While my sixth grade classmates loved listening to our teacher read “Wind in the Willows,” I found it silly. Toads talking and acting like people, no way. This attitude toward anthropomorphic creatures was a childhood peeve. I wanted critters au natural.

To this day, I find stories about talking animals silly. Despite my curmudgeonly attitude toward this popular genre, I like toads. Fortunately, summer provides daily opportunities to observe toads residing in patio planters and garden beds.

Looking at a toad, you wouldn’t think it overly bright, but one summer, two caught my attention because they were so clever and entertaining.

Before the solstice officially arrived, these fellows demonstrated their smarts. Our section of prairie made growing anything a challenge. Instead of investing in a big flowerbed, I decided a few well-chosen pots with bright blooms would make it seem summery without demanding water necessary to grow a lush flower garden. These neighboring green gents quickly determined which pots stayed cool and damp longest and moved in. Initially, they lived separately, one in my mixed bloom bucket and the other in a geranium pot.

As May days lengthened and warmed, the geranium toad must’ve investigated the mixed bloom pot because next thing I knew, two amphibians rose, gasping for air, out of the same toad hole when I watered. They dug their cavern deep enough one could rest on the other’s head while leaving the top toad covered to his bulging eyeballs in potting soil.

For a while, they found their bliss in the mixed bloom pot, but as summer grew hotter and drier, both toads abandoned it for my herb garden. That soil must’ve stayed cooler, maybe due to the insulating brick border. Watering time became an adventure. I never knew where I’d find my garden buddies.

In addition to requiring cool, damp living conditions, these guys exhibited hearty appetites. As a result, their bodies grew wider and longer than my palm–a result of their canny hunting skills.

While other toads in our yard gathered nightly under the yard light, these discovered the much closer patio light drew insects equally well and didn’t burn nearly as many calories making the journey. Patiently, they waited until evening temperatures dipped before emerging one green amphibian limb at a time from moist earth. Then they let the beam from the porch work its magic.

One night, I interrupted their fashionably late supper to see why they were so plump. Both warty lads had rooted themselves directly under yellow lamp rays, gobbling beetle after beetle as freshly toasted insects sizzled and plopped to the patio. While I watched, these big boys didn’t move more than a couple of inches as they went through the equivalent of a twelve-course meal. I wish I’d stayed long enough to see them lug distended, white bellies back into the flower pot where I found them the next morning.

As much fun as I had watching those toads, I may give Wind in the Willows another chance. Obviously, there’s more to that story than I realized in sixth grade.

The headline for this article is an obvious play on the headline of the article penned by Chris Dinkel which appeared in the Hays Post on June 15. The purpose of this article is to provide a different perspective and some balance to the conclusions drawn by and opinions of Chris. My thoughts may unfortunately rest on anecdotal and vague opinions to some degree, but also on plenty of practical and personal political experience in such matters.

Here are my thoughts on the last Vision Team meeting on June 13, structured to give homage to the classic western film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Keep in mind that out of the 14 people attending the last meeting only 2 of us did not support the last bond issue. That’s roughly an 85% to 15% split in representation.

The Good: The Vision Team’s latest $78 million plan eliminates the use of a sales tax to help finance the school bonds. This is undoubtedly welcome news to the Hays City commissioners and the Ellis County commissioners. However, truth be told, without diminishing the Vision Team’s decision, there was still some discussion at the last meeting about a petition drive in response to the Hays City Commissioner’s comments.

That all ended when Superintendent Thissen explained to the group that the school board members were very clear in their meeting the night before that they didn’t want, for all the right reasons, to pursue a sales tax to help finance a school bond. The school board members showed respect for the wishes of their local government colleagues, and in doing so rid themselves of an unnecessary obstacle to the next bond election.

They were mindful of the people from surrounding counties who shop in Ellis County AS WELL AS the concerns of local car dealers and other retailers. Their decision tells the electorate that they are listening to them and are going to approach this bond election in a different way, etc. So, as far as not pursuing a sales tax the school board should be given the lion’s share of any credit.

One also could view as a “little” good the fact that two years ago the bond was for $94 million, the Vision Team’s proposal in May was for $89 million and the latest proposal in June is for only $78 million. Given that another 1.5 hour meeting reduced the bond by $11 million, just ponder for a moment the possibilities that some more hours of examination might produce.

The Bad: In Chris’ letter he pridefully reports that “It hasn’t taken years of committee meetings to assess the needs of the district.” If he was making reference to the argument I have used consistently in my previous writings that past citizen’s committees, such as those involving the Sports Complex and the Ellis County building projects, spent one to two years before bringing their plan to the public for a vote, I would posit that Chris and the Vision Team as a whole miss my point.

I appreciate the time previously devoted to examining the conditions of the school district facilities. However, at each vision team meeting when I was asked, I offered my belief that more time should be spent exploring alternative possibilities and other combinations of options, particularly as it relates to the elementary schools and the buildings that have been designated for closure. At the last meeting in May of the Vision Team, for example, I explained that I believed there were at least eight or more variations or combinations worthy of more discussion. The response from someone from the architectural group was: “Exactly”. I was not sure what that meant then, nor am I clear what was meant by that response even now. But since the discussion quickly moved on to the largest amount possible $89 million bond plan, I’m going to hazard a guess and say he was not in favor of my idea.

My point was and continues to be, not that we need to spend another year or two planning, but the plans will never be balanced or reflect the community as a whole, if the thoughts and views of those who make up the 15% of the Vision Team aren’t fully explored. I wholeheartedly believe that for far less than $78 million there is another plan or two that can touch each school and meet the needs of the schools. Moreover, further analysis should involve such things as what to do with vacated schools and the administration building as well as costs to maintain them, and the incidental costs related to all the proposed construction and transition which have received no real attention to date.

The Ugly: The Vision Team’s decision to propose a $78 million school bond was once again the absolute largest dollar amount possible without the help of a sales tax and without provoking, I suspect, an even more visceral reaction from the public. The justification used by the Vision Team for “going big” was based in part on two related arguments. One, they were told by the architectural team at the beginning of the meeting that there was proposed legislation which could create some hurdles for any future bond election. Two, with this in mind they determined, apparently on the basis of reality (not opinion or anecdotes), the public would never support another bond issue in the next 25 years.

However, this is clearly contradicted by the results of the robocall survey conducted by the architectural team months ago which indicated that 60% of the respondents preferred smaller more frequent bond issues rather than one large one. And I don’t recall this factoid being discussed by the architectural group or the Vision Team. What might one conclude from this I will leave to the voter, however, using this argument in pushing for a $78 million bond makes for an easy counter attack by anyone who is in the 60% group.

In the end, the Vision Team’s latest proposal still suffers from the same flawed process as I have consistently argued in my past articles. It is a plan which was produced by a Vision Team which was 85% committed to a bond, no matter the amount. The views of 15% of the Vision Team (2 or 3) that voted against the last bond and wanted to explore some other options for less dollars at the June meeting, in actuality carried little to no weight. In my opinion the results continue to lack any real balance and still don’t reflect the community as a whole.

I’ll leave everyone to ponder these questions: Is there a school plan worth waiting for a little longer? And wouldn’t it be prudent for the school board to consider more than one plan? Speaking for those representing the 15% of the Vision Team and a large segment of the voting public, I believe the answer to both questions is yes.

Tom Wasinger, Hays

June is the most popular month for weddings. However, one aspect of planning a wedding that many brides may not consider is how to clean and store that lovely gown– likely the most expensive garment they’ve ever purchased– when the festivities are over.

If you want to preserve a wedding gown for later years, don’t just leave it hanging in the closet uncleaned and unprotected. Here are a few suggestions to follow that are appropriate for a wedding gown or any other fine garment you would like to preserve.

It is essential to have your gown completely cleaned before storage. Perspiration, food, or beverage stains on the gown which are invisible now will become visible during storage. Don’t be unhappily surprised years from now by permanent yellow or brown stains that cannot be removed. Also, stains may attract insects that could damage the fabric. Clean it now and play it safe.

Do not store your gown in the basement– dampness can cause mildew. The attic is not recommended either; it is too hot in the summer. Protect your gown from light to avoid fading or discoloration. Keep it in a cool, dry, dark place– such as in a closet, under a bed or in a storage chest.

Don’t store your gown in a plastic wrap or bag–especially a sealed one–since air must circulate around the fabric. Plastic can deteriorate and the resulting chemical fumes may damage the cloth.

Because of the acid found in wood products, clothes should not be wrapped in newspaper or tissue paper (even blue) for long term storage. Wrap and cushion the gown with washed muslin or white cotton fabric instead. The dye in blue tissue could be transferred to the fabric. If necessary, white tissue could be used if you change it every year.

If you want to store a wedding gown in a cardboard box or cedar chest, be sure to line the box with clean muslin or white tissue paper, and wrap the gown so that no fabric touches the wood or cardboard.

Don’t wait twenty years to look at the gown again. By then stains may be permanent, damage from insects, mold or mildew may be irreversible, and folds may be permanently creased. Take your dress out of storage each year or two, carefully opening and handling it with scrupulously clean hands or white cotton gloves. After inspection, take time to carefully repack the gown. Change the position of the folds, replace any tissue paper and wash the cotton fabric used for cushioning, wrapping or lining the box.

To ensure that you remember to do a regular inspection, use your wedding anniversary as the date each year to examine your gown. Handling your wedding gown on your anniversary will bring back many memories of your special day, besides ensuring that the garment receives regular attention.

For more detailed information, contact the Ellis County Extension Office at 601 Main Street in Hays (785-628-9430) to request a copy of the archived Extension publication “Cleaning and Storing Your Wedding Gown.” This free publication contains step-by-step information on cleaning methods and storage techniques to preserve a wedding gown. If searching for web advice on wedding gown care, be sure to look for information from university or textile conservation sources for best reliability.

If you follow these guidelines, your beautiful wedding gown should still be just as pretty many years from now.

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

We periodically test and retest the limits of free speech — in effect, revisiting the legal and societal implications of that old childhood refrain, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Recently, free speech has been winning…even when it hurts, as surely it sometimes does.

Just a few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court said a Seattle rock band called “The Slants” had a right to register its name over the objections of the Patent and Trademark Office.

The government’s contention was that the name is also a derogatory term for Asian Americans, and as such violated a federal act prohibiting trademarks that “disparage…or bring…into contempt or disrepute.” But Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in Matal v. Tam said that denying the trademark “offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.”

Alito also rejected the idea that the government’s role should include efforts to stamp out ideas that offend large groups of people. Such an active effort, he said, “strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. Speech that demeans…is hateful, but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate.'”

In a concurring opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy said protecting offensive speech also protects all speakers who hold views not shared by the majority of citizens: “A law that can be directed against speech found offensive to some portion of the public can be turned against minority and dissenting views to the detriment of all…The First Amendment does not entrust that power to the government’s benevolence. Instead, our reliance must be on the substantial safeguards of free and open discussion in a democratic society.”

Granted, we’ve decided as a nation that some speech is outside the First Amendment’s purview; true threats and fighting words, blackmail, child pornography and attempts to immediately incite violence among them. But we must continue to narrowly define in law what is not protected, even if it means standing in defense of the rights of those who would provoke, challenge or even disgust most of us.

The same “free and open discussion” logic underlying the Matal v. Tam decision was expressed in 2011 by Chief Justice John Roberts, in turning back a civil lawsuit seeking penalties against the so-called “Westboro Baptist” group that protests at the funerals of fallen U.S. military personnel, often with signs crudely opposing gay rights and other religious groups.

“Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and — as it did here — inflict great pain,” Roberts wrote. “On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course — to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.”

We need to know the depth and manner in which all kinds of ideas exist, if only at times to understand how to effectively oppose or refute some of them. Such understanding is a necessary foundation for the marketplace of ideas, that competitive element that undergirds a democratic republic.

None of this says any of us have to passively accept that which we do not like, or abhor. We may bring our complaint in the court of public opinion rather than in its legal counterpart. Effective? You bet.

Just ask comedian Kathy Griffin, who quickly found out she crossed a line into unacceptable — though still legally protected — speech, when she posed with the faux severed head of President Trump. Faced with a deluge of online criticism and cancellation of public appearances and a network TV deal, she apologized profusely: “I beg for your forgiveness. I went too far,” she said in a video posted on Instagram. “I made a mistake and I was wrong.”

And turning to late-night host Stephen Colbert: The FCC properly refused to act against Colbert for a crude on-air reference to oral sex in a joke about President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. But after wide public outcry over both the words and the tenor of the joke, Colbert responded, “While I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be.”

We do at times find instances in which speech begets conduct that is not protected. In Massachusetts, a teenager will appeal a June 15 verdict in a “suicide by text” case. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter as a result of her text messages to a suicidal boyfriend that the court found showed “wanton and reckless disregard for the life of the victim.” Free speech advocates say the decision could criminalize speech never intended to cause real harm, such as the childish taunt to “go jump off a bridge.”

This current list of contentious free speech issues also includes proposals in some state legislatures to limit public protests, debates over campus speech codes and speakers, and even wider arguments over how to deal with free speech on the Internet that is considered “fake news.” Each of those subjects merits their own lengthy discussion.

No one solution fits, or fixes, all. We must have the courage to defend against those who would take a shortcut through the First Amendment in the name of preserving good taste, protecting public sensibilities, or even in defense of “truth.”

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Let’s go to the Pentagon. Here on a desk is a personalized mug from a pottery studio halfway across the country in rural Kansas. It’s the classic type of stoneware pottery that has been made for centuries.

Steve and Jane Fry are owners of Elk Falls Pottery, the source of this personalized mug.  Jane grew up near Hesston and Steve came from Great Bend in Barton County. As a teenager, Steve and his friends rode motorcycles in a nearby area they called the clay pits, where a local brick company had mined for clay.

Steve was always interested in art. At Hesston College he took a sculpture class and then was introduced to pottery. The professor took the students on a field trip to a high quality clay deposit in Barton County.

The professor taught them the art of making pottery. “I fell in love with clay and the potter’s wheel,” Steve said. He also met Jane and fell in love with her. They were married after college.

Steve and Jane learned about a living history village in Georgia which recreated life in 1850. They took positions at the village, with Jane serving as a hostess and Steve becoming an apprentice potter. He learned to use a treadle wheel to throw the clay forms. “It was a great experience,” Steve said.

By 1976, they wanted to set up a potter’s studio of their own. They spotted a magazine ad which described an affordable place in the southeast Kansas town of Elk Falls and ultimately moved there. Elk Falls Pottery was born.

Elk Falls Pottery offers handmade dense, durable stoneware such as serving platters, bowls, and other dinnerware. The business grew and so did the family. Steve and Jane had a daughter and son, now grown with spouses and children.

To get clay, Steve goes to the same high quality clay deposits which his professor had shown him, near where he had ridden his motorcycle years before in Barton County.  Over time, he developed his own recipe to blend with the clay to make an ideal product.

Steve uses the wheel to form the stoneware. Jane does trimming, staining, glazing and adds decorations, lettering or logos. “We work as a team,” Jane said.

The items are fired twice. First is a bisque firing to 1,940 degrees which causes the clay to harden but remain porous for glazing, followed by a second firing to 2,300 degrees which matures the clay and melts the glaze into a smooth finished surface.

One year, Steve and Jane learned about the Walnut Valley bluegrass Festival at Winfield. They attended and noticed there were craft vendors present. “Let’s make some customized mugs and bring them to sell next year,” Steve said. The following year, he brought 15 mugs – and they were so popular that he took orders for 89 more!

Eventually, festival staff asked them to make a limited edition souvenir mug for the festival. This became a popular annual tradition. “We had people waiting in line for us to unload the mugs at the festival,” Steve said. The Walnut Valley Festival has become their biggest sales event, although they stay busy throughout the year.

Today, Elk Falls Pottery makes thousands of mugs and other stoneware items annually.

“We want to make things that are used by people and are affordable to purchase,” Steve said. Their customized mugs are especially popular.

“We can put a business logo on a mug or put on someone’s name for a birthday, wedding, or anniversary,” Jane said.

Their mugs have literally gone from coast to coast and to such places as the Pentagon, as well as overseas. That’s impressive for a business in the rural community of Elk Falls, population 107 people. Now, that’s rural.

“It’s rewarding to take something all the way from the Kansas raw material to someone’s finished product,” Steve said. For more information, go to www.elkfallspottery.com.

It’s time to leave the Pentagon, where we found a stoneware mug from rural Kansas.  We salute Steve and Jane Fry of Elk Falls Pottery for making a difference with rural craftsmanship that lasts.

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research cent

EDITOR’S NOTE: This letter was sent to and provided by Rep. Eber Phelps, D-Hays, 111th Dist.

As you know, the Governor vetoed HB2313. This bill is the lottery vending machine bill. While our associations are not going to take a stand on the pros and cons of the machines, we want to be sure you are aware the bill included provisions to utilize the funds from these machines for two mental health programs in Kansas. These are the Community Crisis Stabilization Centers Fund and Clubhouse Model Program Fund of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services

The Community Crisis Stabilization Centers are community based treatment of involuntary patients for up to 72 hours under the program you approved in HB2053. The people in the eastern half of Kansas who are in a mental health crisis cannot get immediate treatment because of an admission moratorium which has now been in place for 733 days today. That moratorium has resulted in a waiting list to obtain emergency mental health treatment for the entire moratorium period. But this program would do far more than remove some of the load from the state hospitals, particularly Osawatomie State Hospital. This program was meant to not only find a place where they can get immediate mental health care, but also would establish their continuing mental health treatment in the community.

The Senate added funding ($2.8M per year) to their FY18 and FY19 budgets for these centers. In conference committee, the Senate acquiesced to the House position to not include the funding. The remarks at the time indicated this was found to be acceptable because the programs were funded in HB2313. Now with HB2313 vetoed there is no funding for the program. It is understandable the House had not put the money in their budget bill because they had passed HB2313 which included the funding. It is also important to note the vetoed bill, HB2313, with this funding passed the House 98-19 and the Senate 34-4.

We are writing to ask you to give strong consideration to overriding this veto so we can fund these programs. Both programs, Community Crisis Stabilization Centers and the Clubhouse Model Program are important programs in attempting to address the dire conditions of those in mental health crisis in Kansas.

Ed Klumpp
Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Legislative Committee Chair
Kansas Sheriffs Association. Legislative Liaison
Kansas Peace Officers Association, Legislative Liaison
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (785) 235-5619
Cell: (785) 640-1102

As harvest was beginning last weekend, I was able to visit a farm near Hoisington and ride along for a while.

Being on the combine took me back to a wonderful childhood. My dad’s parents had a dairy while my mom’s parents were more typical diverse Kansas farmers. They had about 160 acres of wheat along with alfalfa, grain sorghum and pasture for a Hereford herd.

My memories of wheat harvest include my uncle driving the wheat truck to the co-op elevator in Burns and getting a different bottle of Crush pop with each visit. This was the first time I ever had anything but Coca-Cola or Pepsi and my favorites quickly became strawberry and grape.

As I grew up and became old enough to drive the wheat truck or the tractors, I remember my grandma bringing shakes to the field on hot summer afternoons – made with vanilla ice cream and strawberry crush pop.

I also remember losing a wheat crop three days before harvest from a hailstorm and watching another wheat crop fail due to too much rain and not being able to get in the fields.

Those years remind me why my grandpa was so diligent about watching the weather report every night at 10:20 p.m.

Thanks to the Stoskopf family, Dean and Mary Anne, Julia and Josh, for letting me tag along today and relive some of those memories.

Wheat prices are at record lows but the yields look promising. It will be another very very tough year for agriculture. The experience only reinforces the importance of opening up new markets and trade opportunities and writing a strong farm bill.

I wish all of the farm families a safe and successful wheat harvest. Thank you for all you do for our great nation.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or know of ways my office can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

In the House

Career & Technical Education

This week, the House passed the “Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.”

Career and technical education is foundationally important to economic growth and innovation.

These are the jobs that sustain our economy. We must always keep this curriculum at the top of our minds when we look at preparing our students for success and our economy for stability.

 

Internships available!

Students! Are you interested in working in Congress? If you are, apply for an internship with our office.

We offer internships in all of our office locations, and can fit the work to suit your interests.

Visiting our veterans

It is always an honor to visit our veterans when they arrive in Washington on an honor flight.

On Thursday, I had an opportunity to visit them outside of the Korean War Memorial. Below (left) is a photo of my new friend, Don, who served in WWII.

Additionally, we were honored to be joined by my friend, CIA Director Mike Pompeo (shown bottom right).

On June 26, the Hays USD 489 Vision Team is scheduled to present its proposal for a facilities upgrade plan that would be funded by a $78.5 million bond issue.

Given what you know about that plan today, would you be in favor of the proposal? Vote below.

Read more about the details of the proposal HERE.

[polldaddy poll=9771921]

BY JOHN SCHLAHECK
Kansas Farm Bureau

Talk about a world turned topsy-turvy. That’s what happened March 6 in Clark County.

On that fateful day, wildfires exploded across Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas and swept through an estimated 1.5 million acres. A couple days after the fire burnt out, some said the charred remains looked like Mars—desolate and barren.

For Travis McCarty, this day will remain forever etched in his memory. The experience scorched his soul.

He watched as 76 mile-per-hour winds fueled grass fires that destroyed more than 461,000 acres in Clark County where his family has farmed and ranched for four generations.

Dozens of farm and ranch families lost their homes, out buildings and livestock. Countless wildlife fell prey to the fiery devastation including dead and severely injured coyotes, deer and jackrabbits.

A large-animal vet by trade, McCarty was consulting at a feedlot near Montezuma that day when his phone rang.

“Dad called to say he really needed me,” McCarty says. “He told me he was headed toward a neighbor with his tractor and disk to save his home from fire.”

Seeing the billowing smoke about 65 miles to the southeast, McCarty jumped in his pickup and sped toward Ashland. That’s when the chaos began.

Trying to reach the Sand Creek Ranch pasture, he turned around because he couldn’t make it due to the fire and smoke. Instead, he rendezvoused with his wife and father-in-law. They headed for his parent’s place to move some first-calf heifer pairs into a safe place.

As they hurried to save the cattle, the fire swept closer. Little more than a mile away, McCarty says he could feel the heat like a blowtorch on the back of his neck.

“It was the biggest fire I’d ever seen and covered the sky,” he recalls. “It scared me to death as it raced toward us.”

Realizing the imminent danger, they abandoned their rescue mission and headed for the Ashland-Englewood junction away from the fire’s path. Several minutes later the wind shifted and McCarty thought it safe to return to his parents’ home.

As he pulled into the driveway, he saw the fire had burned within a few feet of the house. It remained intact.

“Only God knows why that house is still standing,” McCarty says. “You do funny things when you’re in a situation so out of control. I grabbed the little water reservoir out of my vet box in the pickup and started spraying any fire or hot spots I could see. When I think back, it was comical but I had to try anything to help.”

Like so many of their neighbors, the McCartys lost livestock and miles of fencing. Twenty-eight head of his 60-head breeding stock females died in the wildfire. Half of his dad’s 340-head cow herd perished.

Two months after the fire, the Clark County cattlemen continue to rebuild and pick up the pieces of their broken lives. They take each day one at a time. Nothing is normal anymore. Their goal – move forward.

“We’re going to grind it out like my grandfather and his father did during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl days,” McCarty says. “I’m sure they experienced similar feelings we have. It’s stressful and it’s aged us all.”

Their surviving cows and calves remain in temporary pastures. Stock mob graze weedy areas enclosed by electric fence. Sometimes the bust out and free range like the days before Joseph McCoy forever changed the open-country, cattle grazing in Kansas.

The McCartys plan to finish rebuilding fence by the end of 2017. Generous donations from throughout the country have provided them with approximately 25 percent of the fencing materials needed to rebuild.

So far, they’ve cleared almost 95 percent of the burnt posts and barbed wire from the cross fencing and perimeter fencing surrounding their pastures. They’ve rebuilt less than 10 percent.

“We’ll probably be in this rebuilding mode for years,” McCarty says. “We take each day one at a time. Nothing is normal anymore.”

Yes, every day is different. New challenges, small triumphs, setbacks and baby steps forward, he says. With every passing day McCarty feels a little stronger.

Looking back on March 7, the fires still burned. Father and son cried together about their losses – the carnage of dead cows and calves seemed too much to bear.

“That was the bottom for us,” McCarty recalls. “Thinking what in the world are we going to do.”

Then his phone rang.

People calling – asking to help.

The fires still smoldered. The McCartys didn’t know what needed to be done. They hadn’t even had time to assess the fire’s consequences.

Farmers and cattlemen like the McCartys remain a fiercely independent lot. Self-reliant. If something – anything – needs done. They will fix it. They will handle it themselves. Thank you very much.

“Most of us are people who usually don’t ask for help,” McCarty says softly. “But now, we had to learn to say, ‘yes.’”

The outpouring of those wanting to help has been overwhelming. Friends helping friends. Neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone in the community and from across the country pitching in.

McCarty talks about a 19-year-old young man who traveled from Michigan four times to help. He’s brought fencing supplies, clothing, organized hay delivery and worked a week of his vacation rebuilding fence.

“This spirit keeps you going,” he says. “While we’ve suffered a huge financial blow – it’s just money.”
McCarty hopes to one day pay this generosity forward. He recently dropped everything to assist in another community devastated by hail and a tornado.

“I can’t tell you if I’d have done that a year ago,” he says. “But after experiencing the fire you just go.”
The fire of 2017 changed the lives of those who live in Clark County forever.

All know the feeling of watching the sky turn black, the arid smell, seeing the smoke blanket the landscape and wondering why?

Most will say they rose to the challenge, met it head-on and are better people for doing so. This kind of spirit and selflessness will allow this region of Kansas to recover. A community of kindred spirits moving forward.

Kansans, we are done being kicked around. For 5 years we endured the eyes of the nation upon us, judging our tax experiment. We became famous, the poster state for bad tax policy. The takeaway message from those watching was “don’t do what Kansas did.”

But our narrative has just changed. Earlier this month, a bipartisan supermajority of Kansas legislators overrode a governor’s veto, effectively ending the experiment. Now the headlines trend toward a more positive “Kansas shows the way out” theme, or “Kansas provides a lesson to the country.”

Indeed, Kansas does show the way out. The experiment ended because a wide swath of Kansans become thoroughly engaged and said, “Enough.” Kansans wanted their government to work, and wanted public education adequately funded. A practical approach to state finances and a sense of fairness about who should pay taxes triumphed over a discredited “trickle down” tax cut ideology. Gov. Brownback never repented of the financial mistake that defines his governorship, but finally most Kansans could see that his “sun is shining in Kansas” mantra was false.

Certainly, kudos should go to the courageous legislators and legislative leaders who voted to override. Ultimately, though, the real deciders on this issue were Kansans themselves. An override vote that raised taxes and repudiated a governor’s policy agenda could not have happened without strong consent from the populace.

Most citizens prefer not to spend their time thinking about budget and tax policy issues. But by the summer of 2016 an overwhelming number of Kansans had tuned in to those issues. They did not like what they saw and definitively expressed themselves in the August primary and November general elections. The 2017 legislative session began with one-third of the seats held by new lawmakers. Polling done mid-session showed that two-thirds of Kansas voters disapproved of the Brownback tax plan. That disapproval tracked across all political ideologies. An even higher percentage of voters expressed concern that the state was not investing enough in education. With those lopsided polling numbers, the die for the override was cast. Kansans had decided.

Kansas will be climbing out of the Brownback experiment for years. The override vote did not fix all poblems, but at least everyone can take a breath. Our political energy can now focus on the future rather than on crisis management. Our red state status is likely still intact, but the roots of a practical and fair-minded Kansas have started to show through again.

Finally, a word to the rest of the nation: We Kansans are “mopping up our mess,” as Senate Majority Leader Denning put it. We’re turning around. Maybe many of you in other states thought we went nuts with our experiment, but keep any smug feelings in check. The whole nation could so easily go down the same rat hole. The Trump tax plan looms. It’s the Kansas experiment on steroids. Pay attention now, or we will all be mopping up something much bigger.

Duane Goossen formerly served 12 years as Kansas Budget Director.

This month, the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) finally approved spending $6 million for another year of state assessment testing. Renewal of the University of Kansas Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) contract had been put off a month over concerns with delivery of state assessment this spring. Last year, the state assessments were incomplete due to a backhoe incident that cut the lines delivering the tests. CETE testified earlier this academic year to ensure that there would be backup, and that there would be folks to answer a testing-problem hotline in a timely manner.

Nevertheless, this spring some Kansas schools again had problems, with students being kicked off the online testing system and schools having to reschedule testing. The State Department of Education looked at alternatives, from going back to paper-and-pencil tests to re-joining a test consortia.

Long ago, Kansas was one of the first states to use computerized state assessments—and it ran fairly smoothly. So returning to paper-and-pencil tests was considered old fashioned.

In the first days of Common Core, Kansas had also joined Smarter Balanced, one of two test consortia (the other being PARCC). However, Kansas has since dropped out of the test consortium (as have a large number of other states).

But the KSBE never discussed adopting full ACT or ending state assessment testing under CETE. Therefore CETE tests will continue to drive teaching across Kansas these next school years.

The effect of external test authorities is similar to our growing problem in medical care. One famous Kansas medical doctor who retired early told me: “I can no longer do what is best for my patients; I have to do what some insurance company administrator tells me I can do!” He described ordering a medical test for a patient; the test came back negative (no disease). He then spent more time explaining to the insurance folks why he had ordered a test that did not test positive. He felt that his professional judgement had been taken away. And that is what has happened to teachers when testing has been taken out of their hands.

The claim that “Kansas has cut testing to 60 percent” is a false brag. Testing does not just consume the time the tests are given, but it drives teaching-to-the-test the rest of the year. And the testing of only a few disciplines has caused the short-changing or total abandonment of the non-tested curriculum. As with other states, Kansas students have lost up to one-fourth of their art and music classes—and teachers!

The test obsession begun by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has not gone away under the “new” Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 15 years of NCLB has embedded external testing into most state education regulations and grown an expensive testing industry.

The original intent of the testing was to evaluate whole school systems, not individual students and teachers. But over the years, the failure of testing to improve schools has shifted the focus to individual student scores. That has decreased the value of tests traditionally written and used by teachers during the school year, an important practice (called “formative” testing) that allows teachers to customize their teaching for unique student populations: rural, high-risk, economically poor, gifted, etc.

University Education Schools are also complicit in this overtesting and teacher deprofessionalization. Classroom teachers formerly learned how to write and grade their own quizzes and tests as part of their professional training. “Tests and Measurements” courses provided depth in this important skill, as critical to teaching as surgery is to medical doctors. But with tests now written by external testing corporations, training teachers in testing has declined. Many colleges no longer offer a tests-and-measurements class.
What can we do? This is a problem that American parents can solve. The solution is simple: OPT OUT!

Under ESSA, the feds continue to extort test-compliance and want 95 percent of students to take the state assessments to get federal Title money. But parents have every right to opt their child out of this over-testing and last year 20 percent of New York parents did! The opt-out movement continues to grow. It is now time for Kansas parents to take back their schools and empower their teachers. Next year, the path back to educational sanity begins with Kansas parents who opt their children out of state testing!

The magnitude of outright hatred toward our president is unprecedented in American history.

To say the hatred is equally bad on both sides of the political aisle is ludicrous. Yes, there is some coming from the Republican right, but it pales in comparison to that coming from the left. It’s preposterous to think otherwise.

It’s the Democrats out to destroy a Republican president! Who are Republicans trying to destroy that reaches the same level? It’s not about debating Trump or proposing alternative agendas. It’s about wiping him out.

Need I apologize for being an alarmist when it is as plain as the nose on one’s face we are in incredibly alarming times. Our democratic form of government is being sliced and diced into little pieces.

The collusion with Russia narrative regarding Trump lacks evidence, but goes on and on and on. The actual collusion with Russia by Obama and Hillary is no more than a blip on the radar screen. Where’s the justice? It’s all about whether one is Dem or Rep , not what actually took place. I hope readers can see the very serious danger this poses to our American justice system.

Readers need to be sure and follow the partisan Special Counsel of one Robert Mueller, friend of fired FBI Director James Comey. It’s a witch hunt to destroy our president. It may show, indisputably, we have lost our way in America when it comes to justice.

The left doesn’t even hide it is out to destroy our duly elected president. Every other word coming from the left is about Trump impeachment even though there is nothing even close that rises to that level. That is, unless you believe as liberals do. Impeachment is as easy as indictments. You can indict a ham sandwich, therefore, impeachment can occur just as easily – if you are Republican.

Actually, the animus coming from the left, that is particularly evident toward our president currently, goes even deeper. It is historical coming from liberals and progressives. There is anti Americanism all over the left’s map that goes back for decades.

Burning the U.S flag does not come from the right. Communist sympathizers don’t vote Republican. Anti Semitism and pro Muslim sentiment comes from the left, not the right. The Iranian nuclear deal of Obama is as anti American as you can possibly get. Obama had a communist mentor while growing up by the name of Frank Marshall Davis. American terrorist Bill Ayers hosted Obama as he kicked off his campaign for president. Etc.

Need I mention the violence that takes place with abortion on demand of poor defenseless unborn babies?

Let’s not dwell on history other then to say the hate and violence has been there for decades. Now, like never before, the pure hatred is culminating with “never Trump,” no matter what it takes. It’s not just rhetoric that is out of control, there are leftist sponsored violent protests.

What we are experiencing at present in our politics and government is appalling and we should all, if a patriotic American, be concerned like never before. It is not politics as usual. The very fabric and soul of this once great country of ours is at stake.

I said it before and I will say it again. There is indisputable proof we do not have equality of law in these United States of America. The facts speak for themselves. On the Democrat side, Obama, Hillary, Comey, Lynch, Holder, needed to be investigated for some two dozen crimes, instead, our justice system is all over Trump even though there is no evidence of a crime.
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According to a liberal based Harvard study TV networks, cable, N.Y Times, Post, etc. were over 90% negative toward Trump. Fox was even more negative than positive, but within reason. One of the news outlets above had something like 90 panelists that were anti Trump to only six that were pro Trump.

To say fake news comes mostly from the right is absurd. Numbers alone explain logically that virtually all fake news comes from liberal media. The leaks to leftist media from anonymous sources have ended up being false for the most part. Desperation to take out our president has led to one lie after another.

Has anybody noticed the complete and utter silence of moderates. Makes one wonder if there are any moderates? Makes one think they all buy into all the fake news no matter how false the narrative. Even makes one wonder if they too want Trump destroyed?

Media, for the most part, is anti Trump. Media, obviously, runs the Democrat Party and its voters. Virtually all of the Hollywood celebrities are anti Trump. Virtually all administrators and professors in higher education are liberal, thus anti Trump. Most federal government employees donated to Hillary, not Trump. That includes those in our intelligence community. Even some Republicans are anti Trump, especially the establishment types in congress.

As pathetic as this picture appears, grassroots Americans that put Trump in the Oval Office still have his back. Polls show he could win the presidency today. Grassroots Americans, middle America, flyover America, rural America or whatever you want to call us are determined to prevail.

After all, there are numerous and huge Trump triumphs as our man fights the elements to make America great again and fulfill the promises made to voters.

Don’t believe the fake news of the left. As things stand now, with the Dem Party hatred, Trump is on line to win a second term come 2020. His adversaries are scared to death and unhinged because of it, and explains the out of control hateful behavior.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Legislature Adjourns until June 26th
On June 10th, the Senate wrapped up the end of Veto Session and adjourned until Sine Die on June 26th at 10:00 a.m. This was one of the toughest sessions in recent history due to the state’s budget deficit and the Kansas Supreme Court’s school finance ruling. The 2017 session marked the second longest session in history at 113 day (2015 ended with 114 days) however keep in mind 2016 was the shortest session since 1976 at only 73 days. Two hundred and fifty four Senate bills were introduced, 46 were passed during the regular session and either signed or vetoed by the Governor. The Governor has now signed 45 into law this session and vetoed one. By law, The Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign the bill into law, veto the bill or allow the bill to become law without his or her signature.

The final day of the 2017 Session is known as Sine Die (Latin for “without a day) and is the ceremonial end to the Legislative session when Legislators come back to wrap up all of their work. This also allows the Governor the opportunity to act on all legislation passed during veto session.

Session End Bills
Senate Substitute for House Bill 2002 – Budget
June 10th, Saturday night, both the Kansas Senate and House took final votes on a budget for FY’18 and FY’19. The plan spends $15.6 billion including roughly $6.4 billion from the State General Fund in FY ’18 and $15.8 billion including roughly $6.3 billion from the State General Fund in FY ’19. The bill provides: A 2.5 percent pay raise for state employees with less than 5 years of service (excluding Highway Patrol law enforcement personnel, legislators, teachers, and licensed personnel and employees at the schools for the deaf and blind), A 5 percent pay raise for state employees who have not had a pay adjustment in 5 years and a 7 percent raise over two years for those who stay at home and take care of family members who qualify for Medicaid-funded home and community-based services.

Income Tax – Senate Bill 30
On June 5th, both the House and the Senate passed Senate Bill 30, on a vote of 69-52 in the House and 26-14 in the Senate. Immediately after the Senate passed the bill, Governor Brownback issued a statement explaining his intent to veto the bill. On Tuesday evening, the Governor vetoed the bill, and it was sent back first to the Senate for a potential veto override. After ample debate, both chambers of the legislature voted to override the Governor’s veto, meaning SB 30 is now law. This bill raises about $1.2 billion over the next two years, closes the LLC loophole, expands income tax brackets from two to three, and raises personal income taxes in all brackets. The bill also restores multiple deductions that were stripped from the tax code in 2012 including the ability to claim medical expenses, mortgage interest, property tax and reinstates a childcare tax credit. Carrying forward losses was also reinstated in SB 30. It is important to note that the new rates are still less than in 2012 tax rates.

School Finance – SB 19
Background and overview
In February, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled on the Gannon v. Kansas case regarding the constitutional equity and adequacy of K-12 public education funding. The Court ruled that K-12 education funding is unconstitutional, and noted that 25 percent of all Kansas students aren’t meeting Rose Standards, a series of targets students must meet to be considered at “grade level.” The Court’s ruling was broad, and allowed legislators the breathing room necessary to do our jobs and create a fair and fundable formula. The Court reaffirmed what the legislature already believed to be true: legislators are the state’s chief policy makers and money appropriators. While the Court did not specify how much, if any, additional money must be funneled into public schools to meet its standards of constitutional funding, the Court did mandate that the legislature create a new, equitable and adequate school finance formula by June 30, when the current block-grant funding formula expires. The Kansas House of Representatives passed its version of a school funding formula 84-39 and the Senate debated and passed our version of a school funding formula 23-16. After both Chambers passed a bill, Senate and House negotiators met in Conference Committees to defend each chamber’s position on the bill, reach an amicable consensus, and kick a bill back out to both the House and Senate for a final vote in the Senate of 23-17 and the House of Representatives 67-55. Now that a new school finance formula has been signed into law by the Governor (June 15th) Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt will argue the state’s position on school funding in front of the Kansas Supreme Court. The Court will then rule on the new school finance formula, although there is not necessarily a set timeline for such ruling. A few highlights of SB19 – adequately fund K-12 education at a level of $4.34 billion as follows: $2.77 billion GSA, $0.48 billion LOB state aid, $0.45 billion special education, $0.06 billion capital outlay, $0.20 billion bond and interest, $0.37 billion KPERS; Incrementally increase BASE aid per-pupil spending, starting with $4,006 in FY’18, $4,128 in FY’19, and adjusted for a three-year rolling average of CPI-U Midwest thereafter. Previous per-pupil spending averaged $3,852; add $12 million per year to special education, equaling $445.6 million in FY 2018 and $457.6 million in FY 2019; Provide funding for all-day kindergarten. Previously, state base aid covered the cost of half-day kindergarten, and local communities were left to decide whether they wanted to offer all-day kindergarten funded at the local level. It will also require the school finance act be revisited every 10 years to ensure that education funding is reasonably calculated on a rolling basis.

Conference Committee reports and final action bills
COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA (House Bill 2277): HB 2277 allows a city or county to establish one or more common consumption areas by ordinance or resolution, designate the boundaries of any common consumption area, and prescribe the times during which alcoholic liquor may be consumed.
SECURITIES COMMISSIONER OF KANSAS (Senate Bill 23): SB 23 establishes the Office of the Securities Commissioner of Kansas as a division under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Insurance and amend law by consolidating certain prosecutorial functions of the Attorney General.
CONCEALED CARRY (Senate Substitute for House Bill 2278): Senate Sub. for HB 2132 exempts State- or municipal-owned medical care facilities and adult care homes, community mental health centers, indigent health care clinics, and any buildings associated with the University of Kansas Medical Center from the requirement that carrying concealed handguns cannot be prohibited unless adequate security measures are in place. Under current law, these facilities are exempt until July 1, 2017, if notification was filed with the Office of the Attorney General.

Governor’s Office of Appointments
The Office of Appointments assists the Governor with the appointment of over 1,000 individuals to serve on Kansas’ boards and commissions. All qualified and service-minded Kansans are encouraged to participate in our state’s government by offering to serve on a board or commission or by recommending qualified candidates. The latest list can be found at https://governor.ks.gov/serving-kansans/office-of-appointments among those to consider are State Library Board, Kansas Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 911 Coordinating Council, Kansas Volunteer Commission, Kansas Development Finance Authority, Council on Developmental Disabilities and Sentencing Commission. If you are interested in the opportunity to serve or would like to nominate someone, please call the office at 785-368-7097 or send an email to [email protected].

From the State Library
Travel around Kansas
Would you like to know more about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood home? Plan a road trip to Independence. Want to do a Post Rock country tour? Check out the Post Rock Scenic Byway in Russell County. Do you want to see something old? Really old? Visit the Fick Fossil Museum in Oakley. With the start of summer right around the corner, your local library has several books that will inspire a weekend road trip or add interest to an already planned trip. These books at the State Library are a good place to get started: http://kslib.info/weekend.

Summer Reading
Traditionally, summer reading programs in libraries are designed to encourage elementary-aged children to keep reading during summer vacation. Increasingly, teens and adults are included in these programs as well. This year’s theme, Build a Better World encourages children and families to read for pleasure through activities and programs centered around building, construction, and community. Starting June 2, the State Library of Kansas will post a new kids’ digital book of the week every Friday morning on our Summer Reading page http://kslib.info/srp. Each book stays linked on that page for easy access throughout the summer. Teens and adults can find downloadable audio and ebooks by visiting http://kslib.info/digitalbooks. No login is needed as long as you access the books from the SRP (Summer Reading Program) page. All of the books promoted are used in the internet browser. There is no need to set up apps or download files to enjoy these books.

NFWL/NRA Bill of Rights Essay Scholarship Contest – 20th Anniversary
The National Foundation for Women Legislators and the National Rifle Association are co-sponsoring the 20th Annual NFWL/NRA Bill of Rights Essay Scholarship Contest for college-bound female high school juniors and seniors. A 400-600 word essay on one of three topics which include the 1st Amendment and how women have played influential roles, the National Woman Suffrage Association which lead to the 19th Amendment being ratified and why women only hold 24% of elected offices in America with 54% of the populous of the country. The contest’s six winners will each receive a $3,000 college scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to NFWL’s Annual Conference November 14-18 in Minneapolis, MN where they will network with, be mentored by, and speak to hundreds of women lawmakers from across the United States. To apply online go to www.womenlegislators.org or call my office for addition information.

Off Session Contact Information
The 2018 Kansas Legislative Session will begin January 8, 2018 when we will be back in our offices in Topeka. Over the summer and fall, I can be reached at my legislative email at [email protected] or my work email [email protected]. My work address in Concordia is 212 E. 6th St., Concordia, KS 66901 and if you are in Concordia, drop by. My daytime work number is 785-243-3325 x2 or email me questions, concerns or ideas for legislative bills for the next session. It is an honor to serve you in the 36th Kansas Senate District and please feel free to contact me anytime.

Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
[email protected]
785 243-3325x 2 or 785 296-7389
www.kslegislature.org