Every year, I find myself saying the same four words, “Where did summer go?” Families with kids adapted to a summer schedule filled with t-ball, camp, swimming lessons, and 4-H activities and now the schedule is about to change again! With the start of school just a few short weeks away it is the perfect time to call a family meeting and get everyone on board with the new routine.

Research shows that kids ages 3 to 6 need ten to twelve hours of sleep each day. As youngsters begin pre-school or the early grades it is important to have a set bedtime with a routine that encourages success. Perhaps you want to target 8 p.m. as bedtime. If so you will want to begin the wind down process around 7. Perhaps a warm bath and bed time story help your child to relax. Planning what will be worn the next day or eaten for breakfast also encourages a less hectic morning when the alarm goes off. Whatever you want to adopt as a routine, now is a good time to start working toward your final goal. If the summer schedule has been lax, start moving the bedtime up a few minutes each day until your target is reached. That should help make the first day of school a success.

One of the most important messages I like to share at this time of year is to “Eat breakfast every day.” As kids start back to school they need to start each day with some nutritious food in their stomachs. It’s really brain food. Countless studies have shown that kids perform better in school, and are less irritable, when their day starts with breakfast.

There is no doubt about it: our bodies need to refuel after not eating for 10-12 hours. So why is it that breakfast is the meal most often skipped? The most common answers I hear are that “there isn’t time” or “my kids aren’t hungry in the morning.”

As you plan to start each day with breakfast, keep in mind the following tips. Breakfast does not have to be a big meal. Try to include something from the grain group as well as a fruit. Breakfast does not have to be traditional. Be creative; nutritious foods are healthy any time of the day. Last night’s leftovers can be reheated in a hurry. Peanut butter can be spread on a piece of whole grain toast and served with a glass of 100% fruit juice. Equal amounts of juice, milk and yogurt can be combined for a smoothie like treat. Get your day off to a great start and be a breakfast eater!

And finally, if you live close enough to school can your children safely walk or bike to school? Research shows that starting your day with some physical activity (i.e. walking to school) encourages better concentration and behavior in the classroom. If your schedule allows it, do a trial run with your child; either walking or biking on a safe route to the front door of the school.

Here’s hoping your school year gets off to a great start!

Donna Krug is the District Director and Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]

With vast geographic distribution and a plethora of vulnerable host plants, the irregular looking field dodder (Cuscuta campestris) is one of the most widespread and most harmful pests among the flowering parasitic plants. Field dodder can easily become a problem in flower gardens, vegetable gardens (e.g. tomato, sweet pepper, potatoes and cabbage), or possibly even show up in greenhouse crops. The most devastating damage, however, comes from field dodder outbreaks in newly-established perennial legume crops (alfalfa, clover, etc.), which are generally the preferred hosts of this plant species.

Field dodder may be known by common names such as strangleweed, witch’s hair, or devils’ hair. It is composed of golden yellow, leafless “threads” that twine all throughout and over its victim plant as well as those plants around it. These threads attach themselves with short, suction-cup-like suckers that originate from the base of the dodder stems. The suckers will then penetrate the stems of host plants where it will access all of its needed nourishment.

Because this plant is an annual it must replicate from seed, ergo flowering is crucial to its survival. The flowers of the field dodder are small, whitish, and 1/4 inch in diameter. They appear on the plant anywhere from April to October and will produce a seedpod that is two-celled and four-seeded.

Plants growing in the current season will be killed by the first frost of the fall. The seeds might sprout the following spring, or they may lie dormant for a number of years. Germination for this plant takes place in the soil, but interestingly the field dodder’s roots die as soon as the plant finds and penetrates an acceptable host. After attachment, the field dodder leeches its nourishment totally from the host plant. A single dodder plant can spread by branching and attacking additional host plants.

The field dodder cannot be destroyed by pulling it off the host plants. This is because remaining stem pieces will continue to grow, re-establishing itself once again. Destroying the host plants can control dodder. This method, however, usually is not too favorable a solution for many a gardener nor farmer. Chemical control can be had by using Trifluralin (Preen, Miracle-Gro Garden Weed Preventer, Treflan, Hi-Yield Herbicide Granules Weed and Grass Stopper). It is a pre-emergent herbicide that can be used for control if applied before the dodder seed germinates. This may be your best option. There is always glyphosate (Round-up, Kleen-up, Killzall, etc.), which is quite effective on dodder. However, glyphosate is a nonselective herbicide and will kill whatever it hits, including the host plants.

Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.

Learning safe food handling practices is one of the best skills a person can acquire. We have two opportunities for anyone interested in the ServSafe program coming up in August. Read on for more details.

An Employee ServSafe Class will be offered in Great Bend on Wednesday, August 15th. This class for food handlers will be held from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the Cottonwood Extension District – Great Bend office, located at 1800 12th Street. As an Extension educator, I am happy to offer this training to food handler employees. This course is based on the 6th Edition of the ServSafe Food Handler Guide. Participants who complete the class will receive a certificate. The cost to register for the August 15th class is $10 and registration may be completed online by going to the KRHA website, www.krha.org

A ServSafe Manager Certification Course will be held on Thursday, August 23rd, from 8:15 am to 5:00 pm at the Cottonwood Extension District – Hays Office, located at 601 Main Street. The ServSafe program is a national certification program designed to teach safe food handling practices to those who serve food to the public. ServSafe in Kansas is provided by K-State Research & Extension in partnership with the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association (KRHA).

Neeley Carlson, KRHA, will be the course instructor. The cost for the course is $113 for KRHA members or $133 for non-KRHA members and includes the ServSafe 7th edition textbook, national certification exam, training materials and refreshments. The course is taught in English, however exams in other languages are available. Please note language preference in registration. Pre-registration is requested in advance to allow for ordering books and materials. Mail registration and payment to KRHA or register online with a credit card at: www.krha.org A minimum attendance is required to hold this class.

If you have any questions about either of these ServSafe workshops please contact me.

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“Kansas ranchgirl” and “Turkish princess” are probably not the first words one would associate together, but in the 1920s these came to refer to one and the same person. Then there was the Kansas rooster who became a movie star in the 1940s, appeared in Life magazine, and was insured by Lloyd’s of London. These amazing stories and many more are shared in a new book by rural Kansas author Roger Ringer.

Roger Ringer is author of the book “Kansas Oddities – Just Bill the Acting Rooster, the Locust Plagues of Grasshopper Falls, Naturalist Camps and More.” Roger and family live near Medicine Lodge.

Roger is a freelance writer, western entertainer, history buff – and Kansas treasure. He’s a board member of the Cowboy Storytellers Association of the Western Plains, a founding member of the Western Music Association, Kansas chapter, and active with the We Kan conference and the former Kansas Sampler Festival.

“People have been telling me interesting stories all my life,” Roger said. “As I’ve shared those stories with others, people told me I should write a book.”

Beginning in 2013, he finally took time to do so. “Everytime I did research on one story, I’d come across two or three more,” he said. “Often the local people were not aware of the remarkable history in their own community.”

In spring 2018, his new book was released by History Press. Kansas Oddities chronicles remarkable stories from all over the state, described as “eccentric tales celebrating independence and ingenuity.”

“We are a state of firsts,” Roger said. The first patented helicopter is an example. Several types of cars, tractors, threshing machines, boats, and other manufactured products were first designed in Kansas and are described in the book. “Those farm boys were out there thinking, `how can I do this easier?’” Roger said. “The motto for many of those entrepreneurs was, `if you needed something and you couldn’t afford to buy it, you just built it.’” This resulted in several innovative backyard prototypes.

Kansas people are highlighted. One unusual example is Sidia Wirt who grew up on a ranch near Garden City and went to KU. She performed music in New York and became a Hollywood socialite.

A Brazilian count asked to marry her as did a newspaperman in Hutchinson, Kansas. According to legend which she never confirmed nor denied, a coin toss decided whom she would marry. The newspaperman won the coin toss but lost the war. They married, but after a few weeks, she informed him that he was not keeping her in the lifestyle she expected so she left him for Los Angeles.

Later she married a Turkish prince and literally reigned over a mansion in Constantinople, but again the marriage didn’t last. She moved back to the U.S., married an Army aviator and withdrew from the social scene.

Then there is the story of Just Bill the rooster. Stafford County businessman Earl Kelly bought Just Bill from Nebraska for $100, a goodly sum in 1946. Just Bill beat hundreds of competitors from 40 states to be named grand champion rooster at an Oklahoma poultry show sponsored by RKO film studio. He won a large trophy and a movie contract – I am not making this up – and became the RKO trademark rooster, crowing on the newsreels that preceded the movies in theaters. Earl Kelly insured Just Bill for $1,000 from Lloyd’s of London.

Each vignette in the book is short and readable, covering urban and rural Kansas. Stories range from the formation of the Orient Railroad in Kansas City to the invention of the bulldozer in the rural community of Morrowville, population 155 people. Now, that’s rural.

“This book is necessary to keep these stories from being lost,” Roger said. “What hurts is the stories I couldn’t get in. I have enough for another twelve volumes.” His current book is available from Sam’s, Costco, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Kansas Oddities makes for fascinating reading. We commend Roger Ringer for making a difference by capturing and sharing these quirky but true stories of Kansas history. He makes oddities interesting.

In ten days, GOP voters will choose their nominee for governor, and it’s an intriguing four-person race. No, not the Colyer, Kobach, Barnett, Selzer contest, although those names are on the ballot, along with a couple of well-spoken 17-year olds. With all due respect, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state senator Jim Barnett have little chance of emerging as the nominee.

So, who are the four individuals affecting this race? Most obvious are Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the two apparent leaders. But equally important are names not on the ballot: former governor Sam Brownback and President Donald Trump.

Colyer, as a seven-year Lieutenant Governor, is joined at the hip with Brownback, who left office with a low-twenties job approval rating. As for the effusive Kobach, whose relationship to the truth rivals that of the president, he gleefully associates himself with the style and substance of Donald Trump.

For all of Kobach’s national attention on vote suppression and anti-immigrant pandering, his campaign has scarcely caught fire. Rather, at every turn, he has double-downed, moving farther and father to the right. As he recently noted, “We are going to be bringing …these changes to Topeka and we’re going to be doing it in an aggressive way. No holds barred, no-retreat kind of way.”

In other words, just like Trump.

Kobach is relying on his assessment – based on polling or his gut or both – that Kansas GOP primary voters will follow him down the road of far-right, white male populism.

He may be right, as he campaigns in his flag-decorated jeep and his Trump-plastered bus, unapologetically calling for the denial of in-state tuition rates for undocumented students, even as he grossly overestimates the cost to the state. Following Trump’s lead, truth takes a beating, as in Kobach’s incessant campaign against voting by undocumented immigrants or his portrayal of Kansas as a bastion of so-called “sanctuary cities.” He shrugs his shoulders, blames the media, and moves on.

If Trump shimmers behind Kobach, for Governor Jeff Colyer, the ghost in his closet remains Sam Brownback, who physically left the capitol six months ago, having figuratively departed the governorship soon after the 2014 election. Aside from opposing the expansion of Medicaid and reforming (sic) KanCare, Colyer spent the last seven years in a political witness protection program, invisible to the electorate. Remarkably, despite some sightings over the past few months, most notably in signing $525 million in new school funding, the governor has done little to enhance his profile. Sure, he has traveled the state and cut some ribbons, but has left the lightest of footprints. Indeed, Colyer’s visibility barely budged, at around fifty percent, between February and June, according to polling data. Nothing drove this home more forcefully than Colyer’s first television ad, which, in late June, introduced him to the state’s voters.

Where does this leave us, a momentous primary looming? The highly visible Krump, with visits from such luminaries as Ted Nugent and Donald Trump, Jr., plays to the far-right Republican base with his typical abandon, while Colback promises to cut taxes and act slightly less conservative than his opponent. Still, he did suggest that boy scouts remove KU’s disputed American flag image not just from its flag pole, but from the University’s museum. “See,” he seems to say, “I can be just as crazy as Kris.” Very reassuring.

One thing is clear, whether choosing the dangerous clown or the inconspicuous conservative, GOP voters will select a far-right nominee at a time when the political winds are blowing, even in red-state Kansas, in the opposite direction.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor at the University of Kansas.

I can’t remember the last time I was more disappointed in American politics. Disgust might be a better word.

The media frenzy meltdown over Trump meeting with Putin in Helsinki was over the top. I can prove that the criticism of our president was uncalled for.

Actually, calling out our president was a hit job. It was a scam, call it a farce. No matter what Trump did at the summit, the Democrats, in collusion with media, had plans to hang our president out to dry.

The hatred for Trump, unfortunately, is greater than love of this country or even what is good for this country.

What I have to say in this letter to the editor is based on more than opinion. Let’s consider some facts. Let’s look at the big picture that nobody wants to do. Let me make my case.

Leftists are in panic mode with mid-term elections coming this fall. Leftists are desperate, therefore, looking for anything (I mean anything) to bring down Trump poll numbers. Point being, the criticism of Trump meeting with Putin was a fabrication. It was making a mountain out of a mole hill in desperation as Dems aren’t polling well to take over Congress.

A major criticism was about Trump not calling out Putin on election meddling. The word “meddling” itself doesn’t call for all out war that the left was demanding. Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein stated that Russia’s “messing around” in our 2016 presidential election did not affect votes. Since meddling is done by most countries, including the U.S., why the hysteria?

I saw a recent government report that the United States meddled in the elections of other countries some 81 times. The left and a few Republicans made it seem like Trump’s actions at the summit were going to bring the world to an end.

Obama as president spent hundreds of thousands U.S. tax monies to oust Netanyahu of Israel. Not a peep out of these same leftists on that score. Call it hypocrisy for leftists to have different standards for a Republican president versus their Obama Democrat president.

Is it possible that the left’s Trump meltdown might be the difference between success or failure in making this country safer against nuclear proliferation? It appears Trump is having some success with North Korea, why not Russia?

What must Putin be thinking when the left gives the impression all of America is against their president? How does the “manufactured” crisis help Trump convince Putin to ease up on nukes, Syria, Iran, Crimea, etc?

Trump and Putin agreed to meet as a means of establishing a relationship, not insult each other. If there is any major calling out to do, it just seems from a common sense point of view that could come about in future meetings, not the first one. Our president as much as said without cooperation coming from Russia, America could be the worst enemy they’ve ever had.

Because Trump didn’t insult Putin the left claimed treason, impeachment, congressional sanctions, and anti Americanism, but that’s totally outrageous. For God’s sake give our president, with future meetings, a chance to do his negotiating There’s lots of proof America’s leader knows how to get things done.

Who is it that is making “America Great Again?” Trump’s accomplishments (and that’s for a future letter to the editor) are historical consequently his opponents want to destroy him! Unconscionable, as you look at his many successes for this country.

Trump’s successes are off the charts and that’s why mainstream media doesn’t go there, nor local newspapers. I repeat! Looking at the big picture the call to destroy a Trump presidency is “treason” by all the leftist un-American Americans. Destroying Trump causes Americans to lose jobs, security, etc.

Another major criticism of Trump at the summit was his reluctance to praise to the high heavens America’s intelligence community. Why in the good Lord’s name would our president do that when it’s the FBI, CIA, and DOJ through schemes, corruption, lies, and lawlessness determined to destroy Trump.

Be prepared readers for the greatest scandals and bombshells to surface soon. There’s nothing like it in all of American history. Russia’s interference in our elections is like a walk in the park when it comes to our own people doing the interfering in our own elections to make Hillary president instead of Donald Trump.

This is not conspiracy talk. There is overwhelming evidence, There is irrefutable proof to support my statements about massive corruption in Obama’s loyalists and holdovers in our government.

The bombshell scandals of collusion with Russia and an all out blitz to destroy Trump by the left will not be covered by mainstream media. Probably not even by this publication. That’s another reason for the outrageous “acting” about the summit by the left. It was meant to distract from America’s greatest scandals ever.

Here’s the last nail to go into the coffin of Never Trumpers. They all screamed and hollered about Trump in his meeting with Putin not protecting the integrity of our elections that is so very important to a democracy, Yet these same people have no problem with millions of illegals, that are not citizens, voting in our elections.

Just think, these same people want foreigners to be the determining factor in deciding who runs this country. Case closed.

One final note. Although fallout of the Hellsinki meeting is easing, you can be sure leftists will look in every nook and cranny to “manufacture” another crisis. Actually, you can bet the farm there are more to come.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Well, there’s this election coming up for Republicans to choose their nominee for governor of Kansas, and so far, it appears to be not quite what we’ve come to expect for the last decade or two.

The standard GOP approach is for candidates to present themselves as “hard-right” conservatives on issues, and if they win the primary election, they tend to settle down a bit.

It’s hard-right in the primary, centrist conservative in the general election where the candidate faces a Democrat who virtually is assured to be more moderate—even liberal on occasion—on social issues, schools and the like than the Republican candidate.

Well…this year it looks a little different on the GOP side of the fence.

The top two candidates for the GOP crown are Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Gov. Jeff Colyer, the at-least-for-now most conservatives who have the standard patter down well.

But, then there’s Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer. He’s talking all business, efficiency in government, being a “full-time” governor, oh, and conservative. And then there’s former State Sen. Jim Barnett, who is the moderate among the top candidates, talking school funding, expanding Medicaid (KanCare) to allow more Kansans to have health-care coverage—and, incidentally, to likely keep some small rural Kansas hospitals alive.

There are some other GOP candidates who will be on the gubernatorial primary election ballot, Joseph Tutera and Tyler Ruzich, and Patrick Kucera, who are actually doing some campaigning, but basically, well, you hope they have a good time and maybe take photos to show their grandchildren at some point…

Will Republicans take the hint that the primary election isn’t just a scrap between factions of the party but also the selection of the candidate who will also face a Democrat who wants to grow up to be governor?

This might be a test of just what President Donald Trump has done to/for the GOP in Kansas. He’s popular, he carried the state over Democrat Hillary Clinton, but not in all legislative districts. The Trump campaign was the traditional far-right which, surprisingly, he didn’t have to moderate to more centrist issues to win the Electoral College which is where the president is ultimately chosen.

So, what happens in Kansas?

Count on Kobach, if he wins the primary, to not do a lot of back-tracking on his conservative stance on issues ranging from taxes to schools to immigration, and count on Colyer, should he be the nominee, to move just a dab to the center. Selzer? He’s going to talk business—he was the one at a recent debate who instead of promising to eliminate in-state tuition for foreign students noted that while that tuition cost the state about $3 million in lost revenues, it also generated about $10 million in revenues.

And Barnett? He’s continually talked about health care for the state’s poor, for fully funding public K-12 schools, for returning money to the state pension system and taking a look at infrastructure and its effect on the economy.

Just who winds up on the general election ballot from the GOP? And this year, with the effects of Trump’s tariff war just being felt at the grain elevator, and most Kansans not yet seeing the increase in price on imports, just how Trump-linked does a candidate headed for the general election want to be?

Now, there’s the chance that by fall, after the primary, Kansans will start thinking about taxes, about health care, about schools and roads and such, but then again, maybe not…

We might be able to tell after the GOP primary. Maybe…

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

Just as the sun rises each morning, Kansas farmers and ranchers begin each day dedicated to providing food and providing the best for their families. Simultaneously, and with each new generation, non-farm folks become further and further removed from the farm.

It’s easy to understand why so many people in our state, and this country, understand less and less about agriculture and where their food comes from. Most have forgotten, or may have never known, that individual farmers and ranchers supply the necessary food for their diets.

Many people believe there will never be a food shortage in our country just as long as the doors remain open on their neighborhood supermarket and quick shops. All the while, farmers and ranchers come under closer scrutiny and sometimes unfounded attacks.

Some of the most intense voices in this anti-agriculture movement are driven by questionable—and even extreme—personal and emotional beliefs. This is particularly true when it comes to the future role of food animals. The intent of some of these social media messages, campaigns and advertisements is ill-considered, unnecessarily divisive and, in some cases, unscientific.

Truth be known, today’s farmer or rancher is a planning specialist who understands marketing and using the incentives of free enterprise. To remain in business, our farmers reach deeper into their pockets to pay for crop and livestock inputs that continue to skyrocket, and machinery and other technology that allows them to remain competitive in today’s global economy.

In a recent visit with a young farmer from Haskell County, Hayes Kelman, I asked what inspires him about farming?

Hayes zeroed in on the experience and the satisfaction of building on his family heritage. He knows at the end of the day, everything that happens, and every good or bad change is his responsibility.

This young farmer cherishes the opportunity to make his own way – with support and input from his family. While numbers on a ledger sheet are important to him, farming is much more than this.

“I hope I never forget the thrill of the first truckload of wheat to go into the elevator,” Kelman says.

The sweet success of producing food for hungry people remains something the Haskell County farmer will never take for granted. Farmers farm because their vocation remains part of the divine magic of life that renews itself every year.

No matter how many times he’s done it, the young farmer still marvels that a seed planted in the earth can grow and produce food.

“Some people spend their whole lives in church and never see as much proof of the grace of God as I see every day,” Hayes says. “I can’t imagine walking through a field that I’ve prayed and sweated over, only to reduce this whole miracle to dollars and cents.”

Safeguarding agriculture as a necessary, noble profession remains in the best interests of farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and all of us. This is critical because the contribution agriculture makes to the health and prosperity of this country cannot be measured.

It’s key for consumers, along with farmers and ranchers to understand and respect one another. This country and the world cannot hope to feed its people sustainably without the support of the many thousands of family farms and ranches across the country.

Without this health in agriculture, there is no way to ensure prosperity in our economy and producers like Hayes Kelman will not be able to produce the food we take so much for granted in our lives each day.

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

I know all you K State fans love your “Royal Purple”, and KU fans adore your red and blue, and those colors are just the ticket to adorn T shirts, umbrellas and ball caps in support of your chosen team. But when the waters of your favorite lake take on those same hues, lookout!

Recent blurbs on the local evening news remind me its algae bloom season again in Kansas. This period of summer runs from May through October, the months sporting the longest days of sunlight and the warmest water temperatures, and unfortunately this time frame also encompasses the three holidays when our lakes are used the most, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Blue-Green Algae are bacteria with a scientific name as long as a yardstick, that exist naturally in rivers, lakes and ponds and all aquatic ecosystems here in Kansas. When certain conditions align, such as exceptionally high nutrient content in the water, and long hot days with lots of sunlight, those bacteria can reproduce more rapidly than usual, causing a dense growth of algae known as “a bloom.” Some algae blooms are harmless, but when the blooming organisms contain toxins, noxious chemicals or pathogens in levels harmful to humans and animals, it is declared to be a “Harmful Algae Bloom,” and warnings or advisories are issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, (KDHE.) These blue-green algae blooms can be blue, bright green, brown or even red, and may look like foam or a thick frothy slurry. Some blooms, however may not even affect the appearance of the water.

When KDHE receives notice from anyone that a harmful algae bloom is noticed or suspected, they take water samples at the most frequently used locations at the site, such as swim beaches and boat docks. The samples are analyzed, and according to the density of the algae found, either a Public Health Watch or a Public Health Warning is issued for that water impoundment.

                                              A Public Health Watch

• Notifies the public that a hazardous condition MAY exist
• Signs MAY be posted at all public access locations
• Water MAY be unsafe for humans/animals
• Contact with the water is discouraged   

There are no current public health watches for any Kansas lakes.                                           

A Public Health Warning

• Notifies the public that condition ARE unsafe
• Signs WILL be posted at public access locations
• Contact with the water SHOULD NOT OCCUR

There are currently no Public Health Watches issued for any Kansas lakes, but there are Public Health Warnings at the following lakes; Atchison County Park Lake, Carbondale West Lake (Osage County), Central Park Lake (Pond) and Clarion Woods Park Lake (Shawnee County), Jerry Ivey Pond (Saline County), Lake Afton (Sedgwick County), Melvern Outlet Pond and Swim Pond (Osage County), Rooks County State Fishing Lake and Webster Lake, both in Rooks County. Keep abreast of current algae watches and warnings on www.ksoutdoors.com.

Health effects can occur when surface scum or water containing high levels of blue-green algal toxins are swallowed or have contact with exposed skin, or when airborne droplets containing toxins are inhaled while swimming, boating or skiing. Most people report the effects as “allergic” type reactions like intestinal or respiratory problems or skin irritations. Animal reactions may range from general weakness and lethargy, to vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing or even convulsion. Algae blooms don’t usually envelope an entire lake,  so places can still be found to fish on lakes under  blue-green algae watches and warnings, and according to the folks in-the-know at the Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, fish caught from affected lakes can still be safely eaten, just wash the meat thoroughly.  My friend used to say “Everybody always tells me – Cheer up, things could be worse. So I cheered up, and sure enough – things got worse!” Sorry to say that health warnings at area lakes because of toxic algae blooms will probably get more numerous before they get better. So I guess your options are to sell the boat, skis and fishing poles, or just drive a little farther to a lake where no warnings exist, and continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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

  

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

For the first time, the government reports weekly crude production in the United States of 11 million barrels per day. Weekly totals from the Energy Information Administration, rounded to the nearest 100,000 barrels, have been hovering at 10.9 million barrels per day for several weeks.

Baker Hughes reported a dip in the national rig counts, dropping five oil rigs and two gas rigs to 1,046 nationwide. The counts were down three in Oklahoma and down five in Texas. Canada reports 211 active drilling rigs, up 14 over the last week. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports the statewide drilling rig count in Kansas was flat last week, 19 active rigs east of Wichita, down one, and 30 in western Kansas, up one. The total is more than two percent higher than a week ago, and nearly 29% higher than a year ago. Drilling is underway or about to begin at four sites in Barton and Stafford counties. Operators are moving in completion tools to four wells in Barton County and five in Ellis County.

Operators filed 21 new drilling permits last week across Kansas, 906 so far this year. There are 13 new permits in eastern Kansas and eight west of Wichita, including one in Ellis County. Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 37 newly-completed oil and gas wells across Kansas for the week, 20 of them east of Wichita and 17 in the western half of the state, including one in Ellis County. Operators have completed 853 wells so far this year.

Meridian Energy group moves forward with efforts to build a refinery situated in the heart of the Bakken Shale region of North Dakota but also about three miles from a national park. Meridian has let a contract for site, civil design and construction services for the first new refinery to a Bismarck, North Dakota firm. Earlier, three environmental groups filed another lawsuit, this time to block the air-quality permit granted by the state’s health department last year. Another lawsuit challenges the zoning decision.

The State of North Dakota set production records for oil and gas in May, but did not meet the state’s goals to reduce flaring. The state’s Oil and Gas Division reported production of 1.24 million barrels per day for the month of May, beating the previous record from December of 2014 by more than 17,000 barrels. The gas capture rate fell 2% short of the state’s goals, which are set to go up in November.

North Dakota on Friday demanded $38 million from the federal government to reimburse the state for costs associated with policing large-scale and prolonged protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. An administrative claim against the Army Corps of Engineers contends the agency allowed protesters to illegally camp without a permit and failed to maintain law and order, which “…required North Dakota to provide a sustained, large-scale public safety response.”

A tanker is scheduled later this month to deliver the largest shipment of crude oil from Vancouver to China since January 2015. The Aframax tanker Serene Sea left a Kinder Morgan terminal in Vancouver July 4 with about 514,000 barrels of Canadian crude, and is expected to arrive in southern China July 26. Such shipments are rare, but Reuters reports they’ve picked up in recent months. For years, Canadian officials have pushed for an escalation in crude exports to rapidly growing Asian markets, but companies in oil-rich, and land-locked Alberta have limited capacity to move crude to the nation’s western coastline. Most of that winds up in the U.S.

Pipeline takeaway capacity in the Permian basin is tight and getting tighter. The US Energy Information Administration reported on one indicator, the number of drilled but uncompleted wells in the basin, which were up another 164 wells in June, following increases of 169 in May and 133 in April. Platts reports some experts are concerned that wells will need to be “banked,” held up for the next year or so, until new midstream pipeline capacity comes online late next year. Permian production is expected to add another 73,000 barrels per day in August, according to a government report. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts production among the top seven shale basins will rise 143,000 barrels per day in August, the second highest jump on record.

Concho Energy completes its merger with rival RSP Permian in a $9.5 billion deal. Concho becomes the largest unconventional shale operator in the Permian Basin with more than 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent in proved reserves.

The US has urged Russia and China to clamp down on repeated breaches of the oil sanctions regime imposed on North Korea, saying America had evidence of at least 89 illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers this year. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made that call at the UN, the day after Russia and China rejected a call to step up sanctions.

One of the best parts of traveling to the mountains in the summer is the chance to enjoy hummingbirds. I sit for hours watching feisty little creatures that whir as they fly, zipping to and from feeders dangling from every possible eave.

In years past, motivated by iridescent, long billed birds we enjoyed during our mountain retreats, we came home to hang our own feeder. We usually did this in late July or early August, and all we got for our trouble was a wasp or ant invasion. As a result, I cleaned out the feeders and buried them in the camping box, thinking I would use them only in the Rockies.

A few autumns ago, I attended an auction in McCracken, and as I drove through that little hamlet, I noticed hummingbird feeders hanging in several yards. When I ran into folks I knew, I asked about the syrup filled bottles, and one lady explained that hummingbirds pass through western Kansas during their fall southward migration. I should’ve raced directly home to fill my own feeders, but my brain was on overload, and I forgot.

Like many people, I remember stuff when I can’t use it, and each October I think I should’ve put the feeder out mid-August to tempt early arrivals. This year, we got a gentle reminder. My husband and youngest daughter walked out the back door as a ruby-throated hummingbird sampled petunias blooming on the patio.

After I returned from North Dakota, where hummers visit throughout summer, my family eagerly recounted this exciting visit. With that kind of inspiration, I raced to the basement and dug the hummingbird feeder out of the camping box. Then I concocted a sugar solution of ¼ sugar and ¾ water and boiled it. After it cooled, I poured it into the bottle decorated with little red, fake flower sippers to attract those hovering visitors. My husband placed it so we could watch hummers as we worked or ate in the kitchen.

For several days, we never saw a hummingbird or heard whirring wings as it jetted from branch to branch. I thought I’d missed the one and only hummer to visit our neighborhood. But, the solution in the feeder kept dropping, and I knew evaporation couldn’t account for every missing ounce.

Finally, I heard the hoped for words. “Karen, you have a hummer!” I crept quietly to the kitchen window just as the tiny bird flashed away. Darn! A few hours later persistence paid off, and I caught the little guy sipping delicately from our red plastic blooms.

As a youngster, I hated to flip the calendar to August. But, now, as the earth rotates into that 33 degree tilt that tints late summer and early fall days with a golden hue, I anticipate migrating hummers. Once the sun shifts from its summer to autumnal position, my ears automatically listen for whirring wings playing one of summer’s final songs. I catch myself watching late blooming flowers obsessively, hoping to capture the season’s last magical moments.

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.

By BARB WASINGER
Ellis County Commissioner

Our 2019 budget proposes spending $2.4 million over expected income. Raising the mill levy will not fix this. It’s a matter of spending more than we take in – we need to learn to live within our means. This overspending is unsustainable.

Priority one is the Ellis County taxpayer. Many of them live from paycheck to paycheck and can’t spend $100 when they only have $50. For the past few years we have moved money from capital accounts and using it to pay for day-to-day operations, hoping that someday in the future additional tax revenues would rebound or appear. Painfully, the reality is that we as a county can no longer rob Peter to pay Paul.

It is absolutely necessary that we get control of spending in Ellis County now and not place this burden on future commissioners. Each and every county elected official and department head needs to change how they operate. I know that department heads have started working on this, but it was also made abundantly clear that this is not a popular idea with elected officials or employees. We were elected by the taxpayers of Ellis County to make hard decisions when it comes to spending and that’s what we need to do now and in the future.

We received a letter from Ellis County attorney Tom Drees which was addressed to our county administrator in which he claimed his department is $14,937 down from what he claims is necessary to adequately fund his department and imply the threat of a lawsuit with his declaration that Kansas law “requires the county to adequately fund the county attorney”. It appears Mr. Drees believes the courts should decide what constitutes “adequate funds” and not the Ellis County Commission, whose members have been elected by taxpayers to make these very decisions.

I believe this thinly veiled threat of legal action is unappreciated, unwise and in very poor taste. Particularly with a requested budget of $924,787.00 – which has risen steadily each year from his budget of 2015 at $771,416. His budget has increased 8.5% over this period and let me point out that inflation has risen less than 2% over the past few years. Comparable counties such as Barton and Ford have larger staffs and significantly lower budgets for 2018 of $702,000 and $824,000, respectively.

My vote on the 2019 budget will ultimately depend on what steps we as a commission are willing to take to bring spending in line with revenues. I look forward to the suggestions of my fellow commissioners.