As I prepare to retire on Feb. 3, I thought I would use my column space to share some of my “favorite” days as an Extension agent.

	•	Teaching Stay Strong Stay Healthy to well more than 300 older adults during the past 10 years. Folks aged 60-95 have enriched my life as much as I have theirs!

	•	Sharing my expertise related to fermenting sauerkraut or Kimchi with others in Extension, both in Kansas, Iowa and across the country. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the excitement in the 59 fermentation workshop participants in Barton and Ellis counties.

	•	Helping Medicare-eligible adults review their prescription drug plan during open enrollment for the past nine years. It is always rewarding when we find a plan that will save someone a significant amount of money.

	•	Kids Ag Day, always on Wednesday after Labor Day, is the perfect chance to share with fourth graders from across the county where their food comes from.

	•	Sharing an Organwise presentation “Healthy from the inside out” with pre-schoolers and first graders. Little ones need to be introduced to what is healthy and what is not.

	•	Teaching “High-speed handwashing” to kids of all ages. 

	•	Watching kids grow up in the 4-H Youth Development program. I have been around long enough that I am meeting the next generation!

	•	Teaching bicycle safety rules to school-agers and promoting safe bicycling to the entire community.

	•	Seeing the 10 fact sheets I have written in the past being published and used by Extension colleagues from around the state and shared with FCE members.

	•	Teaching a sewing workshop for 4-H youth–making pillowcases, backpacks, pajama pants or walker bags to learn life skills. 

	•	Collaborating with partners from across our county, through Be Well Barton County or Central Kansas Partnership. “Many hands really do make light work.”

	•	Developing a positive relationship with the executive board, team members, and YOU throughout my 37- year Extension career. 

As you can see it was hard to narrow my favorite days down to a few. It’s been a good run!

Many of you are asking me who the next district director will be when I retire. The Cottonwood Executive Board will be announcing the next district director/community vitality agent soon. I know you will provide them with opportunities to experience “favorite” days too.

Happy New Year from the Cottonwood District team!

Donna Krug is the District Director and Family and Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.

As I prepare to retire on Feb. 3, I thought I would use my column space to share some of my “favorite” days as an Extension agent.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573141404420.png" alt="Donna Krug" />
 <figcaption>Donna Krug</figcaption>
 </figure>	•	Teaching Stay Strong Stay Healthy to well more than 300 older adults during the past 10 years. Folks aged 60-95 have enriched my life as much as I have theirs!	•	Sharing my expertise related to fermenting sauerkraut or Kimchi with others in Extension, both in Kansas, Iowa and across the country. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the excitement in the 59 fermentation workshop participants in Barton and Ellis counties.	•	Helping Medicare-eligible adults review their prescription drug plan during open enrollment for the past nine years. It is always rewarding when we find a plan that will save someone a significant amount of money.	•	Kids Ag Day, always on Wednesday after Labor Day, is the perfect chance to share with fourth graders from across the county where their food comes from.	•	Sharing an Organwise presentation “Healthy from the inside out” with pre-schoolers and first graders. Little ones need to be introduced to what is healthy and what is not.	•	Teaching “High-speed handwashing” to kids of all ages. 	•	Watching kids grow up in the 4-H Youth Development program. I have been around long enough that I am meeting the next generation!	•	Teaching bicycle safety rules to school-agers and promoting safe bicycling to the entire community.	•	Seeing the 10 fact sheets I have written in the past being published and used by Extension colleagues from around the state and shared with FCE members.	•	Teaching a sewing workshop for 4-H youth–making pillowcases, backpacks, pajama pants or walker bags to learn life skills. 	•	Collaborating with partners from across our county, through Be Well Barton County or Central Kansas Partnership. “Many hands really do make light work.”	•	Developing a positive relationship with the executive board, team members, and YOU throughout my 37- year Extension career. As you can see it was hard to narrow my favorite days down to a few. It’s been a good run!Many of you are asking me who the next district director will be when I retire. The Cottonwood Executive Board will be announcing the next district director/community vitality agent soon. I know you will provide them with opportunities to experience “favorite” days too.Happy New Year from the Cottonwood District team!Donna Krug is the District Director and Family and Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.

KRUG: My favorite days as an Extension agent

With great power comes great responsibility. This phrase has been uttered time and time again and is applicable to a wide range of situations, especially in politics.

On Jan. 9, the state legislature will start its 2023 legislative session. But it’s not a statewide election year, so many Kansans won’t be paying much attention to the events happening in Topeka this spring.

Citizens have the power to choose our government, but we must also pay attention to hold elected officials accountable. With great power comes great responsibility. 

Political efficacy is the belief that citizens can influence politics and government. Most Americans have low political efficacy, which may not be surprising to you based on voter turnout. That is partially due to low levels of trust in government and goes hand-in-hand with low performance satisfaction.

The 2022 Kansas Speaks statewide public opinion survey — run by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University — showed that only about 31 percent of Kansans are very or somewhat satisfied with the overall performance of the Kansas Legislature. 

Generally speaking, citizens with high levels of political efficacy also have higher levels of performance satisfaction. Largely because these citizens often engage in politics above and beyond voting in elections. 

Political science research shows they are more likely to be cognitively engaged — pay attention to political affairs and discuss politics with their friends, for example — and also turn engagement into action by participating in various ways, like contacting their elected officials and attending town hall meetings to make their opinions heard.

In short, engaged citizens have more satisfaction with government because they are able to influence the political system through their participation and are thus more likely to see their preferences carried out into policy.

A foundational piece of political science scholarship — Congress: The Electoral Connection by David Mayhew — dubs elected officials to be “single-minded seekers of re-election”. 

Do elected officials care about the political attitudes of all their constituents? Of course not. They are strategic and only have to care about the plurality of citizens who are going to re-elect them. But this does often mean that those who are the loudest and most participatory — and most organized — disproportionately affect policy debates in the state legislature.

As I wrote in a column last April, for many Kansans, government never does enough to address citizen concerns. They never do it fast enough. And they never do exactly what is wanted, or even needed. Their work is often filled with half-measures and compromises. 

But if we look closely, there are many examples where we see average people stepping up and pressuring policymakers for change. 

This spring the state legislature is going to debate a cornucopia of bills; from tax cuts, to “culture war” issues, to the Keystone oil spill in northeast Kansas. 

Some of which you will support and some of which you won’t.

But guess what? You can do something about it. And your state legislator might even listen.

So, as you’re making your resolutions for the new year, consider adding some political engagement to the list. Write to your state legislator. Attend a townhall meeting. Plan a march to address an issue that’s important to you.

Because with great power comes great responsibility.

Alexandra Middlewood, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of political science at Wichita State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633377761670.jpeg" alt="Middlewood" />
 <figcaption>Middlewood</figcaption>
 </figure>With great power comes great responsibility. This phrase has been uttered time and time again and is applicable to a wide range of situations, especially in politics.On Jan. 9, the state legislature will start its 2023 legislative session. But it’s not a statewide election year, so many Kansans won’t be paying much attention to the events happening in Topeka this spring.Citizens have the power to choose our government, but we must also pay attention to hold elected officials accountable. With great power comes great responsibility. Political efficacy is the belief that citizens can influence politics and government. Most Americans have low political efficacy, which may not be surprising to you based on voter turnout. That is partially due to low levels of trust in government and goes hand-in-hand with low performance satisfaction.The 2022 Kansas Speaks statewide public opinion survey — run by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University — showed that only about 31 percent of Kansans are very or somewhat satisfied with the overall performance of the Kansas Legislature. Generally speaking, citizens with high levels of political efficacy also have higher levels of performance satisfaction. Largely because these citizens often engage in politics above and beyond voting in elections. Political science research shows they are more likely to be cognitively engaged — pay attention to political affairs and discuss politics with their friends, for example — and also turn engagement into action by participating in various ways, like contacting their elected officials and attending town hall meetings to make their opinions heard.In short, engaged citizens have more satisfaction with government because they are able to influence the political system through their participation and are thus more likely to see their preferences carried out into policy.A foundational piece of political science scholarship — Congress: The Electoral Connection by David Mayhew — dubs elected officials to be “single-minded seekers of re-election”. Do elected officials care about the political attitudes of all their constituents? Of course not. They are strategic and only have to care about the plurality of citizens who are going to re-elect them. But this does often mean that those who are the loudest and most participatory — and most organized — disproportionately affect policy debates in the state legislature.As I wrote in a column last April, for many Kansans, government never does enough to address citizen concerns. They never do it fast enough. And they never do exactly what is wanted, or even needed. Their work is often filled with half-measures and compromises. But if we look closely, there are many examples where we see average people stepping up and pressuring policymakers for change. This spring the state legislature is going to debate a cornucopia of bills; from tax cuts, to “culture war” issues, to the Keystone oil spill in northeast Kansas. Some of which you will support and some of which you won’t.But guess what? You can do something about it. And your state legislator might even listen.So, as you’re making your resolutions for the new year, consider adding some political engagement to the list. Write to your state legislator. Attend a townhall meeting. Plan a march to address an issue that’s important to you.Because with great power comes great responsibility.Alexandra Middlewood, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of political science at Wichita State University.

INSIGHT: It may not be an election year but Kansans should stay politically engaged in 2023

Mystery, romance, history, comedy, thriller, suspense, science fiction, cook books—all&nbsp;reading categories. Reading cookbooks for fun surprises folks, but once you&nbsp;begin&nbsp;reading&nbsp;them&nbsp;recreationally, you discover those categories listed above slip into each and every recipe&nbsp;book&nbsp;on your shelf.&nbsp;

Though she was a good cook, my mom didn’t love to cook. As a result,&nbsp;I grew up&nbsp;reading&nbsp;few cook books.&nbsp;Her mom, however,&nbsp;loved&nbsp;creating amazing meals and desserts so&nbsp;Grandma Lottie&nbsp;owned&nbsp;more. While&nbsp;she didn’t have near the selection I have or that I’ve&nbsp;found&nbsp;at&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;auctions&nbsp;or thrift stores, her most interesting&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;were&nbsp;written on scraps of paper, old envelopes, and snipped&nbsp;from old newspapers. She tucked these in the fronts and backs of&nbsp;her worn&nbsp;recipe books&nbsp;where I found them after she&nbsp;passed away. In addition, she&nbsp;saved&nbsp;a manila envelope full of her mom’s&nbsp;and grandmother’s&nbsp;recipes. These&nbsp;originated in England and came with the&nbsp;Bears&nbsp;to Russell County.&nbsp;

These handwritten,&nbsp;detailed ingredients remind me of reading history. The&nbsp;cooks wrote instructions&nbsp;for wood or coal stoves so this modern-day cook had&nbsp;to&nbsp;research&nbsp;what cool, warm, and hot oven mean.&nbsp;Rarely did they offer exact cup or spoon measurements. A pinch,&nbsp;a dash,&nbsp;a handful, an egg-&nbsp;size bit of butter&nbsp;made their point.&nbsp;

To complicate matters,&nbsp;these recipes&nbsp;call for ingredients I either can’t find in Kansas&nbsp;such as&nbsp;eels to make eel pie or saleratus, which I learned is an old-timey&nbsp;word for baking soda.&nbsp;My great- and great-great-grandmothers saved&nbsp;several&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;that called for fresh&nbsp;kidneys. Though I can get those from the butcher, I have no&nbsp;urges to&nbsp;bake&nbsp;a&nbsp;kidney pie.&nbsp;

Since I&nbsp;began&nbsp;cooking in my teens, cookbooks and cooking shows have gained popularity. Any of us can buy a celebrity cookbook and serve our families the&nbsp;same&nbsp;meals&nbsp;that Trish Yearwood and Valerie Bertinelli whip up in their kitchens. For those of us who like learning about other cultures through their foods, we can add Amish, Mexican, Italian, Native American, Creole and other&nbsp;foods to our diets.

Regional collections put together by churches or communities as commemorative collections or fundraisers&nbsp;count&nbsp;among my&nbsp;favorites. Ellis County&nbsp;contributes&nbsp;a treasure trove of amazing dishes created by Volga German, Bukovina, and Bohemian cooks. Even though I have a Volga German grandmother, I’d&nbsp;have never learned&nbsp;how much I love&nbsp;those&nbsp;old&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;if I hadn’t&nbsp;moved here&nbsp;and bought cookbooks.&nbsp;On another note,&nbsp;I have&nbsp;a&nbsp;favorite&nbsp;from Wallace, Idaho, a&nbsp;mountain&nbsp;silver mining town. Huckleberry recipes abound as desserts, side dishes, and meat sauces. Because English families moved there to work the mines, the book&nbsp;shares&nbsp;several pasty varieties, a great find for cooks who love hand pies.&nbsp;

One way&nbsp;to&nbsp;travel back in time&nbsp;involves&nbsp;rereading&nbsp;cookbooks I&nbsp;received&nbsp;as a bride or soon after. Not only do I recall foods we loved to eat back then like Watergate Salad,&nbsp;but also,&nbsp;I see names that&nbsp;jerk&nbsp;me back&nbsp;several decades. What a poignant way to remember favorite people and foods.&nbsp;

So, if you can’t&nbsp;find anything good to read at the library or on your kindle,&nbsp;scan&nbsp;through your old recipe books. You might get as lucky as I did the other day and have your grandma’s best lemon meringue pie recipe written in her hand fall in your lap. It was almost as good a real visit.

Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671733838286.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORINMystery, romance, history, comedy, thriller, suspense, science fiction, cook books—all&nbsp;reading categories. Reading cookbooks for fun surprises folks, but once you&nbsp;begin&nbsp;reading&nbsp;them&nbsp;recreationally, you discover those categories listed above slip into each and every recipe&nbsp;book&nbsp;on your shelf.&nbsp;Though she was a good cook, my mom didn’t love to cook. As a result,&nbsp;I grew up&nbsp;reading&nbsp;few cook books.&nbsp;Her mom, however,&nbsp;loved&nbsp;creating amazing meals and desserts so&nbsp;Grandma Lottie&nbsp;owned&nbsp;more. While&nbsp;she didn’t have near the selection I have or that I’ve&nbsp;found&nbsp;at&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;auctions&nbsp;or thrift stores, her most interesting&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;were&nbsp;written on scraps of paper, old envelopes, and snipped&nbsp;from old newspapers. She tucked these in the fronts and backs of&nbsp;her worn&nbsp;recipe books&nbsp;where I found them after she&nbsp;passed away. In addition, she&nbsp;saved&nbsp;a manila envelope full of her mom’s&nbsp;and grandmother’s&nbsp;recipes. These&nbsp;originated in England and came with the&nbsp;Bears&nbsp;to Russell County.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>These handwritten,&nbsp;detailed ingredients remind me of reading history. The&nbsp;cooks wrote instructions&nbsp;for wood or coal stoves so this modern-day cook had&nbsp;to&nbsp;research&nbsp;what cool, warm, and hot oven mean.&nbsp;Rarely did they offer exact cup or spoon measurements. A pinch,&nbsp;a dash,&nbsp;a handful, an egg-&nbsp;size bit of butter&nbsp;made their point.&nbsp;To complicate matters,&nbsp;these recipes&nbsp;call for ingredients I either can’t find in Kansas&nbsp;such as&nbsp;eels to make eel pie or saleratus, which I learned is an old-timey&nbsp;word for baking soda.&nbsp;My great- and great-great-grandmothers saved&nbsp;several&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;that called for fresh&nbsp;kidneys. Though I can get those from the butcher, I have no&nbsp;urges to&nbsp;bake&nbsp;a&nbsp;kidney pie.&nbsp;Since I&nbsp;began&nbsp;cooking in my teens, cookbooks and cooking shows have gained popularity. Any of us can buy a celebrity cookbook and serve our families the&nbsp;same&nbsp;meals&nbsp;that Trish Yearwood and Valerie Bertinelli whip up in their kitchens. For those of us who like learning about other cultures through their foods, we can add Amish, Mexican, Italian, Native American, Creole and other&nbsp;foods to our diets.Regional collections put together by churches or communities as commemorative collections or fundraisers&nbsp;count&nbsp;among my&nbsp;favorites. Ellis County&nbsp;contributes&nbsp;a treasure trove of amazing dishes created by Volga German, Bukovina, and Bohemian cooks. Even though I have a Volga German grandmother, I’d&nbsp;have never learned&nbsp;how much I love&nbsp;those&nbsp;old&nbsp;recipes&nbsp;if I hadn’t&nbsp;moved here&nbsp;and bought cookbooks.&nbsp;On another note,&nbsp;I have&nbsp;a&nbsp;favorite&nbsp;from Wallace, Idaho, a&nbsp;mountain&nbsp;silver mining town. Huckleberry recipes abound as desserts, side dishes, and meat sauces. Because English families moved there to work the mines, the book&nbsp;shares&nbsp;several pasty varieties, a great find for cooks who love hand pies.&nbsp;One way&nbsp;to&nbsp;travel back in time&nbsp;involves&nbsp;rereading&nbsp;cookbooks I&nbsp;received&nbsp;as a bride or soon after. Not only do I recall foods we loved to eat back then like Watergate Salad,&nbsp;but also,&nbsp;I see names that&nbsp;jerk&nbsp;me back&nbsp;several decades. What a poignant way to remember favorite people and foods.&nbsp;So, if you can’t&nbsp;find anything good to read at the library or on your kindle,&nbsp;scan&nbsp;through your old recipe books. You might get as lucky as I did the other day and have your grandma’s best lemon meringue pie recipe written in her hand fall in your lap. It was almost as good a real visit.Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: The joy of reading cookbooks

RUSSELL - It doesn't get more open than the local government, the government closest to the people. &nbsp;

The fall and winter are stressful times for most folks, with school starting, extra-curricular activities, and the holidays compressed into a few short months. &nbsp;When the economy is in poor shape, it only exacerbates the issues. Whatever metric you choose to use to gauge the economy – GDP, the consumer price index, unemployment, or others – most folks would agree that the current economy is not good with an uncertain outlook.

The annual arrival of tax statements adds to an already stressful year. &nbsp;Yesterday, someone showed me a social media post from a gentleman who was upset with his tax bill and commented, "this town is pathetic." I don't disagree that property taxes are high; I pay them too. However, I encourage you to look at your tax statement and see what taxing entities on your bill levy a property tax and the amount of money each expects to collect. &nbsp;

For folks who own property in the city of Russell, the taxing entities included on your tax statement include the state of Kansas, Russell County, USD 407, city of Russell, Russell Recreation, and Midwest Extension District No. 15. Each entity levies property tax, with a combined levy of 186.339 mills. &nbsp;So what do 186.339 mills mean? &nbsp;A valid question, as there is often a misunderstanding of mills, valuation, property class, taxes paid, and where they go. &nbsp;

The value of one mill differs for each taxing entity based on the total property valuation in that entity's jurisdiction. For example, the 2022 valuation for Russell County is $110,232,422, the total valuation for USD 407 is $80,554,401, and the city of Russell's valuation is $32,951,842. So, what does that mean? &nbsp;That means that one mill levied for Russell County brings them $110,232 in property tax revenue; one mill brings USD 407 $80,554 in revenue, and for the city of Russell, one mill brings $32,952 in property tax revenue. Comparing the number of mills levied by a taxing entity to another is like comparing apples and oranges. For example, for the city of Russell to receive $100,000 in property tax revenue requires 3.0347 mills or 1.24155 for USD 407 and 0.90718 mills for Russell County.&nbsp; It takes three mills for the city to raise the same property tax revenue as the county raises with one mill. &nbsp;

You may see a clearer picture with different valuations if you focus on the dollars each taxing entity levies. The Russell County Treasurer includes an insert with your tax statement that includes a graphic of where your tax dollars go. The same data is available on the Kansas Department of Revenue website under the Property Valuation Division's data by county page. I appreciate the County Treasurer making this information available to all taxpayers – it is informative and allows one to see the big picture. 

&nbsp;On the insert, "City" receives 12.17 percent of all property tax. &nbsp;USD 407 receives 25.59 percent, and Russell County receives 48.13 percent, based on the 2021 Real and Personal Property Value and Tax Summary from the Kansas Department of Revenue.&nbsp;

The 2023 adopted budgets for Russell County and taxing entities within the county are not yet available on the Kansas Department of Administration website. I did find the 2023 property tax revenue for Russell County, $8,362,387, on their website, and the city of Russell's adopted budget requests $1,916,595 in property tax revenue. I point out these numbers not to pit one entity against another. I do not know the reasons or plans behind other taxing entities' budgets; you'll have to ask the entity. &nbsp;

I show this information to inform taxpayers, generate interest, seek questions, and invite involvement in your government – city, school, county, and state. Each one of these entities impacts your property taxes. If your property taxes are high, find out why.

As author Adora Svitak said, "The first thing anyone can do about any issue is get informed."

So what does the city do with the $1,916,595 property tax revenue? &nbsp;

Most of the revenue funds the police, fire, public transportation, 911 services, public works, street maintenance, building, planning, zoning, the municipal court, golf course, swimming pool, park, public library, municipal airport, and the Deines Cultural Center. Other entities that receive funds from the city are Russell County Economic Development, Russell Main Street, Russell Chamber of Commerce, Western Kansas Child Advocacy, and Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. &nbsp;

Just listing the services provided through property tax doesn't show the entire operation of the city of Russell; it's in the numbers. &nbsp;

The latest census puts Russell's population at around 4,400 people. To serve our community's public safety needs, we have eight police officers, one animal control officer, one full-time fire chief, 15 volunteer firefighters, and nine 911 communication dispatchers. That's one police officer for every 550 residents, and dispatch serves all of Russell County for 911 services and dispatches for the city police, county sheriff, city fire, EMS, and 10 rural fire departments. &nbsp;

The parks department maintains 160 acres of parks, the city cemetery, the airport, public right-of-way, and city-owned properties with five employees. Two full-time employees maintain our beautiful nine-hole golf course. The street department has four street maintenance folks for 108 lane miles of the road while also helping the four employees working sanitation and recycling – truly a team effort. The Deines Cultural Center is staffed with two part-time employees, while the municipal court clerk is part-time and assists the police with records management. One full-time and one part-time employee drives the public transit bus, providing 14,000 rides annually. &nbsp;

To round out the general fund, we have one certified building official who serves as the city's zoning administrator and supervises one code officer to address blight, weeds, and overgrowth, a public works mechanic, and a GIS technician who assists all departments. I would be remiss if I did not mention the seasonal employees, lifeguards at the Duke Johnson Municipal Swimming Pool, and summer help for parks and golf. &nbsp;

What about all the other city employees I see around? Those are likely from one of our utility departments. The city operates four utilities – electric, water, wastewater, and sanitation – which receive zero property tax revenue. Our electric distribution shop has four journeyman linemen and four apprentices who maintain an electric distribution system covering 50 square miles with 146 miles of 3-phase primary and 5,875 power poles. Electric production has eight employees who maintain and operate two power plants capable of generating 23 megawatts of energy. &nbsp;

The water utility has seven certified operators and seven distribution maintenance personnel who convert an average of 1,000 acre-feet raw water into more than 320 million gallons of finished water, serving 2,419 customers through 92 miles of water mains. &nbsp;

To meet EPA standards, two certified wastewater operators treat over 300 million gallons of wastewater and infiltrate water yearly. &nbsp;

The four sanitation employees I mentioned earlier serve 2,197 customers and haul away an average of 5,250,000 pounds of trash yearly.&nbsp; Additionally, the city collects an average of 24,000 pounds of plastic, 8,000 pounds of tin, 38,000 pounds of glass, 9,000 pounds of aluminum, and 368,000 pounds of cardboard, newspaper, and magazines annually. &nbsp;

And I cannot forget the folks who support all these employees –human resource/payroll, utility billing clerk, cashier, assistant city manager, city clerk, finance director, city attorney, city prosecutor, municipal judge, and the GIS technician. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Operating a city, especially one that also provides utilities, is a unique operation. Imagine an entity that directly impacts the lives of every resident, business, or visitor 24 hours a day, every day of the year. &nbsp; 

Take a moment and find a day when the city's operation did not impact you. The community's reliance on the services provided magnifies even the slightest operational flaw. As a team, city employees work daily to improve services and the quality of life for our community.

Do we make mistakes or equipment fail? Yes, and we learn from them and get better each time. &nbsp;

Our job is to serve the community. To do so, we need constructive and informed input. I invite you to attend city council meetings on the first&nbsp;and third&nbsp;Tuesday of each month beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the city building. If you cannot attend in person, perhaps you can attend virtually. If not, you can sign up to receive text or email notifications when the city council agenda and packet are ready for download from the city website. When you download the agenda and packet, you have the same information provided to each city council member. &nbsp;If you see an item of interest or have a question, please stop in, call the city building, or come to a city council meeting. We would be happy to discuss each item on the agenda. &nbsp; If you have a general question, comment, concern, or suggestion, you are always welcome to call or stop in the city building and talk with city staff. If we can't answer your questions, we will find someone who can. &nbsp; 

However, if you post your question, comments, concern, or suggestions on social media, I won't be able to answer them. I don't have social media, and city staff does not regularly monitor the city's social media accounts. One uninformed post or misinformation can contribute to a contentious environment and divisiveness. Our community is better than "them or us"; we all belong to this community. 

&nbsp;What good does it do to disparage the community on social media or any place? Forming false beliefs requires exposure to false information. Those not from Russell who hear constant negativity are likely to get a negative perception of our community, whether that is one's intent or not. A negative perception harms the entire community – businesses, schools, and other residents. Take a moment and look around; there is no better place to call home than Russell. &nbsp;

I am not suggesting that all contrary opinions are incorrect; I only ask that you become informed on the topics. The best way to become informed with local government is to engage – attend city council, school board, and county commission meetings and ask questions, require answers, then make an informed decision. If you can't attend, reach out to those who can answer your questions or take your comments – a staff member or elected official. &nbsp;

Your local government – city, school, and county – are the closest to the people. Where else do you have access to information and input on how your city, school, or county government provides public services, prioritizes infrastructure projects, or allocates budgets? You don't have the same access and input at the state and federal levels. &nbsp;

Always remember the words of so many of the founding fathers, eloquently stated by Daniel Webster in 1830, "It is, sir, the people's Constitution, the people's government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people."

On behalf of the city of Russell employees, we wish you a Happy New Year!

Jon Quinday is the Russell City Manager.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666734874208.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RUSSELL - It doesn't get more open than the local government, the government closest to the people. &nbsp;The fall and winter are stressful times for most folks, with school starting, extra-curricular activities, and the holidays compressed into a few short months. &nbsp;When the economy is in poor shape, it only exacerbates the issues. Whatever metric you choose to use to gauge the economy – GDP, the consumer price index, unemployment, or others – most folks would agree that the current economy is not good with an uncertain outlook.The annual arrival of tax statements adds to an already stressful year. &nbsp;Yesterday, someone showed me a social media post from a gentleman who was upset with his tax bill and commented, "this town is pathetic." I don't disagree that property taxes are high; I pay them too. However, I encourage you to look at your tax statement and see what taxing entities on your bill levy a property tax and the amount of money each expects to collect. &nbsp;For folks who own property in the city of Russell, the taxing entities included on your tax statement include the state of Kansas, Russell County, USD 407, city of Russell, Russell Recreation, and Midwest Extension District No. 15. Each entity levies property tax, with a combined levy of 186.339 mills. &nbsp;So what do 186.339 mills mean? &nbsp;A valid question, as there is often a misunderstanding of mills, valuation, property class, taxes paid, and where they go. &nbsp;The value of one mill differs for each taxing entity based on the total property valuation in that entity's jurisdiction. For example, the 2022 valuation for Russell County is $110,232,422, the total valuation for USD 407 is $80,554,401, and the city of Russell's valuation is $32,951,842. So, what does that mean? &nbsp;That means that one mill levied for Russell County brings them $110,232 in property tax revenue; one mill brings USD 407 $80,554 in revenue, and for the city of Russell, one mill brings $32,952 in property tax revenue. Comparing the number of mills levied by a taxing entity to another is like comparing apples and oranges. For example, for the city of Russell to receive $100,000 in property tax revenue requires 3.0347 mills or 1.24155 for USD 407 and 0.90718 mills for Russell County.&nbsp; It takes three mills for the city to raise the same property tax revenue as the county raises with one mill. &nbsp;You may see a clearer picture with different valuations if you focus on the dollars each taxing entity levies. The Russell County Treasurer includes an insert with your tax statement that includes a graphic of where your tax dollars go. The same data is available on the Kansas Department of Revenue website under the Property Valuation Division's data by county page. I appreciate the County Treasurer making this information available to all taxpayers – it is informative and allows one to see the big picture. &nbsp;On the insert, "City" receives 12.17 percent of all property tax. &nbsp;USD 407 receives 25.59 percent, and Russell County receives 48.13 percent, based on the 2021 Real and Personal Property Value and Tax Summary from the Kansas Department of Revenue.&nbsp;The 2023 adopted budgets for Russell County and taxing entities within the county are not yet available on the Kansas Department of Administration website. I did find the 2023 property tax revenue for Russell County, $8,362,387, on their website, and the city of Russell's adopted budget requests $1,916,595 in property tax revenue. I point out these numbers not to pit one entity against another. I do not know the reasons or plans behind other taxing entities' budgets; you'll have to ask the entity. &nbsp;I show this information to inform taxpayers, generate interest, seek questions, and invite involvement in your government – city, school, county, and state. Each one of these entities impacts your property taxes. If your property taxes are high, find out why.As author Adora Svitak said, "The first thing anyone can do about any issue is get informed."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672406562242.jpeg" alt="Courtesy city of Russell" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy city of Russell</figcaption>
 </figure>So what does the city do with the $1,916,595 property tax revenue? &nbsp;Most of the revenue funds the police, fire, public transportation, 911 services, public works, street maintenance, building, planning, zoning, the municipal court, golf course, swimming pool, park, public library, municipal airport, and the Deines Cultural Center. Other entities that receive funds from the city are Russell County Economic Development, Russell Main Street, Russell Chamber of Commerce, Western Kansas Child Advocacy, and Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. &nbsp;Just listing the services provided through property tax doesn't show the entire operation of the city of Russell; it's in the numbers. &nbsp;The latest census puts Russell's population at around 4,400 people. To serve our community's public safety needs, we have eight police officers, one animal control officer, one full-time fire chief, 15 volunteer firefighters, and nine 911 communication dispatchers. That's one police officer for every 550 residents, and dispatch serves all of Russell County for 911 services and dispatches for the city police, county sheriff, city fire, EMS, and 10 rural fire departments. &nbsp;The parks department maintains 160 acres of parks, the city cemetery, the airport, public right-of-way, and city-owned properties with five employees. Two full-time employees maintain our beautiful nine-hole golf course. The street department has four street maintenance folks for 108 lane miles of the road while also helping the four employees working sanitation and recycling – truly a team effort. The Deines Cultural Center is staffed with two part-time employees, while the municipal court clerk is part-time and assists the police with records management. One full-time and one part-time employee drives the public transit bus, providing 14,000 rides annually. &nbsp;To round out the general fund, we have one certified building official who serves as the city's zoning administrator and supervises one code officer to address blight, weeds, and overgrowth, a public works mechanic, and a GIS technician who assists all departments. I would be remiss if I did not mention the seasonal employees, lifeguards at the Duke Johnson Municipal Swimming Pool, and summer help for parks and golf. &nbsp;What about all the other city employees I see around? Those are likely from one of our utility departments. The city operates four utilities – electric, water, wastewater, and sanitation – which receive zero property tax revenue. Our electric distribution shop has four journeyman linemen and four apprentices who maintain an electric distribution system covering 50 square miles with 146 miles of 3-phase primary and 5,875 power poles. Electric production has eight employees who maintain and operate two power plants capable of generating 23 megawatts of energy. &nbsp;The water utility has seven certified operators and seven distribution maintenance personnel who convert an average of 1,000 acre-feet raw water into more than 320 million gallons of finished water, serving 2,419 customers through 92 miles of water mains. &nbsp;To meet EPA standards, two certified wastewater operators treat over 300 million gallons of wastewater and infiltrate water yearly. &nbsp;The four sanitation employees I mentioned earlier serve 2,197 customers and haul away an average of 5,250,000 pounds of trash yearly.&nbsp; Additionally, the city collects an average of 24,000 pounds of plastic, 8,000 pounds of tin, 38,000 pounds of glass, 9,000 pounds of aluminum, and 368,000 pounds of cardboard, newspaper, and magazines annually. &nbsp;And I cannot forget the folks who support all these employees –human resource/payroll, utility billing clerk, cashier, assistant city manager, city clerk, finance director, city attorney, city prosecutor, municipal judge, and the GIS technician. &nbsp;&nbsp;Operating a city, especially one that also provides utilities, is a unique operation. Imagine an entity that directly impacts the lives of every resident, business, or visitor 24 hours a day, every day of the year. &nbsp; Take a moment and find a day when the city's operation did not impact you. The community's reliance on the services provided magnifies even the slightest operational flaw. As a team, city employees work daily to improve services and the quality of life for our community.Do we make mistakes or equipment fail? Yes, and we learn from them and get better each time. &nbsp;Our job is to serve the community. To do so, we need constructive and informed input. I invite you to attend city council meetings on the first&nbsp;and third&nbsp;Tuesday of each month beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the city building. If you cannot attend in person, perhaps you can attend virtually. If not, you can sign up to receive text or email notifications when the city council agenda and packet are ready for download from the city website. When you download the agenda and packet, you have the same information provided to each city council member. &nbsp;If you see an item of interest or have a question, please stop in, call the city building, or come to a city council meeting. We would be happy to discuss each item on the agenda. &nbsp; If you have a general question, comment, concern, or suggestion, you are always welcome to call or stop in the city building and talk with city staff. If we can't answer your questions, we will find someone who can. &nbsp; However, if you post your question, comments, concern, or suggestions on social media, I won't be able to answer them. I don't have social media, and city staff does not regularly monitor the city's social media accounts. One uninformed post or misinformation can contribute to a contentious environment and divisiveness. Our community is better than "them or us"; we all belong to this community. &nbsp;What good does it do to disparage the community on social media or any place? Forming false beliefs requires exposure to false information. Those not from Russell who hear constant negativity are likely to get a negative perception of our community, whether that is one's intent or not. A negative perception harms the entire community – businesses, schools, and other residents. Take a moment and look around; there is no better place to call home than Russell. &nbsp;I am not suggesting that all contrary opinions are incorrect; I only ask that you become informed on the topics. The best way to become informed with local government is to engage – attend city council, school board, and county commission meetings and ask questions, require answers, then make an informed decision. If you can't attend, reach out to those who can answer your questions or take your comments – a staff member or elected official. &nbsp;Your local government – city, school, and county – are the closest to the people. Where else do you have access to information and input on how your city, school, or county government provides public services, prioritizes infrastructure projects, or allocates budgets? You don't have the same access and input at the state and federal levels. &nbsp;Always remember the words of so many of the founding fathers, eloquently stated by Daniel Webster in 1830, "It is, sir, the people's Constitution, the people's government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people." On behalf of the city of Russell employees, we wish you a Happy New Year!Jon Quinday is the Russell City Manager.&nbsp;

QUINDAY: To be transparent, government must be open

During the 1960s, there was an oil boom in Morrow County,&nbsp;Ohio, where we&nbsp;grew up, and either there were no regulations on anything or no one followed them, because oil rigs appeared on tiny podunk patches of ground barely big enough to contain the equipment, and the drilling rigs were so thick and close together, that at night the countryside looked like the Emerald City. A company drilled a well on our place and told dad they hit oil, but one morning we awoke to find everything gone, oil tank and oil included, without him every seeing a cent. The area was left a mess, with lengths of oil well pipe, huge wooden timbers and chunks of steel cable laying everywhere in the weeds.&nbsp;The oil company never came back to clean up their mess, but Dad had decided to get something for our trouble in case they did, so he hooked onto several long well-casing pipes and drug them to a fencerow a ways behind the barn.

One of our favorite winter pastimes was rabbit hunting. We didn’t have a dog so we’d just wonder through the woods and along fencerows looking for tracks and rootin’ through weed and briar patches to kick out rabbits hiding therein. One snowy Saturday afternoon we departed on a rabbit hunting excursion that followed our usual route, starting behind the barn and turning right at the end of a short pasture, then following a drainage ditch that was overgrown on both sides with all manner of briers, blackberries and other stellar rabbit hiding places. Several inches of soft snow made for slow going, but the snow made rabbit tracks show-up like chocolate chips in pancakes. The drainage ditch ran for a couple hundred yards and where it ended against the next fencerow was where the high-jacked oil well pipes resided. Rabbit tracks littered the ground all around the pipes; one pipe in particular had a highway of tracks going into one end but none going out the other. &nbsp;

A quick glance inside showed complete darkness, telling us Brer rabbit was certainly holed up inside.&nbsp;Eureka! But it seemed terribly unsportsman-like, even to us just to shoot him in the pipe, not to mention a complete waste of tasty rabbit meat, so how would we get him out? Surely pounding on the outside of the pipe would get him moving. With Ralph standing near one end, his old&nbsp;12-gauge&nbsp;canon at the ready, I proceeded to jump around on the pipe. I tap-danced, kicked, beat and pounded all up-and-down one end of the pipe, but nothing. Since we couldn’t actually see him in there, maybe he was facing the other direction, we thought, so we traded ends and tried again, still nothing. Somewhere we found a long stick of some sort that reached part way through the pipe. While Ralph stood on guard, I poked and prodded from both ends, but still nothing! Curses, we were getting’ nowhere! Then suddenly I had a two-word epiphany that would solve our problem; John Deere!

We hiked back to the barn, started the old JD 3010 with a loader on front and headed through the snow back to the pipe. As we chugged&nbsp;along,&nbsp;we could almost taste the freshly fried rabbit, as surely no cottontail alive could keep its footing inside an oil well pipe with one end hoisted toward the sky. I swung the tractor around in front of the offending pipe, slid the loader bucket beneath it and lifted it a few feet in the air, all the while awaiting the thunder of Ralph’s old 12 gauge as Brer came sliding out the other end. Nothing, so I hoisted the pipe even higher, and still nothing. What, had we found a bionic bunny with&nbsp;4-wheel&nbsp;drive? I dropped the pipe back into the snow, pulled it away from the fence and slid the bucket under the other end. This would surely do it we figured. Once&nbsp;again,&nbsp;I raised the pipe, awaiting the roar of the 12 gauge, and once again, nothing. I tried it all; jerking the pipe up and down, dropping it onto the ground with a thud, even sticking one loader tine into the end and whipping it up-and-down like a symphony conductor’s baton, all with the same results…nothing! If ole’ Brer was in there, I suppose by then he was either dead or passed out from fright. It was about then the realization hit us that whatever was blocking the pipe might not be a rabbit, but a clod of dirt dad scooped up when he dragged&nbsp;the pipe to its new home, a nest of some sort or maybe a dead possum. Lucky for us it was not a skunk! &nbsp;I have a friend that was bit by a skunk that came sliding out of an irrigation pipe. Anyway, whatever was in there was either inanimate or dead and was not going to taste real good fried, so we accepted defeat and moved on.&nbsp;

Guys stake down old barrels in lakes as lairs for catfish, often noodling big flatheads out of them during the summer. Maybe we should have looked into renting out our oil well pipes to neighbors as “cottontail condos,” accepting a bunny or two each year as payment. &nbsp;With all the forgotten, left-behind oil well pipes there must have been in that county, we could have had dozens, perhaps hundreds of cottontail condo rentals. We could have become real estate moguls while we were still in high school! Yup, I can see it all now; Cottontail Condos, the full taste of the wild for only half the work!&nbsp;

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>During the 1960s, there was an oil boom in Morrow County,&nbsp;Ohio, where we&nbsp;grew up, and either there were no regulations on anything or no one followed them, because oil rigs appeared on tiny podunk patches of ground barely big enough to contain the equipment, and the drilling rigs were so thick and close together, that at night the countryside looked like the Emerald City. A company drilled a well on our place and told dad they hit oil, but one morning we awoke to find everything gone, oil tank and oil included, without him every seeing a cent. The area was left a mess, with lengths of oil well pipe, huge wooden timbers and chunks of steel cable laying everywhere in the weeds.&nbsp;The oil company never came back to clean up their mess, but Dad had decided to get something for our trouble in case they did, so he hooked onto several long well-casing pipes and drug them to a fencerow a ways behind the barn.One of our favorite winter pastimes was rabbit hunting. We didn’t have a dog so we’d just wonder through the woods and along fencerows looking for tracks and rootin’ through weed and briar patches to kick out rabbits hiding therein. One snowy Saturday afternoon we departed on a rabbit hunting excursion that followed our usual route, starting behind the barn and turning right at the end of a short pasture, then following a drainage ditch that was overgrown on both sides with all manner of briers, blackberries and other stellar rabbit hiding places. Several inches of soft snow made for slow going, but the snow made rabbit tracks show-up like chocolate chips in pancakes. The drainage ditch ran for a couple hundred yards and where it ended against the next fencerow was where the high-jacked oil well pipes resided. Rabbit tracks littered the ground all around the pipes; one pipe in particular had a highway of tracks going into one end but none going out the other. &nbsp;A quick glance inside showed complete darkness, telling us Brer rabbit was certainly holed up inside.&nbsp;Eureka! But it seemed terribly unsportsman-like, even to us just to shoot him in the pipe, not to mention a complete waste of tasty rabbit meat, so how would we get him out? Surely pounding on the outside of the pipe would get him moving. With Ralph standing near one end, his old&nbsp;12-gauge&nbsp;canon at the ready, I proceeded to jump around on the pipe. I tap-danced, kicked, beat and pounded all up-and-down one end of the pipe, but nothing. Since we couldn’t actually see him in there, maybe he was facing the other direction, we thought, so we traded ends and tried again, still nothing. Somewhere we found a long stick of some sort that reached part way through the pipe. While Ralph stood on guard, I poked and prodded from both ends, but still nothing! Curses, we were getting’ nowhere! Then suddenly I had a two-word epiphany that would solve our problem; John Deere!We hiked back to the barn, started the old JD 3010 with a loader on front and headed through the snow back to the pipe. As we chugged&nbsp;along,&nbsp;we could almost taste the freshly fried rabbit, as surely no cottontail alive could keep its footing inside an oil well pipe with one end hoisted toward the sky. I swung the tractor around in front of the offending pipe, slid the loader bucket beneath it and lifted it a few feet in the air, all the while awaiting the thunder of Ralph’s old 12 gauge as Brer came sliding out the other end. Nothing, so I hoisted the pipe even higher, and still nothing. What, had we found a bionic bunny with&nbsp;4-wheel&nbsp;drive? I dropped the pipe back into the snow, pulled it away from the fence and slid the bucket under the other end. This would surely do it we figured. Once&nbsp;again,&nbsp;I raised the pipe, awaiting the roar of the 12 gauge, and once again, nothing. I tried it all; jerking the pipe up and down, dropping it onto the ground with a thud, even sticking one loader tine into the end and whipping it up-and-down like a symphony conductor’s baton, all with the same results…nothing! If ole’ Brer was in there, I suppose by then he was either dead or passed out from fright. It was about then the realization hit us that whatever was blocking the pipe might not be a rabbit, but a clod of dirt dad scooped up when he dragged&nbsp;the pipe to its new home, a nest of some sort or maybe a dead possum. Lucky for us it was not a skunk! &nbsp;I have a friend that was bit by a skunk that came sliding out of an irrigation pipe. Anyway, whatever was in there was either inanimate or dead and was not going to taste real good fried, so we accepted defeat and moved on.&nbsp;Guys stake down old barrels in lakes as lairs for catfish, often noodling big flatheads out of them during the summer. Maybe we should have looked into renting out our oil well pipes to neighbors as “cottontail condos,” accepting a bunny or two each year as payment. &nbsp;With all the forgotten, left-behind oil well pipes there must have been in that county, we could have had dozens, perhaps hundreds of cottontail condo rentals. We could have become real estate moguls while we were still in high school! Yup, I can see it all now; Cottontail Condos, the full taste of the wild for only half the work!&nbsp;Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Farm kid rabbit hunting

In 1992, I completed my Master’s Degree research, focusing on the 
History of Ellis Schools from 1873 to 1966. Due to time limitations, the
 end result isn’t comprehensive; however, I learned much about Ellis. 
Many folks shared resources, including Maxine Bradbury with her treasure
 trove of local history, Ellis Public Library, and USD 388’s school 
board minutes. I share these stories in hopes others add to them. In 
addition, I encourage researchers in other communities to gather 
resources that add details to our regional story. Who knows when one bit
 of information listen historians connect important dots.

Prior to
 1867, Ellis and the surrounding area provided range and forage for huge
 buffalo herds that followed seasonal migration patterns. The Saline, 
Smoky Hill, Big Creek, and other drainages watered these beasts and 
native tribes following them to harvest what they needed for survival 
and trade. You could compare this region to a modern-day Box Store 
offering food, shelter, clothing, tools, weapons, and other necessities 
to those who called it home. Clearly, public schools played no role in 
this lifestyle.

Following the Civil War, adventurers and 
individuals unmoored by national struggles sought western lands where 
they could realize their dreams. Inspired by this westward movement, 
entrepreneurs built railroads to link markets to buyers of agricultural 
products. These businessmen also acquired blocks of land they used to 
motivate settlement. By 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad established a 
water station in or near what is now Ellis.

Circa 1928 or 51 years
 after that resource appeared, resident Jenny Martin wrote The Early 
History of Ellis Kansas, which recorded that a family with children 
settled in the community in 1870, three short years after the railroad 
established that water station. Seeing a need and valuing education, 
Mrs. Dan Moore held a short two term school in her home in 1870 and 
1871.

Mrs. Moore’s initiative paid off and the community banded 
together to build a small wooden school house on the north side of the 
UPPR tracks. Miss Fanny Hemminger taught that first year. According to 
pioneer Jessie Ormerod, an old red stove stood in a corner near the 
teacher’s desk. She mentioned the children huddled around it in cold 
weather.

She also recalled a water bucket located on a bench in 
the room. Without exact detail, I assume the teacher added fuel to the 
stove and filled the bucket each morning. Jessie’s recollection stated 
the children took frequent drinks from the dipper in the bucket and left
 a puddle of water constantly standing on the floor. Mrs. Ormerod added 
that since there was no janitor, the teacher appointed two girls to 
sweep the building. She found it ironic that the assigned girls 
considered this task an honor.

Jessie also noted that the students
 wrote their lessons on slates and that girls kept little bottles of 
colored water and white rags to clean their slates. In contrast, she 
shared that boys used their coat sleeves to wipe their slates.

Please
 check boxes and trunks in attics and sheds; your family may have saved 
letters, diaries, or record books that add details to local history, 
snippets that offer a peek at our forebearers’ dreams for their future.

Karen Madorin&nbsp; is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and 
sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

By KAREN MADORINIn 1992, I completed my Master’s Degree research, focusing on the 
History of Ellis Schools from 1873 to 1966. Due to time limitations, the
 end result isn’t comprehensive; however, I learned much about Ellis. 
Many folks shared resources, including Maxine Bradbury with her treasure
 trove of local history, Ellis Public Library, and USD 388’s school 
board minutes. I share these stories in hopes others add to them. In 
addition, I encourage researchers in other communities to gather 
resources that add details to our regional story. Who knows when one bit
 of information listen historians connect important dots.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>Prior to
 1867, Ellis and the surrounding area provided range and forage for huge
 buffalo herds that followed seasonal migration patterns. The Saline, 
Smoky Hill, Big Creek, and other drainages watered these beasts and 
native tribes following them to harvest what they needed for survival 
and trade. You could compare this region to a modern-day Box Store 
offering food, shelter, clothing, tools, weapons, and other necessities 
to those who called it home. Clearly, public schools played no role in 
this lifestyle.Following the Civil War, adventurers and 
individuals unmoored by national struggles sought western lands where 
they could realize their dreams. Inspired by this westward movement, 
entrepreneurs built railroads to link markets to buyers of agricultural 
products. These businessmen also acquired blocks of land they used to 
motivate settlement. By 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad established a 
water station in or near what is now Ellis.Circa 1928 or 51 years
 after that resource appeared, resident Jenny Martin wrote The Early 
History of Ellis Kansas, which recorded that a family with children 
settled in the community in 1870, three short years after the railroad 
established that water station. Seeing a need and valuing education, 
Mrs. Dan Moore held a short two term school in her home in 1870 and 
1871.Mrs. Moore’s initiative paid off and the community banded 
together to build a small wooden school house on the north side of the 
UPPR tracks. Miss Fanny Hemminger taught that first year. According to 
pioneer Jessie Ormerod, an old red stove stood in a corner near the 
teacher’s desk. She mentioned the children huddled around it in cold 
weather.She also recalled a water bucket located on a bench in 
the room. Without exact detail, I assume the teacher added fuel to the 
stove and filled the bucket each morning. Jessie’s recollection stated 
the children took frequent drinks from the dipper in the bucket and left
 a puddle of water constantly standing on the floor. Mrs. Ormerod added 
that since there was no janitor, the teacher appointed two girls to 
sweep the building. She found it ironic that the assigned girls 
considered this task an honor.Jessie also noted that the students
 wrote their lessons on slates and that girls kept little bottles of 
colored water and white rags to clean their slates. In contrast, she 
shared that boys used their coat sleeves to wipe their slates.Please
 check boxes and trunks in attics and sheds; your family may have saved 
letters, diaries, or record books that add details to local history, 
snippets that offer a peek at our forebearers’ dreams for their future.Karen Madorin&nbsp; is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and 
sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: The beginning of Ellis schools

Traditionally during the holidays, thoughtful moments of gratitude, goodwill and peace push away the frenzy of gift giving and parties with fancy food.&nbsp; We take stock of the past and look toward the coming year.

Recent months have seen much worried talk about the fragility of Kansas public schools.&nbsp;

Critics point to deep, structural weaknesses that emerge from lack of accountability.

Because we live in a democratic society, public school policy is always an open discussion and not value neutral.&nbsp; Our schools exist amid dissent about their effectiveness and always have.

Continuously attacked but surprisingly resilient, Kansas schools remain strong due to unfaltering dedication to their core mission—to grow students’ knowledge and prepare them for citizenship.

The beginning of a new year seems the right time to reflect on the power of public education for positive change and how the past foreshadows a crucial challenge to Kansas schools today.

As most Kansans know, in 1951, Oliver Brown filed suit against the Topeka Board of Education because his daughter, Linda Brown, was denied admission to Topeka’s white-only schools. The resulting U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled separate was not equal education and ended racial segregation in schools across the nation.

Despite tenacious resistance to desegregation and enrollment flight to Kansas suburbs, the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education eventually opened all public places. Today about 90 percent of students in Kansas attend racially integrated public schools and graduation rates are up since the 1950s when they hovered around 50 percent nationally.

In 2019, U. S. Department of Education statistics show graduation rates for black students nationally at 79.6 and in Kansas at 80.0 percent.&nbsp; The graduation rate for all students in Kansas was 87.23 percent.

According to the last census, the Kansas population is 86 percent white. Yet, from Dodge City to Wichita to Johnson County, Kansas is becoming an increasingly multi-cultural and multi-racial society. Kansas schools now face a different struggle, one that deals less with attendance than the guarantee of equal educational opportunities.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lessons learned from the Brown decision show that positive social change is possible, but the lessons appear to have little influence on the disrespectful and disruptive Kansas youth who recently mocked their peers of another race at a sports event or those who brought guns to school or who now exchange insults in classrooms and talk-back to teachers.

Though a small minority, the students who act out are visible symptoms of the deeper, largely unspoken but hard to eradicate, racism and disrespect of others that lingers in our society.&nbsp; Racism and lack of acceptance toward others’ culture, religion, disability, age or gender can be found throughout Kansas and the nation.

Teachers and administrators are striving not to indoctrinate but provide inclusiveness for students.&nbsp; Schools work to bring us together through creating sound school-wide safety measures, communicating the worth of all individuals and teaching history that shows both the positive and negative aspects of our shared past.

Public education, arguably, is the most unifying and important of all American institutions.&nbsp; In a country built on individual rights, free public education is the single nationwide institution that offers all children 12-plus years of schooling to enhance their personal lives and prepare them to be responsible citizens.

Public schools are the dominant form of education for Kansas students—a powerful influence on the future of the state. &nbsp;

It’s time to appreciate the gift of public education.&nbsp;

Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>Traditionally during the holidays, thoughtful moments of gratitude, goodwill and peace push away the frenzy of gift giving and parties with fancy food.&nbsp; We take stock of the past and look toward the coming year.Recent months have seen much worried talk about the fragility of Kansas public schools.&nbsp;Critics point to deep, structural weaknesses that emerge from lack of accountability.Because we live in a democratic society, public school policy is always an open discussion and not value neutral.&nbsp; Our schools exist amid dissent about their effectiveness and always have.Continuously attacked but surprisingly resilient, Kansas schools remain strong due to unfaltering dedication to their core mission—to grow students’ knowledge and prepare them for citizenship.The beginning of a new year seems the right time to reflect on the power of public education for positive change and how the past foreshadows a crucial challenge to Kansas schools today.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As most Kansans know, in 1951, Oliver Brown filed suit against the Topeka Board of Education because his daughter, Linda Brown, was denied admission to Topeka’s white-only schools. The resulting U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled separate was not equal education and ended racial segregation in schools across the nation.Despite tenacious resistance to desegregation and enrollment flight to Kansas suburbs, the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education eventually opened all public places. Today about 90 percent of students in Kansas attend racially integrated public schools and graduation rates are up since the 1950s when they hovered around 50 percent nationally.In 2019, U. S. Department of Education statistics show graduation rates for black students nationally at 79.6 and in Kansas at 80.0 percent.&nbsp; The graduation rate for all students in Kansas was 87.23 percent.According to the last census, the Kansas population is 86 percent white. Yet, from Dodge City to Wichita to Johnson County, Kansas is becoming an increasingly multi-cultural and multi-racial society. Kansas schools now face a different struggle, one that deals less with attendance than the guarantee of equal educational opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lessons learned from the Brown decision show that positive social change is possible, but the lessons appear to have little influence on the disrespectful and disruptive Kansas youth who recently mocked their peers of another race at a sports event or those who brought guns to school or who now exchange insults in classrooms and talk-back to teachers.Though a small minority, the students who act out are visible symptoms of the deeper, largely unspoken but hard to eradicate, racism and disrespect of others that lingers in our society.&nbsp; Racism and lack of acceptance toward others’ culture, religion, disability, age or gender can be found throughout Kansas and the nation.Teachers and administrators are striving not to indoctrinate but provide inclusiveness for students.&nbsp; Schools work to bring us together through creating sound school-wide safety measures, communicating the worth of all individuals and teaching history that shows both the positive and negative aspects of our shared past.Public education, arguably, is the most unifying and important of all American institutions.&nbsp; In a country built on individual rights, free public education is the single nationwide institution that offers all children 12-plus years of schooling to enhance their personal lives and prepare them to be responsible citizens.Public schools are the dominant form of education for Kansas students—a powerful influence on the future of the state. &nbsp;It’s time to appreciate the gift of public education.&nbsp;Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: The value of strong public schools

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;&nbsp;

It’s the Big 12 championship football game in Arlington, Texas. The offensive starters take the field. The big offensive linemen get in position for the first snap. A look at the roster reveals that this is homegrown talent: Three of K-State’s five starting offensive linemen come from the state of Kansas.&nbsp;

Cooper Beebe, Hadley Panzer, and Hayden Gillum are the Sunflower State starting linemen who help anchor Kansas State’s offensive line. Beebe is from Kansas City, Kansas and attended Piper High School. Panzer is from the rural community of Lakin, population 2,205, and Gillum is from the rural community of Plainville, population 1,746 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

Cooper Beebe became a starter at K-State in 2020 – the same year he first earned All-Big 12 Academic honors. In 2021, he earned First Team All-Big 12 honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press -- the youngest offensive lineman to be named to the first team by either organization.&nbsp;

Beebe also was the first Wildcat freshman or sophomore offensive lineman to be named a First Team All-Big 12 performer since Dalton Risner in 2016. Beebe entered the 2022 season with lots of accolades: Pre-season All Big 12, pre-season All-American, and named to the Outland Trophy watch list.&nbsp;

At 6-foot-4 and 322 pounds, Beebe’s 2022 season has been outstanding. He was named a First Team All-Big 12 performer by the Associated Press for a second-consecutive season and First Team All-American by The Sporting News.&nbsp;

Named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league's coaches, Beebe did not allow a sack among his 395 passing blocking snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Beebe has not surrendered a sack in his last 28 games dating back to 2020.&nbsp;

Lakin’s Hadley Panzer is only a sophomore, but stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hayden Gillum was a four-year letter winner at Plainville before coming to K-State as a walk-on. He earned Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honors. Now 6-foot-3 and 286 pounds, he has become a standout center for the Wildcats.&nbsp;

Speaking of walk-ons, Austin Moore is from Louisburg and walked-on at K-State in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a reserve linebacker, he earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors and was one of 13 players in the league to be nominated with a 4.0 GPA. He achieved First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors again in 2021.&nbsp;

Nicknamed ‘The Machine’ by his teammates, Moore started every game at linebacker in 2022. He finished the regular season with 82 tackles and led the Wildcats in tackling in three games.&nbsp;

Jaylen Pickle from Cimarron was another significant contributor for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder started at defensive end.&nbsp;

D.J. Giddens came to K-State from Junction City. He not only emerged as back-up running back to All-American Deuce Vaughn, he became a weapon for the Wildcats in his own right. Against West Virginia, the freshman had a 49-yard run for a touchdown.&nbsp;

Then there is punter/placekicker Ty Zentner from Topeka. He achieved Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he was named to the Associated Press All-Big 12 team.&nbsp;

As a punter, Zentner enters bowl season ranked 17th in the nation and second in the Big 12 with a 44.7-yard average, a mark that currently ranks second in school history. He has 19 punts this season that have traveled at least 50 yards, while a career-high 26 of his punts have been downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.&nbsp;

As a placekicker, Zentner went 29-for-29 on extra-point attempts and 9-for-9 on field goals, including the one in overtime that gave K-State the Big 12 championship.&nbsp;

The state of Kansas has been good to the K-State football program. Since 1990, Wildcat players earning all conference honors have come from 33 cities in Kansas.&nbsp;

The Big 12 championship game is over, and confetti rains down as a Big 12 championship is celebrated by the Wildcats – including those big offensive linemen. We commend all Kansas kids for making a difference in playing so well for their in-state teams because we appreciate homegrown heroes.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671637329704.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;&nbsp;It’s the Big 12 championship football game in Arlington, Texas. The offensive starters take the field. The big offensive linemen get in position for the first snap. A look at the roster reveals that this is homegrown talent: Three of K-State’s five starting offensive linemen come from the state of Kansas.&nbsp;Cooper Beebe, Hadley Panzer, and Hayden Gillum are the Sunflower State starting linemen who help anchor Kansas State’s offensive line. Beebe is from Kansas City, Kansas and attended Piper High School. Panzer is from the rural community of Lakin, population 2,205, and Gillum is from the rural community of Plainville, population 1,746 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;Cooper Beebe became a starter at K-State in 2020 – the same year he first earned All-Big 12 Academic honors. In 2021, he earned First Team All-Big 12 honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press -- the youngest offensive lineman to be named to the first team by either organization.&nbsp;Beebe also was the first Wildcat freshman or sophomore offensive lineman to be named a First Team All-Big 12 performer since Dalton Risner in 2016. Beebe entered the 2022 season with lots of accolades: Pre-season All Big 12, pre-season All-American, and named to the Outland Trophy watch list.&nbsp;At 6-foot-4 and 322 pounds, Beebe’s 2022 season has been outstanding. He was named a First Team All-Big 12 performer by the Associated Press for a second-consecutive season and First Team All-American by The Sporting News.&nbsp;Named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league's coaches, Beebe did not allow a sack among his 395 passing blocking snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Beebe has not surrendered a sack in his last 28 games dating back to 2020.&nbsp;Lakin’s Hadley Panzer is only a sophomore, but stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hayden Gillum was a four-year letter winner at Plainville before coming to K-State as a walk-on. He earned Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honors. Now 6-foot-3 and 286 pounds, he has become a standout center for the Wildcats.&nbsp;Speaking of walk-ons, Austin Moore is from Louisburg and walked-on at K-State in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a reserve linebacker, he earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors and was one of 13 players in the league to be nominated with a 4.0 GPA. He achieved First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors again in 2021.&nbsp;Nicknamed ‘The Machine’ by his teammates, Moore started every game at linebacker in 2022. He finished the regular season with 82 tackles and led the Wildcats in tackling in three games.&nbsp;Jaylen Pickle from Cimarron was another significant contributor for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder started at defensive end.&nbsp;D.J. Giddens came to K-State from Junction City. He not only emerged as back-up running back to All-American Deuce Vaughn, he became a weapon for the Wildcats in his own right. Against West Virginia, the freshman had a 49-yard run for a touchdown.&nbsp;Then there is punter/placekicker Ty Zentner from Topeka. He achieved Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he was named to the Associated Press All-Big 12 team.&nbsp;As a punter, Zentner enters bowl season ranked 17th in the nation and second in the Big 12 with a 44.7-yard average, a mark that currently ranks second in school history. He has 19 punts this season that have traveled at least 50 yards, while a career-high 26 of his punts have been downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.&nbsp;As a placekicker, Zentner went 29-for-29 on extra-point attempts and 9-for-9 on field goals, including the one in overtime that gave K-State the Big 12 championship.&nbsp;The state of Kansas has been good to the K-State football program. Since 1990, Wildcat players earning all conference honors have come from 33 cities in Kansas.&nbsp;The Big 12 championship game is over, and confetti rains down as a Big 12 championship is celebrated by the Wildcats – including those big offensive linemen. We commend all Kansas kids for making a difference in playing so well for their in-state teams because we appreciate homegrown heroes.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: K-State football connections

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring EXCEPT that darn mouse.&nbsp; It chewed and it rustled so to honor my spouse I set out some traps for that darn pesky mouse.

We don’t have&nbsp;a chimney, or mantle or poker And the nearest we&nbsp;own to a fireplace is a smoker. Our&nbsp;stockings were all holey&nbsp;and strewn under the bed So&nbsp;our&nbsp;old hunting boots hung by the smoker&nbsp;instead.

Our puppy was nestled all snug in her bed Under the laundry room table with her stuffed toy named Fred. She quivered and whimpered;&nbsp;to watch her was funny As she&nbsp;dreamed she would finally corral that ol’ bunny.

My&nbsp;pj’s&nbsp;were&nbsp;long johns,&nbsp;all&nbsp;cozy and white And&nbsp;I crawled into bed&nbsp;and turned out the light. Deer season had ended with no deer in the shed So visions of deer jerky danced in my head.

My wife lay beside me in jammies of red She&nbsp;was already dreaming of Claus and his sled When out in the drive there&nbsp;arose such a ruckus I sprang&nbsp;from my bed to see what&nbsp;had struck us.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I should have known not to “spring” from my bed Cause I busted my&nbsp;big&nbsp;toe and clobbered my head.&nbsp; As I limped up the hallway I grabbed my deer rifle I’d show them I was someone with whom not to trifle!

I peered out the&nbsp;window and what did I see? Why old Santa himself, alive as could be. And there stood old Rudolf in all of his glory, With his nose shining brightly just like in the story.

But&nbsp;all I could see was his head on my wall&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;.&nbsp; With that bright red nose twinkling&nbsp;to brighten my hall His rack was enormous, at least twenty points,&nbsp; The thought of its score made me weak in my joints&nbsp;

I wanted that rack, whether legal or not,&nbsp; So I eased out the door to line up my shot. I clicked off the safety and steadied myself So I wouldn’t endanger the Jolly Old Elf.

Now remember those traps I’d set out before? Well there happened to be&nbsp;one&nbsp;right&nbsp;by the door. While I tried to be sneaky so no one would know That trap clamped its jaws around my sore&nbsp;big&nbsp;toe.&nbsp;

I jerked on the trigger and the shot&nbsp;went astray And ended up lodged&nbsp;in the front of the sleigh. The reindeer all&nbsp;spooked and&nbsp;yanked on&nbsp;the sled Dumping St Nick on the floor on his head.

They shot out the drive as slick as a whistle And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, But I heard him exclaim as they drove out of sight Rudolph you blockhead; no more deer hunters tonight!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring EXCEPT that darn mouse.&nbsp; It chewed and it rustled so to honor my spouse I set out some traps for that darn pesky mouse.We don’t have&nbsp;a chimney, or mantle or poker And the nearest we&nbsp;own to a fireplace is a smoker. Our&nbsp;stockings were all holey&nbsp;and strewn under the bed So&nbsp;our&nbsp;old hunting boots hung by the smoker&nbsp;instead.Our puppy was nestled all snug in her bed Under the laundry room table with her stuffed toy named Fred. She quivered and whimpered;&nbsp;to watch her was funny As she&nbsp;dreamed she would finally corral that ol’ bunny.My&nbsp;pj’s&nbsp;were&nbsp;long johns,&nbsp;all&nbsp;cozy and white And&nbsp;I crawled into bed&nbsp;and turned out the light. Deer season had ended with no deer in the shed So visions of deer jerky danced in my head.My wife lay beside me in jammies of red She&nbsp;was already dreaming of Claus and his sled When out in the drive there&nbsp;arose such a ruckus I sprang&nbsp;from my bed to see what&nbsp;had struck us.&nbsp;&nbsp;I should have known not to “spring” from my bed Cause I busted my&nbsp;big&nbsp;toe and clobbered my head.&nbsp; As I limped up the hallway I grabbed my deer rifle I’d show them I was someone with whom not to trifle!I peered out the&nbsp;window and what did I see? Why old Santa himself, alive as could be. And there stood old Rudolf in all of his glory, With his nose shining brightly just like in the story.But&nbsp;all I could see was his head on my wall&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;.&nbsp; With that bright red nose twinkling&nbsp;to brighten my hall His rack was enormous, at least twenty points,&nbsp; The thought of its score made me weak in my joints&nbsp;I wanted that rack, whether legal or not,&nbsp; So I eased out the door to line up my shot. I clicked off the safety and steadied myself So I wouldn’t endanger the Jolly Old Elf.Now remember those traps I’d set out before? Well there happened to be&nbsp;one&nbsp;right&nbsp;by the door. While I tried to be sneaky so no one would know That trap clamped its jaws around my sore&nbsp;big&nbsp;toe.&nbsp;I jerked on the trigger and the shot&nbsp;went astray And ended up lodged&nbsp;in the front of the sleigh. The reindeer all&nbsp;spooked and&nbsp;yanked on&nbsp;the sled Dumping St Nick on the floor on his head.They shot out the drive as slick as a whistle And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, But I heard him exclaim as they drove out of sight Rudolph you blockhead; no more deer hunters tonight!Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: 'Twas the night before Christmas, 2022

Dec. 18, 2017, was my first day as president of Fort Hays State University.&nbsp;Five years. Wow.&nbsp;As the fifth-year anniversary&nbsp;date approached, I&nbsp;took&nbsp;time&nbsp;to reflect on this wonderful journey of mission, community, setbacks and incredible success.&nbsp;I’ve built this reflection around five key themes that I think best describe my first five years as president.&nbsp;

Theme one: first&nbsp;steps.&nbsp;My first days were filled with awe. A&nbsp;homecoming, reuniting&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;faculty and staff&nbsp;I cared&nbsp;deeply&nbsp;about and&nbsp;for whom I&nbsp;believed with unwavering faith in their talents and dedication to serve our mission and students.&nbsp;

The inauguration was both a wonderful and humbling experience. I remember the difficulty&nbsp;I&nbsp;felt in adequately expressing my deep gratitude. I continue to feel extremely blessed&nbsp;to serve this&nbsp;university and community.&nbsp;

One thing that was very important to me was to do my very best to ensure that&nbsp;the&nbsp;inaugurationwas a celebration&nbsp;for&nbsp;all of&nbsp;us.&nbsp;We needed an inauguration&nbsp;that celebrated&nbsp;not&nbsp;one&nbsp;person but&nbsp;one that celebrated&nbsp;our&nbsp;institution. It was our opportunity to pause and reflect on the things that make Fort Hays State University so special: Our spirit of hard work. Our remarkable community.&nbsp;Our enduring legacy of innovation.&nbsp;And in the center of it all, our magnetic north: our students.&nbsp;That sentiment continues to motivate me to&nbsp;show up, work hard,&nbsp;and&nbsp;do&nbsp;my&nbsp;best every day.

The theme of&nbsp;the&nbsp;inauguration,&nbsp;Unlocking Untapped Potential, served as the focal point for launching our strategic plan. During the past five&nbsp;years,&nbsp;we have invested more than $2.5 million in driving our goals of academic excellence, student success, strategic growth, resources and infrastructure, and community and global engagement.&nbsp;My heart is abundantly grateful for the impactful work our campus is leading.

Theme two: &nbsp;a remarkable record of “firsts&nbsp;and&nbsp;greatests.” &nbsp;Throughout its 120-year history,&nbsp;Fort Hays State University has been blessed with a community that consistently rallied its support around her, a committed faculty and staff, engaged students, and a strong legacy of leadership.&nbsp;

All of these elements come together to create extraordinary results,&nbsp;which I have the fortune of sharing.&nbsp;Here are&nbsp;just&nbsp;a few: 19 consecutive years of enrollment growth;&nbsp;our first Barry Goldwater Scholar Brynn Wooten;&nbsp;the&nbsp;first NCAA school in Kansas&nbsp;and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA)&nbsp;to offer women’s wrestling as a varsity program in intercollegiate athletics;&nbsp;the first campus digital master plan;&nbsp;one of only six in the world and&nbsp;the&nbsp;only Kansas university to earn the United States Distance Learning Associations certification;the successful completion the Journey Campaign – the largest capital campaign in school historyand the largest single gift in university history. Truly amazing.

Theme three: &nbsp;a unique national championship legacy. From financial planning competitions to athletics to technology and engineering education,&nbsp;our students reinforce the power of our brand when they compete. I love talking about our current student body president, Ryan Stanley, who not only continues to&nbsp;lead our students with integrity,&nbsp;he also excels&nbsp;in the classroom, earning&nbsp;two bachelor’s&nbsp;degrees this past year. A remarkable student-athlete, Ryan&nbsp;also&nbsp;won the national title in the pole vault after clearing a school-record 17-2.75 not once, but twice!&nbsp;

This year our Technology and Engineering Education students won three of the five nationally recognized individual events to claim co-championship all-around honors with Purdue University. With that performance, Fort Hays State became the ITEEA’s first three-peat national champion.&nbsp;Meanwhile,&nbsp;our shotgun team claimed its 8th&nbsp;national championship.

Football claimed the MIAA championships in 2017 and 2018; men’s soccer the&nbsp;MIAA Champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2017 and 2018, GAC/MIAA regular season champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2019, GAC/MIAA Tournament champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2021, and NCAA Tournament Super Region champions in 2018; while Lady Tiger basketball secured the MIAA regular season champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2019, 2021, and 2022.&nbsp;Incredible!

Theme Four:&nbsp;Investing in the quality of the FHSU experience. If there are two constants in my five years – it would be commencement and ribbon cuttings. Both bring&nbsp;me&nbsp;immense joy and gratitude.&nbsp;

I have had the distinct privilege, thanks to the heart of philanthropy that flows to&nbsp;this university, to preside at the ceremonial openings of the Schmidt Foundation Art and Design&nbsp;Hall,&nbsp;the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Fleharty&nbsp;Family Field (softball),&nbsp;the FHSU Transfer Center at Garden City Community College, the National Guard Office located in the Memorial Union, the Nursing Simulation Lab, the Sternberg Paleo Lab, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Tailored for Tigers closet. It is with great anticipation that I eagerly await the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the&nbsp;Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg Training Center&nbsp;(shotgun team facility),&nbsp;Schmidt-Bickle Athletic Complex, the Forsyth Library&nbsp;renovation,&nbsp;and of course,&nbsp;celebrating the addition of air conditioning to the Gross Memorial Coliseum!

Theme five: &nbsp;fulfilling our roles as stewards of place. Core to who we are as&nbsp;a&nbsp;regional comprehensive&nbsp;university&nbsp;is our investment in our community.&nbsp;We are called to serve as a steward of place by forging deep connections with the communities we serve, being responsive, and seeking relationships with community leaders that enhance mutual beneficence that results in community well-being.

Our focus on serving our community&nbsp;is often delivered through a combination of applied learning (students helping to build the downtown pavilion, leadership service projects, accounting students helping with tax preparations,&nbsp;community&nbsp;hearing screenings by our communication science disorder students)&nbsp;and outreach&nbsp;focused on helping businesses and communities thrive through several initiatives such as the Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Center for Civic Leadership, Management Development Center, the Kansas Small Business Development Center, and&nbsp;a&nbsp;multitude of other centers and initiatives.

I am very excited about our new Cybersecurity Institute and Technology Incubator. Funded by the 2022&nbsp;Kansas Legislature, the cybersecurity institute will leverage student and faculty expertise to improve the cybersecurity posture for small and medium-sized businesses through student micro internships, capstone projects, and faculty consulting. Our students will gain&nbsp;excellent hands-on learning while businesses&nbsp;will be&nbsp;helped&nbsp;in areas such as website security evaluation, security vulnerability assessment, assistance with deploying data privacy and security controls, software testing, data&nbsp;cleanup,&nbsp;and more.

Our technology incubator will focus on tech and/or cybersecurity venture creation through an in-residence business incubator. These initiatives will leverage the strengths of FHSU to advance the Kansas economy through asset preservation and venture.

These past five years have been incredible.&nbsp;I end this column as I ended my inauguration remarks: &nbsp;Today&nbsp;is our opportunity to pause and reflect on the things that make Fort Hays State University so special&nbsp;–&nbsp;Our spirit of hard work. Our remarkable community. And our enduring legacy of innovation. Together we thrive.&nbsp;

My deepest gratitude to everyone who has been a part of our legacy story, our journey this past five years, and especially for those of you joining me as we head into our bright future&nbsp;to&nbsp;continue to write this transformative story together.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>Dec. 18, 2017, was my first day as president of Fort Hays State University.&nbsp;Five years. Wow.&nbsp;As the fifth-year anniversary&nbsp;date approached, I&nbsp;took&nbsp;time&nbsp;to reflect on this wonderful journey of mission, community, setbacks and incredible success.&nbsp;I’ve built this reflection around five key themes that I think best describe my first five years as president.&nbsp;Theme one: first&nbsp;steps.&nbsp;My first days were filled with awe. A&nbsp;homecoming, reuniting&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;faculty and staff&nbsp;I cared&nbsp;deeply&nbsp;about and&nbsp;for whom I&nbsp;believed with unwavering faith in their talents and dedication to serve our mission and students.&nbsp;The inauguration was both a wonderful and humbling experience. I remember the difficulty&nbsp;I&nbsp;felt in adequately expressing my deep gratitude. I continue to feel extremely blessed&nbsp;to serve this&nbsp;university and community.&nbsp;One thing that was very important to me was to do my very best to ensure that&nbsp;the&nbsp;inaugurationwas a celebration&nbsp;for&nbsp;all of&nbsp;us.&nbsp;We needed an inauguration&nbsp;that celebrated&nbsp;not&nbsp;one&nbsp;person but&nbsp;one that celebrated&nbsp;our&nbsp;institution. It was our opportunity to pause and reflect on the things that make Fort Hays State University so special: Our spirit of hard work. Our remarkable community.&nbsp;Our enduring legacy of innovation.&nbsp;And in the center of it all, our magnetic north: our students.&nbsp;That sentiment continues to motivate me to&nbsp;show up, work hard,&nbsp;and&nbsp;do&nbsp;my&nbsp;best every day.The theme of&nbsp;the&nbsp;inauguration,&nbsp;Unlocking Untapped Potential, served as the focal point for launching our strategic plan. During the past five&nbsp;years,&nbsp;we have invested more than $2.5 million in driving our goals of academic excellence, student success, strategic growth, resources and infrastructure, and community and global engagement.&nbsp;My heart is abundantly grateful for the impactful work our campus is leading.Theme two: &nbsp;a remarkable record of “firsts&nbsp;and&nbsp;greatests.” &nbsp;Throughout its 120-year history,&nbsp;Fort Hays State University has been blessed with a community that consistently rallied its support around her, a committed faculty and staff, engaged students, and a strong legacy of leadership.&nbsp;All of these elements come together to create extraordinary results,&nbsp;which I have the fortune of sharing.&nbsp;Here are&nbsp;just&nbsp;a few: 19 consecutive years of enrollment growth;&nbsp;our first Barry Goldwater Scholar Brynn Wooten;&nbsp;the&nbsp;first NCAA school in Kansas&nbsp;and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA)&nbsp;to offer women’s wrestling as a varsity program in intercollegiate athletics;&nbsp;the first campus digital master plan;&nbsp;one of only six in the world and&nbsp;the&nbsp;only Kansas university to earn the United States Distance Learning Associations certification;the successful completion the Journey Campaign – the largest capital campaign in school historyand the largest single gift in university history. Truly amazing.Theme three: &nbsp;a unique national championship legacy. From financial planning competitions to athletics to technology and engineering education,&nbsp;our students reinforce the power of our brand when they compete. I love talking about our current student body president, Ryan Stanley, who not only continues to&nbsp;lead our students with integrity,&nbsp;he also excels&nbsp;in the classroom, earning&nbsp;two bachelor’s&nbsp;degrees this past year. A remarkable student-athlete, Ryan&nbsp;also&nbsp;won the national title in the pole vault after clearing a school-record 17-2.75 not once, but twice!&nbsp;This year our Technology and Engineering Education students won three of the five nationally recognized individual events to claim co-championship all-around honors with Purdue University. With that performance, Fort Hays State became the ITEEA’s first three-peat national champion.&nbsp;Meanwhile,&nbsp;our shotgun team claimed its 8th&nbsp;national championship.Football claimed the MIAA championships in 2017 and 2018; men’s soccer the&nbsp;MIAA Champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2017 and 2018, GAC/MIAA regular season champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2019, GAC/MIAA Tournament champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2021, and NCAA Tournament Super Region champions in 2018; while Lady Tiger basketball secured the MIAA regular season champions&nbsp;in&nbsp;2019, 2021, and 2022.&nbsp;Incredible!Theme Four:&nbsp;Investing in the quality of the FHSU experience. If there are two constants in my five years – it would be commencement and ribbon cuttings. Both bring&nbsp;me&nbsp;immense joy and gratitude.&nbsp;I have had the distinct privilege, thanks to the heart of philanthropy that flows to&nbsp;this university, to preside at the ceremonial openings of the Schmidt Foundation Art and Design&nbsp;Hall,&nbsp;the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Fleharty&nbsp;Family Field (softball),&nbsp;the FHSU Transfer Center at Garden City Community College, the National Guard Office located in the Memorial Union, the Nursing Simulation Lab, the Sternberg Paleo Lab, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Tailored for Tigers closet. It is with great anticipation that I eagerly await the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the&nbsp;Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg Training Center&nbsp;(shotgun team facility),&nbsp;Schmidt-Bickle Athletic Complex, the Forsyth Library&nbsp;renovation,&nbsp;and of course,&nbsp;celebrating the addition of air conditioning to the Gross Memorial Coliseum!Theme five: &nbsp;fulfilling our roles as stewards of place. Core to who we are as&nbsp;a&nbsp;regional comprehensive&nbsp;university&nbsp;is our investment in our community.&nbsp;We are called to serve as a steward of place by forging deep connections with the communities we serve, being responsive, and seeking relationships with community leaders that enhance mutual beneficence that results in community well-being.Our focus on serving our community&nbsp;is often delivered through a combination of applied learning (students helping to build the downtown pavilion, leadership service projects, accounting students helping with tax preparations,&nbsp;community&nbsp;hearing screenings by our communication science disorder students)&nbsp;and outreach&nbsp;focused on helping businesses and communities thrive through several initiatives such as the Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Center for Civic Leadership, Management Development Center, the Kansas Small Business Development Center, and&nbsp;a&nbsp;multitude of other centers and initiatives.I am very excited about our new Cybersecurity Institute and Technology Incubator. Funded by the 2022&nbsp;Kansas Legislature, the cybersecurity institute will leverage student and faculty expertise to improve the cybersecurity posture for small and medium-sized businesses through student micro internships, capstone projects, and faculty consulting. Our students will gain&nbsp;excellent hands-on learning while businesses&nbsp;will be&nbsp;helped&nbsp;in areas such as website security evaluation, security vulnerability assessment, assistance with deploying data privacy and security controls, software testing, data&nbsp;cleanup,&nbsp;and more.Our technology incubator will focus on tech and/or cybersecurity venture creation through an in-residence business incubator. These initiatives will leverage the strengths of FHSU to advance the Kansas economy through asset preservation and venture.These past five years have been incredible.&nbsp;I end this column as I ended my inauguration remarks: &nbsp;Today&nbsp;is our opportunity to pause and reflect on the things that make Fort Hays State University so special&nbsp;–&nbsp;Our spirit of hard work. Our remarkable community. And our enduring legacy of innovation. Together we thrive.&nbsp;My deepest gratitude to everyone who has been a part of our legacy story, our journey this past five years, and especially for those of you joining me as we head into our bright future&nbsp;to&nbsp;continue to write this transformative story together.

Heart of a Tiger: My first five years as president

By JOE NEWLAND Kansas Farm Bureau president When I was elected president of Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) earlier this month, it was an incredible honor and a very humbling experience. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to adequately express my gratitude for those who supported my candidacy, but I’m excited to work with our members to advance KFB’s mission to strengthen agriculture through advocacy, education and service. I have considered myself a farmer ever since my first ride on the combine, which was long before I was able to operate one by myself. From that formative experience, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life caring for the land, tending crops and livestock and raising my family. About the time I was able to safely operate equipment on my own, I discovered FFA. It helped me better understand the world of agriculture extends far beyond the farm gate. My FFA adviser helped me discover my lifelong passion of promoting agriculture, both as a business and as a way of life. After marrying my wife, Dana, I became a Farm Bureau member for the first time because I had to have insurance. I quickly learned the value of a membership went well beyond protecting our home, cars and farm. We thought we were buying protection from financial loss, but we had actually purchased comprehensive coverage securing our way of life. As I began seeking out ways to advocate for agriculture, the Wilson County Farm Bureau stood out as a place where I could really make an impact for the industry and my community. My work there gave me the confidence to expand my leadership through civic groups, the local school board, a bank board, Kansas Farm Bureau committees and eventually representing southeast Kansas on KFB’s board of directors before serving in the Kansas House. The support of my wife and our four children has been instrumental in allowing me to spend time away from the farm pursuing these opportunities. I have no doubt they will continue to support and counsel me as I take on this new endeavor. I use “we” to acknowledge all the help I’ve received from friends and family that’s helped me succeed over the years. A big difference now is “we” extends to every border of Kansas. I am no longer a member of a local board, a district board or the Kansas House, all of which represented a part of the whole. I’m now tasked with helping ensure farms and ranches across the state – from Lenexa to Liberal and Bird City to Baxter Springs – prosper. The challenges you face on the farm, the issues you see in your schools and the obstacles you notice in your community aren’t just yours, they’re mine too. We must view these as opportunities rather than barriers. I have no doubt Kansas Farm Bureau can solve the most vexing matters facing agriculture today because I’ve experienced firsthand how the organization’s grassroots structure keeps us at the forefront of what matters. Of all the titles I’ve held, farmer is still the one I’m most proud of. I’ve come a long way from that first combine ride, but I’ve had plenty of help along the way. I’ll continue to rely on farmers and ranchers across the state to make sure KFB is successful as we tackle issues like water, taxes, regulation and more. Together we will represent all of agriculture.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671467390814.jpeg" alt="Newland " />
 <figcaption>Newland </figcaption>
 </figure>By JOE NEWLAND Kansas Farm Bureau president When I was elected president of Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) earlier this month, it was an incredible honor and a very humbling experience. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to adequately express my gratitude for those who supported my candidacy, but I’m excited to work with our members to advance KFB’s mission to strengthen agriculture through advocacy, education and service. I have considered myself a farmer ever since my first ride on the combine, which was long before I was able to operate one by myself. From that formative experience, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life caring for the land, tending crops and livestock and raising my family. About the time I was able to safely operate equipment on my own, I discovered FFA. It helped me better understand the world of agriculture extends far beyond the farm gate. My FFA adviser helped me discover my lifelong passion of promoting agriculture, both as a business and as a way of life. After marrying my wife, Dana, I became a Farm Bureau member for the first time because I had to have insurance. I quickly learned the value of a membership went well beyond protecting our home, cars and farm. We thought we were buying protection from financial loss, but we had actually purchased comprehensive coverage securing our way of life. As I began seeking out ways to advocate for agriculture, the Wilson County Farm Bureau stood out as a place where I could really make an impact for the industry and my community. My work there gave me the confidence to expand my leadership through civic groups, the local school board, a bank board, Kansas Farm Bureau committees and eventually representing southeast Kansas on KFB’s board of directors before serving in the Kansas House. The support of my wife and our four children has been instrumental in allowing me to spend time away from the farm pursuing these opportunities. I have no doubt they will continue to support and counsel me as I take on this new endeavor. I use “we” to acknowledge all the help I’ve received from friends and family that’s helped me succeed over the years. A big difference now is “we” extends to every border of Kansas. I am no longer a member of a local board, a district board or the Kansas House, all of which represented a part of the whole. I’m now tasked with helping ensure farms and ranches across the state – from Lenexa to Liberal and Bird City to Baxter Springs – prosper. The challenges you face on the farm, the issues you see in your schools and the obstacles you notice in your community aren’t just yours, they’re mine too. We must view these as opportunities rather than barriers. I have no doubt Kansas Farm Bureau can solve the most vexing matters facing agriculture today because I’ve experienced firsthand how the organization’s grassroots structure keeps us at the forefront of what matters. Of all the titles I’ve held, farmer is still the one I’m most proud of. I’ve come a long way from that first combine ride, but I’ve had plenty of help along the way. I’ll continue to rely on farmers and ranchers across the state to make sure KFB is successful as we tackle issues like water, taxes, regulation and more. Together we will represent all of agriculture."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Representing all of agriculture

A mascot is defined by Webster as "A person, animal or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure, especially to bring them good luck."

In my opinion, the first step&nbsp;for the Hays High mascot committee&nbsp;would be to determine whether or not the current mascot meets this&nbsp;definition or if we need to start over.&nbsp;

I don’t believe&nbsp;Native Americans&nbsp;would fit this definition.&nbsp;Schools were one of the most negative places for&nbsp;Native Americans. The children were forced to give up their language and culture. They suffered all forms of abuse and were often beaten to death. We still haven’t recovered all of their bodies.

Native Americans&nbsp;were slaughtered, displaced, betrayed and placed on some of the most desolate land available. When some of the land turned out to be very valuable, the U S government tried to take it back.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Reservations are under the Department of the Interior which, until recently was run by a white male. The history of broken treaties is extensive and unique to the&nbsp;Native Americans.&nbsp;It is difficult to see how this group of people would bring good luck.

If we look at the definition of mascot from a fresh historical perspective, several ideas come to mind. (No,&nbsp;it doesn’t have to be a historical perspective.)&nbsp;

Eagle- any of various large diurnal birds of prey (family Accipitridae) noted for their strength, size, keenness of vision, and powers of flight

Bison – a strong animal that survived near extinction. Any of several large bovine mammals that have a long, broad head, short, hollow horns, heavy forequarters, a large muscular hump across the shoulders, and a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck and that typically live and migrate in herds

Settlers-&nbsp;One who settles in a new region-especially a region that has few occupants or that is occupied by a different ethnic or religious group

Trailblazer- A person who is paving the way in their field.&nbsp;

If the Eagle was chosen&nbsp;as a mascot, the logo could be&nbsp;a feather which would represent Eagles and&nbsp;Native Americans. A mural could be incorporated at the school- a composite of a&nbsp;Native American, an Eagle, a&nbsp;Settler,&nbsp;a&nbsp;Bison,&nbsp;with&nbsp;selected&nbsp;Trailblazers. There are endless options. Many creative students and members of the public&nbsp;could&nbsp;contribute&nbsp;ideas&nbsp;if the decision is made to start fresh.

DO WHAT NEEDS&nbsp;TO BE DONE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL — Native American Ten Commandments

A mascot is defined by Webster as "A person, animal or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure, especially to bring them good luck."In my opinion, the first step&nbsp;for the Hays High mascot committee&nbsp;would be to determine whether or not the current mascot meets this&nbsp;definition or if we need to start over.&nbsp;I don’t believe&nbsp;Native Americans&nbsp;would fit this definition.&nbsp;Schools were one of the most negative places for&nbsp;Native Americans. The children were forced to give up their language and culture. They suffered all forms of abuse and were often beaten to death. We still haven’t recovered all of their bodies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Native Americans&nbsp;were slaughtered, displaced, betrayed and placed on some of the most desolate land available. When some of the land turned out to be very valuable, the U S government tried to take it back.&nbsp;&nbsp;Reservations are under the Department of the Interior which, until recently was run by a white male. The history of broken treaties is extensive and unique to the&nbsp;Native Americans.&nbsp;It is difficult to see how this group of people would bring good luck.If we look at the definition of mascot from a fresh historical perspective, several ideas come to mind. (No,&nbsp;it doesn’t have to be a historical perspective.)&nbsp;Eagle- any of various large diurnal birds of prey (family Accipitridae) noted for their strength, size, keenness of vision, and powers of flightBison – a strong animal that survived near extinction. Any of several large bovine mammals that have a long, broad head, short, hollow horns, heavy forequarters, a large muscular hump across the shoulders, and a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck and that typically live and migrate in herdsSettlers-&nbsp;One who settles in a new region-especially a region that has few occupants or that is occupied by a different ethnic or religious groupTrailblazer- A person who is paving the way in their field.&nbsp;If the Eagle was chosen&nbsp;as a mascot, the logo could be&nbsp;a feather which would represent Eagles and&nbsp;Native Americans. A mural could be incorporated at the school- a composite of a&nbsp;Native American, an Eagle, a&nbsp;Settler,&nbsp;a&nbsp;Bison,&nbsp;with&nbsp;selected&nbsp;Trailblazers. There are endless options. Many creative students and members of the public&nbsp;could&nbsp;contribute&nbsp;ideas&nbsp;if the decision is made to start fresh.DO WHAT NEEDS&nbsp;TO BE DONE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL — Native American Ten CommandmentsSandra Watchous, Hays

LETTER: On mascot issue, blaze the right trail

The Respect for Marriage Act provides stronger federal safeguards for married same-sex couples in Kansas. Bipartisan majorities passed it through Congress and President Joe Biden recently signed it into law.&nbsp;

You might think that marriage is a settled debate. However, as recent politics shows, conservatives in the politics industry are prioritizing the culture war beyond just abortion, especially targeting transgender children and gay and lesbian Americans.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In our recent Kansas gubernatorial election, Republicans dedicated entire campaign advertisements to transgender students playing sports, hyping that issue above water, energy, or certain key economic matters.&nbsp;

In October, Republicans promoted a false British tabloid story about supposed taxpayer-funded drag shows in Kansas. On Twitter, Senator Roger Marshall used that story to validate homophobic stereotypes of gay people as sexual predators “grooming” children.&nbsp;

This past summer, conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged the court to “reconsider” past rulings that legalized contraception (Griswold), same-sex sexual relations (Lawrence), and same-sex marriage (Obergefell).&nbsp;

How does the RMA fit into this mounting conservative emphasis on LGBT people? And, what does that mean for gay and lesbian Kansans, especially the estimated 4,000 same-sex married couples in Kansas?&nbsp;

The Kansas Constitution contains an unenforceable provision banning same-sex marriage. Much has changed since voters approved this in 2005. Young people, including young Republicans, generally support same-sex marriage in surveys, and no Kansans under roughly age 35 today voted on that ban.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575644168170.png" alt="Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The Respect for Marriage Act provides stronger federal safeguards for married same-sex couples in Kansas. Bipartisan majorities passed it through Congress and President Joe Biden recently signed it into law.&nbsp;You might think that marriage is a settled debate. However, as recent politics shows, conservatives in the politics industry are prioritizing the culture war beyond just abortion, especially targeting transgender children and gay and lesbian Americans.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In our recent Kansas gubernatorial election, Republicans dedicated entire campaign advertisements to transgender students playing sports, hyping that issue above water, energy, or certain key economic matters.&nbsp;In October, Republicans promoted a false British tabloid story about supposed taxpayer-funded drag shows in Kansas. On Twitter, Senator Roger Marshall used that story to validate homophobic stereotypes of gay people as sexual predators “grooming” children.&nbsp;This past summer, conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged the court to “reconsider” past rulings that legalized contraception (Griswold), same-sex sexual relations (Lawrence), and same-sex marriage (Obergefell).&nbsp;How does the RMA fit into this mounting conservative emphasis on LGBT people? And, what does that mean for gay and lesbian Kansans, especially the estimated 4,000 same-sex married couples in Kansas?&nbsp;Let’s start with Kansas law.&nbsp;The Kansas Constitution contains an unenforceable provision banning same-sex marriage. Much has changed since voters approved this in 2005. Young people, including young Republicans, generally support same-sex marriage in surveys, and no Kansans under roughly age 35 today voted on that ban.&nbsp;&nbsp;Repealing this marriage ban requires the legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Conservatives realize that most Kansans today support same-sex marriage—roughly 60-ish percent in most surveys since 2017. They know how you would vote on this, so don’t expect conservatives to allow a marriage ban repeal vote anytime soon.&nbsp;Kansas law also criminalizes sex between consenting same-sex adults, making it a misdemeanor punishable by six months incarceration. The 2003&nbsp;Lawrence&nbsp;decision makes this law unenforceable, but Kansas conservatives have repeatedly refused to repeal the law.&nbsp;&nbsp;The RMA doesn’t address state laws regulating sex, but it does guarantee federal recognition to same-sex marriages. Simplifying things, it also clarifies that the Full Faith and Credit clause of the U.S. Constitution requires that marriages in one state must be recognized in others, including same-sex marriages. Meanwhile, it gives explicit exemptions for religious non-profits that oppose same-sex relationships.&nbsp;So, what if Thomas prevails on marriage and sex, and Kansas changes no laws?&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas government could stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and might try nullifying existing marriage licenses issued here. Thanks to the RMA, though, same-sex couples willing and able to travel could marry in another state and Kansas would have to recognize those marriages. However, it would still be illegal for same-sex spouses to have sex in Kansas.&nbsp;Most Kansans agree that the ideology of big government conservatism that desires to regulate marriage and sex among two consenting adults is outdated. Conservative politicians are playing to a narrow strain of identity politics on the political right with their positions on these issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;That political game comes at the expense of average gay and lesbian Kansans that these positions risk harming. If that’s not you, maybe it's a friend or loved one. That’s not what most Kansans want in 2022, but it’s up to average Kansans to hold politicians accountable on that.&nbsp;Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

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