On Feb. 3, Tyler Broeckelman was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Friends are hosting a fundraiser bake sale at The Mall in Hays to help defer medical expenses.
Bake sale items will include made from scratch cupcakes, pies, sheet cakes, layer cakes and more.
The bake sale will take place at The Mall from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Today it’s nothing but a dilapidated pile of old lumber in the middle of a wheat field; so far off the road in fact that it takes binoculars to even see it there.
We locals don’t even notice it anymore and neither would anyone else were it not for the few trees and old windmill nearby. It was an old shed with a small grainery in one corner; the kind where you would shovel loose grain into the room and keep adding boards in the doorway as the level of the grain rose. There was once a house trailer there too that was the first home of some friends of ours when they first married. But to us the place will always be known as the vulture nursery.
Several years ago I was told that a pair of turkey vultures had nested in the old shed for years. We slipped back there that evening, and sure enough, in the very corner of the little grainery room was a female vulture firmly planted over two eggs. Turkey vultures are most necessary to our environment and are part of God’s dead-animal-cleanup crew. They are the most amazing birds to watch as they soar effortlessly on the rising thermals, and they possess a digestive system so sophisticated and iron-clad that they can eat even diseased carcasses without harm.
Yet, in spite of all their merits, they are contenders for the homeliest creature God ever made.
With an old board we were able to gingerly lift one corner of mom vulture that night to see the two eggs beneath her, and she didn’t seem to mind much. Baby vultures begin life in the most humble surroundings imaginable. The old shed was on its last leg even back then. The only way inside was to squeeze through a small opening in one end, then clamor over and around stacks of old lumber to get to the grainery in the opposite end, all the while listening to the partially-collapsed roof above you creak and groan as you went. The nest was flat on the floor amidst mud and vulture droppings from past years.
We paid regular visits to the old shed that year and watched the process unfold. Soon there were two pure-white balls of fluff that soon grew into two feisty vulture chicks that stood back-to-back and hissed at us each time we were able to view them without mom around. Then one day the nest was empty, but as we searched the sky, suddenly there they were roosting on top of the old windmill outside watching us from their new and better vantage point, while in the sky and always close, soared mom and dad.
No vultures have nested in the old shed now for years; its total collapse left the grainery in the far corner accessible from all sides, exposed to predators and the elements and I don’t think they feel secure there anymore. If only the old shed could talk and tell us about all the grain that was unloaded there, shovel-by-shovel over the years. And about all the kids that played within its walls and climbed in its loft. And yes, even about all the turkey vultures born and raised there.
Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
JC Post
JUNCTION CITY -Recent heavy rains have led to the collapse of a portion of a stone wall on Franklin Street near the Geary County Detention Center.
Geary County Commissioner Florence Whitebread said Monday
The wall collapsed and portions were on the sidewalk Monday.
Public Works Director Dennis Cox has been given authorization to proceed to get that wall placed back in position where it was according to Geary County Commissioner Florence Whitebread.
Public Works was directed to put holes in the wall where water can come through in order to avoid the same problem in the future.
“Because this could create the whole bank coming down, with the amount of moisture that we have,” said Whitebread.
The stone wall runs in front of the Geary County Courthouse on Eighth Street and circles around north down Franklin Street past the county jail.
The collapsed area is on the Franklin Street side where the wall comes to the detention center.
Troy L. Waymaster, State Representative, Kansas House District, 109
Tax Policy for the State of Kansas: Senate Substitute for House Bill 2109
Friday, June 12, marked the 113th day of the 2015 Legislative Session, the longest session in history for the state of Kansas. Early on Friday morning, the House passed Senate Substitute for House Bill 2109 by a margin of 63 votes, the amount needed to pass out of the House of Representatives.
This tax bill was not the tax bill that I desired to address the financial issues with the state of Kansas, however given our lengthy session, we were approaching deadlines that were unprecedented and needed to meet our constitutional obligation of balancing the Kansas state budget.
The details of HB 2109 are: raising the state sales tax rate from the current rate of 6.15% to 6.50%; tax amnesty for certain delinquent taxes; guaranteed payments would be subjected to income tax rates; income tax rate freeze until the tax year of 2018; the Rural Opportunity Zones extension until 2022; with the exception of Charitable (100% deduction), Mortgage Interest, and Property Taxes (50% deduction), all other deductions would be repealed; and Cigarette Taxes would increase by $0.50 a pack.
There were also some policy provisions that were added by the Senate such as Sales Tax Exemptions, Property Taxes imposed by local units of government, and tax credits for scholarships. However, these policy pieces were changed by the House in Senate Bill 270 to not have the effect that the Senate had initially desired.
My true conviction is that this tax bill that passed the legislature, and now awaits the Governor’s signature, is not a long-term, sustainable tax policy.
In order to generate long-term stability for our state, we must readdress the tax policy that was passed by the 2012 legislature. That is the cause of the financial duress that our state is currently experiencing and the plan that passed will only be short-term. Due to the fiscal deadlines that our state was approaching and allotments that would need to be made to the budget, for example Fort Hays State University would experience a $32 million reduction, I voted “yes” thinking of the best interest of our state, residents, educational institutions, and our disabled citizens.
House Bill 2135
Senate Substitute for House Bill 2135 would authorize the Governor’s Director of the Budget, if the Director determines the unencumbered ending balance of the State General Fund will be less than $100 million, to lapse appropriations or transfer funding from special revenue funds to the SGF from Executive Branch agencies, up to a total of $100 million, for FY 2016.
This authority would not apply to appropriations for debt service; employer contributions to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System; the Department of Education, except the operating expenditures account of the SGF; or demand transfers to the school district capital improvements fund.
This bill was passed to protect these funding measures from an allotment from the Governor. I voted “yes” on this measure and it passed both the House and Senate on Friday, June 12.
The Group of 28
During the final two weeks of the session, and with no solid tax plan in place, there was a group of 28 conservative Republican House members, I included, that contend we must address the 2012 tax plan. The leader of our group was Representative Mark Hutton from Wichita and we met regularly to discuss our position and drafted plans that we wanted to be included in the final tax policy that we hoped would be passed.
We were able for the tax conference committee between the House and Senate to allow for our plan to be debated and voted on the House floor, however it only received 27 affirmative votes. Later, we tried to meet with other groups within the House to compromise and hopefully have enough votes for passage.
There were five identifiable groups within the Kansas House of Representatives: The conservative base was split between two factions, ours included, moderate Republicans, Democrats, and then the legislators that were absent during the latter part of the session.
These meetings with the other groups, with the exception of the absent legislators, could not materialize because of differing ideologies, and the threat of non-passage of our position by the Senate and a veto by the Governor if components of our plan of reinstating LLC’s, sole proprietorships, and S Corps back on the income tax rolls, even at the lowest income bracket rate, we acknowledged that at this moment there would not be enough votes in our chamber to get to the magic number of 63 for passage.
Even though we were at an impasse, our group fought for our position until late Thursday evening. However, with the looming fiscal deadlines and the latest proposals of cutting our regent institutions, we had no choice but to accept the plan before us.
Later, we did hear from others in the chamber that voted “no” on our plan when it was debated and voted on the House floor said that our plan was the best solution for our state’s fiscal crisis.
Although we do identify that the plan that has passed is only a short-term solution, our resolve is to revisit our plan at the beginning of the 2016 Legislative Session.
Explanation of Vote and Contact Information
As your public servant, I feel that it is my duty that you are aware of my explanation of vote that I submitted to the House Clerk after voting “yes” and having it read before the entire chamber.
“Madam Speaker, I vote yes on House Bill 2109 in order to protect the solvency of our higher educational institutions for the state of Kansas. This committee report does not address all the possible revenue streams in order to resolve our financial calamity that our state currently faces, however as a representative of the Kansas House, we need to claim responsibility and make certain that we provide funding for our government and its needs. In extreme situations as in these, we need to make certain that we do not jeopardize our citizens, institutions, and our state.”
If you have any concerns, feel free to contact my office at (785) 296-7672, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]
The honor to serve you in the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas is one I do not take lightly. Do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns and questions. I appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas.
Troy L. Waymaster,
State Representative
109th Kansas House
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612
By Andy Marso
Westar Energy faces a challenge — or at least it’s anticipating a challenge — in the growing number of Kansas homes sporting solar panels on their roofs.
Like other utilities, Westar relies on a pricing structure that largely depends on customer usage. The company charges a small monthly fee for customers to access its grid. But for the most part, how much customers pay each month depends on the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity they use.
As more customers install rooftop solar and feed homegrown electricity back onto the grid, those per-kilowatt-hour charges get lower and lower. But the company still has significant fixed costs to serve those customers — costs for things like building new power plants, upgrading old ones and maintaining electrical cables.
So Westar, like other utilities across the nation, is trying to find new ways to account for the value of solar users’ access to its grid and infrastructure. But their latest proposal to do so has solar advocates burning mad.
“This is an attack on rooftop solar,” said Aron Cromwell, owner of Cromwell Environmental Inc. in Lawrence, during a recent phone interview. Cromwell’s business installs solar panels.
He and others in the industry are closely watching a $150 million Westar rate case before the Kansas Corporation Commission that would set customers with rooftop solar apart from those who don’t have it.
It’s a case that could be a harbinger, as utilities across the country cope with the growth of customers with solar installations. It has drawn the attention of the Alliance for Solar Choice, a national rooftop solar advocacy group that has petitioned to intervene in the rate case.
Westar challenged the alliance’s right to participate and the KCC agreed to block the group, which alliance spokesman Nate Watters said has not happened in other states.
“Kansans should be aware that the nation’s largest solar rooftop industry organization, created to protect consumer’s choice for solar energy, is being rejected from entry into a discussion that will significantly affect them,” Watters said. Westar, the largest electric utility in Kansas, says it’s merely trying to protect the nearly 700,000 customers it serves in 55 counties — including those without solar who could end up paying more to subsidize the grid’s infrastructure for those who have solar.
“Customers who choose to install solar on their homes still use that infrastructure 24 hours a day, so the proposed rates recognize that everyone who uses the grid should help pay for it,” said Jana Dawson, Westar’s director of corporate communications.
The rate issue will be decided by three KCC commissioners: Shari Feist Albrecht, Jay Emler and Pat Apple. Emler and Apple are newer KCC commissioners appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback in 2014.
But first there are public hearings scheduled for July 21 and 23 and a series of evidentiary hearings with interested parties, including Westar, in August.
The Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, an independent state agency related to the KCC, will argue on behalf of Westar’s customers. In that role, CURB’s lead counsel, David Springe, must represent Westar’s rooftop solar customers and those without solar panels. Springe said he has serious reservations about Westar’s approach in the case but applauded the company for bringing the rooftop solar issue to the forefront.
Right now only a tiny fraction of Westar’s customers — about 300 — have rooftop solar, Springe said. But as the panels get more efficient and less costly, that number is sure to rise. The utility, Springe said, is being proactive about what could become a major disruption to its cost structure and that of hundreds of companies like Westar.
“This is industry-wide,” Springe said. “There’s a huge push in the electric industry across the country to increase the customer charges to get more out of customers, because they see solar coming down the line and it really sort of wreaks a level of havoc with the utility’s cost structure.”
The proposal
Westar’s proposal in the rate case is to split its current billing structure into three options, although only two of those would be available to future solar customers.
The first option would follow the existing design, with customers paying a $15 monthly fee ($3 more than the current rate) to access the grid and about 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 1,000 kilowatt-hours used.
The second option would be to pay a $50 access fee, coupled with a much lower 2-cents per kilowatt-hour rate for the first 600 hours and a still-lower 7.8-cent rate for the next 400.
The third option would be to pay the $15 access fee and combine a 4.9-cent per kilowatt-hour usage charge with an additional $3 per-kilowatt “demand charge.” Demand charges are usually calculated based on a customer’s highest average energy needs during the billing cycle. They are meant to determine the capacity utility companies must build to prevent brownouts during times of peak demand.
Most Westar customers would be allowed to choose any of the three plans, including existing rooftop solar customers who would be “grandfathered in.”
“We believe that they made an economic decision to install solar based on the existing costs at the time, and we respect that,” Dawson said. “It makes sense for those folks to continue with their existing plan.”
But if the commission approves the plan, those who install solar after the rate case is decided in October would not be able to choose the first option.
Cromwell said that would instantly destroy demand for rooftop solar installations, because most solar customers are looking to cut their electrical bills by reducing their net usage.
With a cost structure more weighted to a flat monthly fee and less weighted to usage charges, that incentive dissipates.
“Under the proposed changes from Westar, you put solar on your roof, you use less energy and you’re staying the same (cost) as you were before,” Cromwell said.
Cromwell and his company also petitioned to intervene in the case, saying Westar’s proposal would hurt it financially.
Westar filed a May 18 brief to oppose allowing Cromwell’s company to intervene, calling talk of financial damage to Cromwell Environmental Inc., or CEI, “purely speculative.”
“CEI’s concern that Westar’s proposals will discourage solar development is invalid,” the brief states. “Westar has an ongoing partnership with CEI. As is discussed below, CEI has installed several solar facilities throughout Kansas that are either on Westar property or are funded by Westar. Westar’s proposals in this docket will ensure that its partnership with CEI can continue in the future and will foster the continued development of solar generation in the state.”
But Springe said he believes CEI has a solid case for being included in the KCC decision-making process.
“If Westar is allowed to do that (rate structure), if you are selling solar panels to someone, the economics have changed a lot,” he said.
The implications
Cromwell said a KCC decision in Westar’s favor would be a knockout blow to a solar industry that has received a couple recent body shots from state government.
Legislators voted this session to reduce the state’s renewable energy standard from a mandate to a “goal” and to limit to 10 years a renewable energy property tax exemption that had been permanent.
Cromwell said both of those measures are small potatoes compared to the Westar proposal.
The change to the renewable energy mandate was largely symbolic because most of the state’s utilities are already at or near the 20 percent renewable energy standard previously mandated for 2020.
Rep. Boog Highberger, a Democrat from Lawrence, made apocalyptic predictions about the property tax change’s effect on the solar industry, but Cromwell said those were largely overstated.
After 10 years of use, he said, solar panels have depreciated in value to the point where property taxes on them will be fairly negligible.
“I honestly don’t believe it will have that big of an effect on us,” Cromwell said.
But if the KCC approves Westar’s rate structure changes, the effect on CEI will be significant, he said.
Cromwell said he’s confused by what he considers repeated “attacks” on his industry.
The Kansas solar community is small, but he said job growth in the industry is ticking along at a 30 percent to 50 percent clip year over year. While other states encourage solar installation through tax credits, Cromwell said Kansas solar companies don’t ask state lawmakers for any such sweeteners.
“Frankly, it’s basically, ‘Don’t make it worse for us,’” Cromwell said of the solar industry’s lobbying philosophy. “Don’t screw this up.”
Environmental advocates are keen to support energy sources like solar and wean the nation off fossil fuels like coal that remain cheaper but carry hidden costs in pollution and health effects.
Dawson said Westar is committed to environmental conservation, with nearly 1,300 megawatts of renewable energy in its portfolio, a wetlands restoration project and new proposals to allow individual customers to voluntarily pay a little extra each month if they want more of their energy to come from solar arrays.
“Westar Energy has continued to make investments in both wind and solar energy, while taking a common-sense approach: Keep electricity reliable and cost-effective while making renewable energy available for everyone,” she said.
Dawson also said that environmental upgrades to lessen the emissions of an existing coal power plant were “one of the key cost items” that caused Westar to seek the $150 million rate package.
Springe said the dispute with the solar industry is only a small part of the $150 million package. He said his agency will recommend that the KCC split the solar portion from the rest of the rate request and hear it separately, so that it does not become a disproportionate distraction.
That said, Springe believes the solar debate is one worth having, on its own merits. “We expect solar to grow, so how we price solar or how we design rates on Westar’s system appropriate for solar is a big question,” he said.
“I think it’s a question that’s really important we get our hands around and we do it early.” Springe said splitting the solar dispute into a separate rate case would give his agency the time to bring in experts on solar generation, storage and the grid to help form recommendations fair to both rooftop solar users and non-users alike — before more roofs sport the gleaming panels.
“We’ve got to have some very deep discussions going forward about how we do pricing,” he said. “I think we have time to try and come up with the right answer.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
During the last regular meeting of the 2014-15 year, the USD 489 Board of Education passed several much needed maintenance measures at Hays High School.
The only measure not to pass unanimously Monday was the repair of the Hays High Gym A roof at a cost of $5,000. The roof had been damaged in a recent storm, forcing repairs to be made. Fortunately, it was determined the damage was caused by weather, and the full cost of the repair — $109,695 — will be covered by the district’s insurance policy, excluding the deductible, according to Rusty Lindsay,director of buildings and grounds.
While the cost of the repair will be limited to the deductible, the measure brought about debate from the board about how the contractor was chosen.
Member Greg Schwartz argued the process should have been open to a bidding process, however due to the nature of the damage, and the repair being covered by insurance, the process was different than a regular maintenance project.
“There was no bidding because it was insurance,” Lindsay said, also informing the board that, in his experience, it is rare for bids to be sought for an insurance claim. The company that originally put the roof on the building, High Plains Roofing, was sought by the insurance adjustor and will be completing the repairs.
“That section was one High Plains had done, that’s why he contacted him to come back originally and that’s how they ended up with the quote. If it had been O’Loughlin, it would have been Roofmasters’ … ,” Lindsay said. “The adjustor didn’t require anything but just the one quote.”
The board also approved the resurfacing of the HHS running track. The track was built two years ago, but the top layer of the track was not fully installed to help stretch the cost over multiple years. The resurfacing will put another layer on top of the existing material.
Getting contractors to bid for the project was “tricky,” Lindsey said, due to the material necessary to pave the surface being required to be the same as what is currently on the track surface in order to maintain the warranty.
Lindsay said the project is scheduled for July 6 and was in the budget for the year. After the resurfacing, the track will be maintenance-free for at least three years, Lindsey said. The cost of the project is estimated at slightly over $80,000.
The board also passed changes to the lighting in Hays High, opting to continue upgrading lighting from the current bulbs to high-efficiency LED fixtures.
“We chose to go ahead and do the gymnasium project because that’s where the savings were at, but I wanted to go ahead and do the hallway project while the bids were still good,” Lindsey said.
The cost of the updated hallway lighting is estimated at $30,515.
While the project most likely will not be done by the time students return in the fall, Lindsey said it would be a minimal disturbance to students.
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
During Monday’s regular Hays USD 489 Board of Education meeting, the school board wrapped up routine services for the district, getting ready for new board members who will take over in July.
The meeting was the last for three board members, including Greg Schwartz, who has served on the board for 12 years. Both Board President James Leiker and Vice President Marty Patterson are also seeing their time on the board come to an end.
Greg Schwartz
The board voted to renew the trash and recycling program for the district in a unanimous vote. The measure will create no substantial changes to the program from last year.
With no significant changes in the contract, Rusty Lindsay, director of buildings and grounds, said the current contract was extended and no bidding took place.
The board also approved changes to the student handbooks for the 2015-16 academic year. Those updates generally center around technology policies.
Those policy changes are “generic updates with technology policies,” Superintendent Dean Katt said, noting policy changes will be under review during the school year.
During the meeting, the board also took action on money-saving worker compensation options, and the board canceled the meeting scheduled to take place later this month.
“We had looked at that and I think we really don’t have an agenda item. It was to have a work session before the July meeting, but with the board turnover and all of those things I don’t see the need to have that,” Katt said.
The next meeting will be July 6. New members to the board will be Dr. Paul Adams, Luke Oborny and Miranda Fox.
Paul Adams
The Hays Police Department responded to 8 animal calls and 12 traffic stops Monday, June 15, 2015, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Suspicious Activity–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:04 AM
Identity Theft–3000 block New Way, Hays; 11:33 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–1800 block E 25th St, Hays; 12:03 PM
Burglary/vehicle–400 block E 12th St, Hays; 12:31 PM
Civil Dispute–2700 block Fort St, Hays; 12:46 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:58 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 1:07 PM
Drug Offenses–1300 block Schwaller Ave, Hays; 1:41 PM; 1:56 PM
Welfare Check–600 block E 5th St, Hays; 2:35 PM
Theft (general)–2700 block Plaza Ave, Hays; 2:13 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block E 12th St, Hays; 6/12 12 PM; 6/13 12 PM
Disturbance – Noise–1800 block E 24th St, Hays; 4:15 PM
Harassment (All Other)–1700 block Felten Dr, Hays; 5:09 PM
Theft (general)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 6/11; 6/14
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 5:54 PM
Drug Offenses–400 block E 13th St, Hays; 3:52 PM
Animal Call–1300 block E 18th St, Hays; 6:21 PM
Burglary/residence–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 8:28 PM
Mental Health Call–1900 block Holmes Rd, Hays; 8:43 PM
Drug Offenses–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 10:21 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–1700 block of Vine St, Hays; 10:29 PM
Mental Health Call–1200 block Main St, Hays; 10:34 PM
Network Kansas
Simone Elder, Leoti, has been hired as the Manager of Rural Entrepreneurship, Western Region for NetWork Kansas.
She works with nearly 20 NetWork Kansas E-Communities in western Kansas to cultivate entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Elder most recently served as Executive Director of Wichita County Economic Development, a position she held from 2011 until joining NetWork Kansas in March 2015. She is committed to regional collaboration, also serving as a Regional Coordinator with Ogallala Commons and is active within the wKREDA organization.
In this new role, she will provide on-the-ground support for facilitating entrepreneurial activity in rural, western Kansas communities, focusing primarily on NetWork Kansas E-Communities, but also serving as a resource for other communities and fostering a collaborative atmosphere within the region.
Ellis County is an Entrepreneurship Community.
Her longtime passions for entrepreneurship, rural Kansas communities, and youth development coincide in this position.
Elder helped pioneer the Ogallala Commons Internship Program in 2007 and launch the Wichita County youth entrepreneurship fair in 2013.
She credits her interest in entrepreneurship to her entrepreneurial family and entrepreneurial hometown of Atwood. Simone is proud to be “Rural by Choice” and a Kansas Explorer.
She is a lifelong Kansan who graduated with distinction from the University of Kansas in 2011 with a B.S. in business management and leadership studies and a concentration in entrepreneurship.
“As the number of active Entrepreneurship Communities grow across the state, this position will allow for additional engagement and outreach in western Kansas,” Edler said in a news release.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to bring NetWork Kansas’ board certified programs (Growing Rural Businesses, Ice House, Destination BootCamp, and others) to western Kansas communities and businesses who are interested in growing their entrepreneurial capacity.
After leading Wichita County through the E-Community application process in 2012, I look forward to helping both new and existing E-Communities connect with the resources they seek to create more opportunities in rural economic development. I’m energetic about youth engagement, entrepreneurship, and helping rural communities become more sustainable.
Elder may be contacted at [email protected].
NetWork Kansas is growing an entrepreneurial environment in Kansas by cultivating resources to start and grow small businesses. It is a statewide network of non-profit business-building resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners startup and grow successful businesses.
Margaret J. Lee, age 93, died June 14, 2015 at her home in Scott City, Kansas.
She was born on May 30, 1922 in Scott City, Kansas, the daughter of Clarence W. and Rosa Been Dickhut. Margaret served in the United States Navy Hospital Corp at Terminal Island, California.
On May 26, 1945 she married Kenneth R. Lee at Wee Kirk of the O’Heather in Long Beach, California. He preceded her in death on November 8, 1982.
She attended Scott Community High School and Kansas State University.
Together Margaret and Kenneth owned and operated Lusterite Cleaners for 18 years. She also worked as the office manager for the Scott City Clinic.
She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, CWF, El Quartelejo Study Club, all of Scott City and the Alpha Xi Delta Sorotity of Manhattan, Kansas
Other Survivors include:
Two Sons: Greg Lee of Dallas, Texas
Richard Lee of Yorba Linda, California
Three Daughters:
Sharilyn Wilken of Modoc, Kansas/Dallas, Texas
Mary Berning of Scott City, Kansas
Nancy Engquist of Omaha, Nebraska
Six Grandchildren, and 13 Great-Grandchildren.
She was Preceded in death by her husband, parents, and one brother Wendell Dickhut.
Funeral will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May18, 2015 at First Christian Church in Scott City with Rev. Scott Wagner and Steve Payne presiding. Interment will be at Scott City Cemetery.
Visitation hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City.
Memorials are suggested to the First Christian Church or St. Catherine Hospice, all in care of the funeral home.
Elizabeth Jane (Betty) Bishop, age 91, passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at Wichita County Long Term Care in Leoti, Kansas.
Betty was born September 29, 1923 in Craig, Missouri, the daughter of John L. & Carrie E. Twadell Pflaumer. A resident of Wichita County, Kansas since 1945, she was a farm wife and homemaker.
Betty was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Craig, Missouri. She was also a member of the Wichita County Historical Society, a 4-H Leader specializing in Knitting and was formerly a Wichita County Women’s Bowling League member.
On June 24, 1945 she married Kenneth R. Bishop in Kansas City, Kansas.
Betty’s surviving family includes-
Her Husband-
Kenneth R. Bishop- Leoti, Kansas
One Son-
Kelly & Chris Bishop- Leoti, Kansas
One Grandchild-
Kyla Rae & Paden Owens- Minneapolis, Kansas
A Nephew-
John J. Casteel- Craig, Missouri
Her parents and a sister, Mary Katherine ( Kate ) Casteel, precede her in death.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 am, Thursday, June 18, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church in Leoti, Kansas with Terry Laws officiating.
Burial will be in Leoti Cemetery in Leoti, Kansas.
Friends may call from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm Wednesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Leoti, Kansas
Memorials may be given to Wichita County Long Term Care, Leoti E.M.T.’s or the Museum of the Great Plains in Leoti, Kansas in care of the funeral home.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com,
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It is laughable in a way, actually hilarious in that it is so far fetched. Unfortunately, what is so very sad, there are a lot of people who believe this off the wall rhetoric I am about to mention.
Has our president gone off his rocker claiming such things as drought in a Middle Eastern country causes radical terrorism because they are poor and striking out in frustration? And, the drought, or whatever, is caused by “climate change” that we can do something about? What happened to the ideology embracing Allah, Muhammad and the Quran and all that stuff about killing non-believers?
Then Obama goes on to say “climate change” could cause how our military fights terrorism as if it is possible to push a button to give our soldiers the best weather to go into battle? Maybe our Commander in Chief’s rhetoric is to test the waters, so to speak, for a script he is writing to a science fiction movie?
The claim radical Islamic terrorism is due to climate change and we can reduce the problem by changing the climate is preposterous.
Man’s emission of carbon into the atmosphere caused global warming didn’t fly scientifically, therefore, liberals unscientifically changed it to man’s carbon emissions causing everything under the sun; that being rain, snow, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, cold weather, even warm weather. Just name it. That scenario in and of itself is an insult to one’s intelligence.
There is no definitive proof that a change in climate is caused by man period. There is no computer model that can capture all aspects of climate change and it is a lie that there is scientific consensus on this issue.
Obama’s goal to regulate current energy sources is nothing more than another attempt for big government to control more of our lives. The climate change issue is all about politics and very little to do about science. It’s even become a religion for some having nothing to do about facts.
Then, as he did with the Stimulus Bill in 2009, give millions of taxpayer monies to his friends and supporters to create green stuff. They will in turn take your money and mine and return a good portion to Democrat coffers. Surely, by now readers know that most of the green energy companies he gave money to in 2009 went bankrupt with taxpayers holding the bag, but Obama got back a lion’s share before those bankruptcies to run his 2012 campaign for re-election.
It is mindboggling to think there are people believing in our president and Secretary of State John Kerry that our biggest threat to national security is not ISIS, but climate change.
If climate change is due to man, why all the research coming from the scientific community where the data is fraudulent? Data is being doctored all over the place and causing many to lose respect for scientists who will do anything to get more federal funds.
If Obama and his leftist liberal friends have their way, we will see the biggest scam ever in American history.
Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.
KDOT
Starting June 22, weather permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin work on a chip seal project on U.S. 183 in Phillips County. The project covers a 13-mile stretch of roadway starting at the Phillips/Rooks County line and ending at the U.S. 183 and 36 junction in Phillipsburg.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in the construction zone and controlled by flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays, not exceeding 15 minutes, can be expected. Motorists are encouraged to slow down, obey the warning signs and “Give ‘em a Brake!” when approaching and driving through work zones. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June, weather permitting.
Mid America Road Builders Inc. is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of $630,000.
