scott City 79 Tuesday night as the Beavers pounced on the Cimarron 34 Bluejays for a quick 18-2 lead on their way to a 79-34 romp in non-league play.

“We came out very energetic tonight,” noted senior guard Chantz Yager. “It wasn’t just an offensive showcase tonight, but we wanted to pick up our play at the defensive end.

“Coach (Glenn O’Neil) said before the game that he wanted us to be more active and to get deflections that would lead to steals,” he said.

The Beavers (13-1) took that to heart with a defensive effort that had the Bluejays clearly flustered. Pass deflections and steals were being converted into baskets. And when the Bluejays were able to get near the basket there was enough intimidation that they missed a number of easy scoring opportunities.

“With our traps we forced their boys into making some bad decisions and throwing the ball away. Some of those were close to being unforced errors,” says Coach O’Neil.

Cimarron head coach David Losey had nothing but praise for the Beavers.

“Our boys haven’t seen that kind of defensive pressure,” said Losey. “We’ve played some good teams, but no one that disrupted things the way your boys did tonight. We didn’t do a (See BARRAGE on page 20)

Stronger finish keys success for Jurgens Griffith third, Eitel sixth against tough Rocky Welton field

It had been a tough two week stretch for James Jurgens heading into the always tough Rocky Welton Invitational.

The Scott Community High School 138-pounder had dropped a pair of matches for a fourth place finish in the Scott City Classic and he had the same result with two losses at the John Higgins Invitational in Lexington.

It wasn’t the kind of momentum the SCHS senior had been hoping for in preparation for the Welton Invitational - perhaps the toughest tournament in Kansas.

Despite his struggles, the one thing that Jurgens hasn’t lacked is confidence. The two-time state finalist felt he would regain his form and he showed signs of doing just that with an impressive third place finish at Garden City. His only loss came in the semifinals against top-seeded Hunter Willits (Pueblo County).

It was an otherwise near flawless weekend for Jurgens (25-6). Three of his five wins were by either technical falls or major decisions. Even better news for Jurgens and head coach Jon Lippelmann was the way Jurgens was able to finish strong in each of his wins.

“This was the first time in a long time that I’ve felt good. I felt stronger this weekend,” said Jurgens following his one-sided 10-1 win over J.D. Chenoweth (Baca County) in the consolation finals on Saturday. “The last couple of weeks I’d get into the third period and I couldn’t breathe. I don’t think it was being out of shape. I think it’s more sickness than anything.”

(See JURGENS on page 24)

Scott City 138-pounder James Jurgens puts J.D. Chenoweth (Baca County) to his back for near-fall points during consolation action in the Rocky Welton Invitational on Saturday.

(Record Photo)

The Scott County Record • Page 18 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Outdoors in Kansas by Steve Gilliland

Concealed carry with no permit?

Any of you who get legislative updates from the NRA or the Kansas Rifle Association (KSRA) have read by now about a new proposed constitutional amendment here in Kansas, that, if passed will allow concealed weapons to be carried with no permit.

The way the proposal stands now, nothing at all will be required; no class, no background check and no permit.

Now I’m a gun guy.

I hunt deer, turkeys, geese and coyotes and trap as well, so I have guns for all occasions.

I don’t have a concealed carry permit, but I believe strongly in the privilege.

Yes, I said privilege; I believe it’s my 2nd Amendment right to own guns and to defend myself and my family with one, but I believe it’s more of a privilege to carry one concealed on my person wherever I go.

Like I said, I’m a gun guy and I believe strongly in being able to carry a concealed weapon, but I have a problem with this proposed amendment for a couple reasons.

My first issue is with dropping the requirement to take any kind of class or training before carrying concealed. When I was a kid, I took a coworker pheasant hunting one day.

I didn’t know this guy very well but figured “What could go wrong?”

The guy carried an automatic 12 gauge, and I soon found that whenever a pheasant or quail erupted near us, he would turn in the general direction, fire two rounds, then aim! I soon wished I had found out beforehand how INCOMPETANT he was with a gun.

The training class currently required to carry concealed teaches way more than just how to shoot.

(See CARRY on page 21)

Sub-state preview for Lady Hornets State-ranked Dighton, Ingalls to clash Friday Dighton High School fans may get a preview of the sub- Dighton 58 state title Oberlin 40 game on Friday when the Lady Hornets travel to Ingalls.

Dighton (11-3) and Ingalls (13-1) will likely be the top two seeds in

the Class 1A-Division I sub-state tournament to be hosted by Dighton. If that should occur, only the winner will advance to state.

“I like this matchup coming at this time of the season,” says head coach Amy Felker. “It will show what we have to do in order to be ready for substate.”

Looking at the sub-state tournament field, Felker feels the Lady Hornets may be at somewhat of a disadvantage because the other teams see each other in league play. Ingalls will

be the only sub-state team that Dighton sees prior to post-season play.

Felker feels that Dighton and Ingalls are very similar in that both are guard oriented.

“Both teams are quick and rely on their defense to force turnovers,” says Felker. “They like to shoot threes and attack the basket.”

In terms of size, both teams match up well with Dighton holding a slight advantage in the paint with 5-foot-10 sophomore Jordan Speer who is averaging 13 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

Pull Away from Oberlin Taking advantage of a 14-4 scoring run in the third quarter, Dighton was able to pull away from a stubborn Oberlin squad for a 58-40 win in Northwest Kansas League action on Tuesday.

DHS held only a 31-23 lead at the half.

“The first half was a little shaky on offense. They threw a different defense at us,” Felker says. “We made some adjustments at halftime and people stepped up and knocked down shots.”

Sophomore guard Sara Cramer had a big night

with 18 points on 8-of-13 from the field. She also added eight rebounds and three steals.

“There are some nights where Sara gets passive as a point guard. I tell her she has to want to be a scorer,” says Felker. “She’s so good at creating shots for herself and others that she has to find ways to get involved with the offense.”

Speer added a doubledouble with 12 points and 12 rebounds while junior Dakota Hoffman was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to finish with 12 points.

Offense continues to elude SC girls in loss to Bluejays When Paige Winderlin drove inside for a pair of early baskets that left the Scott City girls trailing only 6-4, it offered brief optimism for the Lady Beavers in Tuesday’s nonleague contest against Cimarron.

That optimism was very Scott City 26 brief.

T h e Cimarron 60 Lady Bluejays showed why they are the No. 2 ranked team in Class 3A, limiting SCHS to just three free throws during the next nine minutes and pulling away for a 60-26 win.

It was a familiar scenario for the Lady Beavers (3-11) - too many turnovers and not enough offense.

“Cimarron did a good job defensively of forcing the pace,” says head coach Shelby Crawford. “We can’t play at that tempo and, consequently, we make some poor decisions with the ball. Sometimes it’s not the pressure, but

anticipating pressure and we force a mistake that doesn’t have to happen.”

Winderlin, a sophomore, continues to improve her inside game.

“Over the last couple of weeks we’ve worked hard on getting her to face up and read the defense - either drive to the basket or pull up for a jump shot,” says Crawford. “She made a couple of good decisions early for baskets.”

The Lady Beavers did find some long-range offense with three-pointers by freshman Kaitlyn Roberts, sophomore Taylor Goodman and junior Nicole Latta. It was the second game of the season that N. Latta has been back in the lineup after being sidelined with an injury.

“It’s great to have Nicole back on the floor again, but she also has a lot of mistakes to clean up.

She’s missed a lot of playing time and it shows,” Crawford says.

Despite the loss, Crawford feels this was the best game his Lady Bea-

Scott City sophomore Paige Winderlin splits two defenders while driving to the basket during Tuesday’s game at Cimarron.

(Record Photo)

vers have played in their last three outings. It also comes on the heels of a three game sweep and first place finish for Scott City

in the Lakin round-robin tournament.

“The girls are making progress which we saw in the Lakin tournament.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to see when we get into a varsity game and play someone the caliber of Cimarron,” he adds.

‘Wild About Kansas’ photo contest Previously a youthonly contest, the annual Wild About Kansas photo contest, hosted by Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine, now offers an adult category, opening the contest to photographers age 19 and older. Submissions are being accepted now through Oct. 23, 2015.

“Kansas is a state filled with a plethora of diverse and awe-inspiring natural

KDWP Report resources and this contest is just one more way we can continue to appreciate and enjoy them,” said associate editor, Nadia Marji. “With the addition of an adult category for 2015, I’m confident we’re going to see Kansas from an array of unexpected and inspiring perspectives.”

Participants can submit photos in three categories: wildlife, outdoor recreation or landscapes.

There is no fee to enter, and the contest is open to both residents and nonresidents.

Photographers can submit up to three photos. Photos must be taken within the state of Kansas and must be the entrant’s original work.

Each photo will be judged on creativity, composition, subject matter, lighting, and the overall sharpness. First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded in each category, as well as one honorable mention per category.

Winners will be featured in the 2016 Kansas Wildlife and Parks January/February photo issue.

Entries must be received no later than Oct. 23.

An entry form must be submitted for each participant. Photo format should be JPEG or TIFF and file size should be not less than 1mb and not more than 5mb.

For more information and entry forms, visit ksoutdoors.com/services, or contact Marji at nadia. marji@ksoutdoors.com.

The Scott County Record • Page 19 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

‘C’ boys smash Jays with defense

It’s hard to win when you can’t score and the Scott City “C” boys made sure that Cimarron scored very little in a lopsided 57-15 road win on Tuesday.

After giving up 11 first quarter points, the Beavers limited the Bluejays to a pair of field goals over the final 24 minutes.

Scott City was in firm control throughout the early stages, building an 18-11 first quarter lead with the help of three field goals from Zach Carson. The Beavers led 31-11 at halftime.

Freshman guard Conner LeBeau led the team with 13 points, followed by Carson with 10.

Dexter Gooden drilled three treys for nine points.

Fall to Goodland The Beavers fell behind by nine points after one quarter and a late rally wasn’t enough in a 53-47 loss at Goodland last Friday.

SCHS trailed 30-16 at the half before making a late run at the Cowboys. Scott City outscored them 19-13 in the final period, including 9-of-10 at the free throw line.

Nick Nowak led the team with 17 points, including three treys. Reid Brunswig added eight points.

Scott City’s Nick Storm scores after getting a rebound during Saturday’s tournament game against Holcomb.

(Record Photo)

Quick start allows JV boys to avenge early loss to Horns

Taking advantage of some outstanding shooting from the perimeter and physical play in the paint, the Scott City junior varsity boys whipped Holcomb, 60-47, in the Lakin round-robin tournament on Saturday.

It was a big turnaround from Scott City’s 61-47 47 loss to the Lakin Scott City 60 Horns earlier this season at Holcomb.

Scott City was playing shorthanded in the tournament in order for players to remain eligible for the remainder of their varsity games. Sophomore guard Bo Hess and sophomore forward Kyle Cure didn’t suit up which cost the team size and

experience.

Drake McRae, however, was available to play one tournament game since he missed a varsity game earlier in the season due to injury. Coach Brian Gentry decided to put McRae in the lineup for the Holcomb game in order to gain some rebounding to go along with his offense. McRae delivered with 17 points.

“We played with a lot more composure and poise than we did the first time,” says Gentry.

“The boys ran the offense and set up their shots. If we can slow the tempo down a little and not get rushed our outside shooting can be pretty effective.”

The Beavers pounced on Holcomb quickly and never

trailed.

Sophomore guard Matthew Jenkins hit the first of his three treys at the 5:47 mark to give the Beavers an early 7-0 lead. Scott City drained four three-pointers in the opening period, including one more by Jenkins and two by sophomore guard Drew Duff.

Justin Faurot’s basket midway into the second period gave SCHS its biggest lead of the half, 29-13, which Holcomb was able to trim to nine points at the half. Any thoughts of a Longhorn comeback in the second half never materialized.

The Beavers dismantled Holcomb with an impressive 11-0 scoring run to open the third period, keeping Holcomb off the scoreboard for nearly seven

minutes.

Jenkins, who finished with 17 points, added another trey and Duff swished a baseline jumper to make it a 40-24 game.

McRae followed with a basket and Faurot finished off the scoring run with a driving layin to make it a 20 point lead at 44-24.

Holcomb made one more run at the Beavers, cutting the deficit to 48-40 with 2:34 remaining. Scott City scored their next eight points at the charity stripe - six by McRae - to protect their lead.

Faurot and Duff each finished with eight points.

Drop 2 Tourney Games The Beavers lost their other (See AVENGE on page 22)

Hugoton to host GWAC mat tourney

Scott Community High School will travel to Hugoton on Saturday for the roundrobin Great West Activities Conference wrestling tournament.

Matches start at 11:00 a.m.

Scott City’s schedule of duel matches is: Round 1: SCHS vs Ulysses; Holcomb vs Hugoton; Colby vs Goodland.

Round 2: Hugoton vs SCHS; Colby vs Holcomb; Goodland vs Ulysses.

Round 3: Goodland vs SCHS; Colby vs Hugoton; Holcomb vs Ulysses.

Round 4: Holcomb vs Scott City; Colby vs Ulysses; Goodland vs Hugoton.

Round 5: Colby vs Scott City; Hugoton vs Ulysses; Goodland vs Holcomb.

There will be a 10 minute break between matches.

The Scott County Record • Page 20 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Great KU, KSU rivalry now just a memory It isn’t like it used to be.

When Clyde Lovellette, Bill Hougland, Bob Kenney, Bill Lienhard, Dean and Al Kelley, Charlie Hoag, and B.H. Born were playing for KU. And when Ernie Barrett, Jack Stone, Lew Hitch, Ed Head, Jim Iverson, Bob Rousey, and Dick Knostman were key players at KState. by The basMac ketball games Stevenson in the early 1950s between the Jayhawks and Wildcats were a highlight of the winter.

K-State and KU were nationally ranked among the top five teams in the nation.

The games were filled with tension and excitement because the Big Eight champion was the only school that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State fans produced a roar that shook Ahearn Fieldhouse and Kansas was almost impossible to beat in storied Hoch Auditorium.

Jack Gardner coached the Wildcats and Phog Allen was a living legend for the Jayhawks. It was some rivalry. Jack and Phog didn’t exchange Christmas cards - there was no love lost between those two.

Those were the days my friends . . . those were the days.

Kansas played a workmanlike game in defeating Kansas State 68-57 last Saturday. But it was a little too workmanlike. Maybe it’s because so many key players are freshmen and sophomores, but KU’s competitive zeal is way too inconsistent.

The Jayhawks were just plain lucky to beat TCU last week because they played such lackadaisical basketball.

After the K-State game, KU coach Self said, “The thing that’s frustrating is the inconsistencies that basically transpire within a game.

I don’t think we have ever really experienced that here . . . it seems to me this team experiences more of those than any since we’ve been here.”

Kansas is a formidable team when they play hard; the Jayhawks are nothing special when they don’t (See MEMORY on page 23)

Hornets get huge road win at Oberlin

With every game through the remainder of the season critical in determining substate seedings, the Dighton High School boys picked up a huge win at Oberlin last Friday.

The Hornets rallied from four points down early in the fourth quarDighton 50 ter and added Oberlin 46 a pair of late baskets that snapped a tie game, coming away with a 5046 win in Northwest Kansas League play.

“Any time you can win on the road it’s always a good win, but to do that at Oberlin which is a really tough place

Barrage very good job of handling it.”

Long-Range Bombs When the Beavers were creating havoc at the defensive end of the floor they were pouring in long-range basket after basket at the other end.

Senior guards Trey O’Neil and Brett Meyer opened the game by hitting their first three-pointers of the night as the Beavers poured in 13 baskets from beyond the arc.

Meyer finished with 12 points - all three-pointers.

However, the hot shooting hand belonged to junior guard Dylan Hutchins who collected 15 points on five treys.

During a 90 second stretch in the second period, Hutchins

to play says a lot about these boys,” says head coach Dean Cramer.

“They kept their composure in the fourth quarter and made some big plays offensively and defensively.”

After building a 31-24 halftime lead, the Hornets (7-7) hit a cold five minute stretch in the third period when their only points came from a pair of free throws. There were three minutes left in the quarter when DHS finally hit their first field goal of the half.

“But the boys stayed patient. We didn’t panic,” says Cramer. “And we did the same thing in the fourth quarter. We had one possession when we worked the ball for nearly two minutes.”

Sophomore Tyler Lingg had a big night for the Hornets, hitting 8-of-13 from the field for a team high 22 points. Lingg finished off his double-double performance with 11 rebounds to go along with six assists and three steals.

“It was probably one of the best all-around games that Tyler’s ever had,” Cramer said.

“He also had three blocked shots - a couple of those late in the game which were huge.

“What I really liked is that Tyler was taking the ball to the basket against their zone. They were putting two and sometimes three players on him and they still couldn’t stop him.”

The score was tied with a minute left when Wyatt Hab-

iger hit a fadeaway baseline jumper that gave the Hornets a 48-46 edge.

Following a defensive stop DHS had to bring the ball up the floor against Oberlin’s fullcourt pressure. Dylan Foos caught the inbounds pass, immediately got the ball to T. Lingg in the middle and the 6-foot-4 sophomore tossed a half-court pass to Lake Lewis for an easy layup that extended Dighton’s lead to 50-46.

Freshman guard Jordan Horn was also in double figures with 12 points and four assists.

“Jordan did another nice job of running the offense. He’s learning to play within himself,” says Cramer.

“We did a nice job of getting a lot of people involved in the offense and that’s tough to defend.”

Baker, a senior center, added two treys of his own while pouring in 14 points.

SCHS didn’t ease up at either end of the floor in the second half.

With the Beavers holding a 45-23 cushion early in the third period, they put together a 23-0 scoring run that ended with a fastbreak layup by O’Neil which extended Scott City’s lead to 68-23 at the 6:24 mark in the fourth quarter.

Scott City’s largest lead of the night was 47 points, 74-27, following a basket by sophomore Matthew Jenkins once the reserves had entered the game.

Despite extending their win streak to seven games, Coach O’Neil was still finding areas where the team needs to improve.

“We need to screen better and rebound better,” he says.

“Every day we talk about help side defense and helping the helper. The key isn’t the guy who helps get to the ball, but it’s the second guy who’s supposed to rotate over. That’s the key to defense.

“And any time we go into a game undersized, which we will in a couple of games, then you have to at least break even under the boards, we have to play good defense and we hope that everyone stays healthy,” he adds.

(continued from page 17)

knocked down three treys on consecutive trips down the floor. O’Neil, who finished with a team high 18 points (two treys), finished off a second quarter scoring blitz during which the Beavers hit six three-pointers while outscoring Cimarron, 18-3, and opening up a 36-11 advantage with 4:19 remaining in the period.

“When teams have to focus their attention on our two big guards that opens things up for everyone else,” says Coach O’Neil. “Dylan has his best shooting performance in about a month and that gives other teams headaches, especially when you add in Sloan (Baker) getting their big guy in foul trouble and knocking down shots.

SCMS 7th graders whip Holcomb, 29-18

Jumping out to a 12-0 first quarter lead, the Scott City Middle School seventh graders whipped Holcomb, 29-18.

Jackson Lewis and Kevin Herman jump started the Bluejays with three-point baskets in the opening frame. Lewis added another in the second half on his way to a game high nine points.

Parker Gooden finished with eight points.

Holcomb defeated Scott City’s “B” team 31-6. They outscored the Bluejays 21-2 in the second half.

Swept by Hays Hays jumped out to a 25-15 first half lead on their way to handing the Bluejays a 48-39 loss in “A” team action Brandon Winderlin led SCMS with 14 points and Lewis added 12.

Hays completed the sweep with a 49-27 win over the “B” team. Hunter Yager and Goodman scored nine and eight points, respectively.

The Scott County Record • Page 21 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Relocate 1A state tourney to Dodge

As postseason basketball approaches, the KSHSAA and Fort Hays State University have mutually agreed to relocate this year’s Class 1A Division II state basketball tournament from FHSU to the United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.

The state tournament dates remain as scheduled March 11-14.

The FHSU women’s basketball team has positioned itself to potentially host an NCAA regional tournament March 13, 14 and 16, which would conflict with the state high school tournament.

“Whether or not Fort Hays State succeeds in winning the right to host an NCAA regional, the state tournament will remain in Dodge City this year,” said KSHSAA Executive Director, Gary Musselman. “The logistics and lead time in staging a successful state tournament necessitate a decision which is in the best interest of Fort Hays State University and the member schools of the KSHSAA, be made now.

“Better to relocate our tournament than move to a secondary site gym for the semi-finals and finals of our state tournament on Friday and Saturday,” said Musselman.

The 3,600 seat capacity United Wireless Arena is home to the Dodge City Law arena football team and recently hosted the annual Dodge City Tournament of Champions featuring high school basketball teams from across the state. United Wireless Arena also hosts the SPAA-Iroquois league basketball tournament.

Carry Wichita County’s Kyler Long (right) reaches for a steal during Friday’s HPL action at Cimarron.

(Record Photo)

Lack of offensive consistency still a mystery for WCHS boys It’s not that the Wichita County High School boys can’t generate offense.

Tw e n t y two points in the third quarter a g a i n s t Wichita Co. 45 C i m a r r o n Cimarron 70 offered a glimpse of what the Indians are capable of doing.

The problems for WCHS has been in generating that kind of offense for an extended period of time.

The third quarter scoring surge wasn’t near enough to compensate for the 15 points WCHS scored in the first half of their 70-45 road loss in Hi-Plains League play on Friday.

“We have shown that we can put together a good quarter and sometimes two, but we haven’t been able to sustain that

for an entire game,” says head coach Haydon Parks.

A pair of threepoint baskets by Jacob Schumacher and Treven Burch accounted for Leoti’s first quarter offense as Cimarron took command of the game with a 15-3 scoring run.

Trailing 47-23 midway into the third period, WCHS closed out the quarter with four threepoint baskets, including a pair by junior guard Kyler Long who finished with a team high 21 points on 7-of-9 from the field.

Long was a perfect 3-of3 from beyond the arc in addition to grabbing a team high six rebounds.

Lakin Starts Fast The Indians combined for just 13 points in the first and third quarters in a 64-40 HPL to Lakin on

Tuesday.

WCHS played the Broncs on near even terms in the second and fourth quarters, with Lakin holding only a 28-27 scoring edge.

“We can’t afford to start slow and put ourselves in a hole like that,” says Parks about his team’s 15-6 first quarter deficit.

“I felt we were well prepared for Lakin, but we didn’t execute.”

The head coach says that Lakin also extended their 1-2-2 zone beyond the three-point line which made it difficult for his guards to get clean looks at the basket.

WCHS was just 2-of12 from beyond the arc.

“And we didn’t do a very good job of getting passes into the open area in the zone,” he adds.

Sophomore guard Jorge

(continued from page 18)

They spend a goodly amount of time on the escalating use of deadly force and on the many things one must consider before discharging a firearm to protect yourself and your family.

The second problem I have with the proposed amendment is with dropping the required background check. In 2014, 20,660 concealed carry permits were issued in Kansas.

Also, because of criminal history and felony convictions revealed by background checks, 82 permits were denied, and because of criminal charges brought against concealed carry permit holders, 12 permit renewals were denied, 87 permits were suspended and 52 permits were revoked.

These statistics are all public record available on the Kansas attorney generals website. Each time there is a mass shooting somewhere in our country we all get on our soapboxes, and rightly so about keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not possess them.

In my opinion, requiring no background checks to carry a concealed weapon would be a step backwards in that regard.

I spoke with a member of our local law enforcement who said the proposal makes him a little nervous. He told me it’s already a challenge when stopping someone carrying a concealed weapon WITH a permit, let alone stopping someone with no permit available and having to rely solely on the person telling them the truth as to whether they have a concealed weapon.

Like I said, I believe strongly in being able to carry a concealed weapon, and it gives me some comfort when I’m out and about in our insane world today knowing there are people around me who may be able to intervene should I find myself in a possible life-or-death situation.

But, like my experience taking my coworker hunting, I also want to feel comfort in the fact that those people carrying a concealed weapon are in all ways competent to possess one.

Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Gallegos led the team with 16 points on 7-of-10 from the field. Sophomore Juan Alvarado added four points and a team high six rebounds.

Schumacher injured an ankle midway into the third period limiting him to just three points and adding his name to the list of players who were either sick or injured.

Senior Treven Burch was held scoreless and had limited mobility because of a foot injury.

While he needs to get his squad healthy, Parks says offensive consistency is the bigger obstacle for his squad.

“We’ve had five boys who, at different times, have scored 20 or more points this season,” noted Parks. “It seems we can’t get more than one or two Steve can be contacted by email at stevegilliland@idkcom. going at the same time.” net

The Scott County Record • Page 22 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Avenge

(continued from page 19)

two games in the round-robin tournament to Ulysses (50-37) and Lakin (43-38).

A lone three-pointer by Faurot was the only basket

by Scott City in the opening period against Lakin as they fell behind 15-3 and couldn’t make up the difference. Faurot led the team with 12 points and Nick Nowak added nine.

In Monday’s game against Lakin, both teams were tied at 32-32 entering the final period before the Broncs pulled away. It was a Lakin team that SCHS had easily defeated a week earlier.

“I know we weren’t at full strength, but two guys shouldn’t be the difference in whether or not we win,” Gentry says of the loss to Lakin.

Sophomore guard Jess Drohman was the only Beaver in double figures against the Broncs with 11 points.

Even without players who are typically counted on to get rebounds, Gentry says the team still has to do a better job under the boards.

“We need guys to develop a rebounder mentality,” he says. “We need to carve out space and get good position for rebounds.”

Whip Goodland In a road game at Goodland last Friday, JV boys were easy 52-15 winners.

Faurot scored all 14 of his points in the first half as Scott City built a 29-10 halftime cushion. Jenkins knocked down three treys on his way to a game high 15 points.

Pull Away from Jays On a poor shooting night for Scott City, the Beavers still managed to find just enough offense for a 37-28 win at Cimarron. The team finished with seven treys and just six two-point baskets.

“They packed in their zone defense and the boys didn’t try to attack it,” says Gentry. “We’d turn down the opportunity for a 10-foot shot and instead pull it out and take the longer shot. That’s not smart basketball.”

Duff hit three treys and finished with a game high 10 points. Dylan Hutchins and Jenkins each added eight points.

Stretch

(continued from page 17)

bunch of games you can just roll through,” says the head coach. “That’s a bigger challenge, and a lot more fun. It forces us to maintain that edge we want going into post-season play.”

And every game between now and the end of the regular season has implications on the sub-state seeding. Heading into Friday’s games, Scott City, Beloit and Norton share identical 13-1 records and each has some tough games remaining.

Beloit has a rematch with Salina-Sacred Heart who handed them their only loss (73-70) on Jan. 27. They also face Minneapolis (9-4) who will likely be the No. 4 seed in the sub-state tournament.

Norton also has three potential stumbling blocks, including a rematch at TMP this Friday. Their schedule also includes Hoxie (11-4) and Hill City, a team they beat by just two points, 47-45, earlier in the season.

“All of us with one loss have some big games coming up,” notes O’Neil.

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SCHS Wrestling Rocky Welton Invitational Jan. 30-31, 2015 • Garden City Team scores: Pine Creek (Co.) 208, Garden City 208, Kearney (Ne.) 165.5, Dodge City 152.5, Ponderosa (Co.) 144, Arkansas City 139, Pueblo County (Co.) 134, Emporia 130, St. James Academy 130, Lamar (Co.) 119, Newton 102.5, Scottsbluff (Ne.) 102, Scott City 99, Ulysses 96, Pueblo East (Co.) 85, Canon City (Co.) 84, Pueblo West (Co.) 75.5, Chaparral 72, Pueblo Centennial (Co.) 68, Maize 67.5, Lewis-Palmer (Co.) 65.5, Hays 64, Great Bend 54, Eagle Crest (Co.) 48, Fountain-Ft. Carson (Co.) 46, Baca County (Co.) 43, Gardner-Edgerton 43, LaJunta (Co.) 41, Monte Vista (Co.), 39.5, Doherty (Co.) 34.5, Hugoton 30, Bear Creek (Co.) 27, Holcomb 17, Andale 11, Garden City JV 8.5, El Reno (Ok.) 0 106: Zach Tucker (22-8) pinned Justin Batterton (Lamar), 1:22; pinned by Andrew Lucero (Pueblo East), 2:47; pinned Salvidor Aguirre (Kearney), 4:18; dec. by Ryan Chauvin (Pine Creek), 12-5; pinned by Collin Metzgar (Doherty), 2:29.

Eighth place 132: Jarret Jurgens (16-11) pinned by Garrett Whitson (Emporia), 4:20; dec. Tyler Valdez (Pueblo West), 6-1; pinned Tyler Norton (Gardner-Edgerton), 4:10; tech. fall Justice Grant (Newton), 15-0, 5:00; dec. by Pedro Ordonez (Hugoton), 9-2; dec. by Ben Rodriguez (Scottsbluff), 1-0; dec.

Corbin Hockenbury (Ark City), 8-3. 11th place 138: James Jurgens (25-6) tech. fall Daniel Kramer (Garden City), 1:52, 16-0; dec. Joe Huber (Ponderosa), 6-3; dec. Kaleb Hansen (Lamar), 4-3; tech. fall by Hunter Willits (Pueblo County), 3:54, 19-2; maj. dec. Isaac Russell (Emporia), 11-1; maj. dec. J.D. Chenoweth (Baca County), 10-1.

Third place 145: Ethan Ford (1-10) pinned by Travis Myers (Pueblo West), 1:00; pinned by Trevar Bigelow (Kearney), 0:13.

152: Trey Loftis (6-14) maj. dec. by Jake Dugan (Eagle Crest), 22-9; pinned by Cobe Wastler (Doherty), 4:54.

160: Wyatt Kropp pinned Damien Griffin (Pueblo East), 1:56; dec. Zach Cook (Dodge City), 3-1; dec. by Jesse Nunez (Garden City), 5-1; dec. by Cody Stadler (Fountain/Ft. Carson), 4-3; dec. Christian Rivas (Great Bend), 3-0; dec. by Draven Adame (Lamar), 3-2. Ninth place 170: Abe Wiebe (15-14) pinned Marcus Lucero (Pueblo East), 0:56; pinned by Matt Pratt (St. James), 0:43; pinned Angel Moncayo (Ulysses), 1:57; pinned by Dustin Carstens (Gardner-Edgerton), 2:04; dec. by Genesis Martinez (Hugoton), 7-3; dec. by Alex Reyes (Emporia), 5-3.

182: Tre Stewart dec. by Sage Eckman (Emporia), 4-1; pinned Tomas Brown (Fountain/Ft. Carson), 1:45; dec. by Jacob Jenkins (Chaparral), 9-4; pinned by Josh Murray (Ponderosa), 2:39; pinned by Tye Hahn (Garden City), 3:12.

195: Cooper Griffith (20-1) pinned AJ Puga (Ponderosa), 0:26; pinned Gabe Lopez (Pueblo East), 2:35; dec. Nick Kirmer (Emporia), 1-0; pinned by Jared Langley (Newton), 3:03; dec. Alex Rathbun (Pine Creek), 6-3; dec. Nick Kirmer (Emporia), 3-1. Third place 220: Wyatt Eitel (21-13) pinned Tadeo Villavicencio (Doherty), 2:53; pinned by Aaron Griffith (Kearney), 1:27; pinned Jacob Mihelich (Pueblo West), 2:29; dec. Christian Diaz (Newton), 3-1; pinned by Cody Killis (Canon City), 1:52; dec. by Andrew Sprague (Gardner-Edgerton), 7-1. Sixth place 285: Lane Hayes (20-9) pinned Daniel Hernandez (Pueblo West), 5:06; dec. Devon Marovich (Pueblo County), 7-0; pinned by Jaden Helms (Chaparral), 1:11; pinned Xavier Byrne (Canon City), 0:56; dec. by Hayden Perry (Emporia), 2-1; dec. by Aaron Lozano (Garden City), 5-1. Eighth place Larned JV Tournament January 31, 2015 145: Ethan Ford pinned Brady Schartz (Great Bend), 0:30; tech. fall Andreas Verecke (Larned), 16-1; pinned Austin Mead (Larned), 1:29; pinned Rudy Gearhart (Hoisington), 0:19; pinned Otto Cruz (Liberal), 1:19. First place 170: Pierre Portes pinned by Jeremy Breit (Hoisington), pinned Kelton Barrett (Larned), 0:26; pinned Cameron Blankenship (Sublette), 1:59; pinned Jordan Taylor (Larned), 1:08; pinned by Ben Schneider (Hoisington), 0:18. Third place 220: Nic Cheney pinned by Elwin Trejo (Liberal), 2:27; pinned Jesus Adame (Liberal), 3:03; pinned Garrett Osborn (Scott City), 0:51; dec. Landan Hickey (Hugoton), 8-4. Second place 220: Garrett Osborn dec. by Landan Hickey (Hugoton), 8-6; pinned by Nic Cheney (Scott City), 0:51; pinned Jesus Adame (Liberal), 0:58; pinned by Elwin Trejo (Liberal), 3:15.

Fourth place

Takedown Kids Wrestling Tournament of Champions Jan. 31, 2015 6-Years and under 46: Trenton Frank maj. dec. Caden Culbertson (Rose Hill) 10-0; dec. Boston Graber (Ark City) 6-1; dec. by Tyson Blancarte (Louisburg) 6-1; sudden victory-1 Lukas Britt (Louisburg) SV-1 2-0; dec. by Kieran Akerson (Meneely) 4-3.

Fourth place 52: Matthew Wheeler pinned Maddux Koch (CWC) 0:22; pinned Maddox Girard (Salina) 0:54; dec. by Tristen Cox (Brawlers) 4-3; pinned Devin Helms (Ark City) 0:45; pinned Tucker Hutchison (Bobcat) 1:48; sudden victory-1 by Cooper Stivers (Wamego) SV-1 4-2; pinned Aaron Wyrick (Parsons) 1:24. Fifth place 55: Blaze Gossman dec. by Ethan Appenfeller (Maize) 6-0; dec. Caden Bergmann (Fort Riley) 11-4; pinned by Drake Alford (Ogdens) 1:31.

8-Years-Old 73: Houston Frank maj. dec. Logan Sell (Olathe) 11-1; dec. Antonio Robinson (Hard Knox) 5-4; sudden victory-1

by Rhett Briggs (Wichita) SV-1 2-0; dec. Trevor Bindel (Victory) 2-0; dec. by Antonio Robinson (Hard Knox) 7-0. Fourth place 9-10-Years-Old 76: Conner Armendariz pinned by Eli Lafleur (Victory) 2:38; pinned Logan Alcorn (Mulvane) 0:30; pinned Matthew Montoya (SW Grapplers) 1:42; maj. dec. Garrett Fager (Osage City) 13-1; pinned Jai Watson (Ark City) 1:40; maj. dec. Eli Lafleur (Victory) 8-0; maj. dec. by Cody Hughbanks (Maize) 10-2; dec. by Jude Axsom (Victory) 7-3. Sixth place 120: Lance Miller dec. by Trey King (Caney) 4-2; pinned

by Quentin Saunders (Hard Knox) 2:38.

120: Ronnie Weathers pinned Taylor Dumas (Tiger) 2:44; pinned Brandon Baker (Hoxie) 2:37;dec. by Matthew Lancaster (Southwest Timberwolves) 6-1. Second place 150: Jarron Gregory pinned Calvin Sholey (Leavenworth Co.) 0:31; pinned Tre Greene (Hawks) 1:18; pinned Damion Woods (Herington) 0:59. First place 11-12-Years-Old 92: Kale Wheeler pinned by Boone Roberson (Newton) 3:47.

95: Theron Tucker maj. dec. by Joseph Dennison (Southwest Timberwolves) 9-0; pinned by Drew Burgoon (Salina) 1:39.

110: Kaden Wren maj. dec. Gus Franzen (Kearney) 14-5; pinned by Evan Waddington (Wood River) 1:24; dec. Joseph Irwin (Leavenworth Co.) 2-1; dec. Trent LeGrotte (MO West) 2-0. Third place

Memory give it their best shot.

Coach Bill Self has decided not to use center Hunter Mickelson (6-10, 245) in his regular rotation and that could hurt KU in crucial games to come.

Mickelson played well against TCU and performed like a poised veteran; he had two field goals in three attempts to go with one rebound and two blocks - all in just seven minutes.

Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor are starting at center and forward, positions that are interchangeable in Self’s offense. The problem is size and scoring ability. Traylor and Ellis are big enough for power forward, but together they are lacking.

Traylor’s big issue is his lack of scoring ability. A few games ago, it looked like Traylor was

The Scott County Record • Page 23 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

(continued from page 20)

coming strong on offense, but he’s tailed off.

From here it looks like Mickelson could really help KU’s inside game, but apparently there are weaknesses that aren’t obvious. He played regularly as a freshman at Arkansas and then spent last year as a redshirt transfer at Kansas; consequently, he should be maturing and comfortable with Self’s system.

Kansas is going to play against some big frontlines in the NCAA Tournament and Ellis and Traylor together in the pivot won’t get it done. There will be games when Mickelson or Cliff Alexander should be the starting center or playing together.

The Big 12 race is beginning to clear. It looks like KU, Iowa State, and West Virginia are the lead-

ing contenders but that could change overnight.

Tough games remain on every team’s schedule.

West Virginia is a Big 12 anomaly. Coach Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers will steal everything but the opponents’ uniforms with their pressing defense. They are savage and relentless. Teams in a docile mood that go against the Mountaineers will wonder who was driving the truck that hit them.

If KU plays as soft against Huggins’ team as they have in several games, the Jayhawks will be stripped of everything but their shoes.

WSU Streak is Over Wichita State had their 30-game MVC winning streak snapped at Northern Iowa last Saturday,

70-54. The Shockers are weak in the pivot.

Darius Carter is fine at power forward, but Coach Glenn Marshall doesn’t have an effective center.

Wichita is coming off two sensational seasons.

If there’s any disappointment, it’s that Marshall hasn’t been able to use the national publicity to recruit two or three quality inside players. Nevertheless, Marshall is doing another exceptional coaching job with the current team.

Barring a late-season collapse, Wichita will receive an NCAA Tournament bid whether they win the MVC or finish second. Losing to Northern Iowa is no disgrace, that’s a stellar ballclub (20-2, 9-1).

The Shockers (19-3, 9-1) are tied for first with the Panthers.

Jurgens Jurgens’ domination was evident from start to finish.

“I’m getting better on my feet. Before this year it didn’t seem that I could take anyone down to save my life,” says the senior. “I’ve been getting the first takedown in a lot of my matches.”

Jurgens got first period takedowns in each of his three matches to start the tournament.

While he didn’t get any takedowns in his final two matches in the consolation bracket, Jurgens controlled the action on the mat with six near-falls.

“I finally had the energy to get my tilts. I was able to control the wrists and turn them to their backs,” says Jurgens.

“It was a real good weekend for Jim,” says Lippelmann. “(138) is one powerful weight class and this was probably the first time that Jim looked like he was matched up well with the competition. We still have work to do over the next couple of weeks, but it’s looking better than it has.”

The weekend was a mixed bag for the Beavers who were off to a strong start on Friday with six boys advancing into the quarter-finals. They included Zach Tucker (106), Jurgens (138), Wyatt Kropp (160), Cooper Griffith (195), Wyatt Eitel (220) and Lane Hayes (285).

The Scott County Record • Page 24 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

(continued from page 17)

Only Jurgens and Griffith advanced to the semifinals.

Scott City finished 13th in the 36 team field with 99 points.

Garden City and Pine Creek (Co.) shared team honors with 208 points, followed by Kearney (Nebr.) with 165.5 and Dodge City (152.5).

Griffith Wins Bronze Griffith (20-1) dropped his first match of the season against Newton’s Jared Langley (28-0) who is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in Class 5A and was the tournament’s top seed. Langley pinned Griffith in the semis on his way to a tournament title.

“Langley got him caught in a leg trip after Coop was able to avoid it the first time,” says Lippelmann. “We’ll be studying film in order to avoid that situation again.”

Griffith certainly proved that not only was he one of the top wrestlers in this field, but that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Class 3-2-1A state tournament. After pinning his first two opponents, Griffith was able to slip by Nick Kirmer (Emporia), 1-0, in the quarterfinals.

Following the loss to Langley, he wrapped up a bronze medal with a 6-3 decision over Alex Rathbun (Pine Creek)

SCHS junior Abe Wiebe tries to get a takedown against Hugoton’s Genesis Martinez during consolation action in the Garden City tournament on Saturday.

(Record Photo) which set up a rematch with good season, bouncing back Kirmer that Griffith won, 3-1. from a loss in the quarter-finals to earn a sixth place finish.

Eitel is Sixth “Wyatt has pretty decent hips, Senior Wyatt Eitel (21-13) he’s aggressive and he’s coachcontinues to put together a very able. I like that in a kid,” says

Lippelmann. “He’s starting to make a name for himself. He’s not going to win every match, but I honestly believe there isn’t a match that Wyatt isn’t capable of winning.”

Offensive explosion buries chance of upset repeat It was a year ago that an upset loss at Goodland was the start of a difficult four game stretch when the Scott City boys lost two games and narrowly won two others.

History not only didn’t get a chance to repeat itself but Scott City 87 Goodland 40 it wasn’t even in the neighborhood of the Max Jones Fieldhouse last Friday.

SCHS (12-1) shredded the outmanned Cowboys for 29 first quarter points and 53 in the first half while cruising to an 87-40 win in Great West Activi-

ties Conference action.

After missing his first shot from the field, senior guard Trey O’Neil had an outstanding night on his way to a game high 30 points. He was 10-of14 from the field, including a blistering 8-of-11 from beyond the three-point line. He scored 19 of Scott City’s first quarter points - at one time hitting five consecutive treys - as the Beavers jumped out to a 29-10 advantage.

“When you can do that in transition it’s pretty tough for the other team to defend,” says

head coach Glenn O’Neil. “It wasn’t that our boys were wide open. Goodland was playing pretty good defense. We did a better job of offensive execution and hitting the shots they were giving us.”

Once he got off to a quick start, O’Neil made sure the rest of the Beavers were also involved offensively by handing out six assists.

Three other Beavers also finished in double figures with great shooting nights from the field.

Senior guard Brett Meyer

drilled 6-of-8 field goals on his way to collecting 15 points, senior center Sloan Baker was also 6-of-8 from the field and finished with 13 points to go along with his four rebounds, and junior Drake McRae drained 5-of-8 from the field including a pair of treys - to end the night with 12 points.

“We spread the ball around real well. The boys played well at both ends,” says Coach O’Neil.

Also having his best performance as a varsity player was sophomore forward Kyle Cure

with a team high six rebounds, four assists and three points.

“Once one guy gets off to a good start, it doesn’t matter who it is, then that confidence spreads to everyone else,” adds Coach O’Neil. “We looked like a team that had a lot of confidence and that was reflected in our scoring.”

As a team, SCHS had one of their best shooting nights of the season, hitting 33-of-55 (60%).

They were 14-of-27 (52%) from beyond the three-point line while also distributing 23 assists.

The Scott County Record

Page 25 - Thursday, February 5, 2015

Educators take another hit with bill that strips ‘affirmative defense’

Alan Graham and Julie Mason perform songs from the “Footloose Medley” in preparation for their Valentine’s performance.

(Record Photo)

Could this be final performance for SC’s Serendipity Singers?

The Serendipity Singers are back, but could it be their final performance?

“There’s some conversation to that effect,” says Joel Edwards, who is in his sixth year as the group’s musical director.

Long-time group member Ron Hopkins is thinking this may be his final performance and that others are leaning in the same direction.

“I’ve been doing this for quite awhile,” says the Scott City resident.

“It’s been enjoyable. Everyone in the group is fun to perform with, but it’s also a lot of work.”

Rehearsals are held each Sunday afternoon starting in October - with a couple of breaks during the holidays.

“It’s a major commitment, being here to rehearse each week for three to 3-1/2 hours,” agrees Edwards.

The Valentine performance had been a longtime tradition for the Singers, but they decided to change things up a little and present Christmas concerts the last two years.

“We wanted to change it up again,” says Edwards about the decision to present a Valentine’s show on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7. Performances are at The Majestic in downtown Scott City.

This year’s musical selections include many familiar songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

“It’s music that the group likes and that I’m sure everyone attending will enjoy,” says Edwards. “Whenever we begin selecting the music we’re

Serendipity Singers Soprano: Kristin Jessup, Kristin Crawford, Nancy Green and Brenda Birney.

Alto: Julie Mason, Kim Wagner and Jenny Eitel.

Tenor: Ron Hopkins, Craig Ramsey, Roger Winter and Mark McCandless.

Bass: Adam Winter, Dale Jessup, Scott Wagner and Alan Graham.

always looking for what will fit the personality of the group. There will be a lot of new music that we haven’t done before.”

Many of the group members have been regulars in some type of community productions for more than 20 years. A few of the singers were part

of the madrigal performances in the early 1990s and that evolved into the shows that have been presented near Valentine’s Day and during Christmas.

“I think it says a lot for this community that we have people this talented who are willing to give so much time to this,” Edwards says. “This group is capable of performing just about anything I can put in front of them.”

Whether the group does disband, or simply evolve into another group with several new voices, or whether they simply decide to take a break for a year remains to be seen.

“My hope is that we can keep this going in some way,” Edwards says.

“It’s important to keep the arts going in our community.”

Joel Edwards directs the Serendipity Singers.

(Record Photo)

A divisive bill pending before a Senate committee on Wednesday either shields children in Kansas schools from obscene materials or opens the door to criminal charges against educators delivering approved curriculum, depending on whom you ask.

Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R-Shawnee) said evidence that highly offensive information on sexual expression had been presented to Johnson County middle school students led to the drafting of Senate Bill 56.

It would delete from state law an exemption from criminal prosecution held

by K-12 public, private and parochial school educators regarding presentation of material “harmful to minors.” A similar bill emerged from a different Senate committee in the 2014 session, but it never cleared the full House or Senate.

“Our state laws should safeguard the rights of parents to shield and protect their children from harmful material especially in schools,” Pilcher-Cook said.

“Pornography and obscene materials are becoming more and more prevalent in our society, and it is all too common to hear of cases where children are not being protected from the harm it inflicts.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, Kansas National Education Association and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Kansas and Mid-Missouri offered testimony against the bill to members of the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee.

“This bill is a solution looking for a problem,” said David Schauner, KNEA general counsel. “This ‘affirmative defense’ is not a free pass to break the law and provide harmful materials to minors.

It is, however, a protection against baseless claims attacking legitimate educational programs and curriculum.”

He said text of the bill would appear to give a prosecutor license to charge principals, teachers or other educators for discussing such literature as “The Red Badge of Courage” or “Huckleberry Finn.”

Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU in Kansas, said the legislation’s definition of materials harmful to minors was overly broad. He said the measure would block presentation of curriculum that school districts had determined to be age-appropriate.

“Most seriously,” Kubic said, “Senate Bill 56 could criminalize teachers simply for distributing handouts, displaying posters or sharing educational information.

Teachers should not be criminalized for doing their jobs.”

Pilcher-Cook said Shawnee Mission middle school students were exposed in 2013 to a poster affixed to a classroom door that contained “highly offensive” text. Following complaints by parents of students in the school, district officials removed the poster.

“The damage it caused could not be undone,” said Pilcher-Cook, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. “This should not be trivialized.”

Sen. Pat Pettey (D-Kansas City), a member of the committee, said the poster was inappropriate for those students but the incident had been blown out of proportion.

The Scott County Record

ag briefs

FB honoring century farms across Kansas Tradition and heritage are a big part of what makes agriculture such an attractive way of life for so many Kansans. The lifeblood of our existence, the farms and ranches in Kansas, provide food, fuel and fiber for the world.

The history of these farms and ranches is rich, with many stories to tell.

In that spirit, Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s leading agriculture advocacy organization, is launching the 15th year of its program to honor those family farms that have passed down this heritage for more than a century.

The Kansas Farm Bureau “Century Farm” program will recognize family farms whose current owner/operator is related to the owner/ operator of the farm in 1914 or before. Qualifying farmers will receive a farm sign designating “Century Farm” status and recognition from Kansas Farm Bureau.

During the first 15 years of the Century Farm Program, more than 2,300 family farms qualified for the Farm Bureau Century Farm designation.

The deadline for consideration is May 15, 2015.

Complete details for qualification and an application can be obtained at county Farm Bureau offices across Kansas or on the KFB web site, www.kfb.org/getinvolved/centuryfarms/.

Kansas wheat prices climb in December

The average December price received by farmers for winter wheat was $6.09 per bushel, an increase of 41 cents from November, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The December corn price, at $3.90/bu., was up 15 cents from last month.

The sorghum price averaged $7.39/cwt., an increase of 85 cents from November.

Soybeans, at $9.74 per bushel, were just a penny higher than the previous month.

The December alfalfa hay price, at $154 per ton, was down $3 from November.

The other hay price, at $92 per ton, was down $7.

The sunflower price, at $21.60/cwt., was up $1.60 from last month.

Farm

Page 26 - Thursday, February 5, 2015

Scott Co-op buys Pence facility The Scoular Company of Omaha, Nebr., and Scott Cooperative Association jointly announce that a partnership owned by the two companies has purchased a grain facility in Pence.

Scott Co-op will operate the Pence location, which was previously owned and operated by Scoular. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Pence facility will be

incorporated into Scott Cooperative’s network of Kansas operations which includes facilities in Scott City, Marienthal, Shallow Water, Grigston, Manning, Modoc and Selkirk.

Like Pence, the Selkirk facility is owned by the Scoular and Scott Cooperative partnership.

Bobby Lorg, a 10-year Scott Co-op employee, will manage the Pence facility.

“Scott Cooperative and Scoular have a longstanding

relationship, and we’re pleased to be working together as business partners,” says Gary Friesen, general manager for Scott Co-op. Friesen says the partnership with Scoular leverages the strengths of both companies, citing Scoular’s extensive merchandising network and know-how and Scott Cooperative’s nearly 60-year history of providing a high level of service to its member owners.

Ron Bingham, Scoular’s director who oversees the com-

pany’s cross-country trading activities in the Great Plains, noted that as a result of the two organizations working together there will be improved access to markets and services for Western Kansas producers.

Friesen and Bingham both added that the Scoular and Scott Coop venture, formed in the spring of 2014, will seek additional expansion opportunities.

Conditions can develop quickly for elevator grain dust explosions

We’ve seen the impact they can cause - grain dust explosions sparked when certain conditions come together to create a combustible situation. And those conditions can develop much faster than many know, according to a Kansas State University grain scientist.

“Grain dust explosions still occur under specific handling conditions,” said Kingsly Ambrose, assistant professor in K-State’s Department of Grain Science and Industry, but the likelihood of such occurrences decreases when employees know the risks and know what to do to prevent incidents.

The majority of explosions are linked to dust from corn and more happen in grain elevators than in feed or flour mills, for example, but Ambrose said he did not want to downplay the risks of working with other grains and in other types of facilities.

A total of 100 grain dust explosions occurred over the 10 years 2005-2014 in the United States, resulting in nine fatalities and 96 injuries. Fifty-four involved corn, three involved soybeans and four were linked to wheat. The rest happened in facilities handling barley, oats, beet pulp, rice and others.

Sixty-one of the 100 explosions occurred in grain elevators and 22 in feed mills. Since 1980, however, there has been a decline in explosions, injuries and fatalities at grain handling facilities.

The historical data for the period 1976 through 2005 (http://krex.k-state.edu) confirm the downward trends of reduced risk of dust explosions and injury to personnel at grain handling and processing facilities.

It takes just a spark when conditions are right in any grain handling facility to set off an

explosion, Ambrose said, and the conditions can change in a matter of minutes. The ingredients common to all explosions are fuel (in this case, dust); ignition (often a spark); confined space; oxygen; and dust clouds.

The dust on the floor of a facility would ignite first, he said, and if there are dust clouds, the explosion can happen. “The pressure and heat from these conditions combined can be just like a bomb,” he said.

He conducts workshops focused on ways to prevent such explosions, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Ambrose’s work follows up on the work of long-time K-State grain science professor Bob Schoeff, who is now K-State professor emeritus.

Awareness and Training Shane Eck, location manager

Irrigation conference in Colby Feb. 17-18 The 2015 Central Plains Irrigation Conference and Exposition will take place Feb. 17-18 at the City Limits Convention Center, Colby.

The annual event focused solely on irrigation-related topics is hosted in Kansas every third year.

Sponsors include Kansas State University, Colorado State University, the University of Nebraska and the Central Plains Irrigation Association.

The conference portion of the event will include many technical irrigation sessions presented by academic researchers from the areas of agronomy and irrigation engineering.

Session topics include the crop

water budget, optimizing crop water productivity in a variable climate, sensor technologies for irrigation management, advancements in subsurface drip irrigation and center pivot irrigation, updates on groundwater issues and crop options for deficit irrigation.

“The overall theme for this event from a crop water standpoint, particularly for Western Kansas, is management with limited water supply,” said Danny Rogers, K-State Extension professor and irrigation engineer.

“But, the management issues we talk about with irrigation have application whether you have full water (See IRRIGATION on page 27)

County Plat Maps

By Western Cartographers Scott • Lane • Wichita • Ness • Logan Gove • Greeley • Finney • Wallace • Kearny Pick them up today at:

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with Mid Kansas Cooperative’s grain elevator in Lindsborg, Kansas, has not experienced a grain dust explosion and wants to keep it that way. He said MKC routinely trains its employees on proper housekeeping, preventative maintenance, daily inspections, and equipment monitoring.

Also citing the ingredients needed to create a grain dust explosion, Eck said, “We work to eliminate the ingredients within our control. Those are the grain dust and ignition source. It is important to have and follow a good housekeeping program to eliminate the dust. The ignition source of many dust explosions comes from hot bearings or belts rubbing on metal. The grain industry has widely accepted the practice of utilizing monitors to warn us of such conditions. Not all facilities are required to have (See ELEVATOR on page 27)

Market Report Closing prices on February 3, 2015 Scoular, in Pence Bartlett Grain Wheat..................

$ 5.21

Wheat..................

$ 5.19

White Wheat .......

$ 5.36

White Wheat .......

$ 5.32

Milo ....................

$ 4.36

Milo (bu.).............

$ 4.25

Corn ...................

$ 3.96

Corn....................

$ 3.95

Soybeans ...........

$ 9.04

Scott City Cooperative

Weather H

L

January 27

80

30

$ 4.36

January 28

70

31

Corn....................

$ 3.96

January 29

48

26

Soybeans ...........

$ 9.04

January 30

47

20

.08

Sunflowers..........

$ 17.25

January 31

42

33

.13

February 1

33

9

February 2

53

7

Wheat..................

$ 5.21

White Wheat .......

$ 5.36

Milo (bu.).............

ADM Grain

P

Wheat..................

$ 5.29

Milo (bu.).............

$ 4.16

Corn....................

$ 4.04

Soybeans............

$ 9.10

January

.29

Sunflowers..........

$ NA

2015 Total

.29

Moisture Totals

The Scott County Record • Page 27 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Thaw in Cuba relations positive for U.S. ag Exports of U.S. agricultural products such as wheat, rice, soybeans and meat products stand to gain from a U.S. move toward repairing relations with Cuba.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called the move an “important opportunity” that will make exports of U.S. farm goods cheaper, easier and less timeconsuming for shippers.

U.S. law has exempted food from a decades-old embargo on U.S. trade

with the Cuba, but cumbersome rules on how transactions were executed made deals difficult and costly. The U.S. policy shift should eliminate these hurdles.

“The policy change is that now payment can be made while goods are in transit, which is the normal course of business, and no longer does the money need to be routed through a third party,” Vilsack explains.

Elevator monitoring equipment so daily leg and equipment inspections are also a good way of identifying potential issues.”

The leg is a continuous belt with hundreds of buckets that elevates the grain to the top of the elevator where it goes into a distributor. The distributor directs the product into the desired bin.

“Most primary explosions occur in the leg,” Eck said. “These explosions are not the ones that do the most damage. The primary explosion suspends dust in other parts of the facility providing the necessary components for additional secondary explosions. A good housekeeping program will prevent secondary explosions.”

“Generally the number of grain dust explosions is going down,” said K-State’s Ambrose, noting that OSHA regulations that went into effect in 1984 helped, as have

Irrigation (continued from page 26)

or limited water capabilities. There will be something for everyone.”

The conference includes a menu-driven program, so participants can choose what to attend during the two days. The exposition side of the event will allow for industry representatives and irrigators to interact.

For a full list of sessions and presenters and the registration form, visit http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/ sdi/REvents/CPIAprog. html. Register early by Jan. 30 at a discounted rate of $85 per person.

After Jan. 30, registration is $100 per person. The fee covers access to technical and general sessions, the exposition and on-site meals. For more information, contact Donna Lamm at 785-462-7574 or donnalamm@yahoo.com.

Cuba imported nearly $350 million of U.S. agricultural products in 2013, including $146 million of poultry meat, $108 million of soy products, and $82 million of corn and feeds.

Easing of financing restrictions opens up the market, just 90 miles from the world’s largest agricultural exporter, to other products.

“Wheat hasn’t traded there, rice hasn’t either.

Those are two new opportunities. With the enhanced tourism, the increased incomes could benefit higher-value products like beef and pork,” said Devry Boughner Vorwerk, a Cargill vice president and chair of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba.

Cuba’s purchases of U.S. wheat and rice have been restricted by the higher cost of financing transactions compared

with shipments from South America and Asia.

“Cuba has not imported any U.S. wheat for five years. Opening trade has the potential to put that market back in our column as they like our wheat and it is loaded only a short sail from Cuba,” said Steve Mercer, spokesman for the U.S. Wheat Associates.

The trade group said Cuba could import at least 500,000 tons of U.S.

wheat a year if trade were easier.

“We believe our market share there could grow from its current level of zero to around 80-90 percent,” said Alan Tracy, president of the U.S. Wheat Associates.

Cuba would likely buy mostly hard red winter wheat, a bread-making variety grown mainly in the U.S. Plains states, as well as pasta-making durum and soft red winter wheat, used in pastries.

at 85, with 80 reported in Illinois, and 78 in Nebraska. Historical data on grain dust explosion incidents in the U.S. is available at the K-State K-REx website (https:// krex.k-state.edu/dspace/).

“We tend to see more explosions during harvest season, starting in August to October, depending

on the crop,” he added.

“We see more explosions at grain elevators than at other grain handling facilities. When you have 1-5 kilograms of dust per metric ton of grain coming into the facilities, that’s where we see a lot more incidences.”

Ambrose said that the tiniest leak in a pipe -

even one that can barely be seen - can let enough grain dust escape to form a dust cloud and create the makings of an explosion.

Just a minor spark in such conditions can be enough to ignite the dust.

“Conditions in any facility can change in a matter of minutes,” he said.

(continued from page 26)

recommended standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.

In the 45 years from 1958 to 2003, 510 grain dust explosions were reported in the U.S., with an average of 11.3 per year. In the most recent 10 years (2005-2014), 100 explosions were reported for an average of about 10 incidents per year.

Training and new technologies are helping to decrease incidents, Ambrose said. With newer technologies, including explosion-proof panels and explosion suppression instruments, many of these accidents can be avoided.

According to OSHA, particles/dust less than 420 microns has the potential to ignite and create an explosion.

Where and When Most grain explosions happen in the Midwestern states - Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska and

Minnesota are where most have occurred. That’s where most grain is grown and where the largest concentration of grain handling facilities are located.

But they can happen anywhere, Ambrose said.

In the 55-year period 1958-2013, Iowa had the most explosions at 90, followed closely by Kansas

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Networking solutions!

AVOID TAX REFUND regret. Invest in new 3-4 BR Clayton Mfd.modular home and receive up to $7,500 gift card. Lenders offering $0 down for land owners. Less than perfect credit OK. 866-858-6862.

For Sale KEYS TO THEIR HEART piano sale, now thru Feb. 14. Grands as low as $88/mo., verticals $688 and up, digital pianos from $1,099.

Mid-America Piano, Manhattan. 800-950-3774, www.piano4u.com.

––––––––––––––––––––– 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.

Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

402 S. Main, Scott City • 872-1300

Brent Rogers

Sales Consultant b.rogers@officesolutionsinc.biz

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

Northend Disposal

NO EXPERIENCE? Some or lots of experience? Let’s talk. No matter what stage in your career, its time. Call Central Refrigerated Home (888) 670-0392. www.

CentralTruckDrivingJobs. 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.

––––––––––––––––––––– NEED CLASS A CDL training? Start a career in trucking today, Swift Academies offer PTDI certified courses and offer best-in-class training. New Academy Classes Weekly • No Money Down or Credit Check • Certified Mentors Ready and Available • Paid (While Training With Mentor) • Regional and Dedicated Opportunities • Great Career Path. Excellent benefits package. Please call: (602) 714-9455.

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.

Education 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

A garbologist company.

Scott City • 872-1223 • 1-800-303-3371

District 11 AA Meetings Scott City

Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Unity and Hope Mon., Wed. and Fri. • 8:00 p.m.

807 Kingsley Last Sat., Birthday Night, 6:30 p.m.

All open meetings, 874-8207 • 874-8118

Dighton www.reganjewelers.com

412 N. Main • Garden City • 620-275-5142 All Under One Roof

Revcom Electronics

Thursday • 8:30 p.m.

535 Wichita St. All open meetings, 397-2647

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, February 5, 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.

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.

GIVE YOUR FAMILY THE BEST

Magnificent 5-bedroom home with 3-bathrooms, 2-family rooms and a formal living room!

Many extras, including

wood burning fireplace, central vac, sprinkler

system, large DA garage 19tfc

and covered patio! Call

for your private showing.

TRAILOR LOTS! You’ve been asking for a place for your mobile

home! Call for details on these lots! $9,000 each.

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

Real Estate

Help Wanted

Rentals

Services

COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS for sale 40’x60’ metal shop building and a 133’x45’ (approx.) round top building.

Serious inquiry’s only seller is a real estate agent selling own property 87426tfc 5109 or 874-2124.

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, 41tfc (620)874-2120.

––––––––––––––––––––– MULTIPLE HOUSES FOR RENT. 1 bedroom homes available. Also 8x10 storage units available. Stop by PlainJans to fill out an application or 01tfc call 872-5777.

––––––––––––––––––––– STORAGE UNITS in various sizes available at The Storehouse, Don and Trudy Eikenberry 62007tfc 872-2914.

––––––––––––––––––––– NICE HOUSES FOR RENT 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms. Serious inquires only. 620-872-2758 leave 25t2p message.

––––––––––––––––––––– 3+1-BEDROOM, 2-bathrooms, attached 1 car garage. Water and trash paid.

No Smoking. No Pets.

26t2p 620-874-8014.

WANTED: Yards to mow and clean up, etc. Trim smaller trees and bushes too. Call Dean Riedl, (620) 872-5112 or 87434tfc 4135.

––––––––––––––––––––– FURNITURE REPAIR and refinishing. Lawn mower tune-up and blade sharpening. Call Vern Soodsma, 872-2277 or 36tfc 874-1412.

––––––––––––––––––––– MOWER REPAIR, tuneup and blade sharpening.

Call Rob Vsetecka at 62036tfc 214-1730.

––––––––––––––––––––– 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.

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

For Sale TRASH COMPACTOR $25, full-size mattress set and frame $50, lift chair $250, oak table with 5-chairs $150, nice burgandy swivel rocker $40, weather radio $20, china set for 12 $15, porch bench $10, and triple dresser with mirror $40.

Call Jane Bollinger 87226t1p 2960.

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––––––––––––––––––––– FA R M W O R K E R , 4/1/15-11/30/15, Jeff Compton, Texoma, Okla., 1 temp., job. Drive trucks, tractors to perform crop raising duties. Field ready implements.

Harvest, plant, cultivate crops using tractor drawn machinery.

Tend irrigation. Operate, repair farm equipment. 3 months experience, clean MVR, employment reference, driver’s license, English required. $10.35/ hr., ¾ work guarantee, tools/equipment/housing provided, trans and subsistence expense reimbursed. Apply at Kansas Works, 620-227-2149. Job 26t1c #1012109.

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 Call Thomas Real Estate for all your real estate needs.

26tfc

SEEKING BIDS The City of Scott City is accepting bids for the purchase of a 2015 police-use sedan.

Specifications may be obtained at City Hall. All bids should be sealed and labeled “Police Car Bid”.

Bids will be accepted at: City Hall, 221 W. 5th St., Scott City, until Tuesday, February 17, 2015.

The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

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

26t2c

BI-LINGUAL PARA New on the Market-Built 2014 Corner lot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath, full unfinished basement, large family room, 2 car garage.

Call for your private showing today!

Scott County Learning Center is looking for a part-time Bi-Lingual Para.

Position starts August 1.

Call for details or stop by for application: 620-872-3785 or 708 Washington St., Scott City Southwest Plains Regional Service Center 26t1nc

Get your news anywhere you go!

Subscribe to our online paper and you can enjoy reading The Scott County Record wherever your travels may take you.

Online Subscription: $30 a year

406 Main, Box 377, Scott City, Ks. 67871 www.scottcountyrecord.com 620-872-2090

The Scott County Record • Page 31 • Thursday, February 5, 2015

Employment Opportunities USD 466 Technology Assistant Full-time, year-round position for Technology Assistant.

For more information go to www.usd466.com

LIFEGUARDS The City of Scott City is accepting applications for Lifeguards for the 2015 season.

Applications may be picked up at: City Hall, 221 W. 5th St., Scott City.

Applications will be accepted until February 17, 2015.

24t1c

RECEPTIONIST Part-time receptionist needed at eye doctors office.

General secretary work: computers, phone, filing, patient relations. Must have good people skills.

For more information please call: Dr. Hyde at 620-872-2020 or after hours call 620-214-1462.

26t1p

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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. Full-time position, bilingual a plus.

Apply online at wkcac.com or call 620-874-2272

25t2c

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARA-PROFESSIONAL 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.

25t2c

PARK LANE NURSING HOME

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.

Shift differential pay offered for evening and night shifts!

Please apply in person at:

Park Lane Nursing Home

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

GRAIN OPERATOR

26tfc

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.

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

24t3c

SERVICE TECHNICIAN 25tfc

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

25t2c

DIETARY AIDE Scott County Hospital is seeking a dependable, motivated person for a Nutritional Services Department Dietary Aide.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Job duties include: food preparation and other departmental tasks. Applicants must have a high standard of cleanliness and be able to read, speak and understand English.

Experience preferred but will train the right person.

Pre-employment physical, drug screen and TB skin test required.

SCH is a tobacco free facility.

Applications available our website at www.scotthospital.net or call 620-872-7772 for more information.

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Has openings for the following positions: Full-time CNA (day) Part-time CNA (night) Full-time Housekeeping Aide Part-time Dietary Aide Full-time Maintenance Assistant

210 E. Parklane Scott City, KS 67871 Or visit us at our website: www.parklanenursinghome.org “Quality Care Because We Care”

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

American Implement, Inc., a progressive John Deere agricultural dealership in Southwest Kansas, is experiencing significant growth and is currently seeking qualified individuals to fill the position of Service Technician in the Scott City location.

Responsibilities are to analyze, troubleshoot and perform electrical and mechanical repairs on agricultural equipment. Experience in maintenance and repair of automotive, diesel or heavy equipment required.

Qualified applicants must own a set of tools to perform the functions of the job.

American Implement offers competitive wages and an excellent benefits package, which includes life, health and supplemental insurance, 401(k) plan and a quarterly incentive bonus program.

Interested applicants may send a cover letter and resume to: Tyler Kough Location Manager PO Box 20, Scott City, KS, 67871 or Call: (800) 779-7244 or (620)872-7244.

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SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT 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

25t2c

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 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

Lawn and Garden

Page 32 - Thursday, February 5, 2015

Getting your garden ready for spring

Now is a good time for gardeners to begin making plans for their flower and vegetable gardens.

The first thing that most gardeners think about as spring approaches is, “What am I going to plant this year?” Some might even wish for a magic list that would tell you what works in Kansas.

Well for those who don’t already know that list does exist, especially when it comes to flowers and other plants for the landscape. There is a website devoted to a listing of plants recommended for Kansas.

The website includes links to a wide variety of plants including annual flowers, perennial flowers (including breakouts for iris and daylilies), fruit, vegetables, turf grass, low-maintenance roses

Ok to prune non-frozen fruit trees

The owners of fruit trees can prune them now through March as long as the wood isn’t frozen. The following are some general recommendations on pruning mature fruit trees followed by more specific instructions on each species.

•Take out broken, damaged or diseased branches.

•If two branches form a narrow angle, prune one out. Narrow angles are weak angles and tend to break during wind or ice storms.

•Take out all suckers. Suckers are branches that grow straight up.

They may originate from the trunk or from major branches.

•If two branches cross and rub against one another, one should be taken out.

•Cut back or remove branches that are so low they interfere with harvest or pruning. If cutting back a branch, always cut back to another branch or a bud. Do not leave a stub.

•Cut back branches to reduce the total size of the tree, if necessary.

•Thin branches on the interior of the tree.

Follow the steps above in order but stop if you reach 30 percent of the tree.

As for specific species recommendations, the following guidelines can be used. Peach and nectarine require more pruning than any other fruit trees because they bear fruit on growth from the previous year.

Not pruning results in fruit being borne further and further from the center of the tree allowing a heavy fruit crop to break major branches due to the weight of the fruit.

Apples tend to become overgrown if not pruned regularly. Wind and ice storms are then more likely to cause damage. Also, trees that are not pruned often become biennial bearers. In other words, they bear a huge crop one year and none the next.

Biennial bearing is caused by too many fruit on the tree.

Crop Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower

Seeding Date

Transplant Date

February 7

April 4

Lettuce

February 7

April 4

Peppers

March 21

May 16

Tomatoes

March 28

May 9

Gardening Websites Low water use plants. Visit: http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/p. aspx?tabid=731.

For hundreds of images of iris varieties and daylillies visit the University Gardens Collection Gardens at http://www.ksre. ksu.edu/ksugardens/p.aspx?tabid=38.

Annual flower recommendations for Kansas. visit http:// www.prairiestarflowers.com/Prairie_Star_nav.html.

Suggested perennial flowers at http://www.prairiestarflowers.com/Prairie_Bloom_nav.html.

and tree recommendations that are broken out by areas of the state.

Aside from finding lists of what might work in Kansas, it is helpful to have a schedule to help

keep you organized. If you start vegetable plants indoors, it is often helpful to list seeding dates on a calendar so that plants are ready for transplanting at the proper time.

To do this, choose your transplant date and count back the number of weeks necessary to grow your own transplants. For example, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are usually transplanted in late March to early April.

It takes eight weeks from seeding to transplant size.

Plants should be seeded in early February.

Notice that dates in the seeding chart are Saturdays. That is because this is when many gardeners have the most free time.

The dates are not set in stone, and a week earlier or later will not ruin the plants.

Keep notes on how well the transplants did so you can tweak the planting schedule. Your conditions may result in plants that need a bit more or a bit less time.

Free blue spruce trees from Arbor Day Foundation Joining the Arbor Day Foundation is an ideal way to get in the mood for spring planting.

Anyone from Kansas who joins the Foundation in February will receive 10 free Colorado blue spruce trees to plant when the weather turns warm.

The free trees are part of the nonprofit Foundation’s Trees for America campaign.

“The blue-green hue and distinctive shape of Colorado blue spruce trees will help beautify Kansas for many years to come,” said Matt Harris,

chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.

“The trees will also add to the proud heritage of Kansas’ existing Tree City USA communities.”

The Tree City USA program has supported community forestry throughout the country for more than 35 years.

The trees will be shipped postpaid at the right time for planting, between March 1 and May 31, with enclosed planting instructions. The six- to 12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow, or they will be replaced free of charge.

Members also receive a subscription to the Foundation’s bimonthly publication, Arbor Day, and The Tree Book, which contains information about planting and care.

To become a member of the Foundation and receive the free trees, send a $10 contribution to “Ten Free Colorado Blue Spruce Trees,” Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410,

by February 28, 2015, or visit arborday.org/february.

Farm Equipment

Wednesday, February 11 • 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 2 • 11:00 a.m.Location: From Dighton on Hwy 96 east 3.25 miles, south side of highway

Howard E. Richards Trust - Owner

Tractors 1994 White 6175 Work Horse tractor, mfw, 7,598 hrs., duels, 3-pt., pto 1994 AGCO Allis 9695 tractor, mfw, 3646 hrs., 400 hrs. on engine overhaul, duels, 3pt. pto.

1962 JD 4020 tractor, propane, Ps trans., 3pt., pto. with EZee ON scoop 1976 Allis Chalmers 7060 tractor, 3 pt., pto, duels Harvesting 1994 Gleaner R62 combine, 2,178 separator hrs., 30 ft. platform, shedded Allis Chalmers 8-row corn head, series 400 Allis Chalmers corn head, converted to milo header, 5-row 2-shop built platform trailers United Farm Tool grain cart, 500 bushel

Farm Equipment Case IH 1200 air planter, 8 row, 3pt., markers, monitor 2013 Orthman Fallow Master 36 ft., pickers used on less than 1,000 acres Miller 30 ft. disk, V series Flex King 15 ft. disk Krause 7 x 6 sweep plow with pickers Flex King 6 x 5 sweep plow with pickers Big Ox 9-shank ripper Patriot Sprinkler track closer, 3-pt., (New) Tool bars, 20 ft.

Hoeme 22 ft. chisel plow Crustbuster 36 ft. springtooth Bush Hog 12 ft. mower, pull type Allis Chalmers 6-bottom plow JD 20 ft. rotary hoe, 3-pt.

Great Plains 30 ft. folding drill, 10” spacings

Trucks and Pickups 2-1974 Dodge 600 trucks, V-8 motor, 4 x 2 spd. trans., 15 ft. bed and hoist, roll over tarps 2001 Chevy S10 pickup, 6-cyl. motor, 5-spd trans., 122,552 miles 1996 Chevy 3500 pickup, flatbed, ext. cab, tool boxes, diesel motor 1991 GMC pickup, 4x4, V-8 motor, auto.

Other Farm and Livestock Items 7-rolls barb wire Dudrey wire roller “T” posts 5-Star post hole digger, 3-pt.

Cattle working chute Irrigation pipe trailer 10 x 20 flat deck trailer Overhead machinery carrier 100 gal. poly spray tank, on trailer with B&S motor 132 gal. square pickup fuel tank

100 gal pickup bed fuel tank Speed King 6” auger, 50 ft.

230 gal. pickup fuel tank on trailer Log splitter, 3 pt., pto 12-volt drill fill auger Shop Items Air compressor with gas motor Air compressor with electric motor Car ramps Gear pullers Some hand tools Tires Car ramps Pickup bed tool box New NH3 hose Aluminum ATV ramps Filters and oil Clevises Craftsman Air compressor with Honda motor Trailer with Allis 2500 kw generator, pto., propane cutting torch Forney 180 amp welder Other items

Auctioneers Note: Howard is retiring from farming and will sell his good line of farm equipment.

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