Home of El Cuartelejo
32 Pages • Four Sections Look Inside
Sports SCHS boys fall one win shy of return trip to state Page 17 State Major budget challenges still ahead for legislature Page 2
Business Scott City puts QSI expansion in the heart of trade territory Page 32
Volume 24 • Number 31
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Published in Scott City, Ks.
$1 single copy
Hineman: no choice but to adopt one-time budget fix
Kansas lawmakers knew they were facing a steep climb before the legislative session with a huge budget deficit and a pending decision from the Supreme Court on school funding. That climb didn’t get any easier this past week when Gov. Sam B r o w n b a c k ’s veto of a new tax plan was nar- Don Hineman rowly sustained in the Senate and with the Court’s ruling that the current school funding plan is adequate. House Majority Leader Don Hineman (R-Dighton) remains optimistic that the legislature can find solutions on both fronts before this session is scheduled to wrap-up at the end of the month. “We aren’t back to ground zero,” emphasizes Hineman, who appeared at several town halls this past week during a legislative
recess. However, the legislature does face the task of closing a gap of about $325 million in the current budget year which ends June 30, passing a fully funded budget for the following year and offering a school finance bill that will meet the Supreme Court’s approval by June 30. Close Budget Gap Of immediate concern was closing the shortfall in the current budget year that will be approximately $325 million. The House has opted to borrow $317 million from its investment portfolio, which also includes another $45 million in additional capital gains money. This plan had earlier been offered by Brownback. The House plan now goes to the Senate where Hineman anticipates it will be approved given the lack of alternatives. “This is a lousy choice, but it’s
House making progress on school finance formula Kansas legislators knew that a school finance ruling would be handed down by the Supreme Court while they were in session. The only question was when it would happen. With that in mind, the House leadership got an early start on the process by appointing a special committee in January to look at rewriting the finance formula and determining the cost of a new funding plan. “The House is farther better than the other two options,” he says. It comes down to choosing between options which Hineman says are bad and worse.
along with a finance bill than the Senate,” says Majority Leader Don Hineman. He and House Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe) appointed a committee whose sole responsibility is to write a finance formula. The committee has held hearings, gathered testimony from a number of sources and is starting to assemble the draft of a plan to fund public schools. “I believe we have people on the committee with the (See FORMULA on page eight)
He describes tapping the investment portfolio as cashing in an IRA to pay one’s household bills. (See HINEMAN on page eight)
historic celebration
Index
Opinions...................4-7 Calendar...................... 7 Youth/education.......... 9 LEC report................. 10 Legals...................10-11 Deaths....................... 13 Church services......... 13 Health care...........14-15 Sports...................17-24 Farm section.........26-27 Classified ads.......29-31 Business.................... 32
Deaths
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Agriculture KGS finds no relief in sight for declining Ogallala Page 26
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Scott City junior Kaitlyn Roberts leaps into the arms of teammate Emily Smith near center court as Paige Winderlin (12) and Macie Price (23) get ready to join the celebration following the Lady Beavers’ 45-42 win over Holcomb in the Class 4A-DII substate championship game on Saturday. With the win, the SCHS girls advanced to the state basketball tournament for the first time in the program’s history. (Record Photo)
Business complex on drawing board November target date on south US83 A business and professional office complex is in the planning stages to be located in the 1400 block of South US83 Highway. The property is owned by Les and Danny Spangler who are
developing the site. Tentative plans are for construction to be completed by Nov. 1. “We’ve been wanting to sell it for several years, but we’ve also been looking for the right buyer who had the right development in mind,” Les explained to Scott County Commissioners on Monday. Since the right project never came along, the Spanglers decided they would proceed with their
own plans. Designed in a strip mall concept, the lot will feature about 6,300 square feet of office space. Construction on the south side of the property will include 4,000 square feet of office space facing to the north. Attached to the east end and extending part way to the north will be another 2,000 square feet of building space. Originally, the Spanglers had looked at a project which would have been about 9,000 square feet,
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Health Several health care bills still pending legislative action Page 14
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Education SCMS seventh graders offer ideas if they were mayor Page 9
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Ryan Altman Anna Bennett Vivian Kreiser Francis Miller
“but it was going to cost seven figures which was beyond our cost range,” said Les Spangler. The total cost of the project and the cost of rent - will hinge on the extent to which the interior is completed. Spangler said they have the option of leaving the interior a “white box” with walls and a bathroom, which would put the cost of interior improvements up to the tenants. They could also (See COMPLEX on page two)
The Scott County Record • Page 2 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Budget challenges loom for state legislature Deficit, funding needs are among greatest in history It is not hyperbole to say the challenges that members of the 2017 Kansas Legislature face are among the most daunting in state history. In the next three months, they must find ways to erase hundreds of millions of dollars in red ink to avoid deficit spending, which the Kansas Constitution prohibits. They also must devise a new school finance formula and come up with the estimated $800 million it could take to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court, which
declared the current funding formula inadequate and therefore unconstitutional. Individually, they are huge tasks, but lawmakers must tackle them in tandem amid a charged political environment with the clock ticking toward a hard deadline: the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30. “It’s a tall order,” says Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. Hensley recalls that a rewrite of the school finance formula he worked on as a member of the House in the early 1990s took two full sessions to complete. “We don’t have that kind of time now that the Supreme Court has set a deadline of June
Complex provide a turnkey facility, but the rent would also increase based on those improvements. Les Spangler said they already have a couple of “strong” lessee prospects. As expected, it comes down to cost. “Even though Scott City has a strong economic base, there’s a limit to what we can charge for rent,” Spangler says. That’s why the Spanglers scaled back the size of the project, but also felt there was a limit
ing the school finance and tax issues are difficult. There is no clear consensus among lawmakers on how much to rely on tax increases versus spending cuts to balance the budget. Likewise, there is no agreement on what to prioritize in the new school funding formula or how much to spend. Those divisions were evident last month when Senate Republican leaders abruptly canceled a planned vote on a budget-balancing measure that would have cut more than $120 million from public schools after concluding they didn’t have the votes to pass it. Lacking Clear Consensus To a lesser extent, they also In addition to the time were evident when senators crunch, the politics surround- attempting to override Gov.
Ham, bean feed is Saturday
The Scott County Masonic Lodge will be sponsoring its annual ham and bean feed on Sat., March 11, at the Masonic Lodge Hall, 600 Cedar Drive, Scott City. The meal is a free-will donation starting at 5:30 p.m. The raffle drawing will be at 7:00 p.m. Top prize in the drawing is a Traeger grill, second prize is $100 and third prize is $50.
Property assessment renditions are due Wed.
Scott County residents are reminded that personal property assessment sheets are to be turned in to the appraiser’s office no later than Wed., March 15 to avoid a penalty. Individuals must report property including: •Vehicles that are not tagged •Farm trucks •Aircraft •Boats and jet skis •Golf carts •Camper and misc. trailers •Mobile homes Businesses must report personal property that includes: •Equipment and machinery •Office equipment (computers, furnishings, etc.) •Anyone with questions can contact the appraiser’s office at 872-5446.
Good for special diets • only $3.50/meal • Call 872-3501
Spangler said that while a regional company will be the primary contractor, all subcontracting work will be with local companies. “It helps that you’re using local subs. That will keep money in the community,” said Commission Chairman Jim Minnix, who voiced his support for the 10-year plan. Commissioner Jerry Buxton, who had opposed a 10-year abatement for a senior housing project when it was presented a
Sam Brownback’s veto of a bill that would have raised personal income taxes and repealed a controversial business tax exemption fell three votes short. “We really don’t have the time to play politics. We’ve got to work together and find solutions. That’s what we ran on.” Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican and chairwoman of the Senate’s budget-writing committee, says it is not clear if the Kansas Supreme Court’s order and the need to raise money to comply with it will break the stalemate. “That’s what I certainly want to find out, because I heard from some of my leadership that some people still want a cuts plan,” McGinn says.
Support Your Hometown Merchants!
(continued from page one)
to how small they were willing to go. The current proposal, they feel, can meet the immediate need for office and professional space and the design will allow for future growth when necessary. The estimated cost is why they appeared before commissioners requesting the county consider allowing a 10-year Neighborhood Revitalization Program abatement rather than the typical five-year plan.
Friendship ‘Meals to Go’
30,” he says. In anticipation of the school finance decision, Hensley urged legislative leaders to establish a special committee to work on a new formula over the summer and fall, but the Republicans in control at the time rejected the idea. Consequently, Hensley says, lawmakers now have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time. “We’re halfway through the legislative session, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is going to cause us to go beyond what we normally would have as a 90-day session,” he says.
few weeks ago, also gave his support to the commercial development. “This is different. It creates local jobs,” he said. Spangler was hopeful that when the development site is filled it can create 15-25 jobs. The lot, located at 1402 South Main, had at one time been the site of a Sonic Drive-In and later another restaurant. The building was demolished and removed a number of years ago.
Community Living
The Scott County Record
Page 3 - Thursday, March 9, 2017
Think twice before spending your tax refund I often say that being debt free is freedom. When you have debt, it owns you. It tells you what, how and when to spend your hard earned money. If you want to really live life, be as debt free as posCarol Ann sible. Having said that, we all Crouch Family and need to do what Consumer we refer to as Sciences being “banked,” Agent for Scott County where we use
“good” debt to build credit and in doing so, we receive better interest rates, lower insurance premiums and build a solid credit score. Some debt, as we all know, is unavoidable, whether it be the house mortgage, a car payment or student loans. Still, when it comes to the extras you want in life, one should always ask just how important is it? How will it make life better? Is it really a need, or a want?
Tax Refunds Many people want to spend the money once they have finished up their taxes and know what they will be receiving as a refund. It’s tempting to think about buying that big TV with all the gadgets, going shopping because you can, or purchasing the latest phone/computer/ multi-media device. But a rush to spend your income tax refund can erode the value of that added cash, especially if you spend your
refund before you actually receive it. If you really need the refund to purchase a necessity, or need quick cash, arranging a short-term loan with a financial service provider usually is less costly than a refund anticipation loan, which typically has a higher interest rate and loan processing fee or fees. Simply put, a refund anticipation loan requires a taxpayer to pay a hefty interest rate to borrow his or her own money for a relatively short time, some-
Internet Recipe favorites . . . security is Corned Beef and Cabbage club program What’s more Irish than a traditional recipe for corned The High Plains Study Club met March 2 at the home of Anita Hoeme. Susie Gooden was cohostess. An informative and interesting program on “Internet Security” was given by Jonathan LeBeau. Dorothy Hutchins gave the art and music report on interesting facts about the celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars.” Devotions were given by Jean Hardy. Roll call was answered by 20 members telling, ‘When did you get your first computer?’ Lucky Dips were won by Betty LaToush and Sue Pammenter. Shirley Griffith will bring it to the next meeting. The March 16 meeting will be held at the home of Marvel Hopkins-Keyes with Jean Hardy as cohostess. A dessert of strawberry Romanov and Russian tea cake cookies was served.
times two weeks or less. Filing early, rather than waiting until a day or two before the annual April 15 deadline, filing electronically and/or opting for direct deposit can minimize the waiting time for a refund. So if you need your money faster, try one of those methods, especially the filing early and electronically. Use the waiting time to plan how you can use your tax refund. It best to use the refund to improve your finan(See REFUND on page seven)
Monday-Friday March 13-17
beef and cabbage? Serve with mustard or horseradish if desired. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2 hours, 25 minutes Ingredients 3 pounds 10 small 5 1 large
corned beef brisket with spice packet red potatoes carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces head cabbage, cut into small wedges
Directions Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender. Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain. Yield: 5 servings
in Scott City Majestic Theatre 420 Main • 872-3840
Lunch Tuesday-Friday • 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Evenings Thursday-Saturday • 5:30-10:00 p.m. Tuesday Open-faced prime rib sandwich with french fries $11.95 Wednesday Pork chop with corn, mashed potatoes and gravy
$7.95
Thursday Smothered steak, mashed potatoes, green beans $6.95 Friday Fish and chips
No Membership Required
1211 Main • 872-3215
5Buck Lunch
• Chili Cheese Dog • Deluxe Cheeseburger • 3 Piece Chicken Strips
Includes Fries, 21 oz. Drink and Small Sundae
VIP Center
Friendship ‘Meals to Go’
302 Church St. • 872-3501
Good for special diets • only $3.50/meal • Call 872-3501
5
$ 50( 3 1304 S. Main • 872-5301
6
$
49
Full Buffet
$ 50
- 60 yrs. and up)
Monday • Swiss steak with gravy, Mashed potatoes, Roasted Brussel sprouts, WW roll, Ambrosia salad Tuesday • Honey glazed turkey, Bread dressing, Carrot coins, WW roll, Glazed strawberries and bananas Wednesday • Fried chicken, Mashed potatoes, Chicken gravy, Harvard beets, WW roll, Sliced peaches Thursday • Ham and beans, Buttered broccoli, Cornbread, Cinnamon applesauce Friday • Tilapia with lemon butter, Steamed rice, Prince Edward veg blend, WW roll, Fruit/berry cobbler
The Broiler 102 Main Street • 872-5055
IS YOUR BUSINESS OUTGROWING ITS INTERNET?
Monday - Steak and Velveeta on a hoagie bun $6.00 Tuesday - Tacos Funny Tacos
99¢ $1.50
Wednesday - 2 pc. chicken dinner, includes potato and vegetables $6.25
1502 S. Main • 872-7288
Thursday - 4 oz. chicken fry dinner, includes potato and vegetables $6.25 Friday - Fish and chips
$6.25
Saturday - Ham and two eggs
$7.95
Sunday Buffet 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
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Valid March 1-31, 2017. Includes up to one hour of router and firewall configuration. Additional restrictions or charges may apply. Valid on internet tiers 20Mbps and faster. Valid for businesses only. Free installation of router/firewall included. Internet fees for installation and upgrade still apply. Limit to one router/firewall per service account.
1720 S. Main Scott City 872-5767
The Scott County Record
Editorial/Opinion
Page 4 - Thursday, March 9, 2017
editorially speaking
Helping others:
Essay writers show their concern for community
Each year, Scott City Middle School seventh graders participate in an “If I were mayor . . .” essay contest in which they offer ideas they would like to accomplish if they were mayor. It’s an opportunity for the prospective mayors to provide some insight into what young people are thinking and what’s important to them - whether it be a movie theater, skating rink, skate park or any number of other ideas that have been shared with the council over the years. This year’s winning essays offered a different perspective. The young citizens were concerned with a good, long-lasting source of drinking water, a community daycare center, city beautification, offering volunteer work for young people, traffic safety on south US83 Highway and even wanting to find ways to offer affordable housing for single-parent households. That’s not to say that our young people wouldn’t also appreciate having a movie theater, an indoor swimming pool or any number of other things which can add to the fun of growing up in Scott City. But these weren’t top priorities. These essays weren’t focused on “What can Scott City do for me,” but revealed their ideas for making Scott City a better place for others. The essays revealed a lot about the character and values of these young people. That’s a very sound foundation for our future leaders and, perhaps, a future mayor.
Fact-free zone:
Only conspiracy theorists benefit from baseless claims
The bar for what passes as facts was set disturbingly low when Donald Trump was on the campaign trail and it’s continued to get even lower since the Trump Administration entered the White House. The President raised more than a few eyebrows when he recently tweeted that Trump Tower was illegally wire-tapped by former President Obama - a felony if it actually occurred. The FBI denies it happened. The CIA says it couldn’t have happened. That’s not good enough. When pressed for any facts that would have led Trump to make his claim, the defense offered by his staff isn’t that any facts actually exist, but that “I think he firmly believes it.” As if that isn’t disturbing enough, the President wants Congress to investigate something that no one else believes could or did occur. Unfortunately, we’re in an era where what individuals believe to be true is more credible than the facts themselves. It doesn’t matter that scientific evidence points to human responsibility for climate change. If you believe that isn’t true, that’s good enough. Donald Trump (with the help of equally troubled minds such as Kris Kobach) declares that five million illegal votes were cast in the last election for Hillary Clinton. No Secretary of State in the United States - Republican or Democrat - can identify fraud on a scale which would even remotely approach the President’s claim. It doesn’t matter. The President claims it happened. No one has yet to prove that what didn’t happen didn’t really happen. We’ve also seen White House senior policy aide Stephen Miller claim that thousands of non-residents were bused into New Hampshire so they could vote a claim that was denied by New Hampshire officials. He also added that 14 percent of non-U.S. citizens are registered to vote. There is no evidence to support that claim. The assault on facts is only going to get more intense, especially with the recent rollout of the new Republican replacement for Obamacare. Early indications are that the Republican plan will kick millions of people off health insurance and that those who remain eligible will pay much higher premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses. Those claims are expected to be substantiated once the plan has been thoroughly studied by the Congressional Budget Office, whose job it is to provide a non-partisan analysis of legislation. Anticipating that the CBO’s analysis won’t be favorable, the White House and Congressional Republicans are already trying to discredit any facts before they surface. According to one conservative analyst, “ . . . most Americans don’t much care what the CBO thinks.” He’s probably right. But millions of Americans will care when they find the Obamacare plan they had is being taken away or is no longer affordable. The level of unsubstantiated claims that come out of this White House, or efforts by Congressional leadership to discredit facts, can’t be allowed to continue as a normal way of doing business. It’s not normal and when we begin treating it that way, it puts faith in our government and our democracy at risk. Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress seem to treat demand for the truth as a partisan issue rather than a personal responsibility.
Surprising silence on court ruling
When the Kansas Supreme Court issued its latest - and not surprising - ruling last week on the inadequacy of public school funding, one thing was oddly missing. There was remarkable restraint from ultraconservatives in the state legislature who have a history of complaining about an “overreaching” judicial branch or an “activist” court. We’d like to attribute some of the silence to the last general election in which a number of ultraconservative lawmakers were sent home, never to return to Topeka again except as ordinary citizens. Perhaps ultraconservatives learned a lesson from their failed attempt to oust members of the Supreme Court in order to gain a majority more in line with their political thinking. Those events had some effect, but let’s keep in mind this is still Kansas. The weather can change quickly, not political philosophy. What made the
Rod Haxton, editor
response to the court ruling particularly interesting was the way in which legislative leadership and Gov. Brownback appeared to not only agree with the decision, but were essentially telling the court, “It’s about time you got on board with the rest of us.” House Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe) said the court decision “recognizes the work that is already underway in the Kansas House on a new school funding solution.” Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Yes, work on a new formula is underway, but that wouldn’t have happened without pressure from the court. And if it was such a priority, why is the House only now in the process of creating a formula - two years after it froze funding with a block grant program? Contrary to Ryckman’s
half-truth, the Supreme Court ruling is a reminder of the legislature’s long history of failing public education, which is why the court has revisited this issue time and again over the last 25 years. The legislature has routinely resisted its constitutional obligation to provide equitable and adequate funding. Block grant funding was another smokescreen which allowed the governor and ultraconservative lawmakers to temporarily run from their responsibility. “The block grant system was designed as a short-term ‘timeout’ from a broken school finance formula that has been in litigation since the 1990s,” said Ryckman after the Court decision. Once again, Ryckman is disingenuous. It was ultraconservatives - not the Court - who determined that the old formula was “broken.” The problem wasn’t with the formula, but with the legislature’s lack of desire to fund it adequately. It wasn’t a flaw in the formula that saw lawmak-
ers reduce per-pupil basic state aid from a high of $4,400 in 2008-09 to just $3,780 in 2011-12. A broken formula didn’t dictate that funding remain frozen at $3,852 for the past three years. The strategy of most Republican lawmakers has been to keep school funding at a minimum until forced to do otherwise through lawsuits and, eventually, court action. Block grants were more than a “timeout,” but were a means to reduce the state’s commitment to public education while buying time to address the legislature’s self-inflicted tax cut fiasco. Senate President Susan Wagle put yet another spin on the court decision, saying that it “reaffirmed . . . legislators are the state’s chief policy makers and money appropriators.” Not exactly. The court has never told the legislature how much to spend - only that it’s not spending enough. Neither has the court delved into the specifics of funding policy. (See SILENCE on page six)
Trumpcare: ACA with less money
We’re nearing the endgame in the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. House Republicans offered their proposal Monday, and the Trump White House may have something to say this week. Votes are possible this month. There will be confusion. There will be anger. There will be attacks on socialized medicine. But the truth will eventually become obvious: Trumpcare is Obamacare, only with less money. It can hardly be otherwise. There are only three ways for the government to approach health insurance: 1) Let Americans fend for themselves; 2) enact a single-payer, government-run system; 3) provide public support for the private insur-
Where to Write
another view by Dave Helling
ance market. No one, not even the GOP, wants to tell Americans they’re on their own when it comes to health care (except perhaps for Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and other libertarian members of Congress.) And while single-payer Medicare works for senior Americans, it’s very expensive. If you rule out a single-payer system and a let-them-eat-cake approach, the idea behind Obamacare is the only option left. Trumpcare concedes this. At the same time, President Donald Trump has promised coverage that’s “much less expen-
Gov. Sam Brownback 2nd Floor - State Capitol Topeka, Ks. 66612-1501 (785) 296-3232
The GOP’s Obamacare repeal would steer more financial help to the affluent
sive and much better” than Americans have now. For everyone. That pledge will be nearly impossible to keep. Trumpcare may be cheaper, but for most Americans, it won’t be better. ▪Republicans will offer refundable tax credits for the uninsured to purchase health coverage on the open market. That’s how the Obamacare exchanges work. But the GOP will provide much less money for the credits. A 28-year-old might get a refundable credit of $2,000, about $167 a month. You can buy insurance for that amount, but it won’t cover much, and the deductibles will be
Sen. Pat Roberts 109 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4774 roberts.senate.gov/email.htm
sky-high. The result? Less expensive insurance, but less coverage, too. ▪The GOP wants to end Medicaid expansion and give states a block grant to cover poorer residents without insurance. Why would they do this? They could cover the poor with Medicare - both programs are government insurance. The answer is simple: It would cost the federal government too much. The only reason to block-grant Medicaid is to spend less than Obamacare does. That will mean lesser coverage for some Medicaid patients. Some Republicans know this, by the way, and they aren’t happy about it. ▪ Republicans want to end the individual mandate and fund high-risk (See MONEY on page six)
Sen. Jerry Moran 141 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-6521 www.moran.senate.gov/public/
The best education our money can buy by Sam Pizzigati
Most of us know folks who owe everything they have in life to education. That explains, I suspect, why we nod in agreement whenever we hear somebody describe education as the ultimate antidote to inequality. Education certainly can serve as a brake on our widening divides. But education, if structured the wrong way, can also reinforce inequality - and perpetuate privilege. We saw this unfortunate dynamic at work most blatantly back in the days of legal school segregation. “Separate but equal” kept children of color distinctly unequal. Legally segregated schools no longer scar our nation. But our educational systems are still, in many different ways, perpetuating privilege. And the most powerful perpetuating of all may be taking place at the tippy top of America’s educational order, on the campuses of our nation’s most prestigious elite universities. We tend to view these elite schools - places like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton - as national treasures. One thing’s for sure: These private universities certainly sit atop treasures. They all boast endowments that run into the many billions of dollars. In 2012, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and five other elite schools had endowments worth a combined $112 billion. For this enormous nest egg, elite private schools owe the American people a debt of gratitude. Without us, their endowments wouldn’t be anywhere near as large. Elite universities, keep in mind, get the bulk of their contributions from wealthy alumni. These alumni - thanks to the generosity of the American taxpaying public - get to deduct charitable contributions off their taxes. This generous tax break gives the wealthy a mighty incentive to donate to dear old ivy. The more they give, the more they can deduct. With this tax break in place, elite universities get to accumulate vast endowments, and the phenomenally rich get to pay taxes at bargain basement rates and stay phenomenally rich. But these same endowments are also creating fabulous wealth - for the money managers and hedge fund kingpins that universities hire to invest their endowment dollars. These money manipulators rake off enormous fees, often many millions of dollars a year. What about us, the general public? What’s our return on investment for the hefty tax breaks we extend to wealthy people for their college contributions? University PR staffers have a ready answer. Elite private universities, they assure us, are serving the public interest. Those billion-dollar endowments, these flacks note, fund scholarships that enable students from families of modest means to get the finest educations available anywhere in the world. Elite universities, the claim goes, are broadening opportunity. But not by much, a new landmark study makes clear. The academics behind this new research - economists from Stanford, Berkeley, and Brown - examined data for over 30 million students who attended college in the United States between 1999 and 2013. They found that students from lower-income families make up a shockingly paltry (See EDUCATION on page six)
The Scott County Record • Page 5 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
No alternative math
President isn’t balancing federal budget by Josh Hoxie
The political theater that passes for serious policy debate is about to run into an unfortunate reality as Donald Trump’s budget plan comes face to face with its arch-nemesis: arithmetic. It’s impossible to cut taxes, increase spending, and balance the budget. That’s not political bluster. That’s math. Throughout the campaign and since, Trump promised to invest in infrastructure, pass an enormous tax cut, boost military spending, cut “waste, fraud, and abuse,” and protect Social Security and Medicare - and, of course, balance the budget. This rhetoric has been remarkably effective, the presidential equivalent of offering free ponies for everyone - but even less practical. Working in Trump’s favor, however, is that many Americans believe things about the federal budget that are simply not true. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. According to public opinion polls, Americans believe nearly a third of the budget goes to international aid. In reality, it’s less than 1 percent. A survey of Fox News viewers from 2013 showed nearly half believed most federal debt could be eliminated by “cutting waste and fraud.” It can’t. Out of a nearly $4 trillion annual federal budget, about $3.4 trillion is spent on things that either can’t be cut or Trump has promised he doesn’t want to cut. This includes Social Security, Medicare,
military spending, and interest on the national debt. That leaves just over half a trillion dollars to cover all non-military discretionary spending. It’s a lot of money, to be sure, but a small proportion of overall spending. This is the part Trump is proposing to cut. What’s included in this side of the budget? To name just a few things: The benefits that help veterans get back on their feet after getting wounded. The nutrition assistance that helps babies born to lowincome mothers. The science research that will mitigate the next infectious disease outbreak (remember Zika?). The list could go on for paragraphs, each a small line item of a big budget, but each incredibly important to enabling
a happy, healthy life in modern society. Cutting programs the public depends on in an effort (real or imagined) to balance the budget isn’t new. Austerity has been in the air in the United States since Reagan and has taken Europe by storm, too. It’s the justification behind cutting programs that help the poor while passing tax cuts that exclusively benefit the rich. It is, in short, part of a remarkably effective effort to redistribute wealth upwards. Consider, for example, Trump’s tax plan. If the president were serious about balancing the budget, he’d be quite concerned about how much money the Internal Revenue Service collected each (See MATH on page six)
Magical thinking on health care by Jim Hightower
Donald Trump, the amazing wunderkind of global luxury living - and now our nation’s phantasmagoric, fast-charging president - is proving to be a legislative magician. In his campaign, Trump’s number one promise was that he would “immediately” repeal the entirety of Obamacare, then - hocus-pocus and abracadabra! - simultaneously replace it with “great health care for a fraction of the price.” Sounds impressive! No wonder his White House media operation calls him “President Action, President Impact.” But it seems that the Amazing Donald has abruptly learned that (See MAGICAL on page six)
Taking a closer look at the AHCA GOP health care bill is a thicket of bad incentives
After 2,500 days, the American Health Care Act is born. Congressional Republicans’ much-anticipated healthcare bill may have a similar name to the Affordable Care Act it’s intended to replace, but it would have a dramatically different impact. Despite President Trump’s stated goals of covering at least as many people as the ACA, with more affordable policies, the plan put forward by the House on Monday would cut coverage for millions and make it more expensive for millions more. But it’s not these obvious changes that are most concerning. There is a great deal about the bill that’s not apparent at first glance. None of it will be missed by the impartial Congressional Budget Office. First, the tax-credit structure in the bill would not only make health care less affordable for millions, particularly those over 55, it would also destabilize the insurance markets. The ACA pegs tax credits to income levels and, when premiums rise, those tax credits rise along with them, protecting consumers against regional differences and sudden increases in medical costs.
behind the headlines by Andy Slavitt
. . . the tax-credit structure in the bill would not only make health care less affordable for millions, particularly those over 55, it would also destabilize the insurance markets.
This is better for the insurance risk pools, because more people stay in when premiums stay affordable for more people. But take those protections away, as the new bill would, and something perverse but entirely predictable happens: Sicker people keep paying (if they can), healthy people do not, and costs go up. That’s not partisanship but simple math. Second, the bill drops the individual mandate. About as unpopular as vegetables are with my kids, the mandate for individuals to buy insurance nevertheless keeps premiums lower for everyone. Adding a surcharge of 30 percent for those who decide to sign up for coverage after a gap may hurt more than it would help, as it would disproportionately attract sicker people. If that’s not enough, the bill would directly increase deductibles and co-payments for millions by eliminating the ACA’s cost-sharing reductions for lowerincome earners. As someone who ran
a large health-care organization in the private sector and then oversaw the ACA exchanges these past several years, I know how inexorably this all would push premiums higher and lead insurers to exit, as healthier people took their chances without insurance. But the most lasting effects of this bill would be the significant steps it took toward forcing permanent changes to Medicaid and Medicare. The Medicaid changes are more obvious and dangerous. First, the bill would effectively end the popular and largely bipartisan Medicaid expansion created by the ACA, which extended care to millions of working Americans. Dropping the federal funding contribution for new enrollees after 2020 - and violating a promise the federal government made to the states - would rapidly end the expansion. In today’s world, taking away funding for such a program is the same as killing it; it’s just a different weapon. More draconian is a permanent capping of the Medicaid program. In my time overseeing the government agency that runs the program, we dealt with many unexpected shocks - Zika, highcost drugs and the national opioid epidemic, to name a few. Under the changes sought by Republicans, states would no (See AHCA on page six)
The Scott County Record • Page 6 • March 9, 2017
Kobach has gone MIA on voter fraud witch-hunt by Yael Abouhalkah
Ever since he was humiliated on national TV in mid-February, Kris Kobach has been missing in action from the voter fraud witch-hunt trail he loves so much. This is a good thing, though likely just temporary. The Kansas secretary of state has made a national name for himself - and become a Trump surrogate on this issue -
Education (continued from page five)
proportion of the enrollments at elite private universities. In fact, 38 elite institutions have more students from families making over $650,000 a year our top one percent - than from the under-$65,000 ranks of the low- and middle-income families who make up America’s entire bottom 60 percent. We do have colleges in the United States, the researchers also found, that do a good job reaching large numbers of lower-income students and helping them succeed. The vast majority of these colleges happen to be public institutions - places like the City University of New York. These public schools aren’t sitting on billiondollar endowments subsidized by tax breaks for mega millionaires. These colleges depend on our tax dollars for their support. What do you think? Maybe they should get more of those tax dollars - and mega millionaires less. Sam Pizzigati is an Institute for Policy Studies associate fellow and a co-author of the report ‘Fix the Debt’ CEOs Enjoy Taxpayer-Subsidized Pay”
Math
(continued from page five)
year. He’d know if that number went down, it would reduce the effectiveness of his spending cuts. He is, to put it politely, not concerned about this. As the Citizens for Tax Justice, a D.C.-based research group, points out, Trump’s tax plan nearly exclusively benefits the wealthy while raising the taxes of low- and moderate-income families. The budgetary impacts of his tax cuts total about a half trillion dollars a year - the same amount as the entire non-discretionary, nonmilitary federal budget. In other words, Trump’s tax plan is a proverbial one-handed middle finger to the working class. And his spending cuts represent his other hand making the same gesture. While repeated rhetorical distractions may succeed in sidetracking his audience, Trump can’t use his impressive oratory skills to overcome basic mathematics.
while being utterly incapable of finding real voter fraud in Kansas or other states. Most recently, Kobach said he thought thousands of Massachusetts residents had crossed over to vote illegally in New Hampshire on Nov. 8. Kobach insisted, “We will know at the end of the month what percentage of those 6,000 are cases of people who do not actually reside in New
Silence But, in both areas, the court has reaffirmed they are the ultimate authority, which has always been a bitter reality many ultraconservatives find difficult to accept - especially when their objective has been to cripple public education and tout the virtues of private or charter schools. Of course, ultraconservatives, including our governor, have never accepted responsibility for underfunding public
CNN’s Kate Bolduan. On Feb. 12, Miller told ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos that millions of people had voted illegally on Nov. 8, parroting a Trump lie from after the presidential election. Miller then said Kobach had “looked deeply” into the issue and had “confirmed it to be true . . . . And I suggest you invite Kris Kobach onto your show and he can walk you through
some of the evidence of voter fraud.” On Feb. 13, a beaming Kobach showed up on three shows, getting a pass on a Fox News interview but grilled on the second and, finally, skewered by Bolduan on CNN. (Here’s the eightminute clip, well worth watching.) One example from the tape: “‘Where is the evidence of this widespread rampant millions of people
voting?’ Bolduan asked again. ‘If it had happened, why haven’t we seen it, secretary?’ When Kobach said in his state six people have plead guilty for voting in two states, Bolduan shot back, ‘Six cases does not rampant widespread voter fraud make.’” A sampling of headlines from that day: “CNN’s Kate Bolduan Shuts Down Trump’s Voter Fraud Expert Kris Kobach;”
to have to do more than issue press releases which essentially say, “Thanks, but we got this under control.” In sharp contrast to past years, we now seem to have lawmakers more concerned with the appearance of doing something without being forced to by the Supreme Court. We aren’t assuming the role of official spokesman for the court, but we doubt any of the Justices care if
they get credit for a better school funding plan. We’ll even go so far as to bet they’d be thrilled if every Kansas student was given the best opportunity possible for academic success. That may hold a lesson for Brownback and ultraconservative lawmakers. Do your job. Do what’s best for all the people of Kansas. Don’t worry about who gets credit. That’s leadership.
education and the consequences. The Supreme Court, for example, determined that about 25 percent of the students in Kansas lack basic math and reading skills, which it says justifies the need for added money. Brownback, on the other hand, claims it was “the old funding formula that failed our students.” His “fix” was to freeze school funding for two years so that every student in Kansas suffers.
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - Donald J. Trump’s claim that Barack Obama wiretapped him received a strong denial on Monday from the former President, who said to reporters, “Like I’d want to hear more from that fool?” Obama said that, when he first saw Trump’s allegations on Twitter, “My first thought was,
AHCA longer have the resources to manage these crises, with devastating results for our communities. Medicaid pays for nearly half the births and half the long-term care in this country, to say nothing of the millions of Americans with disabilities who rely on it. If the federal government retreats on its commitment to Medicaid, the repercussions will be felt quickly - by our neighbors and by our care providers and hospitals. Medicare doesn’t escape unscathed either. The bill would cut several years from the life of the Medicare trust fund, but that’s clearly no accident: The program would wind up right where “entitle-
(See FRAUD on page seven)
(continued from page four)
We are in agreement with the governor when he says that success cannot be measured in dollars spent. But, more dollars do need to be spent. Cutting basic state aid, as we saw in the seven years prior to the funding freeze of the past two years, is detrimental to our education system. The court has once again told the legislature it has a funding problem that must be fixed. Lawmakers are going
Obama has no desire to eavesdrop on Trump only a narcissist on the scale of Donald Trump would think people want to hear more from him than they currently do. If anything, I think we’d all like to hear way, way less.” He said that his wife, Michelle, agreed that the idea of his wanting to hear more from Donald Trump “was one of the funniest things she’s ever heard.” “When I read her those Trump tweets on Saturday morning, she
totally cracked up,” the former President said. “Whenever we’re at home and that guy comes on TV, I’m always, like, ‘Michelle, turn that damn thing off.’” Obama visibly shuddered at the notion of intelligence agencies providing him with hours of recordings of Donald Trump talking. “Don’t even,” he said. Andy Borowitz is a comedian and author
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ment hawks” such as House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) want it - in crisis. If this bill became law, the speaker would finally be positioned to change Medicare to a voucher program. Because the bill would reduce coverage and make insurance less affordable, the only way for Republicans to sell it has been to feign a collapse or implosion of the ACA. This is simply false, as independent analysts such as Standard & Poor’s have reported. After one-time rate increases, the exchanges were stable going into the high-stakes game the administration has played
Magical
what magicians do isn’t magic. They just perform illusions. In other words, it’s fakery. So Trump is now caught in the spotlight of reality, unable to produce a workable plan to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, as he so glibly promised. In fact, the GOP replacement scheme he’s been backing would leave Josh Hoxie is the director of millions of people with the Project on Opportunity and Taxation at the Institute for Policy Studies
Hampshire.” Of course, Feb. 28 came and went and Kobach has provided no evidence of such cheating. Meanwhile, The Washington Post used something called facts and figures to essentially prove nothing amiss happened in New Hampshire last fall. So why has Kobach gone so silent? I blame Trump adviser Stephen Miller and
by casting uncertainty on the market. One sign of this is the way the bill would hurt the risk pools: If there were a fire here, the Republicans would be adding water, not gasoline. But all this serves the real objective - using the “rescue” of the individual market to make permanent draconian changes to Medicare and Medicaid while pushing forward a major tax cut for highincome earners, insurers, tanning salons and pharmaceutical companies. Some may view this as a good idea. Having overseen these programs, I do not. But no one should argue that we don’t deserve a real national
debate, with public hearings, proper CBO analysis and the time necessary to consider the likely generational effects for millions of Americans. Fortunately, our elected representatives still have an opportunity to listen to ordinary Americans and independent experts before acting. And once we dispense with this bill, its harmful effects and bad incentives, we may be able to finally have the bipartisan dialogue on how to improve our health-care system that Americans deserve. Andy Slavitt was acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2015-17
(continued from page five)
no health care coverage, while reducing the benefits and jacking up insurance payments for millions of others. Frustrated, President Action recently whined to a meeting of state governors that “nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.” Of course, by “nobody,” he meant that he didn’t know - and therefore no one
could’ve known, since he knows everything. But now, in a truly amazing magical act, The Donald has pulled a rabbit out of his hat. His new Trumpcare plan, he brags, will guarantee that every American will have access to health coverage. Before you erupt in applause, however, notice the trick word he’s using: “access.” That doesn’t
mean you’ll get coverage. You’ll just get access to coverage - if you can afford it. It’s the same as promising that everyone will get “access” to owning a private jet and living in a fabulous Florida golf resort, just like Trump. See, he truly is magical! Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author
Rod Haxton can be reached at editor@screcord.com
Money
(continued from page four)
pools for the uninsurable. They have no choice but to do this: In the absence of a mandate, no insurance company will cover patients with pre-existing conditions without massively high premiums. But a high-risk pool is just another name for government insurance, which the feds could provide through Medicare. Using a state-run high-risk pool instead makes the goal obvious: Send the states less money for high-risk patients. ▪The GOP proposes ending Obamacare’s minimum benefits requirements. Healthier people will likely buy those policies and then be shocked to discover they cover less. People who get insurance at work may also face higher co-pays and deductibles. Again, the policy choice: Spend less money for lesser benefits. Almost all of the GOP alternatives make this tradeoff. The real Republican enemy isn’t Obamacare, which is basically a GOP invention. Party members want to end the taxes in the Affordable Care Act. They know you can’t do that without cutting spending or you’ll increase the deficit. They hope free market forces will drive down health care costs. Is there any evidence that will happen? Doctors and hospitals seem less than excited about taking less money. Lower taxes and reduced spending are commendable goals. But we should be clear about what that means: For most Americans, health care will soon cost more money. Dave Helling is a columnist for the Kansas City Star
Reminder: Personal property rendition sheets are due to county appraiser by March 15
The Scott County Record • Page 7 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Refund cial situation by choosing to pay down debts with the higher interest rates first. If you owe $2,000 on a credit card charging 18 percent interest and pay $50 a month, it will take five years to eliminate the debt. The interest due $1,077 - adds up to more than 50 percent of the original debt. If, however, you use a $1,000 tax refund to pay down the debt and continue to pay $50 a month to clear the remaining $1,000 balance in two years, you’ll save $879 in interest. Weighing needs versus wants can put the brakes on spending. The family may want a big TV, but may need more dependable transportation. Here are a few questions that taxpayers who are anticipating a refund
Fraud
Friendship ‘Meals to Go’ available from the VIP Center Individual frozen/sealed trays • Good for special diets only $3.50/meal • Call 872-3501
(continued from page three)
need to ask themselves: •Do I have outstanding or past due bills? •Am I carrying a balance on my credit card? •Can I use the refund to clean up holiday bills? Should I set aside part of it to eliminate holiday bills this year? •Do I have a big expense - such as property taxes, an insurance premium, loan payment or major car repair - coming up? •Do I have adequate emergency funds set aside? •Have I contributed to my retirement account or IRA (Individual Retirement Account)? Adding $500 a year to an IRA can yield $68,100 in 30 years. Increasing your contribution by $25 each year could yield up to $113,800.
People sometimes think of a tax refund as forced savings, yet, in reality, the taxpayer has provided a loan to the government without earning any interest. If your refund is substantial, check with the human resources department at work to adjust withholding to better match your tax liability. It would be awful if you loan the government some of your hard earned money and then after filing taxes, you receive an IOU. It really is better to let the bank house your savings and draw interest than let the government borrow it for nothing. The key is that you must put money into a savings account each month. Don´t have an emergency fund? Better get one.
Simple loans to cover unexpected cost are more difficult to obtain. A threeto six-months savings is a goal recommended for an emergency fund, but one that may not seem easily attained. To begin an emergency fund, try to put away $5 or $10 a week to build savings. It will add up and just might be what you will need someday. Still feel the urge to splurge? After paying down debt and adding to savings for shortand long-term goals, set aside a small amount as a reward - something you or your family will enjoy. For more information on how to save and or to get yourself out of debt, visit the K-State Financial website at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/ financialmanagement/ DesktopDefault.aspx
(continued from page six)
“CNN host hands Trump adviser his ass” and “‘Do You Have the Evidence?’: CNN Anchor Battles Kris Kobach Over Trump’s Voter Fraud Claim.” Of course, Kobach has never let facts stand in the way of making unsubstantiated assertions that something major is amiss in voting in America. So expect him to return to the national stage, sooner or later. I just hope CNN’s Kate Bolduan gets the chance to embarrass Kobach again. Yael Abouhalkah is a columnist for the Kansas City Star. He can be reached at abouhalkah@kcstar.com
March
Sunday
12
Daylight Saving Time Begins, set clock forward one hour at 2:00 a.m.
Attend the Church of Your Choice
Anne Frank died on this day in 1945 at a German concentration camp. Her diary became the most famous personal account of The Holocaust in history. Seniors Dance, VIP Center
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Monday
13
USD #466 Spring Break - All Week
Tuesday
14
TOPS Meeting, First Christian Church, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
15
Personal Property Rendition Sheets are due to the County Appraiser’s Office
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
SCHS Forensics CFL Qualifier
Boy Scout Troop 149, Scout Building, 6:30 p.m.
Earmuffs were patented by Chester Greenwood of Maine on this day in 1887. City Council Mtg.
20
National Pi Day is observed today. Pi, a mathematical constant, begins with the numbers 3.14. County Commission Mtg.
21
Beware the Ides of March. On this day in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated. SCMS Site Council
22
Pucker up! It’s Lips Appreciation Day. Celebrate by buying someone lip balm or even giving them a kiss.
23
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Killed on this day in 461 A.D., the holiday honors Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. VIP Center BINGO
24
National Sloppy Joe Day is today. It is believed that Sloppy Joes were first served at a cafe in Havana, Cuba in the early 1900s.
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Hineman “It’s not a responsible thing to do. It’s not a conservative thing to do,” he emphasizes. Furthermore, tapping that fund comes at a cost. First of all, the state will need to repay the principal over the next 6-7 years, during which time it’s not producing any interest revenue of roughly $9 million a year. Over the next six years, the budget will need to budget about $52 million annually to repay this “loan” in addition to interest. “We’re creating a burden for future legislatures,” Hineman says. Raising taxes to cover the approximately $325 million shortfall isn’t an option because it’s too late in the budget year and not enough revenue can be generated. One-Time Fixes This leaves the legislature with only two other one-time fixes that could be used to fill a budget gap - neither of which Hineman says lawmakers have a desire to do. One of those is to cash in tobacco revenue that’s currently targeted for the Kansas Childrens’ Initiative. Under the cur-
Have questions about the Scott Community Foundation? call 872-3790 or e-mail: julie@scottcf.org
(continued from page one)
rent payment plan, the state receives $55-$60 million in perpetuity which it could trade for a one-time payment of about $500 million. “There are no legislators willing to do that,” Hineman says confidently. Another option is to make three quarterly payments instead of four to KPERS each year for the next several years. “It was in 2012 that we passed a bill recognizing that KPERS is underfunded,” Hineman says. “It would be distasteful if we backed away from that obligation now.” No More Cuts Hineman says that despite calls by some ultraconservative lawmakers and right-wing organizations to cut spending even more, the state has reached a point where further cuts are no longer reasonable. “People need to understand that today we have only two functions in state government that are spending more than they did in 2012,” he notes. One of those is human services - Medicaid, area mental health centers,
Formula capability and interest in writing a responsible formula,” says Hineman. “We were careful to balance the committee with different philosophies and geography representations.” Hineman believes the proposal coming out of the committee will have some similarities to the old formula, but he says the old plan needed to be refined and developed “with the idea of focusing on the student population that isn’t having their needs met.” He emphasized that despite some discussion by the governor and ultraconservatives, “I don’t think there’s an appetite for school vouchers.” Of course, the big question is cost.
The Scott County Record • Page 8 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
assistance for the elderly, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), etc. He says funding for K-12 and higher education has been “basically flat.” “The governor and those in charge of the appropriations process aren’t tax and spend liberals. They were looking for places to cut,” Hineman says. “If there were easy cuts to be made they’d have done them by now. Tackling Issues This legislative session has also been noteworthy because of some issues which the House debated and, in some instances, passed. For example, the House approved a tax increase (vetoed by the governor), bringing back teacher tenure and Medicaid expansion, in addition to discussing an anti-diabetes initiative. That’s a reflection of primary and general elections last fall which knocked out a number of incumbents and brought a number of newcomers to Topeka. Hineman doesn’t describe it as a “lurch to
the left, but a return to the center where Kansas has traditionally governed from.” “I’m encouraged by the willingness of House members to tackle these issues,” says Hineman. “We have a responsibility to deliver to the people the functions of state government they need and expect.” And Hineman feels that constituents understand the challenges being faced by lawmakers. “In all of the town hall meetings this past week, there’s been grudging acceptance that we need to fix this mess,” he says. “People don’t like the uncertainty of what their tax bill will be or wonder if a function of state government will be there if they need it.” Despite major issues such as the budget and school funding which need to be addressed, Hineman believes the legislative session can be completed with the allotted 90 days. “It’s still possible to end this session on time. I believe that’s a minority view at this point, but it’s possible,” he adds.
Shifting Money Hineman points out there could also be a fairly significant shift in funding among districts in the first year of the plan, due in large part to the two-
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year grant program that froze funding at the 201415 level. Some districts have seen a major change in their enrollment during that time, but the grant program made no adjustments - upwards or downwards - to compensate for enrollment changes. “There are schools who have benefitted from block grants because their funding wasn’t reduced with the loss of enrollment. On the other hand, some districts were losers because they didn’t get more state aid with higher enrollment,” Hineman says. “Scott City lost funding under the grant program.” Hineman says that if the House were to stick with the old formula, in order to comply with the court ruling per-pupil basic
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(continued from page one)
Representatives with school districts that filed the lawsuit against the state and which prompted the Supreme Court decision believe the final tab could be $800 million or more. “I don’t think it will cost $800 million. I don’t know what the number will be, but I think it will be less than what pundits expect,” he says. “It comes down to how much is needed to target those students which the court says are not succeeding under the current system.”
St. Patty’s Day Party
For events and specials “Scott City Pool Hall”
state aid would increase to more than $4,000 per student. Basic aid hasn’t exceeded $4,000 since the 2009-10 school year. Under the grant program, state aid has been locked at $3,852 per student. Whatever figure the committee proposes and the legislature agrees upon is likely to be phased in. “It’s unrealistic to think we could write a check for $800 million in one year. And it’s unrealistic to think that schools could invest that much money immediately and promise better outcomes,” Hineman says. “It will take schools some time to ramp up and prepare for the additional funding. I think the court will understand that as well.”
Stepping Up
Hoedown
Bring the whole family and join us for BBQ, live music, cowboy poetry, and a whole lot of FUN!
Benefit dinner, concert, and auction for Stepping Up, Inc. • A Life-Transforming Ministry Concert featuring
The Tones
and Heather Shelley
Friday, March 24 6:00 p.m. Bellwether Barn 10311 Hwy. 95 Scott City
Cowboy Poet
Leonard Hitz
Auction Items
2 night cabin stay at Lake Scott State Park 2 night hotel stay at Mary’s Lake Lodge (Estes Park, Colo.) Signed Ron Baker WSU hat • Grill Basket Quilt • Kayak • Beef Bundle Tickets Adults - $25 • Kids 12 and Under - $12 Family Package - $100 Tickets can by purchased in Scott City at: Stepping Up (104 S. Main) • First Baptist Church • County Attorney’s Office (basement of courthouse) • Scott Community Foundation (210 W. 4th) or by calling Stepping Up at 872-5353
Youth/Education
Section B Page 9 Thursday, March 9, 2017
If I were mayor . . . Housing, charity work, daycare are top priorities for future leaders in SC
A fresh water treatment plant, community daycare center and the promotion of more volunteer activities are just a few of the ideas that emerged from Scott City Middle School seventh graders participating in the “If I were mayor . . .” essay contest. Each year, SCMS students submit essays as part of a program promoted by the City of Scott City and the League of Kansas Municipalities. Top essay winners in each of the LKM’s six districts are then invited to Topeka, along with their city’s mayor, where they are honored during a statehouse ceremony. While SCMS didn’t have a district winner this year, the students did offer a wide range of ideas they feel are important to the future of the community. If she were mayor, Payton Goodman would promote the need for a community daycare center and feels the former grocery store, located on east K96 Highway, would be the ideal location. In addition to having a full-time director and staff, she suggests that the family and consumer sciences (FACS) students
from the high school could work at the center during class time or after school. “My mom works with Russell Child Development (Center) and she tells me about all the people who need daycare when they are at work and that we don’t have enough places in town where they can send their kids,” says Goodman. “This would help a lot of people who have little kids.” “People need a place for their kids to go,” she said in her essay. “Mayors need to be someone that gets things done.” Fresh Water Plant A fresh water plant that would serve the city for decades to come is a goal for Carter Gooden. His idea is to build a plant near town where water could be recycled and used again, reducing overall water usage and extending the life of the Ogallala Aquifer. Beautify the City Chelsi Rose would like to see more done to beautify the community and remove old buildings in deteriorating condition. “If we can get rid of old buildings, like the
old Presto, then we’d have room to build new businesses,” she says. “Improvements would help in the beautification of our town.” As mayor, Rose says she would also organize projects, such as major street repairs, so they don’t occur at busy times Top essay winners in this year’s contest are (front row) Payton Goodman of the year such as harand Nash Nowak. (Back row, from left) Brynna Burnett, Chelsie Rose and vest. Paige Hoelting. Not pictured is Carter Gooden. (Record Photo) “During this year’s harvest, roads to the elevators were under construction says. “Anything is pos- bad that must be for smoke detectors for their someone trying to raise homes. which led to traffic prob- sible in this town.” their kids,” he said. An idea offered by lems,” she noted. Affordable Housing He feels that more Burnett, which was also The need for affordable affordable housing would supported by other essay Charity Organizations also help many employees winners, is the formaPaige Hoelting feels housing was one of the tion of a Scott City Youth in Scott City. areas identified by Nash that charity organizations “Scott City is amazing, Council which would are important to the com- Nowak. He feels it would but I want to help the include representatives munity and would like to benefit the workers and town be magnificent,” he from grades 4-12. The see those efforts coordi- local businesses who need council would give youth said. nated to help people in employees. a voice in what’s hapHe’s particularly conmany different ways pening in the city, says Youth Council from raising money for cerned with the availabilOrganizing charitable Burnett, and teach leadermedical bills to assistance ity and cost of housing for organizations and encour- ship skills. with the renovation of single parents “who want aging summer volunteer Burnett says she has to provide for their famihomes and buildings. work for young people seen what can happen “There could be one lies, but cannot due to the would be two goals for when young people offer group in charge so that rent for most housing.” Brynna Burnett if she input to the city. Her older He became aware of were mayor. everything could be orgabrother, Devyn Jones, nized better,” she sug- the housing problem when “Because Scott Lake was among those who a single mother told his brings tourism to Scott approached the council gests. She would also work mom that she had moved City, I would start a sum- years ago about creating a on what she feels are traf- to Dighton because she mer program where kids skate park which was later fic issues on south US83 couldn’t afford the rent in can keep the beach clean,” added to Maddux Park. Scott City. However, she she says. Highway in the city. “Because Scott City “Scott City is an amaz- continues to work in Scott Burnett also suggests is my home, I want to ing town and has the City. organizing a fundraiser show people my ideas,” potential to be better,” she “I thought about how to help families purchase she adds.
Cupp wins SCMS Geography Bee Scott City Middle School eighth grader Connor Cupp was the local winner of the National Geographic Bee
and has qualified for state level competition. The Kansas State Bee will be held on Fri., March 31, at the Eisenhower
Presidential Museum, Abilene. State bee participants must be among the top 100 scores on a written test.
Buy of the Week Wednesday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 21 USDA Choice
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Kansas lawmakers weigh options on school finance Gov. Sam Brownback fundamentally remade Kansas’ tax system in his first term and sought to fundamentally remake its school system in his second. His 2012 tax plan was already in jeopardy, and now a school finance law he championed has been rejected by the state’s highest court. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat and high school teacher, said, “It’s entirely possible that we will have spent seven years under Sam Brownback, and we end up in the place where we
started both on taxes and school finance.” Kansas eliminated its school funding system and enacted temporary block grants in 2015 at Brownback’s urging. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state had failed to ensure adequate education funding, as required by the state constitution, and ordered the creation of a new system by June 30. The court cited the fact that roughly one-fourth of the state’s students lacked basic math and reading skills as the basis for the ruling. The court did not specify a dollar figure for
FOR SALE Beautiful brick home on the west side of Scott City
fixing this in the opinion, but many lawmakers say it’ll take a funding increase to comply. One possibility is that the Legislature, which shifted toward the political center in the last election, will look to return to something substantially similar to the old formula. And doing that would likely necessitate a significant tax increase. Brownback’s spokeswoman, Melika Willoughby, said in an email that the governor “will continue working with legislative leadership to balance the budget
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For the Record Lawmakers look to hit reset if Brownback departs The Scott County Record
Jim McLean Kansas News Service
Reports that Gov. Sam Brownback may soon be leaving the state to take a United Nations post have lawmakers and others at the Statehouse talking about how things might change with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer in charge.
The Scott County Record Page 10 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Like Brownback, Colyer is a socially conservative Republican who has championed efforts to restrict abortion and rein in government spending. He also led the Brownback administration’s controversial initiative to privatize the state’s Medicaid program and fought efforts to expand
eligibility for the program. Still, the 56-year-old plastic surgeon from Overland Park remains somewhat of a blank political canvas. That has many lawmakers and lobbyists asking: Who is Jeff Colyer? “That’s really the big question,” said House Minority Leader
Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat. “He served in the House for two years and didn’t leave much of a footprint. He wasn’t in the Senate long enough to leave a footprint, and he’s been kind of a backroom guy for Governor Brownback.” Colyer won a seat in the Kansas House in 2006.
Legislature unlikely to pass hate crimes bill after shooting Two weeks after a gunman killed one man and wounded two more in a Kansas shooting that might have been raciallymotivated, state lawmakers appear unlikely to advance a bill that would double sentences for perpetrators convicted of hate crimes. While the FBI investigates the shooting as a possible hate crime, lawmakers are looking at tougher penalties for a crime if a judge or jury finds that it is motivated
by bias toward the “race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation of the victim.” The bill would also require the state attorney general’s office to collect data on hate crimes. The debate comes just two weeks after the shooting in Olathe, but the bill isn’t new. Kansas City Democratic Sen. David Haley has introduced hate crime legislation in the past and said he wished lawmakers would understand the importance of
Scott Co. LEC Report Scott City Police Department Feb. 8: Leslie Summers was arrested for domestic battery and transported to the LEC. Feb. 23: Justin Carson, 28, was arrested on an outof-county warrant and transported to the LEC. Feb. 24: A hit-and-run accident was reported in the 300 block of West 3rd Street. Feb. 25: Jason Pineda, Jr., 17, and Ricky DeLeon, 16, were arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. They were transported to the LEC. Feb. 27: A gas meter was hit in the 400 block of West Alice. March 1: Cindy Hesslink, 43, was arrested for possession of opiate narcotic, drug paraphernalia and driving without lights when needed. She was transported to the LEC. March 3: A gas meter was hit at 601 N. Washington. March 3: Paul Warner, 26, was arrested for disorderly conduct and transported to the LEC. March 3: Brantlee Shearmire, 28, was arrested for DUI and transported to the LEC. March 3: Chad Lane, 31, was arrested for possession of an opiate narcotic, possession of drug paraphernalia and no vehicle insurance. He was transported to the LEC. March 3: Louis Cordova, 60, was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the LEC. March 5: Lillian Pepper was backing out of a driveway in the 700 block of South Court and struck a parked vehicle. Scott County Sheriff’s Department Feb. 6: Dylan Rosin was arrested on a warrant.
hate crime legislation “without having to illustrate with such tragedy.” He said he thought the tragedy might give the bill some momentum, but it’s unclear whether the bill will get a vote. Kansas has a hate crimes provision that allows a judge or jury to hand down a more stringent sentence if the perpetrator committed a crime with a hate bias, but it doesn’t require a specific sentence. According to the National Conference
of State Legislatures, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming don’t have hate crimes laws. The bill would double the sentence of the underlying crime in cases where a judge or jury proved the perpetrator was motivated by bias. First degree murder charges could be doubled from life without parole for 50 years to life without parole for 100 years, effectively life imprisonment. (See HATE on page 11)
Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record, Thurs., March 2, 2017; last published Thurs., March 16, 2017)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS In the Matter of the Estate of DONALD DORNON, aka DONALD D. DORNON, aka DONALD DEAN DORNON, deceased Case No. 2016-PR-16 NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR FINAL SETTLEMENT (Petition Pursuant to K.S.A. Chapter 59) THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED: You are notified that a petition shall be filed in the Court by Arron Scott Dornon duly appointed, qualified and acting Executor of the Estate of Donald Dornon, deceased, requesting that Petitioner’s acts be approved; account be settled and allowed; the heirs be determined; the Will be construed and the Estate be assigned to the persons entitles thereto; the court find the allow-
ances requested for attorneys’ fees and expenses are reasonable and should be allowed; the costs be determined and ordered paid; the administration of the Estate be closed; upon the filing of receipts the Petitioner be finally discharged as the Executor of the Estate Of Donald Dornon, deceased, and the Petitioner be released from further liability. You are required to file your written defenses to the petition on or before the 24th day of March, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. in the District Court of Scott County, Kansas, at which time and place the cause will be heard. Should you fail to file your written defenses, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the petition. Aaron Scott Dornon Executor Jake W. Brooks Attorney At Law P.O. Box 664 101 E. 6th Scott City, Ks. 67871 620-872-7204 Attorney for Executor
He moved to the Senate in 2008 but served only two years there before Brownback selected him as his running mate for the 2010 campaign.
in what could either have been a slip of the tongue or an intentional signal about what was to come, Colyer twice referred to himself as governor during a Feb. 9 speech to ‘Will it happen to me?’ Republicans gathered to Neither Colyer nor nominate a candidate in his media spokesper- the 4th Congressional son returned calls seek- District. ing comment. However, (See DEPARTS on page 11)
Public Notice (First published in The Scott County Record, Thurs., March 2, 2017; last published Thurs., March 16, 2017)3t IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS In the Matter of the Marriage of JACKIE D. IVEY and CRYSTAL D. IVEY, Case No. 17 DM 07 NOTICE OF SUIT THE STATE OF KANSAS TO: CRYSTAL D. IVEY YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT an action for divorce has been filed in the District Court of Scott County, Kansas by Jackie D. Ivey, captioned In the Matter of the Marriage of Jackie D. Ivey and Crystal D. Ivey, Scott County Case No. 17 DM 07, praying for an order of the court granting a decree of absolute divorce and
dividing various debts and assets of the parties. You are hereby required to plead to the Petition on or before April 13, 2017, in the District Court of Scott County, at Scott City, Kansas, said date being not less than 41 days from the date of the first publication of this Notice of Suit. If you fail to answer or otherwise defend, the contents of the petition will be taken as true, and judgment will be granted to the Petitioner in accordance with the same. William I. Heydman No. 13645 HEYDMAN LAW, LLC 1519 East Fulton Terrace P.O. Box 2010 Garden City, Kansas 67846 620-275-7000 Attorney for the Petitioner
Public Notice (First Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., March 9, 2017; last published Thurs., March 23, 2017)3t IN THE 25TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT DISTRICT COURT OF SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS in the Matter of the Petition of ANNE FRANCES CRANE to change her name to ANNA TEREASE FRANCES CRANE. Case No. 17-CV-04 NOTICE OF HEARING PUBLICATION (Petition Pursuant to K.S.A. Chapter 60) THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL WHO ARE OR MAY BE CONCERNED: You are hereby notified that Anne Frances Crane, filed a Petition in the above court on the 7th day of March,
2017, requesting a judgment and order changing her name from Anne Frances Crane to Anna Terease Frances Crane. The Petition will be heard in Scott County District Court, 303 Court St., Scott City, Kansas, on the 4th day of May, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. If you have any objection to the requested name change, you are required to file a responsive pleading on or before April 20, 2017 in this court or appear at the hearing and object to the requested name change. If you fail to act, judgment and order will be entered upon the Petition as requested by Petitioner. Anne Crane Petitioner Anne Crane 604 Monroe St. Scott City, Ks. 67871 620-874-1263
Departs During the speech he said the Trump administration had invited him and “other governors” to Washington, D.C., to discuss state policy priorities. A few minutes later, in another reference to the meeting, Colyer recalled “sitting there with a half a dozen other governors” and talking about the privatized Medicaid program that he had helped to implement in Kansas. A noticeable change in Colyer’s schedule and interaction with lawmakers also signaled to many that a change could be in the offing. In a December article in the Wichita Eagle, Colyer acknowledged the possibility that Brownback could leave. “When you sign up for this job, you’ve signed up for that situation,” Colyer said. “It’s happened before and it’ll happen again in the future. Will it happen to me? I’m going to do my job now.” Prior to jumping into politics, Colyer was perhaps best known for the humanitarian work he did with the International Medical Corps. He was featured on “60 Minutes” in 2002 for traveling to Sierra Leone to surgically remove scars from children forced to fight in that country’s civil war.
Hate (continued from page 10)
Haley said hate crime sentencing should be standard rather than left up to a judge or jury as it is now, especially in nondiverse communities. “They may give the minimal sentence and a day,” Haley said. But Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald said requiring tougher sentences for hate crimes “ties the hands” of courts. He said the state shouldn’t set in statute sentences for cases before they’re tried. Witnesses have said the Olathe gunman shouted racial slurs before opening fire on two Indian men, killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla and injuring Alok Madasani. The gunman also shot and injured Ian Grillot when he tried to intervene. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime, and Adam Purinton has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Haley said that since the Olathe shooting Kansas has been portrayed as intolerant. He also referred to a 2014 shooting in the same county when Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr. killed three people at a Jewish community center and a Jewish retirement home. “We need to underscore that we celebrate our diversity and join in the enhanced retribution and punishment of those that don’t, especially since the world regrettably is paying attention to how equitable we are or are not,” Haley said. Republican Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook said she thought current law was sufficient and that the crimes didn’t represent the state as a whole.
The Scott County Record • Page 11 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
(continued from page 10)
Rebels abducted the children and burned brands into their skin so that they could be returned to the fighting if they ran away. Interviewed by Christiane Amanpour, Colyer said his desire to “make a difference” motivated him to do volunteer work for IMC around the globe. “They (the children) look at you and you can see it in their eyes,” he told Amanpour. “They’re reliving those items in their eyes, and it’s a very sad thing. God knows what they’ve been through.” Opportunity for healing? Colyer’s humanitarian work is a reflection of his commitment to service, said former Rep. Steve Brunk, a social conservative who now lobbies for the Family Policy Alliance. “He’s a highly intelligent, dedicated, generous man,” said Brunk, who sat next to Colyer on the House floor during the two years they served together. While the lieutenant governor is loyal to Brownback and shares many of his conservative views, Brunk said Colyer might attempt to “hit the reset button” with the Legislature if he becomes governor.
“There is some estrangement in the relationship now, so this may be an opportunity for some good healing and to move forward in a productive way,” Brunk said. The tensions between Brownback and lawmakers stem from a budget crisis that many believe was triggered by income and business tax cuts that the governor pushed through the Legislature in 2012 when conservatives controlled both houses. That is not the case anymore. Moderate Republicans and Democrats ousted many of the governor’s conservative allies in the 2016 election by promising to fix the budget problems that have forced cuts in spending on higher education, social programs and highway projects. Relations reached a flashpoint recently when Brownback vetoed a bill that rolled back many of his signature tax cuts. The House quickly voted to override the governor’s veto, but the Senate fell three votes short. However, most observers believe the votes needed to override in the Senate are within reach. Brownback has been “the biggest obstacle” to making progress on a bud-
Public Notice (Published in The Scott County Record Thurs., March 9, 2017)1t
SCOTT COUNTY COMMISSIONER’S PROCEEDINGS FEBRUARY 2017 GENERAL FUND SALARIES ............................................ $ 52,078.63 COMMODITIES .................................... 2,474.10 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES ................. 58,399.72 CAPITAL OUTLAY.................................. 948.98 OTHER................................................... 0.00 SHERIFF FUND SALARIES ............................................. 43,073.20 COMMODITIES ..................................... 11,783.07 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES ................. 5,562.99 CAPITAL OUTLAY ................................. 0.00 OTHER................................................... 0.00 COUNTY HEALTH FUND SALARIES ............................................. 11,240.50 COMMODITIES ..................................... 4,469.93 CONTRACTUAL SERVICES ................. 940.97 CAPITAL OUTLAY ................................. 108.00 OTHER................................................... 0.00 NOXIOUS WEED FUND SALARIES............................................... COMMODITIES ...................................... CONTRACTUAL SERVICES................... CAPITAL OUTLAY ...................................
4,681.59 59.83 1,115.99 0.00
ROAD AND BRIDGE FUND SALARIES .............................................. COMMODITIES....................................... CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.................... CAPITAL OUTLAY.................................... OTHER ....................................................
32,852.81 16,633.92 12,047.36 13,200.00 0.00
FIRE DISTRICT FUND SALARIES .............................................. COMMODITIES ...................................... CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.................... CAPITAL OUTLAY ..................................
389.28 0.00 213.13 0.00
TREASURER’S SPECIAL FUND SALARIES ............................................... COMMODITIES ....................................... CONTRACTUAL SERVICES .................... CAPITAL OUTLAY..................................... OTHER .....................................................
3,625.15 92.07 241.38 0.00 1,048.58
JAMES M. MINNIX Chairman
ALICE BROKOFSKY Scott County Clerk
get solution, Ward said. “Hopefully the lieutenant governor won’t be so wedded to these policies,” Ward said. House Majority Leader Don Hineman, a moderate Republican from Dighton, is also among those who think Colyer might be more open to compromise. “The present governor is probably more personally invested in one particular view of how
to solve the problem,” Hineman said. “Possibly, Lieutenant Governor Colyer would be more amenable to other options. But that’s speculation.” The timing of any change also is in question. If President Donald Trump nominates Brownback to be ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture, the U.S. Senate would have to confirm him. That, Hineman said, could
take weeks or months. But if things move more quickly, Hineman said he believes Colyer would be ready to take the reins of state government. “He has been meeting on a regular basis with Senate Majority Leader (Jim) Denning and myself,” Hineman said. “So, we’ve established a relationship. And if it turns out this way, I look forward to working with him.”
The Scott County Record • Page 12 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Pastime at Park Lane Church services at Park Lane last week were led by the Immanuel Southern Baptist church. Monday afternoon’s pitch and dominoes game helpers were Gary Goodman, Madeline Murphy, Dorothy King, Wanda Kirk, Bert Lucas, Lynda Barnett, Lela Bishop and Mandy Barnett. Monday evenings activity was Wii bowling. Tuesday morning’s Bible study was led by Bob Artz from the First Baptist Church with Doris Riner playing the piano and Elsie Nagle leading the singing. Tuesday afternoon’s entertainment featured Max and Maxine Moomaw. Max played guitar and sang and Maxine played the piano. Tuesday evening Bible study was led by Russell and Mary Webster. Wednesday morning’s Lutheran Bible study was led by Fr. Warren Prochnow. Bingo game helpers on Wednesday afternoon were Madeline Murphy, Barbara Dickhut, Mary Lou Oeser and Mandy Barnett. Residents played pitch Wednesday evening with Denton and Karen Berry, and Bob Willman helping. On Thursday morning some ladies had manicures. Thursday afternoon residents baked oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies. While the cookies were baking Verlene Mohler and DeAnn Markel played the piano. Thursday evening was trivia night at Park Lane. Fr. Felix Bernard led Catholic mass Friday morning. Friday evening was Wii bowling. Yvonne Spangler was visited by Les Spangler, Yvette Mills and Jerica VanCampen.
by Jason Storm
Doris Riner was visited by Ron and Sue Riner and Bill and Sue Riner. Lowell Rudolph was visited by LuAnn Buehler, Chuck Kirk, Tom and Kathy Moore, and Rev. Don Martin. Lorena Turley was visited by Neta Wheeler, Tyler Hess, Emily Hess, Andrew Lordasco, Tracy Hess, Phyllis See and Tava See. Boots Haxton had as her visitors her son, David, and his wife, Sherri, McPherson; her daughter, Joni Pottberg; and Rod and Kathy Haxton. The gathering was a belated birthday party for Boots. On Sunday they were dinner guests of Rod and Kathy Haxton. Cloide Boyd was visited by Dick and Jackie Boyd from Montezuma and Junior and Sharon Strecker. Louise Crist was visited by Dona and Tara Williams, Jean Burgess and Patsi Graham. Darlene Richman was visited by Pheobe Unruh. Clifford Dearden was visited by Kirk and Janet Ottoway from Hays. LaVera King was visited by Velda Riddiough, Carol Latham and Gloria Gough. Mike Leach and James Still were visited by Rev. Don Martin and Linda Dunagan. Arlene Beaton was visited by John Beaton. Loretta Gorman was visited by Charlene Brecht, Lyle and Leta Gillespie, and Chuck and Barb Brobst. Cecile Billings was visited by Ann Beaton and Delinda Dunagan. Hugh McDaniel had as his visitors Mark McDaniel, Berniece McDaniel, George Evans and Joel and Connie Bryan. Corrine Dean was visited by Dianna Howard.
The Scott County Record • Page 13 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Deaths Francis William ‘Sonny’ Miller
Ryan Collins Altman
Francis William “Sonny” Miller, 91, died March 1, 2017, at the Wichita County Health Center, Leoti. Sonny was born May 9, 1925, on the Miller family home- Francis Miller stead near Marienthal to Fred Francis “Frank” and Ethel (Forbes) Miller. A lifetime resident of Wichita County, he was a farmer. Sonny was a member of the former Pleasant Valley Methodist Church in rural Wichita County. He and his family were involved in building the church. Church membership is currently with the United Methodist Church in Leoti. He also served the community in the 1960s as a High Plains school board member, and a Wichita County school board member in the 1970s. He was also active in the Scott County Co-op.
Ryan Collins Altman, 55, died March 7, 2017, at his home in Leoti. Ryan was born Jan. 31, 1962, in Garden City to Merle and Sharen (Collins) Altman. A lifetime resident of Leoti, he was a 1980 Kansas State High School shot put champion. He was also co-owner and operator of Cookie’s Day Care and Porky’s Lil Smoker BBQ. On Jan. 2, 1992, he married Cookie Dawson in Tribune. She survives. Other survivors include: two children, C.J. Altman and Megan Paschal, both of Leoti; one
On Nov. 25, 1951, he married Patricia T. “Pat” Scott in Scott City. She died August 7, 2010, in Leoti. Survivors include: one daughter, Dedra McKinney, Scott City; three sons, Richard Miller and wife, Becky, Leoti, Scott Miller and wife, Dione, Overland Park, and Mark Miller and wife, Amber, Leoti; two sisters, Donna Ridder, Leoti, and Arlene Cauthon, Scott City; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral service was held March 7 at the United Methodist Church, Leoti, with Rev. Brad Kirk officiating. Burial was in Leoti. Memorials may be given to Wichita County Community Foundation or Wichita County LTCU in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, Box 161, Leoti, Ks. 67861. Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com.
Vivian M. Kreiser Vivian M. Kreiser, 90, died March 6, 2017, at the Scott County Hospital, Scott City. S h e was born on Aug. 5, 1926, in Middletown, Pa., to Raymond J. and Vivian Kreiser Marian (Conrad) Davies. A resident of Scott City since 2009, moving from Middletown, Pa., she was an assembly line worker for the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Hershey, Pa. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Middletown. On June 15, 1945, she married Gerald N. Kreiser in Royalton, Pa. He passed away on April 12, 2007, in Middletown.
Survivors include: one daughter, Sharon Kreiser Lock, Scott City; one son-in-law, Larry Lock, Scott City; one brother, Earl Davies, Wellsboro, Pa.; one sister, LaRue Meredith, Dauphin, Pa.; seven grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; one son, Gerald N. Kreiser Jr.; one daughterin-law, Karen Trimble Kreiser; two brothers and two sisters. Price and Sons Funeral Home, Scott City, was in charge of local arrangements. Private burial will be held at the Middletown (Pa.) Cemetery.
Anna Marie Bennett Anna Marie Bennett, 65, died February 28, 2017, at St. Catherine Hospital, Garden City. She was born March 11, 1951, in Dodge City, the daughter of Richard and Rowena (Owston) Wines. A resident of Scott City since 1981, moving from Dodge City, she was a retail clerk and homemaker. Survivors include: two sons, Scott Bennett, Scott City, and Shane Bennett,
Hutchinson; one daughter, Wendy Bennett Kaiser, New Braunsfield, Tex.; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers. A memorial service will be announced later. Memorial donations may be given to the Anna Bennett Memorial Fund in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home.
Sr. Citizen Lunch Menu Week of March 13-17 Monday: Swiss steak, gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, whole wheat roll, ambrosia salad. Tuesday: Honey glazed turkey, bread dressing, carrot coins, whole wheat roll, glazed strawberries and bananas. Wednesday: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, Harvard beets, whole wheat roll, sliced peaches. Thursday: Ham and beans, buttered broccoli, cornbread, cinnamon applesauce. Friday: Talapia with lemon butter, steamed rice, Price Edward vegetable blend, fruit/berry cobbler. meals are $3.50 • call 872-3501
sister, Rachelle Altman, Topeka; and one brother, Randy Altman, Liberal. He was preceded in death by his parents and a daughter, Morgan Altman. Funeral service will be held Fri., March 10, 10:00 a.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, Leoti, with Terry Laws officiating. Burial will be in the Leoti Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Ryan Altman Memorial Fund in care of Price and Sons Funeral Home, Box 161, Leoti City, Ks. 67861. Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com.
Attend the Church of Your Choice
What’s your point? Have you watched a movie about Exodus? Perhaps it was the famous 10 Commandments with Charlton Heston or the forgettable Gods and Kings with Christian Bale. Typically, the main point of the movie is captured in the phrase “Let my people go.” * * * Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” -Exodus 5:1-2 NRSV * * * From this point forward the story goes: Pharaoh keeps Israel in slavery. God keeps sending plagues on Pharaoh. Israel goes free. End of Exodus, right? Not entirely. The point of God setting Israel free from Pharaoh is bigger than ending their slavery. When you read the verses above, two bigger ideas come out. First, Israel’s freedom from Pharaoh is so that they can worship God.
When you look at the Bible account of the Exodus, you find the bulk of the book is about the year after them leaving Egypt. God speaks the 10 Commandments and many other things about worshiping Him. Much more attention is given to the tabernacle (Israel’s place to worship God) than Israel leaving Egypt. Second, the biggest idea of Exodus is answering the question, “Who is the LORD?” Pharaoh, Israel, and Moses all ask this question. God voluntarily makes Himself known even when someone is not asking. Ultimately, the answer to God’s identity is shown when God speaks His name to Moses (see Exodus 34:6). This name/verse is quoted through the centuries by Bible writes as they speak about God and for God. This Lent, let your journey get bigger than letting things go. Israel’s freedom from Egypt and slavery was so that they would be free to worship God and be His people. The Exodus was not for us to memorize 10 plagues or even 10 Commandments. God’s point in all of the events was to make Himself known. This Lent, do things that help you know God and make Him known to the people around you.
Pastor John Lewis First United Methodist Church, Scott City
Scott City Assembly of God
Prairie View Church of the Brethren
1615 South Main - Scott City - 872-2200 Ed Sanderson, Senior Pastor 9:00 a.m. - Pre-Service Prayer 10:00 a.m. - Sunday Worship Service and Children’s Church Wednesday: 7:00 p.m. - Bible Study and Prayer
4855 Finney-Scott Rd. - Scott City - 276-6481 Pastor Jon Tuttle Sunday School: 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship: 11:00 a.m. Men’s Fellowship • Tuesday breakfast at 6:30 a.m. will be held at the church Wednesday Bible Study, 7:00 p.m., at the church
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
A Catholic Christian Community 1002 S. Main Street - Scott City Fr. Bernard Felix, pastor • 872-7388 Secretary • 872-3644 Masses: 1st Sunday of month - 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Other weekends: Sat., 6:00 p.m.; Sun., 11:00 a.m. Spanish Mass - 2nd and 4th Sundays, 1:30 p.m.
Pence Community 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 Brian Thompson, pastor Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship, 10:45 a.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday: God’s High School Cru, 7:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church
803 College - Scott City - 872-2339
1398 S. US83 - Scott City - 872-2264
Kyle Evans, Senior Pastor Bob Artz, Associate Pastor
Robert Nuckolls, pastor - 872-5041
Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. • Worship: 11:00 a.m.
Sunday morning worship: 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.
Wednesday Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.
Gospel Fellowship Church
1st United Methodist Church
Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.
5th Street and College - Scott City - 872-2401 John Lewis, pastor 1st Sunday: Communion and Fellowship Sunday Services, 9:00 a.m. • Fellowship, 10:15 a.m. • Sun. School, 11:00 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 Bill Geurin, pastor • 874-8395 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
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.
Holy Eucharist - 11:45 a.m. St. Luke’s - 872-3666 (recorded message) Senior Warden Cody Brittan • (913) 232-6127 or Father Don Martin • (785) 462-3041
9th and Crescent - Scott City - 872-2334 James Yager • 620-214-3040 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.
Support group meets Tues. in GC Hospice chaplains Lynn White and Gerry Dupuis will facilitate “My Hope,” a support group for adults who are grieving the death of a loved one, on Tues., March 14, in Garden City. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month at High Plains Public Radio, 210 N. 7th St., from noon to 1:00 p.m. Sessions are open to the public and each participant is welcome to come and go as they like. Participants may bring their lunch with them. These sessions are not therapy and they are not a replacement for individual and professional counseling for deep grief, but they are opportunities to share your story and learn from the stories of others.
BC/BS seeks applicants for Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is accepting letters of intent from communities interested in applying for a three-year Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant. Letters of intent must be submitted no later than March 31 in order to receive an application packet, according to Virginia Barnes, director of Blue Health Initiatives. Pathways to a Healthy Kansas is the largest community grant program ever funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. The Pathways program provides community coalitions with the tools and resources needed to remove barriers and engage their communities in ways that enable healthy eating and tobacco-free, active living to become a way of life. Grant funding for each community includes a coordination grant of $100,000, with the opportunity to apply for noncompetitive implementation and achievement grants amounting to $400,000, for a total of $500,000 per community. The funding period is from Aug. 1, 2017, to July 31, 2020. More information, including dates for two informational webinars and frequently asked questions, is available at bcbsks. com/pathways. “Through Pathways, Blue Cross and our technical assistance partners work closely with the funded communities to inspire long-lasting, community-wide well-being by focusing on strategies that build community engagement and transform the way residents stay healthy as they work, play and interact socially,” Barnes says. Ultimately, our goal is to cultivate a healthy culture now that is sustainable for future generations.” Eligible communities are required to: •Be located in a semi-urban, densely-settled rural, rural or frontier county, or be a community with a population of less than 75,000 in an urban county. •Have an active coalition or active Community Health Assessment/Improvement Plan work group. •Illustrate commitment from community leaders. A community must submit its letter of intent online at bcbsks. com/pathways Visits for the top 15 applicants will be scheduled from May 30-June 23. Funded communities will be notified by June 30. Eight communities are currently being funded, including Wichita County (AIM Coalition), Kearny County and Hoisington.
The Scott County Record • Page 14 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Which health bills could become law in Kansas? Meg Wingerter Kansas News Service
While crafting a budget looms big the Kansas legislative agenda, several health policy bills remain in play. Kansas legislators return Monday to Topeka to resume their session. While crafting a budget looms as the largest issue, several health policy bills remain in play. The first weeks of the legislative session are a time for lawmakers to put forward their favorite ideas that have little chance of becoming law. In most years, that list would
include changes to Medicaid, but things are different with the 2017 Kansas Legislature. Before the Legislature took its midsession break last week, the House passed a bill to expand eligibility for KanCare, the state’s privately managed Medicaid program. Another bill, which would require the three insurance companies that run KanCare to use standardized business processes, remains alive in the Senate. However, it isn’t clear how much farther Medicaid expansion will get.
Previous attempts to expand KanCare eligibility died in committee, and the expansion bill initially had the same fate when the House Health and Human Services committee voted Feb. 20 to table it. But the expansion proposal made a surprise comeback when supporters merged it with another bill and pushed it through the House and Senate. Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat who serves on the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, said she expects that committee will advance the bill but isn’t sure
if that chamber’s leadership will bring it to a floor vote. And if a bill were to gain Senate approval, it could face a veto from Gov. Sam Brownback, who long has said that he doesn’t support expanding KanCare eligibility. While Medicaid expansion is far from certain, lawmakers have put forward several other bills to change how KanCare runs. Senate Bill 69, which would require the state to come up with standard business procedures for (See HEALTH on page 15)
Public gaining more awareness of celiac disease, gluten-free lifestyle Significant and sudden weight loss, extreme fatigue, weakness, abdominal pain and bloating are all symptoms of a condition gaining more attention today - celiac disease. Many questions usually come with a celiac disease diagnosis, said Debra Andres, K-State Extension family and consumer sciences agent in
Geary County. The questions normally include: How did I get it?, Can I be cured of it?, How can I treat it? and How long have I had it? Andres said she became interested in the disease when someone she knew was diagnosed. The questions can be overwhelming, she said, but perhaps even more over-
whelming is the lifestyle change required to deal with the condition. Understanding the disease is a good place to start. Celiac disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine, which can lead to gastrointestinal illness and prevent proper nutrient absorption from food, accord-
ing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The disease is commonly referred to as gluten intolerance, because when someone with celiac disease consumes gluten, it triggers the production of antibodies and inflammatory cells that damage the small intestine. (See CELIAC on page 15)
(See TEACHERS on page 15)
General Surgery Specialist
Dr. Jerod M. Grove
For more information or to book an appointment, call Dr. Grove at (785) 623-5945
Scott County Hospital is proud to welcome Dr. Jerod M. Grove, a visiting general surgeon from Hays Medical Center. He graduated with honors from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2010 and has more than seven years of diverse surgical experience, including: • Laparoscopy • Endoscopy with experience in skin cancer • Thyroid surgery • Hernias • Colon resection • Other advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures
201 Albert Avenue • Scott City (620) 872-5811 • www.scotthospital.net
The Scott County Record • Page 15 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Kansas stem cell center close to first clinical test An adult stem cell center established by the Kansas Legislature in 2013 is almost ready for its first clinical trial. Buddhadeb Dawn, executive director of the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, told legislators Tuesday that the trial will focus on treating graft-versus-host disease and will begin after final approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Our goal was to do this (trial) in January, but we got delayed because of different things,” Dawn said during a hearing of the House Health and Human
Health the three KanCare insurance companies, is still alive after Senate leadership sent it to an exempt committee, allowing it to skirt the deadline. House Bill 2047, which would transfer a KanCare inspector general from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to the Attorney General’s Office, also went to an exempt committee, giving it an extended lease on life. The inspector general - a position that has been vacant for nearly three years - investigates waste and fraud in the KanCare
Celiac Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, rye, barley and crosses of these grains, which are key ingredients in many types of bread, cakes, cereals, pastas and other foods. Ingredients containing gluten are not always obvious to the eye. Following a gluten-free diet can be more challenging than it may seem at first glance, Andres said, because of the vast alternative methods for food production and processing. Many foods with breading in particular breaded chicken patties, breaded shrimp and even pre-made frozen meatballs—contain gluten. “Consumers need to be aware that the breading, regardless of where it is, likely contains gluten,” Andres said. “Other unseen sources of gluten may include the thickening agents used in sauces or soups. Products we consume in moderation that could contain gluten include candies or beer. Reading the label and asking questions is critical in successfully following a gluten-free diet.” Symptoms of celiac disease can vary among people, Andres said. In addition to weight loss, extreme fatigue, weakness, abdominal pain and bloating, other common symptoms include diarrhea, constipation and unexplained anemia. Some less-common symptoms are irritability, behavior changes, bone or joint pain, vomiting, and tingling or numbness in the legs. People with these symptoms can have a blood test done to check their levels of antibodies
Services Committee. “So we are now hoping to start it perhaps in summer.” Based at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, the stem cell center has analyzed trials done elsewhere and hosted a clinical trial sponsored by a biotech company that uses modified stem cells from bone marrow to treat stroke. But the graft-versushost disease trial would be the first homegrown one. Graft-versus-host disease is a potential complication when a patient receives a transplant of tissue, like an organ or
bone marrow, from another person. The disease occurs when transplanted tissue fights the patient’s natural immune system, potentially damaging the liver, skin or other areas. It’s a rare illness, with about 20,000 cases in the United States each year. Rep. Randy Powell, a Republican from Olathe, said the trial was a welcome and exciting development. He said his wife is at risk for the illness following treatment for leukemia. “I know that graft-versus-host is a big thing,” Powell said. “I think my
wife still has an annual checkup where they keep their eye out (to make sure) that’s not sticking its head up and causing issues.” Dawn said the center would like to “take the next step” and move into clinical trials using adult stem cells to treat things like joint ailments, diabetes and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But the regulatory process takes time. “We’d like to be able to offer a portfolio of different disease conditions that adult stem cells can benefit,” Dawn said. “I’m
fied for the inspector general would do it for that. The bill itself is not a problem. It’s funding it.” Rep. Susan Concannon, a Beloit Republican who also serves on the House health committee, said the House is taking “baby steps” toward revamping the inspector general’s office. She agreed with Hawkins that a challenging budget year makes the proposal a tougher sell. “I think it has momentum still,” she said. “There’s still a lot of conversation about that, (but) anything that has a fiscal
note is cringeworthy.” Kelly noted that federal officials have cited problems with KanCare services for people with disabilities, and the Legislature includes more moderate Republicans and Democrats than it did in recent years. Both of those factors are contributing to a desire to change the Medicaid program, she said. “The time is really ripe for all of this,” she said. “We have been running pretty willy-nilly since we went to privatization in ’13.”
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as an indication of celiac disease. The disease can affect children and adults, regardless of gender or race, though it is most common in Caucasian populations. The FDA estimates as many as 3 million Americans have celiac disease, but many people are unaware they have it due to the nature of the disease, which can be active, silent or hidden. Celiac disease is passed on genetically. Unfortunately, the disease cannot be cured, and, if left untreated, can cause significant damage to the body. “The good news is that it can be successfully treated without medication, and in most cases, the patient can live symptom-free if they follow a strict gluten-free diet,”
Andres said. To follow such a diet, Andres provides the following tips: •Avoid food and drinks containing wheat, spelt (a form of wheat), graham flour, rye, barley, malt, semolina, bulgur, durum, triticale and farina. Read all food labels to ensure these ingredients are not present. Take advantage of healthy alternatives to gluten, such as corn- and rice-based products. •Use different glutenfree flours, such as those made from rice, corn, buckwheat, millet and sorghum to name a few, in combination of two or more to get the best flavor and texture desired in a food. Any flour used alone will likely overpower the other desired flavors in the product, especially when baking. Experiment
“We’re maximizing every opportunity we can with what we have right now.” That’s far less than what stem cell research facilities in other states receive. Doug Girod, executive vice president of the KU medical center, said that given the budget, Dawn and his small team have done remarkable work. “We could be 10 times bigger than we are and doing 10 times as much if we had the resources,” Girod said. “But I think we’re maximizing every opportunity we can with what we have right now.”
Support Your Hometown Merchants!
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program that launched in 2013. Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita who is chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, said he thinks the KanCare inspector general bill has a good chance of getting a vote in the House although some legislators may balk at the $450,000 price tag. The extra funds would raise the inspector general’s salary from the $60,000 KDHE now offers and pay for support staff, he said. “Nobody that’s quali-
hoping that within the next five years we would at least have some FDA approval for treatment with adult stem cells for other conditions.” Dawn said successful trials could lead to more private investment dollars “so we are self-sustaining at some point in the future.” The center’s reliance on state funds has been a point of contention for fiscally conservative legislators in the past. Most of the facility’s budget still comes from the state’s payment, which was reduced by about $28,000 to $754,500 last year.
with flour variations to meet the tastes and preferences of your family. •Be aware of the recent FDA final ruling on what the term “gluten-free” means for voluntary labeling by the food industry. The FDA, which established the ruling in August 2013 to assist consumers, puts strict guidelines on foods that bear the label, or similar labels such as “free of gluten,” “without gluten,” and “no gluten.” The food must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten to carry any of those labels. •Take precautions when dining in public. Those with celiac disease need to let the wait staff know that they are gluten intolerant and ask if they have any designated menu items that are identified as gluten-free.
Finance and pass a school funding system that puts students first.” Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said she does not think the Legislature can make headway on a new formula until it passes a budget fix, something she wants to accomplish before the end of the month. The state faces a roughly $1 billion shortfall through June 2019. “How do you write a formula if you don’t have money to fund the formula? We can discuss concepts and we are discussing concepts . . . but we need to address the gorilla in the room,” Wagle said. Hensley said he thinks the court’s ruling gives momentum to override the governor’s veto on tax increases, something that already happened in the Kansas House but fell three votes short in the Kansas Senate. Sen. Carolyn McGinn (R-Sedgwick) who chairs the Senate budget committee, said that everything is open-ended at this point. “We have some folks that have not been supportive of funding our public schools, but there’s also a new mix of people who ran on funding public schools,” McGinn said. “No clear majority on either side, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this conversation starts playing out next week.” Option 1: Restore old formula, boost funding Plaintiffs’ attorneys have interpreted the ruling to mean that the court will accept a return to the state’s old formula, which was enacted in 1992 and repealed in 2015, if it is adequately funded. John Robb, the attorney for the Kansas City, school district and the three other plaintiff districts, said that lawmakers have a thousand options for satisfying that order, but the most obvious one would be to restore the state’s old funding system and boost the base aid per pupil. Robb calculates that this option would require roughly $800 million in additional education funding. Another estimate from the Kansas Department of Education, which used a slightly different methodology to calculate, was $535 million. Hensley said that restoring the old formula and funding it at 2009 levels would cost about $370 million. He said this figure should serve as a floor for the discussion. The old formula relied on a system of weightings in which districts received money based on their student demographics, including the number of at-risk or bilingual students. Brownback will likely oppose any efforts to go this route. He specifically blamed the old formula for the achievement gap, which the court cited in its ruling. “The old funding formula failed our students, particularly those that struggle most. The new funding system must right this wrong,” Brownback
The Scott County Record • Page 16 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
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said in a statement. Hensley disagreed. “The formula itself wasn’t the problem. The problem was the historic underfunding by the Kansas Legislature,” he said. Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, said that after reading the ruling, he doesn’t think the weightings for at-risk students or English language learners is “good enough for the court anymore.” Lawmakers must ensure that money goes to programs that boost student performance, Denning said. “They not only want money specifically directed to those underperforming students. They want outcomes. That’s where it’s going to get hard,” he said. Option 2: Tweak the old formula Lawmakers could use the old formula as a starting point, but make significant changes. Patty Logan, a member of the steering committee for the Johnson County parents’ group Stand Up Blue Valley, said her organization hopes that lawmakers “take a complete relook at what was previously called at-risk funding.” At-risk funding in the old formula was based on whether a student receives free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of poverty rates that is frequently used in education nationwide. Logan, however, said that at-risk funding should be tied to a student’s academic achievement. “If you have a student who is performing two grade levels behind, that student is clearly at-risk and needs special treatment,” Logan said. Hensley said that making this change, which has been proposed by Johnson County lawmakers in the past, would steer at-risk funding away from urban districts to suburban districts, which he contended would increase inequity. “School districts like Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka have a disproportionate number of at-risk students. All of the studies show that underachievement is tied to poverty,” Hensley said. Rep. Melissa Rooker (R-Fairway) said she supports keeping at-risk funding tied to poverty rates but has crafted a bill that would rely on census data as opposed to free or reduced-price lunch enrollment as the method to do that. Rooker’s bill, which was introduced before the ruling, would increase funding gradually over a four-year period. The first year would be a roughly $300 million increase for schools, but by the end of four years the state would be spending about $900 million more on schools annually. Rooker said the ruling “closes the door on the notion that rearranging existing resources will satisfy the court.” Her bill would also provide funding for allday kindergarten statewide, something that
Brownback has previously supported and that the court highlighted as a way to boost student achievement in its ruling. Option 3: Craft something new, coupled with policy changes The ruling notes that the Legislature has “considerable discretion” on how it satisfies the order. House Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe) pointed out that a special K-12 budget committee has already been working on crafting a new formula since the start of the session.
Some of the bills already considered by the committee include ideas like tying classroom funding increases to the Consumer Price Index and shifting the responsibility to determine each district’s state funding to the Board of Education. Lawmakers also may look to tether changes to the funding system with school choice measures. Rep. Ron Highland (R-Wamego) crafted a bill that would create vouchers and expand a program that allows corporations to receive a tax credit if they donate to private school scholarship funds.
Highland said his bill would reshuffle the money already appropriated for schools to be more targeted for underprivileged students, but that it would not increase funding overall. It would also provide financial incentives for school districts that improved student outcomes. Highland said the bill received a cool reception at a hearing last month, but that the ruling may reopen the possibility of some of the ideas getting traction. “The mood in the committee that day was, no, it has no chance at all,
but after the ruling, we’ll see,” Highland said. Brownback has already made his desire for school choice measures known. He floated the concept of “education savings accounts,” money that parents could use to cover private school tuition or the cost of home schooling, in his 2017 State of the State address, and reasserted the idea hours after the ruling. But he could face an uphill battle for the concept in the new Legislature. Asked if Brownback’s idea could gain traction in the House, Rooker replied, “No. Just flat no.”
Sports making history
end of an era Lady Hornets clawed by Wildcats in opening round of state tournament Page 24
The Scott County Record
www.scottcountyrecord.com
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Section C • Page 17
SCHS Lady Beavers (from left) Kaitlyn Roberts, Madison Shapland, Macie Price, Nancy Wiebe, Paige Winderlin and Kiana Yager raise their sub-state championship plaque following Saturday’s tournament win over Holcomb. (Record Photo)
SC girls in first-ever state tournament Scott City head coach Sarah McCormick wasn’t surprised to see a seven point lead fade away during a three minute span late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s sub-state championship game. “That’s who we are,” said
McCormick, who has seen that script written all too often by her Lady Beavers during the season. What wasn’t part of the script was having a freshman hit the biggest free throw of her career - and perhaps in SCHS
girl’s basketball history. Madison Shapland drained the first of two free throws with 20.3 seconds remaining and Macie Price added two more charity tosses at the 5.1 second mark to give the Lady Beavers (13-9) a history-making 45-42
win over Holcomb in the Class 4A-Division II sub-state title game on the home floor. The win sends the SCHS girls to the state basketball tournament for the first time in school history. The magnitude of the
moment wasn’t lost on the girls who fell into a celebration pile on the court immediately afterwards and who shared hugs and tears as they accepted their championship plaque. This was a new experience for a program (See HISTORY on page 19)
SC no match for Holcomb’s inside game in tourney finals There was little doubt going into Saturday’s substate title game the Scott City boys would have to find some way to limit Holcomb’s success in the paint if they wanted to upset the No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A-DII. It didn’t happen. Holcomb fed the ball inside to their big men Scott City 51 Conner Holcomb 65 Va n C l e a v e and Kobe Dickson - who combined for 39 points in handing the Beavers a season-ending 65-51 loss on the home floor. The Beavers (13-9) had no answer inside for VanCleave, a 6-foot-7 senior who finished with 30 points on 10-of-15 field goals. “We knew their focal point this time was going to be getting the ball inside to Conner,” says head coach Brian Gentry. “We did a pretty good job of defending him until we got
into foul trouble.” In fact, the Beavers were able to open up a four point lead midway into the first quarter with the help of a three-point play from senior guard Drew Duff and threepoint baskets by Bo Hess and Jordan Horn. When Jess Drohman connected on a basket at the 3:39 mark, it gave SCHS its largest lead of the night, 13-9. It was immediately afterwards that senior center Kyle Cure picked up his second foul and that began opening up the paint for VanCleave. “Kyle did a great job of making things difficult in the low post. Once he got into foul trouble we lacked the physical presence to slow them down,” says Gentry. “Part of Conner’s success came from our lack of intelligent play defensively and not getting position the way we needed in order to make his shot more difficult,” says the head coach. “We let him
catch the ball way too deep. If Conner’s going to catch the ball three feet from the basket there aren’t a lot of people who can stop him. “Once Kyle got into foul trouble that’s when it started slipping away from us.” And it didn’t get any easier for other Beavers tasked with playing defense in the post. Junior Reid Brunswig picked up his third foul midway into the second quarter and Duff soon followed with his third foul. Within Striking Distance Even with their inability to stop Holcomb’s inside game, the Beavers were able to stay within striking distance until early in the fourth quarter. A three-point basket by Hess, who finished with a team high 13 points, sliced the deficit to 34-30 to start the second half. Drohman, who scored 10 points, added a three-pointer at the buzzer (See FINALS on page 20)
SCHS senior Jess Drohman drives to the basket against Holcomb’s Conner VanCleave during Saturday’s sub-state finals. (Record Photo)
The Scott County Record • Page 18 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Hornets fall to South Gray in sub-state finals The Dighton High School boys knew that if they were going to make a second consecutive trip to the state tournament they would need an answer for South Gray’s inside game. That answer wasn’t found in a 53-30 loss to Dighton 30 the RebSouth Gray 53 els in the Class 1A-DI sub-state fi-
nals last Friday. “Defensively, we played well,” says head coach Ben Wilkens. “But, their two six-foot-six boys affected us a lot more when we were on offense. “Getting the ball inside has been our strength and it seemed they were blocking about everything. When they didn’t get a block, they forced us to alter our shots. As the game went along we got a little more frustrated.”
Both teams played to a 12-12 draw after the first quarter, but South Gray began pulling away in the second period with a 14-4 scoring edge. Dighton (16-7) added just seven field goals over the final three quarters and finished the night hitting just 11-of-43 (26 percent) from the field. “We were getting good looks at the basket,” says Wilkens, despite scoring only four points in the sec-
ond quarter. “We couldn’t get anything to fall.” The Rebels (21-1) also got a big lift when they hit a three-point buzzer beater to open up a 26-16 halftime edge. Unlike the previous night when Dighton was able to take control of their sub-state semi-final game with long-range shooting, they were just 4-of-15 from three-point range against South Gray. “They played man de-
fense the whole night and we didn’t get good looks at threes like we did against Minneola,” Wilkens says. Senior guard Dylan Foos was the only Hornet in double figures with 11 points (5-of-10 FG). While the Hornets were unable to make a return trip to state, Wilkens points out they had a rugged schedule that included seven teams who did qualify for state. They owned wins over four of
those teams - St. Francis, Wheatland, Otis-Bison and Sharon Springs - while losing to Hoxie, Ness City and South Gray. After entering the Christmas break with a 2-3 record, a healthy Hornets team won 10 of 11 games during one stretch. “After the league tournament I felt we were more consistent. We got our package in after Christmas and the boys (See HORNETS on page 20)
Yager provides early spark in semi-final win Given t h e opportunity to Colby 28 appear in Scott City 51 their first sub-state championship game in 15 years, the Scott City girls dismantled Colby with a convincing 51-28 win in Class 4A-DII tournament action on Friday. Leading from the opening tipoff, the Lady Beavers never owned less than a six point edge after the opening period while defeating Colby for the third time this season. “There were times when I feel we got caught up in the excitement. We like to run the floor, but there are times when we need to slow down a little and run our offense,” says head coach Sarah McCormick. “Once we got things under control a little more, we played smarter and we were able to do what we wanted offensively.” However, winning this late in the season is new territory for the Lady Beavers and it took the leadership of senior Kiana Yager to settle her team down and score some early baskets which got the team off to the start it needed. Yager scored the game’s first five points and when junior guard Bailey Latta drained a three-pointer the Lady Beavers owned an 8-0 lead just 2-1/2 minutes into the game.
“Kiana was the one who got us going. She gave us the spark,” says McCormick. “She was strong in the lane, finishing drives to the basket and getting rebounds. That’s what I’ve been waiting to see from her.” While the Lady Beavers took early control they were unable to get into any kind of an offensive roll with a combined 13 fouls called on both teams in the first eight minutes. “We have to get used to how a game is being called. At least we adjusted quicker than we typically do,” said the head coach. If there were any nerves the Lady Beavers didn’t reveal it as they put Colby away when they had the opportunity. The Lady Eagles were never closer than five points after the initial scoring burst by SCHS and the Lady Beavers continued to apply offensive pressure in the second period. Yager, who scored a game high 12 points, converted a three-point play early in the second period and freshman guard Madison Shapland followed with a pair of free throws that extended the lead to 18-7. A balanced scoring attack saw four Scott City players scoring the next 10 points for a 28-17 halftime lead. (See YAGER on page 20)
Scott City senior Paige Winderlin (center) and freshman Emily Weathers (right) battle for a rebound during the sub-state semi-final win over Colby. (Record Photo)
The Scott County Record • Page 19 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
The Lady Beavers pile on each other in celebration of their first-ever sub-state basketball title on Saturday evening.
History that hadn’t had a winning season since 2009-10 and had won just 30 games over the past six seasons. “This is amazing,” said an elated Shapland as the postgame celebration continued for about 20 minutes. “We believe in ourselves and each other.” A key stretch in the game began late in the third period with Scott City trailing 33-31. Junior center Emily Smith tied the game with a rebound and putback that ignited an 11-2 scoring run during a 5:04 span. Scott City scored seven unanswered points in the fourth quarter that included a threepoint basket by junior guard Bailey Latta, a steal-and-layup by Price and two charity tosses by Latta that put the Beavers on top, 42-35, with 3:57 remaining. But, McCormick knew there was no way the Lady Beavers would allow her to relax and enjoy the remainder of the game. During the next three minutes, Holcomb chipped away at the lead with seven consecutive points of their own - five at the charity stripe - that tied the game 42-42 with 57.7 seconds to play. “It seems that we’re in these types of games all the time, so you don’t see panic on their faces,” says McCormick, “but I reminded the girls during a timeout that we didn’t have to foul. All we had to do is hit free throws because they were in a position where they had to foul us.” And with 20.3 seconds that’s just what the Lady Longhorns did when they put Shapland on the line to shoot a pair of free throws. “She’s a competitor. She wouldn’t have been out there if I didn’t have confidence in her,” McCormick said of her freshman guard. “When she stepped to the line I felt like the momentum was going our way.” Shapland hit the first of two free throws and missed the second. “I was just trying to relax and get my nerves under con-
(Record Photo)
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trol and do what I could for the team,” Shapland said. “It sure helped making the first one.” However, there was still plenty of time for Holcomb to regain the lead. Following a missed field goal attempt, there was a tie-up under the Longhorn basket and the possession arrow was pointing to SCHS with 7.8 seconds to play. The inbounds pass went to Price who was quickly fouled and hit a pair of free throws. Holcomb was unable to get a game-tying attempt after being forced into a turnover that moments later led to a wild celebration from the SCHS players and fans as the game ended. SC has Quick Start For the second consecutive night, senior Kiana Yager scored in double figures and played a huge role in the out-
come. Of her 11 points, five came in the first 3-1/2 minutes - capped off by a three-point play that put the Lady Beavers on top, 10-1. “Throughout the season I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself. This was my chance to show what I’m made out of,” she said. Holcomb tied the game for the first time, 19-19, with 2:29 left in the first half - shortly after Yager went to the bench with her third foul. The Lady Longhorns grabbed their first lead of the game, 22-20, on a three-point play. While Holcomb was holding a 23-20 lead, perhaps one of the big moments of the game came in the final seconds of the first half when Holcomb was playing for a final shot, but committed a turnover. That allowed Price to set up for a long buzzer-beater, just inside
the three-point arc, that cut the deficit to a single point. SCHS never trailed by more than three points in the third quarter and the score was tied five times in the first nine minutes - the last of those at 35-35 to open the fourth quarter before the Lady Longhorns tied the game a final time, 42-42, on a free throw with 57.7 seconds remaining. Program Turnaround Getting to state was a dream that Yager never believed would come true after being part of a program that had won just three games during her freshman and sophomore seasons. “The reason we’re here is because of perseverance,” she says. “This senior group never gave up. Our class used to have the biggest group of girls out for sports, but we’ve seen a lot of them get out of it over the
years. The ones who stuck with it have done so for the right purpose. “I’m so glad to be part of a group that’s turned this program around like we have and to see our hard work rewarded.” While there was no doubt in McCormick’s mind that the basketball program could be successful, she admits that it has happened a little quicker than anticipated. “I said that we could make it to the state tournament in three years. We’re ahead of that,” says the second year head coach. “Last year, we got a taste of winning and the girls began to believe in themselves. That wasn’t the case when I came here.” McCormick emphasizes that the job isn’t finished. “I don’t want to be that team that’s just happy going to state. I expect to win,” she adds.
SCHS senior Kiana Yager knocks the ball away from Holcomb’s Darien Mader for a steal during Saturday’s sub-state tournament championship game. (Record Photo)
The Scott County Record • Page 20 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that matter As I sat on the back step this morning seeing the bright sunshine but feeling the brisk north wind, and wishing the weather would either drop into the freezer and stay there awhile or become spring and stay spring, I heard the distinct “pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty” spring call of a male cardinal. That told me that no matter how cold the wind
Finals that kept the Beavers within five points, 42-37, with only eight minutes remaining. Holcomb began to create some breathing room with an 11-2 scoring run to open the fourth quarter to open up a 53-40 cushion. SCHS closed the gap to eight points following a three-point basket by junior guard Jordan Horn (53-45) and twice following three-pointers from sophomore guard Marshall Faurot (56-48 and 59-51). Horn and Faurot finished with 12 and eight points, respectively. Holcomb was able to pull away with a 9-3 scoring stretch over the final 2-1/2 minutes. The Beavers accomplished what they wanted to from beyond the three-
Yager Any hopes that Colby had of a comeback quickly faded when the Lady Beavers opened the second half with a 14-2 scoring blitz. Colby, which hit just five field goals in the game, didn’t connect with their first field goal of the second half until only 4:42 remaining.
Hornets (continued from page 18)
understood what we were trying to accomplish,” says the first year head coach. “I was proud of how the boys bounced back after a rough start and put together a solid season.” The Hornets will have some big spots to fill on the roster next season with the loss of four-year starter Tyler Lingg and threeyear starters Lake Lewis and Dylan Foos. “Some boys will have to adapt to new roles,” says Wilkens. “It’s going to be important for these underclassmen to put in time during the off-season.”
Outdoors in Kansas
by Steve Gilliland
is or how deep the snow still gets, spring is waiting in the wings. A little thing maybe, but it gives me hope. When Joyce and I got married, she explained to me her “points” sys-
tem. Everything I do for her garners me one point; sometimes that one point is bigger than others, but is still only one point. I’ve never fully understood her system and have always thought it a bit unfair that a surprise trip to see the Lion King live on stage rates the same as a few sips from my Leprechaun shake at Spangles.
(continued from page 17)
point arc, hitting a season high 10 treys (10-of-20). “We knew we needed to shoot the ball well from the outside, but we weren’t finishing around the basket when we had the opportunities,” says Gentry. “And we didn’t get to the free throw line very often.” Scott City was just 5-of-12 at the stripe compared to Holcomb’s 24-of-39. Again, Holcomb’s advantage in the paint played a factor in those lopsided numbers. “When you don’t have an inside presence in the half-court set, the other team doesn’t have to foul as much because we aren’t putting pressure on them,” notes Gentry. The head coach felt his team was able to make the necessary offensive
adjustments early in the game and most of the shots they wanted. “Layups against a team of that size aren’t going to happen very often,” he said. “For us, the fiveto 10-foot pull-up jump shots are great shots when we’re in rhythm. “We did that early in the game, but as the game went along we began forcing things. Guys start to press in certain situations and feel they have to make things happen. Even when we’re down seven or nine points, we’re more than capable of making up that deficit, but we have to remain patient. “We didn’t stay the course like we wanted, but when you’re giving up points the way we were down low, it can feel like it’s being handed to you.”
(continued from page 18)
Emily Weathers and Macie Price reached double figures with 11 points each. SCHS held a huge 40-21 rebounding edge. The convincing substate win signals a continuing change in expectations by the SCHS girls and the program. “One thing I’ve really
been working with the girls on is their goals,” notes McCormick. “When I first came here their goals were things like, ‘We just want to get along with each other and have fun.’ “I told them, you know what else is fun, winning some games,” she adds. “I think they’ve bought in.”
But the other side of the coin is that a few sips of my Leprechaun shake gets me just as much recognition as most anything else. A little thing maybe, but it makes me appreciate how easily she is pleased. We have our grandson, Jacob, all day everyother Sunday, and last Sunday after church he and I went for a walk
into the McPherson Valley Wetlands just outside town. I was telling him about the mega beaver dam out there and promised to show him. Vehicles are not allowed on the wetlands, and getting to the beaver dam means a several hundred yard walk, so we parked the pickup and struck out on foot along a trail that’s kept mowed through the
tall native grass. We’d only gone a short way when he spotted some feathers on the trail. We each picked up a few, and with them clutched tightly in his hand, moseyed on. When we got to the beaver dam we discussed why it was built like it was, knocked around there awhile and headed back toward the (See LITTLE on page 21)
DHS whips Minneola in semis Led by a season high 23 points from senior guard Lake Lewis, the Dighton High School boys advanced into the sub-state tournament finals with a comfortable 64-39 win over Minneola. Lewis drained 7-of-11 from three-point range and the Hornets hit 11
treys on the night. “They packed in the zone and forced us to shoot from the outside,” says head coach Ben Wilkens. “We did a good job of passing the ball on the perimeter, but we also were effective at getting the ball inside.” Junior Isaac Torson
took advantage of those opportunities inside to score 11 points, including three three-point plays. The Hornets jumped out to a 12-5 first quarter lead and with four treys by Lewis in the second quarter they extended that advantage to 33-19 at halftime.
The Scott County Record • Page 21 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Selection of new AD will be a big decision for KSU Crucial decisions are nothing new to Kansas State president General Richard Myers and he has a vital selection facing him. General Myers is a retired USAF four-star general and a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. by In addition, Myers is a graduate of Mac K-State who received a B.S. in me- Stevenson chanical engineering in 1965. President Myers is no stranger to the traditions and functions of Kansas State University. Athletic Director John Currie accepted the AD’s position at Tennessee and his tenure at Kansas State is over. Currie’s move came at a time when the head coaching positions in football and basketball are in a state of uncertainty. Laird Veatch is currently acting as the interim AD. Veatch is a Manhattan native who played football for Manhattan High School and at K-State for Bill Snyder from 1990-94. Veatch has an impressive resume in the athletic management field. When Veatch moved back to Manhattan in 2009 as deputy assistant to Currie, K-State football coach Bill Snyder said, “Laird was a very fine player for us and is one of those young guys that you love to pieces. He was a great teammate, a tremendous student, and an excellent person who comes from a great family that still resides here in Manhattan. I am excited about having him back and think he will be absolutely terrific for this university.” Currie’s departure opens wide the door of speculation as to what might happen very soon in the athletic department. From here, the opinion is that Sean Snyder deserves the chance to succeed his father as head football coach. During the past few years, Bill Snyder has often declared that it’s his desire for Sean to be K-State’s next head coach. For some reason, a number of critics have opposed this idea; they have taken the stance than Sean Snyder isn’t qualified to be a head coach. Nothing could be further from the truth. Young Snyder has been on his father’s staff for 23 years and is highly regarded as a special teams coach and assistant head coach. Considering what Bill Snyder has done for Kansas State and his loyalty to the university, the administration should grant his wish that Sean Snyder become the next head coach. And right now would be the perfect time for that transition to take place. President Myer will choose the new AD and football isn’t the only issue to be resolved. It’s obvious that Coach Bruce Weber isn’t going to produce the kind of basketball program that K-State should have. The new AD’s first decision should be to replace Weber and hire a new coach. The AD at major universities is an underrated but vital position within the athletic department. You need look no further than KU to see what terrible damage can be done to a university’s sports program by a poor choice of AD. Lew Perkins left the Jayhawks’ football program in horrible shape; he was a totally unacceptable and inept AD at KU. In his first full year as president of Kansas State, General Myers finds himself facing a crucial decision in the hiring of a new AD. Veatch is qualified and well-versed in all aspects of K-State’s athletic department. But the final choice is up to Myers and that decision couldn’t be in better hands. Hawks Peaking at Right Time Kansas finished the regular season with a 90-85 win at Stillwater against an up-and-coming Oklahoma State. KU (28-3, 16-2) has the number-one national ranking going into the Big 12 Tournament. Coach Bill Self is pleased with his ballclub and said, “We won several games just like this game that came down to the last few minutes, and the guys have been pretty good finishers . . . they’re pretty confident in late-game situations.” KU is certain to receive a number-one seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, which is played in Kansas City. That’s an advantage for the Jayhawks, but not as significant as you think. The crowd will be pro-Kansas, but it will be mainly adults; there won’t be 10,000 wildly screaming students there. All of KU’s players are peaking at the right time with the exception of Svi Mykhailiuk. He’s in a slump and his minutes are dropping. It isn’t, however, too late for Mykhailiuk to regain his confidence and play a major role in the postseason. It’s been another wonderful season for Kansas basketball and Jayhawk fans shouldn’t take the current number-one rating too seriously. Seven different teams have shared that perch during the season. Even if one of their opponents cuts in on KU at the Big Dance, they can’t take away the 13 consecutive Big 12 championships. That’s one record that will stand the test of time.
Have questions about the Scott Community Foundation? call 872-3790 or e-mail: julie@scottcf.org
Lady Hornets earn state berth with 46-30 win over South Gray Sara Cramer’s ability to score from the outside and drive the lane are why the Dighton High School senior averages nearly 18 points per game. So, how did Cramer respond when held 10 points below her average in the Class 1A-DI substate title game? She contributed 10 assists - many of those going into the low post where the tandem of Jordan Speer and Ella Roberts combined for 35 points in Dighton’s 46-33 title win over South Gray on Saturday night. It is the fourth time in the past five years that the DHS girls have qualified for state. “They were pressuring Sara and there weren’t openings for our guards to get scoring opportunities,” says head coach Amy Felker. But, what the Lady Rebels took away from the outside game, Dighton was able to exploit on the inside where freshman forward Roberts (8-of-13 FG) and senior center Speer (7-of-19 FG) scored 19 and 16 points, respectively.
Little truck. A few more feathers were added to the collection on the walk back, and suddenly I remembered a small turtle shell I had found there and procured for just such a time as this. I told him I had found something for him that was either in the back of the pickup or in my trapping shed at home, and he pestered me the rest of the walk to tell him what it was. It was not in the truck, so once at home, I parked
“We continued to run our man sets like we normally would and our post option was open before the guard options,” Felker says. “Credit Sara with making some tremendous passes.” While the head coach was looking for a tough game from South Gray, it was tighter than she anticipated. South Gray outscored DHS in two of the first three quarters. Cramer picked up her second foul in the second quarter, but Felker left her in the game. It wasn’t until about 3-1/2 minutes remaining in the third period that Cramer finally went to the sideline with her fourth foul and didn’t return until the fourth quarter. Dighton saw their 24-19 halftime lead disappear and when South Gray made a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining in the third period the game was knotted, 30-30. Defensive Change It was also late in the third period that Felker made a defensive change that began to pay dividends in the final quar-
Dighton rolls over Minneola in semis The Dighton girls exploded for 27 first quarter points and didn’t look back in a lopsided 67-33 win over Minneola in the semi-finals of the Class 1A-DI sub-state tournament played last Thursday in Montezuma. Senior center Jordan Speer led a trio of Lady Hornets in double figures with 21 points (10-of-15 FG), 14 rebounds and five steals. Sara Cramer, a senior guard, nearly had a doubledouble with 15 points and nine assists to go along with a team high seven steals. Ella Roberts, a freshman forward, was also in double figures with 15 points and eight boards. ter. They switched to a box-and-one with 5-foot5 sophomore Emily Sheppard shadowing South Gray’s 5-foot-10 senior Madison Dirks. “We hadn’t played that before, but Emily did a tremendous job,” Felker says. “We took away what they wanted to do and you could see the frustration.” While limiting the Lady Rebels to just three points over the final eight minutes, DHS regained its offensive rhythm with Cramer back on the floor. “They started overplaying our big girls defensively in the post and that created dribble-drive opportunities for Sara,”
says the head coach. “We did such a good job of finding the open girl in the fourth quarter and getting the easy basket.” Facing a tough opponent and getting a hardfought win may prove to be a good way to enter the state tournament. “It was good for our younger girls to be in a tight situation and know what it takes to get the win. Everything is magnified in the post-season and it’s good for the girls to be forced to work a little harder for the win,” Felker says. “I think it prepares us mentally for state.”
(continued from page 20)
at the shed and retrieved it while he waited in the truck. It was a totally intact top-and-bottom shell about four inches across from a box turtle of some sort. I cleaned it up with my knife and gave it to him. Taking after his dad, Jacob’s a KU basketball fan, and as I gave him that silly turtle shell you’d have thought the whole KU basketball team had him on their shoulders running with him around the court. His eyes were
the size of dinner plates and he couldn’t wait to get inside and show the shell to Grandma. I’m afraid I often miss the boat when it comes to sharing my love of the Kansas outdoors with others. I’m always looking for big outcomes; for example, why take someone along with me to check traps when I might not catch anything today? Why take a kid deer hunting when we might not see a deer? Why take someone fishing when
we may not catch any fish? I need to learn to see the feathers and the little turtle shell along the trail (remember my wife’s scoring system?) They’re little things, but to people yearning to experience the outdoors, they are like a ride on the shoulders of the KU basketball team (unless they’re K State fans!) Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors. Steve can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@ gmail.com
state runner-up
The Scott County Record • Page 22 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Lady Beavers power their way to Class 4A honors A year ago, the Scott Community High School girls got a taste of state powerlifting when they finished third. The Lady Beavers used that experience - and success - as added motivation this year when they captured second place honors despite moving up to Class 4A. With 17 lifters on the team this year - compared to just seven a year ago the SCHS girls (57 points) finished second only to traditional powerhouse Basehor-Linwood (109), but well ahead of third place McPherson (30). “Coach Rich (Todd Richardson) worked us really hard and I had a mindset to do even better this year since we’d been working so hard in the weight room,” says senior Tyler Vondracek who collected a pair of silver medals in the squat (240 pounds) and bench press (130) to finish third overall. She finished behind teammate Macy Berning who was third in the squat (240) and hang clean (130), but was able to nudge her teammate with a total of 495 pounds on her three lifts to finish second overall in the 148pound division. Berning is a newcomer to powerlifting, but was encouraged to take part by Coach Richardson. “He saw how much I was lifting during the summer,” says Berning. “I wasn’t in the class during the first semester, but he kept hounding me and told me I needed to be in powerlifting, so I enrolled for the second semester.” Given the success she had, Berning regrets not taking part in the sport before her senior year. “I definitely wish I could have done this last year,” she says. “Not many people knew about state powerlifting before. I would encourage more to take part so we can get
Members of the state runner-up in Class 4A powerlifting are (front row, from left) Krystal Appel, Tyler Vondracek, Macy Berning, Cami Patton and Delaney Kitch. (Back row) Kaitlyn Wolkensdorfer, Aspyn Nix, Jera Drohman, Alyssa Storm, Trella Davis, Alexis Hoeme, Karina Ayala and coach Todd Richardson. Not pictured are Olivia Prieto, Piper Wasinger, Molly Eikenberry, Haley Allen, Melisa Alfonso, Maritza Chavarria and Bri Amezcua.
Class 4A Girls Standings Basehor-Linwood 109 Scott City 57 McPherson 30 Tonganoxie 28 Abilene 14 Wellington 11 Winfield 10 Andale 10 Colby 10 Jefferson West 9 Chanute 8 Clay Center 6 Clearwater 4 Concordia 2 Maize South 1 Chapman 12 Towanda-Circle 0 Buhler 0 WichitaTrinity 0 Wamego 0
a state championship.” High Expectations Richardson brings a lot of intensity to the summer weight program and to his daily strength and conditioning classes. After last year’s strong showing at the state championships, Richardson was determined to get more athletes involved so they could compete for a state title. “The kids knew the expectations I’d set for them and I felt they competed very well,” he says. “I was especially pleased with how the girls did. They hit the numbers we wanted to. “Some of the guys hit their numbers, some didn’t, but they know that next year the expectations will be higher.” Richardson knew that even with the move to a higher classification the Lady Beavers were capable of doing well at state. “The competition was pretty tough, but with the girls that we took and the program they completed during the year there was no question in my mind that we outwork other schools,” he says. “If we continue to work on our form and continue to make gains in the weight room I see us closing that gap between us and first place and, hopefully, win-
Scott City senior Tyler Vondracek competes in the bench press during the Class 4A State Powerlifting Championships held at Clay Center last Saturday. (Record Photo)
ning a few gold medals.” He says the SCHS boys and girls have some distance to go before they can close the gap on Basehor-Linwood which won both divisions. “ B a s e h o r- L i n w o o d brought 85 kids and all of them were really good weight lifters. We can compete with them, but our numbers aren’t there yet,” said Richardson. “We will have to put in a lot of hard work to compete with the top-tier 4A schools. Seeing the level of competition back east should be added motivation.”
Appel Wins Silver Perhaps one of the bigger surprises on the day was the performance of senior Krystal Appel. Competing in her first state meet, she claimed a silver medal in the 156-pound class. Appel admits that she was a little intimidated at first. “I saw some girls stronger than I’d ever seen before,” she says. “I didn’t expect to place high until we started warming up and I saw that I could compete with these girls and place.”
Appel finished second in the squat (220), second in the bench (115) and third in the clean (135) for a second place total of 470 pounds. “I really enjoy weights. I thought powerlifting would be a chance to prove to myself how much work I’ve done and it would show at state,” she says. Senior Cami Patton, a third place finisher in Class 3A last year, once again claimed an overall bronze. She added a silver in the bench with a lift of 140 pounds. “It was a big difference
jumping to 4A. There were more lifters and it was tougher,” she says. However, after last year’s success she was determined to do well this year, even at 4A. “My goals changed a lot after competing at state last year. I saw how much the other girls were lifting and I wanted to improve on what I’d been lifting. I focused more on my lifts and tried to increase my maxes,” she says. The senior accomplished her goal of improving on all her lifts from a year ago. (See POWER on page 23)
The Scott County Record • Page 23 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
SCHS junior Nick Nowak competes in the hang clean during the state powerlifting championships in Clay Center.
(Record Photo)
Roberts, Donovan are third in state powerlifting Mikennon Donovan picked a great time to set some personal records. The SCHS senior matched or exceeded his career bests in all three of his lifts at the Class 4A State Powerlifting Championships to earn third place honors in the powerweight (heavyweight) division. Donovan, who tips the scales at 266 pounds, had a squat of 475 pounds, he benched 270 pounds and hang cleaned 275. While he didn’t claim a medal in any of the three events, his combined weight of 1,020 pounds earned him a bronze. He matched a career
Power She was also excited to see so many athletes choose to compete at state. I’m glad to see so many make the trip this year,” she adds. I was proud of what we did as a team.” Prieto Earns Silver Despite being limited in the weight room for much of the year because of a wrist injury, sophomore Olivia Prieto was still able to claim a second place finish in the 105-pound division with an overall total of 395 pounds. “I honestly felt I wouldn’t do well at all. I hadn’t hang cleaned or benched in four months. I thought about not going because I didn’t feel I could contribute to the team,” says Prieto. Her only disappointment was not lifting more in the squat. Her third lift came so easily that one of the judges even commented that she could have done much more.” “The whole day I was thinking that I could have done so much more. The final lift was so easy,” she says. “The interest in powerlifting has built so much since last year,” Prieto
best in the squat which he had lifted a year ago in class, but the other two lifts were PRs. “Coach said I might be good at it and I didn’t have anything else going on during the winter. It gave me a goal to better myself,” says Donovan. He was a little surprised at his hang clean, noting that he doesn’t have the ideal build for that lift. “For guys built like me, with the shorter arms and the gut, it takes a little extra to do that lift,” he says with a laugh. “There are guys in weight class, like Marshall (Faurot) who can do incredible in the hang
clean for as light as they are. He got 265 (pounds) today.” Because of a conflict with sub-state basketball, Faurot was unable to compete at state powerlifting. Donovan says he wishes he’d have competed in powerlifting events prior to his senior year. “I wish there had been more emphasis on it. It’s a lot of fun,” he said. Freshman Brandon Roberts said he was a little surprised at how well he did in his first state competition. “At the beginning of the year I was benching 95 and squatting 160. Coach Rich has helped me a lot
and I’ve been progressing throughout the year,” says Roberts. He showed a big improvement on those lifts in the state event with a squat of 205 pounds, a bench of 135 pounds and hang cleaning 125 pounds. He picked up a silver in the bench to go along with his overall bronze for a total of 465 pounds. On the Monday following state he already set a new PR in the bench with a lift of 145 pouinds. “I was being cautious at state,” he admits. “I didn’t want to go too heavy and risk not getting my weight which would have messed things up. I’m pretty happy with what I did.
“If I would have taken the risk of lifting a little more I might have placed a little higher. “Now I know where I’m at and how I can do against other kids, so I’m ready to go back next year and see if I can take first.” Sophomore Wyatt Hayes says the chance to see state competition was an eye-opening experience. “There were some pretty powerful guys in my weight class. They were warming up at my maxes,” he notes. However, he also points out that the training program which Coach Richardson has for his
athletes focuses on more than power. “He puts us into a fitness workout that’s more of a cross-fit instead of just raw lifting which I think benefits us overall. “I’m not where I want to be yet, but after spring break Coach Rich has some much harder workouts planned for us which I’m looking forward to.” Other top six medalists among the SCHS boys were: 148: Seth Cardenas, 5th. 156: Isaac Evans, 5th. 165: Hayes, 6th. 173: Nick Nowak, 5th; Eddie Tilton, 6th. 220: Kyle Sherwood, 5th.
(continued from page 23)
adds. “I feel there will be a lot of girls interested in this next year.” Wasinger is Third Also finishing third in her weight division was freshman Piper Wasinger in the 114-pound class. “I did summer weights and it was a lot of fun,” says Wasinger. “I was a little worried when I first saw some of the girls I’d be competing against, but I felt that I did well against them.” She placed third in the squat (185) and had a combined total of 390 in her three lifts. Likewise, Karina Ayala picked up a pair of silver medals and finished third overall in the 165-pound class. Ayala was second in the squat (230) and bench (140). She had an overall total of 515 pounds. If the Lady Beavers are going to repeat their second place finish - or hope to challenge Basehor-Linwood - they will have to gain numbers and fill some big shoes left by their graduating seniors. “Unfortunately, some of our newcomers at state this year were seniors. It sure would have been nice to have them for two or
Delaney Kitch competes in the squat at state powerlifting held in Clay Center last weekend. (Record Photo)
three years and see what we could have done,” says Richardson. “But the outlook is very good for our program.” He feels that the sport is gaining in popularity among SCHS athletes. “Powerlifting is a way for these kids to show how hard they work in the weight room. So many of these kids have never had
the opportunity for others to see what they’re accomplishing in the weight room. “Moving forward, I feel that some of these boys and girls will start busting it even harder than they already are. For some of them, that’s going to be pretty tough because the effort they give me is already at maximum output,
so they will have to dig deep. But, I know some kids will put in that kind of effort.” Richardson also feels the program has made huge strides since he became strength coach two years ago. “I hear from kids who wish they’d have had the opportunity to do this be-
fore I came here two years ago. Even last year, I feel that powerlifting was still in the dark when I came here,” he says. “To take second in your weight class in 4A is pretty satisfying. I’m sure some of the kids wish they would have had another year or two and could have pursued this a little harder.
The Scott County Record • Page 24 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
end of an era
Cramer, Speer play final DHS game in state tourney loss A stingy defense and the scoring tandem of Sara Cramer and Jordan Speer were good enough for Dighton High School to win 21 games and a state tournament berth. However, there was always that worry about whether the Lady Hornets would be able to find enough offense against the kind of teams they would see in a state field. They didn’t in a 49-34 loss to Hanover in the first round of the Class 1A-Division I tournament in Hays on Wednesday. Speer (6-of-14 FG) and Cramer (5-of-10) scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, while the rest of the team combined for nine points on 2-of-18 from the field. “It was a combination of things,” says DHS head coach Amy Felker. “Their defense took away our inside game, we committed a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers and we got into early foul trouble. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Dighton got the quick start it wanted when Speer and Cramer, veterans of two previous state appearances, each hit their first baskets from the field to give DHS a 4-1 lead. After that, scoring was difficult for both teams. Cramer hit her only attempt of the game from beyond the three-point line that tied the score, 7-7. Speer added a free throw and a basket that put the Lady Hornets back on top, 10-8, but a long-distance buzzer-beater by Hanover gave them an 11-10 lead. A basket by Speer to open the second period gave Dighton their final lead of the day. Foul Problems Fouls became an issue in the second quarter when Speer was whistled for her second and third infractions - the last one coming at the 2:35 mark which sent the 5-foot-11 senior to the bench for the remainder of the half. Even though both teams each added just one field goal over the final six minutes of the half, Hanover was able to extend its lead at the charity stripe where the Lady Wildcats scored six of their nine points in the
second quarter. One of those free throws came with just 1.2 seconds remaining in the half which also resulted in 5-foot-10 freshman Ella Roberts picking up her third foul. “To draw fouls you have to attack the basket and we were going away from the basket, especially early in the game. They did a better job of attacking the basket which put us in foul trouble,” noted Felker. “We count on getting to the free throw line and that didn’t happen.” In addition, Dighton’s early foul trouble had an impact on their defense and ability to battle for rebounds. “When you’re in foul trouble you’re more timid because you don’t want to foul again,” noted Felker. “It took away our aggressiveness which affected us at both ends of the floor.” Hanover was 15-of-26 at the line for the game while Dighton was just 6-of-14. Hanover threatened to pull away in the third quarter when they opened up a 28-22 lead at the 2:42 mark. Speer followed with a charity toss and Cramer drove the lane to the basket on consecutive possessions that sliced the deficit to 28-27 with 1:16 remaining to give the Dighton faithful hope that their team could rally. “I thought we had a chance. We started figuring out where the holes were. I thought they would be forced to shift their defense and that would open things up for our girls inside,” says Felker. “Instead, we caught a couple of bad breaks at the other end of the floor and things got away from us.” One of those bad breaks was a fourth foul on Cramer with just 24 seconds remaining in the quarter. From that point, the momentum quickly shifted to the Lady Wildcats who scored 11 unanswered points in a span of less than two minutes. During that stretch, Hanover’s Tianna Lohse drained a three-pointer and followed with a steal and layup. With 6:31 left on the clock, Hanover extended its lead to 39-27 on a free throw that resulted from Speer’s fourth foul. The final dagger in the DHS
Lady Hornets’ head coach Amy Felker gives defensive instructions to her team during tournament action.
Dighton senior Jordan Speer grabs a pass in the paint during first half action against Hanover on Wednesday afternoon. (Record Photo)
season was delivered a minute later when Cramer exited the game with her fifth foul. Eventually, Speer and Roberts would join her on the bench with their fifth fouls. Twenty-three Dighton turnovers were also a huge factor in the outcome. “They were bigger than us on the perimeter which made it more difficult for our guards to find the passing lanes inside. We weren’t making clean passes,” says the head coach. “There were times when we should have
held the ball for another second before making a pass, but there were too many instances where we rushed things a little and that led to turnovers.” Felker said that also led to some easy transition baskets when they didn’t get back quickly enough on defense. “It was an off night and it was the worst time to have an off night.” Felker says it was a particularly tough way for Cramer and Speer to bid farewell to their high school careers.
The two four-year starters were on three state tournament teams, including a Class 1ADII title last season. During that four year span the Lady Hornets compiled a 77-18 record. “They accomplished most of their goals this year, including a Castle Rock championship, league championship and a third trip to state,” says Felker. “This wasn’t the kind of game they wanted to end on, but they can look back at a lot of positive things that happened this year and during their career.”
DHS senior Sara Cramer chases down a deflected pass during the opening round of state tournament action on Wednesday at Hays. (Record Photo)
The Scott County Record • Page 25 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Congratulations on your historic season SCHS Lady Beavers! 2017 Class 4A-Division II State Tournament Qualifier
Members of the 2017 Class 4A-Division II sub-state champion Scott Community High School basketball team are (front row, from left) Peyton McCormick, Madison Shapland, Jacy Rose, Kaitlyn Roberts, Katie McGonagle and Lyndi Rumford. (Back row) head coach Sarah McCormick, Emily Smith, Macie Price, Paige Winderlin, Kiana Yager, Nancy Wiebe, Emily Weathers, Bailey Latta, assistant coach Jim Turner and assistant coach Erin Meyers.
We are proud of you. You are great ambassadors of your school and your community! Vulgamore Family Farms
1550 W. Road 70, Scott City 874-5075 www.vffarms.com
Scott Cooperative Association
Season Record: 13-9 Great Western Activities Conference Runner-up Rodenbeek & Green Agency
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601 S. Main Street 872-5803 www.rgagency.com
MTM Siding & Glass, Inc.
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Heartland Foods
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Eisenhour & Graff
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509 Church Street, Scott City 224 N. 4th Street, Leoti 872-3471 375-2272
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Scott County Hospital
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First National Bank 501 S. Main Street 872-2143 www.fnbscott.com
HRC Feed Yards LLC 6550 W. Highway 96 872-5328 www.hrcfeed.com
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Office Solutions, Inc.
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J&R Auto Group, LLC
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AgMax Crop Insurance
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Best Western
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El Quartelejo Inn & Suites 1610 S. Main Street 872-7373 www.bwelquartelejo.com
Bartlett Grain 305 W. Bellevue 872-3456
Norder Supply
4310 E. Highway 96 872-3058
Faurot Heating & Cooling, Inc. 910 W. 5th Street 872-3508
1720 S. Main Street 874-9655
Dairy Queen
Percival Packing
Security State Bank
710 W. 5th Street 872-7199
506 S. Main Street 872-7224 www.ssbscott.com
The Rec Sports Bar (Pool Hall)
Midwest Mixer, LLC
The Green Haus
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318 S. Main Street
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Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. 513 S. Main St., Suite 1 874-2428
ADM Grain
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Chambless Roofing, Inc.
1005 W. 5th Street 872-2679 or 800-401-2683
Great Western Tire 1503 S. Main Street 872-3393
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40 E. Road 160 872-7251 • 800-280-7251 www.midwestmixer.com
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Platinum H Insurance
40 Pitman Lane • PO Box 243 872-7222 Darrin - 214-0653 Michelle - 214-0652 habiger@wbsnet.org
American Implement
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113 E. 5th Street 872-3525, ext. 2
BK Auto Body
1301 S. Highway 83 872-3722
H&R Block
413 S. Main Street 872-5879
Farm
The Scott County Record
Page 26 - Thursday, March 9, 2017
Water levels continue to fall in W. Ks. SW Ks. aquifer down average of 23 ft. in 10 years The Kansas Geological Survey has released data showing the annual falls and rises of the state’s aquifers. Each year, in early January, the KGS and the Kansas Department
of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources mea‑ sure water levels in about 1,400 water wells in west‑ ern and central Kansas. The data collected is used to monitor the health of the High Plains Aquifer, the state’s most valuable groundwater resource. Yet, despite rainfall, the urgency of the situation isn’t lessening for Western Kansas, where irrigators
ag briefs
Applications open for disaster loans
Small nonfarm businesses in 26 Kansas counties and neighboring Colorado and Oklahoma counties are now eligible to apply for low‑inter‑ est federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced rev‑ enues caused by the drought in the following primary counties beginning Nov. 29, 2016. Among the primary counties in Kansas are Scott, Wichita, Lane, Finney and Ness. Neighboring counties that are eligible include Gove, Greeley, Logan and Wallace; SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on busi‑ nesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suf‑ fered agricultural production losses caused by the disas‑ ter and businesses directly impacted by the disaster. Small nonfarm business‑ es, small agricultural coop‑ eratives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organi‑ zations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred. Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 3.125 percent for busi‑ nesses and 2.5 percent for pri‑ vate nonprofit organizations.
Foreign owners must notify USDA
The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires all foreign owners of U.S. agricultural land to report their holdings to the Secretary of Agriculture through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). All individuals, or entities which are owned by individu‑ als, who are not U.S. citizens and have purchased or sold agricultural land in the county are required to report the real estate transaction to FSA with 90 days of the closing. Failure to submit the AFIDA form (FSA-153) could result in civil penalties of up to 25 percent of the fair market value of the property.
and others pump water out of the ground faster than precipitation can recharge it. Groundwater levels in southwest Kansas, where the Ogallala Aquifer is the richest, have fallen an average 40 feet since 1996, when the KGS took over monitoring the wells. Some areas have had more significant declines. In the past 10 years alone, the southwestern
aquifer has dropped an average of 23 feet, Wilson said. Declines in Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 3 this year weren’t as big as past years. Irrigators were able to shut off wells some, Wilson said. However, the district still had the biggest declines of the state - dropping an average 1.09 feet com‑
pared to 1.04 feet in 2015. Some of the big‑ ger drops were in the sandhills south of the Arkansas River and a stretch between Liberal and Hugoton, Wilson said. There were some areas, however, including in Ford County along the river, that came up. GMD 1, which makes up west-central Kansas counties, saw a drop of
0.68 feet after seeing vir‑ tually no decline the year before. Northwest Kansas GMD 4 saw water levels fall an average 0.58 feet. Currently, most of Western Kansas is listed in a moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. During drought periods, pumping demands from the aquifer increase, caus‑ (See WATER on page 27)
USDA offers new program to promote wildlife, playas in region The USDA has announced a newly established prac‑ tice under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The practice is called Migratory Bird, Butterfly and Pollinator Habitat, under the State Acres for (wildlife) Enhancement. Eligibility is limited to land owners and ag produc‑ ers who want to enhance or restore existing playas, also referred to as buffalo wallows or lagoons, that are within the priority area for the state. There are approximate‑ ly 7,500 playas eligible for
enrollment within the three priority areas in Western Kansas. An informational meeting about this new CRP practice will be held Wed., March 15, 10:00 a.m., at the Wm. Carpenter 4-H Bldg., Scott City. This meeting is in coopera‑ tion with the Kansas Alliance of Wetlands and Streams (KAWS), Ducks Unlimited, Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices in Lane, Scott and
Wichita counties; and Scott County Extension. Offers for this CRP practice are currently being accepted at FSA offices through a continu‑ ous signup, however offers will be ranked at intervals. The first ranking period closes March 31. Offers must compete with other offers submitted in that same ranking period. Offers not accepted in the current ranking will be carried over for consideration during the next round. Bids may be offered up to $300 per acre. The effective date of con‑
tracts for the Migratory Bird Habitat will be October 1, 2017, which will be a 2018 program contract. The program allows for a minimum playa size of two acres and a maximum of 160 acres. Management practices during the life of the contract will be required. This includes the option of managed har‑ vesting or prescribed grazing. Contract terms will be 10-15 years in length. The Scott County FSA is accepting continuous CRP enrollment by appointment.
Has wheat gluten changed over time? Dr. Chris Miller is trying to come up with a way for Celiacs to be able to consume gluten without the repercus‑ sions their body has towards it. For most Celiacs, all they want to be able to do is have their wheat and eat it too. However, when people have celiac disease, any gluten they digest automatically damages their small intestine. That’s why Dr. Chris Miller, a for‑ mer faculty member at Kansas State University in Grain Science and Industry, now the director of wheat quality research at Heartland Plant Innovations, is trying to come
up with a way for Celiacs to be able to consume glu‑ ten without the repercussions their body has towards it. While the long-term goal is to develop a wheat that would be safe for people with celiac disease to eat, this research is only the first step on that journey. Miller says, “We are characterizing wheat proteins important for both health and nutrition all the way to prod‑ uct quality, to give us a better
Market Report
Weather
Closing prices on March 9, 2017 Bartlett Grain Red Wheat............ $ 3.51 White Wheat ....... $ 3.51 Milo .................... $ 2.62 Corn ................... $ 3.17 Soybeans (new crop) $ 8.97 Scott City Cooperative Wheat.................. $ 3.51 White Wheat ....... $ 3.51 Milo (bu.)............. $ 2.62 Corn.................... $ 3.17 Soybeans ........... $ 8.97 Sunflowers.......... $ ADM Grain Wheat.................. Milo (bu.)............. Corn.................... Soybeans............ Sunflowers..........
$ 3.51 $ 2.63 $ 3.17 $ 8.96 $ 12.15
Wheat Scoop
Hannah Schlapp Kansas Wheat Communications Intern
H
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February 21 82 23 February 22 75 41 February 23 57 29 February 24 36 13 February 25 50
8
February 26 50 12 February 27 64 18 Moisture Totals
February 0.12 2017 Total
0.12
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understanding of celiac disease and protein reactivity.” The research began with studying different wheat vari‑ eties from the Kansas State University breeding program. They call it a diversity panel, which has a wide range of genetic diversity throughout the wheat plants looked at. That involved 50 Hard Red Winter wheat lines, which are made up of commercial varieties - ones that are cur‑ rently grown, older varieties that were grown years ago but not planted much anymore, and wild relatives of wheat, in addition to 50 Hard Red Spring wheat lines that do not come
from Kansas but show wheat quality related to the breeding program. “With these different vari‑ eties we can get a broad understanding of how genet‑ ics change over time, or if they have changed through our breeding selection,” Miller said. Miller and his colleagues started by characterizing the varieties’ traits from the field all the way through their protein characterization, their genetic makeup (which involves the plants’ genotypes), end-prod‑ uct testing (which examines the plants’ milling and baking (See GLUTEN on page 27)
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Water ing declines to worsen, said Wilson. Conditions could change by the time the irrigation season begins later this spring. Sheridan 6 Sees Drop But efforts are still underway to preserve and extend the life of the Ogallala. Despite a drop in the water table this year, farmers in a parcel in northwest Kansas are seeing results of cutting back their irrigation allotment. The farmers are part
Gluten qualities), and health and nutrition attributes. The research they have been conducting is into the third year, and they still don’t have the answers they need. “It’s a really slow, long process. Growing plants in the field is a slow process. Gathering the tissue, gathering the seed, getting the milling, getting all the product quality. It’s just been incredibly slow,” Miller said. The researchers should be getting data in January regarding all the wheat plants tested, which will mean answers to many of the questions they have. At this point, they are not sure what those answers will be. Aaron Harries, Vice President of Research and Operations at Kansas Wheat, said this is discov-
The Scott County Record • Page 27 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
(continued from page 26)
of the Sheridan 6 Local Enhanced Management Area - a 99-mile section of Sheridan County and one township of Thomas County. Here, farmers voluntarily came together to come up with a plan of cutbacks. Rather than do nothing and mine the aquifer, they agreed to reduce their water use over five years by an average 20 percent, fearing that if they don’t, they might be the final generation to grow crops on this parcel of the High Plains.
However, the plan does have teeth and is enforced by the Division of Water Resources’ chief engineer. Wilson said the area saw a 1.5-foot drop this year, probably because the area didn’t receive as many timely rainfalls. However, previous years the table has risen while wells outside the LEMA have typically declined. Last year, the KGS recorded nearly a foot increase during the annual water-well survey. It shows even a small area can make a differ-
ence. “They are down this year, but the last three years they beat the county averages, which is abnormal,” said Wilson of the area’s success. Mitchell Baalman, a Sheridan 6 farmer who serves on the GMD 4 board, said earlier this month the board approved renewing the LEMA, which otherwise would have ended after this year.
“I’d say - farmers inside this - they are more cognizant and realize you can do a lot more with less water,” he said. “You had to put a line in the sand and make yourselves change.” Those in the LEMA get 55 inches a year of irrigation water, which is an average 11 inches a year. However, for the first three years of the LEMA, they pumped well
below the targeted average, including an average 8.4 inches in 2015. The program’s flexibility, however, allows a farmer to be able to pump a little more in a dryer year, said Wilson. “We didn’t have as much timely rains during the growing season,” Baalman said. “But we still had great crops, and when it did rain, we shut the wells down.”
(continued from page 26)
ery research. “We’re not sure what we are going to find. The first stage is the exploratory stage and getting a base knowledge about wheat proteins. There’s a lot of optimism, but a lot of uncertainty,” Harries said. He said once they get the base knowledge completed, they will be able to learn more about the varieties. Kansas wheat farmers are funding this research project through the Kansas Wheat Commission’s two-cent wheat assessment. In terms of research in general, the funding is small. “We’re getting about $130,000 per year, but we could easily use a million,” Miller said. He stated that within the next year, they will have collected enough data and proof of concept that they’d be able to go out
and apply for more funding opportunities. After the preliminary research is complete, it may be necessary to collaborate with medical partners in order to reach the long-term goal: to help those with celiac disease be able to consume wheat products without any digestion problems. “This is a study that’s focused for the good of all human health. We’re doing research here that they aren’t doing anywhere else,” Jordan Hildebrand, Program Assistant at Kansas Wheat, said. “The fact that Kansas wheat farmers took the initiative to fund the research showed their foresight and their desire to deliver a wholesome product for everyone who wants to have their bread and eat it too.”
Beef quality is hitting record levels Improved genetics, management and attention to detail, some of which began a generation ago, are paying dividends for America’s cattlemen. Those changes give today’s consumer more beef products they desire, and reward stakeholders in every industry segment. Advancements in genetics and management are most evident in the significant improvement to the quality grades of cattle offered for harvest. January’s USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) reported the percentage of cattle grading Prime and Choice was a whisker shy of 79%. That’s the highest percent Choice and Prime ever. Additionally, the Choice-Select spread is consistently higher, says CattleFax analyst Lance Zimmerman. “The Choice-Select spread has been relatively consistent in the $8 to $9 per hundredweight range,” he says. “We see steeper discounts for an animal that can’t grade Choice, and the Prime versus no roll spread is $420 per animal.”
Have questions about the Scott Community Foundation? call 872-3790 or e-mail: julie@scottcf.org
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The Scott County Record • Page 28 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Call 872-2090 today!
Per Week
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There’s no beter way to reach your potential customers in Scott County and the surrounding areas.
Pro Ex II
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Preconditioning and Growing
Over 20 Years Experience
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• Termites • Rodents • Soil Sterilization • Pre Treats • Lawn Care • Fly Parasites
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Cell: 874-4486 • Office 872-2101
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Residental and Commercial Plumbing Water Systems, water lines, sewer cleaning faucets and fixtures, garbage diposals and more
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RESIDENTIAL – COMMERCIAL Termite Baiting Systems • Rodents Weed Control • Structural Insects Termite Control Box 258, Scott City • (620) 872-2870
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Medical
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The Scott County Record • Page 29 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
Call 872-2090 today!
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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.
Medical
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Retail
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.
40-FOOT GRADE A steel cargo containers. $1,500 in KC. $2,200 in Solomon, Ks. 20s, 45s, 48s and 53s also available. Call (785) 655-9430 or go on-line to Chuckhenry. com for pricing, availability and freight estimates. ––––––––––––––––––––– 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. Is your subscription paid?
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Networktronic, Inc.
Computer Sales, Service and Repair Custom computers! Networking solutions! Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 402 S. Main, Scott City • 872-1300
Northend Disposal A garbologist company. Scott City • 872-1223 • 1-800-303-3371
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
www.reganjewelers.com
412 N. Main • Garden City • 620-275-5142 All Under One Roof
Revcom Electronics
Your RadioShack Dealer Two-way Radio Sales & Service Locally owned and operated since 1990
1104 Main • Scott City • 872-2625
Dining
S E N JO UB S CL B Driving M A L
for the PURPLE!
Jeremy • 620-397-1638 Stefanie • 620-397-8075
Classifieds
The Scott County Record • Page 30 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
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: $6.00 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.
Services
Rentals
WANTED: Yards to mow and clean up, etc. Trim smaller trees and bushes too. Call Dean Riedl, (620) 872-5112 or 874-4135. 34tfc –––––––––––––––––––– FURNITURE REPAIR and refinishing. Lawn mower tune-up and blade sharpening. Call Vern Soodsma, 872-2277 or 874-1412. 4015tfc –––––––––––––––––––– MOWER REPAIR, tune-up and blade sharpening. Call Rob Vsetecka at 620-214-1730. 4515tfc
HIDE AND SEEK STORAGE SYSTEMS. Various sizes available. Virgil and LeAnn Kuntz, 620-874-2120. 41tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– PLAINJAN’S RENTAL houses and duplexes. Stop by the office or call 620872-5777. 05tfc –––––––––––––––––––––
Agriculture
WANT TO BUY. Stored corn. Call for basis and contract information. 1-800-579-3645. Lane County Feeders, Inc. 32tfc ––––––––––––––––––––– WANT TO BUY. Wheat straw delivered. Call for contracting information. Lane County Feeders, 397-5341. 44tfc
For Sale FRIGIDAIRE STAINLESS STEEL REFRIGERATOR for sale. Tradition top freezer, bottom fridge. Purchased in Fall of 2013. Has been in storage for two years. Works perfectly. $500. Call 316259-4150. 1716tfc
Make your dreams come true
HOUSE FOR RENT
in Scott City - Available April 1st - 3 + 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, basement, and single attached garage. Central heat and air. NO SMOKING and NO PETS! Water, trash and lawn paid for. Must have references. Rents for $900. Call 620-874-8014 for more information. ––––––––––––––––––––– PRIME RETAIL SPACE AVAILABLE in Downtown Garden City. 309 N. Main, 1,800 sq/ ft. $1,400 per month. Call 620-276-0891. ––––––––––––––––––––– NICE, 2-BEDROOM home for rent. Central air. All new appliances. No pets. Call (620) 872-5844.
City of Scott City is accepting bids for the purchase of: 1,500 tons of CMA sand for chip sealing All bids must be sealed in an envelope marked 2017 CMA Sand Bid. Bids will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. April 3, 2017.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, that’s ours. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church basement (use west door). 412 College, Scott City. Al-Anon at same time and location. Contact: 874-0472 or 872-3137. 25tfc
County Plat Maps Scott
Logan
Ness
Wichita
Gove
Wallace
Lane
Greeley
Finney
Kearney
406 Main • Scott City 620 872-2090
In this GORGEOUS remodeled home! One of the nicest kitchens in town with Rustic Cherry Wood cabinets, HUGE master bathroom is steps from the master bedroom (with private patio) plus large walk in closet. Office has tons of built in plus 3 remodeled bathrooms, family room with WB fireplace and much more! Call for your private showing - you won’t be disappointed!
Perfection PLUS!
On this County Beauty! Built in 2012, it has over 4,400 sq. ft.! 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, huge L shaped family room down with separate kitchenette! 3 car garage, Plus Large shop - all on 6 acres near the State Park!
Lawrence and Associates
Deb Lawrence, GRI Broker Shorty Lawrence, Sales Assoc. 513 Main • Scott City 872-5267 ofc. 872-7184 hm. lawrenceandassocrealty.com Sheila Ellis, Broker Assoc. 872-2056 Kerry Gough, Sales Assoc. 872-7337 Russell Berning, 874-4405 www.berningauction.com Maranda Cersovsky, 874-8332 Serving Dighton and Healy
The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids. 3117t1c
District 11 AA Meetings
Scott City
Unity and Hope Mon., Wed. and Fri. 8:00 p.m. 807 Kingsley Last Saturday of the month Birthday Night • 6:30 p.m. All open meetings 214-4188 • 214-2877
Dighton Thursday • 8:30 p.m. 535 Wichita St. All open meetings 620-397-2647
We have room for you!
The Scott County Record • Page 31• Thursday, March 9, 2017
Employment Opportunities Scott County Health Department is accepting applications for a Full-Time RN Applicants must: • Have a nursing license in Kansas
Park Lane Nursing Home Has openings for the following positions: RN/LPN - PT/PRN CNA/CMA - FT
Position offers: • 40 hour work week (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., M-F) • Excellent benefits • Vacation time and sick days accrued • Paid holidays • Competitive salary Applications may be obtained at and returned to: Scott County Health Department 204 S. College Scott City, Ks. 67871
Scott County Hospital Has Openings for the Following Positions
EVENING SHIFT CNA - FT CMA - PT Shift differential pay offered for evening and night shifts! Great opportunity to serve the elderly of our community!!! Willing to work with student schedules! Great benefits package! Please apply in person at: Park Lane Nursing Home 210 E. Parklane Scott City, KS 67871 Or visit us at our website: www.parklanenursinghome.org “Quality Care Because We Care”
PATIENT CARE Acute Care RNs Physical Therapist - FT PACU/Circulating RN - FT Operating Room Supervisor RN - FT Full Time CNA Clinic Receptionist - FT
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Field Claim Rep/Ag Underwriting Rep
Applicants for these positions are required to be able to read, speak and understand English. Preemployment physical, drug/alcohol screening, immunization titer, physical assessment and TB skin test required. We are a tobacco free campus. We offer competitive pay and great benefits. Applications are available on our website at www.scotthospital.net or call 620-872-7772 for more information.
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At Farm Bureau Financial Services, we protect what matters most. More than 75 years ago, our companies were founded to meet the unique needs of farmers. From those strong roots we’ve grown to serve people from all walks of life – rural, urban and in-between. Farm Bureau has a unique opportunity for an individual to make a difference both as a Field Claim Representative as well as an Underwriter. This hybrid position will be responsible for handling property claims, especially storm catastrophe situations. During non-peak storm months this position will have responsibility for farm renewal underwriting efforts. This position will cover the Western Kansas territory. If you come from a farming or construction background, this is an excellent opportunity you! This position requires a college degree or equivalent plus one year of relevant experience. You must have excellent problem solving, analytical and organizational skills and have strong customer service skills. If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply today at www.fbfscareers.com.
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Business
The Scott County Record Page 32 • Thursday, March 9, 2017
K-State seeks innovative start-up ideas
The Scott City Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting on Saturday afternoon during QSI’s grand opening at 321 W. 5th Street. On hand for the ribbon cutting were Chamber board members (from left) Trudi Kuntzsch, Chamber Director Lindsay Singley, area sales representative Brandon Berry, northwest Missouri sales rep Jason Davis, board member Tom Shirley and board member Thad Dearden. (Record Photo)
QSI relocates to the heart of their western sales region Being in the middle sometimes has its advantages. Just ask Brandon Berry, sales representative for Scott City’s newest business, Quality Structures Inc. (QSI). The company, founded in Richmond, Ks in 2010, specializes in postframe buildings. The structure style’s popularity has kept Berry busy travelling from border to border in Western Kansas. “(QSI was) in Ingalls and had rented an office there. But, with the territory being all of Western Kansas, we wanted to be more centrally located and Scott City is dead-center,” Berry said. On March 4, the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed QSI
with an official ribboncutting ceremony at their office located at 321 W. 5th Street. Berry, along with administrative assistant Tammy Vannaman, manage QSI building projects across the entire western third of the state out of the new location. “The demand for our buildings has grown over the years, so it helps to have a sales rep out here to take care of customers,” Berry said. “Otherwise, a sales rep would have to come clear from Hutchinson.” QSI can tailor a postframe building to almost anyone’s requirements or desires. Agricultural or commercial structures, garages and hobby shops, and even homes are within
the range of possibilities. And while there are other post-frame building companies to choose from, Berry points out two key features he says sets QSI apart. “I think everyone does a good building. What sets us apart is our customer service - before, during and after. That’s what we pride ourselves on. “Construction wise, we have a lot more lumber in our buildings. We have trusses four foot on center and the way we do our engineering - we have a lot stronger, stouter buildings,” Berry said. QSI prides itself on work ethic and expert craftsmanship, a carry-over from the founder Reuben Esh’s Amish upbringing and cur-
rent owner Rob Pearce’s background in carpentry and farming. The company’s focus on high quality buildings, along with competitive pricing, has so far kept Berry busy. He predicts it could get even busier for the growing company. “If the ag economy can come back, if oil and gas can come back, I can see this territory being more than just a one-salesman territory,” Berry said. “I can see it becoming a twosalesman territory. I’ve had interest from people in Colorado, the Oklahoma panhandle and Texas too.” For more information about QSI, visit their website at www.qualitystructures.com or call their office at (620) 765-4229.
Kansas State University is seeking applications from Kansas-based startups to participate in its fourth annual K-State Launch a Business program, powered by KS State Bank. The program, also known as LAB, provides entrepreneurs much-needed resources including faculty-led courses, hands-on student research teams and access to the world-class K-State alumni mentor network. It is specifically intended for early-stage companies and is designed to provide the building blocks for turning a concept into a successful venture. As many as 25 high-potential startup ventures or concepts will be selected for participation in the Launch a Business program, including up to 10 companies from Global Food Systems industries. Each venture that successfully completes the program will receive $1,500 and is eligible to participate in the culminating Launch Party, where a total of $80,000 in additional prizes will be awarded. “The Launch a Business program allows us to share our expertise with the community,” said Chad Jackson, director of the university’s Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. “Our faculty, alumni and students volunteer to support the next great startup ventures.” Kansas-based startup founders with scalable, for-profit businesses or ideas have until Fri., April 14, to apply. Criteria for selection include identifying a real problem and an innovative solution, demonstrating the drive to succeed and ability to incorporate feedback, and showing commitment to the idea. The program will take place throughout June, giving the finalists several opportunities to attend workshops and mentoring sessions. There is no charge to apply or participate. More details, including the online application form, can be found at k-state.edu/lab.
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