Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association will hold its May membership meeting at 11:15 a.m. May 20 at Thirsty’s Banquet Room, 2704 Vine.
The program for the May meeting is “Employment Law” presented by Larry Michel, attorney with Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich & Williamson, Chtd. Michel will cover social media, FMLA intermittent leave, workplace trends in discrimination law, and older workers. The program will end at approximately 1:30 p.m.
The lunch/program is open to all employers, and there is no charge to attend.n RSVPs are requested by noon May 16 to [email protected].
WKHRMA is an affiliate chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, a local professional organization for persons engaged in personnel or human resource management. For more information on WKHRMA, visit www.wkhrma.org.
GREAT BEND — The convention of Fourth District Barton County Commission delegates have elected Ellinwood City Councilman Ken Lebbin to serve out the remaining term of Don Cates on the Barton County Commission. Cates, who was elected to the position in 2010, died in a plane crash in Pawnee County on April 22.
Ten of the 11 eligible Republican delegates in the Fourth District cast secret ballots Monday night at the convention, held at the Barton County Courthouse. Four individuals were nominated for Cates position and Lebbin had the most votes with 6.
Others nominated included former Barton County Commissioner Kirby Krier, along with Karen Sessler and Alicia Straub.
Dick Friedeman, who was elected Monday night as the permanent chairman of the Barton County Republican Committee, will now submit Lebbin’s name to Gov. Sam Brownback who has seven days to act. If he does nothing, the decision of the convention stands. Friedeman said he is confident Lebbin will be sworn in at next Monday’s commission meeting.
Lebbin, who has served on and off the Ellinwood City Council for 21 years, will join the commission at a key time as work on the 2015 budget will begin soon. He feels that his past experience in city government will help him in his new assignment.
Lebbin plans to resign his position on the Ellinwood City Council on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Frozen food makers plan to air their first national TV ad in defense of their products on Tuesday as the category fights to boost slipping sales.
The ad will include the slogan “Frozen: How Fresh Stays Fresh” and is intended to address negative attitudes people have about frozen foods.
It’s part of a major marketing push being funded by the American Frozen Food Institute, an industry group that represents companies including Nestle and ConAgra.
The push comes as frozen food sales have been hurt by a move toward food people feel are fresh or natural. Although frozen vegetables are often touted as being just as wholesome as their fresh counterparts, frozen meals and snacks are widely seen as being full of sodium and preservatives.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A widely popular, bipartisan energy savings bill has fallen victim in the Senate to election-year politics and the Obama administration’s continued indecision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
A procedural motion to limit debate and send the measure to the Senate floor without amendments fell five votes short Monday of the 60 votes needed for approval.
The legislation would tighten efficiency guidelines for new federal buildings and provide tax incentives to make homes and commercial buildings more efficient. It easily cleared a procedural hurdle last week but stalled after Republican demand for votes on the Canada-to-Texas pipeline and on new administration-proposed greenhouse gas limits for coal-burning power plants.
Republicans are united in favor of the pipeline and against the new power plant regulations, while Democrats are deeply divided on both.
Beginning Tuesday, concrete repairs will be completed at the intersection of 26th and Vine. Repairs will be on the west side of the intersection, prohibiting turning off Vine Street.
Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. The traveling public should use caution and, if at all possible, avoid the area. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the day Friday, pending weather conditions.
Senator Moran with Rotary International President Ron Burton.
WASHINGTON –This week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, was recognized by Rotary International as a 2014 Polio Eradication Champion for his efforts in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotary is a leading partner in the GPEI, a collaboration with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that is committed to eliminating polio across the globe.
“I was honored to be recognized by Rotary for my efforts to eradicate this terrible disease,” Sen. Moran said. “As Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the CDC, I was able to work with my colleagues to provide $146 million toward the efforts to eradicate polio, an increase of $40.5 million from the previous year. This support saves lives and reduces health care costs. As a fellow Rotarian, I commend the organization and its members for their leadership in eradicating polio across the globe and share this commitment to ridding the world of this disease.”
Rotary has contributed more than $1.2 billion to date to fight polio. Through 2018, every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year. Polio once afflicted thousands of Americans during epidemics into the 1950s. Polio cases have been reduced by 99 percent worldwide, but the disease has not been eradicated in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The federal agency that listed the lesser prairie chicken as threatened isn’t responding publicly to a new Kansas law declaring that only the state can regulate the grouse within its borders.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Claire Cassel said Monday the agency declined comment.
Gov. Sam Brownback signed the prairie chicken measure late Friday. It takes effect this week.
The law is a protest against possible restrictions on farming, ranching and oil and natural gas production.
The measure covers the lesser prairie chicken and the larger, darker and more abundant greater prairie chicken. It authorizes the Kansas attorney general and county prosecutors to file lawsuits against federal conservation efforts.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said in March that a steep decline in lesser prairie chicken numbers justified the listing.
In this KHI News Service file photo, Julie Konig, right, a certified application counselor with the Shawnee County Health Agency, talks with a woman seeking insurance through the Obamacare marketplace.- photo Dave Ranney
By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service
TOPEKA — More than 57,000 Kansans bought health insurance through the federal exchange before the March 31 deadline.
“That was 19.1 percent of all those who were eligible,” said Katrina McGivern, communications coordinator for the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, one of the Kansas groups given federal grant dollars to help get people enrolled.
“We’d liked to have more, obviously, but we were happy with 57,000,” she said. “We beat our goal, which was 48,000. I think if you look at the states that are similar to us, both politically and in size, we were somewhere in the middle. We were average.”
Most of the remaining 241,000 eligible Kansans who opted not to buy insurance through the marketplace now have to wait until enrollment reopens on Nov. 15.
But there are some notable exceptions.
“If you have what’s called a life-altering event, you can still get on the marketplace,” McGivern said.
Among the events are marriage, death of a spouse, birth of a child, loss of a job, retirement, adopting a child, becoming a citizen and exiting incarceration.
Would-be enrollees have 60 days after the life-changing event to sign up for insurance through the exchange.
“I’m guessing we’re taking calls from probably two people a day with this,” said Christina Bachman, a marketplace navigator with the Salina Family Healthcare Center.
“The most common situations, so far, have been people who are retiring early or who’ve been laid off,” she said. “Anytime there’s a change in employment, that’s considered a life-altering event and you can enroll.”
Paige Ashley, outreach and enrollment coordinator with the Shawnee County Health Agency, said most of the calls she’s fielded have been from people who had lost their jobs.
“I just had a woman come in today who said her whole department had been outsourced,” Ashley said. “She was out of work, but she knew she had to have health insurance so she wanted to know if she could still get on the marketplace, and she could.”
Ashley, Bachman and McGivern each declined to predict how many uninsured or underinsured Kansans are likely to enroll prior to the marketplace reopening Nov. 15.
“I don’t think anybody knows at this point,” McGivern said. “But if you fit into one of these life-change categories, you’re still going to have to go through the enrollment process and you’re still going to be exposed to the ‘donut hole,’ which means you might be eligible for financial assistance or you might not. There are a million different scenarios.”
McGivern said she has encouraged the 165 marketplace navigators in Kansas to alert their area employers to the benefits available to workers who’ve been fired or laid off.
“We’re trying to get the word out to the people who do the hiring and firing,” she said.
The life-changing events are similar to those allowed by large group plans.
“One of the things that Affordable Care Act does is it brings the same rules that exist in the employer insurance market into the individual market,” said Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project in Kansas.
“So if you’re someone whose insurance is through your employer and you have a baby, your plan allows you to add the baby to your plan,” he said. “You don’t have to wait until your open enrollment period rolls around again. This is doing the same thing for the individual market.”
It’s been a while since my last article. Reason being that my son, who was supposed to arrive around Easter, decided to show up in February instead. Peter Riley Bain was born on Feb. 23 – 4 pounds and 4 ounces, 18 inches long and eight weeks premature.
Lucia Bain is Kansas Room librarian at Hays Public Library.
I was out of the library through March and April, but returned to work on May 1 with a slightly different work schedule. I’ll be working Tuesday to Saturday instead of Monday to Friday. Peter is now 8 pounds and just as healthy as he can be.
While it’s hard for me to leave my newborn each morning and I hurry home each afternoon, I am genuinely happy to back at work. It’s great to see my patrons, answer research questions and get back into the swing of things. I’m also excited to be developing my summer programming.
May 17 is the 60th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education. This famous case which made racially segregated schools unconstitutional was filed in Topeka by 13 parents representing twenty students. To commemorate this anniversary, I’ll be showing the documentary “With All Deliberate Speed,” which was made 10 years ago on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board. Free coffee and donuts will be provided.
Due to the overwhelming success of my Kansas movie nights last summer, I’ve decided to add a new film to the docket: the 1955 classic Picnic. This movie stars Kim Novak and William Holden and depicts twenty-four hours in the life of a fictional rural Kansas town. I’ll be showing this film on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery. There will be free popcorn, movie theatre candy and pop. If you enjoy classic films, summer themes and free concessions — then these movie nights are for you! Look for screenings of “Paper Moon” and “The Wizard of Oz” later this summer.
This summer will also mark the return of the photo scavenger hunt. Beginning June 1, you can go to the library’s website or pick up a clue sheet at the front desk for this summer’s Hays photo scavenger hunt. Clues will lead you to ten locations throughout Hays. Have your picture snapped at each location and submit them to me via email or in person and you will be entered to win a prize. This scavenger hunt is a great way to spend a summer afternoon and really explore your own backyard.
Speaking of appreciating Hays, I am excited to announce a new series of programs called “Kansas Room Staycations.” Over the summer, I’ll be leading several day trips to nearby locations with historical attractions or festivals. The first “staycation” will be right here in Hays on Saturday, May 24.
Participants will meet at the library at 9 9 a.m., and we’ll be visiting both Old Fort Hays and Blue Sky Miniature Horse Farm. The library will provide transportation and admission for both tours. Please call (785) 625-9014 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot as spaces are limited. Later this summer we’ll be heading to a Lavender Festival, Greensburg, Abilene and Hutchinson – so keep your eyes and ears open for the announcements!
Don’t hesitate to drop by the Kansas Room with any local or state history questions or if you’d just like to say hello. Remember we have a library subscription to Ancestry.com that is available for FREE in the Kansas Room if you’d like to jumpstart a family tree project.
The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and by request.
Lucia Bain is Kansas Room librarian at the Hays Public Library.
After a lengthy discussion Monday, the USD 489 Board of Education passed three fee increases and reduced bus routes — moves expected to add approximately $308,000 to $312,000 into the district’s strapped budget.
The district, which already has made the procedural moves necessary to cut staff next year, is facing more than a $1 million budget shortfall in 2014-15.
The board voted to increase the activity fee at Hays Middle School and Hays High School $50, which would be “a one-time fee, per student,” according to board President Greg Schwartz.
The board voted the fee would be imposed for one the 2014-15 school year only, with additional action needed to make the increase applicable into the future.
The fee increase means HMS students will be charged $62 per year, compared to the current $12 fee, and HHS school students will pay $66 per year compared to the current $16 activity fee.
The school board also passed a workbook/materials fee increase of $60 and added a $150 kindergarten fee.
The kindergarten fee previously proposed at $400 garnered the most debate among school board members with Schwartz, James Leiker and Marty Patterson voting against all proposed fee increases to kindergarten.
Schwartz said he was thought it was wrong to “single out one grade and one that is the most important.”
“Kindergarten is very important,” said board member James Leiker, noting first-grade teachers “notice a difference” when comparing students who attended kindergarten to those who did not regarding readiness to learn and increased social skills.
Commissioners also voted to only bus rural students and and those who live more than 2.5 miles from the attending school.
Commissioners agreed the financial situation and the fee increases could changed if the Local Option Budget election to increase the LOB from 30 percent to 31 percent passes in June, the district’s financial situation would changed and the fees could be decreased.
“When you look at all the fees initiated here, I look at that and, in the back of my head, I think this is supposed to be a public education” said Leiker said. “I don’t like the fees. We need to look harder at decreasing (the fees) before Aug. 1.”
Game 1 TMP 4, Russell 3 Kameron Schmidt pitched a complete game to lead the TMP Monarchs to a 4-3 game one win over the Russell Broncos at TMP field. TMP took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but could not score anymore despite having the bases loaded with only one out. Russell tied the game with one run in the top of the second and it would stay tied until TMP scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to take a two-run lead.
The Monarchs were in front 4-2 going into the top of the seventh when Russell put up one run and had the bases loaded with two outs. Schmidt was able to get Kaden Rohr to fly out to left field to end the game giving Schmidt a 5-2 record for the season.
Game 1 Highlights
Game 2 TMP 4, Russell 3 Liam Stults remained undefeated as he went to 4-0 on the season with a thrilling 4-3 win over Russell in game 2 of Monday night’s doubleheader. Stults and the TMP Monarchs fell behind 2-0 in the top of the fourth. TMP would respond with a two out RBI triple from senior Taylor Wasinger in the bottom the same inning. TMP would take the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Russell tied the game at three with one run in the top of the seventh. TMP answered with some magic of their own scoring the game winning run on an RBI double from junior Ryan Schippers.
The doubleheader sweep pushed the Monarchs to 14-4 on the season. Russell drops to 12-8. TMP will finish off the regular season at home on Thursday against Colby.
