HARPER, Kan- Residents across central Kansas and Oklahoma have said they felt the earth shake Thursday afternoon.
The United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake was centered eleven miles southeast of Harper and measured 4.4 on the Richter scale.
Harper County reported two quakes on Tuesday. No damage or injuries have been reported.
October is a busy month for the Kansas Room at the Hays Public Library. Mike Cooper visits with the Kansas Room Librarian Lucia Bain.
ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gun control groups say they plan to spend tens of millions of dollars this fall to help congressional candidates backing firearms curbs.
That means their campaign spending could finally match the National Rifle Association’s after years of being drubbed by the gun lobby.
Yet gun control groups’ long awaited parity with the NRA comes at a time when firearms violence is not a top public concern. That’s a turnabout from the months following the December 2012 massacre of 20 first-graders plus six elementary school aides in Newtown, Conn.
Both sides in the gun debate plan heavy campaign spending over the next few weeks anyway. That’s because there are many close races where a few votes could matter — especially in the Senate, which each party hopes to control next year.
Dozens of Colorado high school students decided a few days ago to demand a complete education about American history — and they had to walk out of class to make their point.
According to reports in The Denver Post and the Los Angeles Times, students at nine high schools in Denver suburbs have left classes at times “to protest what they see as the school board’s attempt to censor advanced history curriculum.“
Several newly elected school board members in Jefferson County pledged during election campaigns to revise school curricula. The students — along with parents and teachers, the reports said — were protesting a new board member’s proposal to form a review panel to promote “patriotic material, respect for authority, and the free-market system.” In turn, the truth-testers would avoid material about “civil disorder, social strife or disregard for the law.”
The proposal to tinker with the Advanced Placement (AP) class subject matter reportedly has been tabled for now. But how would such a content review play out?
OK, most of us would agree with no positive spins on fraud or murder and such. And who wouldn’t want students to learn about patriotism, America’s positive values and to grasp the economics of how our society operates?
But what to do with events such as the Boston Tea Party, clearly a shameless example of “civil disorder” and an obvious “disregard for the law”? And then there is the problem with how to deal with the history of abolitionists, who kept upsetting the prevalent respect for laws that kept slavery on the books between 1776 and 1865, causing a good deal of “social strife.” And of course, the Civil War itself encompassed a lot of incivility.
Purifying-panel participants also might find it necessary to rip out the pages in their history book about the men and women who campaigned for women’s suffrage — which included criticism of male-centric laws and disruptive demonstrations at the very gates of the White House. Clearly, the modern civil rights movement violates all three new no-nos proposed for the panel’s purview, having provoked disorder on a national scale, showed disregard for racist laws and challenged the existing segregationist social order.
Perhaps even the Tea Party vocal street marches against runaway government spending, and its angry confrontations with elected officials in town hall meetings a few summers ago, would not survive the panel’s censorious review.
In reality, this is a nation born by kicking over the existing social order: We called it the Revolutionary War. You remember that one — it’s in all the books … so far.
Very public disputes replete with marches and protest signs, and the occasional disruption of the public peace, are basic tools in our ongoing endeavor “to form a more perfect union….” By the way, those last few words are from the U.S. Constitution, a text presumably not on the Jefferson County educational chopping block at this time.
A Fox News anchor, Gretchen Carlson, recently called the Colorado students “punks” and suggested they “get out” (of the country, not classes, presumably) if they object to an America “where we have a national anthem and an American flag.” In the Vietnam era, the same slam came out as “America. Love it or leave it.”
Both views miss the point that protesting in the marketplace of ideas is patriotic, and a means over two centuries by which we keep perfecting our union. Learning about civil disobedience does not mean teaching that it is OK to commit crimes.
Government at any level ought not to be in the business of slicing out sections of our history that some find upsetting, improper or simply incompatible with their view — whether that’s a conservative or liberal take on U.S. history. We need both views, and an accurate account of history.
A sanitized, incomplete account in textbooks and classes denies students the opportunity to learn from our nation’s regrettable mistakes as well as its great accomplishments — and to aspire to do better than previous generations in both areas.
Too bad that it took students leaving classrooms to teach that lesson to adults who ought to know it already.
Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Washington-based Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. [email protected]
DENVER (AP) — Students and teachers fighting a plan to promote patriotism and downplay civil disobedience in some suburban Denver school U.S. history courses are expected to pack a school board meeting where the controversial changes could face a vote.
The teachers union plans to stream video from the Jefferson County school board meeting room on a big screen in the parking lot outside.
Students were making plans to protest with teachers before the evening school board meeting but weren’t walking out Thursday morning.
There’s no sign conservatives on the school board want to back off from the proposal, although the latest proposal omits some of the more controversial language.
Students across a majority of the 17 high schools in Colorado’s second-largest school district have staged protests over the past few weeks.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has once again addressed the oft-asked question about whether he’d like to play with his old band again and, not surprisingly, his response won’t encourage fans holding out hope for a reunion.
Page hosted an event Tuesday at London’s Olympic Studios featuring a playback of tracks from the next installments of Led Zeppelin’s reissue campaign.
NME asked the guitar legend if remastering the band’s catalog made him want to reunite with the other Zeppelin members, to which he answered, “I don’t think it looks as though that’s a possibility or on the cards, so there’s not much more I can say about that.”
“I’m not going to give a detail-by-detail account of what one person says or another person says. All I can say is it doesn’t look likely, does it?”
Although Page did not mention Robert Plant, his remark seemed to be influenced by the Zeppelin singer’s recent dismissive comments regarding a reunion.
In August, Plant told U.K. newspaper The Telegraph that he thought Jimmy “should get on and do something,” adding, “he’s a superb talent.”
NME reports that Page revealed during Tuesday’s event that he indeed was considering a new solo project.
“If I was to play again it would be with musicians that would be… some of the names might be new to you,” he explained. “I haven’t put them together yet but I’m going to do that next year.”
He said that his shows with this proposed group would include “material that spanned everything from my recording career right back to my very, very early days with The Yardbirds. There would certainly be some new material in there as well.”
The 70-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer added he loves to perform live, and said his shows would include instrumental versions of classic Led Zeppelin tunes like “Dazed and Confused.”
The latest Led Zeppelin reissues, remastered and expanded editions of 1971’s Led Zeppelin IV and 1973’s Houses of the Holy, will be released on October 28.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio
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By late morning Thursday, the skies were beginning to clear — and rain gauges showed another significant dose of precipitation across northwest Kansas.
Rainfall across Ellis County was fairly uniform, ranging from about a quarter to a half inch.
While most of Russell and Trego counties were near the same range, there was a report of 1.1 inches in the northern part of Russell County.
The cold front that passed through the region in the early morning hours Thursday is expected to lead to patchy frost by Friday night, with highs in the low to mid-60s over the next two days. The weekend skies expected to be clear with temperatures reaching a more moderate mid-70s.
Click HERE for the extended forecast.
Related story: Portions of north-central Kansas pelted by large hail.
Submitted
FORT MORGAN, Colo. — Over the past 16 years, Paul Sherman has gained a global perspective in the telecommunications industry through stints in England, Australia and China. For the past year and a half, Sherman ran the national retail program for Comcast’s West division out of Colorado Springs. Now he is applying his knowledge and experience toward serving the rural communities of Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas as president of sales and marketing for Fort Morgan-based Viaero Wireless.
“Paul brings a wealth of experience to Viaero and shares our belief in serving places on the map the larger carriers don’t bother with,” said Viaero CEO Frank DiRico. “Our motto ‘We are where you are’ is one that really resonates with Paul’s sensibilities, and I am proud to have him join our team.”
Sherman began his circuitous career in telecommunications in 1998, learning various aspects of the business with Comcast, Qwest Communications International and SPX. He met his wife, Cindy, in Tucson, Ariz., while running the Americas as vice president of sales and marketing for a division of SPX.
The Shermans are excited to be settling in Fort Morgan, population 11,451, where their four children will have the opportunity to grow up in a Colorado not much larger than the place where Paul was raised, in the Western Slope valley town of Delta.
“My grandfather owned the Delta Onion Company and the Delta Dairy,” said Sherman who has fond memories of his agricultural upbringing along the Gunnison River.
Sherman, who has been an active board member with Habitat for Humanity and the Urban League in Colorado Springs, looks forward to connecting with charities working to improve the quality of life in Morgan County. “Having a sense of community is a big priority for me and my family,” said Sherman.
“Frank DiRico is laser focused on growing and reinvesting a huge percentage of what comes into the door back into the community. Our customer service is local, we don’t outsource any of that overseas, and we are currently the third largest employer in Morgan County. My goal is that we will grow to be the largest employer, to help impact the financial well-being of this community and all the towns where we provide coverage,” Sherman said.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A new report says sexual offenses reported last year on the University of Kansas campus increased by 10 from the previous year.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports there were 13 reported sex offenses in 2013. In 2012, there were three, and in 2011, there were two. The numbers come from incidents reported to the college’s Public Safety Office, student affairs office and the Department of Student Housing.
The federal Clery Act requires colleges to report their crime statistics and submit them to the U.S. Department of Education.
On Wednesday, the school placed the Kappa Sigma fraternity on interim suspension, after receiving reports of a sexual assault during a fraternity party over the weekend. The national organization’s executive director says they’re investigating the matter and have also suspended the local chapter for the time being.
A severe thunderstorm pounded portions of Mitchell and other counties in north-central Kansas early Thursday morning.
According to information from the National Weather Service in Hastings, golf ball size hail broke windows on the south side of homes 3 to 8 miles south of Beloit about 6:35 a.m. Thursday morning.
Officials also report crops destroyed due to a combination of hail and wind southeast of Beloit.
The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office estimated winds of 90-mph caused significant damage to a home, and destroyed a farm Quonset about a mile south of Asherville around 6:40 a.m.
As the storm moved east and northeast, it dropped ping pong ball size hail south of Concordia, and hail covered the ground in portions of Washington and Marshall counties, and wide spread tree damage was also reported in Frankfort due to high winds.
JENNIFER AGIESTA, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not Obamacare or climate change. It’s not yet terrorism or fear of the Islamic State group. Those issues are on the minds of voters as they begin casting ballots in this year’s midterm elections, but nothing matters to American voters as much the economy.
An Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday finds 9 in 10 likely voters call the economy an extremely or very important issue.
Few see change coming once voting closes November 4. A majority of likely voters expect Democrats to retain control of the Senate, with 68 percent saying the GOP will keep the House. Voters are split on which party they would like to see win control of Congress, 45 percent prefer Republicans and 42 percent say Democrats.
The poll was conducted September 25 to 29.
In a recent gubernatorial debate Gov. Sam Brownback affirmed once again that he will protect the state’s wealthiest citizens from paying more for public schools. The governor was speaking before an audience of business owners and professionals in the state’s wealthiest county, Johnson County, in suburban Kansas City.
Democrat Paul Davis criticized the governor for cutting school funding, and Brownback shot back at his gubernatorial opponent: “He is talking about your money. The truth is he’s going to come to Johnson County to pay for it.” The “it” Brownback referred to was Davis’ call for restoring cuts in classroom funding for Kansas schools.
For Kansans who follow state politics, the governor’s comments will come as little surprise, as he has approved income tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest Kansans. The state income tax has been eliminated for 190,000 business owners. Brownback has also called for completely eliminating the state income tax which would leave school funding totally dependent on sales and property taxes.
Brownback wants to turn back 80 years of bipartisan tax policy initiated by Kansas Republican Governor Alf Landon who advocated a graduated and progressive income tax with the understanding that “the tax on property be proportionately reduced.”
Brownback also wants to undo 50 years of bipartisan agreement among state lawmakers and state courts that property taxes levied by local school districts represent an inequitable funding source for educating children across the state.
Kansas courts have ruled that property tax funding gives students attending school in wealthy districts like those in Johnson County educational opportunities that are inherently superior to students attending in poorer districts. Yet, last year, when a three-judge panel ordered state lawmakers to restore school funding, Brownback stated that increased property taxes would be required.
The governor’s actions speak even louder than his words. His income tax cuts benefiting wealthy Kansans coupled with cuts in classroom spending have brought about property tax increases for schools across rural Kansas. According to the Kansas Department of Revenue, during Brownback’s first three years in office:
• Taxpayers in 71 rural counties experienced property tax increases for schools of 10 percent or more;
• Taxpayers in 49 rural counties experienced property tax increases for schools of 15 percent or more; and
• Taxpayers in 30 rural counties experienced property tax increases for schools of 20 percent or more.
• Property taxes for schools in rural counties increased 15 times faster than in the wealthiest large urban counties (Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Douglas).
The Kansas Supreme Court ordered state lawmakers to rectify these inequities last March. Lawmakers largely complied, but the statewide impact of property taxes levied by local school officials in August has not yet been compiled.
Brownback’s direction on school funding is unmistakable: Wealthy income tax payers will be protected from increased school funding, and property taxpayers will carry a growing burden. As a consequence rural taxpayers will be looking at higher property tax bills, and students in the state’s poorer school districts will be denied access to equal educational opportunities.
Further, Brownback’s legacy for Kansas — an impending financial crisis — will only make these matters worse.
Another court order might deter the governor from his preferred path on school funding. Or Kansas voters may change direction in the upcoming election in November.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
By Jim McLean
KHI News Service
A $21 million shortfall in September tax collections has renewed the debate on Gov. Sam Brownback’s economic policies heading into the last month of the 2014 campaign.
Over the last five months, tax receipts have fallen more than $360 million short of official projections, driven largely by the 26 percent reduction in income tax rates championed by Brownback and passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2012 and 2013.
The continuing shortfalls are forcing the state to spend through its reserves, a strategy that analysts in the nonpartisan Kansas Legislative Research Department say could put the state nearly $240 million in the red by July of 2016.
Paul Davis, Brownback’s Democratic challenger, used the September revenue report to launch another attack on what he calls the governor’s “failed policies.”
“The governor’s economic experiment isn’t working, and it’s not going to work,” Davis said in a campaign news release. “It is damaging our schools, hurting our economy and putting our children’s future in jeopardy.”
Brownback and others in the administration insist that the drop in revenue is temporary and that the tax cuts will transform the Kansas economy if given enough time to work.
Shawn Sullivan, director of the governor’s budget office, said small business owners whose taxes were eliminated by the cuts are telling him they eventually will use the money they’re saving to create new jobs.
“What they tell me is, ‘These tax cuts and these policy changes take time (to work),’” Sullivan said. “These tax policy changes aren’t like you flip a switch and you have 100,000 new jobs. It’s trying to set the environment right for small businesses that employ the majority of Kansans.”
Kansas is doing well compared to neighboring states when it comes to job growth in the small business sector, Sullivan said.
Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan points to the $21.5 million collected above the September estimate in corporate income taxes as an indication of the state’s improving business climate. But critics say the corporate tax windfall was more than offset by a $42.4 shortfall in individual income tax receipts.
Broader measures reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still show the state lagging the region and nation in job growth.
To head off possible budget cuts, Sullivan said the administration is implementing “efficiencies” that he estimates can save $101 million by the end of the 2015 budget year.
Eventually, Sullivan said, he expects that taxes paid by Kansans hired to fill the new jobs created by the governor’s tax policies will restore state revenues to pre-cut levels.
But Duane Goossen, a former budget director who worked for both Republican and Democratic governors, said that is wishful thinking.
“It seems almost impossible to think given our current tax structure that increased economic activity could replace the losses that have occurred,” Goossen said.
Neither the governor nor anyone in his administration has been able to show precisely how the job growth they’re hoping for will restore the lost revenue, Goossen said.
“In fact, the opposite is true,” he said. “The Kansas Legislative Research Department has been predicting and forecasting all along that with these tax changes revenue would drop dramatically, and it has.”
