SALINA — State Conservationist Eric B. Banks announced the extended deadline for enrollments in the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative for fiscal year 2014. Producers interested in participating in the program can submit applications to the Natural Resources Conservation Service through April 18.

Kansas NRCS will fund the initiative through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program and provide producers an opportunity to improve the Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat while promoting the overall health of grazing lands and the long-term sustainability of Kansas ranching. Expired or expiring Conservation Reserve Program fields in permanent cover that may benefit LPC habitat could also be eligible for funding.

All applicants must meet EQIP eligibility requirements. In Kansas, socially disadvantaged, veteran, limited resource and beginning farmers and ranchers will receive a higher payment rate for conservation practices implemented through the LPCI.

For more information, visit the Kansas NRCS web page at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center.

Great Bend Post

State Rep. John Edmonds, R-Great Bend, filed Monday to run for another two-year term in the Kansas House. Great Bend Democrat Steve Muehleisen also has indicated he will run for the 112th House District seat.

The filing deadline is noon June 2. The primary election is Aug. 5, and the general election is Nov. 4.

FHSU University Relations

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, on board the Vostok-1 53 years ago on April 12, became the first human to go out into outer space. The Fort Hays State University Astronomy Club will celebrate this milestone with “Yuri’s Night.”

According to student organizer Megan Adams, the celebration of Gagarin’s momentous flight “aims to promote public interest in space and geosciences with presentations emphasizing on-campus research and new and upcoming milestones in science and engineering.”

Starting at 6 p.m., Saturday, April 12, the presentation will feature speakers that include physics and engineering students, Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science students, and English students. The topics, while not yet final, will include Jupiter radio astronomy, the SuperDARN radar, mythologies related to constellations and the sky, and contemporary science news.

The gathering will also feature a costume contest where participants can dress in space- or science-fiction-related fashions. Other events include a show by the Digital Planetarium, owned by the Science and Mathematics Education Institute, and a tour of the Albertson Hall Observatory. Afterward, from 8:30 to 11 p.m., student volunteers will host a night-sky observation at the old FHSU quarry, five miles south of the U.S. 183 Bypass on Golf Course Road.

Food and drink will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. Public sky viewing using FHSU telescopes will be after the main event.

For more information, search “Fort Hays Yuri’s Night” on Facebook or visit the FHSU Astronomy Club.

JUNCTION CITY — Three men have been arrested on allegations of kidnapping, Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown said Tuesday.

Brown said police received a report Monday morning of a possible kidnapping at 30 Riley Manor.

“We’d received a tip from a citizen that lives in the area that they’d seen three men force an individual into a vehicle at gunpoint,” Brown said. “Shortly after that, the detectives spotted a vehicle that was believed to be involved, stopped and took one man into custody. During the investigation throughout the day, we took two more individuals into custody.”

Arrested were Jorge Luis Luna, 20, Manhattan, Qavajez Mason, 21, and Darius Williams, 20, residence unknown.

The male victim in the case was not injured. Brown said no more arrests are expected.

K-State News and Editorial Services

MANHATTAN — Alan and Jan Levin, Tucson, Ariz., have made a commitment of $1.5 million to the College of Engineering at Kansas State University to support the phase IV building addition currently underway.

When the $45 million phase IV expansion opens in fall 2015, it will be a first-class facility that will impact the daily experience of more than 3,500 students and 300 faculty and staff at the College of Engineering. The project will consolidate functions currently dispersed over multiple locations, creating a flexible environment to inspire and support interdisciplinary learning and collaboration. It will enhance student recruiting, enrich the educational experience and empower faculty with the resources they need to mold the future of the engineering profession.

The Alan and Jan Levin Student Design Team Suite will be a hallmark feature, offering designated space for student competition teams to create engineering designs while developing practical skills like leadership and collaboration.

The Levins are natives of Kensington who married 48 years ago and moved to Blue Valley Mobile Home Park near the Kansas State University campus. Alan Levin studied mechanical engineering and Jan Levin worked for K-State Research and Extension. The son of a farmer from a hometown of 600 residents, Alan Levin recalled how it felt “almost like a miracle” to attend Kansas State University and earn his bachelor’s degree in 1969.

The Levins own and operate Century Park Properties LLC in Tucson with their three grown children, Michael, Laura and Matthew. They most recently founded Port of Tucson, an intermodal and logistics center with about 52,000 feet of railroad infrastructure.

“The College of Engineering gave me a home and a goal in life. It definitely changed my life and made all the difference in the world,” Alan Levin said. “There are so many people out there who can succeed if they just have someone to give them a helping hand. And if they succeed, then that’s just a benefit to us all.”

The Levins are members of the College of Engineering’s Seaton Society and the Kansas State University Foundation’s President’s Club, a philanthropic leadership organizations for friends and alumni. Alan Levin serves on the board of the Arizona Cancer Center and is a member of the Kansas State University College of Engineering Hall of Fame, while Jan Levin is a member of the Arizona 4-H Hall of Fame. The couple supports many local charities such as Child and Family Resources, Boys & Girls Clubs, Pima County 4-H, Christian Family Care, Tucson Girls Chorus, Arizona Cancer Center, YMCA and El Rio Community Health Center.

“The charitable work of Alan and Jan Levin is well-established,” said Gary Clark, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “We are honored and deeply grateful to see the Levins step forward in such a meaningful way to support the phase IV building expansion and the next chapter of success for our college and students.”

“We are proud to count Alan and Jan Levin among the K-State family,” said Kirk Schulz, president of Kansas State University. “We are grateful for their visionary gift toward the College of Engineering’s phase IV expansion. Their generosity will have resounding influence for years in the college, its students, the engineering industry and in K-State’s plan to become a Top 50 public research university by 2025.”

To learn more about the Phase IV expansion, visit www.engg.ksu.edu/phaseIV.

Philanthropic contributions to Kansas State University are coordinated by the KSU Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.

Salina Post

SALINA — Although the final tally is unofficial, a $110.7 million bond proposal for school improvements in Salina USD 305 will pass easily.

During the Saline County Commission meeting Tuesday morning, Saline County Clerk and Elections Officer Don Merriman said with approximately 500 votes left to be counted, the yea votes were 8,352, compared to 5,639 voting against the measure.

Merriman said 13,591 votes were cast. Merriman said 300 of the mail-in ballots did not have signatures on the envelope and would not be counted, and the county commission will review about 50 provisional ballots on Monday.

Merriman said the final vote totals would be available Tuesday afternoon.

The deadline to have the ballots into the Saline County Clerks Office was noon Tuesday.

By STAN UNRUH
Post News Network

GREAT BEND — USD 428 Superintendent Dr. Tom Vernon has spent a lifetime working in education — and is disappointed with what the Kansas Legislature did this weekend.

Lawmakers approved adding approximately $129 million into state funding for poorer school districts — but also contained policy changes that have educators up in arms. The compromise bill now awaits Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature.

“Their action, in terms of removing pre-K-12 teachers, librarians and counselors from the due process statutes, is very short-sighted and simply bad public policy,” he said. “Those statutes were passed as a result of shenanigans perpetrated on teachers in the past. I would think that eliminating the effects of those statutes would have demanded committee hearings and public debate before the Legislature acted.

“Sadly, that was not the case.”

He said due process, commonly referred to as tenure, does no mean a teacher has a “job for life.” Instead, it simply means a district must have a reason to non-renew a teacher past the probationary stage and be able to convince a hearing officer that decision was correct.

“The process is time consuming and difficult,” Vernon said, “but it should be.”

Last summer, Vernon told the school board in Great Bend he would retire at the end of this school year — and now he is left wondering what the future hold for the district he leave behind.

“First, this isn’t law yet. It has to be signed by the governor and, if enough teachers/supporters lobby him, maybe he can veto the policy sections of the bill,” Vernon said. “Also, I think it must pass a judicial challenge. I think the Kansas Constitution prohibits policy items to be included in appropriations bills. We will see.”

The proposal puts the Great Bend district in a state of uncertainty.

“If this law goes into effect on July 1, we really don’t know how we will deal with teachers contractually. We don’t know whether our three pages on due process in the negotiated agreement will be in effect … or will the new law trump that?” he said. “We don’t know whether we will have to negotiate with individual teachers or whether we can negotiate with a group. We simply do not know. What I can tell you is that we have no grand plan to take advantage of anyone. We will continue to work with and value our district’s greatest asset — our faculty and staff.”

At first blush, Vernon expected the effect of the bill to be a 3 mill decrease in the tax levy, but approximately $130,000 less in general fund revenue because of a decrease in at-risk weightings.

Related story: Hays union official discusses potential policy changes.

Related story: La Crosse superintendent reacts to school funding bill.

Related story: Attorney at heart of school funding case has concerns with compromise.

Due to weather conditions, all Hays Recreation Commission soccer and flag football practices scheduled for Monday have been canceled.

For more information, visit Hays Rec’s website HERE.

North Central Kansas Technical College recently was awarded a $600 grant from the Hays area Heartland Community Foundation’s Healthy Living Fund.

The grant funds will provide support for the annual Hays Community Health Fair, which is organized and staffed by the Hays campus NCK Tech nursing students and faculty. Sandra Gottschalk, NCK Tech Hays campus nursing department chairwoman, and Beryl Dinges, NCK Tech nursing faculty, were presented the award during a ceremony last week at Fort Hays State University.

The Community Health Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12 at Hays National Guard Armory and will promote public awareness of current health issues. During the fair, a variety of educational material is available, include pamphlets, DVDs, free blood sugar monitoring and blood pressure checks. The American Red Cross also will conduct a blood drive during the event.

The NCK Tech Registered Nurse program earned the Kansas State Board of Nursing Certificate of Excellence in 2013. For more information, visit www.ncktc.edu.

Related story: Heartland doles out grants.

Here’s how northwest Kansas lawmakers voted on the compromise school funding proposal, which was approved and sent to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.

The Kansas House passed the measure 63-57. Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady, R-Palco; Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Luray; and Rep. Ward Cassidy, R-St. Francis, voted in favor, while Rep. Sue Boldra, R-Hays; Rep. John Ewy, R-Jetmore; and Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton, voted against.

The Kansas Senate voted to approve the measure 22-16. 40th District Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, voted in favor of the measure.

Watch Hays Post for more on how the school funding measure could affect area schools.

TOPEKA – Gov. Sam Brownback today issued the following statement on the school finance bill passed by the Kansas House of Representatives:

“The school finance bill that passed the Kansas House today with bipartisan support increases funding to Kansas schools by $83 million and includes $74 million of property tax relief.  I am pleased with the broad bipartisan support for a plan that puts money into the classrooms where it best benefits students and teachers.

“Legislation offered in February by House Democrats would have cost taxpayers more while sending only a very small portion of the additional funding to the classroom.  This is unacceptable.  We can and will do better. We will send the money to the classroom to help teachers teach and students learn.

“I, along with the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, am committed to providing a solution that satisfies the court order by the end of the regular session.  We will fix this.  And we will do so in a way that ensures every taxpayer dollar is spent as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“I appreciate the efforts of the legislature, and especially the hard work and leadership of Speaker Merrick and President Wagle. We have an opportunity for progress.

“I will continue to work with legislative leadership until a bill reaches my desk.”

By KYLE CRANE
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — The Kansas House unanimously passed a bill Friday that would provide protection of anonymity for parents who willingly surrender physical custody of a child of 45 days or younger.

House bill 2577 would amend the Newborn Infant Protection Act by prohibiting a person or facility receiving a child from revealing information about the parents. The parents’ personal information would be kept confidential unless there was reasonable suspicion of child abuse.

Rep. Jan Pauls, D-Hutchinson, and author of the bill, said the added protection could save children’s lives by preventing parents in desperate situations from resorting to drastic measures.

“Almost every community knows of a couple tragedies when is child is thrown out and dies,” Pauls said. “It’s important that people know there’s another option.”

The Act, passed in 2007, was created to provide a safe haven for children to be taken in and placed for adoption. The law states that hospitals are not required to reveal the name or personally identifiable information of a parent.

Pauls said the need to change the law’s language to explicitly prevent the release of information came to her attention when a TV station published a photo of a mother who left her newborn at a Wichita hospital.

The hospital, concerned about the mother’s welfare, gave the police her information. The TV station published a photo of the mother in an attempt to aid the police’s search for her. The station voluntarily changed its policy to prohibit releasing such information after it was criticized for the publication.

“We thought the statute was clear but it obviously was not clear enough,” Pauls said. “Now we make it very clear that they shall not reveal that information.”

The House initially passed the bill in February and sent it to the Senate for consideration. Senators passed the bill last Tuesday after expanding the list of locations where an infant may be surrendered to include law enforcement offices. The bill will be presented to the governor for approval.

Kyle Crane is a University of Kansas senior from Overland Park majoring in journalism.

Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON — A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized Thursday after being struck by a vehicle outside Hutchinson Middle School.

According to the Hutchinson Police Department, 17-year-old Jacob Tyler Ice, who lives in the area, struck the 14-year-old as he was crossing the street. Edward Hernandez was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. His condition is unknown.

The accident occurring around 3:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon as school was letting out for the day.