Kansas is thrashing in Governor Brownback’s grip. Tax reform to restore desperately needed financial stability? Vetoed. Medicaid expansion? Vetoed. A fair and adequate school finance formula? That bill has not yet arrived at the governor’s desk, but the prospect of a signature doesn’t look good.

The governor’s vetoes strike right at the heart of practical, fair-minded, fiscally conservative, give-a-hand-to-your-neighbors Kansas.

Deep down, Kansans know the state must bring in enough revenue to pay for necessary services. It’s basic fiscal responsibility. But, as recent polling shows, Kansans have figured out it’s not happening in the state budget, and a large majority want that changed. Education, highways, and Kansas’ future depend on sound finances. The vetoed tax reform bill that would have ended the Brownback “experiment” was passed with strong bipartisan support (40 Republicans and 36 Democrats in the House, 14 Republicans and 8 Democrats in the Senate).

Medicaid expansion offers health coverage to tens of thousands of uninsured Kansans, and is firmly pro-business by helping hospitals stay in operation. Kansans want to help their neighbors in this way. 82 percent favor expansion! Just like the tax reform bill, large bipartisan majorities in the House (41 Republicans, 40 Democrats) and Senate (16 Republicans and 9 Democrats) sent the Medicaid expansion bill to the governor.

The state is under court order to fix school finance by June 30. Schools stand as the backbone of many Kansas communities. Again, polling shows a large majority of Kansans in support of public education, and very wary of putting schools at risk with inadequate resources.

Brownback held Kansas back with his vetoes, but not singlehandedly. Legislators tried to achieve a two-thirds majority to override, but each time missed by just a few votes. The difference between override success and failure? Legislative leaders. President Wagle, Majority Leader Denning, and Speaker Ryckman voted with Brownback, and they are still trying to negotiate with him on these issues despite the fact that super majorities in their respective legislative chambers, and most Kansans, are not with them.

Negotiating with Brownback on tax reform can only lead to a very weak outcome, one that still leaves Kansas broke, borrowing, postponing bill payment, and diverting highway dollars. The governor’s only answer on Medicaid expansion appears to be “no.” On school finance, lawmakers are heading toward an updated version of the school finance formula that Brownback scuttled in favor of unconstitutional and inadequate block grants.

When legislators return from break on May 1, Kansas needs meaningful action. Legislative leaders have to quit Brownback, and move the state forward. Bypassing the governor may be hard for them, and out of the norm for Kansas politics, but that’s what the situation requires, and it’s what Kansans want.

Please, leaders and legislators, don’t make Kansas wallow in financial stress for another year. Don’t cut out the Kansans who need health care. Don’t risk having schools closed in August. Unclasp us from Brownback’s grip. He’s not the one who will be standing for re-election. He’s not the future. Override. Free Kansas.

Duane Goossen formerly served 12 years as Kansas Budget Director.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“Connecting the dots.” That was a fun game to play when I was a kid. Today we’ll learn about an initiative in northwest Kansas which used the term “connect the dots” to describe its purpose in preserving the unique family histories in the county. It is bringing together the family stories of people from all ages and all walks of life.

Janet Carman is a volunteer with the Cheyenne County Historical Society and Cheyenne County Museum. The museum is located in St. Francis, the county seat of Cheyenne County.

Janet has deep roots in Cheyenne County, which is in the very northwest corner of Kansas. Her great-grandfather came west and homesteaded here. His rural location was south of Wheeler, which today is an unincorporated town with a population of perhaps 20 people. Now, that’s rural.

Janet grew up in Cheyenne County and went to K-State where she studied education. She met her husband and they eventually moved to Dallas where they spent 36 years and Janet taught for 22. A few years ago, they had the opportunity to buy her great-grandfather’s house. They bought the house, moved back, and restored it. “It was a labor of love,” Janet said.

Another labor of love for Janet was to volunteer with the Cheyenne County Historical Society. The society identified a need to preserve the verbal and written accounts of the county and its families using newer technology. In spring 2015, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation of Logan provided a grant which enabled the purchase of digital equipment and the gathering of such histories.

The historical society bought a computer, camera, DVD burner, wall-mounted television, portable sound system and more. Society members advertised about the project in local newspapers, conducted and filmed interviews, and hosted a “Telling Your Story” workshop led by a local published author who acquainted participants with various approaches for writing their personal stories. This included interviewing hints, writing techniques, and options for publishing.

Meanwhile, local historian Marilyn Holzwarth had compiled a Cheyenne County Legacy Family digital document of 110,000 names during her lifetime. This collection was also donated to the historical society and will be augmented with the family data, pictures, obituaries and stories from the Hansen project.

“This project has taken on a life of its own,” Janet Carman said. Several lessons were learned through this project, such as that smart phones are excellent (and convenient) tools for recording audio and video stories, and that it takes time, organization, and diligence to arrange interviews. They found that the process is most successful if families are directly contacted personally.

Several things have grown out of the grant, according to Janet. These include student involvement and volunteers who have found their special niche in recording such histories. Cheyenne County now has a “Discover Your Roots” genealogy club, Snapshot in Time programs, and bimonthly “Night at the Museum” sessions.

“A 90 year old woman from Denver came into the museum and presented us with a book of well-preserved letters which her father and brother had written in the 1880s while homesteading,” Janet said. “She was in tears.” The brothers, aged 13 and 14, were to develop the homestead while dad returned to Iowa to take care of the rest of the family.

The Cheyenne County Museum was dedicated in 1987. Its entrance features bricks from the St. Francis Brick Factory in 1888. Inside the museum is a rich collection of county history. All displays and furnishings in the museum come from homes or businesses in Cheyenne County. Now the museum also includes a Genealogy Center with family resources and the Legacy Family Project where multi-generational family stories are preserved and shared.

For more information on the museum, go to www.cncoks.us/historymuseum.

“Connecting the dots.” That is a fun kid’s game, and it is also a way to describe the connections that are being made in Cheyenne County. We salute Janet Carman and all those involved in the Cheyenne County Historical Society for making a difference by capturing, preserving and sharing these rich family histories. They’re not only connecting the dots, they are connecting the generations.

Most of us live and work in a sedentary culture. But studies show that too much sitting is taking a huge toll on our health.

Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative, has been studying the adverse effects of a sedentary lifestyle for years and sums up his findings this way. “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death.”

To combat the dangers of prolonged sitting, 216 people in Ellis County have formed 36 teams to participate in Walk Kansas from K-State Research and Extension. In this 8-week statewide health challenge, which runs from mid-March to mid-May, team members track weekly exercise and consumption of healthful fruits and vegetables while they support and motivate each other toward a shared team goal.

In addition to Dr Levine, many other researchers continue to find evidence that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing serious illnesses that include heart disease, various types of cancer, and Type 2 diabetes. In addition, the effects of long-term sitting persist even if you follow other healthful habits.

It appears that the impact of movement, even leisurely movement, is profound. In addition to burning more calories when you move, the muscle activity needed for standing and other movement seems to trigger the process where the body breaks down fats and sugars. When you sit, these processes stall– and your health risks increase.

Take a moment to analyze your typical day. How much time to you spend sitting? Think about time spent at the computer, watching TV, and driving or riding in a vehicle. Also consider time you sit while enjoying hobbies, such as sewing, knitting, crafting, woodworking, watching a ballgame or reading.

So, how can we sit less and move more? Start by simply standing, rather than sitting, whenever you can, and do as many tasks as you can while you walk. Here are some tips:

Stand while you talk on the phone, eat lunch or when reading the mail.
Stand during webinars and conference calls.
Use a standing desk for office work and other desk activities.
Put the remote control next to the TV instead of next to you and stand up during commercial breaks.
Walk to visit a neighbor instead of calling them.
Take meetings out of the conference room — talk while you walk.
Move the printer away from your desk so you need to stand or walk to retrieve copies.
For every 30 minutes you sit, stand for 5 minutes. Set an alarm to remind you, or at the very minimum move every 60 minutes.
Use the restroom on another floor of your office building or home, and take the stairs.
Stand often while you watch a live sports event – get up and cheer for your team!

Need another opportunity to get moving? Walk Kansas team members– and other interested community members– are invited to bring the children and celebrate health at the come-and-go Family Story Walk from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18. StoryWalk combines literacy and physical activity when the pages of a children’s book are posted along a walking path for families to read as they walk and enjoy together. The self-guided walk begins and ends at the shelter house in Massey Park at 17th and Allen Street in Hays. This event is free to Walk Kansas team members; those who are not on a Walk Kansas team may pay $3 per family to help cover the cost of water, snacks and supplies.

An RSVP to the Ellis County Extension Office is appreciated at 785-628-9430 to ensure adequate supplies. In case of rain or bad weather, check our Facebook page at “K-State Research and Extension- Ellis County” for cancellation information.

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

Are we, or aren’t we?

Are we a nation of laws? Is there equality of law in this country? Does it matter who you are only, not what you do? Does political party affiliation make a difference?

What Susan Rice, National Security Advisor to Obama, did leading up to the Trump presidency, may be the biggest scandal in modern American history. But then again, maybe Rice’s surveillance of Trump and his transition team may be just another day at the office.

Is this issue of spying on Trump and surrogates just like the Hillary scandal that goes nowhere? Hillary broke a dozen laws with her private email server as Secretary of State according to legal experts, including compromising our national security. What price did she pay for her crimes? That’s right, legally she skated scot free!

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch of the Department of Justice and FBI Director Comey and others did not find a smidgeon of criminality. Comey’s conclusion made no sense whatsoever. It was obvious she paid no price due to who she was.

Americans need to take a good hard look at what will happen to Susan Rice (or Obama) in this potentially huge scandal of spying on Trump and associates. I use the word “potentially” because there could be criminality bigger than Watergate. Water off a duck’s back, however, potentially as well.

When I hear from congress “we will get to the bottom of this” I laugh, although a sad commentary regarding our American justice system. The twisting of facts could equal or exceed Hillary’s crimes. Anybody 50 or older could be dead before this is over.

According to the 14th Amendment of our Constitution we, as American citizens, are all equal under the law. That is, we are supposed to be, but are we? As the Susan Rice drama plays out, we just might see proof of “inequality” instead.

The corruption that took place for eight years under the Obama’s administration was massive. Did Obama pay a price legally, or anybody else? No, zilch, nada! Nein!

At the expense of standing political correctness on its head by bringing God into this discussion, it seems clear to me our Founders turned to the Bible when establishing the 14th Amendment in which our Creator’s message was “we are all equals in the eyes of God.” That theme can be found in the Bible dozens of times. No apologies to anybody from me in bringing morals from a religious standpoint into this picture.

America became the greatest nation ever in large part because of our Constitution. Does right and wrong matter anymore in government circles? Are there a different set of rules and moral values in politics? Makes one wonder?

Under the Trump presidency now, Republicans have control of the intelligence community, so we think. The Obama loyalist holdovers, and there are hundreds, have their own ideas on how this Rice scandal plays out. The day to day operations in some 17 intelligence agencies, appear to have liberalism and the Democrat Party written all over them – and support for Rice no matter what she did.

There needs to be, of course, the presumption of innocence for Susan Rice (and Obama) but why the spying on Trump when that’s not even a White House role? Why did Rice lie about what she was doing? Obama had to know she was engaged in surveillance of Hillary’s opponent. Why did the spying escalate after the election?

Most of all, why were names of American citizens released to multiple agencies? That’s a crime with a capital “C.” Is this where the Trump collusion with Russia’s Putin came from, even though that scenario has proved to be bogus. Why the new Obama directive as his parting shot that all the scuttlebutt, including names, be shared by all in the intelligence community with the hopes of leaks to the public for delegitimizing a Trump presidency.

I am sure readers can figure out where I come down on this issue, but I hope and pray I am wrong for the sake of this country and an American democracy that is supposed to be a nation of laws with equal justice for all.

The ramifications are huge!

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Storytelling, as we know it, began with the advent of man and woman on the earth.

Before we learned to write, we learned to rely on our memory to learn anything. For this, we had to be a good listener.

Why?

To tell the story we’d just heard.

A good story teller is always in demand and respected. He or she can easily find an audience, eager to devour every exciting bit of information in the stories.

When people traveled, they shared these stories with others. When they returned home, they brought with them exciting new tales of exotic people and places.

To celebrate this art, a storytelling festival is slated for the weekend of April 28-29 in Downs. Now in its 24th year, the Kansas Storytelling Festival began in 1994.

This festival draws people who appreciate stories and realize their power in shaping our identities as well as pure enjoyment.

At this year’s event, storytellers will take us to a different time and place and stretch our imaginations. They will make us laugh and cry. They will make us think about our own stories and how important it is to pass on to others what we learn in this life.

Every spring, the citizens of this small north-central Kansas town bring nationally recognized talent to their community of 900 souls. Tim Lowry, who makes his home in Summerville, S.C., headlines this year’s festival.

Lowry is best known for his folk tales and stories from American history. He’s presented thousands of educational programs for schools across the country.

Other featured storytellers include Adam Miller, described as a natural-born storytelle, Brian “Fox” Ellis, an author, storyteller of song, myth and poetry; and Linda Gorham, who specializes in surprising twists and unconventional humor tied in her tales.

Osborne County’s Glennys Doane serves on the Festival steering committee and explains how the two-day event works.

Four stages of entertainment run concurrently during the Festival. This gives festivalgoers the chance to choose which performer or story type to attend.

Individual backgrounds and styles make each storyteller distinctive. Tellers are rotated to all stages and story sessions are planned around the interests of children, history, music and personal, anecdotal stories.

People travel from across the country to listen to the yarns. They love the stories and believe in their power to move them.

“Our storytellers tell their tales without reading a book, using photos or showing a video,” Doane says. “They use words, inflection and cadence to create pictures and events in the listener’s mind.”

Doane likes to recall what old-time storyteller Donald Davis says about the art, “My business is in movies. I shift the movie I make in my head to your head.”

In addition to the telling of tales, there’s plenty of other activities including good food prepared by caring local hands. Some the most popular items include the famous Lion Club hamburgers and pies, cakes and cinnamon rolls baked by the ladies from nearby Dispatch.

There’s also a resource center where books, CDs and t-shirts from the featured story tellers can be purchased. A story store incorporates a recording booth where festivalgoers can stop and relate their own stories of rural Kansas, or wherever they’re from.

For more information about the 24th annual Kansas Storytelling Festival, visit www.Kansasstorytelling.com. Mark the dates on your calendar and drive to Downs.

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

They’ve gone home for three weeks, and members of the Kansas Legislature are likely to be questioned not only about the budget or Medicaid or taxes, but also about just what they’ve done to the liquor industry, or will be allowed to do by Gov. Sam Brownback.

With most of the 2017 legislative session over, and what most old-timers refer to as the wrap-up or veto session ready to start May 1, one of the few big issues settled so far on the floor of the House and Senate is whether convenience and grocery stores can sell “strong beer” with about double the fire-power (6 percent alcohol) of what is technically a cereal malt beverage or “grocery store beer” that has about 3.2 percent alcohol.

Now, the issue is a relatively small one that probably only sends shivers down the spines of parents whose children look 18 when they’re younger and can buy grocery store beer if they’re clever enough. But, it’s just that 3.2 stuff, and just the bathroom breaks needed to become a little tipsy are a deterrent.

But, Kansas lawmakers were told that there is such a small national market for 3.2 beer that it’s likely to become extinct and the only beers available to convenience stores and groceries and such—basically, non-liquor stores—are going to be 6 percenters.

So, we go to 6 percent everywhere, and depending on a veto or not, you won’t have to visit the liquor store where you can’t even buy indoor ice, let alone cups or corkscrews or tonic to take the edge off the vodka, to get that strong beer.

The compromise? Because nearly all legislation is a compromise, the deal is that those liquor stores suddenly will be allowed to make up to 20 percent of their revenue from things that aren’t liquor—not allowed now. Imagine buying that ice, or corkscrew, or maybe chips and sandwiches and cups and, who knows, maybe bullets. Those extra permissible sales are designed to make now single-product liquor stores the only stop you’ll have to make on the way to the lake or the park or maybe grandma’s for dinner. Oh, and the liquor stores get to sell all the Lottery tickets and cigarettes that they can, which won’t be counted against that 20 percent.

Is this a good idea? Or maybe just the only culture-rattling legislation that the Kansas Legislature could pass in the main portion of its session?

Now, of course, the grocery/convenience store folks are happy, the liquor store folks worried about the future of their business.

And…lingering in the background is the real goal of those non-liquor stores: To be able to sell wine and hard liquor, or at least wine, racks of which they might put just footsteps from cheese trays and other accompaniments for liquor.

Probably most interesting: The grocery/convenience store crowd says if the bill passes, it won’t ask for 10 years for that 6 percent beer benchmark to be expanded to include the wine and liquors that are the financial oxygen for liquor store owners.

Some believe that the 10-year moratorium on the grocery/convenience store liquor product expansion is a guarantee that those liquor stores will still be able to turn a profit for at least a decade…but most Statehouse habitues believe that the 10-year business is just a selling point that will disappear well before then.

Lots of issues, lots of small mom-and-pop liquor stores say they are in danger of being put out of business by the convenience store down the block.

We’ll see where this goes, won’t we?

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

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Baker Hughes reported 839 active drilling rigs across the US last week, up 15 from the week before. There was an increase of ten rigs targeting oil and an increase of five drilling for natural gas. Another seasonal decline noted in Canada last week, where the count dropped by 23 to 132 active drilling rigs. Independent Oil & Gas Service reported a net drop of nearly ten percent from the weekly Kansas rig counts. There were six active drilling rigs east of Wichita, down four, and 22 in western Kansas, up one.

There were 22 new permits filed for drilling in new locations last week; 390 so far this year. There were 12 drilling permits filed in western Kansas, and ten east of Wichita.

Independent Oil & Gas reported 31 new well completions last week, which brings the year-to-date total to 380. There were 16 completed wells in eastern Kansas, and 15 west of Wichita, including one dry hole.

The Kansas Corporation Commission reported 136 intent-to-drill notices in March, compared to 263 in March of last year. There have been 405 intents filed so far this year compared to 673 at this time last year. There are four new intent notices filed in Barton County, two in Ellis County, one in Russell County, and three in Stafford County.

Here’s one you might not have seen coming: a group of oil and gas producers asking lawmakers to increase taxes. The group in Oklahoma formed an alliance to ask lawmakers increase the gross production tax back to 7 percent, saying the industry is committed to helping solve the state’s budget crisis. According to KFOR-TV4, the Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance plans to ask lawmakers to get rid of a generous tax cut on oil and natural gas production that was approved in 2014.

Calling it an issue for the states, a U.S. judge this week dismissed a lawsuit filed against Oklahoma energy companies by the Sierra Club over earthquakes. The suit filed last year named Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy and New Dominion, saying they violated federal waste management laws by operating disposal wells that contributed to earthquakes in the state. But Judge Stephan Friot said earthquake regulation should be left in the hands of state agencies and courts. He noted that state regulators have the technical expertise, and have already responded to the spike in quakes through new regulations for the patch.

TexNet, the program installing 55 new earthquake sensors all over Texas, is in quite a funding battle in Austin, after the two-year price crash is making things tough in the state’s budget circles. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Legislature financed the start of the program two years ago. Industry leaders and state regulators said they saw no causal relationship between earthquakes and energy production and wanted more data. Researchers will finish installing the seismometers this year. But the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Houston says it will have a hard time funding the accompanying research if the Legislature doesn’t fund it. The newspaper says TexNet is far from re-funded, but that it has some champions. Rep. Drew Darby, a Republican from the oil and gas lands just east of Midland, was expected to introduce a bill on Monday to make TexNet part of the bi-annual budget, to be considered for funding every year.

The BBC reports seeing evidence that top executives at Shell knew money paid to the Nigerian government for a vast oil field would be passed to a convicted money-launderer. It also had reason to believe that money would be used to pay political bribes. The deal was concluded while Shell was operating under a probation order for a separate corruption case in Nigeria. Shell said it did not believe its employees acted illegally.

Reuters says the jury is still out on whether OPEC can rein in a global oil glut but top commodity traders are betting it can, by selling stakes in storage tank businesses that profited from oversupply. Since January, Glencore, Vitol and Gunvor have completed or have been seeking to sell parts of their holdings in storage firms.

Data obtained by The Associated Press shows tens of thousands of safety defects were found when government inspectors checked the rail lines used to haul volatile crude oil across the country. The defects included rails that were worn, bolts that were broken or loose or missing, and steel bars that had cracks. Such defects are no uncommon, but have drawn increased attention because of increase US production

BP boss Bob Dudley has seen his pay package cut by 40 per cent as a consequence of an outcry from shareholders at last year’s annual general meeting. Ahead of this year’s meeting next month, the oil giant revealed that Dudley’s pay was reduced from nearly $19 million in 2015 to $11.6 million last year. Nearly 60 per cent of BP’s shareholders revolted against the chief executive’s pay package last year, which came to light as the group suffered losses not seen for 20 years amid tumbling oil prices.

Hello from Agra!

We have reached first adjournment of the 2017 Kansas Legislative Session, after 76 legislative days, the House has passed 166 total bills, including: 127 House Bills, 39 Senate Bills with 7 of these bills have been signed into law by the governor.

The legislators are back in their districts for the next three weeks before heading back for the “Veto Session” which could take a few days or several weeks if agreements can’t be reached on the remaining topics of budget, taxes and school finance.

The House and Senate have concurred on the rescission bill, which would reconcile the budget changes required for FY 2017. HB 2052 will be signed by the Governor in the coming days, and then the budgets for FY 2018 and FY 2019 must be established once the Legislature reconvenes in May. While both chambers approved of a tax plan in February, HB 2178 was vetoed by the Governor. Since the veto was sustained, the House Taxation Committee has been vetting several revenue solutions to address the budget shortfalls. Discussion will continue during the month of April to devise a comprehensive tax package that will finance the state’s expenditure obligations. The Appropriations and Tax Committees will be working closely to ensure that a feasible solution is reached before the Legislature adjourns, and will be based on the April 20th Consensus Revenue Estimates.

The K-12 Education Budget Committee culminated its months of deliberative work on the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act, HB 2410, on Wednesday. The bill remains in Committee and will be reviewed by the Revisor and outside legal counsel regarding its constitutionality. When the Legislature returns on May 1, Chairman Larry Campbell plans to call a Committee meeting to report the bill out.

The provisions of the bill, along with the 5-year phase in costs can be found here:
http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/Action%20Items/SF17-162–Major%20Provisions%20%26%20Proposed%20State%20Aid–4-5-17.doc

School district runs can be found here: http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/Action%20Items/SF17-162.xlsx

The explanation of the columns on the run document:
http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/Action%20Items/SF17-162–CX–4-5-17.doc

On Friday, the Legislative Coordinating Council approved the hire of former Sen. Jeff King, to represent the state in the ongoing school finance litigation.

Going into the session, we knew we had to come up with a plan to correct the $250 million budget shortfall for FY 2017. The House, on a vote of 108-15, passed HB 2052, I voted for the measure, it was the best of a number of bad choices, but we simply have to balance the budget and no amount of rhetoric will make the deficit go away. After concerns were expressed with the positions the Budget Conference Committee adopted on KPERS, the House and Senate Budget conferees continued negotiations. The House proposed adding $85.9 million to fund the fourth quarter KPERS payment for the current fiscal year, which the Senate accepted. The bill will now go to the Governor for signature. I still remain very concerned about the long term bonded indebtedness we as a state have and will continue to encourage thrift rather than trying to bond our way to prosperity.

During the legislative break, the House Appropriations Committee will hold Omnibus meetings following the release of the Consensus Revenue Estimates (CRE) on April 20. The Committee will be briefed on the CRE and will then consider changes to the Mega 2018-2019 budget bill (HB 2364) that they have already adopted. Changes may include the adoption of Governor’s Budget Amendments, which are adjustments proposed by the Division of the Budget. In addition, the Committee has deferred a number of enhancements and additional expenditures for review at Omnibus. The meetings are scheduled for April 26 and 27.

On Friday morning, Representatives, Senators, pro-life advocates, the family of Simon Crosier, and others joined the Governor for the bill signing ceremony of SB 85, also known as “Simon’s Law.” Other families that have experienced tragedy with their children and do-not-resuscitate orders were also present for the signing. This bill passed the House with a vote tally of 121-3, and the Senate with a vote of 29-9. Kansas is the first state in the nation to approve of this pro-life legislation. With this law, parents and guardians must be aware and approve of a do-not-resuscitate order before a hospital can institute such an order on a child.

Over the past several years there has been a proposal to “Uncork Kansas.” This has met with greater opposition until this year when a compromise was reached between most of the parties. H Sub SB 13 is the product of long-term negotiations between multiple parties including liquor stores, grocery stores and distributors. Essentially, the bill would allow convenience stores, grocery stores, and drug stores who are licensed to sell cereal malt beverages (alcoholic beverages with less than 3.2% alcohol by weight) to sell beer with less than 6% alcohol by volume. Additionally, liquor retailers would be allowed to sell CMBs, and other goods normally sold in grocery stores including tobacco, lottery tickets, fruits and other miscellaneous items. In 2028, the Director of Alcohol Beverage Control would conduct a market impact study on the sale of beer in grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores. The bill passed the House with a vote count of 80-45, and passed the Senate 27-11, and awaits the Governor’s action. I voted again the measure. I stand with local small business owners. Should the bill be signed into law, the provisions would be effective as of April 1, 2019.

I hope to see many of you as I will be out and about the next three weeks. If you would like to get in touch with me, email is: [email protected]. My cell number is (785) 302-8416.  You can also follow along with what is going on through social media: kenforkansas on Facebook, @kenrahjes on twitter or my website: kenforkansas.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to be your representative.

Ken Rahjes, (R-Agra), is the 110th District State Representative.

Tim O’Brien, a favorite author, wrote a powerful collection of short stories about his tour of duty in Viet Nam. He titled it The Things They Carried. Every time I read it, those young men who walked daily beside death remind me that humans treasure the logical and illogical. The personal items these soldiers added to already heavy equipment loads reveal that humans make room for talismans connecting hearts and memory. This trait isn’t singular to warriors. Those packing moving boxes must choose what to purge or save. What we keep tells our story.

We’re downsizing for the second time in five years. I hope our daughters appreciate that we’ve given away, donated, or sold numerous earthly possessions, saving them hours of labor when it’s time to move us into long term care or the cemetery. That said, we still own more than when we married four decades ago. After another move or two like this, I’ll have unloaded anything I never use as well as items of only sentimental value. During this process, I’ve discovered freedom exists in jettisoning belongings I think I might need vs. those I actually utilize. While I’m not yet a minimalist, I’m getting there. Why keep four pretty platters when one does the job?

Unfortunately, some belongings defy logic. I’ll never have a newborn baby again. I don’t require 35-year-old infant dresses. Yet, several went in the save pile. The moment I opened that crumbling box, impossibly small clothing transported me to those first days of motherhood when everything was so scary and miraculous. Looking at tiny dresses that fit our daughters for one or two wearings, I swear I felt the weight of little girls nestled in the crook of my elbow. Who knew that gingham and lace was a time machine?

A similar experience occurred as I opened a chest full of afghans and baby quilts my grandma and mom knitted, crocheted, embroidered, or cross-stitched. Even without the sensation of knobby yarn or tidy stiches beneath fingertips, I visualized these beloved women sitting in their favorite chairs, watching Lawrence Welk or visiting as they created family heirlooms. A person can use only one coverlet at a time, so a cedar chest protected them for posterity. The future keeps getting shorter, yet I still haven’t used all these treasures.

Who moves worn, scratched pans? A crumbling handle on its last leg and with more dents than a golf ball reminds me of decades of homemade mashed potatoes and chicken n noodle dinners. Whipping up a fresh batch of spuds in that shabby container works better than consulting a medium to connect me to the grandma who taught me to cook. Decrepit as it is, that well-used cookware goes with me.

Tim O’Brien’s characters carried girlfriend’s panty hose, letters, photos, and other non-essentials into battle. Until I’ve moved a few more times, baby dresses, handmade blankets, and Depression-era cookware will make the trip as well. My heart’s not ready to let go.

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.

I slowly shone the flashlight all around me then quietly took one step forward, gingerly placing my foot on the ground before panning around me once more with the light. There had been a nice evening shower so the wet grass glistened in the flashlight beam, making it doubly hard to spot my quarry.

Suddenly there it was; the object of my search, stretched out beneath the damp grass. I quickly pointed the light away so as not to spook it, cautiously lowered myself to one knee and prepared to do battle. The lightning reflexes of my youth long since gone, I thrust my hand downward as quickly as nature now allowed and felt the slippery wriggling beast in my grasp. Now came the trick; to tug the creature from its den without tearing it into pieces. With firm, constant, upward pressure I pulled my catch from its earthen domain. Success! Another fat night crawler for the bait can!

April showers do more than grow May flowers. They also bring the world’s favorite fishing bait, night crawlers, to the surface. There have probably been more fish caught on night crawlers than on any other bait combined. Where I grew up in central Ohio, every square foot of earth harbored night crawlers, but not so here in Kansas. I can’t seem to find a definitive answer as to why not, so I can only surmise the reason has something to do with our soil. Growing up, there were few bait shops near us and there was certainly no Walmart, so any night crawlers required for fishing had to be caught. On warm rainy spring nights they could be found stretched out on top of the ground anywhere there was earth. Usually we could catch all we needed on either side of the walk so we never even had to step into the yard.

Here in Kansas the first step, and possibly the toughest, at least where I live, is to find a place where night crawlers inhabit. City parks, grassy pastures compost piles and around old farm buildings are good spots to try. (You can ask avid fishermen, but as scarce as night crawlers are, don’t hold your breath for a truthful response!) Wait until its good and dark, say after 9:30 or 10:00PM, and the wetter the night the better, even if it’s raining lightly. Dress appropriately in old jeans and sneakers that you don’t mind getting dirty. The only other requirements are a good flashlight with fresh batteries and some kind of container. Walk slowly and quietly, taking “soft” steps so as not to vibrate the ground any more than necessary, and pan the light all around you as you walk.

You will find the crawlers’ stretched out on the ground beneath the grass. Some will barely be peeking from their burrow while others will be extended nearly full length, but don’t be fooled: their tail end will always be anchored in the hole ready to snatch them backwards in the blink of an eye. When you spot the slippery form of your quarry, squat or lower yourself to one knee and reach out as fast as possible, grasping the crawler firmly. If you can tell which end is still in the hole, grab it as near the hole as possible; if you can’t tell one end from the other, grab for the middle and you’ll soon know which end you have! You’ll likely have to “coax” the crawler from the hole, so pull upward firmly, but not hard enough to tear it apart, This will take some practice so don’t be alarmed when you pull a few in half (those are still good bait; just use them first). Soon the worm will release its grasp and you can add it to the can. Sometimes you will find 2 crawlers attached and mating, and if you’re quick enough, both can be bagged at once.

Most night crawlers purchased at bait shops are shipped down from Canada where one author suggested as many as a billion are harvested each year. It’s such a serious business there that fields are leased for harvesting much as deer hunting or fishing rights are leased around here. That author put the going rate at over $40.00 per thousand and claims that on a good night more than $800.00 can be made for those willing to spend the time. That’s a lot of worms!

Night crawlers are classified as “deep burrowers” and are very efficient at incorporating organic matter into the soil. Their waste is very beneficial, and their burrows, as deep as 5 or 6 feet, help incorporate moisture and break up the soil.

When I moved to Kansas I saw it as a lifeless land with few outdoor opportunities. However, each day since has shown me outdoor adventures I was missing. That new perspective has not yet turned Kansas into a land abounding with free night crawlers for the taking, and I don’t see a “worm lease” anywhere in my future, so short of growing them in my own lawn, I guess I’m resigned to helping a few of my northern neighbors earn their living whenever I need night crawlers for fishing……Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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

Overwhelmed by the number of choices offered in the grocer’s meat case? All the different cuts, packaging types, weights, and prices? Then there are the marketing claims: natural…organic…grass-fed…without added hormones…and the list goes on.

The Ellis County Extension Office will offer the workshop “Freezer Meals From the Meat Case” on Tuesday, April 25, 5:30-7:30 pm at Messiah Lutheran Church. Participants will learn what the various meat labels, cuts and claims mean in order to feel confident they are choosing the safest and most economical meat choices for their family. Instructors are Jamie Rathbun and Erin Petersilie, County Extension Agents in Midway and Walnut Creek Extension districts, respectively.

After the presentation, class members will assemble four main dish freezer meals featuring different types of meat. Each meal makes 4-6 servings. Those attending are asked to bring a cooler to take home their meals.
The cost is $40 per person and includes the workshop training materials; ingredients, recipes and cooking instructions for the freezer meals; and supper at the workshop. Class size is limited so early registration is advised. Register no later than April 18 at the Ellis County Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays, 785-628-9430. Registration is complete when the fee is paid.

The freezer meal method of cooking has many benefits. First, it saves time on busy nights. This method features a concentrated cooking session to prepare several meals at once and store in the freezer. Those meals are then ready to reheat or finish cooking when time is limited for preparing a meal from scratch.

Also, it saves money. Busy schedules often lead to eating out, which is more expensive than a home-cooked meal. Having a prepared entree that you can simply put in the slow cooker, oven or microwave saves money and preparation time.

Providing a healthy meal is another benefit of this cooking method. When you prepare the recipes yourself, you are in control of the ingredients and ultimately what your family is eating. While most restaurants provide healthy alternatives, not all do, and often family members do not select those healthy options. Eating at home allows you to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lowfat dairy products into family meals.
One of every five children is now obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These children are at an increased risk for a host of serious lifetime physical complications. Seventy-seven percent of overweight kids become obese adults because lifetime eating habits are established in childhood. The Cook Once freezer meal method provides families with an effective tool to combat obesity.

Another benefit of having meals in the freezer is that it increases one’s capacity for hospitality. You can more easily invite guests to share a meal in your home when you have a freezer meal on hand. You will also be better prepared to take a meal with someone in need– after a death or a hospital stay or when there’s a new baby in the family.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of the freezer meal preparation method is that it can encourage families to eat meals together. Family meal time provides benefits beyond the nutrients in the food– it is an important strategy in child development and strengthening the family bond. Children who eat meals regularly with their families have improved language and literacy skills and achieve higher test scores. Additionally, the more often children eat meals with their families, the less likely they are to choose unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking and drugs.

There are many advantages of having freezer meals on hand for busy nights. Plan to join this Extension workshop on April 25th to make the most of your meat purchases for meals to put into the freezer. RSVP by April 18 to the Ellis County Extension Office, 785-628-9430. Class size is limited, registration is complete when fee is paid.

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

Dear Friends,

This is the final week before the Kansas legislature adjourns for a three-week long break, during which the governor signs off on or vetoes the bills passed this session. We will return for veto session on May 1st.

KPERS Payments Approved
On Thursday, the House and Senate passed Senate Sub for Sub HB 2052, a rescission bill that essentially fixed the budget for the current fiscal year. The current budget was in a deficit of $290 million. Fiscal year 2017 ends on June 30th.

House Democrats and Republican negotiators stood their ground on this bill to ensure that the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS) was fully funded through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017. The budget passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in 2016 had not made full payments to the retirement system.

As a result of House negotiators standing firm for working Kansans, an additional $86 million was appropriated to KPERS and payments will be made through the fourth quarter of FY 2017.

Last Week on the House floor
Before the break, several bills were passed through on the House floor. Here are a few. You can read about all of the bills to hit the floor this week here.

HB 2391: An act concerning driving; relating to driving under the influence and other driving offenses; authorized restrictions of driving privileges, ignition interlock device; expungement of convictions and diversions.

SB 55: An act concerning public construction contracts; relating to performance and payment bonds; Kansas fairness in public construction.

SB 149: An act concerning the attorney general; relating to briefs in a criminal matter or post-conviction case in the supreme court or court of appeals; legal representation charges; legal services; creating the attorney general’s state agency representation fund.

HB 2360: An act concerning the administration of the state employee health benefits plan; creating the division of state employee health benefits plan in the department of administration.

H Sub for SB 70: An act concerning amusement rides; relating to the Kansas amusement ride act.

HB 2279: An act concerning courts; relating to disposition of failure to comply with a traffic citation reinstatement fees; judicial branch nonjudicial salary adjustment fund.

Medicaid Expansion Veto Sustained
Thursday, Governor Sam Brownback vetoed the Medicaid expansion bill that had successfully passed through both the Kansas House and Senate. The House took up the veto override vote that same Thursday, but tabled the vote. There was no session Friday.

It was brought back off the table on Monday. All 125 House members were in attendance for the final action vote. In order to override in the House, a total of 84 votes are required. The final tally was 81 – 44. To override in the Senate requires 27 votes, but also requires an override in both chambers. Without the House, the Senate did not hold a vote. I joined 80 of my House Colleagues in voting to override the veto.

The Medicaid expansion veto was sustained. House legislators will continue to work towards expanding healthcare to the 150,000 Kansans currently without coverage.

No Gun Debate
On Monday, a motion was made in the House to bring HB 2042 above the line on to General Orders. HB 2042 is a reciprocity bill in regard to firearms – read the details on the bill here.

This bill would have been a vehicle to bring amendments on keeping guns off of campuses and out of hospitals, something that has yet to be addressed this session. As of July 1st 2017, concealed carry without a permit will be legal in state hospitals and universities. The motion to bring HB 2042 to the floor failed on Tuesday morning with a 44 – 81. After listening to university administrators, students and campus law enforcement, I voted to bring the bill to the floor for discussion. I do not support concealed carry on campuses, KU Medical Center or state mental institutions.

I am hopeful for another chance at this debate when we return for veto session.

Strong beer bill passes.
Kansas legislature this week passed legislation allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell beer up to 6.0 percent by volume, beginning April 1, 2019. Your local liquor stores will continue to sell beer, wine and spirits, plus they’ll get to add non-alcoholic products to their offerings.

The goal of proponents has always been to see the adoption of policies that provide customers with more choice and convenience in the marketplace. This bill does that. Many supporters wished the legislative compromise included more and went into effect sooner.

This legislation provides opportunities for grocery, convenience, and liquor stores to expand their product offerings and better serve customers.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 43-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-4683 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Sincerely,

Eber Phelps, D-Hays
111th Dist. Kansas House of Representatives
Serving Hays and Ellis County

Click to play the audio or read below.

There were major problems associated with the Dust Bowl other than dust, wind, heat, drought, and lack of cash.  There were grasshoppers! Zillions of them! 

And as you have seen in repeated television documentaries, grasshoppers eat anything and everything that is green, and some things that are gray or brown, including fence posts and shingles.
 Other crop-eating varmints invaded the countryside as well, but grasshoppers, because of their numbers, were the most destructive, unless you wish to discuss jackrabbits, which we will do when the fields and gardens begin to green up a bit.


Grasshoppers hatch in the spring from eggs laid by the mature insect in the previous late fall.  When they hatch, you almost have to have a magnifying glass to see them hopping merrily around the landscape like some kind of green flea beetle.  But when they hatch in a fence row of weeds, or a field of emerging corn, they show phenomenally quick growth and what was a speck of green yesterday becomes a crop destroyer in just a few days.
Grasshoppers have voracious appetites to say the least,  and when hatching in large numbers, can lay waste to a field of anything green. 

Gardeners would lay awake nights, hoping that the “chomping” they were imagining was just the dog chewing on a bone in the backyard.  I use to try and shoo the grasshoppers away from the beans toward the zucchini.
 But the greatest amount of damage by grasshoppers seemed to occur in a newly emerging crop of wheat.  The young, tender sprigs of growth seemed to disappear overnight, particularly in the areas near the fencerows of a wheat field.  Fencerows were never farmed of course and weeds always seemed to pop up there every spring.  Grasshoppers would soon move in and reduce the weed growth, just waiting for the grain drill.
 My Dad and other farmers had an answer to this crop destructing foolishness. 

Here’s what they did.
  Dad would fill an old wash tub with a sack of bran.  Bran, as you know is the outermost portion of the wheat kernal, and is very dry and fluffy.  To the bran he would add a jug of banana oil.  The oil served as a very fragrant draw to grasshoppers.  And finally, enough arsenic would be carefully added to the concoction to make it lethal to any varmint who happened to imbibe.  Careful measurement of the poison was a must, because arsenic was a bit expensive, just like old lace.
  The tub of grasshopper poison would be loaded onto a trailer and hitched to the tractor. 

Dad would throw the poison bran by the shovelful into the fencerow as Max and I drove the tractor very slowly along.  Several tubs full of  the mixture were required, depending of course on the length of the fencerow.
 The process was very effective because an inspection the next morning revealed dead grasshoppers an inch deep or more.  There were no factory produced bug killers in those days, so you made do with what you had. Needless to say, great strides have been taken in the last 75 years to cope with this type of problem.  Crop science is a wonderful thing!
 

Oh, and by the way….I didn’t shoo those grasshoppers away from the beans toward the zucchini. That would have been useless because not even a grasshopper will eat a zucchini!

Kay Melia is a longtime broadcaster, author and garden in northwest Kansas.