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From the Kansas Democratic Party Blog:
1.2 Million Kansans With Pre-Existing Conditions Now Protected
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage, charge higher premiums, or limit benefits to the 1.2 million Kansans living with pre-existing conditions.
(AP) — Insurance brokers are finding frustration as they try to help customers navigate the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces while earning the commissions they’ve long built their businesses around.
Their complaints range from difficulties adding their name to a customer’s application to incomplete and inaccurate enrollment information generated from the website.
The back-end problems could mean that consumers who think they’ve signed up for a health plan may find themselves unable to access their coverage come January.
Some agents are calling on President Barack Obama’s administration to allow them to bypass the troubled healthcare.gov website.
Federal health officials are asking insurers and insurance agents in Florida, Ohio and Texas to test out recent website fixes they say will allow more agents to directly sign-up clients for health insurance in the federal marketplace.
Road conditions across the state vary from completely snow packed to slush.
The Hays High boys basketball team won the first of what they hope are several tournament titles this season, holding off Garden City 57-53 at the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout Saturday. The Indians led by as many as 17 in the second half but poor free throw shooting helped the Buffaloes make a late run.
Rick Keltner Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Brady Werth, Jordan Windholz and Kyler Niernberger were named to the all-tournament team with Windholz named the most inspirational player.
Get ready for the holiday cookie season at Hays Public Library. There are two great programs offering cookie events, Meat Free Meals and Kansas Cooks! Make sure to bring your sweet tooth!
Meat Free Meals will be making vegan style cookies Wednesday, December 11th at 5:30 in the Gallery. You will not believe they don’t contain eggs, milk, or butter! Cookies and icing are provided. Patrons will have a chance to practice their decorating skills with a few fun ideas to get started. Meat Free Meals meets once a month with a new and tasty vegan recipe.
Kansas Cooks! will be hosing the Great-American Cookie Swap Thursday, December 12 in the Kansas Room. The swapping begins at 6:00 PM. Participants are asked to register on our website at www.hayspublib.org or by calling Luci Bain at 785.625.9014. Registration for the event ends December 10th and participants will be notified December 11th for how many cookies to bring. Participants are asked to bring one copy of their recipe to share.
Kansas Cooks! meets once a quarter and has a different food theme for each meeting.
Two Kansas wheat farmers recently traveled to St. Louis Missouri to learn how to battle the issues facing the wheat industry today. Shayne Suppes and Jace Gibbs of Scott City, Kansas participated in the Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow program in late November and returned to Kansas with new perspectives.
The leadership training program is intended for growers who are new to serving wheat industry organizations. The five day program featured sessions on agriculture and food policy, media training, advocacy techniques, understanding wheat industry organizations, establishing consumer trust, effectively using social media and new wheat technologies.
Shayne Suppes a third generation wheat farmer says his eyes were opened to opportunities using social media to tell the story of Suppes Family Farms.
“I learned about the use of social media and just how powerful it can be if you communicate with the general public through Facebook or Twitter,” said Suppes. “I got a lot of new ideas on staying in touch with other producers and consumers. Before WILOT I was only on Twitter and when I came home I made a Facebook page for the farm.”
Paul Penner, National Association of Wheat Growers vice president from Hillsboro, Kansas returned to WILOT as a presenter this year after originally participating in 2004.
Penner said it was rewarding to come back and see the other side of the program after reaping the benefits of being a participant.
“WILOT encourages you to reach out beyond yourself and even take some chances outside your comfort zone, to engage other people and have a discussion that is worthwhile and beneficial for both parties,” said Penner. “It broadens your horizons and enhances the farming career beyond what you would expect.”
WILOT arms producers with skills that can be used on and off the farm. Through leadership and professional development training, producers who participate in WILOT are taught how to work with different individuals from unique backgrounds.
“There is value in this type of training to be able to learn to work with different people from different perspectives and disagree in a manner that is productive and come together to work together on issues and this has a lot of value beyond the wheat organizations,” said Penner.
One of the highlights of the trip for Suppes was the opportunity to tour Monsanto’s headquarters. He said it put the company in a better perspective and made it seem smaller and was presented to the participants in a way that he could understand.
“It was definitely eye opening for me,” said Suppes. “I’ve been around Roundup my whole life and never knew where it came from.”
WILOT is held annually for wheat growers who would like to become involved in state or national association leadership for the first time. The program is a project of the National Wheat Foundation and is planned and generously sponsored by Monsanto.
(AP) — A Wichita man has been sentenced to more than 23 years in prison for stabbing his wife to death.
56-year-old Guy Palmer was sentenced Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court. He was convicted in October of second-degree murder in the December 2012 killing of Debra Palmer.
Testimony at the trial showed Palmer stabbed his wife six times after she told him she was having an affair. Palmer turned himself into Sedgwick County authorities shortly after his wife’s death.
Defense lawyer Quentin Pittman said Palmer stabbed his wife during the heat of passion, but prosecutors argued the killing was premeditated.
The Fort Hays State Tigers couldn’t hold onto an eight point second half lead on Saturday and drop their second straight game in overtime falling 82-79 to Missouri Western Saturday at the MWU fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
Fort Hays trailed by four at halftime, but put together a 13-0 run to go up eight with 6:31 to play. They had a chance to win in regulation, but a Craig Nicholson three pointer bounced off the back of the rim. Missouri Western took control hitting two consecutive three-pointers in the overtime period to go up by six. Fort Hays would get as close as one but could never grab the lead.
Coach Mark Johnson
Tigers put five in double figures lead by Craig Nicholson who scored a game high 23 points, but only had three assists with six turnovers of FHSU’s 16 turnovers. Dwayne Brunson added 16 points, Tomislav Gabric chipped in with 12 while Carson Konrade and James Fleming both added 10. The loss drops the Tigers to 7-2 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA.
Game Highlights
The Fort Hays State Lady Tigers used a 12-2 run late in the first half to build an 18 point lead, they would lead by as many as 22 in the second half and defeat Missouri Western 67-53 Saturday afternoon at the MWU field house in St. Joseph. The win improves the Lady Tigers to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA. It also was coach Tony Hobson’t 500th career victory which includes stops at Barton and Cloud Community Colleges as well as Hastings [Neb.] College.
Coach Tony Hobson Interview
Fort Hays State was led by Kate Lehman who scored a game high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, also blocking 8 shots. Tera Ingalsbe added 10 for the Lady Tigers.
Game Highlights
(AP) — Aurelien Collin scored the equalizer in the second half of the MLS Cup, then drove home the deciding penalty kick to give Sporting Kansas City a dramatic victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night and its first league title since 2000.
Alvaro Saborio, who missed the Western Conference finals because of injury, scored for Real Salt Lake in the 52nd minute, but Collin answered with a header in the 76th minute.
It remained that way through regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, and then the teams engaged in the longest penalty-kick shootout in championship history — one that both sides had chances to win before Collin’s shot and Jimmy Nielsen’s save gave Sporting KC the 7-6 victory.
(AP) — A man involved in a disturbance at a state parole office in downtown Wichita is in custody after spending two hours perched outside a second-floor window.
A standoff with authorities ended Friday with the man falling to the sidewalk. Wichita police Lt. E.J. Bastian says a canopy broke the man’s fall. After being taken to a hospital for evaluation, the man was booked into Sedgwick County Jail on an allegation of criminal damage to property.
Bastian says the man appeared to be “high” when he went to the parole office to get help with substance addiction. The man is accused of jumping over a counter, grabbing a coat stand and breaking out a window to get to the ledge.
No staff members were injured.
It is very tempting during the holidays to “take a break” from healthy eating, slide off the wagon, and simply make the conscious decision to overindulge. There are so many temptations, so many tasty treats available that it seems almost impossible to refrain.
Traditional holiday foods often lead to a just-as-traditional holiday weight gain. Research indicates the typical weight gain for an average-weight person is only about one pound during the long holiday season. That’s the good news.
Others, who already are overweight, are likely to gain an average of five pounds during the season’s eating.
The bad news– the research also revealed that weight gained during winter months (by almost anyone) is not usually lost during the rest of the year.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The Ellis County Extension Office will host the free educational program “Focus on the ‘Stars’- Cooking Healthy For the Holidays” on Tuesday, December 10, at 12:00 noon, at the Extension Meeting Room, 601 Main Street, in Hays. Enter the rear door from the north parking lot.
Donna Krug, Barton County Extension FCS Agent, will share ideas to reduce the large amounts of fat and sugar often found in holiday recipes and focus more on the “star” ingredients– fruits and vegetables. The program will include recipes, tasting samples and nutrient comparisons for healthier versions of several holiday favorites. A leader guide and program handouts are available for those who would like to share this information with other groups.
Register at the Ellis County Extension Office, 785-628-9430, to ensure adequate materials. Bring a lunch to enjoy during the program, if desired; beverages will be provided.
The availability of a greater number of high-calorie, high-fat foods and social occasions can be factors in gaining holiday pounds, but that doesn’t mean that holiday weight gain is inevitable. Here are a few more tips for preventing weight gain during the holidays:
* Increasing physical activity is a good way to lessen the chance of gaining weight. Cold weather and slick outdoor conditions may call for indoor exercise. Several ten minute walks a day or other exercise, such as stationary bicycling, helps burn calories, reduce stress and regulate the appetite.
* Satisfy your hunger with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and lean protein foods. Limit consumption of high-calorie soft drinks, fruit-flavored punches and beverages containing alcohol. These add calories without nutritional benefit.
* Indulge in holiday favorites, but choose moderate portions, especially of high-fat, high- sugar foods. It is the first bite or two of cake, candy or pie that tastes the best. Maximize your eating pleasure by sampling holiday foods, rather than gorging on them.
* Reduce temptation. Store sweets, snacks and leftovers out of sight. Incidental eating– helping yourself to a high-calorie goodie every time you’re in the vicinity– is a sure way to add unwanted pounds.
* Get adequate rest. People often eat more when they are tired.
* Shift the focus away from food. Invest your time in the spirit of the season with family, friends, and helping others, or in non-food-related leisure activities. Food can contribute to a festive holiday, but people– and our relationships with them– are usually what is most remembered.
Desoto 60 TMP 49
The DeSoto Wildcats stopped TMP’s chances of a 4th Place finish at the Hays City Shootout with a 60-49 win over the Monarchs. Desoto led by as many as 10 points in the 1st Half but TMP scrapped to within 5 points at intermission. The Monarchs took their first lead early in the 3rd Quarter at 33-32 and would build that lead to 3 points at 35-32. DeSoto was able to tie the game at 35 before TMP went back up 37-35.
That is where the fun ended as the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run spanning the end of the 3rd Quarter and into the 4th Quarter and never looked back. Max Megaffin led TMP with 11 points. The Monarchs are back in action on December 17th at Phillipsburg.
HIGHLIGHTS
