Commentary

Editor’s Note — John Schlageck and I typically catch up at the Kansas Press Association’s annual convention. I’m there as a member. John is there to oversee the panel discussion on agriculture that Kansas Farm Bureau — a major event sponsor — usually presents at the meeting. This year was different. John didn’t attend the February convention in Topeka. The reason for his absence is explained in the following column. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — Kansas agriculture will not be quite the same without John around to write about it.

After 45 years covering agriculture in Kansas and Missouri, I will “pull the pin” (retire) from Kansas Farm Bureau Jan. 31. I’ll put my pen in the desk drawer, close my computer, hang up my camera and turn off the phone. Don’t worry Insight will continue.

Letters address community character and school decisions

Bless Ellsworth and its residents

Dear Ellsworth Community:

Please — thank you, thank you, thank you. Those are words that we use a lot these days. We were born and raised north and west of Ellsworth and since that time, except for five years when Lloyd served in the U.S. Navy.

Forty years ago, we knew about everyone in town and where they lived. Since then there are many people who have moved to Ellsworth that we don’t know. But nevertheless, there are many kind, considerate and helpful people here.

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“Democracy dies in darkness, opines a great American newspaper, but it would be more accurate to say that it dies by degrees. When constitutional democracy has been lost, it has been lost because political actors have broken its rules turn by turn to achieve some immediately urgent goal. Each rule breaking then justifies the next, in a cycle of revenge that ends only in the formal or informal abrogation of the constitutional order.”

David Frum

‘Trumpocracy’

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I have attended several of the meetings pertaining to the discussions about overcoming the shortfall in the school budget at USD 112 and these are some of my observations about the discussions.

There were several presentations by people from Wilson at the school board meeting on Jan. 14, mainly to say that they did not support Option 3, which would have transferred students in grades 7-12 from Wilson to Bushton and Claflin. I can understand their opposition to this proposal but their opposition was contradictory.

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Here are more options

USD 112 Board Members and the Ellsworth Country Independent-Reporter

First of all, thanks to the board members for their dedication and hard work during these extra ordinary times. Please remember the loudest and angriest voice in the room does not always represent the majority and is often not right.

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You’d think Kansans were somehow living in two different states if you read only the headlines following Democrat Laura Kelly’s first State of the State address as governor.

“Kelly urges GOP collaboration” read the banner headline earlier this month across the top page of the Salina Journal. Then, below the article but above the fold,“Wagle says governor’s budget will squander gains.”

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Other options offered

USD 112 Board members and the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter First of all thanks to the board members for their dedication and hard work during these extra ordinary times. Please remember the loudest and angriest voice in the room does not always represent the majority and is often not right.

Hopefully short term you can find a way to keep all of our buildings open and give yourself time for a long term solution. Could another option be getting those opposed to the last bond involved and coming up with a bond we can agree on?

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Wilson has reason to celebrate the new year. After months of rumors and uncertainty, the town’s roughly 700 residents learned their grocery store would for sure remain open. The “for sale” sign no longer hangs in the front window.

I-R writer Jennifer McDaniel tells the story starting on Page A1 of this week’s edition. Owner Rick Weigel considered giving up the business because of health concerns. Then doctors told him his health issues weren’t as serious as originally thought.

The diagnosis has allowed Weigel to continue as the owner of Wilson Foods and find additional ways to serve his current customers and attract new ones.

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Support your local grocery store

Some may think the grocery store is a place to purchase milk and bread. Yes, this is true. When you live in a small town, you know it is much more then a place with coolers, the bread aisle, and meat counter.

A small town grocery is a place where you might run into the person across town you haven’t seen in awhile. It may be where you meet your neighbor and stop in front of the apples to discuss what is the plan for supper? Bits of news is conveyed, about who may be ill, who had a baby, or recently engaged. The school concert or game may a quick topic while picking out the ice cream.

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‘Tis the season to be merry. At least we hope that is how Christmas was for most of our readers and advertisers in 2018. There were exceptions, of course. Ellsworth County lost several long-time residents. Don Hanson, a former Ellsworth County commissioner who did more than his share to move Ellsworth and Ellsworth County forward, passed away in June. He was joined in late December by Jesse Magana and Libbie Sebesta. Both of these individuals not only influenced their communities in positive ways; they played important roles in the history of Ellsworth County. They all will be missed, along with others lost to us this past year.

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