Megan Purinton, Hays, recently joined the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association as the program coordinator for alumni engagement. She will serve the association as the primary event coordinator working with alumni volunteers to facilitate alumni engagement opportunities throughout the United States and beyond.
Prior to joining the FHSU Alumni Association staff, Purinton worked as a project administrator for Excel Constructors Inc. in Overland Park. She is also the owner of Inspired Design by Megan Purinton, a home painting business serving Hays and the surrounding area for over eight years.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the FHSU campus community,” said Purinton. “There is an excitement within this college atmosphere and I look forward to sharing it with Fort Hays State alumni and friends everywhere.”
Purinton is a 2004 graduate from Kansas State University, Manhattan, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She lives in Hays with her husband, Royce, and their four kids, Chloe, Isaac, Amelia, and Caroline.
WICHITA– The Kansas Turnpike Authority Board has approved the organization’s budget for the new fiscal year through June 30, 2019. The $145.5m expenditures budget focuses on safety enhancements, according to a media release.
KTA camera view Thursday morning in Douglas County
Beginning October 1, adjustments will be made to KTA’s tolls in the following ways:
Electronic passenger vehicles (2-4 axles using a K-TAG or compatible device) will see an approximate 5% increase and realize a savings of up to 25% off cash tolls.
Electronic commercial vehicles (5+ axles using a K-TAG or compatible device) may see an adjustment due to rounding electronic fares to the nearest nickel and realize a savings of up to 18% off cash tolls.
The less than 40% of cash customers will see an approximate 12.5% increase (passenger) and 10% increase (commercial). All cash fares will be adjusted to the nearest quarter, which could cause variances in the percentage increase.
“KTA’s toll rate per mile continues to be one of the lowest in the country,” said Steve Hewitt, KTA’s CEO. “We encourage travelers to maximize their savings by using an electronic transponder like K-TAG to pay for tolls.”
Rip WinkelTomatoes often have problems with cracking (sometimes called “growth cracks”), which are caused by pressure inside the fruit that is more than the skin can handle. Cracks are usually on the upper part of the fruit and can be concentric circles around the stem, or radiate out from the stem. We don’t know everything about tomato-cracking yet, but here is what we do know.
Tomato plants can crack when they absorb too much water too fast. They tend to have a root system that is very dense and fibrous and is quite efficient in picking up water. Having said that, there are various times when the size of the root system may be unbalanced with the amount of vegetative growth on top. Early in the season tomato roots may be somewhat undeveloped in relation to the plant size that is above ground resulting in blossom-end rot. And, as was discussed in my article three weeks ago, blossom-end rot is a dark-round, ugly formation located on the bottom of the developing fruit. This usually appears when the weather is hot and dry, and the plant cannot absorb sufficient amounts of calcium.
Later on, however, those same roots may be so efficient at absorbing water that they can actually provide too much water, especially when there is ample rainfall or heavy irrigation after a dry spell. A tomato’s interior grows quickly as it absorbs water from this abundant source, expanding too fast. The tomato skin cannot stretch to accommodate the extra fluid, causing internal pressure. Hence, cracking of the skin alleviates this pressure.
How can you prevent your tomatoes from cracking? One way is to maintain an even and consistent watering schedule throughout the growing season. Tomato plants need 1-3” water a week (including rain.) During dry spells, water tomatoes deeply so that subsequent rain won’t shock skins and lead to unnecessary cracking – use a drip hose or other irrigation system.
Mulching will also help because it moderates moisture levels in the soil. However, you can do everything right and still have problems with cracking in some years. Still one more way to prevent cracking is to plant “crack-resistant” tomato varieties that have a more elastic skin (the more pliable the skin the more resistance to cracking). The old variety Jet Star has been the most crack resistant of any we have tested including the newer types. Unfortunately, Jet Star is an indeterminate variety that puts out rampant growth. Newer varieties with more controlled growth are often more attractive to gardeners. Mountain Spring, Mountain Pride, Mountain Fresh, Floralina and Sun Leaper are smaller-vined types that have shown good resistance to cracking.
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.
The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to begin a resurfacing project on a portion of U.S. 283 in Graham County the week of July 23.
The construction area will start approximately 3 miles north of the Trego County line and extend 12 miles north, ending near the South Fork Solomon River bridge south of Hill City. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and directed through the work zone via flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays not exceeding 15 minutes should be anticipated.
KDOT expects work to be completed by the end of August, weather permitting. Bettis Asphalt and Construction is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of approximately $911,000.
For more information on the project, contact KDOT area construction engineer Nick Rogers at 785-625-9718 or [email protected].
The Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Fort Hays State University is presenting a free Business Startup Workshop for people who are interested in starting their own business.
This no-cost Lunch and Learn workshop It will be held at the BriefSpace, 219 W. 10th St., Hays, 12-1:30 p.m., Tue., July 24.
We will identify issues and answer questions about how to keep track of business finances for your Start-Up or even an established business.
This interactive workshop will help take the confusion out of your efforts and allow you to avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary stress.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump will visit Kansas City next week to deliver his first address as president to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.
Trump addressed the VFW convention in 2016 as a candidate for president -image courtesy CSPAN
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will head to Kansas City on Tuesday to address the gathering.
On Wednesday, Trump gave his “full and total endorsement” to Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in a Kansas district that Democrats see as competitive after Hillary Clinton narrowly carried it in the last presidential election.
Thank you to Congressman Kevin Yoder! He secured $5 BILLION for Border Security. Now we need Congress to support. Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets. @RepKevinYoder has my full and total endorsement!
Trump tweeted his support for the four-term congressman after House Republicans released a spending bill providing $5 billion next year for building Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yoder is chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.
Yoder is expected to have no trouble winning his Aug. 7 primary race against two unknown and underfunded GOP challengers. Six Democrats are running for the right to challenge him in November, and their party has made Trump a key focus for months.
Trump’s endorsement of Yoder came less than a week after Vice President Mike Pence came to the district for a fundraiser. The tweet also was two days before New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising Democratic star, planned to campaign in the district with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for one of the party’s candidates, labor lawyer Brent Welder.
“This election is going to be a referendum on whether or not, in the 3rd District, voters want somebody who’s going to carry Trump’s water or not,” said Ethan Corson, the Kansas Democratic Party’s executive director.
Yoder has touted his work in recent weeks on immigration and border security issues. He pushed the Trump administration last month to end the separation of children from parents during a crackdown on illegal entries at the border.
Trump’s tweet Wednesday thanked Yoder, saying he “secured” the $5 billion for “border security.”
“Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets,” Trump tweeted, adding that the congressman “has my full and total endorsement!”
Trump carried Kansas in the 2016 presidential election by nearly 21 percentage points and some counties with more than 80 percent of the vote. But Clinton received 47 percent of the vote in the 3rd District to Trump’s 46 percent, and Yoder won a narrower-than-expected race against an unknown Democrat.
Still, Republicans are bullish on Yoder’s chance for re-election. He already has spent more than $1.4 million on his re-election campaign and ended June with nearly $1.9 million in cash in his campaign fund — more than four times as much as the top Democrat.
WASHINGTON – A Kansas man who traveled to the Philippines and had sex with minor females there pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister of the District of Kansas.
Anthony Shultz, 55, Lindsborg helicopter pilot, was charged by complaint in July 2016 and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren of the District of Kansas. Sentencing is scheduled for December 6.
According to admissions made in conjunction with the guilty plea, Shultz engaged in sex acts with minor females in the Philippines. He videotaped his sexual encounters with two minors and transported the videos to his home in Kansas.
One of the girls was only 12 years old at the time; the other was 15 years old. In one of the videos, Shultz is seen giving the 15-year-old money after having sex with her. Shultz also produced child pornography of an 8-year-old girl in the Philippines by communicating on Skype with the child’s mother and directing the mother to expose the child’s genitals and live-stream it on web camera.
The FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Lauren E. Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart of the District of Kansas prosecuted the case.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is defending a flyer it mailed comparing the civil rights records of the leading Republican candidates for Kansas governor, calling it voter education.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach pointed to the flyer in seeking to portray Gov. Jeff Colyer as the ACLU’s “man” during a Tuesday fundraiser.
Colyer’s campaign distanced itself from the civil rights group, calling it a dirty trick to help Kobach and ensure that Democrats and the ACLU have an easy opponent to defeat in the general election just as they’ve defeated Kobach in the courtroom.
The ACLU has won several lawsuits against Kobach over voting rights.
Kobach is mounting a threat from the right to unseat Colyer in a Republican primary in which the candidates seek to burnish their conservative credentials.
HOYT, Kan. (AP) — Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says 12 horses were removed from a farm this week after a veterinarian determined they were not receiving proper care.
Morse says the horses were taken Monday from a farm near Hoyt. Medical staff is caring for the four stallions, two colts and six mares.
He says some horses were not getting adequate water despite recent high temperatures and hay on the farm was old.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports another 35 horses were determined to be in adequate health and remained at the farm. Those horses will be checked daily.
Morse says the sheriff’s office received complaints for almost 18 months about poor conditions at the farm but substantial evidence wasn’t found before Monday despite repeated visits to the property.
The Jackson County attorney will determine if any charges are filed.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Congress moved one step closer to delivering a strong, new farm bill to the president’s desk. On Wednesday, the speaker appointed lawmakers to the House-Senate conference committee on the Farm Bill. Congressman Marshall was selected as one of the members on the committee.
Rep. Marshall during Feb. 2017 Farm Bill Hearing
In a media release, Marshall said. “Before I was even elected to Congress, I made Kansas a promise that I would see a Farm Bill, with our producer’s needs in mind, to the finish line,” Rep. Marshall said.“It is a great honor to be appointed to the Farm Bill conference committee, where I will be able to advocate for Kansas ag producers. During these upcoming discussions, my top priority is to provide our farmers and ranchers certainty during already tough times.
“America’s farmers and ranchers and rural America are struggling right now and they deserve the certainty of a strong farm bill to see them through to better times,”said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (TX-11).“The House has pulled together a solid team of conferees – including Rep. Marshall. I’m looking forward to working with Roger, who has been a strong voice for agriculture through this process, and the rest of our House and Senate colleagues to reach a final product that helps millions of low-income Americans climb the economic ladder, while standing by our nation’s hard-working farm and ranch families.”
“I am proud of the bill the House passed and thankful for the leadership of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway,”Rep. Marshall said.“The current farm bill expires in September, today’s action means there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to finish the 2018 Farm Bill before then. I am eager to get to work and ensure our farmers have the appropriate resources and safety nets in place for next year’s crop.”
View the full list of members chosen to the committee here.
