MANHATTAN, Kan. — A draft of regulations for the Commercial Industrial Hemp Program in Kansas is now available for public input on the Kansas Department of Agriculture website. The draft was developed by KDA and will be available for public review by the industrial hemp state advisory board and stakeholders. An Industrial Hemp Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for August 30 to discuss the draft of the commercial regulations.
The draft can be found at agriculture.ks.gov/IndustrialHemp, and comments may be submitted there or emailed to [email protected] through September 13. Following this public input stage, all feedback will be considered in revising the regulations prior to beginning the next step in the formal adoption process.
As part of the formal adoption process, the regulations will be reviewed by several entities, including the Division of Budget, Department of Administration, the Attorney General, and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations. In addition, they will be subject to a public hearing which will be announced in the Kansas Register 60 days prior to the hearing. The state’s Commercial Industrial Hemp Program plan also must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA is expected to provide the “Final Rule” on the establishment of a domestic hemp production program in late August 2019.
We want to make sure everyone is aware of the Wreath Ride taking place tomorrow (Saturday) and that the convoy will be coming down Main Street starting at 11am. Registration will take place at 3rd & Main from 9-10:30am. CFI will have 8 military wrapped trucks in attendance. All vehicles are welcome to participate! All money raised will go towards Wreaths Across America to purchase Wreaths for the National Cemetery. This is the first time all EIGHT military wrapped CFI trucks will be in one place. All are welcome to come watch the convoy.
City Commission approved street closure on Main Street between 1st & 3rd St. from 8:30am to 11:30am.
Click here to view the Wreath Ride Facebook page for more info.
Caleb Kasper works on a cell phone for a customer. Submitted photos.
A little over a year ago, Caleb Kasper, 15, created a business to meet a need.
He repairs damaged and broken Apple cellular products, such as iPhones and tablets.
“I started to repair iPhones because a couple of years ago I broke a brand new iPhone I had just received,” Kasper said. “I started to look around for a non-expensive way to repair it. After looking for several days, I realized there should be an easier and more affordable way to simply get your phone in good working condition again.”
He is the son of Natalie Taylor and Teddy Kasper.
” With help from my dad, and some specialized training, I taught myself to repair many aspects of an iPhone,” he said.
His mom helps with marketing.
“My mom has helped me with advertising using Facebook and other social media apps,” he said.
“Now, that I’ve repaired iPhones for several people, who have been pleased with my work, they have recommended me throughout the community,” Kasper said.
Rhonda Pinkerton was one of his recent customers and nominated Kasper for the feature.
“I feel like it is a good service that is not offered here in town and could benefit a lot of people,” Pinkerton said. “He fixed a broken phone screen for me… He was great to work with and made it quick and easy.”
Kasper is self-taught and able to repair broken cell phone screens. Submitted photos.
He can be reached to set up an appointment and get a quote by phone/text at 620-215-4706 or
Karen Gordon, 56, is the new technology teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.
Gordon retired in May from teaching in Missouri after 27 years.
She is a Nevada, MO native.
“I’ve had numerous jobs in education while at Nevada,” she said. “Most recently I was one of the middle school counselors. I have also been the counselor at Truman Elementary, school psychological examiner for the district, taught fifth-grade, gifted, keyboarding, and seventh-grade science.”
Gordon has a bachelor of arts degree from UMKC and a master of science from PSU, both in elementary education.
“I also have numerous hours in counseling from MSU,” she said.
Her husband, Tom Gordon, and she have one son, McCade Gordon, who is a sophomore at Mizzou.
Outside of school, she likes attending Broadway shows, her son’s concerts, walking, and “hanging out with friends,” she said.
“The best part of teaching, for me, is getting to shape young minds and show them that their only limits are those they place on themselves,” she said.
Her greatest challenge this year will be going back into the classroom after being in counseling for the last six years, she said.
Hurricane season is nearing, and we who live in Florida are being prepped with expert advice. The latest came from our trash removal service via the neighborhood newsletter. Apparently keeping our yard vegetation trimmed is key. We need to “thin out foliage so that wind can flow freely through branches, decreasing the chance of uprooting trees or plants.” That small step will prevent damage to cars, houses and people. Two years ago, according to the article, because of Hurricane Irma’s vegetative debris left on the ground, it took three months and cost more than $30 million to collect and dispose of all the waste.
Fortunately, Dave and I are renting in an area where the yard work is handled by professionals. That probably saves our neighborhood because my dear husband loves to prune (i.e., shred). He, a snip sniper, believes that plants and bushes need to end up basically at ground level so they can “start over.” Butchering more shrubs than I can count, Gardener Dave claims that his method will help the plant grow, bear better fruit and improve its appearance…which, given 30 or 40 years, is a possibility. Don’t get me wrong. I know that pruning is necessary, but it should be purposeful, not random from a Paul Bunyan wannabe who lights up at the thought of tinkering with an axe.
In the June update of “The Spruce,” the author calls pruning “tough love…(which) keeps (plants) healthy and encourages fresh, new growth and renewal.” Lopping off those sprigs or limbs keeps them from sapping the energy of the healthy part of the plant (you know, the part Dave has mutilated). If not pruned, the dead spreads and kills the entire plant.
Jesus knew all about pruning and used that analogy when instructing his disciples (and us) on what is necessary to thrive.I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2).
Pretty simple. If we are fruit-bearers (bringing glory to God by discipling others), He, as the grand gardener, prunes to increase fruitfulness so the storms of life won’t leave irreparable damage in our lives. Pruning might mean we lose wilted relationships, superfluous possessions, unimportant status, lifeless habits, etc., but if that temporary loss causes us to rely more on God and less on what we think we need, we will bear more spiritual fruit.
One way God prunes is through His word, the Bible, where we learn of behaviors that sap our energy and keep us from maturing in our Christian walk. Removing the undesirable sin- branches frees us to grow. Hebrews 4:12 explains the importance of allowing the Bible to dictate how we live: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The questions remain: What in your life needs to be pruned? Perhaps there is something that creates a drain on you, and even though “good,” it is not “best.” Aleasha Morris of “Leadership Vision” wrote of the benefit of spiritual pruning: “Finding and removing what chokes our life can help us to breathe deeper, spread wider, and grow higher than we ever thought possible.”
Sounds like a plan to me. I just pray it doesn’t take 30-40 years to get there.
All hands on deck! As a busy and productive summer comes to a close, every staff member, friend with a hammer, and tradesman in Bourbon County has gathered for the final push to make our new campus ready for the start of school. On September 2nd, we’ll welcome around 30 exemplary young men across 9th, 10th and 11th grades for our second year. With a waiting list developing for each class, our challenge in the years to come will not be finding students, but rather building our campus at a rate commensurate with such strong demand. Deo gratias!
It promises to be an exciting year and we’re delighted to introduce you below to some wonderful men and women who will be joining our faculty as well as a couple of programs that exemplify our commitment to an education for boys that roots bold innovation in time-tested tradition.
Saint Martin, pray for us!
Duc in Altum,
Daniel Kerr, President
Patrick Whalen, Headmaster
The Last Homely House
We’re almost there! It has been an adventure since we first broke ground on Theotokos Hall and the hard work and persistence from our team and supporting community is about to pay off. Theotokos Hall, home and hearth to future generations of St. Martin’s students, is a structure built to endure the test of time and we cut no corners in making her worthy of honoring Our Lady.
The Hall of Fire in Rivendell represents the place where tradition is passed on through story, where meaning is revealed, where language expresses itself in the making and interpretation of worlds. The ambience of fire, of a friendly hearth where all strangers are made welcome and find consolation, speaks of a place where humanity can take root and flourish, a true home – the “Last Homely House.” Here prose is subordinate to poetry, and poetry to song. – Stratford Caldecott, Beauty in the Word
New Faculty
We are very pleased to welcome some incredibly talented and good men and women to our humble assembly. We are now a faculty of 15. For pictures and full bios, please see our About Us section on our website.
Ginger McElwee, History Teacher and Librarian Ryan Bauer, Math & Natural Sciences Teacher Danielle Bauer, Secretary Giorgio Navarini, House Father Roger McCaffrey, House Father Joshua Gieger, House Father Jack Karleskint, Construction Trades Program Lead Instructor
Announcing our Construction Trades Program
Every Wednesday afternoon, our boys will join local legend and recently retired General Contractor Jack Karleskint for a 4-hour hands-on workshop in carpentry and construction. This Construction Trades Program is a nationally recognized 2-year certification and is administered through the Fort Scott Community College. The curriculum comes from Southeast Kansas commercial building stalwart, Crossland Construction.
We are grateful to Jack, FSCC and Crossland for making such a valuable program possible for our boys!
Read more about how this program integrates with our curriculum at St. Martin’s.
Bon Voyages Les Garcons!
On September 7th our Juniors will embark on an 9-week journey across France, Spain and Italy. Curated and led by St. Martin’s Senior Faculty members and House Father Josh Mincio, our study abroad program will bring our students into direct contact with the physical reality that was Christendom and offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience the cultural roots of Western Civilization.
A rough sketch of our itinerary: Weeks 1, 2 & 3 – Afoot in France: Paris, Chartres, Tours, Normandy Beach, Mont St. Michel, the Vendee and Chavagnes International School Weeks 4 & 5 – Spiritual Retreat at the Benedictine Abbey of Fontgombault Weeks 6 & 7 – Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Weeks 8 & 9 – The Eternal City
Down on the Farm
St. Martin’s Farms is readying for our second year as a diversified operation that includes pastured hogs, dairy cattle, katahdin sheep, meat chickens, egg-laying chickens, geese and rabbits. This year in particular we will be ramping up our dairy and egg-laying operation. We added three beautiful Jersey cows to our existing herd of three and all six are due to calve in September and October! We expect an abundance of fresh milk out of the dairy barn and should collect between 70 and 80 eggs a day from the layers. Bolstering these two areas will go a long way towards providing critical healthy fats and proteins to the boys’ diet.
Above: Rising Junior Israel Meyers refining his hand-milking technique on Molly the Jersey Cow
Join the Cause!
St. Martin’s is changing the landscape in secondary education and disrupting an ineffective and unimaginative status quo. Please consider giving generously to our Raise the Rafters Campaign with a one-time gift or pledge. No gift is too small (or too large!) and will be stewarded carefully as we build a campus for generations to come.
I teach in a charter school in Texas, and I see daily the effects on children of sitting in a desk for 8 hours and then playing video games after school. This model produces passive, pusillanimous boys whose goals are avoiding work, gaming, and inventing cool-sounding excuses for their failures. Absorbed in the world of technology, they miss both the supernatural and the natural worlds which surround them.
I am deeply grateful to Dan Kerr and Patrick Whalen, along with all the teachers and staff of St. Martin’s, for creating an environment in which boys can truly thrive and grow to become the men that God wants them to be. The trajectory of my son’s life, and those of countless other boys, has been changed permanently by your work.
Event highlights latest information to help producers make key decisions, say organizers
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Health management of high-risk calves, humane euthanasia practices, beef cattle market outlook and a panel discussion on beef parasite control are among the topics planned for theKansas State University Beef Stocker Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 19.
“We are excited to host the 20th annual edition of the KSU Beef Stocker Field Day,” said Dale Blasi, a professor of animal sciences and beef cattle extension specialist. “Like all the other events in the past, we bring the latest information on marketing, nutrition, health and technology for attendees to apply to their operation.”
Hosted at the K-State Beef Stocker Unit (4330 Marlatt Ave. in Manhattan), the event starts with registration and coffee at 9:30 a.m. and the program at 10:15 a.m. Niman Ranch will provide a prime ribeye lunch, and the day ends with an evening socialfeaturing prairie oysters and Call Hall ice cream.
Attendees will have a chance to win door prizes, including a fishing trip, ATV sprayers and more. Attendees can also tour the new student housing at the Beef Stocker Unit.
Topics for this year’s agenda include
Beef Cattle Market Outlook
Changing Industry Structure is Forging a Closer Relationship Between Grow Yards and Feeders
Internal Parasite Management
Quality Stocker Production Considerations
Humane Euthanasia Practices
BeefBasis: Better Information for Better Marketing Decisions
Health Management of High-Risk Calves
Panel Discussion: Beef Parasite Control
This year’s event is sponsored by Bayer Animal Health. The pre-registration fee is $25 if paid by Sept. 10. More information and online registration is available at KSUBeef.org. After Sept. 10, attendees must pay $35 on site.
For more information, contact Lois Schreiner at 785-532-1267 or [email protected].
Prisoner Review Board changes Topeka location for public comments in September
The Kansas Prisoner Review Board (PRB) will hold the Topeka public comment session on September 20, at 8:30 a.m., in the Florentine Room of the Jayhawk Tower, 700 SW Jackson St.
Previously, the session was scheduled to be held at the Topeka Municipal Court House, which will be closed September 20.
Members of the public who would like to comment on any of the offenders eligible for parole in November 2019 may attend.
Larry Joe Beck, age 65, a resident of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, August 21, 2019, at his home.
He was born April 11, 1954, in Ft. Scott, Kansas. He graduated from the Ft. Scott High School and Fort Scott Community College.
He went on to receive his BS Degree in Nursing from Pittsburg State University. Larry Joe married Mary E.Evans on September 19, 1975, at Devon, Kansas. He worked as a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Ft. Scott.
He later served with the United States Air Force during Operation Desert Storm where he served as a clinical nurse. Following his military service, he worked as a surgical nurse for Doctor’s Hospital in Springfield, Missouri and Cox Hospital in Monet, Missouri.
Larry Joe enjoyed reading, welding and playing golf. He also was a licensed pilot. He was a past member of the Devon United Masonic Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Mary, of the home in Mt. Vernon; his daughter, Samantha Beck-Paciorek (Andrew), of Baxter Springs, Kansas and his son, Jordan Beck (Angela) of Willard, Missouri and six grandchildren, Gaige, Danielle, Jaden, Maycie, Jackson and Adalyn. Also surviving is his mother, Yvonne Beck; a sister, Susie Arvidson (Chris) of Ft. Scott and three half-brothers, Charles Jajdelski, of San Diego, California, Ron Jajdelski, of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Bob Jajdelski of Arizona.
He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Beck; a granddaughter, Charlotte and a half-brother, Mike Jajdelski.
Graveside services with military honors will be held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, August 26th at the U. S. National Cemetery in Ft. Scott, Kansas.
Family and friends may meet at the Cheney Witt Chapel prior to leaving for the cemetery at 10:45 A.M.
Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Johnnie L. Harrison, age 60, resident of Arcadia, KS, died Wednesday, August 21, 2019, at Via Christi Village in Pittsburg, KS. There was cremation. Services will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main.
Shawn and Savannah Pritchett are seeking teams for an inaugural slow pitch ball tournament next Saturday as part of the Old Settler’s Picnic festivities in Uniontown.
The game is scheduled for 9 a.m. on August 31 at the Don Dennis Ball Park at West Bourbon Elementary School.
The cost per team is $100, with a deadline of 6 p.m. tomorrow, August 23.
