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Joan’s neighbor invited Greg and Joan and another couple over for dinner. They live in an affluent suburb of Kansas City, and ever since the neighbors moved in, Greg and Joan have attempted to make small talk but found the new residents rather odd. Perhaps this was a break-through, a chance to see that their first impressions were wrong. Greg asked what they could bring for dinner but was told it would be catered, so they were to bring nothing.
My friend Joan shared with a group of us what happened when they arrived for dinner. The visiting foursome were brought into the kitchen and told to help themselves. On the stove was one covered pot. They were to use the tongs and grab one of the six hotdogs boiling in the pot. Six buns lie on a paper plate, ketchup and mustard were in their squeezable containers, and small bags of potato chips lie nearby. All were given water to drink. That was it: wieners, condiments, buns, chips and water. I’ve been to dinner at Joan’s. She puts her best palate forward when hosting guests. Appetizers are stunning, both in presentation and taste, and meals are feasts. Joan said that she and her husband avoided eye contact with the two couples for fear of bursting into hysterics. They looked for ways to praise the meal but could think of none. I mean, what do you say? “Your caterer really knocked herself out this time.” “Goodness, these must be Nathan’s all-beef wieners. Yum.”
The one-wiener-per-person miserliness was not nearly as objectionable as the conversation which centered around how the hosts had met. When the wife first was introduced to her (now) husband’s mother, the mother commented that she was shocked her son had a girlfriend because she “always thought he was gay.” Joan said the host showed no reaction, assuming this was not the first time he had heard his wife reveal that information. (You can’t make this stuff up.)
Joan and Greg are Christians and know that they are to love the unlovely. They realize that they need to be sharing Jesus with their unpleasant friends because very likely, that’s what God planned when the couple moved in next door. Since that night, however, she and her husband have avoided their neighbors. Our guilt-ridden friend questioned if they should reciprocate the dinner invitation in hopes of enlightening their neighbors to what real hospitality looks like. Still, she admitted, the food was the least of their concerns.
What made that woman divulge such private information about her husband in front of strangers? And how do those strangers then respond to such a comment? None of us had answers except that we Christians all live by the command “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And since this is a literal neighbor, well…ignoring them doesn’t seem to be a viable option. Joan shared that she is praying about the matter, but when we pressed her, she admitted that she is praying that her neighbors move. Although we all know God can’t be pleased with such a petition, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t be doing likewise.
KCC denies requests based on lack of jurisdiction and legal restrictions, but assures consumers state and federal level investigations continue
TOPEKA – The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) issued orders denying two motions filed by the Natural Gas Transportation Customer Coalition (NGTCC) relating to gas prices during February’s winter weather event.
The first motion asked the Commission to subpoena documents from S&P Global Platts Gas Daily relating to its daily price index. While acknowledging the concerns, the Commission order states that jurisdiction to investigate wholesale market manipulation lies with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which has already opened an investigation.
“While NGTCC may raise legitimate concerns, this Commission is simply not the forum for such an investigation. This Commission is focused on the behavior of its jurisdictional utilities and whether they acted reasonably and prudently, under the circumstances. However, if suppliers, traders, or other entities engaged in market manipulation or price gouging within the wholesale market, as NGTCC posits, FERC’s investigation is intended to uncover such actions.”
The second request was that invoices from Kansas Gas Service’s suppliers be made public. In denying that motion, the Commission determined that supplier invoices satisfy the definition of “trade secret” as defined by K.S.A. 60-3320 and are protected as propriety information as set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Kansas Supreme Court. The order notes that giving the public access to the invoices would not aid the Commission in its investigation because the KCC’s Staff, NGTCC, and all other parties to the docket, including the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the Commission itself, already have full access to the documents. The Attorney General’s office is investigating February’s wholesale gas prices as part of its consumer protection probe.
“Therefore, between Staff, CURB, and the AG, the general public is well represented in this proceeding. NGTCC has not demonstrated that disclosure will benefit the public interest. Conversely, the record demonstrates disclosure of the information as requested in NGTCC’s motions holds great potential to harm current and future Kansas natural gas customers through higher purchased gas costs. A general argument in favor of transparency cannot outweigh this very real harm to customers.”
All regulated Kanas utilities are required to work with the KCC to determine how the February gas prices will be passed on to ratepayers. While Federal and State investigations into the matter continue, the Commissioners emphasized their expectation that Kansas natural gas consumers will be compensated in the future if price gouging or market manipulation is uncovered.
A recording of today’s business meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqpQsXpdarE
The orders are available on the KCC website: http://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx?Id=d939fd87-7d2a-493a-9a58-cdb7a4fd9675 http://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx?Id=49f602f8-af94-4b45-b495-12c61088ac3b
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to remove the countries Martinique and Georgia. An unvaccinated individual should quarantine if they meet the following criteria:
The travel and mass gathering quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.
For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit their website.
For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel or mass gatherings if they meet all of the following criteria:
Persons who do not meet the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel or mass gatherings.
Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.
The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates — approximately 3x higher — are added to the list.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.
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The First United Methodist Church, 301 S. National, will host a drive-through soup lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, October 15, 2021.
The soups available to order will be potato, chicken noodle, and chili with cake for dessert.
Any free will donation received will be used by the Hospitality and Outreach Committee for their programs in the community and the church.
Meals will be served under the drive-through of the building.
Submitted by Marla Gorman,Administrative Assistant, First United Methodist Church