The Concordia Blade

BLADE-EMPIRE
CONCORDIA
VOL. CIX NO. 172 (USPS 127-880)
CONCORDIA, KANSAS 66901
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
County board votes to end tax exemption
Good Evening
Concordia Forecast
Tonight, partly cloudy in the evening,
then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent
chance of light snow after midnight. Lows
around 22. Northwest winds around 5 mph
shifting to the northeast 5 to 15 mph after
midnight.
Wednesday, much colder. Breezy. Light
snow likely. Areas of blowing snow. Snow
accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Highs
around 23. North winds 15 to 25 mph.
Chance of snow 70 percent.
Wednesday night, colder. Bitterly cold.
Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming
partly cloudy. Lows around 4. North winds
5 to 10 mph with gusts to around 20 mph
shifting to the southwest after midnight.
Wind chill readings as cold as 7 below.
Thursday, mostly sunny. Highs in the
lower 30s. South winds 5 to 15 mph. Lowest wind chill readings 10 below in the
morning.
Thursday night, not as cold. Partly
cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s.
Friday and Friday night, warmer. Mostly
clear. Highs in the lower 50s. Lows in the
lower 30s.
Saturday and Saturday night, partly
cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s. Lows
around 30.
Sunday through Monday, partly cloudy.
Highs in the lower 50s. Lows in the upper
20s.
County board votes to end
tax exemption Cloud County
board of commissioners Monday approved by unanimous
vote that Cloud Ceramics not
continue with the Economic
Development Tax Exemption.
As per a previous discussion
with Cloud Ceramics, Barry
Porter, county appraiser, followed up with the commissioners regarding ending the
Economic Development Tax
Exemption due to end in 2016.
In other business, commissioners approved the nominations of three members to the
Cloud County Tourism board.
Members whose terms had
expired as of Dec. 31, 2014 are
Matt Farmer, Tejal Patel and
Miranda Seibolt.
Commissioners nominated
Matt Farmer, Jane Wahlmeier
and Miranda Seibolt, who will
serve on the board until Dec.
31, 2017.
Tourism directors Susie
Haver and Audrey Kalivoda
visited with the board about
routine Tourism matters and
presented
the
nominees’
names to be voted on.
Following a discussion with
Marlene Stamm, NCK Environmental, about permits she is
working
on,
the
board
approved granting variances
for Stahlman Living Trust and
Lola Frank.
During Andy Asch, highway
administrator’s
weekly
appointment,
the
board
approved the hire of Charles
Valcoure and Zakary Romo at
$11.57 an hour to fill open
positions on the bridge crew,
effective Feb. 16.
In other matters the board•
approved department payrolls totaling $134,635.54.
•discussed a comprehensive
plan for 2015 for JJA/Community Corrections and the
need for additional office space
with
Wanda
Backstrom,
JJA/Community Corrections
director, and Chief Judge Kim
Cudney.
•approved a resolution
regarding Scott D. Wright,
attorney-at-law, serving as
acting Cloud County Attorney
because of a conflict in a case.
•approved
the
Kansas
Multi-jurisdictional multi-haz-
Across Kansas
Man injured in fall at
Cheney Reservoir
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita officials
say a city employee is in critical condition
after being injured at the city’s pumping
station at Cheney Reservoir.
The 59-year-old man was found unconscious about 2 a.m. Tuesday by another
employee who was checking on him.
Public Works director Alan King says it’s
possible the man fell between 20 and 30
feet and could have been lying there for
hours before he was found.
The incident is under investigation. The
man’s name has not been released.
The city is working to repair a leak in the
water treatment plant but it’s not clear if
the injured person was involved in that
project.
Lenexa man to
stand trial for murder
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — A Lenexa man
will stand trial on two counts of firstdegree murder in the deaths of a man and
his stepfather.
Alex Brune was bound over for trial
Monday after a preliminary hearing into
the deaths of 47-year-old Brian Baskind
and his 79-year-old stepfather, Clifford
Preston. Brune’s attorney entered not
guilty pleas for him.
The Kansas City Star reports the men
were stabbed in their Lenexa home last
summer. Brune was found shortly after
the shooting with a gunshot wound to the
abdomen.
Piano purchase
striking sour notes
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas City
high school’s purchase of an estimated
$47,000 grand piano is striking some sour
notes among critics.
The school board approved the purchase
last month for Sumner Academy. District
officials say the old piano is in poor condition
due to use and age. It’s at least 40 years old.
The Wichita Eagle reports some, like former state Sen. Chris Steineger, wonder
whether a public high school needs such a
high-end instrument.
Rep. Steve Huebert is a member of the
House Education Budget Committee and
says such expenditures raise questions of
stewardship of the public’s money.
The district’s director of purchasing says
several students are preparing for careers in
music performance and need a quality piano
to prepare for scholarship auditions.
Visit us online at www.bladeempire.com
Snow covered
Yards in Concordia are covered by snow that fell last Saturday night and Sunday. (Blade photo
by Jay Lowell)
Storm system brings
much needed precipitation
A storm system that moved across the
area this past weekend provided some
much needed moisture, in the form of rain
and snow, for North Central Kansas.
According to the National Weather Service Office in Topeka, more than an inch of
precipitation was reported in Concordia.
Concordia was right on the rain/snow
line with a high temperature of 44 on Friday and 36 on Saturday, and received .12
of an inch of rain on Friday night.
A rain/snow mix continued throughout
the day on Saturday, and Concordia
received a record .94 of an inch of precipitation, including an inch of snow. The old
record of .93 was set in 1998
“A nice steady rain that soaked in really
well,” Kris Craven with the National Weather Service Office said
A cold front moved into the area on Saturday night bringing bitterly cold temperatures, and an additional .15 of an inch of
precipitation was reported.
Areas to the north and northeast of Concordia had constant temperatures at or
below freezing, and received more snow.
Belleville reported 3.5 inches of snow,
and 5 inches fell in Washington.
Corning, in Nemaha Valley, had the
highest reported snowfall with 10 inches.
Prior to the precipitation on Friday, Concordia has received just .11 of an inch for
the month of January.
Concordia received .74 of an inch in
December, that is .11 below normal.
In November only .11 of an inch of precipitation fell, which is 1 inch below normal.
“Very critical for the wheat crop for
sure,” River Valley District Extension Service agent Kim Larson said.
Larson said that if the area had not
received the moisture prior to the drastic
drop in temperature, the wheat could have
experienced some die back.
“That moisture is going to help protect
the wheat from the cold weather, and
relieve some of that stress,” Larson said.
Larson said it is still a wait and see on
how the wheat comes out.
Concordia could receive more precipitation on Wednesday as a system moves into
the area tonight.
“It is a weaker system,” Craven said.
The forecast calls for a 70 percent
chance of snow on Wednesday with accumulations of 1-2 inches.
The high temperature is only expected to
be in the 20s on Wednesday, but then
climb back into the 50s by the weekend.
The North Central-Flint Hills Area
Agency on Aging announced Monday that
it will offer security deposit assistance to
low-income residents of 17 north central
Kansas counties, including Cloud, Republic, Jewell and Clay.
The help is available thanks to a grant
from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC). The Area Agency on
Aging was awarded $100,000 from the
grant funded through the federal HOME
Investment Partnerships Program and
administered by KHRC.
Tenant Based Rental Assistance allows
organizations to provide rental subsidies,
utility deposits and security deposits for
income-eligible individuals and families.
“We are excited to receive these funds
that, in conjunction with our existing
rental assistance program, will help even
more low-income seniors, single parents
and people with disabilities,” said Julie
Govert Walter, executive director of the
North Central-Flint Hills Area on Aging.
Walter said that security deposit assistance is for one-time-only needs and is in
the form of a grant.
Those needing information about applying for security or utility deposit assistance in eligible counties may call the Flint
Hills Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-4322703.
Housing grant will aid
low-income NCK residents
ard mitigation plan until the
year 2020 after a discussion
with Larry Eubanks, emergency preparedness director.
•discussed an information
technologies plan for the county with Jerry Collins, IT director.
Meetings attended by commissioners during the past
week included: North Central
Regional Planning meeting,
Jan. 29 in Beloit, Gail Engle;
North Central Homeland Security Council meeting, Jan.27,
in Beloit, Gary Caspers; Solid
Waste Committee meeting,
Jan. 29 in Concordia, all three
commissioners.
Adjournment was at 11:40
a.m. Next commission meeting
will be at 9 a.m., Feb. 9.
Illustration
removed
from Capitol
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas
Historical Society has removed an 1860s
illustration depicting an election in the
state’s territorial period after receiving
complaints that the image had been airbrushed to remove references to voter
fraud.
The original illustration, “Voting in
Kickapoo” by Frank Beard, shows men
waiting to vote and then lining up for
whiskey after casting their ballots during the state’s “Bleeding Kansas” period.
But the word “whiskey” and a poster that
reads “Down with the Abolitionists” was
removed in an altered version that
appeared in the Capitol visitor’s center
until it came down Monday.
“We hadn’t intended to offend anyone,” said Lisa Hecker, a spokeswoman
with the Kansas Historical Society. “The
whole thing is encouraging people to
vote.”
The removal came after Sen. Greg
Smith, an Overland Park Republican,
questioned the changes to the image Friday in a Twitter post. “Why,” he asked,
“has this historical picture been altered
that is displayed in the KS Visitor’s Center?” The Topeka Capital-Journal then
wrote about the flap over the illustration, which was displayed next to a
quote from the Kansas Constitution: “All
political power is inherent in the people.”
“I’m pleased. I have no problem with
the message they were trying to send
with the display but let’s use a picture
that is historically accurate,” Smith, a
history teacher, said after the removal.
“That picture is of voter fraud, not voting.”
Crop-nutrient
meeting set
K-State Research and Extension is
presenting a program which will allow
crop producers to learn about crop nutrient sensing technology and current
nutrient management methods for their
operation.
All area producers are welcome to
attend.
The program will be held Feb. 19 at the
Clyde Senior Center from 10 a.m.-1:30
p.m.
K-State University Extension Soil and
Crop Fertility specialists Dave Mengel
and Dorivar Ruiz Diaz will discuss using
nutrient sensors in your farming operation and utilizing variable rate technology, as well as soil testing and general crop
nutrient needs. The program will include
a lunch catered by Velma’s Lazy B
Restaurant.
At the conclusion of the program,
dependent on weather, the group will
travel to the nearby nitrogen sensor
demonstration wheat plot planted by the
Clifton-Clyde FFA members to get a
hands-on look at using hand-held nitrogen sensors for determining needed fertilizer rates.
The meeting is sponsored by River Valley Extension District and Elk State
Bank. This is a free event, but RSVP is
required.
Those planning to attend should contact the extension office by Feb. 16. For
more information call Kim Larson, 785243-8185.
2 Blade-Empire, Tuesday, February 3, 2015
OPINION
DOONESBURY® by G.B. Trudeau
Concordia Blade-Empire
Published daily except Saturday
and Sunday by
THE BLADE-EMPIRE
PUBLISHING COMPANY
510 Washington, Box 309
Concordia, Kansas 66901
Periodical Class Postage paid at
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Subscription Rates: By mail, in trade
area, Cloud, Republic, Ottawa, Mitchell,
Washington, Jewell and Clay Counties,
$98.24 one year. Out of trade area, $118.45.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Concordia Blade-Empire, Box 309,
Concordia, Kansas 66901.
Testimony heard on Today in History
Kansas abortion bill
and banning it would not endanger women’s health. His
testimony was similar to remarks he has made in favor
of other abortion-restricting
bills – in fact, large passages
of the testimony were reproduced word-for-word from a
testimony he made to a U.S.
House panel in 2012.
Levatino said banning the
procedure would not prevent earlier abortions, but
eliminating the option of the
dilation and evacuation procedure would “encourage”
women to seek abortions earlier in their pregnancies.
“It’s a well-known fact that
as abortion is performed later
and later in pregnancy, the
risk of that abortion increases,” he said. “Encouraging
women to seek abortions at
earlier stages of their pregnancy will seriously enhance
safety and create fewer complications.”
Although cases in which
the woman risked death
would be exempted from the
ban, the bill would not allow
the procedure in cases where
continuing the pregnancy
would cause serious mental
harm.
Julie Burkhart, CEO of
the abortion rights advocacy
group Trust Women Foundation, testified that the lack
of such a provision was “unconstitutional,” and said the
bill would end up costing the
state more money due to legal
challenges.
The Kansas attorney general’s office has spent more
than $1 million on outside attorneys defending anti-abortion laws enacted since 2011.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A
proposal to expand the
Kansas Open Records Act
so that it would cover private emails by state officials
about government business
was rejected Monday by the
state House.
The House voted 86-30
against a proposal from
Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita
Democrat. The measure
was inspired by a disclosure
that Republican Gov. Sam
Brownback’s budget director used a private email account to give two well-connected lobbyists a preview
of Brownback’s proposals
weeks before they were formally unveiled to lawmakers.
Ward offered his proposal
as an amendment to a bill
that preserves an existing
list of exceptions in the records law, allowing government agencies to deny the
public access to documents.
The House gave first-round
approval to an unchanged
bill and expects to take a final vote Tuesday.
If Ward’s proposal were
to become law, government
agencies could be required
to disclose officials’ private
emails about public business.
“It is a transparency issue,” Ward said during the
House’s brief debate. “It is
fundamental to a democracy that people know how
decisions are made.”
All of the votes against
the measure came from Republicans. Some criticized
Ward for not presenting his
proposal to a committee for
a thorough vetting.
Rep. Scott Schwab, an
Olathe Republican, worried
that many kinds of private
emails could be subject to
disclosure under the open
records law if Ward’s proposal were enacted.
Brownback’s office declined to comment on
Ward’s proposal.
The Wichita Eagle first
reported last week that
Budget Director Shawn Sullivan used a private email
account to send a Dec. 23
email previewing the governor’s budget proposals.
Among the recipients were
lobbyists David Kensinger,
formerly Brownback’s chief
of staff, and Mark Dugan,
who managed the governor’s successful re-election
campaign last year. Sullivan outlined the governor’s
detailed proposals for lawmakers on Jan. 16.
Sullivan has said he
wasn’t trying to skirt the
records law but used a private email account because
he was working from home
around Christmas. Brownback said last week that he
can’t guess how much business is done by his administration on private accounts
but he primarily uses a private cell phone.
Senate Democrats are
working on their own proposal to have the Open Records Act apply to officials’
private emails about state
business.
25 years ago
Feb. 3, 1990—BG Construction work had begun
as weather permitted at the
site of the new addition to
the Cloud County Historical Society Museum. . . .
Richard and Debra Hubert,
Olathe, announced the
birth of their son, Shane
Taylor, born Jan. 4.
10 years ago
Feb.
3,
2005—Matt
Waggoner and Julie Brooks
announced their Jan. 20
wedding, which took place
at Sandals Negril Beach
Resort, Jamaica. . . . Scott
and Lori Halfhide, Glasco,
announced the birth of
their son, Kasey Alexander
Vernon Halfhide, born Jan.
25.
5 years ago
Feb.
3,
2010—Justin Derrick Hattan and
Leah Minette Skortvedt
announced their July 18
wedding, which took place
at
Immanuel
Lutheran
Church in Story City, Iowa.
. . . Kyle Jones and Brittney
Dorman, Jamestown, announced the birth of their
daughter, Jordi LeeAnn,
born Jan. 11.
1 year ago
Feb. 3, 2014—Employees being honored for their
years of service at Cloud
County Health Center included Audrey Swihart,
Pam Campbell and Joni
Bergstrom, 35 years and
Christine Anderson and
Pam Tremblay, 25 years. .
. . Grant Holmes was the
Concordia High School Student of the Month.
SUDOKU
Sudoku is a number-placing
puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with
several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9
in the empty squares so that each
row, each column and each 3x3
box contain the same number
only once. The difficulty level of
the Conceptis Sudoku increases
from Monday to Friday.
5
1
2
9 3 8
7
2
Difficulty Level
4
8
1
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7
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Difficulty Level
6
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1
3 6 7
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2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Kansas House rejects
open records measure
2/02
By Dave Green
9
8
6 8 7
5
1
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2/03
2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Thank You for Reading the Blade-Empire
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A bill
in the Kansas Legislature that
calls for banning a specific
abortion procedure could end
up establishing broader restrictions, abortion rights activists said Monday.
The Senate Public Health
and Welfare Committee held
a hearing on a bill that would
ban the procedure known
as dilation and evacuation,
which is used in about 8
percent of Kansas abortion
cases. The bill describes the
procedure as dismembering
a fetus.
Dr. Bruce Price, a native
Kansan who is now a professor of neurology at Harvard
Medical School, said in written testimony that he opposed
a ban, saying the dilation and
evacuation procedure is the
safest way to terminate a
pregnancy during the second
trimester.
“If a physician’s medical latitude and judgment is
hampered, it is the patient
who will suffer the consequences,” he wrote.
Kansas already bans most
abortions at or after the 22nd
week of pregnancy, before the
end of the second trimester.
Price said in his testimony
that physicians in some cases need to perform dilation
and evacuation procedures
for earlier abortions, meaning the bill could effectively
prevent some first-trimester
abortions.
But Dr. Anthony Levatino,
who runs a gynecology clinic
in Las Cruces, New Mexico,
testified via a Skype video call
that he had performed such
procedures about 100 times
50 years ago
Feb 3, 1965—Instructors at Concordia’s new
Community College included: Everett Miller, Introduction to Music; Barbara
Gench,
women’s
physical education; James
Douglass, American History; Herschel Betts, accounting; James Dewell,
speech; Carol Goodwin, anthropology; Ronald Hosie,
Introduction to Art; Gwendolyn Fletcher, English
Composition 1; Jack Scott,
Psychology; the Rev. James
Leitrim, English Literature;
Burnell Ukens, Algebra I;
Larry Hartshorn, men’s
physical education; Ben
Torrez, Spanish; Annilaura
Peck, intermediate typing;
Armand Brandhorst, trigonometry. . . . Mark Morgan
had purchased the Fredrickson Implement Company and had taken over the
business.
PEOPLE
Annie’s
Mailbox
by Kathy Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
Dear Annie: I've lived my
entire life feeling as though I
was born the wrong gender.
Transitioning is not an option. I was born female and
look it. I would have a hard
time passing as male. Also,
I have heard nothing but
horror stories regarding the
surgery.
There appears to be resources galore for those
changing from male to female, but everything I've
read about my situation
seems to assume I must be
a lesbian. This is not the
case. I am attracted to men.
If I transitioned to male, I
would be a gay man.
I'm not really sure what
to call myself. Because I
will not be transitioning,
"transgender" doesn't fit,
and "transvestite" doesn't
cover it. I realize I am still a
female, but I feel humiliated
wearing dresses and skirts.
I don't find anything sexy
about women's clothing, as
a transvestite might.
There seems to be no
place in the LGBT community for my situation. My
peers have told me that I am
gay. Others say I will never
find someone to love unless
I become more "feminine."
All of this indicates that my
personality doesn't matter.
I have done extensive therapy for bipolar disorder in
the past, but it hasn't been
helpful. One therapist actually told me my aversion to
dresses means I had been
sexually abused, even if I
have no recollection of it.
I am on medication for
bipolar disorder, but only
recently have I admitted to
myself that the root of my
problem is probably my
gender dysphoria. I wake up
every morning disappointed
that I am still trapped. Are
there any resources for my
specific dilemma? — Forever
Trapped
Dear Forever: We are
sorry you have had so much
difficulty finding support.
There are several organizations that help the LGBT
community. We also know
that many surgical outcomes for transitioning female to male have been
successful. You can find
resources and information
through The Community of
LGBT Centers (LGBTCenters.org), the Human Rights
Campaign (hrc.org) and
PFLAG (pflag.org), as well as
GLAAD.org, femaletomale.
org, ftmguide.org and the
GLBT National Help Center
(glbtnationalhelpcenter.org).
Dear Annie: My breasts
have very obvious veins visible near the surface of the
skin.
The left and right breasts
have very different vein patterns.
My boyfriend says the
veins should be symmetrical
or nearly so. (My left breast
is larger, but I don't see how
that would affect the veins.)
What should I do? — Both
Sides Now
Dear Both: According to
our medical experts, there is
no reason to be overly concerned. As one physician
put it, "Breasts are sisters,
not twins," meaning the size
and vein patterns aren't
symmetrical. Instead of letting your boyfriend diagnose
you, please talk to your doctor about this.
Dear Annie: My heart
went out to "Desperate for
Answers," who said her parents compared her to her
sibling, and she came up
short.
In junior high, I felt inferior to my siblings because
they got good grades, but
no matter how much time I
spent on my homework, my
grades were never as good. I
rarely saw them working at
all, and here I was, trying so
hard.
Years later, I discovered
I was dyslexic, and reading
was complicated and difficult for me. Also, when I
was in the 9th grade, an observant science teacher told
my parents I needed glasses. I thought everyone saw
things the same way I did. I
was shocked when I walked
out of the optometrist's office.
"Desperate" should have
her eyes checked and also
see whether there are any
hidden learning disabilities. It was too late for me
when I made my discovery,
but hopefully, it won't be too
late for her. — Been There,
Done That
Annie's Mailbox is written
by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors
of the Ann Landers column.
Please email your questions
to anniesmailbox@comcast.
net, or write to: Annie's
Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. To
find out more about Annie's
Mailbox and read features
by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate Web
page at www.creators.com.
4-H news
On Jan. 1, 26 members, 14 parents and two
leaders of the Hill and Dale
4-H Club had their monthly meeting at the Lutheran
Church. Cole Hobrock led
the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll
call was “what is the best
pet you ever had?” Minutes
from last month were read
and approved. Treasurer report was given. December
report was published.
The leaders reminded us
that it was the last night to
sign up for Discovery Days
Senior Citizens Menu
which will be in Washington
County, Feb. 14. Next Council meeting is Jan. 26. The
last shooting sports safety
meeting is Jan. 25.
Gracey Drury did a demonstration on how to make
a Christmas wreath using
Christmas balls. Rachelle
Anderson did an illustrated
talk on beef digestion. The
meeting was adjourned by
Taley Murdock. The Drury
family provided refreshments.—Angel Hale, reporter
Wednesday, Feb. 4—Hot dogs, tator tots, macaroni salad, tropical fruit; alternate, hamburgers; 10 a.m.—Exercise
; 12:30, BINGO.
Thursday, Feb. 5—Scrambled eggs, sausage patties,
hashbrown patties, Mandarin oranges, bagels with jelly.
Friday, Feb. 6—Hearty beef stew with crackers, diced
peaches, biscuits; 10 a.m.—Exercise.
Call 243-1872, Teddy Lineberry for questions or to make
reservations.
Fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls daily, 9–11 a.m.
Christie: Parents
should have some
choice on vaccinations
CAMBRIDGE,
England
(AP) – New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christie said Monday
parents should have some
choice on whether to vaccinate their children, a position he’s taken before but
one that drew a new level of
attention amid a U.S. measles outbreak and his recent
moves toward running for
president.
The political significance
of Christie’s remarks was
amplified by his office a
short time later, when it released a statement saying
the governor believes “with a
disease like measles there is
no question kids should be
vaccinated.”
Christie’s stumble into
the vaccine issue came as a
measles outbreak centered
in California has sickened
more than 100 people in
several states and Mexico,
putting a new spotlight on
parents who choose not to
vaccinate their children.
Some do so for religious or
philosophical reasons, while
others cite a concern that
vaccines can lead to autism
and developmental disorders – a link debunked by
rigorous medical research.
Christie found an ally
in fellow Republican White
House prospect, Kentucky
Sen. Rand Paul, who said
in a Monday radio interview
that most vaccines should
be voluntary.
“I have heard of many
tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who
wound up with profound
mental disorders after vac-
cines,” Paul, an eye doctor,
said in a subsequent interview while suggesting vaccines were “a good thing.”
‘’But I think the parents
should have some input.
The state doesn’t own your
children.”
His staff, too, sent out a
clarifying statement afterward, saying that Paul “believes that vaccines have
saved lives, and should be
administered to children.
His children were all vaccinated.”
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
the leading Democratic contender for the party nomination in 2016, couldn’t resist taking a dig at the GOP
hopefuls on Twitter.
“The science is clear: The
earth is round, the sky is
blue, and #vaccineswork.
Let’s protect all our kids.
#GrandmothersKnowBest.”
Christie, a Republican
who recently launched an
organization that allows
him to raise money for a
possible 2016 presidential
campaign, was asked about
the outbreak after touring a
facility operated by MedImmune, which manufacturers the flu vaccine FluMist.
Christie is on a three-day
trip to the United Kingdom.
He said that he and his
wife had vaccinated their
children, describing that decision as “the best expression I can give you of my
opinion.” He said they believe doing so is an “important part of making sure we
protect their health and the
public health.”
Coke coming out
with premium milk
NEW YORK (AP) – Coke
is coming out with premium
milk that has more protein
and less sugar than regular.
And it’s betting people will
pay twice as much for it.
The national rollout of
Fairlife over the next several
weeks is one way the world’s
biggest beverage maker is
seeking to diversify its offerings as Americans continue turning away from soft
drinks.
It also comes as people increasingly seek out some type
of functional boost from their
foods and drinks, whether
it’s more fiber, antioxidants
or protein. That has left the
door open for Coke step into
the milk case, where the differences between options remain relatively minimal.
“It’s basically the premiumization of milk,” Sandy
Douglas, president of CocaCola North America, said at
an analyst conference in November. If developed properly, Douglas said it is the
type of product that “rains
money.”
Fairlife, which Coca-Cola
formed in partnership with
dairy cooperative Select Milk
Producers in 2012, says its
milk goes through a filtration process that’s akin the
way skim milk is made. Filters are used to separate the
various components in milk.
Then, more of the favorable
components are added, while
the less favorable ones are
taken out.
Fairlife says its milk has
50 percent more protein, 30
percent more calcium and 50
percent less sugar than regular milk, and is lactose free.
The same process is used
make Fairlife’s Core Power,
a drink marketed to athletes
that has even more protein
and calcium than Fairlife
milk.
Sue McCloskey, who developed the system used to
make Fairlife with her husband Mike McCloskey, said
Fairlife milk will be marketed more broadly to women
who are the “gatekeepers”
for their families’ nutritional
needs.
Even while touting its nutritional advantages, however, Fairlife will need to be
careful about communicating how its drink is made.
Jonas Feliciano, senior beverage analyst for market researcher Euromonitor, noted
people increasingly want
drinks that “do something
for me,” but that Fairlife’s
juiced-up nutritional stats
may make people hesitant
about how natural it is.
“They have to explain that
this is not an abomination of
nature,” Feliciano said.
Already, Fairlife has been
subject to some teasing. After the drink was referenced
in Coke’s analyst presentation, comedian Stephen Colbert referred to it as “extra
expensive science milk” and
made fun of the elaborate
way it’s made.
“It’s like they got Frankenstein to lactate,” he said.
Colbert also took a dig at
the wholesome image Fairlife
is trying to project, noting
that it’s made by the “nature
loving health nuts at CocaCola.” That may explain why
Coca-Cola is distancing itself
from the product; a representative for the Atlanta-based
company referred questions
to Fairlife’s outside representative.
In a phone interview, Fairlife CEO and former Coke executive Steve Jones said he
thinks his company can help
reverse the decades-long decline in milk consumption.
Already, major retailers including Wal-Mart, Target,
Kroger and Safeway have
agreed to carry it.
The drink has already
started appearing on shelves
and is expected to continue
rolling out nationally over the
next several weeks. It comes
in sleek, plastic bottles reminiscent of milk cartons.
At a supermarket in Indianapolis, a 52-ounce bottle
of Fairlife was being sold for
$4.59. By comparison, the
national average cost for a
half-gallon of milk, which is
64 ounces, is $2.18, according to the USDA. For organic
milk, the average is $3.99.
Blade-Empire, Tuesday, February 3, 2015 3
Jacqueline Bigar’s Stars
By Jacqueline Bigar
A baby born today has a
Sun in Aquarius and a Moon
in Leo.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY for
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015:
This year you open up to
many changes that are often triggered by surprising
events. You might fight the
inevitable, which will make
the transformation process
more difficult, but you will be
delighted with the results. If
you are single, you will have
many different potential
suitors that come your way.
Consider the different types
of relationships you could
form with each person. If you
are attached, the two of you
will have some exciting moments occur that you might
need to adjust to. Fight less,
and be more understanding. Learn to accept your
differences and make them
strengths. LEO challenges
you often.
The Stars Show the Kind
of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult
ARIES (March 21-April
19)
**** Though you might
not be directly hit by the Full
Moon, an element of excitement will run through your
day. Don’t worry if a conversation goes off the deep
end; everything will end well.
You’ll discover how much
you like an extra-charged
atmosphere. Tonight: In the
thick of things.
TAURUS (April 20-May
20)
*** You could feel pressured, as the Full Moon adds
an element of stress to your
day. You are a sign that likes
life to proceed at a smooth,
easy pace, so when uproar
occurs, your tension levels
automatically soar. Know
that this, too, will pass. Tonight: Search for a happy
ending.
GEMINI (May 21-June
20)
***** You could be overwhelmed by a sudden onslaught of activity. People
seem to pop up from out of
nowhere with demands that
could shock you. Know when
you have had enough, and
be willing to say so. Others
will respect your boundaries.
Tonight: Talk and visit with
pals.
CANCER (June 21-July
22)
**** Be aware of the costs
of heading in a certain direction and of making choices that are not flexible. As
tempting as an offer might
be, you would be well-advised to hold off for a few
days and see if you feel the
same way later. Tonight: Do
research, pay bills, then put
up your feet.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
**** Allow greater flexibility with others today, especially a child or new friend.
This person might appear to
be quite rebellious, but you’ll
be able to identify with him
or her, as long as you just relax. Trust yourself. Tonight:
Play as if there were no to-
morrow.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
**** Deal directly with a
loved one whom you care a
lot about. One-on-one relating could have a slight edge
to it, but it’s nothing you
can’t deal with. Good news
is sure to follow this longoverdue meeting. Use your
instincts, and you’ll be on
cruise control. Tonight: Just
be yourself.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
**** Reach out to someone, and refuse to stand on
ceremony. Let this person
know that you care about
him or her. Sometimes you
overthink situations. Don’t.
A meeting might be more important than you originally
had thought. Tonight: Be
with a favorite person.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov.
21)
*** Others often look to
you when there is a major
change. You could be overwhelmed by everything you
need to accomplish. Avoid
becoming stern or demanding with others. Be gracious
with a family member or
roommate. Tonight: Make
the most of the moment.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21)
*** The unexpected runs
rampant, yet it will delight
you. Acknowledge a problem
by relating to one individual
or a certain group of people.
You could be in the mood to
be apathetic, but ultimately
you’ll want this issue to work
itself out. Tonight: Favorite
music, favorite place.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)
**** You might be in a situation that could be rather
explosive and changeable.
You are likely to have some
difficulty keeping a lid on a
budding problem. Trust a
partner or associate to handle this issue with you. Tonight: Opt for togetherness.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18)
***** Today’s Full Moon
emphasizes your long-term
desires. How you deal with a
partner and the choices you
make could color a situation
differently. Try to avoid an
either-or situation, and put
your focus on what you have
in common. Tonight: Prepare
to have some fun!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20)
*** Know that you have
more opportunities ahead
than you see at the moment.
Be willing to dissect an idea
in order to see all of the possible options. Encourage a
brainstorming session with
a friend. You could be surprised by what comes up.
Tonight: Choose a fun stressbuster.
BORN TODAY
Author James Michener
(1907), newspaper editor
Horace Greeley (1811),
first female doctor Elizabeth Blackwell (1821)
***
Jacqueline Bigar is on
the Internet at www.jacquelinebigar.com.
For the Record
Police Dept. Report
Theft—At approximately
11:10 p.m., Feb. 1, Dustin
Crane reported Theft of
Property in the 1400 block
of Lincoln.
Arrests—Officers
arrested Cory Chippeaux, 22,
Concordia, at 12:55 p.m.,
Jan. 31, in the 800 block of
Russ on charges of Obstruct
Legal Process and Criminal
Trespass. Chippeaux was
transported to the Cloud
County Law Enforcement
Center.
Officers arrested Holley
Brockelman, 31, Concordia,
at 7:50 p.m., Jan. 30, in
the 700 block of West 10th
on a Cloud County District
Court Warrant for Failure to
Comply to Revoke Probation.
Brockelman was transported to the Cloud County Law
Enforcement Center.
Accident—At
approximately 9:35 a.m., Jan. 30,
officers investigated a one
vehicle Accident in the 1600
block of East 6th involving
a vehicle driven by Charles
Comfort, Salina, and property owned by Curtis Stupka,
Concordia.
Disturbance—Officers
responded to a disturbance
call at approximately 12:55
p.m., Jan. 30, in the 100
block of East 6th. Kenneth
Crump, 55, Concordia, was
charged with Disorderly
Conduct, cited and released.
Unlawful Use of Financial Card—Scott Condray
reported at 10:15 a.m., Feb.
2, an instance of Unlawful
Use of Financial Card which
occurred in December. Investigation continues.
Blade-Empire Tuesday, February 3, 2015 5
Sports
KU blows past Cyclones, widens lead in Big 12
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) —
When it comes to discussing the impact Kansas’
victory over Iowa State
might have on the Big 12
race, Georges Niang was a
man of few words.
“The season’s not over,
so I’ll leave it at that,” said
the Cyclones’ high-scoring
junior forward.
Niang’s right, of course.
But the eighth-ranked Jayhawks (19-3, 8-1 Big 12)
did widen their lead over
West Virginia in the regular-season race, and knock
No. 11 Iowa State (15-5, 63) into third place.
And it was an especially
disappointing result for a
Cyclone team that was
going for its first regularseason sweep of the Jayhawks since 2000-2001.
The difference in the two
games, said Iowa State’s
Naz Long, was easy to spot.
“We can definitely say
turnovers,” he said. “Coming out of the gate, we were
emphasizing that, and I put
that on myself. I caused
the first couple of turnovers
and we were just doing
uncharacteristic
things.
Just a couple of things here
and there and we’ll get right
back to it because the season is not over.”
One reason the Cyclones
got Kansas’ best shot is the
intensity that’s come to
characterize the rivalry. In
fact, the 223rd consecutive
sellout in historic Allen
Fieldhouse was definitely
louder for the Cyclones on
Monday night than it was
two days earlier when
Kansas State came calling.
When the Jayhawks got
hot in the second half and
raced to an 89-76 victory
over the Cyclones that
handed them a road loss
the month before, the windows seemed to rattle in
this 60-year-old arena.
Wayne Selden Jr., who
scored 19 of his 20 points
in the second half, admitted he’d been “haunted” by
the 86-81 loss back on Jan.
17.
The pain persisted “that
day, that whole next day.
Maybe a little bit after,”
said Selden. “We had to get
onto the next (game). But a
sense of urgency came
back when we knew we had
them next.”
Selden, after missing all
three of his shots and scoring only one point in the
first half, drilled four of his
first five 3-pointers after
intermission, often finding
himself virtually unguarded on the right wing, as the
Jayhawks (19-3, 8-1 Big
12) padded their lead in the
Big 12 race to 1 1/2 games.
Niang had 24 points.
Making sure to give
Kansas State plenty of
respect, Kansas coach Bill
Self agreed the Cyclones, at
least for now, are quicker
than just about anyone to
get Jayhawk blood boiling.
The Cyclones were gunning
for their third straight victory over Kansas
“I think it’s cyclical. But
right now, for sure,” said
Self. “Right now, the way it
sits, K-State would be our
biggest rival but you could
make a case that Iowa
State has emerged as our
other rival. Certainly the
last couple of years, with-
out question.”
TIP-INS
Kansas: The Jayhawks
are 91-15 all-time at home
against Iowa State but the
Cyclones are responsible
for three of Kansas’ nine
home losses since the Big
12 opened play in 1996-97.
With 12 points, Frank
Mason recorded his 19th
straight double-digit game.
Iowa State: The Cyclones
were held four points below
their league-leading scoring average. They now have
at least 15 assists in all but
five games. Cyclones had a
41-38 rebound edge.
STAT LINES
Kansas: In regular-season play, No Bill Self
Kansas team has been
beaten twice by the same
team in the regular season.
The Jayhawks had five
point shots that Duke used
Saturday in a late barrage
that ended their unbeaten
start.
By late in this one, Virginia had turned a 33-32
halftime deficit into an 18point lead and driven
many of the home fans to
the exits with 3¬Ω minutes
left.
Bennett said he put the
team through a tough
practice Sunday with the
goal of getting back to
“some good, old-fashioned,
blue-collar basketball.”
“The guys, when they do
that and they’re right,” he
said, “they can play.”
Virginia shot 52 percent, with Brogdon leading
a balanced offense and the
defensive effort on preseason all-American Marcus
Paige.
“I think we have maturity, I think we have experience,” Brogdon said. “I
think we have poised guys.
I (thought) we’d come out
and handle business to the
best of our ability, at least
on our end, and see how
UNC responds.”
After shooting 52 percent in the first half, UNC
went just 11-for-29 (38
percent) after halftime.
“They kicked our rear
ends,” UNC coach Roy
Williams said. “That’s the
bottom line.”
Paige finished with 15
on 5-for -10 shooting,
though he went scoreless
for nearly 33 minutes until
scoring 10 in the final 2
1/2 minutes long after Virginia had taken control.
Worse for the Tar Heels,
they were unable to speed
up the confident Cavaliers
and turn it into an opencourt game.
“They run their stuff,
they trust their stuff, and
they buy into what their
coach is telling them,”
Paige said of Virginia.
“That’s why they’re so successful. ... We’re trying to
figure out how to do that.”
TIP-INS
Virginia: Anthony Gill
had 13 points with seven
rebounds.
...
Virginia
scored 18 points off
turnovers. ... The Cavaliers
had three turnovers after
halftime and eight for the
game. ... Virginia is now 80 in true road games this
year.
UNC: Brice Johnson
scored 14 points while
Kennedy Meeks had 11
despite playing through a
fever. ... UNC took a 34-27
rebounding advantage, but
managed just 11 secondchance points on 11 offensive rebounds. .... J.P.
Tokoto had one point on 0-
players in double figures
and 22 assists, five more
than the Cyclones, who
came into the game leading
the conference in assists
Iowa State: Iowa State’s
first-half shooting of 35
percent was its lowest of
the season. With nine
rebounds, Bryce DejeanJones led both teams. But
the Cyclones had five players with at least five, as did
Kansas.
QUOTABLE
“‘Kansas played a great
basketball
game.
This
building explodes when
they get those points in
transition” said Iowa State
coach Fred Hoiberg.
UP NEXT
Kansas is at Oklahoma
State on Saturday.
Iowa State hosts Texas
Tech on Saturday.
Hawks’ streak
Third-ranked Virginia tops Tar Heels
halted by Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) —
The Atlanta Hawks’ franchise-record
19-game
winning
streak
was
snapped Monday night in a
115-100 loss to the New
Orleans Pelicans.
Anthony Davis had 29
points and 13 rebounds to
help New Orleans win for
the sixth time in seven
games, a stint which
includes victories over several contending squads
including Dallas and the
Los Angeles Clippers.
Jeff Teague scored 21 for
Atlanta, but the Hawks fell
behind by double digits in
the first quarter and failed
to even tie it.
Eric Gordon scored 20
points for New Orleans,
while Tyreke Evans scored
15 points and tied a season
high with 12 assists for the
fourth time in five games.
Cavaliers 97, 76ers 84
CLEVELAND (AP) —
Kyrie Irving scored 24
points,
LeBron
James
added 18 points and 11
assists, and the Cleveland
Cavaliers staggered to their
11th straight win.
The winning streak is
Cleveland’s longest since
reeling off 13 in a row — a
franchise record — in 2010,
the last season of James’
first stint with the club. The
Cavs had trouble putting
away the young Philadelphia Sixers, who did all
they could to stay close but
don’t have the firepower to
keep up with Irving, James
and one of the NBA’s
hottest teams.
Atlanta entered the week
on a 19-game win streak.
Jerami Grant and Robert
Covington scored 18 apiece
for the Sixers.
Thunder 104, Magic 97
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —
Russell Westbrook’s second
triple-double of the season
and 10th of his career
helped the Oklahoma City
Thunder defeat the Orlando
Magic without the injured
Kevin Durant.
Westbrook, an All-Star
point guard, had 25 points,
14
assists
and
11
rebounds.
Durant sat out with a
sprained big toe on his left
foot. He has played in just
22 games this season, having missed time earlier in
the season with a sprained
right ankle and a broken
bone in his right foot.
Victor Oladipo scored 22
points and Nikola Vucevic
scored 20 points for the
Magic, who lost their ninth
straight.
Hornets 92, Wizards 88
WASHINGTON (AP) — Al
Jefferson had 18 points and
12 rebounds Monday night,
leading the Charlotte Hornets past the Washington
Wizards.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
added 13 points and 13
rebounds, Brian Roberts
scored 18 points, and Gerald Henderson put in 17 for
the Hornets, who have won
six of eight. They went 10-4
in January despite losing
Kemba Walker to a knee
injury that will keep him
sidelined at least six more
weeks.
John Wall, who continues to battle a sprained
right ankle and migrainelike headaches, scored 16
points with 10 assists for
the Wizards, who have
dropped three straight.
LAWRENCE
—
The
Cloud County Community
College men’s track and
field team recorded four
second-place finishes in
the Jayhawk Classic indoor
track and field meet hosted
by
the
University
of
Kansas.
Solomon Afful ran 6.85
to place second for Cloud
County in the 60-meter
dash. The time qualified
him for the NJCAA National Indoor Championships.
Afful also finished second in the 200-meter dash
with a time of 22.15.
Damar Robinson placed
second in the triple jump,
and qualified for nationals,
with a leap of 47-9.
Cloud County’s 4x400
relay team of Afful, Willie
Young, Orwin Emilen and
Boone Cady finished sec-
ond behind KU with a
3:20.39 clocking, and qualified for nationals.
Emilen ran 1:13.94 to
place fourth in the 600yard dash, and qualify for
the national meet.
Cloud County had Jamal
Namous finish fourth in the
800-meter run in 1:59.83.
Zane Downing was fifth in
2:01.00.
Grant Wickham threw
53-5 1/2 to place fourth in
the weight throw for the
Thunderbirds.
Stevens Dorcelus went
21-8 3/4 to finish fifth in
the long jump.
The
Cloud
County
women had the 4x400 relay
team of Jane Ohanta, Raygene
Minus,
Brianna
Blackwell and Alexis Logan
place fourth with a time of
4:02.42.
CCCC records four
second-place finishes
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP)
— Virginia responded to its
first loss by sharpening its
focus back on what had
carried the third-ranked
Cavaliers to their best start
in three decades.
The result was an
impressive
road
win
against a highly ranked
league opponent, the kind
that proves — if there was
any question — that Tony
Bennett’s veteran-led team
isn’t easily shaken.
Malcolm
Brogdon
scored 17 points and Virginia’s defense locked up
No. 12 North Carolina in
the second half to win 7564 on Monday night.
Justin Anderson added
16 for the Cavaliers (20-1,
8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who regrouped after
blowing an 11-point second-half lead in a 69-63
home loss to Duke over the
weekend.
“They fought,” Bennett
said.” I think we got back
to the mentality that we
needed to. ... Our way, it’s
a blue-collar way, it’s a
fighting way, and I think
our guys responded well
and really rallied.”
They forced tough shots
against the Tar Heels (176, 7-3). They refused to
cede transition chances.
They closed out on the 3-
for -3 shooting with one
rebound in 30 minutes.
AGGRESSIVE
PERRANTES
After shooting just five
times against Duke, Virginia’s London Perrantes
had 15 points on 6-for-10
shooting while looking
much more aggressive.
“I liked his approach,”
Bennett said.
TRANSITION DEFENSE
One of the biggest
improvements for Virginia
came in transition defense.
The Cavaliers allowed a
season-high 14 fast-break
points against Duke, but
yielded one fast-break basket to UNC — coming with
1:53 left.
“Duke beat us because
they had a lot of opportunities where they could
just go in transition and
score,” Gill said. “That’s
not the kind of basketball
we play at Virginia.”
TOP-10 SETBACKS
The Tar Heels lost to a
top-10 team for the second
time in three days. UNC
blew an 18-point secondhalf lead and lost by 10 in
overtime at Louisville over
the weekend.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts No. 9
Louisville on Saturday.
UNC travels to Boston
College on Saturday.
Falcons hire Quinn as new head coach
ATLANTA (AP) — The
Atlanta Falcons’ long wait
for new leadership on the
field finally ended Monday
when Seattle defensive
coordinator Dan Quinn was
named the team’s coach.
The Falcons said Quinn
will be introduced at a news
conference on Tuesday.
Quinn replaces Mike Smith,
who was fired following a 610 finish in 2014.
The team did not release
details of the deal, but a
person familiar with the
negotiations told The Associated Press earlier Monday
that Quinn agreed to a fiveyear contract.
Falcons owner Arthur
Blank
said
he
was
impressed
by
Quinn’s
“definitive plan for our football team and what it will
take to win on a consistent
basis.”
“He also has a proven
ability to develop players by
maximizing their individual
strengths,” Blank said.
The Falcons exercised
patience while waiting for
Quinn, who could not be
offered a job until after
Seattle’s 28-24 Super Bowl
loss Sunday night to the
New England Patriots.
“This felt like the right fit
from the beginning, and I
want to thank Mr. Blank for
his resolve as this was an
extended and complicated
process,” Quinn said in a
statement released by the
team. “My goal is to build
upon the foundation that
has been laid here and to
play a physical brand of
football as we build a championship caliber team.”
Quinn, 44, helped Seattle
reach back-to-back Super
Bowls. Seattle beat Denver
in last year’s championship.
His strong record in his
two years with Seattle won
over the Falcons, who have
struggled on defense while
finishing a combined 10-22
the past two seasons. The
Falcons allowed the most
total yards and yards passing in the league this season.
The Seahawks led the
NFL in scoring defense,
total defense and takeaways
while winning the Super
Bowl last season. Quinn’s
defense shined in the Super
Bowl win over Peyton Manning and the Broncos. He
previously was defensive
line coach for the Seahawks, 49ers, Dolphins and
Jets.
Seattle ranked sixth in
total defense this season.
Quinn followed Detroit
defensive coordinator Teryl
Austin as the second candidate to have a follow-up
interview with the Falcons.
Quinn’s second interview
came in the bye week following the AFC championship game. Blank on
Monday thanked Seattle
coach Pete Carroll for granting Quinn permission for
the follow-up meeting with
the Falcons.
“I would like to personally thank Seahawks coach
Pete Carroll for his patience
and support during our
head coach search,” Blank
said. “I’m sure the Seahawks will be sorry to see
Dan leave, but no one has
been more supportive of
this opportunity for Dan
than Pete.”
Carroll
recently
described Quinn as “a great
communicator” and “a fantastic teacher. He’s got a
real toughness about him innovative.”
Carroll said Quinn has
“tremendous relationships
wherever he’s been around
the league. He’s been a guy
that wherever he goes people rave about. We feel the
same way.”
While the Falcons waited
to complete their interview
process with Quinn, other
candidates, including Rex
Ryan, were hired by other
teams. Ryan, the former
Jets coach, had one interview with Atlanta before
accepting a job as Buffalo’s
coach.
Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles called off
a second interview with
Atlanta to become the Jets’
coach.
The Falcons also interviewed New England offensive
coordinator
Josh
McDaniels, Broncos offensive coordinator Adam
Gase, former Bills coach
Doug Marrone and Atlanta
special teams coach Keith
Armstrong.
Quinn was the University
of Florida’s defensive coordinator in 2011-12 before
taking over the Seahawks’
defense.
Quinn, a native of Morristown, New Jersey, was a
defensive lineman at and
two-time co-captain at Division III Salisbury State in
Maryland. He was inducted
into the school’s Hall of
Fame in 2005.
Smith had a 66-46 regular-season record in seven
seasons, including two NFC
South titles. He had winning seasons in each of his
first five years with the team
— bringing instant relevance to a franchise which
previously
had
never
enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons.
The Falcons won only one
of five playoff games under
Smith.
4 Blade-Empire, Tuesday, February 3, 2015
MUTTS® by Patrick McDonnell
ZITS® by Scott and Borgman
BABY BLUE® by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
BARNEY GOOGLE AND SNUFFY SMITH® by John Rose
HAGER THE HORRIBLE® by Chris Browne
Sales Calendar
•Monday, February 9,
2015– Real Estate and
Household
Auction
at
12:00 Noon at 2301 Sixth
Street, Clay Center, Kansas.
Ranch-Style Concrete Block
House, Piano and Furniture.
Pauline M. Snodgrass Estate, Seller. Carr Auction,
Larned, Ks.
•Wednesday,
February
11, 2015 – Online Auction
Only Register and Bid at
GoldenBeltMarketing.com.
Plumbing, Heating and AC,
Rolling Stock, Well Drilling
Rig, Vans, Trucks, Dumptrailers, Bobcat and Attachments, Car and Cargo Trailers. Secured Creditors,
Sellers. Larry Lagasse Auction.
•Saturday, February 28,
2015– Land Auction at
10:00 a.m. located at the
Dinner Bell Cafe at 18th and
M Street in Belleville, Kansas. 160 acres (more or less)
cropland, pasture land, waterways and pond. Charles
(Bud)
Hanzlick
Estate,
Seller. Roger Novak Auction.
•Saturday, March 14,
2015 – Concordia’s 29th
Annual Optimist Club Auction located at the Cloud
County Fairgrounds.
•Saturday, March 21,
2015– Public Auction at
10:30 a.m. located Jamestown. Farm Machinery and
Equipment. Wayne Ruud,
Seller. Larry Lagasse Auction.
•Saturday, April 4, 2015–
Public
Auction
located
at the Cloud County Fairgrounds, East edge of Concordia, Kansas. Antiques,
Furniture, Household and
Misc. Pearl Townsend Estate and Others, Sellers.
Larry Lagasse Auction.
***
First it is necessary to stand
on your own two feet. But the
minute a man finds himself in
that position, the next thing he
should do is reach out his arms.
-Kristin Hunter
***
College completion
gap between rich,
poor widens
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The
gap in bachelor-degree attainment between the nation’s richest and poorest
students by age 24 has doubled during the last four decades, according to a report
released Tuesday.
The percent of students
from the lowest-income families – those making $34,160
a year or less – earning a
bachelor’s degree has inched
up just 3 points since 1970,
rising from 6 to 9 percent by
2013.
Meanwhile, college completion for students from the
wealthiest families has risen
dramatically, climbing from
44 to 77 percent.
“It’s really quite amazing how big the differences
have become between those
from the highest and lowest family incomes,” said
Laura Perna, a University of
Pennsylvania professor and
executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education
and Democracy, one of the
two organizations that published the study examining
college costs and degree attainment.
The study comes amid
renewed debate on college
affordability
spurred
by
President Barack Obama’s
proposal to make two years
of college free. If adopted
in every state, the proposal
would benefit a projected
9 million students each
year. It would cost taxpayers an estimated $60 billion
over 10 years – a price the
Republican-controlled Congress is likely to be hesitant
to embrace.
Among the report’s other
findings: The percent of students from all income levels
enrolling in college has increased, shrinking the gap
in enrollment between rich
and poor “somewhat” during
the last four decades. There
was a 46-point gap between
the two groups in 1970 compared with a 36-point gap in
2012.
Yet completion gaps are
growing: While 99 percent
of students entering college
from the highest income
families – those making
$108,650 or more a year –
graduate by 24, just 21 percent of student from the lowest income families finish by
that age.
Perna said there are a
number of factors contributing to the widening divide, including access to
the information and support needed to enter college
and graduate; college readiness; and the availability of
higher education that meets
people’s needs, particularly
for students who might have
children, limited access to
transportation and full-time
jobs.
She also noted that the
likelihood of finishing a degree varies dramatically by
type of institution. Students
from the poorest families are
overrepresented in public
two-year institutions, which
tend to have lower completion rates, while those from
higher income families are
abundant in doctoral-granting institutions.
The Obama administration has expanded the availability of Pell grants and
supported a tax credit for
tuition costs, yet the study
finds that the amount of the
maximum Pell grant award
has not kept up with the rising cost of college. College
costs were more than two
times higher in 2012 than in
1975 at the start of the Pell
grant program, which provides aid to low-income students based on need.
Pell grants covered 67
percent of college costs in
1975 but only 27 percent in
2012.
“We sometimes think that
low-income students are
taken care of because of the
federal program. But you
can see it covers so much
less than it was first established,” said Margaret Cahalan, director of the Pell
Institute for the Study of
Opportunity in Higher Education, the second institution involved in the report.
The study shows the burden of paying for college has
increasingly shifted from
state and local governments
to students and families.
That, Perna said, should
prompt an important question: Who should pay for college given the individual and
societal benefits?
“Students only have so
many resources they can
use to pay the costs,” Perna
said.
Michael Kramer, 29, is the
first in his family to attend
college. The son of a country
club maintenance supervisor and a factory worker, he
went straight to jobs in retail
and plumbing after graduating high school, unable to
afford college. He eventually
enrolled in a community college while working full time
and is now taking out loans
to help finish his bachelor’s
degree at the University of
California, Los Angeles.
“We’re a country that says
everybody should be getting
higher education, and nowadays, to get any decent job,
you need a bachelor’s degree,” Kramer said.
Yet for low-income students like him, Kramer said
the high cost of college often means making a difficult choice between fulfilling basic food and housing
needs and obtaining a postsecondary education. “It’s a
continuous cycle that they
get stuck in,” he said.
Business Interest
Boyle new program
director for Pawnee
Emergency Services
Dr. Jeremy Boyle is
the new program director for Emergency Services
for Pawnee Mental Health
Services. He will join Pawnee’s management team of
program directors who are
responsible for administrative and clinical program
services across all 10 counties served by Pawnee.
Boyle has a Bachelor’s
degree in Marriage, Family and Human Development from Brigham Young
University and a Master’s
degree in Family and Consumer Science from the
University of Nebraska-
Lincoln. He received his
doctorate degree in Clinical Marriage and Family
Therapy from Kansas State
University.
Boyle began his employment with Pawnee in 2009
as an outpatient therapist.
In 2013 he was promoted to
outpatient clinical supervisor.
Pawnee Mental Health
Services is a licensed community mental health center and licensed substance
use treatment center serving more than 7,800 people
annually in north central
Kansas.
6 Blade-Empire, Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Obituaries
NORMA FRASER-SMITH
Norma Fraser-Smith, 88,
of Concordia died Sunday
afternoon, Feb. 1, in Olathe
Kan., at Pinnacle Ridge
Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center where she had been a
resident since 2006.
Norma was born in Concordia on April 12, 1926,
to parents, Frank Sr. and
Emma Empson. She grew
up in Republic County in the
area of Wayne, Kan. Norma
graduated from Agenda Rural High School in the Class
of 1944.
Norma married Louis
“Louie” Fraser on Nov. 15,
1950. They farmed near Hollis until they sold the farm
implements and moved to
Concordia because of Louie’s
ill health in the early 1970s.
Norma was active in the livestock and field work on the
farm. She was a gifted seamstress and cook. Norma’s
glazed donuts, breads and
meringue pies were favorites
with her family and friends.
Norma and Louie raised their
three children, Sharrid, Tom
and Loretta, on the farm near
Hollis.
Norma moved to Golden,
Colo., after Louie passed in
1975. She was married to
Archie “John” Smith on Oct.
13, 1977, in Golden, Colo.
Norma enjoyed an active life
in Golden as a home healthcare nurse with the added
blessings of grandchildren.
She and John enjoyed Colorado Mountain retreats at
a small cabin in Steamboat
Springs, Colo., where John
enjoyed trout fishing and
Norma pursued her interests
in cooking and canning. Her
family was treated to fresh
canned Colorado peaches,
smoked trout and delicious
breads from Norma during those years. Norma and
John retired in Concordia in
the 1980s. Norma resided in
Concordia after John’s death
in 1990 until she relocated to
Olathe in 2000.
Norma Fraser-Smith
Norma is survived by her
children, Sharrid and husband Dale Girard of Olathe,
Tom Fraser of Topeka, and
Loretta and husband Steve
Townsend of Aurora. She
is survived by six grandchildren: Heath Girard of
Olathe, Nathan Girard of Topeka, Aaron Girard of Denver, Colo., Renee Laster of
Olathe, Kristina Jeardoe and
Joni Bolla of Pearland, Texas. Norma is also survived by
11 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death
by her parents, her brother,
Frank Jr. “Bud” Empson and
her infant grandson Trent
Girard.
A memorial service for
Norma will be held at Pinnacle Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Olathe.
The date and time will be announced.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 am, Saturday,
Feb. 7, 2015, at Our Lady
of Perpetual Help Catholic
Church, Concordia, with the
Rev. Brian Lager officiating.
Burial will follow at the Rose
Hill Cemetery, Wayne, Kan.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m.9 p.m. with a Rosary at 6:30
p.m., Friday, Feb. 6. all at
Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home,
Concordia. In lieu of flowers,
the family suggest memorials
to Catholic Charities in care
of the funeral home. For online condolences, please visit
www.chaputbuoy.com.
KATHY J. ELLIS
Kathy J. Ellis, age 45, died
Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 at her
home near Norway, Kan. She
was born on Dec. 28, 1969,
in Goodland, Kan., to Gilbert
D. & Patricia A. (McKinley)
Stasser.
Kathy graduated from St.
Francis High School and
then the Vo-Tech at Goodland in 1990. She grew up in
the St. Francis area and lived
in Goodland until 1991 when
she moved to the Jamestown
area. She worked for Angel
Square in Beloit. Kathy enjoyed spending her time with
family and friends. Kathy
was loved by many people.
She was an adventurous
spirit who was willing to try
something new and always
loved to wear a smile.
She is survived by her
daughters, Keeley McMillan (Jerod), Randall, Keyona
Reed, Belleville, and Camille
Ellis, Scandia; sons, Junior
Reed, Beatrice, Neb., and
Harlen Reed, Belleville; fiancé, Mike Cashman, Norway;
brother, Larry Adkins, South
Dakota, and six grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents and sis-
VIRGINIA L. NELSON
Virginia L. Nelson, 89, of
Salina, died Tuesday, Jan
6, 2015. Graveside services
will be Sunday, Feb 8, 2015,
at 2:30 p.m. in the Fairview
Cemetery near Concordia.
Kathy J. Ellis
ter, LeAnn Johnson.
The family selected cremation and memorial services will be at 11 a.m., Friday,
Feb. 6, 2015, at the United
Methodist Church, Jamestown, Kan., with the Rev.
Randy Whitley officiating.
The family will greet friends
an hour prior to the service
at the Church. Friends may
sign the register book from
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday, at
Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials to the
Kathy Ellis Children’s Education Fund, in care of the
funeral home. For online
condolences, please visit
www.chaputbuoy.com.
Mexican farmers feeding heroin addiction in U.S.
SIERRA MADRE DEL
SUR, Mexico (AP) – Red and
purple blossoms with fat,
opium-filled bulbs blanket
the remote creek sides and
gorges of the Filo Mayor
mountains in the southern
state of Guerrero.
The
multibillion-dollar
Mexican opium trade starts
here, with poppy farmers so
poor they live in wood-plank,
tin-roofed shacks with no indoor plumbing.
Mexican farmers from
three villages interviewed
by The Associated Press are
feeding a growing addiction
in the U.S., where heroin use
has spread from back alleys
to the cul-de-sacs of suburbia.
The heroin trade is a losing prospect for everyone
except the Mexican cartels,
who have found a new way
to make money in the face of
falling cocaine consumption
and marijuana legalization
in the United States. Once
smaller-scale producers of
low-grade black tar, Mexican drug traffickers are now
refining opium paste into
high-grade white heroin and
flooding the world’s largest
market for illegal drugs, using the distribution routes
they built for marijuana and
cocaine.
It is a business that even
the farmers don’t like. In a
rare interview with reporters,
the villagers told The Associated Press that it’s too difficult to ship farm products
on roads so rough and close
to the sky that cars are in
constant danger of tumbling
off the single-lane dirt roads
that zig-zag up to the fields.
They say the small plasticwrapped bricks of gummy
opium paste are the only
thing that will guarantee
them a cash income.
“Almost everyone thinks
the people in these mountains are bad people, and
that’s not true,” said Humberto Nava Reyna, the head
of the Supreme Council of
the Towns of the Filo Mayor,
a group that promotes development projects in the
mountains. “They can’t stop
planting poppies as long as
there is demand, and the
government doesn’t provide
any help.”
Villagers granted the AP
access to their farms and
agreed to interviews only if
they were not identified, fearing it could draw attention
from government drug eradicators or vengeful traffickers.
Residents say there are
no local users. They hate
the taste of the bitter paste,
which they sometimes rub
into their gums to sooth an
had close ties to the mayor
in the town of Iguala and reportedly viewed the students
as a rival gang.
The growers won’t say
which gang buys the opium
paste they produce on small
plots. But a buyer affiliated
with the local gang lives in
almost every village, acting
also as a lookout. Most can
be identified by the shortwave radios they carry in a
region far from telephone
lines or cellular towers.
When the poppy plants
finish flowering about three
months into the winter growing season, a farmer armed
with a razor-sharp, thumbscorer and a metal scraping
pan can collect 300 grams
of opium paste, worth 4,000
pesos (more than $275 USD),
in a single day.
The price for the relatively
low-quality marijuana the
farmers used to grow at lower
elevations has fallen, possibly
because of the legalization
and medical use of higherquality U.S. marijuana. Most
law enforcement officials say
it’s still too early to document
an impact. But the farmers
see a change. They only get
about 250 pesos (about $17
USD) per dried, pressed kilogram (2.2 pounds) of marijuana, compared to 13,000
pesos (nearly $900 USD) per
kilo of opium paste.
One wiry farmer with a
joking manner and a baseball cap noted that’s more
than he could make in a
month at any legitimate job,
if there were any legitimate
jobs around. But they can
lose a season’s work in a few
minutes to the government
helicopters that spray powerful herbicides on any fields
they find.
Towering pine and fir trees
on the hillsides help shield
the poppy fields from view,
and some of the mountain
villages that protect their forests from illegal logging do so
to hide their fields.
But they are detectable
to the experienced eye, rare
spots of green in the winter, when most other crops
have been harvested. Since
they use gravity-fed irrigation systems from mountain
streams, they are usually
near creek beds, with black
plastic tubing bringing the
water down to drip or spray
systems at each plant.
The herbicide kills both
the poppies and anything
around them. No one in these
villages has been told what it
is. And it can kill or damage
local Ocote pine trees, allowing beetles to move and attack the weakened trees, and
then neighboring trees, farm-
ers said.
“The money the government spends on aerial spraying would better be spent on
long-term development projects,” Nava Reyna said.
When the buyer stocks
enough opium paste from
the farmers, he calls his cartel bosses to have it picked
up and taken for processing
at a lab.
From the Guerrero mountains, most of the opium
paste is shipped to wholesale
collection points like Iguala,
a city at the crossroads of
several highways, including
the interstate from Acapulco
on the Pacific Coast to Mexico City. There it is packed
aboard passenger buses for
“shotgun” smuggling to labs
sometimes as far as the U.S.
border. Once the paste becomes heroin, it is moved
like any other drug in cars,
trailers, buses, and mules
across the border to the U.S.
market.
There are no mega-labs
for heroin, unlike those for
meth. Though there are
raids, they’re generally small
and they don’t make news.
Many farmers say they
would like to give up poppy
cultivation and plant legitimate crops, in part because
of the bloodshed the trade
has brought.
Some growers are trying.
In two of the three self-admitted opium growing villages the AP visited, residents
have tried planting avocados,
a crop that can bring cash
income at similar altitudes
in the neighboring state of
Michoacan. They have also
built trout ponds.
But the trout are small because of a lack of food, and
avocados take at least seven
years before they yield a viable amount of green, shiny
fruit.
One
farmer
proudly
showed off the 2- and 3-year
old avocado trees he had
planted on his steep hillside
plot of about 20 acres. Because the trees can produce
for four or five decades, he
may someday have a plot his
children and grandchildren
can make a living from.
But cultivation is expensive. So meanwhile, the farmer walked further down his
plot, into a narrow creek valley, where his “flower garden”
grows. He waited to score his
bulbs until noon, “because
the sun draws the gum out.”
“This,” he said, pointing to
the poppy bulb he has just
scribed with a cutting tool to
let the sap leak out, “is what
finances that” he said, pointing uphill to the avocado
trees.
Death toll from GM Weather
ignition switches at 51
DETROIT (AP) – The families of 51 people who died
in crashes caused by faulty
ignition switches in small
General Motors cars will get
payments from a company
fund, but others will have
to wait months for decisions
on thousands of new claims.
Compensation
expert
Kenneth Feinberg has also
deemed 77 people injured in
crashes as eligible for payments from the fund, which
received at least 4,180
claims by a Saturday deadline, including more than
1,100 in the past week.
But attorneys, lawmakers
and
at least one family memThe family will be gathering
ber
say
some were forced to
at the Holiday Inn Express,
in Concordia, at 1:30 and settle with Feinberg rather
travel to the cemetery in
procession.
than run the risk that they
would not be able to sue GM
because of its 2009 bankruptcy agreement.
Camille Biros, deputy administrator of the fund who
has worked with Feinberg
to compensate victims of
the 9/11 terrorist attacks
and the BP oil spill, said the
last-minute flurry of activity
is common in compensation
cases. She says the number
of claims could rise, because
those filed by mail had to be
postmarked by Jan. 31.
More death and injury
claims are likely to be granted, Biros said, but it could
take until late spring to sort
through all of the paperwork.
Today’s weather artwork by
Malachi Norman,
a 3rd grader in
Mrs. Limon’s class
Today’s weather artwork by
Haylee Terrill,
a 4th grader in
Mrs. Thoman’s class
Courthouse
District Court
The people of Portugal and Spain will often eat twelve
grapes from a bunch just as the clock strikes twelve on
New Year’s Eve. This tradition is said to ensure twelve
happy months in the coming year.
aching tooth.
It all goes for export, a lucrative business mostly run
by the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to the DEA’s
2014 National Drug Threat
Assessment, Mexico produces nearly half of the heroin
found in the United States,
up from 39 percent in 2008.
While Afganistan is by far the
world’s largest producer, it
largely sends to markets in
Europe and Asia.
Mexican government seizures of opium and eradication of poppy plantations
have skyrocketed in recent
years. The trends are consistent: Opium paste seizures in
Mexico were up 500 percent
between 2013 and 2014;
poppy field eradications were
up 47 percent; and seizures
of the processed drug increased 42 percent. Along
the U.S. border they are
three times what they were
in 2009.
Mexican heroin has become cheaper and more
powerful at a time when
Americans hooked on pharmaceutical opiates are looking for an affordable alternative. Combined with
dangerous additives like
fentanyl, a synthetic opiate
also produced in Mexico, it is
blamed for a wave of new addictions and overdoses in the
U.S. Heroin deaths doubled
from 2011 to 2013, while
deaths from cocaine and prescription opiates remained
steady, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
It used to be that Mexican
cartels shipped brown heroin
from Colombia along with
their home-grown black tar.
But all producers are making
the high-grade white now,
and Mexican criminal gangs
have learned that they can
increase their profits exponentially if they manage the
whole production chain, as
with
methamphetamines,
which they also control from
precursor to user.
The Sinaloa cartel farms
out most production of opium paste to smaller traffickers, according to growers, law
enforcement and drug-trafficking experts interviewed
by the AP. That kind of decentralized system is a recipe
for setting Guerrero’s small,
feuding drug gangs, the Rojos, Pelones, Guerreros Unidos and others, against each
other.
Since 2012, Guerrero has
been Mexico’s most violent
state. But only recently has it
gotten world attention, when
43 college students disappeared last September and
are assumed murdered by
the Guerreros Unidos, who
CRIMINAL
Christin Lee WaltersShepherd appeared Jan.
29 and was found Guilty
and convicted of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was sentenced to
12 months in the Cloud
County Jail and ordered
to pay the costs of the action, $158, an alcohol/drug
testing fee of $40, KBI Lab
fee of $400, a probation supervision fee of $60, and all
other assessed fees. Defendant was given credit for
time previously served and
attorney fees and fine were
waived. Her sentence was
suspended with Defendant
being placed on supervised
probation with Court Services for 12 months following specific terms and conditions.
Markets
LOCAL MARKETS -EAST
Wheat ...........................$5.28
Milo ......(per bushel) ....$4.63
Corn .............................$3.53
Soybeans .....................$9.20
Oats ..............................$3.25
AGMARK
LOADING FACILITY
LOCAL MARKETS - WEST
Wheat ..........................$5.28
Milo .....(per bushel) .....$4.63
JAMESTOWN MARKETS
Wheat ...........................$5.21
Milo ...(per bushel) ........$4.46
Soybeans ...................$9.14
Nusun .........................$17.25