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Vol. 19 Number 41 An Award Winning Weekly Newspaper Thursday, March 31, 2011

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EditorialBy Jon A. Brake

The 2011 City and SchoolBoard Elections are Tuesday.For the City of Manhattanthis election can meanchange or it can mean moreBudget increases and moreDebt.

Look at the graph to theleft. City Debt has gone from$103.4 million to more than$219 million in just fouryears.

The City rating companyMoody has this to say aboutthe City of Manhattan andtheir debt: “At 4.8% and7.7%, respectively,Manhattan's direct and over-all debt burdens are bothwell above median debt lev-els for cities in Kansas andthe nation. Adjusting for thecity's special obligationbonds, which are supportedby sales tax and tax incre-ment revenues, the overalldebt burden is lower, but stillrelatively high, at 6.8%. Thehigh overall debt burdenreflects the significant bor-rowing of both the city andthe local school district(Unified School District No.383/ general obligationrated Aa3).”

And this was a quote froma Moody bond rating in2009. As the City Debtmounts the rating companywill change their report.

The City of Manhattanlike our nation must cut backon spending.

We have five very good

people running for CityCommission.

According to answersgiven at public meetings andto a voter guide prepared byFormer City CommissionerMark Taussig (last weekFree Press) two candidateswill vote to continue as inthe past. Phil Anderson andRich Jankovich, if elected,will continue with biggergovernment and highertaxes.

When ask “Is Taxing goodfor the economy?”Jankovich said “yes” andAnderson said he didn’t likethe question.

More taxes takes moneyout of the pockets of the cit-izens. It does not help theeconomy which relies on cit-izens buying products andservices to expand.

If you take money awayfrom the citizens it will onlyhurt the economy.

Manhattan is between arock and a hard place, weneed City Commissionerswho will look out for thetaxpayers. Not just some ofthe time but all of the time.

Don’t vote for a CityCommissioner on April 5thbecause he looks good oryou know the family, or he isa nice guy. Vote for the threemen who will do the thingsthat you want them to do.For the Free Press the voteshould be: John Matta,Wynn Butler and StanHoerman.

By Associated PressWASHINGTON —

President Barack Obamasaid Monday that studentsshould take fewer standard-ized tests and school per-formance should be meas-ured in other ways. Toomuch testing makes educa-tion boring for kids, he said.

“Too often what we havebeen doing is using thesetests to punish students,” thepresident told students andparents at a town hall hostedby the Univision Spanish-language television networkat Bell Multicultural HighSchool in Washington, D.C.

Obama, who is pushing arewrite of the nation’s edu-cation law that would easesome of its rigid measure-ment tools, said policymak-ers should find a test that“everybody agrees makessense” and administer it inless pressure-packed atmos-pheres, potentially every fewyears instead of annually.

At the same time, Obamasaid, schools should bejudged on criteria other thanstudent test performance,including attendance rate.

“One thing I never want tosee happen is schools thatare just teaching the testbecause then you’re notlearning about the world,you’re not learning aboutdifferent cultures, you’re notlearning about science,you’re not learning aboutmath,” the president said.“All you’re learning about ishow to fill out a little bubbleon an exam and little tricksthat you need to do in orderto take a test and that’s notgoing to make educationinteresting.”

“And young people dowell in stuff that they’reinterested in,” Obama said.“They’re not going to do as

well if it’s boring.”The president endorsed

the occasional administer-ing of standardized tests todetermine a “baseline” ofstudent ability. He said hisdaughters Sasha, 9, andMalia, 12, recently took astandardized test that didn’trequire advance preparationbut was just used as a tool todiagnose their strengths andweaknesses, and areaswhere they could use moreemphasis from teachers.The girls attend the privateSidwell Friends School inWashington.

Obama, who has beenpushing his education agen-da all month, has expressedconcern that too manyschools will be unable tomeet annual proficiencystandards under the NoChild Left Behind law thisyear. The standards areaimed at getting 100 percentof students proficient inmath, reading and scienceby 2014, a goal now widelyseen as unrealistic.

The Obama administra-tion has proposed replacingthose standards with a lofti-er yet less prescriptiverequirement that by 2020 allstudents graduating fromhigh school should be readyfor college or a career.

Obama wants Congress tosend him a rewrite of the2001 law before the start ofa new school year this fall.Although his education sec-retary, Arne Duncan, hasbeen working hard withlawmakers of both parties,the deadline may be unreal-istic with Congress focusedon the budget and the econ-omy. CongressionalRepublicans also lookunwilling to sign off onObama’s plans to increasespending on education.

Obama: Testing Is Too Punitive

Stop! Before You Vote...

Debt Imposed by the Manhattan City Commission

The Manhattan City Commission has increased the Total City Debt from $103.4 Million in 2008 (that is as ofDecember 31, ‘07) to $219.2 Million as of the start of this year. The Bond and Interest Fund graph below showshow the City Commission plans on paying the Debt. 1. Look at the Ad Valorem Property Tax in 2007 and 2011.Taxes on your property will go from $392,188 to $2,399,386. And next year the City will need more of yourmoney to pay for more Debt. (Graphs are from the City of Manhattan Web site.)

Obituaries

By Rachel Whitten

KansasReporter

TOPEKA, Kan. - A Kansas

Senate panel voted with no dis-

sent Monday to recommend

confirmation of Robert

Siedlecki as the state’s welfare

programs chief, despite ques-

tions raised by the Senate’s top

Democrat.

The Senate Ways and Means

Committee recommended

Siedlecki for confirmation as

Kansas Secretary of Social and

Rehabilitation Services on a

voice vote, sending it to the full

chamber for final approval.

The endorsement came four

days after Senate Minority

Leader Anthony Hensley, a

Democrat from Topeka, said

he’d gotten word from an

unidentified source at the

Association of Community

Mental Health Centers that

Siedlecki, whom Gov. Sam

Brownback nominated for the

SRS job in January, said during

a meeting with that organiza-

tion that he wanted to use

agency funds appropriated by

the legislature to support initia-

tives of interest to him.

Hensley provided an email,

from an association source that

Hensley declined to name, in

which the source stated that

Siedlecki said during the meet-

ing that once the 2012 budget

was finalized, he was going to

just allocate the SRS money on

his own-- he wasn’t going to

follow any sort of legislative

direction. The email also stated

Siedlecki said he was interested

in partnering with faith-based

services in the state.

Siedlecki, who previously

worked as second in command

at the Florida Department of

Health, said during the confir-

mation committee hearings that

the faith-based programs would

come as an option alongside

secular programs in a voucher

program he’s considering.

Under the voucher program,

customers in need of services

like drug or alcohol rehabilita-

tion could choose from a list of

providers. Siedlecki said as

long as there are secular organ-

izations on that list, the U.S.

Constitution provides that

faith-based agencies can be on

there too.

“They cannot be sent against

their will to a faith-based pro-

gram,” Siedlecki said. “If it’s a

choice for the individual, there

can be a faith element.”

Siedlecki said the vouchers,

which would be modeled after

President George W. Bush’s

Access To Recovery program,

are one of many options he and

his team considering.

“The governor wants us to

leave no stone unturned,”

Siedlecki said.

Meanwhile, the nominee

also said Monday that the indi-

vidual who wrote the email to

Hensley has since backtracked

on some of the claims in the e-

mail. Siedlecki also said that

accusations by Hensley that he,

Siedlecki intimidated

Association of Community

Mental Health Centers execu-

tive director Michael

Hammond into writing a letter

distancing the board from the

anonymous member’s email,

are completely ungrounded.

“No intimidation was used at

SRS Secretary Nominee Confirmed by Senate Panelall … I don’t know where that’s

coming from,” Siedlecki said.

Ways and Means

Chairperson Carolyn McGinn,

a Republican from Wichita,

said she’s received many

emails from constituents com-

plaining about “uncalled-for

attacks” on Siedlecki.

However, she said, that’s why

the confirmation process is in

place.

“I don’t think there has been

uncalled for attacks, people

need to understand this is a

very important position--SRS

serves some of our most vul-

nerable citizens,” McGinn said.

“In case we think we should

just take this lightly and rubber

stamp, I don’t know why we’d

have senate confirmation in the

first place.”

In a news conference

Monday afternoon, Gov. Sam

Brownback praised Siedlecki's

experience and urged the full

Senate to confirm him.

"Rob is enormously quali-

fied," Brownback said.

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John Ignatius O’Shea, 93, of

Westmoreland and Blaine,

Kansas, died Sunday, March

27, 2011, at the Via Christi

Village in Manhattan. He was

a life-long resident of the area.

John was born June 12, 1917

in Blaine, Kansas, the son of

John D. and Lenora Farrell

O’Shea. He attended local

schools and graduated from St.

Columbkille’s Catholic High

School in Blaine.

After graduation John

worked for the Civilian

Conservation Corps helping

build two of the areas lakes.

He was a farmer and stockman

for many years on the family

farm NW of Blaine. In the

early 1950’s, John moved to

Westmoreland and worked for

Pottawatomie County driving a

gravel truck. He retired in

1982. John also was the custo-

dian of the ASCS office in

Westmoreland and mowed the

Mt. Calvary Catholic

Cemetery.

John loved to do his yard

work. He was known for his

pristine yard and flowers and

on several occasions received

city-wide recognition. He was

a member of St. Columbkille’s

John IgnatiusO’Shea

Catholic Church in Blaine.

John married Loma Caffrey

on July 10, 1944 in Lillis,

Kansas. She preceded him in

death on January 4, 2001.

He is survived by his daugh-

ter, Sandi London and her hus-

band, John, Woodhaven,

Michigan; sons, John J. O’Shea

and his wife, Marcy, Topeka

and James M. O’Shea and his

wife, Diane, Flush; brothers,

Ray O’Shea and his wife,

Colleen, Highlands Ranch,

Colorado, Robert O’Shea and

his wife, Joan, Oskaloosa and

Pat O’Shea and his wife, Dot,

Blaine; grandchildren, John

London and his wife, Liz,

Kevin London and his wife,

Kim, Chris O’Shea, Scott

O’Shea, Rob O’Shea and his

wife, Laura, Dustin Lesline,

Sheila Morot and her husband,

Dominic; and eight great-

grandchildren. John was pre-

ceded in death by his two

brothers, Norbert and Gilbert

O’Shea.

Mass of Christian Burial will

be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April

1, 2011, at St. Columbkille’s

Catholic Church in Blaine.

Father Arul Carasala will be the

Celebrant. Burial will follow at

Mt. Calvary Catholic

Cemetery. Mr. O’Shea will lie-

in-state at the church on

Thursday starting at 3:00 p.m.

where the family will greet

friends from 6:30 p.m. until

8:30 p.m. A rosary prayer serv-

ice will be held at 7:00 p.m.

They suggest memorial contri-

butions to St. Columbkille’s

Parish Hall Building Fund and

those may be sent in care of

Kufahl Funeral Home of

Wheaton. Online condolences

may be made at www.cam-

panellafuneral.com.

John Eldon Henton, age 88,

of Manhattan, Kansas, died

Friday, March 25, 2011, at the

Mercy Regional Health Center

in Manhattan.

He was born on June 19,

1922, in Stockdale, Kansas, the

son of John Lester and Alma Z.

(Sweet) Henton and was a 1941

graduate of St. George High

School.

Eldon was a lifetime area

resident where he farmed near

the Zeandale community. He

also had been the Riley County

shop foreman for 12 years and

for more than 20 years main-

tained the Zeandale Township

roads.

His memberships included

the Zeandale Community

Church, the Zeandale Senior

Citizens, United Commercial

Travelers, the Kansas Chapter

of the International Harvester

Collectors Club and the Kansas

Prairie Pickers Association. In

addition to his memberships

Eldon was a gardener and espe-

cially enjoyed growing corn

and giving it away to friends

and family. Following his

retirement he enjoyed wood-

working. He was also a skilled

mechanic and invented numer-

ous items that were helpful on

the farm and around the home.

Most of all he enjoyed being

around his family and many

friends, participating in numer-

ous coffee groups, and the

John EldonHenton

companionship of his dogs.

On February 20, 1944, in

Manhattan, Kansas, he was

united in marriage to the for-

mer Evelyn Mae Kinman. She

preceded him in death on

December 14, 2009. He was

also preceded in death by his

parents and by his lifelong best

friend and cousin, Jim Robison,

Jr.

Eldon is survived by seven

children: John Henton and his

wife Donna and James Henton

and his wife Linda, all of Blair,

NE; Gladys Conrow and her

husband Jack of Manhattan,

Alice Anderson and her hus-

band Don of Topeka, KS; Mary

Jo McHugh and her husband

Ralph, Janet Lee and her hus-

band Neil and Kathern Fronce

and her husband Dan, all of

Manhattan. Also surviving is

one sister: Kathern Kleiner of

Wamego, KS, and his sister-in-

law: Dorothea Kiene of

Shawnee, KS, 18 grandchildren

and 23 great grandchildren.

The family received friends

during a visitation from 7:00

until 8:30 p.m. Wednesday,

March 30, 2011, at the

Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen

Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be

10:00 a.m. Thursday, March

31, 2011, at the Yorgensen-

Meloan-Londeen Funeral

Chapel with Ron Brown offici-

ating. Interment will follow in

the Pleasant Valley Cemetery

east of Manhattan.

On-line condolences may be

left for the family at this web-

site by clicking on "Send

Condolences."

Memorials may be made to

the Zeandale Community

Church or the National Kidney

Foundation. Contributions may

be left in care of the Yorgensen-

Meloan-Londeen Funeral

Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue,

Manhattan, Kansas 66502.

Happy 71stBirthday

Jon BrakeSaturday April 2nd

Have You Read Whatthe Free Press Said?

Kansas NewsKansas News 33AAMANHATTAN FREE PRESS - Thursday, March 31, 2011

By Rachel Whitten

KansasReporter

TOPEKA, Kan. – A $50 mil-lion, six year project to upgradeunemployment claims technol-ogy within the KansasDepartment of Labor wasgrossly mismanaged, resultingin massive system flawsaccording to Labor SecretaryKarin Brownlee.

Brownlee’s predecessor, for-mer Labor Secretary JimGarner of Lawrence, who over-saw the project, formallyknown as the Unemploymentcompensation InsuranceProject, or UIM, since itsbeginning, contends the projectis in good shape and on trackfor its scheduled October, 2011completion. He called it “comi-cal” to infer the project was indisarray.

When she took office inearly January, Brownlee saidshe was dismayed at the num-ber of Kansans whose phonecalls to file initial unemploy-ment claims were disconnect-ed, or who waited an average of24 minutes before speaking to arepresentative.

“This was a crisis in my esti-mation” Brownlee said, “It wasbeing totally ignored. Peoplewould dial dozens of times aday.”

In addition, IT21, an Olatheinformation technology compa-ny brought in by Brownlee toreview the work, found 238errors or bugs in systems previ-ously rolled out under the proj-ect.

Brownlee said the problemsstemmed from lack of over-sight and accountability in eachphase of the ongoing project.Rather than fix the errors, thecontractors and LaborDepartment information tech-nology staff members wouldmove on to the next phase,leaving users to find ways towork around the flaws, shesaid.

“It’s not valid to roll out aphase with holes or errors andkeep moving down theroad…the work’s not done,”Brownlee said.

Brownlee said she blamesthe mess on poorly written con-tracts with the five originalinformation technology compa-nies that have been put incharge of the project at varioustimes since 2005. The con-tracts, she said, were writtenwithout delivery dates andgoals, and allowed vendors towork more than 40 hours aweek. One such worker was onthe job so much, he made$49,000 in four weeks, shesaid.

Additionally, the contractsdid not hold the outside tech-nology companies to industrystandards for issues such asexpected work output, orappropriate amounts of moneyto spend on hardware, softwareor other items, she said.

“If you don’t manage agroup of people and you don’tset goals, they have nothing toachieve,” Brownlee said. “Youcan’t hit a goal that has notbeen set.”

Former Labor SecretaryGarner, who oversaw the proj-ect from its inception untilwhen he left office inDecember 2010, said the tech-nology upgrade was movingsmoothly and set for comple-tion later this year..

“The companies were deliv-ering, they were actually get-ting stuff done and making theproject happen, I didn’t see anyproblem,” Garner said. “It’scomical to make any type ofinference that this project wasanything but in good shape andachieving the goals that wereexpected for that project.”

He said that periodic projectspot checks performed by out-side technology companiesgave no indication of waste orbad oversight.

“There was definite valida-tion and verification that theproject was proceeding asexpected,” Garner said.

But Brownlee contendssome of those spot checks in2010 warned that things werenot going well.

“One of those reports repeat-edly used the word ‘failed,’”Brownlee said.

Since mid-February,Brownlee said 46 contractorsand 18 Department of LaborStaff have been eliminated. Thetop managers in the call centerand the IT department havebeen fired.

Wait times in the call center,meanwhile, have been whittleddown to three minutes, primari-ly through better training andstaffing, she said.

“We’re trying to resolve asmany issues in the first phonecall now,” Brownlee said.“Before, we’d call a personback or pass them off on anoth-er unit. When you take moretime like those things take, thesystem just requires more timeand you’re not servicing yourcustomer.”

Originally, the technologyupgrade was slated to finish infour or five years, according toGarner. But the recession hit inthe middle of it and slowedthings down, he said.

“That diverted some of ourstaff off of the project to dealwith claims,” Garner said.“That added to the length of theproject. We were maintainingthe budget and bringing theproject in for what it had beenapproved for.”

In 2005, the state legislatureauthorized $21 million in fed-eral Reed Act funds to upgradethe unemployment insurancetechnology. The Reed Actallowed the U.S. Congress totransfer money from the feder-al unemployment insurancetrust funds to individual state

accounts, to use as the state leg-islature authorizes for unem-ployment services. Another$26 million in federal moneywas authorized for the projectby the 2007 legislature.

Brownlee said what is hardfor her to swallow is that duringwhat she said should have beena $20 or $30 million projectrather than a $50 million one,the Kansas Department ofLabor has borrowed $150 mil-lion from the federal govern-ment at a 4 percent interest rateto pay unemployment insur-ance claims to Kansans whoare out of work. Some of theReed Act money could havebeen used to add cushion to thestate’s unemployment trustfund, resulting in a smaller loanfrom the federal government.

Because of the loan, about$8 million in interest is due onSeptember 30. Brownlee saidthey’ll probably borrow themoney for that payment fromthe state’s Pooled MoneyInvestment Board, which has alower interest rate.

“If you waste money on acomputer project, it has ramifi-

cations in other areas,” shesaid.

Garner counters that thedepartment’s system upgradeshave brought it into the currenttechnological age.

“When I walked into thatagency eight years ago, it waslike 1976,” Garner said.

Since then, paper forms havebeen phased out in favor ofelectronic documents and lessstaff is needed because technol-ogy has been embraced.

“It’s a big achievement foran agency of that size,” Garnersaid.

Brownlee said that goingforward, the department is stilltrying to evaluate whichupgrades from the project canbe salvaged. Scheduled rollouts for new phases of develop-ment have been put on holdpending that assessment.

“We had to stop it andrelease the contractors so wecould assess how much moneydo we have left and what wecan accomplish with what isleft,” Brownlee said. “We’restill assessing the workabilityof the software.”

Until they establish that, theexact amount of lost money isnot known.

Brownlee said she brought inIT21 on the recommendation of

an IT project manager withwhom she had previouslyworked.and by the City ofOlathe.

Massive Waste, Inefficiency inLabor Department Technology Upgrade, Secretary Says

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By Gene Meyer

KansasReporter

TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas'raw unemployment rate fellslightly from both month-earli-er and year-earlier levels inFebruary, even though job loss-es in most markets climbed, thestate labor department reportedThursday.

The Kansas Department ofLabor said the state's seasonal-ly unadjusted unemploymentrate fell to 7.2 percent inFebruary, down from 7.4 per-cent a month earlier and from7.5 percent in February 2010.Seasonally adusted unemploy-ment, which are the same totalsrecrunched to reflect job fluctu-tations that normally occur inFebruary, remained unchangedfrom 6.8 percent in January,down from 7.2 percent a yearearlier.

Despite the glimmer ofimprovement in unemploymentrates, the number of Kansansactually working fell by 1,900during February, to 1.29 mil-lion or about 10,500 fewer thanin February last year.

Unemployment rates onlymeasure percentages of work-ers who are actively looking forjobs but cannot find them.When those rates and job num-bers fall simultaneously, it sug-gests that many unemployuedworkers also have simplystopped looking, labor econo-mists say.

Where those Kansas jobs arevanishing also is unsettling,both Kansas Labor SecretaryKarin Brownlee and depart-

ment economist Tyler Tenbrinksaid in commentary releasedwith the report.

Total non-governmentemployment in Kansas droppedby 6,800 jobs during Februaryand, at 1.03 million workers,remains more than 12,000below 2010 levels, the reportshowed. Seasonally fluctuatingschool and university hiring, incontrast, pushed governmentemployment higher by 4,900jobs during the month, puttingtotal government employment0.6 percent higher than a yearag, at 265,100 jobs.

Such erosion in non-govern-ment job numbers is a matter ofgreat concern, Brownlee said,because "we cannot sustain asituation in whihch governmentjob growth is greater than pri-vate sector job growth."

Tenbrink said that becausenational economic conditionsappear to be improving, "wecare cautiously optimistic thatstablization of the Kansas labormarket will occur in the nearfuture."

Government employmentshowed the biggest increaseduring February, but hiringincreased by a total 1,800 jobsin in health care, social servic-es, membership associationsand personal care services, thereport showed.

Big job reductions in retailtrade, administrative and sup-port services and food servicesand drinking places trimmedemployment in those areas by acombined 7,500 jobs.

Kansas UnemploymentRate Falls Jobs Wither

44AAEEditorialditorial PPageage MANHATTAN FREE PRESS - Thursday, March 31, 2011

Jon A. and Linda L. Brake, Publishers

Chris Taylor, Page Layout and Design

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PUBLISHED WEEKLY EVERY THURSDAY

Manhattan Free Press

funny as it is thought pro-

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Paul A. Ibbetson is a for-mer Chief of Police ofCherryvale, Kansas, andmember of the MontgomeryCounty Drug Task Force.Paul received his Bachelor’sand Master’s degrees inCriminal Justice at WichitaState University, and is cur-rently completing his Ph.D.in Sociology at Kansas StateUniversity. Paul is theauthor of several booksincluding the 2010 release“Oliver’s Tale: A Squirrel’sStory of Love, Courage, andRevolution.” Paul is alsothe radio host of the KansasBroadcasting Association’s2008, 2009 and 2010award-winning radio pro-gram, Conscience of Kansasairing on KSDB Manhattan91.9 FM, www.ibbet-sonusa.com. For interviewsor questions, please contacthim [email protected].

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The author ends the book

with an application for per-

mission to date his daugh-

ters. It’s as knee slapping

There is something

endearing about conserva-

tives that don’t mince words,

who aren’t afraid to take the

battle to today’s liberals with

almost reckless abandon.

When you mention these

sterling knights of no-non-

sense, you have to include

Doug Giles. Giles, a Town

Hall columnist and host of

Clash Radio is not bashful

about taking his beliefs on

the road to Americans across

the country. In 2009, heart-

land radio listeners got an

opportunity to hear Giles’

unabashed pro-Americanism

on my radio program,

Conscience of Kansas. The

Miami pastor filled the radio

studio with a spirit of bold

American grit.

Today Giles is addressing

an important issue in the

country, the value of raising

your kids in a way that pre-

pares them for the jackals of

this world. In his new book,

“Raising Righteous &

Rowdy Girls,” the author not

only introduces his daugh-

ters to anyone that might not

know them already, he also

talks about how to raise girls

that walk with confidence

and think for themselves.

If you are not aware of

Giles’ offspring, he has two

intelligent, bold daughters,

Hannah and Regis Giles.

The apple doesn’t fall too far

from the tree in this case.

Hannah Giles and James

O’Keefe went undercover,

exposed ACORN and took

them down. Posing as a

pimp and a prostitute,

O’Keefe and Giles video-

taped employees at the gov-

ernment-funded community

group ACORN advising the

two how to lie on tax returns,

about occupation and

income. They also assisted

the undercover duo’s attempt

to set up a clandestine house

of prostitution. Giles not

only participated in the sting

of the year in 2009, she also

Doug Giles: RaisingRighteous & Rowdy Girls

Paul A. Ibbetson

Paul Ibbetson’s new bookis "Available at Amazon and

the Manhattan HastingsStore."

Last Friday my wife,

Karen and I voted in the city

elections. It was easy. It

took us half an hour to leave

the house, vote, and return

home. There was no wait

and folks at the Riley

County Board of Elections

couldn’t have been nicer. If

you haven’t voted, you need

spend half an hour and do it.

Here’s why. The last time

we elected city commission-

ers was in April 2009. In

that election only 5666

(21%) of Manhattan’s

26,410 registered voters

bothered to vote. They

elected three commission-

ers: James E. Sherrow,

Loren J. Pepperd, and

Jayme Morris-Hardemann.

If Jayme Morris-

Hardemann had received 75

more votes, she would have

earned a four year term on

the commission. On the

other hand, if 29 more votes

had gone to Tom Phillips, he

would have been elected

instead of Jayme Morris-

Hardemann.

The election is going to be

close because a lot of us

have forgotten what hap-

pened when commissioners

took the authority granted to

them by voters and used it to

promote their personal ide-

ology. Whether deciding to

raise water rates in order to

promote a ‘green’ agenda or

elevating the legal status of

segments of our population,

the last commission decided

to turn Manhattan into a

progressive utopia. The

voting public has forgotten

how commissioners listened

indifferently to the concerns

voiced by citizens — how

they had made up their

minds before any comments

were made. Coincidentally,

in the immediate aftermath

of those votes, none of the

incumbents elected to seek

another term. Only one

openly liberal candidate

chose to seek a seat on the

commission. Over the

course of the election cam-

paign one candidate has

Lieutenant. My platoon ser-

geant advised me to never

make rules that I couldn’t or

wouldn’t enforce. He told

me that doing so would

cause our soldiers to lose

respect for the rules and

damage my credibility. This

ordinance has been in place

for three months and every

day I routinely observe citi-

zens ignoring it. Like shov-

eling snow from sidewalks

or picking up pet waste this

rule is enforced by excep-

tion. The time and energy

expended on these ‘issues’

would have been spent more

profitably dealing with the

city’s debt and reducing

taxes.

This year the citizens of

Manhattan have a real

opportunity to change

course. Three of the candi-

dates: John Matta, Wynn

Butler, and Stan Hoermann

are conservative. Two are

liberal or support the liberal

agenda: Phil Anderson and

Rich Jankovich. If the next

commission is as liberal as

the last we can look forward

to revisiting the ‘living

wage’, establishing and then

subsidizing a mass transit

system, and digging our-

selves deeper into debt.

This year we have also have

a choice for USD 383 Board

of Education. Unlike 2009

when all announced candi-

dates were unopposed, we

have six candidates running

for three seats. Of these six,

Matthew Pennell offers new

ideas and approaches to the

challenges facing our dis-

trict. Adding one new voice

to the board is a good start.

Remember this election is

important and it is going to

be really close. In 2009

thirty voters could have

stopped two years of mis-

guided initiatives. A liberal

city commission is a ham-

mer looking for a nail. The

hammer is increased deficit

spending and intrusive regu-

lation. The nail is your

money and liberty.

Letters to Tom

‘grown‘ and become more

liberal friendly. A write-in

campaign has been initiated

to try to elect another liberal

commissioner. This is why

what started out as a new

beginning is in danger of

becoming more of the same.

In the last two years the

City Commission’s liberal

majority has been busy

advancing their agenda.

They enacted the

Residential Rental

Licensing and Inspection

Program; they added the

categories of sexual prefer-

ence and gender identity to

the city’s non-discrimina-

tion ordinance; they banned

listening or talking on a

hand held wireless commu-

nications devices while

operating a vehicle. Each of

these initiatives is typical of

a commission that has estab-

lished rules that go beyond

those of other communities

in Kansas. The Rental

Inspection Program covers

properties that are over five

years old which, once

approved, are exempt from

inspection for five years. It

is a fig leaf that burdens

landlords while failing to

accomplish its objective.

Adding sexual preference

and gender identity to the

city’s ordinance goes

beyond current state poli-

cies and requires spending

our tax dollars to create an

extra legal ‘Manhattan

Only’ enforcement regime.

As for banning hand held

wireless communication

devices, this reminds me of

a lesson taught to me when I

was an Infantry Second

Mike Kryschtal

they lead lives of faith,learning and service.Bethany College is on theWeb at www.bethanylb.edu.

Lutheran Church inAmerica. The mission ofBethany College is to edu-cate, develop and challengeindividuals in their searchfor truth and excellence as

deported. If theAdministration takes immi-gration enforcement serious-ly, it should rethink its currentstrategy.

•Create a border strategy.The southern border is amajor driver of illegal immi-gration in the United States.In 2006, the BushAdministration took severalsteps to make the border moresecure, including investmentsin manpower, infrastructure,and technology. The job ofsecuring the border, however,is far from finished. Without acomprehensive strategy forfuture efforts, including thedeployment of resources andan honest assessment ofthreats, there is a real risk thatdrug cartel violence and con-tinued illegal immigrationwill undermine the progressmade in the past five years.

•Reject proposals foramnesty. Granting amnestyto the millions of illegalimmigrants in the UnitedStates would make the prob-lem worse in the long run,encouraging more and moreindividuals to come to theU.S. illegally.

Jena Baker McNeill isSenior Policy Analyst forHomeland Security in theDouglas and Sarah AllisonCenter for Foreign PolicyStudies, a division of theKathryn and Shelby CullomDavis Institute forInternational Studies, at TheHeritage Foundation. RickyTrotman, an independentresearcher, contributed to thewriting of this WebMemo.

By Jena Baker McNeill On March 21, Secretary of

Homeland Security JanetNapolitano introduced a newcomponent of the E-Verifysystem called Self Check.This free, voluntary servicewould allow individuals tolog in to a system to verifytheir immigration status andaddress any problems withtheir work status, includingoutdated information or typo-graphical errors. Self Checkis a positive step in improvingE-Verify accuracy and help-ing employers to ensure thattheir workforce is legally ableto work in the United States.

Employment remains oneof the biggest drivers of ille-gal immigration in the UnitedStates. Therefore, it is essen-tial that Congress and theAdministration support E-Verify and other work-sitemeasures to enforce the lawand decrease the incentive tocome to the United States ille-gally.

E-Verify: A History ofSuccess

The E-Verify system wasdeployed as part of the BushAdministration’s efforts in2007 to strengthen internalverification of federal immi-gration laws. E-Verify allowsemployers to confirm anemployee’s ability to worklegally in the United States.

The employer enters thecandidate’s information intothe system, and it is comparedagainst information from theSocial SecurityAdministration (SSA) andDepartment of HomelandSecurity (DHS) databases.The result is either a confir-mation that the prospectiveemployee is a legal citizen ora non-confirmation. Non-confirmations can be resolvedif an employee can later provethat there was a problem withthe information in the data-bases. If any of the outstand-ing problems are notresolved, however, a finalnon-confirmation is issuedand the employer is notallowed to hire the worker.

According to the U.S.Citizenship and ImmigrationServices (USCIS), more than250,000 companies currentlyuse E-Verify. Employers ran

16.5 million checks in 2010alone. While E-Verify is anoptional program for mostbusinesses, it is mandatoryfor federal contractors andsubcontractors.

The program is not onlyvery popular, but also highlyaccurate. According to inter-nal audits as well as privateevaluations of the program,E-Verify has proven to be 99percent accurate at identify-ing those who can work in theUnited States.

Self Check: Building onthe Legacy

Since E-Verify’s inception,the Department of HomelandSecurity has continuouslysought to refine the program.According to the GovernmentAccountability Office, from2007 to 2009 USCIS reducedthe number of immigrationstatuses that could not be val-idated by E-Verify from 8percent to 2.6 percent. Theprogram also provides aprocess to correct erroneousinitial findings, ensuring thatthose who can work legallyare given an opportunity toresolve the discrepancy with-in a short period of time.

A majority of the initialinvalid non-confirmations arethe result of simple errors,such as misspelled names,missing date of birth, andmissing naturalization data, inthe SSA and DHS databases.Self Check, however, isintended to rectify thoseissues by building in an extralayer of verification. The pro-gram will initially be accessi-ble in Arizona, Colorado,Idaho, Mississippi, Virginia,and Washington, D.C., butofficials hope to have it avail-able in all 50 states by the endof the year. Self Check willprove to be a vital force mul-tiplier in the E-Verify systembecause:

•It allows individuals tocheck their own information.Given that clerical errorsmake up a majority of allerroneous tentative non-con-firmations, the ability of indi-viduals to check their owninformation is an importantaddition to the E-Verify sys-tem. According to a DHSstatement, this new system“allows each user to identify

data inaccuracies—whichoften range from typographi-cal errors to unreported namechanges.” This will boostoverall confidence in the E-Verify system and empowerthe individual in a new way.

•It is a cost-effective solu-tion for increasing accuracy.The Self Check component ofE-Verify is free for all indi-viduals. By addressing anypotential mismatches beforethe actual background checks,Self Check promotes efficien-cy and helps to streamline theoverall application process.E-Verify is already a cost-effective program. The soft-ware is free to use, and theprocess is very affordable.DHS agents process the back-ground checks for privatebusinesses at a cost of only $2to $15 per employee, depend-ing on the size of the busi-ness.

•It is secure. DHS officialshave stated that Self Checkwill have built-in safeguardsto protect against both identi-ty theft and fraud. An identityassurance quiz consisting ofpersonal questions is requiredbefore running the Self Checkprogram.

A Path Forward One of the weaknesses of

E-Verify alone is that it can-not detect situations of identi-ty theft where an individualuses another person’s legiti-mate identity to find work inthe United States. It is there-fore essential that E-Verify becombined with other work-site enforcement measures.Other efforts that should besupported include the follow-ing:

•Promote interiorenforcement efforts. TheObama Administration hasrolled back several keyenforcement measures, suchas the abandonment of SocialSecurity No-Match, changesin the 287(g) program, andrandomized I-9 checks. Infact, in some instances, theObama Administration haschosen simply to ask thejudge to dismiss immigrationcases against non-criminalaliens—essentially allowingthem to stay in the UnitedStates instead of being

E-Verify Self Check:A Solid Step Forward


Please support our campaign with a contribution, yard sign or endorsement.

Visit www.mattaformanhattan.com

Office 785-562-9880Leon’s Cell 785-713-1060

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Marysville, Ks

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Motorcraft oil and filter change, rotate and inspect four

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filters, check belts and hoses. Top off all fluids.

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from 02-03-11.

Dick Edwards Ford Lincoln Mercury7929 E. Highway 24, Manhattan, 785-776-4004

Dave Smith

Come See an Old Friendat a New Location

Spring Pancake FeedBoy Scout Troop 74 will host their Spring

Pancake Feed Saturday, April 16 at the FirstPresbyterian Church located at 8th and

Leavenworth.The time of the feed is from 7 AM - 7 PM,tickets may be purchased in advance or at

the door.Tickets are $4 each, and Children age 6 and

under are $2 each.Pancake Feed includes: Pancakes (all youcan eat), Sausage, Coffee/Orange Drink.

For additional information [email protected]

Proceeds supported the PostRock Humane Society andthe Mitchell County FoodPantry.

Bethany College, estab-lished by Swedish Lutheranimmigrants in 1881, is a col-lege of the Evangelical

LINSDBORG, KAN. —Briana Zimmerling,Waterville, Kan., donated ahandmade ceramic bowl tothe fundraiser Bowls ofHope sponsored byLeadership Mitchell CountyAlumni and Post Rock

Humane Society as part ofher ceramics studio focusclass at Bethany College.The event took place onMarch 12 in the BeloitMunicipal Building inBeloit, Kan. This is the sec-ond year Bethany has donat-

ed bowls.The theme was “eat soup

and end hunger.” Guestsenjoyed a lunch of soup andbread, and the first 100guests received a handmadebowl crafted by Bethany artstudents or local artist.

Local Student Donates Handmade Art to Bowls of Hope

(Left to right) Instructor Janie Tubbs; Professor Caroline Kahler; Rachel Gardner, Lawrence, Kan.; JoelGraham, Lindsborg, Kan.; Maggie Bogan, Rogers, Ark.; Alex DeLong, Admire, Kan.; Samantha Beeson, Bird

City, Kan.; Kate Dibbern, York, Neb.; Briana Zimmerling, Waterville, Kan.; Abby Koch, Salina, Kan.

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HistoryHistory 66AAMANHATTAN FREE PRESS - Thursday, March 31, 2011

for the Treasurer’s Office in theamount of $13,524.84 to befunded by the CIP fund.Johnson seconded. Carried 3-0.

9:00 Greg McClure, Gregg

Eyestone, and Ginny

Barnard – County Extension

Office

Johnette Shepek, Budget andFinance Officer; LyndalNyberg, League of WomenVoters; and Brad Dornes,Manhattan Mercury, attended.

McClure said Annie’sProject, the women in agricul-ture group went well. McCluresaid the program was designedto assist women with the busi-ness aspects of agriculture.McClure stated the group lovedthe program and asked for anAnnie’s II Project.

Barnard reported WalkKansas has begun. Barnardstated there are 95 teams andabout 600 individuals. Barnarddiscussed the resistant trainingwhich is being offered thisyear. Barnard said May 18th at5:30 p.m. at Pottorf Hall will bethe ending celebration event.

Eyestone said today is agood day to plant your pota-toes.

Eyestone presented a reportof the 2010 Master Gardenersactivities. Eyestone said sevenpeople participated this year.

Eyestone discussed the April2nd Garden Show.

9:30 Clancy Holeman,

Counselor/Director of

Administrative Services

Administrative Work

Session

Lyndal Nyberg, League ofWomen Voters; YvonneRameriz, KMAN; and BradDornes, Manhattan Mercury,attended.

Holeman discussed HB2277which moves DUI offendersout of KDOC and intoCommunity Corrections.

Holeman said he did ask ourlocal legislators to not supportHB2277.

Holeman stated there isgoing to be a hearing today onthe 911 bill which will increasethe line fee from $.50 to $.55.Holeman said KAC is antici-pating 25 amendments to thebill and this is the last year thelegislature will discuss the bill.Holeman said he notified ourdelegation and asked them toonly support the line feeamendment.

Holeman stated he andMcCulloh will attend a meetingtoday at 1:00 at the ManhattanCity office to discuss the fixedroute transportation interlocal

The Board of County

Commissioners

Of Riley County, Kansas

March 17, 2011

The Regular meeting of theBoard of CountyCommissioners met at the

Riley County Plaza EastBuilding March 17, 2011 withthe following members

present: Karen McCulloh,Chair; Alvan Johnson, ViceChair; Dave Lewis,

Member; and Rich Vargo,County Clerk.

8:30 Public Comment &

Business Meeting

Johnette Shepek, Budget andFinance Officer; Leon Hobson,Public Works

Director/County Engineer;Clancy Holeman,Counselor/Director ofAdministrative

Services; Chris Welchhans,GIS Director; Eileen King,Treasurer; Shilo Heger, Tax

and AccountingSupervisor/Deputy Treasurer;Lyndal Nyberg, League ofWomen

Voters; and Cindy Volanti,Human Resources Manager,attended.

Lewis said Jeff Campbellcalled and is concerned withthe future traffic

control near Eureka Driveand Wildcat Creek Road duringconstruction with

regards to K-18. Lewis saidhe will meet with Hobson onthe matter.

Volanti presented a sharedleave donation form.

Johnson moved to approve ashared leave donation form.Lewis seconded.

Carried 3-0.King presented numbers on

the following two furniturebids.

Mid AmericaOffice SuppliesContractFurnishingsFurniture $12,295.31

$10,502.91Installation $ 1,229.53 $

3,325.00Shipping 0 0Design 0 200.00Total……. $13,524.84

$14,027.91

Johnson moved to sign theReal Estate Tax Roll Correctionfor Manhattan City (204-18-2-80-01-013.00-0) for tax year2008. This results in a decreasein tax dollars of $1,313.46.Lewis seconded. Carried 3-0.



Johnson moved to sign theReal Estate Tax Roll Correctionfor Manhattan City (204-18-2-80-01-014.00-0) for tax year2008. This results in a decreasein tax dollars of $656.68. Lewisseconded. Carried 3-0.






Johnson moved to sign the

agreement.9:44 Laurie Harrison,

Emergency Management

Coordinator

Clancy Holeman, Counselor/Director of AdministrativeServices; Lyndal Nyberg,League of Women Voters;Yvonne Rameriz, KMAN; andBrad Dornes, ManhattanMercury, attended.

Harrison presented the localhazard mitigation plan.

McCulloh asked for anabbreviated version of the planto review.

Holeman asked if the publichas had the opportunity toreview and provide input intothe plan.

Harrison said yes, throughthe local was notified of thepublic meetings held and acopy of the plan was availableat the Manhattan PublicLibrary.

McCulloh said she wouldlike to review the 19 thingsRiley County is responsible forin the Local Hazard MitigationPlan.

10:04 Johnson moved toadjourn after the City/CountyMeeting at 4:00 p.m. Lewisseconded. Carried 3-0.

4:00 Joint City/Riley

C o u n t y / P o t t a w a t o m i e

County Meeting (at City

Offices)

Representing the City ofManhattan were James Sherow,Bob Strawn, Jayme Morris-Hardeman, and Loren Pepperd– City Commissioners; LorenPalmer, Assistant CityManager; Dale Houdeshell,Public Works Director; JerrySnyder, Manhattan FireDepartment; Rob Ott, CityEngineer; Curt Loupe, Parks &Rec Director; and Ron Fehr,

City Manager. RepresentingRiley County were KarenMcCulloh, Alvan Johnson, andDave Lewis – CountyCommissioners; ClancyHoleman, Counselor/Directorof Administrative Services;Monty Wedel,Planning/Special ProjectsDirector; Rod Meredith,Assistant Public WorksDirector/Parks Director; andRich Vargo, County Clerk.Yvonne Rameriz, KMAN;Brad Schoen, Riley CountyPolice Department Director;John Doehling, Riley CountyPolice Department; MikeGillespie; and Greg Gibson,attended.

Schoen said the Law Boardagreed with the consensus ofthe proposed consolidated dis-patch funding of 50/50 the firstyear, 65/35 the second year,and 80/20 the third yearCity/County split. Schoen dis-cussed how the consolidateddispatch will be reflected in theRiley County PoliceDepartment budget.

Schoen discussed the needfor an interlocal agreement forthe consolidated dispatch.

Snyder recommended aninterlocal agreement for theconsolidated dispatch.

Gillespie stated he will rec-ommend to the Law Board aninterlocal agreement.

Schoen discussed the possi-bility of forming a consolidateddispatch advisory board.

Strawn asked if the LawBoard would have the authorityto govern the consolidated dis-patch.

Gillespie said he was notsure.

See Minutes Page 7A

Real Estate Tax Roll Correctionfor Manhattan City (204-18-2-80-18-002.00-0) for tax year2009. This results in a decreasein tax dollars of $6,733.50.Lewis seconded. Carried 3-0.








Johnson moved to approve aPurchase Authorization forannual software maintenancefor ESRI software for the GISDepartment in the amount of$12,700.00. Lewis seconded.Carried 3-0.

Johnson moved to approve aRiley County CIP Certificationof Project Authority for VOIPTelephony System in theamount of $218,686.00 forreplacement of current outdat-ed Plexar system. Lewis sec-onded. Carried 3-0.

The Board of CountyCommissioners signed a RileyCounty Personnel Action Formfor William Lust, as a PublicWorks Operator I, in the Roadand Bridge Department, forSeparation from CountyService, effective March 11,2011.

The Board of CountyCommissioners signed RileyCounty Position Action Formsfor the following: Public WorksOperator II, in the PublicWorks – Road & BridgeDepartment, at a grade I.Engineering Intern, in thePublic Works Department, at agrade B.

Johnson moved to approvean Extension of Contract forRiley County GroundsMaintenance with RothwellLandscape, Inc. for 2011.Lewis seconded. Carried 3-0.

Lewis moved to approve theminutes of March 14, 2011 asamended. Johnson seconded.Carried 3-0.

Lewis moved to approve aPurchase Authorization for newoffice furniture for back office

Have You Read Whatthe Free Press Said?

See The Back Issues ofthe Free Press at

ManhattanFreePress.com

Riley County Minutes

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Voters; and Gary Rosewicz,Assistant County Engineer,attended.

Brooks presented the JJAFY12 Prevention andGraduated Sanctions BlockGrant applications.

Johnson moved to approvethe JJA FY12 Judicial DistrictPrevention and GraduatedSanctions Block Grant FundingApplications. Lewis seconded.Carried 3-0.

Brooks presented CY11County Alcohol Applications.

Johnson moved to approvethe CY11 County AlcoholApplications for Friends ofRiley County High SchoolAfter Prom Committee(RCHS) in the amount of$750.00 and the Blue ValleyHigh School Booster Club inthe amount of $1,125.00 as rec-ommended by the JointCorrections Advisory Board(JCAB). Lewis seconded.Carried 3-0.

Johnson moved to approvethe CY11 County AlcoholApplication for Riley CountyCommunity Corrections in theamount of $750.00. Lewis sec-onded. Carried 3-0.

The Board of CountyCommissioners signed a RileyCounty Personnel Action Formfor Julie Akers, a RecordsAssistant II, in the CountyClerk’s Office, for Separationfrom County Service, effectiveApril 8, 2011.

Johnson moved to approveChange Order Number 1 withEbert Construction Co., Inc. forPillsbury Crossing Lane culvertreplacement in the amount of a($1,697.00) for a total adjustedcontract price of $116,656.20(original bid $118,353.20).Lewis seconded. Carried 3-0.

Johnson moved to approvethe Federal ManagementReport, and Request forReimbursement, PerformanceProgress Report for PillsburyCrossing Lane CulvertReplacement Project with U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service. Lewisseconded. Carried 3-0.

Lewis moved to approve theNotice of Intent to Sell ExcessPersonal Property by RileyCounty Fire District No. 1, ofRiley County, Kansas. Johnsonseconded. Carried 3-0.

Johnson moved to approvethe minutes of March 17, 2011as amended. Lewis seconded.Carried 3-0.

9:00 Dennis Peterson,

Noxious Weed Director Bid

opening for herbicide

Johnette Shepek, Budget andFinance Officer; ClancyHoleman, Counselor/Directorof Administrative Services;Julie Merklin, League ofWomen Voters; and NikkiMarcotte, KMAN, attended.

The Board of CountyCommissioners opened the fol-lowing bids for herbicide:

Company2,4-D LV Ester2,4-D AmineTotal BidVan Diest Supply CompanyAbilene, KS$22,096.80$13,280.40$35,377.20Sims Fertilizer and Chemical1006 Industrial Ave, P.O.

Box 330Osborne, KS 67473$23,635.80$13,255.20$36,891.00Vegetation Management

Supply, Inc.925 E. 17thWichita, KS 67214None$15,435.00CPS – Harold Hughes231 ShadybrookCheney, KS 67025$16,588.80$18,081.00$34,669.80Johnson moved to refer the

bids to staff for evaluation andrecommendation. Lewis sec-onded. Carried 3-0.

9:15 Johnette Shepek,

Budget and Finance Officer

Brad Dornes, ManhattanMercury; Julie Merklin,League of Women Voters; and

Strawn said he cannot sup-port the allocation of$100,000.00 of the cost of dis-patch services to city taxpayers.

Schoen stated reported theoverwhelming number of callsfrom all emergency services iswithin the City of Manhattan.

Sherow stated 75% of RileyCounty’s budget is derivedfrom the City of Manhattan res-idents.

Pepperd stated the CityCommission has not yet actedon the consolidated dispatchfunding.

Schoen stated he has alwaysmaintained one person needs tobe accountable rather than mul-tiple organizations having apiece of the pie.

Meredith reviewed theFairmont Park Plan.

Meredith discussed workingcooperatively with the City ofManhattan on the River RunTrail.

Loupe discussed the possi-bility of a River Run Trail.

Loupe asked if it is some-thing the governing bodieswould like to do.

Sherow said he believes it isa great idea.

Meredith stated they willdevelop a cost to present to thecommissions.

5:00 Adjourned.March 21, 2011

The Regular meeting of theBoard of CountyCommissioners met at theRiley County Plaza EastBuilding March 21, 2011 withthe following members present:Karen McCulloh, Chair; AlvanJohnson, Vice Chair; DaveLewis, Member; and RichVargo, County Clerk.

8:30 Public Comment &

Business Meeting

Becky Brooks,Administrative Assistant II;Johnette Shepek, Budget andFinance Officer; Leon Hobson,Public Works Director/CountyEngineer; Clancy Holeman,Counselor/Director ofAdministrative Services; JulieMerklin, League of Women

Minutes______________________________from page sixNikki Marcotte, KMAN,attended.

Shepek presented the RileyCounty 2012 budget calendar.

9:30 Press Conference

Cheryl Collins, MuseumCurator; Leon Hobson, PublicWorks Director/CountyEngineer; Johnette Shepek,Budget and Finance Officer;Julie Merklin, League ofWomen Voters; and NikkiMarcotte, KMAN, attended.

C. Collins said Tuesday,March 29th, at noon, at theRiley County HistoricalMuseum, 2309 Claflin inManhattan, Cheryl Collins,Director, will speak on“Prohibition in Manhattan:Conflicting View andViolence.” Admission is freeand everyone is invited to bringa brown bag lunch. This is thesecond of six Kansas 150Lunch Time Lectures. Futuredates are May 17th, July 12th,September 13th, and November15th.

C. Collins reported on theRiley County HistoricalMuseum County OfficeBuilding exhibit “The wire thatwon the west” and MeadowlarkHills on the history of Varney’sBookstore.

Vargo said today is the lastday to register to vote in theApril General Election.

Vargo said advance voting inperson begins March 22nd atthe County Election Office.Vargo said advance voting clos-es at 12:00 (noon) on April 4th.

Vargo said the City/SchoolGeneral Election will be heldApril 5th.

Vargo said by purchasing an“off-season” park permit(between January 1, 2011 –March 31, 2011) you avoidlong lines and save money, aswell as provide KansasDepartment of Wildlife andParks continuous funding tokeep your parks in great shapefor you.

Motor Vehicle FeesOff-Season12/15/10 – 03/31/11

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& 10/1/2011 – 12/31/2011Prime Season04/01/2011– 09/30/2011Annual Vehicle$ 19.70$ 24.70Annual (2nd Vehicle)$ 12.20$ 14.70Seniors/Disabled Annual

Vehicle$ 11.10$ 13.60Seniors/Disabled Annual

(2nd Vehicle)$ 7.35$ 8.60Annual Camping$202.50$252.50Hobson presented the fol-

lowing update:The concrete box replace-

ment project on PillsburyCrossing Lane has been com-pleted. We were able to securea $50,000 grant from US Fishand Wildlife Service for thisstructure. Today theCommission signed documen-tation certifying the project hasbeen completed which willallow us to request reimburse-ment for that amount.

Last week on the PickeringBridge replacement project Thecontractor

o Poured the bridge railsThe items which remain to

be done areo The bridge approacheso Guard rail installationo Removal of the old roado Seeding and SurfacingWith a lot of these items

being weather dependent, theschedule for completing thisproject is somewhat up in theair.

The Wildcat Creek RoadReconstruction Project

This project is currently outto bid with the letting sched-uled for April 14th.

This puts us one step closerto the completion of the SalesTax Program, which waspassed in 2002 and will sunsetin 2012. These funds were des-ignated to be used for 21 Roadand Bridge construction proj-ects.

With the bidding of theWildcat Creek Road Project itleaves only 1 project of theoriginal 21 to get to bid.

North Otter Creek concrete

box replacementThe North Otter Creek con-

crete box replacement will bebid as soon as we receive theDivision of Water ResourcesPermit that is currently inTopeka being reviewed.

Hobson said he can’t sayenough about the Sales TaxProgram These funds haveallowed us to complete manyprojects which otherwisewould not have been possible,due to limited funding. TheSales Tax funds are definitelymaking an improvement in theCounty’s infrastructure.

When we combined thesefunds with the Federal dollarswe received, we were able tostretch the sales tax dollarseven further.

Last year the Commissionpassed a bond issue for the con-struction of approximately 7structures.

We are at varying points inthe development of these proj-ects from negotiating thedesign fees to the design beingcompleted.

We anticipate a few of theseprojects may be constructed yetthis year.

The last item to report is thewindow replacement project ofall of the windows on the 1stfloor of the Courthouse begantoday.

9:43 Clancy Holeman,

Counselor/Director of

Administrative Services

Administrative Work

Session

Julie Merklin, League ofWomen Voters, attended.

Holeman discussed themeeting with the City ofManhattan on the transit agree-ment.

Holeman said SB40 onemergency repairs to publicfacilities passed out of theHouse Committee.

Holeman reported ArikaWellmitz, a Washburn law stu-dent, will be an unpaid summerextern position in the CountyCounselor’s Office, during thefirst week of June 2011.

9:51 Johnson moved toadjourn. Lewis seconded.Carried 3-0.

12:00 Law Enforcement

Agency Meeting

projects, including Read to

Achieve, Adopt a Family,

Special Olympics and Habitat

for Humanity.

Named in honor of basket-

ball inventor James Naismith’s

daughter-in-law, the Frances

Pomeroy Naismith Award is

selected by a panel of represen-

tatives from the National

Association of Basketball

Coaches (NABC). To earn the

award, the recipient must

demonstrate leadership, char-

acter, loyalty, all-around bas-

ketball ability and excellence in

the classroom. It is given by

the Naismith Memorial

Basketball Hall of Fame, which

promotes and preserves the

game of basketball at every

level.

KSU Sports Information

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –

Senior guard Jacob Pullen was

named the 2011 winner of the

Frances Pomeroy Naismith

Award on Tuesday, which is

given to the nation’s top senior,

six-foot and under, by the

Naismith Memorial Basketball

Hall of Fame.

“We are proud to honor

Jacob with the 2011 Frances

Pomeroy Naismith Award,”

said John L. Doleva, President

and CEO of the Naismith

Memorial Basketball Hall of

Fame. “The combination of his

success on the court, and his

achievements in the classroom

as a student-athlete, make him

a deserving recipient who

exemplifies the qualities this

award is designed to celebrate.”

Pullen is the first Kansas

State player to earn the acco-

lade and the second consecu-

tive Big 12 student-athlete, fol-

lowing last year’s recipient

Sherron Collins of Kansas.

Overall, he is the 43rd winner

of the award since 1969.

Among the previous winners

are UTEP’s Tim Hardaway

(1989), UCLA’s Tyus Edney

(1995) and Darren Collison

(2009), Stanford’s Brevin

Knight (1997), Ohio State’s

Scoonie Penn (2000), Arizona’s

Jason Gardner (2003), St.

Joseph’s Jameer Nelson (2004),

Washington’s Nate Robinson

(2005) and Illinois’ Dee Brown

(2006).

The school’s all-time leading

scorer with 2,132 points, Pullen

led the Wildcats in 12 statistical

categories, including scoring

(20.2 ppg.), double-figure scor-

ing games (29), field goals

(191), 3-point field goals (74),

free throws (170), assists (115),

steals (49) and minutes (32.6

mpg.). He has been named to

several All-American squads,

including the third team by The

Associated Press, The Sporting

News and Yahoo! Sports and

fourth team by

FOXSports.com. He was also

one of just two unanimous

selections to coaches’ All-Big

12 first team and the first

Wildcat since Norris Coleman

in 1986 and 1987 to earn first

team all-conference twice in a

career.

Pullen ranks in Top 5 of 17

career school records, includ-

ing marks for scoring, games

played (135), double-digit scor-

ing games (105), 3-point field

goals (299), 3-point field goals

attempted (828) and steals

(210). He also places in the

Top 10 in six career categories

in Big 12 Conference history,

including fourth in scoring.

Pullen led K-State to a 23-11

overall record, including a tie

for third place in Big 12 play

with a 10-6 mark, during the

2010-11 season. He is just the

third player in school history to

lead the Wildcats to the post-

season and to a 20-win season

in each of his four years in the

program.

The school’s first three-time

captain, Pullen will graduate

from Kansas State with a

degree in criminology in May

2011. He has been involved in

several community service

Pullen Named FrancesPomeroy Naismith Winner

TEAM

First Team

Jimmer Fredette, BYU

Nolan Smith, Duke

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Kemba Walker, Connecticut

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

Second Team

MARCUS MORRIS,

Kansas

Derrick Williams, Arizona

Ben Hansborough, Notre

Dame

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

Kawhi Leonard, San Diego

State

Third Team

JACOB PULLEN, Kansas

State

JORDAN HAMILTON,

Texas

Kenneth Faried, Morehead

State

Tu Holloway, Xavier

Marshon Brooks, Providence

By Big12Sports.com

Marcus Morris (Kansas) has

been named to the AP All-

America Second Team, while

Jacob Pullen (Kansas State)

and Jordan Hamilton (Texas)

were chosen for the third team.

The three selections is tied for

the most of any conference in

the nation.

Morris led Kansas in scoring

in 2010-11 with 17.2 points per

game. He ranks among the

national leaders in field goal

percentage at 57.0 percent and

his 7.6 rebounds per contest

were second on the squad. The

junior was honored as the 2011

Big 12 Player of the Year and

was a member of the NCAA

Southwest Regional All-

Tournament Team.

Hamilton started all 36 con-

tests for the Longhorns this

year and led the team in scoring

(18.6 ppg). He also ranked sec-

ond on the team in rebounding

(7.7 rpg), double-doubles

(eight) and minutes played

(32.2 mpg). The sophomore

topped the 20-point mark in 15

of UT’s 36 games.

Pullen ended his career as

the all-time leading scorer at

Kansas State with 2,132 points.

He led the Big 12 in scoring in

conference games with 21.4-

point average and also had 115

assists with 49 steals. The sen-

ior had five 30-point efforts

during his career at KSU, with

42 games where he scored 20

points or more.

All three conference athletes

were members of this year's

All-Big 12 First Team, with

Pullen also being named to the

Big 12 All-Defensive Team.

2010-11 ASSOCIATED

PRESS ALL-AMERICA

Pullen Earns Associated Press All-America Honors


Jacob Pullen (0) came back from his three-game suspension and scored24 points for the Wildcats against Savannah State. (Photo by Ben Brake)

K-State’s Jacob Pullen (0) drives the ball around KU’sMarcus Morris (22). (Photo by Ben Brake)

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