THURSDAY 1-15Amc.indd

Kansas
Around
the State
Briefs
Ethics chief a no-show
in campaign probe
TOPEKA (TNS) — A
state government official
subpoenaed to testify
about loans to Gov. Sam
Brownback’s re-election
campaign apparently did
not do so at the federal
building in Topeka on
Wednesday morning.
Carol Williams, executive director of the Kansas
Governmental Ethics
Commission, received a
subpoena in December to
appear before a federal
grand jury Wednesday
morning and provide
records related to loans
made to the Brownback
campaign.
She confirmed she was
in her office Wednesday
morning when the grand
jury appeared to be meeting at the Frank Carlson
Federal Building and
Courthouse in Topeka.
U.S. attorneys and
other courthouse personnel would not share any
details about what was
taking place in the grand
jury room.
Williams, who heads
the agency that oversees campaign finance
regulations in Kansas, did
attend a meeting of the
Kansas House Elections
Committee later Wednesday at the Statehouse.
She would not talk about
the grand jury matter.
Lunch chat
Salina Police Chief
Brad Nelson listens
Tuesday during a conversation on minority
relations.
Tom Dorsey
Special to The HDN
Legion cook-off will benefit honor flights
By MAGGIE GEBHARDT
[email protected]
An aroma of soup will fill the air
Sunday at American Legion Post
No. 173 in Hays.
The post is hosting its first cookoff to benefit Honor Flight Network.
Operating as a nonprofit, Honor
Flight Network is designed to assist
and accommodate American veterans.
The program provides a free flight
to Washington, where veterans are
able to visit memorials designed to
honor their service and the sacrifices
they made.
A trip is provided for veterans of
World War II, and, recently, Korea
and Vietnam, according to Hays’
American Legion Manager Lisa
VanHorn.
“The flight ticket, meals and
accommodations are all paid for,”
VanHorn said.
members of the Legion family,
Fulfilling this dream for every
including Sons of the American
American veteran willing and able to Legion, American Legion Auxiliary,
travel is the goal of the orgaLegionnaires and Legion
nization, the manager said.
Riders, VanHorn said.
“We’re trying to raise
“Myself and my husband
money and awareness for
have a team,” she said.
this program so some of the
Several other members have
veterans on the waiting list will
orchestrated approximately
be able to go to Washington,
five teams as well.
D.C. and see these monu“We are continuing to
ments,” she said.
add more,” VanHorn said.
VanHorn
The American Legion
Additionally, American
cook-off provides an opportunity for Legion wants to take the opportuthe community to be the judge.
nity to unveil to the public the many
“It’s kind of a friendly little cookupdates and renovations. During the
off between us,” VanHorn said.
last year, the Legion has been busy
“The community is welcome to
remodeling the facility.
come sample the soup, vote for the
“We have been working on it since
one they like best, and then they will
last summer,” the manager said.
get a big bowl of it.”
“Just recently, we started hitting it
Teams are being formed between
pretty hard.”
Most of the main changes are
complete, and there are only a few
things left to do, VanHorn said.
“We just have some finishing
touches left,” she said. “This event
will be a nice, relaxing venue to show
it off to the public.”
The cook-off is set to begin at
11 a.m. Sunday. A winner will be
announced and presented a grand
prize of a golden ladle at 2 p.m.
“Everyone better bring their appetites,” VanHorn said.
Opportunities to donate will be
provided during the event.
If unable to attend, contributions
can be dropped off at American Legion, 1305 Canterbury. Checks should
be payable to Honor Flight Network.
Information and additional donation opportunities can be found at
www.honorflight.org.
Flu hits
schools
By JUDY SHERARD
[email protected]
Plane crash sends 2
to Dodge City hospital
DODGE CITY (HNS)
— A plane crash occurred
just south of the Dodge
City Airport on Wednesday morning.
According to the Kansas
Highway Patrol crash logs,
a 1969 Cessna fixed wing
single engine aircraft was
coming from the Wellington
area and lost air speed. It
clipped some tree limbs
and landed in a field slightly
more than a half-mile west
of U.S. Highway 56.
The plane was piloted
by Joseph M. Baker, 61,
Wellington. Also in the
plane was Stephanie L.
Johnson, 43, Wichita, and
Clarence J. Sponsel II,
33, Haysville.
Baker and Johnson
were taken to Western
Plains Hospital in Dodge
City and treated for possible injuries.
3 guards attacked
at Hutchinson prison
HUTCHINSON (HNS)
— Three corrections officers were attacked Tuesday by inmates in two
separate incidents at the
Hutchinson Correctional
Facility Central Unit.
The initial attack occurred at 9:21 p.m. and
the second happened
shortly thereafter, said
HCF public information
officer Dirk Moss.
All three officers suffered injuries and were
taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for
treatment by facility staff
and later released.
Lotteries
JOLIE GREEN • Hays Daily News
Workers move dirt at the new location of Sander Furniture in December in Norton.
Business bright at Sander Furniture
By JUDY SHERARD
[email protected]
kind of surrounded us and helped
us along,” Sander said. “It was a
NORTON — The road to busi- tough time. All the years we were
ness ownership wasn’t smooth for
trying to build, a lot of furniture
Brad and Kim Sander.
businesses were going out of busiBut the community has helped
ness.”
Sander Furniture & Gifts grow,
Space became tight as the busiand the business is expanding for a ness grew. Approximately six years
second time and moving to a new
ago, they opened a second location
location.
downtown. That store, managed by
After growing up and working in their daughter Starr Garza, features
the furniture business, Brad
bedroom furniture and
Sander worked as a home
appliances.
food delivery person for
“That was a good
11 years before the couple
move,” Sander said. “It
opened their furniture store.
nearly doubled our busi“I was looking for a
ness. I’m expecting another
change in careers at that
third increase by doing this
time,” he said. “I was raised
project.”
in the furniture business, so
The new facility at the
Sander
it was natural to come back
former American Legion
to it.”
Building, plus a 4,800-square-foot adThey were considering opendition will allow the Sanders to have
ing their own business, and while
their showrooms under one roof.
visiting their son in Norton, they
“That will be better for customer
noticed an empty building.
service,” Sander said. “We won’t be
“Kim said that place is empty
so short-handed.”
and would make a nice furniture
The Legion building is being
store,” Sander said.
gutted and completely renovated.
Sander said that’s when he knew The additional space means a
his wife was on board with the idea. larger showroom area and a bigger
They didn’t get that building,
warehouse.
but soon afterwards, Dave Ward
There’s also room for future
— who owned Ward’s Sporting
expansion, if needed.
Goods — offered to lease them his
The additional space doesn’t
building, the one they now own.
mean any new furniture lines,
“You could walk 5 yards to get
though.
to a piece of furniture (when they
“We’re pretty well set with our
started), and the community just
vendors,” Sander said.
Many of the main furniture
lines can be bought in Norton, said
Scott Sproul, Norton City/County
Economic Development executive
director.
The larger showroom will give
them the “opportunity to look at
different styles with the bedroom
lines we have. We’ll try to have a
new look when customers walk in.”
“Being able to grow a family
business like this is special to our
department because family businesses are what built this community,” Sproul said. “Turning this
into a regional furniture destination
is what the plan is, and being able
to draw regionally into this business
is going to be pretty special for the
community,”
Sander plans to have the new location open the first week in March.
“Getting the work finished is one
thing. Then we have to set up the
floor. That’s going to be a tough
one, but it can be done,” he said.
Sander declined to give a cost
estimate for the new location, but
joked the contractor would be
happy when it’s done.
His current building will be sold
to Love’s Travel Shop, which owns
the adjacent property.
“It gives all the businesses here a
boost to see somebody, instead of
looking for ways to pull out, looking
for ways to stay,” Sander said. “I
have faith that the community is
going to support us.”
Wednesday
Powerball
2 4 10 41 53 22
Power Play - 5
Hot Lotto Sizzler
8 12 15 27 39 14
Super Kansas Cash
4 9 18 20 30 01
2by2
Red - 2 22
White - 3 19
Pick 3
076
Corrections
The Hays Daily News staff
takes care with its reporting
and writing. But if we make
a mistake, we want to know
about it so we can let readers
know the correct information. We encourage readers
who find an error to contact
us at (785) 628-1081. Ask
for Patrick Lowry, editor and
publisher, or Nick Schwien,
managing editor, or email
[email protected] or
[email protected].
A3
Thursday
Jan. 15, 2015
The flu bug is making the
rounds of some area schools.
Sacred Heart School in
Ness City called off school
Wednesday because of illness.
“There were 24 students absent yesterday,” Sacred Heart
Principal Debbie Hagans said
Wednesday morning.
The school has 93 students.
So far, none of the staff
has reported the illness —
which has been a high fever
flu, she said.
“We’re a family oriented
school, so when one child
gets it, it goes through the
family,” Hagans said.
She didn’t know if the
school would be open today.
Absences at Victoria
Elementary School also have
been high.
“We have a lot of kids
out,” said David Ottley, USD
432 superintendent and VES
principal. “Obviously, influenza has hit us.”
The school sent a message
home to parents asking them
to keep ill children home so it
doesn’t affect others.
The school also has had
a couple of staff members
absent because of illness.
Ottley said Monday is a
day off for students, and he’s
hoping the three-day weekend
and forecast of warmer temperatures helps clear the air.
Holy Family Elementary
also has seen a number of
absences because of illness.
Keri Veach, an administrative assistant at the school,
said 23 of the 403 students
were absent Tuesday.
Some classes reported a
large number of absences —
there were nine absent from
one class of 25 students —
others had no absences.
“It’s definitely hit us,”
Veatch said of the flu.
USD 489 elementary
schools have “had a number of
students out, but it’s a variety of
things,” said Mary Ann Shorman, the district’s lead nurse.
“What we’re seeing is typical.”
Washington Grade School in
Ellis also hasn’t seen a particular
increase in absences because
of illness, according to Donna
Schoenthaler, school secretary.
Steeples named interim arts, science dean at KU
Special to The Hays Daily News
LAWRENCE — Palco
native and University of
Kansas geology professor Don Steeples has been
named interim dean of the
College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. He will begin his
role in March when current
dean Danny Anderson leaves
KU to become president of
Trinity University.
Steeples is the Dean A.
McGee Distinguished Professor of Applied Geophysics in
the college and a renowned
seismology expert. Over the
years, he has held various
administrative roles at KU,
including deputy director
of the Kansas Geological
Survey, chairman of the
Department of Geology and
senior vice provost.
“Don Steeples has long
been a key and trusted leader
at the University of Kansas
and the college as a teacher,
researcher and administrator,” said Jeffrey S. Vitter,
provost and executive vice
chancellor. “We are fortunate to have someone of his
caliber serving as interim
dean, and I’m confident he
will continue the incredible momentum generated
under Dean Anderson as we
conduct a search for the College’s next permanent dean.”
A nationwide search for a
new dean will be launched
later this year.
“This is truly an exciting time for the college,”
Steeples said, “and it’s an
honor to serve as interim
dean. My goal is to continue the tremendous progress the college has made
under Danny’s leadership
and help ensure a smooth
transition to the next dean.
I look forward to continuing a number of important
initiatives for the college,
including the continued
implementation of the KU
core and the construction
of the new Earth, Energy
and Environment Center
and Innovation Way, which
will fundamentally change
the way we educate students and do research at
KU. I strongly believe that
whoever becomes the next
dean will inherit a college
on a remarkable upward
trajectory.”
Steeples’ specialty is seismic imaging of the shallow
subsurface of the earth to
detect such things as hidden earthquake faults and
clandestine tunnels under
international borders. As
the McGee Distinguished
Professor of Geophysics at
KU, Steeples’ near-surface
seismic research has led to
dozens of co-authored papers in various journals. He
has consulted for more than
60 clients, including Exxon,
Amoco, Phillips, Schlumberger and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. Steeples
said his most fulfilling experience as a geophysicist was
serving as president of the
32,000-member Society of
Exploration Geophysicists in
2013-14. A native of Palco,
Steeples came to Lawrence in
1975. He has been a distinguished professor of geology
since 1993. Steeples holds a
doctorate in geophysics from
Stanford University.

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