Senator Jerry Moran has introduced S. Res. 26, a Senate resolution recognizing the importance of access to hospitals and other health care providers to the survival and success of communities in the United States. These rural providers face unique challenges in administering care to patients spread across a wide area.

This morning the Kansas Association of Realtors has dozens of its members at the Statehouse to push lawmakers to preserve two popular income tax breaks for homeowners.

The group said it expected more than 250 members to participate in the rally and to lobby legislators afterward.

The association hopes to save two state income tax deductions targeted for elimination by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. One deduction is for the property taxes Kansans pay on their homes and the other is for the interest on their home mortgages.

Brownback wants to scrap the deductions as part of his plan to position Kansas to phase out personal income taxes while stabilizing its budget. A Senate committee endorsed most of Brownback’s plan Tuesday, including the proposal to end the mortgage interest deduction.

The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review, Topeka, voted February 9 to forward 14 nominations to the Office of the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C., to be evaluated by its professional staff. If staff members concur with the board’s findings, the properties will be included in the National Register.

The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of historically significant properties.

Below are summaries of the nominations in western Kansas:

National Register of Historic Places

Oakley High School Stadium – 118 W 7^th Street, Oakley, Logan County

The construction of Oakley High School Stadium in 1938 was financed through the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) and has hosted football games and track meets since its completion in 1939. Lewis Mershon was the lead builder and used a team of unskilled WPA laborers made up of financially struggling local farmers. The limestone and concrete stadium faces a standard 100-yard football field with natural grass surface encircled by a 400-meter track and includes two locker rooms, restrooms, a tornado shelter, and outdoor bleacher seating. It exhibits symmetry, vertical and horizontal lines, and rounded features, all of which gives it a WPA Moderne appearance. The stadium was first used on October 6, 1939 for the first home football game of the season between the Oakley Plainsmen and the Colby Eagles. Although the local newspaper reminded readers that Oakley had defeated Colby “seven times in the last eleven years,” the Plainsmen were “trounced” by the “powerful” Eagles. It is nominated as part of the New Deal-era Resources of Kansas multiple property submission for its local significance in the areas of recreation, government, and architecture.

Harry Keith Barn – ¼ mile E of 200^th Avenue on M Road, Penokee, Graham County

The Harry Keith Barn is located south of Penokee in Graham County and was built in October 1940 by farmer Harry Keith with the help of his brothers and neighbors. Situated within a landscape of rolling agricultural fields and century-old cottonwood trees along nearby Brush Creek, the barn is built into a hillside and features an iconic gambrel roof. The barn’s lower level functioned as a place to house and feed livestock and milk cattle, and the upper level served as hay and grain storage. The surrounding farmstead includes a few remaining outbuildings. Adjacent to the barn is an Aermotor windmill, likely the 702 model, which was first manufactured by the Aermotor Company of Chicago in 1933, along with a reservoir that holds 4,000 gallons of water. The Keith Barn is nominated to the National Register as part of the Agriculture-Related Resources of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of agriculture and architecture.

Boot Hill Museum – 500 Wyatt Earp Boulevard, Dodge City, Ford County

Dodge City’s livelihood has long depended upon its ability to reinvent itself. It was born of the Santa Fe Trail, developed with the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad, and looked to the New Santa Fe Trail – Highway 50 – for renewal. While Dodge City was remaking itself, the entertainment industry was capitalizing on its place in American popular culture – as the stereotypical Wild West town. While the protagonists of dime novels, movies, and television series like Gunsmoke’s Matt Dillon were telling bad guys to “get the heck out of Dodge,” tourists flocked to the legendary town. By the mid-20^th century, the city’s efforts to live down its rowdy past were overwhelmed by the potential for capitalizing on it. Locals had been advocating for a Boot Hill museum as early as the 1920s, but it wasn’t until after the 1939 world premiere of the movie Dodge City, which firmly placed the town within the popular culture lexicon, that the city commission issued bonds to begin construction. The site developed in stages and was largely complete by 1964. Boot Hill Museum is nominated as part of the Roadside Kansas multiple property nomination for its significance in the areas of entertainment and education as a mid-20^th century museum that interprets Dodge City’s history as a cowtown and for its association with the local tourism industry.

Dodge City Municipal Building – 501 W Spruce Street, Dodge City, Ford County     

The Dodge City Municipal Building was designed by Mann and Company, Architects and Engineers of Hutchinson, and constructed in 1929 by contractor J.N. Parham. Built to house municipal offices, a police station, and a fire station, the building is characterized by a unique design incorporating both Mediterranean and Modern influences. It is centrally located adjacent and north of the Boot Hill Museum and occupies a corner lot in downtown Dodge City. The site also contains three commemorative markers, a statue of a cowboy, and two Corinthian column lamp posts. It is nominated for its local significance in the areas of government, social history, and architecture.

Santa Fe Trail – Ford County Segment 2 (Fowler’s Ruts) – Ford vicinity, Ford County

The Santa Fe Trail – Ford County Segment 2, also known as Fowler’s Ruts, was part of the Wet Route of the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas from 1821 until 1867. During a period of tension between Mexico and the Republic of Texas in 1843, this segment was used by the First US dragoons, under the command of Captain Philip St. George Cooke, as they escorted a Santa Fe-bound caravan. Cooke and the dragoons forded the Arkansas River near this site to accept the surrender of Colonel Jacob Snively and his “Texas Invincibles.” Between 1849 and 1869, this trail segment and its associated spring also saw use by travelers heading to Wyoming along the Cherokee Trail. This trail segment is nominated for its significance in the areas of transportation, military, and commerce and for its potential to yield archeological information.

 

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback announced Tuesday he has accepted the resignation of Kansas Securities Commissioner Aaron Jack, effective immediately.

Prior to his appointment, Jack served in the Kansas Legislature from 2009 to 2011 and was the president of Heritage Consulting, based in Wichita.

“I have greatly appreciated the chance to serve on behalf of my fellow Kansans, but I have opportunities in the private sector that I intend to pursue,” Jack said.

Jack, a Republican, has created a website and held a Dec. 19 fundraiser for a 2014 race for state insurance commissioner.

Governor Brownback has appointed Josh Ney as Interim Commissioner of the Kansas Securities Commission.  Ney is a staff attorney for the KSC.

A Kansas Senate committee is preparing to consider term limits for some elected officials, including several statewide officeholders.

Four proposals on the topic were scheduled for hearings Tuesday before the Senate Ethics, Elections and Local Government Committee.

One proposal would limit the state treasurer and insurance commissioner to three consecutive four-year terms. Another measure would limit the attorney general and secretary of state to two four-year terms.

Members of Congress from Kansas would be limited to 12 consecutive years per chamber — two straight terms of six years in the U.S. Senate, or six terms of two years each in the House.

In the Legislature, Kansas House members would be limited to four two-year terms in a lifetime, while senators could serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

Two granddaughters of the founder of a Topeka anti-gay church have left the group and apologized for any hurt they caused others.

Megan Phelps-Roper and her sister, Grace Phelps-Roper, are the granddaughters of Fred Phelps, whose Westboro Baptist Church is known for protesting at funerals for service members and gay people and at other events. They are the daughters of Shirley Phelps-Roper, a prominent spokeswoman for the group.

The Kansas City Star reports the two left the church last November but posted a statement on social media Wednesday explaining their decision. They say they still love their family and have not decided what to do next.

Steve Drain, a spokesman for the church, says the sisters have rejected the Lord and are headed for hell.

The student government association at another public university in Kansas has gone on record opposing concealed carry of firearms on campus.

The Student Senate at Pittsburg State University adopted that position on a vote of 22-16 Wednesday night. The university’s administration had already stated its opposition to concealed carry.

The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports the vote followed an informal survey that showed 53 percent of students at the southeastern Kansas university in favor of allowing concealed carry, with 44 percent opposed.

All other student government organizations at Kansas regents institutions, including Fort Hays State University, have approved resolutions opposing concealed weapons on their campuses.

A 32-year-old Great Bend man was killed in a single vehicle accident Thursday afternoon in Kingman County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Brian G. Mott was southbound on K-14 and for an unknown reason, drove off the west side of the roadway. He then over-corrected back to east. The vehicle overturned several times, ejecting Mott  from the vehicle.  He was not wearing a seat belt.

Mott was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident occurred shortly after 2 p.m.  Thursday about five miles  south of Kingman.