Longtime former Goodland, Kansas, resident James Wayne Abbey, 82, passed away on Monday, October 31, 2016 at Good Samaritan Society – Decatur County, in Oberlin, Kansas.
James was born on August 13, 1934, in Mountain View, Missouri to Emmitt and Frieda (Belew) Abbey. He was one of 14 children. He spent his childhood growing up in Mountain View and graduated from Mountain View High School in 1952.
On August 15, 1954, James married Patricia Ann Widows in Garden City, Kansas. To this union, four children were born; Jim, Pam, Vicki, and Mike.
James worked for the Century Refining Company in Shallow Water, Kansas. After the refinery closed, James moved his family to Goodland where they purchased the Dairy Queen. After selling the Dairy Queen, James went to work for Sherman County as the director of the noxious weed department. After retiring in 1998, James and Patricia moved to Oberlin, where he resided until his death. In Oberlin, his love was spending time working on son Jim’s farm and ranch. The highlight of his life was spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Preceding James in death was his parents, five brothers; Bill Abbey, Jack Abbey, Jerry Abbey, John Abbey and Mike Abbey, two sisters Mary Koonce and Delores Holden, and one grandson Brian Phillips.
He is survived by his wife Patricia of Oberlin, Kansas, his children Jim Abbey and his wife Denise of Oberlin, Kansas, Pam Wright and her husband John of Castle Rock, Colorado, Vicki Phillips and her husband Randy of Burlington, Colorado, and Mike Abbey and his wife Lorie of Goodland, Kansas; nine grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. He is also survived by three brothers; Joe Abbey and his wife LaRee of Willow Springs, Missouri, Rod Abbey and his wife Gail of Gage Oklahoma, and Steve Abbey of Woodward, Oklahoma, three sisters; Pat Brown and her husband Carl of Lawton, Oklahoma, Wanda King and her husband Ken of Woodward, Oklahoma and Diane Cowan of Springfield, Missouri; as well as two sister-in-laws Sandy Abbey of Salisaw, Arkansas and Ann Abbey of Woodward, Oklahoma.
Visitation for James will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2016 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 4, 2016 at 10:00 AM MT also at the funeral home with Pastor Gordon Pettibone officiating. Burial will follow in the Kanorado Cemetery, Kanorado, Kansas.
Memorials may be designated to Northwest Kansas Hospice Services and may either be left at the service, or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Goodland, KS 67735-1555.
Photo by Jim McLean/KHI News Service Adrienne Olejnik, left, plans a day of door-to-door campaigning with Michele Sizemore, her campaign manager.
Out on the campaign trail, there are a couple of competing narratives about what’s going on with the Kansas budget.
Both acknowledge that plummeting revenues have delayed road projects, increased the state’s bond debt and forced cuts in higher education, health care and safety net programs for poor Kansans.
But that’s where the stories diverge.
Moderate Republicans and Democrats running for the Legislature are blaming the 2012 income tax cuts championed by Gov. Sam Brownback for crashing the state budget.
Democrat Adrienne Olejnik made that case early and often during a recent candidate forum on Emporia radio station KVOE.
“The top priority as we all know is the financial cliff that Kansas is now on,” Olejnik said. “We have to re-evaluate the 2012 tax changes because they have proved to be nothing but a disaster for our state.”
Olejnik, director of the Rossville Public Library, is just one of the upstart candidates across the state challenging incumbents on this issue. On the surface she looks like a long shot to win the 51st House District, which covers parts of five Flint Hills counties where Republicans outnumber Democrats roughly three to one.
But as she knocks on doors, she’s being greeted by a surprising number of Republicans who agree with her about “the mess” in Topeka.
“People are frustrated, especially with the LLC exemption,” Olejnik said, referring to the income tax exemption the 2012 law gave more than 300,000 business owners.
“That comes up quite often,” she said. “(Voters) recognize there are groups of people and individuals who are not paying their fair share and yet the person at the door, their taxes are going up.”
In 2015, Brownback and lawmakers raised sales and tobacco taxes to stabilize revenue collections and balance the budget. Spending cuts at the state level also have forced counties, cities and school districts to raise property taxes to maintain services.
Kenneth Kriz, a professor of public finance at Wichita State University who has studied the impact of income tax cuts on the economies and budgets of states, said there is a direct connection between the income tax cuts and the state’s plummeting revenues. He said the first full year after rates were reduced, revenues dropped by $700 million.
“We’ve never recovered the $700 million in lost revenue,” Kriz said. “And every year that goes by we fall farther behind where we would have been under the existing tax code as of 2012.”
If rates had not been reduced, Kansas would be collecting approximately $920 million more in income taxes in the current fiscal year, according to estimates compiled by the Kansas Legislative Research Department.
Conservative Republicans, many of the incumbents, are telling a different story.
“There are a lot of things that have happened that are beyond our control,” said Republican Rep. Ron Highland, from Wamego, the incumbent Olejnik is challenging.
Highland said macroeconomic forces are the reason the tax cuts that he supported haven’t generated the shot of adrenaline that both he and Brownback anticipated.
“The situation has been exacerbated by the economy, both national and international and again in our state, especially here in the Midwest with the falling agricultural commodity prices and the cattle prices,” Highland said.
Highland’s explanation tracks with the talking points that Brownback is using. When the governor appeared recently on Joseph Ashby’s conservative talk radio show in Wichita, he said: “We’ve got in essence a commodity-led rural recession going on in the state. It’s low oil prices, low gas prices, it’s low agricultural commodity prices.”
Kriz said the agriculture, energy and aircraft manufacturing sectors of the Kansas economy are facing “some headwinds.” But he said they are not the main cause of the state’s ongoing budget problems, which, he noted, started several years ago when oil and crop prices were much higher.
“It’s quite possible that there are other factors that are causing kind of marginal changes, a little bit of weakness in revenues,” Kriz said. “However, one can’t get past the fact that individual income tax revenues fell by 25 percent. And that’s a big hole.”
When it comes to how to fill that hole, candidates from both parties appear to agree on one thing: The need to revisit one of the most controversial features of the tax cuts – the exemption given to business owners.
Olejnik said it should be repealed. Highland isn’t that definitive, saying it’s something that lawmakers “need to take a close look at.”
“The concept was to encourage businesses to grow,” Highland said. “The problem is we didn’t put in a stratification where if you grew your business so much, we gave you a little tax break. We just had a blanket (exemption).”
Repealing the so-called LLC exemption would generate between $200 million and $250 million. That’s well short of what most think will be needed to close the hole. Depending on what the Kansas Supreme Court orders in a pending school finance lawsuit, some officials say the state may need up to an additional $1 billion to fully fund next year’s budget.
That means even if control of the Legislature shifts from conservative to more moderate Republicans, lawmakers may once again be forced to choose among raising taxes, cutting spending or doing some of both to keep the budget in the black.
Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith will miss Sunday’s game against Jacksonville after his head bounced hard off the turf twice during last weekend’s game in Indianapolis.
Nick Foles will start in his place and Tyler Bray will serve as the backup.
Smith said Wednesday he never failed any of the concussion tests administered after each of the blows, the second of which knocked him from the game. But after consulting with coach Andy Reid and others in the front office, it was decided he would not be active this week.
Smith will run the practice squad and hopes to play next week at Carolina.
Foles was sharp in relief against Indianapolis, going 16 of 22 for 223 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in the Chiefs’ 30-14 victory.
Running back Jamaal Charles had exploratory surgery on his right knee Wednesday as the Chiefs try to determine why there is lingering pain from reconstructive surgery last season.
The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews, who has repaired both of his torn ACLs.
Charles was placed on injured reserve, which means he will miss at least eight weeks. The four-time Pro Bowl running back could conceivably return for the playoffs, but that appears to be a longshot.
Charles tore his right ACL in Week 5 last season. The Chiefs hoped he would be ready this season, but a series of setbacks limited him to 12 carries over three games
The Chiefs are also likely to be without Spencer Ware for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville. He had not passed the league’s concussion protocol after getting hurt last weekend in Indianapolis.
Students and staff at Hays Academy of Hair Design raised nearly $800 for Ellis County Relay For Life.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The recent fundraiser by Hays Academy of Hair Design for Ellis County Relay For Life was personal.
The school’s marketing director Len Melvin, along with students and staff, presented an over-sized check for $773.12 Tuesday to RFL Committee member Sharon Leikam.
“One of our instructors, Nicole Kroeger, is a cancer survivor and one of our current students, Rachel Amerin, from Plains, has been diagnosed with cancer, and Rachel is here every day,” Melvin said.
Sharon Leikam explains how donations to RFL are used by the American Cancer Society.
“Most of the money raised by Relay For Life goes to American Cancer Society research to find new treatments and to prevent cancer in the first place,” Leikam explained to the group.
Some of the monies stay local.
“Hays is the hub in northwest Kansas for cancer treatment. Sometimes patients and their families need a place to stay during treatment and we can pay for a motel room for them,” she added.
Leikam’s daughter, Deb Alvarez, is a nurse in the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute at HaysMed and a co-chair of the local Relay For Life which was held Oct. 22.
Len Melvin presents the over-sized check to Sharon Leikam.
“Within the last two years, a new drug has been developed that targets lung cancer,” Leikam said, “thanks to research by the American Cancer Society.”
For the fundraiser, Hays Academy of Hair Design picked a Tuesday in October–which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month–to donate half of the day’s proceeds to RFL.
Melvin shows the T-shirt students wear in support of RFL.
The students themselves help raise funds year round, according to Melvin. It’s called #On Wednesdays We Wear Pink.
“On the first and third Wednesday of each month, we’re wearing pink–a color associated with breast cancer awareness. The students buy special pink T-shirts and then pay three dollars as a RFL donation to wear jeans those days,” Melvin said.
“It’s an industry where we can do this,” Melvin said to Leikam, as she thanked him for the donation and the actual check.
Academy co-owner Eric Markley climbs on the counter to take a group shot of the donation presentation.
The donation from Hays Academy of Hair Design put the 2016 Ellis County Relay For Life fundraiser at a little more than $35,000.
SEATTLE (AP) — One week before Election Day, Starbucks unveiled a new cup in the U.S. that it says is meant to be “a symbol of unity.”
The green cup features a mosaic of more than 100 people, including a coffee farmer and barista.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz calls it “a divisive time in our country” and says in a statement that the coffee giant wanted to come up with a symbol to serve “as a reminder of our shared values.”
The cup made its debut on Tuesday, the same day Seattle-based Starbucks brought back its traditional holiday drinks.
But, the company isn’t saying if it will replace the somewhat derided red holiday cup from last year. The simple red design of that cup was criticized by some for lacking in holiday spirit.
From Nov. 11 to 13, the Fort Hays State Center for Entrepreneurship will be hosting the fourth annual Kansas Startup, an event designed to bring entrepreneurs from all over Kansas together to discuss and launch new business ideas.
“Kansas Startup is a fast-paced, high-energy, and it is a lot of hard work” said Henry Schwaller, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship.
Kansas Startup creates an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in starting a business, nonprofit or cause-related organization to learn how to develop their idea.
The event is open to anybody, not just students at FHSU. Although the bulk of participants have been local students, Schwaller said they have had participants from as far as Greensburg and Ashland.
Typically, there are about 40 participants for the Kansas Start up, and Schwaller expects to hit that number once again. Currently, 16 have already signed up.
The weekend begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in McCartney Hall on the FHSU campus. With early registration deadline passed, registration is now $75.
On Friday night, everyone comes together for a social hour to become better acquainted with one another.
Participants will make their project pitches in front of the crowd. Each participant will have 60 seconds to pitch their idea, although you do not need to pitch an idea to participate.
“You may not have an idea, but you may be a part of something that leads to something or leads to you coming up with an idea,” Schwaller said. “Curiosity brings people in, as well. You can simply show up to find out how to launch your idea or just observe.”
Participants will form groups after the pitch session is complete. A ballot will go around to all the participants as they fill out which idea they thought was the best and which one they would want to be a part of.
Once teams are formed, they work on their concepts over a 48-hour period. Each group will receive valuable input and guidance from coaches who all have professional and industry experience, according to Schwaller.
“All the coaches are very qualified … and they will be directly involved to make sure everything is covered,” he said.
Currently there are eight coaches signed up who meet the qualification standards, but Schwaller is expecting more.
The event concludes with team presentations to a panel of judges Sunday evening. The weekend activities begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and will conclude at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Materials are provided by the Center of Entrepreneurship. The only thing the participants need to bring is their brain and laptop, said Schwaller.
Gary L. Miller, age 72, passed away on October 25th, 2016 at his home. He was born in Sacramento, California on May 2, 1944 to Vernon Leroy Miller and Laverne Frances (Britton) Miller. He was married to Jeanne (Montgomery) Hunt on October 26, 1991.
Gary was a 1962 graduate of Cordell High School, Cordell, Oklahoma, and in 1994 graduate of the University of Oklahoma. After high school he was an auto Technician and parts and service manager for an auto dealership in Cordell, Oklahoma. He joined Kiwash Electric Cooperative as an apprentice lineman and worked his way up to Assistant Line Superintendent and safety Coordinator. Gary joined Midwest Energy, Inc in Hays, Kansas in 1987 as Safety Manager.One of his highlights of his safety career was winning the Kansas Governor’s Safety and Health Award for the company working one million hours without a lost day. Gary retired to the Kaw Lake area in 2007.
Gary is survived by his wife Jeanne of the home. Sons, Cris Miller, Andy Miller and J.R. Hunt and wife Bobbi. Grandchildren, Jayden and Peyton Hunt, and Hillary and Andrew Rupp. Brothers, Sam and Ricky Miller. Sisters, Edwinna Smith, Utiva Lammons, Dianna Sherrill, Lela Hicks, Brenda Rable, and Gail Prysiazny. Gary was preceded in death by his parents and one brother.
A Memorial Service will be held at Trout Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Hospice Of North Central Oklahoma 445 Fairview, Ponca City, Oklahoma 74601 or BearCreek Rural Fire Department. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home and Crematory.
Dorothy Barnett, Climate and Energy Project Executive Director
When it comes to clean energy, Kansas utilities have a lot to be proud of. By the end of 2016, nearly 1/3 of Westar customers’ energy will come from wind power. KCP&L wants to invest nearly $30 million dollars in energy efficiency programs for their Kansas customers and our municipal utilities and electric coops are investing in community solar projects, utility scale wind power and energy efficiency programs for their members and communities.
However, there are huge opportunities to grow the advanced energy economy by tapping into business’ growing appetite for clean energy.
At the inaugural Clean Energy Business Council Policy Lunch and Summit, powered by the Climate + Energy Project, Clean Energy Business Council members invited the attendees to join them, as they work to expand the advanced energy economy. The audience of policy makers, utility industry and clean energy stakeholders listened to Governor Brownback and Secretary of Commerce Soave discuss the intricate balance between energy, the environment and the economy along with the economic benefits of growing Kansas renewable energy to 50%.
Experts from the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) shared how states are positioning themselves as advanced energy leaders.
JR Tolbert with AEE outlined the need and the opportunity; 72% of Fortune 100 and 43% of Fortune 500 companies have set climate or clean energy targets. In 2015, 53% of wind power purchase agreements (3.2 GW) across the country were signed by corporate purchasers, however, most of the PPA’s were in restructured electricity markets. Regulated utility states like Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan are among those finding ways to capitalize on this opportunity.
A key policy summit take-away; Kansas doesn’t need to deregulate in order to create a clearer pathway for advanced energy purchases, instead we can consider some policy changes to open up the market for consumers to have more choices.
AEE and ACORE both shared policies working in other regulated states including:
Third party sales of electricity, virtual net metering, and increasing the net energy metering system cap. For large off-site renewable energy purchases, utility renewable energy tariffs (that are based on the price utilities pay for renewable energy), sleeved power purchase agreements, and direct access tariffs are all important policies to discuss.
Even though multiple potential solutions and ideas were presented throughout the summit, an important theme prevailed – we must all work together to build an economically attractive and resilient energy future Kansas deserves.
If you want to be part of the advanced energy conversation, consider joining the Clean Energy Business Council today.
Dorothy Barnett is Executive Director of the Hutchinson-based Climate and Energy Project.
Leona (Lee) Reich-Lundy, 101 of Russell, Kansas, died on October 30, 2016, at the Good Samaritan Society in Hays, Kansas.
A funeral mass to celebrate Lee’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, November 04, 2016, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gorham, Kansas. Burial will follow at the St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Gorham. A Vigil and Rosary will be held at 7 P.M. on Thursday, November 03, 2016, at the mortuary in Russell. The Rosary will be led by the Daughters of Isabella. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Thursday, November 03 at the mortuary.
Memorials may be given to the Russell Senior Center or the Hospice of Hays Medical Center and sent in care of the mortuary.
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
Lifelong Quinter resident Velvyn Eileen (Lahman) Jarboe passed away Monday, October 31, 2016, at Gove County Medical Center Long Term Care Facility. She was 88 years of age.
Velvyn was born September 27, 1928, on the family farm west of Quinter, Kansas to Ralph and Carrie (Jamison) Lahman. She attended Fairview country school and graduated from Quinter High School in 1946. After high school, Velvyn attended McPherson College for one year. On July 27, 1947, Velvyn was united in marriage to Russell Jarboe at the Church of the Brethren in Quinter, Kansas. He preceded her in death on June 21, 2013.
Velvyn was an active member and life-long deaconess of the Church of the Brethren in Quinter, KS. She made herself readily available to help with church events in any way needed. Velvyn was a member of the Quinter Athenaeum Club and the Women’s Circle group at church. She was very hospitable and regularly had people over for meals. She and Russell enjoyed visiting with people, whether at their home or in the hospital. One of their favorite activities was playing cards with several other special couples. Velvyn had a deep devotion to her mother who was in the nursing home for over seven years and visited her nearly every day. She was always willing to help with her daughters’ many 4-H, church, and school activities. She and Russell rarely missed any of their school programs, concerts, plays, or ballgames.
Velvyn’s favorite activity was working in her flower and vegetable gardens. She spent numerous hours raising produce to can and freeze and often shared that produce with others. She was active on the farm helping her husband with the sheep, harvesting crops, and binding feed. When her girls were young, she sewed many garments for them and enjoyed doing embroidery. Velvyn loved spending time with her grandchildren and was always willing to help out with babysitting, even putting aside her own plans many times to watch the children.
Velvyn will be dearly missed by her three daughters, Marilyn Bess of Bone Gap, Illinois, Debbie and husband Curtis Simon of Quinter; and Lori and husband Alan Moore of Hays; seven grandchildren Michelle and husband Steve Edmundson, Suzanne and husband Justin Simmons, all of Bone Gap, Illinois, Stephen Simon and wife Sarah of Quinter, Becky and husband Lance Bruna of Barnes, Andrew Moore of Wichita, Ashley Moore of Hays, and Angela Moore of Niigata City, Niigata, Japan; two brothers, Dwayne and wife Anna Beryl Lahman of Port Ritchie, Florida, Roger and wife Jane Lahman of Longmont, Colorado, two sisters, Delores and husband Bud Fillmore of Wilder, Idaho, Judy and husband Ron Boyd of Nampa, Idaho; eight great-grandchildren, Aidan Waggoner, Jacob Simmons, Austin and Ashlyn Wise, Taylor and Madison Bruna, and Oliver and Autumn Simon; one step-great-grandson, Trenton Simmons; and a host of extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Jarboe; her parents Ralph and Carrie Lahman; a daughter Suzanne Jarboe; and a son-in-law Douglas Bess.
Services will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 5, 2016, at the Quinter Church of the Brethren with Pastor Keith Funk officiating.
Visitation will be Friday evening, from 4:00 to 6:30 at the funeral home in Quinter.
The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Church of the Brethren. Donations made to the church may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.
Condolences may be sent to the family by signing the online guest book at www.schmittfuneral.com.
Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ovid Seifers as the new airport manager for the Hays Regional Airport. Seifers was selected for the position after a national search. He will assume his duties Nov. 7.
Seifers, a Wilson native, has more than 35 years of experience in airport management including Kansas City International Airport, Kansas City Downtown Airport, Richards Gebaur Air Force Base and, most recently, Eagle County Regional Airport near Vail, Colo. Seifers is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
“Mr. Seifers provides a level experience and technical ability previously unseen at the Hays Regional Airport. He will be a valuable asset,” Dougherty said.
Dale C. Sweeney, age 78, of Jacksonville FL passed away October 1, 2016 at the McGraw Community Hospice Center.
Dale was born in Ravenna NE on July 18, 1938. He graduated from Grand Island NE High School and received a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of NE. He was married to Judy L. Raber in Atwood KS on August 15, 1964. Dale had a career in Executive Railway Management for CSX. He was a member of RABO – CSX, Retired Administrators of the B&O.
Dale is survived by Judy, his wife of 52 years; son Sean and wife Ruth, Baltimore MD; brother George (Jerry) Sweeney and wife Mary, Lincoln NE; nephews Patrick T. (Jenny) Sweeney, Breana, Brendan, Plano TX and Kevin J. (Denise) Sweeney, Ace, Daniel, Lincoln NE; sister-in-law Betty J. (Thomas) Budd and families, Asheville NC.
Cremation was chosen and a private family inurnment will take place in Fairview Cemetery, Atwood, KS.
Longtime former Goodland, Kansas, resident James Wayne Abbey, 82, passed away on Monday, October 31, 2016 at Good Samaritan Society – Decatur County, in Oberlin, Kansas.
