The Concordia Blade

BLADE-EMPIRE
CONCORDIA
VOL. CIX NO. 187 (USPS 127-880)
CONCORDIA, KANSAS 66901
Monday, February 23, 2015
Senate
confronts
impasse over
Homeland
Good Evening
Concordia Forecast
Tonight, not as cold. Partly cloudy. Lows
around 16. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph.
Gusts up to 25 mph after midnight.
Tuesday, not as cool. Sunny. Highs
around 47. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Lows in the
lower 20s. Northwest winds around 5 mph
shifting to the south after midnight.
Wednesday, mostly cloudy. A 20 percent
chance of rain and light snow in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s. South winds
5 to 10 mph shifting to the northwest 10 to
15 mph with gusts to around 30 mph in the
afternoon.
Wednesday night, mostly cloudy with a
30 percent chance of light snow. Lows
around 13.
Thursday and Thursday night, much
colder. Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower
20s. Lows around 6.
Friday, partly sunny with a 20 percent
chance of light snow. Highs in the lower
20s.
Friday night, cloudy with a 30 percent
chance of light snow. Lows around 15.
Saturday, cloudy with a 40 percent
chance of snow. Highs in the lower 30s.
Saturday night, cloudy with a 50 percent
chance of snow possibly mixed with freezing
rain. Lows in the mid 20s.
Sunday, mostly cloudy with a 40 percent
chance of snow. Highs in the mid 30s.
Across Kansas
Judge recuses
himself from retrial
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A judge is recusing himself from hearing the sexual
assault retrial of a man accused of knocking his attorney unconscious during his
first trial.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports
that Shawnee County District Court Judge
Mark Braun announced the decision in a
ruling he issued this past week in the case
of Lance Franklin. Braun was in court in
December when attorney David McDonald
was punched. McDonald suffered a concussion, cuts, swollen eyes and chipped
teeth.
Braun found Franklin to be in contempt
of court and will continue to handle that
decision. Franklin also was charged with
felony aggravated battery.
Franklin’s new defense attorney is
appealing “all adverse rulings” against
Franklin, including the contempt sentence. The contempt sentence won’t be
Wetlands center
prepares for opening
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A university
wetlands center in Lawrence is gearing up
for a June opening to the public.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports
that the 11,000-square-foot Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center is expected
to have its ceremonial opening in September. The center will house a research lab,
classrooms and offices. The building is
being designed to give visitors a panoramic view of the wetlands.
Construction of the $1.5 million center
is being funded by the Kansas Department
of Transportation as part of the highway
department’s mitigation agreement for 58
acres to extend the South Lawrence Trafficway through the wetlands. The state
also agreed to help restore 410 acres of
wetlands, which will bring the land’s total
to 927 acres. The center was also given
$350,000 for site improvements.
Couple killed in
fiery rollover crash
PAOLA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a
couple died after their car went off the side
of a Miami County road, overturned and
caught fire.
The Kansas City Star reports that the
crash happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Miami County Sheriff’s Office identified
the victims as 78-year-old Willis D. Hodgson and 77-year-old Beth E. Hodgson. The
couple lived in the town of Parker.
Visit us online at www.bladeempire.com
Kicking it
Members of the Cloud County Community College Thunderbolts give it a kick while performing at
halftime of the men’s basketball game against Hutchinson Saturday night in Bryant Gymnasium.
From left, are Kaylee Bontrager, Anastasia Morgan, Emily Montgomery and Jalen Lambert. (Blade
photo by Jay Lowell)
CCCC alumni, friends
pledge more than $25,000
Alumni and friends of Cloud County
Community College displayed their support
for the college as they pledged more than
$25,000 to scholarships during this year’s
Verizon Alumni Telefund.
During the event’s eight-night span, volunteer callers representing 17 student
organizations visited with more than 7,000
alumni and friends about pledging gifts to
the college’s general scholarship fund. For
the pledges they generated, the students
won scholarships each night.
Participating campus organizations
included: student ambassadors, baseball,
softball, volleyball, crop and horse judging
team, resident assistants, student activities
board, choir, KVCO, student senate, men’s
track, women’s track, men’s soccer, men’s
basketball, women’s basketball and Phi
Theta Kappa.
In addition to help from college faculty,
staff and students, local businesses stepped
up to provide assistance for the Telefund.
Verizon Wireless provided cell phones
and the long distance service; Pepsi donated pop for the callers; and Snack express
provided snacks each night for the student
callers.
These businesses provided food: Casey’s,
Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Rod’s Thriftway, Subway and Gambino’s.
Verizon, CCCC Bookstore, GTM Sportswear and CCCC Foundation donated prizes.
Anyone who would like to give to the 2015
Verizon Alumni Telefund, may call Heather
Gennette, 785-243-1435, ext. 235.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Improperly withholding public records would be easier to
investigate under a legislative proposal that
has the backing of Attorney General Derek
Schmidt.
The goal of the measure is to allow prosecutors to more quickly get to the bottom of
claims that details have been improperly
redacted, The Topeka Capital-Journal
reports.
The bill, which lawmakers in the Senate
Judiciary Committee are expected to work
on this week, comes after Kansas State University responded to a request from The
Captial-Journal about how some details of
Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget proposal
were developed by releasing emails with the
pages nearly blacked-out. The redactions
have drawn condemnation from Senate
Minority Leader Anthony Hensley and
scrutiny from First Amendment lawyer Mike
Merriam.
Currently, county or district attorneys
and the attorney general are tasked with
investigating alleged open records violations. Prosecutors need to review the full
record to determine whether a document
has been improperly redacted or withheld.
But Schmidt says accused violators often
are hesitant to turn over records that have
not been redacted because they fear the
records then will be improperly released.
Under the legislation, prosecutors would be
prohibited from releasing the documents
without a court order in a move designed to
reassure agencies.
“This provision allays that concern and
allows a full investigation in circumstances
such as this, with the release ultimately
being subject to judicial determination as it
is under current law,” Schmidt told lawmakers this past week.
Kansas Association of Broadcasters President Kent Kornish said in written testimony
said the bill will help ensure open records
and open meetings laws are taken seriously.
But the League of Kansas Municipalities
expressed concerns about a portion of the
legislation that would require public agencies to pay for the costs of investigations into
violations. They said the requirement could
suppress some agencies from taking their
cases to court if they believe they have done
nothing wrong.
Legislative proposal focuses
on open records enforcement
WASHINGTON (AP) — A partial
shutdown of the Homeland Security
Department loomed at week’s end,
but no solution was in sight as senators returned to the Capitol from a
week-long recess Monday to confront
an impasse over the issue.
An evening vote was set to advance
legislation to fund the agency, but
senators already have cast three previous such votes and the result Monday was expected to be the same.
Senate Democrats were likely to
block consideration of the Housepassed bill because it includes provisions overturning President Barack
Obama’s executive actions limiting
deportations for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.
A federal judge’s ruling last week
that put Obama’s immigration program on hold increased calls from a
few Republican senators to pass a
“clean” Homeland Security Bill without the contested language on immigration.
“I hope my House colleagues will
understand that our best bet is to
challenge this in court, that if we
don’t fund the Department of Homeland Security, we’ll get blamed as a
party,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said Sunday on ABC’s “This
Week.”
But House Republicans said they
had no plans to revisit the issue after
passing a $39.7 billion bill last
month that funds the department
through Sept. 30, the end of the current budget year, while also undoing
Obama’s actions on immigration.
“The House has acted to fund the
Homeland Security Department,”
said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for
House Speaker John Boehner. “Now
it’s time for Senate Democrats to stop
blocking legislation that would do
the same.”
A short-term extension of current
funding levels remained possible,
but lawmakers had only a few days
to come up with even that partial
solution before the agency’s funding
expires Friday at midnight.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh
Johnson scheduled a news conference Monday afternoon to repeat his
warnings about the harmful impacts
of shutting down his agency, which
would result in some 30,000 administrative and other workers getting
furloughed. Some 200,000 others
would fall into essential categories
and stay on the job, though mostly
without drawing a paycheck until the
situation is resolved.
Johnson said the furloughs could
harm the U.S. response to terrorist
threats and warnings, such as the
one late Saturday on Minnesota’s
Mall of America. Some 80 percent of
Federal Emergency Management
Agency workers would be furloughed
even as that agency contends with
two months of devastating snowfall
and cold from New England to the
Mountain States.
“If we are going to shut down, we
are greatly compromised,” Johnson
said during a weekend briefing at the
National Governors Association, an
annual gathering attended by dozens
of the nation’s governors.
Poll: Most support investment tax increase
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
rich aren’t taxed enough and the
middle class is taxed too much.
As for your taxes, you probably
think they’re too high as well.
Those are the results of an
Associated Press-GfK poll that
found that most people in the
United States support President
Barack Obama’s proposal to
raise investment taxes on highincome families.
The findings echo the populist messages of two liberal
senators — Elizabeth Warren of
Massachusetts and Bernie
Sanders of Vermont — being
courted by the progressive wing
of the Democratic Party to run
for president in 2016. The
results also add weight to
Obama’s new push to raise
taxes on the rich and use some
of the revenue to lower taxes on
the middle class.
Obama calls his approach
“middle-class economics.”
It’s not flying with Republicans in Congress, who oppose
higher taxes.
But Bob Montgomery of Martinsville, Virginia, said people
with higher incomes should pay
more.
“I think the more you make
the more taxes you should pay,”
said Montgomery, who is retired
after working 40 years at an
auto dealership. “I can’t see
where a man makes $50,000 a
year pays as much taxes as
somebody that makes $300,000
a year.”
According to the poll, 68 percent of those questioned said
wealthy households pay too little in federal taxes; only 11 percent said the wealthy pay too
much.
Also, 60 percent said middleclass households pay too much
in federal taxes, while 7 percent
said they paid too little.
Obama laid out a series of tax
proposals as part of his 2016
budget released this month.
Few are likely to win approval in
the Republican-controlled Congress. But if fellow Democrats
were to embrace his ideas, they
could play a role in the 2016
race.
One proposal would increase
capital gains taxes on households making more than
$500,000. In the survey, 56 percent favored the proposal, while
only 16 percent opposed it.
2 Blade-Empire, Monday, February 23, 2015
OPINION
Washington Merry-Go-Round
by Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift
50 years ago
Feb. 23, 1965—Mr. and
Mrs. Norman Johnston,
Concordia, announced the
birth of their daughter, Karla Sue, born Feb. 20. . . .
Men’s Wellington boots were
on sale for $16 at Brown’s
Shoe Fit Co. in Concordia.
Wamego, was the CHS Athlete of the Week. . . . Audrey
Stiles gave a project talk on
how to make a baby blanket
and Erin Reedy gave a demonstration on how to make
edges for a pie crust at the
meeting of the Hollis Hustlers 4-H Club.
25 years ago
Feb. 23, 1990—Concordia Senior Citizens pool
teams defeated the Beloit
Senior Citizens at Beloit
with a score of six sets to
10. Players from Concordia
were Melvin Letourneau,
Bob Collins, Louis Christenson, John O. Jackson,
Albert Hubert and Orville
Saffrey. Letourneau and
Collins were undefeated. .
. . A large number of Concordia children were coming down with a mysterious, benign virus familiarly
known as “slapped cheek
syndrome” because of the
fiery red trademark it left on
its victims.
5 years ago
Feb. 23, 2010—Danielle
Bergstrom, Certified Nurse
Aide, was the Sunset Home
Employee of the Month
for February. . . . Concordia High School wrestlers
headed for the State Wrestling Tournament in Salina
were Casey Carlgren, Jarin Brown, Alec Champlin,
Taelor Mendenhall, Brandon Anguish, Blaine Tholstrup and Bradley Hake.
10 years ago
Feb. 23, 2005—Arin
Jackson, a senior on the
Concordia High School girls’
basketball team who scored
a team high 13 points in the
Panthers’ 62-53 win over
1 year ago
Feb. 23, 2014—Concordia Kids wrestlers placing
in the top five at the Rock
Creek Tournament were:
Carter Eakins, Tracer Murdock, Kameron Knox, Caden
Womack, Shelby Giersch,
Phoenix Vansant, Braxtin
Mason and Drew Brown. . .
. Megan James, Concordia
High School Senior, signed
a letter of intent to attend
McPherson.
Peshmerga.
Meanwhile, Turkey, a
secular state since the end
of World War I, is now being
governed by an Islamist party, one that has been hostile
to Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian
government, and as such,
has provided a safe haven
and medical support for ISIS
fighters until that organization showed its true barbaric
colors. At that point, Turkey
and the Kurdish insurgents
came to an understanding, and they were allowed
transit through Turkey into
northern Syria to fight ISIS.
The problem is that the
Kurds, alone, cannot win.
Enter Jordan. The recent
ISIS execution of a Jordanian pilot, who was burned to
death, enraged and united
Sunni Arabs from Jordan
to Saudi Arabia and across
the Arab world. Jordan has
increased its role in the air
campaign against ISIS and
is meeting with other countries to organize further military actions.
In all, the current situation is this. ISIS, a Sunni
terrorist organization, is being opposed by Sunni Kurds,
Sunni Arabs from Jordan
and elsewhere, Iranian-back
Shiite militias from Iraq, a
weak Iraqi Army of Sunnis
and Shiites, and a U.S.-led
air campaign.
What is missing is coherence, a central command
to coordinate the war, and
the U.S. is not going to fill
that void. The key is NATO.
The NATO countries have
become inflamed by the recent ISIS-motivated attacks
in France and Denmark.
Defense Minister Nicolai
Wammen of NATO member
Denmark said, "Denmark's
hands are not shaking because some terrorists are
trying to scare us.” This is
indicative of NATO sentiments in general, and NATO
can be expected to sanction
a ground campaign against
ISIS, but in this instance,
NATO member Turkey, will
be expected to lead it.
By using NATO, the command and control functions
are already in place to coordinate the air and ground
campaigns and integrate the
Peshmerga – fully incentivized with the promise of nationhood – the Iraqi Army
and the Jordanian-led Arab
coalition, all reminiscent of
a similar coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in
Desert Storm. The noticeable exclusion would be the
Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite
militias. Further, because
DOONESBURY® by G.B. Trudeau
the defeat of ISIS would
strengthen the hand of
Assad, the overthrow of that
dictator should be included
in the NATO mandate.
Simultaneously,
Egypt,
which has been seeking UN
approval to attack ISIS in
eastern Libya, should be given a green light by NATO in
lieu of the UN.
At first glance, this would
all appear to be too complex
to maintain to a successful
completion. But the opposite
is true, made so by a common brutal enemy. That enemy, ISIS, has unwittingly
created an opportunity for
disparate groups to coalesce
around a common goal, the
end result of which could
bring a level of harmony long
missing in the Mideast. In
short order, ISIS and Assad
would be defeated and Kurdistan created. Turkey will
have been pulled back into
a semblance of the secular
mainstream, its Kurdish insurgents will have been pacified, and Iraq can finally go
about the business of recreating its country.
Twitter
@WMerryGoRound
© 2015 U.S. News Syndicate, Inc.
Distributed by U.S. News
Syndicate, Inc.
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Al-Shabab urges attacks on U.S. malls
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – A
video purported to be by Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked rebel
group al-Shabab urged Muslims to attack shopping malls
in the U.S., Canada, Britain
and other Western countries.
U.S. authorities said there
was “no credible” evidence
suggesting a U.S. mall attack
was in the works.
The threat by the al-Qaida affiliate came in the final
minutes of a more than hourlong video released Saturday in which the extremists
also warned Kenya of more
attacks like the September
2013 assault on the Westgate
Mall in Nairobi in which 67
people were killed.
The masked narrator concluded by calling on Muslims
to attack shopping malls,
specifically naming the Mall
of America in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington,
as well as the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the
Westfield mall in Stratford,
England. The authenticity of
the video could not be immediately verified by The Associated Press.
The FBI and Department
of Homeland Security provided local law enforcement
agencies and private sector
partners with “relevant information regarding the recent al-Shabab propaganda
video,” DHS press secretary
Marsha Catron said in a
statement.
“However, we are not aware
of any specific, credible plot
against the Mall of America or
any other domestic commercial shopping center,” Catron
said.
The Bloomington Police
Department said additional
security measures had been
put in place at the Mall of
America, one of the largest
malls in the nation.
Speaking earlier on morning talk shows in the U.S.,
Department of Homeland
Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called the video “the new
phase” of the global terrorist
threat and warned the public
to be vigilant.
“These groups are relying more and more on independent actors to become
inspired, drawn to the cause
and they’ll attack on their
own,” Johnson said, speaking
on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I am very concerned about
serious potential threats of
independent actors here in
the United States. We’ve seen
this now in Europe, we’ve
seen this in Canada.”
Asked about the specific
threat against the Mall of
America, Johnson said: “Any
time a terrorist organization
calls for an attack on a specific place we’ve got to take
that seriously. What we’re
telling the public is you’ve got
to be vigilant. ... There will be
enhanced security there that
will be apparent, but public
vigilance, public awareness
and public caution in situations like this is particularly
important.”
In the slickly produced video posted online, a masked
man, his face wrapped in a
black-and-white kaffiyeh-type
scarf and wearing a camouflage jacket, declared: “Westgate was just the beginning.”
The video included footage
from major news organizations showing the assault on
the mall and said it was in
reprisal for alleged abuses by
Kenyan troops against Muslims in Somalia.
“What if such an attack
were to occur in the Mall of
America in Minnesota? Or the
West Edmonton Mall in Canada? Or in London’s Oxford
Street?” said the man, who
spoke with a British accent
and appeared to be of Somali
origin.
The Mall of America said
in a statement that it was
“aware of a threatening video
which includes a mention
and images of the mall,” and
said extra security had been
put in place.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton was monitoring the situation and has been in regular
contact with the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety which is
coordinating with federal and
local law enforcement agencies and the Mall of America
“to assure the safety of all
Minnesotans,” said a statement released by the governor’s press secretary Matt
Swenson.
Shoppers seemed undeterred Sunday by the threat.
“I’m more afraid of the cold
SUDOKU
Sudoku is a number-placing
puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with
several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9
in the empty squares so that each
row, each column and each 3x3
box contain the same number
only once. The difficulty level of
the Conceptis Sudoku increases
from Monday to Friday.
today than any terrorists,”
said Mary Lamminen, of St.
Paul.
David Modrynski said he
talked with his wife and son
about whether to visit the
mall after hearing about the
video. “But we can’t stop living our lives because somebody says they’re going to do
something,” Modrynski said.
While al-Shabab has carried out attacks in neighboring Kenya, Uganda and Djibouti, which all have troops
fighting the extremists as part
of the multinational African
Union force, the al-Qaida affiliate has never operated outside East Africa and the Horn
of Africa.
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2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Today in History
WASHINGTON – Unlike
the war against the Taliban
in Afghanistan or the war
against irregular Iraqi fighters after Saddam Hussein’s
conventional army was defeated, the war against ISIS
in Iraq and Syria is being
fought against well-trained
military units. It is a conventional war, a war in which
Iraq’s Army has repeatedly
been defeated.
As a result of those defeats, the Iraqi Army has
been reduced from 200,000
to less than 50,000 troops.
It is demoralized and essentially ineffective. Yet, only a
ground campaign is going
to be able to root ISIS forces
out of the territory and cities
it has conquered. There is a
solution.
It begins with offering nationhood to the Kurds. This
large non-Arab ethnic group
resides in the semi-autonomous northeast portion of
Iraq as well as sections of
northwest Iran, southeast
Turkey, and northern Syria.
The Kurds in Turkey have
been waging a long-lasting
guerrilla war there and have
been listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S., while
the Kurds in Iraq have fielded the most efficient antiISIS army in the region, the
2/20
By Dave Green
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2/23
2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
By George Meyer
PEOPLE
Annie’s
Mailbox
by Kathy Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
Dear Annie: I am a
healthy
50-years-young
woman in the midst of
menopause. I also have
been diagnosed as mentally
ill with depression. I refuse
to seek treatment. I come
from a culture where the
shame of admitting a mental illness is a fate worse
than death. So I sleep a lot.
I have a fine husband
who wishes nothing more
than to be in a happy,
healthy relationship with
me and our two young children. I hurt everyone in
my family with my mercurial temper, frequent yelling over trivial matters and
causing general upset. For
a while now, I have refused
any intimacy whatsoever
with my husband, including sweet talk and touching. I am completely disinterested in sex. I know I
am starving my husband,
and he is suffering. I've told
him to find someone else.
What should I do? Please
don't tell me to get counseling. I have spoken to
counselors in the past, and
nothing has helped because I insist I am a victim
and that all of my problems
are someone else's fault. I
cannot admit that I need
mental health assistance.
I am miserable, in every
sense of the word. — Frigid
in New Hampshire
Dear Frigid: You've admitted to us that you need
mental health assistance,
and we agree. You are being unfair to yourself, as
well as your family. So do
you want to continue being miserable, alienating
your husband and children simply to avoid shame
(of which there should be
none), or do you genuinely want to make your life
better? Whatever underlying issues you may have
are likely exacerbated by
menopause. If you cannot
admit that you need help
for depression, perhaps
you would seek help to alleviate some of your menopausal symptoms. Your gynecologist can recommend
medication that can do
both. Please try.
Dear Annie: How do
you tell a couple they have
a filthy house? Up until
recently, they seemed to
make an effort, but lately,
we find it difficult to accept
invitations to their home.
They are nice people, but
we are not so close that we
can tell them about this.
Their two dogs have the
run of the house. The cat
is allowed to crawl on the
kitchen counters and ta-
bles. There is a thick accumulation of pet hair that
rolls across their floors like
tumbleweed and sticks in
the folds of their sofa. You
could knit a sweater with
what you'd sweep up in one
room. When I leave their
house, I feel like I need a
bath. I know other families
with pets, and their homes
are cleaner. I don't understand why they refuse to
see it.
If I confront them, I risk
the friendship. If I quit accepting invitations, I risk
the friendship. Is there a
kind way to tell them? —
Louisville, Ky.
Dear Louisville: Maintaining a hair-free home
when you have three pets
requires frequent cleaning,
which your friends apparently are no longer up to
handling. Are they in good
health? Perhaps they are
not physically able to clean
or supervise where the animals go. How is their vision? Maybe they cannot
see the animal hair. If you
can express your concern
about their health, that
could be a kind way to approach the subject. Otherwise, feel free to make
excuses not to visit, but
please invite them to your
home so they don't feel you
dislike them.
Dear Annie: I could
relate to the letter from
"Frustrated." When my
husband lost interest in
sex, I began to masturbate.
I went to confession, and
the priest explained that
it is not a sin to accept the
lesser of two evils. He told
me to allow my husband
to pleasure me when he is
willing. Otherwise, I should
do what I need to avoid the
worst alternatives, such as
adultery.
It was so simple, and I
am forever grateful to him.
My wonderful husband and
I still love each other, just
not physically. — Faithful
and Satisfied
Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers
column. Please email your
questions to [email protected], or write
to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o
Creators Syndicate, 737
3rd Street, Hermosa Beach,
CA 90254. To find out more
about Annie's Mailbox and
read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and
cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page
at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM
Student
luminary
February 21, 2015, Sterling— Sterling College named
Zach Beims of Concordia to
the 2014 Fall Dean’s Honor
Roll. The College announced
that 195 students met the
requirement of a semester
GPA of 3.50 or better in at
least 12 credits of residential
work or 10 credits of online
work. Zach Beims is the son
of Tim and Angela Beims.
Thank You for
Reading the
Blade-Empire !
Florence E. Giersch
Card shower to
honor Giersch
Florence E. Giersch, Concordia, will celebrate her
95th birthday, Wednesday,
March 4. Friends may send
cards to Apartment 167,
Sunset Home, 620 2nd Ave.,
Concordia, KS 66901.
Blade-Empire, Monday, February 23, 2015 3
CNA class to
start March 2
Cloud County Community
College is offering a Certified
Nurse Aide Class beginning
Monday, March 2, at Republic County Hospital-LTC,
2420 G Street, Belleville.
Faye Jones, RN will be
the instructor. The course
will prepare the students for
care of the ill, disabled or
elderly person in the nursing home or hospital setting.
Students are eligible for employment once they have
completed the first 40 hours
of class.
For further information or to preregister, call
1.800.729.5101 ext. 372 at
Attend awards ceremony
CCCC.
Attending the PTK Kansas All-State Awards ceremony in Topeka were (l-r): Concordia PTK
Classes are limited to 10
Chapter advisor Marc Malone, Gustavo Arana, April Knipp, Magdalena Pierce, Jeffrey Morton participants.
and Geary County PTK chapter advisor Gwen Carnes.
CCCC students named to
All-Kansas Academic team
Four Cloud County Community College students
were among 55 community
college scholars named to
the 2015 Kansas All-State
Academic team. CCCC,
Geary County Campus students selected for this honor were Jeffrey Morton and
Magdalena Pierce. Gustavo
Arana and April Knipp were
selected from the Concordia
campus.
Representing the state’s
19 community colleges and
a private two-year college,
these scholars have been
named to the 2014-15 AllKansas Academic Team,
sponsored by the international headquarters Phi
Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society, the
Kansas Association of Community College Trustees,
and the Kansas Council of
Community College Presidents.
The students were honored for their academic accomplishments Feb. 12 in
Topeka during the 20th annual PTK Honors Luncheon.
“We consider this a very
worthwhile endeavor for all
of the Kansas community
colleges to come together
and celebrate the achievements of the state’s outstanding students,” said
Tammy Fuentez, vice president for Student Affairs at
Labette Community College,
who serves as the Kansas
Region Coordinator for the
Honor Society. “These students are our finest, not only
in the academic sphere, but
also in terms of service and
citizenship.”
Each of these students
was selected by his or her
own community college
for the statewide academic
team, and each also is a
nominee for the 2014 AllUSA Academic Team, sponsored by USA Today, Phi
Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges.
Morton is completing an
Applied Science degree from
CCCC. He is a Phi Theta
Kappa member and is undecided where he will trans-
Cook Series host for
Core Ensemble performance
To celebrate Black History Month, the Marian D.
Cook Series, sponsored by
Cloud County Community
College in Concordia, will be
host for the Core Ensemble
performing “Of Ebony Embers: Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance” at 7 p.m.,
Thursday, Feb. 26, at the
Brown Grand Theatre in
Concordia.
Celebrating the music
and poetry of the Harlem
Renaissance era in New
York City, “Of Ebony Embers” examines the lives of
three outstanding but different African American
poets—Langston
Hughes,
Countee Cullen and Claude
McKay—as seen through the
eyes of the great painter and
muralist Aaron Douglas. Actor Jamyl Dobson portrays
multiple characters while
interacting with the onstage
musical trio of cello, piano
and percussion.
Akin Babatunde wrote
the script and also is director. The Core Ensemble
performs music by African
American composers ranging from jazz greats Duke
Ellington, Thelonious Monk
and Charles Mingus to concert music composers Jeffrey Mumford and George
Walker.
Since 1993, The Core
Ensemble has toured nationally to every region of
the U.S. and internationally to England, Russia, the
Ukraine, Australia and the
British Virgin Islands. The
Ensemble was the recipient
of the 2000 Eugene McDermott Award for Excellence
in the Arts awarded by the
Massachusets Institute or
Technology and has received
support from the State of
Florida Department of Cultural Affairs, New England
Foundation for the Arts,
Palm Beach County Cultural Council, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the
Vigil Thomson Foundation.
All Cook Series events are
free and open to the public.
Contact Brenton Phillips at
785.243.1435, ext. 244 for
more information.
fer to after Cloud.
Pierce is a Pre-law major
and plans to continue her
education at Baylor University. She is involved in Phi
Theta Kappa, Student Senate, Multi-cultural Association, and the Student Veterans’ Association. She has
been the Rotary Student of
the Month, a student support services member and a
volunteer for the American
Cancer Society, Food Pantry
and Summer tutoring program.
Arana is a Physical Therapy major and is planning
to transfer to Kansas Sate
University after Cloud. His
accomplishments
include
being a Phi Theta Kappa
member and a baseball and
soccer athletic trainer. He
volunteers for Marysville
City Park, Marysville High
School and Santa House.
Knipp is an EnglishSecondary Education major. She plans to transfer to
the University of NebraskaOmaha after Cloud. She is a
member of Phi Theta Kappa.
Club notes
Barbara Ferguson presented the program on family traditions when Atheneum
Club met Feb. 20 at Kristy’s
Family Restaurant.
Drawing upon her German heritage, she told how
her earliest memories were
based on the family church
where her parents were baptized and married and where
their funerals also were held.
She told stories about her
family’s tradition of making
sausage and pretzels and
how the tradition is still being carried on with her children and grandchildren. She
said that her father always
remarked, “Tear down the
smoke house!” when the
sausage making was done.
Members answered roll
call by sharing a favorite tradition of their own.
President Joyce Peterson
opened the meeting and later closed the meeting with a
humorous reading. She reported on absent members
and said that Joann Freeborn and her husband were
visiting new twin granddaughters. Eleven members
attended.
Next meeting will be
March 6th at Kristy’s with
Carol Arts as hostess.
Spots still open for
KOHP workshop
Spots are still available Sister Jean Befort, both
for the free chronic health of whom live with chronic
conditions workshop which conditions and who have
starts March 20 at Neigh- completed the Health Debor to Neighbor. Deadline partment training to serve
for registering for the seven as KOHP facilitators. Both
week Kansans Optimizing women live in Concordia
Health Program or KOHP, where Gerhardt is an extenpronounced “cope” is March sion agent with the River
6.
Valley District and Befort
The workshop, which is is co-director of Neighbor to
limited to 20 participants Neighbor.
will be from 3-5:30 p.m. for
Topics that will be disseven Tuesdays. Caregivers, cussed include:
family and friends are en•Becoming more physicouraged to attend with the cally active safely
person living with a chronic
•Making healthy food
health condition.
choices
There is no charge to
•Communicating
with
take part, and each partici- family, friends and the
pant will receive a free copy Health care team
of the textbook, “Living a
•Dealing with difficult
Healthy Life with a Chronic emotions frustration and
Condition.”
anger
To register, call Neighbor
•Setting and achieving
to Neighbor at 262.4215.
weekly action plans
KOHP was developed at
•Identifying and solving
Stanford University and de- problems caused by having
signed by the Kansas Health a chronic condition
Department. It specifically
People who are interestaddresses living with ar- ed in the workshop but unthritis, diabetes, heart dis- able to attend this session
ease and lung disease, but should call for more inforSenior Citizens Menu
includes all other chronic mation. Another workshop
Tuesday, Feb. 24—Hot dogs, pasta salad, corn, peanut health issues as well.
will be scheduled later in
butter cookies.
Leading the discussion the year, but no dates have
Wednesday, Feb. 25—Pork roast, dressing, baked sweet will be Pat Gerhardt and been set yet.
potato, short cake; 10 a.m.—Exercise; 1 p.m.—Boosters.
Thursday, Feb. 26—Taco salad with fixings, Spanish
rice, apricots, alt., hamburger.
***
Friday, Feb. 27—Two-piece chicken legs, scalloped poA kitten is chiefly remarkable for rushing about
tatoes, beets, lime gelatin with diced pears, alt. fish; 10
like mad at nothing whatever, and generally
a.m.—Exercise; progressive cards.
stopping before it gets there.
Call Teddy Lineberry at 243-1872 for questions or to
—Agnes Repplier
make reservations.
Fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls daily, 9-11 a.m.
***
6 Blade-Empire, Monday, February 23, 2015
Legals
ONE PLACE HAS IT ALL
THE CLASSIFIEDS
For Rent
*$* 2 Bedrooms NICE
Cute Remodel Apts.
Appliances furnished! Pet &
Kid Friendly Near Play Areas.
Wash/dry H/U’s. HURRY for
FEB Move-In Special Ends
Soon. Call NOW! 785-8185028 Office 614-1078 Cell.
FOR RENT- 1 & 2 bedroom apartments in quiet building, most utilities,
$600/mo. 785-275-2062.
SUNSET HOME, INC.
is in need of a
caring and energetic
CMA
Position is for the 2-10pm shift
and every other weekend.
Submit application to:
Sunset Home, Inc.
620 2nd Ave.,
Concordia, KS 66901
Sunset Home, Inc. is
an Equal Opportunity
Employer. We test for drugs.
FOR RENT- 1 bedroom apartment,
appliances and utilities included. $450.
mo. Call 785-243-3325 ext. 2.
FOR RENT- 1 & 2 bedroom apartments, trash and water included, $325/
mo. & $400/mo. 785-275-2062.
FOR RENT-Storage spaces, various
sizes, reasonable, locally owned.
785-243-4105.
Help Wanted
CNA
ALL SHIFTS
Every other weekend.
Apply in person at
Park Villa
114 S. High, Clyde
THE BLADE-EMPIRE
Has Immediate Opening for
FULL TIME
RECEPTIONIST/
CLERK POSITION
Must possess good people
and computer skills, be able to
multi-task and communicate
effectively. Some knowledge
of accounting/accounts
receivable/accounts payable
a plus. Competitive salary
and benefits offered. EOE.
Send resume to:
Blade-Empire
P.O. Box 309
Concordia, KS 66901
EARN EXTRA INCOME
WORKING EVENINGS
Needing self-motivated
individuals who can work
independently cleaning office
buildings. Part-time evenings.
Above minimum wage.
NO WEEKENDS
BACKGROUND CHECKS
PERFORMED
Call 785-243-1965, Mon.Fri., 8am-5pm to make
appointment to apply.
ServiceMaster of N.C.K.
DIETARY AIDE
Full time A.M.
Responsibilities include meal
setup, service and clean-up.
Includes flexible scheduling,
starting wage above minimum,
every other weekend off.
For the opportunity to work
in the growing health care
industry, apply in person at:
620 2nd Ave.
Concordia
EOE
We do pre-employment drug
testing.
NOTICE- For your Classified Ad
needs, call the Blade-Empire, 785243-2424.
Sunset Home, Inc.
is in need of caring and
energetic CNAs for Day &
Evening Shift. Positions would
include working every other
weekend.
Submit application to:
Sunset Home, Inc.
620 2nd Ave.
Concordia, KS 66901
Or apply in person or online at
www.sunsethomeinc.com. An
Equal Opportunity Employer.
We do pre-employment drug
screening.
The Beloit Pizza Hut
Is interviewing for a
Restaurant General
Manager
If you have restaurant
experience, we need you.
Duties include controlling
all costs, hiring and training
employees and must be
willing to interact with
customers and enjoy people.
We offer competitive wages,
a 401K health insurance
and a flexible schedule.
Open interviews will be
held at the Beloit Pizza Hut
on Wednesday, February
25 from 2 to 7 PM and
on Thursday, February
26 from 9 AM to 3 PM.
Or email your resume
to Stephanie Fisher at
stephatpizzahut@yahoo.
com or Joe Crawford
at [email protected].
HELP WANTED- Roofers
needed, competitive
wages, 785-614-3139.
LPN 2-10 Shift
Excellent benefits.
Apply in person,
Mount Joseph Senior Village,
1110 W. 11th St.,Concordia
SUNSET HOME
in Concordia
is looking for a responsible and
dependable team player in our
Activities Department
Activities Assistant
Will work 30-40 hours per
week. Successful person will
hold current CNA certification
and have proficient computer
skills. We test for drugs.
Apply in person
620 2nd Ave
EOE.
HOUSEKEEPING
FT/PT
Every other weekend.
Apply in person at:
Park Villa , 114 S. High,
Clyde 785-446-2818
Shop Concordia Thursday Nights from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
(First Published in The Blade-Empire
on Monday, February 23, 2015.)
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF CLOUD
COUNTY, KANSAS
In the Matter of the Estate of Elmer R.
Collins, Deceased.
Case No. 15-PR-13
(Proceeding Pursuant to K.S.A. Chapter 59)
NOTICE OF HEARING AND NOTICE
TO CREDITORS
THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL
PERSONS CONCERNED:
You are hereby notified that on February 18, 2015, a Petition was filed in this
Court by Gerald Collins, the Executor of
the “Last Will and Testament of Elmer R.
Collins,” deceased, dated May 31, 1995,
requesting Informal Administration and to
Admit the Will to Probate.
You are required to file your written
defenses thereto on or before March 18,
2015, at 3:00 o’clock p.m. in the District
Court, Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas,
at which time and place the cause will be
heard. Should you fail therein, judgment
and decree will be entered in due course
upon the Petition.
All creditors are notified to exhibit their
demands against the estate within four (4)
months from the date of the first publication of this notice, as provided by law, and if
their demands are not thus exhibited, they
shall be forever barred.
Gerald Collins
Petitioner
Scott R. Condray, S. Ct. #10047
CONDRAY & THOMPSON, LLC
812 Washington
P.O. Box 407
Concordia, KS 66901-0407
(785) 243-1357
FAX (785) 243-1359
[email protected]
Attorneys for Petitioner
3m
Sales Calendar
•Thursday, February 26,
2015– Land Auction at 7:00
p.m. located at the Golden
Wheel Senior Center, Minneapolis, Kansas. 1,300 plus
Acres, Tillable, Pasture and
Wildlife Habitat. 9 Tracts of
land. Gregory M. Wilkins
Trust, Brenda M. Wilkins
Trust, and Wilkins Family
LLC, Sellers. Antrim-Piper
Wenger, Realtors, Salina.
•Saturday, February 28,
2015– Land Auction at
10:00 a.m. located at the
Dinner Bell Cafe at 18th and
M Street in Belleville, Kansas. 160 acres (more or less)
cropland, pasture land, waterways and pond. Charles
(Bud) Hanzlick Estate,
Seller. Roger Novak Auction.
•Saturday,
February
28, 2015–Public Auction
at 9:00 a.m. located at the
Kearn Auction House, 220
West 5th Street, Concordia,
Kansas. Furniture and Misc.
and Collectibles. The items
in this auction are from Lucy
Curtis’s house in Vermillion,
Ks. The mafority of the furniture was purchased from
1908 - 1912. Dannie Kearn
Auction.
•Saturday, March 14,
2015 – Concordia’s 29th
Annual Optimist Club Auction located at the Cloud
County Fairgrounds.
•Wednesday, March 18,
2015– Land Auction at 7:00
p.m. located at the Dinner Bell Cafe at 18th and M
Street in Belleville, Kansas.
160 Acres Republic County Land. Heirs of George
Pierce, Sellers. Roger Novak Auction.
•Saturday, March 21,
2015– Public Auction at
10:30 a.m. located at the
farm 2 3/4 miles West of
Jamestown, Kansas (water
tower) on Teal Road. Tractor, Combine, Farm Machinery and Equipment. Wayne
Ruud, Seller. Larry Lagasse
Auction.
•Saturday, April 4, 2015–
Public
Auction
located
at the Cloud County Fairgrounds, East edge of Concordia, Kansas. Antiques,
Furniture, Household, Lawn
Mowers and Misc. Pearl
Townsend Estate and Others, Sellers. Larry Lagasse
Auction.
Upcoming
events
Tuesday, March 3, 10
a.m.—Frank Carlson Library, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday
Party for children ages 6
months-5 years old.
Tuesday, March 10, 10
a.m.—Frank Carlson Library, Brainy Kids Story
Time for children ages 6
months-5 years old.
MUTTS® by Patrick McDonnell
ZITS® by Scott and Borgman
BABY BLUE® by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
BARNEY GOOGLE AND SNUFFY SMITH® by John Rose
HAGER THE HORRIBLE® by Chris Browne
4 Blade-Empire Monday, February 23, 2015
Sports
Hutch deals T-Birds another narrow defeat, 71-67
Add this one to an already
lengthy list of narrow and
frustrating Jayhawk Conference Western Division losses
for the Cloud County Thunderbirds.
Trailing
25th-ranked
Hutchinson by 13 points in
the second half, the T-Birds
rallied to tie the game at 5656, only to have the Blue
Dragons score eight straight
points.
Cloud County battled back
to within two points, 69-67,
and had the ball with a
chance to tie or take the lead.
The T-Birds committed a
turnover with 10 seconds on
the clock and fouled Hutchinson’s Akbar Hoffman less
than a second later.
Hoffman made both free
throws to lock up a 71-67
Hutchinson win Saturday
night in Bryant Gymnasium.
Cloud County, 16-13 overall, falls to 3-12 in the Jayhawk West and 10 of those
losses are by six points or
fewer.
Hutchinson, 23-6 overall
and 10-5 in the Conference,
won the first meeting on a
three-point play with under a
second remaining.
Hands on
A Hutchinson defender put a hand on Cloud County’s Devon
Thomas Saturday night. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
Cloud County has seven
Jayhawk West losses by four
points or less.
“These kids have done a
tremendous job of continuing
to compete and fight through
some disappointing losses.
Hopefully, as we go down the
home stretch the character
Holmes breaks
scoring record, but
Panthers fall, 76-64
Concordia’s
Cooper
Holmes made history, yet
it was the Wamego Red
Raiders who were celebrating when the final buzzer
sounded.
Holmes poured in 39
points to become the alltime leading scorer in Concordia High School boys’
basketball history, but the
effort
record-breaking
came during a 76-64 North
Central Kansas League
loss to Wamego Friday
night in the Concordia
Junior-Senior High School
gymnasium.
Wamego had four players score in double figures
to overcome the scoring
outburst by Holmes and
get the win.
“There is more to basketball than records. We
really thought we had a
chance to beat Wamego.
They came out and shot
the lights out, and we really didn’t do a very good job
of contesting their shots.
They got a lead, and we
don’t play well from
behind,” Concordia coach
Michael Roe said.
Holmes, a 6-4 junior,
has now scored 1,540
career points, and surpassed the school record
of 1,531 established last
year by his older brother,
Grant.
“It is an amazing thing.
He set a new school record
in three years, and is second on our team in
assists. He has a knack for
putting the ball in hole,”
Roe said.
Holmes was 14 of 20
from the field, including
three of four from three-
point range, and 8 of 10
from the free throw line.
He has averaged better
than 40 points over in the
last four games.
Wamego used a balanced attack to offset the
big night by Holmes.
Dillon Blain led the Red
Raiders with 18 points.
Kyler Alderson scored 17.
Anthony Gamino and Eli
Miller added 16 each.
Wamego shot 58 percent
(30 of 52) from the field,
made 7 of 16 three-point
attempts and 9 of 10 free
throws.
“I thought when we had
a hand in their face they
missed some shots, but
they had too many open
looks,” Roe said.
Concordia led just twice
in the game. Each time by
two points and each time
in the first quarter.
The Panthers were up
10-8 when the Red Raiders
went on a 9-3 run to go on
top to stay, 17-13.
A layup by Jace Coppoc
left Concordia trailing just
17-15 heading into the
second quarter.
10
Coppoc
scored
points for the Panthers
“I thought Jace played a
really good game,” Roe
said.
The Panthers were trailing 25-22 in the second
period when Wamego put
together a 12-5 spurt to
open up a 37-26 advantage.
A three-point play by
Ian Nordell and a free
throw by Holmes closed
the gap to 37-30.
Miller scored off an
offensive rebound as time
Playing at home for the
first time this season, the
Cloud County Community
College baseball team
swept a doubleheader from
Highland Community College on Friday afternoon.
Emilio Foden tossed a
three-hit shutout as the
Thunderbirds
downed
Highland, 9-0.
Cloud County held on to
win the second game, 108.
Foden struck out eight
and walked just one in
seven innings of work.
Cloud County broke a
scoreless tie with two runs
in the bottom of the fourth
inning.
Sending 11 batters to
the plate, the T -Birds
erupted for seven runs in
the fifth inning to push the
lead to 9-0.
Trevor Reid had a threerun triple in the inning.
Cloud County finished
with nine runs on five hits.
Reid drove in four runs.
Jordon Haugen had two
hits and Bryce McMullen
knocked in two runs.
we have built through our
disappointments can lead to
our playing our best basketball heading into March,”
Cloud County coach Chad
Eshbaugh said.
Leading 30-26 at halftime,
the Blue Dragons pushed the
advantage to 47-34 with just
over 13 minutes to play.
Back to back three-point
shots by Ridell Camidge and
Creighton Brinker started a
10-0 Cloud County run that
made it a 47-44 game.
The two teams would
exchange baskets over the
next five minutes.
Trailing 56-53, the T-Birds
got a layup by Devon Thomas
and a free throw by Isaiah
Hicks to pull even at 56-56
with 3:59 to play.
Hutchinson would then
score the next eight points to
go up 64-56.
“We had a bad defensive
possession. Then we had a
couple of run out turnovers,
which we can’t defend. Those
are killers when you are in a
close ball game,” Eshbaugh
said.
Cloud County, trailing 6761, got a dunk by Brinker and
forced
a
Hutchinson
turnover.
Hicks grabbed an offensive
rebound and scored to close
the gap to 69-67 with 42 seconds left.
The T-Birds fouled Zach
Winter two seconds later, and
he missed both free throws.
Cloud County had an
Mad scramble
Concordia’s Chase Streeter, left, and Ian Nordell are involved
in a scramble for a loose ball during a loss to Wamego Friday
night. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
free throws to prevent
them from getting any
closer than the final margin of 12 points.
Nordell scored 12 points
and
grabbed
nine
rebounds for the Panthers.
Concordia shot 64 percent from the floor, but put
up just 36 field goal
attempts.
The Panthers had 16
turnovers and just four
offensive rebounds.
Concordia was six of
eight from three-point
range for 75 percent, and
12 of 15 from the line for
80 percent.
The Panthers host Clay
Center in the regular season finale, and will then
play in the Class 4A-Division II sub-state tournament in Colby on March
5-6.
ran out in the half to give
the Red Raiders a 39-30
cushion.
“We knew we had to
rebound the ball, and
make sure they didn’t get
putbacks,” Roe said.
Concordia was down
just
43-36
midway
through the third quarter
when Wamego got a threepoint play by Alderson, a
steal and layup by Alderson, a follow by Miller and
a baseline jumper by Blain
in a span of 1:25 to open
up a 52-36 lead.
“We had some tough
stretches where we didn’t
execute very well, and
Wamego took advantage of
that and put points on the
board,” Roe said.
A three-point basket by
Blain as time ran out in
the third quarter put
Wamego up 59-41.
Trailing 64-48 in the
final quarter, the Panthers
had Holmes and Coppoc
hit a pair of three-point
shots each and combine
for 16 points, but Wamego
connected on six straight
WAMEGO (76)
Totten 1-0-1 2, Gamino 5-1-2
16, Blain 6-4-3 18, Rowden 1-2-2 4,
Alderson 8-1-4 17, Hitch 1-1-2 3,
Miller 8-0-3 16. Totals: 30-9-17 76.
CONCORDIA (64)
Mares 1-0-4 3, Coppoc 3-2-4 10,
B. Bechard 0-0-1 0, E. Bechard 0-01 0, Nordell 5-2-2 12, Holmes 14-83 39. Totals: 23-12-15 64.
Scoring one run in the
second inning and three in
the third, the T -Birds got
out to a 4-0 lead in the second game.
Highland scored one
run in the fourth inning
and two in the top of the
fifth to close the gap to 4-3.
Taking advantage of
three Highland errors, the
T -Birds put up six runs in
the bottom of the fifth, and
led 10-3
The Scotties added four
runs in the seventh inning
and one in the ninth.
John Badgett pitched
five and two-thirds innings
to get the win. He allowed
three runs, one earned, on
five hits, struck out seven
and walked one.
Cole Otto, the T -Birds’
fifth pitcher in the game,
got the save. He struck out
one and walked one.
Zane
and
Cameron
Colton Kooser had two hits
and drove in two runs
each. Kooser also scored
two runs.
Jacob Wells knocked in
two runs.
CCCC sweeps twinbill from Highland
opportunity to pull even or go
on top, but turned it over.
“They guarded the first set,
and we didn’t want to settle
for a quick jump shot in that
situation. We ran a second set
later in the clock, and honestly got it where we wanted it.
Dev (Thomas) got the ball in
the paint. We got good spacing. Isaiah (Hicks) made a
hard cut, and could have had
a layup, and we just didn’t
execute it,” Eshbaugh said.
Hoffman made two free
throws, Brinker missed a
three-point attempt and time
ran out.
Brinker hit 7 of 16 field
goal attempts and his only
two free throws in leading
Cloud County with 21 points.
Hicks scored 13 points and
grabbed eight rebounds.
Thomas finished with nine
points and seven assists.
Austin Budke led four Blue
Dragons in double figures
with 16 points.
Bashier Ahmed scored 15
points. DeShawn Freeman
finished with 11 and Keanu
Pinder added 10.
Hutchinson was down 109 in the first half when it went
on a 10-3 run that included a
pair of threes by Ahmed, to
grab a 19-13 lead.
The Blue Dragons would
not trail again in the game.
Cloud County got as close
as two points, 34-32, on a
layup by Demonte Ojinnaka
early in the second half.
A 13-2 spurt put Hutchinson up 47-34.
Cloud County fought back
to tie the game, but couldn’t
overtake the Blue Dragons.
The T-Birds will finish up
the regular season with a
game at Barton Community
College on Wednesday night.
Cloud County FG FT
1-6 0-0
Camidge
4-7 0-1
Thomas
Garnes
0-0 0-0
Meyer
0-1 0-0
0-2 0-0
Smith
5-10 3-4
Hicks
2-4 4-4
Ojinnaka
Brinker
7-16 2-2
Singleton
1-7 3-6
Patrick
1-2 2-2
1-2 0-0
Williams
1-2 0-0
Kurash
23-60 14-19
Totals:
Hutchinson
FG FT
Bob
0-1 0-0
2-5 0-2
Winter
3-7 1-2
Hoffman
3-6 7-9
Ahmed
Robertson
0-0 0-0
Budke
7-12 1-3
1-2 4-4
Aly
4-7 2-3
Pinder
3-10 5-6
Freeman
Totals:
23-50 20-29
R
2
4
1
1
3
8
3
4
4
2
1
0
37
R
0
2
1
7
1
1
3
6
9
33
A
1
7
1
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
12
A
1
1
0
0
0
3
1
1
4
11
T
0
8
1
1
0
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
15
T
0
0
1
2
1
1
2
3
4
14
F
1
3
1
1
1
3
1
4
0
2
2
1
20
F
0
1
2
4
0
3
1
3
4
18
TP
3
9
0
0
0
13
8
21
5
4
2
2
67
TP
0
5
8
15
0
16
6
10
11
71
CHS has three
qualify for state
HAYS — Led by an individual champion Cameron
Miller, the Concordia Panthers had three wrestlers
qualify for the state tournament by placing in the top
four in the Class 4A regional
at Hays High School on Saturday.
Miller, a junior, went 3-0 on
his way to placing first in the
132-pound class.
Concordia freshman Zach
Strait earned a trip to state by
finishing second in the 106pound class.
Sophomore Gunner Rairden placed fourth in the 113pound class to advance to the
state tournament.
“I am very proud of the way
these young men competed at
regionals. They competed
with desire and determination, fighting until the very
end of their matches. The way
they competed showcased the
progress they have made over
the past few months,” Concordia coach Kevin Brown said.
The state tournament will
be Friday and Saturday at the
Bicentennial Center in Salina.
Concordia finished 10th as
a team with 74.5 points. Abilene captured the team title
with 169 points. Colby was
second with 158 and Smoky
Valley was third with 113.
After receiving a bye in the
first round, Miller (27-2) won a
5-0 decision over Tyler Whitson, Buhler. He then pulled
out a 3-1 win over Abilene’s
Caysen Smith, ranked second
in Class 4A.
Miller defeated fifth-ranked
Brett Schroeder, Colby, 5-2 in
the championship match.
Strait (40-5) pinned Tadin
Flinn, Hays, in 1:02 the opening round. He needed just
1:33 to pin Colin Henderson,
Chapman, in the quarterfinals.
Advancing to the semifinals, Strait squeezed out a 32 win over Dylan Bloom,
Wamego.
Strait, ranked sixth, then
lost a 12-0 major decision to
second-ranked
Austin
Eldredge, McPherson, in the
championship match.
Rairden received a bye in
the first round, and then
downed Andrew Trowbridge,
McPherson, 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
Second-ranked Tate Carney defeated Rairden 7-3 in
the semifinals.
Carney (45-0) pinned Tage
Withington, Goodland, in the
title match.
Rairden won an 8-4 deci-
sion over Angel Negron,
Wamego, in the consolation
semifinals. He the lost a narrow 3-1 decision to Logan
McDowell, Abilene, in the
third-place match.
Concordia had Rope Dorman (145), Tracer Workman
(152) and Jared Knapp (170)
come within one win of
advancing to state.
Dorman (9-16) lost by fall
to Aj Burenhiede, Rock Creek,
in the opening round. He
defeated Felix Strauss, Abilene, 3-1, and got past Erik
Lemon, Chapman, 3-2, before
dropping a 5-0 decision to
Austin Dale, Hays, in the consolation semifinals.
Workman (26-21) pinned
Tristan Neff, Wamego, in 1:12
and beat Ricky Mike, Goodland, by technical fall, 15-0, to
advance to the semifinals.
Thomas Rickley, Clay Center, pinned Workman
Workman was then pinned
by Nathan Nelson, Chapman,
in the consolation semifinals.
Knapp needed just 1:36 to
pin Gerell Miller, Goodland, in
the opening round. He lost by
fall to Tathan Burkhart, Hays,
in the quarterfinals.
Dropping in the consolation bracket, Knapp (21-17)
pinned
Kaelen
Dietze,
Wamego. He then lost by fall
to Jarrett Woofter, Abilene.
Concordia’s Isaac Sprague,
126 pounds, picked up two
wins.
Sprague (21-18) pinned
Thomas Brandt, Clay Center
in the opening round. Tucker
Rhoades, Thomas More PrepMarian, pinned Sprague in
the quarterfinals.
Sprague pinned Chaysen
Campion, Topeka Hayden, in
35 seconds.
Tristan Cooper, Goodland,
defeated Sprague, 6-3.
Concordia’s
James
McCabe, 120 pounds, was
beaten 3-0 by Cody Wuthnow,
Abilene. He was then pinned
by Cole Sutterfield, Chapman.
Gage
Canfield,
138
pounds, lost a 12-5 decision
to Austin Golden, Smoky Valley, in the opening round. He
was pinned by Paul Glover,
Rock Creek.
Austin
Higbee,
220
pounds, lost by fall to secondplace finisher Braydon Delziet, Hays. He was pinned by
Evan Standlea, Clay Center.
Steehl Limon, 285 pounds,
was pinned by number one
ranked, and eventual champion Jason Zook, Chapman. He
lost by fall to Nick Meis,
Thomas More Prep.
Top-ranked Hutch dominates CCCC
Top-ranked Hutchinson
completed the regular season sweep of the Cloud
County Thunderbirds with
a 78-48 Jayhawk Conference Western Division victory Saturday night in
Bryant Gymnasium.
The Blue Dragons, now
29-0 overall, clinched the
outright Conference championship by improving to
15-0.
Seward County, at 13-2,
is two games back with one
game remaining.
Cloud County, 11-18
overall, falls to 4-11 in the
Jayhawk West and tied for
seventh place with Colby.
The T -Birds finish up
the regular season at Barton County on Wednesday
night.
Hutchinson scored the
first three points in the
game, and would never
trail.
“Hutch is superior to us.
They physically dominated
us from beginning to end,”
Cloud County coach Brett
Erkenbrack said.
After falling behind 3-0,
the T -Birds got a basket by
Macy Davis to make it a 32 game.
Hutchinson would then
score the next nine points
to open up a 12-2 lead.
Cloud
County
went
nearly four minutes without scoring before Tai Nittler made it 12-4 with a
15-foot jumper.
With the T -Birds misfiring a number of open shot
attempts, the Blue Dragons
put together a 15-2 spurt
to go on top 27-6.
“Somebody has to have a
desire to score the basketball. To play a game like we
Blade-Empire Monday, February 23, 2015 5
couldn’t close the gap.
Hutchinson went on to
lead by 33 points, 75-42,
on its way to the lopsided
win.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Hutch.
They are a good ball team.
They are undefeated and
ranked number one for a
reason,” Erkenbrack said.
Cloud County got eight
points and five rebounds
from Davis.
Nittler scored seven
points.
The T -Birds were 20 of
61 from the field for 33 percent and 4 of 10 from the
free throw line.
“For the second game in
a row we only attempted 10
free throws. That is not
being very aggressive,”
Erkenbrack said.
Kalani Purcell scored 24
points and grabbed 12
rebounds for Hutchinson.
Cynthia Petke finished
with 20 points and 16
rebounds, and Clemence
LeFebvre added 12 points.
The Blue Dragons shot
48 percent (31 of 65) from
the floor and 91 percent (10
of 11) from the line.
Bumped from behind
A Hutchinson defender bumbs into Cloud County guard Alyssa
Steppe Saturday night. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
did tonight and not have
anybody in double figures,
it is telling,” Erkenbrack
said.
Cloud County was led by
Breannah Bretches with
nine points.
The T -Birds would get a
three-point basket by Katelyn Thomson to make it 279 with 8:24 to play in the
first half.
That is as close as they
would get.
Hutchinson had a 47-21
halftime lead.
The T -Birds scored the
first four points of the second half, but still trailed
47-25.
A 7-2 run gave Hutchinson a 54-27 cushion.
Cloud County was able
to exchange baskets with
the Blue Dragons over the
next five minutes, but
Cloud County FG FT
4-14 0-2
Bretches
Steppe
1-3 0-0
Farber
0-1 3-6
3-6 0-0
Nittler
1-9 0-0
Thomson
3-14 0-0
Skrastina
1-3 0-0
Idika
Lindshield
2-4 0-0
Davis
4-6 0-0
1-1 1-2
Flach
20-61 4-10
Totals:
FG FT
Hutchinson
Harding
3-5 0-0
Petke
9-16 22
Bloom
0-4 0-0
2-7 0-0
Madden
4-5 0-0
Jones
0-0 0-0
Daughhetee
8-18 8-9
Purcel
LeFebvre
5-10 0-0
31-65 10-11
Totals:
R
6
1
3
0
2
5
1
0
5
2
26
R
4
16
4
2
4
1
12
4
48
A
5
1
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
11
A
3
4
2
1
0
1
5
0
16
T
3
2
1
1
4
1
1
0
0
0
13
T
0
4
2
0
1
0
6
1
14
F
0
0
1
0
0
3
1
1
4
1
11
F
0
2
2
2
2
0
1
1
10
TP
9
3
3
7
3
6
2
4
8
3
48
TP
8
20
0
4
10
0
24
12
78
Panthers slip past Red Raiders, 54-52
Tristen Leiszler knocked
down two free throws with
1.9 seconds on the clock to
give the Concordia Panthers a 54-52 North Central
Kansas League win over
Wamego Friday night in the
Concordia Junior-Senior
High School gymnasium.
Leiszler’s heroics were
set up when Wamego’s Caitlyn Claussen missed two
free throws with eight seconds on the clock.
Concordia came away
with the defensive rebound,
and Leiszler pushed the ball
up the floor, penetrated the
lane and put up a shot that
bounced off the front of the
rim, but a foul was called.
Leiszler went to the line
and connected on both free
throws to give the Panthers
the 54-52 advantage.
Wamego was unable to
get off a shot attempt as
time ran out.
“I want the ball in Tristen’s hands. She did a good
job of getting in the lane,
getting fouled and making
her
shots,”
Concordia
coach Michael Wahlmeier
said.
Concordia improves to
11-6 overall and 5-4 in the
league.
Wamego, which had gone
through some recent turmoil with five players quitting and the announcement
that coach Jim Page would
be relieved of his duties following the end of the season, drops to 14-5.
Concordia trailed 41-40
after three quarters of play.
There were five lead
changes and two ties in the
final period.
Trailing 49-47, the Panthers got a three-point basket by Leiszler and a steal
by Maggie Lambert.
Lambert was fouled by 63 Lanie Page, who picked
up her fifth foul.
Page fouled out of the
game with 29 points.
Lambert made one of two
free throws, and Concordia
led 51-49 with 1:13 to play.
Tarah Henderson made
one of two free throws for
the Red Raiders, and Leiszler went one of two from
the line for the Panthers.
Wamego was down 52-50
when Tessa Seeberger
knocked down a pair of
charity tosses to tie the
game with 23 seconds left.
Concordia got the ball
inside
to
Cydney
Bergmann, but her short
shot wouldn’t drop, and
Claussen was fouled on the
rebound.
Claussen then missed
both free throw attempts.
“We were fortunate she
didn’t make them. We did a
nice job of rebounding and
getting the ball up the
floor,” Wahlmeier said.
Bergmann led the way
for Concordia with 21
points.
Leiszler finished with 20
points.
Wamego led 14-12 at the
end of the first quarter.
The Red Raiders then
outscored Concordia 6-3
the first 1:48 of the second
period to extend the lead to
20-15.
Five straight points by
Leiszler and four by Jordan
Eshbaugh put the Panthers
up 24-20.
A basket by Emma
Faulkner left the Red
Raiders trailing 24-22 at
halftime.
Concordia pushed the
lead to 30-24 early in the
second half.
Led by Page, the Red
MINNEAPOLIS — The
Concordia Kids Wrestling
Club had 13 wrestlers place
in the top three in the
Ottawa County Tournament on Saturday.
Kale
Schroeder,
52
pounds,
6-and-under;
Chane Parker, heavyweight,
6-and-under; and Layton
Kindel, 110 pounds, 12and-under, placed first in
the tournament.
Second-place finishers
include:
Dan Kuder, 43 pounds,
6-and-under; Trent Baker,
55 pounds, 6-and-under;
Drew Sterrett, 58 pounds,
8-and-under; Justus Trost,
88 pounds, 8-and-under;
Braxton Kindel, 67 pounds,
10-and-under; and Treyton
Gropp, 76 pounds, 10-and-
T-Birds go 3-2 in
Cowtown Classic
FORT WORTH, Texas —
The Cloud County Community College softball team
opened its season by going
3-2 in the Cowtown Classic
on Friday and Saturday.
Cloud County lost its
first game 8-3 to Ranger
(Texas) College.
Ranger scored six runs in
the top of the third inning.
Cloud County put up
three runs in the bottom of
the inning.
Ranger added one run in
the fourth and one in the
fifth to make it 8-3.
Alysha Somerton took
the loss for the Thunderbirds. She gave up eight
runs, six earned, on 10 hits
in six innings. She struck
out four and walked one.
Sami Zirkle had two hits
for Cloud County. Kennedy
Oberembt drove in two
runs.
Cloud County knocked
off Western Oklahoma State
7-4 on Friday.
Trailing 2-0, the T-Birds
scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Western Oklahoma State
picked up one run in the
third inning and one in the
fourth to make it 5-4.
Cloud County tacked on
single runs in the fifth and
sixth innings.
Lexi Durhkop pitched
four and a third innings to
get the win. She allowed
four runs on eight hits,
struck out two and walked
three.
Kylie Trobee worked two
and two-thirds scoreless
innings to get the save. She
gave up one hit and struck
out two.
Oberembt had two hits,
drove in three runs and
scored two.
Cloud County was beaten 7-5 by Seminole (Fla.)
State College.
Seminole State scored six
runs in the third inning and
one in the sixth to go on top,
7-0.
The T -Birds put up five
runs in the seventh inning.
Somerton gave up six
runs, five earned, in three
innings to suffer the loss.
Trobee allowed one run
on three hits in four
innings. She struck out
three and walked one.
Kasie Garrison drove in
two runs for the T-Bird.
Cloud County pounded
El Paso Community College
15-7 in five innings on Saturday.
The game tied at 5-5
when the T -Birds put up
nine runs in the bottom of
the third inning to go up 145.
Cloud County tacked on
one run in the fourth
inning.
El Paso scored two runs
in the top of the fifth.
Trobee pitched all five
innings to get the win. She
gave up seven runs, six
earned, on 10 hits, struck
out five and walked two.
Oberembt was 3-for-4 at
the plate. She drove in three
runs and scored two.
Trobee
was
3-for-4,
drove in two runs and
scored two.
Zirkle had three hits and
scored three runs.
Hannah Wolzen had two
hits, drove in two runs and
scored two.
Garrison and Jessie
Dixon knocked in two runs
each.
Cloud County capped off
the trip with a 5-3 win over
Western Texas College.
The T -Birds trailed 3-1
after three innings.
Cloud County scored
four runs in the bottom of
the sixth inning, and held
on for the win.
Duhrkop allowed three
runs, one earned, on six
hits in six innings to get the
win. She struck out two and
walked one.
Somerton
pitched
a
scoreless seventh inning.
She gave up one hit, struck
out two and walked one.
She also drove in two runs.
Three players scored in
double figures to lead the
Concordia High School junior varsity boys’ basketball
team to a 56-43 win over
Wamego Friday night the
Concordia High School
gymnasium.
Tyler Stupka paced the
Panthers with 18 points
Garrett Lawrence finished with 16 points, and
Matthew James added 11.
The game was tied 13-13
after one quarter of play.
Wamego pumped in 22
points in the second period,
to 14 for Concordia, and led
35-27 at halftime.
The Panthers limited the
Red Raiders to four points
in the third quarter, and
scored 19 to go up 46-39.
Concordia added 10
points in the final period to
four for Wamego.
Wamego defeated the
Concordia junior varsity
girls’ basketball team 41-36
Friday night in the Concordia High School gymnasium.
Cameron Collins had 11
points and seven rebounds
for Concordia.
Jennifer Garcia finished
with eight points and four
steals.
CHS JV wins, 56-43
Wamego tops Panthers
Tied up
Concordia’s Jennifer Boley, middle, gets tied up with Wamego
defender Friday night. (Blade photo by Jay Lowell)
Raiders went on a 17-4 run
to open up 41-34 advantage.
Page scored 10 of those
points.
A short jumper by Jennifer Boley, a follow by
Lambert and a steal and
layup by Bergmann pulled
the Panthers within a point,
41-40, heading into the
final quarter.
“When
we
played
defense, and picked it up on
that end, that is what got us
back into the game,”
Wahlmeier said.
The two teams then went
back and forth throughout
the fourth period before
Leiszler’s free throws gave
Concordia the win.
The Panthers finish up
the regular season by hosting Clay Center in a league
game Tuesday night.
under.
Ayden Krier, 43 pounds,
6-and-under; Logan Jackson, 46 pounds, 8-andunder; and Dustin Sterrett,
67 pounds, 10-and-under,
placed third.
The Concordia club had
six wrestlers place in the
top six at the Hutchinson
Tournament.
Eakins,
43
Warric
pounds,
6-and-under;
Carter Eakins, 58 pounds,
8-and-under; and Easton
Swihart, 61 pounds, 8-andunder, placed first.
Kameron
Knox,
85
pounds,
10-and-under,
placed third.
Koby Tyler, 61 pounds,
10-and-under, and Braxtin
Mason, 82 pounds, 10-andunder, placed fifth.
WAMEGO (52)
Page 11-6-5-29, Schwein 0-0-1 0,
Claussen 3-0-3 6, Seeberger 2-3-1 7,
Faulkner 1-0-2 2, Henderson 0-1-4 1,
Faiola 3-1-1 7. Totals: 20-11-17 52.
CONCORDIA (54)
Bergmann 8-5-2 21, Lambert 2-12 5, Collins 0-0-1 0, Eshbaugh 3-0-4
6, Boley 1-0-3 2, Leiszler 7-3-1 20.
Totals: 21-9-13 54.
Wrestling club has 13 place in tourney
Sports in Brief
The Associated Press
AUTO RACING
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Joey Logano, the driver
who has spent seven years trying to live up to impossible
expectations, raced to his first career Daytona 500 victory
as he continued to reward Roger Penske for catapulting
him into one of NASCAR’s top stars.
Nicknamed “Sliced Bread” when he broke into the Sprint
Cup Series at 18 because so many predicted him to be the
next big thing, Logano found himself searching for a new
job after four underwhelming seasons.
He was snatched up by Penske for the 2013 season after
being dropped by Joe Gibbs Racing, a move that jumpstarted his career. His victory in “The Great American Race”
on Sunday gave “The Captain” his second Daytona 500
title. Penske also has a record 15 Indianapolis 500 wins.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Joe Gibbs is unsure how
long Kyle Busch will be sidelined with a broken right leg
and left foot from a crash at Daytona International Speedway.
Busch had surgery on his right leg in Daytona after Saturday’s crash in the Xfinity Series race. His foot will be
examined when he returns to Charlotte, North Carolina, by
specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, Gibbs said.
Busch missed the season-opening Daytona 500. Twotime Truck Series champion Matt Crafton drove his No. 18
Toyota.
PRO BASKETBALL
MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh will miss the rest of the season after the Miami Heat announced blood clots were found
on one of his lungs.
Jacqueline Bigar’s Stars
By Jacqueline Bigar
A baby born today has a
Sun in Pisces and a Moon in
Taurus.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY for
Monday, Feb. 23, 2015:
This year you often are
unsure of yourself, as you
see many different paths
you would like to travel.
You are unusually idealistic at this point in your life,
and you try to see the best
in everyone. You also communicate with excellence.
At times, you could feel deceived by others, which is
the result of you not seeing the whole picture. Know
that this is just a phase. If
you are single, you could
meet someone quite exciting anywhere from August
on. Take your time getting
to know this person. If you
are attached, work on being
more realistic with your expectations of your sweetie,
and both of you will be happier. TAURUS is grounded.
The Stars Show the
Kind of Day You’ll Have:
5-Dynamic;
4-Positive;
3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult
ARIES (March 21-April
19)
*** Many thoughts will be
running through your mind
this morning. Take charge
and handle a matter that
has financial implications.
Tap into the recesses of your
imagination in a discussion.
As a result, optimism and
success will come together.
Tonight: Connect with a
dear friend.
TAURUS (April 20-May
20)
**** You might feel pressured, but you have the capacity to clear out what you
must. Stop judging your
performance. You will get
the job done, and quickly at
that. Confusion surrounds
you. Handle one matter at
a time. Tonight: Good news
heads your way!
GEMINI (May 21-June
20)
*** Read between the
lines in an early day conversation. Changes could result
from someone else’s suggestion. Finances might be a
key issue. The unexpected
will occur in a conversation.
If you expect less, you’ll get
more. Tonight: Get as much
R and R as possible.
CANCER (June 21-July
22)
**** You know what you
want, but you might not
think you have the energy
to get it. Tap into a friend’s
ideas, and you will know
that you’ll be OK. Take the
first step and reach out to a
loved one. Trust in this person’s confidence in you. Tonight: Run an errand or two.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
**** Assume your natural
role and get a conversation
moving. You might not realize it, but ultimately your
suggestions will define what
happens. You could be considering doing something
very different. Be willing to
experiment. Tonight: Out till
the wee hours.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
**** How you see a mat-
ter is often different from
how others see it. Today,
you’ll gain insight through
your ability to detach. Perhaps your response will be
different, as you are no longer so emotional and can
understand many facets of
the issue. Tonight: Read between the lines.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
**** Deal with others
directly, and you will be
pleased with the rapport
you establish and the tidbits
you hear as well. You can’t
help but make people feel
special, because you take
the time to listen to them.
Tonight: A friend drops in
on you and adds to the fun
of the moment.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov.
21)
**** You won’t intend to
challenge someone, but you
will do just that by pointing
out a problem. The response
you get could be quite subtle, yet how you deal with
this person might be complex. Give the other party
time to calm down. Tonight:
Say “yes” to an offer.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21)
*** The idea of diving into
a project will appeal to you,
but plan on fighting off distractions in all forms. Closing your door might not
work. Lighten up and face
facts: You probably are going to have to adjust your
schedule. Tonight: Choose a
favorite stressbuster.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)
*** You have focus, high
energy and creativity on
your side today. There could
be disagreement, but ultimately you’ll have the right
argument and make the correct choice. Be clear about
your approach. Ask for the
support you might need.
Tonight: Try out a wild lifestyle.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18)
**** You might feel the
need to stay close to home.
Your abilities to state your
feelings and your choices
could intimidate someone.
See what happens when
you speak in a more neutral
tone. Others are likely to
blossom and become much
more open. Tonight: Order
in.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20)
**** Speak your mind,
and listen to the responses
you get. Honor a change,
and be willing to go with it.
Just because you might not
agree does not mean you
need to back away. A partner or dear friend seems to
be slowly changing his or
her view on a key issue. Tonight: Hang out.
BORN TODAY
Actress Dakota Fanning
(1994), actor Peter Fonda
(1940), business magnate
Michael Dell (1965)
***
Jacqueline Bigar is on
the Internet at www.jacquelinebigar.com.
(c) 2015 by King Features
Syndicate Inc.
Blade-Empire, Monday, February 23, 2015 7
Anti-vaccine mothers discuss their thinking
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP)
– One is a businesswoman
and an MBA graduate. Another is a corporate vice
president. The third is a registered nurse.
These three mothers – all
of them educated, middleclass professionals – are
among the vaccine skeptics
who have been widely ridiculed since more than 100
people fell ill in a measles
outbreak traced to Disneyland. Critics question their
intelligence, their parenting, even their sanity. Some
have been called criminals
for foregoing shots for their
children that are overwhelmingly shown to be safe and
effective.
“Contrary to the common sentiment, we are not
anti-science,” said Michelle
Moore, a businesswoman
who lives in the affluent Portland suburb of Lake Oswego
with her 2 1/2-year-old twin
girls. “I’m not opposed to
medicine, and I think vaccines have a place. We think
it’s a medical choice, and it
should be researched carefully.”
The backlash, much of it
from people who fear unvaccinated children could infect
their own kids, has been so
severe that dozens of antivaccine parents contacted by
The Associated Press were
afraid to speak out. But a
handful of mothers agreed to
discuss their thinking.
Moore, an MBA graduate
who runs an agriculturerelated business, traces her
feelings back to the time she
took Lariam, a supposedly
safe anti-malaria medication. Instead, she said, the
drug saddled her with multiple health complications.
She questions whether the
government knew about the
risks at the time. Health officials now acknowledge Lariam can cause severe side effects, some of which can be
permanent.
That experience broke
Moore’s trust in the medical
establishment and launched
her on years of research
into how vaccines can affect
people’s health. When she
got pregnant, Moore and her
husband delayed immunization for Sierra and Savannah.
“It was not an easy decision,” she said. “The thought
of something happening to
them because we chose not
to vaccinate is terrifying. But
I have so many questions,
and I do think it’s the right
decision for our family.”
Nancy Babcock of Spokane,
Washington,
says
people who share her opinions “are being vilified and
ostracized.” Babcock, a vice
president at a bank, told her
daughter about her doubts.
Then her daughter and her
husband looked into the issue, and they decided not to
immunize their two children.
“In a community with
many young people, those
who don’t vaccinate are feeling a lot of pressure,” she
said.
Nationwide, parents who
seek an exemption from vaccine requirements are still in
a tiny minority. The median
total exemption rate for kindergartners during the 201314 school year was just 1.8
percent, according to the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. But some individual schools or communities have higher exemption
rates, at times approaching
60 percent or more.
The CDC says years of
testing are required before a
vaccine is approved, and the
shots are continually monitored for safety and effectiveness.
Anti-vaccination parents
include a mix of views —
from religious communities
to families practicing alternative medicine and libertarians who shun government
interference.
But many are Americans
with college degrees living
in liberal communities such
as Santa Monica or Marin
County in California and
Portland, said Gary Freed, a
professor of pediatrics at the
University of Michigan.
Most hesitant parents do
not avoid all vaccinations.
They typically under-vaccinate, either delaying the
shots until their child is older
or refusing certain vaccines
while continuing with others,
Freed said.
The parents who spoke
to AP recounted spending
hundreds of hours reviewing
medical studies, books and
news stories and networking
on social media. They cited
cases of children who were
supposedly hurt by vaccines
and the existence of a government-run vaccine injurycompensation program. And
they worried about the oversight of pharmaceutical companies that reap profits from
vaccines and are shielded
from liability when a vaccine
causes harm.
Moore said she read a
1998 study published in The
Lancet journal by Dr. Andrew
Wakefield, who raised the
possibility of a link between
the measles-mumps-rubella
vaccine, bowel disease and
autism. She said she knows
the study was later discredited and retracted. She believes the research was inconclusive.
Moore concedes that the
vast majority of studies show
vaccines are safe, but she
says some research points to
inconsistencies, unknowns
or negative effects that deserve further investigation.
And while autism is still
a concern, Moore and others also worry about how
exposure to chemicals, bad
nutrition and stress can affect genes and health. They
say large doses of synthetic
additives found in vaccines,
including aluminum and
mercury, can harm the im-
mune and digestive systems
and brain.
They’re believers in living
naturally and eating organic
food who also question the
safety of genetically modified
organisms, pesticides and
other common substances
such as flame retardants and
plastics.
“There are so many environmental toxins, but anything in my children’s world
that I can influence I do,”
Moore said.
The CDC has phased out
a mercury-containing preservative in vaccines as a
precautionary measure, and
the agency says vaccines
containing aluminum pose
extremely low risk to infants.
Federal officials also say
GMOs in foods are safe, as
are pesticides if used according to labels.
These parents say they
should be able to decide
whether their child undergoes a medical procedure —
a decision, they say, that goes
to the core of what it means
to have freedom of choice.
“I have the right to decide
what to put into my child’s
body,” said Heather Dillard,
a mom in Springfield, Missouri, who is also a registered
nurse. “Nobody has the right
to put toxic chemicals into
my son’s bloodstream. That’s
taking my rights away, and
it’s very scary to me.”
8 Blade-Empire, Monday, February 23, 2015
Obituaries
District Court
RICHARD “RICH” R. ROUSH
Richard “Rich” R. Roush,
44, Formoso, Kansas, beloved son, father, brother,
uncle and friend, died on
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, at
Cloud County Health Center, Concordia, Kan., from
complications because of a
sudden illness.
Rich was born May 14,
1970, in Grand Island, Neb.,
and was a longtime resident
of Formoso and Courtland.
He worked at Walmart in
Concordia, Kan., but also
worked as a welder, a laboratory assistant and handyman in Kansas, Nebraska
and Missouri.
He is survived by his
daughters, Danielle Roush
and Jordan Roush, Courtland, Kan.; his mother Elsie
Roush, Nebraska City, Neb.;
his brother and sister-in-law
Robert and Becky Roush,
Formoso, Kan.; his father
James Roush, Ionia, Kan.;
his brother Ronald Roush,
St. Joseph, Mo.; nephews,
Lucas and Weston Roush,
Formoso, Kan., Cadin and
Ethan Roush, St. Joseph,
Mo., and Allen Sramek,
Hays, Kan.; nieces Samantha Sramek, Hays, Kan., and
Lauren and Levi Roush, Formoso, Kan.; aunt and uncle-in-law Alice and Daniel
O’Neill, Nebraska City, Neb.
Services will be held at
2 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24,
Richard “Rich” Roush
at the Formoso Community Church, Formoso, Kan.,
with Pastor Gene Little officiating. Burial will be in the
Balch Cemetery, Formoso,
Kan.
Friends may call at the
Funeral Home, in Mankato,
from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday, and the family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8
p.m., Monday, at the funeral
home.
Contributions in memory
of Rich may be made to the
Formoso Fire Department,
c/o Melby Mortuary, PO Box
345, Mankato, KS, 669560348. Condolences may be
left online at www.melbymortuary.com
Arrangements under the
direction of the Melby Mortuary, Mankato, Kan.
FRANCES L. FOSTER
Frances L. Foster, 64, Concordia, died Feb. 20, 2015.
Courthouse
Nutter Mortuary, Concordia,
is handling arrangements.
Weather
CRIMINAL
Alejando Gonzales-Perez
appeared Feb. 11 and was
found Guilty and convicted of Speed Not Reasonable or Prudent, Driving
While License Suspended
and Transporting an Open
Container. For the speeding
charge he was ordered to
pay a fine of $100 and costs
of the action, $108 forthwith. For the driving while
license suspended charge
he was sentenced to the
custody of the Cloud County Jail for 30 days and ordered to pay a fine of $100.
For transporting an open
container he was sentenced
to the Cloud County Jail
for 30 days and ordered to
pay a fine of $100 forthwith.
Defendant’s sentences were
suspended upon payment
of costs and fines.
Matthew C. Seward appeared Feb. 18 and was
found Guilty and convicted
of Giving a Worthless Check.
He was ordered to pay costs
of the action, $158, restitution to the Cloud County
treasurer in the total sum
of $697.42 and an administrative handling fee of $20.
All payments shall be made
directly through the office
of the Clerk of the District
Court forthwith.
Clayton F.R. Holt appeared Feb. 12 an was
found Guilty and convicted
of Operating a Motor Vehicle
Under the Influence of an
Intoxicant, Second Offense.
He was sentenced to 12
months in the Cloud County Jail and ordered to pay
costs of the action, $108, a
fine of $1,000, a community
corrections fee (DUI fine) of
$250, an alcohol/drug testing fee of $40, a probation
supervision fee of $60 and
all other assessed fees. His
sentence was suspended
with the exception of a sev-
en day term, with Defendant being placed on supervised probation with Court
Services for 12 months following specific terms and
conditions.
Scott B. Novak appeared
Feb. 12 and was found
Guilty and convicted of
Leaving the Scene of an Accident. He was ordered to
pay a fine of $100 and costs
of the action, $108 and attorney fees of $50 by May
21. All payments shall be
made directly through the
office of the Clerk of the District Court, Cloud County
Courthouse by May 21.
Loren T. Hill appeared
Feb. 20 and was found
Guilty and convicted of Giving a Worthless Check. He
was sentenced to 12 months
in the Cloud County Jail
and ordered to pay costs of
the action, $158 and restitution to the American Legion in the sum of $375.50
and an administrative handling fee of $10 by April 8.
His sentence was suspended with Defendant being placed on unsupervised
probation for six months
following specific terms and
conditions.
LEGAL TRANSFERS
Quit Claim Deeds:
Glorianna M. Ford and
Everett L. Ford to Walter F.
Todd, lots 1 and 2 in block
32 north addition to the city
of Miltonvale, Cloud County
Kansas according to the recorded plat thereof.
Gloria M. Ford and Everett L. Ford to Kathy Lavoie,
lot 3 in block 193 in the city
of Concordia, Cloud County
Kansas.
LBJ Number 1 LP to LJT
Number 1 LLC, northwest
quarter exc. tr. beginning
25’ east and 50’ northwest
corner northwest quarter
south 155’ east 175’ west
to POB and Exc. Right of
Markets
Today’s weather artwork by
Chaz Roegge,
a 4th grader in
Mrs. Thoman’s class
Today’s weather artwork by
Carly Brown,
a 2nd grader in
Mrs. Lambert’s class
U.S. stocks drifted lower
in afternoon trading Monday, with energy stocks
among the biggest decliners
as oil prices fell. Investors
also weighed disappointing
U.S. home sales data and
the latest batch of corporate
earnings and deal news.
KEEPING SCORE: The
Dow Jones industrial average lost 54 points, or 0.3
percent, to 18,085 as of 1:12
p.m. Eastern. The Standard
& Poor’s 500 index lost five
points, or 0.3 percent, to
2,104. The Nasdaq composite dipped four points, or 0.1
percent, to 4,951. The market is coming off an all-time
high reached last week.
HOMES SALES PLUNGE:
The National Association
of Realtors reported that
sales of previously occupied
homes tumbled 4.9 percent
last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate
of 4.82 million. That brings
sales down to their lowest
level since last April. Weak
sales last year set up expectations of a strong rebound
this year, yet signs of that
resurgence have yet to appear. Homebuilder shares
slumped on the news.
Century Communities declined the most, shedding
98 cents, or 5.3 percent, to
$17.41.
LOCAL MARKETS -EAST
Wheat ...........................$5.06
Milo ......(per bushel) ....$4.59
Corn .............................$3.51
Soybeans .....................$9.30
Oats ..............................$3.25
AGMARK
LOADING FACILITY
LOCAL MARKETS - WEST
Wheat ..........................$5.06
Milo .....(per bushel) .....$4.59
JAMESTOWN MARKETS
Wheat ...........................$4.99
Milo ...(per bushel) ........$4.44
Soybeans .....................$9.25
Nusun .........................$17.15
way sec. 6-7-4 acres 152.20
and beginning 25’ east and
50’ south northwest corner
northwest quarter south
155’ east 175’ north 155’
west TO POB Sec. 6-7-4.
Jessyka Flax fka Jessyka
Shaffer to Nathan C. Shaffer, lot 7 of Troup’s subdivision of block 1 of Gaylord Matthews addition to
the city of Concordia, Cloud
County Kansas according
to the recorded plat thereof
and that portion of the vacated Fifth Street abutting
to said lot on the south.
Warranty Deeds:
Michael W. Swihart and
Jolene M. Swihart to Levi
D. Spicher, lot 16 in block
54 in the city of Concordia,
Cloud County Kansas according to the recorded plat
thereof.
Rita M. Ouelette to Mark
Budreau and Patricia Budreau, lots 4 and 5 in block
3 in Baldwin’s addition to
the city of Clyde, Cloud
County Kansas according to
the recored plat thereof.
Transfer on Death Deed:
Roger D. Anderson to
Annette Gallegos, Kimberly
Anderson and Dana Anderson-Pancoe, lot 19 of Sturges sub-division of block 8 in
Gaylord and Matthews addition to the city of Concordia, Cloud County Kansas.
EARLY HISTORY OF
CLOUD COUNTY
By H.E. Smith
A Jealous Ghost
This
search
revealed
nothing. He looked out of
the window. There was the
Chinese “candyman” with
his portable store on the entrance. Immediately behind
him was Joseph Wendt, the
cartman, lying upon his
back upon the tail of his
cart. He could even see the
steps leading into the building, and they were occupied
by a bootblack that he had
often patronized, and another cartman reading a
newspaper.
Inquiries failed to elicit
any information. Nobody
of a suspicious character
had issued from the building. Indeed, the boot-black,
an intelligent lad who had
been there for two hours,
and had seen everybody
that had come in or gone
out, named the people over.
Endeavors to fix upon the
person among his acquaintances, with a sufficient
motive for this assault, Mr.
Surden found equally vain.
He, however, took two precautions. He hired an officeboy and armed himself with
a revolver. He also had his
door fitted with a springlock which prevented it
from being opened from the
hallway without a key.
He was boarding at the
Merchants’ Hotel at this
time, and occupied a small
room on the fourth floor.
On Saturday afternoon,
July 29, about 3 o’clock,
while washing his hands
in his office, preparatory to
leaving the place, he was
struck again and knocked
over; the blow, as before,
falling upon the left side of
the head. He sprang to his
feet and, quickly obtaining
his revolver, made a rapid
search. But the room was
empty and the door locked.
The effects of the third
blow were more serious
than had been those of the
two previous, although, as
before there had been no
abrasion. The shock was
sufficient to temporarily
stun him, and the subsequent nervous prostration
was such that he rode to his
hotel in a coach and did not
leave his room all the next
day.
(continued)
Judy Lambert
Register of Deeds
Woman set for trial in
granddaughter’s death
GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) – A
prosecutor calls Joyce Hardin Garrard the “drill sergeant from hell,” a woman so
mean she made her 9-yearold granddaughter run until
the girl collapsed and died,
all as punishment for lying
about candy.
In court, the 59-yearold year old woman, plump
and with a ponytail, looks
like a typical grandmother
aside from a jail uniform
and shackles. And her attorneys argue Garrard’s beloved
granddaughter died because
of other medical problems,
not anything Garrard did.
Jurors will begin sorting
out the differing images and
medical conclusions this
week as Garrard goes on trial
in the death three years ago
of Savannah Hardin, a blondhaired girl known for her big
smile and love of reading.
If convicted of capital murder, Garrard could join only
a handful of other women on
Alabama’s death row.
Garrard’s trial follows repeated delays and years of
legal maneuvering by prosecutors and the defense,
much of it conducted without
public comment because of a
gag order imposed on attorneys, witnesses and others
by Etowah County Circuit
Judge Billy Ogletree.
Preliminary jury questioning concluded last week, and
final jury selection is expected this week. Opening statements will follow.
The child’s stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, is
charged with murder and
awaiting a separate trial for
allegedly sitting by as Garrard made the child run
for hours. No one is saying
whether Hardin will testify,
but prosecutors have subpoenaed her as a potential
witness.
The state also issued a
subpoena for Robert Hardin,
Savannah’s father and the
son of Joyce Garrard, and
Garrard’s husband Johnny
Garrard.
Robert Hardin filed a malpractice suit last year blaming his daughter’s death on
mistakes at Gadsden Regional Medical Center, where the
girl was rushed immediately
after collapsing outside the
family home on a big, wooded
lot in rural Etowah County.