The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council are together issuing a burn advisory due to persistent drought conditions across Kansas.

While the past few weeks have brought an increase in moisture to the area, it has not been enough to create safe conditions for outdoor burning. Continued drought conditions combined with  high wind speeds, low relative humidity, and other weather factors will produce unsafe conditions for burns this season.

“If possible, we encourage delaying burning for another year so that the conditions for safely burning fields or brush will not be as likely to produce fires that burn out of control and put lives and property at risk,” says Doug Jorgensen, State Fire Marshal.

In cases in which prescribed burning is essential this year, the OSFM and Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council offer the following tips and best practices to help ensure a burn doesn’t become a wildfire:

• Know all state and local fire restrictions. Check with county officials who are charged with deciding whether burning is permissible based on local conditions.
• Notify neighbors as a courtesy prior to burning.
• Postpone the burn if unsure of the fuel and weather conditions.
• Have adequate resources and equipment available to prevent escaped fires.
• Consider smoke management to avoid unsafe roads and air quality conditions.
• Do not burn to the ends of the field. Setting boundaries, “back burning” and keeping the fire off of fence rows will prevent out-of-control burns.

Kansas experienced extreme fire behavior in 2012, with more than 41,000 acres burned and 26 structures lost from wildfire by the end of summer.

The drawing “Jaguar King” by Hill City High School student Amanda Kessler is “King” of the 2013 Kansas First Congressional District High School Arts Competition.

Kessler received her “Best of Show” award from Congressman Tim Huelskamp himself who was in Russell at the Deines Cultural Center, host site for Saturday afternoon’s presentation of this year’s contest.

More than 100 pieces of art were submitted by students from Hill City, Osborne, Wheatland and Little River High Schools.   The entries in drawing, painting, collage, print, mixed media, computer-generated art and photography were judged by Lee Powers, Fort Hays State University Art Department Chairman.

First and second place awards were given in each of the seven categories.  Huelskamp, who is from Fowler in southwest Kansas, presented each award and posed for pictures with the winning artists.

Kessler’s “Best of Show Jaguar King” will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year, alongside the winning works from the other congressional districts.

The Congressional Institute sponsors the annual nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

Litter along the highways has a negative impact on everyone, both residents and visitors to Kansas.

Participating in the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Adopt-A-Highway program can have a positive impact on helping to keep the highways clean. With nearly 10,000 miles of highways in Kansas, new groups can always join.

Some of the urban stretches of roadway are open to adopt, and numerous sections in the rural areas are available as well. Groups are asked to sign a two-year agreement with the program, and several groups have been with the program since it started in Kansas in 1990.

Groups clean their sections of roadway three times a year at their convenience. Most choose to schedule a clean-up time in the spring, summer and fall.

Adopt-A-Highway groups are participating in the annual Clean Up Kansas Campaign which is taking place during April. All Adopt-A-Highway groups are encouraged but not required to participate in the statewide event. Motorists are asked to use extra caution as people with bright orange vests will be working next to the highways.

Youth groups with members at least 11 years old and adequate adult supervision are also eligible. KDOT provides each group safety training, trash bags, orange vests and signs for their adopted stretch of highway.

For more information, contact the KDOT office in your area.

There was something even more exciting than video of tornadoes during National Weather Service Spotter Training in Russell Tuesday night.

Recently retired Russell Fire Chief Sam Schmidt was honored as the 2013 Emergency Worker/Volunteer of the Year.

The annual award is made by the Russell/Ellsworth County Emergency Management and the Russell 911 Communications Advisory Board.

Schmidt started as a Russell  volunteer firefighter in 1982 and retired as chief earlier this month. 

He’s also served as Secretary of the District 2 Fire Chiefs Association since its inception and has been a committee chairperson for the Kansas State Firefighters Association.

A new women’s clinic that offers abortion services is set to open in Wichita next week.

The clinic is in the same building that was once run by slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller.

The founder of the South Wind Women’s Center told KWCH-TV it’s “highly likely” the clinic will open next Wednesday, March 27.

Doctors will perform abortions at the clinic, as well as other gynecological services.

Wichita-based anti-abortion group Operation Rescue says it was unaware of the scheduled opening, but promises protests like those when Dr. Tiller was there.

The group also says it will continue working to use legislation to shut the facility down.

This morning Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law the first bill of the 2013 legislative session.

The law changes the way the judges of the Court of Appeals are selected. Under the new system, the Governor will appoint someone to a judicial vacancy and the Senate must confirm them.

Currently, Appeals Court judges are nominated by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission which is made of five members elected by the Kansas Bar,  and four members appointed by the governor.

HB 2019 allows the governor to appoint a qualified person to fill any vacancy of the Appeals Court who is subject to approval by the Kansas Senate.  Known as the federal process, this procedure is similar to how justices for the United States Supreme Court are appointed.

The Kansas Department of Commerce continues to accept nominations for the annual Business Appreciation Month awards. The awards serve as a statewide tribute to businesses for their contributions to Kansas and their local communities.

April 3 is the deadline to nominate a business for an award.  The awards are announced each June.

Regional finalists are recognized at an awards ceremony during the Team Kansas/Kansas Cavalry awards banquet, with the top nominee receiving the Governor’s Award of Excellence, the highest award given to a business by the state. The 2012 winner was Nex-Tech Inc. of Lenora.

Nominations are accepted from chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, small business development centers, organizations and individuals. Companies may also nominate themselves.

There will be regional winners selected in the manufacturing/distribution, service, retail and hospital/non-profit categories.  Overall finalists give a presentation about their company and community involvement to the panel of judges.

Award qualifications include:

• Business expansion in Kansas.
• Successful employee retention and recruitment practices.
• Employee training/educational programs.
• Capital investment in Kansas.
• Support of local activities including school activities, community events, economic development and leadership programs.

To submit an online nomination, visit KansasCommerce.com/BAM.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) paid eligible providers and hospitals a total of $46,614,849 during the first 12 months of the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. KDHE’s Division of Health Care Finance is responsible for issuing the payments through funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The joint federal-state program is part of Kansas’ ongoing Health Information Technology insertion.

Because the Kansas Medicaid program, KanCare, currently covers approximately 13 percent of the Kansas population, the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program plays a key role in supporting widespread HIT adoption in Kansas. KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer Robert Moser, M.D. said that, compared to paper records, EHRs improve the protection of patient information and enhance both the safety of the patient and the coordination of care when providers are able to access, more quickly, complete information about a patient’s health. “Electronic health records benefit everyone involved—the patient, the family and the provider—especially during times when every second counts,” he said.

Recipients of EHR incentive payments are categorized as either Eligible Hospitals (EHs) or Eligible Professionals (EPs). Today, March 22, marks one year since payments were first made to Kansas EHs and EPs. To date, 597 EPs have received a total of $23,783,513, while 52 EHs have received $22,831,335.