TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Topeka school district is among several nationwide that have taken advantage of free military surplus gear, but officials aren’t saying what they got.
Auburn Washburn superintendent Brenda Dietrich said Wednesday the district learned of the Pentagon’s surplus program from a staff member who had a spouse at the Kansas Bureau of Investigations.
Dietrich would say only that district police received a piece of safety equipment that is part of an emergency operations plan.
District spokesman Martin Weishaar says the equipment is not a grenade launcher or a tank or anti-mine vehicle. But he refused to describe it because the district considers that security-related information.
The equipment is meant to be used in response to a situation in which somebody outside a school would want to do harm.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — School police departments across the country have taken advantage of free military surplus gear, stocking up on mine resistant vehicles, grenade launchers and scores of M16 rifles.
At least 26 school districts across the country have participated in the Pentagon’s surplus program, which has come under scrutiny after a militarized police response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Law enforcement agencies used it to equip themselves during learner budget years, and since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, schools increasingly participated. Federal records show schools in California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Texas and Utah obtained surplus military gear.
Now, several districts say they’ll return some of the equipment.
The Los Angeles Unified School District — the nation’s second largest school district — said in a statement it would remove three grenade launchers it had acquired.
To mark National Constitution Day, 600 students at Hays Middle School gathered Wednesday morning to form the American flag in honor of .
According to HMS social studies teacher Michele Brungardt, the social studies department is “celebrating freedom” and teaching students about the Constitution in their classrooms each day this week.
“Each social studies classroom is talking to the students about being an American and how lucky they are to have their freedom,” Brungardt said.
“The kids all got together and it worked out very well,” she said, adding the creation of the human flag took about 20 minutes.
TOPEKA — The rate of poverty and rate of uninsured declined slightly at the national level in 2013, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The data, from the bureau’s annual American Community Survey, does not include sign-ups for 2014 health insurance from the online marketplace that began this year as part of the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Rather, the health insurance figures distributed Tuesday will serve as a baseline to compare future years’ data that include ACA online sign-ups.
Nationally, the uninsured rate dropped from 14.8 percent in 2012 to 14.5 percent in 2013, with a margin of error of 0.1 percent.
In Kansas the uninsured rate dropped from 12.6 percent to 12.3 percent, but the smaller sample size has a margin of error of 0.4 percent, so the state’s dip is not considered statistically significant.
In a conference call Tuesday, census bureau officials did not speculate on the causes of the increased insurance coverage nationwide but said it coincided with a drop poverty. Though median income remained static, the poverty rate dropped as more unemployed and underemployed people found work.
“I think the main reason we’re looking at a drop in poverty rate is the change in full-time employment,” said Chuck Nelson of the census bureau.
The number of American men and women working full-time year-round increased by 2.8 million.
Though the number of Americans living in poverty stayed about the same, the percentage dropped because the nation gained population in 2013.
Nationally, the rate of poverty in children under age 18 fell from 21.8 percent to 19.9 percent, the most significant drop in that category in more than a decade.
Full state level poverty data was not yet available Tuesday. Two-year averages released Tuesday showed Kansas dropping from 14.4 percent in poverty in 2010-11 to 13.6 in 2012-13, but that change fell within the statisticians’ 90 percent confidence margin of plus-or-minus 1.3 percent.
NASHVILLE (AP) – Tim McGraw knew he had to record “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” the moment he played it for his wife, Faith Hill. McGraw says he played her a demo of the song and she started crying at the end. McGraw told her, “I’m going to record it and you’re going to record it with me.” He says they haven’t done that many songs together, and they only do songs they think are special to them. He says “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” was one of those songs. McGraw’s new album, “Sundown Heaven Town,” is out this week.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Commission will spend $5.3 million to build an elephant bar at the zoo in Wichita.
The commission voted on Wednesday to spend part of the city reserves to build the barn as part of the new $10.5 million exhibit for the elephants.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is requiring that its zoos that house female elephants have at least three elephants by September 2016. The Sedgwick County Zoo currently has only two elephants.
The Wichita Eagle reports the zoo wants to bring in four more elephants and hopes to eventually have a breeding herd. The Sedgwick County Zoological Society has raised $4.3 million toward the exhibit and pledged to raise the rest if the county agreed to build the 18,500-square-foot barn.
Former Kan. Gov. John Anderson (Courtesy kansasmemory.org)
TOPEKA – Gov. Sam Brownback has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from sun-up to sun-down today through Friday to honor the passing of former Gov. John Anderson.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of Governor Anderson’s passing,” Brownback said. “He devoted many years to serving the people of Kansas, and we are grateful for his dedication to our great state. The lieutenant governor and I, along with Mary and Ruth, extend our heartfelt sympathies to Gov. Anderson’s family and friends. They are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
At the family’s request, all funeral arrangements will be private. Anderson was governor from 1961 to 1965.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
The little boy dribbled the basketball on the gravel driveway and dreamed of playing in the NBA. He imagined the announcer saying, “Paul Shirley shoots…it’s good!” Many small town Kansas kids have dreams of playing in the NBA, but today we’ll meet a young man who actually made it to the big leagues. Through his writings, he shared that experience with others.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
Paul Shirley is a former basketball player and writer, the author of the book, “Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 teams, 5 countries and 4 years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond.” He grew up in rural Kansas. In fact, he described the location of the family home as being “at the intersection of two unnamed gravel roads” outside of the town of Meriden, population 701 people. Now, that’s rural.
Paul Shirley loved basketball. He and his brothers would watch games on television and, at halftime, go outside to re-enact those games with themselves as their favourite star players. He grew tall and went on to a successful career at Jefferson West High School, both academically and in basketball.
Unfortunately, he was not recruited to play for the biggest colleges. He was considering some of the mid-major colleges or Ivy League schools when he had a contact with Iowa State.
Iowa State had used up all its basketball scholarships, but Paul’s mother pointed out that Paul was a National Merit Scholar. Coach Tim Floyd was then able to put Paul on an academic scholarship and he joined the basketball team at Iowa State.
Paul proved he could play at a high level and went on to start. By his junior and senior years, Iowa State was in the NCAA top ten and contending for championships. After college, he did well at an NBA invitational camp and hired an agent with hopes of playing in the pros.
What followed was an emotional roller coaster of a career, where he would repeatedly catch on with an NBA team for a time and then get demoted and go play for teams in Europe. As the title of his book stated, he played for eleven teams in five countries during a span of approximately four years. As the book title also suggests, it was not always fun.
For example, he was invited by the then-world champion Los Angeles Lakers to Lakers training camp. After a few weeks, he was released. Paul said to the equipment manager, “Can I keep my jersey?” His request was turned down, illogically enough, even though Paul’s name and number was stitched on it. When Paul wrote his book a few years later, he gave it the title Can I Keep My Jersey?
Through the years, Paul Shirley played with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Phoenix Suns of the NBA, while enduring several injuries and limited playing time. He also played for minor league teams in Kansas City and Yakima, Washington and for pro teams in Greece, Spain, and Russia.
Of course, there is a big gap between the salaries and creature comforts of an NBA star versus a minor leaguer. This makes for entertaining reading in Paul’s sardonic style. The book is like a window into the everyday life of an NBA bench player.
Paul’s professional writing career began when he chronicled one of his NBA road trips in an on-line journal. He has gone on to write for Esquire, Slate, ESPN.com, and the Wall Street Journal.
Today, Paul lives in southern California where he writes and teaches. He maintains a website called flipcollective.com and a writers workshop called Writers Blok. He also writes for a Spanish-language newspaper, teaches English at a preparatory program for Los Angeles policemen, and co-hosts a podcast about the NBA.
The little boy dribbles the ball on his parent’s driveway and then makes a layup. Little did he know that, one day, he would make a layup like that in the NBA as a member of the Chicago Bulls. We commend Paul Shirley for making a difference by sharing his experience inside pro basketball. When it comes to his writing about his experience, it’s good!
Brownback, Jansonius and grandson Chris Brooks. Courtesy photo
TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback joined with the Kansas Department of Administration on Friday in honoring more than 100 state employees who have served the state for more than 40 years.
Brownback and KDOA Secretary Jim Clark awarded an official service pin celebrating the longevity of each honoree who completed either 40 or 50 years of service during the 2015 fiscal year. The ceremony, held in the first floor rotunda of the Statehouse in Topeka, brought together employees from the three branches of government.
Among those honored was Harvey Jansonius of the K-State Agricultural Research Center in Hays. Jansonius received a 40-year pin from the governor for his service.
Six employees, all from Kansas Regents institutions, were honored for having been employed by the state for 50 years.
Other area 40-year honorees were Fort Hays State University’s Alvin W. Hearne of the Computing and Telecommunications Center and Zoran Stevanov of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Fort Hays State’s Trey Herman earned the MIAA Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts at the UNK Invitational, held at Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Neb. (Sept. 15-16). He finished second individually, shooting 4-under par overall over three rounds.
Herman shot even par in the first round, 4-under in the second round, and then even par again in the final round. Herman and tournament champ Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato tied for the lowest round carded in the tournament, each with a 4-under 68. Herman’s 68 came in the second round, giving him the tournament lead going into the final round, but Miller’s came in the final round. He was three back of Herman to start the day and jumped him by one stroke at 5-under overall.
Over his last five tournament rounds, Herman is 6-under par overall. Three of those rounds have been even par, coupled with a 4-under par and 2-under par performance. He has an overall stroke average of 72.0 so far this year and an average relation to par of +0.5 for all six of his rounds. He has finished in the top 10 of both events he has played this year.
Former Guns N’ Roses axe man Slash will be feeling the love with an all-day “Slash Bash” marathon kicking off at 10 a.m. this Saturday on AXS TV that will be highlighted by the television premiere of the all-new documentary Ernie Ball Presents: Real to Reel with Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.
The new documentary will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of World on Fire, the forthcoming album from the guitarist with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, which is due September 16.
The film is set to air Saturday, September 20 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. Throughout the day, AXS will also feature interviews with Slash, as well as music videos.
Other films set to air during the “Slash Bash” marathon include Celebration Day, documenting Led Zeppelin’s 2007 London reunion concert; AC/DC Live at River Plate, which captures a performance from the band’s tour in support of its last album, Black Ice; and KISS Monster World Tour: Live from Europe.
The Hays High volleyball team moves up one spot to No. 8 in the latest Kansas Volleyball Association rankings released Wednesday morning. It’s the second straight week the Indians have been ranked after debuting at No. 9 last week.
Smith Center is ranked third and Ness City 10th in the 2A poll.
La Crosse is in at No. 4 in 1A Division I.
Complete poll below…
Class 6A
1. Olathe East 7-1 (1)
2. Blue Valley North 8-1 (3)
3. Blue Valley Northwest 8-2 (4)
4. Maize 12-0 (6)
5. Blue Valley 7-4 (7)
6. Olathe Northwest 10-4 (2)
7. Blue Valley West 6-3 (5)
8. Washburn Rural 5-1 (8)
9. Derby 8-2 (9)
10. Manhattan 4-4 (10)
Class 5A
1. St. James Academy 11-1 (1)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas 10-1 (2)
3. Topeka-Seaman 15-0 (4)
4. Shawnee Heights 5-2 (3)
5. Bishop Carroll 7-0 (5)
6. Blue Valley Southwest 8-1 (NR)
7. Newton 6-2 (7)
8. Hays 8-0 (9)
9. Andover 11-4 (8)
10. Goddard-Eisenhower 7-3 (NR)
Class 4A – Division 2
1. Clay Center 8-1 (1)
2. Andale 14-2 (2)
3. Holton 5-1 (3)
4. Jefferson West 8-1 (4)
5. Frontenac 8-1 (5)
6. Pratt 8-4 (9)
7. Girard 8-4 (NR)
8. Wichita Trinity Academy 5-3 (7)
9. Clearwater 2-2 (6)
10. Royal Valley 5-4 (10)
Class 3A
1. Silver Lake 5-3 (1)
2. Hesston 10-1 (3)
3. Garden Plain 9-0 (4)
4. Cheney 6-3 (2)
5. Rock Creek 14-1 (5)
6. Nemaha Central 6-2 (6)
7. Wabaunsee 12-2 (7)
8. Council Grove 9-2 (8)
9. Douglass 5-1 (10)
10. Holcomb 6-0 (NR)
Class 2A
1. Hillsboro 12-0 (1)
2. Washington County 10-0 (2)
3. Smith Center 5-0 (3)
4. Sterling 9-5 (4)
5. South Central 10-5 (5)
6. Remington 10-2 (NR)
7. Lyndon 8-1 (NR)
8. Central Plains 7-1 (6)
9. St. Mary’s Colgan 7-2 (NR)
10. Ness City 5-0 (NR)
Class 1A – Division 1
1. Goessel 10-0 (1)
2. Centralia 8-1 (2)
3. Hoxie 6-0 (3)
4. LaCrosse 10-1 (5)
5. Waverly 8-1 (4)
6. Spearville 6-0 (7)
7. Valley Heights 7-2 (6)
8. Linn 9-2 (9)
9. Thunder Ridge 9-3 (8)
10. St. Paul 8-1 (NR)
Class 1A – Division 2
1. Wallace County 12-2 (1)
2. Wheatland-Grinnell 8-3 (7)
3. Logan 7-2 (2)
4. Dighton 7-2 (3)
5. South Barber 4-1 (8)
6. Fowler 6-2 (9)
7. Ingalls 8-3 (NR)
8. Northern Valley 6-4 (6)
9. Western Plains 4-2 (NR)
10. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton 8-4 (5)
