Letter to Mid Kansas Online: McPherson man supporting Shultz for Insurance Commissioner

During his 17 years in the legislature, Clark is proud to have earned a 100% pro-life voting record and helped pass key anti-abortion legislation that said abortions will no longer be considered a “medical procedure” for insurance purposes.

Clark is a champion for the 2nd Amendment, having received the Legislator of the Year award from the Kansas State Rifle Association and a coveted “A” rating from the NRA.

Clark has served as Chair of the House Insurance Committee for 9 years and has been active in both the National Conference of Insurance Legislators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

He was also able to serve as a key supporter of many pro-consumer pieces of legislation including the Health Care Freedom Act and a bill ensuring families of fallen police officers and firefighters will be able to continue on their health insurance plan.

Clark Shultz also serves as Chairman of the House rules committee on which I also serve. Clark has recently received 100% ratings from the National Federation of Independent Business and was name a pro-jobs legislator by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

Outside of the legislature, Clark worked to protect consumers across Kansas as a compliance auditor for a national title insurance underwriter for over a decade.

Shultz is currently president of a title company in Wichita. He and his wife Lori have six children and live in Lindsborg in rural McPherson county.

Clark Shultz has been endorsed by over 40 state legislators including most of the western Kansas delegation. All of the northwest and north central Kansas legislators have endorsed Senator Shultz including Senator Ralph Ostmeyer, Senator Elaine Bowers, Representative Ward Cassidy, Representative Don Hineman, Representative Troy Waymaster, and many others.

Clark has been endorsed by Big First Congressman Tim Huelskamp who served with Clark in the state legislature. Congressman Huelskamp said, “Clark Shultz is a strong conservative candidate for Insurance Commissioner. Clark has extensive experience in the insurance industry and is the best candidate to steer us through the disastrous harm that ObamaCare has caused our healthcare system in Kansas.”

Clark is a respected leader and deserves our support in the August 5th Republican primary for Insurance Commissioner. That definitely separates him from the rest of the candidates. We need to support candidates who live our rural way of life. Please join me in voting for Clark Shultz for Insurance Commissioner on August 5th.

Kyler Jost

McPherson

Treasurer's Office experiencing system issues

McPherson County Treasurer Brenda Becker let Mid Kansas Online know that there is currently a longer wait at the McPherson County Treasurer's office due to system issues.

If you have work to do or tags to obtain this month, go in as soon as possible.

Accident in McPherson Thursday afternoon injures two

Thursday afternoon at 3:47 p.m. , McPherson Police investigated a state reportable injury accident at Elm and First in McPherson.

The accident involved vehicles driven by Wilma Frank, of Canton and Madison Lackey of McPherson. A ticket was issued to Frank for failure to yield the right of way while turning left. Both vehicles were towed from the scene by Auto House. Two patients were transported to McPherson Hospital from the accident.

Accident on I-135 Thursday afternoon kills two

An accident on I-135 killed a Minnesota couple Thursday afternoon. According to a report from the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 2014 Nissan Rogue driven by 56 year old Pamela Pierce of Hutchinson was in the driving lane on northbound I-135 and attempted to pass another vehicle, cutting in front of a 2004 Ford Expedition driven by 69 year old Kay Dianne Pautz of Alexandria, Minnesota.

The Expedition struck the rear of the Rogue causing Pautz to swerve, which then caused the Expedition to roll across the median and into the southbound ditch, where it caught fire. Both Kay Dianne Pautz and her passenger, 70 year old Gary Walter Pautz died in the accident and were taken to Wichita so their bodies could be identified. The southbound lanes of I-135 were shut down for a short time to make room for medical helicopters to land at the scene.

Marquette Attorney to be interviewed August 4th for Kansas Supreme Court post

David Raymond Klassen of Marquette will be interviewed at 9:30 Monday morning, August 4th at the Kansas Judicial Center – Fatzer Courtroom as one of fourteen applicants for Kansas Supreme Court Position 7.

The vacancy was created by the July 28 departure of Justice Nancy Moritz to serve on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Interviews will be open to the public and interested parties are encouraged to attend.

After interviewing applicants, the Supreme Court Nominating Commission will submit names of three qualified individuals to the governor. The governor will then choose from that list who to appoint to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

The Supreme Court Nominating Commission is an independent body created by the Kansas Constitution. Its members are: Anne E. Burke, Chair, Overland Park; David J. Rebein, Dodge City; Linda B. Weis, Manhattan; Natalie G. Haag, Topeka; Felita R. Kahrs, Topeka; Matthew D. Keenan, Leawood; Robert Hayworth, Shawnee Mission; Jay F. Fowler, Wichita; and Gary T. Mason, Maize.

According to information provided by Klassen to the Commission, Klassen is the father of 13 children, ranging in age from 16 to 35 and has previously served on the USD 400 Board of Education and as a member of the Parent's Council for Bethany College and assisted with Broadway RFD productions, both in the pit and on the stage. Klassen is also an Elder with the Sterling Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Wilborn receives McPherson Mayor's endorsement in Senate race

In a letter sent to twelve newspapers and obtained by Mid Kansas Online, McPherson Mayor Tom Brown expressed his support for 35th District Senate candidate Rick Wilborn.

Here is the text of his letter.

"I am writing to express my support for Rick Wilborn, candidate for the Kansas Senate. He is a common sense, conservative Republican.  He will pursue elimination of wasteful spending and unnecessary tax burdens. We need experienced leadership with networking skills to help our citizens, students, educators, entrepreneurs, and employers prosper and have economic stability. Rick has served the community and our region of Kansas through committees and consulting on various issues. During my service as an elected official the past five years, I have appreciated his assistance in making state and federal officials aware of our local needs and concerns.  Rick has the endorsement of Kansans for Life and supports pro-life policies to protect the unborn. The citizens of the 35th District will be well served with Rick Wilborn as their state senator."

Tom Brown

McPherson, Kansas

Kansas independent colleges are a boon to the Kansas economy

According to a new study, Kansas’s eighteen private colleges generate $980.1 million in new income each year for the Kansas economy.  The economic impact of the colleges is sufficient to create 21,968 new jobs in Kansas every year and generate $2.8 billion in social benefits to the state through increased business output and improvements in health and public safety that accrue from the graduates of Kansas’ private colleges.

The new study, “Demonstrating the Economic Value of the Kansas Independent Colleges and Universities,” specifically analyzes the contributions to the Kansas economy by the private colleges that would not otherwise occur if the colleges did not exist.  The report’s findings show that the colleges’ impact on Kansas’ economy is nearly equivalent to Kansas hosting the NFL Super Bowl nine times each year.

“We have always known that Kansas’ independent colleges were important to the Kansas economy,” said Matt Lindsey, president of the Kansas Independent College Association and Fund which commissioned the study.  “This study demonstrates just how truly powerful the contribution is that our students, faculty, and institutions make and how essential Kansas’ independent colleges are to Kansas’ future.”

Besides the 21,968 jobs that the colleges’ activities could generate, the colleges themselves employ 4,390 faculty and staff in Kansas, making the colleges collectively the seventh largest non-governmental employer based in the state.  KICA colleges receive zero institutional funds from the state budget, thus nearly all of the colleges’ operating budgets are privately funded.

Other highlights of the study include:

Kansas’ private colleges gave nearly $120 million in privately-funded student aid to college students, making the colleges collectively the single largest charitable organization in Kansas.

Kansas private colleges enroll more than 10,500 out-of-state students each year, more out-of-state students to Kansas than any other college or the university in the state.

261,500 visitors come to Kansas’ independent colleges each year on average and generate $14.1 million in income to the state.  The number of visitors is nearly 90,000 more than the number of visitors who come to Kansas for hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching combined.

“Our policy makers in Topeka and in cities and towns would have to recruit a several major corporations every year to generate the income that our eighteen colleges add just through their operations,” noted Lindsey.  On top of that, Kansas and Kansas taxpayers benefits from a healthier, safer, and more productive and engaged citizenry to the tune of $2.8 billion.  That’s tough to top and suggests where our state’s real assets exist – in our private colleges.”

The report was commission by the Kansas Independent College Association (KICA) and the research was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI).  The full report can be found at www.kscolleges.org/economic-impact.html.

The Kansas Independent College Association, founding in 1976, is a 501(c)4 organization that works to provide support and services to the independent colleges of the state.  The member institutions are Baker University, Benedictine College, Bethany College, Bethel College, Central Christian College, Donnelly College, Friends University, Hesston College, Kansas Wesleyan University, McPherson College, Manhattan Christian College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Newman University, Ottawa University, Southwestern College, Sterling College, Tabor College, and the University of St. Mary.

Meet the Candidates event in McPherson July 30

The McPherson County Council on Aging would like to invite the public to a ‘Meet the Candidates’ event on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at their offices located at 926 N. Main St.-Suite B, McPherson, KS.

This will be an informal come and go gathering allowing persons in the McPherson County area the opportunity to meet and visit with the candidates in our districts prior to the August 5th primary election.

Light refreshments will be served.

Radio Auction coming up Friday, Saturday

Be listening beginning at 10:00 Friday and Saturday morning for your chances to win with Mark and Lisa on the Summer Radio Auction on 96.7 FM KBBE! If you are the winning bidder this weekend, please come in during regular business hours next week to 411 East Euclid to pay for and pick up your certificates! Cash or checks only, please.

For more information on the items to be auctioned, just click on the yellow Radio Auction button in the upper left corner of your screen!

It's the NEW 2014 Radio Auction, now on weekends, too to make it easier for you to bid, buy and save!

Brownback touts first term record at Tuesday fundraiser in McPherson

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback visited the McPherson Museum on Tuesday evening as part of a fundraiser for his re-election campaign.

Mid Kansas Online had a chance to ask the Governor what he felt was his greatest accomplishment in his first term.

Brownback said, "We have more people working in Kansas now than ever in the history of the state. When I ran, I talked about, we need to get this state growing again. We are up on personal income and family income with that record employment level. Fifty-five thousand new private sector jobs since I've been in office."

Brownback managed to do this while decreasing the number of state government employees.

He said, "We're actually down at state government, but up in the private sector. And, we're up on teachers. We're up nearly 650 teachers from when I started at K-12."

K-12 education is the largest portion of the state's budget, and in terms of dollars spent, it is growing.

Brownback said, "We've put more money in it. We're at record levels of money that the State of Kansas has put into K-12, that we're spending on a per-capita basis. We're emphasizing reading at pre 4th grade. We've put extra funds in to target kids that are reading below grade level. And then, we've put technical education money in. We've got a two hundred percent increase in technical education enrollment. The State of Kansas stepped up and said, while you're in high school, we'll pay for 100 percent of your technical education."

Brownback added, "Education is the core function of state government. It's where we spend more money than anything else, and it's going to continue to be for me in a second term."