Report: Wheat harvest well behind schedule

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report shows just how far behind the Kansas winter wheat harvest is from normal.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that just 5% of the wheat in the state has been cut. That is far less than the 48% that was harvested at this time a year ago and the 36% five-year average.

Widespread rains have left many fields too soggy to cut, but the wheat itself is also developing more slowly than usual. The agency reports that only 47% of it has matured, well behind the 82% that had matured by this time last year.

Wheat condition was rated 4% very poor, 12% poor, 28% fair, 43% good and 13% excellent.

Planting of soybeans, sorghum and sunflowers are also running slower than normal in Kansas.

Kansas City not appealing to all USDA workers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers are reluctant to move across the country to the Kansas City area when two research agencies move there.

The USDA announced plans earlier this month to move the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture closer to farmers and agribusinesses they serve, and many employees have objected to the move from the Washington D.C. area.

USDA researcher Andrew Crane-Droesch tells the Kansas City Star the move is out of the question.

“It’s a mixture of outrage and resignation,” Crane-Droesch said of morale at his office. “Nobody wants to move — nothing against Kansas City.”

He said he doesn’t want to live far from his aging parents on the East Coast, and his wife has better career options in the Washington area. And the couple is in the middle of adopting.

When officials announced the move to employees of both agencies, employees turned their backs on the Agriculture Secretary.

Critics say the research agencies have lost veteran employees and been unable to fill vacancies since the USDA announced last year it was considering moving their headquarters. Opponents also argued that moving them will make it harder for federal policymakers to get objective research that might raise questions about President Donald Trump’s policies.

USDA officials say the move will save about $20 million a year on rent and other costs, which will provide more money for research.

Losing some employees is expected in this kind of move, said Dan Levine, who advises companies on relocations at Oxford Economics. He said that is why it is more common for companies to open a new office instead of closing one location and moving everyone to a new location.

“Clearly when you move people from D.C. to Kansas City, the first thing you have to worry about is retention,” Levine said. “I would expect a high amount of turnover on a move like that. And that might be something that they can for whatever reason tolerate.”

Kansas City area economic development officials are excited about the prospect of nearly 550 new jobs in the area that will pay between $80,000 and $100,000 a year.

Kansas City Area Development Council CEO Tim Cowden said his group is committed to helping federal employees and their families make the move to Kansas City.

“We understand and empathize with the families and the employees,” Cowden said. “It’s a huge move, it’s a huge transition.”

Summer fun

Saturday?s LaHarpe Day celebration drew folks of all ages to take part in the annual festival?s resumption

 

 

LaHarpe VFW members Theresa Yatzbacher, left, and Ed Hoover ride a float in the parade. BY PAIGE OLSON

 

Carson Ebert, Newton, plays violin during the talent show.

 

Elcie Manbeck was among those taking in the sights.  BY PAIGE OLSON

 

Sonny Northcutt rides his miniature car in the LaHarpe Day parade. BY PAIGE OLSON

Old Elsmore school damaged in storm

  • A round of Sunday thunderstorms ripped the roof off the old Elsmore Grade School building.
  • Downed trees sit near the old Elsmore Grade School building Sunday.

A round of Sunday thunderstorms ripped the roof off the old Elsmore Grade School building, depositing the large roof on empty land east of the building.

Downed trees also were spotted throughout the county. 

Group offers discussion on KanCare expansion, pizza

A state health alliance is offering an opportunity to learn more about possible Medicaid (KanCare) expansion in Kansas. A community meeting, “Break Down and Bounce Back Tour,” will be offered from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sam & Louie’s, 2150 N. State St. Pizza is provided.

The event is sponsored by the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a statewide coalition based in Topeka. The organization encourages Kansans and legislators to expand KanCare to cover Kansans with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level in a way that simplifies the administrative process and avoids harm to those who fall in the coverage gap. 

Tuesday’s meeting in Iola will discuss what happened at the past legislative session, when lawmakers came close to approving Medicaid expansion but failed. A bipartisan coalition delayed passage of the state budget to try to pressure Senate Republican leaders to allow a vote, which did not happen. Lawmakers are expected to tackle the issue during the next session.

Other meetings are planned in Lawrence (July 9) and Garden City (July 23). 

For more information or to RSVP to the meeting, go to www.expandkancare.com.

US meets with Saudis to boost pressure on Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks today with the Saudi king and crown prince after days of mounting tensions following the downing of a U.S drone last week and after President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of retaliatory military strikes on Iran.

Iran’s naval commander, meanwhile, warned that Iranian forces would not hesitate to act again and shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones that violate Iranian airspace.

The U.S. denies the drone, valued at more than $100 million, violated Iranian airspace. Trump said he backed away from planned strikes after learning that 150 people would be killed but that military action remained an option.

Pompeo held separate talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi port city of Jiddah to discuss the escalation with Iran.

Pompeo wrote on Twitter that he had a “productive meeting” with King Salman and discussed “heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security” in the Strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.

From the kingdom, Pompeo will travel to neighboring United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally. The regional stops, made on his way to India, may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Sunni Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to maintaining pressure on Shiite Iran following Trump’s last-minute about face, which likely raised questions about U.S. willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.

In what it says are defensive moves, the U.S. has built up its military presence around the Persian Gulf in recent weeks.

Iran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi issued a warning to Washington that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace. Khanzadi spoke today during a meeting with a group of defense officials in Iran.

“We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tensions have been escalating since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran. A fresh round of U.S. sanctions is to be announced later today in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks.

Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”

Before boarding his flight to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo described the sanctions as a way to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.”

The hastily arranged Saudi visit by Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, and the upcoming stop in the UAE come as both countries have expressed alarm over Iran’s military reach.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of being behind attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the past several weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.

On the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.

The Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Drones were also used to attack a Saudi oil pipeline last month.

Saudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.

Before his departure to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo said talks will include discussion on “how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe… to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” referring to Iran.

But even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.

“They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said.

Throughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including an offer for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump.

Trump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane carrying 30 people.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames.

U.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”

Sinclair family gathers for annual picnic

The annual Sinclair family picnic was held June 8 at Iola’s Riverside Park.

About 70 attended, most of whom were fourth or fifth generations.

The get-togethers were started by Fred and Geneva Sinclair, who were married in 1925 and hosted Thanksgiving dinner at their home. As the family grew, the Sinclairs decided to move the occasion to a meeting later, then to Riverside Park, in the spring..

In the accompanying picture, Kathleen Sinclair, 91, the oldest in attendance, holds Beau Yocham, 8 months, the youngest to attend. Beau would be Fred and Geneva’s great-great-grandson.

A tone deaf response to shattered lives

The next time you see a commercial declaring a new era at Wells Fargo, or the next time you hear a Wells executive touting a new culture, remember Stan and Melissa West.

The Wests were among several families in a powerful report by the Observer’s Deon Roberts that detailed how a Wells Fargo mistake involving mortgage modifications upended the lives of customers. In 2011, Stan West lost his job and the couple fell behind on mortgage payments for their Lexington, Ky., home. They worked with Wells to stave off foreclosure, but when they were ultimately denied a mortgage modification request by the bank, they lost their dream home.

Last year, Wells Fargo admitted that it wrongly denied or failed to offer approximately 870 mortgage modifications between 2010-2018. The bank also sent letters and checks to customers, including $15,000 to the Wests that hardly dented the $100,000 down payment they’d made on their house. Then, in response to Roberts’ questioning this month, bank officials couldn’t resist sharing the blame.

Instead of leaving it at “we were wrong,” Wells spokesman Tom Goyda explained that despite the bank working with the Wests, “they were unable to keep up with their payments and we eventually foreclosed when they were two years behind.”

It was a cringe-worthy tone deafness coming from a corporate office about a family whose lives the bank had helped shatter. Even worse _ instead of vowing to fully pursue resolutions that reflect the damage that’s been done to the Wests and others, the bank also told Roberts that customers can pursue mediation or negotiate for more money. It’s yet another example of how Wells insufficiently recognizes the very real consequences that come from years of errors and unethical behavior.

Certainly, it’s human nature for bank officials to want to put the best face on bad mistakes, and it’s true in this case _ as Roberts noted in his report _ that customers bore some responsibility by failing to make their mortgage payments. But Wells Fargo’s error compounded the burdens that job losses and other difficulties placed on families. Without the lifeline that a mortgage modification might have provided, their customers fates were sealed. Their lives, in at least some cases, crumbled.

In response, the bank set aside $8 million _ an average of a mere $9,195 per customer who was affected by the bank’s mortgage modification mistake. Customers have sued, saying that the small payments Wells offered don’t come close to the impact the bank’s mistake had on their lives. Wells has tried to dismiss some of those lawsuits.

It is a troubling yet unsurprising response from a bank that for years has preyed upon and squeezed its customers, from opening bank accounts without their consent to nickel-and-diming college students with unusually high banking fees. And while it should go without saying that the vast majority of Wells Fargo employees do good and honest work, including at the bank’s East Coast headquarters in Charlotte, this latest blemish shows that leadership still has a ways to go.

Instead of adopting a defensive posture on its mortgage modification mistake, Wells Fargo would be better served by simply saying “We’re sorry,” then backing that up with payments that show the bank truly understands that its bottom line is not the only one that matters.

— The Charlotte Observer

Stewart leads the way on 9/11 fund

Jon Stewart is coming through once more for World Trade Center heroes and victims. Keep it up.

He joined our calls in 2010, pushing Congress to create the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and a health program. He was with us again in 2015, urging lawmakers to extend the fund and guarantee lifetime medical coverage. Now he’s back, fighting to make the fund permanent as legitimate claims grow and the Department of Justice is having to sharply cut deserving victims’ payouts.

Most importantly, Stewart has engaged with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell’s words are heartening: “We have never failed to address this issue.” “We will take care of the 9/11 victims compensation fund.” “There’s no way we won’t address this problem appropriately. We have in the past. We will again in the future.”

With a new Mount Sinai study showing a direct link between WTC responders’ exposure to the toxic dust and prostate cancer, the future is here. Bipartisan House sponsorship has climbed more than 100 above the 218 majority; the bill cleared the 41-member Judiciary Committee without objection.

Backers run from the oldest and longest serving member, Don Young, to the youngest freshmen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republicans Dan Crenshaw, Anthony Gonzalez and William Timmons. AOC and they don’t agree on much, but here they stand as one.

A half dozen more Senate Republicans stepped up in the last week: John Hoeven, Rick Scott, Dan Sullivan, Deb Fischer, Joni Ernst and Steve Daines. Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey and Rob Portman were there before and are needed again. McConnell knows what he must do.

— New York Daily News

State parks tabulating losses from floods

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — This spring’s heavy rain and flooding will cause significant economic losses at many of the state’s 28 parks, both from damage and from closures and refunds to disappointed campers, state parks officials said.

Brad Loveless, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, said the losses will be clearer in a month or two when the cost of repairs and renovations are better known. The agency relies chiefly on entrance permits, campsite and cabin rental fees, and marina concessions to fund state parks.

Already, the agency’s park fee fund is down about $100,000 for April and May compared with a year ago because of a loss in entrance fees and campsite fees. Income from cabin rentals is down by $30,000 for those two months compared with a year ago, The Hutchinson News reported.

Those figures don’t include all the refunds the department has been processing, “which is significant in June,” according to agency spokesman Ron Kaufman. Other losses occurred in marina concessions and from moving the Country Stampede’s move from Tuttle Creek State Park to Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports Park.

So far, the agency hasn’t asked the state for special help, with regular staff and seasonal workers managing the cleanup.

“We will need state assistance for repairing damages and for cash flow if revenues drop significantly,” Kaufman said.

Loveless said the damage is being documented and he is hopeful the state will receive help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Kaufman noted that lakes in western Kansas, which were down because of drought, rose because of the rains but didn’t flood and are in “great shape.”

Parks also benefit from Kansas Lottery dollars and can obtain federal grants for projects. But the parks don’t receive money from the state general fund and revenue from the sale of hunting, fishing and fur harvesting licenses and permits cannot be spent for state park operations or maintenance and repairs.

Last year, the Park Fee Fund and Cabin Fund generated more than $10.5 million during the fiscal year, with nearly 6.9 million people visiting Kansas parks.

The high water caused several state parks to cancel campsite reservations for Memorial Day weekend, which is one of the top three periods for most parks. The Fourth of July is another peak time and some parks will have certain campsites unavailable then, too.

Cleanup and restoration will take months.

The many projects at the parks include hauling away debris, re-installing water heaters and electrical components, repairing or rebuilding boat ramps and docks, repairing some cabin flooring and cutting and removing fallen trees. Some roads in the parks also will need repair.

“Hundreds of acres of grass” will have to be replanted, and “mountains of debris removed,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman said the agency has a small, in-house engineering staff and engineering consultants to help design and oversee major repairs, and contractors will be used as necessary.