Just received this today via e-mail and knew farmers have been following this topic.
KCC Releases New Policy for Interstate Commerce
TOPEKA – Congressman Jerry Moran today announced the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has released a new policy regarding its interpretation of interstate commerce. Last week, Moran met with KCC to discuss regulations that affect farmers hauling grain to local elevators. Yesterday, KCC released its interpretation that commodity shipments within the borders of Kansas will not be considered interstate commerce unless there is clear evidence the shipper intends for the commodity to leave the state. This change means that many farmers and ranchers who deliver agricultural commodities to local grain elevators and sale barns will not be subject to federal regulations.
“I am pleased the KCC acted quickly to change its interpretation of this regulation,” Moran said. “Had KCC not made this change, it would have placed burdensome regulations on most of our Kansas farmers and ranchers. I thank them for their prompt attention to this matter and decision to do the right thing.”
KCC was proposing to consider the transportation of grain from a Kansas farm to a local elevator as interstate commerce since the grain may ultimately be sold to an out-of-state buyer. KCC informed Moran that putting forth the rule was for compliance with federal rules, rather than safety concerns. In the KCC docket dated February 19, 2008, it states: “Upon a review of the available facts and circumstances surrounding a farm to market commodity shipment, if there is no clear evidence that the farmer-shipper’s intent as respects the movement of the items in commerce is one of interstate transport, that intent shall not be inferred. For the purpose of this policy, intrastate carrier is defined as a carrier who operates solely in intrastate commerce and does not transport placardable quantities of hazardous materials. If the operation is solely within the state of Kansas and the commerce engaged in is solely within the state of Kansas, the shipment is considered intrastate commerce.”
Moran worked with KCC and state legislators to develop a rule that is compliant with federal law while limiting the impact on Kansas agriculture. Moran is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Beating a dead horse?
Another consolidation column? Get over it!
I will, but not yet.
I printed an opinion piece on consolidation in the Feb. 21 issue of the Washington County News that was originally posted on this blog on Feb. 14.
Though commentary on the topic has been slim at best in both the newspaper and on this blog (unlike the good ‘ol days when the mere mention of the “c-word” would start the letters to the editor flowing), I still think it is a topic worthy of discussion, especially since learning of the continued talks between the Republic County and Pike Valley districts on consolidation.
To me, leaving potentially millions of incentive dollars from the state on the table along with heavy tax savings potential for the USD 223 patrons, when we wouldn’t even have to close a school to do it, is ridiculous and wasteful. Plain and simple.
Maybe folks don’t understand. A district consolidation does not mean we have to close any grade schools, high schools or anything in the existing districts. A consolidation does not force all the kids to have to go to Washington County High School – Linn and Hanover High would still exist in the most basic form of a consolidation. At its simplest, we would get a new school district number and centralize the district office. That’s it.
My biggest fear is that we pass up this limited opportunity of benefits from the state now by not acting on the consolidation effort, but then when Linn runs out of enough students in five years to keep its high school, the patrons will decide to do something then and receive no tax benefit for their action. We would have missed the tax incentives by three and a half years because patrons decided, as one school board member said, they wouldn’t want to do anything until they were forced.
So let’s hear it. What do you think? If you register for free and sign in on this blog with a name like “Catfan” or “Cooldude”, nobody will know who you are. So take this opportunity to say what you really think about consolidation while staying totally anonymous. You have to sign your name for letters printed in the newspaper, but not on this blog.
And remember, we’re all adults here, there is no reason to get personal. “Keep it pithy” as Bill O’Reilly would say. I want to hear what you think.
News is news, good or bad
I occasionally have readers ask me why I put crime stories on the front page. This week will likely be no different after putting a story on the front page about a former Washington man charged with the rape of a minor.
While these types of stories are my least favorite to include on my front page (or anywhere in the paper), I feel like it is the job of a proper newspaper to include these stories in the newspaper as both a historic record and also as an awareness story for individuals who may have had contact with these accused individuals. And beyond that, any person who may have intentions of participating in such actions need to know local law enforcement will go after them, and the local newspaper will stick them on the front page.
If I chose to only print the good news in the community, it would be like we are censoring history and I’m not comfortable with that. And honestly, I feel like any newspaper that does not fulfill its commitment to report the local news, no matter how uncomfortable, isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
Don’t think for a minute, though, that it isn’t awkward to write these stories. The information-gathering phase of these kinds of stories can get downright explicit and trying to figure out what to include in the story and how to word it is easily the hardest part of my job. The “minutes per paragraph” stats on these sorts of stories would blow away any feature I’ve ever done. I literally comb through these stories word by word several times to make sure they are accurate, succinct and relevant.
These stories are not taken lightly by any means and they are absolutely not written to have a flashy headline to increase my rack sales.
So while I would agree with some of the nay-sayers that I would much rather read about good news in the community – local human interest stories, new business ventures, positive stories about our youth… anything like that – be assured that this newspaper will be an accurate historic record of everything that happens in this county.
We have not done a perfect job in this task at all times in the past, but as I start my eighth year in this career, it is my intent to let no news go by the wayside in Washington County.
While these types of stories are my least favorite to include on my front page (or anywhere in the paper), I feel like it is the job of a proper newspaper to include these stories in the newspaper as both a historic record and also as an awareness story for individuals who may have had contact with these accused individuals. And beyond that, any person who may have intentions of participating in such actions need to know local law enforcement will go after them, and the local newspaper will stick them on the front page.
If I chose to only print the good news in the community, it would be like we are censoring history and I’m not comfortable with that. And honestly, I feel like any newspaper that does not fulfill its commitment to report the local news, no matter how uncomfortable, isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
Don’t think for a minute, though, that it isn’t awkward to write these stories. The information-gathering phase of these kinds of stories can get downright explicit and trying to figure out what to include in the story and how to word it is easily the hardest part of my job. The “minutes per paragraph” stats on these sorts of stories would blow away any feature I’ve ever done. I literally comb through these stories word by word several times to make sure they are accurate, succinct and relevant.
These stories are not taken lightly by any means and they are absolutely not written to have a flashy headline to increase my rack sales.
So while I would agree with some of the nay-sayers that I would much rather read about good news in the community – local human interest stories, new business ventures, positive stories about our youth… anything like that – be assured that this newspaper will be an accurate historic record of everything that happens in this county.
We have not done a perfect job in this task at all times in the past, but as I start my eighth year in this career, it is my intent to let no news go by the wayside in Washington County.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Murder in Leonardville
According to a story in the Manhattan Mercury this morning, Thomas James, Clay Center, 48, was stabbed to death in a Leonardville apartment and 49-year-old Howard Barrett, Clay Center, has been arrested and faces second-degree murder charges.
Riley County police said James had been called to the Swingle House apartments at 111 S. Erpelding in his capacity as an exterminator when he was killed by Barrett. Investigators said Barrett and James did not know each other. They said Barrett appears to have a history of mental illness, but seemed to understand that the victim was working rather than intruding in the apartment. They speculated the suspect may have acted out of an irrational fear he would be sprayed with insecticide.
Riley County Police Captain Tim Hegarty said the suspect called police himself after the incident occurred.
Riley County police said James had been called to the Swingle House apartments at 111 S. Erpelding in his capacity as an exterminator when he was killed by Barrett. Investigators said Barrett and James did not know each other. They said Barrett appears to have a history of mental illness, but seemed to understand that the victim was working rather than intruding in the apartment. They speculated the suspect may have acted out of an irrational fear he would be sprayed with insecticide.
Riley County Police Captain Tim Hegarty said the suspect called police himself after the incident occurred.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Poll results different than board's decision
The USD 223 school board voted 4-3 not to allow local adults to use the new Linn gym at a recent meeting, but a Backroads Newsroom blog poll's results show their vote doesn't match the voice of the people.
When asked if local adults should be allowed access to the new gym to play pickup basketball, 58 voters chimed in on the poll with 38 votes of yes, 14 votes saying only if the old gym is busy and 6 votes saying no.
When asked if youth teams should be allowed access to the new gym to practice, 53 voters left an answer with 38 votes saying yes, 11 saying only if the old gym is busy and 4 votes saying no.
The board voted 4-3 against the request. Will one more board member change their vote to match the voice of the people? I doubt it. The administrators support the current practice of only allowing new gym access if the old gym is busy, and why would board members go against the administrators' wishes?
What do you think?
When asked if local adults should be allowed access to the new gym to play pickup basketball, 58 voters chimed in on the poll with 38 votes of yes, 14 votes saying only if the old gym is busy and 6 votes saying no.
When asked if youth teams should be allowed access to the new gym to practice, 53 voters left an answer with 38 votes saying yes, 11 saying only if the old gym is busy and 4 votes saying no.
The board voted 4-3 against the request. Will one more board member change their vote to match the voice of the people? I doubt it. The administrators support the current practice of only allowing new gym access if the old gym is busy, and why would board members go against the administrators' wishes?
What do you think?
USD 223 patrons should urge board to talk
A story in today’s Belleville Telescope stated that the Pike Valley and Republic County school boards are scheduled to meet on Monday in Scandia to discuss the potential of a merger of the two districts.
The districts started looking over the financial benefits of a consolidation at the same time the USD 108 Washington County and USD 223 Barnes-Hanover-Linn school boards looked at it. The Barnes-Hanover-Linn board quickly stopped any talks about the process at their December meeting while the Republic County and Pike Valley boards have continued.
My honest belief is that the only thing the USD 223 board is doing is hurting local taxpayers by not at least considering more information. This discussion shouldn’t even be about whether consolidation is a good thing or a bad thing, it should be about the fact that the Linn side of the district is running out of students and if the board wants to wait five years until they are forced into doing something, all they are doing is being bad stewards of their patrons’ finances.
If the Hanover side of the district is so adamant about their allegiance to going to Marysville some day if they have to consolidate, maybe the discussion should move to splitting the USD 223 district and letting Linn-Palmer folks hook up with Washington and let Hanover continue on until they are forced to do something. Honestly, I believe the Hanover school will have a viable population supporting it for at least a couple more decades so they really shouldn’t have to do anything in the near future anyway.
The problem is, the Linn-Palmer area does not, at this time, have the demographics to keep the high school going another 10 years. I would love to be totally wrong on this theory and see a rebound in population across the county, but I believe the next census will not be kind to any community in the county.
If you think it is stressful talking about consolidation with Washington County right now, just wait until Linn runs out of kids and Hanover still has plenty of kids. Is the Linn-Palmer side of the district going to be held hostage in order to preserve Hanover’s side of the district? Or another way of looking at it, will the Hanover side want to financially subsidize the Linn-Palmer side of the district if it is two-thirds of their size? Sounds like some heated late night school board meetings to me!
Probably the only thing that would help move this situation forward is if a grassroots group of people on the Linn-Palmer side of the district stood up and asked the board to consider the financial benefits of a merger. The high schools could stay as they are until enrollment concerns force a closure. I can’t see that there is anything to lose in talking.
So what do you think? What is wrong with gathering more information and talking about it? Post your comments for other readers to consider.
The districts started looking over the financial benefits of a consolidation at the same time the USD 108 Washington County and USD 223 Barnes-Hanover-Linn school boards looked at it. The Barnes-Hanover-Linn board quickly stopped any talks about the process at their December meeting while the Republic County and Pike Valley boards have continued.
My honest belief is that the only thing the USD 223 board is doing is hurting local taxpayers by not at least considering more information. This discussion shouldn’t even be about whether consolidation is a good thing or a bad thing, it should be about the fact that the Linn side of the district is running out of students and if the board wants to wait five years until they are forced into doing something, all they are doing is being bad stewards of their patrons’ finances.
If the Hanover side of the district is so adamant about their allegiance to going to Marysville some day if they have to consolidate, maybe the discussion should move to splitting the USD 223 district and letting Linn-Palmer folks hook up with Washington and let Hanover continue on until they are forced to do something. Honestly, I believe the Hanover school will have a viable population supporting it for at least a couple more decades so they really shouldn’t have to do anything in the near future anyway.
The problem is, the Linn-Palmer area does not, at this time, have the demographics to keep the high school going another 10 years. I would love to be totally wrong on this theory and see a rebound in population across the county, but I believe the next census will not be kind to any community in the county.
If you think it is stressful talking about consolidation with Washington County right now, just wait until Linn runs out of kids and Hanover still has plenty of kids. Is the Linn-Palmer side of the district going to be held hostage in order to preserve Hanover’s side of the district? Or another way of looking at it, will the Hanover side want to financially subsidize the Linn-Palmer side of the district if it is two-thirds of their size? Sounds like some heated late night school board meetings to me!
Probably the only thing that would help move this situation forward is if a grassroots group of people on the Linn-Palmer side of the district stood up and asked the board to consider the financial benefits of a merger. The high schools could stay as they are until enrollment concerns force a closure. I can’t see that there is anything to lose in talking.
So what do you think? What is wrong with gathering more information and talking about it? Post your comments for other readers to consider.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Was stall offense a good decision?
The Washington County girls only lost by five points on Tuesday in a home basketball game versus Linn. This could be considered quite an accomplishment after losing to the Bulldogs by 42 points earlier this season. But when you see the final score was just 17-12 with Linn winning, most folks would double-check and make sure this was, in fact, the final score rather than a half time score.
Turns out the WCHS Tigers pulled out a stall offense in the first quarter to slow the game down... way down. Then Linn, for some reason, decided to do it in the third quarter.
For WCHS to lose by just five points to this once state-ranked team might make you think this style of game was a good decision since Linn only led by one at half. However, I've never personally seen this offense work and all it has ever accomplished, in my opinion, is to make the opposing team's fans really, really angry. The only thing I think this stall offense is good for is to stoke the fires of an already heated sports rivalry.
What do you think? Was this a good choice of an offense for either team?
Please post your comments on both sides of the issue.
Turns out the WCHS Tigers pulled out a stall offense in the first quarter to slow the game down... way down. Then Linn, for some reason, decided to do it in the third quarter.
For WCHS to lose by just five points to this once state-ranked team might make you think this style of game was a good decision since Linn only led by one at half. However, I've never personally seen this offense work and all it has ever accomplished, in my opinion, is to make the opposing team's fans really, really angry. The only thing I think this stall offense is good for is to stoke the fires of an already heated sports rivalry.
What do you think? Was this a good choice of an offense for either team?
Please post your comments on both sides of the issue.
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