SPECIAL TO TRACY'S BLOG
LOCAL NEWS(from my workplace ~Tracy)
Keener shares his humor with young professionals
By Anna Fry
Parsons Sun
A sign on Walter Keener's office door says "Humor Resources." From Keener, that's what you get.
Keener spoke Thursday evening about the importance of humor in the workplace at the Labette Community College Cardinal Cafe, an event sponosored by Parsons Young Professionals. He has spoken nationally and is human resources director at Power Flame.
Keener told humorous personal anecdotes and used props to convey his message.
"We all have jobs that are stressful to varying degrees," he said. The important thing is how people handle that stress.
"Stress is very hazardous to us," Keener said.
Stress increases blood pressure, causes fatigue and releases adrenaline. It also saps creativity.
"If we can have humor, if we can tackle things with laughter, we can remain creative," Keener said.
Laughter helps the digestive and immune systems, decreases blood pressure and releases dopamine and endorphins.
"Those are two drugs that don't show up on the drug test," Keener said. "I like those."
Keener gave everyone clown noses to wear while they shared in small groups what stresses them. Most laughed.
"How in the world do you get through days without a clown nose?" Keener asked.
For his final analogy, Keener passed out little bottles of bubbles. After instructing everyone to blow bubbles, Keener told them to avoid the bubbles and not to let the bubbles touch the floor.
Like the bubbles, it is impossible to avoid troubles and stress in life, he said.
The second time people blew bubbles, Keener instructed them to pop them. Laughter followed.
"There are some things you just don't need to take seriously," he said.
While laughter is important, people should not relegate themselves to being class clowns or court jesters, Keener said. The bubbles that were out-of-reach represented the things people should strive for. Keener encouraged the crowd to find big things worth time and energy.
"That's what people will remember you for," he said.
The Sun and The Tribune to be sold
LOCAL NEWSThe Parsons Sun and The Chanute Tribune have been put up for sale by their owner.
The sale announcement was made to employees at both newspapers this morning. Hutchinson-based Harris Enterprises Inc. owns both newspapers, along with six other newspapers, two shopper publications and a marketing company.
"We have always been heavily invested in newspapers and will continue to be," said Bruce Buchanan, president of Harris. "However, we will use the proceeds of this sale to diversify our interests."
Harris has owned The Chanute Tribune since 1927. It was the second newspaper in the Harris group. The Tribune publishes Tuesday through Friday afternoons and Saturday morning. Harris bought the Parsons Sun in 1982 from the late Clyde Reed and other stockholders. The Sun publishes Monday through Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
Buchanan said he doesn't know how long it will take to find a buyer and to transfer ownership.
"These are great communities, and the two newspapers do a superb job of covering them," Buchanan said. "But, we know this will be unsettling for our employees, so we hope it will move quickly."
Darren Werth, who was named editor and publisher of both newspapers early this year, said he does not contemplate any changes in the two staffs other than through normal turnover.
"We still have to produce newspapers," he said. "We have good people in place. I have confidence they will not allow this announcement to distract them."
Buchanan said interested buyers should contact Dirks, Van Essen and Murray, a Santa Fe-based broker, which will handle the sale. Phone number is (505) 820-2700.
Oz to storm stage
LOCAL NEWSBy Colleen Surridge
Parsons Sun
The Parsons Municipal Auditorium came to life Thursday night, somewhere between Kansas and the land of Oz.
Munchkins bustled back and forth through the front rows of seats for costume adjustments. Trees made sure apples were clinging to their branches in preparation for throwing, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, sat by the aisle, tapping Scarecrow's stuffing with her wand as they chatted before dress rehearsal.
The Great and Powerful Oz disappeared into the rafters above the set of a small farm in Kansas, as a pig-tailed Dorothy adjusted her cordless microphone at stage left.
"If you're a director in Kansas, at some time, sooner or later, you have to give in and walk the yellow brick road," said Parsons High School drama teacher/director Ruth Kindall of bringing the classic "The Wizard of Oz" to the stage.
Through all her years of showcasing Parsons' young talent on stage, when it comes to the "The Wizard of Oz," she candidly admits: "I have avoided it like the plague."
Her No. 1 reason may not be what people think.
"When MGM Grand released 'The Wizard of Oz' in 1939, the special effects then amazed everyone. On stage, the questions arise of, 'How do you do a tornado? How do you get people to fly?'
"It's so scary because everyone knows Oz and has expectations and I didn't want to disappoint them," Kindall said.
Attempting to meet the public's expectations of the Oscar-winning musical has been difficult.
"It has been a challenge, but an exciting challenge," Kindall said.
"We found out it would cost us $6,000 to fly a real student, so we're not doing it. If people think we are going to spend $6,000 to fly a student, they have another think coming," she said. "And the tornado took us four weeks to make in drama class, building and rebuilding it. It took more than 50 yards of fabric. Unbelievable.
"And on make-up, we could have spent a fortune alone. The teachers at the schools have been great about pitching in. I think we have cleaned out every make-up drawer in town. If there was a spare lipstick or blush in town, we've got it."
While the challenges to recreate the classic have been plentiful, Kindall said, "It has been such a beautiful effort. This show exemplifies the cooperative effort it takes. We even had parents step up and fix lunch for 100 kids, so the support has been unbelievable."
The cast was selected and rehearsals began the second week of school. Students have given up every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to practice.
"We have a cast and crew of 100 and a dog," Kindall said. "We have 30 munchkins, and 23 of those are middle school and elementary school students. The cast goes all the way from kindergarten to 18. Considering the size of the cast, crew pit orchestra and a dog, over 150 costumes, and an uncountable number of set pieces and props, more stuff flying in and out than we've had in any production, and our first time for using computer-generated special effects, things are going great."
As in the original production, a number of students are playing multiple parts.
"We have some students making six costume changes," she said. "First they're a tree, then a poppy, then an Osian, then a jitterbug, then back to a poppy ... . You get the idea. It has definitely been a challenge."
Kindall said she believes the public will be pleased with the product of all the work.
"We're so excited to have a pit orchestra again," she said. "We've not had a pit orchestra for some time, but thanks to the new high school orchestra teacher, Mrs. Becky Grotts, and the new band teacher, Mr. Seth Roach, they have helped us put together an excellent pit orchestra. It is exciting again to use all the fine arts in a performance and give them another place to showcase their talents."
The orchestra, directed by Jim Kindall, will play the exact same musical scores from the original movie, she said.
Dorothy Gale will be played by Allison Brewer, Aunt Em by Shelby Cruz, Uncle Henry by Tyler Keal, Zeke by Jon Lenati, Hickory by Justyn McWilliams and Hunk by Nick Palmer.
Morgan Taylor has been cast as Miss Alimira Gultch, the Wicked Witch of the North, and Haley Dhooghe as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.
Professor Chester Marvel, the Wizard of Oz, is played by Adam Small. The Scarecrow is played by Austin Clift, the Tin Woodsman by Charles Gross and the Cowardly Lion by Michael Walker.
And Toto, is played by Lola, owned by Doug and Vicky Rike.
Performances are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10 at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for students.
"It's the cheapest show in town," Kindall said.
SPECIAL TO TRACY'S BLOG
LOCAL NEWSDaley authors another book on Katy Railroad history
By Colleen Surridge
Parsons Sun
John Daley has completed another book on the Katy Railroad and has another in the works.
Some might have assumed his writing about the Katy ended because he moved away three years ago, but such is not the case, he said.
He and his wife, Kitty, moved to Kansas City to be near family and for specialized care for Kitty, who has Alzheimer's.
Daley, 88, said he was unable to care for her himself. His son and daughter-in-law encouraged them to move to Kansas City, where she could get specialized care, and he would have them for assisted living support.
The move from lifelong friends was difficult, but seeing Kitty slip away from him was almost more than he could bear.
"I got very blue. Depressed," he said.
He stopped writing.
His daughter-in-law, Karen, helped him refocus on his passions of writing, the Katy Railroad and Parsons.
Daley began his career with the Katy in 1936 as a 16-year-old messenger boy carrying typed and handwritten messages from the noisy telegraph office out of the second story of the old Katy Depot. In 1939, he became a mud hop, keeping track of railroad cars in the yards, walking and writing their names and numbers on clipboards, sometimes in rain and snow. He later became a chief yard clerk, an assistant to the yardmaster, the person responsible for train traffic in and out of the Parsons' train yards.
In the late 1990s, with the help of his wife, Daley began to compile rosters of former Katy shop and roundhouse employees and pictures from the bustling days of the Katy Railroad. He compiled the information into a book he sold, the proceeds from which were donated to the Iron Horse Museum. Former employees, their children and grandchildren all responded so well that he wrote another, and another, and another.
He began working on a fifth book - a roster of all the employees who worked for the Katy, not just in the shops.
"It has about 8,000 or 9,000 names so far of all the folks that worked there," he said.
With Kitty ill, his work on the book ended.
Although Kitty no longer helped him with the new book, Karen stepped forward and encouraged Daley.
"She's computer-wise, so they got me set up with a computer here," he said.
"I am still working on it," he said of the fifth roster. "And I've written some other things besides the books, like a pamphlet about my days in the service. The kids love it."
With him writing again, Katy Days committee member Mary Hughes had another idea for him, which he was able to complete.
"The year 2008 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Katy shops opening in Parsons. Mary wanted to go with that theme for a book," he said.
Daley went to work, compiling the names of employees who worked in the mechanical department, which included the shops and the roundhouse.
In the finished book, "Katy Days '08 Special: 100th Anniversy Parsons Katy Shops," Daley writes: "The names were extracted from Katy Memorial Roster Number 5, which I never got to complete because of my wife Kitty's illness. The names from book number five were researched by C.J. Charley Forbes and myself."
He said he strayed a lot from the theme, including some pictures and information surrounding the history of the Katy.
"Of course, my generation is about gone, but the new generation still likes to see all this," he said.
So far, Daley said copies of the book have been sold at a recent Katy historical society meeting in Oklahoma City, and he made a dozen available to someone working in Union Station in Kansas City.
"It's really special. It lists the names of 2,000 or 3,000 people that worked in the shops and roundhouse, and it lists some of their crafts. Of course most of their crafts are long extinct. There is also a picture of the guys working in the shops the last day before they were shut down," he said.
Rather than the proceeds from this book's sales going to the Iron Horse Museum, the proceeds will go to Katy Days.
Daley has returned to Parsons each year for Katy Days, except for last year when he had to go to Texas to attend a grandson's graduation. He hopes to attend again this coming year and share with others the rich history of the Katy Railroad.
"I really miss Parsons," he said. "It's such a wonderful place."
For those interested in obtaining a copy of the book, Daley said he believes they are for sale at Bleacher Gear. The cost is $20.
Daley said he also hopes to finish one or two other books he is working on.
"I had a quadruple bypass in 1994, and a stroke a year or so ago. It has slowed me down, but I'm still hanging in there," Daley said.
"I'm fascinated with Union Station here in Kansas City," he said. "Ever since I was 8 or 10, I would go up to see the stage shows at 12th and Main."
Then when in the service, along with so many other servicemen in the 1940s and 1950s, he traveled through Union Station on troop trains headed in all directions.
"It was the crossroads to everywhere," he said. "I'm going to write about that. It's really historical, and a lot of us remember it. It was the last place we got to see before we headed out to war."
SPECIAL TO LONGHORN
LOCAL NEWSWater rights office to open in Parsons
Office staffed by environmental scientist
By The Sun Staff
Water rights holders in the area can now save the gas money a trip to the Division of Water Resources field office in Topeka used to cost them.
An extension office will open Monday at 300 N. 17th in Parsons, according to a Kansas Department of Agriculture release.
Public information officer Lisa Taylor said water rights holders now have to conduct business in Topeka, by telephone, mail or Internet. Sometimes, a sit-down meeting is more efficient, she said.
"This satellite office will make our services more accessible to water right holders in this area," said David Barfield, acting chief engineer of the division of water resourcess.
The office will start with one environmental scientist. Ultimately, the division of water resources hopes to add an engineer from the water structures program, Taylor said. The water structures program regulates man-made structures and activities that change the flow of streams.
The satellite office will offer water right reviews, compliance checks, field inspections, well monitoring, water rights education and help with water rights applications and water use reporting.
Because the office will be staffed with one scientist, appointments are encouraged.
Call 421-2697 to schedule one.
SNOB HILL UPSETS SILO TECH PARENTS, VERSION 2.0
LOCAL NEWSParsons Sun
Questions continue to arise about school buses from other districts entering Parsons USD 503 to pick up and drop off students.
Last month, Parsons USD 503 Board of Education stopped an Altamont USD 506 bus from entering the district without permission to pick up students at various stops on the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center campus.
Parents reported that the bus has been making the stops for anywhere from 11 to 20 years, and that the district denying them access would place their children in situations where they would be waiting at other bus stops for up to 45 minutes without protection from the elements.
The Parsons board said it had never been made aware of the situation until recently, but USD 506 had never sought permission to enter the district for general pick ups and drop offs at those locations. Parsons gave Altamont a week to address the situation.
Since that meeting, calls have come into the district office and the Sun to report buses from other districts picking up and dropping off students in what appears to be USD 503 territory, or questioning if the district has a double standard by allowing some buses in and not others.
Superintendent Deborah Perbeck said a number of buses from other districts have permission to enter the district to pick up and drop off students from the two alternative schools at the PSHTC and Lincoln Elementary, which has a special program for students who are hearing impaired.
"That is really the only instance," Perbeck said of other schools being given permission to enter the territory. "Any type of special programs where schools are needing to transport kids in to attend is the only situation we are aware of."
Students come from as far away as Iola and Independence to attend the two schools on the PSHTC grounds and come from surrounding towns to attend Lincoln Elementary.
"Because so many districts do come through, unless we are made aware of other districts picking up or dropping off students at other locations in the district, we don't know about it. And we don't go out to look for people violating our statute."
With the district's boundaries zigzagging, there is confusion by many people about what is inside the district and outside.
For example, First Christian Church on Southern Avenue is in Altamont USD 506 district, while a block away on Southern sits the Parsons district office, inside USD 503 territory.
"It can be confusing," Perbeck said.
One of the most frequent reports coming in is of USD 506 buses dropping off students on the east side of 32nd Street, which is in the Parsons district, rather than the west side, which is USD 506 territory in most places. Last week, it was reported a USD 506 bus picked up students in the morning on the east side of 32nd Street at Appleton, which is USD 503 territory.
If someone has questions about where the district territory begins and ends, Perbeck said maps and written descriptions of the territory are available.
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