North Central Kansas Technical College has released its spring Honor Roll and Dean’s Honor Roll candidates for the Spring 2015 semester.
Click HERE for the complete Dean’s Honor Roll
Click HERE for the complete Honor Roll
Month: June 2015
Regents consider increase in tuition
TOPEKA -The Kansas Board of Regents is considering a tuition increase for all Kansas Universities during their meeting Wednesday in Topeka.
The board is discussing a 3.6% increase for undergraduate students.
Fort Hays State would see the smallest increase of $62.10.
Emporia State $81.00
Pittsburg State $89.00
Wichita State $105.75
KSU –Salina $139.50
Kansas State $147.00
Kansas-Lawrence $158.25
Regents are to vote on the proposal Thursday.
KFIX Rock News: The Scorpions’ Latest Album Getting September Release, Tour Announced
The Scorpions’ latest studio album, Return to Forever, was released internationally in February, and now we know when it’s finally going to arrive in U.S. stores: September 11.
Coinciding with the album’s stateside release, the hard-rocking German band will mount a month-long North American tour that get underway September 10 in Boston.
Return to Forever will be available for purchase in several formats, including a deluxe CD, a vinyl LP, and a digital download.
The North American version of the record will features 19 songs, including four bonus tracks and three tunes exclusive to the new release.
“We have been overwhelmed with the amazing response to our new album across the globe and can’t wait to finally release Return to Forever in North America,” says frontman Klaus Meine. “We have always had such a special connection with our incredible fans and are so excited to get them the new album and return to play live this fall.”
Return to Forever‘s lead single, “We Built This House,” will be released digitally July 3, and will be available for free for fans who pre-order Return to Forever via iTunes or Amazon. In addition, special bundles packaging Scorpions T-shirts, sweatshirts and posters with the CD and vinyl editions of the album are being sold at the band’s official online store.
If you order any of the bundles by August 14, you’ll also receive a special “fanified” poster incorporating your name and the names of all the fans who pre-ordered the packages.
The original concept for Return to Forever was for the band to revisit outtakes and unfinished tunes from their 1980s sessions and include updated and completed versions of songs on the new album.
However, in the course of working on the older material, band members were inspired to write some brand-new songs, too.
The Scorpions’ 2015 tour also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation. The North American leg is mapped out through an October 9 show in Seattle. Queensryche will serve as opening act during the trek.
Here is the full track list for Return to Forever:
“Going Out with a Bang”
“We Built This House”
“Rock My Car”
“House of Cards”
“All for One”
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Band”
“Catch Your Luck and Play”
“Rollin’ Home”
“Hard Rockin’ the Place”
“Eye of the Storm”
“The Scratch”
“Gypsy Life”
“The World We Used to Know”
“Dancing with the Moonlight”
“When the Truth Is a Lie”
“Who We Are”
“Crazy Ride” (exclusive)
“One and One Is Three” (exclusive)
“Delirious” (exclusive)
And here’s The Scorpions’ North American tour schedule:
9/10 — Boston, MA, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
9/12 — Brooklyn, NY, Barclays Center
9/13 — Gilford, NH, Meadowbrook
9/16 — Moncton, NB, Canada, Moncton Coliseum
9/18 — Toronto, ON, Canada, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
9/19 — Montreal, QC, Canada, Bell Centre
9/22 — Columbus, OH, LC Pavilion
9/23 — Cleveland, OH, Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
9/25 — Windsor, ON, Canada, Caesar’s Windsor
9/26 — Chicago, IL, Allstate Arena
9/29 — Denver, CO, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
10/1 — San Jose, CA, SAP Center
10/3 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
10/6 — Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl
10/7 — Las Vegas, NV, Hard Rock Hotel
10/9 — Seattle, WA, ShoWare Center
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
“Like” KFIX on Facebook.
Images courtesy Sony/Legacy Recordings
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Dead Wake’ by Erik Larson
“Dead Wake” by Erik Larson
On May 1, 1915, with World War I entering its 10th month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era.
I’ve not experienced ship travel on such a grand scale, so much of the information presented in Dead Wake was new to me. I found it amazing, the adventure to be found on ships even as a child. The book starts slow, introducing relevant people and the preparations involved in Transatlantic travel.
The narrative picks up quickly when the ship is attacked by the submarine, and Larson effectively portrayed the desperation felt by some of the passengers. Norah Bretherton, who was on board with her two children, handed her baby to a stranger when she was rushing to also save her son; as a mother myself, this particular event really affected me.
My average rating is in no way a reflection of the quality of research in this book. Larson tracked down extensive details relating to the ship itself, its passengers, and the general oceanic travel zeitgeist. However, I felt that the narrative occasionally became bogged down in the details. In some situations, details were repeated, which was somewhat distracting.
I was also surprised by the lack of photos in the book — it would have been fascinating to see some of the documents to which Larson refers. In one instance, he directly refers to a painting of a scene that occurred after the sinking of the ship; since it wasn’t included in the book, I looked it up on my own.
I would have rated “Dead Wake” more highly had Larson done more showing and less telling.
Kansans fuel the fight against ISIS
Office of Kansas Adjutant General
TOPEKA–Members of Topeka’s 190th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) recently returned home from a four-month deployment supporting contingency operations against ISIS.
Throughout the deployment, aircrews provided critical aerial refueling with the wing’s KC-135R Stratotankers, an in-flight refueling aircraft. The personnel were based at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
Forbes Field Air National Guard Base is the home of the Kansas Air National Guard’s 190th ARW and nearly 1,000 full-time and part-time military members.
Throughout the deployment – which started in February and ended in June – the wing flew more than 500 combat sorties and provided coalition aircraft with more than 3.5 million gallons of fuel, enough to fill approximately 230,000 cars. Aircrews logged more than 3600 flight hours in that time as well, eclipsing more flight hours in the four months than the unit normally flies in a year.
Many of the wing members deployed are traditional Guardsmen, who hold full-time jobs outside their military commitment.
“For the wing to be successful and for our Airman to focus on their mission, we ask a lot of the companies who employ our members. We have such tremendous support from the business community and the community at-large; I could not be any more grateful for their support,” Frantz said.
Beyond the Middle East, the 190th ARW supports both worldwide operations and homeland security. Never busier, the demand for Air National Guard KC-135Rs continues to set records with the 190th on pace to set a new flying hour record this year above 7,000 hours. The final number is likely to exceed the 6,107 hours achieved in 2011 while supporting contingency operations in three theaters.
Many of the same Airmen will deploy again within the year to support flying operations in the Pacific and Southwest Asia theatres. The forecast for this record pace of operations will likely continue for the next several years, underscoring the challenge to manage an operational force while maintaining the integrity of a historically reserve force.
The 190th provides global reach for the United States Air Force through the in-flight refueling of fighters, bombers and other aircraft using its 12 KC-135 Stratotankers. It is one of the largest employers in Topeka and Shawnee County with an annual payroll of more than $32 million.
Emergency declared, sandbags sent to Manhattan
MANHATTAN- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has declared an emergency throughout its Kansas City District, which includes lakes Wilson, Kanopolis and eight others in Kansas, because of high river levels and a rainy forecast in northwest Missouri.
The Level III emergency allows sponsors of levees to obtain
technical assistance for damage to qualifying levees caused by the high water.
Judd Kneuvean, emergency management director for the Kansas City District, says the corps has delivered 43,000 sandbags for use in the Blue River Basin. The corps also sent 1,000 sandbags to Manhattan.
Brian McNulty, Operations Project Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told the Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday night that Tuttle Creek Lake is the workhorse for the Kansas River.
It is the largest flood control facility in the state of Kansas with 2.2 million acres feet of storage. He went on to tell the Commission that the elevation of the lake is normally at 1075, and is running at about 1109.5. The tops of the gates are at an elevation of 1136.
There have been several factors in the rise of the lake elevation, the first being the constant rainfall the basin has received.
The second factor was the storms that went through on Sunday night.
“The storm on Sunday night, there were two parts to that,” said McNulty. “The first storm occurred in a place where even if our releases would have been cut back, our water was already in the channel and it wouldn’t have done any good to reduce the peak flows down in the Missouri for that.”
He added that Clinton and Perry lakes were close enough to the storm, and were required to stop their outflow.
“When the second wave came through, it was going to add to the peak flooding down stream,” said McNulty. “That’s when the decision was made to cut Tuttle down to minimum flows.”
Because all of the Kansas lakes are operated as a system, the conditions of the rivers down stream have one of the main factors in the rising elevation of the lake. Because of flooding in the rest of the state, conditions have not allowed them to go over a 16,000 cfs outflow, causing the lake elevation to build.
Pumping plants have been activated at the Blue Rapids levy, and have been running 24 hours during this high water time.
McNulty stressed that we are at about a 7-8 year elevation level, topping out at around 1114 on Monday.
McNulty confirmed a rumor one of the gates was not working. One of the gates in the dam is currently out of service for rehabilitation. It’s removed from the slot and sitting on the service floor going through wheel realignment. The dam still has 3 service gates functioning, and they can fill the channel if needed.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report
WaPo: ‘The Animals Most Likely to Kill You This Summer’
With a recent spate of shark attacks, the Washington Post took a closer look at “The Animals Most Likely to Kill You This Summer.”
Click HERE for the story and find out how Bossie beats Jaws hands-down.
Kansas Commerce Secretary to resign
TOPEKA–Governor Sam Brownback today announced that Commerce Secretary Pat George will step down from his post in July. George has served as Commerce Secretary since 2011.
“I am grateful to Pat for his service to Kansas,” said Governor Brownback. “Through his leadership, the Department of Commerce has evolved into a world-class organization serving the needs of our existing businesses and helping bring new business to Kansas. I wish him much success in his new venture. I treasure his friendship.”
George will become the President and CEO of the Valley Hope Association, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of alcoholism and substance abuse treatment.
“I feel honored and humbled to have been appointed Secretary of Commerce and will be forever grateful to Governor Brownback for the opportunity to serve the people of this great state,” George said. “I have been blessed to work alongside colleagues who have devoted their talents and time to making Kansas a better place and I know that the agency and its mission are in good hands. I also look forward to joining a dedicated Valley Hope team that has been successful in giving so many people help and hope for a life free from addiction.”
The mission of the Commerce Department is to lead the state’s economic development by creating jobs, attracting investment and providing workforce training.
Ellis city council to discuss CIP tonight
City of Ellis
ELLIS–The Ellis City Council will meet in a work session Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. in Ellis City Hall.
The sole agenda item is discussion of the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
Wichita State puts plans for second dorm on hold
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Plans for a second residence hall at the Wichita State University campus are on hold.
University officials say president John Bardo delayed the project because the expected cost of $50 million to $60 million is too high.
The university had hoped to build a new 400- to 600-bed residence hall in time to open it for the fall semester of 2017. Bardo had said it was an important part of building a new innovation campus at Wichita State.
The Wichita Eagle reports the university opened a 784-bed dormitory on campus last August, at a cost of $60 million.
University spokesman Lou Heldman says no decisions have been made on whether the second hall will be built in the future.
Only 8 percent of Wichita State students live on campus.
Fun, food and tunes at annual Lenora Jubilee this weekend
LENORA — The tony town of Lenora is getting a whole lot bigger this weekend.
The annual event, which has been ongoing for more than a century, kicks off Friday and continues Saturday.
The beer garden is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Friday, with concerts by Ricky Fugitt and Dan + Shay scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, the citywide garage sale begins at 7 a.m., with the parade scheduled to step off at 11 a.m.
There will be a magic show and trap shoot at 1 p.m., with the Eagle Radio of Hays Pedal Power Pull scheduled for 2 p.m.
The beer garden reopens Saturday at 3 p.m. The evening’s entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with a comedy hypnotist, followed by music.
Saturday’s lineup includes Galen “The Kid” Hildebrand, D.o.C and Kill Creek Rising.
Eagle Communications is a platinum sponsor for the annual event.
For more information, click HERE.
https://www.lenorajubilee.com
Bargains on the Bricks becomes stand-alone event
Downtown Hays Development Corporation
The Downtown Sidewalk Sale, “Bargains on the Bricks”, is set for Saturday, July 18, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Downtown businesses, vendors and direct sales consultants will be offering unbeatable bargains on clothing, shoes, jewelry, baby gifts, furniture, accessories and more.
This annual event gets bigger and better every year and 2015 will be no different.
“Expect great vendors, food trucks, live music and, of course, big deals,” said Sara Bloom, Executive Director of the Downtown Hays Development Corporation
“I’m really looking forward to this event. It’s another wonderful opportunity to showcase just what Downtown Hays has to offer as well as open up the Downtown to merchants from outside the district.”
This year the sidewalk sale is a standalone event. In the past it has been a part of the BBQ competition that takes place in Municipal Park.
“We’re trying something new,” Bloom said in a news release. “We had great success with the (Fire on the Frontier) BBQ contest, now it’s time to focus on this. As its own event there’s more opportunity to focus on it and really see it expand.”
During Bargains on the Bricks, the community can also check out the Downtown Hays Market or race in the “Hit the Bricks” 5K hosted by the Cancer Council of Ellis County.
To become a vendor or for more information visit www.DowntownHays.com or call (785) 621-4171.
Humane Society of the High Plains encourages shelter-cat adoptions
BY AMY BALTODANO
Hays Post
Humane Society of the High Plains Manager Betty Hansen says summer is the perfect time to adopt dogs or cat, but June is even better because it is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month.
“June is a great time because school’s out so if you want a new pet, it’s a good time,” Hansen said. “Kids are generally home more, able to spend more time with a new kitten or cat.”
This month, the feline fees are lower with one cat for $15 or two cats for $25, plus $50 top spay or neuter.
June is also month where the shelter is generally full — and it’s full to the brim currently.
“Generally we probably have around 13-15, that’s generally what we hold. We do try to keep our numbers low because if we get too many, we start seeing problems,” Hansen said. “We could probably hold more, but for the benefit and health of the rest of them, it’s usually not a good idea. So we like to keep it 15 and under.”
Hansen suggests coming to the shelter, 2050 E. Old U.S. 40, for a visit to see what they have available and to ask questions.
Eagle, Neb., resident, Beth Lohmeyer agrees the shelter goes above and beyond to help out with any questions you may have. Lohmeyer enjoys taking her three grand-daughters as often as she can.
“They welcome the kids to come out and encourage the girls. You know that when the time comes, they will come here,” said Lohmeyer.
One thing to keep in mind is that pet ownership is different for everybody.
“It depends on the family you have,” Hansen said. “If you have babies or toddlers, then maybe a kitten is not good, because they scratch. If you are a senior, you probably would want an older cat.
“The nice thing about cats if landlord allows it, they are very low maintenance. They know how to take care of themselves. They like to see you every so often, not constantly. They kind of have a mind of their own,” she added.
Prospective pet owners are given a two-week trial period with their chosen pet.
“We have too many needing homes. We do try to make sure they are in good health when they are adopted. We can’t cover everything. They do have their shots when they come in. Overall, our hope is that you get a good healthy pet,” Hansen said. “Plus, all the cats that are available here are litterbox trained.”
The shelter has a new website — hshponline.org — that features photos of the pets housed there.
Hansen also said the shelter receives many calls about missing dogs, but not as many regarding missing cats. People might wait up to a couple weeks to see if the missing feline will return.
“If you have lost the cat, make sure you give us a call,” Hansen said. “We are the holding facility for animal control. A lot of people assume that if their cat is gone, it’s just gone. We do get a lot of them in here. If your cat isn’t home in 24 to 48 hours, when it is normally home, call.”
For more information, call (785) 625-5252.