Represent’ Lines Drawn in County
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75¢ COLBY Thursday July 31, 2014 Volume 125, Number 119 Serving Thomas County since 1888 8 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS ‘Represent’ lines drawn in county By Heather Alwin Sowers was absent for some Colby Free Press time after suffering a disabling in- [email protected] jury in 2012. Sowers said he has enjoyed his Republican voters in east- eight years on the county com- ern Thomas County will decide mission, and he has a heart for the whether incumbent commissioner people he represents. He said he Byron Sowers or challenger Lon- wants to make sure his constitu- nie Wilson will move on to the ents’ money is being spent proper- general election, where the win- ly and that laws and guidelines are ner of the primary contest will run being followed properly. Before without a Democratic opponent. serving on the commission, Sow- Sowers took office in 2007 and ers also served on local boards in- is finishing his second four-year cluding the North Randall Town- term. He represents the commis- ship board and as president of the sion on the Northwest Kansas Farm Bureau board. Local Environmental Protection Wilson says he has served on Group and, on behalf of the com- several other area boards. He is mission, has attended many meet- a member of the state Sorghum ings of a group opposing protec- tion for the lesser prairie chicken. See “COUNTY,” Page 2 Feasting and fun at Fair Dems seek some changes By Sam Dieter well as for secretary of state, at- Colby Free Press torney general and state treasurer. [email protected] The Democrat candidate against the governor will be Paul Davis of In a time where elected officials Lawrence, who has spent 11 years from across the country are hard- in the state Legislature and is mi- pressed to keep their seats, a slew nority leader in the Kansas House. of Democrats are looking to take Davis is running largely on a the seats of some of the state’s platform critical of Brownback’s elected officials. wide-ranging tax cuts, which he If he wins the Republican pri- says have almost bankrupted the mary as expected, Gov. Sam state. Brownback will face a Democrat A KSN news poll released last in the general election in Novem- Thursday showed Davis narrowly ber. Despite Kansas’s reputation leading Brownback, including as a deep-red state, Democrats are many supporters from the gov- also running for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives seats, as See “DEMS,” Page 2 HEATHER ALWIN/Colby Free Press Fairgoers enjoyed barbecue beef sandwiches (top), chips, ice cream and watermelon at Wednesday’s free community barbecue. McCarty Dairy provided the beef and the ice cream (left) was enjoyed by OF ALL AGES. After the barbecue, many fairgoers stuck around to enjoy the midway rides and carnival games, including this young man (above) and his slide-riding partner. GOP faces primary contests By Sam Dieter Republican Jennifer Winn is running against provisions of his cousin’s healthcare law. Colby Free Press Brownback for governor and Robin R. Lais, D.J. Smith of Osawatomie and Alvin Zahn- [email protected] for lieutenant governor on Tuesday <Aug. 5>; ter of Russell are also running against Roberts Jillian Thompson’s metal sculpture will be on display at the Prai- both are from Wichita. Like many Republi- on the Republican ticket. Democrats Chad rie Museum beginning Friday. Important political offices in Kansas, in- cans, Winn supports getting rid of tax incen- Taylor and Patrick Wiesner are also running cluding Gov. Sam Brownback’s position as tives and other rewards for corporations, and for the seat. governor, are up for grabs this year in the Re- not allowing politicians to vote on bills in U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp is going up publican primary on Tuesday. which they have a public interest. against one Democratic and one Republi- The governor is vying for his seat with a She criticized Brownback’s tax plan on her can challenger. LaPolice, of Clyde, is run- Metalwork slew of candidates, including a strong Demo- website for forcing the state to borrow $675 ning against Huelskamp in the primary, while cratic challenger but also a Republican. He’s million to cover lost tax money. Winn said that Democrat Jim Sherow will face the winner in not alone; most of Kansas’s highest-ranking as far as she can tell, her Democratic challeng- November. statesmen are also fighting for their seats this er Paul Davis has done nothing more than hire LaPolice also has a healthcare plan that he year. This includes Sen. Pat Roberts, Rep. Tim two consultants for his tax plan. hopes to pass to replace Obamacare, if he can exhibit opens Huelskamp and Secretary of State Kris Ko- Sen. Pat Roberts has faced criticism from a find people in Congress willing to work with bach, who are all facing challengers from their variety of sources for allegedly not living in him. A Gulf War veteran, the would-be rep- Metal sculptor Jillian Thomp- ship and adversity,” she said, “but own party. Kansas, including from a group of challeng- resentative spent years in California after the son will display her work at the rather a celebration of my exis- A common theme among many of the candi- ers on the Republican ticket. Perhaps the most war as a teacher, principal and even actor. Prairie Museum of Art and His- tence to bring beauty to the every- dates for office is that they are running specifi- prominent is Dr. Milton Wolf, a Leawood phy- Scott Morgan, a Republican from Lawrence, tory in August, kicking off the day lives of everyday people.” cally to reverse the policies of their incumbent sician. A cousin of President Barack Obama, went through a line of reasoning similar to that exhibit with a come-and-go recep- Thompson says the labor-inten- opponents. Others have their sights set on un- Wolf has built a campaign platform largely on of LaPolice when he decided to run against tion from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday. sive nature of metal work appeals doing policies at the national level. his ambition to repeal and replace the Afford- Secretary of State Kris Kobach: no one else Thompson, a native of Thomas to her, and she especially enjoys “I went around, they said nobody, they said able Healthcare Act, or Obamacare, which was County, uses wood, cast iron and blacksmithing, casting and metal nobody is going to run against him,” Alan passed into law in 2010. Wolf is a career physi- See “GOP,” Page 2 steel in her work. She says she fabrication. LaPolice said of Tim Huelskamp, who he is cian and outspoken conservative who has writ- makes her art about her life, find- “One of the biggest things that running against in the primary. “And they said ten opinion pieces for The Washington Times. ing most of her inspiration from drew me to sculpture was the cast- nobody could, and it was like a gauntlet they He has his own healthcare proposal, called Pa- her son Theodore Jack, 6. threw down.” tient Care, which throws out some of the key “My stories are not full of hard- See “EXHIBIT,” Page 2 Page 2 Colby Free Press Thursday, July 31, 2014 Area/State Weather GOP faces stiff primary contests Briefly From “GOP,” Page 1 records more efficient. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Nancy The deadline for Briefly is noon Former Rep. Rick Billinger of Goodland Praeger, a Republican, is stepping down the day before. Items submitted in the would do it. will be running against Adam Smith of Wes- from her seat this year after a decade in morning will be set up for the following “My thing was somebody needs to stand kan, a Wallace County commissioner. The the position. Five other members of her day, space available. The deadline for up and say this isn’t us,” Morgan said. “You 120th, district in the House of Representa- party are running to succeed her: insurance Monday’s paper is noon Friday. look around and you look around and you’re tives includes northwest Thomas County agent David J. Powell, El Dorado; Beverly like won’t somebody please run against this and Colby, along with five counties in Gossage, Eudora, owner of HSA Benefits Library book sales guy, and then you look around and you real- northwest Kansas. Consulting; Ken Selzer, Leawood, a Certi- ized that somebody is you.” Billinger served on the Insurance, Eco- fied Public Accountant; John M. Toplikar, continues all weekend He would like to repeal the Secure and nomic Development, Education and Local Olathe, an Johnson County Commissioner The Pioneer Memorial Library’s Fair Elections Act, which Kobach support- Government committees as a representa- and Clark Shultz, Lindsborg, a state em- Blow-Out Book Sale continues through ed. The law requires voters to show identi- tive for the 121st district before legislative ployee who has served as Chair of Insur- Sunday at ever-lower prices. Stop in to fication at the polls, and for new voters to boundaries were redrawn in 2012, forcing ance Committee and the Education Budget find great bargains. For information, provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Billinger into a race with his friend Ward Committee. call the library at 460-4470. A staff member for past Kansas politi- Cassidy, which he lost. He said the most Meg Wilson of Great Bend is running cians, Morgan spent 17 years publishing important issue facing this area is the qual- to be the state board of education repre- National Weather Service Carnival needs workers Tonight: Mostly clear, with state and city statistical reference books.