The Hays Daily News from Hays, Kansas • Page 3

WEDNESDAY JUNE 5,2002 REGION AND STATE THE HAYS DAILY NEWS A3 Region Hays residents serve as interns for Moran Cliff Engel and Ryan Jacobs, both of Hays, are serving as congressional interns for U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran in his Hays and Washington, D.C. offices. "Cliff and Ryan have an excellent record of academics and activities and a strong work ethic that make them excellent additions to the staff," Moran said.

"I am pleased that Cliff and Ryan are serving the people of the 1st District." A native of Hays, Engel graduated from Thomas More Prep- Marian in 1993. In May, he graduated from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor's degree in political science. He is the son of Clayton and Carolyn Engel of Hays. Jacobs graduated from TMP- Marian in 1999. Currently a senior at the University of Kansas, Jacobs is pursuing a degree in communication with a minor in leadership.

Following graduation, he hopes to go on to law school and a career in politics or business. Jacobs was selected to attend the 1998 National Youth Leadership Conference, Washington, and attended the 1998 session of Boys' State of Kansas Leadership Camp. This fall he will take part in a study abroad program for a semester, studying in Padnero, Italy He is the son of Danny and Sandy Jacobs of Hays. As interns, Engel and Jacobs will assist Moran and his staff with legislative and administrative duties. Phelps to seek fourth term in Kansas House Rep.

Eber Phelps, D-Hays, announced that he will seek a fourth term in the Kansas House representing the lllth District. "Rural Kansas has faced many challenges these past six years and I would like the opportunity to continue to fight for the needs of my constituents," Phelps said. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve both my constituents in Hays and the surrounding area, and my new constituents in ern Ellis Countjtttii ni; As a result of redistricting, the lllth District will North Lookout, South Lookout, Wheatland and Freedom Townships, in addition to the city of Hays and West Big Creek and East Big Creek Townships. Phelps, minority whip in the House, currently serves on the education, transportation, higher education and insurance committees. "The interests and concerns of the lllth District have been my consistent priority during my time in the legislature," Phelps said.

"I will continue to demand accountability and frugality from our state government, while ensuring effective public schools, strong institutions of higher education, and quality services for seniors and citizens with disabilities." Asphalt overlay to close 48th between Hall, Vine The final asphalt overlay and paving of shoulders will be placed on 48th Street between Hall and Vine streets, engineers for the county project, Bucher, Willis Ratliff, report. The street will be closed to traffic June 10 through 21 for the work. Kansas Final revenue figures for May better but still bad TOPEKA (AP) The latest budget numbers are a little better for state government but still plenty bad enough. Those numbers are the final revenue collection figures for the current fiscal year, from July 1, 2001, through May 31. The state took in almost $181 million less than expected.

The figures came from the Kansas Legislative Research Department. The Department of Revenue released its own, preliminary numbers last week, which showed the shortfall at more than $194 million. Either figure, if it holds ups when fiscal year 2002 ends on June 30, would blow a big hole in the budget legislators approved and Gov. Bill Graves signed into law for the fiscal 2003. Spokesman Don Brown said the governor expects to discuss the budget and his administration's response to the latest figures in a news conference Thursday.

A forecast issued in March predicted that the state would collect about $3.75 billion in its general fund for the current fiscal year through May. It collected $3.57 billion, or 4.8 percent less than forecast. Thriving patriotism not seen at polls By SARAH KESSINGER HARRIS NEWS SERVICE TOPEKA With patriotism thriving since Sept. 11, one might expect a turnaround in the sagging voter turnout come election days this summer and fall. But so far, officials aren't reporting that at other election sites around the country.

"In general that has not been the case," said Kay Albowicz, spokeswoman for the National Association of Secretaries of State. "I think our members were hoping people would channel feelings of anger and helplessness after Sept. 11 into feelings of patriotism. But that hasn't translated into voting in larger numbers." So far, at least. Nebraska, she noted, saw only 20 percent of registered voters in its recent gubernatorial primary.

Although the state's voter registration is higher than ever, the election apparently drew little attention, she said, because of few contested races for state and congressional offices. In Alabama, voter registration has surged since Sept. 11, but people have not gone to the polls. "Voter turnout there was lower than expected too," Albowicz said. Ohio and California also had a smaller percentage of people vote in primaries this year, California at a record low.

In years with no presidential race, turnout usually falls, Albowicz said. But Kansas' Aug. 6 primary could prove different if local races are competitive and the gubernatorial and other statewide races become a draw. In places like Hutchinson, local officials hope to improve access by rolling the polls out to the mall and library and offer sites to vote up to 20 days prior to election day. "It appears to me we've all become a lit' tie more patriotic, and voting would be the patriotic thing to do," said Reno County Clerk Shari Gagnebin.

Soon this summer, secretaries of state nationwide will launch marketing campaigns to explain the connection between patriotism and their votes. "For us that really does present a challenge," Albowicz said. "It doesn't seem that people are getting the message and making the connection between what can be done to protect democracy and casting a ballot." The association's Vote America campaign will educate people through public service announcements and try to make first-time voters more comfortable. It also will spread the word that voting is an example of patriotism. "I know a lot of people out there were feeling very connected after Sept.

11. They could feel the pain of people in Washington and New York," Albowicz said. "We're hoping they will feel that connection at election time and go vote." Some states will promote voting in honor of veterans and those who died because of terrorism. "A few of our members have already said to me they can't wait to go back to their home states and ask people to vote in honor of firefighers, policemen or emergency technicians who died Sept. 11.

I mean, terrorists hate everything about our democracy and our freedom is, above all, the thing they've attacked." Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh believes a competitive election is still the best bet to bring out the vote. That should be the case in this year's gubernatorial race, he said. "If it's highly contested, competitive, interesting race, voters will pay attention and they'll show up and vote," he said. "That's the key element." "Since Sept. 11 some people thought that patriotism might flow to the ballot box a year later.

But I just don't see that." Thornburgh said it would help if election day were closer to Memorial Day. Voters could then see the connection of public service in war and at the ballot box, he said. "Those vets show the need for a strong democracy," he said. His office will participate in Vote America, and hopes to encourage parents to take their children to see the voting. Thornburgh expects turnout to be healthier than in some states.

He sees a good governor's race developing particularly for the general election in November. "I think both Republicans and Democrats will be able to put forward very well-spoken candidates who will be well-funded and should bode well for good voter turnout," he said. STEVEN HAUSLER Hays Dally News DaTryk Shrader, 8, makes a list Tuesday of books he has read while visiting the Plainville Memorial Library. The library is celebrating its 100th birthday Sunday. Darryk is the son of Wayne and Tina Shrader of Plainville.

Plainville to commemorate library's 100th By JOY LEIKER HAYS DAILY NEWS PLAINVILLE A century of history is the focus of a weeklong celebration at Plainville Memorial Library. Although now housed in a fairly new building just a block away from the community's downtown, the library's current home is a far cry from how it began. Its history will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Sunday, complete with a speech by Plainville native U.S. Rep.

Jerry Moran, a former library employee. Librarian Margaret Wilson said the first library was initiated in 1901 by members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. It would be quite an undertaking, those women documented, but they agreed it would be both an intellectual and spiritual investment for the community. As the word spread about the idea of a library, it was obvious enthusiasm wouldn't be difficult to find; however, financing the proposal proved to be an arduous task. Local residents were asked to invest in $10 shares at the start of the 20th century.

Many were paid in $2 annual installments. The first library housed inside a local hall opened May 24,1902. Eventually the library relocated to a larger room inside the First National Bank, but by 1910, the library's trustees and members of the local Priscilla Art Club began talking about applying to the Carnegie Foundation for a city library. A year later, work was complete on the city's first full-sized brick library. C.G.

Cochran, a Plainville philanthropist and local banker, donated the lots where it was built, and its furnishings were donated by other local residents and businesses. When the building was turned over to the city in 1912, it also served as home to the city's offices. When those offices were moved out of the basement in the late 1970s, the library's children's department expanded and moved into those quarters. Built on the same land where the city's first library stood, the current structure is the result of a donation by another Plainville couple. In 1979, Jim and Mary Donovan donated a quarter section of farm land to the library with hopes of spurring interest in building and expanding the facility.

Mary Donovan was a local teacher and member of the library board, and she and her husband stipulated that construction couldn't begin until the remainder of the funds necessary to build a new library were raised. The Donovans noted that if the difference in the value of their land and the project's total cost wasn't collected in five years, the land would revert back to their estate. It wasn't until 1983 that the library board decided to begin looking for a way to raise the remainder of the funds necessary for construction. A library building committee was organized, and members developed an idea to sell interests in an oil well to be drilled on the Donovan land. Nearly 30 interests were sold, which raised about $168,000 for the building fund.

Eighteen companies were persuaded to donate their services for the drilling operation, and the Donovans donated half of their mineral rights for the establishment of an endowment fund. LIBRARY SEE PAGE A6 Former Hays lawyer disbarred By PHYLLIS J. ZORN HAYS DAILY NEWS A Topeka lawyer who used to practice in Hays was disbarred last week after pleading guilty to a felony and surrendering his license. Thomas C. Kelley was a partner in the firm Dreiling, Bieker and Kelley in Hays from about 1973 to 1982 before moving to Topeka.

Kelley notified the clerk of the Kansas Court of Appeals that he voluntarily surrendered his license in a letter dated May 21. "At the time the respondenf rendered his license, a panel hearing on three separate complaints against him was pending. The complaints contained allegations of using his client trust account improperly failing to disclose a material fact to third parties, conduct involving dishonesty or misrepresentation, as well as conduct that adversely reflected on the respondent's fitness to practice law. Additionally, the respondent has entered a plea of guilty to a felony in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas," the Kansas Supreme Court wrote in a Friday ruling that formally disbarred Kelley Kelley pleaded guilty to felony mail fraud in a plea agreement May 20. He is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S.

District Court in Topeka Aug. 19. According to prosecutors, the potential sentence for mail fraud is up to five years in a federal prison followed by three years parole and a fine of up to $25,000. He also can be ordered to pay restitution to the victims. Scott Schultz, an attorney with the Kansas Securities Commission, said that office first issued a cease and desist order to Kelley and his partner, Gary Conwell, in April 2000.

Complaints from investors in numerous development projects spawned the order. LAWYER SEE PAGE A6 Marshall brought scone recipe from trip to England Greetings, readers. I thought it would be a good idea to start the newly renamed column with a recipe contributed by Marilyn Marshall, our recently retired columnist. I'm sure this won't be the last we'll hear from her, as all that knowledge is too valuable not to exploit from time to time. Retirement is relative.

Leslie Potter ASK LESLIE baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until light golden brown. If possible, serve warm with jelly, jam, butter or Devon cream and a hot cup of tea. Q. Last year at the Humane Society bake sale, someone brought scones, and they were really good.

There were none this year. I would like to have the recipe. A Hays reader. A. Actually Marilyn Marshall brought the scones last year, but she didn't get any baked this year.

She got the recipe from a small family-run hotel in Morecambe, England, many years ago. While they can be made with any kind of dried or candied fruit, the combination of candied lemon peel and golden raisins is best. She buys several cartons of candied lemon peel on sale after Christmas and freezes them. Morecambe scones cup sugar Vt cup butter 2 cups flour teaspoons baking powder 1 egg, beaten Milk, added to the egg to equal Yt cup golden raisins Yi cup (or more) candied lemon peel Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together.

Add flour and baking powder and combine. Break the egg into a calibrated 1-cup measuring cup, and beat with a fork. Add enough milk to make two-thirds cup liquid. Add to the flour mixture, mixing just until moistened. Fold in the raisins and lemon peel.

On a floured board or piece of waxed paper, knead the scones 12 times. Roll one-quarter-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, or into wedges with a knife. Place them on a nonstick I have been seeing some wonderful recipes in the current women's magazines lately, and several of them call for white kidney beans (canellini) in 15- to 19- ounce cans. I haven't been able to find these beans anywhere.

Do you have any clues? A Bazine reader A. None of the Hays grocery stores carries white kidney beans. You can order them from various sources, Rosa Foods, (215) 467-2214, www.rosafoods.com; Goya (630) 616-8300, www.goya.com; and Fur- mano Foods (877) 877-6032, www.furmanfoods.com; to name a few. However, considering that you might have to order a substantial quantity, you might consider substituting great northern beans, which are very similar, in your recipes. Great northerns are available at all the Hays stores in both dry and canned form, with 15 ounces appearing to be the standard size for the latter.

Q. I have received a letter from The Retired Enlisted Association asking me to join in order to help protect the retirement benefits of the Armed Services. I may be retired, but not from any branch of the military Is this a legitimate organization? And are retirement benefits in jeopardy for our retired enlisted military? A Hays reader A. According to the letter you received, you would not qualify as a member of The Retired Enlisted Association anyway, since you never served in any branch of the Armed Services. That aside, TREA is a legitimate organization, founded in 1963 and chartered by Congress in 1992.

There have been some stirrings in Congress to revoke that charter, largely due to the political activity of a subsidiary branch of TREA called TREA Senior Citizens League, or TSCL. (TSCL recently has been covered in this column in connection with its request for funds to lobby for Social Security "Notch Baby" remediation.) Both TREA and TSCL have Web sites: www.trea.org and www.tscl.org. TREA is listed as a veterans' service organization on the Veterans Administration Web site. Concern that benefits will be slashed or at least fail to keep up with the cost of inflation exists among veterans just as it does with recipients of Social Security, state retirement funds and other fixed income plans. In an unsteady economy, each organization that represents retirees acts as it sees fit to recruit new supporters and energize its members to become politically active.

Q. How can I get in touch with Merril Teller, the Wichita weatherman. His neckties fascinate me. A Hays reader A. Write to Merril Teller, a native of New York, which might explain his sophisticated taste in ties, at KWCH-TV, 2815 E.

37th St. North, P.O. Box 12, Wichita, KS, 67219. The station's toll-free number is (888) 512-6397. Leslie Potter is on the staff of Hays Public Library, which sponsors this column on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Write her at the library at 1205 Main, Hays, KS 67601..