Cowley soccer

Dayton Rodriquez (9) gets the second goal of the game for Cowley as she led the team to a resounding 7-0 win over Cloud County Monday in Arkansas City. She scored six of her team's goals in the match. In the men's game, Walisson Gomez (19) dribbles the ball up the field against Cloud County. The score was tied in that game 1-1 at the half. For more photos, see the web site. (www.arkcityrevived.com) Stories to come in the morning.

health, drugs

Since I dont have insurance at the moment, I was trying to find some decent prices online for my drugs.
Here is something interesting. For my acid reflux, i can get 90 pills for $60 from a company in the US. I can get the same pills for $30 from a company in England, and that is with paying shipping.
I just thought that was interesting.
These are drugs made in the US. So, they are made here, exported to england, and they can be imported back here at half the price.
Im getting more and more skeptical of horror tales of medicine in England.

More updates

Fall is in the air. Football season must be starting.
It is, but at Cowley College today the "other" football teams will be playing. The two soccer teams open their home season today at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the women playing first, followed by the men.
In most of the world, what we call soccer, is called football.
I know, i know, we have "real" football here in the USA. Im as excited about that as anyone.
Anyways, over the weekend, Cowley College got its fall seasons into full swing with several teams having games. You can see all about the weekend's action on my Cowley page
Or just go to the main site.
Volleyball team has its first home match wednesday.
I am planning on having a sports section. But you probably expected that right. :)

Monday, cop notes

Good morning.
Cop notes are updated.
There was a rape reported yesterday, no one arrested yet. There were also some car break-ins, and three vehicles versus bicycle accidents. Be careful out there.
Another sign that school is in session, was a few people charged - in different cases - with minor in consumption. This of course, is when the cops arrest 20-year-olds for drinking with 21-year-olds. Those who are 21 are charged with hosting. I may be exaggerating a bit, but that is the case at times.
But no matter what you think about that, it is still illegal to drink alcohol under the age of 21.

Getting historical
I see no one has commented on my post yesterday about a historic event, or an event from history. I don't know if people are interested in that sort of thing. I like history, and Arkansas City does have a colorful history. We really should make more of our history. What I posted was on the church page, but I thought it was interesting from a history-point of view as well as from the religious.
I also found links to Arkansas City race tracks. There used to be car racing here. There were two tracks over the years. One in the 30s and another in the 50s.
Ill post more on that later. I need to run some errands this morning. Then Ill get busy posting and reporting.

Healing evangelists

Just a reminder of the healing service tonight at Wilson park at 6:30. Healing has been a controversial matter for years, in secular as well as religious circles.
But, I found that years ago, another healer came through Arkansas City.
She was a nationally known evangelist.
AIMEE SEMPLE McPHERSON was a pentacostal preacher in the 1920s. She conducted massive healing services across the country and was a pioneer in the pentacostal style of preaching. She was controversial at the time, but her meetings drew thousands of people. She held meetings for a month in Wichita, in 1922, and many people were healed, including several from Arkansas City. People in Arkansas City were so impressed they invited her to come here.
It is estimated that 5,000 people crowded into Wilson Park to hear her speak and watch her heal people. It was reported in the newspaper that a storm was stopped by her prayer.
There were long reports about her in the local newspapers. There were reports about her meetings in Wichita, as well as reports about arranging for her visit, as well as a long report of the visit itself. A Traveler Sports Writer was healed.
This was in May of 1922
You can read the entire newspaper account here:
http://www.arkcityrevived.com/CHURCH/AIMEE_SEMPLE_McPHERSON.html

(If this link does not work, please try again later. There is an issue with the server.)
An aside, the journalist in me marveled at the reporting. Certainly a different style. The detail was pretty amazing. Im no sure how many papers would print such a thing objectively today.
I do like the way papers were written back in the old days.
As Larry Norman once said. "sometimes i think we have advanced, but then i look at where we are."

Saturday updates

Was a bit tied up yesterday, so didn't have much of a chance to post.
I have updated the site. I put my notes from the city commission worksession on the site.
I have also posted the county commission agenda. I think eventually I will get into covering them, just not there yet.
Also I have posted the latest dean hall column on the health page.
Our hunting and fishing writer is running a bit behind this week, but we might have him up there today.

There are more live blogs coming along. Next Wednesday is Jerry Campbell. The wednesday after that will be Sean Wallace. I am trying to add a couple here and there in between. We may also do a general open live blog. When is a good time for that?

Friday morning

Cop notes are posted.
Sorry its so late. Just having a hard time getting anything going today.
Some really good comments on yesterday's post about growth and business and such.
We had a good live blog last night with Curt Freeland. More are scheduled.
I was thinking about having a live blog tomorrow morning. Let me know if you are interested and ill turn it on.
More news coming later today

Live interview with curt freeland, 7 p.m.

Still trying to move on from lowes

I am still trying to get us to move past Lowe's.
I know opponents say there never was a Lowe's coming, but there would have been.
There is nothing that can be done now. What is done is done.
People who voted against it were convinced they were doing the right thing.
We can debate that till the cows come home, and nothing will ever be resolved.
We need to move on.
The question on the floor should be ... what do we do now?

I was also thinking about growth. I saw a figure that in 1920 we had 11,000 people in Arkansas City. That is about what we have now. So we have not "grown" in 90 years.
Maybe we are asking the wrong questions.
Do we need growth? Why? Why not?
There is the debate between industrial and retail. The obvious answer should be that we need both. I fear we may be spending too much time debating which one, and accomplishing neither.
What if we changed our focus from growth, pretty much making the retail versus industry debate irrelevant, and concentrated on improving what we do have?

city commission worksession

Good morning.
Cop notes are posted on the site.
City commission worksession is today at 5:30 p.m. They may be discussing the Corp of Engineers situation that I wrote about last night. That information is in the pre-meeting packet that commissioners receive.
There's not much on the agenda tonight.
1. There will be hearings for six possible dangerous structures in the city. These properties could eventually be torn down. The properties are at : 505 N. 7th.; 219 S. 8th St.; 508 S. 7th St.; 319 North D Street; 1320 South K Street; 507 E. Van Buren.
2. Select delegates to the league of municipalities annual meeting.
3. Consider charter ordinance relating to primary elections and general elections for city commissions. This would make it more likely that there would be a primary election.
4. Consider instituting a 2-hour parking zone around 100 block of East Central. This is around the Osage. Residents park on the street instead of the parking lot, and some local businesses have objected.

Those are the only agenda items.

City vs. Corp of Engineers

The Corp of Engineers wants an additional $350,000 payment from Arkansas City, for work done over the last 20 years on the flood protection levee project.
According to a memo from City Manager Steve Archer, to the city commission, an accounting error on the part of the Corp of Engineers, has led to the wrong amount being paid.
The Corp changed its accounting software in 1996, Archer wrote, and some expenses were not included. As a result, the city received incorrect numbers.
Now the Corp says it wants $330,000 the city currently has in an escrow account for just such emergencies, and it wants an additional $350,000.
Archer asked them to forgive the debt since it was their mistake. He has not had an answer yet.
He also wrote to Congressman Todd Tiahrt asking for help.

new feature, on the road

Ive started a new feature on the travel page, on the web site.
A reader sent in some pictures and a little story about a place she visited. I put them on the site. You may see it here. or go to the site to the travel page.
The food page has also been updated with more recipes.

I would like to encourage everyone to send in stories and information, as well as pictures. Remember there is a prize for the best submission of the month, and August is almost gone. I will likely continue that program, of giving a prize for the best submission of the month. I have these prizes provided by McDonalds Vacuum Center.

Send me pictures and a small story about your summer travels. Where did you go, what did you see? But, ummmmm, lets not have any copies of brand-x in any of the pictures ok?
I may post some of our travels this year.
How has the economy affected your traveling?

starting to get busy/ live blogs

We have a couple of live blogs scheduled, and I hope to schedule more.
When I first started this blog, and site, one of my goals was to get heavily into live blogging. I think I have gotten a bit distracted on that goal, so I am headed back in that direction.
Of course, having the rug pulled out from under us by the city, didn't help either.
We have two currently scheduled with more on the way.
Thursday at 7 p.m., we will have Curt Freeland. He is head of the local habitat for humanity, and they have just started their ninth house in Arkansas City. He was also city manager for many years.
Should be interesting. And you may ask questions as well.
Then, next week, Wednesday, also at 7 p.m., we will have Jerry Campbell, who is with the clean air group that wants a smoking ban in Arkansas City. They would like one for the whole county.
So stop by and take part in the interview.
I am considering others to interview. Send your suggestions here.

site updates

Good morning all.
The cop notes are posted. Also there is a calendar of current events now on the site.
Please help me with that. Just send me your items and ill post it.
I went out walking early this morning. Nice weather. I went up second, down third, up fourth, Central to Kansas.
There are some really nice houses in town. They are just spread out.

Moving on from Lowes

I thought it was worthwhile to show the cartoons Mell Kuhn sent. I knew it would re-start the Lowes - Big Box debate, and it has again run its course.
I think its time we move on though, the argument has become repetitious, almost on schedule.
This morning someone questioned whether Lowes was actually coming, and that is usually the last point made.
Both sides have stated their cases. I think many of us have both sides memorized by now. In some cases they even use the same evidence.
But the question is ... What do we do now?
We cant change what is done, but we can change our future. Actually we must change our future. We can continue decline and never change anything until we fade into obscurity. Or, we can decide what we want and do what we can to make that happen.
As I have said before.
We need leadership. We need vision. We need people willing to stare down the naysayers.

We should perhaps debate the TIF. Whether or not we should create one.
We should perhaps debate whether we need industry or retail. The best answer is really both.
Ill admit that Ill vote for retail. Before the economic downturn, local industry was not able to fill the jobs it had, though they were not great paying jobs.
There are only so many people here. We need more people to fill jobs that industry would want in the first place. You do that by creating retail options.

If you want to attract industry, there are some realities. Industries have a choice, so they will go where they get the best deal. This includes tax breaks and probably a TIF. They also go where they will be able to get the best trained employees. Cowley College has a program that can help with that.
Another thing industry looks at is amenities. Things like a hike and bike trail, nice looking yards and streets, good schools, softball and baseball fields.
They look at things like community spirit.

I did say I would lean toward retail, but ... if you are going to recruit industry, you had better be willing and able to give industry what it needs. Just about any industry anywhere has many options. You have to compete. I would like to see detailed information on just how much has been done so far.
Industries you do not have to compete for are industries we probably would not want ... like a nuclear waste dumpsite.

But we cant look to government to do everything. We can look to government to provide police protection, water and sewer, and a climate conducive to business. Beyond that, it is up to us.

Live blog interview Thursday

I will be interviewing Curt Freeland on a live blog, 7 p.m. this Thursday.
He was city manager for Arkansas City for many years. He retired a few years ago.
Since then he has been active in many areas. One of his bigger projects is Habitat for Humanity. He is president of that organization.
We will be talking about the Habitat program, and we might be able to get him to talk about the city some.

Also, next week, Wednesday, Sept. 2, we will have Jerry Campbell on a live blog. He too is involved in habitat. But his most notable thing at the moment is his involvement with the clean air group. They hope to get a smoking ban in Arkansas City eventually. Also at 7 p.m.

Other live blogs are in the works, stay tuned.

Updates

Cop notes are posted on the site.
Also, I have added a calendar. Send me calendar items, and I will add them. Calendars take up a lot of time, so bear with me.
Also Dean Hall's latest column is also posted on the health page.

toons and tifs

Good Monday Morning.
This is a great time of year weather wise, and its almost football season. The Walnut Valley Festival is not far away. That's about as good as it gets.
Anyway, I have posted a series of cartoons on the web site.
City Commissioner Mell Kuhn sent them to me. The cartoons make fun of Tax Increment Finance districts.
He is against TIF districts for things like big boxes - Lowes developments. He would support them for industry.
I do not necessarily agree with the cartoons, but they are good cartoons regardless. So I posted them. Maybe that will inspire others to submit material. I am not one to post only things I agree with.
But another reason to post them is that the TIF is not going away.
Other commissioners, such as Jay Warren and Patrick McDonald - and possibly Jean Snell, have a TIF in the back of their minds. They are working on putting together another TIF - or are at least thinking about it.
Warren told me last week that it should be coming up before the commission in 60-90 days.
They want to have a TIF in place, so that when they find someone interested, they will be able to give them the TIF. It takes a long time to bring in a major retailer - or a major retail development. They don't want to go to all that work only to have it shot down at the last minute, as it was with Lowes.

The issue is whether a TIF is good for retail, and to a lesser degree perhaps, whether we should be concentrating on retail or industry.
This issue has split the town more than any issue since I have been in Arkansas City.
We all have an opinion on this.
But one point I want to make is that, what we need more than anything else, is a civilized debate. We need people on both sides of the issue to be willing to listen to the other side, and to be open minded.
One thing I will say for our commissioners - and previous commissioners. Regardless of where they are on the issue, they really believe they are doing what is best for the city, and they are sincere in their beliefs.

Habitat

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held today for the next Habitat for Humanity house in Arkansas City. This will be the ninth house built by the local group.
I have some pictures and a short story on the site, which is here.

light and dark

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
I John 1: 5-10

Renaissance

Ive posted some pictures from the festival going on. I went by for awhile earlier today. It was fun. The crowd was not huge, but may pick up later.
Costs $10 to get in. That seemed a little high.
It will be going on tomorrow as well.

I have also updated the health page. Dean Halls latest column is there now.
See yall tomorrow.

Saturday morning

Good morning all.
Beautiful day out there. I am headed out to the Renaissance Festival soon. Looked like they had a decent crowd out there yesterday, though I did not actually go in.
Ill try to have some pictures posted before too long today.
I did more updating on the site yesterday. Cowley page is updated.
Some of the other pages were tweaked a bit.
I am trying to finish updating the church page today.

A reminder: I am still taking submissions for our writing contest. The best submission for August will win a prize provided by McDonalds vacuum center.

Updated site

The latest fishing column is posted. our columnist could hardly find a place to fish on the rivers, which is really bad considering that we have miles of rivers in the city.
The city could open up more of the rivers to fishing.
Not sure why they don't.

The renaissance festival starts today and goes through the weekend. They are expecting a big crowd. Could be lots of fun.
Ill get more on the schedule posted soon.

Good Friday Morning

How is everyone this morning?
Cop notes are posted. Just in case anyone is not aware. The cop notes are posted on the web site, which is different than the blog. The web site - which i always refer to as "the web site" is located at www.arkcityrevived.com
We passed a milestone overnight. The blog had unique visitor no. 15,000 and the page view count passed 55,0000. The counter resets every day, so if someone came here 30 days in a month, they would be counted as 30 unique visits. But if that same person, came 90 times in a month on the same day, it would be counted as just one unique visit. Web page views are a little different. I think that measures how many posts were read. Web trackers are interesting. There's different ways to look at the numbers, and it is not an exact science. You know what the say, the figures don't lie, but liars figure.
Still, I was pleased with the milestone. For a blog that is not quiet 3 months old, that is not bad at all. Thank you for your support. As I have said, if you like us, help spread the word. The web site is also growing steadily.
I have more updating to do on the site. The fishing column needs to be put up, and I have Cowley College news to put up. I should have all that posted within the hour.

mell and brand-x

There was a front page story on brand-x today about how Mell Kuhn has not paid property taxes on his house.
He is quoted in the paper saying he will pay them.
He felt that he was being singled out a little bit, and maybe even attacked, by the paper.
Kuhn said he pays a lot of taxes on different pieces of property. He said the taxes are late about every year.
What upset him was that Brand-X made it into a front page story.
He is a public official, and that makes him news, but he pointed out that there were a whole lot of other people who were not singled out in the front page story.
What do you all think?
Was this worth a front page story?

Updates

Good morning everyone.
I could not resist posting that piece about corporate welfare earlier. Out tax money going to support a company from another country. How sweet is that?
I have not received the cop notes, but I will post them as soon as they arrive.
I have updated a couple of pages. The food page and the health page have been updated. The Cowley College pages has also had some updates posted.

Time is running out for my little writing contest for the best submission. I have a really nice prize - a car vacuum from McDonald's Vacuum Center. The prize will go to the best article and or picture submitted to the web site. I have a few entries already, and they are spread about the site.
The winner will be the one I choose based on my subjective opinion.

The health care reform deal seems to be what everyone wants to talk about these days. I posted some new material. There is an AP story there which is checking out the facts of the story. Mostly what I see on the issue is opinion and posturing.
What I would like to see is republicans coming up with alternative ideas.
I am not sure whether republicans are opposed to health care reform, or just opposed to Obama. Seems like politics as usual for the most part.

Also, I meant to explain how it is that I have AP stories posted on my site. They are copyrighted after all. I have permission to post stories as long as I post it as is and with their ads intact.

Corporate welfare

Here is a link to a blog i recently found.
It is about corporate welfare and outrageous things that happen.
In this post, it shows that we are giving millions to a british rum producer in corporate welfare.
Yes, BRITISH.
So, we are subsidizing a british rum producer. Well, at least we aren't giving help to the illegals eh;:) (Sarcasm intended)
here is the link
http://bytestyle.tv/content/outrage-week-captain-morgan-cap-and-trade-reading-bills

City commission

The city commission stories are done and posted on the site ... finally.
I am late, but not as late as some other local news outlets. :)
I posted last night a brief summary of what happened. The stories just go into more detail.
One thing i did not mention, is a state law that expands the rules on hosting drinking parties for minors.
Under the new state law, you can be charged for "recklessly" hosting an underage drinking party. So, if you leave a group of 18-year-olds alone in your house with a refrigerator full of beer, and they have a beer party and get busted, you can be charged even though you told them not to drink it all up.
Previously it had to be intentional.
Now you can be charged if you "should have known" but didn't do anything about it.
These are state laws, and it didn't matter what the city did last night.
The city was just aligning its codes with state codes.

Wednesday update

Good morning.
Cop notes are posted on the site.
The city commission story will be up soon.

I was thinking more about all the talk on health care. What I see is both sides pointing fingers. At the meeting yesterday with the Congressman's staffers, I asked if there was, or if there was a chance, of any kind of bi-partisan effort to solve the health care crisis.
He looked at me like i was talking a foreign language, and said probably not.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM.
We should demand that our legislators and leaders get it in gear and solve the problem. Right now its just party politics along party lines. Lots of posturing, name calling and rhetoric, but nothing is happening.
Maybe the problem is the politicians.
Its not whether the republicans or democrats are right, they both are the problem.
Look beyond your party affiliation. Look beyond your conservative or liberal leanings.

City commission meeting

Just briefly.
City approved the beer garden. Two people formally spoke against it, and another lady, Pearl Turner, spoke informally about it.
No one really spoke for it, but it had been discussed before.
The sale of the hospital bonds was formally approved. All the bonds are sold and they got a decent rate at about 6.7 percent.
City Attorney Tamara Niles went over some state laws that will affect us as the commission adjusted its codes to reflect state law.
One of the biggest things is that if you have a wreck you have to move your car if it is going to obstruct traffic. I know, for years we have all been taught to not move your car, but now the law is changing.
It takes affect next July and warnings will be issued the first year.
Ill add more to the story and post it later tonight.

Satellite politics

Congressman Todd Tiahrt's representatives were in Arkansas City today as Satellite office hours were conducted.
This is where the congressman sends staffers to town halls to talk with people. It can be really helpful if you have a problem with social security or something like that.
Of course, most talk centered on the health care reform bill.
And, as you might expect, the staffers were toting the party note real well, taking the Republican position.
There were six people there, and only two seemed to support the idea of reform. An elderly lady thought the single payer option was a good idea.
Others were more conservative, and didn't want the government messing with it.
One of the staffers talked about how people need to be responsible with their choices, and not depend on the government. I asked if there should not also be accountability and responsibility with big insurance companies.
It was announced this morning that AIG's top CEO is getting a $7 million bonus. AIG is one of the biggest recipients of bailout money.
That has always been my big problem with republicans. They dont want to give people who might need help anything - personal responsibility - but they don't bat an eye at handing out lots of corporate welfare.
I tried to raise questions along that line, and they did answer them well. They were still more intent on pushing the party line than really discussing the issue though. I think that is the problem on both sides. Neither side is too interested in listening.
There is still too much party politics.
I asked about the Republican plan, and they said the Republicans did offer a plan and it was shot down in committee. I asked if they would try again, the staffer told me probably not as it would just get shot down.
I think its fine to question the bill being put forward, but there should be an alternative advanced, or some other ideas brought to the table.
Do people really think that our health system is just fine and that no reform is needed?

Hospital going

The bonds for construction of a new hospital were nearly sold out today. The city got an interest rate of 6.7 percent, which is not great but was better than some thought it might be.
Out of $23 million in bonds, all but a few hundred thousand are sold, so if you want to buy any, you better hurry.
The Public Building Commission meets at 6:30. They are expected to approve the sale that was completed this morning.
At tonight's regular meeting, which starts at 7, the city is expected to hire the engineering firm to start that process.
Construction should be well underway by the end of the year.

Morning update

Cop notes are posted.
Remember city commission at 7 tonight. They will probably approve the beer garden thing. Ive not heard much talk, so I guess no one cares. I don't care either.
Posted some stuff from the Library on the site.

Respecting the office

What would you do if you had a chance to talk with the president. Or, if you had a chance to ask a question at a town hall meeting?
Would you yell, stomp on the ground, and tell him he is evil? Or would you respectfully ask a hard question?
I just wonder when i hear people. The seem to hate the president, not so much for what he is about, but because he is is a liberal. When Bush was president, it was just the opposite, liberals hated him because he was a conservative.
This is why i am so cynical about politics. The debates should be about ideas, not just how to trip up the other side.
Here is a cynical thought i have: It doesnt matter what is in the health reform package, conservatives will hate it and liberals will love it ... not because of what it says, but because of who is behind it.
If Bush had pushed it ... would it have been any different? I doubt it.
If you are a conservative, would you consider it an honor to get to talk with Obama for 5 minutes? If you are a liberal, would you consider it an honor to talk with Bush for 5 minutes?

Im getting into the web site Politico.com lately.
Here is a link to one of their blogs about the president
http://www.politico.com/politico44/

Health care compromise ?

I saw where the president seemed willing to take the "public option" out of his health care reform package. This would eliminate any government-run insurance.
For all you conservatives who are against reform, would this make a difference?
Would this make it more acceptable?

On another note. It is ironic, that people opposed to reform keep saying they dont want government running things, and that they don't want people getting handouts.
But the insurance companies get $166 BILLION, yes BILLION, a year in handouts from the government.
What if that $166 billion was given back to taxpayers.

Monday, weekend update

Good morning everyone.
I have posted the cop notes on the site.
Lots of updating going on with the web site now. I have the food page started. Right now it will focus on recipes.
The health page was updated with Dean Hall's column.
I went to the Burford Show Saturday night, but have not get posted the photos. They will be posted on the site soon.
Also have some Cowley College material to get posted, hopefully this morning.
This all leads me to a question. I would like some reader input.
Would you rather I have a whole lot of different kinds of pages, or would you rather see just a few pages with more depth. So the question basically is, do you want depth or do you want variety? Of course one tries to balance the two, but I was just curious what the preference would be.


Use the code "Summer09" for an additional 10 percent off, through Aug. 30.

Sunday thought

Mat 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

web site update, more health care

We started a new FOOD page. It has some local recipes on it. An Arkansas City woman took me up on the offer to join the revolution. She will be providing recipes, and other food related information.
You may also submit your recipes. Send them here for now.
Also the HEALTH page is updated. Dean Hall's latest column has been posted this morning.

I have not had time to post any new links on the health reform issue.
It seems like that is what everyone is talking about.
What bothers me, is that it sounds like more politics as usual. People on both sides appear more interested in promoting their side - and basic philosophies - than in actually addressing the health care issue.
Most people have also not read the bill. Ok, its long, but ... the formatting makes it seem longer than it really is. It is 1,027 pages, but in a normal format it would be about 300 or so. Still, isn't it an important enough issue to actually read?
As expected republicans and conservatives are up in arms about it. Most have not read it. But, where is their plan? Where is their alternative? Why do they insist on defending huge insurance companies and huge drug companies, while people in need are suffering?
I do have a reputation of being somewhat conservative. There are issues where I part ways with the right, and this is one of them.
Here is a true story about our current system.
I know a woman who has swelling in her joints, like shoulders or whatever. She takes basic pain medication which is over the counter and cheap. It also causes ulcers when taken over a long period of time.
Celebrex is a more expensive prescription drug, does not cause ulcers and is very effective against inflamed joints, but the insurance companies will not cover it. They wont because it was designed for people with ulcers, so it is not covered for anything else.
BUT, the insurance company will cover her ulcer when she gets it, and will then cover the celebrex.
Now, tell me again, how this is different than socialized medicine? Or how is this different than the stories being told about other countries that have socialized medicine?

Saturday morning - Burford

I went by the Burford this morning. Looks like there is a decent crowd.
I would encourage everyone to go by sometime today.
Here is a schedule
10:30 Mark Austin magic
1-4 p.m. open for tours
6 p.m., couple of art exhibits open, and pottery demonstration
7 p.m.: Showtime Revue, with emcee Dan Smith, begins:
Performers, Mark Austin, Piper Leigh and Mark Bowling, Kristin Boxman, Tim Durham, AC Dance , Shannon Gackstatter, Teressa and the Wired Hands.
NOTE: Doors open at 6:45 and close at 7.
Its all free.

Just for fun

Captured off the back of an unsuspecting festival goer.

Flower gardens and activism

Many of you know that my sweet wife, Joyce, takes care of a few city flower gardens as a volunteer. I got her permission to tell this tale, which I think illustrates the importance of taking a stand for what you believe in.
She takes her flower gardening very seriously, and does not take kindly to anyone interfering with her handiwork. (you may remember me talking about her garden at the library and skateboarders.)
She takes care of the flower garden at Kansas Avenue, and was riled up earlier this week when someone - the city maybe - put up a Renaissance Fair sign in front of her flowers.
The stakes were pushed into the ground in the dirt she had worked, and were in a spot where it made it difficult for her to move around in the flower garden. What was worse, it blocked the view of her flowers from the street.
The sign was awfully close to her flowers.
She was furious and called the city and let them know about it. The city provides the plants and material, and she does the work. She called whoever she deals with at the city, and maybe someone else asking (putting it mildly) that the sign be removed.
She would have been happy if they would have just moved it over a few feet, so as to not obstruct the view of the flowers. The sign also blocked needed sunlight from the plants.
Nothing happened.
She stewed.
This morning she went over there to do some watering, and whatever else she does to keep the flowers looking good, and when she got back she had this smile of satisfaction on her face.
She told me she had taken the sign down herself because the city had not done so.
Being the meticulous and polite person she is, she took the sign down and carefully placed the poles and wire beside it. She also wrote a note saying what she had done and why, and asked that if it were put back up, to not block out her flowers. She attached the note to the poles so that there would be no doubt as to what had happened.
She wasn't finished.
While I was still soaking in all this information, she called the city office she deals with about the flowers. She left a message telling him that she had taken the sign down because the city had not taken it down nearly a week after being asked.
I asked her why she did that.
She said.
"I didn't want them to think some vandal had taken the sign down."

Friday morning

Good morning.
Cop notes are posted. Up to date with the correct dates. If you dont see correct dates, refresh your browser.
Posted about the city meeting last night. If i can toot my own horn for a second, notice that you get the city commission report within an hour of the end of the meeting here. At Brand X, you get it the next afternoon.
So come here and get city news instead :)
That said, I have made a couple mistakes this week.

Does anyone care whether there is a beer garden at Arkalalah?
I really dont. I got in trouble with some people for saying that a couple years ago, so maybe ill rile people up again. But there is a bar across the street open anyway, so, I just dont think it will make much difference.

More posts to come.

Kuhn defends his actions at meeting

Commissioner Mell Kuhn took fellow commissioner Patrick McDonald to task at the worksession Thursday for letting member of the media see copies of emails that were not intended to be public.
The emails showed a discussion - and disagreement - over what kind of weapon the police department should be using.
Kuhn felt McDonald was using the situation to try to make him look bad and accused him of "grandstanding."
McDonald did not say much, but after the meeting, he said members of the media asked him about the emails first.
You may see the full story here
or visit the site. www.arkcityrevived.com

Beer garden may be back at Arkalalah

A beer garden may well return to Arkalalah this year. There was one amid lots of controversy in 2007.
City Commissioners will hear an ordinance to give approval to a beer garden at its meeting next Tuesday. At the worksession Thursday night they agreed to move the matter forward.
The beer garden would be in an enclosed area next to the chamber of commerce building.
See the full story at the site - www.arkcityrevived.com

Or click here for a direct link
Also, Commissioner Mell Kuhn had some choice words for Commissoner Patrick McDonald over the recent flap about guns and the police department. I am working on a story on that. Ill post it in a few minutes, so check back.

city commission work session

City commission worksession is today at 5:30 p.m. Here is what is on the agenda.

1. Consider request from USD#470 for variance on Plumbing Code.
2. Consider resolution authorizing contract with Hutton for Phase I of the new hospital construction project.
3. Consider ordinance adopting updated Uniform Public Offense Code for the City of
Arkansas City.
4. Consider ordinance adopting updated Standard Traffic Ordinance for the City of Arkansas City.
5. Consider resolution awarding contract to Buckley Roofing for roofing the main building at the Wastewater Treatment Facility.
6. Consider ordinance authorizing Chamber of Commerce to have a fully-enclosed beer
garden during Arkalalah weekend on vacant lot located at 108 S. Summit, adjacent to
Chamber offices.
7. Consider ordinance authorizing use of additional revenue raised from increased assessed valuation of existing property.
8. Consider providing certification to the Kansas Department of Transportation of Real Property Acquisition Procedures and Utility Arrangements.
9. Consider Mayor’s appointments to City Boards.

Joining the revolution

Just an update on things in general. And an invitation to join the revolution.
I will have the latest fishing column up sometime this morning. I am still looking for columnists in other areas. I have started posting Dean Hall's Thinking Like a Therapist column. Im still working on other people, and I have a few other submissions here and there.
Soon I am going to have recipes. A reader is sending them in regularly, and you can send them in too. My wife is going to do a flower gardening column.
I have also received material from the library and have not processed it yet.
If you want to do some writing, get in touch with me.
You may send pictures too.
I have a prize to give to the person who gives the best submission for August. It is a vacuum prize by sponsor Patrick McDonald of McDonalds Vacuum Center.
I am also looking for someone to solicit advertising. That's the only place where you can make a little money now. I cant pay writers yet.
My vision for this site - and blog - is for it to be a community center of discussion and information. It is not a business. It is something that will belong to the community at large.

The health reform thing got people going yesterday. There were lots of comments posted. I have some links on the health page. I want to ad more, so send me more links. I would like to compile as many as possible, on both sides of the health reform issue.



Don't forget the back to school shopping page. Click here

Thursday

Good Thursday morning.
Cop notes are posted. I have decided to end my little experiment with names and go ahead and include them most of the time.
Ill just use my own judgment as to when to leave them out or include them.
One example is cases of rape. Obviously we do not include the victim's name. Since it may be a very long time until the case is resolved, and because it is so hard to get court results, I am planning on not listing the name of the accused either. There will be exceptions of course, but ... that's the plan at the moment.
But the readers have spoken. I think to some extent a news organization should be responsive to its readers in giving them what they want.
I would love to write long stories about the history of Arkansas City. I like the stories the Brand-X main reporter does on historical things. He is really good at that. But, I don't think readers are all that interested. If I am wrong on that, let me know.
I do want to know what you want.

Debate about the debate

Here is a link from the web site Politico.com
It is about the debate itself, and how angry people are, and why are people yelling so much at town hall meetings.
What good does it do to yell and disrupt meetings?
Maybe it makes them feel better.
I think it shows how our culture has deteriorated in recent years. There is just not as much civility as there used to be.
There are some other good stories about the debate and other political issues as well.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26039.html

Could we talk about the debate itself and why there is so much rancor?
So much anger?
Just think locally about how much anger there has been over the lowes deal.

Truck fire

A city truck caught fire this afternoon on West Madison near the city building near the bridge.
There was some concern about a propane tank on the truck, but everything was extinguished quickly.
The truck is a distributor truck that spreads oil, used on street repairs.
Madison Street was closed for less than half an hour.

Burford show,

Information posted here earlier was wrong. I was misinformed by people who answered the phone at the Burford. The event is Saturday and lasts all day. Call them for a complete schedule.


I have a longer story on the Burford on the site.
http://arkcityrevived.com/

Cops, back to school,

Im off to a bit of a late start this morning. I am going to have to go out and get the cop notes myself, so they will be up later.
The poll is very lopsided at the moment in favor of including names. Charles makes a good point though, that those who want names listed are anonymous on here.
There is a bit of an incongruity there.
Being anonymous is ok, but ... I do think the world - the city - would be better off if we all spoke our mind and used our names.
Say what you will about commissioner Mell Kuhn, but he does speak his mind and he doesn't care who knows what he says. Ill be the first to say he could use a little polish, but there's no doubt what his opinion is.

Another thing is, it is about time for school to restart. Most people - government agencies - have been very cooperative with this upstart news organization. School District 470, Ark City, being the one exception.
Anyways, I have compiled a page of back to school deals for your shopping pleasure.
You can get some good deals here, and some things you might not be able to find other places.

here is the link: back to school page

obamas town hall meeting

I just listened to the town hall meeting. There were no disruptions and such.
He makes some good points.
One point being that the insurance industry gets $177 billion per year in what amount to corporate welfare from the government. That money could be used to help people who need insurance and health care get it.
The white house's web site is also pretty good. It has some actual information, not just political rhetoric.
Im not sure if the meeting will be available to be heard again, but you can still get a lot out of the white house web site. http://www.whitehouse.gov
He dispelled a lot of the tales going around.

Tuesday,

Cop notes are posted.
I put the names back in the cop notes today. Comments were mostly in favor. I put up a poll, and it is tied right now.
Please vote.
I want to be responsive to readers. To some extent, I want to do what you all want. I want to be an honest reflection of the community. Some news organizations want to tell you what you need to know, and what to think. I don't want to be like that.

Also today the president is having a town hall meeting. With the rough time he has had at some of them, its kinda brave of him to do it again. But, he is doing it in the part of the country that is most liberal, so ... that should help.
I put up a link last night to the White House web site, where you may watch it live at noon today.
The site itself is good. Has a lot of information.

health care reform

President Obama will have another town meeting tomorrow. It will revolve around health care. It will be at noon, central time.
You may watch it live from the whitehouse web site here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

I thought that site was interesting. Has a lot of good stuff on it.
Here is a link to an op-ed piece written by Sec. of Health Kathleen Sebelius

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts840

There is starting to be some real information out there. Too many people are coming at it with the minds already set - for or against - depending on party affiliation, instead of actually researching.

Monday

Good Monday morning.
New cop notes are posted. Trying something new today. There were a lot of notes in the cop report, so I have only listed the incidents and the block where they happened.
It does not include names.
Just wanted to see how people would react that that.
Does it really serve any purpose to list the names?
I have also posted something about the Walnut Valley Festival that is coming up in September. How interested are you all in that? Ill admit it is my favorite event of the year, even if it is in Winfield. :)
Today is my wedding anniversary. Today we begin year 19. So hopefully you all will forgive me if I don't do much online today.

Something new, prizes for readers

Greetings all.
I have asked for readers to submit articles and photos. Some have, and most have been published on the site.
I want to take that a step further by making it a contest of sorts.
The best submission for the month of August will receive a prize. That prize will be a car vacuum cleaner provided by McDonalds Vacuum Center (and used books) in Arkansas City.
I will be the judge of what is best, based on my own subjective opinion.
So, send in your stories and photos, and you could win.
Basically anything is ok to be entered. It must have your name on it. I will publish some, or most, of what is sent in.
I would like to see human interest stories.
I will not publish, or consider, anonymous attacks or baseless rumors and innuendo.
Those are the basic guidelines.
Email entries to Arkcityrevived@yahoo.com

more on health care reform

I did a little searching around the internet. Its hard to find original-source, or unbiased, information about health care reform.
Mostly its just political interpretation , .. but what is being interpreted, is not that available.
I did find a few links, like a copy of the current bill in congress that is 1,017 pages long.
I posted a few links on the health page on the site.
here is the link

Sunday thought

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3