The Kansas High School Activities Association has unveiled the KSHSAA Gallery of Champions.
The online feature, which can be found HERE, showcases “every state championship team, ever!” KSHSAA tweeted Monday.
The page includes a search function, which allows searches by name, school, activity or year. The database includes season results, championship histories, rosters and more.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Who is the only native Kansan ever to be elected President or Vice President? (If you guessed Dwight D. Eisenhower, you would be wrong. Although Eisenhower claimed Abilene, Kansas as his home, he was born during his family’s brief stay in Texas.) Who is the first Native American Indian ever to be elected President or Vice President? The answer to that question is the same as the correct answer to the first one: Charles Curtis is the first native Kansan and first Native American Indian to be elected to the nation’s second-highest office. His life is an amazing example of how education and hard work created a rags-to-riches success story. Thanks to the Kansas Historical Society and the U.S. Senate website for this information.
Charles Curtis was born in north Topeka. His father was Orren Curtis and his mother was Ellen Pappan who was one-quarter Kaw Indian. Charles was the great-grandson of White Plume, a Kansa-Kaw chief who had offered assistance to the Lewis and Clark expedition. White Plume’s daughter married a French-Canadian trader, so Charles grew up speaking French and Kansa before he learned English.
His mother died in 1863 at about the time his father left to fight in the Civil War. Charles was raised by his grandparents at the Kaw Reservation near the rural community of Council Grove, population 2,051 people. Now, that’s rural.
Young Charley learned to ride Indian ponies bareback. He became a successful jockey. He was also the hero of a cross-country run to warn Topeka about upcoming Cheyenne Indian raids.
After his grandfather’s death in 1873, Charles was headed to Indian territory. His grandmother advised him to get a formal education instead. “I mounted my pony and with my belongings in a flour sack, returned to Topeka and school,” Curtis recounted. “No man or boy every received better advice, it was the turning point in my life.”
In Topeka, he attended school while living with his other grandmother, a strong-minded woman. It was said of her that “she regarded being a Methodist and a Republican as essential for anyone who expected to go to heaven.”
Charles did well in school and went on to study law, supporting himself by working as a custodian and driving a horse-drawn taxi. When he had no customers, he would stop under streetlamps to read his law books.
After being admitted to the bar, the young lawyer opened his own firm, invested in real estate, and married Anna Baird. He was elected Shawnee County Attorney. Known as a law-and-order prosecutor, he won an upset victory over Democrat and Populist opponents for a U.S. House seat in 1892.
Curtis rose through the ranks in Congress. He was elected to the Senate where he ultimately served as majority leader. A strong advocate of farmers, he sponsored numerous bills related to agriculture and to Indian affairs. He was a master tactician who built strong relationships with both the conservative and progressive wings of his party. One senator described Curtis as “a great reconciler, a walking political encyclopedia, and one of the best political poker players in America.”
At the 1928 Republican convention, Charles Curtis was nominated for Vice President with Herbert Hoover. They were elected in a landslide but defeated for re-election in 1932.
After his term concluded, Curtis practiced law in Washington and continued his interest in politics. He liked to tell audiences that he was “one eighth Kaw and one hundred percent Republican.”
Curtis died in 1936 and is buried next to his wife Anna in a Topeka cemetery. The Charles Curtis State Office Building in downtown Topeka is named in his honor.
When the Curtis gravesite was rededicated, Vice President Dick Cheney sent a letter lauding Curtis as a “champion of the farmer and an advocate for women’s suffrage” and as a strong supporter of legislation granting citizenship to Native Americans.
Who was the first native Kansan and Native American Indian to be elected Vice President? It was Charles Curtis, whose education and hard work would make a difference and transform his life. We can be proud to claim him as a Kansan.
An Ellis man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Hays man in February.
Ryan Paul Thompson faces more than 23 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to shooting 26-year-old Diego Gallaway on Feb. 27 in the 2700 block of Indian Trail in Hays.
Thompson was originally charged with premeditated first-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Thompson shot Gallaway in the back of the head while holding him in a choke hold.
Under the plea agreement, Thompson faces 272 months in prison for second-degree murder and another 15 months on the drug charge, for a total of 287 months in prison. The gun charge was dropped.
Thompson’s sentencing will be scheduled for later this year.
Also on Monday, Kylie Waldschmidt was bound over as charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder during commission of inherently dangerous felony.
Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees said Waldschmidt and Thompson went to the 2700 block of Indian Trail to commit an aggravated battery or aggravated assault that escalated to murder.
Waldschmidt was also bound over for interference with law enforcement for allegedly lying to police.
A formal arraignment for Waldschmidt has not been set.
Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at $46.25 per barrel, after dropping fifty cents on Friday.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reports thirty new well-completions for the week. Eight of those were in eastern Kansas and 22 west of Wichita, including one in Barton County. So far this year, operators in Kansas have completed 1,028 wells. That’s down from the 1,141 reported at the end of the third quarter last year.
Operators have 16 new drilling permits across Kansas this week, 741 so far this year. That’s a little over half of the third-quarter total last year. There are eight new permits east of Wichita, and eight in Western Kansas, including one each in Ellis, Russell and Stafford counties.
The oil-patch in the U.S. continues its record-level production. On Wednesday, The Energy Information Administration reported the second-largest weekly production total ever, 12.472 million barrels per day for the week ending September 20. That’s up from the week before by nearly 50,000 barrels per day. The record of 12.5 million barrels per day was set August 23.
The Kansas Geological Survey has released updated production figures through June of this year, with a statewide total of 16.68 million barrels, or just over 92,000 barrels per day. Barton County operators pumped more than 816,000 barrels through June, while Ellis County produced 1.26 million barrels. In Russell County, total oil production through June was over 754,000 barrels. The total in Stafford County was nearly 437,000.
Activity in the Texas patch declined in the third quarter, according to a survey of energy executives by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Houston Chronicle reports abundant crude supplies and slowing global demand led energy companies to pull rigs out of service and cut jobs.
Refineries imported about 6.4 million barrels per day of crude oil last week, down more than 600,000 barrels per day. The four-week average for U.S. imports is 13.1 percent less than the same four week period a year ago.
U.S. crude oil stockpiles increased last week by 2.4 million barrels. The government said that at 419.5 million barrels, inventories are rising but remain at the five-year average.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reports a slight increase in its weekly Kansas rig report. There are ten active rigs in the eastern half of the state, up one, and 29 west of Wichita, also up one. Drilling is underway at two wells in Barton County and one in Ellis County. Operators are preparing to spud new wells at one lease in Ellis County, one in Russell County and one in Stafford County.
Baker Hughes reported a big drop in its weekly Rotary Rig Count Friday. Across the U.S. there were 860 active rigs, down six oil rigs and down two seeking natural gas. The count in Texas dropped by five rigs.
Activity in the Texas patch declined in the third quarter, according to a survey of energy executives by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Houston Chronicle reports abundant crude supplies and slowing global demand led energy companies to pull rigs out of service and cut jobs.
Oil-by-rail traffic dropped nearly ten percent in the latest weekly tally from the Association of American Railroads. Operators filled 11,862 rail tanker cars with petroleum and petroleum products during the week that ended September 21. As total freight-train traffic continues to decline, the oil-by-rail weekly total is down 9.7% from a year ago, marking the first such decline in recent memory. The cumulative, year-to-date total remains 17% above the same figure a year ago. Amid the railroad industry’s broad decline, only one freight category, chemicals, showed an increase over a year ago.
Another huge acquisition for Texas-based Energy Transfer is expected to dramatically increase the pipeline and processing company’s scale and connectivity. The company will buy SemGroup of Tulsa in a stock-cash-and debt deal valued at over five billion dollars. The announcement last week said both firms will continue to operate separately until early next year when the transaction closes.
A federal judge has blocked enforcement of some new laws in South Dakota that were passed with the aim of preventing disruptive demonstrations against the Keystone pipeline expansion. A lawsuit alleges that the law chills protected speech. In issuing a preliminary injunction halting several provisions of the legislation, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol said the plaintiffs are likely to win most of their challenges.
Saudi Arabia has a new energy minister, and for the first time he’s a member of the royal family. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman is the half-brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is the first member of the royal family to hold the job. In his first public appearance as minister, the prince signaled no radical change in Saudi oil policy.
The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a flash flood watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning in anticipation of impending rainfall.
The watch includes a large portion of southwest, central and northwest Kansas, including Hays and Ellis County.
Forecasters are calling for multiple period of heavy rainfall early Tuesday morning, with 1 to 2 inches expected in most areas. In areas that receive stronger storms, heavier rainfall can be expected.
There is the potential for flash flooding in low-lying areas and along rivers and streams.
Click HERE for the complete extended forecast and stay tuned to Eagle Radio of Hays in case of severe weather.
The Ellis County Commission will hold a special work session meeting Tuesday to review a number of personnel items.
Among the items on Tuesday’s agenda are the salaries of elected officials, employee insurance and the possibility of contracting out some county services.
The meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. at the Schenk Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
Members of the Hays Volga German Society, organizers of the Hays Oktoberfest, have released the full schedule for the newly extended event. The 47th Annual Volga German Oktoberfest will take place Friday, October 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12, in Municipal Park.
The mission of the Hays Oktoberfest is to celebrate the rich German heritage of Ellis County while generating scholarship money for students of Volga German descent and fundraising for area churches in need.
The NCK Tech Drive Thru will again feature German food made by NCK Tech Culinary Arts students. Menu items available for pick up include bierocks, green bean dumpling soup, and spitzbuben cookies. Patrons can order in advance by calling the main office at NCK Tech at 785-625-2437. Food can be picked up on Friday only at the drive-up window at the NCK Tech building directly across from Municipal Park.
Anyone interested in being a vendor at Saturday’s German Market should call the Downtown Hays Development Corporation at 785-621-4171. Vendor forms can be downloaded at www.DowntownHays.com on the Downtown Hays Market page under the Events section.
Gates will open at Municipal Park on Saturday at 10 a.m. with activities starting after the 11 a.m. Fort Hays State University Homecoming Parade ends. New this year, for-profit businesses and organizations will be allowed to set up on this second day, alongside non-profits.
Late registration for Oktoberfest vendors is available through Friday, October 4. Vendors can reserve a spot by calling vendor committee chair Lee Dobratz at 620-803-2258. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.haysoktoberfest.com.
For details and updates on the event, check the group’s website at www.haysoktoberfest.com or the Hays Oktoberfest Facebook page.
Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
A&A Coors 823 8th St., Hays – Sept. 26
A routine inspection found no violations.
Total Convenience 106 West Main, Victoria – Sept. 26
A routine inspection found three violations.
On the table next to the cash register there was a hot dog rolling cooking unit that did not have a sneeze guard / protected guard present to prevent contamination of the food on the rollers. Three hot dogs were present on the rollers at time of inspection.
In the walk-in cooler, there were made in house breakfast burritos that had eggs and sausage with no dates of when they were made.
There was a plastic bucket in the kitchen area with a clear liquid and a towel present. The container was without a label.
Victoria High School 1107 10th St., Victoria – Sept. 26
An FDA contract inspection found one violation.
On the floor mixer arm, there was dried food residue present and the bucket stored directly under.
Early Childhood Connections 2501 East 13th St., Hays – Sept. 23
A follow-up inspection found no violations.
Mokas Coffee 1230 East 27th St., Hays – Sept. 23
A routine inspection found six violations.
Above the single door mini refrigerator, there is a prep table for coffee with an opened container of milk that was being stored. The temperature of the Milk was 57 F. All Other Cold Holding Temperatures are in compliance.
In the walk-in refrigerator, there were two containers of cut ham that had dates of 6/4/19 on both containers. In the refrigerated display cooler, there were eight sections of assorted cheesecakes with no date of when they were opened.
In the two-door Traulsen refrigerator, there was an opened container of almond milk and organic milk with no dates of when they were opened.
On the storage rack in the back prep area, there was two of six food-grade plastic containers that had sticker residue present along the outside of the containers. All six containers were being stacked inside one another. The electric food slicer was stored as clean had dried food residue present on the backside of the blade.
No paper towels or other hand drying provisions at the prep and line handwashing sinks.
In the chemical storage area, there was a spray bottle that held a blue liquid with no label on the container.
RG&G Investments 1130 East 41st St., Hays – Sept. 23
A routine inspection found two violations.
In the self-service creamer dispenser, there was a container of 1/2 and 1/2 with no date of when it was opened.
In the back storage area, there were five containers of liquid hand soaps being stored directly above an opened case of lids for soda containers. No evidence of leaking was observed.
(Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Bogohosian)
Friends,
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
Last Wednesday, I was honored to join President Trump, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, and others for the signing ceremony of a new trade agreement with Japan.
This agreement will be a major benefit to our beef, pork, wheat, sorghum, corn, ethanol, and other industries across Kansas. Among other important provisions, the deal will level the playing field for our farmers and ranchers by reducing tariffs and matching the competitive advantage currently benefiting countries involved in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Specifically, the deal will cut tariffs on an additional $7.2 billion worth of agricultural goods sold to Japan.
The United States is already the top supplier of agricultural commodities to Japan, and the agreement signed today will further build on this great relationship. The agreement will allow producers across our state to continue doing what they do best – providing the highest quality, safest, and most affordable food, fiber, and fuel to our partners around the world.
R&T Hearing on AI
Last Tuesday afternoon, SST’s Research and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing on the impact of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) on workforce. AI presents unique opportunities for companies to become more efficient and streamlined, however the growth and adoption of these technologies also provides new job opportunities for the next generation. Ensuring that we have a skilled technical workforce has been a priority for Science Committee Republicans as well as the Trump Administration, as it is a vital component of US competitiveness and economic growth in the coming years.
Centura Health
Kansas was well represented at Centura Health’s meeting here in Washington. Centura Health, a Christian-run health system, has footprints in Kansas including St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City and the Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital in Ulysses. I’ve always praised mission-based health systems and how they give back to their communities. I shared with them my initiatives including my support for the 340B Drug Discount Program for rural hospitals and community health centers. These efforts would end surprise medical bills for patients, and help to reinvent rural health care in America.
Congressional Western Caucus Meeting
I joined fellow members of the Congressional Western Caucus to announce plans to modernize the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As an avid hunter and fisherman, I am dedicated to the preservation of wildlife for future generations. But with a meager 3 percent recovery rate since its inception more than 45 years ago, it’s clear the ESA must be updated. We need a plan that brings stakeholders, property owners, and local and state governments to the table when making habitat decisions to ensure species are delisted when desired population levels are met.
Talking Healthcare
I was honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Advocacy Summit. ASCO is a national organization representing over 40,000 physicians and other health care professionals that treat patients with cancer. I was happy to share with them a physician’s perspective from Congress and the many ways I am working to help physicians help their patients. As part of the advocacy efforts, over 130 of their members from across the country – including Kansas – were in DC this week to advocate for legislation I coauthored that would make long overdue changes to prior authorization. The bill I authored is the first step towards getting patients what they need, when they need it. And nothing is more timely than treating a patient battling cancer.
Congrats to Senator Dole
Last Tuesday, President Trump appointed Senator Bob Dole to serve as a member of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
The Commission is working to build a national memorial to President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower here in Washington, D.C., honoring his legacy both as Supreme Allied Commander during WWII as well as his accomplishments as 34th President of the United States.
Construction of the Memorial began in 2017, and is scheduled to open on May 8, 2020 – the 75th Anniversary of V-E Day. Senator Dole joins Kansas Senator Pat Roberts on the Commission and adds a valuable voice to the project as it nears completion. More details about the Memorial and the Commission can be found Here.
AGC of Kansas
Associated General Contractors of Kansas came through the office on Tuesday to give an update on their “Build Up Kansas” initiative and discuss workforce development issues across the state. Through “Build Up Kansas,” AGC is building workforce development partnerships with community colleges, technical colleges, and universities across the state to expose students to careers in the construction and manufacturing industries, which will be facing workforce shortfalls over the next decade. It’s great to see industry leaders thinking creatively about how to address the workforce challenges of tomorrow.
You can learn more about what AGC is doing in Kansas to promote workforce development Here.
Medicare Open Enrollment
The annual Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from October 15th to December 7th this year. During Open Enrollment, Medicare beneficiaries have the opportunity to change the way they receive their Medicare benefits for the upcoming year. This is the only opportunity that beneficiaries can switch their Medicare drug plan, (part D) to one that better meets their coverage and financial needs, or change the way they receive their Medicare healthcare benefits.
For more information on Open Enrollment Click Here.
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
