Scott City Elementary School students perform at their Christmas concert
32 Pages • Four Sections
Volume 21 • Number 18
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Published in Scott City, Ks.
$1 single copy
City’s health insurance costs down 5% Health insurance costs are going down for the City of Scott City. Blue Cross/Blue Shield rates that go into effect when the new policy year begins on Feb. 1 will drop between 5.1% and 6.5%, depending on the type of plan being used by city employees. This is the first time that rates have dropped for the city since 2007. The city is also preparing to
Premiums drop for first time since 2007 enter into the third year of a partially self-insured plan. When the city first opted for self-insurance it was assuming more risk in exchange for holding down the cost of premiums. Unlike a growing number of government entities - including USD 466 and Scott County - the City of Scott City still provides full insurance coverage for its
employees. The school district and county only pay for single plans with employees required to make up the difference in premiums beyond that if they also want to include a spouse or dependents on their policy. The Scott City Council has continued offering full health care benefits to its employees
First half taxes are due Dec. 20
despite seeing rate increases in excess of 20 percent during some years. In 2008 and 2009, for instance, the city had to absorb rate hikes of 27.7 and 20.7 percent, respectively. When the city was hit with a 30.7 percent rate increase in 2011, the council decided it needed to move in another direction and try the partially self-insured plan.
Assuming Risk Under this plan, the city is locked into paying a pre-determined amount in administrative costs to BC/BS which, in 2014, will amount to $214,434. In addition, the city puts money aside each month to cover the claims filed by its employees. During 2014, the city will put another $314,974 into the insurance pool. That is the city’s maximum exposure. Any (See HEALTH on page two)
a country Christmas
Scott County residents are reminded that the first half payment of their personal property and real estate taxes is due on Fri., Dec. 20. Payments are made to the Scott County treasurer’s office in the courthouse. The second half payment is due by May 10.
Business concerned with impact of rate hike
The Scott City Council has approved a major increase in rates for the largest water users, but not without being made aware of concerns from one business that stands to be hit hard by the increase. While he wasn’t able to attend the last council meeting, Don Scott, owner of Bay Station Car Wash, did contact council members with respect to how the sharp increase will affect his business. “Don supports and understands why we’re doing this, but he’s also wondering if there can be some adjustment for businesses who are generating revenue from the use of water as opposed to those who are using an excessive amount of water for their lawns,” said Councilman Everett Green. “I don’t see how it will affect him any more than the other two car washes,” noted Councilman Bo Parkinson. According to water usage figures at City Hall, the Bay Station car wash uses an average of 150,000 gallons per month with a peak month of 218,000 during 2013. The automated wash bay uses 30 gallons each time. The council noted that 30 gallons of water costs about 15 cents. Based on the new rates that kick in with usage in excess of 60,000 gallons per month, the average monthly bill for Bay Station will increase by about $210. During a peak month it would increase by $400. “They keep a very clean car wash, but they also use a fire hose to clean the drive,” observed Councilman Fred Kuntzsch, suggesting they may want to use a method that doesn’t require so much water. The council took no action.
Scott City Elementary School fourth graders show their “city cousins” how they celebrate the holiday with their production of “It All Happened in the Country.” Performing “It’s Christmas in the City” are (from left) Paige Hoelting, Chelsie Rose and Zach Rohrbough. (Record Photo)
Planning is already underway for next Ringneck Classic in SC Local organizers have 11 months to prepare for their opportunity to host the next Governor’s Ringneck Classic when the rotation brings it to Scott City next November. They figure to need every bit of that time to stage what will be the fourth annual event. “When you have the governor attached to something like this the expectations are automatically a little greater,” says Katie Eisenhour, director of the Scott County Development Committee. “That’s on top of the expectations we already have when we do something in Scott City. That puts a lot of pressure on everyone associated with this to make it the best one yet.” Eisenhour and Jerry Thomas have been connected with the Ringneck Classic since its inaugural event at Oakley
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Check out the ornament hunt in this week’s Record page 11
three years ago. That’s given them the opportunity to learn from the first two classics held at Oakley and this year’s which was held at Norton/Hill City. “People shouldn’t underestimate how big this is,” says Eisenhour. In terms of the many guest celebrities who will be converging on Scott City, the amount of money this will generate for the community and the media attention, she says, “This will be as big as anything we’ve ever done here.” This year’s event attracted more than 460 people who attended the main banquet and also included about 70 celebrity hunters. Already, six teams have paid their entry fee of $6,000 each to participate in the 2014 Classic. It is open to 20 teams. The goal is to bring in different celebrity hunters each year. Past participants
have included former sports stars George Brett, Dennis Leonard and Tom Watson, in addition to other well-known individuals including, of course, Gov. Sam Brownback. “If a celebrity can’t commit to the entire event, then we won’t have them come out,” Eisenhour emphasizes. “We have plenty of celebrity hunters on the list who want in.” Economic Impact Norton determined that this year’s event generated $180,000 in sales tax revenue over the weekend. This was on top of the approximately $72,000 that was raised through auctions and donations. Sixty percent of the revenue raised will be returned to the community (See CLASSIC on page eight)
The events at Oakley each generated $60,000 and this year’s event brought in $72,000. Our goal is to do even better, with that money going back into the community to benefit local groups and organizations. - Jerry Thomas, Ringneck Classic board member 406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Opinion • Pages 4-5 Calendar • Page 7 Youth/Education • Page 9 LEC report • Page 10 Health • Pages 12-13
Deaths • Page 15 Sports • Pages 17-24 Christmas • Page 25 Farm section • Pages 26-27 Classified ads • Pages 29-31
Tough start for SCHS grapplers in tourney, GC dual Page 17
The Scott County Record • Page 2 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Health
(continued from page one)
claims beyond that total will be picked up by BC/ BS. Anything the city spends below this amount will be carried over into the next budget year. This is where the city’s savings become a little less significant. While the premiums for each of the insurance plans (individual, employee/child, employee/ spouse and employee/ dependents) has dropped, BC/BS has increased its administrative fees by nearly $30,000 for the upcoming year. “They say it’s because of the additional paperwork due to Obamacare,” says City Clerk Brenda Davis. Calculating only the health insurance, the cost of a family plan will drop
from $1,154 this year to $992 next year - or 14%. Administrative fees ($130.75), the stop-loss provision (city’s maximum exposure is $20,000 per policy) and a 125% cap on the city’s maximum payments put the monthly cost for a family plan at $1,837.27 in the upcoming year. That compares with the current premium of $1,945.77. Once administrative costs are added, the actual drop in premiums will be 5.58% for the same family plan. The Benefit The city council feels the self-insurance option has still worked to their benefit. In 2012, when the city made the switch, they were advised that under
the traditional insurance plan their total premiums would be $422,447 - an increase of nearly $26,000 from the previous year. Through Nov. 30 of this year, the city has paid just under $413,000 for health insurance with two months still remaining in the coverage year. That includes $227,547 in claims to its 28 employees and their family members, plus administrative fees. Barring something catastrophic, the city’s costs should be nearly $110,000 below the $522,577 maximum they had budgeted for insurance costs. That maximum exposure has been increased to $529,409 for the upcoming year. With self-insurance, however, the city is gambling that its employees
and their dependents will stay healthy enough that they won’t require maximum insurance benefits. BC/BS is projecting that, based on prior history, the city can expect to pay out just under $252,000 in claims during the upcoming year. Combined with administrative fees, that puts the estimated cost of health insurance at $466,413. That’s only $44,000 higher than the city would have paid for premiums under a standard plan in 2012. If the 2014-15 projections are accurate, that means the city’s insurance costs will have increased by 10.4 percent in the three-year coverage period from 2012-14 - well below the historical average.
How the self-insurance plan works: Administrative fees: the city’s baseline cost even if BC/ BS were not to process a single claim. In 2014 that will be $214,434. That’s an increase from $185,336 in the 2013 policy year. Stop loss: The city pays a maximum of $20,000 for each insurance policy, whether it’s an individual or group plan. Once that maximum has been reached the costs are picked up by BC/BS. The maximum amount the city will have to pay in 2013 is $522,577. The maximum amount in the 2013 policy year is $529,409.
“The council seems to like the self-insurance plan because it provides more accountability. It feels like we have a little control over the cost,” says Davis. While insurance premiums haven’t escalated at quite the same pace over the past three years highlighted by this year’s slight drop - Davis says the overall cost to the city will vary from year to year
because of the number of employees and the type of plan they are enrolled in. An employee on the family plan, for example, may be replaced by an employee who needs only a single plan, and vice versa. In addition, the council agreed to pick up the cost of a dental plan for its employees starting in 2012. In the upcoming year that’s an added cost of $18,751 to the city.
Park Lane holiday party is December 21
Park Lane Nursing Home will host its annual Christmas party for residents and their families on Sat., Dec. 21. This will be a come-and-go event from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Sugar Plum Sale is Sunday
The Scott County Historical Society will host its annual Holiday Open House and Sugar Plum Sale on Sun., Dec. 15, 1:30-3:30 p.m., at the El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery, West K96 Highway, Scott City. Cookies and punch will be served while shoppers select from a wide variety of homemade treats being sold by the pound. There will be a drawing for prizes at 3:30 p.m.
What’s for Lunch in Scott City? Sun. - Sat., Dec. 15-21
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 fries, $10.95
Wed. • Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, $6.95 Thurs. • Chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, $6.95 Fri. • Taco dinner with rice and beans, $6.95
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.
Community Living
The Scott County Record
Page 3 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
Helpful ‘rules’ when baking holiday cookies It seems there are rules to follow in just about everything - even when baking holiday cookies. Here are some interesting tidbits as you get ready for family and guests during the holiday season. Always start by knowing what you are doing (it helps!). Read each recipe and gather your ingredients and utensils and baking pans before you start. Make sure you always measure dry ingredients in a dry ingredient measuring cup or spoon and liquid in a liquid measur-
ing cup at eye level. Preheat your oven and use good oven mitts that cover your entire hand and wrist when removing pans from the oven. When a recipe calls for margarine or butter, do not substitute with a low-fat variety. Butter has an 80 percent fat content
Recipe favorites . . .
Gingerbread Pancakes
Ingredients 1-1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon
baking soda
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1/4 teaspoon
salt
1/2 teaspoon
ground dried ginger
1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
1
egg
1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
1/4 cup
molasses
1-1/2 cups
water
Directions
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside. Beat the egg
in a separate mixing bowl with the vanilla and molasses until smooth. Whisk in the water until completely incorporated. Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined - a few lumps are okay.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat.
Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
Yield: 10 pancakes
Pumpkin Cake
Delicious pumpkin spice cake baked in a sheet pan. Very moist and great for potlucks. When cool, top with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients: 2 cups 1-1/4 cups 1 teaspoon 2 cups 4 2 cups 3 teaspoons 2 teaspoons 1/4 teaspoon 2 teaspoons 1 cup
white sugar vegetable oil vanilla extract canned pumpkin eggs all-purpose flour baking powder baking soda salt ground cinnamon chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared 12x18 inch pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. Yield: 1 - 12x18 inch pan
and lighter or low and reduced-fat butters or margarines do not produce the same results when baking. If you use low or reduced fat margarines, it will make your cookies flatten out to a thin sheet. To begin, clean your work area before, during and after baking. This will prevent cross contamination and is a matter of food safety. As you start to make the dough, pre-measure the flour and other ingredients. Use the best and freshest ones you can find.
Carefully follow each mixing step in the recipe. DO NOT over- or undermix. Each step has a purpose. Use a kitchen timer to keep track of how long to mix, etc. Don’t crowd the oven and avoid opening the oven door during baking. With certain recipes, rotate pans halfway through baking. Pay special attention to baking times. Let your eyes, nose as well as other indicators be your guide. Cool baked goods thor-
Alpha Omega pledges a new member, another returns
Alpha Omega Sorority met on Nov. 14. The opening report was given and Thanksgiving plans were discussed. There were 17 members in attendance. The pledge ceremony was held. Stephani Luebbers was pledged into the sorority and Wanda Barton was welcomed back. The previous meeting’s minutes report and the treasurer’s report were given.
A project was presented by Shirley Suppes with a Thanksgiving poem. Members were asked to write down one word that represented what they were thankful for over the last year. The educational topic was germs and was presented by Paige Vallejo. The closing ritual was held and refreshments were enjoyed by the members.
Helpful cooking tips
•To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top - skillet will be much easier to clean. •Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator - it will keep for weeks. •Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish. •Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up. •When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness. •Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
oughly before serving or storing. Raw dough or batter is not to be eaten because of the raw eggs in the recipe. Dough or batter should be covered and refrigerated if not baked right away. Store baked goods properly in air tight containers.
ment paper. Let’s talk about these two products. Many people ask “which side is up?” when they use aluminum foil - the shiny or the dull side? There is a difference between the two, but it is negligible. Two different sides are the result of the manufacturing process only, so use whichever side you want. Use parchment paper, also called baking paper, for almost every recipe because it is clean and
Easier Cleanup When baking, there are several items that are handy to use to help eliminate clean up time. Line your baking pans with aluminum foil or parch- (See COOKIES on page seven)
The Scott County Record
Editorial/Opinion
Page 4 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
editorially speaking
Obamacare?
Something is having an impact on health costs
Amid the barrage of criticism surrounding the Affordable Care Act one interesting item seems to be overlooked. Health insurance costs are going down. The three years since passage of Obamacare 2011-13 - have seen the slowest growth in health care spending since 1965, when the statistic began being consistently tracked, according to a new report. Health care spending had grown by an average annual rate of 3.9 percent between 2000 and 2007, before dipping to 1.8 percent between 2007 and 2010. According to the new report, the average annual rate of growth from 2011 to 2013 dropped still further, to 1.3 percent. We can see a similar trend closer to home. The cost of health insurance premiums for a Blue Cross/Blue Shield family plan for the City of Scott City has dropped by 14% for the upcoming year. It was only an increase in administrative costs that saw the actual decline in family rates settle in at 5.6%. Over the past three years, the city’s health insurance premiums for a family plan will have increased by 10.4%. That compares to rates which more than doubled, from $775.76 to $1,587.29 from 2007-11. That should offer some explanation as to why nearly 50 million people in the U.S. don’t have health insurance. It would be overreaching to suggest that the only reason health insurance costs have climbed at a much slower rate over the past three years is because of Obamacare. But it would be equally disingenuous to suggest that it had no influence whatsoever. One of the goals of Obamacare was to rein in the spiraling cost of health care and the associated costs for health insurance. Numbers at the national level and even within our own community suggest that may be happening. We can’t say with certainty that slowing down the rate of health insurance costs can be directly attributed to Obamacare, but neither can it be chalked up to mere coincidence either. Insurance companies knew it was pending law and the goal of greater accountability within the health care industry may be having its desired effect. Of course, just slowing the rate at which health insurance costs are increasing isn’t enough. A family plan that costs $1,800 is simply too much for most people to afford who aren’t getting that benefit from their employer. As for the critics of Obamacare, we saw what doing nothing accomplished and we can assume - with a degree of certainty - that continuing to do nothing would have yielded similar results. Only time will tell if this latest trend continues. In the meantime, something is driving down health insurance costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Why not give some credit to Obamacare?
Poor compromise:
Budget deal’s main focus is protecting the wealthy
When you are setting a new standard as a “donothing Congress,” even a modest budget proposal is going to bring praise in Washington, D.C. But, like many things in the nation’s capital, the overall impact is overrated. The budget deal does nothing about the fact that, in any given year, one-in-four of the nation’s largest corporations pay no taxes. It does nothing to improve our declining infrastructure. It does nothing to prevent wealthy individuals and corporations from sheltering billions of dollars from taxes in off-shore accounts. This is “compromise” on today’s political stage. Republicans are able to protect the wealthiest Americans from a tax increase and, in return, they didn’t demand cuts in Medicaid and Social Security. That’s some trade-off. Congress shouldn’t be a continual battleground between political parties to make sure our poorest citizens can earn a living wage; to prevent children from going to bed hungry; to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure for the next generation; and to make sure everyone has access to a better education and higher learning. Asking these people to make further sacrifices without asking the wealthiest Americans and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes shouldn’t even be a matter of debate. Doing the morally right thing shouldn’t be a matter of partisan politics. Unfortunately, that’s where we are today. And this is what our leaders in Congress call progress.
Recruiting for war on Christmas
Just like red kettles on every other street corner, War on Christmas recruiting centers always make their appearance at this time of year. I was walking by one the other day when the recruiting officer at the door called out, “We can use a few good men.” Why not, I thought to myself. Maybe this is my opportunity to be one of the few, one of the proud. As I sat down at a table I had to ask, “What’s it like on the front line?” “It’s worse than people can imagine,” said the recruiter as he leaned forward. “At the rate that liberals are taking Christ out of Christmas I give us only two, maybe three years, before we are completely overrun with holiday trees and seasons greetings. Christmas trees will be a thing of the past.” “Then sign me up,” I demanded. “Give me a candy cane and send me into battle.” “We love your enthusiasm, but first we must ask a few questions just to be sure you’re psychologically strong enough to en-
ter into battle,” the recruiter explained. To begin with, do you greet people with ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Merry Christmas’ at this time of year?” “What’s the difference?” I asked. “If you say ‘Happy Holidays’ it means you’re a liberal atheist and ‘Merry Christmas’ means you’re a Republican Christian whose soul will be redeemed regardless of how many American jobs you’ve shipped overseas and how much you cut social programs for the poor.” “Since you put it that way, I’m a ‘Merry Christmas’ person,” I said. “Liberal atheists claim that it was pagan religions that first started the tradition of the Christmas tree and feasts this time of year to coincide with the winter solstice. Republican Christians claim that the pagans had no idea they
were really celebrating Christmas until they were educated several hundred years later. Who do you believe is right?” “What could pagans possibly know about the longest day of the year or the seasons?” I answered. “They were, after all, pagans.” “Excellent answer,” the recruiter said. “And when do we begin celebrating the birth of Jesus?” “That’s easy,” I said. “It starts with Black Friday, which has now become Black Thursday and kicks into the full celebration of Christ’s birth on Cyber Monday.” “You keep going like this and you’ll be an officer in the war on Christmas in no time,” the recruiter beamed. “Now this next one is going to be a little tougher. Our headquarters at Fox News released a story the other day that President Obama will be celebrating Obamacare instead of Christmas.” “Tell me it isn’t so,” I said in disbelief. “According to Fox News, a new Obama In-
ternet ad campaign includes the following anti-Christmas message: ‘This holiday season, talk to your loved ones about health insurance.’” “The audacity,” I said. “Health insurance? How un-American and unChristian can you get? This is the time of year when families should be gathered around the Xbox and celebrating how many kills they can get playing Call of Duty. Who cares about health care? Thank God we still have the Pope. Maybe he can set this President straight on what Christmas is really about.” “It’s good to hear you say that because the War on Christmas is being fought on two fronts this year. Not only are we taking on the liberals, but now we are being attacked by the Pope.” “You’re yanking my rosary beads,” I said in disbelief. “I’m afraid it’s true,” the recruiter said in a NotSo-Merry-Christmas tone of voice. “Pope Francis has the nerve to condemn (See WAR on page six)
Everyone just wants to have fun
World Bank economist Branko Milanovic does serious work. His explorations into global income distribution have won him a wide - and appreciative audience in scholarly and policy-making circles the world over. But Milanovic isn’t always crunching data and writing up insightful articles and books. In fact, he likes to have a good time as much as anyone. The Serbian economist may even rate, in some people’s eyes, as a fun sort of guy. Recently, in a lighthearted moment, Milanovic brought his two passions together and came up with a new yardstick for human progress, a global index for measuring “funness.” This “funness” index, Milanovic acknowledges, “started as a joke.” The world has “all kinds of
Where to Write
another view by Sam Pizzigati
international indexes,” as he told an Australian journalist earlier this fall. We should have one, “that explores fun.” But the joke soon turned intellectually interesting. What does, after all, make one society more fun to live in than another? Milanovic would eventually work up a list of 10 basic factors that encourage good times. Some of his “elements” would be rather obvious. Fun places, as his yardstick recognizes, have “lots of restaurants and good nightlife.” Other elements on his list turn out to be far more edgy. Fun places, Milanovic writes, have a “slight decadence floating
Gov. Sam Brownback 2nd Floor - State Capitol Topeka, Ks. 66612-1501 (785) 296-3232
in the air” - and “frequent changes in government.” How do changes in government help people have fun? They give people, the economist explains, plenty of “topics to talk about.” But truly fun societies have more than hot spots and hot topics. They have “low inequality and small differences in social status,” Milanovic suggests. “I think people treat each other better in societies that do not have very rigid social divisions and distinctions,” Milanovic says. “You have more fun in places where people treat each other well.” How specifically does inequality turn savagely unequal societies into party-pooping places? Milanovic doesn’t delve too deeply into specifics with his “funness” index. He does offer one anecdotal example. If
Sen. Pat Roberts 109 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4774 roberts.senate.gov/email.htm
you come out of a restaurant after a great meal and have “20 people asking you for money,” he explains, that’s probably going to “spoil your fun.” Other chroniclers of our unequal times have actually gone far more deeply into this fun phenomenon, most notably the journalist Michelle Quinn. Back in 1999, at the height of the dot.com bubble, Quinn did a powerful series of articles in the San Jose Mercury News, the hometown paper of California’s Silicon Valley. Her focus: the streetlevel impact of the high tech industry’s incredibly unequal distribution of rewards. “Economic disparity,” Quinn would note in her reporting, “has always made socializing awkward.” (See FUN on page six)
Sen. Jerry Moran 141 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-6521 www.house.gov/moranks01/
We all pay by making the poor even poorer
The Scott County Record • Page 5 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
by Robert Rubin, Roger Altman and Melissa Kearney
The Senate passed a bill in June mandating $4 billion in cuts over 10 years; the House version, passed in September, imposes nearly $40 billion in reductions. A conference committee has been charged with resolving these differences. Somehow, this negotiation is occurring amid the worst poverty levels in two decades, a weak overall economy and rapidly falling budget deficits. Under these circumstances, it would be economically and morally unsound to carry out the cuts. Nearly 20 percent of Americans are officially poor or near poor. The Census Bureau reports that 15 percent of the population - nearly 47 million people - lives in poverty, including 22 percent of children. For an individual, this means
annual income of $12,000 or less. For a family of four, the poverty threshold is $24,000 or less. Consider what living on those amounts would mean. Roughly 18 million other people are near poor, living within 130 percent of the poverty line, according to census data. For individuals, this means earning $15,000 or less. These people often weave in and out of official poverty, depending on the month. Most Americans living in poverty experience hunger or the pervasive fear of it. The USDA reported that 49 million Americans, including 16 million children, lived in food-insecure households last year. That means that at some point in 2012, these households did not have enough food or were uncertain of having enough. That is as if all of California, Oregon and Washington were
Most Americans living in poverty experience hunger or the pervasive fear of it. The USDA reported that 49 million Americans, including 16 million children, lived in food-insecure households last year.
experiencing hunger or were afraid of it. There are serious social, economic and health consequences; for instance, diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions afflict Americans who don’t have access to adequate nutrition. Total federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), this country’s main hunger prevention program, was $82.5 billion in fiscal 2013. To some that sounds like a lot, but it’s a small fraction of a $3.5 trillion budget and $16 trillion economy. This is evident when percapita benefits are studied: The
2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act temporarily raised the weekly SNAP benefit by $25 to $33 for a family of four. But that temporary increase was allowed to expire this fall, so the SNAP benefit is back to the lower figure, or less than $1.40 per person per meal. It is hard to reconcile traditional American values of hard work and generosity with the levels of poverty and fear of hunger in our country, especially because large shares of those suffering this plight work. Nearly 11 million working Americans had annual income below the poverty line last year. The working poor or near poor are also disadvantaged by our tax system. When a lowwage worker gets a raise or his or her spouse joins the workforce, food stamps are cut back. The family’s Medicaid eligibility is in jeopardy, and earned-
income tax credit refunds are reduced or eliminated. A November 2012 Congressional Budget Office analysis concluded that the marginal tax rate imposed on increased income for such workers can be as much as 95 cents on every additional dollar earned. This is counterproductive. Food stamps aren’t just a question of social justice; they are also a matter of economic policy. SNAP spending was increased in 2009 as part of the stimulus legislation to help rescue the economy. Like other elements of that legislation, the idea was to put money into the pockets of financially distressed Americans who would immediately spend it. The CBO reported that this legislation was largely effective in protecting the economy. (See POORER on page six)
Koch brothers are still trying to break wind by Elliott Negin
Republicans have forced filibuster votes on more execAs Congress dithers for the utive branch nominees under umpteenth time over extending Obama than under all other a key subsidy for wind energy, presidents combined.
Spymaster goes after reporters by Jim Hightower
In the movie plot of a spy thriller, our hero gets captured by agents of a repressive government, and they take him into a dark interrogation room, where the sadistic spymaster hisses at him: “We have ways of making you talk.” Meanwhile, in real life, the director of our National Security Agency hisses at journalists: “We have ways of keeping you from talking.” Well, not quite in those words, but Gen. Keith Alexander, chief spook at NSA and head of US Cyber Command, did reveal a chilling disrespect for our Constitutional right to both free speech and a free press.
In an October interview, he called for outlawing any reporting on his agency’s secret program of spying on every American: “I think it’s wrong that newspaper reporters have all these documents . . . giving them out as if these - you know it just doesn’t make any sense.” Then came his spooky punch line: “We ought to come up with a way of stopping it . . . It’s wrong to allow this to go on.” Holy Thomas Paine! Spy on us, okay; report on it, not. What country does this autocrat represent? Alexander’s secret, indiscriminate, supercomputer scooping-up of data on every phone call, email, and other private business of every American is what “doesn’t make any sense.” It’s an Orwellian, mass
invasion of everyone’s privacy, creating the kind of routine, 24/7 surveillance state our government loudly deplores in China and Russia - and it amounts to stomping on our Fourth Amendment guarantee that we’re to be free of “unreasonable searches and seizures.” That’s the real outrage we should be “stopping.” But no, our constitutionally-clueless spymaster doubles down on his dangerous ignorance by also stomping on the First Amendment. If this were a movie, people would laugh at it as being too silly, too far-fetched to believe. But there it is, horribly real. Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author
the industry once again is up in the air. Called the production tax credit (PTC), the subsidy helps level the playing field between wind and fossil fuels and has proven to be critical for financing new projects, helping to make wind one of the fastest growing electricity sources in the country. Given the planet needs to transition as quickly as possible away from coal and natural gas to carbon-free energy to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, who would be against renewing wind’s tax credit? The Koch brothers, that’s who. Charles G. and David H. Koch - the billionaire owners of the coal, oil and gas Koch Industries conglomerate - have enlisted their extensive network of think tanks, advocacy groups and friends on Capitol Hill to spearhead a campaign to pull the plug on the PTC. Never mind the fact that the oil and gas industry has averaged four times what the wind tax credit is worth in federal tax breaks and subsidies annually for the last 95 years. The Koch network is fighting the wind industry on a number of fronts. Last month, Kochfunded Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-Ks.) sent a letter
signed by 52 House members to the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, urging him to let the PTC expire. Meanwhile, a coalition of some 100 national and local groups organized by the Koch-founded Americans for Prosperity sent a letter to each member of Congress asking them to do the same. And earlier this month, the Koch-funded Institute for Energy Research launched an anti-PTC ad campaign and released a report claiming that only a handful of states actually benefit from the subsidy. The fact that Rep. Mike Pompeo is the Kochs’ point man to scuttle the PTC in the House is a bit ironic given his state is a wind energy leader. Kansas has the second highest wind potential in the country, it has already attracted more than $5 billion in wind industry investment, and last year wind generated 11.4 percent of its electricity. With stats like that, the industry has broad bipartisan support. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts - all Republicans - are big fans. Pompeo, who has been in Congress since only 2011, (See WIND on page six)
Teaching Republicans how to talk to women Make a woman laugh, Marilyn Monroe supposedly said, and you can make her do anything. Judging from the women who fell for him, Woody Allen learned this early. Alas, he is the least likely role model for Republican males, who seem to have misinterpreted the meaning of the aphorism. To clarify: The idea is to make a girl laugh by engaging her wit, not to make her laugh at you. As Republican leaders recently began tutoring their male candidates on “How to Talk to a Lady” (my title), it was tempting to imagine what wisdom was being imparted. A few ideas: “Whatever you do, do not mention the V-word.”
behind the headlines by Kathleen Parker
“Steer clear of ‘legitimate rape.’ All rape is illegitimate. Whatever.” “No matter what, avoid voicing thoughts such as, ‘This gal is probably not a candidate for Lululemon yoga pants.’ ” I was unable to secure confirmation on any of the above despite investigative e-mails. The absence of transparency, of course, leads to rampant speculation. And, alas, mockery. Even though well-intended and much-needed, the idea that men should get coaching on how to talk to women so as not to offend them is sort of 1950s
prep school-ish, as have been some of the suggestions directed their way. “You have to connect with women on an emotional level,” said Mark Jacobs, a Republican Senate candidate from Iowa, when a television interviewer asked him what the biggest difference is between men and women. “And with a wife of 25 years and an 18-year-old daughter, I’ve had a lot of coaching on that,” Jacobs continued. There you go! See how simple? In more speculation: “Madam Senator, I know it must be really hard to juggle your duties here with all the hormonal activity of a seasoned woman such as yourself - and I say that with great compassion because, you know, I have a wife, too. Hoo-boy, do I ever!
Just kidding. Sorry, Freudian boxers! Heh-heh-heh. Hey, I thought they said you gals like to laugh?!” All kidding aside, the real reason for these tutoring sessions is to ensure that incumbent Republicans, especially those who face female opponents, don’t commit any unforced errors on issues important to women. In recent years, women have been stampeding the other way like a herd of Gallimimus evading a T. rex or, in this case, a T. Akin, as in Todd, the former Missouri congressman who helpfully defined “legitimate rape.” If I may: Gentlemen, one should connect with women emotionally in the privacy of one’s own home. At work, you can talk to a woman just as
you talk to a guy, assuming you’re communicating about work-related issues. If you are confused about this, you should assume the fetal curl in the privacy of your therapist’s office. The truth is, Democrats have engaged in such training, too. Notably, Joe Biden was coached about how to deal with Sarah Palin during the 2008 vice presidential debate: gently, kindly and without condescension or even a tiny hint of bullying. Biden performed admirably, flashing his million-buck smile without betraying his certain interior bafflement. Further to truth, except for the occasional nitwit, the Republican Party is not antiwoman despite exhaustive messaging from the left. (See WOMEN on page six)
The Scott County Record • Page 6 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Ruling could bring end to open internet access “paid prioritization.” In 2010, the FCC passed the Open Internet order. The order was designed to keep Internet users in the driver’s seat by empowering the FCC to stop Internet service providers from manipulating online content. But a court ruling against the FCC would usher in an age of online payola, and fundamentally alter the character of the Internet. Allowing paid prioritization would shift power away from the upstarts and visionaries - those who have sparked one of history’s greatest periods of economic and technological growth - toward
by Timothy Karr
The era of Internet openness could be coming to an end. If, as many expect, a federal appeals court rules to allow an Internet payola system, phone and cable companies will start to prioritize access to the few online sites and services that can afford to pay them extra. The court deciding Verizon vs. FCC could issue its ruling as early as Christmas. The judges hearing the case in September seemed inclined to strike down the Federal Communications Commission’s ability to prevent the practice of
Fun
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established companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, which want to rein in any online innovation that threatens their plans to control the new media economy. This is bad news for anyone who thinks the Internet marketplace should remain open to all comers. By design, the Internet’s flat network architecture has allowed anyone to innovate without having to first seek permission from the service providers that control much of the “last mile” access to Internet users. With an open network, Internet users can pick from a wealth of online offerings; they aren’t
This awkwardness, her reporting detailed, can spoil even the most casual of encounters. Just going about “picking a restaurant to meet friends,” Quinn related, can end up sparking considerable social static if some acquaintances in a group can easily afford a hot new dinner spot and others can’t. Wealthy people, once singed by such static, tend to take steps to avoid it in the future. They start, sometimes consciously, sometimes not, only “making friends with those whose economic profile is similar to theirs.” In the process, old social circles shrink and crumble. Daily life becomes ever more stratified - and stressful. Girls and boys who “just want to have fun,” as Cyndi Lauper sang, might be wise to keep all these dynamics in mind. The narrower the gaps that divide us, the better the chances that good times are going to be rolling.
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - With six fingers of Johnnie Walker swirling in his favorite tumbler, John Boehner speaks with the quiet assurance of a man on the brink of something big. Just two workdays remain until Congress packs it in for 2013, and the House that Boehner presides over is about to set the record for the least productive year in its history - a quixotic goal that Sam Pizzigati is an Institute for Policy Studies associate fel- the tawny Ohioan set for
Poorer
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More broadly, investments such as SNAP equip the poor and near poor to succeed economically. Good nutrition - as well as health care, education and secure housing - is a requisite for productivity, helping unemployed or marginally employed workers move into better jobs. This also allows them to build a better life for their children. It would be both unjust and economically unsound for Congress to cut benefits to the poor and near poor. It has been a generation since our country last had a robust conversation about combatting poverty. Now is the time to reinvigorate that conversation, not cut needed benefits. Robert Rubin and Roger Altman were Treasury secretary and deputy Treasury secretary, respectively, in the Clinton administration. Melissa Kearney is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland
Women
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Yes, the party is pro-life, but this is hardly a ridiculous position. Unfortunately, as a society, we’ve stopped thinking about life beyond that which pertains immediately and pleasurably to our own gratification. What is ridiculous is Republicans’ incompetence in communicating their case. My advice would be to stop trying. Paul Ryan is pro-life, but you don’t hear him yakking about it. The GOP is not helped by such characters as Rush Limbaugh, whom the White House brilliantly tagged as leader of the party and who may be the single greatest obstacle to attracting women. His latest insult among many was advice to women concerned with sexual harassment: “Please ask your breasts to stop staring at my eyes.” Are you laughing yet, ladies? Didn’t think so. Rather than tutor men about how to talk to women, Republicans might do better to recruit some of their own smartest women to public service. The boys might discover that women, rather than looking for a man to handle things, just want to get stuff done. One does fear, however, that once these freshly counseled gents witness intelligent, conservative women committing government, they might swoon from the shock of revelation and, you know, try to connect emotionally. Kathleen Parker is a Pulitizer Prize winning columnist who writes on politics and culture
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livestreaming of sports, router speeds up one serentertainment and gaming vice, all others are automatically slowed down. that much faster.” Consumer choice be damned. Zero-Sum Game And ISPs won’t just “The more accurate analogy here is like say- favor the sites that pay up; ing, imagine if your state they’ll also give special refused to let FedEx drive preference to their own on its roads without pay- services. They’re eager to ing extra, and instead protect their legacy voice, (sold) ‘exclusive’ access text and video services to UPS,” Mike Masnick from the kind of comwrites. “That’s not about petition the open Internet someone getting some- makes possible. The basic principle thing for free: It’s about the infrastructure provider of open, nondiscriminatory interconnection is blocking competition.” To fully understand baked into the DNA of communicaInternet payola, we must two-way first understand a basic tions networks. Paid priengineering reality: When oritization would turn the you prioritize one bit you Internet into something slow down all others. If a (See INTERNET on page 7)
Record is within Boehner’s grasp by Andy Borowitz
low and a co-author of the new report ‘Fix the Debt’ CEOs Enjoy Taxpayer-Subsidized Pay.” His latest book is The Rich Don’t Always Win: The Forgotten Triumph over Plutocracy that Created the American Middle Class
pushed toward the one company that’s struck a special deal with their carrier. They can choose a privacy-respecting email service like Hushmail and not see their choice degraded in favor of Yahoo! or another bluechip email service that’s paid for speedy delivery. ISPs and their supplicants argue that providers should be able to charge big websites and services to “cut to the front of the line” at congested nodes along the network. “If ISPs could offer premium services,” writes Everett Ehrlich, “then we’d get telemedicine, remote education,
War trickle down economics and how the needs of the poor and needy are not being met. But you won’t hear him say one word about protecting plastic nativity scenes on courthouse lawns. Talk about your misplaced priorities.” “Doesn’t he understand that trickle down economics has only been in effect for a little over 30 years?
Wind would argue that he’s against all energy tax credits. For the second year in a row, he has introduced a bill that would eliminate tax breaks that benefit oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, electric vehicles, alternative fuels, solar and wind, including the PTC, which gives wind developers a tax credit of 2.3 cents for each kilowatt-hour of electricity they produce. But there’s a catch. Although it appears evenhanded, Pompeo’s bill would severely hamper wind and solar but preserve a number of oil, gas and coal subsidies. These and other tax breaks he left out of his bill would be worth about $12.5 billion to the oil and gas industry from 2011 through 2015. Why is Pompeo so down on wind? Perhaps it’s because Koch Industries is headquartered in Wichita, smackdab in the middle of his district - and the fact that the company is by far and away his biggest campaign contributor. Since
himself when he arrived in Washington, in 1991. “Like most of us, I came to this town hoping to make history,” he says, refilling his tumbler. “And, damn it, that’s what I’m about to do.” Downing his glass in one gulp, he reflects upon “all the little things that had to go right” to make the year of epic underachievement possible. “There were the Benghazi hearings, of course, and all the votes to repeal Obamacare,” he says. “But when we shut down the government in
the fall, I started thinking, Jesus, the record - it could happen.” During those heady shutdown days, Boehner didn’t dare speak about the record he had long dreamed of setting “didn’t want to jinx anything” - but with Congress’s work year set to end on Friday, he now admits, “I’m so close I can taste it.” On Tuesday, when members of his caucus came up with a bipartisan budget deal, Boehner “had a little come-toJesus meeting with them,” he says. “I told them, I’ve
worked too long and hard for this record, damn it. Don’t mess it up at the last minute by accomplishing something.” So with the record for worst Congress seemingly in the bag, “I can cross that off my bucket list,” he says. What does John Boehner do for an encore? “It’s going to be tough to make next year’s Congress even worse,” he says, pouring himself another tall one. “But it’s going to be fun trying.” Andy Borowitz is a comedian and author
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Things like this don’t happen overnight,” I said. “You sound just like the kind of soldier we’re looking for,” said the recruiter. “Just one more question.” “Which miracle do you think is greater, the one that happened in Bethlehem or the one on 34th Street?” I hesitated. This was obviously a trick question.
“I say that if not for the miracle in Bethlehem the one on 34th Street would never have happened. You can’t have Santa without Jesus.” “You are definitely our man,” beamed the recruiter. “Now get out there and show people the true meaning of Christmas and don’t stop until your credit cards are maxed.” “This is going to be
easier than I thought,” I said after signing my enlistment paperwork. “Don’t be fooled,” the recruiter added. “The hardest part for us is losing a war that the other side doesn’t even know is being fought. It’s like shadow boxing and getting beat by your own shadow.” Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com
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2010, Koch Industries has given him $200,000, more than four times what his second highest contributor kicked in. Besides Koch Industries, three other oil companies are among Pompeo’s top five contributors - McCoy Petroleum, Mull Drilling and Richie Exploration - and they’re also based in Wichita. Pompeo’s letter came on the heels of a letter from the Kochs’ flagship advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity, calling for Congress to kill the PTC. AFP’s letter, which was signed by 102 organizations, claims that “the wind industry has very little to show after 20 years of preferential tax treatment.” Is that right? Little to show? Preferential tax treatment? In fact, until Congress left the wind industry hanging late last year, it had been doing quite well. In 2012, domestic manufacturers produced roughly 72 percent of the wind turbine equipment erected across the country - near-
ly triple the percentage in 2006 - and more than 13,000 megawatts of new wind generation capacity was installed. By the end of last year, there were enough wind turbines to power 15 million typical American homes - without toxic pollutants or carbon emissions. But AFP’s complaint that the wind industry has been on the dole far too long is even more galling. What about the oil and gas industry? It’s been feeding at the federal trough since 1918! On average, the industry has benefited from $4.86 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in today’s dollars every year since then. This uncertainty over the PTC’s status has put wind developers at a distinct disadvantage, making it difficult to attract investors and plan ahead. Wind farm construction has fallen off dramatically compared with 2012: Only one utilityscale wind turbine was installed in the first six months of this year. Given that it takes
years to plan, finance and construct a wind farm, Congress is again undermining the industry’s potential by slowwalking the PTC extension this year. And that potential is tremendous. Wind currently generates about four percent of U.S. electricity, but by 2030 it could produce more than 20 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory also is bullish on wind and renewables writ large. It published a report that concluded today’s commercially available renewable technologies could easily generate 80 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050, with nearly half coming from wind. If the Koch brothers and their allies have their way, however, it likely will take a lot longer to get there - and it will cost a hell of a lot more. Elliott Negin is the director of news and commentary at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Cookies avoids the need for adding fat to a recipe (spraying the pan). It’s also a terrific baking pan liner because it can withstand high temperatures, is nonstick and is also super-strong, even when wet. It is available in rolls and sheets; rolls are available at the supermarket, but sheets have to be purchased from a cake decorating store. Parchment paper is made by running sheets of paper through a sulfuric acid bath, a process that makes the paper strong even when it gets wet or hot. The surface of parchment, also called sulfurized paper, is hard, smooth and impermeable so it won’t soak up grease
The Scott County Record • Page 7 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Internet
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or moisture. Many manufacturers also apply a silicone coating to make it entirely nonstick, which is why this kind of parchment is sometimes called silicone paper. Waxed paper is essentially tissue paper that’s been coated with paraffin on both sides, making it supposedly greaseproof and moisture proof. It eventually lets liquids soak through, tears easily, and the wax eventually starts to melt, unless it’s completely covered and protected from the heat. For example, waxed paper isn’t good for baking cookies because the exposed portions would smoke and char, but it’s
fine at the bottom of a batter-filled cake or brownie pan. If you use a rolling pin, follow these guidelines to keep your rolling pin forever. Never wash in a dish washer. (Note: Don’t apply mineral oil once a year unless it is handmade.) Towel dry after washing by hand. Remember to never leave your prized wood kitchen tools in a sink full of water. It is unwise to waterlog the wood. Simply wash and remove from the sink as soon as possible. Resist the urge to scrub the pin with lots of soapy water, you can wipe it down with a wet soapy cloth and then rinse quickly.
Make sure you gently scrape off any bits stuck on dough from the wooden pin before you wash it. You can use a dough scraper or the straight side of a table knife. When you’re scraping, take care not to nick or gouge the wood - a smooth surface is key in a rolling pin. Check in with me next week to learn how prebaking your cookies and freezing them will make your holidays that much easier. If you can’t wait until next week for that information, give me a call (872-2930) and I will help you with your questions. Or email me your questions at ccrouch@ksu.edu.
akin to cable television, where choice is an illusion manipulated by the provider and the companies that control most channels. The openness principle, often referred to as Net Neutrality, is why the Internet has become a network for the truest expression of the free market. Regardless of the court’s decision, the FCC
(continued from page six)
has the responsibility to ensure that ISPs don’t use their power over Internet access to seize control of content and destroy this marketplace. Stopping Internet payola now is vital to saving the Internet over the long term. Timothy Karr serves as the Campaign Director for Free Press, the Free Press Action Fund and SavetheInternet. com
HUK
872-2090
December We’re here for you
872-5328 Sunday
Monday
15
Turner Sheet Metal 1851 S. Hwy 83 Scott City, Ks 67871 (620) 872-2954 • 800-201-2954
Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Kindergarten Spirit of Christmas
Pioneer Christmas SCHS Band/Choir concert @ Lake Scott, , 6:00-8:00 p.m. SCMS Boys BB practice begins
No charge for community events
Thursday
Friday
19 SCHS FFA meeting @ Ag shop
Pack66/Troop 149, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday
20 SCHS BB @ Ulysses, 4:45 p.m.
SCHS Christmas Prom @ SCHS
SCES Christmas sing-a-long, 10:00 a.m.
SCHS Wrestling @ Goodland Holiday Classic
BOE meeting, 5:30 p.m. Attend the church of your choice.
Case for Santa @ SC Library, 1:00 p.m.
Al-Anon meeting @ Community Christian Church, 6:30 p.m.
Park Lane Nursing Home Christmas Party, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
City Council meeting, 7:30 p.m.
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BINGO
CHRISTMAS EVE!
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25 MERRY CHRISTMAS!
St. Joseph Parish Center 7:00 p.m.
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Classic (continued from page one)
through donations to the walking trail fund, the historical society, health and wellness programs, etc. “A lot of people and organizations stand to benefit, which is why we need so many people who will step forward and volunteer,” says Thomas. “And we need area landowners who are willing to open up their land to hunters.” He estimates that 30-40 landowners will be needed. Individuals have already been appointed to committees that will oversee different phases of the Classic. The event will also get assistance from Tyler Sharp of Sharp’s Shooting Sports, Healy, who plans to set up a site for shooting clays near the fairgrounds. “The primary goal is to promote pheasant hunting in northwest Kansas, youth hunting activities and tourism in the region,” says Thomas. “But this is also a huge boost for the local economy and we need to do everything we can to maximize that benefit.” “As soon as the Norton event was over we could feel the clock start ticking,” adds Eisenhour. Individuals and organizations wanting to get involved, or wanting to learn more, can contact Eisenhour at the SCDC office (872-7361) or Thomas (874-0174).
Council eliminates mandatory retirement
A mandatory retirement age provision is being stricken from the City of Scott City’s employee policy manual. Council members were unaware of the requirement until asked by longtime police dispatcher Cora Wright if they would consider eliminating the policy. It requires employees to retire at age 70 and Wright will turn 70 in March. “That’s age discrimination,” noted City Attorney John Shirley. “It would be wise to change the policy.” “I don’t believe it’s been an issue until now because everyone else has been ready to retire,” said Wright. “I’m not ready yet.” The council agreed to revise the employee manual and make no reference to a mandatory retirement age.
The Scott County Record • Page 8 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
4-H Club News Jayhawkers plan Christmas parties The Manning Jayhawkers 4-H Club meeting was called to order on Nov. 11 by President Macy Davis. Brenna Burnett led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call was answered by “What is your favorite Thanksgiving food”? There were 21 members and two leaders present. Asher Huck gave the treasurer’s report. Council members announced that there was an upcoming pancake feed and requested that we bring syrup and butter. For the program Rachel Anliker gave a talk on how you can relate 4-H to many different areas in life. We put together stocking stuffers for the troops. The countywide club party will be a movie at the Oakley movie theater. The club Christmas party will be held at our next meeting. You need to bring a candy bar wrapped for gifts. Basketball games and hunter’s education announcements were made. Brenna Burnett led us in the 4-H Pledge and the meeting was adjourned. Megan Smith, reporter
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Welcome and Thank You to our Newest Contributors: Berning Farms Hugh and Berta Binns Steven J. Blickenstaff Family Trust Terry and Judy Faurot Family Five Bar Farms Jim Hess Family
Wes and Debbie Campbell Family Endowed Fund Dona Dee Carpenter Family Endowed Fund Floyd and Eva Fairleigh Family Endowed Fund John and Jennifer Fairleigh Family Endowed Fund Wayne and Tressa Griffith Family Endowed Fund Kelly and Mitzi Hoeme Family Endowed Fund Stacy and Kyle Hoeme Family Endowed Fund Melvin Dan and Barbara J. (Bastin) Hutchins Endowed Fund Loren and Sidney Janzen Family Endowed Fund Paul Jennison Family Endowed Fund Fred and Emma Krause Family Endowed Fund F.H. Mahler and Lucy Mahler Macy Endowed Fund
On behalf of the Scott Community Foundation, we would like to thank and recognize the support we have received in 2013. We are grateful for the individuals and families who have contributed to our Capital Campaign. We are getting very close to our $2.5 million goal!
Delmer and Thelma Miller Family Endowed Fund Minnix Farms 5.0, LLC Endowed Fund John and Monica Muench Family Endowed Fund Novak Family Endowed Fund Skip and Tonni Numrich Family Endowed Fund Duane and Marylin Ramsey Family Endowed Fund Vulgamore Family Farms Endowed Fund
Would your family like to know more? Gifts and pledges can be made over a five year period.
If you or your family are interested in being a part of the Capital Campaign, please contact the Scott Community Foundation at 620-872-3790 or return the form below.
Scott community Foundation - GiFt /PledGe card “GrowinG the Green” caPital camPaiGn
outriGht contriBution: Check enclosed for: $25____ $50____ $100____ $500____ $1,000____ or Other____ . Please charge my/our credit card: Card Number ___________________________________________ Exp. Date_________ Authorized Signature: _____________________________________________________________ Date ________________ I/We wish to make a gift of Other: ___________________________________________________ PledGe: I/We promise to make a gift of $____________made payable to Scott Community Foundation in ___ Quarterly ___Semi-annual ___ Annual installments of $____________, beginning in ___________ (month/year). deFerred GiFt: I/We wish to make a deferred gift through: ____ Will provision ____Charitable trust ____ Life insurance ____ Life estate ____ Other (description) _______________________________________________________ corPorate matchinG GiFt: Matching gift by____________________________________________ (employer name) in the amount of $ _______________ PuBlicity: I/We approve publicity for this gift. Please publicize the gift in the name(s) of ______________________________________________________________________________. donor inFormation: Name(s)___________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________ City_________________________ State____ Zip___________ Home Phone______________________________ Daytime Phone ___________________________ Email Address _______________________________________________
The Scott County Record
Youth/Education
You’re from where?
Page 9 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
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Scott County Lumber “Helping You Get it Done with Excellence” 1510 S. Main, Scott City • 872-5334 Four-year-old Spencer Roberts, Scott City, is fascinated by his chance to meet with Santa during family reading night at Scott City Elementary School on Tuesday evening. (Record Photo)
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The Scott County Record
For the Record
The Scott County Record Page 10 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Don’t forget mandatory IRA withdrawals Jason Alderman
With final holiday preparations looming, the last thing anyone wants to think about is next April’s tax bill. But if you’re over 70-1/2 and have any tax-deferred retirement accounts (like an IRA), put down the wrapping paper and listen up: IRS rules say that, with few exceptions, you must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your accounts by
December 31 of each year - and pay taxes on them - or face severe financial penalties. Here’s what you need to know about RMDs: Congress devised IRAs, 401(k) plans and other tax-deferred retirement accounts to encourage people to save for their own retirement. Aside from Roth plans, people generally contribute “pretax” dollars to these accounts, which means the contributions and their
Scott City Council Agenda Mon., Dec. 2 • 7:30 p.m. City Hall • 221 W. 5th •Call to Order •Approve minutes of Dec. 2 regular meeting •Discuss Edwards invoice - sandwich shop •Scott County Development Committee update •Approve cereal malt beverage licenses •Casey’s General Store •Heartland Foods •LaFiesta •Pizza Hut •Scott City Recreation •The Pantry •Approve employee manual revision • retirement •Approve transfer from general fund to special highway fund
investment earnings aren’t taxed until withdrawn after retirement. In exchange for allowing your account to grow tax-free for decades, Congress also decreed that minimum amounts must be withdrawn - and taxed - each year after you reach 70-1/2. To ensure these rules are followed, unless you meet certain narrowly defined conditions, you’ll have to pay an excess accumulation tax equal to 50 percent of the RMD
you should have taken; plus you’ll still have to take the distribution and pay regular income tax on it. You can delay or avoid paying an RMD in certain cases, including: •If you’re still employed at 70-1/2, you may delay starting RMDs from your work-based accounts until you actually retire, without penalty; however, regular IRAs are subject to the rule, regardless of work status.
USD 466 Board of Education Agenda Mon., Dec. 16 • 5:30 p.m. Administration Building • 704 College •Awards and recognition 1) SCHS vocal music 2) SCHS FFA •Comments from public •Executive session •Recognition of persons/delegations present 1) High Plains Co-op - Eric Erven 2) NW Ks. Tech. College - Mark Davis 3) Administrative reports 4) Audit report 5) Neighborhood Revitalization request •Financials 1) Bills payable
•Open agenda: audience is invited to voice ideas or concerns. A time limit may be requested
•Consent agenda 1) Approve previous minutes 2) Recommendations for hire
Police Department 1) Misc. business
•Consider items pulled from consent agenda
Parks Department 1) Misc. business Public Works Department 1) Request to attend “Introduction to Water and Wastewater Conveyance” meeting in Garden City 2) Transfer from public works department to municipal equipment fund Clerk’s Department 1) Misc. business Financial and investment reports •Mayor’s comments
Scott County Commission Agenda Tues., December 17 County Courthouse 3:00 p.m.
County business Approve accounts payable/minutes Approve tax change orders Discuss purchase of nurse call system at Park Lane Nursing Home
3:30 p.m.
Sheriff Glenn Anderson Update on regional 911
4:00 p.m.
Appraiser John Reeder Update on appraisal office
4:30 p.m.
Public Works - JC Amack Pickup and trailer bids
5:00 p.m.
Adjourn
Agenda may change before the meeting. Contact County Clerk Pam Faurot for an updated agenda (872-2420) or visit www.scott.kansasgov.com
New business 1) Action on audit 2) Bus bids 3) Neighborhood Revitalization request •Additions, if any •Adjournment
Scott Co. LEC Report Scott City Police Department Dec. 6: Darren Malchow reported cruelty to animals at 401 N. College. Dec. 6: Paige Solze reported cruelty to animals at 402 N. Washington. Scott Co. Sheriff’s Dept. Dec. 6: Stanley Dirks reported burglary and theft of property in the 200 block of West Road 160.
•Roth IRAs are exempt from the RMD rule; however, Roth 401(k) plans are not. •You can also transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to an IRS-approved charity. Although the RMD itself isn’t tax-deductible, it won’t be included in your taxable income and lowers your overall IRA balance, thus reducing the size of future RMDs. •Another way to avoid future RMDs is to convert
your tax-deferred accounts into a Roth IRA. You’ll still have to pay taxes on all pretax contributions and earnings that have accrued; and, if you’re over age 70-1/2, you must first take your minimum distribution (and pay taxes on it) before the conversion can take place. Ordinarily, RMDs must be taken by Dec. 31 to avoid the excess accumulation tax. However, if it’s your first distribution you (See IRA on page 11)
County Commission November 19, 2013 Scott County Commissioners met in a regular meeting with the following present: Chairman James Minnix, Commissioners Jerry Buxton and Gary Skibbe and County Clerk Pam Faurot. •Zella Carpenter property taxes in the amount of $6,338.10 were paid. •County Attorney Rebecca Faurot reported that she researched the county opening a new road. Since the county already has a road right-of-way it does not need to have landowner’s permission to build a road. It is only required to notify them that a road is being built. •Faurot also researched “in lieu of payments” from wind companies. She said this type of agreement would be whatever both entities agreed to. *The commission discussed changing the county pay period from once a month to twice monthly. No action was taken. •Emergency Preparedness Director Larry Turpin discussed the current county ambulances. They include: 1999 Ford: 36, 255 miles. Good shape. 2006 Ford: 86,230 miles. Transmission problems with multiple repairs. 1995 Ford: 141,403 miles. Older model with small box. It does not have dual rear wheels. Turpin presented bids for two ambulances: •Osage 2014 Model 2168 Type III - 7yr/70,000 mile warranty: $140,480. •ARV 2014 AEV Trauma Hawk Type III - 7yr/70,000 mile warranty: $147,985. •Horton 2014 G4500 Horton Type III - 7yr/70,000 mile warranty: $159,761. •Wheeled Coach G4500 Type II - no warranty listed: $130,105. It was decided to purchase two Osage ambulances. This will be paid from the county equipment fund. The 1995 Ford and the 2006 Ford will be sold at auction after the new ambulances arrive. Proceeds from the sale of the used vehicles will be credited back to the county equipment fund. •Public works director Richard Cramer reported the road department has received its new grader. The blade extension was added by the county employees and is already in use. •Approval was given to the following road permits: WW Drilling LLC: access road on N Cherokee Road S22, T17S, R34W. Larson Engineering, Inc.: access road on S Willow Road - S36, T18S, R34W The Commission approved for the road department to renew their lease agreements with John Deere for the two tractors currently leased. •Cramer has been contacted about elevating the road leading into Grigston. Currently the road is in good condition, but Anthony Ivey has some items in the road right-of-way. The commission advised Cramer to contact the county attorney and have her send a letter to Ivey that he needs to remove items he owns from the right-of-way. •Cramer was advised to trade in the current mowers in use by the road department and get bids for new ones. •Indigent defense contracts were approved with attorneys Colton Eikenberry and S. Philip Stover. •The commission has agreed to reimburse county employees up to $300 per year for any continuing or new education classes that have been approved by the department head. This reimbursement will only be made after the employee shows proof they have completed the class and received a passing grade. •A petty cash drawer of $100 was established to operate the driver’s license department.
IRA (continued from page 10)
may wait until April 1 the year after turning 70-1/2 - although you still must take a second distribution by Dec. 31 that same year. Generally, you must calculate an RMD for each IRA or other taxdeferred retirement account you own by dividing its balance at the end of the previous year by a life expectancy factor found in one of the three tables in Appendix C of IRS Publication 590: •Uniform Lifetime Table if your spouse isn’t more than 10 years younger than you, your spouse isn’t the sole beneficiary or you’re unmarried. •Joint and Last Survivor Table when your spouse is the sole beneficiary and he/she is more than 10 years younger than you. •Single Life Expectancy Table is for beneficiaries of accounts whose owner has died. Although you must calculate the RMD separately for each IRA you own, you may withdraw the combined amount of all RMDs from one or more of them. The same goes for owners of 403(b) accounts. However, RMDs required from other types of retirement plans must be taken separately from each account.
Just Updated County Plat Maps • Logan • Wichita • Wallace • Greeley • Kearney Pick them up today at:
406 Main • Scott City 620 872-2090
The Scott County Record • Page 11 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Kansans still encouraged to vaccinate With flu activity increasing and family and friends gathering for the holidays, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) urges all Kansans to receive an annual flu vaccination. Kansas has identified two different types of influenza viruses currently circulating, and, based on data from the Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet), flu activity is currently low within the state. However, flu activity usually increases at this time of year, peaks in January or February, and can last as late as May. On average, five to 20 percent of the U.S. population contracts the flu yearly, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu complications. During the peak of the 2012-2013 influenza season in Kansas, approximately six percent of all health care visits were due to influenza-like illness. Influenza or pneumonia contributed to or was the direct cause of 1,444 deaths among Kansas residents during the 2012-13 season. Influenza and pneumonia was the eighth leading cause of death in 2012 in Kansas. Nearly all persons six months and older are advised to receive a flu vaccine every year. Vaccination is especially important for protecting those at high risk for serious flu complications, including young children, pregnant women, adults 65 years and older, and anyone with chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease, and diabetes.
Iowa to use federal dollars for insurance The Obama administration on Tuesday granted Iowa much of what it requested to move forward with a Medicaid expansion through the use of private insurance plans but refused to allow the state to charge premiums for those who earn less than the federal poverty level. If the state accepts the terms of the agreement, it would become the second to be allowed to use federal dollars to finance the purchase of private health insurance for the newly Medicaid eligible under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Arkansas was earlier granted that permission by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Scott County Record • Page 12 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Experiment shows knowing medical prices saves money Sandra Boodman Kaiser Health News
The fact that the cost of a hip replacement can ring up as $15,000 or $100,000 - depending on the hospital - makes a lot of people uncomfortable. But that’s only if they know about the wide price tag variations. In an effort to raise awareness and rein in what can seem like the Wild West of health care, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the second largest benefits program
in the country, and Anthem Blue Cross started a “reference pricing” initiative in 2011. The initiative involved a system to guide their enrollees to choose facilities where routine hip and knee replacement procedures cost less than $30,000. Here’s how it works: The CalPERS program designated certain hospitals that met this cost threshold, and enrollees who chose among these facilities pay only the plan’s typical deductible and coinsurance up to the out-of-pocket maximum.
Patients who opted for other in-network hospitals were responsible for regular cost sharing and “all allowed amounts exceeding the $30,000 threshold, which are not subject to an out-of-pocket maximum,” noted the report. The results tallied savings of $2.8 million for CalPERS, and $300,000 in patients’ cost sharing, according to research released by the Center for Studying Health System Change for the non-profit group National Institute for Health Care Reform. Researchers found that
patients who received “intensive communication” from CalPERS were supportive of the efforts and recognized lack of price transparency in the system. The report also said enrollees were satisfied with the level of care they received when choosing facilities that met their cost threshold. But that information has yet to reach the larger population of health consumers, said Alwyn Casill, the director of public relations for the (See PRICES on page 13)
Not expanding Medicaid cost billions Kansas will lose estimated $950M by 2022 Kansas and the 19 other states rejecting Medicaid expansion are leaving billions of dollars in federal aid on the table, even as their taxpayers pay to cover the expansion costs in states that have implemented that provision of the
Affordable Care Act, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund. The report was based on an examination of federal taxes paid by residents in each state. It concluded Kansas would see a net loss of $950 million in 2022, assuming it was the only state in the nation that had not expanded its program eligibility. The report also projected that if Kansas chose to expand Medicaid, it’s share of the cost in 2022 would total
$108 million compared to the $1.2 billion the state is projected to devote to business incentives and subsidies. States with the highest net losses, according to the report, included Texas, which would see a net loss of $9.2 billion, Florida, $5 billion; Georgia, $2.9 billion; and Virginia, $2.8 billion, assuming each of those states was the last to forego expansion. According to the report: “No state would experience a posi-
More Kansans are using ‘fixed’ website to sign up for ACA Phil Cauthon KHI News Service
It took them the better part of two months trying to get signed up through the federal health insurance marketplace, but Leo Klumpe and Diana Arb finally have health coverage. “This is one problem we don’t have to worry about anymore,” said Klumpe, 57, who recently retired after working for the state of Kansas for 30 years, the last several at a juvenile correction facility. The Topeka couple had the option of maintaining Klumpe’s coverage through the state after he retired. But Arb said it would have cost too much. “Our insurance was going to cost $1,150 (a month) and it was going to leave us $150 to pay bills out of his check,” said Arb, 55, who works part-time at a senior
center. “So, we couldn’t afford health insurance.” But with help from a volunteer trained to help people shop for coverage on the marketplace, Arb and Klumpe learned they qualified for a federal tax credit because the cost of the coverage available to them was deemed unaffordable given their income. The tax credit lowered their monthly premiums to $188. “We can afford that,” said Arb, who recently was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. Klumpe and Arb were among about 3.7 million Americans who shopped for coverage on the improved HealthCare.gov website from midnight Dec. 1 through noon last Friday and among dozens who took advantage of special counseling and sign-up sessions at the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library. (See FIXED on page 13)
tive flow of funds by choosing to reject the Medicaid expansion. Because the federal share of the Medicaid expansion is so much greater than the state share, taxpayers in non-participating states will nonetheless bear a significant share of the overall cost of the expansion through federal tax benefits - and not enjoy any of the benefits.” The report also briefly described what some states (See BILLIONS on page 13)
The Scott County Record • Page 13 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
More young Kansas adults now have health insurance Recent survey findings from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed a significant increase in health insurance coverage for young adults (age 19-25) in Kansas. Starting in 2010, the Affordable Care Act allowed young adults
Prices Center for Studying Health System Change. “There is a tremendous need to increase public awareness of this problem,” she said. “It should matter to you as someone who is paying for health care, not just for you, but for everybody.” While the report doesn’t completely detail CalPERS’ approach to reference pricing, Casill said there is optimism that it will be a model for other insurance plans and medi-
Fixed Arlene Evans lives in Florida but was visiting family in Topeka last week and heard a television news report about the help sessions. She said she didn’t have insurance and wouldn’t be looking for a policy, if the health reform law didn’t require her to have one. She said she came to the library looking for the cheapest coverage she could find. It turned out that she also qualified for a federal subsidy. “I found something that is going to cost me little to nothing and provide me with what I need,” she
Billions
(continued from page 12)
are doing to cover their share of costs associated with expanding Medicaid, including health care provider taxes or using funds obtained from the conversion of nonprofit hospitals or insurers to for-profit entities. All 20 of the states choosing not to expand Medicaid have Republican governors. Many have said increasing Medicaid could add to the federal deficit. Others have long opposed the law since its passage in 2010. Medicaid, however, is a federal program, Glied said, and residents of states that have not expanded the program are still paying taxes to support it. They’re just not getting the extra benefits in their states. The extra federal money spent on Medicaid goes directly to local health care providers, such as hospitals or physicians, and helps the overall state economy.
to stay on their parent’s insurance until age 26. Young adults in Kansas are now less likely to be uninsured - 22.9 percent in 2012 compared to 26.8 percent in 2009. The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) has produced a Fact Sheet summa-
rizing the Kansas-specific results from the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS). In 2012, an estimated 356,000 Kansans were uninsured - or 12.6 percent - which is significantly lower than the national rate of 14.8 percent. There
has been no change in the number or rate of uninsured Kansans since 2011. This fact sheet also identifies the primary types of health insurance for Kansans (i.e. Medicaid, Medicare, employment-based insurance). One noteworthy finding is that the percent-
(continued from page 12)
cal systems. But that is further limited by the narrow focus of this initiative on just two kinds of procedures - others, like MRIs and CAT scans, are also vulnerable to wide pricing disparities. Some experts say any real success on streamlining health care costs will include the ability for consumers to understand the issue and call for change. “The numbers are dramatic,” said Julie
Schoenman, director of research and quality at the National Institute For Health Care Management Foundation, a non-profit educational organization unaffiliated with the report. “I think you really do need to have good quality measures, good transparency. And a lot of patient education.” ACOs in Kansas Currently there is just one ACO in Kansas called KCMPA - participating in the Medicare
Shared Savings Program (MSSP). KCMPA is comprised of 12 independent primary care physician practices in the Kansas City area - about half in Kansas and half in Missouri. Martie Ross - a Kansas City-based principal at PYA healthcare consultants - said at least six other organizations in Kansas have applied to participate in the shared savings program starting Jan. 1, 2014.
(continued from page 12)
said. “If the government is going to subsidize the insurance companies then I might as well do whatever makes sense for me.” Kansas is one of 36 states that chose to rely on the federal marketplace website rather than build their own. Many of the state-run sites have worked better, though some also have had their share of problems. Kansans shop for health insurance coverage using the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, at one of several sessions scheduled at the Topeka Public Library where cer-
tified application navigators are on hand to help. Becky Hinton, a training specialist at the library, has been supervising the sign-up sessions since the federal “marketplace” site was launched Oct. 1. “Those October sessions were pretty awful,” Hinton said. “The November ones were a little better. Now, I think the system is working pretty well. It is much more reliable.” Technical problems rendered the enrollment system virtually unusable in the first weeks after
its launch by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But by the end of November, technical teams working nearly around-the-clock had the system working well enough for President Obama to declare it fixed. Only 371 Kansans were able to use the website to select plans in October, according to HHS. The totals are expected to be much higher for November and so far this month when federal officials release updated numbers in the next few weeks.
age of children with public coverage has increased from 26.4 percent in 2009 to 31.6 percent in 2012. “The rate of uninsured Kansans is lower now than in 2009 and 2010,” said Scott Brunner, M.A., KHI senior analyst and strategy team leader.
“Part of the reason for this finding is an increase in public coverage of Kansas children. This increase suggests factors - such as the weakness in the economy and the state’s active outreach efforts to enroll children who need coverage - may be responsible.”
Pastime at Park Lane We welcome Bud Berry to Park Lane. The First Baptist Church led Sunday afternoon services. Residents played pitch and dominoes on Monday afternoon. Madeline Murphy, Mandy Barnett, Hugh McDaniel and Joy Barnett were the game helpers. Residents played Wii bowling on Monday evening. Pastor Jarod Young led Bible study on Tuesday morning. Doris Riner and Elsie Nagel led the hymns. Residents played trivia games on Tuesday evening. Rev. Warren Prochnow led Lutheran Bible study on Wednesday morning. Residents played bingo on Wednesday afternoon. Helpers were Les and Mary Ann Spangler and Barbara Dickhut. Residents played pitch on Wednesday evening.
Honor 7 with December birthdays
St. Joseph Catholic Church hosted the December birthday party on Tuesday afternoon. Guests of honor were Cynthia Hand, Ardis Rose, Sherrie Barnett, Barbara Bennett, Joe Beaver, Earl Gorman and Verna Willman. Everyone was served angel food cake and ice cream. Hosts were Susan Boulware, Julie O’Brien, Fritzie Rauch, Jennifer York and Fr. Bernard Felix.
UMY provide Christmas trees
The United Methodist Youth brought small Christmas trees on Wednesday evening for each resident to have in their rooms. Elsie Nagel gave manicures on Thursday morning. The Hit and Miss Band performed on Thursday afternoon. Performing were Margie Stevens and Melody Stevens. A Bible study class was held on Thursday evening. Fr. Bernard Felix led Catholic Mass on Friday morning. Rev. Warren Prochnow led Lutheran services in the afternoon.
Park Place People
by Doris Riner
How else can I start my column but to say, “Brr-r-r-r, baby, it’s cold outside.” And, since it’s been so cold for so long, residents have remained warm and comfortable inside. Most of us are only too happy to do so. We’ve still been having our chats over coffee every morning and most of the usual programs and activities in the afternoons, after naps of course. It was bitter cold all last week so Pa and Ma felt sorry enough for their poor dog shivering on the porch and let him in the house. Ma even threw a throw-rug down in front of the fireplace for him to lay on. Besides eating, napping, playing dominoes or pitch and visiting each other, there is not much to write about this week. Ardis Rose and Sherry Barnett have December birthdays and sat at the “birthday table” last week. I asked Elvira Billinger if she had done her daily walking outside and she said “Are you kidding?” (She walked inside). A great big thank you to the Lake Wide Awake 4-H Club for the yummy pie and coffee treats they brought to us Sunday evening. Also thank you to Marian Sigurdson for the yummy pumpkin dessert on Monday. She brought a cake pan full and took it home empty.
Residents decorated gingerbread houses on Friday afternoon. Residents played Wii bowling on Friday evening. The movie, “The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation” was shown on Saturday afternoon. Snacks were served during the movie. Bonnie Pickett was visited by Gloria Wright and Larry and Philene Pickett.
The Scott County Record • Page 14 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Albert Dean was visited by Nancy Holt. Christine Evans was visited by Nancy Holt and JoAnn Dirks. Edith Norman was visited by Mary Plum, Sue Riner, Doris Riner, Sara Shane, and Landee Gutshall and Rogene Gutshall, Yuma, Colo. Boots Haxton was visited by Rod and Kathy Haxton. Harriet Jones was visited by Nancy Holt, Mary Plum, Lenora Dirks and Travis Jones. Dona Dee Carpenter was visited by Bill John. Kathy McKellips was visited by Val Duff, Pat Percival and Josh Percival. Pat Palen was visited by Juli Dunagan, Linda Dunagan and Nancy Holt. Ruth Holland was visited by Charlene Becht. Thelma Branine was visited by Glenda Graham.
by Jason Storm
Joyce Bohnert was visited by Tina Turley and Alan and Glenda Graham. Judy Redburn was visited by Carol Ellis, Tina Turley, and Steve and Valyndia Payne. Dottie Fouquet was visited by Jon and Anne Crane, Lil Francisco and Mark Fouquet. Delores Brooks was visited by Nancy Holt and Charles Brooks. Jim Jeffery was visited by Wade Jeffery. Melva Rose was visited by Tina Turley. Hilda Gruver was visited by Tina Turley and Alan Graham. Cecile Billings was visited by Ann Beaton and Delinda Dunagan. Nella Funk was visited by Nikki Simmons, Nancy Holt and Sheila Boyd. Mary Alice Lawrence King was visited by Shorty Lawrence. Mike Kitch was visited by Charlene Becht.
Herb Graves was visited by Tina Turley and Ron Hess. Ann Tedford was visited by Mary Plum, Lenora Dirks, Doris Riner, Ardis Rose, Mary Plum, Tracy Hess, Olivia Wagner and Kim Wagner. Earl Gorman was visited by Loretta Gorman, Charlene Becht, Galen Steffens and Tina Turley. Geraldine Graves was visited by Charlene Becht. Jake Leatherman was visited by Jeanette Crump. Mildred VanPelt was visited by David VanPelt. Lula Dirks was visited by Willetta Payne and JoAnn Dirks. Lorena Turley was visited by Neta Wheeler, Tracy Hess and Rex Turley. Vivian Kreiser was visited by Larry and Sharon Lock. Jim and Yvonne Spangler were visited by Les and Mary Ann Spangler and Margie Stevens.
Sr. Citizen Lunch Menu Week of December 16-20 Monday: Chicken griller, potato rounds, capri vegetables, whole wheat bread, strawberries. Tuesday: Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamy cole slaw, whole wheat roll, cranberry gelatin salad. Wednesday: Baked fish, au gratin potatoes, mixed vegetables, fruited muffin, fruit mix (mandarin oranges and marshmallows). Thursday: Baked ham with cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, California blend vegetables, whole wheat roll, cherry crisp. Friday: Chicken and stuffing, harvard beets, whole wheat roll, tropical fruit salad. meals are $3.25 • call 872-3501
Moving? Contact The Scott County Record to update your address, so you don’t miss your paper. P.O. Box 377, Scott City, Ks. 67871 • 620-872-2090 • www.scottcountyrecord.com
The Scott County Record • Page 15 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Know signs of carbon monoxide poisoning
Deaths Barbara G. Knipp Barbara G. Knipp, 96, formerly of Scott City, died Dec. 6, 2013, at the Buhler Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community. Barbara was born Feb. 8, 1917, in Wichita, the daughter of Sam- Barbara Knipp uel Martin and Grace Anastasia (Dillon) Conner. She graduated from St. Mary’s Cathedral High School in 1934 and Venus Beauty Academy in 1935, both in Wichita. She married Gilbert H. Knipp on June 14, 1939, in Wichita. He died Dec. 13, 2012. Barbara was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church, El Quartelejo Study Club, Busy Bee Quilters, Scott County Historical Society, Scott County Quilters Club, St. Joseph Catholic Church Altar Society, Daughters of Isabella and Scott County 4-H Club.
Survivors include: three sons, Dan, Dodge City, John and wife, Jane, Hutchinson, and Sam and wife, Leah, Edmond, Okla.; three daughters, Sue Richenburg and husband, Ben, Muscotah, Anita Bernbeck and husband, Gary, Grand Junction, Colo., and Ruth Van Pelt and husband, Ryan, Great Bend; 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild. She was preceded in death by one brother, two sisters and one grandchild. Rosary was held Dec. 11 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Scott City. Funeral Mass followed with Fr. Bernard Felix officiating. Burial was at the Scott County Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the church or the El Quartelejo Museum, both in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson. Visit www.elliottmortuary.com to leave personal condolences for the family.
Leonard L. Mullen Leonard L. Mullen, 84, died Dec. 8, 2013, at the Wichita County Health Center, Leoti. Leonard was b o r n Dec. 25, 1928, at the family homestead in C h e y - Leonard Mullen enne County, Colo., the son of Phillip M. and Lottie (Kellogg) Mullen. A resident of Leoti since 1956, moving from the Kit Carson County, Colo., area, he was a cowboy and owner/operator of Mullen Boot and Shoe Repair, Leoti. Leonard was a veteran of the United States Army, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Leoti, where he served on the Building and Grounds Committee. He was also a member of the Leoti Rodeo Association, a charter member of the Leoti VFW and the American Legion, Topeka. On Dec. 29, 1951, he married A. Sharon Linder at Raton, N.M. Survivors include: his wife, Leoti; four children, Richard Mullen, and wife,
Patty, Norton, Kandice McCabe, Pueblo, Colo., Kevin Mullen and wife, Kathy, Leoti, and Shane Mullen and wife, Cindy, Oakley; five siblings, Florence Aumiller, Laramie, Wyo., Melvin Mullen, Brush, Colo., Esther Slawson, Aurora, Colo., Delmar Mullen, Flagler, Colo., and Shirley Moyer, Glendale, Ariz.; eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and three sisters. Memorial service will be held Sun., Dec. 15, 1:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, Leoti, with Rev. Charles Ayers officiating. Burial will be at Beulah Cemetery with military honors provided by the Leoti VFW. Memorials may be sent to the Wichita County Health Center, First Presbyterian Church or the Leoti Rodeo Association in care of Sharon Mullen, Box 4, Leoti, Ks. 67861. Condolences may be sent to the family through the Price and Sons Funeral Home website at priceandsons.com.
During this time of year in particular, people are being reminded to take steps to prevent potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced by incomplete combustion in home heating systems, gas ovens, dryers, fireplaces and automobile engines. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can be fatal. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are flu-like and often include headache, sleepiness, weakness, vomiting, dizziness and tightness in the chest.
If you or your family experiences these symptoms: •Call 911 or seek emergency medical attention. •Stop using the suspected gas appliance immediately. •Do not use the appliance until it has been inspected, serviced and determined to be safe by a qualified plumber or a heating contractor. Help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning: •Hire a qualified heating system professional each year to inspect all natural gas appliances and venting systems in your home to ensure that they are working properly.
•Install carbon monoxide detectors in the home on all floors where bedrooms are located. Detectors identify traces of carbon monoxide in the home and sound an alarm when carbon monoxide is detected. •Do not idle a car in an attached garage. Doing so allows a large amount of carbon monoxide to enter the home. Instead, back the car completely out of the garage and close the garage door while the vehicle warms up. •Make sure chimneys and flues are clean and unobstructed and that appliances have proper ventilation systems.
•Remove clutter from around gas furnaces and water heaters to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air. Change furnace filters regularly. •Do not use natural gas ovens as a heating source. The burning of natural gas produces carbon monoxide that is safely ventilated when the oven door is closed, but is released into the kitchen when the door is open. •Do not use charcoal indoors for either cooking or heating. Burning charcoal releases carbon monoxide. •Make sure kerosene and other portable heaters are vented to the outside.
Attend the Church of Your Choice
Memories of Christmas
Close your eyes, sit quietly and shut out the world around you for just a few moments. Now think about a special Christmas you had or one of the happiest moments in your life. Do you see it? Can you hear it? Can you almost feel it? Now hold that in your memory, hang on to it just a little longer. How wonderful that is and you almost feel like you are right there again, in that moment in time. It is family and friends, excitement, joy and yes, in some cases, it is peace and safety. Emanuel, God with us, Jesus the Christ, The Son of the living God, has come and will come again. A gift so wonderful that we can hardly comprehend the depth of such love that God has for us. Isaiah 9 told us 700 years before Jesus came “that a child will be born for us, a Son shall be given.” Luke witnessed to us, that he has come born of a virgin of the Holy Spirit, The Son of God. He came to set you free and give you a promise of everlasting life in Him. Keep your eyes closed, quiet and listen. Do you hear it? Angels, angels of the heavenly host singing “Glory to God, Glory to God.” Can you see it? Can you hear it? The Lamb of God came that night to bring salvation to us and make every moment we spend together in His name the most exciting and special moment in our lives. Christmas is coming, a day to sing with the angels “Glory to God and the Lamb” who is worthy to receive all praise and glory and honor, who is coming one day to bring to us the greatest gift. He is going to bring us HOME in His presence forever. See it? Hold on to it. Steve Payne First Christian Church, Scott City
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
1st United Methodist Church
Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.
5th Street and College - Scott City - 872-2401 Dennis Carter, pastor 1st Sunday: Communion and Fellowship Sunday Services at 9:00 a.m. • Sunday School, 10:30 a.m. All Other Sundays • Worship: 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. MYF (youth groups) on Wednesdays Jr. High: 6:30 p.m. • Sr. High: 7:00 p.m.
First Christian Church
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
120 S. Lovers Lane - Shallow Water Larry Taylor, pastor Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.
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.
The Scott County Record • Page 16 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Youngsters who have reached 200 to 500 book milestones in the Scott County Library’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” reading program are:
Colborn Trout 500
Piper Jessup 400
Brogan Dirks 400
Addison Dearden 300
Chase Dearden 300
Kirby Rohrbough 200
Kasey Rohrbough 200
Casen Wells 200
Anesa Wells 200
Porter Wells 200
Sharing Success awards $1,000 to SCHS Wheatland Electric, has awarded a $1000 grant to Scott Community High School through its Sharing Success fund. Funding will be used to purchase a game film program that will be available to all sports. The program, called Hudl, will allow coaches and athletes to access and review game film of their respective sports utilizing a cloud-based storage program. The football team has used the program in the past and the decision was made to expand the program to include all sports. In addition to the ability to access and review game film, the program also allows for the creation of personalized
Shawn Powelson (left) of Wheatland Electric, and Alli Conine of the Scott Community Foundation present a check to Aaron Dirks, a teacher/coach at SCHS, and Activities Director Randy Huck.
DVDs of game film for players and coaches to keep. The program will provide information needed for recruiters and studentathletes who wish to compete in college. Cost of
the program is $1600. The Scott Community Foundation began accepting applications for the program in 2012 and an additional $10,000 in funding was approved in September.
Grants will be awarded while funding lasts. Non-profit groups interested in applying for funds can contact Alli Conine at the Scott Community Foundation (872-3790).
Midwest Energy establishes career training scholarships
Midwest Energy and CoBank have established a $120,000 scholarship and career training project for people from Midwest Energy’s service area interested in careers requiring technical training from community and technical colleges in central and western Kansas. “Too many young people from rural communities believe that to be successful, you have to leave your hometown, get a bachelor’s degree and work in a big city,” says Bob Muirhead, Midwest Energy’s Director of Economic and Community Development. “The reality is we have many businesses with good-paying jobs right here, looking for people with particular training and skill sets. This new scholarship program will help local individuals pursue these opportunities.” The pilot project, to be administered jointly by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Economic Development Institute, will offer a one-stop connection for trainees interested in jobs requiring career and technical training, and the businesses in central and western Kansas looking to hire them. KANSASWORKS centers, local businesses and participating technical
and community colleges will collaborate to identify trainee candidates who will then participate in customized training programs designed by industry. Priority will be given to those seeking training for jobs in high-demand occupations, including HVAC, plumbing, welding, and construction and electrician trades. “This pilot project will connect trainees with employers who need people now, and remove the barriers to those individuals acquiring the skills and credentials needed in rural Kansas communities,” said Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George. The program is being made possible through a $100,000 grant from Denver-based CoBank, and a matching $20,000 grant from Midwest Energy. “This new scholarship program is all about creating options and, in the process, giving both young people and rural businesses a solid foundation for the future,” said Robert Engel, CoBank’s chief executive officer. For more information contact Zoe Thompson at the Kansas Department of Commerce, 785-2960205 or e-mail zthompson@kansascommerce. com.
School Calendar Fri., Dec. 13: SCHS in second round of Southwest Classic round-robin basketball, 6:00 p.m.; SCHS in wrestling dual tournament at Colby, 2:00 p.m. Sat., Dec. 14: ACT testing at SCHS, 8:00 a.m.; SCHS in third round of Southwest Classic round-robin basketball, 4:00 p.m.; SCHS in wrestling dual tournament at Colby. Mon., Dec. 16: SCMS boy’s basketball practice begins; BOE meeting, 5:30 p.m. Tues., Dec. 17: SCES kindergarten “Spirit of Christmas”; SCHS band/choir concert, 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 19: FFA meeting at ag shop. Fri., Dec. 20: First semester ends; SCHS in regional debate; SCES Christmas sing-along, 10:00 a.m.; SCHS basketball at Ulysses, 4:45 p.m. Sat., Dec. 21: SCHS wrestling at Holiday Classic, Goodland; SCHS Christmas prom. Dec. 23-Jan. 3: Christmas vacation.
Features
Get signed up today and take on the challenge individually or on a 4 person team! Join together with coworkers, friends, and family in the Biggest Loser Challenge! Use this challenge to kick off your New Year’s Resolution and shed those unwanted pounds!
Rules and Regulations 1. Weight loss will be calculated by the PERCENT of body weight lost. For the team competition, each individuals percentage will be added up for a weekly team total. 2. Teams and individuals (male and female divisions) are allowed to sign up and join at any time during the first three weeks of competition, although this will make it tough to win the overall competition. 3. Prizes will be given out each week to the female individual, male individual, and team that loses the highest percentage of body weight for that week. Overall winners will receive cash prizes at the end of the competition. 4. Entry fee per person in competition is $20. There will be a penalty fee of $1 added for each pound gained per week. For example, if you gain 3 pounds one week then you will owe $3. If you miss a weigh in, you will owe $5 unless prior arrangements are made. Monies will be required to be paid prior to the next weigh in.
Entry Information
Weigh Dates: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Initial Weigh Day: Wednesday, January 8 Week 2: January 15 Week 3: January 22 Week 4: January 29 Week 5: February 5 Week 6: February 12 Week 7: February 19
Female Individual
Male Individual
Team
Name (s):_________________________________________ Team Name:_______________________________________ Address:__________________________________________ Phone Number:____________________________________
Week 8: February 26 Week 9: March 5 Week 10: March 12 Week 11: March 19 Final Weigh Day: Wednesday, March 26
Please call Lauren at Scott Recreation Commission for more information or if you have any questions! Scott Recreation Commission 823 S. Main, Scott City 620-872-2372
The Scott County Record
Sports
Page 17 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
Rough start for SCHS grapplers
Scott City senior Chase Ramsey turns a Lakin opponent to his back for near-fall points during the Hoxie Invitational on Saturday. (Record Photo)
Going low, or high is the kiss of death in today’s NFL Anyone who grew up playing football “back Rod in the day” - you Haxton, know, during a sports editor time when there was no face mask, no shoulder pads and no such thing as concussions - will recall what every coach taught us about tackling. Go low. That was preached to us practice after practice. Hit ‘em at the knees. And for someone as small as we were, there was no choice. If we didn’t hit low (and wrap up, which is another lost art) then we were going to be grasping at turf while some runningback was headed for the Promised Land. Of course, everyone was smaller then or so it seems when we look at the physical specimens playing high school, college and NFL ball today. That’s also why the NFL has agreed to a $765 million settlement to put an end to what promised to be a long list of concussion lawsuits from more than 4,500 players. That’s one reason many parents are starting to think twice about having their sons play football. The NFL is changing its rules. They’ve been levying heavy fines against head-hunters and players who deliver bone-jarring and brain-rattling hits to the shoulders and head. We want to prevent long-lasting brain damage and avoid shortening careers. (See GO LOW on page 22)
It’s a good thing that the wrestling season is a marathon and not a sprint. Scott Community High School head coach Jon Lippelmann knew the early part of his schedule could be particularly rough for his team that is trying to overcome both inexperience and injuries. The Beavers’ early-season struggles were apparent in their season-opening tournament at Hoxie on Saturday and in Tuesday’s 66-12 dual loss at Garden City. “There haven’t been any surprises,” says Lippelmann. “When you are missing a couple of your
top wrestlers because of injury and there are so many young and inexperienced kids on the squad you’re going to get knocked around. Our main job is to keep these kids from getting discouraged. They need to realize that success takes time and it will eventually happen if they stick with it and learn. “It’s not that these young kids don’t have potential. Success isn’t going to happen overnight.” The Beavers did claim six medals at the Hoxie Invitational on Saturday with James Jurgens (132) the only finalist. The junior
Southwest Classic
Eagles soar by SC girls in opener
Scott City was unable to control the paint or the tempo in the their season opener against Pueblo East, losing to the visitors from Colorado, 64-31, in the first round of the Southwest Classic on Thursday. The SCHS girls scored first, but they simply couldn’t score often enough against the Lady Eagles who were able to slice through the Scott City defense for a number of easy scoring opportunities on their way to a 40-19 first half lead. The Lady Beavers even held a 27-22 rebounding edge in the first 16 minutes against the taller Pueblo East squad. However, they were unable to convert many of those second-chance opportunities into baskets. From the field, Scott City was able to connect on just 7-of-27 (26%) of their shots in the first half. Pueblo was able to knock down some shots from the perimeter in the first half in addition to feeding the ball inside. When their post players weren’t scoring, the Pueblo East guards were able to drive into the lane and finish off scoring opportunities. Senior forward Bailey Nickel scored the game’s first basket and a
SCHS senior Kelly Wycoff tries to avoid the block by Pueblo East’s Kassidi Day while scoring on a putback. (Record Photo)
pair of Nicole Latta free throws cut Nickel led SCHS with 11 points, the first quarter lead to 9-7. Pueblo followed by Holly Wilcoxson and East slowly took control of the game, Latta with eight and six, respectively. closing out the first quarter with an Next game for the Lady Beavers 11-0 scoring run. will be Friday against Wichita Trinity.
Castle Rock routs
No chance of another upset for Lady Hornets
T h e memory of last year’s first round upset loss to WheatlandWheatland 23 Grinnell was Dighton 50 still on the minds of the Dighton High School girls when they faced the Lady Thunderhawks in the opening round of this year’s Castle Rock Classic on Tuesday afternoon. Maybe it was too much on their minds. “I feel the girls played pretty tight early in the game,” says head coach Amy Felker. “I don’t think it was a matter of being nervous. It’s just that they wanted this win so much.” That might account for their chilly 8-of-9 shooting from the field to start the game. But once the Lady Hornets
(See ROUGH on page 19)
settled down they left no doubt that another upset wasn’t even a remote possibility in a 50-23 romp. While it felt that the Dighton girls were in control for most of the game, they only held a 26-20 lead with 5:05 left in the third quarter. A basket by Diamond Brown was the start of a 22-0 scoring blitz that saw the Lady Hornets extend their lead to 50-20 with 3:12 remaining in the game. The Lady Thunderhawks were held scoreless for more than 11 minutes. “In the second half we kept the pressure on them and were able to force them out another step farther than they wanted to be,” says Felker. “When you do that it affects their shooting. That also contributed to a much better job under the boards. Everyone (See DHS GIRLS on page 21)
Dighton senior Diamond Brown pulls down a rebound during Tuesday’s action against Wheatland-Grinnell in the Castle Rock Classic. (Record Photo)
Mulville’s treys spark DHS boys When Matthew Mulville is on a hot streak there’s just one thing the Dighton High School boys have to keep in mind. Get him the ball. T h e Dighton H i g h School senior knocked Quinter 24 d o w n Dighton 55 three treys in the opening quarter and senior guard Ryan Horn added another as the Hornets jumped out to an 18-5 lead and coasted to a 55-24 win over Quinter in the opening round of the Castle Rock Classic on Tuesday. “It’s not very complicated,” said head coach (See MULVILLE on page 18)
The Scott County Record • Page 18 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Outdoors in Kansas
by Steve Gilliland
Operation Game Thief About this time each year we begin to hear and read stories that tell about the illegal taking of Kansas wildlife. Whether it’s Bald Eagles being shot, outfitters being investigated for assisting their clients in illegally taking and transporting game or numerous game law violations intentionally and knowingly committed by people mistakenly calling themselves hunters, it all amounts to theft from those of us who attempt to abide by all the rules and regulations of our state. Kansas is divided into 105 counties and 73 natural resource officers (NROs). More commonly known as game wardens, they have the responsibility of patrolling all those counties. Each year those NRO’s check tens of thousands of hunters and fishermen in the field and about 96% of them are found to be law-abiding. Unfortunately, many non-hunters associate ethical hunters with the small percentage who are not. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has an excellent tool to help fight wildlife crimes called Operation Game Thief. It’s a toll-free telephone hotline, 1-877-426-3843 that can be accessed anytime of the day or night, any day of the year. Callers are given the choice to remain anonymous and each call is immediately relayed to the NRO nearest the violation. Examples of activities that can be reported over the game thief hotline are road hunting, trespassing, littering, drinking while hunting, taking more game than allowed by law, using illegal equipment, hunting out of season or taking wildlife for which (See THIEF on page 21)
Hornets whip WaKeeney in season opener
A balanced scoring attack and outstanding defense led the way to Dighton’s 50-25 thumping of WaKeeney in their season opener on Friday. “When you have both of t h o s e things going for Dighton 50 you it’s WaKeeney 25 a pretty good combination,” noted Dean Cramer in his head coaching debut with the DHS boys. Matthew Mulville was the only player to score in double figures with 11
points, but four other Hornets scored at least six points. That was in combination with a defensive effort that limited the Golden Eagles to six or fewer points in three quarters. “The half-court trap set the tone,” says Cramer. “It seemed to confuse them and we were able to force turnovers. Plus, we had a pretty good height advantage.” The outcome was never in doubt as the Hornets pounced on WaKeeney for a 21-5 first quarter lead and extended that to 48-20 after three quarters when the running clock came
Mulville Dean Cramer with a laugh. “Whenever someone has the hot hand we tell the boys to get him the ball. Tonight it’s their night. In another game it may be your night. This time it was Matthew.” Mulville can be a streaky three-point shooter, as he demonstrated in last year’s state tournament opener when he was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Against the Bulldogs he was 3-of-4 from threepoint range and finished with a game high 17 points. After Quinter grabbed its only lead of the game, 3-2, on a three-point basket, the Hornets responded with three consecutive treys - two from Mulville and the other by Horn. Mulville added another trey late in the quarter and Horn followed with a basket to give Dighton an 18-5 lead. For all intents, the game was over. Quinter did cash in on back-to-back three-point plays early in the second half that cut the lead to 12 points, 31-19. After that, the Hornets put on a defensive clinic, limiting the Bulldogs to just one field goal over the final 14 minutes and that didn’t come until just two seconds remaining in the game. Dighton limited Quinter to just 17 percent from two-point range (5-of-29) and only eight
into effect. Dighton was 17-of-30 from two-point range, but struggled from beyond the arc where they were just 4-of-18. Senior guard Isaac Alinor and senior center Mathew Barnett each finished with nine points while senior Sam Moomaw, returning to action for the first time in more than a year due to a knee injury, added eight points and four rebounds. Freshman forward Tyler Lingg added six points and a team high eight rebounds. The defense was led by
senior guard Ryan Horn with six steals. “In the half-court trap Ryan was anticipating passes really well,” says Cramer. Overall, Cramer was very pleased with the team’s unselfish play on offense. “We worked the ball around well against their zone defense,” he says. Defensively, Cramer says the team needs to transition more smoothly into different defenses. “We need to be quicker with our help side defense and blocking out,” he notes. “We can’t afford to
give up as many second shots as we did the other night. Defense is what we hang our hat on night after night so it’s going to get a lot of attention.” With eight boys getting a lot of playing time in the opener, Cramer was also able to experiment with his substitutions. “We have boys who are still getting used to each other,” he says. “In the fourth quarter I put in different combinations, so we weren’t as fluid as we were in the first three. But those are things we’ll continue to look at and fine tune.”
(continued from page 17)
percent (2-of-26) from three-point distance. “We shouldn’t have an off night on defense,” says Cramer. “With our size and length, that should be our strength.” At the same time, Dighton showed they aren’t to be overlooked on the offensive end either. Sam Moomaw (6-4, senior) was a force inside with 11 points (5-of-6 FG), three rebounds and two blocked shots. “This was only his second game after missing last season with a knee injury and he gave us some quality minutes. He’s worked hard during the off-season and you can see his upper body strength is a lot better,” Cramer says. Mathew Barnett (6-5, senior) also made an impact in the paint where he collected nine points (4-of-8 FG) in addition to four rebounds. Barnett scored his team’s final seven points of the first half as they pulled out to a 29-13 lead. “We emphasize mismatches. Late in the first half we had a matchup we liked and the boys did a good job of getting the ball to him,” says Cramer. Senior guard Isaac Alinor added six points, five rebounds and four assists. Horn added six points and three steals. “Isaac and Ryan do a nice job of switching off at point guard, which
Dighton senior Sam Moomaw shoots over a Quinter defender during the opening round of the Castle Rock Classic on Tuesday. (Record Photo)
gives Isaac an opportunity 55-31, in tournament play to play inside,” says the on Tuesday. head coach. “They are very similar to us in that they like to run the floor when Face Hoxie in Semis The Hornets will face they can and they press,” their toughest test of the Cramer says. “They’ll young season against half-court and three-quarHoxie in Friday’s semi- ter trap and mix in some finals. The Indians had zone. They also crash the no trouble defeating boards hard, so we’ll have W h e a t l a n d - G r i n n e l l , to box out well.”
The Indians are led by senior Kade Spresser who scored 24 points in their season opening loss to Sharon Springs. “It seems like everything centers around Spresser,” says Cramer. “Of course, they’ll have to contend with our size. It should be a pretty interesting game.”
The Scott County Record • Page 19 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Indians find their tempo, still can’t erase first half deficit An up-tempo, fastbreak offense in the second half was just what the Wichita County High School boys were hoping for in their season opener against Oakley. Had they been able to establish that tempo in the Oakley 64 first half, it Leoti Boys 45 might have made the outcome in Friday’s season opener a little more interesting. Instead, they were unable to erase a 14 point halftime deficit and lost on the home court in Northwest Kansas League action, 64-45. Still, there was plenty that first-year head coach Hayden Parks could feel good about. Oakley’s height and their ability to dominate the boards in the first half allowed them to dictate the tempo while building a 26-12 halftime cushion. In the second half, WCHS switched to a 2-3 zone which was effective in keeping the Plainsmen off the boards. “In the second half we were able to get more rebounds and prevent them from getting second and third attempts at the basket. That allowed us to get out and run the floor more,” says Parks. “We need to play at a faster tempo and try to establish a fastbreak offense. “And we got some shots to fall in the second half. That always helps.” Oakley’s man-to-man and 2-3 zone forced WCHS to settle for a lot of shots on the perimeter in the first half. A three-pointer by senior guard Casey Day that gave the
Rough won his first two matches by falls before dropping a 7-2 decision to Alec Hager (Norton), the No. 2 ranked wrestler in Class 3-2-1A, in the championship round. “My conditioning isn’t where it needs to be and I’ll be dropping another weight class by Christmas,” says Jurgens. SCHS collected bronze medals by Zach Tucker (106), Chase Ramsey (120), Jesse Anchondo (138) and Lane Hayes (220). Tucker narrowly missed finishing second in the round-robin bracket following a wild 14-10 loss to Auston Holzmeister (Oakley) in the second round. He won by falls over Bryan Veleta-Rios (Lakin) and Alex Villaneuva (Cimarron). Anchondo (2-2) won his two
Indians a brief 3-2 lead was the only basket they made beyond the arc in the first half. WCHS was able to connect on just three field goals in the first 17-1/2 minutes. Senior guard Jantz Budde was the Indian offense for a big share of the game. He finished with a game high 26 points, accounting for 20 of the team’s 21 points during a 16 minute stretch that began late in the first quarter and ended with a threepoint basket at the 1:02 mark of the third period that cut the lead to 38-25. That’s as close as the Indians would get the rest of the night. They cut the deficit to 13 points once again, 46-33, following a three-pointer by Treven Burch with 4:11 left in the game. “We need our guards driving and creating open shots like Jantz did in the second and third quarters when he took over the game for us offensively,” says Parks. Even though the Plainsmen had a big height advantage in the paint, along with a 6-3 guard, Parks says the Indians have to find ways to get points inside. “We need more than Jantz driving to the basket and knocking down shots,” says the head coach. “Some guys are better at catching and shooting on the perimeter, like Treven, but we can’t be content with shooting from the outside. There are going to be games, like this one, Leoti senior Jantz Budde puts up a shot between two Oakley defenders during last Friwhere those shots aren’t fallday’s season opener. (Record Photo) ing.” The Indians were 10-of-22 from two-point range, but from from two-point distance while Day was the only other Wilson and sophomore Gabe beyond the arc were only 5-of- the rest of the Indians were just WCHS player in double figures Fletcher added five and four re23 (22%). Budde was 9-of-13 1-of-9. with 12 points. Senior Chris bounds, respectively.
(continued from page 17)
matches by a fall over Cade Wurm (Oberlin) and a 2-1 decision against Drake Rowh (Hoxie). Hayes (2-2) opened roundrobin action with a fall over Charlie Coleman (Cimarron) and finished the day with a fall against Jacob Koehn (Lakin). Wyatt Kropp (145) looked like he would claim a third place finish in his round-robin bracket when he took a 1-0 lead into the final period and was preparing to tilt Oakley’s Macoy Raines to his back for additional points. As Kropp rolled through on the tilt move, he lost control of Raines’ wrist and was stopped in mid-move on his back for a fall and finished fourth.
Thumped by Garden It was a long night for the Beavers in a 66-12 loss against the defending Class 6A champions. “We got our tails whipped, but that shouldn’t be a shocker when you’re going against the number-one ranked team in 6A,” noted Lippelmann. There were still some bright spots for the Beavers who had to give up five forfeits. Freshman Morgen Roberts (126) and sophomore Abe Wiebe (160) were in tight matches until getting pinned in the third period. “All of our young kids, with one exception, scored points,” adds Lippelmann. The only SCHS win on the mat came from Jurgens who pinned his opponent as the first
period was ending. Scott City’s other points came from a forfeit in the 106-pound class. Kropp dropped a tough 3-0 decision to Chris Adler while Hayes lost a 2-1 decision to Benny Hernandez. “I’ll take some of the responsibility because it’s pretty apparent that when we get into the third period we’re not in wrestling shape,” Lippelmann says. “Part of that is the long football season and part of that is how we approach having our kids wrestle their best when we get to the end of the season. “Our focus isn’t on weight loss and conditioning before Christmas. It’s a long season,” he says. “We’ll push the kids harder after Christmas so they are peaking at the right time.
That’s worked well for us over the years.” One area where Lippelmann hopes to see improvement in the final two weeks before the holiday break is wrestlers who make decisions that put them into bad situations on the mat. “A lot of that goes back to inexperience,” he says. “Those are things that we can learn and which can be corrected. Hopefully, we learn those things sooner rather than later.” The head coach, however, remains upbeat about his young squad. “I see a glimmer about what these kids are capable of doing,” he adds. “We just need to keep teaching them the right way to do things and the wins will eventually start coming.”
The Scott County Record • Page 20 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Dighton girls roll over WaKeeney in season opener
Lack of size a problem for Cats Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber proved that he’s a capable coach when he led the Wildcats to a co-championship of the Big 12 last season. Weber’s possible weakness is his recruiting ability. In fairness by to K-State’s Mac coach, he Stevenson brought in two freshmen - forward Wesley Iwundu (6-7, 195) and guard Marcus Foster (62, 200) - who have shown great promise. And freshman point guard Nigel Johnson (6-1, 180) has excellent quickness and he’s a skilled ball handler. However, it appears his outside shooting is limited. K-State has made significant progress since the start of the season, but they’re lacking in two critical areas: The Wildcats are ineffective with their three-point shooting and they lack size in the pivot. Thomas Gipson is big and strong and would be capable at power forward if Weber had a quality center, but Gipson isn’t tall enough to play under the basket. And D.J. Johnson has limited ability in the pivot. Kansas State will be dominated by bigger inside players in league play. So far, the Big 12 appears to be much better than anticipated. Baylor came to the fore with their win over Kentucky last Saturday and Oklahoma State and Iowa State are off to solid starts. Kansas will be among the leaders when February rolls around. Oklahoma and Texas are better than average and could become factors in the league race. Texas Tech, West Virginia, Texas Christian, and Kansas State are the weakest teams in the conference. Nevertheless, all four will be difficult to beat on their home courts. A Minor Setback Despite the tough loss at Colorado and Florida, KU’s basketball team showed improvement over their play in the Bahamas. Against CU the most notable shortcomings were poor rebounding and three-point shooting. (See SIZE on page 23)
SCHS senior Krissa Dearden signs a letter-of-intent to compete in volleyball at Kansas Wesleyan University. She is with her parents (seated) Colleen and Lonny Dearden along with KWU head coach Fred Aubuchon and SCHS head coach Jordan Dreiling. (Record Photo)
Dearden to continue with volleyball career at KWU Krissa Dearden wasn’t sure about her volleyball plans following high school, but when the opportunity came along she decided it was one she couldn’t pass up. The Scott Community High School senior will continue her career at Kansas Wesleyan University next fall. It helped that the Dearden family already had ties to KWU with Krissa’s sister, Kayla, a student there. “I’ve been to the campus and I liked it,” says Dearden. As for volleyball, that was an afterthought. “My original plans weren’t to play volleyball, but when coach (Fred Aubuchon) gave me the opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass it up,” says the 18-year-old. She will be stepping into a program that Aubuchon has turned into one
of the elite in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) in five years as head coach. During that time his teams have compiled a 173-46 record and in each of the past three seasons have advanced to the conference championship match. They completed a 26-13 record this past season and were 16-2 in KCAC action. In addition, they also swept conference honors with the “Player of the Year,” “Coach of the Year” and “Setter of the Year.” KWU should contend for another KCAC title next year “with probably the most returning talent of anyone in the conference,” says Aubuchon. “We like to stay within Kansas for our recruiting as much as possible,” says Aubuchon. “So far I’ve signed four Kansas girls and I have hopes of signing two more.”
If there was any rust from the long layoff since last year’s Class 1A state tournament, it wasn’t evident when the Dighton High School girls hit the court last Friday. The Lady Hornets picked up right where they left off, jumping out to a 21-7 first quarter lead anc coasting to a 48-30 non-league win at WaKeeney. “We were able to control the first and third quarters and then mix in different players during the second and fourth quarters,” says head coach Amy Felker. That accounted for WaKeeney’s ability to outscored DHS 20-11 in the second and fourth periods. But that was misleading. When the Dighton varsity was on the court they outscored the Lady Eagles in two quarters of play, 37-10. Senior center Leslie Speer and sophomore guard Kiara Budd led the team with 10 points each. Ten Dighton girls made the scoring column, including Liz Heath and Shambrey Budd with six points each. “Our man-to-man defense looked pretty well for the first game. We mixed in some zone and they were able to get some easy baskets, so that’s going to need some work,” Felker says. The Lady Hornets also struggled with their scoring in the paint. “We missed a lot of two- and three-footers. We were getting bumped around a lot inside, but we need to expect that,” Felker says.
Hornets are in semis on Friday The Dighton boys and girls will face Hoxie in the semi-finals of the Castle Rock Classic on Friday. The powerhouse Hoxie girls ripped Quinter in the opening round, 94-23. DHS and the Lady Indians - two of the top teams in Class 1A, will face each other at 6:30 p.m. The Hoxie boys are also a No. 1 seed and had no trouble defeating Wheatland-Grinnell, 55-31. Tipoff is Friday at 7:30 p.m.
A favorable playoff run is lining up for KC Now that Kansas City has shown that it can win once again, a spot in the playoffs is only a formality. Even with their miracle finishes last weekend, it would take another miracle of epic proportions for Baltimore or Miami to overtake Kansas City. With a win in one of their final three games, the Chiefs will have the No. 5 spot in the playoffs. The only thing that could prevent that from happening is for KC to lose all three of its games and either Miami or Baltimore would have to win all three games. Ain’t going to happen. Dexter McCluster had a game of epic proportions with a special teams play that put him in the record books.
Inside the Huddle
with the X-Factor
In the first half alone, McCluster had 157 yards in punt returns which had already beaten the KC single-game record of 141 yards set by JT Smith in 1979. He finished with 177 yards which is the sixth highest total in NFL history. He might have broken the record of 207 yards (set by LeRoy Irvin of the Rams in 1981) if the Redskins hadn’t quit punting to him in the second half. That demonstrated that when Kansas City is executing
all three phases of the game they are as good as anyone in the league. It was also encouraging to see pressure once again coming from the defense even though it came against a Washington offensive line that has allowed RGIII to take more hits than all but one other quarterback in the NFL. The Chiefs had six sacks which hopefully put us back on track after leading the league through the first nine games with 36 sacks. Tamba Hali, who had been questionable for the game, had two sacks and Frank Zombo, who was playing for the injured Justin Houston, added another. Tight end Anthony Fasano is expected to play this week-
end and Houston practiced with the team on Wednesday, so he may also suit up. Albert’s Days Numbered Someone to keep an eye on over the next few weeks will be Donald Stevenson who we drafted in the third round out of Oklahoma three years ago. You probably haven’t heard much about him until lately because he’s been overshadowed - at least in terms of salary - by left offensive tackle Branden Albert and his $9.8 million paycheck. But Albert continues to battle with injuries and that’s created an opportunity for Stephenson who the organization has been very patient in developing. (See PLAYOFF on page 22)
The Scott County Record • Page 21 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Lady Plainsmen dominate in paint against WCHS It was a tale of two halves for the Wichita County High School girls in their season opener. After getting h a m mered in the first Oakley 49 half by Leoti Girls 27 22 points they were able to play Oakley to a standoff in the second half. However, that wasn’t nearly enough to avoid a 49-27 loss on the home floor in Northwest Kansas League play. “It seemed we played nervous in the first half. The shots were a little rushed,” says head coach Mark Fairchild. “In the second half we were more relaxed moving the ball around and seeing where everyone is on the floor.” Katie Bailey, who led the Lady Indians with 12 points, accounted for all of her team’s offense in the first half as they trailed at the break, 29-7. Oakley’s 5-foot-10 post player Laura Dennis dominated at both ends of the floor, collecting 20 of her team’s first half points. The Lady Plainsmen were nearly unstoppable offensively in the paint and controlled the boards. It didn’t start out that way for the Indians who had
three rebounds and putbacks on their first possession, but were unable to score. “After that, we didn’t seem to hit the boards with the same determination,” says Fairchild. “You have to be tough-minded when it comes to rebounding and defense. We have to develop that on the interior.” WCHS didn’t get on the scoreboard until 6:34 left in the first half when Bailey’s putback cut the lead to 14-2. Oakley’s biggest lead of the game was 38-9 midway into the third period. Fairchild says that for the Lady Indians to be successful on offense Bailey and Tailar Bremer need to take the ball into the paint. “Both girls are capable of scoring on the perimeter, but they weren’t making their shots tonight,” he said. “When they started taking the ball inside they were able to draw fouls. We have to feed the ball inside a lot more than we did. Katie, Tailar and Anna Leigh (Whitham) are all strong players inside. “If we can establish our ability to score inside then we can relax more with
DHS Girls was focused on outrebounding Wheatland.” Senior pivot Leslie Speer, who scored a game high 18 points, collected 12 during that second half stretch and ended the night with 11 rebounds. “What makes that more impressive is that she did it with two or three girls hanging on her every time she was cutting to the basket,” Felker notes. “She played a very good game, but that’s what we expect from her. We want her to get the ball and get lots of shots. She shoots well from the field and from the free throw line so it’s
Thief there is no legal season and vandalism. Two important rules to remember when observing illegal wildlife related activities are; •Never confront the suspects you observe committing these crimes •Be observant and be prepared to provide as much information as possible about what you observe, such as detailed
Tailar Bremer battles for a rebound during the season opener against Oakley.
our outside shots instead of rushing them the way we did.” Fairchild feels the outside scoring will come
around. “We settled for one pass and an outside shot too often,” says Fairchild. “They were open shots,
(continued from page 17)
going to be hard for teams to keep her from getting her points.” Early in the game, when the Lady Hornets were struggling from the field, it was senior forward Liz Heath who stepped up with six of the team’s first eight points. “As we began to relax things started flowing a lot smoother on the offensive end of the floor. It also took a little while to figure out their personnel on offense and once we got that done we began to play better defensively,” says the head coach. Wheatland/Grinnell
still had a 12-11 lead early in the second quarter before a 7-0 scoring run by the Lady Hornets put them on top to stay. Sophomore guard Kiara Budd finished the night with seven points, including the team’s only trey, and five rebounds. After Budd hit her only three-pointer of the game W/G switched to a boxand-one which caught Felker by surprise. “She made one shot and they threw that defense at her. I told Kiara she should take that as a compliment,” says Felker. “She’s worked hard at im-
proving her shot and her shooting percentage will continue to get better.” As for the junk defense, Felker doesn’t mind if opposing teams feel they need to do that in order to shut down a particular player. “That will open up scoring opportunities for other girls,” she says. “We have a lot of girls capable of contributing.” Freshman guard Sara Cramer, who was 3-of-4 from the field, added six points. Senior forward Shambrey Budd collected four points and nine rebounds.
(continued from page 18)
descriptions of the people and vehicles including license plate numbers, and location and time of the incident. My wife also reminds me that everyone these days has a cell phone, most with a camera, and everyone (excluding me) knows how to use it. Calls to Operation Game Thief have resulted in arrest and convictions
on violations from vandalism to deer poaching and everything in between. Drug operations have also been uncovered. Perhaps the worst result of wildlife related crimes is the damage caused to the image of those of us who attempt to abide by the rules. I refuse to be categorized with those who call themselves “hunters” but
refuse to abide by the rules. If they insist on being known as “hunters” then perhaps the rest of us should find a different term for what we enjoy. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!
so that makes it tough as a coach to tell them not to take it. At the same time, we need to create opportunities inside and the
(Record Photo)
outside shots will come easier.” Bremer and Whitham added six and five points, respectively.
SCHS Wrestling Hoxie Invitational December 7, 2013 Team scores: Norton 189.5, Oakley 122.5, Oberlin 114.5, Plainville 85.5, Cimarron 70, Scott City 63, Hoxie 56, Lakin 22 106: Zach Tucker pinned Bryan Veleta-Rios (Lakin), 1:09; dec. by Auston Holzmeister (Oakley), 14-10; pinned Alex Villaneuva (Cimarron), 0:14; pinned by Caysean Campbell (Norton), 0:13. Third place 120: Chase Ramsey pinned by Tristan Porsch (Hoxie), 1:27; pinned by Ethan Ross (Norton), 0:26; pinned Rees Lehman (Oakley), 0:28. Third place 132: James Jurgens pinned Mattison Davis (Lakin), 1:35; pinned Garret Lacy (Cimarron), 1:11; dec. by Alec Hager (Norton), 7-2. Second place 138: Jesse Anchondo pinned Cade Wurm (Oberlin), 5:09; dec. by Riley Hager (Norton), 5-1; dec. Drake Rowh (Hoxie), 2-1; pinned by Taylor Murphy (Oakley), 1:57. Third place 145: Wyatt Kropp maj. dec. Chase Werner (Plainville), 11-2; maj. dec. by Jared Tallent (Norton), 9-1; pinned by Dayton Dreher (Oberlin), 3:56; pinned by Macoy Rains (Oakley), 2:42. Fourth place 220: Lane Hayes fall Charlie Coleman (Cimarron), 1:30; fall by Jacob Green (Norton), 4:53; fall by Dylan Gassmann (Oakley), 3:05; fall Jacob Koehn (Lakin), 1:01. Third place 285: Cole Birney pinned by by Mark Schippers (Hoxie), 1:00; pinned by Eric McKissick (Lakin), 2:57. Hays-TMP JV Invitational December 7, 2013 120A: Morgen Roberts pinned by Kevin Contreras (Lyons); dec. Joseph Cochran (Russell), 3-1; dec. by Javier Loya (Dodge City), 8-6. Third place 138: Kevin Aguilera pinned Mark Loftus (HaysTMP); pinned Dalton McClendon (Larned); pinned Michael Imel (Dodge City). First place 160A: Abe Wiebe pinned Camdon Sweet (Pratt); pinned Anthony Jones (Dodge City); pinned Jonathan Springer (Hays); dec. Hayden Skaggs (Pratt), 4-0; pinned Alex Windholz (Russell). First place 182: Tre Stewart pinned Chris Stecklein (Hays-TMP); pinned Jordan Werth (Russell); dec. Seth Jacobs (Phillipsburg), 3-1. First place 195: Garrett Osborn dec. by Joziah Schumacher (Pratt); pinned by Bryce Keithley (Ellis). Garden City 66 - SCHS 12 106: Zachary Tucker received forfeit. 113: Forfeit to Mark Perez 120: Chase Ramsey pinned by Michael Prieto, 1:34. 126: Morgen Roberts pinned by Cris Vividor, 5:00. 132: James Jurgens pinned Noe Lugo (2:00). 138: Jesse Anchondo pinned by Tevin Briscoe, 1:15. 145: Wyatt Kropp dec. by Chris Adler, 3-0. 152: Forfeit to Jesse Nunez. 160: Abe Wiebe pinned by Christian Hernandez, 4:51. 170: Forfeit to Matt Marez. 182: Forfeit to Peyton Hill. 195: Forfeit to Sam Reyes. 220: Lane Hayes dec. by Benny Hernandez, 2-1. 285: Cole Birney pinned by Aaron Lozano, 2:30.
Playoffs
(continued from page 20)
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chiefs take a serious look at trading Albert if we can find someone willing to take on his salary at the end of the season. It was thought for awhile that Albert might have a torn ACL, but the injury didn’t turn out as bad as we thought. Albert will be around until the end of the season. I wouldn’t bet any part of his paycheck on Albert’s future in Kansas City after that. In the meantime, we need to keep building momentum and see if we can’t enter the playoffs with a 13-3 record. If that happens, the three consecutive losses to Denver and San Diego will be a distant memory. The X Factor (Ty Rowton) is a former Scott City resident who has been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as a Chiefs Superfan
SCMS Wrestling GWAC Tourney Dec. 7, 2013 • in Scott City Team scores: Holcomb 174, Scott City 151.5, Colby 143.5, Ulysses 137, Goodland 106, Oakley 65 80: Dakota Briggs fall by Corbyn Pauda (Ulysses), 2:52; fall by Kurt Schroeder (Colby), 1:53. Fourth place 86: Theron Tucker dec. Dylan Amos (Holcomb), 2-0; tech. fall Jake Reed (Colby), 16-0. First place 92: Jordan Wagner pinned by Gabe Bierman (Goodland), 2:46; pinned Seth Hutfles (Colby), 1:26. Third place 98: Parker Vulgamore pinned Duncan Kroskey (Goodland), 2:15; pinned David Perez (Holcomb), 3:08. First place 104: Kevin Duong dec. by Dawson Raymer (Goodland), 9-4; tech. fall by Kory Finley (Colby), 15-0. 110: Jack Thomas pinned Trey Miller (Colby), 2:16; pinned Alan Novack (Holcomb), 1:26. First place 116: Marshal Faurot pinned Isaac Kuhlman (Oakley), 0:30; pinned Matthew Boyer (Ulysses), 2:48; pinned by Sean Rall (Colby), 2:31. Second place 122: Wyatt Hayes pinned Tucker Branum (Colby), 2:01; pinned AJ Ortega (Holcomb), 2:15. First place 130: Justin Hundertmark dec. Andrew Nagel (Ulysses), 7-5; pinned by Zack Hart (Colby), 1:30. 154: Kyle Sherwood maj. dec. Shane Pauda (Ulysses), 13-3; pinned by Lucas Wood (Goodland), 2:20. Second place 162: Shea Morris pinned Zach Werner (Goodland), 0:19; pinned by Jaxon Becker (Ulysses), 0:29; pinned by Nic Johnson (Colby), 0:57. Fourth place
Go Low So what’s the tradeoff? Ask Rob Gronkowski who saw his season end with a torn ACL and MCL following a hit to his right knee in the open field after a big reception. The New England tight end has plenty of company. Through the first 12 weeks of the season the NFL has seen 40 season-ending knee injuries which compares with 32 for all of last year. While the defense isn’t immune to knee injuries, it goes without saying that offensive players are the primary victims. Of course, defensive backs and linebackers say they have no choice. Hit high and they take a hit in the pocketbook. So, in order to avoid
The Scott County Record • Page 22 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
(continued from page 17)
fines we see premier players in the league heading to the sideline with season- and possibly careerending injuries. At some point, the NFL will have to decide what is best for the future of the game and still make sure that NFL players have a life after football. Right now, the NFL is trying to strike that balance and it’s an uneasy time for players and fans.
Size “I’m concerned because we are not playing very well,” said head coach Bill Self. “I’m not concerned because I know it’s a marathon, not a sprint. We’ll go through this.” The Jayhawks will be executing as a team by the time conference play begins. Conner Frankamp is going to break out of his three-point slump and show what he can do. Self needs to give him more than a few minutes at a time to get into the flow of the game. And reserve center Landen Lucas is better than transfer Tarik Black, who has been ineffective so far. Joel Embiid is going to be KU’s featured center. He’s showing progress in every game. Embiid has the agility to avoid foul trouble and he’ll learn how with experience.
The Scott County Record • Page 23 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
(continued from page 20)
baseball trades, there’s often a lot of strategy involved that we’re not aware of. The most recent move involving the Kansas City Royals was the trade of left-handed pitcher Will Smith (6-5, 250) to the Milwaukee Brewers for their right fielder, Norichika Aoki (5-9, 175). GM Dayton Moore orchestrated the trade and the wisdom of the move is questionable indeed. Aoki will be 32 on Jan. 5; he hit .287 in 306 games with Milwaukee including just 18 home runs. KC needs power in the lineup and Aoki isn’t that type of hitter. Last season Smith posted a 3.24 ERA in 33 innings pitched, giving up just 24 hits and striking out 43. He was sensational out of the bullpen. Smith is just 24 years old Questionable Trade During the offseason and looks to have a great Andrew Wiggins moved forward in the second half of the CU game. He’s beginning to get comfortable with Self’s philosophy and offense. Wiggins will be a superb player on both offense and defense and it isn’t going to take long. KU’s freshmen are finding out what it’s like playing away from Allen Fieldhouse. After Coach Self has a chance to do some uninterrupted coaching during the extended Christmas break, the Jayhawks will look like a different team by the start of the second semester. The weaknesses that have been exposed during KU’s three losses are correctable and Self knows how to do the correcting.
future. Dayton Moore is messing with the Royals’ best unit - the bullpen. Moore said of Smith, “He is a tough competitor who can pitch out of the pen or in the rotation . . . we don’t have a lot of lefthanded depth down there, but we felt this was a deal we had to make.” The question here is why did he have to make it? KC has David Lough who played well in right field last season, hitting .286 in 96 games with five home runs, four triples and 17 doubles. Manager Ned Yost didn’t use him like he should have, but there’s a good chance that Lough will turn out to be more productive than Aoki. And Smith may become a big-time pitcher. This has all the earmarks a very poor trade.
Licenses, permits on sale Dec. 16 Looking for the perfect gift for dad? Need an affordable stocking stuffer for the kids? Consider purchasing a 2014 hunting or fishing license. Starting Monday, Dec. 16, all licenses and permits for the 2014 season will go on sale, and for those looking for one last “hoorah” of the year, 2014 license holders can hit the field or a stream the very same day. The 2014 hunting and fishing licenses and permits can be purchased
KDWP Report online at ksoutdoors.com, at any Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism state park or regional office, and at any license vendor beginning Dec. 16. New this year, significant price reductions have been placed on youth deer, turkey and antelope permits, for hunters age 15 and younger. Youth fees that have been reduced beginning 2014 are as follows:
Resident General Resident Youth Deer Permit: $10 General Resident Youth Antelope Permit: $10 General Resident Youth Turkey Permit (1-bird limit): $5 Resident Youth Turkey Game Tag (1-bird limit): $5 General Resident Youth Turkey Permit/ Game Tag Combination (2-bird limit): $10
Turkey Permit (1-bird limit): $10 Nonresident Youth Turkey Game Tag (1-bird limit): $10 Nonresident Youth Turkey Permit/Game Tag Combination (2-bird limit): $20 Nonresident Youth Combination 2-deer Permit (antlered deer and antlerless white-tailed deer): $90 Nonresident Youth Antelope Permit (Archery only): $100 Non-Resident For more information, Nonresident Youth visit ksoutdoors.com
The Scott County Record • Page 24 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
building a dynasty
SC has earned its place among football’s elite It’s not as though Scott Community High School hasn’t established itself as a football powerhouse in the years prior to Glenn O’Neil taking over as the head coach. Four trips to the state finals and three Class 4A state titles were already in the record books. But O’Neil has cemented his credentials as one of the top coaches for one of the top programs in Kansas since taking over the SCHS football program in 2007. During that time all the Beavers have done is: •win 10 games or more in six of those seven seasons. •claim a Class 3A state title in 2012. •win 86 percent of their games (74-12). Yet, even with that list of accomplishments, there were very few who expected a lot from the Beavers this year after graduating nine starters from each side of the ball off last year’s state title team. No one except the coaching staff and the Beavers themselves. And if you were looking for star power on this year’s SCHS football team it would have been a little difficult to find. “We didn’t have a team of stars. This really was a total team effort,” says O’Neil. “This was a group of athletes from which a lot of people didn’t expect great things. Their ability was underestimated.” 7 Earn All-League That could even be said as the Beavers finished as runner-up in the Great West Activities Conference with a 4-1 record. Only seven Scott City players earned All-League honors and just two of those - seniors Brayden Strine (all purpose/defensive back) and Warren Kropp (tight end/defensive end) made it on both
sides of the ball. “Any time you finish 11-2 that should say something about your team. On the other hand, the fact that we didn’t have more kids get recognition is a reflection of the kind of team effort that it took,” says O’Neil. That’s not to say he wasn’t disappointed more boys didn’t earn post-season honors. “We hoped to have another defensive back earn All-League,” says O’Neil. He points out that junior defensive tackle Chantz Yager “wreaked havoc with his quickness. It would have been nice if he’d gotten some recognition.” Linebackers Cooper Griffith and Sloan Baker also got overlooked, in part, says O’Neil, because the league had so many outstanding linebackers. Griffith, a sophomore inside linebacker, finished with a team high 130 tackles (39 solo) and “by the end of the season was playing as well as anyone in the league,” O’Neil says. Likewise junior outside linebacker Baker “really emerged as a player on both sides of the ball.” He finished with 90 tackles (34 solo) which, says O’Neil, “is good and bad.” “It shows that he was in on a lot of plays. But when you get that many tackles it means you’ve been on the field quite awhile, which isn’t something you want for your defense.” There were a couple of other factors contributing to the lack of post-season recognition. First of all, the Beavers weren’t playing particularly good football when facing league opponents during the first six weeks. Even though SCHS was 5-1 entering district play, O’Neil doesn’t feel the team began to hit its stride until the second district
We told the boys from the start that this was an opportunity to make their mark in the school’s football history. They believed in us and they believed in their ability to get better. SCHS head coach Glenn O’Neil
playoff game against Hays-TMP when quarterback Trey O’Neil returned to the lineup after an injury and sophomore fullback Wyatt Kropp emerged as an offensive threat. The injury to O’Neil was one of several that hung over the SCHS squad throughout the season. Seniors Brayden Strine and Martin Gough sustained injuries in the opening game against Abilene and they had to deal with the lingering effects throughout the remainder of the season. That list would grow to include fullback/linebacker Paco Banda, offensive lineman/linebacker Cooper Griffith, offensive lineman Wyatt Eitel, AllLeague offensive center/ DE Keigun Wells and All-League defensive lineman/tight end Warren Kropp in addition to others dealing with minor setbacks. “We knew there would be growing pains. Unfortunately, some early injuries made those pains a little greater,” says Coach O’Neil. In spite of those obstacles, the Beavers were able to make a big push through the playoffs with impressive wins over Lakin (43-0), Phillipsburg (24-21) and Conway Springs (20-7) before a season-ending 36-13 loss
to Beloit. “What they accomplished was a testament to their desire and the effort they put into becoming better players. It became a motivating factor for the boys to go out every week and prove people wrong,” O’Neil says. While many on the outside may have been surprised, O’Neil says he and the coaching staff had high expectations when the season began and felt this team could be better than others were projecting. “We had some high hopes for Matthew Tuttle, but he even exceeded our expectations,” says O’Neil about the 320-pound AllLeague defensive tackle. “He became quite a force on the defensive line.” Was this, perhaps, the best coaching job yet by O’Neil and defensive coordinator Jim Turner? O’Neil won’t put this season’s success in that context, but he does acknowledge the growing role that assistants Landon Frank, Brian Gentry, Josh Burnett and Jorden Funk had on a day-to-day basis and on game nights. “It wasn’t just the players. The coaching staff also got better during the year,” O’Neil adds. “Our younger coaches gained confidence and were able to take a more hands-on approach to their jobs as
SCHS Season Stats Player
Trey O’Neil
Quarterback Comp. Att TD 99
179
Receivers
Player Brayden Strine*
Rec. 35
Chris Pounds* Chantz Yager Warren Kropp*
465 273 188
Runningbacks Car. Yds.
Wyatt Kropp Paco Banda Martin Gough
98 113 57
Brayden Strine*
Warren Kropp* Sloan Baker Chantz Yager
Yards 727
35 21 12
Player
Player Cooper Griffith Paco Banda*
15
625 539 316
68
Solo 39 36
Chris Pounds
292
Defense Asst. 91 70
43 34 22
51 56 49
26
39
Total 130 106 94 90 71 65
Int. 6
Yds.
1,556
YPC 20.8
TD 6
YPC
TD
4.29
3
13.3 13.0 15.7
6.38 4.78 5.54
7 2 1
5 9 7
TFL Sacks 12/29 1 7/12 20/68 6/15 11/29 8/35
5 5 1
* denotes All-League
the season went on.” While there is plenty of credit to go around for the team’s success, O’Neil feels there is one other intangible that can’t be overlooked. He says they never entered the season looking for excuses not to exceed. Instead, they challenged the players during summer camp and from the day they began two-aday practices. “We never approached this as a rebuilding year,”
Glenn O’Neil talks to players during a time out in the Beloit game.
says O’Neil. “We told the boys from the start that this was an opportunity to make their mark in the school’s football history. They believed in us and they believed in their ability to get better. By the end of the season they didn’t feel there was a team out there that they couldn’t beat. “When you have that kind of confidence you can accomplish some pretty great things.”
(Photo by Larry Caldwell)
Christmas
The Scott County Record
Page 25 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
Myths, folklore surround the holiday season With all the myths and folklore that surround the Christmas season, it can sometimes be hard to determine what’s true and what’s total bull-mistletoe (that’ll make sense below). Whether you’re trying to be the best Santa Claus impersonator in the country, or you just don’t want to be a total Krampus this holiday season, check out these Christmas facts. At least they’ll give you something to talk about at your eggnog cocktail party. * * * 1. You’ve shopped at the original gift wrap store
and didn’t even know it. Gift wrap as we know it today was accidentally discovered in 1917, when a pair of Kansas City, Mo., brothers ran out of red, green and white tissue paper at their store and needed something else to wrap their customers’ purchases in. On a lark they decided to try wrapping the gifts in thin, fancy paper intended for lining envelopes. This decision ended up being a complete smash hit, so they began selling the paper by itself, selling out of their gift wrap rolls year after year. Eventually
they decided to start making gift wrap their main business, and the brothers, J.C. and Rollie Hall, founded Hallmark. Today we spend around $2.6 billion annually on gift wrap. This said, before the Hall brothers invented contemporary gift wrap, there were actually already customs for wrapping gifts in paper. The practice of gift wrapping may have started as early as the first century A.D. in Korea, while the practice of using fancy paper and lace comes from the Victorian era.
Record will print letters
* * * 2. Christmas trees are a relatively recent tradition in the United States. In ancient times, evergreen plants were used for winter decoration to remind people that “life” was still possible and would return in the Spring. This practice was often tied to worship, as the Egyptians did so with Ra and the Romans celebrated with their festival of Saturnalia. The translation of this tradition into the modern “Christmas Tree” began in the 16th century, when German Christians started placing
decorated evergreens in their homes. Some say it’s possible that the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, was the first person to add lit candles to a tree (which later inspired Christmas lights when electricity came around) to try and recapture the beauty of stars twinkling between branches outside. It took awhile for Americans to adopt the Christmas tree, and until around 1840, the trees were still seen as pagan symbols. It wasn’t until a magazine spread came along in 1846 featuring
Queen Victoria and her family (her husband was German) standing around a Christmas tree that the evergreens started becoming popular in the U.S. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Americans ended up taking the German tradition of short Christmas trees and super-sizing it into Christmas trees that went from floor to ceiling. * * * 3. For a long time, celebrating Christmas was frowned upon in the U.S. Early Puritanical America actually outlawed Christmas from (See MYTHS on page 32)
Santa’s Visit
The Scott County Record has made special arrangements again this year to print letters to Santa from area youngsters. They will appear in the issue of Thurs., Dec. 19. Letters should be sent no later than Fri., Dec. 13, to: The Scott County Record Box 377 Scott City, Ks. 67871
Christmas at Lake Scott
The Friends of Lake Scott State Park will be sponsoring a “Pioneer Christmas” at the Steele homestead on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The homestead will be decorated with lanterns and other oldfashioned decorations. There is no cost for touring the Steele home, however donations will be accepted for the Friends group.
(Above) Sixyear-old Avery Lewis indicates that she hasn’t begun to fill out her shopping list during Santa’s visit to Scott City Elementary School on Tuesday evening. Seeming a little more certain about what he wants is eight-yearold Jaden Lewis.
Light show in Scott City
The Christmas light display by Chad and Danea Wasinger can be viewed at their residence, 1204 Hillside Drive, Scott City, through Dec. 25. Hours are: Sunday thru Thursday: 7:0010:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 7:0011:00 p.m. Persons viewing the display can tune into the music at 88.1 FM. Wasinger also advises everyone to visit their website (wasingerlights.com) for daily updates, scheduling changes and how to deal with traffic issues should that become a problem.
(Left) Fiveyear-old Gavin Summers tries to make sure he hasn’t left anything off his wish list. (Record Photos)
Tips for safe and delicious holiday meals Unless they look that way because of food coloring, you generally want to steer clear of green eggs and ham. And even normal-looking ham and eggs might contain an unpleasant surprise without proper attention to food safety, says Londa Nwadike, Extension food safety specialist for the University of Missouri and Kansas State University. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne illness strikes almost 50 million people in the U.S. each year, resulting in 128,000 hos-
pitalizations and about 3,000 deaths. “Foodborne illness is especially a concern for people with weak immune systems, including the very young, the elderly, pregnant woman and anyone with a condition that weakens the immune system,” Nwadike says. She offers some tips to ensure that the holiday ham and eggnog are safe as well as delicious. Ham Because ham is typically preserved through some combination of curing, smoking and salting, some holiday hosts and
hostesses may not practice the same vigilance they do with their holiday turkey. But there are many different kinds of hams, Nwadike notes. Some you can store at room temperature for months. Others have shorter shelf lives and require refrigeration. Some you can eat cold right out of the package; others need to be cooked thoroughly first. “It’s important to know what kind of ham you have to know the safe storage, cooking and handling of that ham,” she says. If you are buying ham
from a store, read the label, which will tell you what kind of ham it is and provide safe-handling instructions. As with any meat product, check the internal temperature at the centermost part of the ham with a food thermometer to make sure it has reached a safe temperature. Cook-before-eating cured and fresh (uncured) hams should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees before serving. Fully cooked hams can be eaten cold or reheated to 165 degrees. (See MEALS on page 32)
Eggnog
•1 quart 2-percent milk •6 eggs •1/4 teaspoon salt •1/2 cup sugar •1 teaspoon vanilla •1 cup whipping cream, whipped •Ground nutmeg Heat milk in a large saucepan until hot. (Don’t boil or scald.) While milk is heating, beat together eggs and salt in a large bowl, gradually adding the sugar. Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture while stirring continually. Transfer the mixture back to the large saucepan and cook on medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens and just coats a spoon. Check with a food thermometer to ensure the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Stir in vanilla. Cool quickly by setting pan in a bowl of ice or cold water and stirring for about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight. Pour into a bowl or pitcher. Fold in whipped cream. Dust with ground nutmeg and enjoy.
The Scott County Record
Farm
Page 26 - Thursday, December 12, 2013
Revenue insurance: certainty in an otherwise unknown farm bill ag outlook
Crop insurance is far superior to disaster payments
Darryll Ray Harwood Schaffer
Congress has made little visible progress toward reconciling two different visions of the farm bill. The Senate passed a traditional-all-encompassing farm bill while the House chose to split the farm and nutrition legislation into two different bills in order to impose significant cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, often referred to by its older name: food stamps) separate from must-pass farm legislation.
But one thing is certain: the next farm bill will include crop/revenue insurance as a primary component of the farm program no matter what happens to the SNAP cuts. Providing support for this sense of inevitability, Thomas Zacharias, President of National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS), and Keith Collins, retired Chief Economist of the USD) and an economic and policy advisor to NCIS, wrote an article for Choices: The magazine
of food, farm, and resource issues, a publication of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, titled “Ten considerations regarding the role of crop insurance in the agricultural safety net.” Zacharias and Collins pose their considerations in the form of 10 questions, many of which provide a rationale, more for farm policy in general, than for crop insurance in particular. Their first question: “Is there a public interest in a resilient, financially sustainable and competitive industry that produces the nation’s food and is subject to natural disasters and other shocks?”
The public definitely has a vested interest in supporting US agriculture’s ability to provide a reliable supply of food. It’s the throwing “other shocks” in with the “natural disasters” that we question, since multiple years of devastatingly low prices presumably would be just an “other shock.” Crop insurance is well suited to deal with the natural disasters like drought, flood, and untimely heat during critical periods of crop development, as well as late and early frosts. In fact, crop insurance is far superior to the ad hoc disaster payments that Congress used to use to
Farm storage facility loans are available
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) are available through the Farm Service Agency. The FSA offers low-interest loans to grain producers to build or upgrade farm storage facilities and permanent drying and handling equipment. Loan opportunities include, but are not limited to: •New conventional-type cribs or bins, oxygen-limiting and other upright silo-type structures, and flat-type storage structures designed for whole grain storage. •Perforated floors, safety equipment, quality improvement equipment, electrical equipment and concrete components considered essential for a fully functional storage facility. (See LOANS on page 27)
(See REVENUE on page 27)
Local farmers see social media role in ag Two area wheat farmers recently traveled to St. Louis to learn how to battle the issues facing the wheat industry. Shayne Suppes, Dighton, and Jace Gibbs, Scott City, participated in the Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (WILOT) program in late November and returned to
Wheat Scoop Bill Spiegel
communications director
Kansas Wheat
Kansas with new perspectives. The leadership training program is intended for growers who are new to serving wheat industry
organizations. The five day program featured sessions on agriculture and food policy, media training, advocacy techniques, understanding wheat industry organizations, establishing consumer trust, effectively using social media and new wheat technologies. Suppes, a third genera-
tion wheat farmer, says his eyes were opened to opportunities using social media to tell the story of Suppes Family Farms. “I learned about the use of social media and just how powerful it can be if you communicate with the general public through Facebook or Twitter,” said Suppes. “I got a lot of
Despite criticism there’s value in the USDA reports
The recent U.S. government shutdown stopped the flow of information that normally is available from the USDA. The lack of regular USDA information impacted the behavior of agricultural markets and its participants. Fortunately, the government shutdown only lasted for a short time, but it was long enough for most cash and futures market traders to realize how dependent our marketing system is on the regular flow of independent information. The USDA market information and outlook forecasts make an easy target for marketing analysts and farmers because they often question and sometimes criticize the information contained in key reports. However, we often do not think about what might happen if this
Ag Commentary Frayne Olson crop economist No. Dakota St. University
information was not available “free of charge” to the general public. In reality, no information is free, and there are significant tax dollars spent every year to collect the data, analyze figures and report findings. However, these costs are paid for by all U.S. taxpayers, not just those who directly use and benefit from the information. Why does the USDA spend so much time, effort and money to prepare publicly available information? The simple answer is that the USDA is there to help the people who buy and sell agricultural products, such as input suppliers, farmers, grain ele-
vators, food processors, exporters and importers, make more informed decisions and help agricultural markets operate more efficiently. It is commonly recognized that information has value. If one trader has timelier or more accurate information than other traders, the individual with better information can use it to his or her advantage. For example, if a corn exporter knows that corn yields across the U.S. are higher than is believed by corn importers, the exporter potentially can sell corn for a higher price than if everyone had the same information. The exporter would benefit from the more accurate information if a sale were made. However, what happens if the importer
does not buy any corn because the price is too high to be competitive? The shared benefit from the trade would not take place because of inaccurate information and an export sale would be lost. Many of the companies that prepare their own estimates use the USDA’s information as a reference to cross-check their numbers or as direct input into their own analysis process. For example, a private grain merchandizing company may prepare yield and total production estimates for the major crops it trades by contacting farmers and grain elevators across its trade territory. However, the company may not have contacts in every state or every growing region and may not be able to gather yield (See REPORTS on page 27)
new ideas on staying in touch with other producers and consumers. Before WILOT I was only on Twitter and when I came home I made a Facebook page for the farm.” Paul Penner, National Association of Wheat Growers vice president from Hillsboro returned to WILOT as a presenter
after originally participating in 2004. Penner said it was rewarding to see the other side of the program after reaping the benefits of being a participant. “WILOT encourages you to reach out beyond yourself and even take some chances outside (See SOCIAL on page 27)
Market Report Closing prices on December 10, 2013 Winona Feed and Grain Bartlett Grain Wheat.................. White Wheat ......
Milo ....................
Corn ...................
Soybeans ...........
$ 6.69 $ 6.99 $ 4.13 $ 4.41 $ 12.63
Scott City Cooperative Wheat..................
$ 6.69
Milo (bu.).............
$ 4.13
White Wheat ....... Corn....................
Soybeans ........... Sunflowers.......... ADM Grain
$ 6.69
White Wheat ......
$ N/A
Corn....................
$ 4.43
Milo (bu.).............
$ 4.13
Weather H
L
$ 6.99
December 3
65
28
December 4
28
14
$ 4.41
December 5
14
6
December 6
15
5
December 7
13
4
December 8
17
0
December 9
24
-3
$ 12.63 $ 16.60
Wheat..................
$ 6.69
Corn....................
$ 4.48
Milo (bu.).............
Wheat..................
$ 4.18
P
Moisture Totals
Soybeans............
$ 12.59
December
.00
Sunflowers..........
$ 17.15
2013 Total
20.41
The Scott County Record • Page 27 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Ryan is graduate of Young Stockmen’s Academy Suzanne Ryan, Platte City, Mo., formerly of Scott City, was one of 20 KLA members from across the state to graduate from the Kansas Livestock Association’s (KLA) Young Stockmen’s Academy. Merck Animal Health partnered with KLA to host members in their 20s for a series of four seminars throughout 2013. This class brings the total number of YSA graduates to 159.
Attending the KLA convention was the final session for this year’s class. The three-day event provided participants the opportunity to gain additional industry knowledge and interact with other KLA members from across the state. YSA members got a firsthand look at the inner workings of the association by attending the KLA Chairmen’s Circle meeting. The group also took part in the policy-making process by attending
Revenue compensate farmers for the financial losses caused by such events. With crop insurance, protection does not depend on the timing of Congressional action or the extent of the disaster. Rather it provides immediate compensation as well as protection even if the disaster is confined to a small area and it tends to not make payments to farmers who are geographically included but happened to realize no losses. The reason crop insurance is an appropriate tool to deal with those types of agricultural losses - that is losses resulting from drought, flood, heat, and other adverse weather events - has to do with the nature of these events. They tend to be relatively geographically random and insurance works best
Social your comfort zone, to engage other people and have a discussion that is worthwhile and beneficial for both parties,” said Penner. “It broadens your horizons and enhances the farming career beyond what you would expect.” WILOT arms producers with skills that can be used on and off the farm. Through leadership and professional development training, producers who participate in WILOT are taught how to work with different individuals from unique backgrounds.
Reports information for all of the crops it merchandizes. The USDA production reports can be used to double-check their own yield estimates and fill in any missing information from other states, regions or even countries. Why are the USDA WASDE and other production reports needed if private companies are preparing similar reports? One of the main reasons is to provide all market participants with accu-
committee and council meetings where members discussed issues affecting their business interests, including trichomoniasis regulations, water conservation in Western Kansas and potential changes to the state’s corporate farming laws. Immediately prior to the convention, the YSA class received their Masters of Beef Advocacy degrees, following an in-depth spokesperson training session with National Cattlemen’s
Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Executive Director of Communications Daren Williams. During their first session in Topeka last February, attendees were exposed to advocacy training, the legislative process and services provided by KLA and NCBA. The second installment took the group to Kansas City in May, where they learned about the agribusiness and Suzanne Ryan was recently recognized as a Young Stockmen’s Academy graduate. retail beef industries. YSA members went October to tour beef and senting various segments to Western Kansas in dairy operations repre- of each industry.
(continued from page 26)
when the risks are random. That is why standard property insurance policies exclude flood coverage. Flood damage is not randomly distributed. It generally occurs to properties in shoreline and flood plain areas and providing coverage would make property insurance policies prohibitively expensive, especially for people living on high ground. That is all fine and good when crop insurance only insures against crop failures, which in itself is not problem-free. But when crop insurance becomes crop revenue insurance, the price component of the insured revenue affects all production simultaneously, not just a random portion. And historically, there is a distinct tendency for
extended periods of low prices, so low-price years tend to follow one another. And while during those extended periods of low prices the public has an interest in agricultural policies that enable farmers to remain on the farm, it is during those times that revenue insurance is of least value. Even with good yields revenue insurance could cover a declining portion of nonland production costs when prices are low for several years. By including revenue as a part of the design of the crop insurance program, the public ends up providing farmers with significant benefits during high-price times (like the last few years), even providing guarantees above the total cost of
(continued from page 26)
production, while failing to provide a safety net when farmers need help the most. Rather than seeing crop insurance as the “primary component of the farm safety net,” it makes more sense to us to use crop insurance where it works best, insuring crops against random events, and using an inventory management program like MDIS to handle the systemic risk. That way both farmers and the public get the best of both worlds at minimal cost: ensuring the public of a reliable supply of food at reasonable prices, while addressing farmers’ random (yield) and systemic (price) risks. Daryll Ray and Harwood Schaffer are with the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee
Loan
(continued from page 26)
“There is value in this type of training to be able to learn to work with different people from different perspectives and disagree in a manner that is productive and come together to work together on issues and this has a lot of value beyond the wheat organizations,” said Penner. One of the highlights of the trip for Suppes was the opportunity to tour Monsanto’s headquarters. He said it put the company in a better perspective and made it seem smaller and was presented to the
participants in a way that he could understand. “It was definitely eye opening for me,” said Suppes. “I’ve been around Roundup my whole life and never knew where it came from.” WILOT is held annually for wheat growers who would like to become involved in state or national association leadership for the first time. The program is a project of the National Wheat Foundation and is planned and generously sponsored by Monsanto.
(continued from page 26)
rate information so they can make better decisions and plan for the future. Another advantage is that the methods used by the USDA to forecast or estimate yields, acreage, total use and prices are well-documented and publicly available. Most private companies do not release the methods they used to establish their estimates and forecasts. Many of the benefits created by the USDA reports and analysis are
indirect and can be difficult to trace. It’s not until we don’t have access to this information that we realize how many different people and organizations use and rely on this information. Would agricultural markets stop working if the USDA information were not available? No, but these markets may not work as smoothly. Frayne Olson is an assistant professor/crop economist at North Dakota State University
•Remodeling existing storage facilities to increase storage capacity. Farm Storage Facility Loans must be approved prior to site preparation, equipment purchase or construction, and must be secured by a promissory note and security agreement. The new maximum principal loan amount is $500,000. Participants are required to provide a down payment of 15 percent, with CCC providing a loan for the remaining 85 percent of the net cost of the eligible storage facility and permanent drying and handling equipment. A farm stored facility loan, with a seven year term, approved in December would have an interest rate of two percent.
$
7
The Scott County Record • Page 28 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Call 872-2090 today!
Per Week
The Scott County Record Professional Directory
There’s no beter way to reach your potential customers in Scott County and the surrounding areas.
CHAMBLESS Preconditioning and Growing ROOFING Residential Agriculture
• 45 Years Experience • Managed and owned by full-time DVM • 2,000 Head capacity Office - 872-5150 • Scott City
Jerry Doornbos, DVM Home - 872-2594 Cell - 874-0949 Stuart Doornbos Home - 872-2775 Cell - 874-0951
Sager’s Pump Service • Irrigation • Domestic • Windmills • Submersibles
Cell: 874-4486 • Office 872-2101
All Types of Roofing
Commercial
Cedar Shake and Shingle Specialists Return to Craftsmanship
Attention to Detail and Quality Guaranteed 620-872-2679 • 1-800-401-2683
Walker Plumbing, Inc. Backhoe & Trenching services • Irrigation & gas leak repairs • Full-line irrigation parts T-L center pivot dealer Floor heat systems Pump & install septic systems Boring equipment
423 S. Mesquite Rd. • Scott City • 872-2130
Dirks Earthmoving Co.
Medical
Precision Land Forming of terraces and waterways; feed lot pens and ponds; building site preparation; lazer equipped
Area Mental Health Center
Richard Dirks • Scott City, Ks. (Home) 872-3057 • 877-872-3057 (Cell) 872-1793
SERVICES PROVIDED:
Marriage and Family Therapy • Individual Psychotherapy Psychiatric Evaluations • Drug and Alcohol Counseling Mediation • Child Psychology • Psychological Evaluations • Group Therapy Pre-Marital Counseling
24-hour Emergency Answering Service
210 W. 4th • Scott City • 872-5338
ELLIS AG SERVICES • Custom Manure Conditioning • Hauling and Spreading • Custom Swathing and Baling • Rounds-Net or Twine • Gyp and Sand Sales • Pickup or Delivery
Charles Purma II D.D.S. P.A. General Dentistry, Cosmetics, and Insurance Accepted
We welcome new patients.
Call Brittan Ellis • 620-874-5160
324 N. Main • Scott City • 872-2389 Residence 872-5933
Automotive Willie’s Auto A/C Repair
Horizon Health
Willie Augerot
For your home medical supply and equipment needs!
Complete A/C Service Mechanic Work and Diagnostics Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
We service and repair all that we sell. 1602 S. Main • Scott City • 872-2232 Toll Free : 1-866-672-2232
404 Kingsley • Scott City • 874-1379
Pro Health Chiropractic Wellness Center
(Scott City Chiropractic) “TLC”... Technology Lead Chiropractic
Dr. James Yager • Dr. Marlyn Swayne Dr. Robert Fritz
Red
110 W. 4th St. • Scott City • 872-2310 Toll Free: 800-203-9606 Specializing in
all coatings t Paint i or any other color
Paint inside and out residential, commercial, and industrial. Free estimates and 16 plus years of experience.
PC Painting, Inc. Paul Cramer 620-290-2410 620-872-8910 www.pcpaintinginc.com
Landscaping • Lawn/Trees
Berning Tree Service David Berning • Marienthal
620-379-4430
Tree Trimming and Removal Hedge and Evergreen Trimming Stump Removal
Fully Insured
Pro Ex II
Over 20 Years Experience
Professional Extermination Commercial & Residential
Dr. Jeffrey A. Heyd Optometrist 20/20 Optometry
Treatment of Ocular Disease • Glaucoma Detection Children’s Vision • Glasses • Contact Lenses
Complete family eye center! 106 W. 4th • Scott City • 872-2020 • Emergencies: 872-2736
• Termites • Rodents • Soil Sterilization • Pre Treats • Lawn Care • Fly Parasites
John Kropp, Owner • Scott City 874-2023 (cell) • 872-3400 (office) • prox2@live.com
Scott City Clinic Daniel R. Dunn, MD Family Practice
872-2187
Matthew Lightner, MD Family Practice
Christian E. Cupp, MD William Slater, MD Family Practice
Libby Hineman, MD Family Practice
Josiah Brinkley, MD
Call today for a Greener Healthier Lawn
Family Practice
General Surgeon
Megan Dirks, AP, RN-BC Ryan Michels, PA Mindy Schrader, PA
SPENCER PEST CONTROL RESIDENTIAL – COMMERCIAL
Owner, Chris Lebbin • 620-214-4469
Construction/Home Repair
Termite Baiting Systems • Rodents Weed Control • Structural Insects Termite Control Box 258, Scott City • (620) 872-2870
Turner Sheet Metal
Heating & Air Conditioning
Heating & Cooling Systems Since 1904
Sandy Cauthon RN
Commercial & Residential 1851 S. Hwy. 83 • Scott City 872-2954 Shop • 1-800-201-2954
Scott City Myofascial Release
Ron Turner Owner
105 1/2 W. 11th St. Scott City 620-874-1813
Call me to schedule your Myofascial Release
7
$
The Scott County Record • Page 29 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Call 872-2090 today!
Per Week
Professional Directory Continued
Retail
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
www.reganjewelers.com
412 N. Main • Garden City • 620-275-5142
Kansas Classifieds Ad Network
The classified ads below are appearing in 147 Kansas newspapers with a total circulation of 500,000 the classified display ads appear in 142 Kansas newspapers with a total circulation of 457,000. KCAN line ad is $300 for up to 25 words and $12 each additional word. A 2x2 display ad is $800 per insertion and a 2x4 display ad is $1,650 per insertion. To find out more, contact The Scott County Record at 872-2090.
Sporting Goods Truck Driving
Northend Disposal A garbologist company. Scott City • 872-1223 • 1-800-303-3371
LM Wild Animal Eviction Service Control, capture and removal of nuisance animals.
out ! Coyotes, pigeons, Let’s BOOcT ters it r y k s e p m e raccoons, skunks, th snakes, rabbits and more.
Lee Mazanec (620) 874-5238
lmwildanimaleviction@gmail.com
All Under One Roof
GUN SHOW. Dec. 14-15. Kansas ExpoCentre, Topeka (19th and Topeka Blvd.). Sat. 9:00-5:00; Sunday 9:00-3:00. BuySell-Trade. For info call (563) 927-8176.
For Sale 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.
Revcom Electronics
Opportunities
Locally owned and operated since 1990
owners. Many types, sizes, locations, terms. $25K to $15M. Other states available. www.BizSale.com. Call 1-800-617-4204
Your RadioShack Dealer PROFITABLE KANSAS Two-way Radio Sales & Service businesses for sale by
1104 Main • Scott City • 872-2625
Education
Brent Rogers
Sales Consultant b.rogers@officesolutionsinc.biz
NEED CLASS A CDL training? Start a career in trucking today. Swift Academies offer PTDI certified courses and offer best-in-class training. New Academy classes weekly. No money down or credit check. Certified mentors ready and available. Paid (while training with mentor). Regional and dedicated opportunities. Great career path. Excellent benefits package. Please call: (602) 714-9455.
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
Gene’s Appliance Over 200 appliances in stock! COMPARE OUR PRICES!
We have Reverse Osmosis units in stock. Remember us for parts in stock for all brands of all appliances. Sales and Service Days • Mon. - Sat. Deliveries • Mon.-Sat.
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 ––––––––––––––––––––– TRAINING. Class ACDL. Train and work for us. Professional and focused CDL training available. Choose between company driver, owner/ operator, lease operator or lease trainer. (877) 3697885. www.centraltruckdrivingjobs.com. ––––––––––––––––––––– EXPERIENCED FLATBED drivers. Regional opportunities now open with plenty of freight and great pay. 800-277-0212 or primeinc.com. ––––––––––––––––––––– TRANSFER DRIVERS. Need CDL A or B contract drivers, to relocate vehicles from local body plants to various locations throughout U.S. No forced dispatch. 1-800-501-3783 or www.mamotransportation.com under Careers. 1-800-528-7825. ––––––––––––––––––––– TRANSPORT AMERICA has dedicated and regional openings. Variety of home-time options. Good miles and earnings. Enjoy Transport America’s great driver experience. TAdrivers.com or 866-204-0648.
Largest Frigidaire appliance dealer in Western Ks. 508 Madison • Scott City • 872-3686
Networktronic, Inc.
Computer Sales, Service and Repair Custom computers! Networking solutions!
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
Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 402 S. Main, Scott City • 872-1300
Services
Fur-Fection Dining
District 11 AA Meetings
Scott City • Unity and Hope
Berning Auction “Don’t Trust Your Auction to Just Anyone”
C-Mor-Butz BBQ
Barbecue, the only sport where a fat bald man is a GOD...
& Catering
Monday, Wednesday and Friday • 8:00 p.m. 807 Kingsley Last Saturday, Birthday Night, 6:30 p.m. All open meetings, 874-8207 • 874-8118 ________________ A.A. • Al-Anon • Tuesday • 8:30 p.m. United Methodist Church, 412 College 872-3137 • 872-3343
Kyle Lausch For all your auction needs call:
(620) 375-4130
Russell Berning Box Q • Leoti
620-872-4209
Bryan Mulligan & Chris Price 620-874-8301 & 620-874-1285
www.cmorbutzbbq.com • cmorbutzbbq@gmail.com
Dighton • Thursday • 8:30 p.m. 535 Wichita St. • All open meetings 397-5679 • 397-2647
Classifieds
The Scott County Record • Page 30 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
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 We would like to thank all of our friends and family for your support with food, prayers, visits, cards and words of encouragement during mom’s illness. It was greatly appreciated! A special thanks to Verla Biel at Home Health in Scott City for your care and kindness the last couple of weeks caring for mom at home and to the Scott County Hospital staff for their care and compassion for her and for us during her last hours. God bless you all! Doug, Joni Stegman and Family John, Sandy LaCoy and Family Randy, Vickie Stegman and Family Tim Stegman Thank you goes out to: PlainJan’s, Dairy Queen, Farm Credit, Fairleigh Feed Yard, HRC Feed Yard, Braun’s Butcher Block, and the residents of Scott City for supporting our hamburger brown bag fundraiser. Even though it was 20 degrees and snowing outside we still sold out of our sack lunches! We have a awesome community that always supports their youth in all they do. Thank you Scott City for supporting Scott City Shock Volleyball Club which has six teams with kids from Scott City, Dighton, Ness City and Tribune ranging in ages from 9-19. Scott City Shock Volleyball Club
Business
Real Estate
Rentals
Help Wanted
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.
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 ––––––––––––––––––––– STUCCO HOME 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, livingroom, den, laundry and dine-in kitchen. Covered patio off den area. Nice yard and garden area. Detached 2-car garage and extended shop. Nice corner lot. Retirement home or starter home with room to expand! Reasonably priced. Call to see 620214-1434 or 318-2303824. 16tfc –––––––––––––––––––––
HIDE AND SEEK STORAGE SYSTEMS. Various sizes available. Virgil and LeAnn Kuntz, 41tfc (620)874-2120. ––––––––––––––––––––– 1 AND 3 BEDROOM houses available and storage units. Come fill out an application at PlainJans or 10tfc call 620-872-5777. ––––––––––––––––––––– NEWLY REFURBISHED HOME. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, carport, kitchen appliances included, nice yard space, quiet area. No pets or smokers. Available for rent in early Dec. Call Fred or Jana Brittan 620-872-2957.
HOUSEKEEPER parttime at Lazy R Motel. Apply in person, 710 E. 5th, Scott City, 872-3043. 10tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– DIRECT SUPPORT WORKERS are needed in Leoti to work for an individual with a disability in their home. Starting wage is $9.64 an hour. Duties may include personal care, household chores, meal prepartion, etc. For an application, please contact Caol at LINK, Inc. at 1-800-569-5926 and leave your name and mail18t2c ing address. ––––––––––––––––––––– FA R M W O R K E R , 2/1/14-12/1/14, Southwood Landscape and Nursery, Tulsa, Okla. 5 temp jobs. Plant, cultivate, harvest plants. Prepare soil, growing media. Cultivate, plant, transplant, pot and tag. Select, pull plants for market by moving containers, wrapping. Load, unload plants from trucks. Perform routine maintenance on structures and equip. Perform farm, field, greenhouse sanitation duties. Wash produce. Operate farm equip. Non-smoking/tobacco/ drug environment. Employment ref., 3 mo. exp. req’d. $10.18/hr, ¾ work guarantee, tools/equip./ housing provided, trans. and subsistence exp. reimbursed. Apply at Kansas Works, 620-227-2149. 18t1c Job #OK848006. ––––––––––––––––––––– FA R M W O R K E R , 2/1/14-12/21/14, Acadian Family Farm, Fort Cobb, Okla. 5 temp jobs. Prepare growth medium and fill flats. Plant plants in greenhouse and field, ride/ work on vegetable transplanter. Cultivate with tractor, use appropriate tillage hand tools, hoes, wheel-hoes, scuffle hoes. Haul potting soil, fertilizer in greenhouse and fields, recognize appropriate grades of produce, wash and pack produce, load vegetables on front-end loader and pallets in shed, truck and haul to retail outlets. Clean work areas and store materials. Nonsmoking/tobacco/drug environment. Employment ref., 3 mo. exp. req’d. Lift/ load 80 lbs. $10.18/hr, ¾ work guarantee, tools/ equip./housing provided, trans. and subsistence exp. reimbursed. Apply at Kansas Works, 620-227-2149. 18t1c Job #OK847112.
CLASSIFIED ADS
DEADLINE
FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK
Friday, Dec. 20 at 5:00 p.m.
S
AD
JUST MOVE IN
No work here! Bring the family and your stuff, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, cool family room, lots of newer updates, large kitchen, fenced yard with covered patio, SA garage, and it’s BRICK! REDUCED $139,000.
BACK ON MARKET
Lawrence and Associates
903 Myrtle. This adorable 2+2 bedroom house, 2 baths is perfect and affordable for a first-time homeowner. Just remodeled with new kitchen and stainless steel appliances. All new windows, doors, flooring and roof. Call for appointment: Clinton Construction (Darryl or Virginia) 620-872-5494 or 214-1456. 18t2c
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
HOUSE FOR SALE IN SCOTT CITY. Well built home on double corner lot. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Lots of built-in storage. Over 2,400 square feet, plus 3 season screened porch, double attached garage. Established yard with underground sprinklers. 42eow 620-353-9933.
15tfc
––––––––––––––––––––– NICE 2 BEDROOM with central heat and air conditioning. Available now. Call 872-5844 or 17t4p 214-0803.
Services 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!
Lost 4 MORE TO FIND. 2 red, 1 yellow, 1 black Brahma cross heifer calves. Brand A on right hip, left ear notch. 620397-2788. 17t2c
Agriculture
We Have Buyers! We Need Listings! Call us to get your home listed.
COUNTRY LIVING
3 miles from Scott City. 2+3 bedrooms, 3 3/4 baths, ranch home located on 6 acres. Custom built home with lots of extras! Call: 620-874-1580 or visit www.zillow.com and search homes for sale: 901 E. Rd. 180 Scott City, Ks.
17tfc
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
The Scott County Record • Page 31 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Employment Opportunities OFFICE MANAGER Full-Time Office Manager for a small non-profit that works with children. Must have good communication and organizational skills. Working well with others is a must. Salary dependent on education and experience. Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center Contact: Kelly Robbins at wkcac@pld.com or 620-872-3706 18t2c
Park Lane Nursing Home Has openings for the following positions: Part-time CNA Part-time CMA Full-time Dietary aide/cook (experience helpful)
BestMark Inc. (BBB accredited) is looking for participants to evaluate a local auto dealership in Scott City. Chevy or Acura owners get FREE oil change + $20-$40 for your feedback! Apply: www.bestmark.com or Call: 1-800-969-8477
Park Lane Nursing Home
210 E. Parklane Scott City, KS 67871 Or visit us at our website: www.parklanenursinghome.org
Santa’s reading The Scott County Record, you could be too. Get a subscription for you and that hard-tobuy-for person in your life.
Are you a self-motivated, hard working ambitious person with a positive attitude? If so, then Ace is the place for you! Must be able to stand on concrete for 8 hour shifts, work evenings and weekends. Drug testing mandatory. Apply in person at: Scott County Hardware 1405 S. Main Scott City 14tfc MARKETING RESEARCH
Shift differential pay offered for evening and night shifts! Please apply in person at:
“Quality Care Because We Care”
SCOTT COUNTY HARDWARE
18tfc
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
18t1c
Scott County Hospital has a Medical Technologist position available. This is a day-shift position with one weekend per month daytime duty. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Medical Technology or related clinical degree is required. Must hold or be eligible for registration (AMT or ASCP) as a medical technologist. Requirements: Pre-employment physical, drug and alcohol screening, physical assessment, immunization titer and TB skin test.
620-872-2090
County Plat Maps By
Western Cartographers Available: •Scott •Ness •Gove •Lane •Finney
•Logan •Wichita •Wallace •Greeley •Kearny
Pick them up today at:
We offer an outstanding work environment in our newlyconstructed facility, competitive pay and excellent benefits. Reply to: Scott County Hospital, Inc. 201 Albert Scott City, Ks. 67871. Fax: 620-872-7768
18t2c
RNs NEEDED $5000 SIGN ON BONUS
CLASS A DRIVER/ MEDICAL ASSISTANT Immediate Opening Full-time, Scott City based. Responsibilities: Transport 53’ trailer to medical facilities in NW Kansas, provide patient care on mobile MRI route (paid training). Schedule: 3 ½ days weekly average, 3 overnights per week, 40 hours weekly guarantee. Qualifications: Class A CDL, ability to pass physical, drug screen and background check and have a safe driving record. We offer: Complete benefits package, paid vacation and longevity, paid lodging and per diem and clean working environment.
Scott County Hospital is looking for full-time Registered Nurses to join our team of dedicated nursing professionals. We offer diverse nursing opportunites, experienced nursing administrative staff, excellent ratios, competitve wages, shift and weekend differentials, flexible paid time off, call pay and excellent benefits.
Application: WWW.SHAREDMED.COM Questions: 608-839-9969 SHARED MEDICAL SERVICES An Employee Owned Company Cottage Grove, WI 53527
Pre-employment physical, drug/alcohol screen, physical assessment and TB skin test required. Join us today! Applications are available through Human Resources
406 Main • Scott City • 620 872-2090
18t2c
Scott County Hospital 201 Albert Ave. Scott City, KS. 67871 620-872-7772 and on our website: www.scotthospital.net www.scotthospital.net
14t1
Western State Bank Is seeking a motivated, self-starter as a Teller/Bookkeeper in our Scott City Banking Center.
Christmas
ACROSS
1. Joyful celebration 3. Observe an occasion with festivity 7. Plum pudding sauce (2 wds) 10. January 1 12. Brown, e.g. 14. Link 15. Stable place 16. “All in the Family” role 17. Setting for TV’s “Newhart” 19. Manzanilla, e.g. 21. Little people 22. Christmas drink 23. Coming
DOWN
1. De facto capital of Israel 2. Lineage 4. “___ of the Flies” 5. Cabernet, e.g. 6. Newborn 8. Caribou 9. “...lovely weather for a ___ together...” (2 wds) 11. Toasting 13. ___ and Judy puppet show 14. Browsing and buying goods 18. “O Sanctissima,” e.g. 20. Certain tribute
Employees in the position possess computer skills in word and excel, and demonstrate the ability to learn and adapt to changing technology. Teller/Bookkeeper must also display a strong ability to work with the public and Western State Bank customers. Applicants must have a high school diploma and the ability to pass a criminal background investigation. Applications can be picked up at: Western State Bank, 1425 S. Main Street, Scott City between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Western State Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
16t2c
Meals
The Scott County Record • Page 32 • Thursday, December 12, 2013
Eggs Your holiday eggnog recipe may have been in the family for generations, but you’re still taking a chance if it counts on alcohol to kill salmonella and other harmful bacteria. “Any recipes that include uncooked or lightly cooked eggs, such as eggnog or mousse, should be modified so that the egg mixture is cooked to 160 degrees,” Nwadike says. “Or use pasteurized eggs.” Once your egg mixture reaches 160 degrees, cool it quickly by setting the pan in a bowl of cold water, she says. To speed cooling, stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Bacteria can quickly multiply in moist desserts containing egg and dairy products, so you should refrigerate them if they will not be eaten within two hours of cooking. This includes eggnog, cheesecake, cream pies and cakes with whipped cream and cream cheese frostings.
Myths
Something for Everyone!
(continued from page 25)
406 E. Hwy 96, Leoti • heritagemeats@wbsnet.org
620-375-5151 • 877-333-5151 www.heritage-meats.com
1# Regular Beef Summer Sausage 1 # Jalepeno & Cheese Beef Summer Sausage 1# Smoked Jalepeno & Cheese Pork Sausage ½# Beef Pepper Sticks ½# Beef Jerky $43.99
1 lb. Regular Beef Summer Sausage 1 lb. Jalapeno and Cheese Beef Summer Sausage 1 lb. Smoked Jalapeno & Cheese pork sausage 1 lb. Peppered canadian bacon ½ lb. Colby Cheese $40.00 ½ lb. Jalapeno Cheese
1 lb. Original Summer Sausage 3 # Old fashioned, hickory smoked, sugar cured, boneless ham ½ lb. Beef Jerky ½ lb. Beef Pepper Sticks 1 ½ # Smoked Beef Brisket ½ lb. Smoked Pepper Jack Cheese $36.99 ½ lb. Smoked Chedder Cheese
1 lb. Regular Beef Summer Sausage 1 lb. Jalapeno and Cheese Beef Summer Sausage 1 lb. Red Pepper Summer Sausage $34.49 ½ lb. Smoked Colby Cheese ½ lb. Smoked Jalapeno Cheese ½ lb. Smoked Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Gift Baskets ready for the tree or shipping
Premium Beef Jerky Hearty Wood Smoke Flavor
$43.49
Order Yours Today!
½ lb. Spicy Chuckwagon
Peppered, Whole muscle
½ lb. Colorado Style Mild, whole muscle
$46.99
½ lb. Uncle Russ’ Ground and formed
For any three
1/2 lb. Bacon Jerky Tastes like fried bacon
(continued from page 25)
1 lb. Polish Sausage
$49.99
1 lb. German Sausage 1 lb. Jalepeno & Cheese Sausage
Affordable Great Service Selection
2000 Ford Southwind Motorhome Refinished • Only 17K Miles
Sale Price $19,999 2013 Ford Taurus Was $27,999
Sale Price $24,499 (518)
2013 Chevy Malibu
Only 23K Miles, Was $23,999
Sale Price $22,100 (508)
2011 Chevrolet Suburban Only 45K Miles • Was $37,999
Sale Price $34,999 (496) 2011 Nissan Maxima SV Premium, Was $27,999
Sale Price $22,799 (3423A)
2010 Ford F-150 FX4
Local Scott City Trade • Was $34,999
Sale Price $29,999 (3572A)
2011 Cadillac DTS
Premium, Loaded, Was $35,999
Sales Department Available Monday-Saturday M-F • 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Saturday • 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Service Department Available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Call for appointment after hours
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check us out at scottcountyrecord.com
$22.49
2 lbs Smoked, Seasoned, Roast Beef 2 lbs. Hickory Smoked, Sugar Cured Boneless Ham 2 lbs. Hickory Smoked, Sugar Cured, Peppered Pork Loin
$43.49
1913
1659 to 1681 in Boston, although New York and Virginia still celebrated the holiday. After the American Revolution, the holiday went completely out of vogue, as it was seen as a British custom and even the nonPuritanical Americans wanted nothing to do with it. During the first Christmas under America’s new Constitution, Congress met and remained in session. That seems almost laughable considering the holiday work schedule of today’s Congress. Christmas started to come back into favor slowly and eventually it received a boost from an author named Washington Irving. In 1806, he wrote a book called, “Dietrich Knickerbocker’s History of New York,” which detailed the Dutch St. Nicholas and various Christmas traditions. In 1819, Irving wrote an even more popular short story book called, “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon,” which included “Sleepy Hollow” and “The Legend of Rip Van Winkle,” along with five Christmas stories. These new Christmas stories detailed different holiday traditions (such as caroling) that ended up becoming adopted in America. “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” or as it’s known now, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” was published in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore and Americans haven’t been able to resist the charm of Christmas ever since. * * * 4. You probably should have realized the inspiration for gingerbread houses. Ginger originated in Asia and might have made its way to Europe during the 11th century crusades. From there, Europe fell in love with ginger and turned it into gingerbread - hosting “gingerbread fairs,” turning it into shapes like animals, armor, or “gingerbread husbands,” which women would sometimes eat to increase their chances of getting a mate. The Germans actually popularized the gingerbread cookie with their, “Lebkuchen,” which led to the creation of the gingerbread house. And the likely inspiration? The witch’s house made of candy in the German folktale of “Hansel and Gretel.” * * * 5. St. Nick got along just fine without elves for over 1,000 years. While the Christmas elf was briefly mentioned in some early American literature, they weren’t truly introduced into folklore until the mid-1800s and beyond. Louisa May Alcott (author of “Little Women”) was the first to introduce the concept in writing with her 1850s book, “Christmas Elves,” but that story was never published. The world had to wait until the 1873 Christmas issue of a magazine called, “Godey’s Lady’s Book,” which featured a cover with Santa and “elves” among toys. The idea for Christmas elves came from European depictions of Santa which had been around for centuries and had helpers like the Dutch “Zwarte Piet.” That said, Zwarte Piet was originally a slave in the Dutch narrative, and with the character customarily wearing black-face costumes, it seems the American Christmas elf was probably a huge improvement. * * * 6. You don’t kiss under mistletoe to be romantic. You do it so you don’t die. Baldur was the grandson of the Norse god Thor, and was terrified that every living plant and animal was out to kill him. While he trapped himself in his room and cowered in fear, his wife and mother begged for all the living things in the world to be nice to Baldur and to leave him alone. Problem is, they thought that asking mistletoe was pointless because it was so lowly. When they announced all had agreed, Baldur felt free of his fears and invited other gods to throw objects at him because they simply bounced off. Mischievous Loki then made an arrow from the wood of mistletoe and killed Baldur with it (earlier versions involved a mistletoe spear). We hang mistletoe above the door to never forget it and to remember the dangers of neglecting the “small things.” And if you’re still feeling romantic about mistletoe - the word comes from the Anglo-Saxon words, “mistel” (dung) and “tan” (twig). It is believed to be named after what branches look like after birds have “left droppings.”
1 lb. Hickory smoked, maple sugar cured bacon. 3 lbs. Hickory smoked, sugar cured, boneless ham 1½ lbs Hickory smoked beef brisket
Sale Price $30,699 (3294A)
MOTOR INC. MOTOR COMPANY, COMPANY, INC. “Big City Pricing, Small Town Service!”
601 W. Kansas Ave., Garden City, Ks 67846 • 800-545-1039 • www.burtismotor.com
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601 W. Kansas Ave., Garden City, Ks 67846 • 800-545-1039 www.burtismotor.com