The USD489 Board of Education (BOE) recessed into Executive Session during the June 17, 2024 meeting for approximately an hour and twenty minutes to discuss negotiations before unanimously approving wage and salary increases as well the District’s 2024-2025 Master Collective Bargaining Agreement.
At the City of Hays June 18, 2024 Press Briefing, Water Conservation Specialist Holly Dickman acknowledged that plants may need additional moisture to survive current hot, dry and windy conditions. But she quickly added that too much irrigation is NOT a good thing.
State and local officials from Missouri denounced Kansas legislators’ attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the state line, saying they would take steps to keep both teams.
Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $57 million is being invested in Dodge City to upgrade its existing water treatment process and infrastructure. The project advances the Kelly administration’s work to address the state’s water quality and quantity needs.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I was prescribed iron for a low iron level due to "microcytic anemia." I couldn't tolerate oral iron because of constipation and hemorrhoids, so my doctor prescribed iron infusions. But I had an allergic reaction, and I continue to have sore places all over my body.I am not in great pain, but I'm curious as to whether this is going to be worse as I age. How do I know if this has affected my internal organs in any way? I have read that iron overload disorders can lead to the buildup of iron in tissues and organs. This can cause an increased risk of arthritis, cancer, liver problems, diabetes and heart failure. I was tested for hemochromatosis (which I do not have), so he does not know why my iron level remains so low. -- F.M.ANSWER: "Microcytic anemia" means that your blood count is too low and that your red blood cells are smaller than they ought to be. Iron deficiency is a very common cause of this, but there are many other causes. The diagnosis of iron deficiency must be confirmed by iron studies, including your iron, transferrin and ferritin levels. These are all used to suspect the diagnosis of iron deficiency, although a definitive diagnosis can be made by a bone marrow biopsy. I'm going to assume that your doctor has confirmed your iron deficiency.The main concern I have is your low iron. There are three big categories why that might be: Either you aren't getting enough iron in your diet, you aren't absorbing it, or you are losing it faster than you are absorbing it. Most people get adequate dietary iron, so the most common issues are normally insufficient absorption or excess loss.Multiple conditions can prevent iron absorption, but the most common ones (apart from the surgical removal of part of the intestine) are celiac disease, atrophic gastritis, H. pylori infections, and medicines, especially antiacid medicines (proton-pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, and antacids like Tums).Iron loss is the most dangerous case because undiagnosed blood loss, especially from colon cancer, can go unrecognized for years. Menstruating women often get mild iron deficiency, but any man or postmenopausal woman with iron deficiency must be considered for colon cancer.Reactions to new iron formulations are rare. (Anaphylaxis in 2-7 cases per 10,000 is reported, but this may be an overestimate.) I have never seen a case of persistent body pain after an iron infusion.Finally, you don't need to worry about iron overload. If you don't have hemochromatosis, your body won't absorb iron if you don't need it. Still, your doctor should only be treating you with iron as long as your iron levels are low.DEAR DR. ROACH: My significant other will use the same toothpick to clean his teeth after several meals. My suggestion to replace it after each use has gone unnoticed. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated. I will let it go if you advise as such. -- R.L.ANSWER: There probably isn't much risk of infection, but toothpicks are cheap. He can afford to use a new one every time.* * *Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2024 North America Syndicate Inc.All Rights Reserved
The Kansas Board of Regents unanimously voted Thursday to raise tuition and fees an average of 3.9% for full-time, in-state undergraduate students at the five state public universities requesting revenue enhancements from that source.
The John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days (SACAD) at Fort Hays State University (FHSU) showcased the remarkable convergence of traditional research and cutting-edge technology. The annual SACAD event is a testament to academic rigor and the boundless potential of students who embrace innovation and collaboration. Among them this year were Cally Anderson, Marisol Banda, and Katie Hale, whose work on using artificial intelligence (AI) in tourism marketing captivated attendees and earned them the coveted People’s Choice Award for Scholarly Activities.
Dear Eric: Should I go to Tanzania for two weeks with people I don't know and one person I only kind of know?
Dear Readers: The following Q&A first ran in 2020.
Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Stephanie Switzky, indigenous literature Does the general public know about the indigenous people who live in Kansas? Today we’ll meet an innovative rural educator who is helping her students learn about the culture and literature of indigenous people in our state and beyond. Stephanie Switzky is an English and literature teacher at Royal Valley High School in Hoyt. She is leading an initiative to teach Native American and other indigenous literature in her school. She grew up in Topeka, went to Topeka High, and then Texas Christian University. In 2002, she came back to Kansas and served as youth minister at a church in Manhattan. “I didn’t know I wanted to be a teacher until I was 28,” Switzky said. She met and married a young man from Topeka and worked in human resources there. “I found I really missed being with teenagers,” Switzky said. She earned a degree in English with an education emphasis and later received a master’s in literary arts. In 2011, she took her first teaching position in the Royal Valley school district north of Topeka. “I thought, ‘I’ll do this for a year and then move on,’” Switzky said. “I found I love it here.” She has been at Royal Valley ever since. Switzky was intrigued when her superintendent said, “This is the most diverse rural school district in the state.” It serves the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation as well as the rural communities of Hoyt, population 593, and Mayetta, population 348 people. Now, that’s rural. About one-third of Royal Valley’s students are indigenous or native. Switzky become even more intrigued as she learned more about the culture of her indigenous students and sought to enhance her literature curriculum. In 2020, she took the plunge. “I told my principal that I wanted to teach a class on indigenous literature,” Switzky said. He was supportive and referred her to the Prairie Band Potawatomi. Switzky’s continued research led her to Lisa Tatonetti at Kansas State University. “I sent her an email and she emailed me right back.” Switzky said. Tatonetti is a K-State distinguished teaching scholar and professor of English who has a specialty in indigenous literature. Tatonetti mentored and encouraged Switzky as Switzky developed curriculum for an indigenous literature high school course. They met weekly on Zoom for nine months. “Dr. Tatonetti has been incredibly generous with her time and knowledge,” Switzky said. “I learned a ton as we read and discussed and read and discussed some more.” This involved far more than reading a few books and poems. Switzky found it required going deeper to learn native history, culture, and the deeper meaning of the literature, plus delving into her own perceptions of native life. In fall 2021, Switzky launched her first course in Native American literature. She now calls the course Indigenous Literature. The class went very well. “It was lovely,” Switzky said. “My non-native students soaked it all in, and my native students really opened up more than they had before.” It was truly a mutual learning experience. Switzky has offered the class each fall since. The units of study include images and representation, boarding schools andindigenous futurism, a research project on themes in Native American children’s books, indigenous environmentalism, and an indigenous photo essay. Her students commented about how this class broadened and improved their perspectives. Switzky’s work was even recognized when she was asked to speak to a Kansas Board of Education working group. “I would like more students to have this opportunity,” Switzky said. “I love all my students and I want what’s best for them. I’ve enjoyed being able to learn from them too.” “Ultimately I do this to help strengthen relationships. When people know more about their neighbors’ cultures, the opportunity for growth is greater.” How can we learn more about Native American history, culture and life? Thanks to Stephanie Switzky, both native and non-native students in her classes are learning and sharing about the literature and culture of indigenous people. She is making a difference by helping her students live and learn. Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.