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Wednesday, February 26, 2014The Abilene

Aska leaving court post after 34 years

Daily Union Staff Report

When Cecil Aska first landed a job in the Kansas judicial system, everybody showed up for court in suits.

The dress code is one of several relax-ations Aska, 61, notices as he reflects on his 34 years of working in the court system. Aska will retire March 15 from his current position as Eighth Judicial District Court administra-tor.

“When I first started, things were a whole lot more formal, in terms of the court proceedings and things,” he said Monday. “And it’s kind of gotten a little lax, in my opinion, over the years.”

The shift, Aska said, relates to a much broader change extending outside the courtroom.

“I think it’s that the court reflects society itself,” he said. “It used to be things were a whole lot more formal in all aspects of life. It seems like in so-ciety as a whole we’ve become a little less formal about things, more casual.”

Maybe that’s not necessarily a bad

thing, but Aska said the formality had its purpose.

“I think the expectations were more black and white, whereas if things are more casual, I think sometimes people are not sure what to expect,” he said.

Aska, calling himself “somewhat con-servative,” said he still likes clearer ex-pectations and rules — in writing, pref-erably. He brought that approach with him in 1994 when he became court ad-ministrator, helping the district become more organized.

“I think we’ve accomplished that,” he said. “We’ve put a lot of things in place that you can refer to a manual and it’s there.”

A graduate of Junction City High School and Emporia State University, Aska’s progression through the judi-cial system began in 1980 as a juvenile intake officer for the Third Judicial District in Shawnee County, where he performed tasks including crisis inter-vention counseling and child abuse and neglect investigations.

In 1990, Aska returned to Junction City to work for the Eighth District as its chief court services officer. When he became court administrator, he began working with court and county officials throughout the district area, which cov-ers Geary, Dickinson, Marion and Mor-

Cecil Aska

Tim Horan • Reflector-Chronicle

Pinnacle retirementsSharon Frank (left) and Sherri Adee recently retired from Pinnacle Bank. The bank held a retirement open house Tuesday afternoon. See: Aska, Page 6

Sister act

Seelye sisters valued privacy while residing in famous homeBy TIFFANY RONEY

[email protected]

When the Seelyes, former owners of their namesake Seelye Mansion on Buckeye Av-enue, moved to town from Illinois in the late 1800s, the community took notice. Despite townspeople’s attempts to learn about the fam-ily of four, the Seelyes remained a paradox.

Dr. A.B. Seelye, Jenny T., Marion and Helen lived in a grand mansion, but they were very private people, former Seelye employee Doris Jacobson said. They seldom invited Abilene residents to their famous home, but they took in soldiers for the whole weekend almost every week. They earned riches from their pharma-ceutical work, but they dressed in plain cloth-ing.

Though Jacobson worked for the Seelyes’ family business for a year-and-a-half, she never met A.B., and she didn’t enter the house until Jenny’s funeral in 1951. Still, Jacobson’s

friend, Doris Hoover, said Jacobson knew much more of the Seelyes than most people who lived in the area.

“I think it was interesting, the fact that they were very private, with a home like that,” Ja-cobson said. “Of course, everyone would give anything to see the inside. But they told many, many stories about the young men they enter-tained. They’d have a big table-full.”

The family often invited soldiers from Fort Riley to stay with them for the weekend, and they served them elaborate dinners including

chocolate-covered cherries. Jacobson said she thought it was “quite a treat” for the soldiers, especially since the nation was under ration.

Despite all the young men who had the privi-lege of being weekend guests at the mansion, neither of the Seelye daughters ever married, and Jacobson said she never knew of them dating anyone. They both attended Kansas University — Marion for music and Helen for chemistry.

“Their clothing was fairly plain — just the average,” longtime friend and 10-year room-mate Terry Tietjens said. “When I knew the ladies and we would go out, they always had nice things on, but not everyday. And they still enjoyed sewing.”

Tietjens and his twin brother, Jerry, bought the home in 1982 and lived with the then-el-derly sisters — whom they referred to as “hon-orary grandmothers” — after A.B. and Jenny

Courtesy photosMarion and Helen Seelye lived in their family home at 1105 N. Buckeye Ave.

“They were a wonderful, prominent family. They kind of made Abilene

what it is today.”Terry Tietjens

GOP Senate races may

worsen conservative

divideBy CHARLES BABINGTON

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A half-dozen Senate races are heightening the struggle between establishment Republicans and tea party campaign operations, threatening to exac-erbate conservative divisions this fall and beyond.

Strategists on both sides say several Re-publican senators are not merely trying to clobber the individuals challenging them from the right in GOP primaries. They also want to undermine, if not cripple, the tea party-affiliated companies helping fund and shape the challengers’ campaigns.

“If we beat enough of these insurgent challengers to incumbents, and get a big winning streak, they might stop doing it,” said Charlie Black, an adviser to top na-tional Republicans for years.

The aggressive strategy carries risks. If conservative voters — many of them em-brace tea party principles — feel attacked or insulted by incumbent Republicans’ ac-tions, it could hurt efforts to unite conser-vatives against Democrats in general elec-tions.

Black said veteran Republican senators such as Mitch McConnell of Kentucky can thread that needle. Exposing the money-making and sometimes hostile-to-Repub-licans goals of key organizations, he said, should not alienate conservative voters who oppose President Barack Obama and other Democrats.

“These inside-the-Beltway groups don’t have any grassroots component,” Black said. Incumbents such as McConnell, he said, are careful not to criticize groups like Tea Party Patriots, even as they rip into Washington-based firms crucial to insur-gents’ campaigns.

Those organizations include the Senate Conservatives Fund, founded by former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; FreedomWorks; and the Madison Group. All have called for top Republicans leaders, such as Mc-Connell and House Speaker John Boehner, to be ousted in favor of more ideological

See: Divide, Page 6 See: Sisters, Page 6

People2 Wednesday,February26,2014 www.abilene-rc.com

Tim Horan,Editor and Publisher

Janelle Gantenbein,Associate PublisherTammy Moritz,

AdvertisingJenifer Parks

Advertising Assistant

Greg Doering,Managing EditorRon Preston,

SportsTiffany Roney,

ReporterDaniel Vandenburg,Circulation/Distribution

(USPS003-440)OfficialCity,CountyNewspaperAbileneReflector-ChronicleP.O.Box8Abilene,Kansas

67410Telephone:785-263-1000Wednesday,February26,2014ReflectorVol.126,No.210ChronicleVol.141,No.251

Periodical postage paid at Abilene,Kansas. Published daily Mondaythrough Friday, except Saturdayand Sunday and these holidays:Christmas,NewYear’s,MemorialDay,Independence Day, Labor Day and

Thanksgivingat303N.Broadway,Abilene, Kansas. Subscription by citycarrierormailinsideAbilene,Chapman,Enterprise,orSolomon,$7.50monthlyor$87ayear;bymail$93peryear,taxincluded,azipcodeaddressedwithin

DickinsonCounty,wherecarrierserviceis not offered; Motor Route delivery,$9.50monthlyor$110peryear.Postmaster: Address changes toAbilene Reflector-Chronicle, P.O.Box8,Abilene,KS67410

MemberofKansasPressAssociationandNationalNewspaperAssociation

StaffDeliveryLegal

The Abilene

Dick Edwards Auto Plaza

would like to welcome Randy McDonaldas the newest sales consultant to our

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The Jeffcoat Studio Museum is trying to

identify all of our photographs. If you can identify this photograph

please contact us.

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Tuesday from 9am-4pm

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Last week’s photo was unidentified

Engagements

Pfeifer, Stubbs to wedJames and Sharla Pfeifer, of Wichita, announce the engage-

ment of their daughter, Michaela Pfeifer, to Clayton Stubbs, the son of John and Eunice Stubbs, of Abilene.

The bride-to-be is a 2012 graduate of Kansas State Univer-sity with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She’s currently employed as a staff accountant at Capitol Federal in Topeka.

The groom-to-be holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical en-gineering from Kansas State university and is a distribution automation engineer for Westar Energy in Topeka.

Grandparents of the couple are Dale and Gladys Pfeifer, of Victoria; Larry and Sara Soukup, of Kanopolis,; Houston Stubbs (and the late Louise Stubbs), of Quinter; and Eugene Fisher (and the late Josephine Fisher), of Hutchinson.

The couple is planning an April 26 wedding at the Resurrec-tion Catholic Church in Bel Aire.

Nestler, Roelofsen to wedDody Bricker of Solomon and Kelley Nestler of Minneapo-

lis, announce the engagement of their daughter, Nikki Nes-tler, of Solomon, to Tom Roelofsen, the son of Randy and Lisa Roelofsen of Solomon, and Kathy Roelofsen and Stan Kijowski of Kansas City, Mo.

The bride-to-be is a graduate of Academy of Hair Design and is a stylist at Back to Your Roots in Salina.

The groom-to-be is a graduate of Kansas University and works at Abilene Machine as the purchasing manager.

The couple plans to wed May 28 at Stonehole Bay Beach in Bermuda. A reception in Kansas is set for June 7.

4-H club newsFragrant HilltoppersCandlelighter,GrantHeintz;musicspecial,DakotaCaldwell;ushers,WadeHambrightandCollinGfeller;scripturereading,AdrianFink;greeters,AllisonWhitebreadandCallieJonesallwereapartofhelpingFeb.16attheIndustryMethodistChurchservice.Afterward,wehadbreakfastprovidedbyallthe4-Hfamiliesforthechurch.ThemeetingwascalledtoorderbyDakotaCaldwellat10:45a.m.withthePledgeofAlligenceledbyGretchenHillandRowdyKuntz.Rollcallof“Whatisyourfavoriteredcandy,”wasansweredby18members,12parentsandsixguests.AllisonWhitebreadledtheclubinsing-ing“JesusLovestheLittleChildren.”TreasurewasreportedbyGretchenHillannouncingthatwehadabalanceof$610.03.RaycelonKuntzreportedthatshehadsentintheJanuaryreporttotheAbileneandChapmannewspaper.Leadersreportremindedusofthebirdfeedersandtalkedaboutreplacingsomeoftheoldonesforourcommunityproject.4-HbasketballwillbecombinedwiththeAbileneChallangers.Theclubalsoreceiveditsblueribbonformodelmeeting.OneprogrambyEliseJonesshowedmembershowtomakeanomelet.Themeetingwasajournedandsec-ondedbyAdrianFink.Theclub’snextmeetingwillbeheldMarch10anditisparentnight.

— Raycelon Kuntz, reporter

Jolly JayhawkersThemonthlymeetingoftheJollyJayhawkerswascalledtoorderbyPresi-dentTannerHettenbachattheUnitedMethodistChurchonFeb.9,2014,at6p.m.Presentwere14members,twoleaders,sixparentsandoneclover-bud.KyannaVolkmanledtheflagsaluteand4-Hpledge.SecretaryJarythBartenreadtheminutesofthepreviousmeeting.JarythalsoreadanotereceivedfromShirylPauley,whomadeadonationtotheclubinmemoryofherparents,PaulandHelenTimm.ThedonationistopayforthepinetreetheclubplantedinfrontoftheWoodbineFireStationthatistoserveasthetown’sChristmastreeforyearstocome.TheletterstatedappreciationforthemanyyearstheclubhaddeliveredtreatbasketsandChristmascaroledtoherparents.KyannaVolkmanngavethetreasurer’sreport.JessykaBartenstatedthenewshadbeensentinandpublishedinallthreelocalnewspapers.JessykaalsoannouncedtheCountyCouncilhadmetandtalkedabouthowitfeltbettertogivethanreceive.ClubleaderCharlotteBartenhandedoutmodelmeetingribbonsandre-viewedjudgescommentsheets.LeaderBeckyDibbenhighlightedtheimpor-tanceofgivingtothelocalfoodpantry.EducationaltourchairShelbyHetten-bachreportedthattheclubwillbetour-ingtheManhattanOliveGarden.Thedateofthetourwillbedeterminedbythecommitteesoon.Fornewbusinesstheclubvotedto

donate$150totheWoodbineUnitedMethodistChurchforlettingtheclubholdmeetingsatitsFellowshipHall.TuckerSiebertgaveatalkonmilkingdairygoats.VicePresidentKyleHummelan-nouncedthenextmeetingwouldbeMarch9at6p.m.attheWoodbineUnitedMethodistChurch.Suggestedpantrydonationwillbetoiletryitems.AfteradjournmentrecreationleadersTeaganandTuckerSiebertledtheclubinplayingagameofoctopustag.TheeveningconcludedwithrefreshmentsprovidedbytheHummelfamily.

4-H FoundationTheKansas4-HFoundationisseek-ingavolunteertohelpwithaspecialprojecttobenefitRockSprings4-HCenter,acamp,conferenceandretreatcenter,locatedsouthwestofJunctionCity.Thevolunteershouldbeenthusiastic,withstrongorganizationalandresearchskills.Thispersonwillneedtoworkfivetoeighthoursperweek,eitherfromhomeorfromtheFoundationofficeinUmbergerHallinManhattan.Volun-teerdutieswillincludecollectingandorganizingcontactinformationofformerRockSpringsstaffmembers,aswellasdesigninganddistributingmaterialssup-portingaspecialprojectatRockSpringsthatwillbenefitfuturestaffmembers.Tolearnmoreaboutthisopportunity,contactMichelleOverstreetSchrader,Kansas4-Hfoundationdirectoroffunddevelopment,[email protected].

Above:MeredithSleichter,withtheEisenhowerFoundation,showstheKansaslicenseplatethestatewillbeginsellingonce500havebeenordered.Sleichter,RobinBlack.MitziGoseandEmilyMillergaveapre-sentationontheFoundationtotheAbileneRotaryClub.

Right:Sleichterreceivesacheckfor$10,850fortheEisenhowerFoun-dationfromtheRichardLawryFoundation.MakingthepresentationisFoundationexecutorHankRoyer.

The Associated Press

LAWRENCE — Ground-water levels in southwest Kansas declined at a slower pace in 2013 than in recent years, and water tables rose in south-central Kansas, the Kansas Geological Survey said.

The agency said the in-creased levels in wells around south-central Kansas could be largely attributed to above-average rainfall that reduced the demand for irrigation dur-ing the spring growing sea-son, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.

“Obviously, any time you can get your water demands satisfied by Mother Nature, the less you have to pull from aquifers and surface reser-voirs,” said Brownie Wilson, water data manager for KGS.

Most of the 1,400 wells surveyed earlier this year lie within one of the state’s five Groundwater Management Districts.

The KGS measures the lev-els annually to help landown-ers and other water users man-age groundwater resources, which are the primary source of water for cities, industries and agriculture across Kan-sas. The water levels have dropped over the past five years because of an extended drought.

Preliminary information shows that water tables in drought-stricken southwest-ern Kansas, dropped 2.31 feet last year. During each of the three previous years, water levels fell by more than 3 feet. And since 1996, they have fallen nearly 35 feet, KGS said. Much of that area re-ceived less than half the nor-

mal precipitation in 2013 and some areas received less than 25 percent, the agency said.

In west-central Kansas, where much of the area has already been closed off to large-scale irrigation because of dramatic declines in previ-ous years, water tables fell by 0.79 feet last year. In north-west Kansas, water tables fell on average, 0.76 feet last year, which is less than the 1.39

feet recorded after 2012.After two consecutive years

of declines in west-central Kansas, water tables rose an average of more than half a foot.

In parts of Sedgwick, McPherson, Harvey and Reno counties in south-central Kan-sas, levels rose more than 2.5 feet after declining more than 3 feet in 2011, and 1.64 feet in 2012.

Daily recordwww.abilene-rc.com Wednesday, February 26, 2014 3

CalendarWednesday

6 p.m. — Abilene Table Tennis Club, Abilene Com-munity Center, 1020 N.W. Eighth St.

6:30 p.m. — Duplicate Bridge, Abilene Elks Club, 417 N.W. Fourth St.

7 p.m. — Al-Anon, Com-munity Bible Church, 121 W. Fifth St., Abilene

7 p.m. — Youth Group, First Baptist Church, 501 N. Spruce St., Abilene

7 p.m. — Bingo at Abilene Elks Lodge, 417 N.E. Fourth St.

7:30 p.m. — Chapman Rebekah Lodge No. 645, Chapman Senior Center

Thursday8:30 a.m. — TOPS 595,

weigh-in, meeting at First Christian Church, Seventh and Buckeye

10 a.m. — USD 435 PAT Play Group at First Presbyterian Church, 1400 N. Cedar

10 a.m. — Retired School Cooks of Dickinson County, Hitching Post

Noon — Healthwise 55 luncheon, Conkilin Confer-ence Center, Memorial Hospital

5:15 p.m. — TOPS 444, weigh-in and meeting First Christian Church, Seventh and Buckeye

7 p.m. — NA, First United Methodist Church, 601 N. Cedar St., upstairs library

7 p.m. — Bingo, Frater-nal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 2934, 207 Eagle Drive

8 p.m. — AA, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Sixth and Buckeye

Friday12:10 p.m. — Abilene

Rotary Club, Mr. K’s Farm-house Restaurant, 407 S. Van Buren.

8 p.m. — AA, non-smok-ing, Catholic Parish Center, 210 E. Sixth St., Chapman

Getting down to retirement businesswhen you’re self employed

Financial FactsAnita K. Miller, CFP®, CRPC®Angela M. Holt, CFP®Financial AdvisorCertified Financial Planner™Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.101 S. Buckeye Ave., Abilene, KS; (785) 263-0700 toll free 1-866-599-0700

If you call yourself a con-sultant, a freelancer or an in-dependent contractor, you’reone of the growing numbersof Americans without an em-ployer-sponsored retirementsavings plan. As a solo entity,you’re left without the luxuryof the “employer match,”which many use to help growtheir retirement nest eggs.Meanwhile, the full retirementage for Social Security eligi-bility has been pushed out,making it more important thanever for self-employed indi-viduals to put retirement plan-ning strategies in place. Hereare three tips to help you pre-pare financially for your re-tirement years.

Max out your retirementsavings

As a self-employedworker, have you establisheda SEP IRA or Solo 401(k)?These retirement savingsplans are not mutually exclu-sive, and you can contributethe maximum (as much as 25percent of your adjustedgrowth income) to both plansto accelerate your savings inany given year. But, you don’tneed to stop there. If you’relooking for more ways tosave, consider a Roth IRA asa vehicle for accruing supple-mental retirement savings.

With the Roth, your contri-butions are not tax deductiblein the year in which you makethem. Down the road, how-ever, your withdrawals in re-tirement will be tax-free if youhave met all the qualifica-tions. Because the tax rates ofthe future are not entirely pre-dictable, this is a plus. Sinceyou can withdraw direct con-tributions from the Roth atany time, you needn’t worryabout not being able to accessthe money for emergencies.Earnings in your Roth accountcan also be withdrawn tax- orpenalty-free once you reachage 59 ½ (sooner if your eli-gibility changes due to dis-ability) and have had the Rothfor five years or more. For2014, you can contribute up to$5,500 to your Roth IRA (ifyour income falls within cer-tain income limits). If you are50 or older, this maximumgoes up to $6,500.

The more you have work-ing for your future security,and the more predictable yourretirement income can be thebetter. Consult your financialadvisor and visit IRS.gov formore complete rules on retire-ment savings plans.

Budget for healthcarecosts

Nearly all of us will even-tually need costly medicalcare at one time or anotherand that possibility rises in re-tirement. Evaluate incomestreams such as annuity or in-terest income that may helpyou defray eventual medicalexpenses. If you’re within fiveyears of leaving the work-

force, it’s a good idea to antic-ipate what your healthcareneeds may be and how youwill pay for those expenses.

It’s important to know thatregardless of your work sta-tus, you must sign up forMedicare by age 65 to avoidpotentially delaying your cov-erage and paying higher pre-miums. Visit Medicare.gov tofamiliarize yourself with pre-mium and deductible costs forhospital, general medical andprescription coverage offeredby the government. Talk toyour insurance broker to ex-plore supplemental plans thatcan help you manage de-ductibles and pay for servicesnot allowed by Medicare. Byall means, do what you can tomaintain your health, butdon’t ignore the likelihoodthat you’ll need costly med-ical care at some point in re-tirement.

Keep working if you’reable

The amount of yourmonthly Social Securitycheck is determined by howmuch you earned annuallyover your working life andyour retirement date. Thismeans delaying your retire-ment will result in a biggermonthly Social Securitycheck. If you’re in goodhealth and enjoy working,there’s no hard and fast rulethat says you have to removeyourself from the workforce.

These retirement planningtips are especially importantfor self-employed individuals,but they also have value forworkers of every variety. Asmore employers retreat fromthe business of providing ex-tensive retiree benefits, every-one in the workforce needs tobe mindful of how they willmanage the bills in retirement.At the end of the day, you’rethe boss of your own retire-ment. Make your retirementfinances a priority by workingwith a financial professionalwho can help you establish asolid retirement plan.

###

Anita K. Miller, CFP®,CRPC® is a Financial Advisorand CERTIFIED FINANCIALPLANNER practitioner ™ withAmeriprise Financial Services,Inc. in Abilene, KS. She special-izes in fee-based financial plan-ning and asset managementstrategies and has been in practicefor 14 years. To contact her, youmay access her website atwww.ameripriseadvisors.com/anita.k.miller, visit her office at 101 S.Buckeye Abilene, KS, or call herat 785-263-0700.

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. andits affiliates do not offer tax orlegal advice. Consumers shouldconsult with their tax advisor orattorney regarding their specificsituation.

Brokerage, investment and fi-nancial advisory services aremade available throughAmeriprise Financial Services,Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC.

© 2014 Ameriprise Finan-cial, Inc. All rights reserved.

File # 804753

SaturdayMarch 8,

7:00 pmat the

c.L. hooveropera houSe

135 W. 7th St,Junction city

KanSaS

Box office:785-238-3906

WWW. JcoperahouSe.org

ticKetS:aduLtS: $10

StudentS: $5A Kevin Willmott FilmFilmmaker born and raised in Junction City

Stocks: 02/26/14 $ AM Change

DJIA 16,193.57 +13.91ALCO 10.26 +0.04Apple 518.38 -3.68ADM 40.54 +0.15AT&T 32.23 +0.06Bank of Am. 16.19 -0.15BP 50.48 -0.19Caterpillar 96.66 +0.25Coca-Cola 74.77 -0.40Conoco 66.10 -0.42Deere 84.09 +0.04Exxon 96.14 -0.17Ford 15.18 +0.03Harley 64.11 +0.12IBM 184.13 +0.90Johnson & Jo. 91.27 +0.16Kinder Mgn. 75.70 -0.31McDonald’s 96.53 -0.09Microsoft 37.60 +0.06Monsanto 108.58 -0.13

Pepsico 79.21 -0.02Pfizer 31.77 -0.12Potash 33.13 -0.01Sprint 8.26 -0.01Boeing 127.14 +0.36Home Depot 81.80 +0.82Union Pacific 178.08 +0.29UPS 95.65 +0.20Wal-Mart 74.60 +1.25Westar 34.83 +0.21

Source: Yahoo Finance

Grains:Prices at 9 a.m. Wednesday:Wheat $6.59Wheat new crop $6.64Milo $4.61Milo new crop $4.39Soybeans $13.58Soybeans new crop $11.24Corn $4.36Corn new crop $4.44

Market Watch

3.5” x 2”

Bryce C Koehn, AAMS®Financial Advisor.

200 N BroadwayAbilene, KS 67410785-263-0091

3.5” x 2”

Bryce C Koehn, AAMS®Financial Advisor.

200 N BroadwayAbilene, KS 67410785-263-0091

MeetingsDickinson

County Commission

The Dickinson County Commission will convene at 9 a.m. Thursday for a work session and a regular meeting at 11 a.m. at the Dickinson County Court-house, 109 E. First.

Agenda items scheduled as of Monday morning include:

9 a.m. work session• review items for consent

agenda;— minutes of Feb. 20

work session and regular meeting, payroll, fund expenditures, and abate-ments of $1,862.38.

• 10:30 a.m. update with Emergency Management Director Chancy Smith;

11 a.m. regular meeting• Call to order, roll call,

flag salute, approval of agenda;

• commissioner comments and committee reports;

• presentation of peti-tions, proclamations and other public comments;

• reports of county of-ficers;

— weekly report from county administrator Brad Homman;

• notices and communica-tions;

• introduction and consid-eration of resolutions;

• unfinished business;• other business; • adjournment. Commission meetings are

open to the public. Com-missioners can be con-tacted by emailing them at [email protected].

Solomon BOESOLOMON — The USD

393 Board of Education recently met for two special meetings.

The board met on Mon-day, Feb. 24 and accepted the resignation of FCCLA instructor Ellen Haslouer.

The board met on Feb. 20 with John Rasmusson, Kan-sas Association of Kansas School Board attorney, who led the members through training for the negotiations process.

The next regular meeting of the USD 383 Board of Education is 7 p.m. Mon-day, March 10 at the high school library.

Aquifer levels falling at slower rate

Gay rights advocates rally at StatehouseBy JOHN HANNAThe Associated Press

TOPEKA — Nearly 200 people rallied for gay rights Tuesday at the Kansas State-house as backers of “religious freedom” legislation worked to counter perceptions that their measure would encour-age widespread discrimina-tion against gays and lesbians.

The crowd cheered speakers, held signs and flags, and hud-dled under blankets in the chill of a clear but below-freezing afternoon to protest a bill providing legal protections to individuals, groups and busi-nesses that refuse goods and services to gay couples for religious reasons. Supporters have said it focuses on pro-tecting churches, florists, bak-ers and photographers from being punished for avoid-ing involvement in same-sex weddings, but critics say the bill is much broader.

The House approved the measure earlier this month, but Senate leaders quickly de-clared it dead after businesses and business groups protested and the Republican-dominated

Legislature received national criticism. But the Senate Ju-diciary Committee also plans to have hearings next week on religious liberties issues, and the chamber’s GOP leaders concede that a new, narrower proposal could emerge.

“I don’t want people to be discriminated against,” said Lori Strecker, a Lawrence nurse who shared a blanket at the rally with her 15-year-old son, Jai. “It’s not OK.”

The House-passed bill pro-hibits government fines and anti-discrimination lawsuits when people, groups or busi-nesses — citing “sincerely held” religious beliefs — re-fuse to provide goods, ser-vices, accommodations or employment benefits related to marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships or cel-ebrations related to them. It also protects religiously affili-ated adoption agencies from being punished for refusing to place children with gay couples.

The Kansas Catholic Con-ference, the conservative Kan-sas Family Policy Council and

some GOP legislators have said they want a law protect-ing gay-marriage opponents’ religious liberties in place be-fore the federal courts invali-date the state constitution’s gay-marriage ban. They’ve re-peatedly compared the House-passed measure to policies en-acted in other states in which legislators approved same-sex marriage.

“There’s a concerted effort by people on the other side to discredit the very concept of religious freedom, and they want to do that by linking it to bigotry,” said Michael Schut-tloffel, the Catholic Confer-ence’s executive director.

Similar proposals have sur-faced in other states, with Arizona approving a measure. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer re-turned Tuesday to her state from a governor’s confer-ence facing pressure from the state’s business community and its two U.S. senators to veto it.

Robert Noland, the Kansas Family Policy Council’s ex-ecutive director, said there’s broad support among the

state’s residents for preventing people from being punished for refusing to be involved with gay weddings, citing a recent survey by his group of 400 registered voters. Also, in June 2012, at least several thousand people participated in a Statehouse “religious freedom” rally sponsored by the state’s Catholic bishops, protesting a federal mandate on health insurance coverage for contraception.

But Noland acknowledged the language in the House-passed bill may need to be “tailored” further.

“We view it as a preserva-tion of rights,” he said. “We still have opportunities for some meaningful religious liberties discussions.”

The rally organizers includ-ed Equality Kansas, the state’s leading gay-rights group, and

the American Civil Liber-ties Union. The speakers and crowd also included clergy.

“From my own Christian tradition, Jesus was only criti-cal and condemning of op-pressive civil governments of his day and the oppressive ac-tions of some of the religious leaders of his day,” said the Rev. Kent Little, senior pas-tor at the College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita.

Critics of the bill — includ-ing in the business community — zeroed in on a provision extending its protections to individual workers or govern-ment employees who for re-ligious reasons refuse to par-ticipate in providing a legal service. The provision says a business or agency must find a work-around if it is not “an undue burden.”

4 Wednesday,February26,2014 www.abilene-rc.com

The Grizzwells

The Born Loser

Frank and Earnest

Beetle Bailey

Alley Oop

For Better For Worse

Baby Blues

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20)--Bebusinesslikeinyourdeal-ings.Someonemaybeoverlyinterested in your personallife.Keepthemguessingaboutyour private matters, and becarefulnottorevealtoomuch.

ARIES (March21-April19)--Preparation and organizationwill be key today. Someonemaynotbe forthright regard-ing a touchy situation. If youwaituntilthelastminute,youriskbecomingoverwhelmedbytheissuesathand.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

--Makeplanstohavefunwithfriends, or arrange an outingwithyourlover.Dealwithyourresponsibilities in advance sothatnoonewillfindfaultwithyouractions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)--Yourclever ideasand inno-vative solutionswill lead to amoneymaking venture.Deter-mineexactlywhatyouwanttoachieveandthenworkhardinserviceofyourgoals.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)--It’sagooddaytoreviewpa-perworkandfinancialrecords.

Makechangestoimproveyoursavings and investments. Re-ward yourself by spending aromantic evening with some-oneyoulove.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) --You are in a romantic moodtoday.Don’t get carried awayand offer untrue or frivolousdeclarations of your feelings.Your relationship will only bestrengthenedbyyourhonestyanddevotion.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)--It’stimeforalittlepamper-ing.Youmaydecidetoliftyour

spiritsbygettingtogetherwithyourspecialsomeone,orper-hapseventreatingyourselftoanewlookoroutfit.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)-- It is not necessary to seekapproval from others for allofyourplans.Youcangainanew perspective and improveyouroutlookbyexploringnewlocations or experiences foryourself.

SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov.22)--Trying topleaseotherswillonlycauseyoufrustration.Al-thoughpeoplemayhaveyour

best interestsatheart, focus-ing on your own goals willkeepyouon thesurepath tosuccess.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec.21)--Withdeterminationandself-discipline,oneofyourmany hobbies could proveprofitable.Acloselookatyourvarious interests may revealthe opportunity for financialgainthatyouhavebeenseek-ing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.19)--Followingyour intuitionwillleadtoinspiration.Howev-

er, persistence, determinationanddedicationwillbethenec-essary ingredients forpositiveresults. Avoid negativity anddoubt--theywillonlyinterferewithyourdreams.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.19)--Changesareonthehori-zon.Maketheefforttoexpandyour knowledge and insightsbyjoiningaclub,classoroth-eractivitythatisinterestingtoyou. New circumstances willalsoprovidenewfriendships.

DEAR DOCTOR K: I have carpal tunnel syndrome. How can I relieve the discomfort without drugs or surgery?

DEAR READER: Carpal tun-nel syndrome causes pain and discomfort in the wrist that can extend into the hand or forearm. It’s often caused by activities that require constant use of the wrists. People who spend a lot of time at a computer keyboard, for example, pounding away at the keys, are more likely to experi-ence it.

Carpal tunnel syndrome results from compression of the median nerve. This is a major nerve that extends from the spinal cord through the wrist and to the fin-gers. In the wrist, the median nerve passes through a narrow channel called the carpal tunnel.

The carpal tunnel is made of stiff fibers and is only slightly wider than the median nerve. As a result, if repeated activity of the wrist leads to inflamma-tion and swelling of the tissue in the wrist, the nerve can become pinched and compressed. (I’ve put an illustration of this on my website, AskDoctorK.com.)

Carpal tunnel syndrome ini-tially causes tingling, numbness and burning pain in the wrist. These symptoms are also felt in the thumb and second and third fingers, because that’s where the nerve fibers lead.

Sleeping with your wrists in a flexed position can worsen pres-sure on the nerve. That’s because when the wrist is flexed, the nerve is more easily pinched in-side the carpal tunnel. You may awaken with tingling and achi-ness in the wrist.

As the condition progresses, the muscles in the hand can be-gin to waste away and the nerve can become permanently dam-aged. This can lead to weakness

and loss of function and sensa-tion, as well as pain.

So don’t treat possible symp-toms of carpal tunnel syndrome as just an annoyance: Let your doctor know about them. Non-drug and non-surgical treatments are most effective if used when symptoms first begin, before the nerve is damaged.

The first step is typically a splint that keeps the wrist in an open (unbent) position. This helps prevent compression of the median nerve, and can re-lieve mild to moderate discom-fort and disability.

Wear the splint while sleeping. If you have constant pain, wear the splint during the day for four to six weeks, then decrease use of it over the next month. Be-cause you’re trying to avoid drugs and surgery, you may even benefit from wearing a splint in-termittently for years.

You can also work with an oc-cupational therapist (OT), who can teach you to use your hands in ways that will not aggravate your condition. An OT can also recommend adaptive equipment, such as gripping devices, or an ergonomically designed key-board to use at home or at your office.

These non-surgical approaches usually provide relief. If they don’t, injections of inflamma-tion-calming medicine into the carpal tunnel may help. If sur-gery is required, it’s pretty sim-ple -- not a major operation. But non-surgical measures often are sufficient to fix the problem.

(Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115.)

Family Circus

Kit ‘n’ Carlyle

AskDOCTOR K.

Non-surgical approach can relieve

carpal tunnel pain

by Bernice Bede Osol

Big Nate

Overtricks can be oh so tempting

BRIDGE by PHILLIP ALDER

Denis Waitley, a found-ing member of the National Council on Self-Esteem, said, “Success is almost totally de-pendent upon drive and per-sistence. The extra energy re-quired to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.”

That is true, but sometimes, at the bridge table, trying for an extra trick can prove very expensive. Still, occasion-ally a defender can dangle a tempting carrot that leaves declarer thinking he has a no-cost shot at an overtrick.

In this deal, South is in three no-trump, and West leads the heart 10. How might West tempt declarer into an indiscretion?

South should open one no-trump. Yes, the club holding of two honors doubleton is a minus, but the five-card suit is a compensating plus.

Declarer starts with seven top tricks: three hearts (giv-en the opening lead), one diamond and three clubs. Obviously, he will attack clubs. However, West can set a nasty trap for South.

Declarer takes the first

trick in his hand and cashes the club king. West should play his five. Then, when South continues with the club queen, West should drop his eight. He is trying to make it look as though he started with J-8-5 and East with the 6-4-doubleton (and was start-ing a high-low with his six).

If declarer falls for the ruse, he will win the third trick with his queen and sud-denly find that he cannot make the contract. Instead, South must overtake his club queen with dummy’s ace and continue with the club 10 to drive out West’s jack. Then declarer gets at least three hearts, one diamond and five clubs.

© 2014 UFS, Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS

Help Wanted 370

Watco Mechanical Services offers a wide variety of locomotive and car repair services to

the railroad industry.

We are currently looking for new team members

in our Junction City location.

Are you looking for a great company to grow with?

We offer competitive wages/hours and full benefits!!

Come be a Part

Of the Watco Team

Learn more about these career opportunities

and apply

online at www.watcocompanies.com

Welder/CarRepairmanAsuccessfulcandidatewillhave:

Mechanicalskills/experience

Weldingexperience

Stableworkexperience

MaintenanceTechAsuccessfulcandidatewillhave:

Experienceinrepairingelectrical,

pneumaCcandmechanicaleDuipment








Come be a Part

Of the Watco Team


and apply




Weldingexperience












Come be a Part

Of the Watco Team


and apply




Weldingexperience












Come be a Part

Of the Watco Team


and apply




Weldingexperience






Help Wanted 370

Take a step to a new career at Abilene Machine, Inc. AMIhas entry and experienced level positions open in Sales,Diesel Engine Building, Warehouse (1st & 2nd shift),Mechanics, and Welding. The successful candidate is aself-starter with a “can do” attitude and a commitment to

delivering top-notch customer service. Join our Team andstart something new!

Located just 3 mi. east of Solomon, AMI offers a growingand stable work environment, with competitive wages based

on levels of experience and productivity. We offer Health,Dental, 401k, ST/LT Disability, Life Insurance and

Commission/Incentives. Paid vacation and personal time.Post offer drug screen and physical required.

Qualified Applicants send your resume and salaryrequirement to:

Abilene Machine, Inc.Human Resources,

P.O. Box 129, Abilene, KS 67410 orFAX: 785-655-2204

Email: [email protected]

EOE, Drug Free WorkplaceWe Value Diversity in our

Workforce

Classifiedwww.abilene-rc.com Day,MonthDate,Year 5

(The� Reflector-Chronicledoes�not�intentionally�acceptadvertisements�that�are�mis-leading� or� from� irresponsi-ble� firms� seeking� “downpayment”� in� advance.� Pay-ments�made�as�the��result�ofthe� follow-up� correspon-dence� are� made� at� thereader’s�own�risk.)�

ClassifiedsClassifiedsReflector

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303 N. Broadway 785.263.1000

gENERIC

ADOPTION

AUTOS/TRUCKS

MISCELLANEOUS

PUBLIC SALE CALENDAR

SERVICESOFFERED

MISCELLANEOUSFOR SALE

HELP WANTED

Alm. sheets ..........263-1000Photo copies ........263-1000 Fax services ........263-1000Lamination ............263-1000Color Photos ........263-1000

Abilene Reflector-Chronicle - www.Abilene-RC.com - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 -

NOTICES

&

Call 785-263-1000 To Place Your Ad Today!

&

3 bdr, 2 bath,Nice neighborhood.

ETHERINGTON& CO.

REALTORS

115 N.W. 3rd 263-1216Abilene, Ks.

To place your CLASSI-FIED AD just call 785-263-1000. Ads need to be inthe office before NOONthe day before you wantad to run. Prepayment isrequired.

WORLD’S LARGESTGUN SHOW, April 6 & 7,Tulsa, OK Fairgrounds,Saturday 8-6, Sunday 8-4,Wanemacher Productions.Free appraisals. Bring yourguns! www.tulsaarmsshows.-com.

If you don’t find the serv-ice you are looking forhere, check out our BUSI-NESSES & SERVICESDIRECTORY too.

TAPLIN COMPUTERREMEDIES - top notch Mi-crosoft certified systemengineer, guarantees yourcomputer is repaired toyour satisfaction. Call 785-200-5618, open Monday -Saturday, 9 am - 6 pm.

SALINA TREE INC.- res-idential, commercial treetrimming and removal. In-sured. 785-827-2977.

A childless, young, suc-cessful woman seeks toadopt. Will be HANDS-ONmom! Financial security.Expenses paid. Jodi, 1-800-718-5516.

ADOPTION: Educated,financially secure, affec-tionate married couplewant to adopt a baby intoa nurturing, warm, and lov-ing environment. Ex-penses paid. Cindy andAdam, 1-800-860-7074.

AIRLINES CAREERS -Become an Aviation Main-tenance Tech. FAA ap-proved training. Financialaid if qualified. Housingavailable. Job placementassistance. Call AviationInstitute of Maintenance,888-248-7449.

ATTEND COLLEGE ON-LINE from home. *Med-ical, *Business, *CriminalJustice, *Hospitality. Jobplacement assistance.Computer and Financialaid if qualified. SCHEV au-thorized. Call 888-220-3977, www.CenturaOn-line.com.

Happy Jack Skin Balm:Stops scratching & gnaw-ing. Promotes healing &hair growth on dogs & catssuffering from grass & fleaallergies without steroids!Orscheln Farm & Home.www.happyjackinc.com.

MEDICAL LABORA-TORY TECHNICIAN atPOL. Certification pre-ferred, 36 hours/week, noweekends or call. Musthave excellent peopleskills and attention to de-tail. Contact BrittniOehmke, Laboratory Man-ager at 785-632-2181,Ext. 274 for more informa-tion or send resume to:Clay Center Family Physi-cians, PO Box 520, ClayCenter, KS 67432.

Abilene USD 435 is nowaccepting credentials forthe following certified posi-tion: Abilene High School:S C I E N C E / P H Y S I C STEACHER. Please sendletters of interest and re-sumes to: Dr. Denise Guy,Acting Superintendent, POBox 639, Abilene, KS67410. For further infor-mation, please see ourwebsite at www.abile-neschools.org.

USD 473, Chapman, isaccepting applications fora 40 hour/week, 12 monthCUSTODIAL POSITIONat Chapman MiddleSchool. Applications maybe requested by calling785-922-6521 or online atusd473.net. Applicationswill be accepted until posi-tion is filled.

BROWN MEMORIALHOME, a lovely old retire-ment home, south of Abi-lene, KS, is in need ofHousekeepers and DiningRoom Hostesses. Stop bythe home at 1974 HawkRoad to pick up a job ap-plication.

Heavy Equipment Oper-ator Career! Three weekhands on training school.Bulldozers, backhoes, ex-cavators. National Certifi-cations. Lifetime jobplacement assistance. VAbenefits eligible! 1-866-362- 6497.

“You got the drive, wehave the direction. OTRDrivers, APU equipped,pre-pass EZ-pass passen-ger policy. Newer equip-ment. 100% NO touch.1-800-528-7825.

Drivers: Inexperienced?Get on the road to a suc-cessful career with CDLtraining. Regional traininglocations. Train and WORKfor Central Refrigerated,877-369-7885, www.cen-traltruckdrivingjobs.com.

Exp. Flatbed Drivers:Regional opportunitiesnow open with plenty offreight & great pay! 800-277-0212 or primeinc.com.

Transfer Drivers: Need20 Contract Drivers, CDLA or B to relocate vehiclesto and from various loca-tions throughout US-Noforced dispatch: 1-800-501-3783, www.mamo-transportation.com.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013.Farmland Auction start-ing 7 pm. Location: Ra-mada Inn ConferenceCenter, 1616 W. Craw-ford, Salina, KS. 80Acres Saline CountyBottomland. Leonardand Frances SippelTrust, Seller. Auctionconducted by RiordanAuction & Realty.

Thursday, April 4, 2013.Farmland Auction start-ing 7 pm. Location: Ra-mada ConferenceCenter, 1616 W. Craw-ford, Salina, KS. 79Acres Saline CountyBottomland. Robert E.Riordan Trust, Seller.Auction conducted byRiordan Auction andRealty.

Saturday, April 6, 2013.Auction starting 9:33am. Location: Sterl Hall,619 N. Rogers, Abilene,KS. Car, Antiques, Fur-niture and Miscella-neous. LeRoy Timm,Seller. Auction con-ducted by Ron ShiversRealty and Auction Co.

Saturday, April 6, 2013.Estate Auction starting9 am. Location: 575 OldHighway 40 (SandSprings), Abilene, KS.Firearms, Farm Equip-ment, Farm RelatedItems, ATV & Mowers,Antique & Modern Fur-niture, Modern House-hold, DisassembledGrain Bins, Antiques &Collectibles. John Lar-son Estate, Seller. Auc-tion conducted byReynolds, Mugler, GeistAuction Service.

Saturday, April 13, 2013.Auto Auction starting 10am. Viewing at 9 am.Location: 912 E. 7th,Junction City, KS.Gross Wrecker.

FREE QUOTES, easypay, lowest price, andSR22, auto insurance.Call 785-263-7778.

You’re reading the Reflector-Chronicle

Classifieds Work!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

(The� Reflector-Chronicledoes�not�intentionally�acceptadvertisements�that�are�mis-leading� or� from� irresponsi-ble� firms� seeking� “downpayment”� in� advance.� Pay-ments�made�as�the��result�ofthe� follow-up� correspon-dence� are� made� at� thereader’s�own�risk.)�

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303 N. Broadway 785.263.1000

Abilene Reflector-Chronicle - www.Abilene-RC.com - Monday, April 22, 2013 - Page 5

HEY!You looked.

So will your customers.Advertise today.

263-1000

Services Offered 790 Need to send a letter and/or docu-ment? Let us FAX IT for you. $2.00for 785 area code; $2.50 outside 785area code; $3.00 for out of state.Customer must provide fax number.Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, 303 N.Broadway.

Real Estate For Rent 800 OAK CREEK STORAGE units avail-

able 10x10 & 10x20. 280-1113.

PHOTO COPIES - 20 cents percopy. Abilene Reflector-Chronicle Of-fice, 303 N. Broadway.

Miscellaneous 270 Do you have a product or service tosell? For $300, your 25-word CLAS-SIFIED AD will be placed in over 100newspapers across Kansas with areadership of over 500,000! ContactThe Abilene Reflector-Chronicle,785-263-1000 for details.

Announcements 330 For more information and assistanceregarding the investigation of financ-ing, business opportunities and workat home opportunities, The CentralMarketplace urges its readers to con-tact the Better Business Bureau, Inc,328 Laura, Wichita, KS 67211,1-800-856-2417.

Help Wanted 370

• ASSEMBLY AND FAB POSITIONS, 1ST AND

2ND SHIFT

• PARTS WAREHOUSE POSITIONS DAY SHIFT

• SEASONAL AND FULL TIME EMPLOYEES STACKING & BOXING - afternoon and evening

shifts

CALL TODAY 785-825-4545 or apply online

expresspros.com

Help WantedSterling House

Brookdale Senior Living

Business Office Manager

Part-time, approx. 15-20 hours per weekThis organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We

perform criminal background checks and pre-employement

drug testing.

Please fill out an application at 1102 N. Vine, Abilene.

Solomon Recreation Commission has opening

for summer ball field superintendent. Must be available evenings

and some weekends. Job description available

upon request. Pay commensurate with

experience. Deadline for applications is March 17, 2014. Contact: Dean Ann Zsamba, Board Clerk for

more information at 785-655-2541.

Position open until filled - EOE

RN’sNeeded two

Full-Time Night Shift RN’s and

PRN Staff1)Med Surg Dept, 7 pm-

7 am, three 12 hr shiftswkly including everythird wknd. Previousexperiencepreferred.

2)Emergency Dept, 7 pm-7 am, three 12 hr shiftswkly including everythird wknd. Two yrsexperience, preferablyhospitalsetting.

3)PRN Staff to cover asneeded.

ForMoreInfo:(785)263-6612

Applyto:Memorial Health SystemHuman Resources Dept

511 NE 10th St Abilene, KS 67410 orcompleteonline

applicationat:www.caringforyou.org

EOE

CHAPMAN VALLEY MANOR is look-ing for a reliable individual to work asa dietary aide. Excellent wages andbenefits. For more information Call922-6525 or apply in person at 1009N. Marshall, Chapman.

EXPERIENCED HVAC & APPLI -ANCE service person. Must have ex-perience. 785-258-3355 Herington.

GREENHOUSE & NURSERY POSI-TIONS available, weekends are amust. Apply in person or call Chris-tina, 785-263-7104, 955 - 2440 Lane(1/2 mile North of I70) ProscapeGreenhouse & Nursery.

M&R Grill is looking for all positions.Apply in person, no phone callsplease.

Help Wanted 370 CMA FOR NIGHT SHIFT 7:00 P.M. -7:00 A.M. Apply in person GartenCountryside Home Inc., 2454 Hwy.15, Abilene.

HOLM AUTOMOTIVE CENTER isseeking Saturday office help forphones, cashiering, rental dept andlight office work. Email phassel [email protected] or fill out appli-cation at 2005 N. Buckeye, Abilene.

IMMEDIATE OPENING for afull-time JANITOR position inA b i l e n e . E v e n i n g h o u r s ,4:30-1:00am, 40 hours per week.Starting wage $10.32 per hour. Twoyears experience is needed for theapplication to be accepted. Must beable to pass a Federal SecurityClearance Investigation. EOE for jobdescription and application go towww.ravenservices.us.

INTERESTED in LEARNING aTRADE while getting paid? MidcoPlastics is looking to hire a depend-able, responsible person with an eyeto detail to train in flexible printing.Apply in person at 801 South Bluff,Enterprise, KS. We are an EOE.

Musical Instruments 440 WEEKLY PIANO Special: OrnateBaldwin Chippendale Studio Piano.New, over $8700. SPECIAL: $3288!Mid-America Piano, Manhattan.800-950-3774. piano4u.com.

Garage Sales 510 TAG SALE FRIDAY 9-6, Saturday9-2, 407 NE 4th, Abilene. WalnutHarvest table, store display cases,wine refrigerator, couch, dining roomtable with set of roller chairs, largecollection of Playboy Magazine1958-2006, welder, brand new dia-mond leaf Delta truck toolbox, set ofFiesta ware dishes, collection of oldunusual Ball Canning jars, collectionof knives, collection of guns all needsome repair, other antique & collecti-ble vintage items, other miscellane-ous items. Hope Reed Estate/TagSale Service. Please No Early Sales.

Misc For Sale 530 CEMETERY PLOT in ABILENECemetery, Space 8, lot 21, sectionA. Near Veterans Memorial.$300.00, Call Barbara Lopez @619-660-5115 or 619-709-7200.

Automobiles 680 FREE QUOTE INSURANCE, SR22,pay by credit or debit card monthly &discounts. 785-263-7778.

Wanted to Buy 720 LOOKING for USE OIL (must be an-tifreeze free). Cooking, transmission,differential, hydraulic or motor. Wewill pick it up and even trade out bar-rels. Call us today! Everett's Inc.785-263-4172 or 785-479-6729.

Rooms, Apts. For Rent 740

ApArtments for rententerprise estates Apartments

1 Bedrooms Available301 south factory

enterprise, Ksphone: 913-240-7155

VERY NICE ONE bedroom apart -ments overlooking downtownAbilene. All bills paid, $550. Also,very nice two bedroom apartment intriplex unit with garage and privatepatio. Water and trash paid, $625.For more informat ion cal l785-479-0374.

TWO BEDROOM LOFT apartmentson the corner of 3rd & Cedar inAbilene. Recently reduced prices - Ifinterested, please contact DarcyHopkins. 785-827-9383.

ONE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS apart-ment all bills paid, stove & refrigera-tor furnished $450. 785-263-2034

Rooms, Apts. For Rent 740

WOW!!LOOK AT THIS1 Bedroom Apts.

Water & Cable PaidWalk-in showersOn site laundry

Senior Community

(55yrs. +)

NEW YEAR SPECIAL RATE$0.00 to move inFirst month rent freeNo security depositNo application fee

Chisholm Manor

CALL 785-210-9381 for more information

Office Hours:Mon - Thurs 1pm - 3pm

Houses For Rent 770 1 BEDROOM DUPLEX, central air,stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, extrastorage in basement wi thwasher/dryer hookups. $400 rent,water & trash paid. No pets.785-452-0331

ENJOY COUNTRY LIVING, wellkept home, North of Abilene. NoSmoking, $700 + deposit .903-952-7129.

One bedroom, two bedroom, threebedroom & four bedroom (price re-duced, $950) HOUSES FOR RENT!Call 785-263-2034.

EXTRA NICE! ONE BEDROOM Du-plex, 1505 North Olive, $550.00 rentplus deposit. 263-1346.

SMALL 3 BEDROOM at 1507 N Oak550.00 Rent, 550.00 Deposit. 2 Bed-room at 324 NE 4th 475.00 Rent,475.00 Deposit. 1 Bedroom Duplexat 321 NE 12th 450.00 Rent, 450.00Deposit. No Smoking, No Pets, Ref-erences. 785-263-5838.

6 Wednesday, February 26, 2014 www.abilene-rc.com

The Abilene Reflector-Chronicle

&Businesses servicesCalendar Month Rates:

One Line $27.50 • Two Lines $55.00Three Lines $82.50

Call 785-263-1000 To Place Your Ad Today!

AutomotiveJohn’s Service - 263-4444

Auto Lockout Service

ChildcareL&G Depot - 263-6645

[email protected]

Computer ServicesChristner Tech - 280-2599The Teck Shop - 263-3424

GutteringGorilla Guttering - 785-280-1814

HearingMidwest Hearing - 263-2117

HousecleaningMerry Maids - 263-2779

InsuranceAmerican Family - 263-2512

Barbieri Insurance Serv. - 263-2287Smart Insurance - 263-1920

State Farm Insurance - 263-2230

Mini StorageNorthwood - 263-3322/263-1829

MonumentsLynn Peterson - 479-0122

Oil Change/LubeDon’s Tire - 263-7838

FasTrack Lube - 263-4341

Real EstateEtherington & Co. - 263-1216

Black & Co. Realtors - 200-6300Biggs Realty Co. - 263-4428

RemodelingADM Construction - 479-0765

RoofingBest Roofing - 200-4595

Everett Larson - 280-1559Jesse Howard Roofing - 280-3411

Security/AlarmsCrossroads Electronics &

Security LLC - 785-829-1223

Small Engine RepairAbilene Rent-All - 263-7668

Trash Pick-upSuperior Sanitation - 263-3682

&Businesses services

Ventriloquest & Comedienne

Two greaT performances coming up aT

McPherson Opera House

Lynn TrefzgerLynn Trefzger

Saturday, March 15 - 7pm

Friday, March 21 - 7:30pm

Tickets: $22, $18, $10 and students $10

Tickets: $30, $26, $22 and students $10

Break out the Bell Bottoms and Love Beads!

Gold sponsor: NCRASilver sponsors: Bryan &

Janette HessBronze Sponsors: Tyler & Mary

Hughes, Walmart

Platinum Sponsor: The Stone Chimney

Bronze Sponsors: People’s Bank & Trust, Farmers State Bank

Tickets and info at mcphersonoperahouse.org 620-241-1952 / 219 S. Main

ris counties.Aska also has served on nu-

merous state boards and com-mittees. He recently complet-ed a term as president of the Kansas Association of District Court Clerks and Administra-tors.

In addition, Aska is the mayor of Junction City. He’ll add an-other title this summer — gen-eral manager for the Junction City Brigade collegiate sum-mer league baseball team.

Aska was one of the commu-nity leaders who pushed to get a summer baseball team up and running again after the Junction City Generals folded following the 2010 season.

As general manager, Aska will be able to continue his ef-forts with the Brigade, who will begin their second season this summer.

“It gives me a chance to learn some whole new things, get excited about something new and put energy into something else,” he said of the opportunity to focus on the team.

Aska said he’ll also have more time to enjoy other activi-ties.

“I probably will still be in-volved in the community, prob-ably end up putting in more time on some other volunteer things,” he said. “I don’t know what those are going to be, but I’m not going to be one that’s just going to sit back and do puzzles.”

AskaContinued from Page 1

candidates who will not com-promise with Democrats on taxes, spending and other is-sues.

These groups’ leaders say McConnell and other incum-bents are erring by trying to discredit their GOP challeng-ers so fiercely.

“It seems like the establish-ment thinks that if they de-feat a few conservative can-didates, the grassroots will throw up their hands and give up,” said Matt Hoskins of the Senate Conservatives Fund. “But that won’t stop us from fighting for conservative can-didates in 2014, 2016 and be-yond. We’re not going away.”

Sen. Mike Lee, a tea party Republican, launched this brand of intra-party struggle when he stunned three-term Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah’s 2010 GOP nominating pro-cess. Things turned out worse for Republicans in 2012 when

a tea party challenger ousted veteran Sen. Richard Lugar in the Indiana primary, only to lose to an underdog Democrat that fall.

Ever since, establishment Republicans have accused DeMint and other activists of willingly electing Democrats by knocking out mainstream GOP candidates who would be stronger campaigners in general elections. Some tea partyers, in return, say long-time Republican leaders like McConnell and Boehner be-tray conservative principles by working with Democrats on matters such as the debt ceiling.

Summarizing the conflict is a banner in FreedomWorks’ Washington headquarters, where reporters were invited to meet the Republican chal-lengers to McConnell and other incumbents. “Some-times you have to beat the Republicans before you beat the Democrats,” it says, quot-ing FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe.

The Republican Party’s campaign committees for House and Senate races are aggressively defending in-cumbents, ending a tradition of being mostly hands-off in primaries. They instructed Republicans nationwide to refuse to hire campaign com-panies that worked for groups like the Senate Conservatives Fund.

The intra-party battles are hottest in Kentucky, Kan-sas and Mississippi, where Republican senators in their 70s face younger tea party-backed challengers. In all three states, the sitting sena-

tors or their allies are striking hard at unproven challengers who might have drawn gen-tler treatment in the past.

In Kentucky and Kansas, the tea party-backed challeng-ers are struggling to defend themselves against recently divulged old documents — dug up through opposition research — questioning their integrity or judgment.

In Mississippi, allies of Sen. Thad Cochran are harshly criticizing state Sen. Chris McDaniel, his tea party-sup-ported challenger. The ac-cusations are so intense that

Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republi-can backing Cochran, called them disappointing and “just not something that’s neces-sary.”

The exchanges seem unlike-ly to cool anytime soon.

“Once people find out a little bit about these candi-dates, it does a lot to publicly expose the groups that are us-ing them to pervert the defini-tion of conservatism to attack Republicans” and help elect Democrats, said Josh Hol-mes, an adviser to McConnell and other Republicans.

Republican pollster and

consultant Mike McKenna says incumbents such as Mc-Connell are playing a danger-ous game. Many tea party-leaning voters will be loyal Republicans, he said, if they feel the GOP establishment respects their concerns and welcomes their involvement.

Instead, Republican in-cumbents want to beat tea party-backed challengers “to a pulp,” said McKenna, who moves within establishment and tea party circles. “They will do anything, except try-ing to figure out a way to inte-grate the tea party guys.”

DivideContinued from Page 1

died.“They were lovely ladies,” Tietjens said. “I really got

to know them well. They were just wonderful.”Tietjens continues to live at the mansion and give pub-

lic tours almost every day. He said A.B.’s parents were originally landowners in New York, and they moved to Abilene and purchased land south of Abilene one year before A.B. finished medical school in Chicago.

“They were an early prominent family coming from London, England, in 1630. The Seelyes were sponsored by the king of England to save the colonies, and those Seelyes were a direct line of that family,” Tietjens said.

Jenny was from the area, and her parents, the Taylors, lived in northern Dickinson County. A.B.’s parents lived within a block of their son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughters.

Helen was outgoing and friendly, and she worked as a chemist in the upstairs lab of the Seelye Medical Com-pany building downtown, near the corner of Second and Cedar streets. Jacobson never saw Marion come into the business. She was a concert pianist and took care of the housekeeping. Jacobson came to work at 8 o’clock, and Jenny and Helen came at 9.

Though Jenny kept busy part of the time by packing up orders called in by Mr. Seelye, who was often on the road peddling their medicines, she also used part of her workday to record local history.

“Mrs. Seelye started collecting obituaries taken from the paper, and we would put them in books. She would cut them out and have me paste them in,” Jacobson said. “We had a lot of books. I think she was interested in that kind of work. She was very much interested in history.”

In the laboratory, Helen prepared over-the-counter remedies like Wassatoosa, a stomach soother and Fro-Zona, a menthol salve.

Helen recruited Jacobson to work for the company after she graduated from Abilene High School in 1940. She had learned shorthand and other office duties in “the commercial course” offered at the school.

Originally, when Helen came to Jacobson’s house and asked her to come work, the job offered was not for the Seelyes.

“She wanted me to take a job at the Larned State Hos-pital. She was in politics at the time, and that was her job to find people to place at those businesses,” Jacob-son said. “But my mother didn’t want me to go that far away from home. In those days, you didn’t do that, and I didn’t care about it either.

“Then, after I wasn’t interested, Miss Helen asked me if I’d be interested in working for them at their business — the Seelye Medical Company — where they made ointments and salves and all kinds of extracts.”

Jacobson said yes to the job and went to work for the Seelye sisters in the summer of 1940. She was 18, and the sisters were in their 40s or 50s.

Jacobson worked for them until her husband left the military, which precipitated their move to the family farm. In addition to helping on the farm, she worked at a local bank, and she stayed in contact with the Seelyes by selling them farm-fresh eggs. She regularly delivered the eggs to the mansion’s back door, and Helen let her into the kitchen, which Jacobson said was plain, simple and not modern for the times.

Though they may not have known they were making history themselves, Tietjens said they were involved in preserving the past history of Abilene. Marion was the first secretary of the Dickinson County Historical Soci-ety, and Helen served as the county director of the Red Cross for more than 30 years.

“They were a wonderful, prominent family,” Tietjens said. “They kind of made Abilene what it is today.”

SistersContinued from Page 1Kansas City pushes

hard for GOP conventionBy DAVID A. LIEBThe Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nearly 40 years have passed since the national political spotlight last shone on this city, when Ron-ald Reagan tried unsuccessfully to oust President Gerald Ford at a contested Re-publican National Convention.

Yet Kansas City now is making an ag-gressive push to host the Olympics of politics — the 2016 Republican National Convention — against a field of competi-tors that includes the tourist destinations of Las Vegas and New Orleans, the southern hotspots of Dallas and Phoenix and other cities such as Denver with more recent po-litical conventions on their resumes.

What Kansas City lacks in glitz, it’s try-ing to make up for with heart.

“We are a city that really wants this con-vention,” said Troy Stremming, a local ca-sino executive who is co-chairman of the Kansas City RNC 2016 Task Force. “It’s not just another convention of 50,000 par-ticipants in the city of Las Vegas, it would be THE convention for Kansas City and this region.”

A delegation from Kansas City plans to personally deliver the city’s bid documents Wednesday to Republican headquarters in Washington — capping a campaign that began nearly a year ago when it put on a party for the Republican National Commit-tee.

Representatives from the aspiring host cities are to make formal presentations March 3 to Republican officials. A com-mittee then will narrow the list to several finalists for onsite visits later this year. But the winner might not be chosen until early 2015, said Sharon Day, co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

At this point, “there is no front-runner,” she said.

When Kansas City last hosted the Re-publican National Convention in 1976, the event was held in the newly opened Kemper Arena on the banks of the Mis-souri River, and attendees flew in to the new Kansas City International Airport. To-day, Kemper Arena is a seldom-used shell

targeted for potential demolition and city officials are bemoaning the need for a new, modern airport.

Yet downtown Kansas City has recently undergone a $6 billion renovation an-chored by the new Sprint Center arena, which sold more tickets to live entertain-ment events last year than its counterparts in Dallas, Phoenix, Denver or Las Vegas. The arena sits across from a new restaurant and bar district, near a renovated luxury hotel and a short walk from a massive con-vention center that spans eight city blocks. That whole downtown area is plugged into a newly upgraded grid for telecommunica-tions, power, water and sewer.

An interstate highway passes right by the Sprint Center and convention hall. Al-though Kansas City currently lacks a com-muter train, officials insist that a finely or-chestrated network of chartered buses can get everyone to the convention in about 30 minutes from hotels on either side of the Missouri-Kansas border. Being located in the center of the country means attendees from both the east and west coasts can fly to Kansas City within three hours.

Political considerations, such as the re-gion’s Republican bona fides or battle-ground status, aren’t part of the discussion, Day said. But the city’s logistics are a key part to selecting a convention site.

“We look at every hotel, every venue, the wiring, the security — you basically tear the city apart to make sure that they can really deliver the best possible opportunity for our presidential candidate,” said Day,

who was on the 2008 site selection com-mittee that chose St. Paul, Minn.

Kansas City’s arena can hold 19,246 people — topping the Republicans’ re-quirement of 18,000 — and is ringed with a double deck of suites. This past weekend, the arena was transformed with tons of dirt for a professional bull riding event. In the coming month, it will host country and rock concerts, an equestrian show, the Big 12 men’s college basketball championship and a Disney on Ice production.

The Sprint Center arena is managed by Brenda Tinnen, who was an executive at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when it hosted the Democratic National Conven-tion in 2000.

“This is a big event in what I would call a smaller, non-traditional market for the political conventions,” said Tinnen, who also is chairwoman of the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association and vice-chairwoman of the Missouri Tourism Commission.

About 200 people attended a fundraiser last week as part of Kansas City’s com-mitment to raising the millions of dollars necessary to help sponsor the Republican convention. Among the contributions was $10,000 left over from the 1976 conven-tion.

The quest to win the 2016 GOP conven-tion is perplexing to some Kansas City area residents.

“People go to Florida ... they go to Scott-sdale ... and to Chicago,” said John Hewitt, a retired airline pilot dining at a down-town Kansas City restaurant. “Kansas City seems like more of just a typical Midwest-ern city to me.”

But others view this as Kansas City’s chance to shine — much like the Olympics focused attention on the generally unheard-of city of Sochi, Russia — and to shed the rural stereotypes that still have some truth.

“People don’t understand how beauti-ful this city actually is until they’ve been here,” said Patricia Bricker, a Kansas City children’s author who was buying a ticket to a bull riding event. “They think of it as a little cow town.”

“We are a city that really wants this convention. It’s

not just another convention of 50,000

participants in the city of Las Vegas, it would be

THE convention for Kansas City and this region.”

Troy Stremming

During the last couple months, winter had a tight grip on Kansas country-

side. Seemed like whenever I’d look outside my office window I saw gray clouds, large flakes of snow and trees blowing in a bitterly cold wind. This made it easy to dream about the spring thaw or the warm summer sun.

Still there was work to be done – Insight columns to write, photos to take, radio programs to record and meetings to attend. Stacks of files waved to me from the corner.

Deadlines and commitments. What to leave in. What to leave out.

When experiences like this occur, I clear my mind and remember what makes this profession I’ve chosen rewarding.

For me, happiness comes in many forms:

• Seeing any story you’ve written

adorned with your byline. You prob-ably won’t rush home and show your spouse, mother or a good friend, but you consider it a job well done, a challenge met or another human in-terest story that comes to life on the printed page, Facebook or the web.

• Knowing you are creative. You think about things that cause others to say, “I wish I had thought of that” and for thinking of good stories, coming up with catchy headlines and “well-writ” and telling sentenc-es. On top of that you’re being paid for that talent, even if you need less than a wheelbarrow to take into the bank.

• Wordsmithing, or working well with words. Whether it’s coaxing, educating, enlightening, urging or uncovering a wonderful story you have the ability. Still, you must look for the reality beyond the deadlines. You help people adjust to change.

You show them dreams can become reality. You attempt to guide them away from trouble. And, you hold them up as examples of success in this business of farming and ranch-ing.

• Sharing the excitement when the organization you work with is rec-ognized for excellence. You enjoy the company you keep – the farm-ers and ranchers across Kansas. You admire the people you work for and write about, the folks who remain a part of this key industry called agri-culture. Maybe you were once part of this vocation. Maybe you weren’t. In the end it makes no difference. By

association, you are part of it.• Understanding and valuing

the weather and the four seasons. You’ve experienced the promising winds of spring, the blistering heat of summer, the brilliant colors of fall and the bleakness winter can bring. You know what it can do to crops and livestock. You know about the white combine. You’ve seen bliz-zards destroy a cow herd. Weather is like a wheel moving slowly while being prodded along by Mother Na-ture. Sure would be fun to spend more time watching her do so.

• Being recognized for your abili-ties. This usually includes certifi-cates, a plaque, pin or that all too fleeting trip on stage and the ap-plause that follows. The point is someone singled you out as a writer, photographer or editor. You’ve re-ceived an ‘atta boy or ‘atta girl. Ac-cept it graciously and with gratitude.

• Finally, you are alive. You’re walking upright and enjoying this big adventure called life.

By the way, just yesterday I saw some green shoots in our yard pok-ing their little heads out of the melt-ing snow. That’s another reason for happiness.

A French writer from the early 1600s once said, “We are never so happy, nor so unhappy, as we sup-pose ourselves to be.”

This guy’s name was La Roche-foucauld.

Now that’s real happiness – re-membering a name like that.

John Schlageck is a leading com-

mentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diver-sified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of ex-perience, knowledge and passion.

Opinionwww.abilene-rc.com Wednesday,February26,2014 7

Tee TimeTim Horan

CelebrationDecorations, Disney and K-State

songs (the a cappella version), awards presentations and great

food, fellowship and fun. That describes last Thursday evening’s Annual Chamber Banquet celebration, held at the Eisen-hower Library Courtyard.

As attendees walked into the banquet for the social hour that preceded the event, they were welcomed by 21 dif-ferently decorated tables. All tables were sponsored by Chamber members, and in-cluded a fun centerpiece and eight give-aways that guests were able to take home with them. At the end of the night, a few lucky guests even walked away with the centerpiece that adorned the table. Thank you to the Chamber members that worked so hard on these tables!

Once attendees picked the best table, they enjoyed a meal catered by West’s Plaza Country Mart. During the meal, they were entertained by Cadence A Cap-pella, an all male singing group from Kansas State University. A local Abilen-ian, Travis Fritson, is the president of the group, and the entertainment varied from classic and modern, and even included a Disney medley. This Chamber direc-tor even joined the group in dancing the

Wabash Cannonball and singing the KSU Fight Song at the end of the performance!

Also sponsoring the event were 17 local business and individual supporters who donated the wine for the event. The wine was made at four different Kansas winer-ies from across the state. Each table had a complimentary red and white, and our thanks go out to the businesses that gen-erously donated!

The Chamber was fortunate enough to have to privilege to honor seven award winners at the banquet. Shayla Mohr and Debbie Lytle, coordinators of the Dickin-son County Relay for Life, received the Quiet Hero Award. The Distinguished Citizen of the Year award went to Ron Shouse, a supporter of the community, especially local youth programs. Don Nebelsick of Don’s Tire received the

Distinguished Businessperson of the Year Award. The Ag Business of the Year award also had two recipients: Concordia Tractor & Rawhide Portable Corral. Last but most certainly not least, the Volunteer of the Year award went to retired veteri-narian Dr. Frank Jordan. All winners were lured to the banquet by the nominees, keeping the awards a secret, making the surprise all the more enjoyable to watch!

The night was attended by 158 attend-ees, each person’s reason for being there different. Some were award winners, some were there as supportive family & friends, some were Chamber mem-bers, board members, & staff, and some were just there as a Chamber supporter. No matter the reason, THANK YOU so much for coming out for an enjoyable event. The Chamber already has ideas to make next years’ event bigger & better – see you in 2015!

As always, you can contact the Cham-ber at 785-263-1770, or [email protected].

____________________Torey Berndt is the executive director

of the Abilene Area Chamber of Com-merce.

Chamber ConnectionTorey Berndt

Textbookadoption:Morethanjudgingabookbyitscover

This is the time of year that we’re working on textbook selection. Walk into our downtown District

office and you’ll notice boxes of curricu-lum materials — all in the process of un-dergoing consideration for the 2014-15 school year.

Textbooks are vital tools within the classroom and today most come with packaged curriculums. These research-based curriculums help teachers teach the Kansas adopted college and career ready standards in a scientific manner taking into consideration how the brain works as well as strategies such as spi-raling throughout multiple grade lev-els. Because of the multistate adopted standards, resources alignment between standards and curriculum is much more efficient than in previous years.

Textbooks and curriculums do become outdated when new standards are adopt-ed. Recently, four of our core subjects have new standards – English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and sci-ence. This has made it difficult to stay on a rotation with adoptions and actu-ally, time was given to the publishing companies to catch up before our district considered adoptions. This year we are

looking at K-6 English language arts and 6-12 mathematics. Typically, there is a rotating schedule and generally we fol-low an approved process when it comes to any new textbook/curriculum adop-tion.

When I say process, it is exactly that — a series of steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. This process is over-seen by Assistant Superintendent Chris Cooper and includes input from many teacher leaders. Essentially the process consists of eight steps:

Research the latest information on suc-cessful teaching methods.

Contact publishers requesting infor-mation about their curriculum. It is our policy to also ask them to provide “white papers”— research conducted by non-

biased outside agencies.Select the curriculum resources that we

want to review.Have teachers review the materials,

looking for alignment to the standards and research based teaching methods.

Invite publishers into the district to present to a group of teachers. We ask them to explain their curriculum, the re-search behind the curriculum, the profes-sional learning involved, and, of course, to answer our questions.

Periodically, we visit with other schools that currently use the curriculum the dis-trict is interested in purchasing.

Bid out materials. Make a final decision. Adopting new textbooks and curricu-

lum materials is time consuming and a somewhat tedious process, generally tak-ing most of a school year. Following an established process helps us make sure that we make the best choice and go far beyond just judging a book by its cover.

____________________Dr. Denise Guy is superintendent of

USD 435 schools.

Abilene SchoolsDr. Denise Guy

Livin’ la Vida Loca

HappinessJohn SchlageckKansasFarmBureau

What would you think if I sang out of tune?

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a songAnd I’ll try not to sing out of key.

The Beatles probably sang those words first but I remember Joe Cocker gyrating to that tune at Woodstock in 1969.

And while Joe got by with a little help from his friends, nothing helps me when it comes to singing. Carrying a tune is not one of my strengths.

In grade school I still remember one of my teach-ers saying, “Timmy, maybe you should just mouth the words.”

Some of my family suggested that I audition for American Idol. Didn’t William Hung actually make a career out of singing off key?

My dream audition goes something like this:“Yes, Ryan. I have an ID that says I’m 26 years

old.”Harry Connick, Jr.: “What are you going to sing

for us today?”Me: “I’m going to sing ‘Feelings.’”Jennifer Lopez: “That’s one of my favorite songs.

Go for it.”

Teardrops,Rolling down on, my faceTrying to forget my, feelings of loveHarry’s hand quickly goes up, signaling stop!And the judges’ comments:Harry: “Wow. Do you know you missed a few

notes?”That’s what my first and only music coach told me

back in seventh grade. I still remember Gerald Lau-dermilk, who was very kind in his criticism when I challenged the “chair” ahead of me. “Missed a few notes,” he said.

Keith Urban: He couldn’t stop laughing. (Holding up the audition application to cover your laughter doesn’t HIDE it, Keith!)

Jennifer Lopez: “How old are you again?”“I can sing something else,” I say. “Do you want

country?”

We got winners, we got losersChain smokers and boozersAnd we got yuppies, we got bikersThat’s when Chuck Barris from the Gong Show

brings out the hook and escorts me off stage.“I can do ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’!” I say as they drag

me off the stage.

She’s into superstition,Black cats and voodoo dolls...I took piano lessons. Yes, I did. Every Saturday

morning. And. I could actually read music: Every Good Boy Does Fine are the lines of the treble clef.

It’s just my ears never picked up what the vocal cords were vibrating.

It’s not that my family is tone death. My mother Nelda plays the piano and she does it by ear.

My sister Sandy was in the high school operetta, as was my brother and my daughter. And while he did not participate in any school musical, son Ryan was a member of the vocal chorus in middle school.

While the sound of music doesn’t come from me, that doesn’t mean I don’t hear good music.

I pegged last year’s American Idol winner Phillip Philips. This year’s prediction? Alex Preston.

There, you have it. No need to watch the next 100 hours of Idol.

Sports8 Wednesday,February26,2014 www.abilene-rc.com

Sports shorts:

Freshmen Cowgirls end season with

one lossTheAbileneCowgirlfresh-manbasketballteamendedtheseason18-1withtwowinsthispastweek.TheydefeatedWamego51-21,ThursdayandClayCenter36-32Friday.AtWamego,ClaudiaHessledtheCowgirlswith16pointsandOliviaGassmanhad11astheCowgirlsgotofftoaquickstartwitha23-6leadafterthefirstquarter.TheCowgirlsled35-15atthebreak.“Wegotofftoaquickstartwithourpresscausingnumerousturnovers,whichbecameeasybasketsforus,”coachSteveRiedysaid.“Agoodgameforusaseveryonegotalotofplay-ingtime.”FridaynightinAbilene,theCowgirlsledthemajor-ityofthegameandhadtoholdofftheLadyTigersrallyinthefourthquarter.HessledtheCowgirlswith16pointsandGasmanputinnine.“Weknewcominginthiswouldbeatoughgame,”Riedysaid.“Theyareprobablythebestwehavefacedallyearandthekidsknoweachotherreallywell.Weplayedaverysolidgameonbothendsofthefloor.“Weletadouble-digitleadsliplateduetosometurnoversandmissedfreethrowsbutinthelastminutewecorrectedthingstodefendandmakefreethrows.Olivia(Gassman)wasjustsuperdownthestretchlikesheusuallyis.Shehitthreefreethrowstopreservethewin.“Claudia(Hess)alsohadabiggamenotonlyinscor-ingbutreboundingaswell.”“Thiswasaveryfocusedgroupofgirlsallyear,”Riedysaid.“Theyhavegreatchemistrybetweenthemandwereextremelycoachable.”

ThursdayAHS23121711 - 51WHS6 9 4 3 - 21Abilene–HalleWarren4,OliviaGassman11,MyrandaPatrick6,PresleyClark9,JessicaHayes8,RaeSchwarting9,AlannisClark4.Wamego–scoringnotavailable

FridayCC7 51010 - 32AHS109 9 8 - 36Abilene(18-1)–OliviaGassman9,PresleyClark8,JessicaHayes3,ClaudiaHess16.ClayCenter–scoringnotavailable

Scores:Basketball

BoysAbilene53,Chapman49RuralVista61,Wakefield46Bennington64,Solomon57

GirlsAbilene58,Chapman57RuralVista44,Wakefield22Bennington57,Solomon34

February 2014Wellness Monthspecial pricing

Comprehensive exam - $27 rabies - $7.50

Da2pp for Dogs or fvrCpfor Cats - $9.50

(eaCh 3 year with proof of prior vaCCine)

all other wellness serviCes at a 25%

DisCount also!Abilene Animal Hospital

320 N.E. 14thAbilene, KS263-2301

Meals on Wheels gets Delivered Onbehalfofthehospital-basedMealsonWheelsprogram(whichoperatesundertheauspicesoftheChurchWomenUnited),wewouldliketorecognizeallofthepeoplewhodeliveredmealsduringthesnowstorm. •TimHolmofHolmAutomotivegraciouslydonatedtwovehiclesanddrivers:HunterMcMillenandJeremyPlott.Withtheirhelp,andthehelpofClarkeCarroll,therecipientsreceivedtheirmealseveryday. •Wealsowanttothankallofourregulardriverswhowereouttherefightingthesnowlaterontheirroutes:LeonandMaryJoBoor,LutherGriffith,VerlandBettyEckman,LouAnnandMabelNeaderhiser,GilGreen,PaulandLilMartin,JoleneCarroll,MaryJones,BettyHoltzen,MaryFeller,JosephineAnguiano,JerryBatchelder,JaniceRoth,SueRobson,GordonandJoyceKippenberger,BillPeterson,PaulandJoDennis,BobandVeraDick,SallyThomasandtheMethodistQuestersSundaySchoolclass. •AlsoabigthanksgoestoMabelCarlsonandherstaffattheVillageManorwhodoasuperbjobofpreparingthesemeals. Becauseofthededicationofalloftheaboveaswellasall pastdrivers,thisprogramhasdeliveredmealssince1971withoutmissingaday.Whatarecord.Abigthankyoutoall!

MealsonWheelsBoardofDirectorsMaryAmess,Chairman;MabelCarlson;

SharolynSanchez;VickyChamberlin;JoyceHeinecke;BettyEckman;

SallyNelson;AnneRobson

Cowboys come back to beat Chapman 53-49By RON PRESTON

[email protected]

The Abilene Cowboys rallied from four points down early in the fourth quarter against the Chapman Fighting Irish to get a 53-49 North central Kan-sas League victory Tuesday night.

The Cowboys led by as many as nine points early in the third quarter but a 10-2 run by Chapman gave the Irish a 34-32 lead with just over a minute to play in the third quarter.

Jesse Patrick tied the game at 34 with 50 seconds to play in the period and Chapman’ Logan Lexow hit a free throw to take a one-point lead into the final period.

The Irish extended the lead to 40-36 before Keil Kelly and Jessie Patrick led the Cowboys on a 9-0 run to put the Cowboys back on top 45-40 with just under two minutes left to play.

Chapman got within three points before Tanner Hoekman and Kelly each hit a pair of free throws to put the Cowboys up 53-46. Kade Sims hit a trey at the buzzer to make the final 53-49, Cowboys.

“Chapman outplayed us tonight,” Abilene coach Terry Taylor said. “They had more of an effort than we did.”

“I think we are starting to find a little bit of a roll now,” Chapman coach Tony Ingram said. “We have every-body healthy and everybody has been together now for two or three weeks so that is a big difference. The boys have really bought into what we are doing now.”

The Cowboys jumped out to a four point lead early in the game only to see the Irish come back to tie it 4-4 halfway through the first quarter. The Cowboys finished the period on a 9-2 run to lead 13-6 after one.

Abilene stretched the lead to 24-16

at the break.“You come in halftime with the lead

and you talk about what you want to do in the third quarter and then you go out and they just flat out played us,” Taylor said. “My hat’s off to Chapman and coach Ingram. I thought his kids played really well in the third quarter and had us on our heels. I am proud of our kids in the fourth quarter, they re-sponded to the challenge and came out and played a little better defensively, got some stops and found a way to get a victory.

“It was not a pretty one, that is for sure.”

The Irish came out after half with a lot of energy and confidence not matched by the Cowboys in the third quarter enabling them to fight back, tie the game and take a lead into the fourth quarter.

“They have been playing better than did early in the year,” Taylor said. “They beat Clay Center up there and then went to Marysville Friday and re-ally led most of the way and lost it by three. This is the best basketball they have played all year and it’s a good time to do that.”

“I’ll have to give about 100 percent of the credit for our play tonight to the

three seniors we have,” Ingram said. “Those three boys have stepped up in the last two weeks, not only in games where people see it, but in practices. They are some leaders. There is some great communication by these seniors, so Bryce (Winters), Gavin (Canaday) and Logan (Lexow) are really doing a great job and I think our coaching staff has done an excellent job all year, it seems for us we are starting to get some traction and for us it is the best time of the year for that to happen.

“I will say, I think we let one slip away tonight though.”

On senior recognition night, co-cap-tains Kelly and Patrick put the Cow-boys on their back and roped in the Irish to regain the lead and eventually get the victory. Kelly had a game high 21 points and Patrick shot in 15.

The Irish ended their regular season and will now head to sub-state at Con-cordia to face Clay Center next week. The Cowboys will host Concordia on Thursday night with the NCKL title on the line. The Cowboys need a win to get a share of the title with Concor-dia and Wamego.

“Sometimes you have got to win some ugly games,” Taylor said. “That what is was tonight for us. We didn’t have a good effort, we didn’t execute well, we didn’t shoot well, but we found a way to win and that is en-couraging, We will need a lot better effort Thursday night Concordia and the kids know what is also on the line with that game.”

Summary:CHS6101914 - 49AHS13111019 - 53Chapman(2-18)–Winters14,Sims3,Sutter3,Stroud6,Lexow11,Canaday12.Abilene(13-6)–Hoekman2,Kelly21,Wilson2,Patrick15,Harms8,J.Goodwin3,Barbieri2.

Cowgirls get by Irish on senior night, 58-57By RON PRESTON

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The Chapman Fighting Irish fought back from a 14-point deficit late in the third quar-ter to get within one of the Abilene Cowgirls, but that is as close they got in a 58-57 Cowgirl victory Tuesday night in the AHS gym.

The Irish jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the first quarter before the Cowgirls fought back to tie it at 4 with five minutes left in the period. Chapman then scored six unanswered points to take a 10-4 lead after one period.

“We looked like we were tired tonight,” Cowgirl coach Janelle Geist said. “It was like fatigue had set in. We were really flat in the first quarter but adjusted really well in the second quarter.”

McKenzie Funston led the Cowgirls to a 23-8 second period by hitting three treys. Jessie Heiman scored six of the eight points for Chapman during the second quarter. The Cowgirls led 29-18 at the break.

“We were definitely better than we were in January,” Irish coach Sara Cook said. “That second quarter killed us. We turned the ball over 16 times in the first half and I think 10 of those came in the second period. We slowed

down a little bit defensively and Abilene knocked down some shots and we didn’t an-swer.”

The Irish came back after the break and outscored the Cowgirls 39-28 in the second half to erase the large lead and keep the game within reach until the final buzzer.

The Cowgirls played good defense in the final minutes of the game and shot 12 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep control of the game as the clock wound

down.Heiman hit a trey with sev-

en seconds on the clock and the Cowgirls bobbled the inbounds play with Heiman getting the ball to fall for her second trey at the buzzer to make the final 58-57 Cow-girls.

“Jessie Heiman got us right back in the game by knock-ing down those threes,” Cook said. “She’s got an awesome shot and she’s worked hard on it and she can shoot that ball. She showed a lot of con-

fidence on her part to do that and it kept us in the game – we just ran out of time.”

Belle Barbieri led the Cow-girls with 25 points, Funston shot in 13 and senior Court-ney Geist had 10 points on senior night.

“Our girls just fought to get the win,” Geist said. “We’ll need that effort from every-one against Concordia on Thursday.”

The Cowgirls three se-niors Nichole Taylor, Taylor Thompson and Geist were recognized with their parents following the game.

“These seniors have been very special,” Geist said. “A good group of basketball players but they are also good people. They have been very selfless and that is what has made it so much fun with this

group and the parents and their support has just been great also.”

Macey Langvardt led the Irish with 16 points and Hei-man and Milea Anderson shot in 14 points each.

The Cowgirls will host Con-cordia Thursday in the final regular season game before heading to sub-state a week from Thursday in McPherson. Chapman is off until their sub-state action at Concordia.

Summary:CHS1081920 - 57AHS4231714 - 58Chapman(5-15)–Lovett4,Sutter3,Beemer4,Wise2,Langvardt16,Anderson14,Heiman14.Abilene(9-10)–Geist10,Thompson2,Barbieri25,Funston13,Taylor8.

Ron Preston • Reflector-ChronicleAbilene’sJessePatrick(32)scorespastChapman’sBryceWinters(3)forabasketintheCowboys53-49winTuesday.

Ron Preston • Reflector-ChronicleNicholeTaylor(33)shootsfortwoagainstChapmanTuesdaynightinAbilene’s58-57NCKLwin.

022614 abilene reflector chronicle

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