By a very small margin, Barbara (Barb) Wasinger was elected our new state representative, but I recently learned from a colleague who had visited her to discuss ways to increase voter participation of her allegations that certain residents of the 111th District tried to steal the election from her.
Who are these unscrupulous characters who wanted to torpedo this fine Republican’s chances for high office? According to Representative Wasinger, they are the notorious FHSU students. Apparently, Ms. Wasinger feels like the District can take their tuition money, their food money, their rent money, their beer money and the money they spend in the mall and downtown stores. They also pay city and state sales tax on most of these purchases. But when it comes to District representation in state government, their political participation is not welcome, if not illegitimate. These students “live” somewhere else, so let them vote somewhere else, seems to be her attitude, even though they spend well over half of their time and money in Hays.
If you think of what Hays would be without FHSU students, another WaKeeney, and the fact that state legislators control FHSU, determine state funding levels to offset tuition costs and set the tax structure that determines how much taxes college students pay, it seems blatantly unfair and un-American to deny them any say in who their state representative will be. Somewhere I heard, “No taxation without representation.” The City already burdens them with additional sales tax they wouldn’t pay at other Kansas universities. Now Wasinger wants them to pay state sales tax with no representation in the state legislature.
It is no secret. The tide is turning. Women, young people, ethnic minorities and now college students are finally realizing that the Republican Party caters to white, male fat-cats like Donald Trump, most of his cabinet and about 5% of his base. They are desperate at this point and looking for any way to suppress the Democratic vote. FHSU students will not be made second-class citizens just because they move to Hays to attend college or because they lean toward liberal political policies.
Ms. Wasinger will see a voter registration drive on the FHSU campus in 2020 that will show her what real democracy looks like. I invite her to speak at a Times Talk session to explain in detail the election fraud these students perpetrated on her campaign. Perhaps our champion against voter fraud, Kris Kobach, can help her stop the corruption she alleges. Nothing is more important for democracy than a valid and inclusive election.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has received additional federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to keep the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) operational into March, during the Federal Government shutdown.
On Thursday, KDHE received an additional $1,603,809 in food funds and $602,897 in administrative funds. These funds now allow Kansas to purchase foods until March 20, 2019 and keep staff operational until March 26.
“We are pleased to receive these additional funds,” said David Thomason, Director of the Nutrition and WIC Services Section in the KDHE Bureau of Family Health. “There is an average daily food cost in Kansas of $92,134 under this program, and we continue to work with the USDA to see that WIC funding in Kansas continues through the shutdown.”
The USDA monitors state WIC programs and is working to ensure that programs remain operational. States were instructed to contact the USDA prior to implementing any changes to the program that would curtail operations or in any way limit or restrict access to the program and its benefits.
COLBY — The Jan. 31 Colby Community College Thirsty Thursday art show will feature large sculpture by Fort Hays State senior art student Ashley Smith and works by Colby High School advanced art students. The exhibition will be open from 6-8 p.m. in the Cultural Arts Center gallery.
Originally from Hays, Smith has been influenced by Vincent Van Gogh, Claes Oldenburg, FHSU professor Toby Flores, and current FHSU graduate student Kurt Breshears.
“I love the fluidity of Van Gogh’s work, and try to replicate those movements in my sculptures,” Smith said. “I enjoy Toby’s flexibility in his works, from humor to large scale, and everything in between. His blacksmithing skills are admirable, and he is a very down-to-earth professor. I admire the size sculpture that Claes Oldenburg creates on everyday objects. I strive to follow him in size, but with works that reflect myself more so. And I admire Kurt’s work because he is creating big works in the studio under the same intentions that I am.”
Refreshments will be served at the come-and-go event.
Thirsty Thursday is hosted the third Thursday of each month during the academic year by the CCC art department. There is no admission charge.
Shutterstock.comBy ERIC TUCKER and CHAD DAY Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, was arrested in the special counsel’s Russia investigation in a pre-dawn raid at his Florida home on Friday and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe.
The seven-count indictment against Stone, a self-proclaimed “dirty trickster,” is the first criminal case in months from special counsel Robert Mueller.
It provides the most detail to date about how Trump campaign associates in the summer of 2016 were actively seeking to politically benefit from the release of hacked material damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. It alleges that unnamed senior Trump campaign officials contacted Stone to ask when stolen emails relating to Clinton might be disclosed.
The indictment does not charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website that published the emails, or with the Russian officers Mueller says hacked them. Instead, it accuses him of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements about his interactions related to WikiLeaks’ release. Some of those false statements were made to the House intelligence committee, according to the indictment.
CNN aired video of the raid at Stone’s Fort Lauderdale home, showing FBI agents in body armor using large weapons and night-vision equipment, running up to the home and banging repeatedly on the door.
“FBI open the door!” one shouts. “FBI, warrant!” Stone could then be seen in the doorway in his sleepwear before he was led away. He is expected to appear in court later Friday.
Stone is the sixth Trump aide charged in Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign and the 34th person overall. The investigation has laid bare multiple contacts between Trump associates and Russia during the campaign and transition period and efforts by several to conceal those communications.
Well-known for his political antics and hard ball tactics, Stone has reveled in being a Washington wheeler-dealer dating back to the Nixon administration. He has also pushed several conspiracy theories and was an early and vocal supporter of Trump’s candidacy.
The case against Stone comes weeks after Trump’s former national security adviser was castigated by a judge in open court and just hours before Paul Manafort, his ex-campaign chairman , was due in court on allegations that he had lied to Mueller’s prosecutors.
Stone was one of Trump’s earliest political advisers, encouraging both his presidential runs. He briefly served on Trump’s 2016 campaign, but was pushed out amid infighting with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Stone continued communicating with Trump on occasion and stayed plugged into the circle of advisers — both formal and informal — who worked with and around Trump.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s press secretary, told CNN Friday the charges brought against Stone “don’t have anything to do with the president.”
According to the indictment, many of those conversations involved WikiLeaks. The indictment lays out in detail Stone’s conversations about stolen Democratic emails posted by the group in the weeks before Trump, a Republican, beat Clinton. Mueller’s office has said those emails, belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, were hacked by Russian intelligence officers.
The document says that by June and July 2016, Stone had told senior Trump campaign officials that he had information indicating that WikiLeaks had obtained documents that could be damaging to Clinton’s campaign.
After the July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, the indictment says a senior Trump campaign “was directed” to contact Stone about additional releases and “what other damaging information” WikiLeaks had “regarding the Clinton campaign.” The indictment does not name the official or say who directed the outreach to Stone.
Another Trump campaign official cited in the indictment is Steve Bannon, who later became Trump’s chief strategist in the White House. Bannon, referred to as a “high-ranking Trump Campaign official,” exchanged emails with Stone in October 2016 about WikiLeaks’ plans for releasing hacked material. The indictment quotes from those emails, which had previously been made public by news outlets.
While the indictment provides some new insight into the Trump campaign, it deals largely with what prosecutors say were Stone’s false statements about his conversations with conservative writer and conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, and New York radio host, Randy Credico. Corsi is referred to as Person 1 in the indictment, and Credico as Person 2.
The indictment accuses Stone of carrying out a “prolonged effort” to keep Credico from contradicting his testimony before the House intelligence committee. During that effort, prosecutors note that Stone repeatedly told Credico to “do a ‘Frank Pentangeli,'” a reference to a character in “The Godfather: Part II” who lies before a congressional committee.
Stone is also accused of threatening Credico. The indictment cites several messages, some of which have already been public, that Stone sent to Credico last year. On April 9, Stone called Credico a “rat” and a “stoolie” and accused him of backstabbing his friends. Stone also threatened to “take that dog away from you,” a reference to Credico’s dog, Bianca.
“I am so ready. Let’s get it on. Prepare to die (expletive),” Stone also wrote to Credico.
The indictment had been expected. Stone has said for months he was prepared to be charged, though he has denied any wrongdoing. A grand jury for months had heard from witnesses connected to Stone. And the intelligence committee last year voted to release a transcript of Stone’s testimony to Mueller as a precursor to an indictment.
Attorney Grant Smith, who represents Stone, did not return a phone message seeking comment Friday.
Stone has publicly denigrated the Mueller investigation and echoed the president’s descriptions of it as a witch hunt. But he has long attracted investigators’ attention, especially in light of a 2016 tweet that appeared to presage knowledge that emails stolen from Podesta would soon be released. Stone has said he had no inside information about the contents of the emails in WikiLeaks’ possession or the timing of when they’d be released.
Stone has said he learned from Credico that WikiLeaks had the emails and planned to disclose them. Stone has also spoken openly about his contacts with Corsi.
Credico hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing. Last year, Mueller’s prosecutors offered a plea agreement to Corsi that would have required him to admit that he intentionally lied to investigators about a discussion with Stone about WikiLeaks. But he rejected the offer and denied that he lied.
In a tweet Friday, Podesta wrote that it was now “Roger’s time in the barrel.” That was a play on Stone’s own words. Stone had tweeted cryptically before the Podesta emails were disclosed that it would soon be Podesta’s “time in the barrel.”
Dr. Hendratta Ali, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences at FHSU Fort Hays State University’s Dr. Hendratta Ali has been awarded a $97,000 Geoscientists Without Borders grant by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation to conduct humanitarian geoscience work exploring for groundwater in metamorphic basement rocks in Cameroon.
SEG foundation through the Geoscientists Without Borders program has a mission of supporting the humanitarian applications of geoscience around the world. The goal is to make a significant difference in the lives of those in need.
Dr. Ali’s project is titled “Geophysical Investigation of Fault Zone Aquifers and Water Quality Assessment in Nkoteng”. This means that participants will investigate the use of similar geophysical techniques that are used to find petroleum in oil fields to find water in these basement rocks. If aquifers are located in the rocks, boreholes will be drilled into the rocks to access the water. Participants will then apply biogeochemical methods to test for water quality and determine whether it is safe for human use. This grant will also support the training of students in practical and humanitarian use of geophysics and geological methods, important skills that students will need after graduation.
In fall 2018, Dr. Ali was also co-awarded a linked project $300,000 National Science Foundation grant to study waters in a tropical estuary and was honored with the Outstanding Educator award by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists in October 2018 at the SEG International Annual meeting in Anaheim (CA).
Outgoing Hays mayor James Meier is presented with a plaque by incoming mayor Henry Schwaller Thursday night.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Henry Schwaller IV is the new Hays mayor and Shaun Musil is the new vice-mayor.
The elections were unanimously approved by city commissioners Thursday night as the governing body reorganized followed by a thank you to outgoing mayor James Meier for his year of service.
“You hit the ground running,” said Schwaller to Meier after presenting him a plaque-mounted memorial gavel.
Schwaller specifically mentioned Meier’s approach to the long-term water supply project.
“The long-term water strategy was kind of high-centered. You got aggressive. You contacted the governor’s office and you started making things happen.”
Schwaller also talked about Meier’s passion for the community of Hays and his ability to get things done.
“You’re good for the city and your leadership is exemplary.”
Meier thanked the other commissioners for allowing him to serve as Hays mayor for a year.
“It is a privilege,” said Meier, “and actually a great honor to be mayor, something many of you have already experienced.
“I’m glad I was able to survive the year without anybody punching me,” Meier joked.
The Hays city commission reorganized to elect Henry Schwaller as mayor and Shaun Musil as vice-mayor.
Meier then moved to the end of the commission table as the other commissioners moved one seat to the right while Finance Director Kim Rupp moved and updated name plaques to reflect the changes.
Later in the meeting the commission voted to change its rules of procedure regarding reorganization.
The change allows for a special reorganization meeting on the second Monday of each year following a November election, or at the first regular meeting in January. The result will make reorganizations more consistent with a shorter gap between transitions.
State statutes mandate new commissioners after a November election take seat at the second Monday in January.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television’s local program, The Kansas Legislature, will kick off this Friday, January 25 at 7 p.m. hosted by Michael Walker, director of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University.
State Representatives Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) of the 109th District and Ken Rahjes (R-Agra) of the 110th District will be our guests this Friday.
The show airs during the legislative session, which gives the legislators and viewers the opportunity to discuss up-to-date issues. For each show, legislators from the SHPTV viewing area are invited to participate in the LIVE call-in program.
“Smoky Hills Public Television has been airing this production for approximately 35 years,” said Larry Calvery, Smoky Hills Public Television General Manager. “We bring local state representatives and senators to our studio in Bunker Hill, where we give our viewers a chance to get their legislative questions answered. The Kansas Legislature is another great local production we bring to our viewers each year!”
The Kansas Legislator will air on Fridays at 7 p.m.
To find a list of legislatures that might be on the show each week, go to www.shptv.org where you will find the 2019 season schedule.
GarrisonTosha Garrison, APRN-C, joined the team at Hess Clinic in December.
Garrison grew up in Oberlin and graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2002.
“She is glad to be in Western Kansas because she loves the area and the people. Diabetes treatment has always been a passion for Tosha, along with caring for and respecting the whole person,” the clinic said in a news release. “Meeting new patients and new people while listening to their concerns and working diligently to find a solution to their problems is one of Tosha’s favorite parts of being a nurse practitioner. She enjoys educating and involving patients in the self-care of their chronic medical conditions. Patient involvement in their treatment is a high priority for Tosha.”
Just before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, police contacted two suspects identified as 39-year-old Brian Mitchell and 35-year-old Krystal Anderson both of Wichita outside of a residence in the 5100 block of east Funston, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Police spoke to them regarding an ongoing investigation of an aggravated robbery case which occurred on January 15.
A 41-year-old female victim reported while in the parking lot of The Smoke Shop, 4703 E. 13th Street, a suspect pointed a gun at her and took her purse, according to Davidson. There were no injuries reported.
Through the investigation, both Mitchell and Anderson were identified as involved in the armed robbery.
Police arrested Mitchell for two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated assault and traffic charges. They also arrested Anderson for aggravated assault and theft.
The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
By a very small margin, Barbara (Barb) Wasinger was elected our new state representative, but I recently learned from a colleague who had visited her to discuss ways to increase voter participation of her allegations that certain residents of the 111th District tried to steal the election from her. 
