The Iola Register from Iola, Kansas • 2

THE IOLA REGISTER. TUESDAY. MAY 21 1 991 PAGE 2 Reapportionment work might begin soon News in brief By JOHN HANNA Associated Press Writer TOPEKA, Kan. AP) Work could begin as soon as next month on the redrawing of district lines for legislators and Kansas congressional delegation, according to two key lawmakers. Rep.

Joan Adam, D-Atchison, and Sen. Ben Vidricksen, R-Salina, have a tentative schedule for drafting reapportionment plans and hope the Legislative Coordinating Council, made up of legislative leaders, will approve it next week. In 1992, the Legislature is expected to reapportion its two houses and the State Board of Education, as well as redraw lines for U.S. House districts. Lawmakers last redrew state House districts in 1989, U.S.

House districts in 1982 and state Senate and Board of Education districts in 1979. Adam is chairwoman of the House Legislative, Judicial and Congressional Apportionment Committee, and Vidricksen is chairman of the Senate tion districts comprises four, contiguous Senate districts. Vidricksen said he expects Johnson County to pick up two more Senate seats, bringing the number of senators who represent part of the county from five to seven. He also said Sedgwick County could gain a seat, increasing its delegation from six to seven. Western Kansas is expected to see the largest loss from Senate reapportionment, he said.

"If you look at the population loss west of (U.S.) Highway 81, its atrocious, Vidricksen said. "Western Kansas is going to lose a couple of senators. State House reapportionment is expected to be relatively easy because of the work done in 1989. Mrs. Adam said she anticipates a shift of two seats, with Johnson or Sedgwick County picking up an additional member and western and northeast Kansas possibly losing representation.

"Hopefully, weve done the worst of the House changes, Mrs. Adam said. porters of each plan the ability to fend off a court challenge. "Thats the No. 1 issue you want to be thinking about, Vidricksen said.

Vidricksen and Mrs. Adam said chances are good that there will be a legal challenge to the congressional reapportionment plan, as there was in 1982. In fact, that year a panel of three federal district judges drew the district lines now in use. Because the states population did not grow as quickly as other states populations, it will lose one of its five seats in the U.S. House.

That is expected to make the task of reapportionment especially difficult. "Its a contentious thing, Mrs. Adam said. "Theres a great deal to win or lose. Senate reapportionment also is expected to be relatively difficult because it has not been done since 1979.

Some rural areas have lost population, while Johnson County has seen a dramatic increase in its population. Under the states constitution, each of 10 Board of Educa "The goal for this is, hopefully, to come up with one plan for the House, the Senate, Congress and the Board of Education before the start of the (1992) session, Mrs. Adam said Monday. The two legislators plan to schedule public hearings across the state to receive advice for guidelines to use in drawing new district lines. Mrs.

Adam said those hearings would be in Garden City, Hays, Hutchinson, Manhattan, Parsons and Wichita and Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Subcommittees would take testimony and draft proposals for the two full committees to consider, with additional hearings on those proposals near the end of the year, perhaps in November. The full Legislature would then consider them. Plans for legislative redistricting are reviewed automatically by the state Supreme Court, and federal courts would consider a challenge to congressional reapportionment. Both legislators said the process they propose is designed to eive sup Finney vetoes bill for sentencing agency sentences statewide to better be able to predict inmate population.

A bill passed this session would have consolidated the Sentencing Commission into the Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission and made it permanent. In her veto message, Mrs. Finney said the agency would have cost an estimated $275,000 a year and its continued existence would not have depended upon the adoption of new sentencing guidelines. "Given the difficulty in abolishing an existing agency, the bill simply creates a new agency that would probably require funding for many years, she Wolf Creek employees pass test BURLINGTON, Kan. (AP) Twelve employees of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

have passed an exam that qualified them for federal nuclear operator licenses. The employees prepared for 15 months for the test, federal regulators said Monday. The workers will be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The announcement comes after the commission last month disclosed that eight of 22 Wolf Creek operators failed a similar test administered last fall and that it would be monitoring training efforts at the plant. The 12 employees who recently passed were not part of the earlier group.

Bush approves aid for tornado relief TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) President Bush approved on Monday a request by Gov. Joan Finney to provide federal disaster aid to assist in repairing public facilities damaged by tornadoes that struck Sedgwick, Butler and Cowley counties on April 26-27. Disaster officials have estimated damage at public facilities in the three counties at $2 million, with debris removal a major area of expense. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay 75 percent of the cost, local government 15 percent and the state 10 percent under the program Local officials can now apply for money to make storm damage repairs to roads, bridges, buildings, power utilities and other public facilities.

Finney Administration secretary TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Saying his goal is to become known as the first professional administrator to head the agency, James. R. "Jim Cobler has been designated by Gov. Joan Finney as the new secretary of the Department of Administration.

Cobler, longtime director of the states accounting and auditing division, was named Monday by Mrs. Finney to succeed Shelby Smith, who left the post in January after serving under former Gov. Mike Hayden. Arthur Griggs, the departments chief attorney, has been acting secretary since Mrs. Finney took office four months ago.

"My goal is to restore the credibility and professionalism to the Department of Administration, Cobler said in an interview. "I am truly honored that Gov. Finney would ask me to serve in this position. Various problems delay shuttle launch CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA today delayed the launch of Columbia for at least two days because of a rash of last-minute glitches: two different computer problems and a renewed concern over fuel temperature sensors.

Columbia was supposed to have blasted off Wednesday on a nine-day biomedical research mission with seven astronauts, 30 rats and 2,478 tiny jellyfish. Now, the earliest Columbia can lift off is Friday because of the need to replace some computer components. And NASA test director Mike Leinbach said the flight could be delayed more than a week if another malfunctioning computer part has to be replaced. Mission managers were expected to decide by early afternoon how to proceed. Bush loses weight but feels fine WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush lost between 12 and 13 pounds as a result of his thyroid condition and his treatments have made his voice raspy, but his physicians remain "happy with his progress, the White House said today.

After receiving the most extensive medical checkup since his thyroid condition was diagnosed two weeks ago, Bush told reporters today he was feeling "A-OK even though he appeared pale and tired at a news conference on Tuesday evening. White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk, reading from a statement by chief White House physician Dr. Burton Lee, said the checkup showed that Bushs "weight loss has stabilized. The cardiac medications given Bush for the erratic heartbeat that resulted from his thyroid condition "are being gradually reduced, the medical statement said. Chernobyl studys findings less dramatic VIENNA, Austria (AP) The first international study of the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident suggests its impact on the health of hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens has been greatly exaggerated.

The report, released today for a four-day conference on the April 26, 1986, accident, says researchers found widespread stress and anxiety among citizens of affected areas of the Ukraine, Byelorussia and the Russian Republic. But they found no evidence to corroborate suggestions from other scientists that hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of people would suffer leukemia, thyroid and other health problems as a result of the worlds worst nuclear accident. The yearlong study, conducted by about 200 researchers from 25 countries under the auspices of the United Nations, did not study the 18-mile zone around the Chernobyl station. Soviet air controllers cancel strike MOSCOW (AP) Soviet air controllers called off a strike after reaching last-minute compromise with the government on salary increases and other demands, a union official and the Tass news agency said. A one-day warning strike by Aeroflot pilots, also threatened for today, was also canceled after the government agreed to their major demands, a pilots union spokesman said.

Eduard Bychkov said the government agreed to a 60 percent increase in salary starting in June, with additional pay raises over the next two years. The strikes would have defied a decree enacted last week by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev banning walkouts in key areas of the economy, including transportation. Ethics TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov.

Joan Finney has vetoed a bill that would have made the Kansas Sentencing Commission a permanent state agency, saying it likely would have required funding long into the future. At the same time, the governor signed into law on Monday nine other bills, including one overhauling the states ethics laws, continuing the FACTS program in existence and creating a state program designed to help prevent abandonment of railroad service in rural areas. The Kansas Sentencing Commission, created by the 1989 Legislature, has been studying the states criminal sentencing structure for nearly two years with an aim of standardizing iVVeto (Continued from page 1 joyed by the special interests, tried to substitute income and sales tax increase on the people for property tax increases, she said. She said she hopes lawmakers will reflect on their effort ahead of the 1992 session, and that they will develop "a comprehensive, fair, long-term revenue package to address the states long-term revenue needs. "Closing tax loopholes and broadening our sales tax base so that special interests pay their fair share to carry Kansas into the future is still the best, most fair and most comprehensive plan for this state, she lines being abandoned by major railroads and keep them in operation, mainly to transport agricultural products.

Among other bills signed by Mrs. Finney are ones that would: Change the designation of motorcycle operators licenses from to to conform with federal regulations. Amend state laws relating to disposal of waste vehicle tires, including removing an exemption for farm machinery tires. Allow county commissions to authorize establishment of discount programs to provide to farmers chemicals used in controlling or eradicating noxious weeds. tells the person being investigated in writing of the allegations against him or her, and it must give that person 30 days to respond.

"It gives the commission a better way to act, said Sen. Don Sallee, R-Troy, chairman of the Senate Elections Committee. "They can move more swiftly. Mrs. Finney expressed concern about provisions in the bill that ban from ethics commission service any person who has ever held the office of chairman, vice chairman or treasurer in a state, district or county political party.

Another provision prevents service by people who have run for a partisan elective office within the past five years. Commission members have also complained about those provisions. "Public service should not disqualify anybody from serving on this board, Mrs. Finney said. "The implication is that politics is dirty.

REMINDER Pictures which run In birthday ade should be picked up ae soon as possible at the lots Register office after the ad runs. wrote. Under one of the bills Mrs. Finney signed, the Farm Assistance, Counseling and Training Referral (FACTS) program, due to go out of existence this year without legislative action, will continue in operation at least until Sept. 30, 1996.

It provides legal, financial and counseling services to farmers in economic distress, and is operated through the extension service at Kansas State University. Another bill signed by the governor will create the Kansas Rail Service Assistance Program. It will provide state-guaranteed loans to small railroad companies to purchase rail (Continued from page 1 that existing laws stopped many investigations before they began. Currently, the commission must go to a district judge, and when it is not investigating campaign finance matters, it must take the additional step of filing a formal complaint. Thus, it must have "probable cause to believe that a violation has occurred or some concrete evidence before the commission can get a subpoena.

Staff members have said they usually want a subpoena to see whether such evidence exists. Under the new law, the commission will be able to issue a subpoena if it has a "reasonable suspicion a violation has occurred and if seven of its nine members vote to issue one. However, the commission cannot issue a subpoena until it ERRORS Advertisers are requested to check the first appearance of want ads for corrections. The Iota Register will be responsible for only one Incorrect want ad Inaertion. REPORT ERRORS IMMEDIATELY CALL 365-2111 a said, touting her plan which was declared dead on arrival in the Legislature in January.

Addressing an audience of senior citizens, Mrs. Finney, who is 66, said she shared their perspective. "Certainly I am the first governor in a dozen years who personally remembers the frugality and the fears of making ends meet with which we survived the Great Depression. "Perhaps it is this, and the perspective of these years we have all shared, that has focused my attention on the necessities of developing meaningful property tax relief and a more equitable tax structure as the legacies of the Finney administration in Kansas. Todays markets Borens Roofing Commercial Industrial Residential 36 years quality work and experience 210 E.

3rd Eureka, Kansas 583-6533 518 E. Jackson lola, Kansas 365-ROOF.