THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
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Transcript of THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
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Junction City
Volume 153, No. 183, 2 Sections, 14 pages, 5 Inserts www.yourDU.net 50 Cents Junction City, Kansas
The Daily Union is a Montgomery
Communications newspaper, 2013
For news updates throughout the day, visit www.yourDU. net
USD 475Tech Fair
3A Women rulethe hard court
Sports
THEDAILYUNION. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013
38 12 28 7
Wednesdays forecast
Like us on
Facebook
Were social Todays forecast
Sunny Snow
With a smile, Alyson
Fisher marked on a
wish list as a young
local girl pointed at toys withexcitement.
Today, its all about her,
Fisher said about the happy
child next to her.
As the shopping cart rattled
through the aisles of Walmart on
Saturday, the Geary County
Sheriffs deputy, was glad to fill
it up with Barbie dolls, princess
dresses and little fairies.
Fisher was one of many local
law enforcement officers making
the holiday season brighter by
participating in the Shop with a
Cop program for needy chil-
dren.
I think its a great opportuni-
ty for law enforcement to get
involved with the kids, she said.
It shows that were going tohelp them and be out in the com-
munity as well.
Through donations from the
public, law enforcement agen-
cies of Geary County, Junc-
tion City and Grandview
Plaza, assisted more
than 30 children this
year.
Its a great
program
for kids
to get a
toy and
feel what
its
like
to
open that on Christmas, Fisher
said.
Each child was allowed toreceive $100 worth of gifts.
In addition, items such
as coats, gloves, hats
and shoes were
also purchased
by the officers,
if they were
needed. The
children
also
picked up
gifts for
family
mem-
bers.
JCPD
Chief
Tim
Brown said the program has
been around for close to a
decade.It just goes along with the
holiday spirit, Brown said.
Were just glad to be a part of
it.
The departments received
assistance from the Geary Coun-
ty School District, organizations
and businesses. Donations also
were collected for the sheriffs
department in Junction City and
Grandview Plaza.
Although shoppers saw offi-
cers at the checkout counters,
JCPD Det. Al Babcock said it
was the residents that made it
work. The community was a big
supporter of this, Babcock said.
Its a good thing.
Different type
of duty
Storyan
dph
otos
byCha
seJordan
Shop with a cop program ensures local children have good Christmas
BYDAILYUNIONSTAFF
Kansas Highway Patroltroopers responded to fourinjury accidents Sunday morn-ing on Interstate 70 in Gearyand Riley counties.
Weather and road conditionsplayed a role in at least one ofthe accidents, which in totalsent three people to area hospi-tals.
In the first of the reported
accidents, 25-year-old LauraRice of Manhattan was trans-ported to Mercy RegionalHealth Center in Manhattanafter she reportedly lost controlof her 2003 Jeep Grand Chero-kee, crossed the median intothe westbound lanes and struckthe trailer of a 2012 Freightlin-er semitrailer.
The accident was reported atabout 7:55 a.m. near eastboundmile marker 319, which is about20 miles east of Junction City.
Rice reportedly had cruisecontrol set when her vehicletraveled across the median. Shewas wearing a seat belt.
The driver of the semitrailer,
Snowy
weekendmakesroads
dangerousFour accidents on
I-70 result in threeinjuries
BYCHASEJORDAN
The recent firing of for-
mer Geary County SheriffsDepartment detective
Anthony Ricks has theNAACP seeking answers.
On Monday, Geary Coun-ty Commissioners faced a
full house, which includedmany Ricks supporters.
James Kelly, secretaryfor the local branch of
National Association forthe Advancement of Col-
ored People, spoke on
behalf of the organizationand questioned how a per-son of Ricks stature couldbe released from his posi-tion.
Additionally,was there ever anopportunity givento Detective Ricksto present his sideof the allegations
fairly and objec-tively?
In October, Rickswas released from his posi-tion after serving with thedepartment since 2006.Sheriff Tony Wolf said it
was a personnel matter andhasnt commented furtheron the decision.
Now the NAACP isrequesting a full,impartial andi n d e p e n d e n tinvestigation ofthe sheriffsdepartment toensure justifica-
tion for Rickstermination.
Ricks ranagainst Wolf as the Demo-cratic candidate for Sheriffin 2012. They were bothemployees for the depart-
ment during that time peri-od.
Kelly also questioned ifthe County Commissionerswere committed to ensur-ing equality in the hiringprocess of minorities andthe use of offensive andderogatory names againstgroups and races of people.
Anyone so insensitive to
use inflammatory remarkssuch as these against otherpeople is showing a com-plete lack of judgement,Kelly said. Those who hearit and allow it to continueare as bad as those who use
the term. Will this Commis-sion go on record to makethe statement that you donot endorse discrimination,bigotry, or due process atanytime?
During and after his ter-mination, Kelly said Rickswas written up four timesand had a strained relation-ship with Wolf.
Melody Saxton, NAACPmember and Geary Demo-cratic Party Chair, said sheis concerned about thetreatment of people run-ning for sheriff, by bringingup bullying tactics such as
being called names andhaving political signs tak-ing down.
It makes it not worthrunning, which preventsthe electoral process fromfunctioning in Geary Coun-ty, Saxton said. I wouldlike re-assurance thatsomething is going to hap-pen that will protect people
who want to run.Later, she also asked if
they have an outlet iftheres retribution forspeaking out.
Race still a problem: NAACP questions firing of detective Ricks
BYT IM WEIDEMAN
FORT RILEY The Com-missary on post isnt clos-ing nor is it about toclose any time soon.
However, officials arekeeping a close eye on thesituation.
On Monday, local leaders
said no decisions had been
made on whether United
States-based commissarieswould be closed in 2015 as
part of the Department of
Defenses continuing efforts
to slash its budget.
Tremors of that possibil-
ity were created last month
when Stars and Stripes, the
Department of Defenses
independently edited news-
paper, reported the Penta-gon was analyzing the idea.
Word spread even faster
last week after Fox News
picked up on the plan.
The network reported 178
Commissary concerns?FORT RILEY
Please see Commissary, 8A
Please see Snowy, 8A
Please see Race, 8A
BYCHASEJORDAN
Jim Didas was hoping to get another
shot at re-opening a local rock quarry, but
it doesnt look good.Geary County Commissioners upheld a
recommendation from the Metropolitan
Planning Commission to deny a request
for a conditional use permit to re-open
the quarry on the property near Munson
Road, between Rucker Road and
K-244 Highway.I cant believe that decisions like this
can be made on emotion, Didas said afterthe vote. Didas, owner of Range and CivilConstruction (RACC) wanted to use thesite to mine rock. There were also plansto crush concrete and asphalt to mix withthe limestone. The reasons for the origi-nal denial in November included con-cerns centered around blasting, noise,dust control and road issues.
Similar to previous meetings, residents
Officials nix quarry plan
Please see Quarry, 8A
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Cold Front Brings More Rain To Southeast
Sunny Pt. C loudy C loudy
A low pressure system will produce rain showers along most ofthe mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts on Tuesday. Snow is expectedalong the northern portion of the storm system. Lake-effect snowwill fall downwind of the Great Lakes.
National forecastForecast highs for Tuesday, Dec. 10
Fronts PressureCold Warm Stationary Low High
-10s 100s-0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 110s
IceSnowFlurriesT-stormsRainShowers
Chicago11 | 27
Seattle31 | 39
San Francisco37 | 53
Los Angeles37 | 65
El Paso30 | 47
Houston39 | 51
Denver9 | 39
Billings
16 | 25
Atlanta46 | 48
Miami73 | 82
Washington D.C.33 | 34
New York
34 | 35Detroit19 | 26
Minneapolis-4 | 9
I
OKLA.
NEB. MO.
2013 Wunderground.com
| i
Colby11 | 40
Kansas City17 | 36
Topeka
17 | 38
Pittsburg18 | 35
Wichita16 | 37
Liberal11 | 42
Salina15 | 41
Kansas forecast for today
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TonightLow:12
Clear
WednesdayHigh:25
Low: 7
Sunny
ThursdayHigh: 41
Low: 22
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Weather THEDAILYUNIONSTAFF
EditorialManaging editorLisa [email protected]
Web managerGreg [email protected]
ReportersChase [email protected] [email protected]
Sports reporterEthan [email protected]
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Accounts receivableDebbie Savage
Daily weather recordPrecip. to 7 a.m. Monday .04December to date .05December average N.A.Year to date total 36.05Year to date average 32.08Mondays High 23Overnight low 4Temp. at 3 p.m. Monday 7Todays sunrise 7:35 a.m.Tonights sunset 5:05 p.m.
Milford LakeWater elevation 1,145.32Conservation pool 1,144.40Release 1,500Water temp. 34
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Accuracy watchThe Daily Union is committed to accuracy in all of itsnews and feature reports. If you see something that
requires a correction or clarification,call (785) 762-5000.
FORTRILEY2A The Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10. 2013
J. Par ker Ro berts 1st Infantry Division Public AffairsFour food-service soldiers fromacross the 1st Infantry Divisionand Fort Riley competed at FortRileys Food Service Lab Dec. 5and 6 to see who was the topFood Service noncommissionedofficer and Soldier of the quar-ter. Aspects of the competitionranged from a written test andboard to the cook off, in whichthe chefs were given a menu to
execute under strictly con-trolled conditions. A panel ofhungry judges decided whichsoldier had prepared the bestdish.
FortRileysoldiersfood
competition
BYJESSICAHEALEY
1st Infantry DivisionPublic Affairs
The Army Field Sup-
port Battalion marked the
end of Fort Rileys Left
Behind Equipment mis-sion with a Nov. 22 cere-
mony conducted in the
motor pool of the 1st Engi-
neer Battalion, 1st
Armored Brigade Combat
Team, 1st Infantry Divi-
sion. The ceremony cele-
brated the completion of
the units mission.
The Left Behind Equip-
ment mission started in
2007 in response to the
surge during the Global
War on Terror, said Lt.
Col. Dan Duncan, com-
mander, AFSB.
The mission was to take
care of the equipment left
behind while units were
deployed in theater, Dun-
can said, which turned out
to be quite a lot of equip-
ment, more than rear
detachment units could
handle.
The Army tasked
Army Material Command
to manage the program to
sign for and maintain
entire fleets of equipment
for each deploying unit
and return the equipment
to the unit upon redeploy-
ment, or, if ordered to,
redistribute it to other
units based on Army pri-
orities, he said.The mission was tasked
to Army field support bri-
gades and battalions
across the Army.
The AFSB at Fort Riley
is comprised of about 100
civilian contractors and
Soldiers. The unit has
handled up to 35,000 pieces
of equipment at once dur-
ing the mission, according
to Duncan.
This program enabled
the Army to focus on its
combat mission, while
simultaneously maintain-
ing readiness for the future
fight, Duncan said.
The Left Behind Equip-ment program differs from
what it was like six years
ago when it was started,
he said.
AFSB
receivesrecognition
for LBEmission
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AROUNDJCThe Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10. 2013 3A
BYCHASEJORDAN
Inside an auditoriumpacked with local educa-tors, Dr. Jason Ohler used alittle humor while talkingabout his second-gradeexperience in the 1950s.
Ohler said it was erawhere every female teacherlooked like she was 65 yearsold and had to wear a dress.It was a contrast from theteachers he spoke to Fridaymorning. Technology was
obviously much different,too.Today teachers have
devices such as computers.But for Ohler, the latesttechnology in his elemen-tary classroom was proba-bly a record player.
During Unified SchoolDistrict 475s annual Techand Learning Fair Friday,the best-selling author andeducator, discussed the ideaof using technology effec-tively and having a balance,outside the virtual world.
Im not saying that textis not important, Ohlersaid. But its not the only
game in town anymore.Ohler said its important
for teachers to let studentsuse their devices, a conceptof B.Y.O.D. (Bring YourOwn Device).
If that door stays closed,were never going to know,Ohler said about blendinglife at school and digital lifeat home. We cant do thatif we dont have them bringtheir own stuff.
The educator said main-taining face-to-face commu-nication and public speak-ing skills also is important.He said people still will bejudged on how they com-
municate in a non digitalway.
I tell you, its a dyingart, he said.
He also discussed theconcept of Digital Citizen-ship. Some of that includedappropriate online behav-ior, using Internet materialand creating a digital foot-print in a positive way.
With social media outletssuch as Facebook, he said itshould be a part of a stu-dents world, but not all ofit.
He said teachers and par-
ents should educate stu-dents how to properly pres-ent themselves for purposessuch as receiving a job,since human resourcedepartments are checkingapplicants Facebookpages.
You can not hide any-more, he said. I dont careif you want to drive in themiddle of Kansas in a (four-wheel drive). People willTweet about that. WheresBob?
Kelly Upp, a Kindergar-ten teacher at Fort Rileys
Custer Hill ElementarySchool, was one of severaleducators in attendance.Although a lot of the mediadiscussed by Ohler was tooadvanced for 5- or 6-year-olds, its still used in somefashion.
We try to use technologyevery day, Upp said. Weget on computers and teachthem how to use a mouseand Smartboards.
Times has changed forUpp as well. As a youth,there were only a couple ofcomputers in a classroom,now theres a whole set for
just about every student.Its changed a lot, hesaid. Its not just smallgroup activities. Now its awhole classroom where youare instructing everybodyat the same time.
Following the presenta-tion, teachers received moretechnology lessons in break-out sessions.
Superintendent RonWalker said the fair, alsocalled Technopalooza, isdesigned to assist educatorsin blending advanced tech-nology into the learning forstudents.
USD 475 does not favor
one device over anotherbecause we understand col-leges, technical schools andwork places all use a vari-ety of brands of computersand other devices, Walkerstated in a news release.Rather, we focus on how adevice is being used todevelop authentic learningfor our staff and students.A computer and the Inter-net are useless to anyoneunless they know the vastrichness it offers to assist inopening the world of learn-ing for students and staff.
Tech at USD 475
USD 475
Dr. Jason Ohler makes a presentation about technology to local teachers.
BYT IM WEIDEMAN
Should a major inci-dent or disastrous weath-er event occur in GearyCounty, area elected offi-cials not just lawenforcement, fire andEMS personnel need tobe ready.
That was the messagedriven home Thursdayduring an elected officialstraining course hosted byGeary County EmergencyManagement.
Emergency Manage-ment Director GarryBerges said its much eas-ier for officials to fulfilltheir roles in times of cri-sis when they too knowhow to respond.
They need to knowbefore a disaster happenswhat their role is and howthey fit into the picture,Berges said during abreak in the trainingcourse.
Officials from GearyCounty, Junction City,Grandview Plaza and Mil-ford attended the courseat the C.L. HooverOpera House.
Nancy Lamb of theKansas Division of Emer-gency Management toldthose officials they mustbe prepared to work witheach other, their neigh-boring jurisdictions andarea emergency person-nel during emergencies.
Elected and senior offi-cials can help by being
prepared to help witheverything from provid-ing policy guidance, tofacilitating communica-tions, to coordinatingfinancial resources.
Lamb said its impor-tant to have plans in placebefore emergencies hap-pen.
Youve got to set thosepriorities, she said.Dont wait until some-bodys life is taken orthreatened for you to dothat part.
Berges said the GearyCounty Emergency Man-agement office has want-
ed to hold a training forlocal elected officialsbecause many are newand may need to be edu-
cated on exactly what are
their responsibilities.
Its important for offi-
cials to know whats going
on during emergencies,
Berges said, but also to
know their roles.
Theyre not in charge
of the scene, theyre in
charge of stuff behind
the scene, he said.
C o m m u n i c a t i o n
between officials and
emergency personnel is
extremely important dur-
ing major disasters, such
as the ice storm a few
years ago or the tornado
in Chapman in 2008, Berg-
es said.
Thats something they
have to be prepared to
handle and possibly make
quick decisions to sup-
port emergency response
efforts.
If we have something
major thats going to tie
up law enforcement andfire for 24 to 48 hours,
they might be involved
in there, Berges said.
Preparing for an emergencyOfficials gather to talk about reactions, roles
LAWRENCE Hutchin-
son Community CollegePresident Ed Berger con-gratulated 47 new law
enforcement officers duringtheir graduation from theKansas Law Enforcement
Training Center (KLETC)on Oct. 4.
The new officers were
members of the 225th basictraining class at the center.Located one mile west and
one mile south of Yoder,near Hutchinson, the centeris a division of University of
Kansas Continuing Educa-tion.
Area graduates are as fol-
lows:Nathan Clement, a depu-
ty at the Geary County
Sheriffs Department inJunction City. Alyson Fish-er, a deputy at the Geary
County Sheriffs Depart-ment in Junction City.
Joseph Lynch, a patrol
officer at the Junction CityPolice Department in Junc-tion City.
Trevor Schulte, a deputyat the Geary County Sher-iffs Department in Junc-
tion City.Derrick Warnecke, a dep-
uty at the Geary County
Sheriffs Department inJunction City.
The graduates, who
began their training June24, represented 33 munici-pal, county and state law
enforcement agencies fromacross Kansas.
Graduates receive certifi-
cates of course completionfrom KLETC and Kansaslaw enforcement certifica-
tion from the Kansas Com-mission on Peace OfficersStandards and Training,
the states law enforcementlicensing authority.
Law enforcementannounces graduates
November was colderthan average and drierthan average.
It may not have been ascold as some peoplethought, although it wasthe coldest November since2000.
Surprisingly, there werealso no temperaturerecords set.
The average daily highin November was 52.9, 0.9degrees below average.
The average overnightlow was 27.7 which was 4.3degrees b elow average.
This gave us a monthlymean temperature of 40.3,2.6 degrees below average.The warmest temperaturefor the month was 74degrees on the 16th.
The coldest temperaturein November was 14degrees the morning of the27th.
The warmest Novemberon record was in 1999 whenthe monthly mean temper-ature was 51.8 degrees.
The coldest Novemberon record was the bonechilling late fall of 1985when the monthly meantemperature was 35.2.
While this Novemberwasnt a record, it wasmuch colder than the 47.4mean temperature of lastNovember and the coldestNovember since 2000 whenwe had a nippy 36.8 degreesfor a monthly mean tem-perature.
There were no tempera-ture records set during themonth.
November is our fourthdriest month of the yearwith average precipitationof 1.55 inches.
Average Novembersnowfall is a mere oneinch.
There was no snowrecorded during Novemberand the rainfall came in ata skimpy 0.39 inches inJunction City and 0.50inches at Milford Lake.
Year to date we are stillrunning a l ittle above aver-age.
Average annual precipi-tation with one month leftin the year is 32.13 inches.
Junction City hasreceived 32.38 inches so farin 2013 and Milford Lake35.08 inches for the year.
The driest November onrecord was in 1966 and
again in 1989 when no pre-cipitation was reported forthe entire month.
The wettest Novemberon record goes clear backto November of 1931 when5.88 inches of precipitationwas recorded.
December is our seconddriest month and our sec-ond coldest month.
Average precipitationfor December is 1.02 inch-es.
While average snowfallfor December is 3.7 inches,the odds work against usfor having a white Christ-mas
Daily highs in Decem-ber start the month at 46and by New Years Eve aredown to 38.
Over night lows rangefrom 25 on the 1st to 18 onthe 31st.
November2013
WeatherSummary
CHUCKOTTE
The Daily Union (USPS 286-520) (ISSN #0745743X) is published Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday except July 4, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day,Christmas Day, and New Years Day by Montgomery Communications, Inc.,222 West Sixth St., Junction City, Ks. 66441. Periodicals postage paid atJunction City, Ks.
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Wheat 6.60 +0-4
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ALID
APEARLCOOP
APINTO THE FUTURE
Alida Pearl Co-op AssociationChapman, Kansas 67431
December 9, 2013 Closing Prices
Two locations to serve youChapman 922-6505 Pearl 479-5870
1-800-491-2401 alidapearl.com
Soybeans 12.84 +18-2
Corn 4.08 +3-6
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NEWS4A The Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013
In briefKeynote change
CHAPMAN A change of venueis announced for the Dec. 19 pre-sentation of Michael Halls keynoteaddress in Chapman. St. MichaelsParish Center on East Sixth in Chap-man will be the host site for theChapman Area Preservation Soci-etys December meeting beginningat 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19. Mr.Hall will be speaking on The Sto-ries That Bind Us to Our Ancestors Why Preservation is Important.
A few appointments for privateconsultation with Mr. Hall on familyresearch will be available. ContactJan Kimbrell at (785) 280-2707 formore information.
Geary CountySenior Center
The Geary County Senior Centerwill have a Christmas dance thisFriday evening Dec. 13, beginningat 7 p.m.
Rick Stanley will be there to playthe tunes.
The dance will last until 10 p.m.
Please bring finger foods to enjoyduring the break.
Reservations are not required forthe dance.
A donation can will be set out forpeople to contribute.
Our annual Christmas dinner willbe on Friday Dec. 20 at noon.
Turkey and all the trimmings willbe served with entertainment fol-lowing the meal by Gabby and theboys.
To make a reservation for themeal call 238-4015.
There were 138 people at theThanksgiving meal.
The cost of the meal is a sug-gested donation of $3.15 for thoseover 60 and anyone under 60 pays$5.
Winter Family
Fun EventDoes your organization workwith families or children from birthto age six?
Are you looking for a new way toreach these families?
Then participate in the thirdWinter Family Fun Carnival on Jan.25 from 9 a.m. to noon in theMunicipal building.
Various partners from the EarlyChildhood Family Network will bepresent to share information aboutresources and services in the areawith parents and caregivers.
Each booth also will offer a fungame or activity for children and aprize.
Each activity will require a ticketthat can be purchased for 10 cents.
All monies will be donated toFirst Book Geary County.
Come join the fun and shareinformation and resources with thecommunity.
Winter Art WalkThe Junction City Arts Council
will be holding a Winter Art Walk onFriday, Dec. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. Thewalk begin at the C.L. Hoover OperaHouse. This is a free family eventthat includes shopping and prizes,displays by local artists, horsdouevres and performances by the
Junction City High School ChamberOrchestra and Geary County Chil-drens Choir. Also, children will be
BYNANCYBENAC
Associated Press
WASHINGTON For
months, the talk was all
about computer code. About
response times. About glitch-
es and bugs.
People who didnt know a
URL from an http were
blithely expounding on soft-
ware snags and web design,
thanks to the clunky launch
of healthcare.gov, the insur-
ance marketplace for thegovernments big health care
overhaul.
With the website improv-
ing and tech chatter settling
down, the conversation about
the Affordable Care Act, or
Obamacare, is turning in
other directions.
Its about trust. Its about
big government. Its about
politics. And, oh yeah, its
about your health care, too.
Would you buy a usedcar from this man?Or an agenda? The debate
over President Barack
Obamas health care law has
gradually morphed into abroader discussion about
whether he is to be trusted.
Its a critical question for
Obama, who could always
rely on strong ratings on his
leadership and personal
qualities, even if people did
not agree with his policies.
It turned out that the con-
fidence he exuded prior to
the disastrous launch of the
health care exchanges was
misplaced. Then came reve-
lations that, despite Obamas
assurances that people could
keep their plans if they liked
them, millions of Americans
faced insurance policy can-
cellations. Now Republicansare highlighting questions
about whether people will be
able to keep their doctors.
Obama has tried to head
off the cancellations by giv-
ing insurance companies
more flexibility. But Republi-
cans have been only too
happy to pound him for bro-
ken promises, and to insist
that he knew all along what
would happen.
The debate has taken a toll
on the presidents credibility.
A Quinnipiac University sur-
vey of registered voters last
month found the share of
Americans who thought
Obama was honest and trust-worthy had fallen 10 percent-
age points over the fall, to
just 44 percent.
The health care launchturned out to have moral
dimensions as well as policy
dimensions, says Robert
Blendon, a Harvard profes-sor of health policy and polit-
ical analysis. Obama really
has to restore confidence in
himself. Hes got an agenda
for the rest of his termhere.
And Republicans will be
sure to ask at every turn why
Americans should take the
president at his word onimmigration reform or bud-
get policy or any other big
issue if he led them astray on
health care.
The big gThe struggle over Obamas
health care law has reinvigo-
rated a debate thats been
going on for centuries andnever seems to get settled:
the core question of what
government should or
shouldnt do for people, and
how it should spend theirmoney.
For years now, Republi-
cans have displayed remark-
able message dis-cipline in zingingthe Obama White
House for creating
a government-
centered health
care delivery sys-tem, arguing that
the matter would
be better left large-
ly to private forces.The failed website
sign-up launch
generated a whole
new round of head
shaking aboutgovernment over-
reach.
Rep. Darrell
Issa, the California Republi-can who misses no opportu-nity to investigate perceived
shortcomings in the over-
haul, devoted a hearing last
week to the limitations of
Big Government when itcomes to health care.
By its very design, the
federal government may
never be efficient or effective
or innovative enough to carryout big initiatives like Obam-
acare, nor should it be, he
says.
Its the antithesis ofObamas yes-we-can philoso-
phy that government should
step in to ensure all Ameri-
cans have the opportunity tothrive and succeed.
White House chief of staff
Denis McDonough sees a
strange case of nostalgiabreaking out among Republi-
cans for the greater flexibili-
ty of the old health care sys-
tem one that he says cov-ered too few people in a mad-
deningly inefficient and often
heartbreaking and ultimate-
ly very expensive way.
Full-throttle politicsThe law is more than three
years old, but theres nothing
past-tense about the politics.
Both parties are expecting anepic dust-up over the law innext years congressional
elections and are already
gearing up for it.
Obamacare is the centerof the universe as it relates to
2014 because so many Repub-
licans believe it is the perfect
vehicle to argue a whole host
of issues, says GOP strate-gist Kevin Madden. Matters
of trust, competence, big gov-
ernment and more will be
framed by that one topic.
Whether Democratic can-didates want to talk about
the health care law or not,
party strategists are prepar-
ing a full-throat-ed case support-ing it.
Theyre talk-
ing up the ben-
efits that Amer-
icans seem tolike, or will,
once they know
them, and
a s s e m b l i n gexamples of
people helped
by the changes
to counter the
tales of horrorcoming from
the GOP.
Its a neces-
sarily defensive posture, butan aggressive one, and nodoubt meant to buck up the
courage of Democratic law-
makers who rallied behind
the legislation when it passed
only to feel burned by theadministrations fumbles
now.
This is going to be a sus-
tained conversation, says
Mo Elleithee, the DemocraticNational Committees com-
munications director. This
is going to be a good time to
highlight the differencesbetween the two sides.
And, he dares to hope, the
politics of this will work out
as people begin to under-stand and see the benefits upclose and personally.
Trust, politics themes around website
Associ ated P ress
President Barack Obama speaks about the new health care law on Dec. 4 during a White House YouthSummit, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the WhiteHouse complex in Washington.
Healthcare debate
By The Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia
Colombias inspector-general ordered Bogotas
left-leaning mayor
removed from office
Monday for alleged
unconstitutional behav-
ior in a showdown lastyear with private gar-
bage collectors.
Mayor Gustavo Petro
was disqualified from
public office for 15 years
by the inspector-general,
Alejandro Ordonez.Ordonez is a conserva-
tive political ally of for-
mer President Alvaro
Uribe. In 2010, he removed
prominent leftist politi-
cian Piedad Cordobafrom the Senate and
barred her from holding
office for 18 years after
ruling she had promoted
leftist rebels.
Petro, a former M-19
rebel and anti-corruptioncrusader, called his oust-
er as mayor a coupdetat on his Twitter
account.
He said he would
appeal, but the inspector-general is the last resort
under Colombias consti-
tution. The office is
empowered to investigate
and fire public officials,
and legal experts said
that unless Ordonezchanges his mind, Petro
must go.
Petros supporters
called the move politi-
cally motivated. Ordonez
has been a firm opponent
of same-sex marriage
and abortion while Petrois a social and economic
liberal.
Ordonez said he
ordered Petro fired for
violating constitutionalprinciples of commercial
competition and free-
dom by firing garbage
collection contractors in
December 2012 and
replacing them with a
city-run service.
Petros gambit failed,
however, and the con-
tractors returned to work
three days later after
thousands of tons of gar-
bage accumulated.
As a senator, Petros
investigations of theinfluence of far-right
militias in Colombian
politics uncovered a
scandal in 2006 that has
led to criminal conspira-
cy convictions of dozens
of politicians.
The probe made him a
national figure, and he
finished third in the 2010
presidential election. But
his popularity plummet-
ed not long after he took
office in 2012 as mayor of
the capital, the countrys
second most important
elected office.
Longtime allies aban-
doned him, quitting his
administration and call-
ing him stubbornly auto-
cratic and unreceptive to
criticism as he has sought
to place under municipal
control services that had
previously been priva-
tized.
Petro backed Ordonezs
inspector-general candi-
dacy while in the Senate,
leading in part to his split
with the countrys main
leftist part, the Polo
Democratico.
In 2011, another leftist
Bogota mayor was dis-
missed by Ordonez whileunder investigation for
corruption related to
alleged construction con-
tract kickbacks. He was
imprisoned later that
year and is currently on
trial.
Mayor of Colombias
capital orderedremoved
By The Associated Press
ABOARD AIR FORCE
ONE A president, for-
mer president and possi-
ble future president are
among those traveling
aboard Air Force One to
South Africa. The high-powered traveling part-
ners came together for a
transcontinental flight
Monday to a memorial
service honoring former
South African President
Nelson Mandela. The
unusual manifest required
some creative seating
arrangements. The Obam-
as occupied the presidentsregular cabin at the front
of the plane.
High-powered travelingcompanions on Air Force One
Its theantithesis ofObamas yes-
we-canphilosophy that
governmentshould step into ensure all
Americans havethe opportunity
to thrive andsucceed.
Associ ated P ress
Air Force One, with President Barack Obama and first ladyMichelle Obama aboard, departs Monday at Andrews AirForce Base One, Md, en route to South Africa for a memorialservice in honor of Nelson Mandela.
If you would like to remember afriend or relative through
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Official Geary County NewspaperOfficial City Newspaper
Junction City Grandview Plaza Milford
THEDAILYUNION.
To the PublicWe propose to stand by the progressivemovements which will benefit thecondition of the people of these United States.
John Montgomery and E.M. GilbertJunction City Union
July 28, 1888
John G. Montgomery
Publisher Emeritus
Tim Hobbs
Publisher/Editor
Penny Nelson
Office Manager
Lisa SeiserManaging Editor
Jacob KeehnAd Services Director
Grady MalsburyPress Supervisor
Another viewNo call for this
travel annoyanceThe following editorial appeared in the
Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday, Dec. 5
To the already jumbo-size list of air-travel
indignities snaking security lines, intru-
sive pat-downs, baggage fees on top of rising
fares, and brown-bag meals with knees scrunched
up against the next seat add one more: an end-
less, unavoidable stream of one-sided cellphone
chatter while aloft.Not since passengers chafed at airlines reluc-
tance to ban smoking on flights has there been a
more predictable threat to travelers frayed nerves
than federal regulators plan to lift the ban on in-
flight cellphone use.
As early as next week, the Federal Communica-
tions Commission could recommend that course
for public comment. With old concerns about com-
munications interference resolved by evolving
technology, the FCC has concluded that its safe to
pull out that smartphone during a flight.
By permitting the use of digital devices at
which point it would be up to airline regulators and
operators to go along the agency says it would be
fulfilling its charge to periodically address out-
dated and restrictive rules.
The move could free travelers from having to pay
for onboard wireless service now offered at premi-um prices on many flights. Relaxing the ban also
would let passengers stay connected 24/7, much as
theyre accustomed to doing while their feet are
firmly on the ground.
But along with that gain would come a death
knell for what many travelers view as one of the
last places they can sit undisturbed (crying infants
and fidgety seat companions excepted). As noted by
Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., a privacy watch-
dog, There is no quiet car at 30,000 feet. Even
when the seat-belt light goes off and passengers are
free to move about the cabin, there will be no way
to completely escape annoying phone conversa-
tions.
Sure, calls could be conducted at whisper level
by passengers who are solicitous of their fellow fli-
ers. Yet judging from the conduct of too many cell-
phone users in just about every imaginable
public setting, from the coffee shop to the sidewalk
thats probably too much to expect.
Little wonder, then, that online forums and let-
ters to the editor have been teeming with bad
reviews for the proposed lifting of the phone ban.
If the FCC gets even more of an earful during its
comment period, that will give it even more reason
to reconsider the move. Indeed, a recent survey
found that nearly two-thirds of Americans are
opposed to allowing in-flight calls.
Were the FCC to go ahead with the proposal, air-
lines might well be able to deploy technology or
policies that restrict calls while allowing passen-
gers to tap away on their tablets and smartphones
in relative quiet.
In Europe, one airline limits the number of
phone calls that can be made at any given time.Even if texting is enabled to provide a means of
instant communication from the air, maintaining a
voice ban would be the smartest and simplest route
to keeping the skies as friendly as possible.
Accounting accountability
for schools at state levelD
id your mother ever put a littleslip of paper next to your plate toshow you just what that sand-
wich cost?Whew. Hope not.But thats essentially what the Gov-
ernmental Accounting StandardsBoard has done for local units of gov-ernment nationwide, and, for us State-house habitus, Kansas.
The rule? That local units of govern-ment and school districts that usegenerally accepted accounting princi-ples will record in their financialreports the amount of money the statespends on their workers pensions and
designate it as a liability. They donthave to pay for it, just list it. Right therein public.
Its not often that the public getsexcited about an accounting principle,but if you are a Kansas governor orlegislator who thinks the state isspending enough money on K-12 educa-tion, well, its cause for some celebra-tion.
That small-print accounting rulemeans that school districts are gener-ally going to have to record as a liabilityin their budgets the money that thestate spends on employee pensionsthrough the Kansas Public EmployeesRetirement System.
Now, this isnt a big deal for mostKansans. Anyone remember the lasttime you had an animated discussionof school district financial statementsover drinks? Again, whew.
But for conservative legislators and
the governor who want public creditfor the roughly $300 million that thestate spends on pensions for schoolemployees, those numbers on schooldistrict financial statements are price-less.
They show that the state is spendingmore of its money on school districtsthan shows up during the annual schoolfinanced bill debate. They want legisla-tors to consider that behind-the-scenesspending on pensions that doesnt showup on school district budgets to be partof the debate.
Its subtle, of course, because thestate still pays the employer portion ofKPERS pensions for teachers and other
district employees. But it will be talked
about, and at some point conservatives
will use that pension money as a way to
encourage school boosters to quiet
down a little when seeking more or
even level spending on K-12.
It might mean that some districts
will decide that, well, maybe they can
put another desk or two into a class-
room, or maybe charge a small fee for
students who want to take debate.
Or, with the numbers in hand, con-
servatives might not be subtle. They
might want to include the pension sys-
tem payments for school employees as
part of the Base State Aid Per Pupil,since, without pensions, there arent
going to be any teachers, anyway.
See how these accounting board
rules will ripple through the State-
house this year?
Anyone else wonder whether those
accounting board members mothers
put a little note beside their plates
before sending them off to play with
their calculators?
Syndicated by Hawver News
Company LLC of Topeka; MARTI N
HAWVER is publisher of HawversCapitol Report.
The Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 5A
OPINION
Letters to the EditorQuality of life
decisions seemout of whack
To the Editor:
There are times, more often than
not lately, when I have to marvelat how officials, elected and
appointed, can so casually allocatetaxed monies for projects that fail to
meet the essential services standard.It is equally amazing that so many
nonessential (quality of life) programstake equal, if not higher, priority overessential services.
Of course, some quality of life pro-grams receive more protection than
others.At the local level, we see the process
up close and on a re-occurring basis.Consider the fact that the citys new
manager, who has probably beenbriefed about the citys high debt and
tax status as well as our citys crum-bling infrastructure, finds a pressing
issue is the Opera Houses manninglevel.
The proposed salary package for a
new director would see a dramaticincrease over the current package,
pulling even more tax revenue intothis financial black hole.
Strange on its face when we consider
the city could not find money to replacean important piece of equipment forthe citys swimming pool at the peak of
the swimming season. Equally astrange priority when funds are tight
regarding maintenance of our streets.How to fund this salary increase?
City staff identified the citys emer-
gency reserves and unused grantmoney in the capitol improvement
fund as a source.Fortunately, commissioner Sands
advised use of the emergency funds
was inappropriate and opposed whatwould be a potential increased tax bur-den on the citizens.
Of course, when cost-cutting ideasare floated during annual budget prep-
arations, the first quality of life pro-
gram offered by city staff to be sacri-
ficed as being a drag on financial
resources is the citys pool. Almost
everyone realizes closing the pool is
not a viable option.
So, the discussion of cutting or trim-
ming nonessential services closes and
funding for everything takes us on
down the current financial road.
Gosh, does there seem to be a pat-
tern here? This re-occurring process
reminds me of Peanuts cartoon char-acters. Lucy always fools Charlie
Brown by offering to hold a football soCharlie can kick it. Every year he falls
for it and every year she pulls it away
at the last minute.
Priorities. When the average per-
son/family is struggling financially,
our government, at every level, keeps
finding ways to pull money out of cur-
rent and future private earnings. Dont
worry. Government advises they have
it under control.
Ed Smith
Junction City
How about somerecognition for
debate, forensicsTo the Editor:
Ayear or more ago a group ofstudents came before the 475School Board and talked about
the debate or forensics teams (I cantremember which). The students talkedabout their need for money to go to acompetition some distance from Junc-tion City.
I, like most people, knew nothingabout these activities and my interestwas piqued.
But after that School Board meeting
and on many occasions since, I havetried to get information of the debateand forensics programs in the 475
School District.I have talked to students, school
staff, School Board members, andother members of the public.
Just recently the 475 Superinten-dents staff was finally able to get me a
schedule for the debate and forensicsprogram. The schedule that the Super-intendents staff was able to provideme is not very complete, but I was veryhappy to get it.
This schedule said that on Nov. 16,in Marion, there was to be some sort ofan activity so I drove to Marion toobserve, to learn, and to support thestudents involved in the JC HighSchool debate program.
I spent an hour and more looking for
where the event was being held but I
did not find where. I suppose I was in
Marion at the wrong time.
This is not the important part of all
this.
What is important is the lack of
information and support for these aca-
demic activities. It seems to me that
these types of academic activities are
very important.
It seems to me that the 475 School
System could at least publish a good
schedule of the debate and forensics
programs activities similar to the ones
for fall sports, winter sports, etc.
As it stands now I believe only a
small handful of people in the 475
School District know that these pro-
grams even exist.
Gerald L. Gerloff
Junction City
About this pageThe Opinion page of The Daily Union seeks to be
a community forum of ideas. We believe that thecivil exchange of ideas enables citizens to becomebetter informed and to make decisions that willbetter our community. Our View editorials repre-sent the opinion and institutional voice of TheDaily Union. All other content on this page repre-
sents the opinions of others and does not neces-sarily represent the views of The Daily Union.
Letters to the editor may be sent to The DailyUnion. We prefer e-mail if possible, sent [email protected]. You may also mailletters to the Editor, P.O. Box 129, Junction City, KS66441. All letters must be fewer than 400 wordsand include a complete name, signature, addressand phone number of the writer for verificationpurposes.
The Daily Union reserves the right to edit lettersfor length. All decisions regarding letters, includ-ing whether a name withheld letter will be hon-ored, length, editing and publication are at thediscretion of the managing editor.
Past PublishersJohn Montgomery, 1892-1936Harry Montgomery, 1936-1952
John D. Montgomery, 1952-1973
MARTINHAWVERCommentary
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8/13/2019 THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
6/14
POLICE& RECORDS6A The Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013
Junction City
Police DepartmentThe Junction City Police
Department made 17 arrestsand responded to 132 calls inthe 72-hour period ending 6a.m. Monday.
Friday 12:40 p.m. Theft, 1505
Rockledge Drive 12:56 p.m. Accident,
Jefferson St. and Eighth St. 3:24 p.m. Theft, 521 E.
Chestnut St. 7:52 p.m. Accident,
1810 Caroline Ave. 8:09 p.m. DUI, 340 W.
Sixth St. 9:01 p.m. Battery, 1403
N. Franklin St. 9:37 p.m. Domestic,
2600 block of Strauss Blvd. 10:52 p.m. Domestic,
400 block of W. 18th St. 11:16 p.m. Accident,
Lacy Drive and US-77
Saturday 10:27 p.m. Damage to
property, 126 W. 12th St. 10:59 a.m. Domestic,
900 block of Grant Ave. 5:41 p.m. Domestic,
1300 block of OverbrookeDrive
7:33 p.m. Domestic, 300block of W. Eighth St.
7:42 p.m. Disturbance,1208 W. 18th St.
9:10 p.m. Theft, 521 E.Chestnut St.
9:45 p.m. Disturbance,503 E. Chestnut St.
11:37 p.m. Domestic,100 block of W. Elm St.
11:46 p.m. Domestic,
100 block of W. 12th St.
Sunday 1:56 a.m. Accident,
Sixth St. and Jefferson St.
7:20 a.m. Damage to
property, 906 W. 14th St.
10:12 a.m. Accident,
521 E. Chestnut St.
10:15 a.m. Accident,
I-70 westbound mile marker
302
11:26 a.m. Accident,
800 E. Chestnut St.
12:39 p.m. Accident,
I-70 westbound mile marker
296
1:07 p.m. Domestic,
1100 block of S. Jackson St.
7:50 p.m. Accident, ClaySt. and Pine St.
Grandview Plaza
Police DepartmentThe Grandview Plaza Police
Department made nine arrests
and responded to seven cases
in the 24-hour period ending12 a.m. Monday. Reports forFriday and Saturday werentreceived.
Sunday 12:42 a.m. Domestic,
900 block of Cannon View 10:15 a.m. Accident,
I-70 eastbound mile marker
303
Junction City
Fire DepartmentThe Junction City Fire
Department made 16 trans-
ports and responded to 32
calls in the 72-hour periodending 8 a.m. Monday.
Geary CountySheriffs
DepartmentThe Geary County Sheriffs
Department made one arrest
and responded to 81 calls in
the 48-hour period ending 7
a.m. Monday. A report for Fri-
day wasnt received.
Sunday 9:34 a.m. Accident, K-18
Bypass mile marker 178
1:04 p.m. Accident, I-70westbound mile marker 310
Geary County
Detention CenterThe Geary County Deten-
tion Center booked the fol-lowing individuals during the24-hour period ending 7 a.m.Monday. Reports for Fridayand Saturday werentreceived.
Sunday 5:11 a.m. Tyleek Turner,
possession of marijuana, pos-session of drug paraphernalia,possession of stolen property,criminal use of a firearm, bat-tery on a law enforcementofficer, obstruction
1:38 p.m. Lynann Had-ley, domestic battery
4:14 p.m. Jessie Harris,driving while suspended
New from around KansasKCC chairman
submits resignationTOPEKA The chair-
man of the Kansas Corpo-
ration Commission has
submitted his resignationto Gov. Sam Brownback.
Mark Sievers submitted
his resignation Monday. He
will stay on with the KCC
until Brownback appointshis replacement in early
2014.
Sievers was named to the
commission in May 2011
and elected chairman onMay 17 of this year. He was
serving a four-year term
that was to expire March
15, 2015.Brownback issued a news
release announcing the res-
ignation, saying Sievers
wanted to spend more time
with his wife and return toprivate life.
The three-member KCC
regulates natural gas, elec-
tricity, telephone and trans-
portation operations inKansas, including the set-
ting of rates charged by
utilities.
SE Kansassuperintendent
criticizes readingprogram
LAWRENCE A plan by
Gov. Sam Brownback to
divert $12 million in wel-
fare funds to a programaimed at raising fourth-
grade reading scores in
southeast Kansas doesntsit well with one school
superintendent.Steve Woolf, superinten-
dent in the 550-student Erie
Galesburg School District
in Neosho County, said he
was shocked when helearned of the governors
plan, The Lawrence Jour-
nal-World reported.
Im against taking foodfrom people who are in
need and are hungry, said
Woolf, who leads the Erie-
Galesburg school district,
which has about 550 stu-dents. It is morally
wrong.
Brownback recentlyannounced his plan to take
$12 million from the Tem-porary Assistance to Needy
Families program and use
the federal money for the
grade-school reading pro-
gram. TANF funds typical-ly are used to provide cash
assistance to impoverished
families.
Brownbacks administra-
tion has said the readingprogram is an appropriate
use of the funds because
studies show girls who read
at grade level are less likelyto become unwed mothers.
I want to see us break
the cycle of child poverty,Brownback said.
The charity Save theChildren, which already
has reading programs in
place in Pittsburg, and the
Rural School and Commu-
nity Trust are assistingwith the program in several
southeast Kansas school
districts.
Woolfs district wasnt
chosen to take part, but thelongtime Republican said
he would have turned down
such an offer, anyway,
because of how the pro-
gram is being funded.Brownback should have
consulted educators with
the Kansas Department of
Education before embark-ing on the proposal, Woolf
said.
It would be like the gov-
ernor wanting to do some-
thing different with theStatehouse dome and say-
ing, I have a buddy in Okla-
homa who put a new roof
on his garage and he seems
to know what he is doing,he said.
Kansas SupremeCourt hears Hard
50 appealTOPEKA The Kansas
Supreme Court heard argu-
ments Monday about
whether a convicted mur-
derers minimum 50-year
prison term should stand,
given recent court-ordered
changes to the sentencing
law, or whether it should be
vacated so that a jury can
decide his fate.The court heard the
appeal of Matthew Astorga,
who was sentenced to serve
a minimum of 50 years
behind bars before he would
be eligible for parole in a
2008 shooting death in Leav-
enworth County. Astorgas
is the second appeal of a so-
called Hard 50 sentence
that the states high court
has heard since legislators
rewrote the law this fall in
response to a June U.S.
Supreme Court ruling.
Kansas previously
allowed judges to sentence
those convicted of premedi-tated first-degree murder
to 50 years in prison before
they could seek parole. But
the nations highest court
ruled that juries, not judg-
es, should decide if a defen-
dant gets that sentence.
Astorgas attorney, Ran-
dall Hodgkinson, argued
that when legislators
rewrote the law in Septem-
ber, they effectively created
a new crime of aggravated
premeditated first-degree
murder, since juries would
be required to find beyond
reasonable doubt that
aggravating factors in thecase warranted the longer
prison term. Hodgkinson
said Astorga was never
charged with that crime
because it didnt exist at the
time of the shooting, and
that Astorga therefore cant
be sentenced to the Hard
50. The creation of new
crimes or enhancing penal-
ties after the fact violates
the U.S. Constitutions ex
post facto clause.
Hodgkinson believes
Astorga should face only 25
years without parole.
But Kristafer Ailslieger,
deputy solicitor general for
the state, said Astorgas1996 second-degree murder
conviction in New Mexico
was factor enough in deter-
mining Astorgas sentence.
Prior felony convictions for
causing the death or bodily
harm of another have been
and remain a factor that
can make a defendant eligi-
ble for the stiffer penalty.
Justices have options in
deciding whether changes
to the Hard 50 law are
valid. First, they could
determine that all cases on
appeal are eligible for the
Hard 50 but only if sent
back to district court forresentencing and a jury
determines if the evidence
supports a minimum of 50
years in prison.
If the justices decide that
the changes made to the
law cant be applied retro-
actively, then the maximum
mandatory sentence thedefendants can receive is 25
years to life. Defendants
could still appeal their con-
victions on other grounds
but would otherwise be eli-gible for parole after 25
years. There are more than
a dozen cases on appeal and
more than two dozen oth-
ers that were initiatedbefore legislators changed
the law in September that
are either still in the trial
or sentencing phase.
Elderly man dies inWichita fire
WICHITA Wichita fire
officials say a space heaterplugged into an extension
cord is the likely cause of a
fire that killed an elderly
man.A man in his 80s died in
the house fire Sunday in
east Wichita.
Fire investigators say thevictim and his son tried toput the fire out by them-
selves before trying to leave
the house. The son was able
to escape.
This is the 11th fire deathin Wichita this year. Last
year, the city had five fire
deaths.
OSHA cites Rail CarServices forviolations
KANSAS CITY Thefederal government has
proposed $133,000 in finesfor Rail Car Services
because of repeat health
and safety violations at afacility in Kansas City,
Kan.
The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration
said Monday in a release
that Rail Car Services was
cited for 11 violations at itsrail car refurbishing facili-
ty in Kansas City, Kan.
OSHA says the violations
stem from inspections that
began after a complaintabout fall protection and
work done in confined spac-
es.
OSHA inspectors found
eight repeat violations in arecent inspection. OSHA
says Rail Car Services also
failed to train workers on
chemicals used in their
work area and didnt pro-vide annual respirator
training.
Rail Car Services has
about two weeks to comply,request a conference with
OSHA or contest the cita-
tions.
Koch finishes $7.2billion deal
WICHITA Wichita-
based Koch Industries Inc.has completed its $7.2 bil-
lion purchase of an Illinois
company that makes elec-
tronic components and
cables.
Koch says it is paying
$38.50 per Molex Inc. share
in cash, plus 18 cents per
share, representing a pro-
rata portion of the regular
quarterly cash dividend.
Molex will keep its head-
quarters in Lisle, Ill., and
will retain its current name
and management team. The
boards of both companies
approved the transaction,
which is expected to close
by the end of the year.
Koch is run by billionaire
brothers Charles and David
Koch. Charles Koch says
Molex matches up well with
his companys culture and
core capabilities.
Koch owns a variety of
businesses, including the
paper and paper productsmaker Georgia-Pacific, and
has annual sales of $115 bil-
lion.
Topeka high schooltests hair for drugs
TOPEKA A Catholic
high school in Topeka hasbeen randomly testing
students hair to deter-
mine if the students have
been using drugs.
Hayden High has been
testing students for drug
use for more than a year.
Under the program, the
school takes hair samples
from a pool of randomly
selected students once a
month. The samples are
tested by a drug-testing
company, Psychemedics,
The Topeka Capital-Jour-
nal reported.
Its in the best inter-
ests of our kids and our
school, said MichaelMonaghan, dean of stu-
dents. In the programs
first year, the 2012-13
school year, only about 2
percent of drug tests came
back positive. The tests
cost $39 per sample.
If a sample comes back
positive for drug use, the
school contacts parents
and refers the student for
a professional evaluation.
The student is also barred
from participating in or
attending the schools
extracurricular activities
for a month.
Monaghan said a largenumber of the schools
students are tested but
declined to say how many
per month. Some students
were tested a couple times
last year, while others
werent tested at all.
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8/13/2019 THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
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8/13/2019 THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
8/14
FROM PAGE ONE/NEWS
8A The Daily Union. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013
30-year-old Daniel Glascowof Springfield, Mo., was notinjured.
Less than 30 minuteslater, a Junction City manwas transported to GearyCommunity Hospital in thesecond of the reported acci-dents.
An accident log stated42-year-old Wilmer Baque-ro was traveling eastboundon I-70 near milepost 314 ina 2012 Dodge Charger atabout 8:17 a.m. when itstruck a 2011 Ford CrownVictoria that had lost con-trol and slid in front ofBaqueros vehicle.
Baqueros Charger thenslid to the south and strucka Kansas Department of
Transportation delineatorpost. The Charger thencame to rest in the centermedian.
The driver of the CrownVictoria, 54-year-old JamesWilkins of Manhattan, wasnot injured.
The report indicated bothmen were wearing seatbelts at the time of the acci-dent.
Later that morning, atabout 10:24 a.m., 6-year-oldKeeghan Rayburn of Ogdenwas injured when the 2001Chevrolet Silverado shewas a passenger in wasrear-ended by a 2006
Chrysler utility vehicledriven by Luiza DeSouza,21, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.
The accident occurred inthe westbound lanes of I-70near mile marker 302, aboutone mile west of the I-70and K-18 junction.
Icy roads played a factorin the accident, the KHPreport stated.
Rayburn was one of threeoccupants in the Silverado,but no other injuries werereported.
Rayburn was transportedto Geary Community Hos-pital.
The accident report indi-
cated she was wearing a
seat belt.Moments later, another
injury accident occurred inthe same area.
The KHP reported55-year-old Casondra J. Ste-phens of Sterling received a
possible injury but refusedtransportation to a hospi-tal after her 2003 ChevroletCavalier rear-ended a 2006Mercury Mariner.
No other injuries werereported in that accident.
SNOWYContinued from Page 1A
I would like to know ifIm safe in my house, Sax-ton said.
Commissioner LarryHicks said people mustcome to grips that the issueof race needs to be
addressed.We cant continue to put
it off any longer, Hickssaid. We need to commitourselves to having anadult civil conversationabout race in this commu-nity and race in this coun-ty.
He continued and saidthere should be no antago-nism in the sheriffs depart-ment or the county.
I know the sheriff, Italked to the sheriff, Hickssaid. I believe the sheriffis a good man.
But he believes theresan element of sheriffsdepartment employees,looking to demean people
for whatever reason.Ive been the personal
subject of that, Hicks saidabout speaking about itpublicly for the first time.But Im almost big enoughto understand the impor-tance of forgiveness andlook past that ...
Hicks proposed to have asummit on race relationsin Junction City and GearyCounty. He would like tobegin the process in 2014.
I want people to be ableto sit down at the table ofbrotherhood and have thisconversation seriously,Hicks said.
He said its not a person-al issue against the sheriff
or an inquisition.This is about fairness,
partiality, objectivity andcommitment to move thiscommunity ahead, to takeus out of a period of preju-dice, discrimination andbigotry that shouldnt existin a community as diverse
as ours, Hicks said.After the session, Wolf
made a statement regard-ing the conflict.
The facts of this mattercant be publicly knownbecause its a personnelissue, Wolf said. Allemployees have the rightsto privacy and personnelmatters and I have torespect that privacy. I was
placed in this office by adiverse community, toserve this same diversecommunity and Ill contin-ue to do so be the best ofmy ability.
During a press confer-ence, Commission ChairBen Bennett said the Coun-ty Commission cant legallydiscuss the matter or theramifications of it. Rickshas not filed lawsuit againstthe county, but has filed anunlawful unemploymentaction, which state officialsare examining.
Bennett said anytime
theres people with differ-ent backgrounds, theresgoing to be misunderstand-ings or feelings about rac-ism.
Theres some of that,
which probably goes on,Bennett said. We foughtreal hard to eliminate that.As a former coach at Junc-tion City High School, Ben-nett said he has alwaysstood up against peoplecalling students negativenames.
NAACP President Jack-ieLee McDonald waspleased with the turnout.
I think we made themaware that there is a prob-lem in the sheriffs depart-ment, McDonald said. Wehad a great group of sup-porters.
RACEContinued from Page 1A
commissaries in the UnitedStates, plus 70 overseas,receive $1.4 billion in gov-ernment funds. How muchthe plan to close the com-missaries would save isntclear, the Fox News reportstated.
Its also unclear whetherthat plan will move any fur-ther.
The bottom line is nodecisions have been made,said Steve Elstrom, Chiefof External Information inthe Fort Riley Public AffairsOffice. What theyre look-ing at is (fiscal year) 2015.
Elstrom said he wasnt
permitted to comment onSecretary of Defense-levelplanning efforts.
Like other commissaries,
Fort Rileys is open to mili-tary retirees, soldiers andtheir families.
Its well-used, Elstrom
said of Fort Rileys facility.Lots of traffic goes throughthere.
The Defense CommissaryAgencys website advertisescustomers can save an aver-age of 30 percent or moreon groceries.
Those benefits are a bigdeal, said John Armbrust,Executive Director of theKansas Governors MilitaryCouncil.
For many, many veter-ans and many, many activeduty soldiers, the commis-sary is a major benefit, hesaid.
For about a week in early
October, Junction Citystores experienced firsthand how many customersnormally depend on the
commissary when it closeddue to a partial federal gov-ernment shutdown.
Both Dillons and Wal-
mart told The Daily Unionit was as though people hadbegun shopping for the hol-idays almost two monthsearly.
For a few days, Walmarthad to bring in additionalemployees to handle theextra customers.
However, foot traffic inJunction Citys two grocerystores returned to normalafter the Department ofDefense determined the PayOur Military Act allowedcommissary employees toreturn to work.
For now, Junction Citystores probably shouldnt
be anticipating anotherabnormal spike in custom-ers.
Commissaries across the
country arent the onlyexpense on the examina-tion table. Stars and Stripes,the Pentagon Channel and
Armed Forces Radio andTelevision also could seecuts, according to FoxNews.
Armbrust said the Penta-gon is exploring many ave-nues to reduce spending.The commissaries arentnecessarily a prime target.
It has to be (viewed) inthe context of the entirescope of budget cuts, hesaid.
The Pentagons rush tocut spending is a result ofthe Budget Control Act,which forces the military toreduce its budget by $487billion during the next 10
years.The Armys share of
those cuts is estimated to beabout $169 billion.
COMMISSARYContinued from Page 1A
concerned about the quali-ty of life, attended the meet-ing and filled up seats.
Once again Troy Peter-son, RACC Survey manag-er, and attorney VernonJarboe, debated the con-cerns and the not in mybackyard, viewpoint.Craig Paxton, was one ofseveral neighbors opposedto the idea.
It just amazes me howeverybody wants to talkabout not in my backyard,Paxton said. Theyre notreally concerned about itbecause its not in theirbackyard. Didas said all
appropriate documentswere submitted to state andcounty officials.
The decision has set back
his plans and currently,hes not sure if hes going totake legal action.
Before the decision, Com-
missioner Florence White-bread discussed her con-cern about the possibilityof damaged water wells andsafety on the roads.
Property owner ScottJohnson also was upsetwith the second denial andthe attitude of the residents.These people act like its acrime if you want to inno-vate and start a new busi-ness, Johnson said afterthe vote.
The site was expected toprovide five jobs and John-son and Tom Weigand, CEOof the Junction City Cham-ber of Commerce, were in
favor of it. Rep. Allan Roth-lisberg also attended themeeting to support Didasand the project.
QUARRYContinued from Page 1A
BYKELSEYRYAN
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA Brightly col-ored chalk covers the side-
walk outside the Burkeys
home in west Wichita.
There are ABCs and
names: Mama, Daddy, Kam-
ben and Maxton.
Kamben is a toddling
19-month-old. He likes
Thomas the Tank Engine
and SpongeBob
SquarePants.
But Maxton will forever be7 weeks old to his parents,Kelci and Kevin.
On May 17, 2011, Maxtonstopped breathing.He was one of 247 Kansas
infants who died that year -and continue to die eachyear, as the states infantdeath rates exceed thenational average.
In May 2011, Maxton wasat his second day at a homeday care. Though the sitterhad done everything right he was on his back, alone in
a crib when she checkedon him, he was blue.
Emergency responders
were able to resuscitate him.But nine days later, theBurkeys made the painfuldecision to remove him fromlife support.
The only brain activity hehad were seizures, KelciBurkey said. He didnt doany of the normal things. Hedidnt have the pupil responseor show any perception topain. He didnt have any ofthat. .
It was really hard for us,and that is not an easy deci-sion that any parent should
have to make. But as parents,we knew that that wasntMax, she said. Max was -he never smiled - but he wasa happy baby. He was alwayssticking out his tongue. See-ing him lay there like that,that wasnt Max.
Authorities recorded theofficial cause of death asSudden Infant Death Syn-drome.
We were mad, Kevin
Burkey said. We wanted areason or a why and thatsnothing. Thats completely
inconclusive.Basically, they dontknow that its anything else.It was hard to hear.
Thats the heartachebehind the numbers.
Although the state of Kan-sas had record-low infantdeath rates in 2011, the rateincreased 2.8 percent in 2012,when 254 children in Kansasdied before their first birth-day.
For some groups, such asAfrican-Americans and resi-dents in rural areas, the rate
of infant deaths is even high-er.Longer term, rates for
infant deaths in Kansas havesteadily declined since thestate began tracking thenumbers more than 100 yearsago. Generally, worldwide,infant mortality rates declineas health care, living condi-tions and nutrition improvefor mothers and their chil-dren.
Kansas infant mortality rate higher than nation
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8/13/2019 THe Daily Union. December 10, 2013
9/14
SPORTSThe Daily Union, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 B
Local SportsFinal Futsal Sign-up
The final chacne to sign up
for the Junction City winter Fut-
sal (indoor soccer) league will
be Thursday at Junction City
high school from 6-8 p.m.
Games will be held every Sat-
urday throughout the winter at
the Junction City Freshmen Suc-
cess Academy.
If you have any questions,
please contact Drew Proctor at
St. Xavier MiddleSchool basketballThe St. Xavier middle school
LAdy Rams defeated Manhattan
CHIEF 13-7.
The St. Xavier middle school
boys basketball team defeated
Mnahattan CHIEF 37-23.
St. Xavier High
School BasketballThe St. Xavier Lady Rams high
school basketball team defeated
Smokey Valley Home Educators
40-36 at the SHEA Tournament.
The St. Xavier Rams boys bas-ketball team lost to the Smokey
Valley Home Educators 40-30.
MLB
Maddon understands
Rays could move
LHP David PriceDavid Price has two more
years before he can test free
agency, and Tampa Bay manager
Joe Maddon knows that means
he cant count on his lefty ace
being in the Rays rotation next
year.
The low-budget Rays are
rumored to be entertaining
trade offers for the 28-year-old
2012 Cy Young Award winner
who could be in for a huge pay-
day after the 2015 season.
Maddon says thats how the
Rays have to operate in their
organization. Maddon was at
the baseball winter meetings
near Orlando on Monday.
Last winter, Tampa Bay trad-
ed pitchers James Shields and
Wade Davis to Kansas City for a
package of prospects. Amongthe players the Rays got in
return was this years AL Rookie
of the Year, Wil Myers.
White Sox agree to
deal with PaulinoThe Chicago White Sox and
right-handed pitcher Felipe Pau-
lino have agreed to a one-year,
$1.75-million contract that
includes a club option for 2015.
Paulino will receive $1.5 mil-
lion next season. The White Sox
hold a $4-million club option for
2015, which includes a $250,000
buyout.
Paulino spent last season in
the Kansas City Royals organiza-
tion, going 0-3 with a 6.51 ERA
over seven injury rehabilitation
starts with Double-A Northwest
Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.
He made his season debut on
June 11 after undergoing ulnar
collateral ligament replacement
surgery on his right elbow on
July 3, 2012.
Paulino was 3-1 with a 1.67
ERA and 39 strikeouts overseven starts with the Royals in
2012 before undergoing sur-
gery.
In brief
We wantyour newsThe Daily Union wants your
sports news from Geary, Riley,Dickinson, Morris, Clay andWabaunsee counties. E-mail:[email protected]
Ethan P adway The Dai ly Uni on
Junction Citys Kayne Hutchinson (right) wrestles with Clay Centers Evan Standlea in the 220-pound division of adual meet Thursday, Dec. 5 in Junction Citys Shenk Gymnasium.
Gaining confidence
Junction City places seventh in a tough
field at the Gardner-Edgerton tournamentBYDAILYUNIONSTAFF
GARDNER When JunctionCity senior Devonte Wilsonstepped into the center mat forthe championship match of the182-pound division of the Gard-
ner-Edgerton tournament, thesetting took him by surprise.
Despite placing in the statetournament last season, Wilsondidnt expect a spotlight focusedin on the mat.
It caught me off guard, espe-
cially with the spotlight, Wil-son said. I wasnt really men-tally prepared for it, so I kind ofwent in there confused.
Wilson wound up taking sec-ond, but had the highest indi-vidual finish for Junction Cityin the tournament.
He compared his experience
to steel sharpening other steel,saying wrestling against atough opponent will only makehim better in the long run.
Junction City coach RobertLaster believes the experienceWilson gained during his time
in the Blue Jay wrestling pro-gram helped him prepare forsuch a tough tournament.
Not only were top schoolsfrom Kansas in attendance, buttough schools from Iowa,Nebraska and Oklahoma alsodescended on Gardner-Edger-ton to create a very difficult
field.Hes very aggressive and
hes more technical than he hasbeen at least from last year, andI think that will help Devonte
BYJOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Kansas Stateis headed back to the desert, this time toface Michigan in the Buffalo Wild WingsBowl.
The Wildcats hope it goes a little bet-ter than the last time around.
National-title contenders until late inthe season, Kansas State fell flat in lastseasons Fiesta Bowl, losing 35-17 toOregon.
Weve had so many opportunities tobe in Phoenix and weve always beentreated well by the people there, Kan-sas State coach Bill Snyder said Sundaynight after the bowl announcement.Were looking forward to the opportu-nity and are honored to be chosen.
Coming off one of the programs bestseason, Kansas State (7-5) struggled toopen the season without Heisman Tro-phy finalist Colin Klein, losing four oftheir first six games, starting with adisheartening home loss to FCS schoolNorth Dakota State.
The Wildcats bounced back with afour-game winning streak and closedthe regular season with a 31-10 rout ofrival Kansas on Saturday to earn a spotin the Dec. 28 game at Arizona StatesSun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
Theyll be facing a team that headedin the opposite direction as the seasonprogressed.
Michigan (7-5) opened 5-0, but lost toPenn State in four overtimes to start adisappointing final two months. TheWolverines lost four of their final fivegames, though they came within a failed2-point conversion of knocking off
K-Stateaccepts bidto Buffalo
Wild Wingsbowl
BYDAVESKRETTA
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Hardas it might be to believe that
the Kansas City Chiefs who
won just twice last season rat-tled off nine straight wins this
year, it may have been even
harder to digest what trans-pired at Washington.
The Chiefs team that hadlost three straight dismantled
the Redskins.
It wasnt just a blowout,either. It was 45-10, that rare
lopsided outcome in the NFL
in which a team can start play-ing its backups by the fourth
quarter. It was the kind ofgame that can fill a team with
confidence.
Losing three straight, not
really playing our style offootball, it felt like this weekwe did that, Chiefs quarter-back Alex Smith said. Defenseplayed great. It was great allthe way around.
Just about the only thing
that didnt go right for theChiefs (10-3) on Sunday wasthey didnt wrap up a playoffberth, though its a virtualcertainty given the way theschedule sets up.
They can clinch it by win-ning at Oakland (4-9) on Sun-day, or if the Dolphins lose athome to New England or theRavens lose at Detroit on Mon-day night.
Perhaps even more tantaliz-ing is the fact that theyre like-ly to land the fifth seed in theAFC, the best among non-divi-sion winners. That would send
Kansas City in the first roundto
