SCHS students, alumni duck and dive at annual dodge ball tournament Page 27
34 Pages • Four Sections
Volume 21 • Number 33
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Published in Scott City, Ks.
$1 single copy
Arsenic an issue until treatment plant is back on line
With the addition of two water treatment plants costing about $3.2 million, the days of notices being sent out to Scott City residents informing them of high nitrate levels in their drinking water were supposed to be over. Forget the nitrates. Now it’s arsenic. Scott City residents were recently informed that test results show arsenic at 11 parts per million - just above the 10 ppm threshold established by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The problem stems from the south treatment plant (just south of 9th Street) not functioning properly since going on line a few months ago, limiting its capacity to treat water. The plant has been operating so much less than required that the city has been forced to begin pumping water from well No. 8 and that’s where the problem lies. The well has a history of elevated arsenic levels, but is rarely needed except during peak demand during the summer. As a result, water from the well doesn’t pass through the treatment plant, but goes into the water supply where it is quickly blended with water from other wells. KDHE, however, measures the quality of the water before it is blended. Arsenic levels in the 70-year-old well site haven’t changed significantly over the years, says Public Works Director Mike Todd. It’s KDHE’s standards which have changed. “At one time KDHE set the acceptable arsenic level at 50 parts per million. Now it’s 10,” says Todd. Even without the water notice from KDHE, the city had begun making plans to improve the well site. Todd says the well was drilled in the 1940s and it’s possible that the metal pipe casing could be contributing to the arsenic problem. (See ARSENIC on page two)
finding the housing ‘sweet spot’ Contractor Clayton Lee is nearing completion on the first of several new homes that he hopes to build in the Eastridge Addition in Scott City. (Record Photo)
New development hoping to hit first-time home buyers Despite the housing shortage in Scott City, local contractor Clayton Lee knew he was taking a gamble when he decided to build a spec home in the Eastridge Addition. That risk was compounded as the price tag climbed closer to $220,000. Lee’s gamble paid off Tuesday evening when the contract was signed with a buyer even before the home is completed. Lee expects to have the cabinets and flooring installed and concrete work wrapped up within the next 2-3 weeks. “We could have done it cheaper,” says Lee. “It’s easy to cut corners by using cheaper materials and buying stuff at the big box stores, but that’s not what I was after. I wanted something that, 40 years from now, my kids and grandkids could drive by and be proud to say that I built this home.” At the same time, Lee didn’t want to lose site of this being a “starter home.” That’s why it was also essential that he
keep the price under control while still going the extra mile when possible. The goal was to keep the cost at $125 to $130 per square foot. He only slightly exceeded that at just over $134 per square foot for the $220,000 home. “We knew there were going to be added costs,” says Lee. First of all, the home is located on a larger corner lot with 122 frontage feet along Maple Street. Except for a similarsized lot across the street to the west, all other lots along Maple Street in the subdivision will be 95 feet. With the larger lot, Lee was able to construct a home of 1,640 square feet on the main floor and an unfinished basement of equal size. Homes on smaller lots to the north will be about 1,120 square feet, “which will put them in the $140,000 to $150,000 range which should be pretty appealing to first-time buyers,” says Lee.
But the size of the home isn’t the only factor which contributed to the higher cost. Lee was wanting to make this first project a “showcase home” that would set a standard for future housing in the development area. As Lee walks through the home he points out the features which have added to the price, such as solid core doors and mid-range cabinets. “Instead of $49 doors these are about $165,” he points out. “The cabinets in the kitchen are almost $13,000 and that’s not overly expensive. But it’s something that people can be proud of and will last a long, long time.” In one sense, Lee may have established a standard that’s going to be very difficult for other contractors to match. According to one local realtor, an individual looking to build a home had been given a cost of $217 per square foot by one contractor and $211 by another. (See HOUSING on page 18)
Most starter homes in (the $110,000 to $120,000) price range are going to be slab homes on a 1,000 square foot foundation without a basement. I’m not sure how well a home like that will sell. Scott City contractor Clayton Lee
No free pass this time for Huelskamp
Challenger says Congressman is not working toward solutions
Jim Sherow, a candidate for Congress from the First District, visits with local residents during a campaign stop in Scott City. (Record Photo)
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Meats judging All-American to represent US ‘down under’ in July Page 9
Jim Sherow isn’t sure when the ability to compromise became a liability for politicians elected to the Kansas Legislature or the Congress. But he’s quick to point out that everyone pays the price when lawmakers are unwilling to work together. “A lot of the problems facing us aren’t Republican problems or Democrat problems but problems that affect all of us,” says Sherow. “We all understand that the federal deficit is a problem that we have to address. How do you address that and still meet the needs of the people?” he asked. “You don’t get there by shutting down the government.”
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Opinion • Pages 4-5 Calendar • Page 7 Deaths • Page 10-11 LEC report • Page 12 Health • Pages 14-15
Lawn/Garden • Pages 16-17 Sports • Pages 19-26 Farm section • Pages 28-29 Classified ads • Pages 31-33
That, says the former mayor of Manhattan, is one difference between himself and Congresssman Tim Huelskamp who supported shutting down the federal government during the debate over raising the debt ceiling. “That cost our economy $24 billion,” says Sherow, a Democrat who figures there’s a good chance he will meet Huelskamp, a two-term Republican, in the fall general election. “It lowered our bond rating which means we pay more in interest to retire our debt, which means less money available for discretionary spending such as (See SHEROW on page eight)
Very young Scott City baseball team opens its season Tues. Page 19
The Scott County Record • Page 2 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Arsenic The city plans to relocate the well about 30-40 feet away and see if that helps. “There’s a good chance we’ll get a better well that produces more gallons per minute when we’re done,” Todd says. “And maybe it will also lower the arsenic level. There’s no guarantee that either one will happen, but we need to be making the change anyway.” He says the city is waiting for the long, drawnout process of getting a new permit from the state. Tentative plans are for drilling to take place later this spring or early this summer. Treatment Problems However, that will only address part of the problem. The city council and its public works director are also trying to find a solution to the treatment facility that’s not operating as it should be.
(continued from page one)
Want to know more about water quality?
Quality water reports are available for 2013 on the City of Scott City website at www.scottcityks.org Click on “City of Scott City” at the top of the page. Once you’re on the city’s web page scroll down and click on “Water Quality Report” on the left side. This will provide the latest water report data and an explanation of the reports.
At issue is apparently the media that serves as a filter for the water. Before the plant began operation local personnel was advised by KDHE and the company that built the plant, Layne Christensen Co., Mission Woods, Ks., that they should filter 50 parts per million of chlorine through the media. It wasn’t until afterwards they learned from Dow Chemical that only 5 ppm should have been used in order to kill the arsenic. Because of the damaged media, the treatment site is only operating at
about one-third of its capacity. As a consequence, the media has to be replaced at a cost of $65,000 with the city picking up the tab. The new media is expected to be in place by midApril. “Our first job is to get this done and see if that corrects the problem,” says Todd. “We need to get the plant operating at full capacity before summer.” As for the possibility of any legal action, Todd says “we’ll have to wait and see.”
City recommends backflow preventers Scott City residents are reminded that backflow preventers are encouraged for any non-drinking connections to the city’s public water works system. Public Works Director Mike Todd says the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) strongly encour-
ages they be installed on underground sprinkler systems or any other connections which would allow water to flow into the city’s delivery system. “The purpose is to prevent lawn chemicals or stale water from getting mixed into the city’s drinking water,” says Todd.
He says that Ryan Sprinkler Service, Scott City, and RT Plumbing, Modoc, are certified to inspect a private connection to the city’s water supply and to install backflow preventers. Either can provide additional information if people have questions.
news briefs
Ministerial Alliance wants input on Breadbasket move
The Scott County Ministerial Alliance is seeking input on the possibility of relocating its Thrift Store/Breadbasket to the former Dollar General building on north Main Street in Scott City. A meeting will be held on Thurs., April 3, 1:00 p.m., at the Community Christian Church to answer questions and hear from interested parties. Anyone wanting more information can contact pastor Scotty Wagner at the First Christian Church.
Tag deadline is Monday
Persons whose last name begins with the letter B are reminded that license tags must be purchased by Mon., March 31, to avoid a penalty. Tags are due for autos, light trucks, motorcycles and motorized bikes. License tags can be purchased at the county treasurer’s office. Tags must be renewed during April for persons whose last name begins with C or D.
Masonic ham and bean feed
The Scott County Masonic Lodge will host its annual ham and bean feed on Sat., March 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Masonic Lodge Hall, 600 Cedar Street, Scott City. Cost is a free-will donation. There will be drawings for an iPad and cash.
Spaghetti benefit for Geists
A spaghetti feed fundraiser will be held for Garee Geist and the late Don Geist on Sun., March 30, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in the commons area of Scott Community High School. Cost is a free-will donation.
What’s for Lunch in Scott City? Sun. - Sat., Mar. 30-Apr. 5
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 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Tues. • Open faced prime rib sandwich with french fries. Wed. • French dip sandwich with french fries. Thurs. • Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. Fri. • Catfish dinner.
What’s for Supper?
The Broiler
1211 Main • 872-3215
5Buck Lunch 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Chili Cheese Dog • 1/4 lb Cheeseburger • 3 Piece Chicken Strips
Includes Fries, 21 oz. Drink and Small Sundae
102 Main St. • 872-5055 1304 S. Main • 872-5301
6
$
Mon. • Sat. 5:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sun. • 5:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon.• Chicken fry
49
Buffet
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Tues.• Hamburger steak with mushrooms and onions Wed.• Fried chicken Thurs.• Mountain oysters Fri.• Seafood specials Sat. • Prime rib
Breakfast specials every night.
The Scott County Record
Community Living
Page 3 - Thursday, March 27, 2014
Don’t get too sentimental when downsizing I have been presenting programs across southwest Kansas on how to resize your belongings. I use the word resize instead of downsize, because it’s a way of thinking. Downsizing means getting rid of and resizing in my educational program means to keeping only what you need to make living easiest. I’ll bet that is clear as mud. It’s a mind game. To begin with let’s focus on the clean-out issues. It can be a very daunting task when we need to clean out possessions,
either ours or those of family members. There are many reasons why we look the other way instead of getting started. One, we don’t know where to start or what to do with all the STUFF! Two, we often have emotions attached to the items that we really don’t need, can’t use or have no purpose in our lives. Our personalities often
determine how we handle the process. Start small and work your way toward the harder, memory-attached items. Start with things that hold less sentimental value. Clothing is an example since it comes and goes with fashion. There’s very little attachment to it. Before disposing of clothing, always check the pockets, inside and out. The generation older than us tends to “bank” or hide money in pockets. Donate any usable clothing and recycle the rest. Usable clothing consists of cardigan sweat-
ers, very nice fashionable dress wear and pjs or robes. The sweaters, pjs and robes can be used at rest homes; professional wear can be donated to womens’ shelters. To recycle clothing, cut up soft fabric to wrap valuables for moving; take the rest to Goodwill. Use the same procedure with shoes and don’t forget to check the toes. Bedding Items Donate any good bedding to a local thrift store or women’s shelter. Donate older bedding to pet rescue shelters.
Donate any leftovers to be recycled. Don’t drag any extras to your home unless you really need it. You only need three sets of sheets for every two beds. Don’t pass them off to family without asking if they would like any extras.
might get their own apartment in college. Worry about that in five years. You might also find that they really don’t want what you think they should have. Of course ask them, and if they do want that fork, let them store it. Your space is valuable. Most of the time, items in the bathrooms and utility rooms need to be used or tossed. It’s a simple solution. If you use the product, take it home and use it. If you don’t and it’s usable, donate it to the thrift store for someone else to use.
Kitchens/Bathrooms Most items in the kitchen are just everyday usable items. More than likely, you don’t need another cookie sheet or fork, so just sell it or donate it to someone who could use it. Don’t store it for five years because you think this son or that niece (See DOWNSIZE on page 7)
Friends of Lake Scott board member Millie Dearden.
Lake Scott Friends projects is High Plains club program Jacey Cullop and Sam McDaniel
Couple to wed on July 26
Jerry and Kelly Cullop, Sterling, and Tom and Pam McDaniel, Scott City, announce the engagement of their children, Jacey Cullop and Sam McDaniel. Grandmother of the bride-to-be is Carolyn Cullop, Sterling. Grandparents of the prospective groom are Robert and Irma McDaniel, Scott City, and Lowell and Darla Mather, Sharon Springs. Jacey is a 2008 graduate of Smoky Valley
High School, Lindsborg, and a 2012 graduate of Southwestern College, Winfield. She is currently a student at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Sam is a 2010 graduate of Scott Community High School and will graduate in May from Southwestern College with a degree in business administration. The wedding is planned for July 26 at Victory Village Chapel, Burrton.
Births PARENTS OF DAUGHTER Ross and Heather Rufenacht, Scott City, announce the birth of their daughter, Skylar Grace, born Jan. 14, 2014, at St. Catherine Hospital, Garden City. She weighed 7 lbs., 3 oz. and was 19-1/2 inches long. Skylar was welcomed home by a big sister, Jordan, and a big brother, Taylor. Maternal grandparents are Neil and Bev Norman, Manhattan. Paternal grandparents are George and Val Rufenacht, Scott City. Great-grandmother is Edith Norman, Scott City.
Gayle Minnix and Chris Davis
Minnix-Davis are engaged
Jim and Eilene Minnix and Kevin and Brenda Davis, all of Scott City, announce the engagement of their children, Kathryn Gayle Minnix and Christopher James Davis. Grandparents of the couple include the late Berl and Wanda Minnix; Bill and Kathy Schieferecke, Studley, Ks.; Beverly Davis, Fort Scott, and the late Conrad Davis; and Joe and Charlene Stottmann, Parsons. Gayle is a 2010 gradu-
ate of Scott Community High School a 2013 graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Human Ecology. She is currently working on a Masters in Early Childhood Education at KSU. Chris is a 2011 graduate of SCHS and a student in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Kansas. The wedding is planned for Aug. 16 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Scott City.
High Plains Study Club met at the Scott County Library on March 20. Jan Winter, Barbara Dickhut and Barbara Hutchins served a unique version of “S’mores” for the picnic-themed program “Our Little Corner of the World.” President Barbara Dickhut called the meeting to order with the reading of the club collect and the flag salute. Twentyone members answered the roll call, “My Favorite Outdoor Activity.” A devotional written by Patsi Graham reminded us the same wind or storm brings different outcomes. Betty LaToush gave the treasurer’s report. Winner of the Lucky
Dip was Marvel HopkinsKeyse. Janice Storm will bring a gift for the next meeting. Sue Pammenter will serve as courtesy chairman due to the illness of Kami Rosin. The financial committee will make recommendations for donations at the next business meeting. A trip to the Sternberg Museum and the Austin Home is planned for April 3. The program was Millie Dearden presenting a photo presentation for the Friends of the Lake Scott State Park. The group was formed in 2009 to raise funds and undertake projects for park improvements.
The Scott County Record
Editorial/Opinion
Page 4 - Thursday, March 27, 2014
editorially speaking
Be informed:
Kansas voters will have a choice in state elections
Make no mistake about it. A growing number of Kansas voters are growing more and more dissatisfied with the direction that our state is going - in terms of fiscal and social policy. Gov. Sam Brownback’s approval ratings have made him vulnerable to a strong challenge from Democratic hopeful Paul Davis. Other state office holders are facing similar challengers, and not just from the opposition party. After getting a free pass in the last election, Congressman Tim Huelskamp is facing opposition in the primary election. Should he survive that race he will likely be opposed by Jim Sherow in the general election. Likewise, controversial Secretary of State Kris Kobach will face former Republican State Sen. Jean Schodorf - now a Democrat - in November. Typically, a Democrat challenger on most any ticket in Kansas - particularly in a statewide race - is little more than token opposition. Kansans have a terrible habit of looking for the “R” behind a candidate’s name and voting reflexively without giving any thought as to whom they are actually voting for. We’d like to think that maybe . . . just maybe . . . Kansans will put a little more thought into who they vote for this year. We are in the largest agricultural district in the U.S. and we don’t have a Congressman on the House Ag Committee. Huelskamp’s own party gave him the boot. Kobach has pushed voting laws through the legislature that have created far more problems than they ever thought of solving. And his views on immigration run counter to the economic interests of Kansas and our state’s agriculture. As for Gov. Brownback and his economic policies - there are very few outside of the governor’s inner circle who don’t see a train wreck looming on the horizon. Kansans have strong, credible choices this year. They have an obligation to learn about the candidates and what they really stand for. This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. This is about doing what’s best for Kansas.
Oversight needed:
Corporations haven’t done anything to earn our trust
Conservative Republicans offer a steady diet about our incompetent government and how we would be better served by letting industry operate free of government oversight and regulation. Really? Consider the following: •Freedom Industries allowed a chemical spill to poison the public water supply for about 300,000 people in West Virginia. The chemical - 4-methylcyclohexane - remains a mystery. There’s no data about its harmful effects. Three months later people still don’t trust the water that comes out of their tap. •Duke Energy in North Carolina poisoned the Dan River with a coal ash spill. •Last April, a fertilizer plant explosion and fire in West, Tex., killed 12 first responders and three others, injured 200 people, and caused an estimated $100 million in property damage. •A natural gas well exploded, killing a worker in Greene County, Pa. The explosion resulted in a fire that burned for four days. But Chevron did the humane thing. The multibillion corporation made things right for area residents by handing out 100 gift certificates for pizza and soft drinks. •Duke Energy was back in the news recently when it was caught pumping 61 million gallons of contaminated water from a coal ash pit into the Cape Fear River, marking the eighth time in less than a month the nation’s largest electricity company has been cited for environmental violations. Unfortunately, this violation wasn’t discovered by government regulators but by environmentalists with the Dan River Basin Association who were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement. That’s not to say that every corporation is evil and they are out to wreck the environment and endanger the health of people. But it does reaffirm that too many corporations put profits above people. Those who claim that government is the problem and that corporations can be trusted to police themselves without federal oversight are ignoring the facts. If these same critics, and the top executives in these corporations, had to live downstream from a Duke Energy dump site maybe they would view things differently. But that’s okay. If you’re lucky maybe you’ll get a pizza.
Religious freedom a 2-way street
As a matter of religious liberty, if I choose to consider fish as sacred critters and I refuse to eat them because it would go against my strongly-held beliefs, that’s my right. Myself and others who are in my flock (or school?) are protected by the Constitution. I have the religious right to pray to anything I want and attach religious symbolism to anything I choose because the Founding Fathers said so. The beauty of this is that no one - particularly the government - can tell me that my religious beliefs don’t matter. And neither is anyone else compelled to believe the way that I do. But do I have the right to force my religious beliefs upon people who work for me? Because fish are sacred to me do I have a right to tell my employees they can’t fish, or can’t eat fish, or must pray to the Goddess of Trout? An absurd argument? Not to those on the conservative right who are always looking for another reason to pose as victims
of religious oppression even when it doesn’t exist. And the argument certainly isn’t a stretch for those looking for any excuse to bring down Obamacare. That’s why attorneys for Hobby Lobby appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. The owners of Hobby Lobby, out of disdain for Obamacare, are now claiming that since they are opposed to all forms of birth control on religious grounds they shouldn’t be compelled to provide that benefit to any of their 13,000 employees through health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Forcing one’s religious beliefs upon others isn’t new. It happened during the Inquisition. Today, we try to be a little more civilized. But the message hasn’t changed all that much . . . some people think their view of God is the only view that matters
and everyone else has to adapt or else. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t about religious freedom. It’s simply one more attempt to diminish the impact of Obamacare on those who need it most. But, for just a moment, let’s put that argument aside. Let’s assume that this is based only on religious freedom as Congressman Tim Huelskamp and others on the far right are trying to claim. In their eagerness to bring down the health care law they are willing to take us down a slippery slope that even conservative Justice Antonin Scalia once warned against. In a 1990 court opinion in which he ruled in the majority, Scalia warned against what would happen if religious entities were permitted to claim exemptions from generally applicable laws. He warned that “(a)ny society adopting such a system would be courting anarchy.” In other words, religious freedom isn’t justification for breaking the law. In 1990, Scalia ruled
against Native Americans exercising their religious freedom by smoking peyote - even during religious ceremonies. Peyote or contraception . . . in the grand scheme of religious freedom what’s the difference? Perhaps Native Americans would find a more receptive ear on the high court today if they were to make their case. Maybe they need to get more organized and form a multimillion dollar company that will help arts and crafts enthusiasts make their own turquoise jewelry, beaded blankets and pottery. That might give Native Americans a little more religious clout. If comments made during the Hobby Lobby case are any indication, Scalia’s views on anarchy have changed. Court observers are putting Scalia on the side of fellow conservative justices who they feel will side with the Hobby Lobby argument. Today, it’s Hobby Lobby’s owners claiming their religious rights are being violated because their (See FREEDOM on page six)
Billionaire political bosses
Charles and David Koch should not be blamed for having more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of Americans put together. Nor should they be condemned for their petrochemical empire. As far as I know, they’ve played by the rules and obeyed the laws. They’re also entitled to their own right-wing political views. It’s a free country. But in using their vast wealth to change those rules and laws in order to fit their political views, the Koch brothers are undermining our democracy. That’s a betrayal of the most precious thing Americans share. The Kochs exemplify a new reality that strikes at the heart of America. The vast wealth that has accumulated at the top of the American economy is not itself the problem.
Where to Write
another view by Robert Reich
The problem is that political power tends to rise to where the money is. And this combination of great wealth with political power leads to greater and greater accumulations and concentrations of both - tilting the playing field in favor of the Kochs and their ilk, and against the rest of us. America is not yet an oligarchy, but that’s where the Koch’s and a few other billionaires are taking us. American democracy used to depend on political parties that more or less represented most of us. Political scientists of the 1950s and 1960s marveled at American “pluralism,” by which they meant the capacities of parties and other membership groups
Gov. Sam Brownback 2nd Floor - State Capitol Topeka, Ks. 66612-1501 (785) 296-3232
to reflect the preferences of the vast majority of citizens. Then around a quarter century ago, as income and wealth began concentrating at the top, the Republican and Democratic parties started to morph into mechanisms for extracting money, mostly from wealthy people. Finally, after the Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” decision in 2010, billionaires began creating their own political mechanisms, separate from the political parties. They started providing big money directly to political candidates of their choice, and creating their own media campaigns to sway public opinion toward their own views. So far, in the 2014 election cycle, “Americans for Prosperity,” the Koch brother’s political front
Sen. Pat Roberts 109 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4774 roberts.senate.gov/email.htm
group, has aired more than 17,000 broadcast TV commercials, compared with only 2,100 aired by Republican Party groups. “Americans for Prosperity” has also been outspending top Democratic super PACs in nearly all of the Senate races Republicans are targeting this year. In seven of the nine races the difference in total spending is at least two-to-one and Democratic super PACs have had virtually no air presence in five of the nine states. The Kochs have spawned several imitators. Through the end of February, four of the top five contributors to 2014 super-PACs are now giving money to political operations they themselves created, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. (See BOSSES on page six)
Sen. Jerry Moran 141 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-6521 www.house.gov/moranks01/
What Fred Phelps told us about ourselves
The Scott County Record • Page 5 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
by Harriet Lerner
Fred Phelps is dead, and few will mourn his absence. Fred made it his spiritual mission and full-time job to eradicate homosexuality from the planet, starting in the town I lived in for most of my adult life - Topeka. From the start, Fred had nearzero support for his particular brand of homophobia. He hated “fags” and “fag-lovers” and Kansans hated Fred. The citizens of Topeka organized counter-demonstrations, offered support to the victims of Fred’s harassment, and worked with attorneys to help restrict his picketing of funerals and private homes. No one asks why we hated Fred. It’s obvious. But I’ve always felt uneasy with the simplicity of our hatred. When Fred first hit the streets, heterosexuality was the
only form of living and loving that could be celebrated, validated or even mentioned. So why does everyone hate Fred? Once, a young mother in my doctor’s waiting room told me how much she despised Fred. Her daughter had danced with a local ballet company and Fred and his followers had picketed their performance. “I could hardly keep from swerving my car into the whole group of them,” this mother told me. “Why should my daughter have to know about those people?” Those people. I thought at first she was talking about Fred and his relatives, but it turned out she meant gays. Her daughter had seen Fred’s signs and asked a lot of questions about “sodomites and fags.” “My daughter is only nine,” said the irate mother. “She shouldn’t be exposed to homo-
Bigotry has many faces. Fred was dangerous, but he represented only one form of danger. It is also dangerous to pretend that the Freds of the world are the containers of all prejudice while the rest of us are on the side of virtue.
sexuality and things like that.” Is this why some Topekans hated Fred? Before Fred came along homophobia was deeply entrenched in Kansas as it is almost everywhere. There wasn’t much talk about hating gay people then, because no one acknowledged their existence, except in tasteless jokes. Gays and lesbians didn’t feel free to come out of hiding in Topeka and many still don’t, but that’s not Fred’s doing. “We’re not just asked to keep a secret,” a gay friend told me. “We’re asked to be a secret.” Watching Fred at work often got me thinking about my being
Jewish. What would be the lesser of two evils in this historical moment, I’d ponder - enforced invisibility or being hated outright? Outright hate frightens me. I’d sleep less well if Fred’s signs said, “God Hates Jews” and “Death to Jews.” But that, at least, would acknowledge that we Jews do, indeed, exist. What about enforced invisibility - a life in the closet. At first, it seems like the better choice. But I know how deeply, over time, it would erode my dignity and self-regard. I imagined myself living in a community preaching “tolerance” - but not visibility and celebration of my Jewishness. (“It’s unfortunate, but after all Harriet was born that way.”). I imagined the young mother in the waiting room, angry that her daughter was forced to know about “my kind.” I pic-
tured my neighbors reacting to my sons’ Bar Mitzvahs (“Well, I think it’s fine that the Lerners are Jewish, but must they flaunt it.”) I imagined having to lie, to conceal, and to pretend each day to be what I am not. To be erased by the dominant culture is a terrible thing. Once, flying home to Kansas from the west coast, I spotted a famous runner on the plane and asked him for an autograph for my younger son. He wrote, “To Ben, Run for Jesus.” I was stunned by his assumptions and equally stunned that I didn’t gather the courage to tell him we were Jewish and to ask him for a different autograph. It’s this assumption - that the world is like us or should be that is the seeding ground from which more virulent and elaborate forms of bigotry grow. (See PHELPS on page six)
Big money is betting on future of Obamacare by Alan Jilka
. . . investors betting on the success of (Obamacare) have The smart money appears to put more money into the fund be on the future success of the as opposed to those betting Affordable Care Act. At least on its failure by a ratio of 45:1.
Ethical rot in Wall Street’s culture by Jim Hightower
Let’s review the rap sheet of Wall Street banks: Defrauding investors, cheating homeowners, money laundering, rigging markets, tax evasion, credit card ripoffs . . . and so sickeninglymuch more. At last, though, some of the cops on the bank beat seem to be having regulatory epiphanies. The New York Times reports that some financial overseers are questioning “whether such misdeeds are not the work of a few bad actors, but rather a flaw that runs through the fabric of the banking industry . . . Regulators are starting to ask: Is there something rotten in bank culture?”
Really. Where’ve they been? Millions of everyday Americans sniffed out that rot back in 2007 at the start of the Wall Street collapse and nauseating bailout. Imagine how pleased they are that it took only seven years for the stench of bank rot to reach the tender nostrils of authorities. Still, even sloooww progress is progress. Both the head of the New York Fed and the Comptroller of the Currency are at least grasping one basic reality, namely that the tightened regulations enacted to deal with the “too big to fail” issue do nothing about the fundamental ethical collapse among America’s big bankers. The problem is that, again and again, Wall Street’s culture of
greed is rewarded - bank bosses preside over gross illegalities, are not punished, pocket multimillion-dollar bonuses despite their shoddy ethics, and blithely proceed to the next scandal. More restraint on bank processes miss a core fact: Banks don’t engage in wrongdoing, bankers do. As Comptroller Tom Curry says, the approach to this problem is not to call in more lawyers, “It is more like a priest-penitent relationship.” Public shaming can be useful, but it should include actual punishment of the top bosses - take away their bonuses, fire them, and prosecute them!
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author
that’s the conclusion inferred in a recent issue of Bloomberg Business Week (Feb. 24-March 2 edition). Meanwhile Kansas politicians continue to fight the new law. In the Bloomberg article writer Joshua Green details the activities of a new online broker, Motif Investing, co-founded by a former Microsoft executive and backed by Goldman Sachs and other investors. The company allows investors to bet on targeted baskets of 30 sectorfocused stocks called “motifs.” Two of the hottest investments at the moment are in what is referred to as the “Obamacare” motif, and the “Repeal Obamacare” motif. The Obamacare motif includes groups such as hospitals, generic drug makers, pharmacy benefit managers and companies specializing in electronic medical records - all concerns that will benefit from the success of the new health law and its emphasis on cost control and guarantee of payment. Conversely, the Repeal Obamacare motif includes entities such as medical device manufacturers, assisted and home health providers and medical diagnostic equipment and service providers. Companies in these areas would stand to do better with the law’s demise because of reduced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement
rates and the law’s efforts to curb unnecessary tests. According to the article the Obamacare motif is up 46.9% in the past year, whereas the Repeal Obamacare motif has appreciated 13.8%. But maybe more telling is the fact that investors betting on the success of the new law have put more money into the fund as opposed to those betting on its failure by a ratio of 45:1. The piece notes that, as opposed to the political arena and public discourse, within the investment community the “permanence of the law is taken for granted while prospect of repeal is given practically no credence.” Other evidence is given to back up this statement, including the fact that exchange traded funds specializing in health care have seen their assets more than double (from $7 billion to $16 billion) since the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in June of 2012. Meanwhile, the Kansas Legislature spent the past week discussing and voting on a measure that would subject health care navigators (individuals trained to assist individuals purchasing insurance through the federal exchanges) to background and credit checks. (See BETTING on page six)
We have all become human guinea pigs There are more than 1,000 chemicals known to be toxic to the brains of animals in lab experiments. Yet we only know of 214 for humans, and just 12 for developing fetuses and infants, a recent study revealed. Why are these numbers so far apart? Is it because lab animals’ brains are more feeble and susceptible to chemicals than ours? No. It’s because we can conduct experiments by feeding mercury, lead, and arsenic to rats to find out what happens to their brains. It’s unethical to do so in humans. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we’re doing - just not in a lab. Without the capability to conduct a lab experiment on humans, we’ve got a few ways to find out exactly which chemi-
behind the headlines by Jill Richardson
cals are bad for our brains. Typically, most of us are exposed to low levels of a wide variety of the chemicals in our lives - from paint, carpet, food, food containers, air, water, and more. If, after 60 years, you get sick, it’s hard to say what caused it. Sometimes the harm can be much more subtle, like the loss of a few IQ points in a child who was exposed to a chemical before birth. The exception is usually when a group of people is exposed day after day to high doses of a chemical on the job.
When they all become acutely ill, it’s obvious there’s a problem. The cause is fairly easy to track down. This method works for adults - resulting in the discovery of 214 neurotoxicants in humans - but not in developing fetuses and infants. To find the dozen chemicals that harm the youngest brains, scientists compare exposure levels among a group of babies while still in the womb and then track their growth in their early years. Only by comparing them to one another, scientists can detect which chemicals cause problems. For example, one study tested pregnant mothers for levels of a pesticide, chlorpyrifos, and then followed their children for
many years. They linked chlorpyrifos exposure to reduced head circumference at birth and neurobehavioral problems that lasted at least seven years. These studies recognize that we’re all being used as human guinea pigs. Back to my first point: We know darn well that over 1,000 chemicals harm the brains of animals - and animals’ bodies are not all that different from ours. About half of the chemicals on this list are chemicals that are in our industrial solvents, pesticides, flame retardants and other common products. What’s our current approach? Just keep using them. Move along, everyone, until scientists can prove beyond a doubt that
a specific chemical made a specific person sick. Trying to steer clear of dangerous chemicals can drive you crazy. Just try to discover which products in your life contain chemicals that are toxic to you or your kids, and how you can find non-toxic replacements for them. It’s hard not to grow exasperated and give up. And as a society, we should theoretically have more control over the process of identifying and banning toxic chemicals. But the federal law that regulates them, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, has no teeth. Corporations don’t even have to test their products for toxicity before putting them on the market. And the government has (See PIGS on page six)
The Scott County Record • Page 6 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Federal government benefits from Ks. tax policy Changes to Kansas tax policy have significantly reduced individual income tax receipts to the State General Fund. Ironically, a portion of the revenue that Kansas has given up now goes to the federal government rather than to the Kansas economy. At a time when many Kansas lawmakers have been reluctant to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid eligibility, Kansas tax policy allows
state dollars to flow the other way. The reason is simple. Lower state income tax collections mean higher federal tax bills. When Kansans file their federal income tax returns, they can deduct the amount they pay in state income taxes from their federal taxable income. So if a person’s state income tax bill goes down by $1,000, their federal taxable income goes up by $1,000 because they lose the deduction.
Pigs
Freedom
by Duane Goossen
(continued from page five)
a very limited ability to prevent toxic chemicals from being sold. Why? Why do we prioritize a corporation’s right to make money over the right of our citizens to be healthy? People, particularly children and the unborn, shouldn’t be guinea pigs. Corporations should be required to prove their products’ safety before they are allowed to sell them. Jill Richardson is the author of “Recipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It”
Phelps (continued from page five)
A lesbian friend of mine reminds me that she feels erased almost daily from the categories of humans and women. She attends a program on “Mothers and Daughters” or a panel called “Adjusting to Mastectomy.” The programs don’t include lesbians and the experts talk as if homosexuals don’t exist. “Heterosexuals,” are like the runner on the airplane” she tells me. “They assume everyone is just like them.” Bigotry has many faces. Fred was dangerous, but he represented only one form of danger. It is also dangerous to pretend that the Freds of the world are the containers of all prejudice while the rest of us are on the side of virtue. This false assumption promotes passivity. Hating Fred was our political activism rather than our working to ensure the safety and legal protection of gays and lesbians, and to insist that they are honored and included in all aspects of language, community and culture. At the time of Fred’s death, it’s only kind to find something positive to say about him. Perhaps the citizens of Topeka should thank Fred for reminding us daily that homosexuals exist - and that people do hate them. Harriet Lerner is a PhD and author of “The Dance of Anger” and “Marriage Rules: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up”
health plan will provide employees with birth control - heaven forbid. Imagine how difficult it must be to be forced to live in the 21st Century with the rest of us. For those who can see beyond their noses - other than Huelskamp and fellow ultra-conservatives
Betting The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R-Shawnee), claims the proposal is necessary to protect Kansans. But the true goal of this requirement is to obstruct, rather than protect, Kansans wanting to procure health insurance. Pilcher-Cook is wellknown for her vociferous opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Her cynical intent is clearly to
Bosses For example, billionaire TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and his son, Todd, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, have their own $25 million political operation called “Ending Spending.” The group is now investing heavily in TV ads against Republican Rep. Walter Jones in a North Carolina primary (they blame Jones for too often voting with Obama). Their ad attacking Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen for supporting Obama’s health care law has become a template for similar ads funded by the Koch’s “Americans for Prosperity” in Senate races across the country. When billionaires supplant political parties, candidates are beholden directly to the billionaires. And if and when those candidates win election, the billionaires will be completely in charge. At this very moment, Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson (worth an estimated $37.9 billion) is busy interviewing potential Republican candidates whom he might fund, in what’s being called the “Sheldon Primary.”
That means a taxpayer in the 25 percent federal tax bracket pays $250 more in federal tax for every $1,000 reduction in state tax. Those in higher tax brackets pay even more of their tax cut to the IRS. For taxpayers who elect to take the standard deduction on their federal return instead of itemizing, this tradeoff does not apply. However, the Kansas Department of Revenue reports that for 2011 (the most recent information available) 75
percent of state income tax receipts came from taxpayers with incomes of $75,000 or more. Most of the taxpayers in that group itemize deductions. That means a very large amount of money is now being converted from state revenue to federal revenue. Estimates show that over a six-year period, the combined impact of the 2012 and 2013 tax bills will reduce the State General Fund revenue stream by $3.7 billion. However, a rather large
share of that amount will not make it to the Kansas economy. The federal government gets part of it. In addition, some taxpayers will spend their tax reduction out-of-state on a vacation or some product. Others may simply put their reduction into savings or into stocks and bonds of companies that do not reside in Kansas. The decline in state revenue has produced budget cuts for state programs, promises difficult budgets in future years and leaves the state with diminished
opportunity to deal with school finance and other key investments. It’s a fair policy question to ask: What if lawmakers had better funded state programs instead of cutting the revenue stream? Would more of the $3.7 billion be moving in the Kansas economy?
be forced upon their employees? Does religious liberty force me and my family to accept your belief system? The conservative right wing wants to make this a debate over religious freedom. It’s always about them. They’re always the victim of the liberal media, the Hollywood elite
or some other foe, real or imaginary, that doesn’t see things the way they do. Religious liberty cuts both ways. That includes the freedom from having the theological doctrines of your employer or others being forced upon you.
logical opposition to the new law. The Bloomberg article implies that the battle is largely over. It notes that the Affordable Care Act had begun to transform our healthcare landscape long before the exchanges opened with its focus on the quality of care, incentives for hospitals to reduce readmission rates and move towards higher deductible plans. Green ends his com-
mentary by noting that some of the harshest opponents of healthcare reform in the U.S. Senate are now proponents of many of its main features. And while Kansas politicians continue to fight the new law investors are, in the words of the article, “betting billions of dollars that the Affordable Care Act will succeed.”
Duane Goossen, KHI’s Vice President for Fiscal and Health Policy, served as state budget director for 12 years in the administrations of three governors - Republican Bill Graves and Democrats Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.
(continued from page four)
- what’s at stake goes far beyond Hobby Lobby and contraception choices. What of the next corporation which claims that, because of their deeply held religious convictions, they have the right to discriminate against people of color, or gays or senior citizens? What if some-
one’s religious beliefs say it’s okay to violate child labor laws, or not abide by the minimum wage laws or deny maternity leave to an employee? What if they are opposed to blood transfusions and vaccines because of their religious beliefs? Can their convictions
Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com
(continued from page five)
see that as few a number of citizens as possible sign up for health insurance via the exchange. The bill is debated against the backdrop of Gov. Brownback’s staunch refusal to extend Medicaid to the 180,000 Kansans who would qualify for such benefits under the new law. This group includes those whose incomes are above the current Medicaid eligibility limit but below the fed-
eral poverty line. As a result they are eligible for neither Medicaid nor subsidized coverage on the federal exchanges. These fellow citizens find themselves in the new doughnut hole. Gov. Brownback, a lifetime government employee with health insurance, and his allies in the Legislature show callous insensitivity towards these individuals with their myopic, ideo-
(continued from page four)
“Certainly the ‘Sheldon Primary’ is an important primary for any Republican running for president,” says Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. “It goes without saying that anybody running for the Republican nomination would want to have Sheldon at his side.” The new billionaire political bosses aren’t limited to Republicans. Democratic-leaning billionaires Tom Steyer, a former hedge-fund manager, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have also created their own political groups. But even if the two sides were equal, billionaires squaring off against each other isn’t remotely a democracy. In his much-talkedabout new book, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” economist Thomas Piketty explains why the rich have become steadily richer while the share of national income going to wages continues to drop. He shows that when wealth is concentrated in relatively few hands, and the income generated by that wealth grows more
rapidly than the overall economy - as has been the case in the United States and many other advanced economies for years - the richest receive almost all the income growth. Logically, this leads to greater and greater concentrations of income and wealth in the future dynastic fortunes that are handed down from generation to generation, as they were prior to the 20th century in much of the world. The trend was reversed temporarily by the Great Depression, two terrible wars, the development of the modern welfare state, and strong labor unions. But Piketty is justifiably concerned about the future. A new gilded age is starting to look a lot like the old one. The only way to stop this is through concerted political action. Yet the only large-scale political action we’re witnessing is that of Charles and David Koch, and their billionaire imitators. Robert Reich is a former secretary of labor, is currently a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and is the author of “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future”
Alan Jilka is a former mayor of Salina and a former candidate for Congress
Putin announces historic G1 Summit by Andy Borowitz
MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report) - Russian President Vladimir Putin made history today by scheduling the first-ever summit of the newly formed group of nations called the G-1. The summit, which Putin has set for June in Sochi, is expected to be attended by the G-1 member nation Russia. Putin pronounced himself delighted by Russia’s attendance, telling reporters, “It is an auspicious start for the G-1 to have the participation of all its member nations.” In addition to what he called “a free exchange of ideas on issues of importance to the G-1,” the summit is expected to elect the first president of the G-1, a position for which Putin is widely considered the frontrunner. Putin denied he was a candidate for the post, but added, “It’s an honor just to be in the mix.”
The Scott County Record • Page 7 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Downsize
(continued from page three)
If it is old or nasty Also, by tackling the throw it away. garage, it might allow you more space to help you The Garage work in. Clean out old cans of paint, oil and other such Old Books Let me start by saying messes. Dispose of them never, never throw out or according to instructions donate any book or piece and recycling programs in your area. Do not ever of paper without careful dump it on the ground or examination. You will be surprised to learn that down a drain. Donate or sell tools and many wills, money, deeds, military papers and stocks garden tools. My guess are pressed between those is that if you have your pages. Open each book own home, you probably and go through the pages. already own your own Recycle, donate or sell garage full. Don’t take it the books. You might even home unless you need it. find a priceless treasure Only in America do like a signed publication we store tons of worth- that is of value. One never less junk in our garages knows. and leave thousands of When it comes to dollars’ worth of vehicles cleaning out our homes, parked out in the weather. family always comes first. Go figure. Always give your family
first choice within a reasonable amount of time to take what they want. If they can’t make the time to take what they want, they don’t want it bad enough. Items hold different memories for different folks and what you value and treasure might be different from Cousin Joe. Don’t ever assume that something is worthless without asking first. Once you have made a decision, stick with it. If you throw it away, take the trash out. If you recycle, haul it off. If someone wants an item, demand they pick it up. We will address photographs, paperwork and family heirlooms in the next column.
HUK
872-2090
March-April We’re here for you
872-5328 Sunday
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Monday
30
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Wednesday
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Al-Anon meeting @ HS FFA banquet @ Community Christian SCHS commons area Church, 6:30 p.m. SCHS Fr./So. Track @ Larned, 3:00 p.m.
,
No charge for community events
Easter Pageant rehearsal @ Lake Scott, 1:30 p.m.
SCHS Baseball. vs. TMP, 4:00 p.m.
HS FFA meats/poultry @ GCCC
Thursday
2
Wheatland Electric Annual mtg. @ Holcomb Rec. Center, 10:30 a.m.
Friday
3
Saturday
4
5
GWAC Art festival @ Ulysses
GWAC Art festival @ HS Regional solo/small ensemble Ulysses
SCHS Softball @ Goodland, 4:00 p.m.
SCHS Var. Track @ Ulysses, 3:00 p.m.
Diamonds and Champagne @ Majestic, 6:00 p.m.
SCHS Baseball. vs. Goodland, 4:00 p.m.
ES Team Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Attend the church of your choice.
Pack 66/Troop 149, 5:00 p.m.
6
SCHS JV Tennis
7
8 ES 1st/2nd Spring Musical
9 HS FFA HO-CO livestock
St. Joseph Parish Center 7:00 p.m. SCMS Track
10
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12 SCHS Jr./Sr. Prom
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Sherow
Voters Ready for Change Sherow is hearing from people across the political spectrum who are anxious to see a change in representation in the First District. “How far that reaches into the voter base, I’m not sure, but we wouldn’t have entered this race if we thought we were just making a statement,” he says. As a self-described “centrist Democrat,” Sherow feels that his views aren’t that different from a centrist Republican. “I would disagree more often with the left wing of my own party than I would with a centrist Republican,” he says. But when representing the needs of Kansas, Sherow feels that political parties should take a back seat. When working on a regional council that included Riley and six other surrounding counties, politics wasn’t an issue, he says. “We didn’t ask anyone what party they belonged to. We asked what are the problems, what are the goals and how do we get there?” he says. “That should be the same
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Immigration Reform Sherow says that continued resistance by Huelskamp and other Republicans to immigration
Health Care Reform There’s no doubt that the rollout of the Affordable Care Act was a disaster, Sherow says, but repeal isn’t a solution. “Are you going to tell kids under the age of 26 they are no longer covered by their parents’ (health insurance) policy? Are you going to tell people with pre-existing conditions they can’t get insurance? Are you going to start making senior citizens pay more for prescription medications by reinstating the (Medicare Part D) donut hole?” asks Sherow. “There are problems that need to be cleaned up, but that was also true of Social Security when it was first passed. A lot of people didn’t like it when it began,” reminds Sherow.
questions being asked in (Washington) D.C.” The Democratic hopeful disagrees with Huelskamp’s defense that the reason he is considered an outsider by his own party is because of “principle.” “There are two kinds of being principled,” he says. “There’s the one where a person stands at the side of the room and says that everyone has to come over to his side. Or you can be a principled person and have values, knowing that those values include the ability to work with other people.” Sherow says that the vast majority of Americans are tired of a Congress that refuses to work together and seems incapable of compromise. “Mr. Huelskamp hasn’t been part of the solution while in Washington, he’s contributed to the problem,” adds Sherow. “I think Kansans are ready for a different approach.”
20
Food Stamp Program Contrary to Huelskamp, the Democratic hopeful sees value in having the food stamp program as an important part of the Farm Bill. “Even Sen. (Jerry) Moran knew that food stamps were an important element to ensure passage,” says Sherow about the Kansas Senator’s support for a Farm Bill that included food stamps. Contrary to Huelskamp’s argument that the food stamp program is being abused by recipients, Sherow points out that 45 percent of the recipients are children, nine percent are elderly, and 10 percent are disabled. “Food stamps buy food which is produced by farmers. That money goes directly into the economy,” says Sherow.
reform ignores the reality in Western Kansas. He points out that 50 percent of the students attending schools in Garden City are second-language learners and the district has four translators on its staff. “We have a very different looking Western Kansas than the one that was here 30 years ago and we aren’t going back to the way it was,” he emphasizes. “We have to deal with today’s reality.”
s d e n n o g m a a p i D Cham and
4th Annual
(continued from page one)
1913
infrastructure, education, defense, you name it.” He said that holding the federal government hostage over the debt limit was “grandstanding” by Huelskamp and other Republicans, but at a huge cost to the economy. “If that grandstanding had gotten to the point where our bond rating would have dropped any lower, and other nations no longer wanted to use the U.S. dollar as the means for international exchange, I can guarantee you that every single farmer out here would feel that. Every community out here would feel that. And they were toying with that possibility.” Sherow emphasizes the need to get a Kansas Congressman back on the House Ag Committee from which Huelskamp was booted by his own party’s leadership. Of the 435 House districts in the U.S., 35 have economies that are primarily agricultural and the First District is the largest among them. In order to get farm policies enacted in a Congress which has become increasingly urban a rural Congressman must be capable of working with the other 400 representatives who aren’t from ag districts. “Compromise is important and Mr. Huelskamp doesn’t have the respect within his own party to get that done, let alone work across the aisle,” Sherow notes.
The Scott County Record • Page 8 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
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The Scott County Record
Youth/Education
Glenn selected to represent U.S. in Australian meats judging contest Skyler Glenn, a former Scott Community High School graduate, has been selected to represent the U.S. in Australian meats judging. Glenn, fellow Garden City Community College student Alan Caro, Satanta, and GCCC head coach Dr. Clint Alexander will be traveling to Wagga Wagga in July for the Australian International Meat Conference and Contest. Glenn and Caro were selected after each had earned First Team AllAmerican honors during the 2013 judging season. All-Americans are selected by the American Meat Science Association at the end of a judging year. Team coaches are Alexander and Clarendon’s Tate Corliss. “The criteria for this selection are pretty rigorous and 25 percent of the overall score is based on the student’s grade point average,” said Dr. Alexander. “The other 75 percent relies on their judging performance during the year. Skyler and Alan are the most outstanding in the classroom and in the cooler.” The GCCC students and coach will need to raise $18,000 to cover travel and expenses to the conference/competition. During the confer-
Martin named to HCC President’s honor roll
Chandra Martin, Scott City, has been named to the fall semester President’s honor roll at Hutchinson Community College. To be named to the honor list a full-time student must achieve a 4.0 grade point average. Of the 1,288 honor students at HCC, 640 were named to the President’s roll.
School Calendar
GCCC student Skyler Glenn (left) and meats judging head coach Dr. Clint Alexander will be traveling to Australia for competition this summer. ence portion in Australia, attendees will be taken on tours of agricultural and animal science industries and be part of a three-day seminar where they will learn about Australian agriculture and its meat grading standards. After the conference, the team will practice then compete in the World Championship against allstar teams from around the world. “The venue includes industry speakers, exposure to career fair-type
events, a close look at the Australian beef industry including tours of feedyards, cow-calf operations, and their version of meatpacking facilities,” said Alexander. “Since the United States ranks fourth in beef exports behind Brazil, India, and Australia, the students will be able to interact with industry representatives from those countries as well as Japan and China, as well as industry partners such as Cargill and JBS, which is the
SFEC offering scholarship for youth to pursue private license The Spencer Flight and Education Center (SFEC) is offering a new $2,000 annual scholarship to students ages 17-24 who wish to pursue their private pilot license. “Learning to fly can be expensive. The average cost of a new private pilot license can be anywhere from $5,000 to upwards of $9,000,” says SFEC President Brian Vulgamore. “This scholarship will make that price tag a little less intimidating for one lucky, well qualified recipient.” The funds will be awarded on a matching basis, meaning that
Page 9 - Thursday, March 27, 2014
for every dollar spent by the recipient, the SFEC will match that dollar up to a maximum match of $2,000. Approved flight expenses will be paid directly to Scott City aviation and include aircraft rental, simulator time and flight instruction. The scholarship is being offered through the Scott Community Foundation. The SFEC has built a fund with the Foundation that will generate enough interest to award the scholarship annually. The scholarship selection committee will focus on high school or college transcript, a one page essay, and two let-
ters of recommendation. Applications can be obtained at the SFEC, by calling 874-8325, or at www.spencerflightcenter. com/Documents/2014Sch olarshipApplication.pdf Application deadline is March 31. The SFEC’s mission is to actively promote the safety and success of Western Kansas pilots and passengers by providing a local venue for highquality flight instruction in addition to various educational programs and resources for individuals of all ages. More information can be found at www.spencerflightcenter.com.
largest multinational food company in the world. It’s an incredible opportunity for those two young gentlemen.” Glenn is a sophomore at GCCC and plans to transfer to Kansas State University in the fall. Glenn has a 4.0 gpa and plans to major in animal science. Glenn owns a feed business and is a past Scott County 4-Her and a former member of the SCHS FFA chapter.
Fri., March 28: SCHS band/choir trip to Branson, Mo.; SCMS StuCo donut sales, 7:30 a.m.; SCHS StuCo senior citizens dance in commons area, 7:30 p.m. Tues., April 1: SCHS taking part in state assessments for English/Language arts; SCHS forensics at Garden City, 2:00 p.m.; SCHS freshman/sophomore track at Larned, 3:00 p.m.; SCHS baseball vs Hays-TMP, 4:00 p.m.; FFA banquet in commons area. Wed., April 2: SCHS taking part in state assessments for English/Language arts; SCHS FFA in meats/poultry judging at GCCC. Thurs., April 3: SCMS staff meeting, 7:20 a.m.; SCHS taking part in state assessments for English/Language arts; GWAC art festival at Ulysses; SCHS in forensics contest at Meade; SCHS softball vs Goodland (T); SCHS baseball vs Goodland (H), 4:00 p.m. Fri., April 4: GWAC art festival at Ulysses; SCHS varsity track at Ulysses, 3:00 p.m. Sat., April 5: SCES fourth graders on trip to Shrine Circus in Salina; SCHS forensics at Colby; SCHS in regional solo/ small ensemble music contest. Mon., April 7: SCHS JV tennis at Garden City, 9:00 a.m.; SCHS softball vs Liberal (H), 4:00 p.m.
The Scott County Record • Page 10 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Park Place People
by Doris Riner
A lot of good things happened at Park Place last week. It’s always a joy to write about it. For starters, school kids were on spring break, college kids too. Let me tell about college kids first. Probably they were the first to get back to school. Gwen Huck brought her four granddaughters, Brinlee and Maris Griffith and Elizabeth and Katherine Huck. Each was loaded down with cupcakes they had made for us. We even had a contest to see which tasted the best. Monday being St. Patrick’s Day brought a large tray of decorated sugar cookies from Wanda Wright. Jack and Sherry Rapier were here for coffee and they always bring goodies. Lou Phanenstiel’s son, Phil, who has been here all week, returned to his home in Elk City, Okla. Betty Ohneck’s guests last week were her daughter, Beth Wilbur, Leoti, and granddaughter and her two children from Garden City. Mary Plum had an especially great week. Her sisters, Harlene Smith, Elk City, Okla., and Nellie Mae Foster, Smithville, Tex., were here. Yours truly had two great-grandaughters on spring break visiting from Wichita. Edith Donecker spent last week visiting in Wichita with her son, Jim, and wife. When they brought her home they spent two days here with her. Arlene Cauthon and Jean Rowton visited several friends in Garden Acres, Leoti, on Friday afternoon. Elvira Billinger attended the funeral of a nephew in Garden City last week. Lela Bishop returned home from a two-week vacation in Mexico. George Evans comes over every Sunday evening and shows us movies. Thank you, George! The weather last week? Windy, but then that is Kansas.
Deaths Lanny DeWayne Mehl Lanny DeWayne Mehl, 73, died, March 19, 2014, in East Aurora, N.Y. H e was born July 11, 1940, at Offerle, the son of Reinhart Lanny Mehl Earnest and Pearl Elizabeth (Hall) Mehl. Lanny was a farmer and had been a resident of Leoti since 1972, moving from Mesa, Ariz., where he served in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He served his country during the Vietnam Conflict as a lieutenant in the United States Navy, earning six Gold Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and the National Defense Ribbon. Lanny served as a member of the United Methodist Church, Leoti, where he was on the church council as treasurer; a member on the Wichita County school board; Wichita County Soil Conservation District board; and Wichita County Hospital board. On May 1, 1959, he married Marcia Lynn Ford at Boulder, Colo. She sur-
vives. Other survivors include: three children, Steele Mehl, and wife, Laura, Fayetteville, Ga., Sarah Tasker, and husband, Steven, East Aurora, N.Y., and Shad Mehl, and wife, Connie, Leoti; two siblings, Renee Tedford, Fort Lupton, Colo., and Randall Mehl, Salt Lake City, Utah; one sister-in-law, Suzanne Louden, and husband, Robert, Colorado Springs, Colo.; 10 grandchildren and the “Summit Club” including 11 nieces and nephews and their spouses. He was preceded in death by his parents. Memorial service will be held Sun., April 6, 3:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Church, Leoti, with Rev. Rick Just officiating. Inurnment will be in Fort Dodge Veterans Cemetery, Fort Dodge, at 10:00 a.m. on April 7. Memorials may be sent to the Wichita County Community Foundation/ Wichita County High School Track Fund in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, 202 N. 4th, Leoti, Ks. 67861. Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com.
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Every Day a Day Closer
Every day is a day closer to when we’ll no longer walk on earth. Our existence here amongst other people will be over. We will expire. Yes, one day we all will experience death. The older I get, the more people my age die. When I experience the loss of someone I love, someone close to me, someone who has been part of my life I feel a sadness. I have mourned over the loss of many people that I’ve known. The fact is, until Jesus returns (which no one knows the day or time) we will all die. None of us can escape the day when our bodies will no longer work and we’ll pass from this world into eternity. I’ve been with families when their loved one passed away and they don’t know where they will spend eternity. It’s a scary time! I have also been with families that know for sure where their loved one has gone. They have an assurance that surpasses understanding. The family is sad and mourns their loss but yet they have such a peace even in the presence of death. Why? It’s all because of Jesus! In Philippians Paul said for him to live in Christ and to die is gain. Later he says, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” Paul gave up his worldly desires, fame, comfort and wealth. He gave up trying to impress people. What about you? Are you holding on to this world and all it has to offer? Are you afraid to die? Most people are afraid to die. And sadly most people don’t realize they can have the same assurance as Paul did! The fact is you can know without a doubt that when you die you will be with Jesus! Seriously! You can know without a doubt where you’ll go when you die! Your family can have indescribable peace when you go from this earth into eternity! When your heart ceases to pump, your lungs stop breathing, and you no longer have use from your body, you can know you’ll spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. How? First, admit you’re a sinner and need to be forgiven. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Second, ask Jesus to forgive you from your sins (He is the only one who can forgive sin) Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Third, accept the forgiveness that Jesus gives. So, what about you? Where will you go when you die? Living in an exciting world serving an exciting God! John 14:6 - Jesus is only the Way! Pastor Larry Taylor Gospel Fellowship Church, Scott City • Scott City Teens for Christ director
Scott City Assembly of God
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
St. Joseph Catholic 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.
Pence Community Church
Prairie View Church of the Brethren
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 • Wednesday mornings Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Held at Precision Ag Bldg. west of Shallow Water
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
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.
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 Kyle Evans, Senior Pastor Bob Artz, Associate Pastor
1398 S. US83 - Scott City - 872-2264 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.
First Christian Church
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 casual 6:30 p.m.: “The Way” contemporary gathering Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. • MYF (youth groups) on Wednesdays Jr. High: 6:30 p.m. • Sr. High: 7:00 p.m.
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 Franklin Koehn: 872-2048 Charles Nightengale: 872-3056 Sunday School Worship Service: 10:00 a.m. Sunday Evening Service: 7:00 p.m.
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.
Pastime at Park Lane I do apologize for there not being any news from Park Lane in last weeks paper, I went on vacation and in the excitement of leaving failed to find someone to do my job. Elsie Nagle led Bible study on Tuesday morning with Doris Riner playing the piano. Fr. Bernard Felix led Catholic mass on on Friday morning. Rev. Warrren Prochnow led Lutheran services on Friday afternoon. Friday evenings entertainment was Gary and Harold Wright playing country music with Wanda Wright furnishing the refreshments. Monday afternoon was pitch and dominoes at Park Lane. Dorothy King, Joy Barnett, Madeline Murphy, Mandy Barnett and Phil Pfanenstiel helped with the games. Wanda Wright furnished shamrock cookies. Naomi Teubner provided musical entertainment on Tuesday. Jill Koehn furnished cookies. The Scott Menonite Youth sang for the residents on Tuesday evening.
Deaths Donnie R. Geist Donnie R. Geist, 66, died March 21, 2014, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City. H e was born on Sept. 19, 1947, in Garden City, the son of Leland Donnie Geist “Hap” Clarence and Lelia Louise (Wade) Geist. A lifetime resident of Scott City, he retired from Wheatland Electric Cooperative in 2009 after 30 years as a lineman and warehouseman. He was a member of the First Christian Church, Scott City, and was a US Army veteran of the Vietnam War. On June 11, 1971, he married Garee S. Hillery in Scott City. She survives. Other survivors include: one son, L.J., and wife, April, Elk City, Okla.; three daughters, Kandie Calvert, Russell, Dawn Oberheim, and hus-
March birthday party honors four
The March birthday party was hosted by Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Wednesday afternoon. Honored guests were Elvira Billinger, Joyce Bohnert, Ann Tedford and Bud Berry. The program featured singing by Rev. Warren Prochnow his wife, Andie, and their children Abbigail, Andrew and Bethany. Carolyn Wilson played the piano. Everyone was served cake. Helpers included Toni Numrich, Judy Faurot and Natalie Armentrout. Pitch was played on Wednesday evening. Elsie Nagle did manicures Thursday morning. Saturdays video was the Andy Griffith show with popcorn. Park Lane was deeply saddened by the passing of two residents this past week. Ruth Holland passed away on March 19. She had been a resident for just over 18 months. Merlin Gardner passed away on Thursday morning. He had been a resident for three months. Dottie Fouquet was visited by Jon and Anne Crane, Mark Fouquet, Fritzi Rauch, Ethan McDaniel, Nicole Latta and Lil Francisco.
Thelman Branine was visited by Mike, Michelle and Ryker Flagg, Sue Eddy and Cassidy Hornbostel. Pat Palen was visited by Mary Ann Kasselman, Ardis Rose, Nancy Holt and Tina Turley. Verna Willman was visited by D’Ann Markel, Bob Willman, Vicki Lawrence and Bill Willman. Edith Norman was visited by Ron and Sue Riner, Doris Riner, Tom and Sara Shane, Kim Smith, Carrie LeBeau and Mary Plum. Albert Dean was visited by Carol Davey, Kent and Susan Geist, Louise Crist, and Rod, Elle and John Graham. Lula Dirks was visited by Darla Luebbers, Floyd and Vivian Dirks, Willetta Payne, Dave and Deb Kraemer and Virgil Ratband, Rod, Garden City, zlaff. and Jill Tanner, and husband, Gary, Wichita; two brothers, Frank Geist, Wichita, and Steve Geist, Sr. citizens Moore, Okla.; five sisters, lunch menu June Gullett, Hattieville, Ark., Lu Juana Baker, Week of March 31 Garden City, Linda FosApril 4 ter, Kiowa, Cheryl Keyse, Monday: Meat loaf, Scott City, and Vickie au gratin potatoes, orienWheeler, Amarillo, Tex.; tal vegetable mix, whole 10 grandchildren and one wheat bread, strawberries. great-grandchild. Tuesday: Barbeque He was preceded in pork, au gratin potatoes, death by his parents; six broccoli, whole wheat roll, brothers, Bob, Gene, Jack, applesauce gelatin salad. Randall, Larry and Mike; We d n e s d a y : R o a s t and three sisters, Juanita, beef, mashed potatoes, Marie and Sheila. gravy, cauliflower and Memorial service was peas, whole wheat roll, held March 26 at the First poke cake. Christian Church, Scott Thursday: Chicken tetCity, with Rev. Scott razzini, creamy peas, ItalWagner and Pastor Steve ian blend, whole wheat Payne officiating. bread, apple wedges. Inurnment was at the Friday: Pork cutlet or Scott County Cemetery. lemon pepper fish with Memorials may be c o p p e r p e n n y s a l a d , made to the Donnie R. tossed salad, whole wheat Geist Memorial Fund in roll, fruit mix (mandarin orcare of Price and Sons Fu- anges and marshmallows). neral Home, 401 S. Washmeals are $3.25 ington St., Scott City, Ks. call 872-3501 67871.
Merlin M. Gardner
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Harold and Ruth White were visited by Travis Jones, Marci Myers, Jack Myers, John Gaschler, Tom Gaschler, Lee Ann Gaschler and Bill Gaschler. Lorena Turley was visited by Phyllis See, Rex and Lujuana Turley, Lexi Mullen, Neta Wheeler and Leona Logan. Vivian Kreiser was visited by Sharon Lock. Bonnie Pickett was visited by Larry and Philene Pickett, Margie Stevens, Gloria Wright, and Eli and Ethan Wright. Jim and Yvonne Spangler were visited by Les and MaryAnn Spangler and Yvette Mills. Clifford Dearden was visited by Janet Ottaway from Hays. Lucille Dirks was visited by Darla Luebbers, Floyd and Vivian Dirks, Vicki Dirks, Dale Dirks, David Dirks, Mary Clark, Denise Strecker, MaryAnn Kasselman, Willetta Payne and Virgil Ratzlaff. Dona Dee Carpenter was visited by Marvel Keyse, Bill John, Roger, and Jackie John, Pastor Dennis Carter and Lisa Long. Jim Jeffery was visited by Brett and Leah Jennison and Pastor Dennis Carter.
by Jason Storm
Visitors of Boots Haxton were her daughter, Joni Pottberg, Salina, and Miles Voeder, Dodge City; and Rod and Kathy Haxton. Kathy and Boots visited her niece, Edith and Bob Clark in Oakley and enjoyed playing dominoes with them. Also visiting Boots were Chuck and Rhonda Smith and their granddaughter, Savannah Scherer from Wichita. Boots also spent a couple of days recently with her other son and wife, David and Sherri Haxton, McPherson. Phyllis Trembley was visited by Monica Bugsbee, Carol and Irwin Schwartz, Kathy Callihan and Pauline Fisher, all from Colby; Andie Strong, Greg Strong, and Kat the Dog, all from Scott City. Earl Gorman was visited by Loretta Gorman, Charlene Becht, and Orville and Marcine Gorman. Herb Graves was visited by Tina Turley, Ryan Michels, Alonna Mantzke, Emily Wright, Kelsi Schwartz, Anahi Olivas, Ron Hess and Bianey Galaviz Chavez. Mike Leach was visited by Linda Dunagan and Rev. Don Martin from St. Luke’s Church.
James Still was visited by Tina Turley. Darlene Richman was visited by Dr. Daniel and Ruth Dunn, Dorothy King, Phebe Unruh and Tina Turley. Harriet Jones was visited by Nancy Holt. Travis Jones, Allison Stedman, Nate Stedman, Brian Jones, Steve and Susan Jones, Rev. Don Martin from St. Luke’s Church, Vickie Buckner Keller, and Lois Buckner. Cecile Billings was visited by Ann Beaton and Delinda Dunagan. Judy Redburn was visited by Tina Turley, Mary Torson, Debbie Holland Bush, Carol Ellis, April Williams; Allen and Misti Russell, West Plains, Mo.; and Timothy and Wendy Derstine. Melva Rose was visited by Tina Turley, April Williams, and Allen and Misti Russell. Delores Brooks was visited by Charles Brooks, David and Cheryl Perry, and Fritzi Rauch. Jake Leatherman was visited by Carol Ellis, Virgil Kuntz, Don and Judy Browning, Don and Jewell Unruh, Floyd Dirks, Vivian Dirks, Leona Logan, Rod Leathermna, Virgil Ratzlaff, and Chuck and Ronda Smith.
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Next publication is Thurs., April 3 The Tri-Cou nty
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band, David, Fort Collins, Colo., Diana Brandt, Scott City, and Carol Koros, and husband, Rick, Little Rock, Ark.; 21 grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren, 30 greatgrandchildren and one step-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, three brothers and two sisters. A memorial service was held March 24 at Parks Community Church, Wichita County, with Rev. Terry Woodbury officiating. Inurnment was at the Parks Community Church Cemetery. Veteran color honors were provided by the Patriot Guard Riders. Memorials may be made to the Merlin M. Gardner Memorial Fund in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., Scott City, Ks. 67871.
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Merlin M. Gardner, 92, died March 20, 2014, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City. He was born on March 24, 1921, in northwest Wichita County, the son of Clarence Artley and Ethel Blanche (Davis) Gardner. A lifetime resident of Wichita County and Scott County, he was a farmer and the owner/operator of Gardner’s, Inc., Leoti. Merlin was a United States Army Air Force veteran of World War II, a member of the First Baptist Church, Leoti, a member of the Capper’s Club and was a 4-H leader. On Jan. 13, 1944, he married Lois Elene Hahn in Kearny County. She died June 10, 1979, in Tribune. Survivors include: two sons, Arthur, and wife, Linda, Berryville, Ark., and David and wife, Jenet, Leoti; three daughters, Susan Leebrick, and hus-
Reach over 3,000 households in Scott, Lane and Wichita counties.
The Scott County Record • Page 11 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
406 Main Scott City • Box 377
1017 N. 5th St. , Garden City, KS 67846 • (620) 275-4547
For the Record Ks. Senate repeals renewable energy standards The Scott County Record
Trevor Graff KHI News Service
A bill repealing renewable energy standards for utility companies won approval in the Kansas Senate on Tuesday. House Bill 2014 would end the renewable portfolio standards that require Kansas utility companies to receive 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Following the Senate’s 25-15 vote, the bill now
The Scott County Record Page 12 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
awaits action by the House. The Senate Utilities Committee initially recommended repeal of the standards on a party line vote with Republicans favoring the bill and Democrats opposed. Similar legislation to roll back the standards failed before the Senate last year. The bill’s proponents said that despite the lack of information showing the standards’ add much
Veteran designation on driver’s licenses, state photo ID cards
The Kansas Department of Revenue is now offering honorably discharged veterans the opportunity to include a veteran’s designation on their driver’s license or photo identification card. The word “VETERAN” will appear in red capital letters beneath the license holder’s photo. If the applicant is asking for the designation to be put on when renewing or getting a new driver’s license, there is no additional fee for the designation. If they are reissuing a driver’s license that has not expired there is an $8 fee to reissue the license but no additional fee for the veteran designation. To qualify for driver’s license with the veteran designation, applicants must bring in a DD-214 that indicates a discharge of “honorable,” “general” or “general under honorable conditions” or a letter from the Kansas Veteran’s Commission.
Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record Thurs., March 20, 2014; last published Thurs., April 3, 2014)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS Cheryl K. France, Plaintiff v. Lester D. Martin, and his known heirs, Dallas S. Martin and Justin T. Martin, and the Defendants- unknown heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees, creditors and assigns of such of the Defendants as may deceased; the unknown spouses of the Defendants; the unknown officers, successors, trustees, creditors and assigns of such Defendants as are existent, dissolved, or dormant corporations; the unknown executors, administrators, devisees, trustees, creditors, successors, and assigns as such Defendants as are or were partners or in partnership; the unknown guardians, conservators, and trustees of such Defendants as are minors are in any way under legal disability; and the unknown heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, devisees, trustees, credits, and assigns of any person alleged to be
deceased, and made Defendants as such, Defendants Case No. 14 CV 5 Proceedings pursuant to K.S.A. Chapter 60 NOTICE OF SUIT THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS WHO ARE OR MAY BE CONCERNED: You are hereby notified that a Petition has been filed in the District Court of Scott County, Kansas by Cheryl K. France praying to quiet title to real property, to wit: The East Half (E/2) of Section One (1), Township Sixteen (16) South, Range Thirty-Four (34) West of the 6th P.M., in Scott County, Kansas. And you are hereby required to plead to the Petition on or before April 30, 2014, in the District Court of Scott County, Kansas. If you fail to plead, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the Petition. /s/Nathanael Berg Nathanael Berg, #22204, of HAMPTON & ROYCE, L.C. 119 West Iron, Ninth Floor P. O. Box 1247 Salina, Kansas 67402-1247 (785) 827-7251 (785) 827-2815 - Facsimile Attorneys for Plaintiff Cheryl K. France
to electrical prices, they were convinced repealing them would either lower rates or discourage future increases. “The proponents said they didn’t know if this would reduce the rates, but it would definitely prolong the rates from going up,” said Sen. Robert Olson, an Olathe Republican. “It’s also a mandate. I believe it will lower rates. It won’t increase rates.”
The panel’s Democrats disagreed. Sen. Marci Francisco (D-Lawrence) said that with the recent launch of an integrated electricity market by the Southwest Power Pool, a power grid that connects Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and parts of Texas and Arkansas, the committee should not be sending a negative message to utility companies. “Without having anymore information about
the affect of that very recent (March 1) change, I think we could be sending this signal this year and turning around and saying, ‘Oh my gosh we want our utility companies to be players in that market so we can reduce the cost of energy for our customers,’” Francisco said. Most utility companies in the state already meet the renewable standards, according to the bill’s opponents, and several national corporations are
beginning to seek states with renewable energy standards for their sustainable manufacturing initiatives. “If what we’re trying to do is add jobs in Kansas we need to be very careful that we’re not putting barriers in front of economic development and making this state less attractive to national firms.” Francisco said. Sen. Forrest Knox (R-Altoona) said that the (See ENERGY on page 13)
Scott Co. LEC Report Scott City Police Department March 21: An accident was reported at DeeDee Avenue and Road 140. March 21: It was reported that a juvenile was bitten by a dog in the 400 block of East 5th Street. March 25: Candace Morris was arrested for driving while a habitual violator, driving on a suspended license and violating a flashing traffic signal. She was transported to the LEC. March 25: A burglary and criminal trespass was reported at 608 Myrtle. Scott County Sheriff’s Department March 25: Two reports were received of drug offenders not in compliance.
Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record Thurs., March 20, 2014; last published Thurs., April 3, 2014)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS Gail Cathcart, Plaintiff and Kansas Department of Revenue, Unknown persons, Defendants Case No. 14-CV-6 Pursuant to Chapter 60 of Kansas Statutes Annotated NOTICE OF SUIT TO ALL UNKNOWN DEFENDANTS AND ALL OTHER CONCERNED PERSONS: You are notified that a Petition has been filed in the District Court of Scott County by Gail Cathcart Plaintiff praying that title to property listed as stated in the Petition as a 1977, 20foot Coachman travel trailer with vehicle identification number: 5172-01-0505 be awarded to the Plaintiff and you are hereby required to plead to the Petition on or before May 1, 2014. If you fail to plead, judgment will be entered upon the Petition. Gail Cathcart Petitioner 405 Evans Garden City, Kansas 67846
Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record Thurs., March 20, 2014; last published Thurs., April 3, 2014.)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF NADINE MARIE GIES a/k/a NEVA NADINE GIES, deceased Case No. 2014-PR-20 NOTICE OF HEARING THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED: You are hereby notified that a Petition has been filed in this Court by Kathleen Hoeme and Elizabeth Hess, duly appointed, qualified and acting executor of the Estate of Nadine Marie Gies, deceased, praying that their acts be approved; that the Will be construed and the Estate be assigned to the persons entitled thereto; that fees and expenses be allowed; that the costs be de-
termined and ordered paid; that the administration of the Estate be closed; that the Co-Executors be discharged and that they be released from further liability. You are required to file your written defenses thereto on or before the 16th day of April, 2014, at 2:00 o’clock p.m., of said day, in said Court, in the City of Scott City, in Scott County, Kansas, at which time and place said cause will be heard. Should you fail therein, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the Petition. Kathleen Hoeme and Elizabeth Hess Petitioners WALLACE, BRANTLEY & SHIRLEY 325 Main - P. O. Box 605 Scott City, Kansas 67871 (620) 872-2161 Attorneys for Petitioner
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Cold weather rule will end March 31
The Kansas Cold Weather Rule ends on March 31, and Kansans who are delinquent on electric and natural gas utility bills will be subject to disconnection of service. The rule, in effect November 1 through March 31 each year, provides protection to residential customers who cannot fully pay winter utility bills from companies under the Kansas Corporation Commission’s (KCC) jurisdiction. That protection ends Monday. The KCC would like to remind Kansas customers there is still time to contact their utility company to set up a payment plan, but cautions that failure to make arrangements or failure to adhere to an already established payment plan could result in service disconnection. Reconnection may require payment in full. The Cold Weather Rule requires utilities to set up 12-month payment plans for customers who cannot afford to pay their full bill. As part of this arrangement, the customer must make an initial payment of 1/12 of the overdue amount, 1/12 of the bill for current service, the full amount of any disconnection or reconnection fees, plus any applicable deposit owed to the utility. The balance will be billed in equal payments over the next 11 months in addition to the regular monthly bill. More information about the Cold Weather Rule is available at: kcc.ks.gov/pi/cwr_english.htm. Kansans may also contact their local utility company or the KCC’s Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at (800) 662-0027.
Kansas consumers to receive $1.4M from e-book settlement
Kansas consumers are expected to receive more than $1.4 million from legal settlements with e-book publishers. The settlements reached with five of the six largest e-book publishers in 2012 and 2013 - Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers, Simon & Schuster, Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers (d/b/a Macmillan) and Penguin Group (USA), Inc. - resolved price fixing claims brought against the companies by Kansas and the attorneys general of 32 other states. “A free market requires that prices be fairly set by competition in the marketplace,” said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. “When competitors collaborate to set the price of a product above the fair market value, consumers lose.” Restitution to consumers is being provided in the form of either credit to their e-book accounts or a refund check. Consumers who purchased e-books between April 2010 and May 2012 should watch their email accounts for information on how to receive restitution. More information is available on the Attorney General’s consumer protection website at www. InYourCornerKansas.org. A separate case in which Kansas is involved remains pending against Apple, Inc., in federal court in New York. In July 2013, a federal judge found that Apple played a central role in the e-book price fixing conspiracy. The next phase of that trial, which will determine the amount of damages, is scheduled to begin later this year.
Energy (continued from page 12)
Production Tax Credit for wind energy at the end of 2013 changed the nature of the debate this year. Without the tax credit, he said, wind energy costs are going to rise. “If we continue down this road and have to build wind to cover our RPS, it’s going to cost us significantly,” Knox said. “It’s going to cost the ratepayer. We’ve built way ahead of the RPS. This is the way business works and that’s where we’re going here is saying let’s let business do it’s thing.” The state’s leading regulated electric utility companies, such as Westar, did not weigh in on the bill for or against. “Since we are reasonably close to the standards that we’re looking for I do think that this will have a negative impact on the competition of the state,” said Sen. Tom Hawk, a Manhattan Democrat. “I think that we want to create jobs and a good state economy and I don’t see that removing the RPS, in any way, will get us to that joint goal.”
The Scott County Record • Page 13 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
The Scott County Record • Page 14 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
We have a responsibility to live healthier lives by Dr. James Yager
As health care costs continue to trend upwards, our society needs to contemplate the effect our personal lifestyle choices have on our overall health and longevity. The five leading causes of death; heart disease, cancer,
stroke, diabetes, and lung disease are all considered to be preventable through lifestyle adaptations. It is also worth considering these diseases are often not initially fatal, but can disable an individual for years, limiting their independence and quality of life.
In a society where unhealthy habits and trends prevail and corporations spend millions of dollars marketing hazardous products, personal responsibility for our own health becomes paramount. Fortunately, on some fronts, we can measure progress.
Tobacco use, which has been the leading cause of preventable deaths for years, is less common than it once was as many have made the conscious decision to avoid the negative health effects associated with that habit. Unfortunately, other negative effects are on the
Home health providers face millions in Medicare cuts Trevor Graff KHI News Service
Kansas home health providers say they could lose $400 million over the next four years because of spending cuts planned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as part of the Affordable Care Act. “This could be really devastating,” said Jane Kelly, executive director at the Kansas Home Care Association. “We’re seeing agencies struggle already, even before they’re seeing the effects of the rule. It’s going to be really hard for people in
rural areas to gain access to home care.” Home health care agencies provide treatments ranging from in-home skilled nursing under the direction of a patient’s doctor to various therapies and hospice care. Several agencies also provide home health aides for tasks such as housekeeping and meal preparation for seniors so they can remain in their homes instead of in a nursing facility. According to CMS, there are 126 Medicareregistered home health care agencies serving approximately 24,000 patients in Kansas. The
I’ve been in home health for 17 years and never once have we made a profit out of home health. That’s not what it’s about. I don’t think our hospital will cut back on our services, but we might have to look at a visiting nurse program rather than maintaining home health. Debbie Tuttle, director of home health Kearny County Home Health Agency
agencies each employ between two and 20 employees. As part of the changes, CMS is adjusting the 60-day episode rate, a standardized rate Medicare pays home health providers on a per patient basis. The rate factors in the number of visits in a 60-day span and the mix of services provided to the patient and allows
for higher payments for patients who need more care. The rules add a requirement that the agencies report unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits by their patients. But the new rules also reduce the number of routine quality standards the home health agencies must report. (See HOME on page 15)
Big Tent Coalition complains of waiting list, KanCare problems Dave Ranney KHI News Service
Advocates for the physically and mentally disabled last week accused the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services of enacting policies aimed at restricting access to state’s Medicaidfunded in-home services. “The numbers of people on the PD (physically disabled) waiver in the last three years have fallen off a cliff,” said Rocky Nichols, a spokesman for the Big Tent Coalition, an alliance of dozens of advocacy groups and home- and communitybased service providers. In Kansas, in-home services for the people who are low-income and physically or mentally disabled are funded through the state’s Medicaid program, which is now called KanCare. “People with disabilities, unfortunately, are far too often getting lost in
KanCare,” said Nichols, who’s also executive director at the Disability Rights Center of Kansas. “This is a crisis and, unfortunately, it’s a manmade crisis.” State reports, he said, show that while almost 7,000 people with physical disabilities received Medicaid-funded, inhome services in 2010, enrollment in 2014 is down to about 5,500. “Even more troubling,” Nichols said, was that the numbers of people on the KDADS-administered waiting list for the services have been in decline, too. KDADS, he said, appears to be making it more difficult for people to apply for services and continue receiving them. “The State of Kansas seems to have created a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Nichols said. “It’s taking steps to make it harder to stay on the waiting list, creating cracks in the
system, and then letting people fall through those cracks.” Nichols also pointed to data showing that under KanCare, per capita spending on the physically disabled has increased more than 40 percent. Under KanCare, he said, the state appears to be spending more money on fewer people. “Where is this money going?” he said. Decline Driven by Costs KDADS Secretary Shawn Sullivan says that Nichols assertions are incorrect. Between 2010 and 2012, he said, the decline in enrollment was driven by increases in care costs. “It took more money to serve the same number of people,” Sullivan said. As people exited the program, he said, their slots often were not filled because the department didn’t have the funding.
Today, Sullivan said, KDADS has the money $9 million in fiscal 2014, $9 million in fiscal 2015 but has encountered difficulties locating people on the waiting list. “It’s taken us several months and several hundred phone calls to find people to fill the 100 slots that we’ve filled,” Sullivan said. KDADS, he said, now suspects that the waitinglist numbers are inflated. “We have 5,515 on the PD waiver now,” Sullivan said. “We have room to go to 5,900 and we’re doing everything we can to get there.” The system’s costs, he said, have not increased as much as Sullivan claims, according to Nichols. “Any way you look at it, there are 1,500 fewer people on the PD waiver than there were four years ago,” Nichols said. “To us, that’s shocking.”
rise as obesity is poised to overcome smoking as the leading cause of preventable death, not because of a decline in the number of smokers, but because obesity rates are climbing at an accelerated rate. According to the CDC’s website, 67 percent of the population, or roughly
142 million Americans, are overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to each of the four leading causes of death and is linked to metabolic syndrome which, according to the Cholesterol Education Program, is a “complex (See HEALTHIER on page 15)
St. Francis to offer class for prospective foster parents in GC There are children throughout Kansas in serious need of foster families to provide them with love and a safe place to stay. St. Francis Community Services will provide a free class for prospective foster parents starting Wed., April 9, in Garden City. More than 30 Finney County children must stay in homes outside the county because there are not enough local families to accommodate them. Nearly 20 new foster families are urgently needed to help house local children closer to home. “We also have a need for foster parents in Scott County,” says Shane Schneider, director of communications for St. Francis. Interested persons can enroll in a free, 10-week course to be offered at 1110 JC Street, Garden City, starting on April 9 at 6:00 p.m. The course is designed to help persons make an informed decision about becoming a resource family for children in foster care or adoption programs. The state requires that all potential foster parents complete this training. Individuals can register by calling (620) 2764482, ext. 47, or online at www.st-francis.org.
Poll: most unaware of pending deadline
With only days remaining to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, a new poll shows that a majority of the uninsured remain unaware of the March 31 enrollment deadline. The poll, by the Kaiser Family Foundation, also found that half those who lacked coverage as of mid-March said they planned to remain uninsured despite being reminded of the penalty in the law for those not having health insurance. The survey showed that four in 10 of the uninsured did not know of the federal subsidies to help those with low incomes buy coverage through the marketplace.
The Scott County Record • Page 15 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Home “CMS is confident that Medicare beneficiaries will continue to receive quality home health services under our final policies,” said CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum. “We will vigilantly monitor payment claims and other metrics to ensure that access remains strong as we phase-in this new payment adjustment.” According to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, 80 percent of Kansas home health providers likely will face money-losing margins for Medicare services as a result of the new rule. Some of the hardest-hit agencies are in rural areas. Debbie Tuttle, director of home health at the Kearny County Home
(continued from page 14)
Health Agency, said the new rule has her agency exploring alternatives. “Since we’re hospitalbased, the hospital kind of saves us,” Tuttle said. “I’ve been in home health for 17 years, and never once have we made a profit out of home health. That’s not what it’s about. I don’t think our hospital will cut back on our services, but we might have to look at a visiting nurse program rather than maintaining home health.” Tuttle said that didn’t mean the hospital would discontinue home health services, but that it might no longer dedicate nurses solely to home health care. Currently, there are five nurses who work for the agency, which serves parts of Kearny, Grant, Finney and Hamilton counties and
Healthier set of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.” Metabolic syndrome consists of four major components - abdominal obesity, elevated blood cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and insulin resistance leading to diabetes. Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature heart attacks in the United States and research shows the number of Americans living with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years to 44.1 million people. In 2008, $147 billion
has cared for as many as 28 patients concurrently. Tuttle said the required move to the updated medical coding set called ICD10 also would cost money. “You have to code it correctly or you’re going to lose a bunch of money,” Tuttle said. “You’re going to need a coder that knows what they’re doing. All of this costs more money.” With a reduction in funding, several agencies are concerned about employing home health providers in what are traditionally lower-paying jobs requiring intensive labor. According to the National Association of Home Care and Hospice, in 2011 there were more than 1.4 million home health jobs nationwide. Kelly of the Kansas
Home Care Association said many older home health employees are retiring in the face of the cuts. “With new regulations and the cuts that just keep coming, they’re ready to be done,” Kelly said. “It’s a hard fight to keep fighting.” Several hospitals are turning to community colleges to recruit help for their home health units. For Tuttle, the reduction in funding is one more hassle in the struggle to serve her patients. “We have to find ways to manage the system in a way that we’re taking care of the patients,” Tuttle said. “But we might have to do a daily dressing change instead of a twicedaily dressing change so we’re not getting killed by the cost of services.”
(continued from page 14)
was spent on healthcare costs related to obesity alone. It is clear that America not only has a weight problem, but that the obesity epidemic has become a leading health issue. Healthy habits are relatively easy to implement if taken one step at a time. Whether it be managing weight, healthy eating, exercise, stress, or time management, getting proper sleep, or not overindulging, it’s a matter of first fostering a healthy attitude and acceptance that no one else (includ-
ing the government, or insurance companies) are responsible for your personal health. Whatever investments are made to create a healthier body today, will pay huge dividends in the future. Address any present issues you might be facing now by researching and embracing any lifestyle changes that will make the most impact on your health. Don’t forget to talk to your healthcare providers and follow their recommendations. The good news is, in many cases, we don’t have to “wait to see” what
illnesses we will have to face by the luck of the draw. With healthy steps now, we can take an active role in reducing the risk factors for so many diseases that are plaguing our society. Prioritize and start with the habits that will yield quick results, giving you encouragement to address subsequent habits, thus continuing on the journey that can be called true HEALTH! Dr. James Yager is a chiropracter in Scott City and the owner of Scott City Chiropractic Clinic
Commonly asked questions about ACA
Roberta Riportella, the Kansas Health Foundation professor of community health at Kansas State University, has spent much of the past six months helping consumers understand how the Affordable Care Act - also called Obamacare affects them. Following are answers to commonly asked questions from consumers: Q) Where can I find help to determine if I qualify for premium tax credits? A) The Kansas Insurance Department website, www.insureks. org, can help you see what plans are offered in Kansas and if you qualify for tax credits. Another useful website is from Consumer Reports, www. healthtaxcredittool.org. In addition to the health insurance literacy information on the Healthcare. gov website, your local extension office has educational resources available, as does the Kansas Insurance Department site at www.insureks.org. This site also includes a list of
navigators and assistors in addition to plan information, and a list of locally scheduled presentations. Many people who do not have other coverage are eligible for help with paying for health insurance premiums, but only if they enroll through the new Health Insurance marketplace. * * * Q) I have heard that many policies sold recently have been cancelled. Why did this happen? A) All policies sold needed to meet minimum standards. Some didn’t meet those standards and were cancelled. They were really substandard policies that left folks underinsured. However, because the healthcare. gov website got off to such a rocky start, the White House gave state insurance commissioners permission to allow those minimal policies to be offered first for one more year, and now for another two, until December, 2015. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy
Praeger has allowed the continued sale of those policies. So people can renew that policy if they choose to go that route rather than shopping in the marketplace. By January, 2016 all people should be insured in more comprehensive plans. The advantage to the marketplace is that many will qualify for assistance to pay premiums, called tax credits. That makes those comprehensive policies much more affordable both in terms of premiums and in terms of out of pocket costs. Those who receive premium tax credits are likely to qualify for a better plan at a lower cost. * * * Q) How has Medicare been affected by ACA? A) Medicare is not affected. Almost all eligible folks sign up, and eligibility remains based on age and social security eligibility. There are no Medicare supplemental policies offered on the marketplace. People on Medicare now get preventive screenings and an annual wellness exam.
And the donut hole - that place where the beneficiary has to pay for prescription drugs with no assistance - is being minimized every year and will be gone by 2020. Can I sign up after March 31 and still meet the law’s requirements? The March 31 deadline for this year is solid, in terms of avoiding the tax penalty, but people can apply anytime if there are special qualifying events, such as a change in family status (new family member), employment, or citizenship.
Lawn and Garden
The Scott County Record
Spring is ideal time for planting trees and shrubs If you’ve been wanting to improve your landscape with new trees and shrubs, now’s a good time to put those plans into action. Here are a few tips to make your efforts more successful. Select woody landscape plants with good root systems. Avoid buying large, field-grown trees and shrubs with disproportionately small root balls. Plants such as these run a greater risk of transplant failure. Field-grown plants are sometimes containerized with potting soil around the root ball. Be careful as the size of the root ball is often masked by the container. Avoid buying large, container-grown trees and shrubs. These plants may have been held over for a year or two, and could have well-established circling roots. Circling roots can strangle your tree or shrub within a few years after planting.
In addition, plants with circling roots take much longer to become established after they’ve been planted. Spotting Healthy Plants Look for signs of rough handling as indicated by numerous broken twigs, damaged limbs and trunk injuries. Look for sunken areas of bark on the limbs and trunk. These can indicate a serious disease. With your thumbnail, lightly scratch the surface of a small section of bark on several small twigs throughout the crown of the plant. A healthy tree or shrub will have tender, moist, greenish tissue exposed where you’ve scratched.
Plants showing brown, dry tissue under the bark’s surface should be thoroughly inspected as they may be dead, severely injured or infected. Select plants suitable for your planting site. Do not plant large trees under, or near overhead power lines. Do not plant trees and shrubs where their growth will interfere with buildings and living spaces. Get information about the mature size of the tree or shrub you’re considering for your landscape. This way you can be sure you won’t have to frequently prune, or remove a plant because it doesn’t have room to grow. Avoid buying trees and shrubs that are highly susceptible to serious pest problems. One example is Scots pine, which is very susceptible to pine wilt disease. Avoid the temptation to plant fast-growing trees. These are often
weak-wooded and prone to breakage and, in many cases, may be much more susceptible to disease and insect attack. Site Preparation Always prepare the planting site well ahead of planting. Destroy grass and perennial weeds growing within four feet of the planting hole. Loosen compacted soil in this area, and incorporate compost or peat moss. Dig down 10-12 inches along the perimeter of this zone to cut and destroy the roots of competing trees and shrubs. Always plant before hot weather sets in. Planting when temperatures are cooler, and rainfalls more frequent, makes it easier for trees and shrubs to adjust to their new environment. When hot weather arrives, it will be necessary to irrigate these new plants regularly to ensure their survival.
Asparagus growth may seem slow at first Asparagus growth is predictable, although it may not seem that way as the perennial plant makes its annual appearance each spring. “One basis for asparagus growth is the average daily temperature - the average of the high and low for the day. Growth gets more rapid as the season develops and we have warm nighttime, as well as warm daytime temperatures,” said Larry Crouse, a horticulturist with Kansas State University. Throughout the season, however, the spears’ growth rate also increases as the spears themselves
get longer. “It’s as if they start out slow, but then pick up speed,” Crouse said. Homegrown asparagus is best if harvested while the spears’ tips are still tight. Tip to soil, the spears generally will be 5 to 10 inches long, he said. Two harvesting methods work equally well: •Bend the stalk and allow it to snap off at the most tender part, which is usually about one-half to three-fourths inch above soil level. “Freshly snapped ends dry out quickly, so you’ll need to stand them in water or refrigerate soon af-
ter harvest,” Crouse said. Using a sharp knife, harvest each mature spear by making a diagonal cut about one-half to threefourths inch below soil level. “You have to be careful with this approach. You don’t want to injure the younger spears, growing just underground,” the horticulturist said. “On the other hand, cut asparagus won’t dry out as rapidly as snapped asparagus does, because the butt of the spear is tougher. The time to stop harvesting asparagus for the year is when the replacement spears rapidly
Let’s Get Your Garden Started
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become weaker looking - “no wider than a pencil,” he said. Kansas’ harvest season is usually 6-8 weeks long, starting in late March in southeast Kansas and by mid-April in the northwest.
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The Scott County Record
Lawn and Garden
In a hurry? Start plants indoors to be transplanted this spring
Warmer weather means that many gardeners are anxious to get started. Temperatures are starting to reach a level where it’s possible to begin planting cold-tolerant flowers and vegetables. Cabbage and pansies, for example, can be set out in late March or early April. Other plants will have to wait, but that doesn’t mean gardeners can’t begin by starting plants indoors from seeds. In order for that to happen one will need indoor lighting. Just as with any project, an individual can spend whatever they choose. Some lighting fixtures can cost a couple of hundred dollars. “Or you can make your own PVC pipe light stand for about $30,” suggests Julie Niehage, the Extension agent for Logan
County. She says many gardeners use fluorescent lights to start young vegetable or flower plants during the spring or to grow certain houseplants throughout the year. Traditionally, gardeners have used T-12 lamps suspended a few inches above the tops of plants. However, there are newer lamps that may be a better choice for some gardens, says Niehage, who gave a horticulture program in Scott City recently. These newer ones are known as T-8 and T-5 lamps. The number after the “T” refers to the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch. Therefore, a T-12 lamp is 12/8 (1.5 inches) in diameter. A T-8 is one inch in diameter. Does a smaller diameter mean less light? Not at all.
Funding available to improve windbreaks Kansas landowners now have until April 18 to apply for cost-share funds to restore or enhance windbreaks and streamside forests, also called riparian forests. The funding is available through the 2014 Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). This newly-extended deadline means the $684,000 earmarked for Kansas’ 2014 projects is still available for qualified landowners, said Bob Atchison, rural forestry coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service. “As a USDA initiative, the CCPI can address all kinds of natural resource needs associated with agricultural lands. Landowner participation is both voluntary and competitive. The projects also can be ambitious enough to take more than one funding year,” Atchison said. CCPI forestry funds can cover the majority of costs for improving or renovating windbreaks. The costs can include using heavy equipment to remove unhealthy trees, planting quality trees and shrubs, controlling weeds, and installing protective fencing or a micro-drip irrigation system. “For Kansas, the initiative couldn’t come at a better time,” Atchison said. “The state’s needs are becoming critical, in terms of our having healthy, mature trees in place - not only to preserve our soil resources but also to protect our water resources. Increasing pressures on our natural resources have been leaving us in an increasingly vulnerable place.” The CCPI is part of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). Landowners apply for CCPI-EQIP funds at the local Natural Resource Conservation Service office. NRCS offices can take applications at any time. Applications that miss a particular year’s deadline simply go into the next fiscal year’s selection pool. More information visit the website at http:// www.kansasforests.org by clicking on Rural Forestry and then Financial Assistance Programs, by calling the Kansas Forest Service at 785-5323310 or e-mailing atchison@ksu.edu.
In fact, the T-5 is the brightest of the three. A T-12 lamps puts out 1,500 to 3,200 lumens for a 48-inch lamp. This lamp has a life of between 10,000 and 20,000 hours. The T-5 is rated at 5,000 lumens, but lasts about 30,000 hours. Another advantage of the newer lamps is that they use less electricity per lumen.
When to plant? The proper time for sowing seeds indoors depends on the amount of time required to develop a healthy transplant of appropriate size to be moved outdoors. This may range from three to 15 weeks depending on species and the cultural conditions. “It’s important to use a good germination media,” says Niehage.
She recommends purchasing a bagged seed starting mix. “Don’t just pull soil from your backyard,” she says. “If you do, make sure it’s been sterilized.” A common mistake is to pack soil in a container which often leads to runoff. Niehage says a solution is to mix soil and water in a trash container before putting it into a container. It’s essential to use quality, reliable seeds. Name brands with a history of success are Northrup King and Burpee. If gardeners have kept old seeds in a freezer then they can still be used. “They will literally last forever,” says Scott County Extension Agent John Beckman. He says a 70% or better germination rate is typical.
Adding organic matter okay in a spring garden For years, gardeners have been producing firsthand proof that adding organic matter can improve almost any soil. They commonly do so in fall, when organic materials are readily available. But, improving soil in spring before sowing seeds or putting out transplants can be a good practice, too. Spring additions simply require more care, according to Ward Upham, Master Gardener program coordinator for Kansas State University Extension. “To get started, you need to choose a material that won’t burn plants. If it has an ammonia odor, for example, the material is still too fresh to use. If it looks ‘half-cooked,’ it may still be releasing burning fumes. That’s often the case with rotten silage that didn’t break down enough over winter,” Upham said. Typically, good organic matters for spring use include peat moss, finished compost and well-rotted leaf mold. The one that gardeners choose, in turn, will determine how much they should add, the horticulturist said.
Peat moss and leaf mold, for example, don’t contribute much nitrogen. So, soil can handle a twoinch layer of it, spread out and tilled in as deeply as possible, he said. With compost or another nutrient-rich material, however, gardeners should only add a half-inch layer before tilling. Otherwise, plants may have lush foliage, but no fruit. In his own garden, Upham extends the process with an extra step. “Actually, I till as deeply as possible, then add the organic matter and till again. This gives me a couple of extra inches of prepared soil,” he said. “With this approach, however, you have to stay alert, so you don’t overtill. You want particles that are Grape Nuts size or a little larger. When soil ends up looking like flour, you’ve destroyed its structure, and getting it back to normal will take time and work.” In water-draining sandy soils, added organic matter helps hold moisture and nutrients, Upham said. In heavy clays, it builds structure, improves friability (tilth), increases aeration and improves water use.
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The Scott County Record • Page 18 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
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Youngsters who have reached 100 to 1,100 book milestones in the Scott County Library’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” reading program are:
Housing “That’s over $200,000 for a home of maybe just over 1,000 square feet which doesn’t include the cost of the lot, landscaping or utilities,” noted the realtor. ‘Affordable’ Housing With that kind of range in construction costs, it only complicates not only what is “affordable” housing, but what a homebuyer can expect for the money. That’s not an easy question to answer. When the Scott City Council was first approached more than a year ago about extending utilities to the Eastridge Addition, it was suggested by real estate agent Clyde Thomas that housing could be built for about $100 per square foot or about $120,000 for a 1,200 square foot home. “That’s unrealistic,” says Lee. He says that if someone wants to build a starter home in the $110,000 to $120,000 range they will either have to sacrifice size - keeping it around
Jagger Spangler-Carlson 200
Dash Campos 100
Hadley Bailey 200
Jordan Rufenacht 500
Piper Jessup 1,100
Abigail Wiechman 300
(continued from page one)
1,000 square feet - or quality. “Most starter homes in that price range are going to be slab homes on a 1,000 square foot foundation without a basement. I’m not sure how well a home like that will sell,” says Lee. During a recent meeting with the city council, Scott County Development Committee Director Katie Eisenhour said the “sweet spot” for a new home was $165,000 to $185,000. Lee feels confident he can do better than that for a quality three-bedroom home. Thomas, who is the agent for lots in the Eastridge Addition, feels that homes in the $135,000 to $155,000 range are affordable to a lot of the working population in Scott City. However, he feels that the success Lee had in selling this first spec home could push the price range a little higher for people willing to pay a little more to locate in the subdivision.
USD 466 Lunch Menu Lunch Monday: Spicy chicken wrap, *frito chili wrap, Riviera blend vegetables, chocolate chip muffin, peaches. Tuesday: BBQ beef on a bun, *corndogs, baked beans, oven fries, pears. Wednesday: Bierocks, *chicken pot pie, potato gems, green peas, strawberries. Thursday: Steak fingers, *chicken strips, potatoes and gravy, choice of broccoli or spinach, whole grain roll, peach crisp and whip. Friday: Pizza, *tuna sandwich, seasoned potato wedges, cooked carrot coins, pineapple rings. *Second choice for SCMS and SCHS
A construction crew is completing the interior of the first home under construction on Maple Street in the Eastridge Addition. (Record Photo)
“With the right floor plan and a double-garage, I think we can sell more homes in the $210,000 range,” Thomas predicts. Shorty Lawrence, a realtor with Lawrence and Associates, says he’s surprised at the number of people who contact their agency and are willing to pay $150,000 to $200,000 for a home. “I don’t know that I’d characterize that as a
starter home,” says Lawrence. “The low interest rates are definitely giving people the opportunity to buy more home than they would have considered a few years ago.” Lee indicates he will probably be a little more conservative with his next spec project that he hopes to begin later this spring. Tentative plans call for a three bedroom, two bath construction of 1,120
square feet with an unfinished basement. His goal is to build a couple of houses each year. “That will be enough to keep me and my crew busy in between our other projects,” he says. The Eastridge subdivision is primarily targeting first-time homeowners with an area platted for about a dozen homes on Maple Street (one block east of Oak). If fully de-
veloped, the subdivision could eventually grow to include about 90 homes. “Now that we have this first home nearly complete we’re starting to see more interest from others wanting to build,” adds Thomas. “Nothing happened in this subdivision for a lot of years. It’s great to see the interest and to have a contractor who’s willing to take a chance and make this happen.”
Wellness Connections Your resource for complementary and integrative services
Public Forum Free Admission
Sunday, April 13 • 1:00-6:00 p.m. St. Catherine’s Hospital, Meeting Room A 401 E. Spruce St., Garden City
Attend one program or all 8. Learn how Wellness Connections connects mind, body and spirit, by offering education, training, support and comfort for those looking to improve their health and well-being. 1:15 p.m. •History of Reiki by Jerry Ellis - Jerry is a Reiki Master with over 25 years experience. He will lead you through the history, impact and benefits of the healing powers of Reiki. 1:45 p.m. •Cranial Sacral Therapy by Kriz Retsema - Kriz is a nationally certified therapeutic massage and bodywork professional with over 1,000 hours of training. She specializes in working with cancer survivors during or after treatment therapies. 2:15 p.m. •Unlocking the Door to the Soul by Lori Carter - Lori is a Usui and Karuna Reiki Master/Teacher, Seichim Reiki II practitioner and a certified Akashic Records practitioner. Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? Are you stuck in unproductive patterns in your life? We’ll discuss some of the tools available to unlock the door to your potential. 2:45 p.m. •Art Expression by AvNell Mayfield - Over a period of 40 years of teaching art to at-risk Head Starters, elementary, middle, high school, college, adults, senior citizens, and inmates in prison, she has observed the positive healing effects that art had on the lives of these individuals. 3:15 p.m. •Hydroponics Brings Nutrition to the Table by Larry Caldwell - With over 25 years experience in growing nutritious food through the hydroponic system Larry, has researched and discovered many practical ways anyone can grow their own food from anywhere. 3:45 p.m. •Chronic Pain Relief Through Massage by Amy Cain - Amy is a nationally certified massage therapist with over 1,000 hours of training, specializing in deep tissue/treatment work for chronic pain related issues. 4:15 p.m. •Massage and Lymphedema Care for Cancer Patients and Survivors by Kriz Retsema - With 135 hours specialty training and over 200 hours of practical work in all aspects of treatment, management and education she will present warning signs and approach to care. 4:45 p.m. •Using Your Intuition by Kat Haxton - Since childhood Kat has learned to appreciate and develop the gift of intuition and she will share with you how to recognize your gift through a group demonstration. 5:15 p.m. •Yoga by Katherine White - Kathy has completed all 5 levels of teacher training, plus additional training in prenatal yoga, yoga for seniors, yoga for back health, “hot” (Bikram) yoga, and “power” (Ashtanga) yoga as well as restorative and therapeutic yoga. She will share the benefits of yoga and how it can meet physical, mental and psychosocial needs. Please call or text for reservations 620-290-0507 or 620-214-3240
Your health, your decision
Sports The Scott County Record
Powering up
play ball
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SCHS athletes prepare for powerlifting state tourney • page 21
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Page 19
Young SCHS squad hosts TMP Tuesday
SCHS freshman Justin Faurot gets ready to field a ball during Tuesday’s practice while Hunter Braun (center) and Gustavo Gonzalez await their turn. (Record Photo)
After putting a seasoned squad on the field the last couple of years this will be a dramatically different spring for the Scott Community High School baseball team. Of the 20 team members, 13 are freshmen. There are just two seniors and only Keigun Wells, an All-League catcher, has varsity experience between them. “We have a lot of boys with a lot to learn,” says head coach Neil Baker. There’s little doubt that Baker will have to turn to his young prospects to fill varsity starting roles, but he feels some of them “are playing at better than a freshman level.” “These are boys who have played on traveling teams during the summer so they have put in the extra time,” Baker says. “We’ll see
it’s all over
Quest for perfection, slice of history, eludes Baker, Shockers Among the many Wichita State University fans and the growing tide of followers, this will go down as one of the greatest seasons in college basketball. For the skeptics, maybe it will take a little longer to acknowledge that . . . if at all. But that doesn’t diminish the heavyweight battle that took place in St. Louis last weekend when the Shockers ended their season with a 78-76 heartbreaking loss to Kentucky. It was a game that deserved better than to be played in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky coach John Calipari said it had the feel of an Elite 8 game with a Final Four appearance at stake. Scott City’s Ron Baker agreed. “After our game, Evan (Wessel) and I were watching Tennessee and Mercer and when you see that game being played in the same round as ours, it hurts a little,” said the starting guard for WSU. “It makes you realize a game of this caliber should have been played later in the tournament.” Playing at such a high level was nothing new for the Shockers who entered Sunday’s game with a 35-0 record - the first team in NCAA history to accomplish such a feat. It was Kentucky who played their best game of the season - and had to - in order to get the win. Baker showed no sign of nerves in this classic showdown when he hit his first three-point attempt which was also WSU’s first basket of the night. “When I made the first shot I was in attack mode. When your first shot goes in you’re ready for the next open look,” says Baker, who finished with 20 points (4-of-6 3 pt. FG) and five rebounds. “I felt pretty relaxed.” WSU’s biggest lead of the game was nine points, 32-23, with 4:36 left in the first half and the Shockers were still up by six, 37-31, at the half. At that point in the game, Baker liked his team’s position. “We were up six and playing pretty good basketball. They (See BAKER on page 26)
Former Scott City standout and current WSU starting guard Ron Baker drives to the rim during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament game against Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of the Wichita Eagle)
Opening Week Tuesday, April 1 • 4:00 p.m. SCHS vs Hays-TMP (H) Thursday, April 3 • 4:00 p.m. SCHS vs Goodland (H)
how quickly they pick things up at this level.” With so much youth and inexperience on the roster, Baker isn’t sure who will be playing at what position just a week ahead of the home opener against TMP. The only certainties are Wells behind the plate and junior Sloan Baker at shortstop. However, with Baker also penciled in as the opening day starting pitcher, that only adds one more question to who will be on defense behind him. (See YOUNG on page 21)
It appears the tourney committee got its wish All is not fair in love, in war and in sports. If it was, the Rod Kansas Haxton, sports C i t y editor Chiefs wouldn’t be 44 years (and counting) since their one and only Super Bowl. The Cubs wouldn’t still be waiting for their first World Series title since 1908. And the Wichita State Shockers would still be playing this weekend. Admittedly, it’s a bit unfair to put WSU on the same level of futility as the Cubs, but the opportunity to make history only comes along once in a lifetime . . . if then. Just ask the New England Patriots and their missed opportunity at 19-0. The Shockers still grabbed a piece of history by being the first team to start a season 35-0. But there’s still an empty feeling . . . especially to have the season end in the round of 32 at the Midwest Regional. Losses aren’t preordained, but it’s hard to think that the NCAA Tournament Committee wasn’t patting itself on the backs for a job well done in seeing the Shockers ousted so early. There’s no other explanation for setting up games with Kentucky in the second round and Louisville in the third round. Granted, one has to beat the best to be the best, but there isn’t anyone out there who didn’t acknowledge that the Midwest Regional was the toughest and WSU was facing the most daunting road to the Final Four. TNT commentator and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who jumped on the WSU bandwagon, added his criticism to what the tournament committee did. He said it’s hard to imagine that the bracket wasn’t intentionally stacked against the Shockers. Former Scott City star and WSU starting guard Ron Baker and his teammates try not to get caught up in the debate. They aren’t looking for excuses as to why they aren’t 36-0 and still playing. But . . . (See TOURNEY on page 23)
The Scott County Record • Page 20 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Outdoors in Kansas
by Steve Gilliland
March Madness for the outdoors To avid basketball fans, this is March Madness - the month when one can easily overdose on basketball. To scores of outdoor enthusiasts, however, this time of the year means something more. March Madness is the short intermission as hunting and trapping seasons wind down, and spring turkey and fishing seasons await in the wings. Let me offer some suggested uses for this time of the year. First, you can watch basketball. Every television channel will have games on the air. Secondly, and my recommended cure, is to do a little pre-season preparation and get a jump on the impending tide of outdoor opportunities. Walleye fishing is a good place to start. My good friend who can catch walleye from a mud puddle says that walleye often begin stirring as early as late March. Water temperature determines spawning time. If our current warm temperatures persist, spawning times of some fish species must surely be advanced. Now is the time to check your tackle. New line on reels is always a good bet, especially if they were used for ice fishing. Look to buy any new jigs, etc. that you need, particularly if you mail-order them. Stores are already having spring specials on fishing gear. Look over your waders thoroughly. Some minor leaks can be patched. Most importantly, make sure to buy a 2014 fishing license. “I forgot,” or “There wasn’t time” will not wash with the game warden. These preparations (See MADNESS on page 24)
Athletes more likely to finish high school What does it take to get a kid to stay in school and graduate? Sometimes motivation is highly external: New York City has experimented with paying students when they get good grades. Sometimes it’s highly internal: Angela Duckworth’s research focuses on how personality traits like “grit” and perseverance help students persist through hardships at school. Both of these extremes are elusive and hard to implement: Not every city has a wealthy mayor who wants to help bankroll a
student-payment system. Not every child has “grit” - and researchers don’t really know how to teach it. A new study from the University of Kansas suggests that there’s a simpler, more universal way to motivate students: Give them a reason to come to school - even if that reason has nothing to do with academics. University of Kansas’s Angela Lumpkin and Rebecca Achen analyzed high-school testing, graduation and attendance data and found that Kansas student-athletes go to school more often
Athletes also score higher on state assessments than non-athletes, in all subject areas. than non-athletes. They also have higher graduation rates - 98 percent of athletes in the Kansas class of 2012 graduated, compared with 90 percent of non-athletes. The higher graduation rates could be explained away by the theory that teachers have lower standards for athletes - that they’re willing to let athletes pass without doing all the work. But state
test data challenges that theory. Athletes also score higher on state assessments than non-athletes, in all subject areas. They are clearly learning something in their classes. Athletes’ relatively strong performance on the Kansas state tests is more remarkable if you look at their ACT scores. Athletes scored lower than non-athletes on the ACT English and reading subsections, despite scoring higher in those areas on the state test. This seems to suggest that, at least in language arts, athletes are not inher-
ently “smarter” than nonathletes. They do, however, manage to be more successful in school. Why is this? Lumpkin, the lead researcher on the study, says it may be related to the requirements that Kansas puts on its athletes. Students must pass five credit units per semester to be eligible to play. Most schools also ask students to be in school to be allowed to attend practice or play in a game that day. “When a student has to earn the right to play a sport by performing in the classroom, that is a very (See ATHLETES on page 22)
Loss of Speer is a setback for DHS girl’s track squad
Following last year’s Class 1A state track meet the Dighton High School girls were anxiously looking ahead to next season. And why not with a former triple jump state champion on the roster along with a third place finisher in the 400m and the entire 4x100m relay intact? But a lot can change in a year’s time. Senior Leslie Speer, a state champion in the triple jump two years ago and a third place finisher last year, won’t be competing because of an ACL injury that will require surgery. That takes two members off the 4x100m relay, along with senior Diamond Brown who didn’t go out this season. Brown had also been a state qualifier in the 200m. The only returning members of the relay are Hoffman and sophomore Kiara Budd. “Between injuries and kids who decided not to go
out our numbers are pretty disappointing,” says head coach Ken Simon. He has just five boys and nine girls on the roster. The only other state qualifier on the girl’s squad is sophomore Payden Shapland who finished ninth at state in the 3200m (12:55.32). Other Lady Hornets competing this spring are: Seniors: Mandie Bennett, Marta Payne, Liz Heath. Sophomores: Meagen Siefried. Freshmen: Jordan Speer, Katie Payne. Speer in Throws Perhaps the top prospect for the DHS boys is senior Ben Speer who has the potential to be a state qualifier in the discus. He will also compete in the javelin and shot put. The key for Speer this season will be to develop more consistency in his distances from meet to
Dighton sophomore Dakota Hoffman (right) competes in last year’s Class 1A state track meet. (Record Photo)
meet. A key athlete missing from the squad is senior Isaac Alinor who likely would have been a state qualifier in the 300m hurdles, and possibly the
110m high hurdles, but was sidelined during the latter part of the 2013 season with severe shin splints. Other members of the squad include: Wyatt
Habiger (junior), Marcos Cruz (sophomore) and freshmen Lake Lewis and Dylan Foos. The Hornets will open their season at Tribune on Tuesday.
Kick start new season with a shed hunt
No one really knows why deer evolved to shed their antlers every year, but for hunters looking for a way to connect with the world of big game outside of hunting season, knowing “why” isn’t nearly as important as “where” deer shed their antlers. “We know the mechanisms of the process, but can only speculate on the why. Why would a species spend so much effort and energy to produce these large antlers
KDWP Report and then give them up and go through the same process again each year?” says Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) big game program coordinator, Lloyd Fox. “One reason might be because antlers get broken each year and the males want to have their most impressive rack, a new set, prior to the rut.
Otherwise the old bucks would have busted remnants within a few years. Another speculation is that carrying around those large antlers is an energy drain and deer without antlers will spend less energy (thus have higher survival) as they go through the wintertime with its reduced food availability. Nobody really knows.” Commonly referred to as “sheds,” deer antlers that have disconnected
from a deer’s skull can provide hunters with valuable information about the buck that was carrying it. Most importantly, a shed antler tells a hunter that a particular buck survived the hunting seasons. A shed may also tell us whether the deer was a whitetail or mule deer, it’s approximate age, whether it was part of a “typical” or “non-typical” rack, and it can provide information on a past location of the deer.
The bulk of Kansas whitetail bucks,shed their antlers in February. Just like with any biological process, not every deer is the same. Some bucks have been known to shed as early as November/ early December, while others have kept their antlers well into mid-April. “Bucks will shed antlers over a wide time period, but each individual sheds about the same time each year,” said Fox. (See HUNT on page 25)
The Scott County Record • Page 21 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Open house Saturday at Lake Scott
Among the SCHS athletes who will be competing in the Class 3A state powerlifting meet this weekend are (front) Madison Braun and (standing, left to right) Cole Birney, Irving Reyes, Paco Banda, Matthew Tuttle, Mel Turley and Hunter Braun. Not pictured are Zayra Peregrino, Lily Ayala and Oscar Armendariz. (Record Photo)
Beavers set sites on gold medals at state powerlifting competition Scott Community High School athletes are taking aim at gold medals when they compete in the Class 3A Kansas State Powerlifting Championships to be held on Saturday in Marion. At least three Beavers are hoping their squats will be good enough to place them in the top three - if not a gold medalist. Senior Cole Birney has been a monster on the squat rack this year with a career best of 560 pounds in the workout room and 555 pounds in competition. Birney’s 555-pound lift came at the Golden Eagle Invitational in WaKeeney recently where he set a new meet record. He finished second overall in the heavyweight division at WaKeeney. “My goal is 565 (pounds) at state,” says Birney. Whether that will be good
Young
enough for a gold medal could depend on how well Beloit senior Bryce Black performs. He is the defending overall state champion in the heavyweight division and at last year’s state meet had a winning squat of 505 pounds. Birney, who finished fourth in the 242-pound division a year ago, had a gold medal squat of 470 pounds. Senior Matthew Tuttle also figures to make a big improvement from last year’s state competition where he finished 13th in the heavyweight division. He was fourth overall at the WaKeeney meet where he was third in the bench press (315), fourth in the squat (475) and added a hang clean of 260 pounds. The bench lift matched his career best and he has a per-
sonal best of 480 in the squat. “My goal is 495 in the squat (at state),” says Tuttle, which would be a huge improvement from last year’s 405 pounds. His bench is also up significantly from 270 pounds at last year’s state meet. “If I can hit my goals in the squat and bench, and have a decent lift in the hang clean, I feel I have a good chance at finishing in the top three,” Tuttle says. Also hoping to finish among the top medalists at state is Paco Banda in the 181-pound division. The senior set a meet record of 415 pounds in the squat at WaKeeney, which he says wasn’t nearly as good as he had hoped. “I feel I’ll do a lot better this weekend,” says Banda who has
a career best of 445 pounds. “Cole, Matt and Paco have really put in the work this year. They’ve spent a lot of time in the weight room,” says SCHS strength coach Neil Baker. Scott City will be sending 10 lifters to the state meet, but Baker had hopes of more. Several students had to back out because of a band trip and other conflicts. “We’re trying to build interest in competing at state, but it’s pretty hard to avoid conflicts at this time of the year.” Competing at state are: Seniors: Oscar Armendariz, Paco Banda, Cole Birney, Irving Reyes, Mel Turley and Matthew Tuttle. Juniors: Hunter Braun. Sophomores: Lily Ayala, Madison Braun and Zayra Peregrino.
one to make spectacular defensive gems. We emphasize to the boys every day they just have to make the routine plays,” says the head coach. “With a little playing time, I think we can have an average defense maybe a little better.” There are just as many questions surrounding the offense. Baker, Wells and Reid Flower have shown their ability to make solid contact with the ball. “In an ideal situation, most of these boys would be playing
JV ball this year, but we don’t have that luxury,” Baker says. While 21 players would seem to provide the opportunity for a junior varsity schedule and some valuable experience for the younger players, most teams that SCHS plays won’t have a JV squad. Baker anticipates the JV playing only 4-5 double-headers. “The good news is that the boys are eager to learn,” Baker says. “The bad news is that there’s a lot for them to learn.”
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Outside of Baker as the No. 1 2014 Roster pitcher, the rest of the rotation is Seniors: Keigun Wells, Mel Turley. Juniors: Sloan Baker, Edgar Tena, also up for grabs. Wells will be stepping on the Hunter Braun. Sophomores: Zach Tucker, Reid mound as a likely No. 2 pitcher, Flower. Freshmen: Christian Ramirez, along with the possibility of Morgan Roberts, Leonel Castillo, freshman Gustavo Gonzalez. Kevin Aguilera, Gustavo Gonzalez, Other potential pitchers Nathan Samms, Justin Faurot, Melchor include junior Hunter Braun, Dominquez, Chance Jones, Jesus sophomore Reid Flower and Tena, Chase Rumford, Todd Morris and Kyle Cure. freshman Justin Faurot. “I think it’s safe to say we look,” says Coach Baker. That puts even more pressure aren’t going to overpower anyone on the mound. We’re going on the defense. “We aren’t looking for anyto give just about everyone a
Harsh winter weather has people longing for warmer days ahead, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has the perfect remedy for cabin fever. KDWPT invites Kansans to ”Spring Into Summer” on Sat., March 29, with a free entrance day and open houses at all Kansas state parks. Many parks will host special activities for the family. Visit State Parks Open Houses to learn about the special events at participating parks. Events scheduled for Lake Scott include: •Cabin tours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. •Display of John Deere Gators and utility tractors. •Display of Traeger grills by Percival Packing. •Refreshments. •Drawings for prizes. Visitors can also enter a statewide drawing to win a free one-night stay at a state park cabin of their choice. No purchase is necessary. The free one-night stay must be used in 2014, is subject to availability and may be used for a single night or to extend a paid cabin reservation for another night. Limit one entry per person. The drawing will be held April 10. Local drawings will be held at each site for items such as t-shirts. Visitors do not need to be present to win. During “Spring Into Summer,” park visitors can take advantage of low off-season camping permit prices. March 31 is the last day annual camping permits are priced at offseason discounts. On April 1, the prices increase to their regular prime-season levels. Visitors can purchase annual camping permits and make cabin or campsite reservations during the open houses. For pricing information and to purchase permits online, visit the KDWPT website, ksoutdoors.com. For online permit purchases, click License/ Permits. For campsite and cabin reservations, click Reservations. Kansas motor vehicle owners can now buy an annual park vehicle permit as part of their vehicle registration process. The permit - called a Kansas State Parks Passport - costs $15 plus a 50 cent service fee to the county treasurer. The passport will expire when the vehicle registration expires a year later. All park offices will be open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lake Scott Beach House Open House • Sat., March 29 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Another tournament disaster for the Jayhawks Wichita’s 35-game winning streak (longest in NCAA history) came to a heartbreaking end in their 78-76 loss to Kentucky. H o w e v e r, by it was far difMac ferent than Stevenson KU’s defeat. Wichita State played evenup with a highly-talented Kentucky team in a game that could have gone either way. Coach Gregg Marshall and his Shocker team are undoubtedly in a state of shock, but when it wears off everyone associated with the WSU program will realize what a great season it was. Marshall’s program is in perfect position to continue their winning ways for some time to come. The welldeserved publicity the team and university received from the once-in-a-lifetime season will make recruiting even more productive. Underachieving Hawks Kansas University’s season came to an end with a sickening thud. Like so many KU teams of the recent past, the Jayhawks underachieved in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford played a zone throughout the game and KU coach Bill Self chose to play Naadir Tharpe, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden for most of the minutes at the guard positions. None of those players are proficient three-point shooters. Conner Frankamp played just 18 minutes and almost pulled out a miracle finish with two clutch threes in the last 25 seconds. In their two tournament games, KU shot 5-of-23 from the three-point line. Outside of Frankamp, the rest of the team was 1-of19. It’s also notable for the turnover-prone Jayhawks that Frankamp had no turnovers in the last 140 minutes he played this season. For the entire season, he played 225 minutes, had 15 assists and just three turnovers. In addition, KU’s best three-point shooters other than Frankamp - Brennan Green (played three minutes against Stanford) and Andrew White - spent the (See JAYHAWKS on page 24)
The Scott County Record • Page 22 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Thornburg to compete in track, x-country at Ft. Hays Megan Thornburg’s final season of high school track won’t be the end of her career. The Scott Community High School senior has signed a letter-of-intent to compete in cross-country and track at Ft. Hays State University. The 18-year-old has competed in cross-country the last two seasons and is in her fourth year of track after qualifying for the Class 3A state track meet her junior year in the 800m and as a member of the 4x400m relay. Once Thornburg made the decision to continue her sports career there was little doubt where she was headed. “Ft. Hays has always been at the top of my list,” says Thornburg, though she did consider Cloud County Community College. While competing at the Kansas State University indoor meet earlier this spring she met with the CCCC coach, but
Athletes strong factor in keeping adolescents in school,” said Lumpkin. The lesson of this study is less about sports than it is about motivation. Sports aren’t the only activity that can make students want to stay in school, after all. In a post on the New York Times website a few years back, Chicago public school teacher Will Okun wrote about the power of a single class in getting unmotivated kids to come to school: “In my own nine years of teaching, students enrolled in my photography class boast a 90% daily
Megan Thornburg signs a letter-of-intent while joined by her parents, Alan (far right) and Julia Thornburg, along with cross-country head coach Kevin Reese (left) and track head coach Jim Turner. (Record Photo)
eventually settled on FHSU. While she expects to focus on middle distance events, Thornburg is also hoping she has an opportunity to compete
(continued from page 20)
attendance rate while students enrolled in my English classes maintain a daily attendance rate of only 70%.” It’s tempting to insist that schools focus solely on academics, and to dismiss nonacademic activities as distracting. But as Lumpkin’s study and Okun’s personal experience attest, non-academic activities can actually serve learning. Football and photography class get students in the door. Once they’re there, it’s up to the schools to teach them math and English and science.
in the steeplechase. In last spring’s state track meet, Thornburg was a member of the state runner-up 4x400m relay and added an
eighth place finish in the 800m (2:28.32). As a sophomore, she also qualified for state in the 800m and on the 4x400m relay.
The Scott County Record • Page 23 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Tourney “You try not to look at it that way, but the nation really knows what truly went down,” says Baker. “Everyone has a right to question the committee.” One-and-Dones Barkley is one of the more outspoken and thoughtful commentators on TV. We not only appreciated his views on the NCAA Tournament committee, but about the oneand-done kids in college basketball. Two of the most highly touted freshmen in the nation are Duke’s Jabari Parker and KU’s Andrew Wiggins - neither of which saw their teams make it to the Sweet 16. Granted, it’s a team sport and one player can’t do it all. At the same time, we didn’t see anything from Wiggins in either of the tournament’s first two games that showed he’s the elite, one-of-a-kind, can’t-miss prospect that everyone has been talking about all season. Maybe he will become a great NBA player someday. But, before one can become a great NBA player it would seem they should first be a great college player. As Barkley noted, three years in college didn’t harm Michael Jordan and four years didn’t hurt Tim Duncan. One-and-done doesn’t make for great college basketball and it certainly doesn’t provide for great NBA basketball. * * * Just a note: As they
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were cutting away to a commercial just prior to the WSU-Kentucky game, you could hear Barkley say, “Congratulations, Scott City.” That’s pretty cool stuff. One Perfect Bracket The “Billion Dollar Bracket” promotion certainly received a lot of attention - which is exactly what it was supposed to do. And, surprise, no one will be picking up their billion dollar grand prize (small bills only). The NCAA tournament was barely into day two when only 16 perfect brackets remained. By the end of the first weekend of tournament games there was only one perfect bracket - which is impossible to imagine and that individual didn’t even enter the billion dollar contest. Now, before we get into why someone would take the time to fill out the bracket and not enter the chance for a billion dollars we’re trying to figure out who in their right mind picks Dayton to beat Ohio State and Syracuse on the same weekend that they also pick Mercer to defeat Duke in the opening round? Brad Binder, a 23-yearold, from Buffalo Grove, Ill., entered the ESPN Tournament Challenge but not the Billion Dollar Bracket. Binder’s secret? “I just kind of went with my gut,” he says. That’s some gut.
Takedown Kids Club USAWKS District 4 Championships March 22, 2014 • at Goodland 7-8-Years-Old 64: Houston Frank dec. Tucker Wark (Colby), 1-0; tech. fall by Collin McDaniel (Scott City), 15-0; dec. William Hawkins (Sublette), 7-3; dec. by Dylan Howell (Stockton), 8-2. Fourth place 64: Collin McDaniel pinned Samuel Watkins (Hoxie), 0:21; tech. fall Houston Frank (Scott City), 15-0; maj. dec. Matthew Montoya (SW Grapplers), 12-0. First place 88: Izak Venegas tech. fall by Maverick Spresser (Goodland), 15-0; pinned Bastian Higgins (Kinsley); pinned Dalton Slaughter (Pratt), 0:37. Third place 9-10-Years-Old 67: Zachery Rohrbough pinned by Drew Bell (Hoxie), 0:25; dec. Steven Sellers (SW Grapplers), 9-4; dec. Easton Burton (Ellis), 6-4; maj. dec. Kolten Field (Norton), 15-2. Third place 73: Conner Armendariz pinned Jay Birdsall (Plainville), 2:47; dec. Jace Woodrow (Lakin), 9-2; dec. Fenton Brozek (Gray Co.), 5-4. First place 82: Leightyn Heim pinned Treavan Hale (Phillipsburg), 1:50; dec. by Hunter Davis (Meade Co.), 6-4; pinned Canyon Gibson (Phillipsburg); pinned by Koda Dipman (Pratt). Fourth Place 85: Kale Wheeler tech. fall Damien Peck (Greater Gold GC), 16-0; maj. dec. by Joaquin Castillo (Leoti), 14-0. Second place 110: Ronnie Weathers pinned by Gavin Nutting (Hays); pinned by Alberto Ramirez (Liberal), 1:13. 120: Lance Miller dec. Chayse McCullough (Plainville), 5-4; maj. dec. by Hagan Booi (Colby), 15-1; dec. Jackson Harris (Lakin), 4-2; dec. by Izzak Hernandez (Hugoton), 7-6. Third place 130: Jarron Gregory pinned Ayden Nickelson (Hill City), 0:23; dec. Thayn Walt (Hill City), 7-4; pinned Garrett Whitney (Plainville), 2:45; dec. by Cyrus Green (Atwood), 4-1. Second place 11-12-Years-Old 88: Justus McDaniel pinned Derek Boxberger (Hoisington), 0:48; pinned George Weber (Great Bend). First place 92: Theron Tucker dec. Cade Lanning (Colby), 9-2; maj. dec. by Avey Arana (Greater Gold GC), 8-0; dec. Taron Burkhart (Hays), 10-6; pinned by Trey Medina (SW Grapplers), 2:38. Fourth place 92: Kaden Wren pinned Michael Stacy (Larned); pinned Trey Medina (SW Grapplers), 1:19; tech. fall Avey Arana (Greater Gold GC), 15-0. First place 115: Cale Goodman pinned by Tucker Branum (Colby); dec. Jeffrey Spragis (Great Bend), 10-4; tech. fall Ki VanScyoc (Hoisington), 16-0; pinned by Morgan Rains (Oakley). Third place 13-14-Years-Old 130: Wyatt Hayes pinned Raye Kasson (Norton), 1:02; pinned Noah Hansen (Plainville), 0:41; dec. by Devon Asebedo (Gray Co.), 4-1. Second place 205: Nic Cheney pinned by Brayden Dorzweiler (Hays); pinned Garrett Garcia (Dodge City); dec. Juan Segovia (Greater Gold GC), 2-0. Third place High School 100: Zachary Tucker dec. Ernest Leija (Colby), 9-8; pinned Kasey Stamel (Goodland); dec. by Dylan Pelland (Pratt), 7-3; dec. Estin Slack (Oakley), 7-1. Second place
Madness These preparations should ready you for walleye season and beyond. Next in line can be a little “TLC” for your boat. If she was properly “put to bed” last fall, nothing major should be needed. Clean her up good, check the batteries and cables, make sure the lower unit is correctly lubed, test the trailer lights, kick the tires and you’re ready for a full tank of gas. I vowed years ago that if and when I could finally afford a really nice boat, I would take it to a marine mechanic at least every other year for an expert’s inspection. Yes, this ser-
bottom in sun-warmed shallows has produced a few fish. Crappie: good; most up to 9 inches. Jigs fished around the fish attractors have been best. Walleye/saugeye: saugeye, fair; up to 3.6 lbs.; walleye up to 6.1 lbs. Walleye and saugeye are beginning to spawn. They can be caught casting brightly colored floating or suspending jerkbait and jigs along the dam and rip-rapped shorelines at night. Largemouth bass: slow; up to 5.5 lbs. Slow retrieving soft plastics, suspending jerkbaits, and slow-rolling spinnerbaits around structure along sunny shorelines. Trout: good; 1/2 lb. average. The fourth stocking of the season occurred on February 3 with the release of about 1,000 trout in the lake and 1,000 trout in the Barrel Springs pond. Anglers report catching a few limits out of the lake, but success has been better at the pond. Still fishing salmon eggs, corn and powerbait have all been successful. Fish have typically been running in the 13-16 inch range. Sunfish: good; up to 8 inches. Vertically fishing small jig heads tipped with small pieces of nightcrawler or whole mealworms around the fish attractors. General comments: Release all walleye/saugeye and largemouth bass less than 15 inches.
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vice costs more, but these guys examine critical parts like steering linkage and water pumps that we owners usually don’t. Again, this time spent should make your schooner ready for the entire season. Chronologically next will be spring turkey season. Clean and lightly oil your shotgun and consider shooting a few shells at some stationary targets. Remember, this will not be wing shooting. Aim at the point on a turkey’s neck where it meets the feathers. Dust off your turkey calls and drive your wife,
Jayhawks
game and most of the season on the bench. Kansas could have killed Stanford’s zone with some effective outside shooting instead of trying to go inside to the undersized Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor. Stanford was big, but their guard play is unexceptional. Tarik Black played well for KU, but when he was out of the game Self chose to leave 6-10 Landen Lucas on the bench. Lucas did play two minutes and scored a field goal, so he obviously didn’t hurt KU while he was in. This would have been a perfect game for Lucas to match up with Fishing Report Stanford’s size. KU probably would Scott State Lake have won the game if Updated March 14 freshman center Joel EmChannel cats: fair, up to 6.5 lbs. Cutbait fished off the
The Scott County Record • Page 24 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
kids and pets crazy while you roam the house, rehearsing your repertoire of “clucks and gobbles.” Lay out and examine all decoys, boots and camouflage gear (some clothing may have “shrunk” over winter.) March is also a prime time to garner perhaps the most important component of all - permission to hunt. This process easily goes hand-in-hand with early season scouting. Birds may just now be entering patterns where you’ll find them during season, so at worst, get permission where you saw them last spring. I know
you’ve heard the realtor’s motto “location, location, location!” The responsible hunter’s motto should be “permission, permission, permission!” I’ve touched on several cures I see for “Outdoorsmen’s March Madness.” Some of you may need more treatment, some may need less. The common denominator is that the better prepared we are, the more enjoyment we will get from Exploring Kansas Outdoors. Steve can be contacted by email at stevegilliland@idkcom.net
(continued from page 20)
biid had played. Regardless, the Jayhawks lost once again in the NCAA Tournament to a team they should have easily defeated. KC Opener Monday The Kansas City Royals open their baseball season at Detroit this Monday. That’s going from sunny and warm Arizona to cold and cloudy Michigan. KC’s injury list is longer than last spring. Luke Hochevar is gone for the year with elbow surgery and shortstop Alcides Escobar and second baseman Omar Infante have played sparingly because of nagging injuries. The most positive development of the spring is Yordano Ventura taking over the number-three
spot in the pitching rotation. Ventura has had a spectacular spring. Last season KC tore up the Cactus League during spring training and then had a mediocre April and a terrible May. This year the Royals (10-11) have had an average spring, finishing seventh among the 15 teams. KC’s hitters have had a productive spring, so far, led by third baseman Mike Moustakas (.463, 3 HRs), catcher Salvy Perez (.395 with 2 HRs), center fielder Lorenzo Cain (.364); DH Billy Butler (.327) left fielder Alex Gordon (.304, 1 HR) and first baseman Eric Hosmer (.300, 2 HRs). The starting pitching has been encouraging, with the exception of Jer-
emy Guthrie. Through March 21, Ventura had a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings; Jason Vargas had a 2.57 ERA in 14 IP; James Shields had a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 IP; Bruce Chen has a 4.05 ERA in 13.1 IP; and Jeremy Guthrie had a 6.97 ERA in 10.1 IP. Kansas City’s starting pitching rotation isn’t set in stone by any means. The Royals have a number of talented youngsters who will begin the season in the minors, but they will get their chance before the season is over. If KC has a major problem, it will be their starting pitching. Shields appears to be set for another solid season and he’ll be the Royals’ starter in the season opener.
The Scott County Record • Page 25 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
16 Takedown grapplers qualify for state tourney The Scott City Takedown Kids Wrestling Club qualified 16 matmen - including four district champions - for the Kansas Kids State Tournament to be held this weekend in Topeka. District champions include Collin McDaniel (8-under, 64 lb.), Conner Armendariz (9-10-years, 73), Justus McDaniel (1112, 88) and Kaden Wren (11-12, 92). C. McDaniel rolled through his three matches, including a first period fall in the opening round, followed by a tech. fall over teammate Houston Frank (15-0, Scott City) and a major decision over Matthew Montoya (12-0, Southwest Grapplers) in the championship match. Armendariz opened his tournament with a fall and followed with a 9-2 decision over Jace Woodrow (Lakin) in the semi-finals. In the championship match he slipped by Fenton Brozek (Gray
Hunt “In fact, some data has shown bucks to shed their antlers within a week of the same day each year of their life. It just depends.” When in search of these left-behind treasures, hunters are encouraged to keep the following things in mind: •Familiarize yourself with department procedures and the distinction between a shed and a skull
County), 5-4. In his only two matches, J. McDaniel defeated both of his opponents by falls to claim a gold medal. Wren was equally as dominating in his three matches, claiming his first two matches by falls and finishing off the day with a 15-0 technical fall over Avery Arana (Greater Gold Garden City) in the finals. Four other Scott City grapplers advanced to the finals, but had to settle for silver medals. They were Kale Wheeler (9-10, 85), Jarron Gregory (9-10, 130), Wyatt Hayes (1314, 130) and Zach Tucker (high school, 100). Third place medalists who lost just one match during the tournament were Izak Venegas (8-under, 88), Zach Rohrbough (9-10, 67), Lance Miller (9-10, 120), Cale Goodman (11-12, 115) and Nic Cheney (13-14, 205). Qualifying for state as
state qualifiers
Takedown Wrestling Club members who were top four medalists in district and advanced to the state tournament this weekend in Topeka are (front row, from left) Conner Armendariz, Houston Frank, Collin McDaniel, Izak Venegas and Zach Rohrbough. (Middle row) Theron Tucker, Justus McDaniel, Kaden Wren, Leightyn Heim and Jarron Gregory. (Back row) Cale Goodman, Zach Tucker, Wyatt Hayes, Nic Cheney, Kale Wheeler and Lance Miller. (Record Photo)
fourth place district med- Middle School Nationals National Dual Tournaalists are Houston Frank Two Takedown Club ment to be held April 12(8-under, 64), Leightyn 13 in Des Moines, Ia. members have also qualiHeim (9-10, 82) and TherFour club members fied for the Middle School took part in the state touron Tucker (11-12, 92).
nament with Wyatt Hayes (130) and Nic Cheney (189) each finishing fourth and advancing to nationals.
(continued from page 20)
with antlers. (Possession of a skull with antlers attached requires a salvage tag.) •Shed hunting is allowed on KDWPTmanaged lands except WIHA, but it’s a good idea to check ahead of time because it’s not allowed on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges. Landowner per-
mission is required on all private land. •During the spring, ticks can be widespread, so the use of an insectrepellent made with DEET can be a good defense. For a list of public lands where you can shed hunt, visit ksoutdoors. com and click “KDWPT Info/Locations/Wildlife Areas.”
there’s no place like Scott City No matter where I go or what I accomplish I’ll never forget the values of hard work, commitment and humility that I learned while growing up in Scott City. Thanks for your comtinued support and for your generosity to my family so they can continue to watch and support me and my Shocker teammates. Ron Baker ‘Always a Beaver’
The Scott County Record • Page 26 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Baker
(continued from page 19)
had made a ton of jump shots, including threes, and we knew that wasn’t their game. We couldn’t see them continuing to play like that for another half, especially against a team that’s as good defensively as we are,” Baker said. Whenever the Shockers needed big shots down the stretch it was Baker and senior forward Cleanthony Early who responded. Baker and Early hit back-to-back three-pointers which opened a 66-62 lead for the Shockers with 5:45 remaining in the game. Baker’s final points came on a three-pointer that caromed off the glass after his elbow was hit on the release. That cut the deficit to 75-74 with just 29.3 seconds remaining. Trailing 78-76 following a Kentucky free throw, the Shockers called a timeout to set up a final play in their half of the court with just three seconds on the clock. There were three options called in the huddle, says Baker. The first was a quick pass to Early near the rim. The second was a pass to Baker who was scraping off a double screen for a possible shot in the corner. The third was for MVC Player of the Year Fred VanVleet to come off a screen and shoot a three-pointer near the top of the key. As it turned out VanVleet was the only option and his threepoint game-winner missed the mark. “We executed it pretty well and got a pretty good look at the basket,” says Baker. “I told Fred afterwards there wasn’t anyone on the team who had a problem with him taking that shot. It’s a pretty tough shot when you have a 6-6 point guard on you and a seven-footer coming at
Ron Baker (above) is greeted by fans prior to a practice session during last weekend’s NCAA Tournament action in St. Louis. (Below) Baker drives against defensive pressure from Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison. (Photos courtesy of the Wichita Eagle)
you.” A Wild Ride Even when you’re playing in a game of this magnitude it’s difficult to comprehend everything that’s going on around you - on and off the court. “I didn’t realize how crazy it was (in the arena) until after the fact, until we had a chance to see things on TV and to hear people talking about it,” Baker says. It’s just as difficult to soak in everything that’s happening during the tournament “because so much is being thrown at you in such a short time,” he says. “There are the fans, the social media . . . everything is hectic. Just over the weekend I gained about 2,500 followers on my twitter account.” Baker was able to enjoy the game and the excitement as it
was unfolding into such a dramatic finish. “When you’re playing against a team like Kentucky that has received so much hype because of their NBA talent and a bunch of guys like us are able to play with them, it puts a smile on your face,” he acknowledges. “It gives you confidence as a player to know that you can play with the best college basketball players in the country.” Debate Not Settled Of course, this was more than just another basketball game. This match-up was the focal point of considerable debate during the week over whether “one-and-dones” are hurting the game and whether the Shockers were deserving of their 35-0 record. Baker feels the Shockers may have quieted many of the
naysayers who felt they were overrated. “I feel we earned some respect by playing a close game against the pre-season number one (team), though I’d much rather earn that respect by beating them,” says Baker. “We shot 54 percent from the field and had only eight turnovers. Kentucky had to play their best game to beat us. “We made it to the Final Four last year and we were 35-0 this year. That’s not a fluke,” he adds. “Maybe people will start respecting us and give us a little more credit.” As for veteran teams versus the one-and-dones, Baker says one game isn’t going to settle that debate. “Unless (the NCAA) changes the rules about kids going into the draft, this is how it is,” he says. “Which is better?
I can’t say. As Coach (Gregg) Marshall says, you have to do what works for your program. Personally, I think it’s better for the game when you have more experienced players.” The payoff for WSU’s success - and national media attention - is taking place on the recruiting trail where top prospects are giving the Shockers a serious look. “You can definitely tell that we’re attracting another level of recruits,” Baker says. “I’ll ask a coach who so-and-so is being recruited by and they’ll tell me Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or an (Atlantic) 10 team. They’re big time, cream of the crop. “I’m excited because we’re getting these big-time players and I’m getting to play with them.” The Shockers have already signed four freshmen and are hoping to land a replacement for Early after Marshall’s visit to the junior college national tournament in Hutchinson. A big forward who can hit the outside shot is the team’s most immediate need. “We want to find someone who can step right in and help,” says Baker. A Bigger Loss As much as it hurt losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, an even bigger loss for the Shockers is the departure of associate head coach Chris Jans who will become the head coach at Bowling Green. It’s a personal loss for Baker because, without Jans, he probably wouldn’t be in Wichita. “He’s the guy who recruited me. We had a great relationship,” says Baker. Jans is often referred to as a “defensive guru” and he was instrumental in making the Shockers an outstanding defensive unit. “If it was up to him, 75 percent of the practice would be defense and he’d give us a little time at the end to shoot,” jokes Baker. “He’ll be a tough guy to replace, but I’m sure Coach Marshall will find another great coach.” In the meantime, the Shockers are very optimistic about next season. Baker and VanVleet are two of the top three returning scorers and they are joined by junior forward Darius Carter. Disappointed? Naturally. Motivated? Without a doubt. But if Baker had to use one word to describe his feelings it would be “lucky.” “I consider myself very lucky to be here at a time when things are doing so well at Wichita State. I’m very fortunate to be associated with so many great players and coaches,” he says. “And all the national attention we’ve received . . . that’s been pretty amazing.”
The Scott County Record
Page 27 - Thursday, March 27, 2014
dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!
Scenes from the dodge ball tournament are (clockwise, top left): Drake McRae tires to catch the ball and send an opponent to the sideline. Matthew Jenkins jumps to avoid an opponent’s throw. SCHS alumni Manny Turner shows that he can still compete. Trey O’Neil wears a disguise during the tournament. Reacting to a couple of balls heading their way are (from left) Aubrey Davis, Keigun Wells, Chris Pounds and Braeden Robinson. Chantz Yager (right) uses James Jurgens as a shield to avoid being hit. (Record Photos)
Farm
The Scott County Record
Page 28 - Thursday, March 27, 2014
Farmland values show signs of leveling off Prices of top quality farm land in the northern U.S. Midwest and Plains stayed firm in 2013, but there were clear signs the market for average quality crop and grazing land was leveling off, a lending unit of the government-linked Farm Credit System said last week. “After years of a steady rise led by lower than average U.S. yields,
strong domestic and international demand for commodities, low interest rates and solid profit margins, we’re seeing the rate of price increases leveling off for farmland in some areas we serve,” said Mark Jensen, senior vice president at Farm Credit Services of America which lends to farmers and ranchers in Iowa, Nebraska, South
ag briefs
Seeking Ks. nominees for sorghum board
The United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board will have five positions become vacant in December 2014, with one of those positions available to Kansas sorghum growers. There are also two at-large positions available to producers from any state. Organizations in Kansas certified to nominate producers for the board are the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association and Kansas Farm Bureau. The term will expire in December 2017. Application forms may be accessed on USDA’s website at: www.ams.usda.gov/lsmarketingprograms by selecting the “Sorghum Program.” Applications must be received by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission (jill@ ksgrainsorghum.org), Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association (sschulte@ ksgrains.com) or the Kansas Farm Bureau (nelsonm@kfb. org) office by 5:00 p.m., Fri., April 25.
Farm Credit income up 7%
Farm Credit Mid-America, an agricultural lender in the nationwide Farm Credit System, announced its 2013 financial results reporting growth in loan volume, assets and earnings. Farm Credit grew loan volume by more than $1 billion to $17.7 billion. Driven by strong activity in mortgage lending, net income was $308.4 million, which represented nearly seven percent growth over 2012.
Forecast dip in cattle count
Ahead of Friday’s Cattle on Feed Report, analysts are projecting higher placements into feedyards but smaller overall cattle on feed inventories compared to last year. If inventories are lower, it will be the 18th consecutive month for declines. Placements in February are expected to be 7.9 percent higher than last year.
ues finished up 3.4 percent for calendar 2013. But that was after falling 2.8 percent in the last six months of the year, Jensen said. In addition, Iowa land prices fell 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter. Over the last five years, Iowa farm land prices were up 98.3 percent and over the last 10
Dakota and Wyoming. Jensen said the bank’s review of 3,500 farm land transactions in 2013 in its four states and its annual review of 65 “benchmark” farms tracked for 30 years, “suggest the market for farmland is leveling off and in some areas softening.” In top corn and soybean producer Iowa, benchmark farm land val-
years up 282.1 percent, based on the bank’s study of 21 Iowa benchmark farms. In Nebraska, another top corn and wheat producer, farmland prices finished up 8 percent for calendar 2013, but were up just 0.7 percent in the last six months, based on 19 benchmark farms. In South Dakota, a rising corn producer, farmland
prices rose 17.6 percent for the full year, but just 7.2 percent in the last six months, Jensen said, based on tracking of 23 benchmark farms. Jensen said the bank’s analysis of more than 3,500 farmland transactions in 2013 showed that buyers were clearly adjusting to lower grain prices after the record U.S. (See VALUES on page 29)
Winterkill potential exists in central Kansas wheat fields
As the Kansas wheat crop begins to break dormancy, concerns of winterkill are on the minds of producers. Two sub-zero events this winter with little to no snow cover may have frozen some wheat plants to death. In most areas it is still too early to determine damage but when a polar vortex strikes with little to no snow cover, especially combined with poor soil moisture, the risk of damage is high. While snow cover saved some areas from the freeze, Central Kansas
Wheat Scoop Bill Spiegel
communications director
Kansas Wheat
lacked the protective white blanket for the extreme cold temperatures. “The wheat crop is currently more fragile than we would like because of drought and cold temperatures,” said Aaron Harries, director of marketing for Kansas Wheat. Winter came earlier than expected this year leaving less time for wheat plants to
develop before entering dormancy. Plants that are poorly developed going into winter, with few secondary roots and no tillers are more susceptible to winterkill. Risk of winterkill is often determined by how low soil temperatures get at the crown level of the plant. Dry areas are most susceptible to the cold as soil moisture can help soil retain heat, protecting the crop. The air temperature above the soil may be 5-10 degrees but in moist soil the temperatures can
remain 20-25 degrees above zero. The ongoing drought has caused low topsoil moisture, increasing the risk for winterkill. Topsoil moisture supplies as of January 27 were rated 48 percent very short, 37 percent short and 15 percent adequate. Producers are advised to contact their crop insurance representative before making any management decisions on fields that have suspected winterkill injury. (See WINTERKILL on page 29)
Farm Bill offers new opportunities Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced increased opportunity for producers in the 2014 Farm Bill. “These improvements to our Farm Loan Programs will help a new generation begin farming and grow existing farm operations,” said Secretary Vilsack. The Farm Bill expands lending opportunities for thousands of farmers and ranchers to begin and continue operations, including greater flexibility in determining eligibil-
ity, raising loan limits, and emphasizing beginning and socially disadvantaged producers. Changes that will take effect immediately include: •Elimination of loan term limits for guaranteed operating loans. •Modification of the definition of beginning farmer, using the average farm size for the county as a qualifier instead of the median farm size. •Modification of the Joint Financing Direct Farm
Market Report Closing prices on March 25, 2014 Winona Feed and Grain Bartlett Grain Wheat..................
$ 7.42
Milo ....................
$ 4.58
White Wheat ....... Corn ...................
Soybeans ...........
$ 7.87
$ 4.81
$ 13.48
Scott City Cooperative Wheat..................
$ 7.67
Milo (bu.).............
$ 4.59
White Wheat ....... Corn....................
Soybeans ...........
Sunflowers.......... ADM Grain
$ 4.59
Corn....................
$ N/A
$ 4.82
Weather H
L
P
33
Tr
53
March 19
60 24
$ 4.82
March 20
72 32
March 21
58
37
March 22
42
21
March 23
46
17
March 24
48
22
$ 13.48
$ 16.40
Corn....................
$ 4.87
Sunflowers..........
Milo (bu.).............
White Wheat .......
March 18
$ 7.42
Soybeans............
$ 7.67
$ 7.67
Wheat.................. Milo (bu.).............
Wheat..................
$ 4.64 $ 13.48
$ 16.95
Moisture Totals March 2014 Total
.25 1.27
Ownership Interest Rate to two percent less than regular Direct Farm Ownership rate, with a floor of 2.5 percent. Previously, the rate was established at 5 percent. •Increase of the maximum loan amount for Direct Farm Ownership down payments from $225,000 to $300,000. •Elimination of rural residency requirement for Youth Loans, allowing urban youth to benefit. •Debt forgiveness on Youth Loans, which will not prevent borrowers from obtaining addi-
tional loans from the federal government. •Increase of the guarantee amount on Conservation Loans from 75 to 80 percent and 90 percent for socially disadvantaged borrowers and beginning farmers. •Microloans will not count toward loan term limits for veterans and beginning farmers. Additional modifications must be implemented through the rule-making processes. Visit the FSA Farm Bill website for detailed information and updates to farm loan programs.
The Scott County Record • Page 29 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
K-State marks 100th anniversary of Hays Round-up
It’s been the scene of breakthrough research in beef cattle management, genetics and technology and this year, the K-State Agricultural Research Center-Hays will host the 100th edition of Roundup on Thurs., April 17. “Roundup is the major beef cattle education and outreach event sponsored by the research center,” said John Jaeger, beef cat-
tle scientist at the center. It’s been held every year since 1914 with the exception of 1945 when German prisoners of war were housed in the livestock research area. Roundup is where the game-changing ultrasound technology invented by K-State researcher John Brethour was unveiled, as well as research results covering
Register for FSA programs by April 15
Winterkill
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) recommends that farmers and ranchers who plan to participate in FSA programs register in advance. Producers are encouraged to report farm records and business structure changes to the Scott County FSA office before April 15. Enrollment for disaster programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) will begin by April 15. Producers who have interest in the LIP or LFP programs need to have their farm records current. Examples of updates or changes to report include: •New producers or producers who have not reported farm records to FSA. •Producers who have recently bought, sold or rented land. Reports of purchased or sold property should include a copy of the land deed, and if land has been leased, then documentation should be provided that indicates the producer had/has control of the acreage. •Producers who have changed business structures (e.g. formed a partnership or LLC) need to ensure that these relationships and shares are properly recorded with FSA. Even family farms that have records on file may want to ensure that this is recorded accurately as it may impact payment limits. Farm records can be updated at FSA Service Centers in the county where the farm or ranch is located. Producers can contact their local FSA Service Center in advance to find out what paperwork they may need. In addition, producers should update bank account information, if necessary.
Jim Shroyer, Kansas State University Extension agronomist suggests if large areas of the field have winterkill but other areas are fine, it is best to avoid applying topdress fertilizer to the area where the wheat has died. Plants that are killed outright will not turn green as the weather warms. Damaged plants will begin to green up then go backwards and die. There are enough nutrients in the crown to allow these plants to green up, but the winter injury causes vascular damage so the nutrients that are left cannot move, or root
Values harvest. Those prices will reduce the record profit margins experienced the past few years. “Even though the number of public land auctions in 2013 was down 25 to 30 percent compared to 2012, auctions were often well-attended with multiple bidders,” Jensen said. “The number of auction ‘no sales’ in Iowa was 6.7 percent in 2013, an increase from 3 percent in 2012. Some sellers may have expected higher
everything from nutrition, weaning, use of growth promoting implants and re-implanting, the heritability of feedlot gain by comparing the performance of half-sib bulls and more. Results of the center’s beef cattle research have been reported to the agricultural community through an ongoing series of publications that began
with a mimeographed circular in 1913. “We’ve come a long way since Western Kansas was regarded as suitable only for growing stocker cattle and shipping feeders to eastern Kansas and demonstrating that highconcentrate finishing rations were desirable. Prior to that research, rations that were more concentrated than one part
(continued from page 28)
rot diseases move in and kill the plants. Shroyer says that this slow death is probably the most common result of winter injury on wheat. However, wheat is a hearty crop, built to withstand winter’s storms. Last fall temperatures fell gradually, allowing the wheat crop to develop good winter hardiness. If the weather had gone from warm to extreme cold in a day, there would be more cause for worry. “One general rule is that producers should not make any quick decisions about the condition of their wheat crop after
a freeze,” writes Shroyer in this week’s agronomy eUpdate. “It will take several days of warm weather following freezes to evaluate the condition of the crop and its yield potential. “Even if some of the main tillers are injured or killed, producers should wait to see if enough other tillers have survived to compensate for the lost yield potential. Patience is key.” For a successful wheat crop weather conditions need to remain moderate throughout the next few months with an increase in rainfall.
(continued from page 28)
prices than the auction high bid. Local farmers continued to make most of the purchases.” The Farm Credit System and its subsidiaries handle more than half of all lending to farmers in the United States, with the Omaha unit alone holding more than $20 billion of loan assets. Jensen said the bank’s analysis suggest most farmers are positioned to weather a moderate downturn in land prices.
“Since 2008, FCS America has used a risk management strategy that includes a cap per acre on the amount of money we’ll loan for land purchases,” Jensen said. “We’ve been using a long-term sustainable value approach to projecting repayment and lending levels based on corn prices closer to $4.50 per bushel versus the prices of $7 or more that some farmers were receiving in 2012.
silage to one part grain were suspect,” Jaeger said. This year’s Roundup starts in the auditorium of the research center at 1232 240th Ave. in Hays at 9:00 a.m., with registration and a commercial trade show. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and includes: •A Brief History of the Ft. Hays Experiment
Station/Agricultural Research Center: Robert Gillen, Western Kansas Agricultural Research Center (WKARC) department head. •A Chronology of Significant Beef Research Highlights in the First 100 Years: John Jaeger, WKARC beef cattle scientist. (See ROUND-UP on page 34)
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The Scott County Record • Page 30 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
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Dirks Earthmoving Co. Precision Land Forming of terraces and waterways; feed lot pens and ponds; building site preparation; lazer equipped
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We welcome new patients. 324 N. Main • Scott City • 872-2389 Residence 872-5933
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The Scott County Record • Page 31 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
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General Surgeon
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Truck Driving
W A T E R / WASTEWATER operator for City of Anthony, Ks. High school diploma/GED and valid driver’s license required. Applications and complete job description: www.anthonykansas. org. 620-842-5434. EOE. Open until filled.
CONTRACT DRIVERS needed. CDL A or B to transfer commercial vehicles from local body plants to various locations throughout U.S. OTR. No forced dispatch. Driver’s choice. Apply online at www.mamotransportation. com under Careers or call 1-800-501-3783 to speak with a recruiter. ––––––––––––––––––––– PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE. OTR drivers. APU equipped PrePass EZ-pass passenger policy. 2012 and newer equipment. 100% notouch. Butler Transport, 1-800-528-7825. www. butlertransport.com ––––––––––––––––––––– TRAIN AND WORK for us. Class A-CDL. Professional and focused CDL training available. Choose between company driver, owner/operator, lease operator or lease trainer. (877) 369-7885. www. centraltruckdrivingjobs. com ––––––––––––––––––––– EXPERIENCED FLATBED drivers. Regional opportunities now open with plenty of freight and great pay. 800-277-0212 or primeinc.com ––––––––––––––––––––– GREAT PLAINS TRUCKING, a subsidiary of privately owned Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, is looking for experienced drivers or driving school graduates to deliver product to our dealer network. We offer excellent compensation, benefits and home time. Please contact Brett at brettw@gptrucking.com or 785-823-2261. ––––––––––––––––––––– LOCAL AND OTR company. Class A CDL, health insurance, dental/vision, paid vacation and company matched 401K. Safety/ performance incentives. Call Monson and Sons, 1-800-463-4097, ext. 109 or ext. 110. EOE.
Agriculture KANSAS BULL Test’s Performance Tested Bull Sale. Wed., April 2, 12:30 p.m., Beloit, Ks. Selling 100 bulls and 15 heifers. Brian Hagedorn: 785458-2137. KansasBulls@ gmail.com; or www. KansasBullTest.com
Gene’s Appliance
Education
Over 200 appliances in stock!
CAN YOU DIG IT? Bulldozers, backhoes and excavators. Three weeks hands-on program. Local job placement assistance. Become nationally certified. GI Bill eligible. 1-866-362-6497.
COMPARE OUR PRICES!
We have Reverse Osmosis units in stock. Remember us for parts in stock for all brands of all appliances. Sales and Service Days • Mon. - Sat. Deliveries • Mon.-Sat.
Largest Frigidaire appliance dealer in Western Ks. 508 Madison • Scott City • 872-3686
Networktronic, Inc.
Computer Sales, Service and Repair Custom computers! Networking solutions! Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 402 S. Main, Scott City • 872-1300
Brent Rogers
Sales Consultant b.rogers@officesolutionsinc.biz
Northend Disposal
Sporting Goods
A garbologist company. Scott City • 872-1223 • 1-800-303-3371
PC Cleaning Services, Inc. We'll clean your home, business or do remodeling clean-up Available seven days a week! Paul Cramer, Owner
620-290-2410
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
GUN SHOW. World’s largest. April 5-6. Sat. 8:00-6:00; Sunday 8:00-4:00. Tulsa, Okla., Fairgrounds Free appraisals. Bring your guns. www.TulsaArmsShow. com
Real Estate YOUR LAND is your down payment. And we’ll match your tax refund up to $8,000. Singles starting at $39,900. Doubles starting at $59,900. Less than perfect credit OK. 866858-6862.
For Sale
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
HAPPY JACK SKIN BALM. Stops scratching and gnawing. Promotes healing and hair growth on dogs and cats suffering from grass and flea allergies without steroids. Orscheln Farm and Home. www.happyjackinc.com.
www.reganjewelers.com
412 N. Main • Garden City • 620-275-5142 All Under One Roof
Revcom Electronics
Your RadioShack Dealer Two-way Radio Sales & Service Locally owned and operated since 1990
1104 Main • Scott City • 872-2625 Find us on Facebook
SharpsShootingSupply.com • (620)398-2395 • Healy, Kansas
Services
Dining
District 11 AA Meetings
Berning Auction
Scott City
“Don’t Trust Your Auction to Just Anyone”
Unity and Hope Mon., Wed. and Fri. • 8:00 p.m.
For all your auction needs call:
(620) 375-4130
Russell Berning Box Q • Leoti
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
www.cmorbutzbbq.com • cmorbutzbbq@gmail.com
807 Kingsley Last Sat., Birthday Night, 6:30 p.m. All open meetings, 874-8207 • 874-8118
Dighton
Thursday • 8:30 p.m. 535 Wichita St. All open meetings, 397-5679 • 397-2647
The Scott County Record • Page 32 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Classifieds 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.
Card of Thanks Dear family and friends of Scott City, Thank you all for the beautiful flowers, cards, phone calls, texts, visits to Hays, special treats and especially your prayers during Ron’s surgery and recovery. Ron and Janet Horinek
County Plat Maps Scott
Logan
Ness
Wichita
Gove
Wallace
Lane
Greeley
Finney Kearney
Garage Sale Saturday, March 29 707 Monroe Ct., Scott City 9:00 a.m. to noon Craft supplies, decorations, few furniture items.
406 Main • Scott City 620 872-2090 Pine Village Apartments 300 E. Nonnamaker
Apartments available for qualifying tenants 62+ or disabled with rental assistance available. Hours: Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. by appointment Call Steve 872-2535 or (620) 255-4824. 19tfc
BRING THE KIDS, DOGS AND HORSES!
COMPLETELY REMODELED
5 bedrooms, ready to move into, insulated and stucco exterior. 1+1 baths, office, fenced yard and 1 1/2 garage.
COME VIEW OUR NEW HOME
Help Wanted PART-TIME COOK wanted. Apply in person at The Broiler, 102 Main. 25tfc
––––––––––––––––––––– NEWS PAPER CARRIER needed. Approximately 130 papers. Must have reliable vehicle. Seven days a week for Hutchinson paper and six days a week for Garden City paper. Contact Artie 28t6c 620-655-1197. ––––––––––––––––––––– PART-TIME maid service needed at the Lazy R 30tfc Motel. ––––––––––––––––––––– NORSE ELECTRIC has a clerical position open. Experience with Word and Excel a must. Please call 620-872-7123 for an application or fax a resume 32t2c to 877-583-1166. ––––––––––––––––––––– FA R M W O R K E R , 4/27/14-10/1/14, Dennis Schoeling, Alva, Okla., one temp job. Drive trucks/ tractors to perform crop raising duties. Field ready equip. Harvest crops. Plant, cultivate crops using tractor drawn machinery. Operate, repair farm implements. three mo. exp., clean MVR, employment ref., driver’s license required. $10.86/hr., ¾ work guarantee, tools/ equip./housing provided, trans. and subsistence exp. reimbursed. Apply at Kansas Works, 620-227-2149. Job #OK904962. 33t1c ––––––––––––––––––––– DRIVERS NEEDED, combine and truck. Starts May 10. Call Gerald Baker 620-874-2060 or 620379-4693 evenings. 33t4c
NOTICE Upcoming storage unit auction. Friday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. Location: 507 Court St.
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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
Business INDIVIDUAL OFFICE SUITES from one to four rooms available for lease. Leases starting at $250/month including utilities. Common areas available for use including reception and break rooms. Perfect for quiet small business or climate controlled storage. Former location of Scott City Chiropractic, 1101 S. Main. Call 214-3040 for 27tfc information.
Rentals HIDE AND SEEK STORAGE SYSTEMS. Various sizes available. Virgil and LeAnn Kuntz, (620)874-2120. 41tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– 1, 2 AND 3 BEDROOM houses available and storage units. Come fill out an application at PlainJans or call 620-872-5777. 30tfc The Scott County Record can work for you!
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
3 bedrooms with 1 3/4 baths up. Full basement open floor plan (1,642 sq. ft.), on corner lot with new streets and 24’ x 24’ garage. 5 Lots in Webster addition $ 35,000 for all 5 lots.
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 30tfc
Services
RENOVATED 4 BEDROOM HOUSE for sale. Brand new kitchen, new wood and tile floors, beautiful lighting throughout, french doors leading to a spacious backyard and patio, DA garage, main floor laundry, partial downstairs with half bath. Serious inquires call Dale Holterman, 620-8741100. 15tfc –––––––––––––––––––– FOR SALE BY OWNER 5 bedroom, finished basement, SA garage, 3000+ sq.ft. living space. 402 S. College, Scott City. Call for appointment, 620-2143103 or after 5:00 p.m. 620-874-1005. 11tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– 903 MYRTLE, GREAT FIRST HOME 2+2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Just remodeled with a new kitchen and stainless steel appliances. All new windows, doors, flooring, insulation, plumbing and roof. Close to elementary school, which is a plus. Call for appointment: Clinton Constuction (Darryl or Virginia) 620-8725494 or cell 620-2141456. 24tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– NEWLY REFURBISHED HOME. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, walk-in closets, open kitchen/dining/living area. New carport, kitchen appliances are included. Can also sell furnished or unfurnished, nice yard space, large corner lot, quiet area. Call Fred Brittan 620-2141434 or 620-872-2957.
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” Jennifer Milner grooming at Fur-Fection. Please call for an appointment 620-214-0097. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00 32tfc a.m.- 4:00 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––– BERRY LAWN MOWING now accepting new customers. Evenings and weekends. Call for estimate 214-1135. Leave a 30tfc message. ––––––––––––––––––––– MOWING, power raking and rototilling available. Contact Allen Thornburg 33t2c 620-214-2300.
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PERSONAL CARE/ HOMEMAKER ATTENDANT Scott County Health Department has a full-time position available for a personal care/homemaker attendant. C.N.A. is recommended but not required. Must be compassionate, responsible, reliable, highly motivated, attentive to detail and be able to work independently. Applications available at: 608 S. Main, Scott City
4 BEDROOM home with basement! Newer carpeting, steel roof, pressure tank and well! Price Reduced!
Real Estate
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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
Executive Director Position Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking an Executive Director.
Position offers flexible hours. New director will report to a 12 person Board of Directors. Requirements include: excellent customer service and communication skills, must be a self-starter with good work ethic. Proficiency in QuickBooks is a plus. Email or mail resume and cover letter to Shawn Powelson at: directorposition@wbsnet.org, 416 S. Main, Scott City, KS 67871.
For Sale BLACK ANGUS BULL, registered, tested, 2 year olds, yearlings, heifer bulls, delivery, conformation, performance. Contact: Black Velvet Ranch, Aaron Plunkett, Syracuse, Ks. 620-384-1101. 33t19c
HOME CARE LPN Craig HomeCare is seeking LPN's with a passion for helping families! We provide in home services for pediatric clients. 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Mon., Wed., Thurs. shift available in Scott City. Apply online at www.craighomecare.com or contact: Vicki at 785-798-4821. 33t2c
SEEKING BIDS The City of Scott City Police Department is accepting bids for the purchase of a new pickup with trade in of 2007 Chevrolet pickup. Specifications may be obtained at City Hall. Sealed bids will be accepted at City Hall until: Monday, April 7, 5:00 p.m.
The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
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BILINGUAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE/RECEPTIONIST Rodenbeek & Green Agency has a position open for a Customer Service Representative/ Receptionist. Qualified Applicants Must: be able to read, write and speak both English and Spanish with equal proficiency; be friendly and outgoing with excellent communication skills, both in person and on the telephone; have office experience and computer skills; present a neat, professional appearance. Inquiries and applications wil be accepted in person only, at:
601 Main St., Scott City 33t2c
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The Scott County Record • Page 33 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Employment Opportunities MOVING?
PARK LANE NURSING HOME Has openings for the following positions:
Don’t forget to move your paper too.
Full-time CNA (night shift) Part-time CMA (evening shift) Part-time Nursing-LPN/RN Dietary Aide/Cook Shift differential pay offered for evening and night shifts! Please apply in person at:
Park Lane Nursing Home
210 E. Parklane Scott City, KS 67871 Or visit us at our website: www.parklanenursinghome.org “Quality Care Because We Care”
406 Main•Box 377 Scott City, Ks. 67871 620-872-2090
MAINTENANCE WORKER The City of Scott City is accepting applications for a full-time maintenance worker in the Parks Department. Benefits include: BC/BS, vacation and sick leave. Applications may be obtained at: City Hall 221 W. 5th Applications will be accepted until postion is filled. EOE Employer.
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SEEKING BIDS Due to Expansion, RCDC is accepting applications for the following: Tiny-k Early Intervention positions. Early Intervention Nurse (RN) Occupational Therapist Social Worker Early Intervention Teachers Speech Language Pathologist Spanish/English Bilingual Paraeducator Competitive pay and benefits based upon qualifications and experience. Travel required. Positions open until filled.
The City of Scott City is accepting bids for five (5) computers and installation (separate bids). Specifacations can be obtained at City Hall. All bids must be sealed in an envelope marked “computer bid”, and will be opened after 7:30 p.m. during the council meeting on April 7, 2014. Bid needs to include sales tax and delivery. Delivery needs to be made by May 7, 2014.
SERVICE TECHNICIAN 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.
American Implement, Inc., in Scott City, Ks., currently has a full-time position open for Parts Counter Sales Representative. Responsibilities of this position are to perform a variety of customer service duties related to the sale, delivery and inventory of agricultural equipment and irrigation parts and accessories. Qualified candidates must have excellent customer service skills and good communication and problem-solving skills. Computer knowledge and good interpersonal skills are important. American Implement offers completive wages and an excellent benefits package, which includes life, health and supplemental insurance, and a 401(k) plan. Interested individuals may complete an application or send a cover letter and resume to: Fred Kuntzsch, American Implement, Inc., PO BOX 20, Scott City, KS 67871. For questions regarding this position, please call: (800) 779-7244 or (620)872-7244
Bids will be accepted at City Hall until: Monday, April 7, 5:00 p.m. The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
See a complete description of job responsibilities online at www.rcdc4kids.org. To apply send resume to: Deanna Berry, Executive Director, 714 Ballinger, Garden City, KS 67846 dberry@rcdc4kids.org. EOE 33t2c
PARTS COUNTER SALES REPRESENTATIVE
SCOTT COUNTY HOSPITAL HAS OPENINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL STAFF Clinic Physician’s Assistant or Nurse Practitioner PATIENT CARE Acute Care RNs Outpatient Services C.N.A. CLERICAL Clinic Insurance Billing Clerk Clinic Receptionist HIM Clerk HIM Transcriptionist Assistant Health and Safety Coordinator SERVICE Morning Cook PRN Dietary Aide/Cook 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 through Human Resources at Scott County Hospital 201 Albert Ave. Scott City, Ks. 67871 620-872-7772 or online at www.scotthospital.net
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C.N.A.: Must have completed C.N.A. program and must be on the Kansas State registry. Completion of a CMA is preferred but not required. Applicant must have the ability to work as a member of a treatment team in providing continuum of services to consumers and their families. Candidates must pass background checks and be 21 years of age with a valid driver’s license. Applications are available at: 210 West 4th Street, Scott City Resume/Applications can be sent to: Fax: 620.272.0171 or hr@compassbh.org Or Mailed: Compass Behavioral Health Attn: HR PO Box 1905 Garden City, Ks. 67846
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DISTRICT TREASURER The USD 466 Board of Education is seeking applications for the position of District Treasurer. Duties include: Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable, electronic construction of budget, and production of monthly financial and state reports. Position requires: The preferred candidate will be well-versed in basic accounting and be familiar with Microsoft Work, Microsoft XL spreadsheet and related experience with in-house accounting programs. The district uses the MAPP accounting system. Knowledge and skills with basic business machines is necessary. A business degree is preferred. Training: will begin at the earliest mutually agreeable date possible. Benefits: are a 12-month full-time position with vacation benefits, sick leave and personal leave. A paid full single BC/BS medical benefit is included in the package offer. Salary is to be commensurate with experience and training. To Apply: applicants shall complete the basic application, submit a letter of application, provide a complete resume’ with any letters of recommendation plus a listing of all work experiences and locations with correct phone listing and names of previous supervisors/employers. The application package should be completed in an expeditious manner as the position is “open until filled”. The completed application package can be mailed or delivered to: Susan Carter, Clerk, USD 466, Scott County Schools, 704 S. College, Scott City, Ks 67871. 29tfc
The Scott County Record • Page 34 • Thursday, March 27, 2014
Army cutworms begin their annual invasion Varying levels of army cutworms have been found on scattered fields of wheat, alfalfa, and canola in Kansas as of mid-March. Generally, army cutworms have been found coming out of pastures and other grassy areas. Infested wheat fields seem to be very strongly tied to areas with grass or pasture in close vicinity. Reports of army cutworm infestations are not necessarily a cause for alarm. So far, many of the infestations in wheat are below the treatment level, but it’s something to watch and, if necessary, consider treating in wheat and alfalfa. One of the main concerns at the moment is
Down on the Farm Chris Long Walnut Creek Extension Agent
on seedling alfalfa, where the economic threshold is very low - just two per square foot. Army cutworms oversummer in the Rocky Mountains. They fly back to Kansas and surrounding areas in the fall and lay eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch either in the fall or early winter. They feed on a wide variety of plants including weeds, vegetables, fruit crops, oilseeds and grasses. Plant-use patterns depend on where a female
Round-up •Public Value of the Agricultural Experiment Station – J. Ernest Minton, K-State Agricultural Experiment Station associate director. •Beef-Cattle Outlook: Herd Expansion, Domestic Beef Demand and Export Updates – Glenn Tonsor, K-State Extension agricultural economist. •Comparing SeasonLong Stocking and Intensive Early Stocking Strategies in Western
lays her eggs and what locally available alternatives larvae choose to eat. Despite being broad generalists, larvae may express strong feeding preferences among plant species and even among different wheat cultivars. Larvae begin feeding whenever temperatures rise a few degrees above freezing. When scouting for army cutworms, it is best to wait until temperatures have warmed up well above freezing. When temperatures are near or below freezing, army cutworms will burrow into the loose soil at the base of plants, emerging to feed in the evening if it’s warm enough. Often, if you see birds feeding in a wheat or
(continued from page 29)
Kansas: Keith Harmoney, WKARC range scientist. •Effects of Weaning Method on Weaningand Growing-Phase Performance by Early Weaned Steers: Garrett Preedy, K-State animal science and industry and WKARC graduate student. •Performance of Pregnant Beef Cows Limit-Fed Diets Containing Wheat Straw Ammoniated with Two Rates of Anhydrous
Ammonia and Wet Distillers Grain: Justin Waggoner, K-State Extension beef systems specialist. •Recent Weather: A Look at What has Happened and What is in Store – Jeff Hutton, National Weather Service meteorologist, Dodge City. More information about the Roundup and K-State’s research center is available at www. wkarc.org.
Proposal to downsize beef promotion board USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to downsize the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board from 103 to 99 members. According to USDA, the law authorizing the board requires the board’s size to change with shifts in cattle inventory levels. The last board reapportionment occurred in 2011 when the January 1 inventory report from USDA reported 92.6 million cattle and calves. The proposal would reduce domestic cattle
producer representation on the board from 96 to 93. Importer representation would drop from seven to six. According to USDA, the Beef Promotion and Research Order provides for a review of geographic distribution of U.S. cattle inventories and the number of imported cattle, beef and beef products at least every three months and not more than every two years. In order to be represented on the board, a state or unit must have at least 500,000 head of cat-
tle and is entitled to gain a member for each additional one million head of cattle. The proposed downsize is based on all inventories as well as cattle, beef and beef product import data from 2010-2012. The agency is also seeking nominations for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Kansas is among 15 states and two units (Southwest Unit which includes California and Nevada; and the Importer Unit) which have vacancies to be filled.
alfalfa field this time of year it is probably because of army cutworms. Birds have been known to effectively control army cutworms over a period of a few days. In wheat, larval damage first appears as “windowpane” holes. Feeding by early instar larvae is inconsequential, resulting in barely noticeable damage to leaves. Unlike some other cutworms, only aboveground plant parts are eaten. In wheat, moisture availability, crop condition and regrowth potential are all factors influencing potential losses to the army cutworm. Late-planted fields under dry conditions with poor tillering may suffer
economic damage with as few as one or two larvae per square foot. Larvae restrict feeding to the tender blades of wheat, tending to avoid the stems and crown that make regrowth possible. After larvae have exhausted local food supplies, they may form an “army” and move in search of other suitable host plants. Fortunately, once larvae either pupate or move on, affected wheat plants generally recover, although yields may be reduced if defoliation was severe. As few as two one-inch or longer larvae per square foot may affect stressed, low-density wheat stands. In these situations, a pesticide application will often
yield an economic return. Most fields can usually withstand as many as 4-5 larvae per square foot before requiring treatment, whereas wheat, under good growing conditions, has been observed to withstand densities as high as 8-9 larvae per square foot without a measurable yield impact or an economic return on an insecticide application. Wheat plants in more advanced growth stages can withstand a great deal more defoliation than those in earlier stages. Larvae are easier to kill while they are still small, and early control will provide better damage prevention, as 70 percent of larval consumption occurs in the final instar.