MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Association of School Boards says at least 100 districts have been asked to provide information about the politicians who have been invited to their school events.
Association general counsel Donna Whiteman told The Associated Press that the requests came from the Kansas Legislative Research Department, which sometimes makes requests from lawmakers. They seek information about invitations extended to state legislators, state school board members or any statewide elected office holder or candidate.
Research department analyst Martha Dorsey told The Manhattan Mercury that staff is required to keep all requester’s information confidential. The Mercury first reported on the requests last month.
Whiteman described the requests as “unusual,” noting that they seek information about politicians’ activities during “the critical weeks before statewide elections.”
Dillons is partnering with Fort Hays State University to donate food items nearing expiration to the Tiger Food Exchange, a place where students, faculty and staff can access information regarding food and health along with the access to a food pantry. It is located on the first floor of the Forsyth Library and is open during library hours.
The Campus Food and Hunger Initiatives Committee manages the exchange and will receive both perishable and non-perishable items from Dillons. Dr. Shala Mills, chair of the Department of Political Science and co-chair of the committee, hopes the partnership will “increase and diversify” stock in the pantry.
“It isn’t just for folks who are food insecure.” said Mills. She described the exchange policy as, “Just go in, get what you need and leave what you can.”
“Maybe you need some help this month, but maybe you can be the person bringing some canned goods by to donate to the pantry another month,” she said. “It is all about exchange, not about hand-outs.”
VALLEY FALLS, Kan.- A Kansas man died in an accident just before 1:30 a.m. on Sunday in Jefferson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Nissan pickup driven by John V. Aspinwall, 40, Valley Falls, was northbound on Kansas 4 one mile south of Valley Falls.
The vehicle left the roadway onto the gravel shoulder. The driver overcorrected back onto the roadway. The vehicle slid sideways, entered the east ditch and overturned approximately 4 times.
Aspinwall was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
The Dreiling-Schmidt Cancer Institute is hosting a fundraiser at Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m.
During that time, 15 percent of all total orders will be donated by Freddy’s to the American Cancer Society to raise funds for the Ellis County Relay for Life.
The theme for this year is Harvest the Hope.
This year’s Ellis County Relay for Life is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Mall in Hays.
Make saving a priority to help cushion the impact of financial emergencies.
According to an annual survey conducted by Bankrate.com more than a quarter of Americans have no emergency savings. Of those who do have savings, 67 percent have less than six months worth of expenses saved. Having access to just $500-1,000 in savings could help most people meet unexpected financial challenges, said K-State Research and Extension family resource management specialist Elizabeth Kiss.
The purpose of emergency savings is to have money on hand when disaster strikes or money is tight, but those funds need to be replaced as soon as a household is able to after the emergency occurs.
Kiss said savers should try to have six months to a year’s worth of living expenses on hand to combat any unforeseen expenses.
“It’s living expenses, not income, so it’s likely less than your total income for six months,” she said. “Regardless of the amount, most of us would probably do better to try to save more.”
Car repairs, storm damage and unexpected medical bills are unanticipated expenses and reasons to have emergency savings on hand. While putting money away for the unknown may make saving difficult, having cash on hand allows for less dependence on credit cards and other sources of funding in case of emergency.
Spread out your savings, Kiss advised. Keep some cash stored in a safe, or in a secure place in your home or office. Depending on your financial situation, it might be helpful to store some funds in separate bank accounts, or have one account exclusively for your emergency fund.
Make a habit of putting money into your emergency fund each month. Decide on a dollar amount, and move it to your emergency fund account each time you receive a paycheck.
“Think about how much you can realistically save every month, and think of it as putting it aside for future uses, rather than just saving,” Kiss said. “You might also put some money aside for retirement or other long-term savings goals.
What if you don’t have $25-50 to save each month? Kiss advised to watch for “spending leaks”– small, regular purchases like morning coffees, soda and candy bars, and eating out.
“It doesn’t mean you have to go without,” she said. “Think of ways you can meet those needs, but pay less. If you like to drink pop, buy it at the store. Make coffee at home.”
Homeowners can look for ways to save on fixed expenses such as heating and cooling, Kiss said. Small changes, including setting the thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer, closing curtains and using fans can curtail those expenses.
The ultimate goal is to make saving a priority, Kiss said. Think of an emergency fund as you would any monthly utility.
“You need it, just like you need heating, cooling and water,” she said. “Put it in with your bills, and think of it that way.”
The greatest advantage to having an emergency fund is having something to fall back on.
It can be great peace of mind.
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
Changing weather will be the theme for the next seven days. Today should be quite pleasant with mostly sunny skies and temperatures reaching near 80 with an overnight low around 60.
Warmer conditions are on tap for Monday and Tuesday, before a strong cold front moves through and cools things off for the later part of the work week.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 6 to 13 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. South wind 11 to 13 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. South wind 10 to 14 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 14 mph.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 23 mph.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) —Kansas Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and independent challenger Greg Orman disagree about whether federally mandated background checks for gun sales should be expanded.
Orman said during their first debate Saturday at the Kansas State Fair that he supports reasonable restrictions on gun sales, particularly to ensure that background checks are done on buyers at gun shows.
But Orman says he owns two guns and supports the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, protecting gun ownership rights.
Roberts mocked Orman for saying he supports Second Amendment rights while backing restrictions.
The senator says he won’t “mess with” anyone’s gun rights. He has the backing of the Kansas State Rifle Association.
But Orman says, “We don’t want people with bazookas. We don’t want people with automatic weapons.”
Orman also had what sounded like a good line in his first debate with Kansas Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, but the incumbent warded it off.
The two squared off Saturday at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. One question touched on how Roberts owns a Washington-area home but claims rented space in the Dodge City home of supporters as his official residence.
Orman told Roberts that he suspected he’s been to Dodge City more times this year than Roberts has. Orman says he’s visited four times.
Roberts told Orman that he’s been to Dodge City “about seven times” this year.
The 45-year-old Orman then suggested he’s lived more of his adult life in Kansas than the 78-year-old Roberts. The senator noted he was born and educated in Kansas.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Organic and specialty crop growers are trying to make a living off the rising consumer interest in locally grown and organic foods.
But the smaller farms are often islands surrounded by a sea of conventionally grown crops that get sprayed with herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.
Pesticide drift is a serious concern for them, and they’ve come up with a variety of defenses.
Many plant buffer strips. Twelve states participate in a registry of organic and other farms to tip aerial and ground sprayers off to areas they need to avoid. And in Iowa, a group has produced a pamphlet that instructs farmers how to protect vulnerable crops.
The aerial spraying industry and pesticide manufacturers, meanwhile, say they’ve made big strides in controlling drift through education and new technologies.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The score read Kansas 34, Southeast Missouri State 7, at the beginning of the fourth quarterSaturday evening at Memorial Stadium. All of a sudden, the Redhawks exploded to hang 21-straight points on the Jayhawks after three fourth quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Kyle Snyder.
SEMO trailed by only six points with 1:33 left on the clock. Both teams knew what would ensue after the last touchdown pass. SEMO lined up for an onside kick and when the ball left the tee, just like it had all night, it found its way into Kansas senior wide receiver Nick Harwell’s arms to put a 34-28 seal on a wild finish in the evening contest.
Kansas Athletics
For the fourth-straight year – nine out of the last 10 tries – the Kansas football team opened its season with a victory, edging the second half comeback by a feisty Southeast Missouri State.
In all, the Jayhawk offense posted 457 yards of total offense pounding the Redhawks between the tackles for 261 yards on the ground and going over the top to finish with 196 yards passing with four trips to the endzone. KU’s 457-yard performance was the most for a Kansas team since the Jayhawks tallied 441 yards against Iowa State on Nov. 17, 2012. Both offenses came to play in the game as Southeast Missouri State gained 421 yards from scrimmage – a large majority of which were produced in the second half rally – to finish with four touchdowns of its own.
A tandem of newcomers, Harwell and junior running back De’Andre Mann, led the Jayhawk offense in the first half. After a long anticipated return to the game action after nearly two years of being sidelined, Harwell made his first catch in a KU uniform a memorable one hauling in a seven yard touchdown reception from sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart. Harwell would add on and grab another touchdown pass while finishing the night with a team-high four catches for 46 yards. Cozart finished the game completing 12-of-24 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
In another debut performance, highly touted freshman running back Corey Avery carried the ball 19 times for 91 yards and a 10-yard score becoming the first freshman running back since James Sims in 2010 to record a rushing touchdown in his debut.
After a lackluster first half, SEMO’s Snyder ended the evening connecting on 12-of-27 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing three interceptions. Wide receiver Paul McRoberts hauled in six of those passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns nearly completing a 24-point rally to knock off the Jayhawks.
KU began the game playing stout defense stuffing SEMO for five-consecutive three-and-outs in the first quarter. Freshman cornerback Matthew Boating ended the Redhawks’ second drive with his first-career interception, while senior cornerback Dexter McDonald tied his career total with two picks in the contest. McDonald became the first Kansas player to pick off two passes in a game since teammate Isaiah Johnson accomplished the same feat in 2013 against Texas.
SEMO tightened up its own defense after allowing the Jayhawks 24-unanswered first half points. In the end, linebacker Roper Garrett led all tacklers with 14 stops and a forced fumble. For Kansas, senior linebacker Ben Heeney led the tackling brigade with 11 wrap-ups. Junior BUCK Micheal Reynolds added four stops of his own for KU including one and a half TFLs for a loss of four yards.
In all, 20 players made their debut in the Crimson and Blue as the Jayhawks motored through the first half, bursting out to a 24-0 lead. Senior wide receiver Tony Pierson kicked things off with a 39-yard rush to set the stage for a quick three-points on the opening drive, setting up sophomore kicker Matthew Wyman with a 43-yard attempt. Wyman’s try was successful and KU led 3-0.
Boateng kept the momentum for Kansas with his interception on SEMO’s ensuing drive, picking off Snyder on Southeast Missouri State’s own 36-yard line. Three plays later, it was classmate Avery, putting his stamp on the program with his first-career rushing touchdown, increasing the Jayhawks’ lead, 10-0, after a Wyman extra point.
The offense kept the throttle down as Cozart fired two-consecutive touchdown strikes to Harwell for the first and second TD passes of his career. All that action in the first quarter led to 24 points, the most opening period points KU has put on the board since it tallied 28 against Toledo in 2004.
The defense held its own against the SEMO charge with those five-consecutive three-and-outs. The Redhawks tallied just 20 yards during that span, while the Kansas offense boasted a total of 217 yards. Cozart finished the first half with two touchdown passes and 103 yards through the air as KU tallied 235 yards of total offense. SEMO chalked up 146 yards of offense, with Snyder accounting for nearly all of them with 133 through the air.
The second half sang a much different tune for both teams as they seemed to reverse roles. Suddenly the Redhawk defense stiffened and the KU offense struggled to move the ball, while leaving points on the field after missing two field goals, one blocked and one wide left. On the other hand, the KU defense had several miscues in the secondary allowing SEMO to climb back into the game after the three touchdown passes of 37, 68 and 26 yards.
As quickly as they climbed back into the game, the Redhawks saw their chances for an upset slowly dwindle away. Armed with only one timeout after their onside kick attempt bounced into Harwell’s arms, the Jayhawk offense ran out the remaining minute and a half and kicked off their season with a 34-28 victory.
Kansas hits the road for its first true road contest of the 2014 campaign, as the squad treks to Durham, North Carolina, to take on Duke, Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m.
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon McCarthy won for the second time in six starts, and the Yankees feasted on Kansas City’s bullpen after Royals starter Danny Duffy left because of an injury following his first pitch.
A night after a 1-0 loss in the series opener dropped them 4½ games back for the AL’s second wild card, the weak-hitting Yankees scored as many as six runs for the first time since Aug. 29.
McCarthy (6-4) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Kansas City, which had won four in a row, remained two games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central.
Duffy threw a ball to Jacoby Ellsbury and walked around the mound in discomfort, causing catcher Salvador Perez to motion toward Kansas City’s dugout. He was relieved by Liam Hendriks (1-1), who pitched four innings.
Fort Hays State volleyball split its two matches on Saturday (Sept. 6) at the Henderson State Classic in Arkadelphia, Ark. The Tigers fell in five sets to Union University (Tenn.) to open the day, but immediately bounced back to knock off tournament host Henderson State in straight sets. Fort Hays State finished 3-1 overall at the tournament after a pair of wins on Friday.
Union 3, Fort Hays State 2 A lack of defense early led to Fort Hays State (2-1) struggling to its first loss of the season against Union (1-2). Though the offense was running on all cylinders in the first set, it sputtered in sets two and three, while Union kept its offensive efficiency up through the first three sets. That resulted in a 2-1 lead for Union in the match.
Fort Hays State took the opening set 25-20, swinging an extremely hot .429 as a team. That was a good thing, considering Union was impressive as well on the attack at .323. But, that rate would not continue for the Tigers, as they struggled to hitting percentages of .195 in the second set and .077 in the third. Meanwhile, Union hit .293 in the second and .229 in the third to take the sets by scores of 26-24 and 25-19.
Fort Hays State got the offense clicking once again in the fourth and defended well, which resulted in a 25-15 blowout to even the match 2-2. However, the Tigers showed inconsistency again with six hitting errors (four unforced) and a couple of ball handling errors in the fifth, while Union went errorless on the attack. Union took the final set 15-10.
The Tigers put down more kills than Union, 66 to 57, but had 10 more hitting errors, 29 to 19. Mallory Flagor led FHSU in kills with 19, swinging .326 for the match, and Taylor Mares added 17 kills. Rebekah Spainhour reached double figures in kills with 13, while Haley Corkill had a double-double of 10 kills and 11 digs. Kristin Conor and Libby Ary split assists nearly down the middle, Conor with 24 and Ary with 23. Ary added 12 digs for a double-double. Keanu Bradley racked up a team-high 32 digs.
Deja Moorer led Union with 14 kills, Lydia Wright had 45 assists, and Elise Seufert had 27 digs.
Fort Hays State 3, Henderson State 0 The Tigers responded well to their first loss of the season immediately by knocking off the tournament host Henderson State in straight sets. The Tigers hit .266 as a team for the match, while holding Henderson State (0-3) to .140. FHSU (3-1) won by set scores of 25-15, 25-17, and 25-20.
Tied 5-5 in the first set, the Tigers went on an 8-1 run to seize control and cruise in the first set. Taylor Mares had the hot hand with five kills in the set.
The second set was similar as the Tigers went on a 7-1 run after the score was tied 2-2 early, building a six-point lead. Henderson State cut the lead back to three at 9-6, but FHSU opened it back up and cruised the remainder of the set. Teresa Wade had four kills in the second set.
The Tigers had a rash of attacking errors early in the third set, which caused them to trail by four several times, the latest at 12-8. But the offense started to click and Keanu Bradley helped the Tigers run off six straight points with three service aces as FHSU blew past Henderson State for a 17-14 lead. The Tigers would not look back from that point on, taking the set by five points. Rightside hitters Mallory Flagor and Mares were the offensive catalysts in the third, Flagor with six kills and Mares with five.
Mares finished the match with a team-best 12 kills, while Flagor added 11. Mares hit .400 for the match and Flagor hit .450. Rebekah Spainhour was also efficient in the middle at .438 on nine kills. Libby Ary had 22 assists, while Kristin Conor added 13 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. Keanu Bradley led FHSU in digs with 11 and service aces with four.
Fort Hays State heads to Sioux Falls, S.D., next week for the NSIC/MIAA Crossover Tournament. The Tigers face four NSIC teams at the tournament, which includes Minnesota State-Moorhead, Sioux Falls, Augustana, and Bemidji State.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church and other faiths are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and settle the question of whether states can outlaw gay marriage once and for all.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a statement Friday, said it joined a friend-of-the-court brief asking the high court to hear Utah’s marriage case.
Also taking part in the filing were the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Ethics & Religious Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Each teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Multiple organizations and governmental entities on both sides of the debate have filed similar briefs asking the court to take up the issue.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jake Waters ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:30 left to push 20th-ranked Kansas State past host Iowa State 32-28 on Saturday.
Waters threw for 239 yards and ran for a career-high 138 yards for the Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 Big 12). They trailed by as much as 28-13 late in the first half before Waters rescued them on a game-winning drive.
K-State’s Charles Jones runs the ball against Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa on September 6, 2014. (Scott D. Weaver/K-State Athletics)
Waters followed a key 23-yard completion to Tyler Lockett with a 25-yard run with just under two minutes left. Waters then capped an 80-yard drive that took just 1:31 with his second touchdown run of the day.
Jarvis West caught and threw touchdown passes and ran a punt back for a third TD for Iowa State (0-2, 0-1), which was held scoreless in the second half.
It was a tough loss for the Cyclones: They nearly knocked off a ranked opponent just a week after losing by 20 to FCS school North Dakota State.
Kansas State’s Randall Evans ripped the ball away from West for an interception with 9:15 left. The Wildcats went 54 yards in 74 seconds, moving within 28-26 on a 4-yard TD run by Charles Jones.
Waters looked like he had more than enough space to tie the game on a 2-point conversion run. But Kamari Cotton-Moya — who was ejected from last week’s loss for targeting — sprinted to the hole, turned Waters sideways at the goal line and preserved Iowa State’s lead.
That seemed like it would be the game’s key play. But Lockett’s crucial reception, which held up upon review, set the athletic Waters up to close the game out with his feet.
Jones added 75 yards rushing for the Wildcats.
Iowa State was in need of a decent showing after allowing 506 yards and getting shut out for the final 44 minutes last week.
The Wildcats made it look way too easy way too soon.
Lockett went 57 yards off a short catch just four plays in, and Jones walked in untouched from four yards out for a quick 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats tacked on a pair of field goals before Iowa State finally woke up.
The Cyclones flipped things around by relying on West’s versatility.
West kicked off his career day with a leaping 17-yard TD catch. He then took a punt 82 yards for a touchdown and a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter.
West capped a brilliant first half with a perfectly thrown 29-yard TD pass to Allen Lazard off a double reverse. That made it 28-13 Iowa State, thrilling a capacity crowd that once seemed resigned to defeat.
West is just the fourth player since 1996 with a passing, receiving and punt return touchdown in the same game, according to STATS LCC.
But Kansas State pulled within 28-20 just before halftime on a plunge from Waters, and the Wildcats defense stuffed Iowa State on a fourth-and-1 to open the second half.
Iowa State answered by stuffing Waters on a fourth and inches early in the fourth quarter, prompting Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads to run onto the field while furiously pumping his fists.
It was a short-lived celebration for Rhoads, who fell to 0-6 against Kansas State.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Association of School Boards says at least 100 districts have been asked to provide information about the politicians who have been invited to their school events.
