Are 3-D printer designs protected by the First Amendment? This was the legal defense raised by Cody Wilson back in 2015, who faced prosecution for violating federal gun export laws after he created a gun with a 3-D printer and then posted the blueprints online for others to download and use. Wilson claimed that this violated his right to share information freely.
 The State Department settled its case against him in July 2018, and for a few days Wilson was able to distribute the blueprints on his website and revel in his success at using the First Amendment to protect the Second Amendment. But by the end of last week, attorneys general in 20 states had filed suit against both the State Department and Wilson, in an effort to force the State Department to rescind its settlement. The states raised a constitutional claim of their own — that the settlement violated the 10th Amendment, which gives states the right to make their own laws, including those governing gun control. Earlier this week, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the government from allowing the blueprints to be distributed. A follow-up hearing will take place on August 10. What does all this mean, aside from an amazing day for Bill of Rights bingo? The NRA’s official statements have been along the lines of, “absolutely nothing,” pointing out how prohibitively expensive printing a gun is at this time. It’s true that we’re unlikely to witness the rise of a 3-D printer armed militia in the next couple of weeks. But this also sidesteps the real issue. Right now, 3-D printers are expensive and clunky, but they won’t always be. How should we deal with a world where the technology has caught up with Wilson’s aspirations? As Senator Bill Nelson put it, “There are many limits on our First Amendment rights of speech. You cannot say ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. Why in the world would you assert First Amendment rights to publish instructions to [make] a plastic gun that someone could take through a metal detector into a crowded theater and start shooting in that theater instead of shouting ‘fire,’ which is clearly an understood limitation upon our First Amendment rights of speech.” That cuts to the heart of the issue — the danger inherent in a world where absolutely anyone can manufacture their own gun — but it’s not quite the right analogy. The First Amendment may not protect your right to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater. But it does protect the right to publish something like the “Anarchist Cookbook,” which contains instructions for manufacturing explosives. It may be illegal to build your own bomb, but the government can’t censor the instructions for doing so. And to add another wrinkle: At this time, making your own gun at home actually is legal, provided that you don’t intend to sell it and you aren’t otherwise prohibited from owning one. Kits that let you assemble your own firearm have existed for years and are legally available. 3-D printing puts us in a murky situation. The law protects your right to share information. It protects your right to build your own gun. But put those two principles together, add some 3-D printing technology, and take things to their natural conclusion and the end result is discomfiting — even to staunch supporters of the Second Amendment like Guy Benson, who writes, “I’m both extremely hesitant to embrace government-imposed prior restraints, and skeptical of new regulations on guns. I do, however, realize that advancing technology can present thorny legal challenges…I am alarmed by the idea that a mental[ly] unstable individual or convicted criminal could bypass background check requirements and other important restrictions by manufacturing their own illegal firearms.” Benson goes on to express skepticism at the proposed solutions to this, observing that, “Banning people from doing things that are already illegal through other means strikes me as mostly symbolic.” Fair point. It’s already illegal for convicted criminals to manufacture their own guns, whether it’s using a 3-D printer, a kit or a garage-based gunsmithery. This isn’t a loophole in the law that needs to be closed. This is a fundamental shift in what it means to create something. In one sense, 3-D printing a gun isn’t all that different conceptually from building one from a kit. It’s the same basic idea — it’s just that 3-D printing has the potential to be much more accessible and efficient on a mass scale. And in that sense, it has the potential to change everything. (It’s kind of like how Napster used to argue that using their peer-to-peer file sharing system to download music was no different than sharing music with a friend.) There are a few different approaches we can take here. 1. We can argue that it’s not protected by the First Amendment. However, whether or not code counts as speech remains an open question. 2. We can consider the blueprints to be speech — but still regulate their dissemination. It’s a bit of an overstatement to say that the First Amendment protects speech from any government interference. The government can regulate political speech if that regulation is narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest. It can regulate commercial speech as long as its laws are substantially related to an important government interest. Banning anyone from posting 3-D gun designs online isn’t exactly a “narrow” regulation, but you could argue that a gun blueprint is essentially a commercial product, and that banning someone from posting one is the only way to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them — an important government interest if there ever one was. 3. We can allow the blueprints to be distributed freely, but regulate the hell out of 3-D printers. The First Amendment protects speech, but doesn’t stop the government from regulating conduct. In this case, that might mean licensing the usage of 3-D printers, or the components and materials necessary to print a gun. None of these are perfect solutions. How could they be, when the implications of 3-D printing technology are so complicated? The issue’s not going away, and it’s not just about guns. It’s about how the lines between speech and conduct and information and action, are growing increasingly blurry. Lata Nott is executive director of the First Amendment Center of the Freedom Forum Institute. Contact her via email at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @LataNott. |
Category: Local
BOOR: Cover crops keep ground active, protect against erosion
Corn and beans harvested early can leave your ground bare for seven to nine months. Instead, let’s plant some crops to grow and cover it until next season.
After silage harvest or combining corn or beans early, ground that lies bare has two things working against it. One is exposure to wind and water erosion. And two, it isn’t growing anything. Cover crops might help you overcome both problems.
But what should you plant? That depends on what you want to achieve with your cover crop. For example, hairy vetch and winter peas are good cover crops if you want to improve your soil by planting a legume that will provide 30 to 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre for next year’s crop. Or maybe use a deep-rooted radish to breakup some hardpans.
Are you still hoping for some feed this fall? Then oats, spring barley, annual ryegrass, and turnips might be better choices. These plants have the greatest forage yield potential in the fall. Oats and barley will die over winter so they won’t interfere with next year’s crop. But, dead residue from oats and barley is not very durable, so it provides less effective soil protection and for a shorter duration.
For better soil protection, winter rye is the best choice among the cereals. And cereal rye can provide abundant grazable growth early next spring to get cows off of hay sooner. Wheat and triticale also can be good cover crops. Of course, wheat then can be harvested later for grain while triticale makes very good late spring forage.
What is becoming especially popular is planting a mixture of several types of plants to reap some of the benefits of each one.
Cover crops can preserve or even improve your soil, and can be useful forages as well. Consider them following your early harvests.
To learn more about growing cover crops, especially for grazing, attend our Rotational Grazing in the Rangeland workshop on August 16th. The tour will begin at Greg Axman’s farm located at 1253 NW 80 Ave Olmitz, KS 67564. RSVP at 620-793-1910 or [email protected] for a meal head count.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910
K-State’s Agricultural Research Center plans Fall Field Day in Hays
Field tours highlight annual event in Hays
Kansas State University’s Agricultural Research Center in Hays will host its annual Fall Field Day on Aug. 22, featuring a half-day that is chock-full of field tours and timely management tips.
Registration and refreshments are available at 8:30 a.m. at the center, located at 1232 240th Avenue on the south side of Hays. There is no charge to attend.
Bob Gillen, the head of the Western Kansas Agricultural Research Centers, will welcome attendees at 9 a.m., followed by five short field tours in the morning:
Pre- and Post-Herbicide Tools for Weed Control in Corn, led by weed scientist Vipan Kumar
Sorghum Hybrid Development for Early Season Planting, led by sorghum breeder Ram Perumal
Palmer Amaranth and Kochia Control in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans, led by Kumar
Nitrogen Fertilization and Occasional Tillage in Wheat-Sorghum-Fallow Rotations, led by soil scientist Augustine Obour
Sorghum Hybrid Performance Comparisons, led by Perumal
Following lunch, K-State Research and Extension agricultural economist Dan O’Brien will give an outlook for markets and crop profitability for western Kansas; and entomologist JP Michaud will talk about insect management in grain sorghum.
More information on this and other events at the Agricultural Research Center in Hays is available at www.hays.k-state.edu, or by calling 785-625-3425.
Partly sunny, hot Sunday
Today
Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Monday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. North wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tuesday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Hays natives named to Washburn President’s List
WASHBURN UNIV.
TOPEKA – Washburn University has announced its President’s List honorees for the spring 2018 semester. To qualify for the President’s List, a student must be enrolled in 12 hours of graded credits and earn a semester grade point average of 4.0.
Honorees include:
Alison Helget of Hays
Skyler Urban of Hays
Washburn University is proud of these students and their commitment to excellence.
Law enforcement cracks down on drunk drivers through Labor Day
Kansas launches You drink. You drive. You LOSE. mobilization
TOPEKA — Law enforcement will be working overtime to target impaired drivers across Kansas and the country as part of the annual You drink. You drive. You LOSE. campaign that kicks off Aug. 16 through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
More than 150 law enforcement agencies across Kansas are joining forces to stop drunk driving. Extra enforcement coupled with increased media targeting the perils of drunk driving runs through Labor Day. Law enforcement will be looking for and pulling over all motorists who show signs of impaired driving.
Labor Day weekend is one of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road. On average, three people are injured every day in alcohol-related crashes in Kansas. Nationally in 2016, more than one-third of all fatalities over the Labor Day weekend involved a drunk driver with a BAC of .08 or greater.
“Drunk driving is not a victimless crime and is 100 percent preventable,” said Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Program Manager. “Impaired drivers cause 20 to 25 percent of all traffic fatalities. We are driving to zero fatalities in Kansas, and the You drink. You drive. You LOSE. mobilization is one of the many ways we are working to reduce death and injury on Kansas roads.”
In 2017, male drivers accounted for nearly 80 percent of all impaired driving fatalities and 70 percent of all impaired driving injuries in Kansas.
Impaired drivers can face jail time, suspension of their driving privileges, fines and other costs of up to $10,000. Included in this cost, the offender will be required to install and pay monthly services fees on an ignition interlock. Beyond the financial and legal penalties, impaired drivers face the risk of losing their own lives or taking someone else’s.
“Alcohol and driving never mix,” Bortz said. “If you plan on drinking don’t plan on driving.”
Domestic violence, sexual assault services reopen in western Kansas
Submitted
COLBY — Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services is announced it will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its recently reopened office at 225 W. 5th St in Colby.
“We are pleased and happy to reopen our local satellite office in Colby and to be able to restore walk-in services for victims and survivors and their families,” said Jennifer Hecker, executive director. “The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Options marks a great opportunity to bring help, hope, and healing to those suffering in silence in western Kansas.”
The Colby/Thomas County Chamber of Commerce will facilitate the 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ,and Options staff will be available to discuss services and share information about the agency. Services include 24-hour helpline, 24-hour crisis intervention, supportive counseling, child/youth services, law enforcement and court advocacy, medical advocacy, and much, much more.
“We’re delighted to invite the public to learn more about the services offered to victims and survivors, as well as the friends and family who are often the first point of disclosure and support for victims,” Hecker said. “Domestic violence and sexual assault are the silent scourge of our communities, and we want to ensure that everyone knows there is help and hope just a phone call away. Now that our satellite office is open again, victims and survivors will be able to access our services so much easier.”
The public is invited to the ribbon-cutting and to see the facilities and meet the staff at 225 W. 5th St in Colby from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 14 with the ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.
Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services is a non-profit agency dedicated to empowering individuals who experience domestic, sexual, interpersonal or stalking violence through individual support while educating our communities to identify and confront the causes of violence in society. Options provides services to 18 counties in northwest Kansas. Options voluntary services are always provided free of charge and with complete confidentiality.
SPONSORED: FHSU seeking Skilled Trades Technician
Fort Hays State University-Energy Division Seeking Position – Skilled Trades Technician, Plant Operations
The FHSU Energy Division/Power Plant is looking for a dependable individual to hire in the Power Plant Department. This is a full time position with benefits.
TASKS
Operation, maintenance and repair of industrial equipment such as boilers, generators, pumps and valves. Work involves all aspects of boiler operation to include general maintenance and repair of related Energy Division/Power Plant equipment. Follow written and oral procedures, reading and recording gauges and water testing. Able to lift 30-50 lbs.
Working hours during the heating season require 24/7 operation during the months of October to April, requiring shift work for continuous operation. Working hours from May through September are usually Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. This position may be required to work a flexible work schedule as needed.
REQUIREMENTS
High school diploma or GED, valid driver’s license. Three years’ experience in some skilled trades area. Prefer experience in electrical or mechanical trades, but this is not required. Must be able to lift 30-50 lbs.
COMPENSATION
Starting Pay: $14.50 / hr., with shift differential, when applicable. Full benefits package. Visit https://www.fhsu.edu/humanresourceoffice/Prospective-Employee/ for more about the benefits.
HOW TO APPLY
Application Process: To apply for this position, please visit https://fhsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CAREERS. Only electronic applications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
Required Application Documents: Applicants should submit a resume and names and contact information for three professional references. Applicant documents should be submitted in one PDF.
Notice of Non-discrimination – Fort Hays State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status.
Background Check: Final candidate will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.
Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERS employer. Please contact your KPERS representative or www.kpers.org for further information on how this might affect you.
In Case You Missed It: Eagle Morning Show 8/6-8/10
It was another busy week on the KAYS Eagle Morning Show. Here’s what you missed!
Monday
Roger Bixenman – Hays Recreation Superintendent
- Hays Aquatic Park closes August 14th – Dog Day is August 8th:
- Upcoming deadlines, events and dates to remember:
Cortney Dale – Bob Schwarz Financial
- Cortney joined the show to talk about and explain diversification:
- Cortney also hosts seminars and educational events on Medicare. For a list of dates and more information, visit www.sunflowersenior.com
Catholic Schools Report: Tom Meagher – Assistant Principal/Business Director Thomas More Prep – Marian:
- Final enrollment which was Tuesday and Wednesday:
Tuesday
Gary Shorman and Lexi Gardner – The Duck Derby (took place Wednesday, August 8th)
- What Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Ellis County does for local kids:
- Multiple prizes were given away:
- For a list of the winners, check out Cristina Janney’s story here
Ellis County Commission Recap – Jonathan Zweygardt, Marcy McClelland & Phillip Smith-Hanes:
Wednesday
Protect & Serve: Assistant Police Chief Brian Dawson
- Dawson talked about caution and safety when school starts:
Betty Hansen: Executive Director of the Humane Society of the High Plains
- The animals that are available at the Humane Society and how to adopt:
- For more information, visit the Humane Society website or go to Petfinder.com
Thursday
Callie Kolacny – Marketing Director of Smoky Hills Public Television
- Callie joined the show to talk about the Pledge Drive, music specials, memberships and trips:
- Find more information by visiting the Smoky Hills Public Television website.
Dr. Peter Lillpopp & Drum Major Nick – Fort Hays State University Marching Band
- Dr. Lillpopp and Nick talked about what to expect from the FHSU marching band this year, how to join if you’re interested, and what it takes to be a marching band member in college:
Friday
Bob Gillen – Dept. Head, Western Kansas Ag Research Centers
- Bob joined the show to talk about the upcoming Fall Field Day scheduled for Wednesday, August 22nd:
Natalie Ellis – Girl Scouts/National S’mores Day
- Natalie talked about the event that the local Girl Scouts hosted for National S’mores Day on Friday:
- For more information about Kansas Girl Scouts, visit their website.
Here’s what’s coming up next week on the Eagle Morning Show:
Cortney Dale – Bob Schwarz Financial
Brenda Meder – Hays Arts Council
Keri Peterson – USD 489 Enrollment
Glen McNeil – Licensed Dietician
Sara Bloom – Downtown Hays Development Executive Director
State Conservation Commission to meet in Hays
KDA
MANHATTAN — The State Conservation Commission will meet on Monday, Aug. 13, in Hays. The meeting will take place at approximately 10:30 a.m. or immediately following the joint SCC/KACD meeting at the NRCS Hays Area Office, 3012 Broadway, Hays. The meeting is open to the public.
The State Conservation Commission was established in 1937 to promote soil and water conservation and has the responsibility to administer the Conservation District Law, the Watershed District Act and other statutes authorizing various conservation programs.
To request a copy of the agenda or a map to the meeting location, please contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation at 785-564-6620 or [email protected]. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the agency three days in advance of the meeting date.
Sunny, hot Saturday
Today
Sunny, with a high near 91. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 63. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Monday
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Monday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Tuesday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Matlock leaves legacy of 30 years in music education for new adventure
Hays Post
Whether it was grieving with a group of singers after the suicide of a fellow student or helping a young woman find confidence, Johnny Matlock has spent 30 years doing more than teaching students how to read music.
He has taught them how to be successful human beings, something he hopes to continue in his new job.
After more than 30 years in music education, Johnny Matlock, choir director at Hays High School, is taking on a new role.
Matlock will be the new Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas instructor at HHS. The program, which is also known as JAG-K, was approved by the school board in March and will ramp up for its first year starting next week.
The program helps students graduate high school, work on career planning, enhances leadership skills and develop job skills. Students will visit workplaces and colleges, participate in a career club and perform 10 hours of community service.
“I have been very fortunate for all my life, really, to do something I am passionate about and that I love doing, and music has been that avenue for me,” Matlock said of his career in music education.
“It is still very, very important to me. I knew if I was every going to make a change, it was going to have to be something I was equally passionate about, so when this opportunity came along with this job with Jobs for America’s Graduates, I think it is a program that I believe in. I think it is going to offer students a lot. It is something I can be passionate about, and it just seemed the right time in our lives to do it. Change is a good thing,” he said.
Matlock spent 10 years teaching music in the Bonner Springs school district, before moving to Hays, where he has spent the last 20 years. Matlock taught choir at both HHS and HMS, as well as directed school musicals for many years.
Matlock said he had many wonderful moments teaching choir, and he fell in love with whatever piece of music or musical he was working on at the time.
Matlock said music brings much to a child’s education.
“They tell us that students who are involved in extra curricular activities do better in school—do better in academics,” he said. “Music has a lot to back that up just in terms of brain development and thinking skills. Music has a big connection with math. … I think their confidence, and I believe music has an ability to touch us in very special ways—in ways that other things do not.”
Matlock came from a musical family. He grew up taking private piano lessons, but his school in rural Arkansas had no music program.
“I went to college and was going to be a piano and composition major. That is what I wanted to do,” he said. “[I] heard the choirs rehearsing in the halls, and thought, ‘Wow, I want to be part of that.’ That was a life-change moment. I changed directions.”
The music he picked for his students allowed him to discuss delicate topics with them. The students performed a large piece by Dan Forrest called “A Requiem for the Living.” He said the piece allowed the students to talk about the legacy they leave, the way they influence people and the importance of life.
“Just about being human beings. … I think it deepened their thoughts about those things,” he said. “Music challenges us in that way.”
A student at Hays High School committed suicide during the last school year. She was a choir member.
“It was during that time, we were doing a song from ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ a musical, called ‘You Will Be Found,’ ” he said. “I remember coming back into the classroom on the morning that we found out about it, and I had Chamber Singers that day. We really didn’t need to talk about anything, but that is the song they wanted to sing.
“It talks about people who have just reached the bottom. There is no way out, and it was a piece that gave them hope and our responsibility to reach out to others. It was a very neat moment.”
One of Matlock’s former students Rachelle Lumpkins said Matlock encouraged her when she most needed it. She joined the musical her freshman year, but people were making fun of her size. Matlock read a self-effacing comment she had made about herself in her email signature line.
He mailed back a list of Lumpkins’ positive attributes ending with, “And you are beautiful!! God made you in HIS image! Music is the universal language transcending bias and what is bad in our world … the world needs your voice. You make a difference!”
Lumpkins kept that email as a positive reminder of her teacher’s encouragement. Matlock continued to encourage Lumpkins to follow her dream of becoming a music educator.
“He really encouraged me when I didn’t even expect him to read my signature,” she said. “I knew from that day on that he was a genuine guy who cared deeply for his students.”
Matlock started the Full Chord Press, an all boys musical group about seven years ago. The group started with about seven boys and ended with 40 to 50 boys in sixth through 12th grades.
“I am very proud of that program because of what it does for those young men,” he said, “not just musically, but the mentoring of them and helping them to become leaders and seeing them grow.”
Another of Matlock’s goals was to elevate the concert choir to the level of the Chamber Signers.
“I think over the last couple of years through the scores they were receiving at contest, I think we accomplished that,” he said. “That group at state large group even got a standing ovation from the people in the audience.”
Matlock takes his Chamber Singers on a trip every other year. This summer, the students went to New York and sang at the United Nations for his last performance with them.
The HHS group of 27 performed a selection of a cappella pieces in the entryway to the UN. The pieces were themed around music’s effects on people’s lives. One of the songs, “Even When He Is Silent,” is based on an anonymous poem that was found on a concentration camp wall.
“We were singing about a piece of hope and how love can make a difference,” he said. “It was very meaningful singing that in the UN and making the connection, at least I thought it was, with the world. You know that we are all human beings.”
Although that last trip was bittersweet for Matlock and his students, he said he has confident his students will continue to be successful.
“I have no doubt with the new person coming in—Alex Underwood. He is just awesome—that they are going to pick up right where we left off, and they are going to be the bearers of the tradition and they are going to make sure that the bar stays high,” Matlock said.
Matlock will not be stepping completely away from music. He will still be the Chancel Choir director at the First United Methodist Church. He also will be opening a piano and voice studio at 809 Main St. in Hays. He and his wife are living above the studio.
Matlock will be teaching group piano lessons with up to six students in a class.
“My goal is to teach them piano skills, sure I want to teach them to read music, but I want them to want to go home and sit down at the piano and play,” he said.
Matlock’s studio Facebook page is still in the works, but you will be able to find him online at matlockmusicworks.com.
Fire at Grinnell Middle School won’t delay start date
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
TOPEKA – A fire early Thursday morning caused significant damage to the Grinnell Middle School, but school will start on time later this month.
An investigation by the Kansas Fire Marshal has determined the blaze as undetermined, according to a news release from the office of the state fire marshal.
At 12:11 a.m., Thu., Aug. 9, Gove County dispatch received a 911 call reporting a fire at Grinnell Middle School, 402 South Monroe.
The Grinnell Fire Department was dispatched and received mutual aid at the scene from the Grainfield and Oakley fire departments.
One firefighter, who remains unidentified, was transported to a hospital for minor smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. He was treated and released.
Estimated amount of damage is $700,000.
According to a woman who answered the phone Friday morning at the school and did not want to be identified, the school start date will not be delayed. She said classes will begin as scheduled Thu., Aug. 23. She would not comment on the fire damage or cleanup efforts.
Gove County Undersheriff Shawn Mesch referred all inquiries to the state fire marshal.