The Rahjes Report January 23, 2023

We are already in week 3 of the 2023 Kansas Legislative session. It has been a slow go with mainly bill introductions and overviews in committee meetings. 

Once again, I am Chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and member of Appropriations and Higher Education Budget Committee. 

The Governor delivers the State of the State this week, as it was delayed by a possible illness a couple of weeks ago when it was originally planned. We have already received her budget so this state of the state presentation will be one of applause lines and broad ideas with the budget serving as the roadmap we begin when producing the next budget.

Here are some of the highlights in the Governor’s budget: Back to School Tax Holiday - This idea also is nothing new; back in 2015, House Republicans introduced House Bill 2076, which would have created a weekend-long sales tax holiday for back-to-school purchases. At the time, Democrats, and the Kansas Association of School Boards, opposed the bill because it would "decrease state revenue." House Republicans are committed to helping Kansas families, especially low-income families, save money as they prepare to send their children back to school and to assist local businesses to sell more merchandise, which is why we have consistently supported these kinds of low-tax policies. A 4-day sales tax holiday for back to school was proposed. Only a list of items will be subject to this tax holiday. Estimated tax relief is $5.5 million.

Social Security Income Tax Relief - Though House Republicans are glad to see the Governor has finally recognized the wisdom of former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's "Retire Tax-Free" plan, the timing of her endorsement of his proposal does seem politically convenient, coming as it does after the November election. Furthermore, rather than providing relief to all Social Security income tax recipients as Republicans had proposed, the Governor has proposed a "smoothing of the cliff" only for certain retirees. The Governor's plan: Retirees falling between $75,000 and $100,000 will see this "smoothing of the cliff." Estimated tax relief of only $20.5 million. Retire Tax-Free plan: If effective in the 2023 tax year, exempting all Social Security income is estimated to provide about $32.5 million in relief, $109.2 million in 2024, and $112.5 million in 2025. Entirely exempting all private retirement income would provide about $69.9 million in relief in 2023, $233.8 million in 2024, and $236.1 million in 2025.

Additional Facts Regarding the Budget:

ONE TIME EXPENDITURES, Rainy Day Fund- $500 million added to the Budget Stabilization fund which will put the state’s rainy-day fund at $1.5 billion.

Infrastructure Leveraging Fund - $220 million added to the Infrastructure Leveraging Fund which was created by the Infrastructure Hub as a special fund to invest in infrastructure projects identified as priority.

Debt Buydown/Debt Avoidance - $53 million taken from State General Fund (SGF) to eliminate Kansas Water Office debt. Eliminates 2 remaining reservoir debts related to Milford and Perry reservoirs. Estimated interest payment savings of $29.4 million. $16.4 million taken from State Institutions Building Fund to pay cash for new Veteran’s Home, estimated interest payment saving of $10 million, contingent on VA awarding federal funds.

KanCare Program - $1.5 million of SGF to increase rates for targeted case management $7.1 million of SGF to standardize key reimbursements rates across waivers. Examples include: increasing service rates for Brain Injury, Physical Disability, Autism and Technology Assisted waivers to match the rates for Frail Elderly waiver. Eliminating service rate disparity between waivers, $3.7 million of SGF to increase rates for brain injury facilities, $5.1 million of SGF to increase placement rates for relative &amp; non-kinship foster homes

K-12 Education - K-12 funding for FY24 and FY25, $3 million from SGF to expand Mental Health Intervention Team Pilot (expand to 15-25 districts), $5.0 million from SGF for Safe and Secure grants. $50,000 in partial year funding for FY23 and $273,000 in FY24 from the State General Fund for 2 Full-Time Equivalent School Resource Officers for the School of the Blind and 2 Full-Time Equivalent School Resource Officers for the School of the Deaf. $72.4 million each of next 5 years for Special Education to get all school districts to 92% by FY28.

Higher Education - $107.9 million of SGF to keep no to low tuition increases. $65.9 million broken down as follows: $20 million to expand financial aid for the state’s public universities, $21.8 million to mitigate impact from inflation, $10.6 million for university specific programs, $8mil for implementation of National Institute of Student Success Academic Playbooks, $42 million in one-time expenses broken down as follows: $20 million for deferred maintenance, with a dollar-for-dollar match requirement, $12 million for IT and cybersecurity upgrades, $10 million for demolition

Workforce Development - $4 million of SGF to Board of Regent for micro-internship program. Economic Development Initiatives Fund (EDIF): . $3 million of EDIF for Department of Commerce marketing, $500,000 of EDIF for Office of Registered Apprenticeship, $1 million of EDIF for early childhood education and care, $2.5 million of SGF for childcare facility pilot project, $20 million of SGF to Housing Revolving Loan Program- Kansas Housing Resource Corporation

State Employees - 5% Statewide pay adjustment (Excludes Judicial Branch, KSSB and KSSD teachers, elected officials, and agencies on approved career progression plan.)

Cybersecurity and IT -&nbsp;Total of $41.6 million over FY23 and FY24.

These are just some of the highlights contained in the Governor’s budget and I am sure there will be additions and subtractions as the session moves along.

You can follow along on happenings in the legislature online at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">kslegislature.org</a> and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the Kansas Legislature’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">YouTube channel</a>.

I have moved offices and now located at 186-W, which is the northwest corner of the capital. My assistant again this year is Terry Benitis. If you would like to contact me, email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov, phone during the session 785-296-7463 or you can always try my cell number at 785-302-8416. 

If you have a young person who would like to come and spend the day as a Legislative Page, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work on what is a good day for that to happen.

Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.

Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, is the Kansas state representative of the 110th Dist. which includes:&nbsp;

* Norton and Phillips Counties * Ellis County: Cities: Catharine, Ellis and Schoenchen;&nbsp;Townships: Big Creek (part), Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Herzog (part),&nbsp;Lookout (part) and Wheatland (part) Graham County: City: Hill City;&nbsp;Townships: Hill City (part) and Nicodemus (part) * Rooks County: Cities: Damar, Palco, Plainville,&nbsp;Stockton, Woodston and Zurich;&nbsp;Townships: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (part), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646612827522.jpeg" alt="State Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. File photo/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>State Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. File photo/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>The Rahjes Report January 23, 2023 Hello from Topeka. We are already in week 3 of the 2023 Kansas Legislative session. It has been a slow go with mainly bill introductions and overviews in committee meetings. Once again, I am Chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and member of Appropriations and Higher Education Budget Committee. The Governor delivers the State of the State this week, as it was delayed by a possible illness a couple of weeks ago when it was originally planned. We have already received her budget so this state of the state presentation will be one of applause lines and broad ideas with the budget serving as the roadmap we begin when producing the next budget.Here are some of the highlights in the Governor’s budget: Back to School Tax Holiday - This idea also is nothing new; back in 2015, House Republicans introduced House Bill 2076, which would have created a weekend-long sales tax holiday for back-to-school purchases. At the time, Democrats, and the Kansas Association of School Boards, opposed the bill because it would "decrease state revenue." House Republicans are committed to helping Kansas families, especially low-income families, save money as they prepare to send their children back to school and to assist local businesses to sell more merchandise, which is why we have consistently supported these kinds of low-tax policies. A 4-day sales tax holiday for back to school was proposed. Only a list of items will be subject to this tax holiday. Estimated tax relief is $5.5 million.Social Security Income Tax Relief - Though House Republicans are glad to see the Governor has finally recognized the wisdom of former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's "Retire Tax-Free" plan, the timing of her endorsement of his proposal does seem politically convenient, coming as it does after the November election. Furthermore, rather than providing relief to all Social Security income tax recipients as Republicans had proposed, the Governor has proposed a "smoothing of the cliff" only for certain retirees. The Governor's plan: Retirees falling between $75,000 and $100,000 will see this "smoothing of the cliff." Estimated tax relief of only $20.5 million. Retire Tax-Free plan: If effective in the 2023 tax year, exempting all Social Security income is estimated to provide about $32.5 million in relief, $109.2 million in 2024, and $112.5 million in 2025. Entirely exempting all private retirement income would provide about $69.9 million in relief in 2023, $233.8 million in 2024, and $236.1 million in 2025.Additional Facts Regarding the Budget: ONE TIME EXPENDITURES, Rainy Day Fund- $500 million added to the Budget Stabilization fund which will put the state’s rainy-day fund at $1.5 billion.Infrastructure Leveraging Fund - $220 million added to the Infrastructure Leveraging Fund which was created by the Infrastructure Hub as a special fund to invest in infrastructure projects identified as priority.Debt Buydown/Debt Avoidance - $53 million taken from State General Fund (SGF) to eliminate Kansas Water Office debt. Eliminates 2 remaining reservoir debts related to Milford and Perry reservoirs. Estimated interest payment savings of $29.4 million. $16.4 million taken from State Institutions Building Fund to pay cash for new Veteran’s Home, estimated interest payment saving of $10 million, contingent on VA awarding federal funds.KanCare Program - $1.5 million of SGF to increase rates for targeted case management $7.1 million of SGF to standardize key reimbursements rates across waivers. Examples include: increasing service rates for Brain Injury, Physical Disability, Autism and Technology Assisted waivers to match the rates for Frail Elderly waiver. Eliminating service rate disparity between waivers, $3.7 million of SGF to increase rates for brain injury facilities, $5.1 million of SGF to increase placement rates for relative &amp; non-kinship foster homesK-12 Education - K-12 funding for FY24 and FY25, $3 million from SGF to expand Mental Health Intervention Team Pilot (expand to 15-25 districts), $5.0 million from SGF for Safe and Secure grants. $50,000 in partial year funding for FY23 and $273,000 in FY24 from the State General Fund for 2 Full-Time Equivalent School Resource Officers for the School of the Blind and 2 Full-Time Equivalent School Resource Officers for the School of the Deaf. $72.4 million each of next 5 years for Special Education to get all school districts to 92% by FY28.Higher Education - $107.9 million of SGF to keep no to low tuition increases. $65.9 million broken down as follows: $20 million to expand financial aid for the state’s public universities, $21.8 million to mitigate impact from inflation, $10.6 million for university specific programs, $8mil for implementation of National Institute of Student Success Academic Playbooks, $42 million in one-time expenses broken down as follows: $20 million for deferred maintenance, with a dollar-for-dollar match requirement, $12 million for IT and cybersecurity upgrades, $10 million for demolitionWorkforce Development - $4 million of SGF to Board of Regent for micro-internship program. Economic Development Initiatives Fund (EDIF): . $3 million of EDIF for Department of Commerce marketing, $500,000 of EDIF for Office of Registered Apprenticeship, $1 million of EDIF for early childhood education and care, $2.5 million of SGF for childcare facility pilot project, $20 million of SGF to Housing Revolving Loan Program- Kansas Housing Resource CorporationState Employees - 5% Statewide pay adjustment (Excludes Judicial Branch, KSSB and KSSD teachers, elected officials, and agencies on approved career progression plan.)Cybersecurity and IT -&nbsp;Total of $41.6 million over FY23 and FY24.These are just some of the highlights contained in the Governor’s budget and I am sure there will be additions and subtractions as the session moves along.You can follow along on happenings in the legislature online at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">kslegislature.org</a> and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the Kansas Legislature’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">YouTube channel</a>. I have moved offices and now located at 186-W, which is the northwest corner of the capital. My assistant again this year is Terry Benitis. If you would like to contact me, email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov, phone during the session 785-296-7463 or you can always try my cell number at 785-302-8416. If you have a young person who would like to come and spend the day as a Legislative Page, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work on what is a good day for that to happen.Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, is the Kansas state representative of the 110th Dist. which includes:&nbsp;* Norton and Phillips Counties * Ellis County: Cities: Catharine, Ellis and Schoenchen;&nbsp;Townships: Big Creek (part), Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Herzog (part),&nbsp;Lookout (part) and Wheatland (part) Graham County: City: Hill City;&nbsp;Townships: Hill City (part) and Nicodemus (part) * Rooks County: Cities: Damar, Palco, Plainville,&nbsp;Stockton, Woodston and Zurich;&nbsp;Townships: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (part), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12

RAHJES REPORT: January 23, 2023

By KIRBY ROSS Phillips County Review

     On Saturday morning, more snow was falling upon older snow as I pulled into the icy Phillipsburg Post Office parking area.

     The day was dreary and grayish-white, with the division of sky and earth being barely perceptible against a similarly dreary and grayish-white background, as a light but persistant snow was drifting down.

     Parking next to  the only other vehicle at the post office, a flatbed truck I recognized, I exited my car thinking "this just might get interesting."

     Approaching the entrance to the building, an elderly man stepped out, mail in hand, saying, “Hello Kirby, I’ll hold the door open for you.  My daughter-in-law probably wouldn’t hold it open for you, but I will.”

     Chuckling, I responded “It doesn’t surprise me that you say she wouldn’t.”

     “You know who my daughter-in-law is,” he said more as a statement of fact than as a question.

     “Do you know who I am?” he asked in follow up.

     “Yes I do. Maybe your daughter-in-law will be willing to hold the door open once she sees the value of investing in growth in Phillips County like I do,” I responded.

     “I doubt if that happens.  I know I won’t live to see the value of that growth you’re talking about,” he said.  Pausing a moment and scrunching his face, he added, “I doubt if you’ll see it either.”

     “So is it worth it?” he asked as he turned and walked away without waiting for my answer.

     As I continued on my original mission and got my mail, the elderly man’s question immediately brought to mind my own grandmother, Fern Elder.

     Grandma Fern lived to the ripe old age of 92.  In her “younger” days when her years numbered  around 80, she was planting a tree in her yard in Kirwin.  

     I asked her the usual questions regarding its species and such.  In the course of the conversation she commented that eventually her tree will grow to be tall and strong, and “provide a good shade in the hot Kansas summer sun.”

     Which quickly led my questioning to come around to “how long will it be until it gets that way?”

     “Oh, around 30 years or so,” she said.

     “Thirty years! Is it  worth it?  That  won’t benefit you.  Why are you going to all this trouble?” I said.

     “Kirby,” she answered, “I’m not doing this for myself.  I’m doing this for the next one.”

     The profound nature of her answer quickly ended any debate on the matter, and even made me feel a bit small, although that was certainly not her intent.  It also made me feel proud.  

     The 30 years she spoke of have since come to pass, and when I’m in Kirwin I sometimes go by and look at her tree.  It’s tall and strong, and provides a good shade in the hot Kansas summer sun, for the next one, just as her wise counsel predicted it would.

     Back in the 1870s and '80s and '90s our ancestors  — yours and mine — set the stage for Phillips  County to become one of the economic crown jewels of northwest Kansas.

     Likewise in the '30s, '40s and '50s, there was another major surge of large-scale investment in the future of the county from which we have all, every single one of us, benefited.

     And for those old-timers who invested heavily into the future of Phillips County, you and I were “the next one.”

     Those heady Phillips County boom times in the mid-20th century even set the stage for the business that the family of the now-elderly man from the post office started in the 1960s.  That business continues to prosper to this very day.

     Each generation of the man’s family has since improved upon that business — not because the results of their hard work which they will pass on through “for the next one” is something the older generation will be seeing, but because it is our duty to make sure that those who follow us are placed on solid footing for the future.

     Right now we are at a monumental crossroads in the history of Phillips County, and as a consequence are going through a terrible debate in regard to growth, and whether it is “worth it” or not.

     With a third of one BILLION dollars being invested in Phillips County right now, what is happening out at TAMKO, and Amber Wave, along with the possible addition of hugely significant major industry coat-tailing behind Amber Wave, will affect the future of Phillips County for the next hundred years — just as the work of those who came before us did for us.

     And it is the obligation of every one of us to provide the support needed for that future at this key moment in time, including investing financially in it.

     If not for ourselves, then “for the next one.”

     Now, back to the old man’s question to me at the post office on Saturday — “So is it worth it?”

Phillips County Review editor Kirby Ross was named the top Kansas editorial writer in his circulation class by the Kansas Press Association in 2018 and 2022. The overall editorial pages of the Phillips County Review were named as the best in their class in Kansas by the KPA in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Republished with permission.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594071502884.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KIRBY ROSS Phillips County Review On Saturday morning, more snow was falling upon older snow as I pulled into the icy Phillipsburg Post Office parking area. The day was dreary and grayish-white, with the division of sky and earth being barely perceptible against a similarly dreary and grayish-white background, as a light but persistant snow was drifting down. Parking next to the only other vehicle at the post office, a flatbed truck I recognized, I exited my car thinking "this just might get interesting."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Approaching the entrance to the building, an elderly man stepped out, mail in hand, saying, “Hello Kirby, I’ll hold the door open for you. My daughter-in-law probably wouldn’t hold it open for you, but I will.” Chuckling, I responded “It doesn’t surprise me that you say she wouldn’t.” “You know who my daughter-in-law is,” he said more as a statement of fact than as a question. “Yep.” “Do you know who I am?” he asked in follow up. “Yes I do. Maybe your daughter-in-law will be willing to hold the door open once she sees the value of investing in growth in Phillips County like I do,” I responded. “I doubt if that happens. I know I won’t live to see the value of that growth you’re talking about,” he said. Pausing a moment and scrunching his face, he added, “I doubt if you’ll see it either.” “Maybe not,” I said. “So is it worth it?” he asked as he turned and walked away without waiting for my answer.************** As I continued on my original mission and got my mail, the elderly man’s question immediately brought to mind my own grandmother, Fern Elder. Grandma Fern lived to the ripe old age of 92. In her “younger” days when her years numbered around 80, she was planting a tree in her yard in Kirwin. I asked her the usual questions regarding its species and such. In the course of the conversation she commented that eventually her tree will grow to be tall and strong, and “provide a good shade in the hot Kansas summer sun.” Which quickly led my questioning to come around to “how long will it be until it gets that way?” “Oh, around 30 years or so,” she said. “Thirty years! Is it worth it? That won’t benefit you. Why are you going to all this trouble?” I said. “Kirby,” she answered, “I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing this for the next one.”************** The profound nature of her answer quickly ended any debate on the matter, and even made me feel a bit small, although that was certainly not her intent. It also made me feel proud. The 30 years she spoke of have since come to pass, and when I’m in Kirwin I sometimes go by and look at her tree. It’s tall and strong, and provides a good shade in the hot Kansas summer sun, for the next one, just as her wise counsel predicted it would.************** Back in the 1870s and '80s and '90s our ancestors — yours and mine — set the stage for Phillips County to become one of the economic crown jewels of northwest Kansas. Likewise in the '30s, '40s and '50s, there was another major surge of large-scale investment in the future of the county from which we have all, every single one of us, benefited. And for those old-timers who invested heavily into the future of Phillips County, you and I were “the next one.” Those heady Phillips County boom times in the mid-20th century even set the stage for the business that the family of the now-elderly man from the post office started in the 1960s. That business continues to prosper to this very day. Each generation of the man’s family has since improved upon that business — not because the results of their hard work which they will pass on through “for the next one” is something the older generation will be seeing, but because it is our duty to make sure that those who follow us are placed on solid footing for the future. Right now we are at a monumental crossroads in the history of Phillips County, and as a consequence are going through a terrible debate in regard to growth, and whether it is “worth it” or not. With a third of one BILLION dollars being invested in Phillips County right now, what is happening out at TAMKO, and Amber Wave, along with the possible addition of hugely significant major industry coat-tailing behind Amber Wave, will affect the future of Phillips County for the next hundred years — just as the work of those who came before us did for us. And it is the obligation of every one of us to provide the support needed for that future at this key moment in time, including investing financially in it. If not for ourselves, then “for the next one.” Now, back to the old man’s question to me at the post office on Saturday — “So is it worth it?” My answer? You damn right it is. Phillips County Review editor Kirby Ross was named the top Kansas editorial writer in his circulation class by the Kansas Press Association in 2018 and 2022. The overall editorial pages of the Phillips County Review were named as the best in their class in Kansas by the KPA in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Republished with permission.

OPINION: 'So is it worth it?' — the future of Phillips County

As I sit here this morning&nbsp;in the warm comfort of my living room&nbsp;watching the snow flakes&nbsp;fall,&nbsp;I’m reminded&nbsp;just&nbsp;how&nbsp;magnificent our Creator is. First the flakes were huge like&nbsp;doily’s&nbsp;and filled the sky. Next thing I knew, they were tiny,&nbsp;scarcely&nbsp;qualifying as snow flakes and&nbsp;barely coming down. Back and forth that cycle went for the rest of the morning.

Show&nbsp;me one person who doesn’t have some&nbsp;sort of love-hate relationship with snow.&nbsp;It

seems as though a person either love it or hates it, and for some of us it depends upon the

day.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;hard to explain how something that makes the landscape&nbsp;suddenly&nbsp;seem so sparkling clean and pure can turn on you in an instant and&nbsp;ruin your day. I was reminded today&nbsp;how much I love to watch snow fall and how beautiful it makes everything it touches, but also how much I hate removing it from my driveway.&nbsp;I’m kind of a purist in that I believe God put it there and I don’t want to shovel it and take away any satisfaction He might get from taking it away himself!&nbsp;Yes, to the traveler, home owner, maintenance man&nbsp;and commuter,&nbsp;snow is&nbsp;often&nbsp;an&nbsp;unwelcome inconvenience. To the outdoorsman, however, snow opens up a whole&nbsp;new world of&nbsp;opportunities.&nbsp;

For the&nbsp;outdoors&nbsp;photographer&nbsp;or painter there is no other canvas that compares to&nbsp;an outdoor scene&nbsp;sporting&nbsp;a&nbsp;fresh&nbsp;snowfall.&nbsp;Suddenly, as if by magic, the mundane becomesmajestic,&nbsp;the drab becomes&nbsp;dynamic and the everyday becomes&nbsp;extraordinary. Outdoor spots&nbsp;we pass&nbsp;daily with no recognition suddenly become&nbsp;scenes&nbsp;from a calendar.&nbsp;Likethe lava lamps of days gone by,&nbsp;the look of the landscape&nbsp;slowly&nbsp;changes from hour to hour with the wind.&nbsp;

Obviously,&nbsp;skiers and snowboarders live for fresh snow. After an overnight snowfall,hills&nbsp;too steep to climb become mere carnival rides beneath their feet. Cross country skiers can, in one day, see country it would take them several days to see on foot without the snow.&nbsp;And let’s not forget the farmers. As a rule of thumb, ten inches of snow equal one inch of rain,&nbsp;and snow supposedly brings with it good nutrients too, so&nbsp;even though we will not be getting&nbsp;any amount near ten inches, every little bit of moisture is welcome, given the dry state of our land.

Hunters and trappers can benefit&nbsp;greatly from a fresh snowfall. Tracks of deer, coyotes, bobcats and other game animals are tough to&nbsp;spot in our&nbsp;often-dry&nbsp;Kansas soil,&nbsp;so&nbsp;trying to learn&nbsp;their&nbsp;movement patterns&nbsp;can rely&nbsp;on being&nbsp;fortunate enough to see the animals themselves. Remember going to dances back-in-the-day when your hand was stamped with a mark that only showed up under a special “black light?”&nbsp;That mark was there the whole time but only became visible when put under the light. Just like the black light, snow suddenly shows tracks of wildlife that have been traveling those same paths for months, but leaving no visible signs.

After a significant&nbsp;snowfall a few years ago, I spent time scouting an area I still had yet to trap. It was a soybean stubble field along the river where my wife harvested&nbsp;her first deer several years before. Besides hordes of deer tracks, I followed 2 sets of bobcat tracks as they meandered&nbsp;back and forth across the field&nbsp;and between several freshly made brush piles.&nbsp;I tracked a coyote for several&nbsp;hundred yards and was able to observe exactly how it related to certain land features. I followed coyote tracks on&nbsp;a frozen drainage ditch and could see where it had stopped to nose around under logs and other attractions. Its tracks showed me&nbsp;cattle&nbsp;trails it had traveled&nbsp;along the steep banks&nbsp;and where it had entered and left the ditch. Closing&nbsp;my eyes, I could&nbsp;almost see&nbsp;these animals as they&nbsp;left the footprints that held&nbsp;my attention.

So, the next time it snows, after you’ve shoveled the driveway, cleaned the walks, swept the deck and cursed the weatherman, grab your camera or walking stick and head for the woods. It will definitely&nbsp;influence your relationship with the “white stuff”&nbsp;as you continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>As I sit here this morning&nbsp;in the warm comfort of my living room&nbsp;watching the snow flakes&nbsp;fall,&nbsp;I’m reminded&nbsp;just&nbsp;how&nbsp;magnificent our Creator is. First the flakes were huge like&nbsp;doily’s&nbsp;and filled the sky. Next thing I knew, they were tiny,&nbsp;scarcely&nbsp;qualifying as snow flakes and&nbsp;barely coming down. Back and forth that cycle went for the rest of the morning.Show&nbsp;me one person who doesn’t have some&nbsp;sort of love-hate relationship with snow.&nbsp;Itseems as though a person either love it or hates it, and for some of us it depends upon theday.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;hard to explain how something that makes the landscape&nbsp;suddenly&nbsp;seem so sparkling clean and pure can turn on you in an instant and&nbsp;ruin your day. I was reminded today&nbsp;how much I love to watch snow fall and how beautiful it makes everything it touches, but also how much I hate removing it from my driveway.&nbsp;I’m kind of a purist in that I believe God put it there and I don’t want to shovel it and take away any satisfaction He might get from taking it away himself!&nbsp;Yes, to the traveler, home owner, maintenance man&nbsp;and commuter,&nbsp;snow is&nbsp;often&nbsp;an&nbsp;unwelcome inconvenience. To the outdoorsman, however, snow opens up a whole&nbsp;new world of&nbsp;opportunities.&nbsp;For the&nbsp;outdoors&nbsp;photographer&nbsp;or painter there is no other canvas that compares to&nbsp;an outdoor scene&nbsp;sporting&nbsp;a&nbsp;fresh&nbsp;snowfall.&nbsp;Suddenly, as if by magic, the mundane becomesmajestic,&nbsp;the drab becomes&nbsp;dynamic and the everyday becomes&nbsp;extraordinary. Outdoor spots&nbsp;we pass&nbsp;daily with no recognition suddenly become&nbsp;scenes&nbsp;from a calendar.&nbsp;Likethe lava lamps of days gone by,&nbsp;the look of the landscape&nbsp;slowly&nbsp;changes from hour to hour with the wind.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;skiers and snowboarders live for fresh snow. After an overnight snowfall,hills&nbsp;too steep to climb become mere carnival rides beneath their feet. Cross country skiers can, in one day, see country it would take them several days to see on foot without the snow.&nbsp;And let’s not forget the farmers. As a rule of thumb, ten inches of snow equal one inch of rain,&nbsp;and snow supposedly brings with it good nutrients too, so&nbsp;even though we will not be getting&nbsp;any amount near ten inches, every little bit of moisture is welcome, given the dry state of our land.Hunters and trappers can benefit&nbsp;greatly from a fresh snowfall. Tracks of deer, coyotes, bobcats and other game animals are tough to&nbsp;spot in our&nbsp;often-dry&nbsp;Kansas soil,&nbsp;so&nbsp;trying to learn&nbsp;their&nbsp;movement patterns&nbsp;can rely&nbsp;on being&nbsp;fortunate enough to see the animals themselves. Remember going to dances back-in-the-day when your hand was stamped with a mark that only showed up under a special “black light?”&nbsp;That mark was there the whole time but only became visible when put under the light. Just like the black light, snow suddenly shows tracks of wildlife that have been traveling those same paths for months, but leaving no visible signs.After a significant&nbsp;snowfall a few years ago, I spent time scouting an area I still had yet to trap. It was a soybean stubble field along the river where my wife harvested&nbsp;her first deer several years before. Besides hordes of deer tracks, I followed 2 sets of bobcat tracks as they meandered&nbsp;back and forth across the field&nbsp;and between several freshly made brush piles.&nbsp;I tracked a coyote for several&nbsp;hundred yards and was able to observe exactly how it related to certain land features. I followed coyote tracks on&nbsp;a frozen drainage ditch and could see where it had stopped to nose around under logs and other attractions. Its tracks showed me&nbsp;cattle&nbsp;trails it had traveled&nbsp;along the steep banks&nbsp;and where it had entered and left the ditch. Closing&nbsp;my eyes, I could&nbsp;almost see&nbsp;these animals as they&nbsp;left the footprints that held&nbsp;my attention.So, the next time it snows, after you’ve shoveled the driveway, cleaned the walks, swept the deck and cursed the weatherman, grab your camera or walking stick and head for the woods. It will definitely&nbsp;influence your relationship with the “white stuff”&nbsp;as you continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at&nbsp;stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Snow — love it or hate it

​While some&nbsp;folks negatively refer to Kansas as&nbsp;Flyover Country, I&nbsp;consider&nbsp;the term&nbsp;as one of our state’s best descriptors. 

Because of our location and the presence of&nbsp;features such as Cheyenne Bottoms&nbsp;and Quivira Marsh,&nbsp;the migratory bird&nbsp;Central&nbsp;Flyway&nbsp;crosses&nbsp;right&nbsp;overKansas.&nbsp;

Due to&nbsp;this, we&nbsp;see and hear&nbsp;massive migrations each spring and fall that few experience. As a bonus, geese and ducks that nest in Canada&nbsp;fly&nbsp;this far south in the winter&nbsp;before&nbsp;stopping&nbsp;on our lakes&nbsp;and reservoirs to feed and fuel the rest of their&nbsp;journey. Making it a double bonus, bald eagles that also&nbsp;reproduce&nbsp;in the North Country, follow those&nbsp;honking, quacking&nbsp;flocks&nbsp;to&nbsp;hunt&nbsp;weaker,&nbsp;slower&nbsp;members.&nbsp;Growing&nbsp;populations&nbsp;made&nbsp;this a banner year for&nbsp;fans of our national bird.

Kansas Birding&nbsp;on Facebook&nbsp;shared&nbsp;recently completed Christmas Bird Counts (CBC)&nbsp;that&nbsp;documented at least 100 eagles at Kirwin Reservoir. Nearby Webster Lake CBC reported at least 125 bald eagles&nbsp;following&nbsp;Canada goose, snow goose, and duck flocks this winter. If you want to nature watch, it’s worth a&nbsp;drive&nbsp;to view&nbsp;thousands of&nbsp;geese on the water as well as&nbsp;the&nbsp;hundreds&nbsp;circling&nbsp;and landing in&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;farm fields.&nbsp;Park safely, crank up the heat,&nbsp;roll&nbsp;down&nbsp;the&nbsp;window,&nbsp;and&nbsp;listen to&nbsp;them&nbsp;gabble and honk.&nbsp;

​Once&nbsp;you get&nbsp;close enough to the lake to watch massive rafts of water fowl,&nbsp;grab binoculars, spotting scopes, or telescopic lenses to look for accompanying bald eagles. In the past, seeing&nbsp;more than&nbsp;a&nbsp;couple&nbsp;thrilled&nbsp;a birder’s heart, but this year,&nbsp;lucky viewers&nbsp;might see&nbsp;a&nbsp;score&nbsp;or two&nbsp;sitting on ice,&nbsp;picking at&nbsp;remnants of goose&nbsp;or&nbsp;duck&nbsp;or fish, preening to keep feathers in prime condition, or resting between feasts.&nbsp;

​On a recent trip to Webster, we first spied several bald eagles perched high in trees lining the north shore camping and boating areas. With&nbsp;distinctive&nbsp;heads and hooked beaks&nbsp;turned to&nbsp;focus&nbsp;on thousands of waterfowl on the lake, they&nbsp;searched&nbsp;for&nbsp;those&nbsp;weak&nbsp;birds&nbsp;that&nbsp;provide a quick protein boost.&nbsp;

​We&nbsp;then&nbsp;stopped&nbsp;on&nbsp;a&nbsp;high vantage point that&nbsp;gave&nbsp;an open view of&nbsp;much of&nbsp;the ice-covered&nbsp;water. Once I zoomed in with my telescopic lens&nbsp;to&nbsp;scan&nbsp;the area, I’d see anywhere from 5 to 10 eagles situated not far from each&nbsp;group&nbsp;of hundreds if not thousands of&nbsp;waterfowl.&nbsp;

​Later, we&nbsp;investigated&nbsp;the campground/cove areas,&nbsp;pulling&nbsp;into one&nbsp;where we promptly spotted&nbsp;more&nbsp;eagles&nbsp;watching from&nbsp;trees near water.&nbsp;We found a parking&nbsp;spot&nbsp;that offered a&nbsp;distant&nbsp;view of&nbsp;a&nbsp;semi-protected cove&nbsp;and&nbsp;counted&nbsp;39&nbsp;eagles&nbsp;in&nbsp;that spot.&nbsp;Once again,&nbsp;they pecked at&nbsp;scraps, preened,&nbsp;and&nbsp;snoozed&nbsp;while&nbsp;a couple of&nbsp;lazy ones&nbsp;sneaked close enough&nbsp;to&nbsp;raise a fuss over&nbsp;a fellow&nbsp;eagle’s food cache.

​While eagles&nbsp;have&nbsp;historically followed&nbsp;migrating waterfowl&nbsp;across Kansas&nbsp;during fall and winter, this year’s bird count&nbsp;suggests&nbsp;that conservation efforts have boosted their recovery. It also makes&nbsp;Flyover Country&nbsp;sound&nbsp;so much&nbsp;more intriguing than the original&nbsp;disparaging remark&nbsp;intended.

Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674228972077.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORIN​While some&nbsp;folks negatively refer to Kansas as&nbsp;Flyover Country, I&nbsp;consider&nbsp;the term&nbsp;as one of our state’s best descriptors. Because of our location and the presence of&nbsp;features such as Cheyenne Bottoms&nbsp;and Quivira Marsh,&nbsp;the migratory bird&nbsp;Central&nbsp;Flyway&nbsp;crosses&nbsp;right&nbsp;overKansas.&nbsp;Due to&nbsp;this, we&nbsp;see and hear&nbsp;massive migrations each spring and fall that few experience. As a bonus, geese and ducks that nest in Canada&nbsp;fly&nbsp;this far south in the winter&nbsp;before&nbsp;stopping&nbsp;on our lakes&nbsp;and reservoirs to feed and fuel the rest of their&nbsp;journey. Making it a double bonus, bald eagles that also&nbsp;reproduce&nbsp;in the North Country, follow those&nbsp;honking, quacking&nbsp;flocks&nbsp;to&nbsp;hunt&nbsp;weaker,&nbsp;slower&nbsp;members.&nbsp;Growing&nbsp;populations&nbsp;made&nbsp;this a banner year for&nbsp;fans of our national bird.<div><div style="position:relative; overflow:hidden; padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/PmXnldNV-KcBmu4K3.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Eagle Flyover Country" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div>Kansas Birding&nbsp;on Facebook&nbsp;shared&nbsp;recently completed Christmas Bird Counts (CBC)&nbsp;that&nbsp;documented at least 100 eagles at Kirwin Reservoir. Nearby Webster Lake CBC reported at least 125 bald eagles&nbsp;following&nbsp;Canada goose, snow goose, and duck flocks this winter. If you want to nature watch, it’s worth a&nbsp;drive&nbsp;to view&nbsp;thousands of&nbsp;geese on the water as well as&nbsp;the&nbsp;hundreds&nbsp;circling&nbsp;and landing in&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;farm fields.&nbsp;Park safely, crank up the heat,&nbsp;roll&nbsp;down&nbsp;the&nbsp;window,&nbsp;and&nbsp;listen to&nbsp;them&nbsp;gabble and honk.&nbsp;​Once&nbsp;you get&nbsp;close enough to the lake to watch massive rafts of water fowl,&nbsp;grab binoculars, spotting scopes, or telescopic lenses to look for accompanying bald eagles. In the past, seeing&nbsp;more than&nbsp;a&nbsp;couple&nbsp;thrilled&nbsp;a birder’s heart, but this year,&nbsp;lucky viewers&nbsp;might see&nbsp;a&nbsp;score&nbsp;or two&nbsp;sitting on ice,&nbsp;picking at&nbsp;remnants of goose&nbsp;or&nbsp;duck&nbsp;or fish, preening to keep feathers in prime condition, or resting between feasts.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>​On a recent trip to Webster, we first spied several bald eagles perched high in trees lining the north shore camping and boating areas. With&nbsp;distinctive&nbsp;heads and hooked beaks&nbsp;turned to&nbsp;focus&nbsp;on thousands of waterfowl on the lake, they&nbsp;searched&nbsp;for&nbsp;those&nbsp;weak&nbsp;birds&nbsp;that&nbsp;provide a quick protein boost.&nbsp;​We&nbsp;then&nbsp;stopped&nbsp;on&nbsp;a&nbsp;high vantage point that&nbsp;gave&nbsp;an open view of&nbsp;much of&nbsp;the ice-covered&nbsp;water. Once I zoomed in with my telescopic lens&nbsp;to&nbsp;scan&nbsp;the area, I’d see anywhere from 5 to 10 eagles situated not far from each&nbsp;group&nbsp;of hundreds if not thousands of&nbsp;waterfowl.&nbsp;​Later, we&nbsp;investigated&nbsp;the campground/cove areas,&nbsp;pulling&nbsp;into one&nbsp;where we promptly spotted&nbsp;more&nbsp;eagles&nbsp;watching from&nbsp;trees near water.&nbsp;We found a parking&nbsp;spot&nbsp;that offered a&nbsp;distant&nbsp;view of&nbsp;a&nbsp;semi-protected cove&nbsp;and&nbsp;counted&nbsp;39&nbsp;eagles&nbsp;in&nbsp;that spot.&nbsp;Once again,&nbsp;they pecked at&nbsp;scraps, preened,&nbsp;and&nbsp;snoozed&nbsp;while&nbsp;a couple of&nbsp;lazy ones&nbsp;sneaked close enough&nbsp;to&nbsp;raise a fuss over&nbsp;a fellow&nbsp;eagle’s food cache.​While eagles&nbsp;have&nbsp;historically followed&nbsp;migrating waterfowl&nbsp;across Kansas&nbsp;during fall and winter, this year’s bird count&nbsp;suggests&nbsp;that conservation efforts have boosted their recovery. It also makes&nbsp;Flyover Country&nbsp;sound&nbsp;so much&nbsp;more intriguing than the original&nbsp;disparaging remark&nbsp;intended.Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: Bald eagles in Flyover Country

Consistent with conservative wishes when it comes to K-12 education, the 2023 “A Better Way” legislative agenda Kansas Republicans released a few days ago leans toward support for school choice Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).

Any significant upside here is that the legislative process provides plenty of time for the public to voice their own goals for public school improvement.&nbsp;

ESA legislation likely to be introduced in 2023 would allow parents to draw down individual per student state funding to use at a private school or for other educational expenses such as tutoring, transportation or extra-curricular services.&nbsp;

Can providing Kansas taxpayer dollars to parents to spend on their child’s learning be the magic bullet for education or do ESAs drain the Kansas school system of needed resources and nullify the intent of state and federal law?

Kansas already offers a wide array of school choice options for parents—traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling.&nbsp;

Open enrollment, which will go into effect in the 2024-25 school year,&nbsp;will permit any Kansas student to transfer schools based on the receiving school’s capacity.

An ESA is not a 529 education savings account plan, in Kansas called Learning Quest, where parents/anyone can invest their own dollars toward a child’s education.&nbsp; Funds accrued in a 529&nbsp;account can be withdrawn tax-free if used to pay for college or other qualified education expenses including private schools.

The proposed ESA program is similar to voucher programs which originally allowed states to convert the amount of tax dollars going to support a child in public school to vouchers handed directly to parents for use at approved private schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The first voucher programs emerged in Southern states, during the 1950s shortly after American schools were desegregated. These vouchers were found unconstitutional by the U. S. Supreme Court in part because of selective-admission private school policies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A resurgence in conservatism and voucher popularity began around 2000 and 15 states now have some form of revised voucher plans often called ESAs. These states’ laws are not uniform. Some limit recipients to high need students.&nbsp; Others allow funds for select learning services beyond private school tuition.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Recent successful lawsuits&nbsp;in&nbsp;Tennessee, South Carolina and&nbsp;Kentucky&nbsp;blocked the diversion of millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools to private school vouchers.

The Education Law Center Public Funds Public Schools tracks challenges to ESAs and found a recently filed New Hampshirelawsuit revealed Amazon as the largest ESA beneficiary in 2021, receiving 18% of funds released to parents.

ESA supporters point to West Virginia, Florida and Arizona as examples where ESAs contribute to student success, but verification is difficult to determine because it is often based on short-term, non-scientific data collection.

There is an enormous difference between parents’ right to choose education for their own children and parents having power to decide where distribution of taxpayer dollars will go.

In Kansas, ESAs may be less about the opportunity for school choice than about shifting taxpayer education dollars to corporate entities and selective-admission private schools.

There are other, better ways to fix problem schools.&nbsp;

Whether it’s rural, suburban or city schools, anytime taxpayer money goes out-the-door to private enterprise, schools lose resources and the American ideal of free public education for all is diminished. &nbsp;

Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>Consistent with conservative wishes when it comes to K-12 education, the 2023 “A Better Way” legislative agenda Kansas Republicans released a few days ago leans toward support for school choice Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).Any significant upside here is that the legislative process provides plenty of time for the public to voice their own goals for public school improvement.&nbsp;ESA legislation likely to be introduced in 2023 would allow parents to draw down individual per student state funding to use at a private school or for other educational expenses such as tutoring, transportation or extra-curricular services.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Can providing Kansas taxpayer dollars to parents to spend on their child’s learning be the magic bullet for education or do ESAs drain the Kansas school system of needed resources and nullify the intent of state and federal law?Kansas already offers a wide array of school choice options for parents—traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling.&nbsp;Open enrollment, which will go into effect in the 2024-25 school year,&nbsp;will permit any Kansas student to transfer schools based on the receiving school’s capacity.An ESA is not a 529 education savings account plan, in Kansas called Learning Quest, where parents/anyone can invest their own dollars toward a child’s education.&nbsp; Funds accrued in a 529&nbsp;account can be withdrawn tax-free if used to pay for college or other qualified education expenses including private schools.The proposed ESA program is similar to voucher programs which originally allowed states to convert the amount of tax dollars going to support a child in public school to vouchers handed directly to parents for use at approved private schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;The first voucher programs emerged in Southern states, during the 1950s shortly after American schools were desegregated. These vouchers were found unconstitutional by the U. S. Supreme Court in part because of selective-admission private school policies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A resurgence in conservatism and voucher popularity began around 2000 and 15 states now have some form of revised voucher plans often called ESAs. These states’ laws are not uniform. Some limit recipients to high need students.&nbsp; Others allow funds for select learning services beyond private school tuition.&nbsp;&nbsp;Recent successful lawsuits&nbsp;in&nbsp;Tennessee, South Carolina and&nbsp;Kentucky&nbsp;blocked the diversion of millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools to private school vouchers.The Education Law Center Public Funds Public Schools tracks challenges to ESAs and found a recently filed New Hampshirelawsuit revealed Amazon as the largest ESA beneficiary in 2021, receiving 18% of funds released to parents.ESA supporters point to West Virginia, Florida and Arizona as examples where ESAs contribute to student success, but verification is difficult to determine because it is often based on short-term, non-scientific data collection.There is an enormous difference between parents’ right to choose education for their own children and parents having power to decide where distribution of taxpayer dollars will go.In Kansas, ESAs may be less about the opportunity for school choice than about shifting taxpayer education dollars to corporate entities and selective-admission private schools.There are other, better ways to fix problem schools.&nbsp;Whether it’s rural, suburban or city schools, anytime taxpayer money goes out-the-door to private enterprise, schools lose resources and the American ideal of free public education for all is diminished. &nbsp;Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Can Education Savings Accounts be a better way?

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

That statement from a young woman’s three-year old daughter helped launch a business of producing handmade soaps and other skin care products in rural Kansas.&nbsp;

Dixie Pachta is founder and owner of Rose Creek Suds. Her products not only avoid the allergic reactions suffered by her daughter, they provide the wonderful scents and luxurious lather that her customers enjoy. She also supports worthy local causes.&nbsp;

Pachta grew up in the Linn and Washington area. She met and married Andrew who is from Linn. They attended Kansas State University where Dixie studied accounting and Andrew studied animal sciences.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After graduation, they moved to Andrew’s grandparents’ farm near the rural community of Munden, population 96 people. Now, that’s rural. For 10 years, Dixie Pachta worked in tax preparation and now does internal audits for a bank in Belleville.&nbsp;

At Christmas time in 2020, Andrew bought a bar of soap that he thought sounded appealing. “We were disappointed in it,” Dixie said. She remembered her grandmother had made soap at home, so Dixie decided to see if she could make a better soap herself.&nbsp;

“Both of our grandmothers made lard soap for laundry purposes,” Dixie said. “We still have chunks of her laundry soap.” Dixie also knew that several members of her family had issues with sensitive skin.&nbsp;

Dixie Pachta researched the process of making soap by hand and gave it a try. When her three-year old daughter used the soap and found that it didn’t sting her hands like the store products did, Dixie knew she was on the right track. Soon, friends and family members wanted the products, so Dixie started a business venture.&nbsp;

Because they live on Rose Creek, she named the business Rose Creek Suds. Today, Rose Creek Suds produces handmade soaps and other products, such as candles, wax melts, face mists and sugar scrubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The key base product for many of her soaps is lard, as pioneer women used more than a century ago. “Lard soap is more creamy and it’s especially good for extra sensitive skin,” Dixie said. One of their family members raised hogs as a 4-H project so the Pachtas were able to access lard directly.&nbsp;

“I add various scents and castor oil and coconut oil for more bubbles,” Dixie said. In January 2021, she began taking her products to craft shows. Her products are sold locally and online, and have gone as far away as Florida, Canada, and Australia.&nbsp;

“I love to experiment,” Dixie said. “What can I use to make it smell better or have a smoother lather?” Her Lumberyard soap and scents with cedar, lavender and musk have been really popular with guys.&nbsp;

One day a friend of Dixie’s gave her a supply of glass jars for recycling, but Dixie wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then Dixie learned about her nephew’s friend who was having many challenges.&nbsp;

He was an eighth-grade boy who came to the U.S. from Bulgaria and spoke no English.&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy was in the process of being adopted by a local pastor’s family when he started having a sinus infection – not realizing that the very serious infection was going into his brain.&nbsp;

“His adoption was finalized in adoption court one morning, and by midnight of that day, he was having his brain operated on at Children’s Mercy,” Dixie said. The boy is now recuperating and is getting fitted with a skullcap.&nbsp;

Dixie decided to use those glass jars to make a special product to sell as a fundraiser to help with this young man’s medical expenses. These are candles with a red, white, and blue design, using the scents of Roarin’ Raspberry, Whistlin’ Wicks, and Bloomin’ Blueberry.&nbsp;

The product is called Red, White, and Believin.’ “I’m willing to make special products for other fundraisers too,” Dixie said.&nbsp;

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rosecreeksuds.com/">www.rosecreeksuds.com</a>.&nbsp;

“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;&nbsp;That comment from her daughter helped this young mother realize that her product was healthy as well as enjoyable. We commend Dixie Pachta for making a difference with Rose Creek Suds.&nbsp;

Her potential success works me into a lather.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674050223164.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;That statement from a young woman’s three-year old daughter helped launch a business of producing handmade soaps and other skin care products in rural Kansas.&nbsp;Dixie Pachta is founder and owner of Rose Creek Suds. Her products not only avoid the allergic reactions suffered by her daughter, they provide the wonderful scents and luxurious lather that her customers enjoy. She also supports worthy local causes.&nbsp;Pachta grew up in the Linn and Washington area. She met and married Andrew who is from Linn. They attended Kansas State University where Dixie studied accounting and Andrew studied animal sciences.&nbsp;&nbsp;After graduation, they moved to Andrew’s grandparents’ farm near the rural community of Munden, population 96 people. Now, that’s rural. For 10 years, Dixie Pachta worked in tax preparation and now does internal audits for a bank in Belleville.&nbsp;At Christmas time in 2020, Andrew bought a bar of soap that he thought sounded appealing. “We were disappointed in it,” Dixie said. She remembered her grandmother had made soap at home, so Dixie decided to see if she could make a better soap herself.&nbsp;“Both of our grandmothers made lard soap for laundry purposes,” Dixie said. “We still have chunks of her laundry soap.” Dixie also knew that several members of her family had issues with sensitive skin.&nbsp;Dixie Pachta researched the process of making soap by hand and gave it a try. When her three-year old daughter used the soap and found that it didn’t sting her hands like the store products did, Dixie knew she was on the right track. Soon, friends and family members wanted the products, so Dixie started a business venture.&nbsp;Because they live on Rose Creek, she named the business Rose Creek Suds. Today, Rose Creek Suds produces handmade soaps and other products, such as candles, wax melts, face mists and sugar scrubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The key base product for many of her soaps is lard, as pioneer women used more than a century ago. “Lard soap is more creamy and it’s especially good for extra sensitive skin,” Dixie said. One of their family members raised hogs as a 4-H project so the Pachtas were able to access lard directly.&nbsp;“I add various scents and castor oil and coconut oil for more bubbles,” Dixie said. In January 2021, she began taking her products to craft shows. Her products are sold locally and online, and have gone as far away as Florida, Canada, and Australia.&nbsp;“I love to experiment,” Dixie said. “What can I use to make it smell better or have a smoother lather?” Her Lumberyard soap and scents with cedar, lavender and musk have been really popular with guys.&nbsp;One day a friend of Dixie’s gave her a supply of glass jars for recycling, but Dixie wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then Dixie learned about her nephew’s friend who was having many challenges.&nbsp;He was an eighth-grade boy who came to the U.S. from Bulgaria and spoke no English.&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy was in the process of being adopted by a local pastor’s family when he started having a sinus infection – not realizing that the very serious infection was going into his brain.&nbsp;“His adoption was finalized in adoption court one morning, and by midnight of that day, he was having his brain operated on at Children’s Mercy,” Dixie said. The boy is now recuperating and is getting fitted with a skullcap.&nbsp;Dixie decided to use those glass jars to make a special product to sell as a fundraiser to help with this young man’s medical expenses. These are candles with a red, white, and blue design, using the scents of Roarin’ Raspberry, Whistlin’ Wicks, and Bloomin’ Blueberry.&nbsp;The product is called Red, White, and Believin.’ “I’m willing to make special products for other fundraisers too,” Dixie said.&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rosecreeksuds.com/">www.rosecreeksuds.com</a>.&nbsp;“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;&nbsp;That comment from her daughter helped this young mother realize that her product was healthy as well as enjoyable. We commend Dixie Pachta for making a difference with Rose Creek Suds.&nbsp;Her potential success works me into a lather.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural:  Dixie Pachta, Rose Creek Suds 

I like to start my day reading “Light’s Daily Dose.”&nbsp;Author Light Watkins’&nbsp;daily&nbsp;message is short and impactful. The other day, as I was thinking about new year’s resolutions&nbsp;– the hopes&nbsp;and aspirations&nbsp;for each new year.&nbsp;I was&nbsp;inspired&nbsp;by&nbsp;a&nbsp;Light’s&nbsp;Daily Dose&nbsp;email&nbsp;entitled, “Be that person.”

It begins with Light sharing a tweet from an author named Clint Smith. It said, “One of the reasons I’m a writer today is because I had a&nbsp;teacher in&nbsp;third-&nbsp;grade who looked at my poem about clouds&nbsp;and said, “you can be a writer when you grow up.” Powerful words of inspiration and aspiration.

I smiled and thought&nbsp;immediately about the people&nbsp;in my life who encouraged&nbsp;me. And I thoughtabout the truly remarkable ethic of care that guides this university. It is exactly why our strategic plan is named “Unlocking Untapped Potential.”&nbsp;

Take,&nbsp;for example,&nbsp;this letter written to a freshman seminar instructor by Logan – a May 2018 graduate. And I know in my heart the&nbsp;inspiring message that was the&nbsp;essence of this letter could have been written to anyone at Fort Hays State&nbsp;University:

I just wanted to reach out to let you know that I am doing well. My life is busier and fuller than I ever could have imagined. And through it all, I have never forgotten what you did for me. During freshman seminar, we took a self-evaluation quiz. Afterwards, I met with you in your office, where we learned that the evaluation gave me a 25% chance of ever earning a college degree. I was devastated. Until I heard your response: ‘That’s a bunch of BS.’&nbsp;

Those words gave me motivation like you wouldn’t believe. You gave me confidence that I could actually graduate. You even gave me a graduation tassel to keep me focused on that goal.&nbsp;This past May, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, a minor in Business Administration, and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

I never thought I would be half as successful as I have already been, and each time I achieve something new in my career, the first thing I think of is my time at FHSU, sitting in your office, scared that I would never graduate. I think of the motivation and confidence you provided that put me in the position I am in today. That graduation tassel still hangs on my wall as a reminder of all the opportunities I had because you invested in me. &nbsp;

Hearing these testimonies to our university’s&nbsp;ethic of care never gets old. I savor each remarkable&nbsp;story&nbsp;as my heart basks in gratitude for this community&nbsp;and&nbsp;our&nbsp;relentless&nbsp;focus on&nbsp;creating a&nbsp;university&nbsp;with a level of personalized care that connects deeply and sincerely&nbsp;and seeks to lift others&nbsp;up.

As Light wrote, “the world is full of folks discouraging, criticizing, and snuffing out dreams and hopes in the name of being realistic. But it can always use more people who encourage and inspire.”&nbsp;

I cannot think of a better way to lead forward into 2023 than to&nbsp;resolve to&nbsp;be a force for good&nbsp;in the lives of&nbsp;all who cross our paths&nbsp;this year.&nbsp;Won’t you join me to be that person for someone today?

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>I like to start my day reading “Light’s Daily Dose.”&nbsp;Author Light Watkins’&nbsp;daily&nbsp;message is short and impactful. The other day, as I was thinking about new year’s resolutions&nbsp;– the hopes&nbsp;and aspirations&nbsp;for each new year.&nbsp;I was&nbsp;inspired&nbsp;by&nbsp;a&nbsp;Light’s&nbsp;Daily Dose&nbsp;email&nbsp;entitled, “Be that person.”It begins with Light sharing a tweet from an author named Clint Smith. It said, “One of the reasons I’m a writer today is because I had a&nbsp;teacher in&nbsp;third-&nbsp;grade who looked at my poem about clouds&nbsp;and said, “you can be a writer when you grow up.” Powerful words of inspiration and aspiration.I smiled and thought&nbsp;immediately about the people&nbsp;in my life who encouraged&nbsp;me. And I thoughtabout the truly remarkable ethic of care that guides this university. It is exactly why our strategic plan is named “Unlocking Untapped Potential.”&nbsp;Take,&nbsp;for example,&nbsp;this letter written to a freshman seminar instructor by Logan – a May 2018 graduate. And I know in my heart the&nbsp;inspiring message that was the&nbsp;essence of this letter could have been written to anyone at Fort Hays State&nbsp;University:I just wanted to reach out to let you know that I am doing well. My life is busier and fuller than I ever could have imagined. And through it all, I have never forgotten what you did for me. During freshman seminar, we took a self-evaluation quiz. Afterwards, I met with you in your office, where we learned that the evaluation gave me a 25% chance of ever earning a college degree. I was devastated. Until I heard your response: ‘That’s a bunch of BS.’&nbsp;Those words gave me motivation like you wouldn’t believe. You gave me confidence that I could actually graduate. You even gave me a graduation tassel to keep me focused on that goal.&nbsp;This past May, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, a minor in Business Administration, and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems.I never thought I would be half as successful as I have already been, and each time I achieve something new in my career, the first thing I think of is my time at FHSU, sitting in your office, scared that I would never graduate. I think of the motivation and confidence you provided that put me in the position I am in today. That graduation tassel still hangs on my wall as a reminder of all the opportunities I had because you invested in me. &nbsp;Hearing these testimonies to our university’s&nbsp;ethic of care never gets old. I savor each remarkable&nbsp;story&nbsp;as my heart basks in gratitude for this community&nbsp;and&nbsp;our&nbsp;relentless&nbsp;focus on&nbsp;creating a&nbsp;university&nbsp;with a level of personalized care that connects deeply and sincerely&nbsp;and seeks to lift others&nbsp;up.As Light wrote, “the world is full of folks discouraging, criticizing, and snuffing out dreams and hopes in the name of being realistic. But it can always use more people who encourage and inspire.”&nbsp;I cannot think of a better way to lead forward into 2023 than to&nbsp;resolve to&nbsp;be a force for good&nbsp;in the lives of&nbsp;all who cross our paths&nbsp;this year.&nbsp;Won’t you join me to be that person for someone today?

Heart of a Tiger: Be that person

Greg Doering, Kansas Farm Bureau Kansas Farm Bureau had a good 2022 as evidenced by the Pinnacle and New Horizon awards it received at the American Farm Bureau’s 104th convention recently. The Pinnacle award is the highest honor a state Farm Bureau can earn for program and membership achievement. KFB received the New Horizon award, which highlights innovative new programs, for the Casten Fellows Program, developed to honor the life of staffer Jill Casten-Downing through leadership development and international travel. The honors are well deserved, and it’s nice to take a few minutes to appreciate the amount of work required to go from the initial idea to implementation and execution. The destination is important, but so is the journey. There’s no shortage of challenges today in agriculture, as evidenced by just some of the ongoing work from last year, like KFB’s End Hunger campaign to ensure all our state’s residents have access to the food they need. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, individuals and businesses contributed more than $50,000 toward the campaign. That money will go to innovative programs run by county Farm Bureaus to address the needs they’ve identified locally. By no way is this problem solved, but progress is being made. Next year’s goal is to raise $75,000. Another ongoing project includes KFB’s purchase of Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) which allows our farm and ranch members to reach consumers in a new way. SKF founder Rick McNary is also helping communities develop local food systems to capture the full economic value from farm gates to dinner plates. Announced late last year, the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program will really get rolling in 2023 as the state’s first ever initiative to match agriculturists and rural business owners with a structured plan to train and retain employees. It’s not a silver bullet for the lack of help available in rural areas, but it’s the beginning of addressing a skills gap to meet our current and future workforce needs. As always, KFB will continue to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are heard in Topeka with a special focus on three topics: water, taxes and broadband. KFB will continue to support the basic tenets of Kansas water law, which have provided our members the ability to plan, invest and defend their private property rights for decades. KFB policy also supports the development of a Kansas Water Plan, either through the state general fund or dedicated statewide revenue sources. Any redesign of tax structures comes with the potential to shift taxes from one source to another with significant consequences. KFB will continue to steadfastly advocate for the constitutionally required use-value system that accurately and appropriately values agricultural lands and provides stable tax revenues to local units of government. Agricultural operations are businesses, and they should receive fair and equal tax treatment as it pertains to sales tax exemptions. Access to a vibrant, high-speed broadband network is essential to the future of both rural and urban Kansas. Statewide broadband deployment will provide new opportunities for the delivery of healthcare, education, entertainment, business development and enhance the capabilities of precision agriculture. Efforts by the state to facilitate telecommunications connectivity throughout Kansas should consider the technology-dependent nature of the agriculture industry, and its significant impact on the Kansas economy. For those paying attention, this isn’t a new list, and there’s a good chance it will be similar in 2024. There will be advancements on some fronts and setbacks on others. The key is stick to your priorities and have the patience to withstand the mundane and incremental nature of progress.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574694551876.png" alt="Greg Doering&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Greg Doering&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Greg Doering, Kansas Farm Bureau Kansas Farm Bureau had a good 2022 as evidenced by the Pinnacle and New Horizon awards it received at the American Farm Bureau’s 104th convention recently. The Pinnacle award is the highest honor a state Farm Bureau can earn for program and membership achievement. KFB received the New Horizon award, which highlights innovative new programs, for the Casten Fellows Program, developed to honor the life of staffer Jill Casten-Downing through leadership development and international travel. The honors are well deserved, and it’s nice to take a few minutes to appreciate the amount of work required to go from the initial idea to implementation and execution. The destination is important, but so is the journey. There’s no shortage of challenges today in agriculture, as evidenced by just some of the ongoing work from last year, like KFB’s End Hunger campaign to ensure all our state’s residents have access to the food they need. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, individuals and businesses contributed more than $50,000 toward the campaign. That money will go to innovative programs run by county Farm Bureaus to address the needs they’ve identified locally. By no way is this problem solved, but progress is being made. Next year’s goal is to raise $75,000. Another ongoing project includes KFB’s purchase of Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) which allows our farm and ranch members to reach consumers in a new way. SKF founder Rick McNary is also helping communities develop local food systems to capture the full economic value from farm gates to dinner plates. Announced late last year, the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program will really get rolling in 2023 as the state’s first ever initiative to match agriculturists and rural business owners with a structured plan to train and retain employees. It’s not a silver bullet for the lack of help available in rural areas, but it’s the beginning of addressing a skills gap to meet our current and future workforce needs. As always, KFB will continue to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are heard in Topeka with a special focus on three topics: water, taxes and broadband. KFB will continue to support the basic tenets of Kansas water law, which have provided our members the ability to plan, invest and defend their private property rights for decades. KFB policy also supports the development of a Kansas Water Plan, either through the state general fund or dedicated statewide revenue sources. Any redesign of tax structures comes with the potential to shift taxes from one source to another with significant consequences. KFB will continue to steadfastly advocate for the constitutionally required use-value system that accurately and appropriately values agricultural lands and provides stable tax revenues to local units of government. Agricultural operations are businesses, and they should receive fair and equal tax treatment as it pertains to sales tax exemptions. Access to a vibrant, high-speed broadband network is essential to the future of both rural and urban Kansas. Statewide broadband deployment will provide new opportunities for the delivery of healthcare, education, entertainment, business development and enhance the capabilities of precision agriculture. Efforts by the state to facilitate telecommunications connectivity throughout Kansas should consider the technology-dependent nature of the agriculture industry, and its significant impact on the Kansas economy. For those paying attention, this isn’t a new list, and there’s a good chance it will be similar in 2024. There will be advancements on some fronts and setbacks on others. The key is stick to your priorities and have the patience to withstand the mundane and incremental nature of progress."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: 2023 priorities for agriculture

One of the many fond memories I have growing up as an Ohio farm kid was of something called John Deere Days. Back in my generation, local farm equipment dealerships were small and as numerous as ice cream flavors. John Deere Days was an annual winter event, about this time each year, where all John Deere dealerships in Ohio (and maybe nationwide) circulated a film (now do you realize how long ago that was) that depicted unusual and often unheard-of farming operations around the country and around the world. These were interspersed with clips that high-lighted all the new John Deere farm machinery for the year, like combines with cabs and massive twelve-foot headers…YIKES! Of course, the evening began with ham sandwiches and potato chips before the film.&nbsp;

The odd and extraordinary farming operations included stork farming in Europe (without storks, where would babies come from), mouse farming in Minnesota (yes, there are people who actually raise mice on purpose), worm farming in Canada, and my all-time favorite, alligator farming in Florida. The farmer harvested eggs from nesting alligators, hatched them in an incubator then moved the growing reptiles into concrete pens. Eventually they were harvested for their meat and hide a few years later; akin to how ranchers in the Midwest run cow-calf operations, only with beasts that could take-off your hand or foot, leaving it impossible for you to ever get back on a horse. The interesting part was how the farmer interacted with his “breeding herd.”

So, picture this; the segment began with the farmer bouncing along in an old 1950 something pickup and ended up parked on the bank overlooking a big swamp/pond. He got out and climbed into the bed of the pickup (amazingly he still had all four limbs) and began rattling around metal containers. By now we were all wondering what in tarnation he was doing, when out-of-nowhere the swamp water began boiling with six- and eight-foot-long alligators as they crawled out of the water and swarmed around the truck like a bunch of herd cows. He tossed them fish like a rancher tossing range cubes of hay slices to a bunch of heifers, then they each filled their mouth and slipped back into the water. He climbed back into the cab and drove off.

Here are the problems my twisted and pessimistic mind sees with this. Harvesting alligator eggs means “robbing” gator nests, plain and simple, and knowing my luck, I’d find the one momma alligator that was a “prepper” and living unseen underground with her eggs; you see the problem there? I’d dig into the nest and become lunch.

Next problem would involve the feeding process. As my luck goes, my “herd” would have that one momma that could eat fish faster than I could chuck them at her and she’d never have to get back into the pond, leaving me stuck in the back of the pickup. By then the others would be coming back for seconds and I’d be out of fish. Remember these were pre-cell phone days, so my only hope would be that my family actually missed me when I didn’t show up for dinner (which would be debatable) and they’d eventually find me curled up on the roof of the pickup, ghost-white and hypothermic.

Anyway, I guess that farmer had all those issues figured out, as do the alligator ranchers of today. But call me old fashioned, it’s just that I’d rather raise something that I could reach through the fence and scratch now and then without fear of having my arm removed in return…continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>One of the many fond memories I have growing up as an Ohio farm kid was of something called John Deere Days. Back in my generation, local farm equipment dealerships were small and as numerous as ice cream flavors. John Deere Days was an annual winter event, about this time each year, where all John Deere dealerships in Ohio (and maybe nationwide) circulated a film (now do you realize how long ago that was) that depicted unusual and often unheard-of farming operations around the country and around the world. These were interspersed with clips that high-lighted all the new John Deere farm machinery for the year, like combines with cabs and massive twelve-foot headers…YIKES! Of course, the evening began with ham sandwiches and potato chips before the film.&nbsp;The odd and extraordinary farming operations included stork farming in Europe (without storks, where would babies come from), mouse farming in Minnesota (yes, there are people who actually raise mice on purpose), worm farming in Canada, and my all-time favorite, alligator farming in Florida. The farmer harvested eggs from nesting alligators, hatched them in an incubator then moved the growing reptiles into concrete pens. Eventually they were harvested for their meat and hide a few years later; akin to how ranchers in the Midwest run cow-calf operations, only with beasts that could take-off your hand or foot, leaving it impossible for you to ever get back on a horse. The interesting part was how the farmer interacted with his “breeding herd.”So, picture this; the segment began with the farmer bouncing along in an old 1950 something pickup and ended up parked on the bank overlooking a big swamp/pond. He got out and climbed into the bed of the pickup (amazingly he still had all four limbs) and began rattling around metal containers. By now we were all wondering what in tarnation he was doing, when out-of-nowhere the swamp water began boiling with six- and eight-foot-long alligators as they crawled out of the water and swarmed around the truck like a bunch of herd cows. He tossed them fish like a rancher tossing range cubes of hay slices to a bunch of heifers, then they each filled their mouth and slipped back into the water. He climbed back into the cab and drove off.Here are the problems my twisted and pessimistic mind sees with this. Harvesting alligator eggs means “robbing” gator nests, plain and simple, and knowing my luck, I’d find the one momma alligator that was a “prepper” and living unseen underground with her eggs; you see the problem there? I’d dig into the nest and become lunch.Next problem would involve the feeding process. As my luck goes, my “herd” would have that one momma that could eat fish faster than I could chuck them at her and she’d never have to get back into the pond, leaving me stuck in the back of the pickup. By then the others would be coming back for seconds and I’d be out of fish. Remember these were pre-cell phone days, so my only hope would be that my family actually missed me when I didn’t show up for dinner (which would be debatable) and they’d eventually find me curled up on the roof of the pickup, ghost-white and hypothermic.Anyway, I guess that farmer had all those issues figured out, as do the alligator ranchers of today. But call me old fashioned, it’s just that I’d rather raise something that I could reach through the fence and scratch now and then without fear of having my arm removed in return…continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Farming, Everglades style

Partly this is because it’s not entirely accurate. The state’s population of 2.9 million is concentrated in the cities and suburbs of the Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City nexus, with nearly 1.2 million Kansans spread across only five counties. Add to that the city of Wichita’s nearly 400K residents, and you have over half the population of the entire state accounted for. Meanwhile the 2020 census shows that 80 of Kansas’s 105 countries, nearly all of them rural, are losing population. Despite the images, stories, and songs invoked by our farms, pastures, and rural highways, the great majority of Kansans today are urbanites, and that likely won’t change.

This reality mostly isn’t reflected in our legislature, of course. Though Kansas’s urban areas have become more Democratic in their voting habits—three Johnson County state house seats held by Republicans flipped last November—the state’s long-standing district-based election patterns have long helped Republicans maintain dominance in most areas lacking in population density or demographic diversity, which describes those dozens of shrinking counties quite well. So even as Kansas’s population moves to the cities—and those city votes definitely add up when counted state-wide; remember Governor Kelly came out ahead in only 8 counties, but still won—its representative bodies remain heavily tilted towards mostly rural Republican voices.

One might assume that would mean rural concerns are the Republicans’ major focus. But that’s the other part of the reason: the Kansas GOP’s support for rural interests, despite the huge support they receive from those small and distant communities, is mixed at best.

There is some support there, to be sure. But addressing the problems of long-term population and economic decline are difficult, while following the culture war agenda of the national Republican party and its donors, and filing the bills which their interest groups write, is easy.

Leave aside the benefits Medicaid expansion would bring to rural Kansas; that the Republican leadership refuses to move forward with something supported by 70% of Kansans is by now an old story. Consider instead other issues: a water crisis driving ever more of the already shrinking number of farmers to sell out to bigger corporate actors; a housing crisis making it difficult for those trying to start a business or get by on a fixed income to stay in their hometowns; a lack of broad-band access, child-care resources, or support for school maintenance; and more.

These are complicated problems, requiring patient investment and difficult compromises. The decade-plus of effort the legislature has put into establishing “local enhanced management areas” in western Kansas, supporting farmers in cutting back on irrigation, is a good example, one that has shown some real success in protecting the High Plains Aquifer. By contrast, there are those who present, say, ideologically charged promises of school choice—which is irrelevant to a farm town just trying to save its high school—or legislation designed to lure financial interests to rural Kansas—which shows more hope in fees from global high-rollers than in the state budget--as their preferred solutions, rather than taking on this complicated, usually unsexy work.

So long as the minority of rural voters in Kansas can dominate the legislature, they should at least expect their concerns to be addressed seriously. This year, hopefully rural Republicans will see less of their representatives’ time consumed less by imagined threats like the occasional transgender athlete or non-existent Marxist schoolbooks, and more by the hard task of helping their patient rural supporters out.

Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583339056495.jpeg" alt="Russell Fox" />
 <figcaption>Russell Fox</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas’s rural identity is struggling.Partly this is because it’s not entirely accurate. The state’s population of 2.9 million is concentrated in the cities and suburbs of the Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City nexus, with nearly 1.2 million Kansans spread across only five counties. Add to that the city of Wichita’s nearly 400K residents, and you have over half the population of the entire state accounted for. Meanwhile the 2020 census shows that 80 of Kansas’s 105 countries, nearly all of them rural, are losing population. Despite the images, stories, and songs invoked by our farms, pastures, and rural highways, the great majority of Kansans today are urbanites, and that likely won’t change.This reality mostly isn’t reflected in our legislature, of course. Though Kansas’s urban areas have become more Democratic in their voting habits—three Johnson County state house seats held by Republicans flipped last November—the state’s long-standing district-based election patterns have long helped Republicans maintain dominance in most areas lacking in population density or demographic diversity, which describes those dozens of shrinking counties quite well. So even as Kansas’s population moves to the cities—and those city votes definitely add up when counted state-wide; remember Governor Kelly came out ahead in only 8 counties, but still won—its representative bodies remain heavily tilted towards mostly rural Republican voices.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>One might assume that would mean rural concerns are the Republicans’ major focus. But that’s the other part of the reason: the Kansas GOP’s support for rural interests, despite the huge support they receive from those small and distant communities, is mixed at best.There is some support there, to be sure. But addressing the problems of long-term population and economic decline are difficult, while following the culture war agenda of the national Republican party and its donors, and filing the bills which their interest groups write, is easy.Leave aside the benefits Medicaid expansion would bring to rural Kansas; that the Republican leadership refuses to move forward with something supported by 70% of Kansans is by now an old story. Consider instead other issues: a water crisis driving ever more of the already shrinking number of farmers to sell out to bigger corporate actors; a housing crisis making it difficult for those trying to start a business or get by on a fixed income to stay in their hometowns; a lack of broad-band access, child-care resources, or support for school maintenance; and more.These are complicated problems, requiring patient investment and difficult compromises. The decade-plus of effort the legislature has put into establishing “local enhanced management areas” in western Kansas, supporting farmers in cutting back on irrigation, is a good example, one that has shown some real success in protecting the High Plains Aquifer. By contrast, there are those who present, say, ideologically charged promises of school choice—which is irrelevant to a farm town just trying to save its high school—or legislation designed to lure financial interests to rural Kansas—which shows more hope in fees from global high-rollers than in the state budget--as their preferred solutions, rather than taking on this complicated, usually unsexy work.So long as the minority of rural voters in Kansas can dominate the legislature, they should at least expect their concerns to be addressed seriously. This year, hopefully rural Republicans will see less of their representatives’ time consumed less by imagined threats like the occasional transgender athlete or non-existent Marxist schoolbooks, and more by the hard task of helping their patient rural supporters out.Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Being realistic about helping the rural minority

Consider changes in&nbsp;your community&nbsp;since 2012. Businesses&nbsp;open, close,&nbsp;refocus, prices rise&nbsp;or&nbsp;fall,&nbsp;new construction surges while old buildings deteriorate,&nbsp;populations boom&nbsp;or&nbsp;bust,&nbsp;technology&nbsp;transforms&nbsp;—&nbsp;decade-old&nbsp;apps and programs no longer function, vehicles and equipment&nbsp;dependent&nbsp;on computers&nbsp;require&nbsp;professional&nbsp;repair.&nbsp;Nothing&nbsp;remains&nbsp;stagnant — an aphorism as true of western Kansas 150 years ago&nbsp;as&nbsp;it is&nbsp;today.&nbsp;Such&nbsp;change&nbsp;affects&nbsp;schools&nbsp;as well, including&nbsp;old&nbsp;District 2 in Ellis.&nbsp;

​According to Jessie Ormerod’s records,&nbsp;new teachers came to town, and Phanie Haines&nbsp;replaced&nbsp;Fanny Hemminger in 1874. Mr. Curts took over instruction in 1875 and 76, with Harvey Heath&nbsp;leading&nbsp;classes in 1877.&nbsp;Did all early communities see&nbsp;similar turnover?&nbsp;

​During these years,&nbsp;Ellis evolved from railroad division point to full-fledged community with a&nbsp;range of businesses serving&nbsp;the growing&nbsp;town. &nbsp;As&nbsp;fast as new buildings rose from dusty prairie, school enrollment increased&nbsp;and by 1878, necessitated&nbsp;a principal:&nbsp;Miss Hettie Hamilton&nbsp;joined&nbsp;two teachers: Miss Wright and Miss Clark. Town fathers&nbsp;anticipated&nbsp;further growth.

​According to the September 18, 1880,&nbsp;Ellis Weekly Headlight,&nbsp;class rolls&nbsp;numbered 115 students with Mr. Jennings serving as principal assisted by teachers Ida Burbank and Nettie Clark. The editor stated, “When Ellis becomes known for her good schools, her real estate will increase in value.”

​As class size&nbsp;multiplied, teachers&nbsp;recognized&nbsp;they needed support&nbsp;and organized a county teacher association&nbsp;to provide&nbsp;what educators now call&nbsp;professional development. The Oct. 16, 1880&nbsp;EWH&nbsp;recorded that the county superintendent introduced the meeting,&nbsp;and&nbsp;attending&nbsp;teachers illustrated best methods of classroom drill&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;sharing&nbsp;essays and&nbsp;leading discussion related&nbsp;to general school work. &nbsp;

​As one might expect, taxes increased to support the growing school. The&nbsp;EWH&nbsp;reported on 8-20-81 that a tax of 7 ½ mills paid educator salaries and an additional ½ mill covered incidental expenses. By 1881, citizens circulated a petition seeking $7000.00 to build a stone school house. The eventual bond passed 274 – 98. Board members optimistically located the new building south of the UPPR tracks. At that time, most&nbsp;Ellis&nbsp;businesses&nbsp;had&nbsp;located&nbsp;on the north side of the tracks. Clearly,&nbsp;residents expected growth to the south.

​George Johnson drew up plans for a 36 x&nbsp;66-foot&nbsp;building that would&nbsp;stand&nbsp;32 x 62 feet inside and 40 feet tall (EHW&nbsp;1-7-82). The Maguire Brothers of Hays contracted to quarry and deliver the stone on site at $4.00 a cord (EHW&nbsp;12-3-81).

​During the time required&nbsp;to construct&nbsp;this&nbsp;large stone building, Jessie Shepherd taught 99 students enrolled in her primary class. Mrs. W. L. Jennings taught 65 scholars in the intermediate class, and Professor W. L. Jennings instructed 42 students in the grammar class. These students studied in the wooden building north of the tracks.&nbsp;What a challenge!

​Ellis, like&nbsp;other&nbsp;developing Great Plains&nbsp;communities, valued education.&nbsp;Parents and leaders&nbsp;understood&nbsp;reading, writing, and arithmetic&nbsp;skills&nbsp;increased children’s chances to succeed. In less than two decades,&nbsp;town&nbsp;authorities&nbsp;hired&nbsp;additional&nbsp;educators and built a new facility in an&nbsp;undeveloped part of town. Their optimism paid off as the town grew toward that&nbsp;one-time&nbsp;dream on the south hill.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673547629369.jpeg" alt="Elllis Stone School " />
 <figcaption>Elllis Stone School </figcaption>
 </figure>​By KAREN MADORINConsider changes in&nbsp;your community&nbsp;since 2012. Businesses&nbsp;open, close,&nbsp;refocus, prices rise&nbsp;or&nbsp;fall,&nbsp;new construction surges while old buildings deteriorate,&nbsp;populations boom&nbsp;or&nbsp;bust,&nbsp;technology&nbsp;transforms&nbsp;—&nbsp;decade-old&nbsp;apps and programs no longer function, vehicles and equipment&nbsp;dependent&nbsp;on computers&nbsp;require&nbsp;professional&nbsp;repair.&nbsp;Nothing&nbsp;remains&nbsp;stagnant — an aphorism as true of western Kansas 150 years ago&nbsp;as&nbsp;it is&nbsp;today.&nbsp;Such&nbsp;change&nbsp;affects&nbsp;schools&nbsp;as well, including&nbsp;old&nbsp;District 2 in Ellis.&nbsp;​According to Jessie Ormerod’s records,&nbsp;new teachers came to town, and Phanie Haines&nbsp;replaced&nbsp;Fanny Hemminger in 1874. Mr. Curts took over instruction in 1875 and 76, with Harvey Heath&nbsp;leading&nbsp;classes in 1877.&nbsp;Did all early communities see&nbsp;similar turnover?&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>​During these years,&nbsp;Ellis evolved from railroad division point to full-fledged community with a&nbsp;range of businesses serving&nbsp;the growing&nbsp;town. &nbsp;As&nbsp;fast as new buildings rose from dusty prairie, school enrollment increased&nbsp;and by 1878, necessitated&nbsp;a principal:&nbsp;Miss Hettie Hamilton&nbsp;joined&nbsp;two teachers: Miss Wright and Miss Clark. Town fathers&nbsp;anticipated&nbsp;further growth.​According to the September 18, 1880,&nbsp;Ellis Weekly Headlight,&nbsp;class rolls&nbsp;numbered 115 students with Mr. Jennings serving as principal assisted by teachers Ida Burbank and Nettie Clark. The editor stated, “When Ellis becomes known for her good schools, her real estate will increase in value.”​As class size&nbsp;multiplied, teachers&nbsp;recognized&nbsp;they needed support&nbsp;and organized a county teacher association&nbsp;to provide&nbsp;what educators now call&nbsp;professional development. The Oct. 16, 1880&nbsp;EWH&nbsp;recorded that the county superintendent introduced the meeting,&nbsp;and&nbsp;attending&nbsp;teachers illustrated best methods of classroom drill&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;sharing&nbsp;essays and&nbsp;leading discussion related&nbsp;to general school work. &nbsp;​As one might expect, taxes increased to support the growing school. The&nbsp;EWH&nbsp;reported on 8-20-81 that a tax of 7 ½ mills paid educator salaries and an additional ½ mill covered incidental expenses. By 1881, citizens circulated a petition seeking $7000.00 to build a stone school house. The eventual bond passed 274 – 98. Board members optimistically located the new building south of the UPPR tracks. At that time, most&nbsp;Ellis&nbsp;businesses&nbsp;had&nbsp;located&nbsp;on the north side of the tracks. Clearly,&nbsp;residents expected growth to the south.​George Johnson drew up plans for a 36 x&nbsp;66-foot&nbsp;building that would&nbsp;stand&nbsp;32 x 62 feet inside and 40 feet tall (EHW&nbsp;1-7-82). The Maguire Brothers of Hays contracted to quarry and deliver the stone on site at $4.00 a cord (EHW&nbsp;12-3-81).​During the time required&nbsp;to construct&nbsp;this&nbsp;large stone building, Jessie Shepherd taught 99 students enrolled in her primary class. Mrs. W. L. Jennings taught 65 scholars in the intermediate class, and Professor W. L. Jennings instructed 42 students in the grammar class. These students studied in the wooden building north of the tracks.&nbsp;What a challenge!​Ellis, like&nbsp;other&nbsp;developing Great Plains&nbsp;communities, valued education.&nbsp;Parents and leaders&nbsp;understood&nbsp;reading, writing, and arithmetic&nbsp;skills&nbsp;increased children’s chances to succeed. In less than two decades,&nbsp;town&nbsp;authorities&nbsp;hired&nbsp;additional&nbsp;educators and built a new facility in an&nbsp;undeveloped part of town. Their optimism paid off as the town grew toward that&nbsp;one-time&nbsp;dream on the south hill.Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: Ellis schools development, Part 2

By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Greetings from Puerto Rico! I am writing from San Juan where the American Farm Bureau Federation convention is taking place. Even though this is my first trip to Puerto Rico, I am a pretty regular world traveler with a well-established comfort zone and love for the adventures of new places. This trip has been extra fun for me because I am sharing it with three girls from the local collegiate Farm Bureau chapter at Pratt Community College. National events like this are great for professional development. The weekend has been jam-packed with big-name keynote speakers, educational workshops, a tradeshow full of potential employers and the chance to network with Kansas Farm Bureau leaders. Over the last few years, I am proud to have worked with our county Farm Bureau board to make trips like this happen for our student members. Providing travel opportunities is invaluable for the development of life and leadership skills. An equally valuable part of these trips are all of the lessons in “adulting” that come from traveling, often for the first time, without family. Even students who have previously travelled are often forced to pay attention to their surroundings, learn how to navigate airports and cities, and how to problem solve in an unfamiliar place. There have been many exciting firsts among the students this trip: first flights over the ocean, first time seeing the ocean and a whole lot of new fun experiences like tasting local cuisine, night kayaking complete with glow-in-the-dark face paint, an excursion to a natural waterfall in the rainforest, and a trip to Disney World on way back. Seeing travel through their youthful eyes has reminded me of the wonder, joy and laughter that come from new adventures. These experiences are instilling in our students a desire to step outside their comfort zones and take risks, to learn about places and cultures different from their own. It is rewarding to see the students getting excited about all the ways they can get involved in our organization in the future, demonstrate a high level of professionalism and service through their volunteer roles at the event, and have meaningful interactions with people who have lots of great life experience to share. As an advisor, I am thrilled when people on the trip complement our collegiate students for showing interest, dress sharping, acting respectfully, and being helpful. Those affirmations are showing the students how to build solid reputations and be a stand out which will serve them well in their professional lives. The lessons of this trip are like pebbles causing ripples in the water. The students will share their memories with family, peers and groups like our county Farm Bureau board, but the impact will be bigger than that. The growth will continue and influence their perspectives for years to come. My excitement for the doors being opened to my students is a bit nostalgic as travel has served as a big part of my own story. I was once young and inexperienced too until organizations in my community and industry made investments in me that changed my life and made me into the person I am today. Travel is powerful at any age but it can be direction altering for our young people to help learn who they are and who they want to become. I urge to you to look for ways to encourage and support young people in your family or community to travel. Your support might be the key that opens the door for a great future leader.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575406519723.jpeg" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Greetings from Puerto Rico! I am writing from San Juan where the American Farm Bureau Federation convention is taking place. Even though this is my first trip to Puerto Rico, I am a pretty regular world traveler with a well-established comfort zone and love for the adventures of new places. This trip has been extra fun for me because I am sharing it with three girls from the local collegiate Farm Bureau chapter at Pratt Community College. National events like this are great for professional development. The weekend has been jam-packed with big-name keynote speakers, educational workshops, a tradeshow full of potential employers and the chance to network with Kansas Farm Bureau leaders. Over the last few years, I am proud to have worked with our county Farm Bureau board to make trips like this happen for our student members. Providing travel opportunities is invaluable for the development of life and leadership skills. An equally valuable part of these trips are all of the lessons in “adulting” that come from traveling, often for the first time, without family. Even students who have previously travelled are often forced to pay attention to their surroundings, learn how to navigate airports and cities, and how to problem solve in an unfamiliar place. There have been many exciting firsts among the students this trip: first flights over the ocean, first time seeing the ocean and a whole lot of new fun experiences like tasting local cuisine, night kayaking complete with glow-in-the-dark face paint, an excursion to a natural waterfall in the rainforest, and a trip to Disney World on way back. Seeing travel through their youthful eyes has reminded me of the wonder, joy and laughter that come from new adventures. These experiences are instilling in our students a desire to step outside their comfort zones and take risks, to learn about places and cultures different from their own. It is rewarding to see the students getting excited about all the ways they can get involved in our organization in the future, demonstrate a high level of professionalism and service through their volunteer roles at the event, and have meaningful interactions with people who have lots of great life experience to share. As an advisor, I am thrilled when people on the trip complement our collegiate students for showing interest, dress sharping, acting respectfully, and being helpful. Those affirmations are showing the students how to build solid reputations and be a stand out which will serve them well in their professional lives. The lessons of this trip are like pebbles causing ripples in the water. The students will share their memories with family, peers and groups like our county Farm Bureau board, but the impact will be bigger than that. The growth will continue and influence their perspectives for years to come. My excitement for the doors being opened to my students is a bit nostalgic as travel has served as a big part of my own story. I was once young and inexperienced too until organizations in my community and industry made investments in me that changed my life and made me into the person I am today. Travel is powerful at any age but it can be direction altering for our young people to help learn who they are and who they want to become. I urge to you to look for ways to encourage and support young people in your family or community to travel. Your support might be the key that opens the door for a great future leader."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Creating memories and leaders

By MARK MCCORMICK <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/10/documentary-explores-how-1965-wichita-plane-crash-left-families-like-mine-locked-in-a-moment/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

After a fully fueled KC-135 military tanker crashed into what was 
then a segregated Wichita neighborhood, my sister Chan chose not to 
believe our 5-year-old cousin, Tracy Randolph, had died in the fiery 
1965 disaster.

Chandra McCormick, weeks from her 12th birthday, watched soap operas 
with our great-grandmother, Jessie Pearl Holloway, whom we called Big 
Mama. Chan borrowed a common storyline from the shows and told herself 
Tracy had just lost her memory. When her amnesia lifted, Tracy would 
come home.

But that Saturday morning crash — still considered Kansas’ deadliest 
air disaster — killed 30 people, including Tracy, our grandmother Mary 
Daniels (we called her Little Mama), our uncle C.L. Daniels and our 
cousin Clyde Holloway.

Documentarians Kevin Harrison, Riccardo Harris and Kenneth Hawkins 
want to re-examine the grief of survivors from that Jan. 16 morning — 
people either carrying that grief and continuing to live, or those who 
coped by existing because living felt impossible.

Interviewing them convinced me that I needed to look no further than 
my childhood household for various expressions of grief, though my 
mother and my aunt almost never spoke of it.

The tanker had just left McConnell Air Force Base outside Wichita but
 struggled to climb. As a crash seemed imminent, the crew began dumping 
fuel, but the plane dived into a vacant lot. A cascade of 32,000 gallons
 of jet fuel and fire incinerated a dozen homes.

The entire crew died. The crash gouged a crater 15 feet deep. The 
emotional trauma ran deeper. Several children died, as did an entire 
family. The accident left others homeless.

A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/wichita-airplane-crash-1965/19104">Kansas Historical Society article</a>
 praised the initial disaster response but said “that help started to 
wane.” It described the temporary survivor housing as “rundown and 
unsafe.”

It described the legal settlements as “disappointing.”

“One family received just $400,” the article said, while the average 
settlement stood at $13,000, minus the 20% that went to attorney fees. 
Many survivors wondered whether the payouts would have been more 
substantial had they been white.

Segregation, according to D.W. Carter, author of “Mayday Over 
Wichita,” forced Black people into a small area, boosting the death 
toll. Wichita then ranked as one of the nation’s most segregated cities.

The documentary intends to excavate all this ground.

“My interest in this story increased as I learned more about the 
victims,” said Harris, who is my cousin and executive director of GEAR 
UP at Wichita State University. I attended KU with both him and Harrison
 in the late 1980s. “I hope the unheard voices of the victims — those 
who died and those left behind — can finally be heard and understood.”

Harrison, an assistant professor for the Cohen Honor College at WSU, 
said previous books and films about the crash didn’t sufficiently 
examine survivors’ emotions.

“Every rung of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html">Maslow’s ladder</a>
 expresses the desire to be heard and understood,” Harrison said, 
referring to the model of basic human needs. “This project was an 
opportunity to give a voice to the voiceless.”

Harrison said previous projects identified victims’ names and addresses. He intends to dig deeper.

“Stories give us power,” he said. “I want to explore real emotion.”

A $10,000 Kansas Humanities Council grant funds the project, along 
with a partnership with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Robert Weems Jr., a 
professor of Business History at WSU serves as project consultant. They 
plan to screen the film at the park near the crash site this spring.

I wasn’t born until 1967. Still, the crash never seemed far away.

I was an adult, for example, before learning from my sister that my 
aunt Laura Faust, Tracy’s mother, doted over every boy-child in the 
family, but never had much to do with the girls, who likely reminded her
 too much of Tracy. Much of what I know, my sister shared.

Chan shared a particularly cruel story about witnesses claiming to 
have seen a child, engulfed in flames, running from one of the homes and
 collapsing. Someone asked our aunt if that child was Tracy.

“She didn’t,” Chan said. “She just closed her eyes and lowered her head.”

When loved ones die, ”what ifs” and our memories can act as 
comforting counterweights when pain starts to circle. But with a child, 
the what ifs must seem gargantuan because of what the child never had a 
chance to become. My aunt suffered quietly, dying at 65.

My sister planned to visit our grandmother’s house that morning but overslept.

She awoke to my aunt leaving to drop Tracy at Little Mama’s. Chan 
started walking there later, but along the way, the ground shook and 
black smoke filled the air. Where our grandmother’s house stood, she saw
 a lake of fire.

“I was numb,” she said. “It didn’t seem real.”

The grief stricken can find themselves locked in a moment, compressing a traumatizing incident into perhaps its worst instant.

A child might do what my sister did, create a magical narrative as a means of coping.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673368130234.png" alt="Mark McCormick’s aunt Laura Faust, left, and his mother are shown in a new documentary about the crash of a fuel tanker into a Wichita neighborhood. McCormick’s 5-year-old cousin, Tracy Randolph (inset) was among those killed. (Riccardo Harris, Mark McCormick)" />
 <figcaption>Mark McCormick’s aunt Laura Faust, left, and his mother are shown in a new documentary about the crash of a fuel tanker into a Wichita neighborhood. McCormick’s 5-year-old cousin, Tracy Randolph (inset) was among those killed. (Riccardo Harris, Mark McCormick)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARK MCCORMICK <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/10/documentary-explores-how-1965-wichita-plane-crash-left-families-like-mine-locked-in-a-moment/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>After a fully fueled KC-135 military tanker crashed into what was 
then a segregated Wichita neighborhood, my sister Chan chose not to 
believe our 5-year-old cousin, Tracy Randolph, had died in the fiery 
1965 disaster.Chandra McCormick, weeks from her 12th birthday, watched soap operas 
with our great-grandmother, Jessie Pearl Holloway, whom we called Big 
Mama. Chan borrowed a common storyline from the shows and told herself 
Tracy had just lost her memory. When her amnesia lifted, Tracy would 
come home.But that Saturday morning crash — still considered Kansas’ deadliest 
air disaster — killed 30 people, including Tracy, our grandmother Mary 
Daniels (we called her Little Mama), our uncle C.L. Daniels and our 
cousin Clyde Holloway.Documentarians Kevin Harrison, Riccardo Harris and Kenneth Hawkins 
want to re-examine the grief of survivors from that Jan. 16 morning — 
people either carrying that grief and continuing to live, or those who 
coped by existing because living felt impossible.Interviewing them convinced me that I needed to look no further than 
my childhood household for various expressions of grief, though my 
mother and my aunt almost never spoke of it.The tanker had just left McConnell Air Force Base outside Wichita but
 struggled to climb. As a crash seemed imminent, the crew began dumping 
fuel, but the plane dived into a vacant lot. A cascade of 32,000 gallons
 of jet fuel and fire incinerated a dozen homes.The entire crew died. The crash gouged a crater 15 feet deep. The 
emotional trauma ran deeper. Several children died, as did an entire 
family. The accident left others homeless.A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/wichita-airplane-crash-1965/19104">Kansas Historical Society article</a>
 praised the initial disaster response but said “that help started to 
wane.” It described the temporary survivor housing as “rundown and 
unsafe.”It described the legal settlements as “disappointing.”“One family received just $400,” the article said, while the average 
settlement stood at $13,000, minus the 20% that went to attorney fees. 
Many survivors wondered whether the payouts would have been more 
substantial had they been white.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673368222699.png" alt="Mark McCormick’s sister, Chanda (left), visits Santa Claus with cousin Tracy Randolph. (Mark McCormick)" />
 <figcaption>Mark McCormick’s sister, Chanda (left), visits Santa Claus with cousin Tracy Randolph. (Mark McCormick)</figcaption>
 </figure>Segregation, according to D.W. Carter, author of “Mayday Over 
Wichita,” forced Black people into a small area, boosting the death 
toll. Wichita then ranked as one of the nation’s most segregated cities.The documentary intends to excavate all this ground.“My interest in this story increased as I learned more about the 
victims,” said Harris, who is my cousin and executive director of GEAR 
UP at Wichita State University. I attended KU with both him and Harrison
 in the late 1980s. “I hope the unheard voices of the victims — those 
who died and those left behind — can finally be heard and understood.”Harrison, an assistant professor for the Cohen Honor College at WSU, 
said previous books and films about the crash didn’t sufficiently 
examine survivors’ emotions.“Every rung of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html">Maslow’s ladder</a>
 expresses the desire to be heard and understood,” Harrison said, 
referring to the model of basic human needs. “This project was an 
opportunity to give a voice to the voiceless.”Harrison said previous projects identified victims’ names and addresses. He intends to dig deeper.“Stories give us power,” he said. “I want to explore real emotion.”A $10,000 Kansas Humanities Council grant funds the project, along 
with a partnership with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Robert Weems Jr., a 
professor of Business History at WSU serves as project consultant. They 
plan to screen the film at the park near the crash site this spring.I wasn’t born until 1967. Still, the crash never seemed far away.I was an adult, for example, before learning from my sister that my 
aunt Laura Faust, Tracy’s mother, doted over every boy-child in the 
family, but never had much to do with the girls, who likely reminded her
 too much of Tracy. Much of what I know, my sister shared.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673368265033.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Chan shared a particularly cruel story about witnesses claiming to 
have seen a child, engulfed in flames, running from one of the homes and
 collapsing. Someone asked our aunt if that child was Tracy.Horrified, I asked how she replied.“She didn’t,” Chan said. “She just closed her eyes and lowered her head.”When loved ones die, ”what ifs” and our memories can act as 
comforting counterweights when pain starts to circle. But with a child, 
the what ifs must seem gargantuan because of what the child never had a 
chance to become. My aunt suffered quietly, dying at 65.My sister planned to visit our grandmother’s house that morning but overslept.She awoke to my aunt leaving to drop Tracy at Little Mama’s. Chan 
started walking there later, but along the way, the ground shook and 
black smoke filled the air. Where our grandmother’s house stood, she saw
 a lake of fire.“I was numb,” she said. “It didn’t seem real.”The grief stricken can find themselves locked in a moment, compressing a traumatizing incident into perhaps its worst instant.A child might do what my sister did, create a magical narrative as a means of coping.An adult might do what my aunt Laura did — hold it in, withdraw, and 
struggle through life existing because she couldn’t peel back enough of 
the grief to really live.People grieve differently, doing their best to move from one moment to the next and secure some semblance of safety and control.In 1965’s segregated Wichita, neither our family nor our neighbors — however we grieved — really had much of either.Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and deputy executive director at the ACLU of Kansas.

Opinion