By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN Special to Hays Post

Members of the Hays High School boys’ swim team were introduced to their third head coach in as many years last October.

Tyler Stein, a Fort Hays State University student now with the title of Coach, has the Indians believing in themselves and their talent—so much so that the small squad of 11 hopes to make history next month.

The Indians will battle other Western Athletic Conference teams with much larger squads on Feb. 13 in Garden City for the league title.

Stein, a former all-state swimmer from Great Bend, was hired late in the game—only a few weeks before the start of the 2024-25 season—but he dove in without a splash.

“Coaching was not something I thought I’d be doing,” said Stein, a finance major at FHSU. “But I love the sport, so once I had this opportunity, I jumped on it.”

He immediately laid out his philosophy of what it takes to be successful in the pool: hard work, discipline, routine, conditioning and correct diet—to name a few. And he was right there to help them better their techniques.

“I made it very clear from the first day that I wasn’t there to be their friend. I told them, ‘I’m here to be your coach,’” he said. “My job is to push them and to make them better than the day before.”&nbsp;

It took only a couple of meets for the swimmers to realize their coach knew what he was talking about.

From the get-go, the Indians started bettering their times at each successive meet.

Hays High gave its fans an exhilarating treat at its home meet on Jan. 21. The Indians won eight of the 11 events while bettering their previous-best times in all those championship performances.

“It’s normal to have a couple of PRs throughout the season,” Stein said. “But to consistently drop times like they have been is amazing. It makes me so proud of them as a coach.”

Due to a lack of numbers, small teams often struggle to place as high as larger schools in high school swim team competitions.

Therefore, the Indians didn’t win the team title at their home meet, but Stein thinks that’s a possibility at a larger meet, where points are spread out more.&nbsp;

He is working to put his swimmers in the correct events to make that happen at WAC.

“In a way, it’s like a puzzle,” he said. “I have to make the correct lineup, put them in the events they can excel at while making sure they have enough rest in between events.”

Senior Marshall Sook has goals of breaking Stein’s 50-yard freestyle WAC record of 22.81 seconds. Sook’s career-best in that event is 23.46.

“I’m pushing him to get him there,” Stein said. “As cool as it was to set that record as a swimmer, it would be even more enjoyable as a coach to see one of my swimmers break it.”

Sook has automatically qualified for state in the 50-yard freestyle while also leading the 200-yard freestyle relay to a state-qualifying time. Joining him at state on that relay team will be juniors Chase Zadina and Karsen Flaska and sophomore Cedric Durr.

Sook, who started swimming competitively in seventh grade with the local swim club, said Stein is easy to “trust because he’s put this philosophy to practice before as a swimmer.”

“He’s got everyone wanting to do better and wanting to work hard,” Sook added, “and we’re seeing the results of that hard work.”

Whatever the outcome at the WAC meet, the Indians’ ultimate goal is to qualify as many swimmers as possible for state competition.

With three meets remaining on the schedule, Sook has already hit state-qualifying times in two individual events while also helping the 200-yard freestyle relay team qualify for the Class 5-1A state championships Feb. 20-22 in Lenexa.

HHS has reached state-consideration times in several additional events, and Stein thinks he will be taking a van load of competitors to the season finale.

It’s something he plans to get used to. He is on board to coach the HHS girls’ team this spring—and then come back for another year in 2025-26.&nbsp;

“It’s been a great learning experience,” Stein said. “I know a lot about the sport, but I had to learn about getting the team transportation and setting things up.”

“I’m learning as I go,” he added. “The parents help out a lot, and so do the swimmers.”

And it’s been an enjoyable ride for all involved.

Other seniors with whom Stein has relied on for leadership this year are Christian Miller, Justin Reeves and Bryton Unsworth. Juniors Zadina and Flaska are joined by classmates Levi Crisenberry, Noah Schaeffer and Jude Hileman. Rounding out the roster are a pair of sophomores—Durr and Alex Leiker.

Sook also has hit state-consideration standards in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, as have Zadina (50-yard freestyle) and Flaska (100-yard backstroke), as well as both the other Indian relay teams (200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle).

The Kansas State High School Activities Association sets automatic qualifying times and adds the fastest consideration times to fill out each event.

Flaska, whose main sport is baseball in the spring, didn’t start swimming competitively until his freshman year at HHS.

He said he thinks swimming helps with conditioning for baseball. But right now, the spring season can wait. The Indians have plenty to accomplish yet this winter.

“It’s been a pretty exciting year,” Flaska said. “And I think our success is a 100% coaching. He definitely pushes us, and it’s fun to see how far it takes us.”

NWester: Hays High swimmers reaping benefit of new coach’s philosophy

Government surplus commodities will be distributed in Hays at&nbsp;Unite Free Shelves (inside The Gamers Guild), 200 E. 8th Street in Hays, on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. 

 Commodities will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis until we run out.&nbsp;Doors will not open until 7:30 a.m.

To be eligible for commodities, your household's total monthly income must be below: $1,632 Household of one $2,215 Household of two $2,798 Household of three $3,380 Household of four $3,963 Household of five $4,546 Household of six $5,129 Household of seven $5,712 Household of eight

*Add $583 for each additional family member after eight

Commodities included in this distribution are anticipated to be: applesauce, black beans, whole kernel corn, tomatoes, long rice, beef stew, egg noodles, garbanzo beans, Alaskan pollock, raisins, fruit and nut mix, pouch of chicken, pork taco filling, collards, mixed vegetables, pollock nuggets, and wheat toast cereal.&nbsp;

Contact Brandon Nimz, Unite Ministry Leader with any questions at 785-259-2539.&nbsp;

Future commodity distribution times will be posted at:&nbsp;(<a href="http://unitehays.com/index.php/hays-commodity-distribution/">https://unitehays.com/index.php/hays-commodity-distribution/</a>)

Food commodities to be distributed in Hays on Jan. 28

THE SUCCESSES OF TOMORROW BEGIN TODAY, CATHOLIC EDUCATION IS A LIFETIME ADVANTAGE!

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS…. SCHOOLS YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!

It’s Catholic Schools Week!!! Today we celebrate our Students! It’s Pajama Day!

The older students will read to the younger students this morning during WIN time 8-8:30.

	Advisory Council Mtg. 5:15 p.m. in Lounge.

--Jan. 28	Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Dr. of the Church.

Today we celebrate our Faculty &amp; Staff! Faculty &amp; staff will have a special luncheon together in the Lounge between 11:00 – 12:00 today. There will be prizes drawn!

--Jan. 29	Today we celebrate Kansas and our Community! Students could wear a Kansas shirt, a Kansas team shirt, or a yellow shirt with jeans or uniform bottoms!

There will be a special Kansas Day activity rotations this morning with your Prayer Family groups, 8:15 – 9:25 a.m.

Our local leaders will join us for lunch today.

TMP Mini Cheer Camp will be after dismissal in the A.C.

5th Grade TMP Band Presentation from 2:30-3:00 in the A.C.

Happy Half Birthday to Luka Arellano, PK4, Henry Chambers 3B, &amp; Jade Whitmer, 5B.

--Jan. 30	Today we celebrate Vocations! It’s Dress-like-a-Saint Day. Students could all dress up as a favorite Saint. We have our Saint Parade directly after mass around 9:00 a.m.

We celebrated mass with our Benefactors this morning!

Open House from 9:00-10:00 a.m. for anyone interested in learning about HFE and touring.

They will catch any students who missed both vision screening dates at 9:30 this morning.

The priests and sisters are joining us for lunch today!

Bible Kahoot in the classroom for K-2nd grade 1:00 p.m.

Bible Bee will be in the L.T. for grades 3rd-5th at 1:00 p.m.

Vocations Panel in the in the L.T. at 2:00 p.m.

Happy Half Birthday to Lily Baxter, KB, &amp; Kaleb Kirmer, KB.

--Jan. 31	Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest.

Today we celebrate our Faith! Students will get to enjoy breakfast in the classrooms this morning. We’ll have an All-School Novena and Faith Video in the classroom.

All School Mass with the Bishop at IHM will be at 10:00 a.m. Following mass, 3rd-5th grade students will load the buses to head to TMP for Mix-it-up Day Activities. K-2nd grade will return to their classrooms and have activities and lunch with the TMP students here.

	TMP Students will leave at 1:05 and our HFE students will dismiss EARLY today at 1:30 p.m.

TMP Legacy Night Basketball Game at 6 p.m. at TMP, and Mini Cheer at Halftime. We hope you’ll come out to the game and receive your free pop and popcorn! Help us cheer on the Monarchs! What a great way to end Catholic Schools Week!

Happy Half Birthday to Gavin Numrich, 1B.

Greetings to those celebrating a birthday this weekend: Maria Dickman 4B, and Derrick Rudman 4A.

Holy Family Elementary School Notes, Jan. 27-31, 2025

Marla Matkin, Hill City, an independent humanities scholar and performer, will present “Pioneering Women” Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Hoxie High School Auditorium.

Admission to the Western Plains Arts Association program is by season ticket or at the door.

This program is funded by numerous businesses, individuals, The Sheridan County Community Foundation, and the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.

Matkin will provide an elementary school program in the Quinter gym at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 27. &nbsp;

Matkin comes by her love of history having been born in Dodge City and raised nearby.&nbsp; She is on a continuing search to expand her knowledge and understanding of the legend and lore surrounding the region and its people.&nbsp;This deep connection can be traced back to her great-grandparents who homesteaded in southwest Kansas in 1877. 

Add to this her love of drama and she makes a compelling case for the ladies she portrays and the history she imparts as teacher, historian, living historian and now children’s author.

A graduate of Fort Hays State University with a degree in education, she has informed, inspired, as well as entertained her audiences for 25 years from the heartland to the Smithsonian.&nbsp;

In addition to&nbsp;Pioneering Women,&nbsp;Matkin presents related programs to communities throughout America’s heartland, especially in Kansas and Nebraska.&nbsp;

'Pioneering Women' to be presented in Hoxie, Quinter by Marla Matkin

Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office

The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office would like to issue a safety warning regarding the ice conditions at Sheridan State Lake. 

We have noticed an increase in foot traffic on the lake’s surface, and we urge the public to understand the dangers associated with walking or recreating on frozen water, particularly as the lake is currently being drained.

Draining a lake impacts the stability and thickness of the ice, making it highly unpredictable and unsafe. Even if the ice appears solid, varying depths and water movement beneath the surface can create weak spots that may not support weight.

Your safety is our priority, and we encourage everyone to exercise extreme caution and avoid unnecessary risks. If you see someone in distress or fall through the ice, call 911 immediately.

— Sheriff Brandon Carver, Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office

Unsafe ice conditions at Sheridan State Lake

&nbsp;Submit events to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:admin@hayspost.com">admin@hayspost.com</a>. Cover photo courtesy Pixabay

Special thanks to <a href="https://www.visithays.com/183/Events">The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau</a> and<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/"> Fort Hays State University</a> for their contributions to the community calendar.

Community Calendar

Heartland Community Foundation is sponsoring a Town Hall Meeting called Ellis County Solutions Summit, facilitated by Hansen Foundation's Betty Johnson.

"We've had great success with the ideas that have come out of previous Strategic Doings for Ellis County the past few years, with many of them implemented and enhancing the county," Johnson said.

"We look forward to hearing from anyone who wants to come to the session, brainstorm with us and be a part of making good things happen.&nbsp;We are open to all ideas and suggestions and are excited to start some new projects," she said.

Johnson said the goal is to get people thinking and talking about what could and should happen in Ellis County, brainstorm how to implement it, and work to make it happen with some action items moving forward.&nbsp;

The Solutions Summit will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall.

You can sign up to attend the event on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/957839283078466?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D">Facebook</a>. It is free and open to the public.

"Ellis County is great, and we want to make it even greater! Come share your ideas for growth, sustainability and quality of life," organizers said in a press release.

Drinks and snacks will be provided along with the discussion.

Solutions Summit set for Feb. 4 in Hays; sign up now

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded a boil water advisory for the City of Hays public water supply system located in Ellis County. 

The advisory was issued because of a waterline break resulting in a loss of pressure in the distribution system.&nbsp; Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.&nbsp;

The advisory remains in place for Countryside Estates Mobile Home Park pending laboratory results from water samples collected from the mobile home park.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. 

Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind notice following testing at a certified laboratory.

Drinking water samples collected from the City of Hays indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved. &nbsp;

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at: 785-628-7380 or you may call KDHE at 785-296-5514. 

For consumer information please visit our webpage:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kdhe.ks.gov%2F468%2FDisruption-in-Water-Service%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010001948f1afd62-10348855-96c6-43a5-a8df-c60d388077fb-000000/aEtmedHlDNrkzeQSOCuVixB9e7c9Mz5TEVr4WjX-ybA=389">https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruption-in-Water-Service</a>.

Hays' boil water advisory rescinded; Countryside Estates remains in advisory

Holy Family Elementary School, 1800 Milner, Hays, will hold an open house Thursday, January 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

It is open to the public and all are welcome! For benefactors, community supporters, current and prospective families.&nbsp;

School tours will be conducted. There will also be discussion and a Q&amp;A session with 2025-2026 enrollment information given.

Holy Family Elementary open house is Jan. 30

GREAT BEND — Anyone who lives in Kansas quickly learns that the weather can go from serene to severe in minutes, and the Barton Community College STEM club is bringing a host of professionals together to talk about tornadoes, thunderstorms, and everything in between at the “Exploring our Weather Systems” event from 12:30-3 p.m. Feb. 22 in the BCC Math and Science Building, Room S-118, Great Bend.

Barton Chemistry Instructor Dr. Amanda Alliband said general interest in the weather, especially severe events, has increased in the past several years.

“We have several Barton STEM Club members who have a strong interest in meteorology and really were searching for a way to share their passion with members of the community, and we think this event will be a great opportunity for that,” she said.

Sponsored by Auto Body Repair Shop Inc. and Town and Country Supermarket, this free event aims to bring weather awareness to the community. 

It will feature expert presenters, including storm chasers Bryce Kintigh and Beth Bowdoin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration representatives, meteorologist at Kansas State University and Mesonet Network Manager Christopher “Chip” Redmond, Storm of Passion and Live Storm Chasers, and KWCH meteorologists, all of which will share insights on how weather impacts our lives.

To learn more, please contact Amanda Alliband at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:allibanda@bartonccc.edu">allibanda@bartonccc.edu</a>&nbsp;or (620) 792-9330.

'Exploring our Weather Systems' event to feature storm chasers and meteorologists

BARTON COUNTY — K-State Research and Extension Cottonwood District along with Barton County Conservation District and NRCS will host a Rangeland Brush Management Identification and Control meeting on Wed., January 29. This program will be held at the Hoisington Activity Center at 1200 Susank Road in Hoisington from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

 Keith Harmoney, KSRE range scientist and Jess Crockford from the Smoky Hills Prescribed Burn Association with be talking about how to identify invasive plants in your rangeland and how to control them. There will also be discussion about the Kansas NRCS Great Plains Grassland Initiative and a proposed Golden Belt Prescribed Fire Association.

There is no cost to attend this meeting, but an RSVP to 620-793-1910 is appreciated for the meal.

For more information, contact Alicia Boor at 620-793-1910 or Veronica Coons at 620-793-3346 ext. 303.

Rangeland brush management program scheduled in Cottonwood Extension District

Cristina Janney speaks with Doug Williams of Grow Hays about the e-Community loan program.

🎙 Post Podcast: Doug Williams of Grow Hays discusses e-Community loans

I have a confession to make — I hate horses! 

This is a big step for me to admit my dislike of the beasts, because living here in Kansas and hating horses is akin to living in a retirement home and hating the Wheel of Fortune. 

I grew up in central Ohio where coon hunting was a popular and noble sport, and an offshoot sport that grew out of coon hunting and was popular for a time was hunting raccoons from the backs of mules. 

Now, I cannot fathom riding a smelly, cantankerous, sweaty old mule in pursuit of a raccoon through briars, brambles, fallen tree limbs, swamps and hidden barbed wire, and in the middle of the night, no less. 

By night’s end, most coon hunters have fallen into the river or swamp at least once, skinned and dressed a couple big greasy coons, and all this after thoroughly enjoying a huge pot of Texas style chili their buddy fixed before the hunt, all making for some rather unique and horrible smells at the end of a good night’s coon hunt. 

So why on God’s green earth would I want to start the evening as a passenger on the back of a critter that already smells that bad from the get-go?

I can’t imagine a mule would be known for its smooth ride either, so it seems to me Mr. “Bobblehead” coon hunter would be shining his headlamp about everywhere but where it was needed. 

To solve this problem, I’d mount lights on the mule. Ace hardware has clamp-on trailer lights, so hang an old milk crate on the mule to hold the battery, then buy a half-dozen of those lights and get creative. Those big ears have to be good for something, so clamp one on each ear.

 Myself, I’d clamp the other four to the loose skin under each leg and shine them downward for ground-effect lighting, (but that’s just me.) By the time I got through with my mule, it’d look like a transformer clomping through the woods.

Coonhounds are notorious for getting lost before the night's over, so what if my “coonmule” tosses me off in the middle of a briar patch and lights out on its own? 

I’m thinkin’ it would be easier to just shoot the thing than try to lasso it or get it to load into a stock trailer after having run loose all night. 

And I can only imagine what would happen if someone found the thing standing in the middle of the road. Spotting a coonhound in the middle of the road would not seem too strange. But topping a hill on a country road in the middle of nowhere at three a.m. only to spot my coonmule standing in the road in front of you lit up like a four-legged Christmas tree with high beams shooting out from both ears and all four armpits? You’d have to change shorts immediately and I guarantee you’d be in the front pew at church the following Sunday.

So far, I’ve railed pretty badly against the poor mules, but as I search my soul, I have to say their tainted reputation is probably not all their fault.

 I think the name alone gives them a bum rap. I mean really, what does the word “mule” conjure up for you? It’s right up there with other one-syllable four-letter words like carp, crap, lard, lump, toad and turd. 

Just because mules are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse, why curse them from birth with a name like mule. After all, dogs are cross-bred all the time and given fine exotic names that use parts of each&nbsp;breed, like Afador, Cockapoo, and my personal favorite, a cross between a Labrador retriever and a Poodle, the Labradoodle. 

Why not be a little more creative and help lift the mule’s self esteem with a fine and noble name like Donkhorsey or Hordonk…or maybe not!

Anyway, I know Donkhorseys and Hordonks make great working steeds and excellent pulling teams, but as far as riding them into the woods in the middle of the night as a way of chasing coons and following coonhounds, not so much! 

The way I see it, riding a mule to follow a coonhound ranks right up there with using a Labradoodle to chase the coon.

 A nickname my grandmother had for our feet was “shanks horses,” and as far as I’m concerned, shanks horses are the only thing I’ll ride into the woods chasing a coon, thank you very much!

Steve can be contacted by email&nbsp;at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Kansas Outdoors: Coon hunting mules and Labradoodles

The Ellis County Conservation District has selected L &amp; N Farming for the 2024 Conservation award.

L &amp; N Farming is co-owned by brothers Leon and Norbert Kuhn of Victoria.

Leon and Norbert’s father, Alfred Kuhn, inherited a quarter section of land then bought another quarter section of land in 1965. He and his wife raised four children together: Leon, Norbert, Donna, and Diane. The Kuhn family was living in Plainville, Kansas, and in 1965 they moved near Victoria. 

The Kuhn kids were raised helping with their family’s dairy business, they grew up milking cows and selling milk.

The brothers started farming in 1978 with the help of their Uncle Eugene Schmeidler. L &amp; N Farming was established.

Leon graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1978 with a bachelor of arts in ag business. He married Colleen Dinkel from Victoria, Kansas, in 1991. They have two sons, Dylan and Nathan Kuhn. Dylan is married to Heather with two children and another child expected in May. Nathan is engaged to Kylie Benear who has three children.

Norbert and Donna live in Alfred’s house north of Victoria and Leon and Colleen live in Alfred’s father’s house two miles away. Diane lives in Victoria.

The original Kuhn homestead has been in the family for over 100 years. 

Their great-great-grandfather received a quarter section of land from the railroad through the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act allowed people to claim 160 acres of government land for free if they met certain requirements. He built a house on the property, lived on the property, and farmed the land.

Leon and Norbert are continuing with their family’s stewardship of the land. 

Their father put in waterways and terraces when he acquired his property. In 2010 his sons went no-till on everything and started rebuilding the terraces. They found that the terraces didn’t have to be plowed after going no-till. During the December 15, 2021, storms, Leon and Norbert didn’t have problems with blowing dust due to no-till practices. 

Their crop rotation used to be wheat, milo, and sunflowers. In 2016 the sunflowers were replaced with corn. They are considering replacing corn with something else. They have dabbled in planting cover crops with success, and they grow forage sorghum for cows.

L &amp; N Farming farms 1,300 acres of mostly rented ground and they have run a cattle truck since 1984. They run a cow-calf operation of forty-five heads. They wanted to stop the trucking part of the business when the farming part took off but haven’t stopped yet. One brother runs a truck and the other brother farms. Every week they swap roles so it’s one week in truck, one week on farm, one week in truck, one week on farm.

Leon and Norbert’s business has become a family affair. Dylan and Nathan help with the crops and have cattle of their own. Heather, Kylie, Colleen, Donna, and Diane pitch in and help with things that need to be done. According to Leon, “We wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

L & N Farming earns 2024 Conservation award 

By&nbsp;RUSSELL ARBEN FOX&nbsp; Insight Kansas

Kansas cities, like all American cities—including all the blue ones that our new president regularly attacks—are not radical places. 

They may have more Democratic voters than the state’s rural counties, and those voters may prefer more egalitarian policies than will ever pass in Topeka, but their economies are just as dependent upon capitalism as the state and country as a whole.

For example, unlike the Kansas and United States governments, Kansas city governments are legally forbidden from making use of direct income taxes as a revenue tool. This is the case for most cities across the country (though not Missouri cities, incidentally), and is one reason why American municipalities compete to attract corporate investment: growing their property and sales tax base is often their only way to fund services.

Some cities do, however, have an additional source of revenue: local philanthropists.

Wealthy people and businesses have, of course, used their resources to benefit society throughout history; Andrew Carnegie famously insisted that spending all one’s money on building public goods was far wiser than leaving it to the government or (worst of all) to one’s children. And this giving can have a national or international reach.

But because such philanthropy comes from specific people and organizations in specific places, it is often the towns and cities they live and do business in which benefit the most.

Some philanthropy is small-scale: Kansas non-profits generate over $14 billion, and Kansans themselves donate nearly $2 billion, each year. Every church, athletic club, arts organization, youth group, and more which benefits from that work adds to their local community.

Most attention, though, obviously goes to those willing and able to share with their towns and cities on a major scale, helping to build parks, performing arts centers, museums, and libraries, and funding scholarships, educational programs, civic infrastructure, and more. So when some of these big players move, city governments pay attention, and rightly so.

Hopes for local philanthropy, however, can get complicated.

Any Kansan who has visited Grand Rapids, Omaha, or Bentonville, and seen the massive impact which the <a href="https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/a-look-back-richard-and-helen-devos-foundations-impact-in-west-michigan">DeVos</a>, <a href="https://www.ketv.com/article/warren-buffett-impact-berkshire-hathaway-wealth-changed-omaha/60658807">Buffett</a>, and <a href="https://www.ocolly.com/news/the-waltons-canvas-changing-bentonville-s-future/article_5b124eb2-a993-11ee-a03a-fb42291ff011.html">Walton</a> families have had on the amenities of those cities, can’t deny the value of such generosity. The same thing is visible in Tulsa—yet the centralizing tendencies of the <a href="https://nationswell.com/what-we-can-learn-from-george-kaiser-family-foundations-place-based-work-in-tulsa/">Kaiser</a> family there has given rise to <a href="https://michaelpaulmason.medium.com/the-kaiser-system-e8c14bca395">criticism</a>, and similar concerns crop up in other cities as well.

In Kansas, one might think that Wichita’s Koch family, one of the richest in the country, might head this list. But despite some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Koch_Arena">high-profile</a> gifts, their money has mostly gone to the support the Kochs’ preferred ideological causes, with the foundations set up by the <a href="https://ingrams.com/article/home-grown-generosity/">Sunderland, Hansen, and other families </a>in the Kansas City area <a href="https://www.tgci.com/funding-sources/ks/top">far outpacing them</a> in civic support.

Charles Koch’s son Chase has recently <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article298481938.html">made waves</a> by buying up properties in downtown Wichita—including former apartments in a city facing a <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article288215105.html">housing shortage</a>—and has talked of his&nbsp;desire to add to the city’s music and arts scene. But what community developments may come of his interests remain to be seen.

Philanthropists have always been part of the Kansas landscape. The best ones, whether their donations are large or small, are those that work with local governments and civic organizations to make certain their support aligns with community needs and a shared municipal vision. 

Yes, the intentions of philanthropic action deserve respect; <a href="https://philanthropydaily.com/the-kansas-government-just-protected-charitable-donations/">that’s the law</a>. But while Kansas cities and towns will always be grateful for charitable support, receiving it as a reflection of merely personal goals doesn’t satisfy Carnegie’s measure of public giving at all.

Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics at Friends University in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: The good and could-be-better of Kansas philanthropy

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

🏀🎥 Hays High girls and boys to play in title games Saturday

<a href="https://news.ku.edu/news/article/new-book-explores-cost-of-holding-elections-how-and-why-spending-varies-widely-from-state-to-state">KU News Service</a>

LAWRENCE — The United States has been holding elections for more than 200 years. So, we should know how much they cost, right? A new book co-written by a University of Kansas researcher is one of the first in-depth studies of the cost of U.S. elections.

“A Republic If You Can Afford It: How Much Does it Cost to Administer Elections?” analyzes data from 48 U.S. states from 2008 to 2016 and found that some states spend an average of about $2 per voter, while others spend an average of almost $20. 

The book’s authors also found that in addition to varying costs, different regions of the country have seen changes in how much they spend and that trust in relation is associated with how much is spent.

Zachary Mohr, associate professor of public affairs &amp; administration at KU, is one of the authors of “A Republic If You Can Afford It.” He studies costs and accounting in local government and recounted a story of a conversation he had with co-author Martha Kropf of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“She said, ‘You know, Zach, the one thing we don’t know anything about is how much election administration costs.’ I said, ‘The data may not even be available, but one place we can probably find it is North Carolina,’” Mohr said. 

“We were doing elections for 200 years, and we were doing them at the local level, and there really wasn’t much problem until about 2000. Then there were hanging chads in Florida and other problems, and people started paying attention to election administration. The federal government then made money available to address and study the issue.”

Mohr, Kropf, Mary Jo McGowan, also of UNC-Charlotte, and independent researcher JoEllen Pope collected the data from every state except for Michigan and Wisconsin, which did not have data available, and began publishing studies in 2017, which eventually formed the basis of the “A Republic If You Can Afford It.”

The book,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/republic-if-you-can-afford-it/CE8A01003AA98C51937031E4C1DC413E">published by Cambridge University Press as part of its Cambridge Elements Series,</a>&nbsp;is available for free online until Dec. 30.

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