Volume 126, Number 36
Thursday, September 5, 2013
14 Pages, 70 Cents Plus Tax Per Copy
Web site eases stress of emergency preparation To highlight the need for emergency preparedness in the home, workplace, schools and community, Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation Thursday, August 29, designating September as “Kansas Preparedness Month.” The signing took place in the governor’s ceremonial office in the Kansas Capitol. “I’m urging every Kansan to take a few simple steps this month to ensure they are prepared for any emergency that may arise,” said Brownback. “Take a little time to assemble a basic home emergency kit. You don’t have to do it all at once; add just a couple of items every month or so. Then make an emergency plan and practice it with your family. The steps you take now can make a big difference if you’re faced with a major emergency.” Joining the governor at the ceremony were Major General Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management; Colonel Ernest Garcia, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol; and Robert Moser, M.D., secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “An emergency kit is basically a back-up supply of the things we need every day, such as food, water and daily medications,” said Tafanelli “You also need a good weather - alert radio, flashlights and extra batteries, blankets, a first-aid kit and other supplies, enough to be self-sufficient on your own for a minimum of three days. Put them in your home’s designated shelter area so they will be readily accessible in case of an emergency." Information about building a home emergency kit can be found online at www.ksready.gov, http://www.redcross.org/pre pare/location/home-family and at www.ready. gov/builda-kit. “I hope that families, individuals and businesses will take advantage of this reminder by conducting inven-
tory of their emergency kits and revisiting their response plans,” said Moser. “The storms we had this past winter are perfect examples of why preparedness is essential to our safety and wellbeing. This is also the time of year to prepare for the upcoming influenza season by getting your annual flu vaccine. The vaccine is the best way to avoid getting the flu.” "As a first responder agency, the Kansas Highway Patrol fully understands the need to be prepared for an ever changing environment,” said Garcia. “Through joint cooperation with our state and county partners, we work hard to ensure those traveling Kansas' roadways are safe at all times." The proclamation signing was also an opportunity for Fred the Preparedness Dog to meet with the Governor and state officials to help promote emergency preparedness in Kansas. Fred, a two-year-old German Shepherd, is the live mascot for an educational campaign by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Preparedness Program. KDHE and Fred work together to increase family and pet preparedness for all types of emergencies. The campaign is a mixture of personal appearances by Fred at various community events, occasional television and radio interviews, visits to schools and health preparedness education materials (with Fred's cartoon caricature) in the form of activity books and a series of trading cards. Fred also has his own Facebook and Twitter accounts, which are maintained by his owner, Michael McNulty, KDHE’s emergency operations director. Fred’s activities are a portion of the work conducted under a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Hospital Preparedness Program and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program. Preparedness During Month, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management is reminding the public to take
Abengoa’s Linda Birch donates blood at the Bethel Friends Church Thursday, August 29,
part in its monthly online “Preparedness Challenge” on the KSReady.gov site www.ksready.gov/default.asp ?PageID=36&Tab=3) “Sometimes people don’t do what it takes to be prepared because it seems so overwhelming,” said Tafanelli. “Taking the Preparedness Challenge is a great way to break home emergency preparedness down into easily manageable steps that get the whole family involved.” Completing each month’s preparedness challenge makes participants better prepared for emergencies and eligible to be entered in the drawing for that month’s prize. In September, KDEM will also be running a special preparedness campaign through its social media sites and will host several preparedness webinars. September 9 is Kansas Preparedness Day at the State Fair in Hutchinson, where numerous state and local agencies, along with community emergency response organizations, will be providing disaster preparedness and public safety information, as well as displaying emergency response equipment. There will also be drawings for door prizes. Agencies and organizations participating in the event include the Adjutant General’s Department / Kansas Division of Emergency Management / Kansas National Guard, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Fire Marshal, Kansas Highway Patrol, Reno County Emergency Management, Reno County Sheriff’s Department, Hutchinson Fire Department, Hutchinson Police Department, American Red Cross, Citizen Corps, Community Emergency Response Team, Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association, National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Story submitted by the office of the Governor.
2013. She has donated blood regularly since 1974.
Hugoton will host three open houses next week This coming week, Hugoton will showcase some of its greatest assets! Hugoton Elementary School and Early Childhood Development Center will host their open house Monday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m. Hugoton Elementary is located at 304 E. Sixth Street, and the ECDC is at 507 S. Madison. Heritage Christian
Academy will host their open house the same evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. HCA is located at 505 E. First Street. The public is welcome to attend both events and see what local students - and hardworking teachers - have been up to the past few weeks. Thursday, September 12, Stevens County Hospital will
host an open house from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. showcasing improvements to the radiology department. The event is come and go, complete with refreshments! SCH is located at 1006 S. Jackson in Hugoton. Get out to these open houses next week and let Hugoton show off a little!
The fields of sunflowers are always beautiful in the late summer. The sunflowers are harvested for the oil or seeds. This photo was taken along
Highway 51 in the eastern part of Stevens County.
Liberal’s Red Cross office will remain open The Western Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross is pleased to announce the Branch Office in Liberal will continue operating, but with reduced hours, thanks to volunteer Shelia Limbocker who will be working part time in the office. She will continue providing the leadership necessary to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters. The communities the American Red Cross serves
are important to them. The support and generosity of the Liberal area is vital to them in western Kansas in providing their mission. The American Red Cross would like to express their appreciation to Sherry Helmke for all of her dedication and leadership in helping make many in Western Kansas safer and helping those in times of disaster. She will be missed. They will be hosting a
thank you come and go reception for Sherry and Henry (longtime volunteer and supporter) Helmke, October 6, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. with a come and go reception with place to be announced. Many in the community and service area will want to thank them both and wish them well on their new journey. Story submitted by the American Red Cross.
Toll free legislative hotline available to Kansas residents With the 2013 special session of the Kansas legislature beginning, Kansas residents can ask questions about legislation, legislative procedure, state government and more by calling 1-800432-3924. Calls are answered by experienced reference/research librarians at the State Library of
Kansas and kept confidential. Lines are open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Callers can also leave brief messages to be delivered to legislators as well as request copies of bills, calendars, journals, committee agendas, voting records and other legislative documents. In addition to calling the
hotline, residents can text questions to 785-256-0733 (standard text message rates may apply), instant message at www.kslib.info/ask-a-li brarian, or visit the State Library. The State Library is located in the north wing, on the third floor of the Kansas Capitol Building.
Message from the Governor opens Special Session The following message from the Governor was read into the record as the special legislative session began Tuesday. This message satisfies a Constitutional requirement that the Governor communicate written information about the state of the state at the start of every legislative session. Message from the Governor As you know, July 24, 2013, Attorney General Derek Schmidt formally requested I call a special session of the Kansas Legislature for the purpose of repairing Kansas’s “Hard 50” sentence in the wake of the June 17, 2013 decision of the United States Supreme Court in Alleyne v. United States. There is broad and bipartisan consensus across all of our state’s law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies urging me to adopt the recommendation of Attorney General Schmidt. Likewise, there is broad and bipartisan support among the leaders of this Legislature that a special session is necessary and is in the best interests of public safety. As the Attorney General has written, the “Hard 50” sentence “is a vital public safety tool enacted by the Legislature more than a
decade ago to remove the ‘worst of the worst’ killers from society for at least 50 years.” Legal experts and prosecutors across Kansas agree and have advised me the Alleyne decision renders our “Hard 50” sentence unconstitutional because under current law, it is imposed by a judge rather than
by a jury. Attorney General Schmidt has further advised a relatively simple procedural fix allowing the jury to make the necessary factual findings, if adopted by the Legislature, will cure the constitutional defect. Until such a cure is enacted, howContinued to page 3
Hugoton city worker Jan Leonard, in addition to other emergency responders, was called to replace this smoking transformer behind the Stevens County Library.