Three-day weather outlook
Year: 2019
Annual Ducks Unlimited banquet will be Saturday
The 2019 Hays Area Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet will be Saturday at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with social hour, dinner and live auction to follow. Tickets are available for purchase at ducks.org in advance. Limited tickets will be available at the door.
NW Kansas ranchers take part in trade mission to Uruguay
MANHATTAN — In September, the Kansas Department of Agriculture participated in a trade mission to Uruguay, where the team attended the Rural del Prado 2019, the most prominent livestock show in the country. In addition, the Kansas delegation had the opportunity to meet with officials from the U.S. Embassy and visited three ranches in western Uruguay: El Caballero, Durazno; Rincón de los Tapes, Durazno; and Curupí del Salvador, Mercedes.
Representing Kansas on the trade mission were: Megan Larson, Fink Beef Genetics, Olsburg; Gerri Schumacher, Schumacher Trust Ranch, Hays; Kelly Younkin, Smoky Y Ranch Red Angus, Oakley; and Shirley Acedo, KDA agribusiness development coordinator.
Uruguay is a relatively small beef producer especially when compared to its neighbors, Brazil and Argentina. Despite its status as a small producer, Uruguay has strict sanitary protocols and an extensive traceability system and is well positioned as a leading exporter of beef to markets such as China and the EU. Because of this, Uruguayan breeders are expected to continue to enjoy higher-than-normal returns in 2020. During this time of profitable production, cattlemen in Uruguay are seeking improved and diverse genetics — Kansas producers see this as an excellent export opportunity.
“The Kansas Department of Agriculture provided the opportunity to meet face to face with producers from Uruguay, which is more personable than communicating via email or phone,” said Larson. “It was a way for me to learn more about their type of cattle and provide insights on the advantage of Kansas genetics to their operations.”
Younkin agreed. “I greatly appreciated the opportunity to make this very informative trip to Uruguay. I believe Smoky Y could extend the phenotypic strength of Uruguayan beef cattle while infusing genetic diversity, which matches the core values of Smoky Y Ranch.”
“Trade missions like these are vital to connect Kansans with export opportunities. Trade is contingent upon relationships which are essential to trade exploration and growth,” stated Acedo. U.S. total exports of agricultural products to Uruguay totaled $77 million in 2018. Over the past 5 years, Kansas has exported nearly $1.4 million in agricultural commodities to Uruguay, primarily residues.
The trade mission was organized by KDA and the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc. KDA strives to encourage and enhance economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy by exploring and expanding both domestic and international marketing opportunities. The Kansas Ag Growth Project identified beef as a key component for state growth.
KDA is offering two upcoming opportunities to Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses to participate in State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant trade missions planned for 2020: VICTAM Asia/Petfood Forum Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, March 24-26; and NAMPO Harvest Day, Bothaville, South Africa, May 12-15. Interested persons should contact Suzanne Ryan-Numrich at [email protected] or 785-564-6704.
— KDA
SCHROCK: Teacher shortage — moving, leaving and not entering
Teacher shortages are growing nationwide. Fewer students are entering teaching. More veteran teachers are leaving the classroom. There has always been a shortage in inner city schools, and in specific disciplines such as special education and secondary physics. But now, teacher shortages extend into all disciplines including elementary education. With no overall solutions, more states are lowering the bar, filling positions with online-“trained,” tested-out, or other alternate route “teachers.” In some states, veteran teachers call these recruits “heartbeat” teachers because that appears to be their only qualification, and experienced teachers have the burden of assisting their clueless new colleagues.
Surveys have attempted to assess the reasons for this growing shortage, but few are asking the right questions, often using a query about “school climate” without detailing what specific factors are involved: respect from administrators, threats involving test scores, support of disciplinary actions, etc.?
The National Center for Educational Statistics conducted a nationwide “Schools and Staffing Survey” seven times between 1987 through 2011 and has conducted a “National Teacher and Principal Survey” since. Nearly every state tabulates the extent of its teacher shortage, although there is much variation in the way permit teachers, emergency teachers, teachers with waivers, and other non-standard-licensed or uncertified teachers are counted in or out of the shortage. These variations make it difficult to tally a common set of reasons or extent of the real shortage.
But I have a network of former students who are now secondary teachers, along with a cohort of teachers coast-to-coast who read this column and are eager to share their concerns. Their narrative into why they are losing colleagues provides insight into the complex situations in public schools.
Those teachers fortunate enough to teach in an affluent community were mostly unaffected by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) shift to testing. Indeed, some teachers from poorer or rural districts felt fortunate when they were hired into an affluent district. However, this has left less affluent districts with much higher rates of teacher shortage. —So, different schools, different problems.
The foremost cause of leaving teaching is their loss of professional responsibility caused by the shift to external testing under NCLB. Science teachers were first to leave when they were unable to continue offering genuine labwork and field trips. With the reputation of their school and even their job depending on test results, classwork shifted to teaching-to-the-test rote memorization. Many teachers had to stop using printed textbooks and were directed to use all-online materials. Principals would write in professional journals how the new generation of tech-savvy student teachers were to be preferred to the old veteran teachers who resisted this digital futurism. Some veteran teachers became fed up and retired early or entered science vocations outside of teaching. Teachers in other disciplines likewise retired in growing numbers, expressing relief they got out. Some teachers became mere monitors of a room of laptops under the ironically impersonal “personalized education.” In these last two decades, public school students have seen their teachers de-professionalized; this has a major impact, discouraging this next generation of students from wanting to become teachers. They wanted to change students’ lives, not drill-and-kill student interest.
The second important reason, often hidden in surveys under “school climate,” is classroom discipline and lack of administrative support. Veteran teachers remember when a student who got in trouble at school also got in trouble when they got home. Now it is likely the parent of the misbehaving student will arrive at school the next day to blame the teacher. A survey in the October 6 Education Week found that 69 percent of administrators felt their teachers were empowered to bring problems to them; only 25 percent of teachers agreed. Lack of administrative support is now a serious concern of many teachers.
Money usually is not the reason for rejecting teaching. But more teachers are now finding they cannot afford housing in their school’s community. Potential teachers value education and when the cost of higher education exceeds their ability to pay for their own children’s tuition, it is natural that they choose another vocation. States have failed to keep school teachers’ professional salaries adequate.
Universities that attempt to lure teaching candidates from other fields and train them online and send them into classrooms as rookies with a masters degree (and therefore higher salary) also anger regular licensed teachers who are well-trained and experienced, but paid less with their bachelors degrees.
Finally, lack of respect from our society at-large figures into some teachers decision to leave teaching and in the drop in students entering teaching. In countries that respect teachers, in Europe and Asia, only 2–3 percent leave teaching annually; in the United States, that figure is over 8 percent.
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
Police arrest 2 for allegedly passing fake $100 bills
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two people have been arrested in connection with the phony $100 bills that have been passed in Hutchinson, according to a media release.
Authorities took 50-year-old Brian Conrad into custody Tuesday on suspicion of distributing counterfeit money. He is currently free on bond.
They also arrested 31-year-old Cody Langley Wednesday. He is being held without bond suspicion of three counts of distributing counterfeit money and several drug possession charges. He has previous convictions for forgery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Several of the $100 bills were passed at the two South Hutchinson liquor stores and others have been passed elsewhere in Hutchinson including Cox cable.
Authorities warn that more of these counterfeit bills could still be around and warn businesses to be aware of the currency they receive.
Woman admits selling heroin used in Kansas man’s death
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A 50-year-old Kansas City woman has admitted selling heroin to a Kansas man who later died of an accidental overdose.
Valerice Ealom pleaded guilty Thursday to distributing heroin. She admitted that she sold heroin two days in a row in June 2016 to a man identified in court documents as “J.B.” The man’s body was found the next day in his Overland Park home. Investigators found heroin and drug paraphernalia near his body.
An autopsy concluded J.B. died from an accidental heroin overdose.
Ealom was on supervised release when she sold the heroin, after serving a 10-year sentence for distributing controlled substances.
The plea agreement recommends that Ealom be sentenced to 15.5 years in federal prison without parole.
USDA picks Missouri office building as its Kansas City site
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is renting permanent office space for two of its research agencies in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, despite the union concerns that relocation from the nation’s capital has left the agencies critically understaffed and lacking vital expertise.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a news release Thursday that the agencies had been “hard at work” at a temporary site in the city for the past month and that the signing of a permanent lease was “an important next step to facilitate their long-term efficiency, effectiveness, and service to our customers.”
The USDA announced plans in June to move roughly 550 employees of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture by the end of September to the Kansas City area. Congressional delegations and the governors of Kansas and Missouri heralded the high-paying jobs and economic boost the relocation would bring to the region, as well as the benefits to the nearby producers the agencies serve.
“The region is not only a hub for agriculture in America’s heartland, but it is also proving to be a diverse talent pool in proximity to many land-grant and research universities,” Perdue said.
The USDA will also be partnering with the University of Missouri and Kansas State University to host a joint career expo at Kansas State Olathe on Nov. 6.
“It is a great way to introduce our agencies to the communities there,” USDA spokeswoman Tara Weaver-Missick said.
But critics complain that the relocation has hollowed out years of specialized experience and that the pace of hiring at the Kansas City site has been too slow.
Laura Dodson, an agricultural economist and union representative at the Economic Research Service, said USDA fired three-quarters of its highly trained research staff who refused to relocate. The department’s hiring efforts in Kansas City can’t fill that expertise gap in a few months or even in five years, she said.
“These are jobs that always required a national job search, even when we were in D.C.,” Dodson said. “There are a handful of experts in each of these fields in the country and convincing somebody to take these jobs when you are still in the crosshairs of this administration is not an easy task. I don’t think we will get restaffed to full levels in any reasonable time span.”
USDA data suggests hiring has been slow so far. As of the pay period ending Oct. 12, the Economic Research Service had only 30 employees onsite in Kansas City — including 17 new hires — with 69 employees permanently remaining in Washington, D.C. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture had 62 employees, including nine new hires, in Kansas City with 18 employees remaining in the capital.
The department said it is the process of recruiting more than 100 new staffers for both agencies in Missouri. It has extended relocation dates for some existing workers and brought in retirees, short-term contractors and employees from other federal agencies to help with the transition.
“The workload right now is unsustainable — we have people that are doing four or five times as much work as they were doing previously,” said Tom Bewick, a union representative at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and national program leader for horticulture.
Among those who were pleased with the selection is U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas who praised it as a positive development for the regional economy and said he was committed to working with his colleagues in a bipartisan way to secure the resources necessary for USDA to complete the move.
“Bringing these two important ag research agencies closer to the people they serve and the leading research institutions that support their mission is the right move,” said U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly called it a victory for the Kansas City region and both states, saying “we are pleased to welcome the economic impact of these high-paying jobs in our communities and state.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said, “USDA’s investment will benefit both Missouri and Kansas for years to come.”
The Latest: Kansas sex offender accused of child sex crime
Great Bend Post
BARTON COUNTY —Police are investigating an alleged sex offense reported from a student at Great Bend Middle School.
According to a media release, the report came Wednesday morning, when the student made her report to School Resource Officer Ethan Thomas. It says there is still a long process of investigation ahead after receiving the report.
“When we receive a report like this and it involves a minor child, there is a process that takes place,” said Great Bend Police Lt. Heather Smith. “There is an interview, a process through the child advocacy center, and support and counseling.”
Police arrested 34-year-old Nicholas Schwerdtfeger of Great Bend. He was booked for an aggravated indecent liberties with a child warrant, according to the Barton County Sheriff’s report and is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.
Schwerdtfeger is a registered sex offender and was convicted in 2010 of attempted aggravated sexual battery and attempted indecent solicitation of a child under the age of 14, according to the KBI offender registry.
As interviews and counseling take place, the case will be handed over to the Barton County Attorney’s Office.
“It is a long process, but is something we take very seriously because of the nature of the crime,” said Smith.
The Latest: Police investigate school shooting threat in Manhattan
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and USD 383 officials continue their investigation of a school shooting threat.
The Safe Schools Hotline received an anonymous report at 11:15pm Wednesday, according to a social media report from Manhattan-Ogden USD 383. The caller stated that his daughter was told that there would be a shooting at Manhattan High East Campus tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 31) and to wear red to avoid being shot.
During the course of RCPD’s investigation it was also revealed that an MHS West student had posted a picture of himself on social media while holding what appeared to be a firearm, according to RCPD Captain Josh Kyle. The photograph included a menacing statement. Detained for Criminal Threat was Conner W. Bruce, 15 years of age, from Manhattan, KS. Bruce was transported to the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility where he is being held.
Although RCPD’s investigation continues, it has not revealed any other credible threats to students or staff.
————
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and USD 383 officials are investigating a school shooting threat.
The Safe Schools Hotline received an anonymous report at 11:15pm tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 30), according to a social media report from Manhattan-Ogden USD 383. The caller stated that his daughter was told that there would be a shooting at Manhattan High East Campus tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 31) and to wear red to avoid being shot.
USD 383 has been in contact with the Riley County Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol. RCPD will have increased presence at and around MHS East Campus Thursday.
Undersheriff Braun announces run for Ellis County Sheriff in 2020
The Victoria High School and Fort Hays State University graduate has 24 years of law enforcement experience and has been with the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office since 1997.
He issued the following statement Thursday afternoon:
Scott J. Braun, the current Ellis County Undersheriff, has announced his candidacy for Sheriff in the 2020 election. He chose today to announce his candidacy in memory of his mother who passed away earlier this month. This would have been her 77th birthday and she was his most loyal supporter.
Braun graduated from Victoria High School and then attended Barton County Community College and Fort Hays State University. Braun married his high school sweetheart, Terri, and will celebrate 24 years of marriage in November. Terri has been employed at High Plains Mental Health for 24 years and is also a Christian book author. They were blessed with 2 boys, Bryce and Coby.
Braun has served in law enforcement for over 24 years. He began his career in 1995 as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office before being hired in 1995 by the Ellis Police Department. While employed by the Ellis Police Department, he attended the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduating in 1996. In 1997, Braun was hired by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy. In addition to Braun’s regular duties in 1998, he became a member of the Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit advancing to Field Operations Coordinator and then to his current position of Administrative Coordinator of the Unit. In 1999, Braun spearheaded the Canine Program in Ellis County. He became the first Canine Handler and later became a Canine Instructor. In 2005, Braun was promoted to Narcotics Detective serving in that the capacity until 2018 when he was appointed by Sheriff Harbin as the Ellis County Undersheriff. In addition to becoming Undersheriff in 2018, Braun became Certified as a DARE Instructor, teaching 5th graders in Ellis County.
In addition to serving in a law enforcement capacity, Braun believes in serving the community in a civic capacity. He has been a member of the Hays Rotary Club since 2014 and served as President from 2017-2018. He continues to remain an active member by being on the board. Braun also currently serves as the Vice Chair of St. Nicholas of Myra Church Council and has been on the board for 5 years. He is an active member of the St. Nicholas of Myra Knights of Columbus Council and is a 4th Degree Knight. He served on the First Call for Help Board from 2014-2018. Braun also belongs to professional organizations and boards. He has served on the Board of the Kansas Narcotics Officer Association since 2010 and has been a Regional Trustee, Vice President, President and currently is an advisor to the board. He also currently serves on the Ellis County Crisis Intervention Team Council and is a founding board member.
Braun has been honored with the following awards in the course of his law enforcement career: 2001 Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Meritorious Award, 2006 Kansas Deputy Sheriff of the Year, 2007 Gold Award for Valor, and Top Cop Honorable Mention. Braun also has received the following civic awards: 2013-2014 Hays Rotary Outstanding Community Service Award and 2018-2019 Outstanding Club Service Award.
He is asking the citizens of Ellis County to support him in the 2020 election for Sheriff. Braun brings with him Dedication, Experience and Integrity.
Smith Center native, FHSU grad named president of state judges association
 TOPEKA—District Magistrate Judge Marty Clark was elected president of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association. The organization, open to all state district magistrate court judges, elected officers to serve in the coming year. Officers were elected at a statewide conference for judges conducted in Wichita. Clark serves in Russell County of the 20th Judicial District. He previously was first vice president. He is a Smith Center native and has been a magistrate judge since 1998. He graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1989 with a degree in sociology and an emphasis in criminal justice. He currently serves on the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission and the judicial branch’s Judges Assistance Committee. He is a member of the 20th Judicial District Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board. Clark has served in various offices of KDMJA over the years. He was named Kansas CASA Judge of the Year in 1989. He was nominated twice for the National CASA Judge of the Year.  He succeeds District Magistrate Judge Douglas Bigge, who completed two terms as president. Bigge serves in Rooks County of the 23rd Judicial District. Other officers are:
Elected to the board of directors were:
The organization also presented service awards:  35 years
25 years
15 years
10 years
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— Office of Judicial Administration
Hearing on fate of Missouri’s only abortion clinic ends early
The hearing in St. Louis before a commissioner with the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission was expected to last five days but wrapped up a day early. A ruling isn’t expected until February at the earliest.
The state health department wants to revoke the license for Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis clinic, citing concerns about four instances of what the state called “failed abortions.” Planned Parenthood officials say conservatives are trying to use the licensing process to end abortions in Missouri.
Revocation would make Missouri the first state since 1974, the year after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, without a functioning abortion clinic. The St. Louis clinic remains open pending the commission’s ruling.
Kawanna Shannon, director of surgical services at the clinic, testified that the state’s March inspection was tense from the start. It was the first inspection under the administration of Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a staunch abortion opponent who ascended to governor in June 2018 after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned.
Investigators were adamant that the clinic should be performing two pelvic exams before an abortion, at a patient’s first visit and again immediately before the procedure. The clinic initially agreed to the second exam, but soon decided it was so “unbearable” for patients that it stopped in defiance of the state law, Shannon said, her voice breaking.
“Patients were made to get unnecessarily violated,” Shannon said.
The health department relented in June, issuing an emergency rule relieving Planned Parenthood of the requirement.
Shannon said that a month after the March inspection, a top health department official showed up to scrutinize records. That investigator was William Koebel, chief of the division that oversees licensing of abortion clinics and other surgical centers. Koebel told Shannon he was there in response to an unspecified complaint, Shannon said. She later learned it was Koebel himself who filed the complaint, she said.
The investigation eventually turned up four instances where women required multiple procedures before abortions were successfully completed.
Regents name Jay Golden 14th president of Wichita State University
WICHITA — Today the Kansas Board of Regents voted to name Dr. Jay Golden as the 14th president of Wichita State University.
Please welcome the 14th president of Wichita State University, Jay Golden! Hear what he has to say about joining Shocker Nation. Learn more about the president-elect at https://t.co/bku6Hp1gNo. pic.twitter.com/t0wY4XO4op
— Wichita State (@WichitaState) October 31, 2019
“The regents are excited to announce Dr. Jay Golden as the next president of Wichita State University,” said Regent Shane Bangerter, KBOR Chair. “The Regents are confident that Jay is the right president to lead Wichita State in the future and continue to advance the university as a leader in higher education and applied learning. I’m grateful to interim president Andy Tompkins for his leadership during this transitional period. I’d also like to thank the search committee for its outstanding work in identifying great finalists for the board.”
“I’m honored to be the next president of Wichita State University,” said Golden. “I want to thank the Kansas Board of Regents for its confidence in me. I look forward to continuing to grow Wichita State and help drive economic growth for our region and state. My wife, Dina, and I are looking forward to meeting the students, faculty and staff of this outstanding institution and to joining this great community.”
Golden has been serving as the Vice Chancellor of Research, Economic Development and Engagement at East Carolina University. Prior to his appointment there, he served as an associate vice provost at Duke University and as a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara and at Arizona State University. In addition, he has experience as CEO of Golden Environmental Management and Vice President at WMX Technologies.
Golden received his doctorate in engineering from the University of Cambridge where he also earned a master’s in environmental engineering and sustainable development, in a joint program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds an Organizational Master of Project Management from Stanford University and an MLE from Harvard University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in management.
Golden was selected by the board as president after a committee of students, faculty, staff, and business and community leaders led a search and forwarded finalists to the regents. He succeeds Dr. John Bardo, who passed away earlier this year.