Former Wichita Eagle reporter and the staff of the Kansas Press Association compiled profiles of each of the five candidates for Kansas governor.
Click on the links below to find out more about each candidate.
March 13, 1929 – October 26, 2018
An obituary is pending with Stinemetz Funeral Home.
Click HERE for service details.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Inspired by how the GI Bill helped her father become the first in his family to go to college, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo unveiled a plan last year to offer free tuition at the state’s three public colleges.
The Legislature, despite being dominated by Raimondo’s fellow Democrats, was reluctant to support it, citing the cost. The governor ended up with a pilot program at just one of the colleges.
It wasn’t the only time her agenda had been frustrated by lawmakers from her own party.
“The fact of the matter is, every governor wishes the legislature would do everything they want,” Raimondo said. “But it doesn’t happen, you know. It’s the way it works.”
Raimondo’s experience is a cautionary tale for supporters of the record number of women, most of them Democrats, who are running for governor this year.
Even if many of them end up winning, it will not necessarily translate into a sea change in state priorities. In some cases, they will have to work with a legislature dominated by the opposing party or one that is politically divided. Even lawmakers of the same party can be difficult to herd in a certain direction.
Natural disasters, budget deficits or crises unforeseen on Election Day can quickly swamp an agenda.
Christine Todd Whitman got a firsthand taste of that as governor of New Jersey.
Despite delivering on a campaign promise to reduce personal income taxes, she nearly had her 1997 re-election derailed by a dispute over auto insurance rates.
Her fellow Republicans in the legislature torpedoed her plan to overhaul insurance regulations, which would have given cost breaks for motorists who were willing to give up their right to sue for pain and suffering after an accident. On the campaign trail, she was hammered by her Democratic opponent for failing to lower rates.
Whitman later worked with Democrats on another proposal that ultimately passed with bipartisan support.
“You are judged on what you get done,” Whitman said. “The executive branch is different from the legislative branch in that way. You can’t just talk about it; you have to deliver.”
Just six women are serving as governor and no more than nine have ever served as governor at the same time, a mark that was set more than a decade ago. More than half the states — 28 — have never elected a woman as governor.
This year, 60 women ran for governor in the primaries, with 16 advancing to the November election. All but four of those are Democrats.
The surge in women running for office has been fueled largely on the Democratic side by the 2016 presidential election and actions by the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress on health care, taxes, immigration, Supreme Court nominations and other issues. Expectations are high among activists that these women, if they win, will usher in sweeping changes at the state level.
But a governor’s job is often constrained by outside forces, and promises made on the campaign trail can be particularly hard to keep.
Medicaid expansion is one example. Democrats Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Laura Kelly in Kansas support expanding Medicaid coverage in their states to include more lower-income adults without children.
But the authority to expand Medicaid rests solely with lawmakers, and the legislatures in both states are likely to remain under the control of Republicans who largely oppose it. Medicaid expansion is one of the key parts of former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and has provided health coverage to roughly 12 million Americans in the 33 states that opted for it.
Abrams and Kelly said they will try to persuade their respective legislatures, nevertheless. Both are veteran lawmakers who have built relationships with Republicans over the years. Kelly said it’s her history of working across the aisle that will help her be successful if she becomes governor.
“I have 14 years of established relationships in the legislature and the confidence and the trust of my moderate Republican friends,” Kelly said. “They will be there when I am in the governor’s office.”
Even where their agenda might be thwarted, governors still retain the power to veto legislation they oppose.
In an email to supporters expressing frustration with then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Abrams cited the importance of stopping attempts to constrain abortion, marriage equality and voting access. She vowed to be a “firewall” and “fight every single day to make sure that Georgians’ hard-fought rights are not stripped away.”
In Michigan, Democratic candidate Gretchen Whitmer recalled a 2013 vote when she was in the legislature as an example of the type of legislation she might be able stop as governor.
Male Republican lawmakers were supporting a proposal requiring women to have separate insurance for abortions. Whitmer blasted the legislation, which eventually became law, saying her colleagues continued to “ignorantly and unnecessarily weigh in on important women’s health issues that they know nothing about.”
In her campaign against Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, Whitmer says having more women involved in policy decisions will be better for both men and women. For example, she said everyone in a family benefits when a woman earns an equitable wage and has access to quality health care.
In Rhode Island, Raimondo’s disappointments have been balanced by a number of successes.
She said her experiences as a mother influenced some of her priorities as governor, such as successfully pushing for all-day kindergarten across the state and increasing access to pre-kindergarten after watching her children thrive in such programs.
“I think that that has made me a better governor,” Raimondo said. “I think the point is people deserve a governor who is going to fight for everybody.”
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Frances L. Myers, 98, passed away Sunday, October 28, 2018 at SunPorch of Smith Center.
Arrangements are pending with All Faiths Funeral Chapel, Smith Center.
Longtime Tribune, Kansas resident and former Sharon Springs, Kansas resident, Tillie Rocha O’Leary, passed away on Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Greeley County Long Term Care Center. She was 86.
Tillie was born on May 4, 1932 in San Antonio, Texas to Anastasio and Brigida (Cuevas) Hernandez. She was one of five children. She attended school through the 3rd grade.
On November 25, 1952, Tillie married Juan Rocha in Plainview, Texas. To this union six children; Ted, Martina, Juan, Lupe, Antonio and Rosa were born. On November 11, 1978, Tillie married Paul O’Leary in Sharon Springs, KS.
Tillie worked for many years as a custodian in the Greeley County School System. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and spending time with grandchildren. She was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tribune.
Preceding her in death were her husbands Juan Rocha and Paul O’Leary, one son Juan Rocha and one sister and three brothers.
She is survived by her five children; Ted Rocha of Garden City, KS, Martina (Marvin) Urban of Colby, KS, Lupe Rocha of Wichita, KS, Antonio Rocha of Garden City, KS and Rosa (Jon) Patton of Tribune, KS. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Funeral services for Tillie was held on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 10:00 AM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs with Pastor Justin Sherer officiating. Burial followed in the Sharon Springs Cemetery.
Visitation was held on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs.
Memorials may be designated to the Greeley County Long Term Care or to the Alzheimer’s Association and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
Online condolences for the family may be left at www.koonsrusssellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral services were entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs, KS.
Minnie Michaelis Rufenacht, age 98, died on October 25, 2018 at the Ness County Hospital, Ness City. She was born on March 7, 1920 on the farm in Trego County the daughter of Joseph and Regina Reitmeyer Flax.
She was a homemaker and farm wife and a lifetime resident of Trego and Ness Counties. She was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and the Leisure Years Center, both of Ness City.
On November 25, 1936 she married Arthur L Michaelis. He preceded her in death on February 12, 1985. She later married Ray Rufenacht on February 12, 1992. He preceded her in death on July 14, 1996.
She is survived by her daughter, Shirley Schweitzer, and her husband, Darrel, of Lake Wappapello, Missouri; three sons, DeWayne Michaelis and his wife, Sandy, Wade Michaelis and his wife, Gayla, both of Ness City and James Michaelis and his wife, Deanna, of Bazine; 9 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandson; three step-children, Dale Rufenacht (Cindy), Della Steffan (Gerome), and Howard Rufenacht and their families; and long time caretaker and family friend, Donna Ellis. She was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, one son, Jerry Michaelis, three brothers, John, Frank, and Carl Flax, 5 sisters, Rosie Stieben, Betty Eaton-Shipley, Pauline Smith, Francis Ashenbrenner, and Helen Costa; and one granddaughter, Tracy Michaelis.
Funeral Service will be on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 10:30 a.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City followed by burial in the Ness City Cemetery. Viewing will be held at the funeral home on Monday from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. with the family present from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Ness City Leisure Years, Our Redeemer Lutheran church, and The Kansas Center for Autism.
Memories and words of support maybe be left for the family at www.fitzgeraldfuneral.com.
LaMelba Sue Renberger, 88, La Crosse, Kansas, died Friday, October 26, 2018, at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kansas.
LaMelba was born August 3, 1930, in Mangum, Oklahoma, the daughter of Victor and Jessie (Stiles) Wickersham. A 1948 graduate of Anacostia High School, Washington, DC, she attended and received a business certificate from Strayer Business School, Washington, DC. She was a homemaker.
She was an active member of the First Christian Church, La Crosse, Kansas, sharing many happy times with friends there, especially with members of her Sunday School class. She volunteered at the Barbed Wire Museum, many years at the Thrift Shop, and was on the Barnard Library board.
She will be missed greatly by her family and friends.
On October 24, 1952, she married Everett Renberger in Washington, DC. LaMelba and Everett met in Washington, DC, where LaMelba’s father was a U. S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and Everett was in the United States Navy, sent to school at the Naval Gun Factory in Washingon, DC. They were married 66 years and 2 days at the time of her death.
Survivors include: her husband, Everett Renberger, La Crosse, Kansas; two sons, Bruce Renberger (Connie), Derby, Kansas, and Gary Renberger (Linda), Derby, Kansas; one daughter, Donna Urban (Mac), La Crosse, Kansas; five grandchildren, Aaron Renberger, Derby, Kansas, Annie Renberger, Winfield, Kansas, Brent Renberger (Bethany) Derby, Kansas, Alisha Scott (David), Olathe, Kansas, and Ryan Urban (Monique), Hays, Kansas; four great grandchildren, Landon and Macy Renberger, Derby, Kansas, and Jaxson and Hudson Scott, Olathe, Kansas; two brothers, Galen Wickersham (Renee), Birmingham, Michigan, and Victor Wickersham (Virginia), Scottsdale, Arizona; and one sister, Nelda Holston (Sam), Midlothian, Virginia.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Visitation will be Wednesday, October 31, 2018, from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La Crosse, Kansas, with the family receiving friends from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Church visitation will be Thursday, November 1, 2018, from 9:00 A.M. to 9:50 A.M. at the First Christian Church, La Crosse, Kansas.
Funeral service will be Thursday, November 1, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. at the First Christian Church, La Crosse, Kansas, with Pastor Mark Sizemore officiating. Interment will be in the La Crosse City Cemetery, La Crosse, Kansas.
In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests memorials to the First Christian Church, La Crosse, Kansas.
Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.charterfunerals.com/locations/janousek-lacrosse.php.
Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.
Victor J. Riebel, age 91, died at Cedar Village, Ness City on October 27, 2018. He was born on the family farm near Ness City on January 30, 1927 the son of Clem and Anna (Dinges) Riebel.
He attended Ness City High School and was a part of the State track team. He had to end his high school career early to work on the farm when his father was no longer able to work. Vic was a US Army Veteran. He worked as a mechanic for Slagle Implement fixing cars and farm implements. He also hauled fuel and worked for Pickerell Drilling as a pumper. He enjoyed playing golf, bowling and playing cards. When his grandchildren started playing sports, he attended every game that he could and listened to them on the radio when he couldn’t. Vic was a member of the Sacred Heart Church, Knights of Columbus, and the American Legion, all of Ness City.
Sixty-Six years ago, on April 14, 1952 he married Wilma Kreutzer in Ness City. She survives. Other survivors include his son, Perry Riebel (Judy) of Russell; five daughters, Vickie Leiker (Donald) of Ness City, June Stoecklein (Steven) of Manhattan, Jane Stoecklein (Lester) of Ness City, Randae Rufenacht (Benjie) of Ness City, and Karen Stoecklein (Ron) of Ness City; four brothers, Johnny, Willie, Melvin, and Leon Riebel; three sisters, Sister Florentia, Sister Leona and Sister Barbara Riebel; 13 grandchildren and 12 Great-Grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Norbert and Paul Riebel; two sisters, Arlene Drake and Sister Winfred Riebel, and a granddaughter, Tara Ann Riebel.
Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 11:00 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Church, Ness City. Burial in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Viewing will be at Fitzgerald Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 30 from noon until 9:00 p.m. Rosary and Parish Vigil will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be given to Cedar Village, Sacred Heart Church or the American Legion, all of Ness City.
Lola A. Donecker, 92, passed away October, 25, 2018, at River Bend Assisted Living, Great Bend. She was born February 19, 1926 at Trego County to William and Katie (Strauch) Bauer. She married Lewis H. “Hap” Donecker September 19, 1948 at Dighton, Kansas. He died June 29, 2010.
Coming from Dighton in 1972, Lola was a Great Bend resident. She was a member of First Christian Church. She was a clerk at Gibson’s Discount Center, retiring in 1991, when she obtained her GED. She then worked for a short time at ASI telemarketing. She enjoyed reading, baking, embroidery, crocheting, gardening, canning, sewing, quilting, playing “noodle balloon ball”, noodle making, and above all, spending time with her family. She was a member of the River Bend Bible Study Group and the River Bend Bell Choir.
Survivors include, three daughters, Kathleen Donecker of Hutchinson, Vicki Sheets and husband John of Great Bend and Reneé Dykes and husband Luke of Great Bend; one sister, Evelyn Lawless of Topeka; five grandchildren, Jennifer Keener and husband Jarrod, Rachelle Sheets, Joshua Sheets, Danielle Keenan and husband Pat, Sarah Haberman and husband Jason; and ten great-grandchildren, Kelsie Brown and husband Trent, Kameron Keener, Blake Sheets, Kaleigh Sheets, Addilie Sheets, Waylon Sheets, Olivia Keenan, Caroline Keenan, Kori Haberman and fiancé Troy Ostmeyer, Gavin Haberman and Cohen Haberman. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis “Hap” Donecker; one son, Lewis Dean Donecker; three brothers, Walter, John and Benjamin Bauer and, three sisters, Rosie Ferris Lolley, Mabel Flinn and Lillian Bauer.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday, October 29, 2018, with family receiving friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Bryant Funeral Home. Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at First Christian Church, with Rev. Joshua Leu presiding. Interment will be at 2:30 p.m. in the Lane County Cemetery, in Dighton, Kansas, with a reception to follow at the Dighton First Christian Church.
Memorials are suggested to the First Christian Church or the River Bend Assisted Living Activity Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
TOPEKA — Kansas tourism professionals presented several awards at the 2018 Kansas Tourism Conference awards banquet held Oct. 24 at the Geary County Convention Center in Junction City. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism presented the following awards:
Established in 1983 to recognize outstanding contributions by individuals or organizations to the Tourism Industry, the Governor’s Award encourages others to strive for excellence. The award demonstrates cooperation, sustainability, quality and accountability. The Kansas River is a recreational treasure and has been a well-kept secret among a few paddlers and anglers, but it is fast becoming a valued recreational resource for thousands of visitors each year. KDWPT has worked with Friends of the Kaw and local communities along the Kansas River to develop more than 20 public access points for public recreation as well as wayfinding signs and increased awareness of the recreational opportunities on the Kansas River. In 2012, the Kansas River was the second river designated as a National Water Trail.
For nearly 30 years, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has been working in Kansas to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. They’ve permanently protected 139,470 across the state, including five preserves that are open to the public. In 2016, TNC bought a 330-acre tract of land in Logan County that encompasses 250 acres of Niobrara chalk formations. The property adjoins the Smoky Valley Ranch which is owned by TNC. In 2018, the Kansas Legislature formally designated the chalk formations as Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park. KDWPT and TNC are collaborating to design access to the park and build trails to protect the fragile formations and unique ecology of the area. The award recognizes the importance of collaboration in the successful development of tourism in Kansas.
“These awards highlight the vital role of dedicated individuals and organizations in growing the tourism industry in Kansas. Through their partnership, Kansas tourism will continue to be a significant part of the state’s economy. A recent economic impact survey indicates tourism has grown to an $11 billion industry in Kansas, one of the fastest growing industries in Kansas.” said Linda Craghead, KDWPT Interim Secretary.
The Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK) also recognized its membership’s top marketing talent. TIAK Marketing Awards focus on overall marketing initiatives and recognize state-level winners only.
“The travel industry plays a significant role in enhancing the Kansas economy. These awards are examples of the superb efforts, from all regions of the state, that go into marketing Kansas as a quality visitor destination.” said TIAK president Jan Stevens.
SALINA — The flight team at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus will compete on a national level next spring after placing second in its region during an annual collegiate aviation competition.
The Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team attended the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference, also known as NIFA SAFECON, Oct. 14-17, battling other colleges in their region for a chance to advance to the national championship. After participating in a variety of events consisting of tests both on the ground and in the air, the Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team earned several individual awards and placed second overall, securing a spot at nationals in May 2019.
In preparation for regionals, the flight team had the unique responsibility of both training for the competition and helping organize the contest as this year’s host. Ten universities from seven states visited the campus to compete in two different regionals. Kansas State Polytechnic faced the colleges in NIFA SAFECON’s Region VI: Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, St. Louis University-Parks College, University of Central Missouri, University of Nebraska Omaha and University of Oklahoma. Minnesota State University-Mankato, University of Dubuque, University of North Dakota and University of Wisconsin challenged one another in NIFA SAFECON’s Region V.
“It was such an honor to welcome other universities to our campus and connect with so many students that share the same interest in aviation,” said Maddie Perry, Wichita, senior in professional pilot and captain of the flight team. “Having the competition close to home also helped our strategy: Because we weren’t traveling out of state, which costs more per person, we were able to increase the number of flight team members participating and each was able to focus on the event or events they best excelled at. Overall, it was a valuable learning and networking experience and I’m proud of what this team accomplished.”
The competition consisted of nine ground and flight events that ranged from determining different types of aircraft from ambiguous photos to attempting to hit a ground target from the air to landing a plane as close as possible to a specific line painted on the runway. Participants earned points for their efficiency in each event entered, which were accumulated to score single event placings as well as each team’s overall performance. Winners in each category received a medal or plaque and the top three teams in each region were selected to move on to nationals.
Fifteen members competed for Kansas State Polytechnic at NIFA SAFECON and more than half of them scored in the top 10 in various events. Their individual placings are as follows:
Jacob Hecker, sophomore, Hays, eighth in Message Drop; Robert Weesner, sophomore, Leawood, eighth in Aircraft Recognition and eighth in Message Drop; Caleb Strahm, senior, Sabetha, first in Short Field Landing, second in Power-off Landing, fourth in Traditional Navigation, and eighth in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation; Logan Klein, junior, Salina, 10th in Ground Trainer and 10th in Message Drop; Marc Hinnen, sophomore, Shawnee, first in Power-off Landing, fourth in Computer Accuracy, fourth in Short Field Landing, fourth in Traditional Navigation, seventh in Ground Trainer, and runner-up for Top Pilot; and Maddie Perry, senior, Wichita, fifth in Power-off Landing, sixth in Ground Trainer, and 10th in Short Field Landing.
Brandon Vu, freshman, Johnston, Iowa, 10th in Message Drop; Zach Smith, senior, Hendersonville, North Carolina, seventh in Navigation; and Satoru Okada, sophomore, Yokohama, Japan, second in Computer Accuracy, seventh in Navigation and eighth in Short Field Landing.
The Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team also was selected as the safest team in both Region V and VI. Other members of the competition team include Brent Koenigsman, sophomore, Hays; Conrad Giebler, sophomore, and Grant Weldon, sophomore, both from Olathe; Cole Thornberry, junior, Troy; Zak Kierstein, junior, Erie, Colorado; and Charles Weeks, sophomore, Woodstock, Georgia.
Along with competing annually, the flight team uses its student organization as a way to give back to the community and to connect children with aviation. Throughout the year, the team is a part of several campus events like Open House and Candy Canes and Airplanes, and also conducts two aviation camps for kids and one for high school students in the summer.
— Kansas State Polytechnic
Although it has absolutely nothing to do with the outdoors, I still feel the need to ask you all to observe a moment of silence just now, as the woman credited with creating the Green Bean Casserole has died. Dorcas Reilly who passed away this week at the age of 92 worked in the home economics department of Campbell’s Soup and helped create many of the recipes listed on the soup cans including the iconic green bean casserole. Now that I have that out of my system and have composed myself, on to this week’s column.
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and I love the savory smell of wood smoke in the autumn air. When I was younger, I heated my home with wood for several years. Today, my checkbook curses me each time I pay the monthly winter gas bill, but my back curses me each time I again think of cutting firewood. Nevertheless, I do miss the rumble of a powerful chainsaw in my hands, the smell of the fresh wood chips as they’re spit from the saw, and of course, the wonderfully soothing feel of wood heat that results from it all. You know the old saying, wood is the fuel that heats you twice; once when you cut it, and again when you burn it.
I like to think that my prowess with a chain saw was unparalleled…once I got the tree on the ground. Up to that point, however, my lumberjack skills weren’t worth a hoot. Maybe because I am directionally challenged, I don’t know, but the trees I cut never went the direction they were supposed to go. The clearest memory from my wood cutting days is of a tree-felling gone horribly wrong, that wasn’t entirely my fault.
Where I grew up, our farmstead sat back a very long lane, and just as it reached the house, the lane made a sharp 90-degree turn and became a large, oblong circular drive. At that 90-degree turn, and directly across the lane from the house was a big wild cherry tree. The tree had been dead for a while, and dad had decided its time was at hand, the problem being that it leaned toward the house and the electric lines.
Like most old barns in that part of the country, our barn was designed primarily for storing hay, and still had the steel track high against the roof on which the old hayforks ran. These forks were used to unload loose hay from the wagons and to carry it up high enough to be dumped into the loft. A large diameter rope run through a set of pulleys and hitched to a horse or tractor, pulled the loaded forks from the wagon up into the barn, and that rope still hung high in the rafters… We had an idea!
I clambered as high into the tree as I could and secured a heavy log chain, and then came the old hay rope salvaged from the barn. One end was tied tightly to the chain, the other end to a clevis on the drawbar of the old Farmall “H.” With dad on the tractor ready to pull the dead behemoth away from the house, I began to cut. The diameter of the tree was more than double the length of my chain saw bar, so it was a slow process. I finished the notch, then moved around the tree and started cutting in from the backside. As I reached the point of no return, I gave dad the high sign, and he tightened the “old” rope. The dead beast began to list in his direction. Life was good! However, the smile on my face evaporated at the gnawing, snapping sounds of rope fibers stretching and breaking. I watched in horror as the old rope unraveled and ripped in half, leaving the outcome of this undertaking in the hands of my chainsaw ability!
Time slipped into slow motion as half a years supply of fire wood snapped upright again, then slowly headed for the house and power lines. We had never worried about the house, which was safe by a mile, but like a fullback protecting a football as he dove for the goal line, the power lines were tucked snugly beneath its branches as the tree crashed across the driveway. Bad enough you say? Not quite, as the calamity had torn something loose somewhere, knocking the entire neighborhood out of power. Certainly bad enough now, you think! No not yet, because it was Saturday, and the power company guys had to come out on their day off, not to mention the fact that the televised Ohio State football game was interrupted. (you K State and KU fans can understand this I’m sure) Saying all the neighborhood football fans were steamed is being kind. As I remember it, they were so hot we could have heated the house that winter with their thoughts, and let the tree stand!
Since I don’t cut firewood anymore, the trusty old chain saw sets alone in the dark, now used only for the occasional pruning job around the deer stand. It’s probably all for the better though, because I am still as directionally confused today as ever, and to top it all off, now I wear bifocals!…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Fort Hays State University’s Math and Computer Science departments will host the 40th annual Math Relays on Nov. 8 in the Memorial Union.
Students in grades nine through 12 will compete in a maximum of six tests throughout the day. The six tests are number sense, trigonometry, algebra, geometry, applications, and calculations with calculators.
Tests can be completed by individual students or by teams of three students.
Between 50 and 60 schools ranging in size from 1A to 6A are expected to bring around 700 students to compete.
At the end of the day, multiple awards will be presented. All students take the same tests throughout the day, but when it comes to scoring they are only scored with students in the same grade. Individual and team winners are recognized in each grade level for each test.
Along with individual awards, each school receives points throughout the day based on how their students perform. The three schools with the most points at the end of the day are given plaques.
Schools are also placed in categories based on their size and receive awards within those categories.
“I just want to thank the FHSU community, especially the staff at the Memorial Union,” said Dr. Bill Weber, associate professor of mathematics. “Seven hundred students in the union is a lot, and the patience shown by the staff is much appreciated.”
