Robert Lewis McKenna, son of Norman McKenna and Leota (Scott) Goss, was born September 26, 1963 in Osborne, Kansas, and passed away at his home in LaCrosse, Kansas, on April 25, 2017, at the age of 53.
Robert grew to manhood in Norton where he graduated from the Norton Community High School. After graduating, Robert moved to Oklahoma for a few years before making his home in LaCrosse working as a truck driver for Swift Oil for many years.
Robert enjoyed technology, fishing, riding his motorcycle, being a bouncer at the jubilee and concerts, and also collecting cars, guns and tools. His greatest love was his family. Robert loved spending time with his family and friends.
Survivors include: his mother, Leota Goss, of Norton; three brothers, Mark McKenna, Brian, and wife, Jennifer McKenna, and Richard McKenna, all of Norton; four step-brothers, Mike Keeney, Sean Keeney, Richard Goss and Rusty Goss; four step-sisters, Kathleen Hidy, Alanna Morosic, Lisa Bohac and Richela Huerta; several nieces and nephews; many other relatives and friends.
Robert was preceded in death by his father, Norman; paternal grandparents; maternal grandparents; step-fathers, Jim Keeney and Dale Goss.
MEMORIAL MASS – Wednesday, May 3, 2017 –10:30 A.M.
PLACE – St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church – Norton, Kansas
VISITATION – Tuesday, May 2, 2017 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M.
Alice Catherine (Conway) Wilkenson passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in Wichita at the age of 99. She was born on January 24, 1918 in Blue Hill, Nebraska to the late Leo and Maude (Arterburn) Conway, after her mother traveled about 100 miles from Plainville, Kansas by wagon, so she could be with her family physician for the delivery. Alice grew up on the farm east of Plainville and after attending Clair’s Country School for eight years, then graduating from Plainville High School with the Class of 1936, she returned to the same old country school where she taught for two years. On June 21, 1938 she was united in marriage to Charles R. “Todd” Wilkenson in Zurich, Kansas. They were blessed with three children.
Alice was a loving homemaker, farm wife, mother and grandmother. After raising their family, she and Todd lived on the farm until moving to town in the 80’s. They always loved taking the grandkids, one at a time in rotation, so each of them could spend quality time being spoiled by Grandma for an entire weekend. Never sitting around at home, they loved to socialize, and enjoyed playing cards, especially Pitch, or just spending time with family and friends. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville, Sacred Heart Ladies Guild, and the square dancing club.
Alice is survived by her daughter Jerry Schrandt of Wichita; grandchildren Paula Barnes of Wichita, Allen Schrandt and wife Dawn of Wichita, Glen Schrandt and wife Erika of Wichita, David Schrandt and wife Leslie of Wichita, and Collyce Gallagher of Denver, CO; and great-grandchildren Natalie, Garrett, Ethan, Morgan, Aaron, Jacob, Lindsey, Madeleine, and Ian.
She was preceded in death by her parents Leo and Maude Conway; husband Todd Wilkenson; brother Loyd Conway and wife Thelma; sisters Bernetha Hackerott and husband Gordon, and Agnes Hrabe and husband Jake; son Robert Lee Wilkenson; daughter Barbara Sharon Gallagher and husband Jack; and grandson-in-law Jack Barnes.
According to Alice’s own words, she grew up poor, but never knew she was poor because all of her friends and neighbors were, “in the same boat.” Whatever she may have lacked in material wealth as a child, was more than made up for in loving and caring for one another as family and friends. By her daily life, she taught us that real wealth is found in the values we share and the lives we touch. Her loving touch remains with us forever.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30am on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2:00-8:00pm on Friday at the funeral home with family receiving friends from 6:00-8:00pm. Ladies Guild Rosary will be at 3:00pm and Prayer Vigil will be at 7:00pm on Friday at the funeral home.
A number of area law enforcement agencies will participate in Saturday’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Each location will be open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit will be in the parking lots of the Hays Good Samaritan Society, 2700 Canal Blvd., and the Hays Visitors Center, 2700 Vine. Residents may drop off unused or unexpired prescription and over-the-counter medications.
The Trego County Sheriff’s Office will accept drop-offs at the Law Enforcement Center in WaKeeney, 525 Warren Ave.
Rooks County officers will be at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, 1210 N. Washington.
Hoisington residents may drop off their unwanted drugs at the Hoisington Police Department, 109 E. 1st. Other area locations are listed below.
The local events are in collaboration with National Drug Take Back Day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Association (DEA).
NAMI-Hays will host the May meetings of Healing After Loss to offer hope, encouragement and understanding to those who have had an adult loss in their lives such as the death of a spouse, parent, sibling or friend.
Tue., May 2, a dinner meeting will be held at the Golden Corral, 383 Mopar Dr., at 5:30 p.m. A gathering will follow at 7 p.m.
Tue., May 16, the dinner meeting will be held at I-HOP, 4000 Gen. Hays Rd., starting at 5:30 p.m. A gathering will follow at 7 p.m.
Thu., May 25, the Come and Go Lunch Bunch will meet at Thirsty’s Brew Pub and Grill, 2704 Vine from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information, contact Ann Leiker at (785) 259-6859 or email [email protected].
CRAWFORD COUNTY — A Kansas man has been sentenced to eight years in prison on drug charges, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
A Crawford County judge sentenced Austin Gossett, 25, Pittsburg, to 96 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Gossett pleaded no contest in March to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 1,000 units of MDMA (Ecstasy). The crime was committed in September 2016.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by the late Steve Wilhoft, assistant attorney general, of Schmidt’s office.
HAYS, Kan. – With the weekend series against Pittsburg State pushed back to Monday and Tuesday (May 1-2), the annual Fort Hays State Baseball Pack the Park event has been moved to Monday, May 1. The event will run for the duration of the doubleheader at Larks Park, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. in game one.
Admission will be FREE for both games. Special promotions include concession specials and giveaways, courtesy of our sponsor Heartland Building Center.
Concession specials include $1.50 hamburgers, bratwursts and beverages all afternoon. Additionally, Heartland Building Center will be giving away limited edition souvenir baseballs throughout the games.
Posters submitted for the 2017 John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day at FHSU.
FHSU UNIVERSITY RELATIONS AND MARKETING
Research and creative work by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members at Fort Hays State University was recognized and celebrated Wednesday at the John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day. This event recognizes the scholarly and creative activities of students and faculty.
The day celebrates the research, scholarship and creative work conducted in the various disciplines within the university. Departments across campus sponsored special activities, including seminars and research presentations.
The main event was a poster and creative works exhibition in the Memorial Union’s Fort Hays Ballroom and the Black and Gold Room. The exhibit featured student and faculty work from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the College of Education, the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.
More than 100 posters were exhibited, and students, faculty and community members participated as presenters or attendees. Special lectures, receptions and exhibits also took place on campus. About 850 visitors streamed through the day-long exhibit.
Awards were given for poster presentations to undergraduate, graduate, and faculty and staff research and scholarly and creative work in empirical and non-empirical categories. Two “People’s Choice Awards,” were awarded by vote of the visitors, one for scholarly work and one for creative.
The award winners are listed with the title of their work.
2017 John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Awardees
Empirical research involves examining a research question that is clearly defined and answerable by using standardized statistical methods on collected data. This may include either quantitatively or qualitatively collected data.
Non-empirical research is a comprehensive and careful consolidation of available information within a domain or a reinterpretation of that information within a new framework or context. Non-empirical research does not use standardized statistical methods on collected data.
Undergraduate Students – Non-Empirical 1st – McKayla Ketchum, Hutchinson senior majoring in nursing, “Taking it to the Next Level.” Co-investigators were Kathleen Ward, associate professor of nursing, and Katelyn Folks, Clay Center senior majoring in nursing. 2nd – Emily Brack, Hill City junior majoring in nursing, “Does Humor in Patient Education Enhance Knowledge Retention?” Co-investigators were Kathleen Ward, associate professor of nursing, and Crystal Nash, Highlands Ranch, Colo., senior majoring in nursing. 3rd – Kimberly Pechanec, Timken senior majoring in athletic training, “How Well do Shoulder Braces Provide Stability at the Glenohumeral Joint in Collegiate Aged Athletes: A Systematic Review.”
Undergraduate Students – Empirical 1st – Luke Rijfkogel, Garden City senior majoring in geosciences, “Cyclothem Characterization for the Eastern Edge of the Cherokee Basin.” Co-investigators were Dr. Steve Tedesco and Dr. Hendratta Ali, associate professor of geosciences. 2nd – Sierra Archer, Valley Center senior majoring in communication sciences and disorders, “Rigid Endoscopes and the Critical Swallowing Evaluation: Current Practices and Views of Practitioners.” The co-investigator was Dr. Phillip Sechtem, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders. 3rd – Jared Ridder, Hutchinson senior majoring in chemistry, “Model Studies of the Doebner Modified Knoevenagel Condensation.” Co-investigators were Dr. Loretta Dorn, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Arvin Cruz, assistant professor or chemistry.
Graduate Students – Non Empirical 1st – Herrick Smith, a St. Augustine, Fla., art and design major, “Chemical Analysis of Local Kansas Clay and Use in Ceramic Art.” The co-investigator was Linda Ganstrom, professor of art and design. 2nd – Jude Loste, a Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, special education major, “Empowering Schools and Family.” Co-investigators were Ashlyn Partridge, a Hutchinson special education major; George Fowler, a Hoyt special education major; Sara McKnight, a Wichita transition-to-teaching education major; and Dr. Brooke Moore, assistant professor of advanced education programs. 3rd – Sean Rogers, a Brandon, Fla., biology major, “Remote Survey of Herpetofaunal Habitat in Western Kansas.” The co-investigator was Dr. William Stark, professor of biological sciences.
Graduate Students – Empirical 1st – Ariel Snyder, a Dodge City biology major, “Fungus and Frogs: Preliminary Analysis of a Survey of Chytrid in Kansas.” Co-investigators were Dr. William Stark, professor of biological sciences, and Daren Riedle. 2nd – Nora Rindt, a Salina special education major, “Pathways to Partnership.” Co-investigators were Jenna Jones, a Lindsborg special education major; Amanda Morgan, a La Crosse special education major; Hillary Raple, an El Dorado special education major; and Dr. Brooke Moore, assistant professor of advanced education programs. 3rd – Allison Hullinger, a Conway Springs biology major, “Critical Habitat Assessment of the State Threatened Broad-Headed Skink.” Co-investigators were Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and Dr. William Stark, professor of biological sciences.
Faculty – Non Empirical 1st – Dr. Yaprak Dalat Ward, assistant professor of advanced education programs, “Using VoiceThread to Promote Active Learning and Learner Engagement in an Online Business Course.” Co-investigators were Dr. James “Skip” Ward, assistant professor of applied business studies, and Edward Tao, computer systems analyst. 2nd– Dr. Brooke Moore, assistant professor of advanced education programs, “Fostering Critical Reflection to Build Culturally Responsive Practices.” 3rd – Amy Schmierbach, professor of art and design, “Caim.”
Faculty – Empirical 1st – Dr. Arvin Cruz, assistant professor of chemistry, “Substituent Effects on the HOMO-LUMO Absorption and Emission of Pt(II)-Biphenyl Complexes containing 1,10-Phenanthroline Derivatives.” 2nd – Dipika Patel, instructor of nursing, “Work-related Stress Among Registered Nurses (RNs) on Acute Care Unit Of Hays Medical Center.” Co-investigators were Dr. Christine Hober, professor of nursing, and Shauna Keil, instructor of nursing. 3rd – Dr. Amanda Buday, assistant professor of sociology, “Not in Your Backyard.” The co-investigator was Fedor Dokshin.
People’s Choice Scholarly – Madison Pittenger, Salina senior majoring in biology, “Herbivory Preferences Among Ecotypes of Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii).” Co-investigators were Keri Caudle, Hays graduate student majoring in biology; Sara Baer; Loretta Johnson; and Dr. Brian Maricle, associate professor of biological sciences.
Creative – Suat Huay “Wendy” Tan, Hays graduate student majoring in art and design, “Beta Mask.”
“This is the 12th year for this prestigious event,” said Leslie Paige, director of scholarship and sponsored projects, “It not only showcases the significant work being conducted by faculty and staff, but also exemplifies the opportunities that FHSU students have to conduct research, engage in scholarship and to produce creative works, with guidance from their faculty mentors.”
Scholarly and creative activity encourages critical thinking, innovation, collaboration, and leadership. Participation provides the opportunity to clarify academic and professional goals while promoting advancement in a particular field of study. Fort Hays State University supports developing new areas of excellence in all disciplines as part of its mission to advance knowledge and further the economic growth of the state.
Named after the late Dr. John Heinrichs, who championed research at FHSU, Scholarly and Creative Activities Day is sponsored by the university’s Scholarship Environment Committee with support from the Office of the Provost, the Deans, the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science, the Graduate School, and the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects.
Door prizes were donated by NexTech Wireless, NexTech, Walmart, Gella’s/LB Brewing, Salon 1007/Rockhaven Spa, Diamond R Jewelry, Couture for Men/Couture for Women, FHSU Alumni Association, University Relations/Marketing, Forsyth Library, University Book Store and Glik’s.
For more information, contact Leslie Z. Paige, director of the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects, 785-628-4349, or by email to [email protected].
Visitors to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History can learn how Kansas has transitioned from sea floor to rolling plains — and what the geologic and ecological future might hold — in a free presentation from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 30.
“Kansas Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future,” presented by Fort Hays State University students, will explore different animals and fossils found in Kansas from the earliest life to the animals found today.
Activities, real fossils that can be touched and fun technology like solar panels and wind turbines will be featured. The museum’s education section designed the public outreach project.
From ammonites and trilobites to mosasaurs and mammoths, the presentation will explain how Kansas has changed to support life in many kinds of habitats, and what Kansas could be like in the future.
This shows a plant with a one gallon can over it for watering
Though advice about growing tomatoes might seem a stretch to be considered subject matter for an outdoor column, every outdoorsman I know grows a few tomato plants each year, even if they have to sneak them in with the snapdragons or hide them amongst the hibiscus. After all, nothing goes better with a freshly grilled venison burger than a juicy slice of fresh tomato. Though my thumb is only mildly green, I have become pretty successful at growing dandy tomatoes, so here are a few tips I find to work well for me each year.
Steve Gilliland
Tomatoes today come in literally dozens of varieties, sizes and shapes. I find it prudent to know a little about the varieties I choose and what they are best used for, and I like to get plants that are resistant to most common tomato ailments. Tomato plants come in 2 different types, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants are bred to grow only about 3 feet tall, to set and ripen their fruit and then they are basically done. Indeterminate plants will keep growing and producing fruit the entire season, (so they’ll need to be well staked and supported) and as long as they are kept alive and healthy through the hot summer, they will begin setting and ripening fruit again when temperatures cool off. So if you want to take advantage of cooler fall weather to keep the tomatoes coming like last year, you’ll need indeterminate plants.
Tomato plants will not set fruit from their blossoms when daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees and nighttime temps exceed 75 to 80, so I plant early to get a start on production before the hot summer arrives like we know it will. I usually plant in early to mid April and surround my plants with structures called Walls of Water. They are round flexible plastic tubes with numerous small compartments that you fill with water. When erected, they form a pyramid about 18’’ tall around and over the plant, open at the top and the water absorbs heat and sunlight to basically create a tiny greenhouse for each plant. Simply remove them when temperatures stabilize. This year I’m also trying 3 varieties, Florida 91, Phoenix and Fourth of July that are bred to be heat lovers and to set fruit in higher summer temperatures.
When actually setting my plants in the ground, I go a little above-and-beyond also. I dig a hole about the width and depth of a one gallon milk jug. In the hole I put a shovel full of good composted manure. Then I add one-quarter cup of Epson salts, which is actually magnesium-sulfate that helps combat blossom end rot on the fruit by adding magnesium, and adds sulfur to help grow good sturdy healthy plants. Add in a small amount of the dirt dug from the hole and mix it up a little with your hands. Set the plant in the hole at least 6 inches deep, pruning off bottom branches if necessary to allow that. This gets the roots down deep immediately to begin feeding and helps the plant develop deep roots sooner to make for a sturdy plant. Water with Miracle Grow Tomato fertilizer or sprinkle a little of the dry crystals in the hole with the Epson salt. An overabundance of nitrogen will cause the plant to grow like gangbusters, but tomato fertilizer is low in nitrogen and high in Phosphate and Potash which the plant needs to produce blossoms and to set fruit. As the season progresses, if your vines are growing well but have few blossoms, feed them with fertilizer high in both Phosphate and Potash. If the vines don’t seem to be growing, feed them a little nitrogen.
I like to water each individual tomato plant at its base which puts the water immediately where it needs to be rather than all over the garden or all over the plants foliage. To help accomplish this, I get empty one gallon cans from the local nursing home kitchen, cut the bottoms from them and place them around each plant, pushing them a couple inches into the ground. To water, simply put a couple inches of water into each can once a week. I also try to cover the bare ground between plants with either black weed barrier or with black plastic garbage bags, weighted down with small pieces of brick or with flower pots. This is a good place to put pieces of broken pots turned upside-down to create what my wife calls “Toad Abodes,” hiding spots for toads during the heat of the day. It doesn’t get much better than to have natures best bug collectors living right there amongst the plants; sort of like the fox living in the henhouse.
Well there you have a few tips I use to grow tomatoes each year. We eat some fresh during the season, but most of our tomatoes are frozen as we get them and used to make homemade tomato soup from a recipe my mom used. There is absolutely nothing like a hot bowl of homemade tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold evening. I imagine lots of you readers also have “tomato tips” you have developed over the years, and if you’d like to share them, send them to me and if I get enough I’ll make an entire column out of them. Yet another way to Explore Kansas Outdoors!
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
“It’s the best thing we ever got.” That’s the type of customer feedback that every company would like to hear. It’s typical of the kind of comment received by Arden and Sally Vernon of EZE-Latch. For anyone who tries to hook up a gooseneck trailer to a truck, this ingenious product from rural Kansas can be a big help.
Arden and Sally Vernon are the owners and founders of EZE-Latch. They both come from rural Kansas. Sally grew up near Turon in western Reno County. Arden grew up near Admire in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas.
“I rode horses to school in the first through third grade,” Arden said. He went on to study animal sciences at K-State, where he met Sally who was studying elementary education. The two got married and began a life together.
Sally became a teacher and taught in various places. Arden joined the U.S. Air Force.
“We joined the Air Force to see the world, and we got as far as Enid, Oklahoma,” Sally said with a smile. After his military service, they moved back to her home area near Turon where she became a teacher. Arden worked with cattle feeders, went into banking, and raised cattle and horses of his own. He bred and sold beautiful Paint horses.
One day he was riding a horse in a pen when the horse crashed into a pipe fence and crushed Arden’s knee. He recovered but he found that one of the tasks which became more difficult was hitching up the gooseneck trailer to his truck.
A gooseneck trailer gets its name from the long narrow extension on the front of the trailer. It contains a coupler which connects to a ball hitch in the bed of a truck for pulling. The challenge is getting the hitch connected. A person backs the truck under the trailer’s coupler, but getting the coupler latched is not easy. It usually requires a person to reach over the side of the truck bed if they can, or to climb into the bed from the tailgate.
This is awkward and inconvenient, and sometimes leads to a person hitting their head or messing up their jeans climbing in or out. After Arden was injured, it became even more difficult.
“My husband is the kind of guy who, when he sees a problem, he can find a way to make it work,” Sally said. Arden invented a device that uses a lever and cable which enabled him to conveniently hitch and unhitch the trailer without leaving the ground. It worked great. In fact, it worked so well that the neighbors wanted one also. As demand for the product grew, it became a business.
Arden named the product EZE-Latch. The latching device also comes with a small mallet which a person can use to tap the pin in or out of position. Arden also invented the EZE-Loc, which disables the trailer’s hand crank jack and thus protects the trailer. EZE-Latch is also a distributor for a portable, wireless backing camera called Swift Hitch. In their retirement, he and Sally now take the EZE-Latch to farm and ranch shows around the Midwest to sell the product.
The EZE-Latch has literally been sold from California to Florida and as far away as Hawaii and Canada. This is an impressive record for a business in a rural community like Turon, population 432 people. Now, that’s rural.
The design is simple yet helpful. “No batteries are required and you don’t have to download an app for it,” Sally said with a smile. It saves a person from clambering in or out of the truck bed and banging one’s head or knees. When Sally and Arden go to farm shows, people will often express to them how helpful this product has been for them.
“It’s the best thing we ever got.” That’s a wonderful testimonial from any customer, and it’s a common comment about the EZE-Latch. We commend Arden and Sally Vernon for making a difference with this innovation. It’s great to have something that makes hitching up a trailer EZE.
Today A 20 percent chance of rain after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 63. East southeast wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west northwest in the morning.
Tonight Rain, mainly after 10pm. Low around 38. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 15 to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. High near 41. Windy, with a north northeast wind 24 to 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday Night Rain. Low around 35. Windy, with a north wind 23 to 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
SundayRain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. High near 41. Windy, with a north northwest wind around 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Sunday NightA chance of rain before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Republican from Overland Park, says he’ll propose a monthly fee on utility bills to help fund education. Denning estimates the fee would raise $150 million a year. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
By SAM ZEFF
A Republican leader in the Kansas Senate says he’ll propose a fee on all utility bills in the state to help fund education.
Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Republican from Overland Park, says his plan calls for a $3 monthly fee on residential electric, gas and water bills in the state. Those with all three utilities would pay $9 more a month. For commercial customers, the monthly fee would be $10 per bill.
The whole package would raise $150 million a year, Denning estimates.
“I guess it is regressive, but on the other side it is very broad,” Denning says. “Everybody wants to pay for their schools. I’m convinced of that.”
The Legislature returns to work Monday with every big issue, including school finance, still unresolved. Lawmakers have to close a projected $900 million budget gap over the next two fiscal years and find millions more for public education to satisfy the state Supreme Court.
Denning says a utility fee is not only broad but manageable and stable.
“Schools take well over 50 percent of our budget,” he says. “So I want something that’s consistent, and the utility fee would be very consistent.”
While Denning says he’s fine with the regressive nature of the fee, other lawmakers are not.
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Democrat from Topeka, says the fee will be a “difficult sell” in the Legislature.
“To put a surcharge on utility bills would be a hardship for the elderly on a fixed income,” he says.
Hensley says he would rather raise income taxes “to not only balance our budget but put an extra $150 million a year” into K-12 public education.
While the Senate has no school funding plan on the table, the House is working on a bill that would add $150 million a year into school funding over the next five years for a total of $750 million.
Details of Denning’s utility fee plan are just beginning to dribble out. Many senators say they haven’t heard about the idea.
Sen. John Skubal, an Overland Park Republican who serves on the Ways and Means Committee with Denning, says the utility fee is regressive, but with the state’s budget issues lawmakers need to consider all ideas.
“I’ll have to study it,” he says.
Sam Zeffcovers education for KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter@SamZeff.
Robert Lewis McKenna, son of Norman McKenna and Leota (Scott) Goss, was born September 26, 1963 in Osborne, Kansas, and passed away at his home in LaCrosse, Kansas, on April 25, 2017, at the age of 53.
Tonight Rain, mainly after 10pm. Low around 38. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 15 to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
