The Concordia Blade

BLADE-EMPIRE
CONCORDIA
VOL. CIX NO. 84 (USPS 127-880)
CONCORDIA, KANSAS 66901
Monday, September 29, 2014
Former governor sets stage for Democratic candidates
By Brad Lowell
Blade-Empire Editor
Former Kansas governor
John Carlin set the stage for
Democrats campaigning in
Concordia during Fall Fest
activities Saturday.
During the campaign
event at the Brown Grand
Theatre, Carlin told Democrats in the audience that
campaigns have consequences and that this one
in November is particularly
important. “If we win, the
state will be far better off,”
he said.
“When I was governor, I
worked with former Concordian Ross Doyen and a
number of other Republicans to do what was right
for Kansas,” Carlin said. “In
this election year we need to
work to elect good people,
who are willing to do what’s
best for Kansas and this
slate of Democratic Party
candidates know what is
best for the state.”
Jim Sherow, a Kansas
State University environmental and agriculture history professor who is
seeking to unseat Tim Huelskamp as First District
Congressman, said he is a
fourth generation Kansan
and a fourth generation
Democrat. “My parents
taught me country values
and common sense,” he
said. ‚”They invested heavily
in the community and its
schools.”
Sherow said his father’s
values were such that he
didn’t think it was right to
vote for himself when he ran
for election to the city commission and he lost by one
vote. “Come to find out, my
mother didn’t vote for him,
either” he said.
As a result, the first person I lobbied when considering running for Congress
was my wife Bonnie, also a
history professor at KSU,
Sherow said.
This is not his first venture into public life as he
Jill Docking
served on the Manhattan
city commission and for a
time as mayor.
“My first taste of politics
was when I opposed the
opening of two super Wal-
Davis on defensive over 1998 incident
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — After
weeks of giving Republican Gov.
Sam Brownback a strong challenge in GOP-leaning Kansas, his
Democratic opponent is on the
defensive over disclosures that he
was inside a strip club during a
1998 meth raid and an officer
reported finding him in a dark
back room with a nearly naked
woman.
Democrat Paul Davis was 26
and single, a young attorney in a
firm representing the owner of
the club near Coffeyville in southeast Kansas. The owner spent six
years in federal prison after the
raid, but Davis was not arrested.
Davis, now 42, said he was “in
the wrong place at the wrong
time” and released a statement
from Independence Police Chief
Harry Smith, who participated in
the raid as a detective, saying
Davis was not involved in any
wrongdoing.
Some top Republicans contend
the incident raises questions
about Davis’ character, and the
Kansas
Republican
Party
financed a biting web video, a
mock ad for Davis’ legal services
suggesting as payment, “We even
take lap dances!” Davis supporters argue Republicans are desperate
over
a
potential
Brownback loss.
Independent polling suggests
the race is close, and the disclo-
sures work against Davis’ strategy of making the Nov. 4 election a
referendum solely on Brownback’s conservative, tax-cutting
fiscal policies.
“It makes the margin of error
smaller for Davis,” said Bob Beatty, a political science professor at
Washburn University of Topeka.
“He can’t really afford a gaffe at a
debate or two or three more mistakes.”
The Coffeyville Journal first
reported the details of the August
1998 raid in a Sept. 20 story that
said it obtained documents
through an open records request
to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. According to
other newspapers’ reports, Timothy Keck, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer’s
chief of staff, made a similar
request for documents the same
day.
The Associated Press also
received documents through an
open records request. Club
owner Marvin L. Jones ultimately
faced federal charges; authorities
said the meth came from Oklahoma.
“The governor’s in deep trouble,” Davis said recently. “So he’s
going to resort to character
attacks.”
campaign
Brownback’s
referred questions to the state
GOP. Executive Director Clay
Barker said Davis, the Kansas
House minority leader, has represented a safe Democratic district
in Lawrence and has “never really been vetted.”
“You’re electing a person,”
Barker said. “You have to have a
feeling of trust with the person.”
But Alan Ichiba, a 55-year-old
martial arts instructor in Kansas
City, Kansas, didn’t put much
stock in the issue, though he’s a
conservative Republican who
intends to vote for Brownback.
“To me what happened previously doesn’t really matter,” he
said.
The raided club, doing business as Secrets, was a few miles
north of Coffeyville. Jones, its
owner, now 44, was released from
federal prison in August 2006.
Attempts to locate Jones for comment were not successful.
The raid involved multiple law
agencies
and
enforcement
occurred after officials had an
unidentified individual make two
meth buys, worth $1,450,
according to the documents.
Davis said he was taken to the
club by his boss. Then-Coffeyville
Police Chief Douglas Murphy said
in a report that the meth buyer
reported that during his first purchase, “two of Jones’ lawyers”
were drinking at the bar in the
club. When authorities raided the
club at about midnight, Davis
was found in the back room.
Mart stores in Manhattan,”
he said. “We were told that
you couldn’t stop a company as big was Wal-Mart
from doing what it wanted,
but we did, protecting many
smaller merchants in the
community.‚”
Sherow said he is proud
of his part in the downtown
redevelopment of Manhattan and the fact that Manhattan is one of fastest
growing communities in
Kansas and one of the
fastest growing metro areas
in the nation.
From the number of registered Republicans in the
First District, it would seem
that a Democrat would have
little chance of winning,
Sherow said. However, with
the endorsement of the Traditional Republicans for
Common Sense his chances
appear to be growing, he
said.
Some recent polls have
shown the candidates in a
tight race.
Blocking out the noise
Ellesyn Kueker covers her ears to block out the sound of the fire truck sirens
during the Concordia Fall Fest parade Saturday morning. (Blade photo by
Jessica LeDuc)
Good Evening
Concordia Forecast
Tonight, partly cloudy in the evening,
then mostly cloudy with a 50 percent
chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
Lows around 64. Southeast winds 10 to 15
mph.
Tuesday, mostly cloudy. Thunderstorms
likely in the morning, then chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around
80. South winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to
around 30 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Tuesday night, mostly cloudy with a 50
percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in
the lower 60s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday, partly sunny with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the
upper 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday night, mostly cloudy with a
50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows
in the upper 50s.
Thursday, cooler. Partly sunny with a 40
percent chance of showers. Highs in the
upper 60s.
Thursday night through Friday night,
mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s. Highs
in the upper 60s.
Visit us online at www.bladeempire.com
“This campaign is about
fair taxation, equal pay for
women, immigration reform
including a pathway to citizenship, the minimum wage
and
veterans
affairs,
Sherow said.
The eyes of Kansas also
need to be turned to the
rapid depletion of water in
the Ogallala Aquifer and
consider ways to sustain
agriculture in Western
Kansas once the source for
irrigation dries up, Sherow
said.
“We need someone in
Washington, who will work
for sustainable alternative
energy sources and work to
protect Social Security,
Medicare and Medicaid and
address the problems in
Iraq and Syria and to fight
the increasing role of giant
corporations in government,” he said. “The First
District of Kansas needs a
representative and I don’t
think we have one now.”
(see Carlin on page 8)
Homecoming royalty
Janae Champlin, right, and Braden Johnson are crowned the Concordia High School Homecoming queen and king prior to the football game against Chapman Friday night at Harold M.
Clark Stadium. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
Kansas schools
see rise in
retirements
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education
officials said they are seeing a higher pace of
teachers retiring while the number of newly
licensed teachers in the state remains flat.
More than 2,000 teachers retired last
school year, double the number from five
years earlier, the Kansas State Department
of Education said in its annual report on the
state’s education workforce.
Scott Myers, the department’s director of
teacher education and licensure, said the
numbers are subject to error because they
rely on self-reported data from school districts.
About 2,500 new teachers received
licenses last year, nearly the same as five
years earlier, the Topeka Capital-Journal
reported. Meanwhile, the state saw an
increase of 13,400 students over the same
period.
School districts also reported a decline
last year in the number of licensed elementary teachers they employ. Some rural
schools said they had an unexpected difficulty hiring elementary teachers this summer.
“It’s unheard of,” deputy education commissioner Dale Dennis said, adding that elementary jobs have always been the easiest
for schools to fill. “The pool is really changing.”
OPINION
2 Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29, 2014
Washington Merry-Go-Round
by Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift
By George Meyer
Suit could scramble
Kansas Senate race
Rebecca Green, a law
professor and co-director of
the Election Law Programs
at The College of William
& Mary in Williamsburg,
Virginia, said such a case
represents “a court’s worst
nightmare” because of the
jockeying between the Republicans and Democrats,
so any ruling will be perceived as political.
“The goal is not justice,”
said Green, who’s following the Kansas case closely.
“The goal is winning.”
Kobach has said the case
must be resolved by Oct. 1
so that counties can print
thousands of ballots and
people can begin early voting from Oct. 15. He said
his goal is enforcing state
election law “exactly as it’s
written.”
But Kansas Democratic
Party Chairwoman Joan
Wagnon said of finding a
new candidate, “I don’t see
how, in any kind of practical
sense, you can pull this off.”
The law in question says
that if a candidate vacancy
occurs after the primary, it
“shall be filled by the party
committee” of the district or
the state, depending on the
office. A three-judge panel
in Shawnee County District
Court must decide whether the language means all
vacancies must be filled,
or whether the law simply
spells out who fills a vacancy if a party wishes to do it.
The consequences of
answering the legal point
could be nationally significant. A Libertarian is on the
ballot and is likely to draw a
few percentage points of the
vote. A Democratic candidate – even one who doesn’t
campaign at all – could siphon vital votes from Orman and allow Roberts to
prevail.
SUDOKU
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several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9
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row, each column and each 3x3
box contain the same number
only once. The difficulty level of
the Conceptis Sudoku increases
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2014 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A
key contest in the fight for
control of the Senate could
turn on the outcome of an
arcane legal argument Monday over whether Democrats must field a candidate
against struggling Kansas
Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.
The case centers on
whether a state election
law requires Democrats to
pick a new candidate after
ex-nominee Chad Taylor
withdrew earlier this month
or whether the party can
choose not to replace him.
Some Democrats pushed
Taylor out, viewing independent candidate Greg Orman as the stronger rival for
Roberts and hoping to avoid
a split in the anti-Roberts
vote that would help the
GOP incumbent stay in office.
Republicans need to gain
six seats for a Senate majority, and the GOP has always
counted on the 78-year-old
Roberts winning in a state
that has elected only Republicans to the chamber since
1932. Orman, a 45-year-old
Olathe businessman, is running as a centrist – promising to caucus with whichever party has a majority and
play kingmaker if neither
does. Roberts has struggled
after a bruising primary and
questions about his residency in Kansas.
Taylor had to petition the
Kansas Supreme Court to
force Kansas Secretary of
State Kris Kobach, a Roberts supporter, to remove
the Democrat’s name from
the Nov. 4 ballot. Minutes
after the high court ruling,
a disgruntled voter sued the
Democratic Party to get a
replacement on the ballot,
and Kobach is attempting to
intervene again.
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2014 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
By Dave Green
WASHINGTON – The
nightmare that is Syria today took a new and horrifying twist this week when
100,000 refugees streamed
across the border from Syria
into Turkey. Turkish President Recep Erdogan promptly shut down the border,
cutting off access to safety
for countless numbers of
additional refugees, mostly
Syrian Kurds. The rationale
for this is complicated, and
only an understanding of
the underlying rivalries can
explain it.
The disparate Kurdish organizations are united only
in their fight against ISIS.
Massoud Barzani, leader of
the Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP) and Jalal Talabani, the ailing leader of the
Patriotic Union Party (PUK)
and recent president of Iraq,
control the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a
Western-oriented democratic movement that governs
Kurdistan, the autonomous
northeastern area of Iraq. Its
army is the Peshmerga.
Abdullah Ocalan, residing in a Turkish jail since
1999, is the leader of the
Kurdistan Worker’s Party
(PKK), originally a communist organization that
conducts an ongoing insurgency in eastern Turkey.
The PKK is labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S.,
Turkey, and their NATO
partners. The PKK is closely
aligned with the leftist Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD)
and its army, the People’s
Protection Units (YPG), that
control the northern portion
of Syria known as Rojava
(West Kurdistan), apparently with the acquiescence of
the Syrian government.
Focusing only on the
military
organizations,
the Peshmerga has joined
with the PKK and the Iraqi
Army to fight ISIS in Iraq,
while the PKK and YPG
have joined forces to fight
ISIS in Syria. Meanwhile,
the PKK continues its antigovernment campaign in
eastern Turkey, though apparently at a greatly diminished level since the rise of
the ISIS threat. Meanwhile,
although the YPG has sent
fighters to aid the PKK in
eastern Turkey, it maintains
an uneasy peace on the Syrian (Rojava)-Turkish border while it concentrates on
ISIS – or, more to the point,
while ISIS concentrates on
the YPG. Hence, the flood of
Kurdish refugees into Tur-
DOONESBURY® by G.B. Trudeau
Ahmadzai sworn in
as Afghan president
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)
– Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai
was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan’s new president,
replacing Hamid Karzai in
the country’s first democratic
transfer of power since the
2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.
Moments after Ghani Ahmadzai took the oath, he
swore in his election challenger, Abdullah Abdullah,
as chief executive, fulfilling a
political pledge he had taken
to share power and defuse
election tensions that had
threatened to spark violence
between the country’s north
and south.
In his first speech, Ghani
Ahmadzai called on the Taliban and other militants to
join the country’s political
process and lay down their
weapons. However, extremist violence Monday killed
at least 12 civilians and police officers as foreign forces
prepare to withdraw from
the country at the end of the
year.
“We are tired of war,”
Ghani Ahmadzai said in
a televised address. “Our
message is peace, (but) this
doesn’t mean we are weak.”
Ghani Ahmadzai, a former
World Bank official and Afghan finance minister, wore
a dark black turban popular
in the country’s south as he
swore in his two vice presidents and then Abdullah.
Abdullah, a former foreign minister, spoke first and
thanked Karzai for his service
and the people of the country for casting votes in the
millions despite the threat of
attack from Taliban militants
who tried to thwart the election process.
“We are committed as one
in the national unity government,” Abdullah said. “Our
commitment will be fulfilled
together as unified team to
create national unity.”
Ghani Ahmadzai then congratulated Karzai for a peaceful and democratic transition
of power, and he thanked
Abdullah for making the national unity government possible. The new president also
promised to confront the
country’s endemic corruption.
“We want to be held accountable. I am your leader
but I am no better than you. If
I make mistakes, you should
hold me accountable,” Ghani
Ahmadzai said.
Karzai –s the only president Afghanistan and the
West have known since the
invasion – wore a wide smile
as he greeted his presidential guards upon entering the
palace. Karzai has said he is
glad to be stepping down after
more than a decade of what
the U.S. ambassador recently
said was one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
The inauguration caps a
nearly six-month election
season that began when ballots were first cast in April.
A runoff election in June
between Ghani Ahmadzai
and Abdullah stretched on
for weeks as both sides leveled charges of fraud. The
United Nations helped carry
out what it said was the most
thorough recount in its history, a count that reduced
Ghani Ahmadzai’s vote percentage from 56 percent to
55 percent, but still gave him
the win.
But the real power struggle was taking place in marathon talks between the two
sides, often brokered by U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry
and other U.S. officials. The
political deal the sides agreed
to created the new position of
chief executive that Abdullah
will now fill.
key.
As a result, Erdogan’s closure of the border has him
flirting with a humanitarian
disaster on a huge scale if
ISIS subjects the people left
behind to the same brutal
tactics it used in northern
Iraq. Women and girls are
enslaved and sold into the
sex trade while men who refuse to convert and pay allegiance to ISIS are slaughtered.
If Turkey does not relent,
a situation could develop
similar to what occurred in
Iraq when 10,000 Yazidis,
members of a pre-Christian
sect, were trapped on top of
a mountain. U.S. air drops
of water and food helped
them survive, and air strikes
aimed at ISIS in Iraq alleviated the crisis, while the YPG,
PKK, and Peshmerga cooperated and came to their
relief. But in northern Syria
(Rojava), the people who are
coming under ISIS domination do not have a mountain
haven, and their numbers
greatly exceed those of the
trapped Yazidis.
Until Erdogan took over as
prime minister several years
ago, democratic Turkey was
a secular state, balancing its
majority Muslim population
with a government that kept
religion at bay. Erdogan
changed all that, bringing
Islam into the public square.
Playing a double game, he
denounced extremism while
letting ISIS terrorists cross
with ease between Turkey
and Syria, even for a time
allowing wounded ISIS fighters to receive medical care in
Turkish hospitals. Suddenly, he awoke to the threat
ISIS posed, but this only left
him with another enemy,
since he already condemned
Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian
government as well as the
PKK and YPG Kurdish leftists.
This is why Turkey faces
a quandary. The U.S. expects this one Muslim NATO
country to join in the campaign against ISIS, but that
would mean allying its forces with the Kurds while indirectly aiding Assad. It is no
wonder that Erdogan is vacillating. Yet, if he does not
quickly act, a catastrophe
will ensue when ISIS begins
massacring the Kurds.
Twitter
@WMerryGoRound
© 2014 U.S. News Syndicate, Inc.
Distributed by U.S. News
Syndicate, Inc.
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Police: Minors at site of nightclub shooting
MIAMI (AP) – Why so
many minors were present at a nightclub during a
pre-dawn shooting is among
several mysteries Miami Police are trying to solve as
they interview dozens of
witnesses to the weekend
chaos that left 15 people
wounded.
Among those hit by gunfire early Sunday morning
at The Spot were five girls
ranging in age from 11 to
17, Miami Fire Rescue Capt.
Ignatius Carroll said.
“What was very surprising to the responders was
that these were kids that
were out at 1 o’clock in the
morning in a club and this
type of violence took place
where a bunch of kids were
gathering,” Carroll said. “It’s
very disturbing to see that.”
Investigators were interviewing the owner to determine what type of club The
Spot is and why so many
underage children were
there, said police spokeswoman Frederica Burden,
who noted that she had
never heard of the venue despite having worked in the
neighborhood for years.
“Was it a private party?
Was it open to the public?
That’s what we’re trying to
figure out,” she said.
Fire Rescue officials also
will check on what kind of
gatherings the club is licensed for, if any, Carroll
said.
A phone number for the
club was out of service Sunday.
Of the 15 wounded, one
was reported in critical but
stable condition and the
other victims remaining in
the hospital were in good
condition Sunday, Burden
said. Some victims had also
been released, but Burden
said she did not know how
many.
The shooting sent terrified patrons scrambling
into the street. When Miami
police and rescue crews arrived at the club around 1
a.m., they found wounded
people inside and outside
the club, some too hurt to
flee, Carroll said.
He told The Associated
Press that the first emergency crews arriving on the
scene were warned to use
caution “because there was
still active shooting taking
place in the area.”
Some people were run-
ning, “people were screaming, people were saying they
were shot,” Carroll said,
adding others were yelling
for help for friends who had
been shot.
One male was found unresponsive and not breathing when emergency responders arrived.
Burden said it was not
immediately clear how many
shooters were involved or
what prompted the violence.
Police had not made any arrests as of Sunday, and had
not publicly identified any
suspects.
Shortly after the shootings, police and other emergency officials cordoned off
the outside of the club with
yellow crime scene tape and
emergency vehicles blocked
the street in front of the site.
Survey: ATM, overdraft fees surge
LOS ANGELES (AP) –
Banks are reaping bigger
fees whenever customers
overdraw their checking accounts or use ATMs that
are not affiliated with their
lender, a new survey shows.
The average fee for using an out-of-network ATM
climbed 5 percent over the
past year to a new high of
$4.35 per transaction, according to a survey released
Monday by Bankrate.com.
Overdraft
fees
also
surged, rising on average
over the past 12 months
to $32.74. That’s the 16th
consecutive record high, the
firm said.
Checking account fees
have been increasing as
lenders adjust to federal
banking laws and regulations enacted after the 2008
financial crisis. Among the
changes: limits on when
banks can charge overdraft
fees on ATM and debit card
transactions and a reduction in the fees that banks
charge merchants for each
customer who uses credit
or debit cards for their purchases.
Lenders have responded
by hiking overdraft and ATM
fees, as well as increasing
how much money customers must maintain in the
bank to avoid checking account fees.
“I expect fees to continue
increasing in years to come,
but at a modest pace consistent with what we saw this
year, just as was the case
prior to the onset of these
regulations,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com.
Using an ATM that’s not
affiliated with your bank
will usually lead to two fees.
One is charged by your
lender; the other is charged
by the owner of the ATM.
That’s the fee that’s risen
most consistently and at a
faster rate, McBride said.
All told, the average fee
for using an out-of-network
ATM has vaulted 23 percent
over the past five years. It
has notched a new high for
eight years in a row, according to Bankrate.
The firm surveyed the 10
largest banks and thrifts in
25 large U.S. markets.
The average ATM fees
vary across the markets in
Bankrate’s survey. Phoenix had the highest average
fee for users of ATMs outside their bank’s network at
$4.96 per transaction. Cincinnati had the lowest average at $3.75.
Philadelphia
had
the
highest average overdraft
fee at $35.80. San Francisco had the lowest at $26.74.
The largest U.S. banks
all offered free checking
with no strings attached
until 2009, when the share
of all noninterest checking accounts that were free
peaked at 76 percent, according to Bankrate. It’s
now at 38 percent; that’s
unchanged from last year
and only slightly lower than
39 percent in 2012.
Even
so,
consumers
looking for checking accounts without monthly
fees have plenty of options.
Many credit unions, smaller
community banks and online banks offer no-strings
checking accounts.
Many banks that do
charge a monthly fee will
often waive it if the accountholder has their paycheck
deposited directly into the
account.
Not all bank fees rose this
year. The average monthly
service fee for a noninterest
checking account fell 5 percent to $5.26 over the past
12 months, Bankrate said.
Despite the increased
fees, there are ways savvy
bank customers can avoid
them altogether.
Use your bank’s website
to find fee-free ATMs or, if
available, get cash back at
the register when using a
debit card to shop.
Avoiding overdrafts is a
matter of keeping tabs on
your available checking account balance, something
that’s easier than ever with
mobile banking apps.
You can also sign up for
email or text alerts if your
balance gets below a certain
level.
Today in History
50 years ago
Sept. 29, 1964—The
Cloud County ASCS office
reported that 1,556 farms
in the county had signed up
for the 1965 wheat program.
. . . Entertainment for the
40th annual meeting of the
Cloud County Cooperative
Association included Jimmy
Wright, Prince of the Banjo;
Nancy Carroll, baton twirler
and dancer; and Ruwe, Looey and Sunshine, a ventriloquist act.
25 years ago
Sept. 29, 1989—Anthony Roy Anderson and
Marsha Lynn Jones announced their Sept. 16 wedding, which took place at
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church in Concordia. . . .
Chris and Kathy Cox, Manhattan, announced the birth
of their first child, a son,
Garett Marshall, born Sept.
15. Grandparents were Mr.
and Mrs. Laurence Cox of
Concordia and Mr. and Mrs.
C.B. Stensaas of Norway.
10 years ago
Sept.
29,
2004—”Paw”sitive Counts
for September at Concordia
Middle School were Cody
Anderson and Blake Woellhof, fifth grade; and Ashley Davis and Dalton Snyder, sixth grade. . . . John
Brownell was retiring after
37 years of service to Concordia Tractor and 10 years
of service to John Deere
dealers, Haas Implement
and Huber Implement. He
was a service technician,
service manager, salesman
and partsman.
5 years ago
Sept. 29, 2009—New
faculty members at Concordia High School were Tim
Lambert, Jodi McManus,
Cody Flinn, Tracey Holmes
and Curtis Albin. . . . Trinity
United Methodist Church
was beginning rehearsals
for a Christmas cantata, “On
Christmas Day” directed by
Pastor L. Dean Thompson.
1 year ago
Sept. 29, 2013—A man
who was armed with a shotgun when he robbed the
Jamestown State Bank, Eric
Lee Strait, 24, formerly of
Concordia, had been sentenced to federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced that Strait
was sentenced to 28 months
in federal prison for the Nov.
14, 2008, robbery of the
Jamestown State Bank. . .
. Concordia Middle School
and Junior High students
participated in a schoolwide
spelling bee with Aaron Elwood winning first place
and Elijah Steffen, runnerup. Other students moving
on to the October County
Spelling Bee were Janessa
Ade, Tim Peltier, Clara Kearn and Kaitlen Riley.
Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29, 2014 3
Your Birthday
By Stella Wilder
Born today, you are a
quick thinker, and one who
is always looking ahead to
see what is coming your
way.
This
combination
means that you are quite adept at anticipating not only
the circumstances that you
will be facing in the future,
but also the actions that
you should take -- and that
others will take -- as those
circumstances come upon
you. Still, for all this, there is
something more instinctive
and purely intuitive about
you than anyone might suppose -- and your greatest
successes in life are likely to
be the result not of careful
planning, but of impulsive
attempts to take advantage
of opportunities you did not
see coming.
Improvisation is one of
your greatest strengths; you
can make things up as you
go with such ease and confidence that your actions
aren’t likely to look “made
up” or accidental in any way.
When it comes to love, however, this can be hard on one
who tries to sustain a relationship with you.
Also born on this date
are: Jerry Lee Lewis, singer; Miguel de Cervantes,
author; Gene Autry, actor;
Madeline Kahn, actress
and comedian; Mackenzie
Crook, actor; Andrew Dice
Clay, actor and comic; Ian
McShane, actor; Bum Phillips, football coach; Larry
Linville, actor; Greer Garson, actress; Horatio Nelson, British naval hero;
Bryant Gumbel, TV journalist and sportscaster;
Lech Walesa, Polish leader.
To see what is in store
for you tomorrow, find your
birthday and read the corresponding paragraph. Let
your birthday star be your
daily guide.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
30
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
-- You are awaiting some important information at this
time. See if you can’t involve
someone who has been reluctant to sign up.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov.
21) -- You’re eager to touch
base with someone who has
important news to impart
-- but you may not get the
chance until after nightfall.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21) -- You will be supported by those who understand just how difficult
things may be for you at this
time. Take care of things early on.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) -- You may have
been sending mixed signals
recently, which explains
the lack of cohesion among
teammates today.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18) -- You’ll need some prodding today before you are
willing to “let go” and move
ahead toward something
possibly dangerous.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20) -- The trouble you are facing today may be the result
of an error you had nothing
to do with -- one that was in
place some time ago.
ARIES (March 21-April
19) -- You may have to address a certain issue today
that others are unwilling to
face directly. This is a sign
that you are trusted, surely!
TAURUS (April 20-May
20) -- You may need a reminder or two today. Someone comes to you with an
unusual proposition late in
the day. You want to say yes!
GEMINI (May 21-June
20) -- It’s time for you to lay
your objections on the table
in a calm, rational and organized fashion. Others feel as
you do, surely.
CANCER (June 21-July
22) -- A solitary endeavor
provides you with some
much-needed peace of mind
today, even though some aspects of it may be quite difficult.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
-- You know what has happened in the past, and you
know what you want to have
happen in the future. Today,
you can bridge that considerable gap.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
-- You may not be feeling
quite up to par throughout a
portion of the day, but your
overall productivity should
not be adversely affected.
PEOPLE
Thousands attend
anti-pipeline concert
4 Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29, 2014
Annie’s
Mailbox
by Kathy Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
Dear Annie: I recently
married a man who has
never been married before,
although he lived with a
woman for 15 years. They
never had children, and "Vic"
cheated on her for years. He
paid for everything, and she
had a free ride. He essentially paid her off to leave.
I have three grown children from a previous marriage. After our wedding two
months ago, we planned on
moving into my house until
I can sell it. (Part of my divorce agreement is to split
the proceeds of a sale when
our youngest child turns
18.) Vic's house is in a rather scary neighborhood. It
has a structural defect and
won't sell for what he owes
the bank. I arranged for reliable renters, but four days
before they were to move in,
Vic backed out of the deal.
He said he needed more time
and didn't want to resent me
for making him move and
then move again once my
house sells.
Vic promised to move
out of his place on August
1, but didn't, so I've been
living there in order to be
with him. We both agreed
to get a new place when my
house sells, and he promised this arrangement would
be temporary. I really hate
his rundown neighborhood,
and worse, his ex lives two
blocks away.
When we are together,
he treats me very well, but I
worry that he'll never move
out of his place. Could he
have terminal bachelor disease? I am fantasizing about
selling my place, taking the
check and driving to Vegas
to open my own business. I
love Vic, but I didn't bargain
to live the rest of my life in
this lousy neighborhood. —
Unhappy in Rhode Island
Dear Unhappy: Set a
time limit on staying at
Vic's place — perhaps three
months after your house is
sold. But don't wait until the
sale to start looking at other
neighborhoods — that way
Vic can see the benefits of a
nicer home in a better area.
Help him pack up his stuff
so that his house appears
less comforting and more
transitional.
A new marriage and a
new home can be traumatizing for some people, and
you have to give Vic time to
adjust.
Dear Annie: I am the
woman who wrote the letter signed "Fluffy's Compe-
tition," about my husband's
fondness for his cat. You
printed several responses
from readers, one of whom
said the cat was there first
and another who thought it
was perfectly OK for my husband to drop me at the hospital for a seven-hour surgery while he spent the day
with Fluffy at the vet.
I didn't mention that the
day I had my surgery, there
were complications and I
ended up in intensive care.
My daughter couldn't reach
my husband because he
wouldn't return her phone
calls. He didn't show up at
the hospital for two days.
Aside from my severe allergies (for which I take medication), Fluffy currently has
body mites, and my husband
refuses to get her treated because vets are "too expensive." I agree with you that
his priorities are screwed up.
— Still Fluffy's Competition
Dear Still: Whatever reservations we had about your
husband are gone now that
we know he didn't turn up at
the hospital until two days
after your surgery. Is there
a reason you cannot pay
for Fluffy's mite treatment
yourself? It seems worth
it. But only you can decide
whether you love your husband enough to play second
fiddle.
Dear Annie: This is for
"Cornered in New York,"
whose boss makes them eat
lunch together.
The New York State Department of Labor has
clear guidelines about work
hours, including breaks for
meals. If the employees must
participate in a joint lunch
as a team-building exercise,
then they are not being given
the required break for lunch
that the law requires. She
should contact the state Department of Labor (anonymously) and request that
they investigate. — A.
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.
COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM
Club notes
Chapter AO of P.E.O. met
Sept. 23 at Concordia Lutheran Church fellowship
hall with Margo Hosie and
Christy Hasch hosts. Members had a memorial service
for Helen Kocher, who died
Sept. 20.
Margo Hosie presented
the program, which was
about the Chapter’s education scholarship. She reported that this year’s recipient
had received her RN degree
from Cloud County Community College.
Hosie also told about her
correspondence with all the
P.E.O. chapters in the country which use the letters AO.
She had contacted 41 chapters that use these letters
and received 35 responses.
October wedding planned
HAVERKAMP-RINGER
Jim and Mary Beth
Haverkamp, Baileyville, announce the engagement
of their daughter, Caitlyn
Haverkamp, to Kit Ringer,
son of Margaret Ringer and
the late Darrell Ringer, Concordia.
The future bride is a
graduate of Baileyville High
School and has a Bachelor
of Science degree from Cloud
County Community College.
She received her LPN nursing degree from NCK Tech of
Beloit and is employed at the
Cloud County Health Center
Family Care Center in Concordia.
The future groom is a
graduate of Concordia High
School and has a degree in
Electrical Science from NCK
Tech in Beloit. He is an electrician with Zimmer Electric,
Jamestown.
Ringer-Haverkamp
Sacred Heart Catholic
Church, Baileyville, will be
the setting for their Oct. 25
wedding with a reception
and dance to follow at the
Knights of Columbus Hall in
Seneca.
Top spellers
Kaury Stout (left), Miltonvale Middle School, is the Cloud
County Spelling Bee champion. Phillip Shirkey, Concordia
Middle School, is the runner-up. Both will compete in the state
spelling bee in March of 2015.
NELIGH, Neb. (AP) –
Roughly 8,000 people filled
a northeast Nebraska farm
Saturday to hear Willie Nelson and Neil Young perform
at a concert organized by
opponents of the proposed
Keystone XL pipeline.
The Lincoln Journal Star
reports politicians and activists spoke to the crowd on
Art and Helen Tanderup’s
farm about the pipeline project between performances.
Young said before the
concert that he thinks it’s
important for America to
use more renewable energy,
and he supports people who
are trying to offer solutions.
“Stand up and be creative and have ingenuity
and come up with solutions
so we’re not just complaining about problems, we’re
solving them,” Young said.
“That is what America needs
to do.”
The proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline
needs presidential approval
to proceed because it crosses the U.S.-Canada border.
But that decision remains
on hold while Nebraska’s
Supreme Court considers
whether the 2012 law used
to approve the Keystone
XL’s path across the state is
valid.
Pipeline critics worry it
could contribute to pollution
and contaminate groundwater if there is a leak.
TransCanada says the
pipeline, which it first proposed in 2008, would have
advanced safety features to
prevent and detect leaks.
Supporters say the project
would create construction
jobs and bolster a friendly
source of oil.
Further delays in the
pipeline project will add to
the volume of crude oil on
railroads across the United
Courthouse
District Court
Four generations
Barbara Tracy, Concordia, holds her great-granddaughter, Olivia Adamson, daughter of Carissa Adamson (left), and granddaughter of Jim Tracy (middle), both of Solomon.
Hints from Heloise
States and Canada, said
TransCanada
spokesman
Mark Cooper.
“Delaying the Keystone
XL means encouraging the
loss of good jobs for Nebraskans and more than $20
million a year in annual
property taxes to counties
for schools, roads and other
infrastructure once the Keystone XL is at full capacity,”
Cooper said.
The Keystone XL pipeline
is designed to carry oil from
Canada across Montana,
South Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. TransCanada also has
proposed connecting it to
the Bakken oil field in Montana and North Dakota.
The southern leg of the
pipeline between Oklahoma
and Texas is already operational.
Organizers of the concert
from Bold Nebraska and the
Cowboy and Indian Alliance
promise to keep up the pressure in the hope of persuading President Barack Obama
to reject it.
“We are not just going
to protest and leave,” said
Oglala Lakota President
Bryan Brewer. “We’re going
to stop it.”
After Young and Nelson
performed for about an hour
each, members of the audience marched into one of the
Tanderups’ fields to form a
human chain across the
pipeline’s proposed path.
Sales of the $50 tickets
for the concert generated
about $385,000, but it cost
roughly $100,000 to hold.
Organizers didn’t have available Saturday an exact total
of the proceeds — which
will be split between Bold
Nebraska, the Indigenous
Environmental Network and
the Cowboy and Indian Alliance.
CRIMINAL
Wyatt Phillip Stimatze appeared Sept. 26 and was
found Guilty and convicted
of Possession of a Hallucinogenic drug, Marijuana
and Possession of Drug
Paraphernalia. For the possession of a hallucinogenic
drug, he was sentenced to
12 months in the Cloud
County Jail and ordered
to pay costs of the action,
$158, a fine of $100, an alcohol/drug testing fee of
$40, a probation supervision
fee of $60, costs of lab testing, as later submitted by
the county attorney’s office
and other assessed fees. For
the possession of drug paraphernalia charge, he was
sentenced to 12 months in
the Cloud County Jail, with
his sentences to be served
concurrently. The Court further finds that Defendant’s
sentence shall be suspended
with Defendant being placed
on supervised probation with
Court Services for a period of
twelve months following specific terms and conditions.
him and have been proud of
him. I haven’t been very demonstrative about it, to be
sure. I never thought it wise
to pet and praise children.
Perhaps I have been a little
too unsocial and straight
with him. Maybe I’d better
not let them know that I’ve
heard this talk about their
running away; but I shall,
of course, do something to
prevent their going. I’ll go up
to the house and think over
what course to take.”
Peter Raymond crept
away from the barn as
though he were a sneakthief, and then hurried
home as fast as he could,
not once thinking of his bridle. He had hardly got seated in his usual place in the
big arm-chair before Philip
came in. Philip expected his
father would say, gruffly: “It
is high time that you were in
bed,” and so he was taken
by surprise when his father
said, gently:
“Won’t you hand me
the almanac before you
sit down, Philip?” Philip’s
mother raised her eyes from
her sewing, and glanced at
her husband as though she
wondered what had called
forth such unusual gentleness. Raymond opened the
almanac at September, and,
after glancing down the
page, he turned to his wife
and asked, “Is today the
third or fourth Tuesday of
the month?”
“The fourth,” she replied.
“Tomorrow is the last day of
the month.”
“Are you quite sure about
it?” he queried. “If you are
correct, I am a week behind
hand in my reckoning. I’ve
had so many things crowded upon me lately. I’ve hardly known which way to turn
first.
Register of Deeds
Judy Lambert
(continued)
Next meeting will be
EARLY HISTORY OF
Oct. 14 at the Presbyterian
CLOUD COUNTY
Church fellowship hall with
BY HELOISE
grime.
By H.E. Smith
Jean Leon hostess. The
CANDLE SAFETY
* If the wick starts to
Peter Raymond’s Son
meeting will begin with a
Dear Readers: Recently, smoke or the flame gets too
“Don’t love him?” He re6 p.m. salad supper and a
I spoke to the members of high, put the candle out. peated to himself, “the unstate officer will visit.
the National Candle Asso- Use a candle snuffer rather grateful rascal! Haven’t I
ciation and got to chat with than blowing out the flame been scrubbing along savmany folks there. Candles to prevent wax from getting ingly as possible, and priare more popular than ever! all over the place.
vately putting little sums
However, there are some
* Candle wicks should be into the savings bank so
very important safety hints about 1/4 inch. If the wick that I could send him away
that you should know and is too long, it can cause the in a year or two, and give
use:
candle to burn unevenly. him a better chance for an
*
Make
sure
to
place
Keeping the wick short education than I ever had?
Concordia Senior Citizens
candles
in
an
appropriate,
keeps soot low.
Haven’t I often said to my
had two tables of pitch at
* Lastly, always keep friends that he was one of the
their progressive pitch party sturdy position far from
last Friday afternoon at the anything that will catch fire, watch on a burning candle! most faithful, trusty boys in
such as drapes, or where Don’t leave it burning some- the world, and that I could
Senior Center.
Winners were Evelyn Ir- they can’t be knocked over place where you can’t keep leave home at any time, day
an eye on it, and don’t go to or night, and never worry
win, Rosalee Olson and by pets or children.
*
Dust
candles
before
bed with one still burning!
about things as long as he
Beulah Nobert, three-way
lighting
(a
microfiber
cloth
-Heloise
was there to take care? If
tie for first; Dolores Aytes,
is perfect), and you can
P.S.: Please follow these he does doubt my love, up
Neva
Demanett,
Vera
Girard
Senior Citizens Menu
dampen a towel with wa- hints! Don’t become a sad to this time I have loved
Tuesday, Sept. 20—Pork and Adeline Charbonneau,
ter to wipe off some of the statistic because of a fire!
chops, sweet potatoes, broc- four-way tie for second; and
coli with cheese, chocolate Rosella Hubert, third.
Thank You for Reading the Blade-Empire 243-2424 • Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Next party will be Oct. 10.
pudding, roll.
Seniors
play cards
Blade-Empire Monday, September 29, 2014 5
Sports
Panthers bounce back from loss to throttle Irish, 28-6
Drake Hake rushed for
208 yards and three touchdowns as the Concordia
Panthers bounced back
from their first loss of the
season to defeat Chapman
28-6 in a North Central
Kansas League matchup
Friday night at Harold M.
Clark Stadium.
Chapman limited Hake to
five yards or fewer on 17 of
26 carries, but the senior
was able to shake loose on
scoring runs of 42, 33 and
12 yards to help Concordia
rebound from a 14-7 loss to
Abilene.
Hake has now rushed for
681 yards in four games
with nine touchdowns.
Concordia is now 3-1
overall and 1-1 in the league
heading into a home game
against Marysville on Friday
night.
Chapman, now 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the NCKL,
gave the Panthers an early
gift when Robert Steck fumbled on the second offensive
play of the game, and
Gilberth Garcia recovered
on the Irish 24-yard line.
Hake was able to pick up
four yards on a fourth down
and one play.
Concordia was facing
third and seven when Ethan
Bechard delivered an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Shea
Crum with 8:24 to play in
the first quarter.
“The first touchdown we
were able to punch it in after
the turnover,” Concordia
coach Tim Lambert said, “I
thought if we could get him
(Crum) out there quickly we
could get him open, and it
Hitting the hole
Concordia fullback Karter Steinle runs through a hole during a 28-6 win over Chapman Friday
night at Harold M. Clark Stadium. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
worked.”
The next seven offensive
possessions would result in
four punts and three stops
on fourth down between the
two teams.
Concordia went three and
out three times, but got a
defensive stop inside its own
20-yard line.
“They were pretty good
defensively. They had two of
the best defensive tackles
that we have seen in a long
time,” Lambert said, “What
was happening is we weren’t
holding our blocks long
enough up front.”
The Panthers got a defensive stop on a fourth and
four play, and took over on
their own 30-yard line with
6:54 to play in the first half.
Bechard was able to fall
on a Concordia fumble on
first down. Hake then carried the ball on six straight
plays, and ripped off a 42yard touchdown run with
4:40 remaining in half.
“The run Drake made is
one of those Drake plays he
makes when you have him
on your team,” Lambert
said.
The extra point put Concordia up 14-0.
Following a Chapman
punt, the two teams
exchanged turnovers, and
the Panthers ended up the
the ball in Irish territory.
Concordia had a fourth
down and one when Hake
sprung free on a 33-yard
touchdown run with just 12
seconds on the clock.
Logan Higbee booted the
extra point to put the Panthers up 21-0.
Concordia limited Chapman to just two first downs
in the first half.
“Defensively, I thought we
played well for the entire
game. We flew around and
got people to the ball,” Lambert said.
It was still a 21-0 game
when Bechard snared a onehanded interception of a
Chandler Sweet pass.
Concordia went 55 yards
in seven plays.
Hake capped off the drive
with an 11-yard touchdown
run with 8:38 to play in the
game.
Trailing 28-0, the Irish
were able to march 62 yards
in 14 plays before Steck
scored on a 4-yard run with
2:23 remaining.
The extra point attempt
was no good, and the Panthers led 28-6.
Concordia was then able
to run out the clock.
The Panthers finished
with 285 yards rushing in
the game.
Karter Steinle carried 11
times for 59 yards.
Bechard completed two of
six passes for 16 yards and
a touchdown.
Chapman finished with
202 yards of total offense,
160 rushing and 42 passing.
Steck carried 26 times for
127 yards.
Linebacker Colby Trost
racked up 20 tackles for
Concordia.Gage Canfield
and Jared Knapp had 10
tackles each.
Game in Figures
CONCORDIA
First downs
Rushes-yards
Passing
Passing yards
Interceptions
Fumbles-lost
Punts
Penalties
Concordia
Chapman
CHAP
11
45-269
2-6
16
0
1-1
4-26
3-25
8
40-160
7-14
42
1
2-2
5-34
2-20
7 14 7 0
0 0 0 6
— 28
— 6
KU fires Weis,
Royals drop White Sox, head to playoffs
Bowen takes over
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) —
Charlie Weis arrived at
Kansas full of bravado,
dramatic
promising
changes within the longsuffering program. Players
were dismissed, offenses
and
defenses
were
scrapped. Assistant coaches were hired, fired or simply reassigned.
In the end, the one thing
that needed to change —
on-field results — stayed
the same.
Weis was fired four
games into his third season
on Sunday, one day after a
23-0 loss to Texas on homecoming left the brash coach
with a 6-22 record in his
second head coaching stint.
Weis, who earned a reputation as an offensive mastermind with the New
England Patriots, was fired
by Notre Dame in 2009 after
five seasons at his alma
mater.
“I normally do not favor
changing coaches mid-season,” Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger said in
a statement, “but I believe
we have talented coaches
and players in this program,
and I think this decision
gives our players the best
chance to begin making
progress right away.”
Defensive
coordinator
Clint Bowen will serve as
interim coach of the Jayhawks, who are 2-2 on the
season. They play at West
Virginia on Saturday.
It was Zenger who fired
Turner Gill after two moribund seasons, and who proclaimed upon the hiring of
his replacement, “I set out
to find the best and I found
Charlie Weis.”
At the time, Weis had
been two years removed
from his debacle at Notre
Dame. He served the first
year as a Kansas City Chiefs
assistant, helping the team
return to the playoffs. But
the following year, as offensive coordinator at Florida,
Weis presided over a unit
that had struggled to score.
That didn’t change once
Weis arrived in Lawrence.
After dismissing a slew of
players for various rules
infractions, Weis rebuilt the
roster around a number of
Division I and junior college
transfers. But each time he
thought he had found an
answer, especially at quarterback, everything seemed
to backfire.
EMPORIA — The Cloud
County Community College
men’s cross country team
placed 13th in the Emporia
State University Invitational
Friday at Jones Park.
Cloud County scored 377
points in the meet.
Northwest Missouri State
won the team title with 67
points. Newman University
was second with 77 and
Fort Hays State University
was third with 89.
The
Cloud
County
women had just two runners compete in the meet,
and did not score as a team.
Chris Bahindwa led the
Cloud County men by placing 57th with a time of
29:35.10.
Tyler Wallace finished
95th for the Thunderbirds
in 31:08.20.
Bryce
Golightly
ran
31:27.90 to place 101st.
Zane Downing crossed in
104th place in 31:49.70.
Boone Cady finished
115th in 33:35.30.
Jonny Bernasky, running unattached, won the
race in 35:51.70.
The
Cloud
County
women had Debbie Ames
finish 115th in 25:01.30.
Allyne Purdy placed
128th in 27:05.40.
Rubi Torres, Newman,
was the individual champion in 18:49.70.
CCCC places 13th
CHICAGO
(AP)
—
Moments after Detroit
secured the AL Central
title, Kansas City manager
Ned Yost started pulling
some of his regulars from
the lineup.
It was finally time to
start preparing for the
playoffs.
Kansas City’s chance for
a division crown was
erased by Detroit’s victory
on Sunday, and the Royals
went on to a 6-4 comeback
win over Chicago in the
final game for retiring
White Sox captain Paul
Konerko.
Coming into the final
day of the regular season,
Kansas City was hoping for
a one-game playoff on
Monday in Detroit for the
division crown. But the
Tigers clinched with a 3-0
victory over the Twins,
sending the Royals to the
wild-card game on Tuesday night against Oakland
in their first postseason
appearance since winning
Game 7 of the 1985 World
Series.
“There’s been teams
that have won the World
Series from the wild-card
game, and they know
that,” Yost said. “So they’re
excited
to
start
the
process.
“When a lot of teams are
going home, the elite few
get to stay back and play in
this tournament, and for
the first time in a long
time, we’ve earned the
right to play in it.”
Kansas City (89-73) will
send James Shields to the
mound against Oakland
left-hander Jon Lester
when it hosts the first
game of the 2014 playoffs.
The Royals went 5-2
against the Athletics this
year, but both of their losses came against Lester.
“I’m glad we can kind of
put the regular season
behind us, start this new
journey right now,” first
baseman Eric Hosmer
said. “It’s going to be a fun
experience.”
Konerko started at first
base and played five
innings on the final day of
his 18-year big league
career. The slugger, who
paid tribute to his wife and
three children by writing
their names in the infield
dirt behind the bag, went 0
for 3 with two strikeouts.
Konerko went out to
first before Kansas City
batted in the sixth inning,
and then was replaced by
Andy Wilkins. Konerko
waved his hat toward the
visiting dugout, where the
Royals were standing and
applauding along the top
step, and then waved to
the standing crowd of
32,266, once again hearing chants of “Paulie!
Paulie!”
The 38-year-old disappeared into the dugout for
a brief moment and then
popped back out for a curtain call. He waved to the
crowd again and acknowledged the sustained cheers
with a bow before retreating back into the dugout,
where he received more
hugs and congratulations
from his teammates.
“This whole thing blew
me away,” said Konerko,
who also was honored by
the White Sox before Saturday night’s game. “I
know I’ve been here a while
and I knew there’d be
something at the end that
would be commemorating
me being here for a while.
But this whole thing, the
fans and all that last night,
I never thought that I was
one of those guys that gets
that.”
Konerko also lingered
on the field after the loss to
exchange high-fives with
the fans along the railing of
his longtime home. A sixtime All-Star, Konerko finishes with a .279 average,
439 homers and 1,412
RBIs.
Chicago had a 4-2 lead
when Konerko departed,
but Kansas City responded
with three runs in the
sixth. Christian Colon,
who was activated from the
disabled list before the
game, hit a tying two-run
double off Daniel Webb (65) and Carlos Peguero
added a tiebreaking RBI
single.
Casey Coleman (1-0)
pitched a scoreless inning
for his first win since Sept.
9, 2011, for the Chicago
Cubs against Milwaukee.
Louis Coleman got three
outs for his first save.
The White Sox (73-89)
dropped five of their final
six games. Adam Eaton
went 3 for 3 before he was
replaced in the field before
the fifth inning, leaving
him with a .300 batting
average.
READY TO GO
Kansas City rookie Yordano Ventura allowed four
runs and eight hits in four
innings. He was lifted after
73 pitches and said he
would be available for the
game against the A’s.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: Colon had been
sidelined by a broken middle finger on his right
hand.
White Sox: SS Alexei
Ramirez (sore hamstring)
and
1B
Jose
Abreu
(sprained thumb) did not
play.
MR. 162
Royals SS Alcides Escobar started every game this
season.
His
previous
career high was 158
games, set in 2011 and
matched last year.
“It’s hard for most people, but it’s not hard for
him,” Yost said. “He just
has that body type that
allows him to go out and
play at a high level every
single day.”
Barton County slips past T-Birds, 2-1
GREAT BEND — Barton
County leapfrogged Cloud
County in the Jayhawk
Conference men’s soccer
standings with a 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds
Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars, 4-3-3
overall, improve to 3-1-2 in
the Conference.
Cloud County, 4-5-1
overall, falls to 3-2-1 in
conference play.
“They didn’t come out
and work hard from the
opening whistle,” Cloud
County assistant coach
Spencer Nemnich said, “It
wasn’t a team effort. There
were only one or two players who worked hard.”
Neither team had a shot
on goal in the scoreless
first half.
Barton County took a 10 lead in the 52nd minute
when Jiro Barriga Toyama
took a cross from Renan
Sousa and scored.
Cloud County would tie
the match at 1-1 with just
over 15 minutes remaining.
The T -Birds had a pair
of shots turned back, but
Kendy Pierre was able to
deliver a shot into the goal
off a rebound.
“Their keeper made a
nice save, and Kendy
Pierre was there to tie it
up,” Nemnich said.
Less than four minutes
later, Barton County’s Matt
Sherrod sent a cross to
Sousa, who scored the
winning goal.
Cloud County finished
the match with just five
shots, two on goal.
Barton County also had
just two shots on goal.
The T -Birds will travel to
Texas for three games.
They play third-ranked
Tyler Junior College on
Thursday, San Jacinto
College on Friday and
Richland College on Sunday.
6 Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29, 2014
ONE PLACE HAS IT ALL
THE CLASSIFIEDS
For Rent
FOR RENT- 1 bedroom apartment,
private entrance, most utilities, $425/
mo. 785-275-2062.
FOR RENT- 1 & 2 bedroom apartments, furnished, most utilities, $425$500/mo. 785-275-2062.
FOR RENT- 2 bedroom house with
garage, $575/mo. 785-275-2062.
FOR RENT-Storage spaces, various
sizes, reasonable, locally owned.
785-243-4105.
Help Wanted
Cloud County
Co-op Elevator Inc.
Has immediate opening
for
OUTSIDE HARVEST
HELP
Applicants must be at least
18 yrs of age and able to lift at
least 50 lbs. Duties include:
Assisting customers, loading
and unloading trucks and
railcars.
Apply in person at
304 Kansas
HELP WANTED
Ice Cream Parlor
Part time every other
Saturday and Sunday.
Housekeeping/Laundry
Full time, benefits
Apply in person.
Mount Joseph Senior
Village
1110 W. 11th St.
Concordia, KS. EOE
RETAIL MERCHANDISER
AMERICAN
GREETINGS
is looking for
Retail Greeting Card
Merchandisers
in Concordia, KS.
As a member of our team, you
will ensure the greeting card
department is merchandised
and maintained to provide
customers the best selection
of cards and product to
celebrate life’s events.
Apply online at: WorkatAG.
com or call 1.888.323.4192.
DIETARY MANAGER
40 bed skilled nursing home.
Certification a plus, but not
necessary. Please apply and
submit resume in person.
Applications accepted
through Oct. 1st.
PARK VILLA
114 S. High
Clyde, KS
HELP WANTED
DIETARY COOK/AIDE
Day and evening hours
available.
Please apply in person
MARQUIS PLACE
205 W. 21st. St.,
Concordia
EOE
DRIVERS NEEDED
Part time,
in the Concordia Area
Please call Tonya at 785543-7314, leave message.
When you need to
buy or sell
advertise in the
blade-empire
Classifieds!
Call 243-2424
Cloud County
Co-op Elevator Inc.
Has immediate opening
for
FULL TIME
ELEVATOR HELP
Duties include loading
and unloading trucks and
railcars, and assisting
customers. Applicants must
be at least 18 years of age
and able to lift at least 50 lbs.
Drug screen required.
Apply in person at
304 Kansas
CONSOLIDATED
MANAGEMENT
COMPANY
Is currently looking for
Food Service Workers.
Part-time and Full-time
positions available. Must be
enthusiastic to work, and
be able to pass a drug test
and background check. If
interested, please apply at
Cloud County Community
College Cafeteria, located
at 2221 Campus Drive, or
call Scott at 785-243-1435,
Ext. 305.
Immediate Opening at
NCK Commercial
Laundry
NCK Commercial Laundry
has positions open in the
clean linen department.
Paid vacations, holiday
pay, retirement and health
insurance available.
Apply in person at
217 W. 3rd
All recent applicants please
reapply.
HELP WANTED
Dishwashers nights and
weekends; Servers, all
shifts. Apply in person,
KRISTY’S, 101 W. 6th St.,
Concordia.
DIETARY AIDE
Part-time Evening
Responsibilities include meal
setup, service and clean-up.
Includes flexible scheduling,
starting wage above minimum,
every other weekend off. For the
opportunity to work in the growing
health care industry, apply in
person at:
620 2nd Ave.
Concordia
EOE
We do pre-employment drug
testing.
CNA or CMA,
Full or Part-time
All Shifts, every other
weekend.
DIETARY
Part-time
Includes every other
weekend, AM & PM shifts
available.
HOUSEKEEPING
and or LAUNDRY
Part-time, includes every
other weekend.
Apply in person at
PARK VILLA
114 S. High, Clyde
Full-time/Part-time Position
Must be able to lift 50 lbs.,
work some weekends, position
includes customer service,
stocking shelves, loading and
unloading and learning register
procedures.
Pick up application at
Concordia Town & Country
1516 Lincoln, Concordia
Legals
(First published in The Concordia
Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29,
2014.)
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF CLOUD
COUNTY, KANSAS
CIVIL DEPARTMENT
Colonial Savings, F.A.
Case No. 14CV23
Plaintiff,
v.
Title to Real Estate Involved
Ryan Liby, et al.
Defendants,
Pursuant to K.S.A. §60
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that under and by virtue of an Order of Sale issued
to me by the Clerk of the District Court of
Cloud County, Kansas, the undersigned
Sheriff of Cloud County, Kansas, will offer
for sale at public auction and sell to the
highest bidder for cash in hand at the Cloud
County Courthouse, Concordia, Kansas,
on October 20, 2014, at the time of 10:00
A.M. the following real estate:
LOT FOUR (4) IN BLOCK ONE (1) IN
THE CITY OF CLYDE, CLOUD COUNTY,
KANSAS. Tax ID No. 002-CL0035, Commonly known as 314 Campbell Ave., Clyde,
KS 66938 (“the Property”) MS161131
to satisfy the judgment in the above entitled case. The sale is to be made without
appraisement and subject to the redemption period as provided by law, and further
subject to the approval of the Court.
Brian K. Marks
Cloud County Sheriff
MILLSAP & SINGER, LLC
By:Chad R. Doornink, #23536
cdoornink@msfirm.com
Jason A. Orr #22222
jorr@msfirm.com
11460 Tomahawk Creek Parkway,
Suite 300
Leawood, KS 66211
(913) 339-9132
(913) 339-9045 (fax)
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF
3m
Ogallala Aquifer continues to be tapped
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)
– Farmers have been resistant to using a two-year-old
law that allows them to form
groups that can require
deep reductions in irrigation from the diminishing
and endangered Ogallala
Aquifer.
The hope was that if
enough Western Kansas
farmers pared their water
use by at least 20 percent,
the aquifer’s lifespan could
be extended, the Lawrence
Journal-World reports. But
so far, only one group of
110 farmers, who own 99
square miles in Sheridan
and Thomas counties near
Colby, has formed.
“We had expectations of
it catching on like wildfire,”
said Tracy Streeter, director
of the Kansas Water Office.
“In Topeka we would have
liked to see more flurry over
this. It’s going to be a slower
process than we thought.”
A second group of farmers also attempted to create
a so-called LEMA, or Local Enhanced Management
Area, in Wichita, Scott,
Lane, Greeley and Wallace. In that area, the aquifer is so shallow that some
farmers already don’t have
enough water pressure left
to irrigate.
Farmers were told that if
they agreed to a reduction
the state would enforce action against those who overpump. But when a vote of
farmers in those counties
was held this spring, the
water reduction proposal
won a simple majority, but
not the two-thirds majority
that the farmers decided it
needed to pass.
Now farmers who want to
conserve are planning more
meetings, possibly redrawing boundaries of LEMAs
and considering another
vote, possibly next year,
said Greg Graff, president
of the area’s groundwater
management district.
“I didn’t feel like it failed,”
Graff said. “It passed by a
slim measure. It was a beginning.”
Last year a Kansas State
University study said if everything remains the same,
the aquifer will be 70 percent depleted by 2060. But
the study said the aquifer
could last another 100 years
if all farmers were to cut 20
percent of their usage.
Gov. Sam Brownback
has issued a “call for action”
and asked his administration to develop a 50-year vision of the future of water in
Kansas. Agriculture officials
have been traveling western Kansas to help educate
farmers about water conservation and share the draft
vision plan.
“Their comments have
been everything from 20
percent reduction, to that is
too little, to 50 years is too
late, to we need to do something right now, and leave us
alone we are just fine,” said
Lane Letourneau, whose job
as project manager for the
Kansas Department of Agriculture is to allocate water
from the aquifer and to protect private-property rights.
While laws on the books
could be used to force farmers to limit water, officials
have been reluctant to take
that path, even though they
know farmers have overused water.
“It is heavy-handed,” Letourneau said.
In five years, no farmer
has had his water rights revoked because of the Ogallala’s diminishing water
levels, the Journal-World
found through an open records request.
MUTTS® by Patrick McDonnell
Upcoming
events
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7
p.m., Brown Grand Theatre—Short Film Festival.
Thursday, Oct. 2 and
Friday, Oct. 3 p.m., Brown
Grand Theatre—Auditions
for “A Tuna Christmas,” directed by Sue Sutton.
Thursday, Oct. 9, 7
p.m.—Night of the Living
Dead, Brown Grand Theatre.
Friday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m.—
Opening of exhibit, “Postcards from Kansas: Wish
you were here!” Wine reception at National Orphan
Train Complex
Sunday, Oct. 12, 12:30
p.m.—CoMotion
Modern
Dance workshop, Brown
Grand Theatre.
Thursday, Oct. 16, 6
p.m.—Cloud county Historical Society’s annual dinner,
meeting and program, OLPH
parish hall, Call 243.2866
for reservations.
ZITS® by Scott and Borgman
NANCY® by Guy & Brad Gilchrist
Sales Calendar
BARNEY GOOGLE AND SNUFFY SMITH® by John Rose
•Tuesday, October 7,
2014–Real Estate Auction
at 10:00 a.m. located at
the Courtland Community
Center, 403 Main, Courtland, Kansas. 144.38 acres
with 140.77 cropland acres.
The farm has 106 irrigated
acres. Glenwood L. Lundberg Estate,Seller. Thummel Auction.
•Monday, November 17,
2014– Real Estate Auction
at 10:00 a.m. located at the
Miltonvale Community Center in Miltonvale, Kansas.
317 Acres Ottawa County
Cropland and Pasture. 2
Tracts of Land. Marjorie
J. Bulleigh Trust, Sellers.
Larry Lagasse Auction.
HAGER THE HORRIBLE® by Chris Browne
Experience The QSI Advantage
$8,610
24x24x8 GARAGE
$8,490
16’ x 7’ Overhead Door • One Entry Door
Price Includes DELIVERY & INSTALLATION On Your Level Site.
Travel Charges May Apply
Computer
Sales and
Service
Specializing in Malware, Spyware, Virus, and
Rogue software removal. Bring your PC in for
an exam. We’ll clean it up and help you find a
solution so that you are better protected! Call
ahead to schedule a time or just stop in.
FREE ESTIMATES
AND ON-SITE CONSULTATION
800-374-6988
MATERIAL KITS NOW AVAILABLE
www.qualitystructures.com
123 W 6th
Concordia, Kansas
(800) 659-1520
(785) 243-1520
8 Blade-Empire, Monday, September 29, 2014
Obituaries
MARCINE L. JOHNSON
Marcine L. Johnson, age
86, died Saturday, Sept. 27,
2014, at the Sterling House,
Salina. She was born on
March 31, 1928, in Clifton, Kan., to Pete and Edith
(Graves) Peterson.
She graduated from Clifton High School. Marcine
taught school until she married Herbert E. Johnson on
June 1, 1947, in Clifton,
Kan. He preceded her on
July 13, 2008. Marcine was
an avid homemaker and
Avon saleswoman. She and
Herb lived in Belleville until
1968 when they moved to
Concordia. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Concordia,
VFW Auxiliary, Heartland
Auto Club, H.D.U. and the
Friendship Club. Marcine
enjoyed gardening, cooking
and playing cards.
She is survived by her
son, Michael Johnson, Pasco, Wash.; daughters, Rita
Youngers, Wichita, Shirley
Johnson (Jim), Concordia
and Teresa Harris (Van), Salina; brother, Marlin “Bill”
Peterson (Brenda), Clay Center; sisters-in-law, Maxine
Peterson, Clay Center, Mary
Peterson, Wamego, and Gail
Johnson, Sherwood, Wis.;
grandchildren, Stacy Mitchell (Rocky), Topeka, Janna
Coffey (Keith), Pasco, Wash.,
Cynthia Cruz (Freddie), Pasco, Wash.; Amber Barkley
(Adam), and Ryan Harris,
both of Salina; great-grandchildren, Rachelle & Cole
Mitchell, Beth Ann, Caleb,
Emma Kate & Elysa Coffey
Marcine L. Johnson
and Lucas Cruz.
She was preceded by her
husband, Herbert; granddaughter, Kelly Johnson;
parents; brothers, Glemo,
Delmer & LaVerne Peterson & son-in-law, Robert
Youngers.
Funeral services will
be held at 10:30 a.m. on
Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, at
the First United Methodist Church, Concordia. with
the Rev. Tessa Zehring officiating. Burial will follow at
the Belleville Cemetery, Belleville. Visitation will be from
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday,
at Chaput-Buoy Funeral
Home, Concordia. The family
will greet friends for an hour
prior to the services at the
church. The family suggest
memorials to the First United Methodist Church, Meadowlark Hospice or KSDS,
Inc. Assistance Dogs, in care
of the funeral home. For online condolences, please visit
www.chaputbuoy.com.
Markets
NEW YORK (AP) — The
U.S. stock market slid to
start the week, following
European markets lower.
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 178
points at the start of trading on Monday then slowly
climbed back.
KEEPING SCORE: As of
1:05 p.m. Eastern time, the
Dow was down 83 points,
or 0.5 percent, to 17,030.
The Standard & Poor’s 500
index lost eight points, or
0.4 percent, to 1,974. The
Nasdaq composite fell 13
points, or 0.3 percent, to
4,499.
The losses were modest
but broad. More than two
stocks fell for every one that
rose on the New York Stock
Exchange, and nine of the
10 industry groups in the
S&P 500 traded lower, but
not much. Energy stocks
lost the most, 0.8 percent.
WHAT’S UP: The market has turned choppy in
recent weeks, flipping between solid gains and steep
losses. Since hitting a record on Sept. 18, the S&P
500 has slipped 1.4 percent.
“It seems like the last
couple of weeks we’ve seen
such a lack of direction,”
said John Canally, chief
economic strategist at LPL
Financial in Boston. “We’re
also way overdue for a pullback. I can’t tell you how
many calls we’re getting
now asking, ‘Is this it? Is
this the big one?’”
THE ECONOMY: Traders
have pushed the stock market lower despite a string
of encouraging economic
news. On Monday the Commerce Department reported
that consumer spending
in August rose 0.5 percent
from the previous month
after no gain in July. Auto
sales made up about half
of the increase. It was the
best result since spending expanded at the same
rate in June and further
evidence that the economy
is on solid footing heading
into the end of the year.
RESPONSE: “The consumer is back in the driver’s seat where they should
be, moving the economy
ahead at what looks like
a strong 3 percent pace,”
said Chris Rupkey, chief
financial economist at the
Bank of Tokyo in New York.
“Somebody please tell the
stock market. Can’t ask
more of the economy than
that.”
DEAL CHATTER: DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind “Shrek” and
“Madagascar,” soared 25
percent following reports
that
Japan’s
SoftBank
Corp. is in talks to buy the
company.
DreamWorks
gained $5.65 to $28.01.
LOCAL MARKETS -EAST
Wheat ...........................$5.26
Milo ......(per bushel) ....$3.00
Corn .............................$2.90
Soybeans .....................$8.52
Oats ..............................$3.25
AGMARK
LOADING FACILITY
LOCAL MARKETS - WEST
Wheat ..........................$5.26
Milo .....(per bushel) .....$3.00
JAMESTOWN MARKETS
Wheat ...........................$5.21
Milo ...(per bushel) ........$2.93
Soybeans .....................$8.47
Nusun .........................$14.45
Carlin
(continued from page 1)
Dennis Anderson, the
Overland Park Democrat
running for the post as insurance commissioner, said that
in most elections Kansans
need not worry about who
fills the position. “This election is different because Gov.
Brownback wants to expand
his influence over the insurance commissioner's office,”
he said.
Anderson said his opponent is the CPA for a large
insurance company and a
Brownback protegé. “Brownback wants the state to take
over Medicare and jeopardize
the benefits guaranteed to
455,000 Kansas seniors,” he
said.
The Democratic Party
candidate, who has received
the endorsement of current
Republican insurance commissioner Sandy Praeger,
said his opponent would
not expand Medicaid which
would bring millions of federal dollars into Kansas and
also help fund rural hospitals
who are struggling to survive.
Expansion of Medicaid also
would protect those families
who are facing bankruptcy
because of medical bills as
well as create 4,000 new jobs,
he said.
Anderson said his opponent wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “No one
said the ACA is perfect, but
repealing it is not the answer,” he said. “If the law
were repealed, citizens with a
pre-existing condition could
be denied health insurance
and in this culture being a
woman or a senior citizen
could be considered pre-existing conditions.”
The health care compact
that the Kansas legislature
has approved should concern
Kansas seniors because if enacted by Congress every Kansas senior would give up their
guaranteed benefits that they
currently have with Medicare, Anderson said. “The
money would be sent to the
political leadership in Topeka
who would decide how it is
spent,” he said.
Anderson, who was reared
on farm in Smith Center,
runs a family business which
trains individuals wanting to
become insurance agents. He
has a degree in ag economics
from Kansas State University.
Anderson said that he is
running for the insurance
commissioner position to
protect Kansans and make
certain insurance is working
for them. “Kansas is one of
only 11 states to elect their
insurance commissioners,”
he said. “The reason is that
Kansans want the office to
answer to the public and not
to the big insurance companies.”
Jill Docking, the Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant governor and the running mate of Paul Davis, said
she never thought she would
be this concerned about the
direction that Kansas was
headed.
The tax base of Kansas is
like a stool with three legs,
Docking said. Revenues to
fund state and local governments come from property
taxes, sales tax and state in-
Weather
come taxes, she explained.
“Under Gov. Sam Brownback's leadership corporate
and business taxes have
been virtually eliminated
which will cause an increasing burden to be placed on
property taxes and this will
disproportionately affect rural Kansas.”
“Kansans need to listen to
the experts and realize that
the state is facing a $1.3 billion deficit, which will lock us
into a permanent recession,”
Docking said. “Brownback
has convinced us that tax
cuts will increase employment in the state, but the
savings are not enough for
companies to hire more employees,” she said. “Also, tax
cuts have seldom been a reason for adding new employees.”
Brownback's program of
cutting taxes has resulted
in the state's bond ratings to
be downgraded two or three
times, Docking said. “This
reduces the state's ability to
borrow money and generally raises interest rates,” she
said.
“This has been a failed
Red State experiment and we
need your help to turn things
around and protect hardworking Kansans,” Docking
said. “It is rural Kansas that
we need to save in this election,” she said.
“I want to serve Kansas
first and I couldn't be more
proud of being on the ticket
with Paul Davis,” she said.
Docking has worked in the
financial services industry
in Wichita since 1988. She
was appointed in 2007 to the
Kansas Board of Regents and
served as its chairman. Along
with her husband, Tom, she
serves as co-chair of the KU
Capital Foundation as well
as serving on the boards of
the University of Kansas Endowment Fund, the Wichita KU Medical School, the
Kansas All Star Scholarship
Fund and the Mid-Continent
Health Care Simulation.
She ran for the Senate
in 1996 and her husband
served as lieutenant governor
under Carlin.
Sue Sutton, chair of the
Cloud County Democratic
Party, welcomed those attending and elicited their
support for the candidates.
Sutton said that she admired former Concordia Republican Frank Carlson,
who served his state as a
congressman, governor and
senator, for his bipartisan efforts.
Carlson was the son of
Swedish immigrants and
farmed southwest of Concordia, Sutton said. He worked
with the Democrats in Congress to pass measures such
as Social Security, Medicare
and the Civil Rights Voting
Act of 1965, she said.
Nick Levendofsky of Republic, the chairman of the
Republic County Democratic
Party, in introducing Carlin,
said that every election is the
most important election. “We
need leaders like John Carlin
who will put the people first,”
he said.
Other introductions of the
candidates were made by
Christy Hasch, Ken Anderson and Ellen Anderson.
An apple a day may keep
the doctor away, but two
carrots a day can help to
cut cholesterol levels, say
USDA scientists. Carrots,
as well as cabbage and onions, contain a type of fiber
that lowers cholesterol.
Today’s weather artwork by
Brandin Aldridge,
a 1st grader in
Miss Anderson’s class
Obama says U.S.
underestimated the
Islamic State threat
WASHINGTON
(AP)
–
President Barack Obama
is acknowledging that U.S.
intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from
Islamic State militants in
the Middle East and overestimated the ability and will
of Iraq’s army to fight such
extremists.
Obama described the U.S.
intelligence assessments in
response to a question during a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday,
in which he also conceded
that the U.S. led military
campaign against that group
and an al-Qaida affiliate in
Syria was helping Syrian
dictator Bashar Assad, a
man the U.N. has accused of
war crimes.
But Obama said he had
no choice but to order U.S.
air strikes on Assad’s enemies, the Islamic State and
the Khorasan Group because, he said, “those folks
could kill Americans.”
The Islamic State group,
which derived from but has
broken with al-Qaida, has
taken control of large sections of Iraq and Syria. The
Khorasan Group is a cell of
militants that the U.S. says
is plotting attacks against
the West in cooperation with
the Nusra front, Syria’s alQaida affiliate.
Obama was asked how
Islamic State fighters had
come to control so much territory in Syria and Iraq and
whether it was a surprise to
him. The president said that
during the Iraq war, U.S.
military forces with the help
of Iraq’s Sunni tribes were
able to quash al-Qaida fighters, who went “back underground.”
“During the chaos of the
Syrian civil war, where essentially you have huge
swaths of the country that
are completely ungoverned,
they were able to reconstitute themselves and take
advantage of that chaos,”
For the
Record
Sheriff’s Report
Arrest– Deputies arrested James Key, Concordia,
Sept. 28, charging him with
Domestic Battery. Key was
transported to Cloud County
Corrections.
Obama said, according to
an excerpt release before the
show aired.
He noted that his director of national intelligence,
James Clapper, has acknowledged that the U.S.
“underestimated what had
been taking place in Syria.”
Obama also said it was “absolutely true” that the U.S.
overestimated the ability
and will of the Iraqi army.
Both the Islamic State
group and the Khorasan
Group have been targeted
by U.S. airstrikes in recent
days; together they constitute the most significant
military opposition to Assad,
whose government the U.S.
would like to see gone.
On the fact that the U.S.led military campaign had
worked to Assad’s benefit,
Obama said, “I recognize the
contradiction,” but added:
“We are not going to stabilize Syria under the rule of
Assad,” whose government
has
committed
“terrible
atrocities.”
Sen. John McCain, who
lost the presidential election to Obama in 2008 and
has been a frequent critic on
foreign policy, said Monday
that the administration had
miscalculated the necessity
for the United States to keep
a residual force of troops in
Iraq after the war there ended.