SALUTE THE HOLTON GOFF, KANSAS REMINDER Hometown of Football Mary Ann Pick’em Kirk entries due Holton Recorder subscriber Thursday! for more than 30 years. RECORDERServing the Jackson County Community for 149 years Volume 149, Issue 86 HOLTON, KANSAS • Wednesday, October 26, 2016 16 Pages $1.00 Holton Community Theatre planning Christmas play By Ali Holcomb one popped out,” Wittmer said. Finding the joy and cheer “It’s only 40 minutes, but it has during the hustle and bustle a good message and vibrant of the holidays isn’t always characters.” easy, but the Holton Commu- A dinner theater catered by nity Theatre’s fall production Trails Café will be held at 6 of “Last Stop Till Christmas” p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. There proves it is possible with a little will also be a bar available to help. purchase drinks. Two performances of the play, A matinee performance will which is written by Pat Cook, be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, will be held Dec. 3 and 4 at Dec. 4, with coffee and cookies Penny’s in Holton, said Shan- served. non Wittmer, one of the play’s Tickets are $30 for the dinner directors. theater and $15 for the matinee The comedy centers on a and will be available to pur- group of quirky characters wait- chase at all area banks starting ing at the bus stop together just Nov. 1. Both performances will In the photo above, Aaron Estabrook (center) of Manhattan, an independent candidate seeking the State Board of before Christmas dealing with be held at Penny’s on the west Education 6th District seat, shared his stances on education during a political forum here Monday evening hosted by a variety of problems. Most of side of the Holton Square. the Jackson County Republican Party. Also pictured are (from left) Lauren Van Wagoner (Democrat), who is seeking the them just want the Christmas Music before and during the House of Representatives District 61st seat; Jerry Henry (Democrat), who is running for the District 1 seat of the Kansas season to be over. dinner theater will be provided State Senate; incumbent Dennis Pyle (Republican), who is seeking re-election to the District 1 seat of the Kansas State When two city workers place by The Mule Shoe Band, fea- Senate; Francis Awerkamp (Republican), who is running for the Kansas House of Representatives 61st District seat; a Christmas tree near the bus turing Gary Bell and other mu- and incumbent Deena Horst (Republican), who is seeking re-election to the 6th District seat on the State Board of Edu- stop, one of the characters, sicians. cation. Photo by David Powls Angela, takes an ornament and “We usually sell out,” Wit- makes a promise to the others. tmer said. “With the dinner, we If they put the ornament on the can only sell 120 or so tickets. tree, whatever they wish for I think people enjoy having Various issues covered at political forum will come true. They think she’s somewhere to go on a Saturday By David Powls ning the atmosphere got a little he would do more for public and facilities where office-based crazy until one of them tries it night for entertainment and din- No one stood up and spoke on tense, however. education. surgeries and special procedures and his wish does come true. ner.” behalf of presidential candidates One candidate took exception The last speaker of the eve- are performed. “I started looking at scripts Donald Trump (Republican) or to claims by another that he was ning, Sen. Dennis Pyle gave “And more money does not centered on Christmas, and this Continued to Page 15 Hillary Clinton (Democrat) here not qualified to be county sher- the audience a six-question pop necessarily help kids,’’ Pyle Monday evening, but the Jack- iff. quiz (along with his answers) said. “New money belongs in son County Republican Party’s When it was his turn to speak, demonstrating, he said, that he is the classrooms.’’ political forum was nonethe- sheriff candidate Bob McNich- the candidate – not his opponent Pyle closed his remarks saying FTE up at Holton, less very informative regarding olas held up a photo of himself Jerry Henry - who is “work- emphatically, “Let’s see who is some state and county races. beside a military helicopter and ing to make sure our local kids, 100 percent pro-life.’’ About 70 people were in at- then asked the incumbent sher- classrooms and teachers get the Besides those remarks, it was down at Heights, RV tendance at the political forum iff Tim Morse sitting at a table resources they need.’’ a pretty friendly evening. By Brian Sanders ruled that “block grant” funding held at Penny’s on the west side nearby if he could fly that heli- Both Henry and Pyle, during The forum featured the two Jackson County’s school dis- was unconstitutional and ordered of the Holton Town Square, and copter. their remarks, said they were candidates for the District 1 trict administrators are among state lawmakers to come up with after a nice barbecue meal and “I guess you aren’t qualified pro-life, but Pyle was adamant State Senate race – Republican those waiting for the Kansas a new formula for school fund- dessert, it was all politics, small- to do that,’’ said McNicholas, that he was the more pro-life incumbent Pyle of Hiawatha Supreme Court to rule on the ing during their 2017 legislative town style – mostly cordial and answering his own question. candidate citing a 2006 vote and the Demcratic Party chal- adequacy portion of a lawsuit session. But with “block grant” friendly when the candidates Another candidate said em- that Henry made as a state rep- lenger Henry of Atchison. challenging the way the Kansas funding in place through the end took turn talking. phatically that he was more resentative concerning the state Legislature funds schools — and of the current school year, school A couple times during the eve- pro-life than the other and that providing regulations for clinics Continued to Page 16 noting that this year’s enrollment administrators noted this year’s numbers could either help them FTE numbers would not affect or hurt them next year. funding in the short term. Of the three school districts in For next year, however, the KAC official assesses county roads Jackson County, only Holton saw county’s three school superinten- its full-time equivalency (FTE) dents — Holton’s Dennis Stones, By Ali Holcomb flat center and steeper sides. He suggested the county pur- On a positive note, Bowers rising from 2015-16 to 2016-17, Jackson Heights’ Adrianne Jackson County’s gravel roads “The time to correct the chase a disc that “chops up” said he didn’t notice a lot of it was reported. Royal Valley Walsh and Royal Valley’s Aaric need more crowning, according crowning is when you’re rock- four to five feet of grass to build potholes as he was touring the and Jackson Heights saw modest Davis — are eager to see what to Norm Bowers, road engineer ing a road,” Bowers said. “It’s a up the edges of the roads more. county. declines in their FTE numbers, kind of funding recommendation for the Kansas Association of gradual process unless you hap- “It would take a lot of mon- “You’re not doing a bad job based on student headcounts on comes from the Supreme Court, Counties. pen to be re-rocking the entire ey, and it’s a slow process,” he with routine maintenance,” he Sept. 20, the date for finalization although no formula is expected Bowers was invited to the road.” said. “And it seems like every- said. “This isn’t necessarily easy of the annual student enrollment in the near future. county on Monday to view the Bowers said that many coun- one wants ditches in front of stuff. Maintaining a rock road is count for school districts across “There’s a ton of formulas be- roads in order for the Jackson ties, including Jackson County, someone else’s house instead of a complicated thing.” Kansas. ing presented and batted around,” County Commissioners to get have a slope meter in their grad- theirs.” Bowers said that, in Johnson FTE numbers had previously said Stones, who noted Holton’s an “outsider’s view” of the con- ers that help the operators when Road and bridge co-supervi- County, officials were 42 times been important in determining FTE for 2016-17 had risen to dition of the county roads. working on a road. sors Eric Fritz and Earl Bahret more likely to receive a road the amount of funding that each 1,082 from the previous year’s After touring several roads “The driver needs to look at were also present during the complaint from someone on a school would receive from the 1,033.5. “I would bet the Su- in the county, Bowers reported it,” he said. “Crowning will help meeting and agreed with most rocked road compared to a resi- state, but due to “block grant” preme Court isn’t going to make to the commissioners that it’s with wet spells.” of Bowers’ assessments. dent who lived on blacktop. school funding approved by the a ruling prior to the election. I’m important to replace the blades Bowers noted that there was “He told us what we already “You’re never going to have Kansas Legislature in 2015, the thinking it will probably be done on the county motor graders of- some dirt and grass in the wind- know,” Fritz said.