Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Orthopedic Physician and Surgeon Dr. Oluwaseun Akinbo MD; from from Hays Orthopedic Institute at HaysMed, by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
Month: August 2018
HaysMed recognizes 2018 1Q patient satisfaction award winners
The Acute Care Unit, Special Nursing Service, DeBakey Heart Clinic and HaysMed Volunteers were recently named the patient satisfaction award winners for the 1st quarter of 2018 at HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System.
Each quarter HaysMed recognizes the patient satisfaction award winners based on results from CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) surveys administrated by HealthStream. Health Stream is the research firm HaysMed contracts with to conduct the government required Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) hospital surveys on patient experience. The CAHPS survey is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of hospital care. The CAHPS Hospital Survey is a survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience. Four areas are recognized every quarter including an inpatient department, an outpatient department, a clinic and a non-clinical area.
The Acute Care Unit was recognized for having the highest rating for courtesy and respect for the first quarter of 2018. Their unit score was 95.4% putting them at the 96th percentile. Acute Care is a 46 bed unit. They have a total of 68 Associates including fulltime and part time staff. In 2017 they had 2458 admissions.
Special Nursing Service, an outpatient department had the highest rating for courtesy and respect scoring 100% putting them at the 99th percentile. The department has 10 full time RNs. They average 9000 procedures a year.
Garnering the clinic award was the Debakey Heart Clinic. Their score was 98% putting them at the 95th percentile. The clinic saw over 9676 patients last year.
The Volunteers received the Customer Service Award for their significant contributions to the mission, vision and values of HaysMed. There are approximately 200 volunteers with 100 who are active on a monthly basis. They man the four information desks, run the Gift Shop and monthly blood screens, help with the blood drives and also craft and sew for the annual bazaar. They are the face of our hospital.
WINKEL: Compost, more than you thought
Part I
Compost is the single most important supplement you can give your garden in the form of mulch and/or soil amendment. It could be something you might seriously consider using in place of synthetically made fertilizers. By incorporating compost into soil, improvement can be had in soil structure, texture, aeration and even in water-holding capacity of sandy soils. On the contrast, compost can open up clayey soils, allowing for better water percolation. Its addition can even enhance soil fertility thereby prompting healthy root development in plants. The topper, however, is that compost made at home is inexpensive. You can make it without spending a cent, whether in a pile or in a pit.
The organic matter that compost comprises of provides food for microorganisms, which in turn keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. These microorganisms break down organic waste, turning it into a nutrient rich medium for your garden. Many microorganisms found in compost are adapted to the high temperatures characteristically found in the decomposing process. They require an adequate mixture of oxygen and moisture to successfully do the job. Too much water will cause reduction in the needed oxygen, where not enough water can also drastically slow microorganisms from conducting their activity. Ideally, the compost pile should have approximately 40 to 60% moisture, or maybe better said, like a well wrung sponge.
To outline the best procedure for composting, there are a few important points to take into account. Frist, build your compost pile with those materials high in carbon and nitrogen, also known as “browns and greens”. The carbon-rich “brown” material consists of items like branches, stems, dried leaves, peels, bits of wood, bark dust or sawdust pellets, shredded brown paper bags, corn stalks, dryer lint, conifer needles, straw, peat moss, and/or wood ash. Browns give compost its light, fluffy body. Greens on the other hand consist of nitrogen or protein-rich material like herbivore manures, food scraps, coffee grounds, green lawn clippings, lawn and garden weeds (without seeds), and green leaves. These items provide raw materials for making enzymes.
A healthy compost pile should have more carbon than nitrogen. A simple rule of thumb is to use one-third green and two-thirds brown materials. The bulkiness of the brown materials allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the organisms that reside there. Too much nitrogen makes for a dense, smelly, slowly decomposing anaerobic mass, not unlike what happens when a thick layer of fresh grass clippings goes undisturbed. Good composting hygiene means covering fresh nitrogen-rich material with carbon-rich material, which often exudes a fresh, wonderful smell. When in doubt, add more carbon!
Want to start your own compost pile? Start by following this link, https://bit.ly/2AwhCPy , to a video called Choosing a Bin provided by Kansas Healthy Yards. If you are wondering how long composting will take, follow this link, https://bit.ly/2O2VJtf , to another video provided by Kansas Healthy Yards. For more information about how composting works, follow this link, https://bit.ly/2mZFYYe , to the “Building Better Soils for Better Crops” chapter called Making Compost. Next week will cover the dos and don’ts of what goes into your compost pile and how to use your compost when it’s ready.
Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.
Independent candidate for Kan. governor wants to lure votes from Kobach
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas election officials certified independent Greg Orman as a candidate for Kansas governor on Friday, and the businessman immediately tried to appeal to disaffected Republicans, who he said view GOP hopeful Kris Kobach as “incompetent and corrupt.”
Orman’s entry into the race presents a major obstacle to Democrats, who had hoped to lure the same moderate Republicans away from Kobach, a favorite of President Donald Trump because of his fervent support for tough immigration and voter ID laws.
The secretary of state’s office posted a short statementsaying Orman had presented enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot in November.
Orman, 49, will face Democratic State Sen. Laura Kelly of Topeka and Kobach, whose nomination was only settled this week after Gov. Jeff Colyer conceded in a primary with a razor-thin margin of some 350 votes out of more than 316,000 cast.
“I think there are lots of Kansas Republicans who view Kris Kobach as not only extreme but incompetent and corrupt and I think those Republicans … will be very attracted to my background,” Orman told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement.
Democrats were gearing up for a potential legal challenge to Orman’s certification. Many Democrats have worried that Orman will pull votes away from Kelly, 68, making it far easier for the 52-year-old Kobach to win with less than a majority of the vote.
The GOP began a clean sweep of statewide and congressional races in 2010. But the state also has a solid bloc of moderate GOP and independent voters and a history over the past 50 years of alternating between electing Republican and Democratic governors. Orman says he can build a coalition starting with voters upset with both parties, and he cites the value of having an independent governor who will lack “natural political enemies.”
The certification of Orman as a candidate was made by the same office Kobach heads as secretary of state. But officials said the 10,260 signatures submitted by Orman were reviewed by individual counties and Kobach did not participate.
Orman ran as an independent against U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in 2014 and did so well in initial polling that the Democratic candidate dropped out to create a better chance of toppling the veteran Republican. Orman lost by 10.5 percentage points after Roberts got campaign help from several GOP stalwarts, including Sarah Palin, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul.
Orman made the ballot by submitting more than 10,000 signatures in early August. He needed 5,000 valid signatures to qualify.
On Orman’s website, he says he supports stronger background checks for gun buyers, ending the sale of bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, setting a minimum age of 21 to buy an AR-15 or other semi-automatic weapon and requiring training and licensing for a concealed-carry permit. Orman said he supports the Second Amendment but would like to revisit which types of arms Americans have a right to own,
During the 2014 Senate race, Orman described himself as “pro-choice” and said abortion policy was a matter of settled law and the nation should move on.
Orman’s running mate John Doll is from Garden City and left the Republican Party to run for lieutenant governor.
An independent candidate for governor last came close to winning in 1932.
Orman graduated from Princeton in 1991 and founded Environmental Light Concepts, a firm that designed and installed energy-efficient lighting systems for commercial and industrial use. The company had more than 120 employees when a majority of it was sold to Kansas City Power and Light in 1996.
After a stint with KCP&L, Orman co-founded Denali Partners, a private equity firm, and later became managing member of Exemplar Holdings LLC, which oversees several innovation companies.
Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball announces new staff accountant
ABBB
The certified public accounting firm of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd. (ABBB) is pleased to announce the addition of Brittany Gleason to their professional team. Gleason joins the firm as a staff accountant and will be working in ABBB’s Hays office.
“We’re pleased to have Brittany join the ABBB team,” said Brian Staats, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of ABBB. “We look forward to watching her grow and develop as an accounting professional.”
Gleason studied accounting at Kansas State University (KSU), earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2017 and a Master of Accountancy in 2018. She is a member of the KSU Alumni Association and the Kansas Society of CPAs (KSCPA).
Raised in Kinsley, Kansas, Gleason currently resides in Hays. She enjoys spending her free time cooking, reading, exercising, and attending sporting events—especially those of her alma mater.
Day Trippin’: Tour some trippy art in Lucas
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
On the map: Lucas, Kansas Distance from Hays: 65 miles Drive time: one hour
So for this week’s road trip, we are going to flash back a year to my first trip to Lucas and Luray last fall.
I am an art lover, and there is a lot of weird and wacky art in Lucas to love.
Lucas is only 16 miles north of Interstate 70 off the Wilson exit.
Lucas is probably most famous for the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is on the National Register of Historic Places and was named a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art. I am neither an art critic nor enough of a student of history to make any educated comments about the Garden of Eden. It is just something you need to see and evaluate for yourself.
Garden of Eden
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor was the grand architect of the Garden of Eden. He was a retired schoolteacher, farmer and Civil War nurse. His art was influenced my the Populist movement as is evident in some of the sculptures in the garden, including “Crucifixion of Labor.”
Of course, as the name of the Dinsmoor’s art experiment indicates, the Garden of Eden also had biblical influences with appearances of the Devil and Adam and Eve, who were originally naked, but Dinsmoor later clothed them — to the relief of his neighbors.
Dinsmoor makes a comment on the predatory nature of both animal and human kind. In the garden, a fox chases a cat who pursues a bird who stalks a worm, which is eating a leaf. A Native American is aiming at the fox with a bow and behind a solider aims a rifle at the Native American. A woman reaches to stop the soldier from firing the rifle.
Dinsmoor also constructed a mausoleum for he and his wife. His remains can be viewed by visitors today in a glasstop concrete coffin that he constructed. I skipped that part of the tour.
He started constructing the 150 sculptures outside of his home in 1907 when he was 64. During the next 22 years, he would use 113 tons of concrete and tons of limestone to construct the Garden of Eden.
You can also tour the inside of the home, which is decorated as the Dinsmoor would have lived prior to his death in 1932.
The Garden of Eden is open 1 to 4 p.m. daily in March and April and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily May through October. November through February, tours are available from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only. Admission is charged for tours.
The weirdness does not end there. Lucas is a hotbed of folk art.
Just east of the Garden of Eden is Miller’s Park. Roy and Clara Miller built miniature Lucas buildings from rocks and sea shells they collected while traveling in the 1930s through ’60s. They also made towers of slag glass and barite roses. The collection resided in Hays for a time before being moved back to Lucas in 2013.
Along the same vein as Garden of Eden and the Miller’s Park, the Grassroots Art Center, whose exhibit space was opened in 1999, was created to preserve the art of untrained artists in the Midwest. Grassroots has both permanent exhibits like Herman’s Drivers’ car and life-size motorcycle made of pop tabs as well as temporary exhibits.
You can see portraits made out of grapefruit rind by Betty Milliken or painted limestone sculptures created by auto mechanic, truck driver and traveling evangelist Inez Marshall. Ida Kingsbury spent the years after her husband’s death decorating her yard with anything she could repurpose, including teapots, two liter pop bottles and plastic animals.
“Button Masterpieces” by Charles Berendt from Denver is on temporary display through Sept. 25, and Dennis Clark’s “Imaginary City” will be on display through November.
See the Grassroots Arts Center website for more information on admission and hours.
The outdoor Post Rock Courtyard in the rear of the Grassroots Art Center exhibits a tribute to the limestone carvers of the area and also incorporates metal and glass for a dazzling display of color, texture and light.
A visit to Lucas would not be complete without visiting the restroom that was named the nation’s second best place to flush.
Bowl Plaza is in the 100 block of South Main Street. The public restroom is covered inside and out with a mosaics of tile, glass, dominoes and glass bottles. The local effort to create the fancy porcelain palace was led by Mri-Pilar and Eric Abraham.
Mri-Pilar also created 15 colorful fork sculptures in the art park next to the Bowl Plaza.
Brant’s Meat Market is back in Lucas after a short hiatus. Brant’s, which has been in business since 1922, specializes in homemade bologna and sausages and was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce.
The Facebook post announcing the store’s closing earlier this year reached over 77,000 people, and the store was inundated with telephone calls and messages from customers hoping to get one last order in before they sold out.
Adam and Ashley Comeau of Plainville stepped in to help save the Lucas staple.
See related story: Brant’s Market in Lucas to reopen this summer
Other notable stops in Lucas are the Florence Debbie Sculpture Garden, 126 Fairview. Debbie created concrete and rock sculptures based on famous landmarks, such as Mount Rushmore. The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World Largest Things is the brain child of Erika Nelson. She has a gallery of these oddities in her new downtown storefront at 214 S. Main St. The attraction is open by chance or by appointment.
Some eclectic items to create your own folk art may be found at Aunt Gertie’s Art and Antiques, 304 E. Second. Check their Facebook page for current hours and to see new goodies for sale.
If you’re hungry, you can grab some eats at the K-18 Cafe, 5945 Kansas Highway 18 or Backstreet Bakery at 208 S. Main St. One look at their Facebook page and I was ready to drive to Lucas for a piece of fresh peach pie.
For a side trip, keep going north on K-18, and you will come to the little town of Luray. At the K-18 rest area across from Main sits a log cabin built by Civil War veteran Jonathan Wesley Van Scoyoc.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, Luray will host Craftique. Every possible spare space in the small community is opened for crafters. Last fall, I had a pleasant stroll downtown, popping in and out of buildings to pick up some fall decorations and get a head start on Christmas shopping.
Other links to check out while you are planning your trip:
Russell County Economic Development and CVB
Corrected at 7:07 p.m. Sept. 18 for address of World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World Largest Things.
Judge refuses to dismiss federal charges against Kan. county commissioner
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday rejected defense arguments that the U.S. government needlessly interjected itself in matters traditionally reserved for states when it charged a Sedgwick County commissioner with fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors have accused Michael O’Donnell of fraudulently obtaining $10,500 from his campaign accounts for his personal use during his races for the county commission and the Kansas Legislature.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren ruled that the defense team had not provided any reasons he could dismiss the charges under federal procedures.
Melgren was highly critical of the defense contention that the federal charges should be dismissed because O’Donnell could have been charged under state law regulating the alleged campaign finance violations.
He noted gun and drug cases make up the majority of his federal caseload even though the same violations could be charged under state law.
In May, O’Donnell pleaded not guilty to the initial 12-count indictment charging him with wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering for allegedly stealing from his campaign accounts.
The expanded 26-count indictment this week charges him with wire fraud and money laundering but drops the earlier bank fraud counts and some wire fraud charges related to reports filed with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
His first court appearance to enter a plea on that new indictment is Aug. 28.
O’Donnell, a Wichita Republican, was elected to the state Senate in 2012 for a term that ended in January 2017. He did not run for re-election and instead was elected to the Sedgwick County Commission. The term is set to expire in 2020.
He remains free on bond and continues to serve as county commissioner.
KC man who killed cyclist in DUI crash gets 120-day sentence
KANSAS CITY (AP) – A man who was under the influence of drugs when his car and hit and killed a 32-year-old Kansas City bicyclist was sentenced to at least 120 days in prison.
32-year-old Joseph Lasala was sentenced Thursday for involuntary manslaughter in the April 2016 death of Anthony Saluto.
Prosecutors say a vehicle driven by Lasala was driving east in central Kansas City when it veered into the westbound lanes and hit Saluto on his bicycle.
Investigators determined Lasala was speeding and was under the influence of cocaine, marijuana and opiates.
If Lasala successfully completes the 120-day sentence he will be on probation for five years. If he violates his probation, he would serve up to seven years in prison.
🎥 City commission: Park proposals supported but many concerns remain
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Two local groups hoping to fund and build additions to two Hays parks presented their proposals to city commissioners Thursday night.
The commission favored the visions of both projects but is concerned about the details of each plan as well as long term maintenance costs of the structures.
Vance Chartier, Veteran Alliance Project Director, talked about a proposed “General [Alexander] Hays Veterans Memorial” to be built in Veterans Memorial Park, 13th and Canterbury.
Alexander Hays was a Union Army general in the Civil War. Fort Hays and the city of Hays are named after him.
“We want this to be a place to honor veterans, to reflect and think about the sacrifices that have been incurred, and for families to come and remember their loved ones that have fallen,” said Chartier, who is also director of the Kansas Merci Boxcar museum in the same park.
The 2,000 square foot new memorial, a star shape made of steel panels, would surround the existing limestone obelisk memorial to Ellis County veterans. Names of northwest Kansas veterans from historic Fort Hays to today would be engraved on the proposed memorial.
The Veteran Alliance, composed of The Society of 40 Men and Eight Horses, Voiture 1543 and Patriot Outreach with the support of American Legion Post 173, Marine Corps League 970 and the Hays Veteran Business Coalition, wants permission to build in the city’s park. They would not ask the city for any money to support the project, according to Chartier.
Chartier said the group has already chosen a contractor. Vice-Mayor Henry Schwaller explained the city would have to open up the project for bids because the memorial would be on city property.
“This would be an excellent addition to the community,” Schwaller said, “but to pull off a project of this size and this scope might outstrip the resources of the partner organization.
“I do want this to happen,” he continued, “but because this is not our land – it belongs to the residents of Hays – we cannot have any screwups. …We also don’t want to commit to something that three to five years down the road could be a problem for the future commission to handle.
“It’s no disrespect to what you’ve done. It’s just that we need a little more information before we can proceed.”
The commission asked Chartier to come back with a more detailed action plan as well as the support of all the veterans organizations.
Mike Morley, senior vice commander of VFW Post 9076, told commissioners his group has several concerns about the project including the lack of community input. “The local post does not lend its support to this project,” said Morley.
The local VFW Post officers also feel fees involved with the project are too high.
“It was presented to us that 15 percent of the money collected would go to fundraising and other administrative costs which we thought was excessive,” Morley said. He also noted there are already a number of veterans memorials in the community.
“The VFW is a service organization. We have our Honor Guard, which every year buries dozens of veterans throughout northwest Kansas. When we fundraise, we want it to go to things like that Honor Guard, for the service officers who help returning veterans fill out a VA disability claim, and direct aid for veterans in our community who might be unable to pay a utility bill or rent.
“We certainly applaud the intent behind the project,” Morley concluded, “but we think there’s other ways to honor veterans that can mean so much more and be more impactful.”
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs told the memorial group they “have the cart before the horse.”
“And I don’t want you to leave here thinking we don’t support veterans,” she emphasized. “Brian Nichols was a dear friend of our family. My son-in-law is a colonel in the Army, active. We understand and we appreciate. I think I was as clear as I could be earlier. It’s about your project and about your plan and about your execution on that plan.”
The second group asking to build an addition in a city park group believes their $1.6 million dollar accessible recreation complex would be a “destination stop” in Hays.
“Families with children who have special needs often travel by car because it’s easier to manage their child’s complex medical needs,” explained advocate Sarah Meitner. “How wonderful would it be to have this haven here in Hays for those families to stop and stretch their feet.”
The city commissioners agreed there is such a need for visitors and local residents alike, and expressed support of the proposal put forth by Arc of the Central Plains to build it in Seven Hills Park, 33rd and Hillcrest.
Meitner, the mother of a special needs son, says the non-profit group would raise the money to build the complex. When completed, it would be gifted to the city which would then maintain the facility.
Those future costs concern Commissioner Ron Mellick.
“I’m worried about ongoing maintenance because it’s all going to have to be replaced and what it’s going to cost,” Mellick said. “We’ve had sustainable budgets and then we put this in, and all of a sudden our budget – we have to raise the mill levy.”
The accessible recreation complex would consist of a playground, baseball field, and splash pad.
Schwaller called the proposal “the best I’ve ever seen from the public.” He said it has the support of the city and encouraged the group to move forward with a request for design proposals and its fund raising.
Kan. postal worker gets big surprise: Snake on the mailbox
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Rain, snow, sleet, even barking dogs are fine, but a Kansas postal worker had to draw the line when he found a red tail boa constrictor draped over a mailbox.
The letter carrier was delivering mail Friday in Overland Park, a Kansas City suburb. The huge snake was on the mailbox on the front porch.
A Ball Python was found my a mailman and called Animal Control. The poor resident did not receive their mail today (obviously). The @OPPD_PIO is trying to talk the Animal Control Officers to put the snake under the @OPPD_Chief desk, but they won’t. pic.twitter.com/YqahoO2pVn
— Overland Park Police (@OverlandPark_PD) August 17, 2018
The letter carrier called animal control. It took three officers to wrangle the reptile, which was taken to an animal rescue center.
Police spokesman John Lacy says the snake probably escaped from a nearby home. He was hopeful the owner would report it missing.
As for the letter carrier, he didn’t stick around. The police department posted on Twitter, “The poor resident did not receive their mail today (obviously).”
Weekend Weather & Gas Report
MARSHALL: Doctor’s Note August 17
Friends,
This week I hosted six more community coffees. I started in Ashland on Monday, visited Cimarron and Garden City on Tuesday, jumped over to Scott City and Beeler on Wednesday, and ended the week in Buhler.
It was evident in our stops that tariffs and trade, immigration, and the Farm Bill are some of the top issues across the district.
In addition to our coffee stops, I had great discussions across the district on issues like rural broadband, agribusiness development, school safety, and teacher appreciation. I also rode around with Dr. Randall Spare, DVM of Ashland and spoke with residents in Beeler to hear progress updates on rebuilding fences, cattle herds, and homes after last year’s devastating wild fires.
I am enjoying my time traveling and hearing from so many different people.
Please if you haven’t yet, join us on our Community Coffee Tour! Click HERE for next week’s schedule. We’ll be in Goodland, Hoxie, Norton, Downs, St. Mary’s, Onaga, Clay Center, and Ellsworth.
One-size-fits-all regulations don’t work.
Regulations are one of the leading killers of innovation and job growth. Companies like Kincaid Equipment are facing one-size-fits-all emission regulations that will mean thousands of additional costs for the Haven, Kan., manufacturer.
On day one, this administration started rolling back burdensome regulations on our small businesses. We must continue to do so to help our Kansas communities.
Meeting with the Agribusiness Council
Wichita is one of the largest economic hubs of our state, and so much of what we do in the First Congressional District runs through the businesses and organizations in that city. Because of the interconnectedness of the state, I believe it is vital that everyone in the state’s agriculture industry work together to support the state’s farmers and ranchers.
I was honored to speak with members of the Wichita Agribusiness Council to discuss the Farm Bill, trade, tariffs and other issues impacting ag. As I begin my work on the Farm Bill Conference Committee, it’s important to continue to have these discussions and fully understand how this legislation impacts all industries supporting agriculture so I can advocate for all producers.
Quality Care in Southwest Kansas
The last time I was in Ashland, this hospital was still under construction. It was miraculously saved from the Starbuck Fire that swept through Clark County in early 2017 and is now a beautiful medical center delivering quality care to the people of south-central Kansas.
My district is home to some of the best small hospitals in the country, and I continue to work hard in Washington D.C. to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all.
Communities recovering from 2017 Starbuck Fire
After the 2017 Starbuck Fire devastated thousands of acres of farm and ranch land in Southwest Kansas, I spoke with impacted farmers and ranchers to learn how we could help them rebuild. Their concerns included regulations on new fencing and accountability for their lost cattle.
Over the past two days, I have had the opportunity to meet with folks in Clark and Lane counties to assess the recovery efforts and discuss what the future looks like for their farms and families. Residents in both counties said grass has returned and fences are back in place. There are still signs of the devastation, but life is moving forward.
Kansas farmers are incredibly resilient, and I was proud to be able to include changes to current programs in the 2018 House Farm Bill to help with the fire recovery efforts.
Ellis Co. Commission canvasses election results
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission canvassed the results on the 2018 August primary election in a special meeting Thursday.
According to Ellis County Clerk and Election Officer Donna Maskus there were 36 provisional ballots cast in the August 7 Primary Election. Thirty-three of them were counted and added to the vote totals in Ellis County during the almost two hour process Thursday.
Maskus said the three people whose ballots were not counted were not registered to vote in Ellis County.
The largest reason voters were given a provisional ballot was because they changed their address and did not re-register.
Thursday two Canvass Boards made up of three people each finished counting the provisional ballots and advanced mail-in ballots.
The additional votes did not have an effect on the outcome of any of the contested races.
In the Republican race for Ellis County Commission 1st District Butch Schlyer received six additional provisional votes and one vote from an advanced mail-in ballot. His opponent, incumbent Marcy McClelland received one additional provisional vote.
The additional votes bring the final vote total to 642 to 283 in favor of Schlyer.
In the closely contested race for the Republican nominee for Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and Tracey Mann received 871 more votes in Ellis County, than Secretary of State Kris Kobach and running mate Wink Hartman.
The official tally was 1,748 for Colyer and 877 for Kobach.
Kobach defeated Colyer after he conceded the race earlier this week.
In the race to replace Kobach as Secretary of State Republican candidate Scott Schwab outgained Randy Duncan in the statewide race by more than 50,000 (107,498 to 56,564) votes. But in Ellis County Schwab edged Duncan by just 134 votes (998 to 864).
On the Democratic ticket for Governor in Ellis County Laura Kelley edged Joshua Svaty by 103 votes and Carl Brewer came in third with 187. Statewide Kelley collected 79,301 votes and Brewer got 30,885 votes to finish second. Svaty was a distant third.
Turnout was 24 percent. Better than the 18 percent in 2014 and 15 percent in 2012.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger was not at Thursday’s meeting. She appointed Mike Morley to fill in for her. Morley left partway through the meeting and County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes took his spot on the commission for the canvass.
The commission approved the canvass 3-0.