Governor’s statement on the passage of Senate Bill 9
The following statement is from Governor Laura Kelly on the passage of Senate Bill 9, a $115 million payment to KPERS to make up for years of delayed and eliminated payments:
“After years of delayed, reduced and eliminated pension payments to prop up a failed tax experiment, it is encouraging to see lawmakers act responsibly to fix past mistakes. However, Senate Bill 9 does little to address ballooning KPERS payments in future years, and it does nothing to stabilize state finances as a whole. In January, I put forward a commonsense, structurally balanced budget that tackled our most urgent priorities, paid down debt, rebuilt our state savings, all without raising taxes.
“While I’m eager to compromise with Republican leadership on policy proposals, I will not compromise Kansans’ commitment to fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. I’m hopeful that Republican leadership will join me in that effort and come to the table to offer reasonable ideas so we can avoid the mistakes that made Senate Bill 9 necessary in the first place.”
There will be music entertainment for the Kiwanis Pancake Feed on Tuesday, February 26.
“We will have music from various artists throughout the day from 11 am to close at 6:30 pm,” said Ralph Carlson, coordinator.
Featured artists will include the Miller family, Leta and Mike who play gospel and classic country. Also featured are Carolyn Tucker, piano and vocal, David Prickett, classic country and gospel, vocal and guitar;Floyd Feezell, vocal; The Sekanaires Quartet and Ralph Carlson.
“The Kiwanis Club appreciates the time and talents of our friends and we are excited about the really fine talent lineup,” Carlson said. “The group is composed of many of our regular contributors at the Friday Night Concert Chamber sponsored series. The Key Club will be there to assist with the service and festivities. They are also a vital part of the Kiwanis Pancake Feed project.”
Kale Nelson and staff of the State Farm Insurance Agency. From left Chalia Swank, licensed representative; Nelson, agent, and Rebecca Ballou, receptionist. Not pictured is Sharon Campbell who works part-time as a customer service representative.
State Farm Insurance Agent Kale Nelson has moved to a more easily accessed location.
“It’s one of the best locations in Fort Scott, being at the intersection of 69 Hwy. and South National Avenue,” Nelson said.
“There is a tremendous amount of traffic, he said.
The new address is 1805 S. National, in a building that is still in the process of being totally renovated.
Today, the parking lot of the property was being graveled for customers, and they are still in the process of settling in the building, Nelson said.
Demolition of the interior of the building started last summer and Nelson and his staff moved on February 19, he said.
“I’m thrilled with the way it turned out,” Nelson said. “There is a little more work to do.”
Besides purchasing his own business property, investing in the community was a goal Nelson had in the renovation.
“It was important to make an investment in a historical building,” Nelson said.
“We’ve had a lot of people share stories about the property (and its many transformations),” he said.
Nelson has been a State Farm Agent since 2005.
Working with people drives him, he said.
“I really enjoy helping people put their protection plans in place….life, some health, home, auto, business, bank… a large range of offerings. Help them overcome what deficiencies they have with the best value for their dollar,” he said.
Hours of operation for the business is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and evenings by appointment.
“The Saturday morning hours are for people who can’t get in during the week,” Nelson said
Attorney Justin Meeks will also have an office on the property when his section of the building is completed.
The new State Farm Insurance office is located at 1805 S. National, this photo was taken a few weeks ago. The building is located at the intersection of 69 Hwy. and South National Avenue.
Department of Corrections Secretary Cautions Lawmakers to Consider Costs of Their Decisions During Testimony
Topeka, Kan. — During his neutral testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee this week regarding Senate Bill 80, which would expand the definition of weapon, Department of Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz reminded lawmakers to consider a series of questions and its subsequent impact on the Kansas Department of Corrections. The proposed change would add the word “ammunition” to law thus raising the severity level of the penalty resulting in lengthening prison sentences for criminals. On the surface the change may seem to impose relatively little impact for the Kansas Department of Corrections, however, he offered another perspective with a series of questions.
Those questions included:
What is the purpose of the legislation and the change in penalty? Is it to deter people from committing this offense? Is it simply to incapacitate them for a longer period of time?
If the goal is deterrence, I would ask you to consider how many convicted felons will be aware of this legislation or will know that someone with a criminal history of two non-person felonies will move from presumptive probation with an underlying prison sentence of 11 to 13 months to a presumptive prison sentence of 25 to 29 months. I would argue that these folks will not do a cost benefit analysis of possible penalties and decide not to commit the crime because of the new sentences proposed. The fact is, these offenders don’t think they will be caught or simply don’t think at all.
If the goal is incapacitation, how much more public safety will we buy by increasing prison time by 14 to 16 months, especially if the department does not have the program capacity to address the criminal behaviors that resulted in incarceration? We can certainly prevent offenders from doing much harm while imprisoned, but incapacitation is a very expensive strategy to pursue.
Werholtz cited legislative research requested by Rep. Ward Loyd in the past to determine how many changes were made to sentencing law for a multi-year period beginning in 2005. It was found that 108 changes to sentencing statutes were made. Of those 108 changes, 97 increased penalties.
“When considered independently, each of those decisions may seem to have insignificant impact on the Department of Corrections. However, the cumulative effect has considerable impact on our operations,” Werholtz said in his written testimony. “I chose to highlight this issue, with this legislation, because I think it is a good example of what can happen if we don’t look at the long-term consequences of a change.”
Secretary Werholtz provided a parallel of a truck that continued to have its cargo area loaded with more items. As more and more content is loaded into the truck it could seemingly handle the additional load, but eventually, he hypothesized, the load becomes too much and the truck’s chassis breaks and the truck is unable to be operated anymore. Similarly, the prison system, which is over its capacity will exceed its tipping point too.
“You are no doubt aware by now that we have insufficient space to house our population, insufficient staff to properly supervise them, and insufficient programming to effectively treat them,” Werholtz said in his written testimony. “My request is that, when considering all legislation impacting the size of KDOC’s inmate population, please be prepared to provide the necessary resources to safely house and treat them. Our current trajectory is unsustainable. Your careful consideration of this request is appreciated.”
King Solomon, known for his wisdom, certainly made his fair share of mistakes. As ruler of a vast kingdom, he decided to change the original boundaries of the 12 tribes of Israel into 12 “tax districts,” each managed by an overseer, as a way of supporting his lavish lifestyle. Let the corruption begin. After Solomon’s death, only two tribes were left, Judah and Benjamin.
My personal Bible study this past few weeks has been in the book of Ecclesiastes. Written by Solomon, it looks at “life under the sun” (i.e., corruption, incompetent leaders, repeat criminals, materialism, and a desire to return to the “good old days”—sound familiar?). He addresses man’s search for happiness and the futility in that search as people desire explanations for what is going on around them. Where is Wisdom when you seek it?
Maybe you’ve been there. You feel like your world is imploding and you can’t figure out what you’ve done to deserve it. After all, you’re honest. Hard-working. Moral. Yet, life is handing you lemons, and you’re fresh out of sugar. Not even your new F-150 pick-up truck offers lasting happiness, and if that can’t do it…what can?
According to Solomon, nothing “under the sun.” He wrote that, apart from Heaven, some things have no explanations, and, more importantly, we Christians are to live by promises, not explanations. So, why do we continue to search for answers to our “Why’s”? Probably the same reason Adam and Eve did. Ignoring God’s advice not to bite into the fruit, they found His warning—“to gain knowledge of good and evil”– to be true all right, but instead of life being “more perfect” (impossible by definition), they were alienated from God. From delighted to devastated in one nibble. And we have been gnawing on the same fruit ever since.
We are fools if we think, like Adam and Eve, that an increase in knowledge will produce an increase in happiness. Think of the inventions that promised to improve our lives with little thought for the downside that accompanies them. Computers with pornography. Televisions with immorality and negativity. Automobiles with pollution. Pesticides and genetically-modified foods with cancer. Cell phones with bullying and sexting. Diet Coke with headaches.
Commercials promise that Princess Cruise ships will fill our pleasure needs, yet, after several thousand dollars spent, we remain as restless as ever. A good friend of mine owns a famous restaurant in New York. Recently, after finding that $350-per-person meals still lack a joy-gene, a “dream-weaver” was hired to add the special touches to the person’s dining experience. That happened after a couple was overheard discussing their world travels, and here they were in the Big Apple, flying out the next morning, and still had not eaten a famous New York dirty-dog. Immediately the owner was alerted, ran outside and returned with two hotdogs. The couple was ecstatic. I’m betting that even those “doggie treats” fail to provide long-term satisfaction. A smile, perhaps, but not perpetual happiness.
Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship ministry, once said, “Life isn’t like a book. Life isn’t logical, or sensible, or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived in the midst of that mess.”
Solomon would agree…after the first ten chapters of Ecclesiastes, that is. Something changes. No longer does he conclude that life is not worth living, for now, as opposed to looking “under the sun,” he looks “above the sun” (i.e., where God lives). He concludes with four principles. Life is: an adventure (Live by faith, so expect the unexpected); a gift (which we are to enjoy); a school (where daily learning occurs); and stewardship (a blessing by giving). Once we accept that, Wisdom wins.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce has three business card ad openings for the March-April table tent ad distribution.
“If you are not familiar with the Chamber Table Tent, this is a list of events and advertisements that we distribute throughout the community every two months,” said Monica Walden, administrative assistant at the Chamber. “The ads for the table tent can be anything that you see fit to advertise for your business. The ad is $50 and it will be on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested, please email me back by Monday, Feb. 25th by 3:00 pm.”
We ask that your nominations are primarily, if not all,Chamber members.
Thank you for your careful consideration. The Chamber feels it is important to recognize individuals and businesses in our community to make the Fort Scott area a better place to live, work and play.
