Last week, two events occurred here in Kansas at the same moment that Great Britain’s Conservative Party was, as the London tabloids put it, moving from  being the “Strong and Stable” majority parliamentary party to a “Weak and Wobbly” plurality party.  It might be a stretch for Kansas readers, but there are correlations between the far of London and the near of Kansas.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s campaign was much more understated than the American excesses of 2016. The campaign sought to gain power for the Conservatives by reminding the British electorate of the burdens of belonging to the European Union and the immigration problem.  The party failed spectacularly.  Mrs. May will now have to govern with just a bare 3 vote majority in a coalition government.

A story on the Conservative’s campaign failure this past Sunday cited Conservative speech writer, Ian Birell, instructing his Conservative colleagues, “Ditch politics of division and fear, the parroting of empty soundbites, the rejection of young citizens.  Start speaking like your electorate, return to the centre and above all, show faith in fellow humanity.”

Mr. Birell’s comments are of value in thinking about the two Kansas events.  In one a new and substantial majority of our state’s legislators demonstrated the value in his instruction.  In the other, one of our collection of political super-egos showed the opposite inclination.

Last Tuesday, June 6^th, Sam Brownback became a very lame duck.  This might be a surprise as the next scheduled inauguration of a governor for the state is 570 days away.  Furthermore, there’s another 90 day legislative session beginning January 2018, primaries the following summer and a November general election to follow those.

What put an end to the Brownback era was the repeal of most of the tax changes he advocated in 2012.  The departure of many conservative legislators by choice and defeat since the 2015 legislature and 2016 election has created a moderate majority.  Combining Republicans and Democrats, this new majority showed early in the 2017 session that the state’s financial house would be tidied and the self-inflicted revenue starvation begun in 2013 would end.  Tuesday that moderate majority found the remaining few votes for the 2/3s super majorities in both houses necessary to override the governor’s veto.

Thursday, June 8^th, with his wife and daughters standing just behind him, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach stepped to a podium in Lenexa to announce that he will campaign for the Republican nomination to be governor of the state come January, 2019.

With a Trumpian slogan that clearly took a dig at Brownback, “Time to Lead,” Kobach laid out issues and a tone common to contemporary political campaigns.  He urged his sliver of adoring Kansans to join him in ending a “culture of corruption” in state government – actually using the words, “drain the swamp.”  He also protested the legislature’s preference for reinstating taxes rather than recognizing that Kansas’s real fiscal problem was “a spending problem.”  Finally, at virtually the same moment new U.S. Census Bureau data was released showing that Kansas’s metropolitan areas are continuing to shrivel in population, he re-energized his vitriolic position on illegal immigration calling Kansas the “sanctuary state of the Midwest.”

Others are also already angling for votes and cash well in advance of the 2018 primary and general elections.  Presumably many will capitalize on Governor Brownback’s failure to accomplish the results he promised with his “shot of adrenaline to this economy.”  We shall all now be engaged in action and observation to determine if the centrist sentiment of 2016-17 prevails or if the populist anger of the Trump/Kobach meme is the winner.

Dr. Mark Peterson teaches political science at the college level in Topeka, KS.

This Tuesday, the USD 489 Vision Team wrapped up six months of meetings by approving a final plan to present to the school board in a couple weeks. Without getting into the weeds on details, I wanted to share a few thoughts about this whole process now that we have a plan.

First, this is an entirely new plan that not only improves the educational environment for every student in the district but also has a considerably lower financial impact than the last bond proposal. Excuse me while I geek out a little, but this is awesome! Who doesn’t like getting more for less? This plan will effectively prepare the district for the future without overly burdening tax-payers, and that’s exciting.

Second, all of our decisions in terms of budget, priorities, and total scope of the bond were data-driven. It hasn’t taken years of committee meetings to assess the needs of the district because the district hired experts who could thoroughly assess every facility and compile the data in a way that gave us an accurate snapshot of the challenges facing the district. As a result, we were able to formulate a plan that rests on reality and not anecdotal evidence or vague opinion.

Thirdly, this process has illustrated a shift in the way the school district interacts with and responds to local leadership, and I’m encouraged by the new approach. When the Hays City Commission told Mr. Thissen that they would not support a sales tax to fund this bond, the discussion immediately turned toward how to maximize the scope of the bond while respecting both the City’s decision and the community they represent. There will be no petitions, alternate requests or efforts to bypass the commission, and I’m glad. This is a step in the right direction toward repairing some of the strained relationships among governing bodies within Ellis County.

RELATED: Hays USD 489 bond team proposes $78.5M project, two new elementary schools

Finally, this plan addresses all of the safety, security, and maintenance concerns that were a major part of the last bond proposal, except that they are addressed as part of larger (yet ultimately more affordable) projects. For instance, by the end of this project every school will have a storm shelter, but those shelters will be built into other projects on each site that will improve the efficiency and academic viability of each school. We don’t need fear to justify these projects as they won’t simply make our schools safer; they will make them better.

If I haven’t been clear enough already, I’m excited for this project. I’m excited to see the Vision Team present it to the school board, and I’m excited to see the community’s reaction to it. I supported the last bond, and I don’t want to start criticizing the last effort or anyone involved in it. However, having seen this plan come together as it has, I can now say that I’m glad the last plan failed. This plan puts less financial pressure on our community and accomplishes more for our students than I feel the last plan did. I hope that the community can get behind it.

Chris Dinkel, Hays

Kiah, our remaining dog, was “inherited.” That means she once belonged to one of my sons, but because of circumstances, had to be turned over to us. Through the years, we have “inherited” various pets, including dogs and cats. (One of my sons was just “shocked” when his college would not allow him to keep a stray tom cat in his dorm room—now we have Charlie.) Each new pet brings its own peculiar traits.

Kiah is some kind of mix dog; we suspect Shepherd and Rottweiler, though we suspect each holds a minority interest in her. On occasion, when with our neighbor’s dog, she will act like a big, tough dog. If only people knew.

In the past, we used a plastic gallon ice cream container as a watering bowl for our pets, the kind you get from Dillon’s or some other grocery store. It had a handle that made it easy to carry and for us to pick up and fill with water.

One day, Kiah went to the watering bowl to get a drink. Apparently, the handle was part way up. As Kiah got a drink, the handle slipped over her head. When she raised her head after drink, she found the ice cream container handle around her neck. She panicked, running around the house crying in anguish as she tried to escape the clutches of the watering bowl.

Some of you have had similar experiences, though probably not with an ice cream container. You may have had a bad experience with a doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. that has lead you not to trust that person or that profession.
Recently I was in a meeting. The potential client (Steve) across from me announced that he did not like or trust lawyers, doctors, accountants, or investment advisors. Obviously he must have had a bad experience with one or more of them (his own water bowl experience).

I was not about to suggest to Steve that he was right or wrong in his feeling. I did suggest that he allow the two of us to visit, let me tell him what we could do for his family, his input and questions would be appreciated, and then we would develop a plan. But at some level, and some point, he needed to be willing to put trust in me.

When I am talking with a client at an initial meeting, we have a different conversation than what Steve was accustom. After talking about Steve’s and his family’s health; we discussed his property and how it was acquired and its importance to his family. My final questions to Steve were “What are your goals; what is it that you are concerned about; and what would you like me to help you with?” It is always interesting that the initial goal of Steve and other clients, after such a conversation, evolves through the course of that first meeting. When we finished, Steve and I talked about a plan that would fulfill his goals and ambitions.

When Steve was walking out the door, he shook my hand warmly, and said “I finally found a lawyer I trust”. I did not take that “compliment” for granted.

My suggestion to you that when working with a professional, lawyer or otherwise, you find someone that not only will listen to you, but will lead you through a series of questions, to help you articulate your big picture goals. Find someone that when you get done, you feel you can trust. Continue to provide input in the process.
Back to Kiah. Once in a while she will start whining at night, after we have retired to bed. I will go downstairs, thinking she needs to go outside.

Instead, many times she just wants a drink, and she wants me there, just in case the watering bowl should grab her by the neck. Some lessons are hard to overwrite, so we just bought a real watering bowl, without a handle. We are all happier.

Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

About eight years after the company declared bankruptcy, costing Kansas oil and gas producers millions of dollars, SemGroup is shelling out more than two billion dollars to purchase Fuel Oil Terminal Company, one of the largest oil terminals in the US. The Houston Chronicle reports the deal includes the company’s prime waterfront acreage along the Houston Chip Channel. The price includes $1.3 billion in stock and cash, plus the assumption of almost $800 million in debt. In October of 2009, a judge signed off on SemGroup’s bankruptcy settlement, in which producers in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and elsewhere were eventually repaid about $172 million, less than half of what they were owed.

The American Petroleum Institute says US petroleum deliveries in April averaged 19.6 million barrels per day, the highest figure for April in nine years. Crude oil production at 9.2 million barrels per day marked the second-highest April output in 44 years and the highest for any month since November, 2015.

The US has begun importing Iraqi oil at a rate of 1.1 million barrels per day to replace export cuts announced by Saudi Arabia late last month. Bloomgberg says the US imported Iraqi crude at the fastest rate in five years last week. They exceeded our Saudi imports for the first time. Iraq boosted exports in May to the highest since December, even as OPEC nations agreed to extend production cuts.

Kansas operators ramped up new production permits last month. There were 127 permits filed for new drilling locations across Kansas during the month of May, 2017. That and the year-to-date numbers are nearly double the figures from last year at this time. There were a whopping 13 new drilling permits filed in May in Ellis County, three in Barton County, one in Russell County and four in Stafford County. Last week there were 45 permits filed for drilling in new locations, bringing the year-to-date count up to 648 permits. There were 30 new permits filed in eastern Kansas and 15 west of Wichita, including new permits in Ellis County and Stafford County last week.

Independent Oil and Gas Service reported 91 completions last month, 53 in eastern Kansas and 38 west of Wichita, for a year-to-date total of 561 completions through May. Out of 38 new well completions west of Wichita last month, 10 were dry holes. Year-to-date out west, 93 dry holes out of 295 completions. Producers east of Wichita reported just two dry holes, out of 53 completions during the month of May.

For the week ending June 8, Independent reported eight new well completions across the state, 588 so far this year. All eight were wildcats, and all eight were in western Kansas.

Baker Hughes reported 927 active drilling rigs across the US last week, up eight oil rigs and three targetting natural gas. In Canada there are 132 active drilling rigs, up 33. Independent Oil a drop in the rig count east of Wichita, down four at 11 rigs. But in western Kansas there were 27, up six active rigs for the week. There are a total of 70 active rigs, including those awaiting their next assignment, compared to 61 total active rigs a year ago. They’re drilling at sites in Barton and Stafford counties, and moving in completion tools at five leases in Barton County and one each in Ellis, Russell and Stafford counties.

The Kansas Geological Society recognized and named eight new oil fields in Kansas during its meeting last month. Add one new “infield wildcat” discovery and you get 26 new discoveries of all types so far this year. That’s 14 more than last year at this time.

Tesoro Corporation will change its name August 1st to Andeavor, after acquiring the oil refiner and marketer Western Refining in a $4.1 billion deal. The purchasae will double the refiner’s nationwide workforce to 13,000 employees. Andeavor will have 10 refineries located in eight states with the capacity to refine 1.1 million barrels of oil per day. The new firm will also own more than 3,000 nationwide gas stations and convenience stores.

Growth in the western Oklahoma STACK oil play prompts good news and bad news in the area. In Kingfisher, Oklahoma, new businesses are opening, but housing is filling up. KOCO-TV-5 reports the town is running out of places for people to live, but says a developer is building a new housing addition, more than a dozen new homes. Similar stories are playing out across the region.

USD Partners has acquired a crude-oil terminal in Stroud, Okla., for $25 million. The company announced Monday the terminal will be used for rail-to-pipeline shipments of crude oil from western Canada to the oil hub in Cushing. The purchase price includes $2.2 million in one-time costs and anticipated capital expenditures to retrofit the terminal to handle heavy grades of Canadian crude oil.

The first-ever tanker with hauling liquefied natural gas from the United States arrived in Poland June 8 as part of that country’s and the region’s efforts to cut its dependence on Russia. It was the first delivery of U.S. gas to eastern and northern Europe, which is building a new network of energy sources and gas transportation.

Don’t text and drive- it’s a common reminder these days. Using a cell phone while driving not only endangers you, but everyone else on the road. In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to womenshealth.gov. Putting down your phone when you’re behind the wheel could save lives, including your own.

So if we agree that we shouldn’t text and drive, then texting while walking should be OK, right?

Wrong. The dangers of texting and walking were featured in a Walk Kansas newsletter this spring. Surprisingly, physical injuries from cell phone use while walking occur more frequently than from texting and driving, although vehicle accidents from texting usually result in injuries that are far more severe. And with the rise of social media, texting isn’t the only concern. Think about how often you see someone walking- head down, cell phone in hand, and completely unaware of what is going on around them.

A study conducted at Ohio State University focused on pedestrian injuries between 2004 and 2010. The study discovered that while the total number of pedestrian injuries decreased, emergency room visits for injuries related to cell phones tripled during that time.

A separate study from Stony Brook University showed that when people used their cell phones while walking, they were 61 percent more likely to veer off course, and 13 percent more likely to overshoot their target than when they were not distracted.

The researchers said millennials aged 18 to 34 were most likely to be injured in distracted walking incidents, and women over the age of 55 were most likely to suffer serious injuries.

This trend has prompted the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) to launch a campaign against distracted walking. The organization has devoted a page on its website to the topic- http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00748.

“Today, more and more people are falling down stairs, tripping over curbs and, in many instances, stepping into traffic, causing cuts, bruises, sprains, and fractures,” said Alan Hilibrand, MD, chair of the AAOS Communications Cabinet.

The AAOS website offers these and other tips to avoid distracted walking:

•While you walk, focus on the people, objects, and obstacles around you.

•If you must use headphones or other electronic devices, maintain a volume where you can still hear the sounds of traffic and your surroundings.

•Look up, not down, especially when stepping off or onto curbs or in the middle of major intersections; and/or when walking on or approaching stairs or escalators.

•Stay alert in mall and other parking lots, and on and near streets, especially during the winter months when it gets dark earlier and drivers are not as likely to see you.

There are very few laws in place that restrict texting while walking, but common sense should tell you it is not a very good idea. Using voice commands on your phone can help, but the best advice is to wait until you finish your walk before pulling out your cell phone.

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

Summer means warmer temperatures and longer days, which in turn means barbeques fire up across Kansas. At my home, the choice for outdoor cooking will be beef and pork.

For some, beef isn’t the food of choice these days. Others believe it isn’t healthy. For a few, the jury is still out.

But be honest, have you ever thrown a couple pounds of linguine and watched it grill while you sipped a Gin Rickey?

Chicken?

Look closely someday, real close, and decide for yourself whether you want to take it seriously as a food source, free-range or otherwise

Fish?

While I like it on occasion, it’s not robust. Not strong in flavor – unless it’s a very old fish. And if it’s so doggone good, why is it called fish?

Truth is, nothing in the animal kingdom comes close to matching the smell, sound and taste of a hamburger or steak over an open fire.

Sirloin, T-bone, porterhouse or my favorite the Kansas City strip….

Thick. Juicy. Red.

So, eat up.

While some of today’s diets have rekindled this nation’s love affair with beef, for years Americans have been eating less beef. This has resulted in a drop in income for our livestock producers.

The question has become whether the charges and concerns about red meat are scientifically sound. Dietary guidelines are supposed to tell us what we should eat for good nutrition. Depending on whose recommendations you follow today, few agree.

Today, some guidelines are overly dogmatic. They contain specific recommendations for everyone and overlook allowances for individual differences.

Our nation is made up of individuals who need to adjust their diets to allow for their own states of health, risks of chronic disease and personal tastes.
Most U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines are generally a good bet to begin with. Here goes:

*Eat two or three servings – a total of 5 to 7 ounces – daily of lean meat, poultry, fish and alternatives;

*Choose lean cuts of meat;

*Trim fat from meat before or after cooking;

*Roast, bake, broil, grill or simmer meat, poultry and fish;

*Cook meat or poultry on a rack so the fat will drip off.

To reduce sodium intake, USDA suggests eating one or two servings or less per week of cured or processed meats, such as ham, bacon, sausage, frankfurters and other luncheon meats, depending on other sources of sodium in the diet.

No matter how you cut it – all lean meats are high in nutritional quality.

Beef, pork and lamb have been recognized as good sources of top quality protein, as well as thiamin, niacin and vitamins B-6 and B-12.

Red meats are also excellent sources of the trace elements iron, copper, zinc and manganese – minerals not easily obtained in sufficient amounts of diets without meat.

Well-trimmed, lean meats contain about four to nine percent fat when uncooked, according to USDA. Lean meat consists of approximately 65 percent water.

Depending on whom you talk to or where you read about it, some folks warn against too much saturated fat. The problem with this is, animal fat often is erroneously equated with saturated fat while vegetable fat is equated with unsaturated fat.

Another misconception about meat centers around cholesterol. Meat is not high in cholesterol.

Meats of all kinds, whether fat or lean, are low in cholesterol – between 70 to 90 milligrams per serving. This amount is too small to have a significant effect on the blood or serum cholesterol of most of our population, which includes those with normal blood cholesterol levels and who are not genetically likely to respond abnormally to dietary cholesterol, so says USDA.

Lean meats, eaten in moderation as part of a varied diet are not expected to become a cause of heart disease or cancer, nutritionists believe. While there will be changes in production methods and processing techniques, the beef steak, pork roast and lamb chops are here to stay.

So, fire up that grill, roll up those burger patties and drop another steak on the grill. Beef and pork taste good and they’re good for you.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

In the House

House votes to repeal Dodd-Frank!

Having spent much of the last decade as a community bank board member and chairing the committee with oversight of the implementation of Dodd-Frank, I particularly understand the burden and loss that this one-size-fits-all approach to banking regulations caused many of our communities banks and credit unions.

I am relived and excited for much of its repeal through the Financial CHOICE Act. We will hold big banks accountable like never before, and lift the onerous regulations off the backs of our community banks and middle-class families. Returning decision-making authority to our community banks means more access to capital for our small businesses, and more jobs for the American worker.

A Kansan testifies before the Ag Committee

A big “thank you” to Ron Suppes from Dighton, KS, who left his planter parked to join us in Washington, D.C., last week. Ron talked to the Ag Committee about an issue we should all care about – sharing Kansas’ abundant agricultural production to feed the world’s most vulnerable. Ron recently returned from a trip to Tanzania where he saw firsthand the need for aid, and the success of U.S. programs.

Ron has a great heart, and represented the Big 1st’s ag community well!

Congratulating our Firefighters

Earlier last week, I was honored to congratulate Firefighter II Adam Patterson for being awarded the Kansas American Legion Firefighter of the Year in Garden City. While there, I also met with Fire Chief Allen Shelton, City Manager Matt Allen, and Assistant City Manager Jennifer Cunningham and toured current construction projects that will update the department’s living spaces for on-duty firemen. (Meeting shown left)

Meeting with CMS Administrator

On Wednesday, I joined the Doc Caucus in a meeting with the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma. Being a member of the Doc Caucus gives me an opportunity to discuss issues vital to Kansans’ health care. We always appreciate this administration’s willingness to engage with Congress. We were able to discuss durable medical equipment and the need for access to important medical resources like oxygen tanks in our rural communities.

June 8 was the 100th anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division, “the Big Red One,” which is stationed at Ft. Riley! From her heroic start, the 1st Infantry Division has played a vital role in our nation’s history, serving in almost every American war since 1917. We honor those who have worn the patch of the Big Red One, and those who do so today. I could not be more proud of our troops at Fort Riley, and I am honored to represent them.

If you’re visiting D.C. this summer, please contact my office for help on tours, and as always, never hesitate to write or call with anything we can assist you with!

The Legislature has gone home, the Statehouse is quiet, but the 113-day session of the Legislature isn’t over yet…by a long way…

It’s not over until all the legislation is signed by the governor and headed to the statute books; there are still major issues that we’ll not know for a week, maybe two, just how they worked out.

Sure, the tax increase bill has passed, the governor’s veto overridden, and those owners of LLCs may have to attend remedial classes for just how you go about paying Kansas income taxes, but that’s the simple stuff.

What’s ahead?

Well, the governor hasn’t dealt with that guns-in-hospitals bill yet, and a signature or a veto or just leaving it in the desk drawer until the end of the week will determine whether you get to carry your concealed-carry pistol into hospitals across the state, even the wards of the unfortunately designated “criminally insane,” to visit your friends.

If the governor vetoes that high-interest bill, which has the gun rights folks and the…well, the rest of Kansans split, you won’t have to leave your gun in the car when you visit hospitals. Oh, and your kids headed off to college might ask for a new sweater for this fall, and a pistol, since state universities won’t be able to post those cute little “no guns allowed” signs with any real consequence.

And, will public K-12 schools open this August? Not sure yet, the governor hasn’t signed the bill that is the Legislature’s effort to spend as little money as possible to meet the Kansas Supreme Court’s order to provide sufficient money to make sure all school districts can educate their charges to those confusing and vague “Rose Standards” for educational and social goals for public school students.

Lawmakers did their best to patronize the high court, with targeted appropriations for what the court repeatedly identified as the “25 percent of students” who can’t read and do mathematics as well as most Kansans want them to. Yes, lawmakers targeted funds at those kids, but the governor hasn’t signed the bill into law yet—though there is that expansion to individuals the ability to take big tax credits to a scholarship fund that will financially help parents who want to choose generally private schools to educate their children, which most believe will be the part of the bill he likes best.

Oh, and that K-12 issue, if the governor signs the bill, isn’t over until the Supreme Court finds the school plan constitutional, and that’s questionable because nobody is expecting the plaintiffs (that’s school districts) to sign-off on the bill’s provisions that increase total state aid by “only” $186 million for the upcoming school year and $283 million the next.

And, of course, there is the budget bill on which that House-Senate conference committee worked until nearly midnight for two days and then the House and Senate separately worked until nearly dark Saturday to pass…

Well, there are hundreds of pages of spending in the bill, and we’re thinking that while the governor won’t veto the entire tome, he likely will find an appropriation or two that he doesn’t care for and will line-item veto. Whether those vetoes of relatively small appropriations or direction of how money is to be spent may be negligible to most lawmakers, they just might hit a nerve that will spawn a motion to override.

We’ll know for sure by 10 a.m. June 26, whether the typically mostly ceremonial sine die adjournment of the Legislature turns out to be a social conversation about vacation plans or a chance to compare tan lines of lawmakers or a scrap to override vetoes, both of entire bills and those line items.

So…maybe don’t break out the straw hats, Hawaiian print shirts and flip-flops just yet…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

Hello from Agra. Yes, the session wrapped up on Saturday evening and all that remains in sine die, scheduled for June 26th. There were a number of things that were accomplished this session, and still many things remain and those will be discussed and debated starting in January.

One of the things we wait on is the opinion of the Kansas Supreme Court on the school finance formula, which was passed this session, and they will rule if it is constitutional. If they don’t, we will be called back into a special session this summer to fix the issue. Trying to find a tax bill that the majority could agree on was the main reason the session lasted well past 100 days. I will agree that something needed to be done, and as a member of the tax committee I worked with my colleagues on finding solutions. In the end I did not vote in support of the bill or the override.

I am a fervent supporter of public education and rural Kansas, and as a legislator you take a position and you stick with it. I want to share the remarks I delivered on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives on Tuesday evening on why I did not support the tax plan:

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the May 27th edition of the Wall-Street journal, an article which some of you have probably read, was titled: “Rural America-New Inner City.” Now I will tell you, when I saw that headline, I immediately discounted it as I very much consider myself rural, and thought no way. Not my area. But after taking time to digest it, it in fact could be true. This article talked about a couple of communities in Kansas, Coffeyville and Independence. We know these stories about the AMAZON facility, then the hospital both which closed. Over this session many of us have come to the well to decry the need for supporting legislation that will be the golden ticket for prosperity of our state.

“These stories are not unique to Kansas and many states have been looking at and developing programs to help rural parts of their states. Our body has that plan, Ad Astra. It has been in, then out, then back in and now out again. While this is the way the process works, we in the House want a strong rural Kansas. And a strong rural Kansas is a strong Kansas. You will hear from others who will talk about the work of committees this legislative session on several economic development programs that at this late hour on the 108th day…simply did not make the cut. Now is not the time to blame individuals or regions for success and failure of programs, policies or what we should have done last year or the year before. Now is the time, this is the place, we need to move forward. By not including economic development packages, like Ad Astra and others, we will leave our work undone.

“Tomorrow, the President will be in rural America to talk investment in infrastructure and jobs. Now is not the time for the Kansas legislature to abandon programs and investment which will have a direct benefit in many of our communities.

“A program similar to this in Georgia was signed into law recently and observers realized revitalizing the state is critical to uniting the state. Colleagues, isn’t that what we all want…. One Kansas.

“We have talked about it throughout the session, now is not the time to throw that out. Days are long, time is short, but as we move forward I would ask you join me in not supporting this CCR (Conference Committee Report) until these economic development programs are part of a package moving forward.

“Thank you Mr. Speaker.”

Some of you will agree, still others will disagree. But, I will not temper my drive and determination to bring economic prosperity to rural Kansas. My stake in this debate is to demand the Ad Astra Rural Jobs Program be part of the package. We have needs for family housing and entrepreneurial opportunities for all parts of the state and this is a good first step to bring new capital dollars to qualified counties.
I look forward to continuing working with other legislators and other stakeholders as we explore fair and reasonable tax policy moving forward.

I look forward to seeing you out and about in the district this summer and fall. Please feel free to continue to reach out to me with your questions or concerns: Phone: (785) 302-8416. Or email: [email protected]. You can also see updates at kenforkansas.com or on facebook/Ken for Kansas.

It is my honor to serve as your representative.

It’s fishing season again, and if the fishing experience in your pond needs “tuned-up” this is the time to do that. My friend whose pond “turned” this spring, obliterating all his fish, got his pond restocked Friday; the fish came from Hartley Fish Farm 5 miles west of Kingman, KS. Hartley’s has been family owned and operated since 1946, and depending upon rain amounts, contains 300 to 600 acres of water in 100 different ponds. I spoke at length with Bill Hartley who talked me through all the questions he would ask a pond owner when deciding how to stock or restock their pond. 

First they need to know how deep the pond is and how big it is in acres. As long as it’s at least 6 feet deep, (which most are) the depth is not real important, but the size is important since the acreage determines the number of fish added. Next they’ll want to know if it’s a new pond or a pond without fish, or if it already contains fish. If it’s an older pond containing fish, they’ll want to know what is being caught and how healthy the fish are. Next they’ll want to know the clarity of the pond; is it covered with moss and/or other aquatic weeds or is it relatively moss and weed free. Then they will want to know your plans for the pond; do you want to fish only for bass or do you want a well rounded population of different fish like catfish and bluegills for family and grandkids to catch.

If the pond is new or if it contains no fish or very few fish for whatever reason, its relatively free of weeds and moss and if the owner wants a balanced population of different species, Hartley’s standard and least expensive recommendation goes something like this; in the spring, stock 300 fingerling bluegills and red ear sunfish per acre, 50 (8 to 12 inch) catfish per acre if they won’t be fed any commercial food or 150 per acre if they will be fed, and 2000 fat head minnows per acre. Creating and maintaining a large population of minnows as forage for the other fish is a key to a healthy, growing fish population Hartley says. These minnows will also spawn and multiply if conditions are right, and Hartley suggests sinking cinder blocks, old PVC pipe or car tires as objects to which they can attach their eggs. Feeding the minnows with the kind of catfish food that sinks to the bottom is also helpful. He also recommends 10 (10 inch) grass carp per acre if the pond is clean, more if the pond is weedy. Grass carp will control all aquatic plants that are rooted to the pond bottom and are the best long term solution for weed control, but any floating moss or algae will have to be controlled with chemicals, preferable in early spring. But be vigilant when killing moss and algae with chemicals, as the dying and decaying vegetation can sap the oxygen from the water and kill the fish, thus creating the very situation my friend had faced. When I was a kid we had a nice pond that the conservation people recommended stocking with largemouth bass and bluegills, and though some bass grew large, the pond filled with small stunted bluegills and always had big patches of moss which we struggled to control. Hartley says that moss and weed removal is essential for the large growing fish to be able to control bluegill and sunfish populations, as small fish are able to hide in any vegetation and escape the larger predator fish. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes and crappies should be added in the fall after the minnows have had the summer to multiply as forage for those more predatory fish. As an interesting trivia fact, Hartley says it takes 10 pounds of forage to add 1 pound of weight to a bass, and only 2 pounds of forage to add 1 pound to a catfish.

Although the above recommendations are pretty standard, Hartley says that every pond is different and their suggestions for each pond will differ according to conditions; for example whether the pond is moss and algae covered, whether it’s already full of stunted bass or bluegills, etc. He says they even find differences from one pond to another at their fish farm. Above all, Bill Hartley stressed that despite their recommendations, in the end they will do whatever the customer wants done. Oh, and by the way, they can even add some of their hybrid bluegills to a pond especially for the kids to catch. They get big and plump, are feisty and loads of fun to catch and are 90% males so they won’t overpopulate.

Hey its fishin’ season again, so whether you have a new pond just beggin’ for fish, or whether your older pond is dead and devoid of life, before the grandkids threaten to chuck you into the depths of Davey Jones Locker until they have fish to catch, get hold of the Hartley family at Hartley’s Fish Farm, www.hartleyfishfarmsinc.com. and let them help you put some life into your water to help you better Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

When the calendar flips to June, small town youngsters know it’s time to spend days at the local pool. Decades ago, this wasn’t a water park with a variety of fountains, burblers, and lazy rivers. It was a shallow baby pool and the BIG pool where water depth varied from three to twelve feet. It meant gutters to cling to when you first learned to swim in the deep end. It meant belly busters that made those tanning on the hot, cement deck groan in unison with divers who didn’t get quite into position to slice painlessly into the water. Talk to any adult who lived near a pool in western Kansas and watch their eyes light at the memories. This was the place to be whether you were three or sixteen.

To this day, I still see that cinder block bathhouse and smell bleach-scented locker rooms where we showered before entering Meade’s summer hot spot, the public pool. Lifeguards collected fees at a sun-warmed metal counter. From that point, males turned left and gals right into dressing rooms. Then everyone hotfooted across a sizzling cement deck where moms in sunhats watched youngsters, teens mooned over one another, and school age kids dare one another to jump first into frigid water. Accompanying shrieks of glee echo in my mind.

As kids, the blind hollering game Marco Polo was our chosen activity if we weren’t challenging one another to swim across and back without surfacing for air. The person designated IT, closed his or her eyes and maneuvered about using sound to locate and tag other players. A few minutes as the pursuer made you wish you had dolphin-like sonar.

Tiring of the chase, we tested our lungs. I still feel the sensation of mine screaming for me to surface. I ignored it and kicked even harder to reach the concrete ledge. Once there, gasping survivors clung to the rough concrete lip and refilled aching air sacs.

Accomplished underwater swimmers who’d crossed the pool and returned without taking a breath next challenged one another to climb the high board ladder and dive into the deep end. More than one youngster discovered the ascent wasn’t as scary as the board’s end, where they gazed into crystal blue water 10 feet below. Those who steeled themselves to face that plummet hoped they entered hands first. A minor shift meant excruciating pain. You knew you were okay when you saw smiling lifeguards still perched on their stands. Lucky divers swiftly surfaced, sputtering in front of laughing friends.

While the pool challenged adventuresome young swimmers and teen boys, it provided a stage for maturing females to display their charms. They sucked in stomachs and applied baby oil mixed with iodine over skin to enhance tans. Those with perfectly teased doos made sure their hair didn’t muss despite others’ efforts to splash them. Despite wishing they could join taunting males grabbing knees to create massive cannonball waves, they posed prettily on beach towels, cheering on favorite performers.

During summer, the pool was the town social magnet. Scents of chlorine and suntan lotion drew even the faint-hearted. Memories and legends waited to be made. Drive by your local watering hole and note that some things never change.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.