The Hays High Indians are up one spot, to No. 2 in this week’s 5A Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings released Monday.
The Indians are coming off a 68-42 win over Salina South on Saturday to move to 18-0 on the season. Last week the Indians clinched at least a share of the Western Kansas Athletic Conference title and they host Dodge City on Tuesday night.
In the class 2A boy’s rankings Plainville moved up two spots to No. 8 and the Ellis girls are also No. 8 in the 2A girl’s rankings.
The Hoxie girl’s continue to sit atop 1A-division 1 and the Hoxie boys are No. 2 again this week. Stockton is ranked 6th.
In 1A-division 2 the Dighton girls are No. 3 this week.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A House committee has made significant changes to a proposal that would mandate parental action before students receive sex education in Kansas public schools.
The House Education Committee heavily amended the bill Monday, changing the proposal from requiring parental approval before a student could receive the instruction to a bill requiring written consent before a student would be withheld.
Committee members spent 90 minutes debating the changes before delaying a final vote until Tuesday.
The change was prompted after a student in Johnson County reported that suggestive material was posted on a classroom door that her parents had expressly forbid her to receive in school.
Legislators said Monday they understood parental concerns but feel some students who need sex education won’t receive proper information any other place.
EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — A bench trial has been scheduled for a 64-year-old school bus driver charged in an accident that resulted in the bus tipped over in a creek in south-central Kansas last fall.
The Wichita Eagle reports the trial for Morris Peterson is set for April 2 in Butler County. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and reckless driving. Butler County Assistant Attorney Alice Burns says Peterson’s attorney requested the trial during a hearing Monday.
Ten children were aboard the bus during an afternoon route on Oct. 31, when the bus was pushed off the road by high water and into swollen Muddy Creek as Morris tried to cross a low-water bridge. The only child who was injured was treated and released the same day from a hospital.
TOPEKA — A bill aimed at speeding payments from the state’s KanCare contractors to Medicaid service providers was endorsed today by the House Health and Human Services Committee.
House Bill 2552, a so-called “prompt pay” bill, had the backing of most of the state’s Medicaid provider groups and faced no opposition.
The measure essentially would write into law some of the payment requirements already included in the state’s contracts with the three insurance companies that have run day-to-day operations of the Kansas Medicaid program since Jan. 1, 2013, when the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback moved virtually all the state’s Medicaid enrollees into health plans run by three managed care companies.
The bill also would let doctors, hospitals and other Medicaid service providers collect 12 percent interest on late payments from the KanCare companies. The three current contractors are Amerigroup, UnitedHealthcare and Sunflower State Health Plan, a subsidiary of Centene.
A similar measure, Senate Bill 317, was introduced in the Senate and heard last week by the chamber’s Public Health and Welfare Committee. But no action has yet been taken on it.
The state’s contracts with the insurance companies include provisions that require they make timely payment for so-called “clean claims” submitted by Medicaid providers. The insurance companies have reported to state officials that they are meeting the contract standards well enough to qualify for the contract dollars the state has held back as an incentive for prompt payments.
A clean claim is one deemed by the managed care company to have been properly submitted in accordance with its billing procedures.
Providers have complained that the state’s contractual requirements for prompt payment have failed to account for the time it can take for a claim to be deemed “clean.”
Interhab, the group that represents most of the state’s Community Developmental Disability Organizations, pushed to have the 12 percent interest penalty in the bill raised to 18 percent. An amendment that would have done that was offered by Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat. But his amendment failed on a voice vote.
Working to beat looming procedural deadlines, the committee also voted on several other proposed bills but tabled a controversial measure that would have required municipal water utilities to issue warnings about the reputed hazards of fluoridation.
Public health officials argued the warnings are baseless and that fluoridated water helps prevent cavities, especially in children.
By voting to table HB 2372, the committee probably killed it for this session. The vote was 10-2. The two committee members who voted against tabling the bill were Reps. Patricia Sloop, a Wichita Democrat, and Kevin Jones, a Wellsville Republican.
The bill would have required municipalities to warn their water customers that the “latest science confirms that ingested fluoride lowers the IQ in children.”
The bill was pushed by an anti-fluoride group that in 2012 helped orchestrate the defeat of a fluoride ballot initiative in Wichita, one of the largest cities in the nation that doesn’t add fluoride to its drinking water.
Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Republican and physician, voted to table the proposal. She said the vast majority of studies have shown that fluoridation is safe and effective.
“The studies that I have read are not consistent with the information that they (the bill’s supporters) brought forward,” Bollier said.
Also today:
The committee endorsed HB 2611. Supporters, including the Kansas Dental Association, said the bill would lift current restrictions that effectively limit dentists from having more than three practice locations and could improve access to oral health care in underserved parts of the state.
Approved HB 2673, which would update state law dealing with the regulation and supervision of physician assistants.
Recommended passage of HB 2701, which would add drugs containing lorcaserin to the state’s list of controlled substances. Lorcaserin is most commonly prescribed for weight loss. It already is listed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as a Schedule IV drug.
The committee also voted to approve House Resolution 6049, urging creation of a state plan for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The U.S. Naval War College has released a trove of World War II information by posting online the operational diary kept by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz during the war against Japan.
The more than 4,000 pages includes a running estimate of the situation for every day of the war in the Pacific compiled by Nimitz’s planning staff, starting with the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
It is posted at www.usnwc.edu/graybook. The college said the site was working again Monday after heavy traffic made downloads inaccessible for several hours.
War College professor John Hattendorf says it’s the only such document to survive from the war.
Nimitz was commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet. He graduated from the War College in Rhode Island.
The diary was declassified in 1972 but was relatively inaccessible at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., today introduced bipartisan legislation to protect rural Critical Access Hospitals and their patients by eliminating new “condition of payment” rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that require a physician to predict and limit a patients’ stay to within 96 hours. The bill has 13 cosponsors.
“This rule requires doctors to be clairvoyant and predict the unknown at the time of admission instead of focusing on treating a patient to the best of their abilities,” Roberts said. “We need to focus on ensuring rural patients have access to the health system, not come up with bureaucratic ways to make it harder for patients in rural areas to get quality care from their doctors.”
“Putting arbitrary limits on how many hours patients can stay in critical access hospitals is dangerous and violates the trust patients put in their doctors and nurses,” Tester said. “Critical access hospitals play a vital role in providing quality and affordable healthcare in rural communities, and we shouldn’t shortchange the care someone receives because of their zip code.”
The bill — the Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2014 — removes the “condition of payment” for Critical Access Hospitals that requires a physician to certify upon admission that each patient will be discharged or transferred in less than 96 hours.
At issue is whether the hospital can be reimbursed if for instance a physician certifies that they expect the patient to be treated and discharged within 96 hours, but the situation changes and the patient must be kept longer. The physician will be faced with a scenario in which they have failed to meet the terms of their certification. This is likely to lead to premature discharges and re-admissions, both of which CMS has taken actions to minimize. In some cases rural patients may be forced to travel to an urban hospital a great distance away.
Roberts is a co-chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus. He is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care.
Xeriscaping — it’s a word that is being thrown around quite often these days with the continuing drought and water shortage issues facing the area. With conversations I have been a part of recently, and in listening to the conversations of others, it is obvious that this word – xeriscaping – or the concept of it can be a source of confusion in some instances.
Holly Dickman is Ellis County Horticulture Extension Agent.
I will try my best to explain what xeriscaping truly means and hopefully eliminate some of the confusion.
Xeriscaping is a word originally coined by the Denver Water Department several decades ago to describe landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. The word is derived from the Greek “xeros” meaning dry, and landscaping – thus, xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is not a specific “look” or a particular group of plants; it is actually a combination of seven gardening principles that maximizes water efficiency while creating an attractive landscape at the same time. Here are the steps required to create a true xeriscape:
Step #1: Planning and Design
Planning is essential in creating a sustainable, attractive xeriscape. Take into consideration site characteristics that affect water use (i.e. slopes, exposures, micro-climates) and then design the area with these things in mind. Put it on paper. A scale drawing or diagram can go a long way in helping you to visualize what your xeriscape might look like. Group plants according to water use and take into account mature plant size.
Step #2: Soil Preparation
“Take care of the roots and the tops will grow themselves”…this is a phrase that has been used to describe soil’s importance in plant growth. A healthy soil will result in healthier root systems which, in turn, create a more drought tolerant landscape. Amending entire garden beds (not just planting holes) with organic matter such as compost can help loosen heavy, clay soils allowing moisture and nutrients to infiltrate more readily to the roots vs. running off. On the other hand, adding organic matter to sandy soils will help increase the soil’s water holding capacity vs. water loss due to leaching below the root zone.
Step #3: Efficient Irrigation
Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep, more drought tolerant roots. Only water when absolutely necessary! Turfgrass should be watered to a depth of at least 6-8” while flowers and gardens should be watered to a depth of at least 8-12 inches. Trees and shrubs need to be watered to a depth of 12-18 inches as that is where the bulk of their roots are located. Watering much deeper than these depths is a waste of water. Check watering depth by using a probe of some sort (i.e. long screwdriver, piece of rebar, strong wire, etc.). When the probe hits resistance you have likely hit dry soil and this is the depth to which the moisture has reached.
Drip or sub-surface irrigation is the most efficient method as it places the water exactly where you need it. If watering with sprinkler systems or by hand, irrigate early in the morning to take advantage of lower wind speeds (hopefully), less evaporation, and higher humidity levels. Watering at this time of day also allows plant leaves to dry off quickly, lessening the threat of potential disease problems.
Step #4: Mulch
The need for supplemental irrigation is reduced when organic mulches are properly applied around plants. Examples of organic mulches include wood chips, cedar mulch, straw, leaves, cottonseed hulls, etc. These types of mulches decrease soil temperatures in the heat of summer while limiting evaporation from the soil surface. Organic mulch also discourages weed growth and breaks down over time helping to improve the condition of the soil (See Step #2). Generally, a 2-4 inch layer of organic mulch is ideal in most situations.
Inorganic mulches such as gravel are generally not recommended for use around plants as they can create a hotter, harsher environment for plant roots. Organic mulches are preferred for use around plants in our area.
Step #5: Right Plant, Right Place – Plant zones
An extremely important step of xeriscaping is to plant the right plant in the right place. Plants vary in the amount of moisture they require so it is critical to know what those requirements are. Additionally, different areas of the yard may receive different amounts of moisture, sunlight, and wind. Take this into consideration when choosing plants for the xeriscape. Group or zone plants with similar water requirements together.
For example, group a crabapple tree with shrub roses in a planting bed vs. planting the trees and shrubs sporadically throughout a turfgrass area. Since trees and shrubs need to be watered differently than turf, planting them in separate zones will allow for more efficient watering and healthier plants.
Select low-water-use or drought-tolerant plants if possible. Remember all plants require additional moisture to get established. Drought tolerant does not mean “plant it and forget it.”
Step #6: Practical Turf Areas
Cool-season turfgrass such as Fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass typically require the most water and maintenance in the landscape. Limit cool-season turf areas. Consider using mulches, groundcovers, ornamental or native grasses, shrub beds, decks or patios instead. Avoid odd shaped or narrow strips of turfgrass as these can be difficult to irrigate and may result in wasted water.
If you have full sun, consider planting warm-season turfgrasses such as Buffalo and Bermudagrass. These warm-season grasses are well suited to our area and, once established, will require very little supplemental irrigation (if any) in comparison to the cool-season grasses.
Keep areas designated to turfgrass practical for your use. Do you really need that vast expanse of green grass in the front yard?
Step #7: Proper Maintenance
While xeric landscapes can be low maintenance, they will still require some degree of care throughout the year. At appropriate times, proper pruning, mowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and insect/disease control are important to maintain the health of your xeriscape.
Overall, these seven steps create a true xeriscape. As you can see, it is not just about rocks! Reducing outdoor water use does not have to mean replacing lawns and trees with plastic and gravel, or turning flower gardens into cactus gardens. Xeriscaping is not Zero-scaping! Water conserving landscapes, as I prefer to call them, can look just as beautiful – if not more so – than water wasting ones.
For more information on water conserving landscapes or if you have questions regarding water conservation in general please contact the Ellis County Extension Office at (785) 628-9430 or check out our website, www.ellis.ksu.edu, for more information. You can also find us on Facebook under K-State Research and Extension – Ellis County.
Holly Dickman is Ellis County Horticulture Extension Agent.
GARNETT (AP) — Kansas corn and sorghum growers have a new top executive running their industry advocacy organizations.
Greg Krissek
Greg Krissek began his duties Monday as chief executive officer of the Kansas Corn Growers Association, Kansas Corn Commission and Kansas Sorghum Producers Association. He replaces Jere White, who recently retired after serving as executive director since 1988.
Krissek has nearly 25 years of experience in agriculture, ethanol, renewable energy and public policy. He was formerly assistant secretary at the Kansas Agriculture Department. He also worked as director of operations for the corn and sorghum industry groups.
He has worked as a government affairs director for ethanol company ICM Inc. as well as most recently as manager of accounting and consulting firm Kennedy and Coe.
I was asked the question, “How I could vote against HB 2453, otherwise known as the Protecting Religious Freedom Regarding Marriage bill?” The answer I gave on the House floor was that my deeply held religious belief is that God is love, and that I could not vote for the bill if I were to heed the words of Christ when He said, “Even as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.”
Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton
Jesus called his followers to be servants to all, and He died for a world with which He didn’t see eye to eye. How can we, as followers of Christ, not follow His example to serve? As Adam Hamilton, pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has said, “Jesus routinely healed, fed and ministered to people whose personal lifestyle He likely disagreed with.” And evangelical pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Ministries finds it “offensive that Christians would leverage faith to support the Kansas law.” Bishop Scott Jones of the Great Plains District of the United Methodist Church issued a statement in which he said, “We Kansans helped end slavery and segregation – we do not need to legalize discrimination.”
Christians serve unrepentant murderers through prison ministry. Why, then, can’t they provide a service for two individuals who love each other?
Here are some musings from someone who once served as my pastor at Dighton United Methodist Church:
Been thinking about some of the bills facing state legislatures in various parts of the country recently and wondering. If my deeply held faith asserts that women should wear head-coverings, as a store clerk do I have the right to refuse service to women with uncovered heads? If my deeply held faith asserts that divorce is unacceptable, as a police officer do I have the right not to respond to a threatening situation between two divorced persons? If my deeply held faith asserts that women should not be ordained clergy, do I as a florist have the right to refuse to order palm branches for a church served by a woman? If my deeply held faith asserts that people need to forgive seventy times seven times and I as a doctor know someone who is holding a grudge, do I have the right to turn them away? If my deeply held faith asserts that all families should have one mother and one father, do I as a restaurant owner have the right to refuse service to single parent families? It seems to me that the other side of the “freedom of religion” coin is “freedom from religion.”
Later this year, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals could strike down Kansas’ 2005 constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage.
Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady, R-Palco
If the 10th Circuit finds that the United States Constitution prohibits amendments protecting traditional marriage, then Kansas will immediately be forced to recognize same sex unions.
With that in mind, the Kansas House last week passed a bill that protects business owners from being penalized if they choose not to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony. The purpose of the bill, HB 2453 is to protect individuals and private business owners from being forced by the government to provide services, goods, or accommodations that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs.
If the 10th Circuit Court does nothing, the constitutional amendment stands. However, if the court strikes it down, these provisions would provide legal protection for conscientious objectors of same sex marriage based on religious beliefs.
Many states that currently have legalized same sex marriage have these protections in law. States like Maryland, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, and Delaware legalized gay marriage and also offered religious freedom protections for those with sincerely held religious beliefs.
Small business owners have been targeted in states without this safeguard. There was a wedding cake maker in Colorado, a photographer in New Mexico, and a florist in Washington that did not wish to participate in a wedding ceremony because of their religious beliefs. Without the protections included in HB 2453, they were subjected to legal action because of their beliefs.
The Kansas Catholic Conference is one of the main proponents of the legislation. The Catholic Church is concerned about legal action if their priests are asked to perform a same sex wedding ceremony or to rent out its sanctuary. Catholic Charities agencies in several states are faced with either shutting down or acting contrary to their core values in providing adoption services to same-sex couples. Under this bill, private business owners and religious organizations cannot be punished by government or civil action if they decline to participate in a marriage ceremony that conflicts with their religious convictions. Government and non-religious entities must accommodate customers, regardless of their position on the marriage issue.
The Senate has committed to look into the bill further to clarify the intent of the Legislature and make sure the language is narrowly focused to protect against unintended consequences. That is the legislative process at work. The perception and misinformation about the intention of this bill are unfortunate; however, the religious freedom protections are necessary.
Logan resident Mark Runnion passed away Saturday, Feb. 22, at his home in Logan at the age of 45. He was born Jan. 21, 1969, in St. Joseph, Mo., the son of Niles and Jean (Damewood) Runnion. He was working as a welder.
Survivors include his parents, Niles & Jean of Glade, Kan.; his brother Mike of Glade; and his grandmother, Elsie Runnion of Logan.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Logan High School, Logan, with Pastor Troy Buss officiating. Burial will follow in the Marvin Cemetery, Glade.
The casket will be closed. Friends may sign the book from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Logan Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Logan Fire Department.
Robert Noland, executive director of the Kansas Family Policy Council.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita-based group has left voicemail messages urging Kansans to thank their state representative who voted for a bill that sought to protect from lawsuits employees who refused service to anyone based on religious beliefs about marriage.
House members overwhelmingly approved the bill, but Senate leaders blocked it, saying it was too broad, would hurt businesses and was discriminatory.
Supporters said the measure would protect religious freedom; opponents said it sanctioned discrimination against gay people.
The Wichita Eagle reports many Kansans received voicemails last week from the Kansas Family Policy Council urging them to thank their representative who voted “Yea” on the bill.
Robert Noland, executive director of the Kansas Family Policy Council, says the automated calls targeted people living in districts with representatives who supported the bill.
Stakeholders are invited to a public meeting to discuss looking improvements to 13 Street in Hays.
The city’s 2012 comprehensive plan update called for improving gateway corridors leading to downtown Hays, including 13th Street from Main to Milner.
In addition to being called out in the comprehensive plan for aesthetic improvement, this stretch of 13th Street also ranked high on the priority of streets being considered for pavement improvements based on condition and traffic volume. The project was included in the city’s 2014 budget, and conceptual design planning has begun. Once a design plan is approved, construction would occur in 2015.
Assistant Hays Public Works Director John Braun says there will also be aesthetic improvements to the area:
The city of Hays will have a public open house at 5:30 p.m. March 5 at City Hall to discuss potential concepts for future improvements to the 13th Street corridor from Main to Milner. The city has encouraged residents and business owners adjacent to the proposed project to attend the open house to learn more about the project.
The engineering consultant hired by the city to complete the conceptual design, the Driggs Design Group, Hays, will be available to discuss the project and answer questions regarding the project. They also will be accept comments on various design concepts that have been developed for the city’s consideration. A presentation of concepts is tentatively scheduled for the March 20 Hays City Commission work session.
Those with questions prior to the meeting or requests for special accommodations can contact the Public Works Department at (785) 628-7350 or email [email protected].
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
