Senator Jerry Moran will be in Manhattan as he tours Big Lakes Developmental Center on Tuesday, August 9th.

Moran will be in attendance from 9:30 am to 10:15 am.

The Big Lakes Developmental Center is located at 1416 Hayes Drive in Manhattan.

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts will make several stops in Kansas, August 8-15th. Some of his activities include:  holding town hall meetings, reading to pre-k students at the Children’s Campus of Kansas City, addressing the Leavenworth and Atchison Rotary Clubs, touring YMCA Camp Wood in Elmdale where he attended as a youth and visiting with campers who are from military families. Roberts will also participate in the congressional panel at the Kansas Independent Oil and Natural Gas Association’s (KIOGA) Annual Meeting in Wichita on August 15.

Senator Roberts is also launching a Veteran’s History Project Initiative to collect and preserve the personal histories of veterans to be included in the Library of Congress’ archive.

Senator Roberts will be in Manhattan on Tuesday, August 9th at noon to hold a roundtable discussion with Kansas agriculture leaders, and then in Alma at 6:30 pm to speak and answer questions at the Wabaunsee County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.

by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)

One of the key tenets of the American Dream is the promise that if you work hard, you can get ahead. This dream doesn’t discriminate – regardless of the circumstances you’re born into, hard work will lead you to success. Generations of Americans have lived, worked and raised families believing in that idea.

Despite honest living and persistence, millions in our country still struggle to get ahead financially. This is especially true in rural communities where the challenges of poverty differ significantly from urban areas. When access to higher education, health care, affordable housing, social and financial services, and job opportunities is limited, the path toward upward mobility is challenging.

As someone who grew up in small-town Kansas, the issue of rural poverty hits close to home. While representing Kansans in Congress, I have made it a priority to highlight this often overlooked struggle and have proposed policy solutions to help drive Americans, both urban and rural, up the economic ladder. For example, I’m working to make certain all Kansans can access high-speed internet and get care from their local Critical Access Hospital, as well as ensure our veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned in a timely fashion.

Many rural, low-income families lack both affordable housing and access to credit: two major factors in determining one’s mobility. And unfortunately, as the cost of compliance with new government rules and regulations grows, community banks and local lenders are increasingly being squeezed out of their local economies. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I’ve proposed legislative solutions to relieve this burden, but it is clear solving this issue will require a series of policy and regulatory changes coupled with broader economic growth.

In Kansas, much of that economic growth depends on the health of the agriculture industry – a major pillar of our economy – which determines the financial well-being of nearly 250,000 Kansans. As the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m tasked with drafting annual legislation to prioritize funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration – agencies whose work impacts growth and mobility in rural America. My bill (S. 2956) includes critical improvements to rural infrastructure such as water and waste systems and upgrades to electric and telephone services. It also strengthens the farm safety net to keep family farms viable in tough economic conditions, which in turn helps keep Main Street businesses that rely on agriculture afloat. These policies improve the economic viability of small town America.

Rural economic interests, while often overlooked, must be represented in all policy debates on Capitol Hill – agricultural or otherwise. With that in mind, I cofounded the bipartisan Senate Economic Mobility Caucus in 2012 to bring together policymakers to examine mobility challenges and develop ways to overcome them. Since the caucus’ inception, we have conceived numerous bipartisan policies, including some that are now law. Most recently, the caucus hosted an event to convene experts from various backgrounds focused specifically on economic mobility through a rural lens. To see such strong interest in the topic was encouraging and I will continue to stress the importance of rural-specific considerations during policy debates.

While each of these steps represents progress, much work remains to enable all Americans to become economically mobile and financially secure. I will continue to do all I can during my time in the United States Senate to help restore the confidence that every man, woman and child has a real opportunity to achieve their own American Dream.

MANHATTAN — Philanthropic gifts and commitments by alumni, friends, parents, faculty, students and corporate partners of Kansas State University totaled $150.6 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016.

This level of philanthropic support marks the third most successful year in charitable giving in the more than 70-year history of the Kansas State University Foundation, and the fifth consecutive year fundraising has topped $100 million. The conclusion of fiscal year 2016 marked $882 million in total multiyear gifts and commitments toward the $1 billion goal for K-State’sInnovation and Inspiration Campaign.

“Generous, passionate alumni and friends continue to be a driving force behind the Innovation and Inspiration Campaign and K-State’s 2025 vision,” said Rand Berney, chairman of the KSU Foundation board of directors. “We are grateful for their dedication and look forward to a tremendous future as we elevate K-State to new heights together.”

Of the $150.6 million raised in fiscal year 2016, 35 percent is available for the university’s use immediately, while donors gave 65 percent through endowed gifts, pledges and deferred gifts, which will be utilized by the university at some point in the future.

“We are proud of the Wildcat family for uniting to carry the K-State banner high,” said Greg Willems, president and CEO of the KSU Foundation. “These philanthropic dollars are absolutely essential to the success of Kansas State University and reflect the extraordinary partnership the KSU Foundation enjoys with donors. K-Staters are coming together through philanthropy to invest in the university’s future.”

One of the most notable aspects of this year’s results was the $56.6 million in endowed gifts and commitments. Endowed gifts create a legacy for the donor by providing long-term funding for the purpose they support, such as student scholarships and faculty chairs and professorships.

“The endowment is a critical driver of becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025, and endowed gifts make a lasting difference in our capacity to serve future generations of K-Staters,” said Gen. Richard B. Myers, interim president of Kansas State University.
Other key philanthropic achievements for the 2016 fiscal year:
• 55,332 individuals made nearly 80,000 gifts.
• Fifty-one percent of dollars raised came from Kansas State University alumni.
• Twenty-five gifts and commitments were $1 million or more.
• Gift commitments through estate planning, including wills, trusts and annuities, reached an all-time high of $53.9 million.

In light of recent budget uncertainties in the state of Kansas, Myers said private support is increasingly important to Kansas State University.

“Gifts from alumni and friends are essential to our continued ability to support students, faculty and communities in the tradition of land-grant institutions,” Myers said. “We are so thankful for our generous donors and their commitment to K-State’s mission.”

Philanthropic contributions to the university are coordinated by the KSU Foundation, which is leading the Innovation and Inspiration Campaign for K-State. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.

Giving totals for Kansas counties fiscal year 2016, including county, number of donors and amount:

• Dickinson, 407, $126,470.80
• Geary, 413, $219,273.67
• Pottawatomie, 999, $708,013
• Riley, 7,152, $18,607,445.52
• Wabaunsee, 171, $57,028
• Morris, 149, $99,563.86

*not all counties in original list were included*

Cocktails and Canvases – a social painting event is returning this Friday, August 12th at 7:00 pm.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended because space is limited. Purchase tickets at riley.armymwr.com.

The cost is $25 which includes instruction, supplies and a beverage ticket.

The “Couples Edition” is Friday, August 19th at 7:00 pm.

Couples pay $30 each for separate canvases that form one work of art.

This also includes light snacks.

Cocktails and Canvases is located at Riley’s Conference Center on Fort Riley, at 446 Seitz Drive.

For information on both dates, call 785-784-1000.

RILEY COUNTY – Five people were injured in an accident just after 5:30a.m. on Sunday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Volvo CMV driven by Misty Dean Palmer, 41, Washington, UT., was westbound on Interstate 70 twelve miles east of Manhattan.

The vehicle pulling an enclosed racecar trailer hydroplaned on the wet road, veered right, went on the north shoulder and the driver lost control.

The trailer detached from the vehicle and both rolled on the north shoulder.

The vehicle came to rest on its top and the trailer came to rest on its wheels in north ditch.

Palmer and passengers Robert Kanyon Van Otten, 15, Kyson Paul Palmer, 15, Kayden Ross Palmer, 16, Juston Ross Palmer, 42, all of Washington, UT, were transported to Via Christi in Manhattan.

Only the driver was properly restrained at the time of the accident..

The Geary County Fish and Game Association will hold a Hunter Education class at Sportsmen’s Acres at 3922 K-244 Spur near Milford Lake on Saturday, Aug. 20.

This will be a computer generated class. Each participant must sign up at safehunters.com and follow the instructions. Bring all paper work on the 20th at 8 a.m. for a test and live firing. There is no charge. Lunch will be provided.