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Southwest Kansas water crisis through eyes of a Liberal farmer: ‘This drought is real’ – Kansas Reflector

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Southwest Kansas water crisis through eyes of a Liberal farmer: ‘This drought is real’ – Kansas Reflector


TOPEKA — Farmer Tom Willis’ try and get some sleep forward of testimony to a U.S. Senate agriculture committee learning drought was interrupted by a 3 a.m. phone name from again house.

Oddly timed calls sometimes imply cattle are free on a freeway or an intoxicated cowboy wants assist, Willis stated. As a substitute, his spouse telephoned in the course of the night time to share excellent news that it was raining in Liberal. In Willis’ space of operations in southwest Kansas, 1.2 inches of moisture fell. It represented the primary measurable precipitation there since August 2021, he stated.

Soggy floor in and round 7,500 acres farmed by the Willis household in 4 Kansas counties was a aid in a area pissed off by the dry spell. Lack of rain has elevated reliance on the already-stressed underground water useful resource generally known as the Ogallala Aquifer. Drought is predicted to decrease corn, wheat, soybean and sorghum yields in Kansas on the similar time crop enter prices of gasoline and fertilizer have escalated.

“This drought is actual,” Willis informed the Senate Agriculture Committee in Washington, D.C. “The issue is actual. It can’t be kicked down the highway. It can’t be kicked down the highway, not less than in western Kansas.”

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Willis was within the nation’s capital with Earl Lewis, chief engineer of water sources on the Kansas Division to Agriculture, to testify Tuesday about persistent water woes.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican on the agriculture committee, stated alarming shortages in far West inhabitants facilities had acquired regular public consideration. He stated points with the Arkansas River, which winds by means of Kansas, had been vital however much less well-known.

“Via a lot of Kansas, sadly, it’s like a four-wheeler path,” Marshall stated.

He stated one-third of Kansas was experiencing extreme drought. One consequence, the senator stated, was a projected decline of 100 million bushels on this 12 months’s wheat harvest. Shrinking the harvest by one-third may price breadbasket farmers in Kansas about $1 billion, he stated.

“This lack of rain not solely hurts farm manufacturing at its most vital time, but in addition adversely impacts ranchers and households who fall sufferer to raging wildfires throughout the plains, incurring tons of of hundreds of {dollars} misplaced in property, and at their worst, houses and lives,” Marshall stated.

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Earl Lewis, water sources chief engineer at Kansas Division of Agriculture, stated drought was taking a toll on the Ogallala Aquifer used to irrigate Kansas crops. He urged the U.S. Senate to spend money on drought analysis and mitigation. (Kansas Reflector display screen seize from U.S. Senate YouTube channel)

Lewis, the water engineer on the state Division of Agriculture, informed federal lawmakers the Western States Water Council representing Kansas and 17 different states believed Congress had an vital function in responding to drought. He stated assortment, evaluation and distribution of rain information to all ranges of presidency and particular person producers was important to formation and acceptance of intervention insurance policies.

He stated native, state and federal officers should collaborate on drought methods and authorities ought to share prices of remediation with farmers on the lookout for a method out of the disaster. Federal packages centered on soil conservation may be tweaked to position extra emphasis on water administration and irrigation points, he stated.

“The state of affairs within the West is dire,” Lewis stated. “The state of affairs on the Nice Plains is comparable in the truth that over time we’re receiving much less precipitation and are challenged by drought.”

Lewis stated drought prompted farmers to pump further water from the Ogallala Aquifer, an intuition that contributed to a extra speedy decline in that water supply.

“If we don’t act we’ll find yourself with a state of affairs of that useful resource going away in addition to agriculture manufacturing related to that irrigation,” he stated.

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Willis stated in his first 12 months farming in southwest Kansas he irrigated his crops to the extent that it lowered the water degree in his wells by a median of 10 toes. He stated he knew that fee was unsustainable, however he additionally understood investments in conservation needed to be balanced with the should be worthwhile.

He changed irrigation sprinkler techniques, set moisture probes deep within the floor and turned to telemetry to higher monitor operation of water wells. Distant controls had been added to circle irrigation gear so sprinklers might be immediately shut down if there was a mechanical drawback with a pivot. His corn-soybean-corn crop rotation was altered to incorporate sorghum, a hearty plant he stated was fitted to dry southwest Kansas.

He stated modification of the farm’s method to water consumption saved 1.2 billion gallons over a six-year interval. That represented a 50% discount in water use with out sacrificing web farm earnings, he stated.

“That’s actual water and that can be there for my son, for my grandson and for the lifestyle that we selected to reside,” Willis stated.

Willis, chief govt officer at ethanol producer Conestoga Power Holdings, urged the U.S. Senate to reform federal farm support packages in order that they had been versatile sufficient to allow farmers to reply to seasonal shifts in environmental and financial circumstances. He stated federal incentives within the new farm invoice may assist persuade producers to undertake expertise or practices able to conserving floor and floor water.

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Kansas influencer SB Mowing raises over $750K for elderly homeowner who faced fine from city for overgrown lawn

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Kansas influencer SB Mowing raises over 0K for elderly homeowner who faced fine from city for overgrown lawn


A Kansas influencer raised over $793,000 to save a disabled elderly woman who faced a hefty fine from her town for failing to trim her overgrown yard.

Spencer, a content creator known for his landscaping business SB Mowing, said he met homeowner Beth last summer when a town official familiar with his social media videos contacted him and asked if he could help fix her lawn.

He was warned that Beth, who uses a cane to move around her property, needed to trim the yard or pay $240 for the town, which was not revealed in the video, to cut it for her.

An influencer raised $793,000 to change the life of a disabled woman. GoFundMe

‘I’ve spent a month trying to get someone to come mow,” Beth said in a video uploaded on Jan. 10. “They won’t answer their phones.”

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Beth revealed that the town officials had implemented a date for when she was required to have the yard cut before she faced the financial loss.

Spencer described the lawn that surrounded Beth’s small white house as unkept and was “getting crazy.”

“I can get that taken care of for ya,” Spencer assured her, offering his landscaping service at no cost.

“I can’t believe it that’s great,” Beth replied.

Spencer transformed her lawn by clearing grass from the driveway cracks, trimming the bushes, removing trees and mowing very tall grass.

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Spencer stepped in after lawn care companies wouldn’t help Beth. GoFundMe
Spencer offered his landscaping service at no cost. GoFundMe

“I cried on and off just listening to your machine,” Beth told Spencer after the big reveal.

Spencer added that he was happy to help Beth as she became emotional over the gesture.

“Your work makes me twinkle so I really appreciate you. I can’t tell you how much. No one’s been happy to help me,” she added.

On top of the lawn issues, Spencer then noticed the home needed improvements to accommodate Beth, who was “in desperate need of help.”

The money raised will help Beth “gain accessibility and comfort” on her property. GoFundMe

Spencer launched a GoFundMe when he noticed how Beth’s old stairs posed an issue for her to walk on and that the driveway cracks could cause her to fall.

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The small business owner raised over a half million dollars within a day to help her “gain accessibility and comfort” on other parts of her property.

Funds raised will help address accessibility issues she faces including building a new ramp outside so it’s easier for her to get to her front door, a smooth driveway and a chair lift that will allow her to get up and down stairs for her laundry.

“We’re gonna be able to do a little bit more than just your driveway and your ramp here,” Spencer revealed. GoFundMe

The money will also pay a lawn care company to maintain her yard for the “next few years” because Spencer lives too far away.

The elderly homeowner was stunned when she received the life-changing donation.

“I can’t even cry,” Beth said. “I can’t even think.”

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“I never expected help ever, ever, ever. I always help people until I got down and out,” Beth added.

“We’re gonna be able to do a little bit more than just your driveway and your ramp here,” Spencer revealed.

Spencer is making sure all the money that was raised doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

“I am also working with an attorney to set up a trust for her to make sure that all of the funds are protected,” Spencer wrote in an update on the GoFundMe page. “I don’t want anybody trying to take advantage of her and I want to make sure that the funds are used properly.”

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Kansas City-based Jack Cooper Transport to lay off 406 employees after losing Ford contract

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Kansas City-based Jack Cooper Transport to lay off 406 employees after losing Ford contract


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jack Cooper Transport Company, LLC, notified state officials last week of its plans to lay off more than 400 people and terminate its Kansas City operations, according to a filing obtained by KSHB 41.

Last week, KSHB 41 News reported on details that the Kansas City-based company had lost a key contract to transport vehicles at several Ford assembly plants across the country, including Ford’s Claycomo Assembly Plant.

In a Jan. 6 letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, a company human resources representative said 129 casual yard workers, 116 drivers and 107 yard employees would lose their jobs by Feb. 2.

The company also said it planned to close its facility at 1240 Claycomo Road, which is adjacent to Ford’s Claycomo plant.

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A Ford spokesperson said the company does not comment “on our contracts or relationships with individual suppliers.”

“We manage supplier relationships in line with our sourcing strategy, designed to enable us to best serve our customers,” the spokesperson said.

Jack Cooper Transport, founded in 1928, originally helped transport vehicles for General Motors at its Leeds Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Missouri.

The transport company’s website states Jack Cooper is one of the largest privately owned auto transport and specialized vehicle logistics providers in the United States.

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Workers are represented by Teamsters Union Local 41.

Teamster’s Union General President Sean O’Brien said last week on social media the union would “defend our members.”





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LifeSave Kansas Earns Prestigious CAMTS Accreditation

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LifeSave Kansas Earns Prestigious CAMTS Accreditation


Recognition underscores commitment to safety and clinical excellence, as demonstrated by recent long-distance transport of a special infant

LifeSave Kansas aircraft

LifeSave Kansas uses both helicopters and fixed wing airplanes to transport patients to the needed level of medical care. These aircraft function as flying ICUs.

Wichita, KS, Jan. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The LifeSave Kansas emergency air medical program is proud to announce its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). This accreditation affirms the program’s unwavering commitment to safety and clinical excellence over its 24 years of life-saving service to the state of Kansas.

“Our LifeSave bases in Emporia, Wichita, Liberal, and Garden City were inspected and found to meet the stringent safety and quality requirements to achieve full CAMTS accreditation,” said Kandi Sagehorn, clinical director with Air Methods, the nation’s leading air medical service provider and parent company of LifeSave Kansas. “This is an exciting accomplishment, and I am proud of the LifeSave team members and leaders who continually work to ensure each base’s compliance with the accreditation standards.”

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CAMTS accreditation indicates the program meets or exceeds rigorous standards for safety, patient care, and clinical quality. It also acknowledges organizations that implement best practices and work to continually improve performance.

“It highlights the dedication, expertise, and hard work of our entire team,” said Shannon Kilmartin, a flight nurse with LifeSave 21 in Emporia. “I’m thankful to everyone who works to maintain the rigorous standards required for this honor.”

One example of this commitment to excellence was seen last August when the fixed wing crew from LifeSave 15 in Wichita transported seven-month-old Hazel Randolph from her home in Bartlesville, OK to Palo Alto, CA for heart surgery.

When the Randolph family learned of Hazel’s severe congenital heart defect shortly after her birth, they were told she was an unlikely candidate for surgery, and she was put on hospice care. Undeterred by this diagnosis, Hazel’s mother, Loren Randolph, searched for options until she learned that doctors at Stanford University Medical Center had pioneered a specialized surgery to treat the condition.

The family flew on a commercial airplane to California for the surgery but had to cancel it when they contracted COVID. The family drove back home to Oklahoma knowing they had to find a safer way to get Hazel back to the surgeons at Stanford. Thankfully, an air medical flight was approved by their insurance provider, so she was safely flown to her surgery under the loving care of the LifeSave Kansas clinical crew.

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