Allen splits: Red Devil men prevail, women fall on hardwood.
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Key votes ahead on taxes, schools, Medicaid TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican legislators in Kansas are facing a key test of support for budget-balancing proposals to cut education spending and hike income taxes. The state Senate planned today to debate a tax bill and a separate measure making the cuts. The package would move the GOP-controlled Legislature toward a confrontation with Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The governor already has criticized the tax bill.
It would raise $660 million in new revenues over two years by increasing rates and eliminating an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners. The other measure would
cut aid to public schools in the current state budget by $128 million and trim spending on higher education by $23 million. The state faces projected budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. Republicans who back the proposal believe districts could dip into their cash reserves to tide themselves over temporarily. Other lawmakers and educators see the cut as potentially damaging. Sen. Ed Berger of Hutchin-
son told fellow Republicans during a Tuesday evening caucus that he would seek to reduce the school funding cut to about $51 million. THE KANSAS House health committee plans to vote next week on whether to expand the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday from cities, businesses, doctors and patients, urging them to expand KanCare. The expansion would provide insurance to
an estimated 150,000 Kansans who currently make too much money to qualify for KanCare but not enough to qualify for subsidies to purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Proponents say the expansion would be at least budgetneutral or save money, but the state budget office estimates that the plan would still cost more than $150 million during the first two fiscal years. Gov. Sam Brownback said See LEGISLATURE | Page A5
Father-son duo tout natural ag practices By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LaHarpe City Hall
New use for LaHarpe City Hall proposed By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — As the Regional Rural Tech Center continues to grow, Ray Maloney thinks he has an ideal site for additional nursing classes: LaHarpe City Hall. Maloney broached the idea at Wednesday’s LaHarpe City Council meeting. At issue is whether LaHarpe should continue to use the old LaHarpe Elementary School building as City Hall. In January, Councilman David Lee suggested the city consider moving back to its old facility along Main Street, citing the high cost of utilities at its present home — about $25,000 a year. Moving back to Main Street, in a significantly See LAHARPE | Page A2
MORAN — In order to thrive, today’s farmers must find ways to cut costs without sacrificing yields, Darin Williams notes. “We think we’ve found a way to do it, with no-till practices and cover crops,” said Williams, president of Natural Ag Solutions LLC, which opened its doors in November at the old Ensminger Seed and Grain facility north of Moran. Williams and his father, Doug, have worked to provide an outlet for farmers such as them, utilizing non-genetically modified seed, in order to maintain a profitable operation — and to remain good stewards of the environment. “I started no-tilling and began using cover crops in 2010 at the same time,” said Williams, who farms near Waverly. “Once I saw the weed control I could get with cover crops, I thought it was a no-brainer to go back to conventional nonGMO seed, because it was cheaper. For the past two decades or so, farmers have favored those genetically modified crops, impervious to Roundup and other products.
Senate confirms Sessions By ANDREW TAYLOR and ALAN FRAM The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions to be attorney general in the Trump administration despite fierce Democratic opposition to Jeff Sessions the Alabama Republican over his record on civil rights and immigration. The 52-47 nearly party-line vote capped weeks of divisive battles over Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and one of the Senate’s most conservative lawmakers. After the vote was announced, Sessions’ Republican colleagues applauded the outcome while barely a handful of Democrats did the
same. In a post-vote valedictory speech, Sessions alluded to the bitter partisanship and wished for more collegiality. “Denigrating people who disagree with us, I think, is not a healthy trend for our body,” he said. Since Trump tapped Sessions, Democrats have laced into the lawmaker, casting him as too cozy with Trump and too harsh on immigrants. They asserted he wouldn’t do enough to protect voting rights of minorities, protections for gays and the legal right of women to obtain an abortion. They fear immigrants in the country illegally won’t receive due process with Sessions as the top law enforcement officer. “His record raises doubts about whether he can be a champion for those who need this office most and it also raises doubts about whether See SESSIONS | Page A2
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 73
Darin and Doug Williams are the owners of Natural Ag Solutions, at the old Ensminger Grain facility north of Moran. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN But if those weeds can be controlled through natural means — cover crops, for example — it means crops can be planted without the more expensive GMO seed. “So, regardless of whether I get a premium for my grain (which is often the case with non-GMO products) I’ll still save on input costs,” Williams. Natural Ag Solutions offers See WILLIAMS | Page A5
Audit: Insurance plan’s savings overstated By SAM ZEFF Kansas News Service
One of the cornerstones of Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to balance the budget is anticipated savings from a statewide health insurance pool for Kansas teachers. The governor said that could save $40 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1 and $80 million a year after that. But that’s not what the Legislative Post Audit Division discovered in its evaluation. “The time needed to implement a consolidated K-12 health insurance plan and several other factors will make it difficult for the state to achieve the savings outlined in the Governor’s FY 2018 budget,” the report said. The report said there eventually could be about $63 million in total annual savings if the state goes to a
statewide insurance pool for teachers. The report was given first to the Joint Legislative Post Audit Committee. It also will make its way to K-12 Budget and Appropriations in the House and Ways and Means in the Senate. The report contradicts a consultant’s recommendation that suggested the state
“You can’t test courage cautiously.” — Annie Dillard, author 75 Cents
could save $80 million a year. Some Republicans and Democrats legislators were skeptical of the Alvarez and Marsal report commissioned last year by the Legislature at a cost of $2.6 million. The Legislative Post Audit report says there are two ways to save money on See AUDIT | Page A5
Hi: 44 Lo: 34 Iola, KS