Opinion
Food safety tips make tailgates winners
There’s nothing like a tailgate party ahead of a big game to bring people together for good food and fun, and a few simple tips can help keep the event safe.¬†Karen Blakeslee, K-State Research and Extension food scientist, offers some reminders on how to keep food safe while tailgating, picnicking and during other outdoor events. Blakeslee cites cross contamination as a frequent error at picnics, potlucks, and tailgating during the fall sport...
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View from the sports desk: The sad saga of NFL replacement refs
Now that the NFL replacement referee circus appears to be packing up and leaving town, I will likely never be able to fulfill my personal goal of meeting one of these replacement refs, grabbing his hand, and telling him emphatically how much I love it when he sings “My Cherie Amour.” Sure, doing so would be cruel and unusual humor, but as someone who had my small-time football pool betting habit ruined by this whole sad and sordid episode for...
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Enriching lives
Recently my family and I were re-watching the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It is quite a cute film with some very funny parts. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly. My girls love the idea that Windex cures everything. Of course, my favorite scene is where the main character decides to break the pattern of her life and improve it through taking some courses at her local community college. The community college has certainly risen t...
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Goal to do the best for community, parents, and students
Remember the good old days — some people say the 1950s?¬†I really don’t remember but I have watched the show “Happy Days” so I picture life being just like the show — you know, all the girls in poodle skirts and the boys in letter sweaters or like “The Fonz” with leather jackets and lots of grease. It is interesting to note how much things stay the same (leather jackets, not poodle skirts) and how much things really change. Recently I was in ...
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Great activities planned at library this month
September is always a fun month at the library. We have rested from our summer’s activities and are ready to start anew. Of course, it really feels like a new season to us since we are now on “winter” hours.¬†We have lots of great activities planned for all ages and hope that you will mark your calendars for one or more of these fun programs. Let us know if you have ideas for additional programs which you would like to see offered.¬†¬† There ...
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Alzheimer ideas for caregivers
It’s quite common for a person with Alzheimer’s to become very attached or even a shadow to the primary caregiver. That doesn’t mean you have to provide the stimulation all of the time. Try these ideas: - Play a music video with a fast pace. - Let your loved one walk as much as possible. - Pulling weeds or batting a balloon ball will also provide exercise. - Exercise videos that have simple directions are available from senior supply companie...
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Physical activity: The arthritis pain reliever
Is arthritis keeping you from living the life you want? You’re not alone. One in five people or 46 million individuals live with the pain of arthritis. If you have arthritis, you have probably tried all kinds of things to relieve your arthritis pain and to help you feel better about yourself. As someone with arthritis, you may even have concerns about not being able to work for a living or take care of or provide for your family. It’s true: a...
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Summer reading program to end with a splash
This is it!¬†Tonight’s the night!¬†Set your watches! 7:30 marks the start of the annual summer reading program swim party at the Maring Aquatic Center for all those youth through high school who completed the summer reading programs.¬†It should be a great time for the 350+ kids who completed and we hope an enjoyable reward for their hard work. The party lasts until 9:30 and only youth who completed the program will be admitted. Please remembe...
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Take some time away from technology at home
Technology -- computers, television, cell phones, mp3 players and such – make information and entertainment readily available. However, too much of a good thing may not be good for personal relationships. With parents and children vying for time on the computer or children each tuned in to their own music, interaction between family members may be nil. In today’s world, screen time can replace personal interaction with family and friends, hea...
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Mental Health:  The silent chronic disease
No need to hide it, we have all either felt a period of depression ourselves, maybe after a traumatic event or a major loss, or we have had a friend/loved one that deals with the ongoing effects of mental illness.¬† Mental health disorders are often associated with other chronic illnesses such as arthritis, cancer, and diabetes as well. Don’t feel alone, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 17% of U.S ad...
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Trees and shrub watering guidelines
Once again this year we are short on rainfall. In looking at the drought forecast, it doesn’t look like we will be out of this pattern anytime soon either. Unfortunately, many trees and shrubs have still not totally recovered from last year’s heat and dry weather. Combine the two and it is going to be even more important to supplemental water trees and shrubs this year. Newly planted or young trees and shrubs often don’t survive the first yea...
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Bollig’s battle
Two years ago this week, Chanute’s Matt Bollig was visiting children in the hospital. Now, somehow by fate, Bollig is the one in the hospital. When I heard Bollig had been severely injured in a weight lifting accident in Ottawa, and may never walk again, I was speechless and shocked. I won’t lie. One of my first thoughts was, “Why does it always seem that things like this happen to good people?” Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good peo...
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Osa Johnson still has influence on modern fashion
Following the museum’s move from its original site on S. Grant Ave. to the depot building in the 1990s admission rates were raised. The standard adult rate increased from $2.50 to $4. In an ideal world all museums would be open free of charge to all visitors. However, most museums depend on a variety of income streams to pay for operations. In addition to admissions this includes shop sales, membership dues, fundraising events, program and re...
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Fairs special time for families
County Fair season is here! The week that nearly every 4-H member has worked and waited for since the fair ended last year. It is a time of year when youth from across the county get together to showcase their projects, but more importantly, it is a time for 4-H families to be together. We have an awesome group of leaders and parents who work hard to make sure the kids are attending monthly meetings, participating in leadership activities, a...
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It’s time to quell excessive partisanship
Lee H. Hamilton¬† There are lots of ways in which members of Congress differ from the American people. Yet the most troubling gap that has opened up between Congress and average Americans isn’t about wealth or gender. Congress, unlike the country at large, is noxiously partisan. Most Americans, I believe, want to see our challenges addressed pragmatically. Congress, on the other hand, is filled with people who barely talk to each other, do th...
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At a loss for words: Aging expert discusses how to talk with parents about moving into nursing home, end-of-life wishes 
As far as conversations with parents go, talking with them about moving into a nursing home and other end-of-life issues may be the hardest. “The first time talking about this is going to be really, really hard because it’s a painful subject to think about,” said Gayle Doll, assistant professor in Kansas State University’s College of Human Ecology and director of the Center on Aging. “However, it is also one of the most important conversation...
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Summer time to reenergize
“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” Yes, it is summer and we hope the season is good for you. Summer is the season when school districts reflect, repair, retool and reenergize. The 2011-2012 school year was an affirmation that we are blessed to have a quality school district made so by great kids, great staff, and a great community that cares. The list ...
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Photograph exhibit displayed; another paranormal investigation planned
I want to thank everyone who made the museum’s June 9 annual Safari Gala a wonderful success! It was a fun evening of great Polynesian food, music, and dancing. All of the underwriters, auction donors, volunteers, and other supporters will be recognized in the summer issue of the museum’s “Wait-A-Bit News.” Check it out! A subscription to this popular quarterly newsletter along with free admission and shop discounts are benefits for museum me...
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Measure, then approve on it
“If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.” That is a quote from Lord Kelvin, also known as William Thompson, a physicist who theorized a whole new temperature scale that included absolute zero. In my former life as a television producer and later an instructor, I used the Kelvin temperature scale to measure the color of light given off by our studio lighting instruments. (3,200 degrees Kelvin is the magic number we tried to reach. T...
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When it comes to texting and driving: It can wait
Steve Hahn President of AT&T Kansas Summer is now upon us, which means baseball season is in full swing, temperatures have warmed up, and teens across Kansas and the rest of America are searching for jobs and looking forward to a few months of freedom. Unfortunately, another memorable season is fast approaching: dangerous driving season. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day have been ...
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