The G Reat Library Book Sale
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75¢ COLBY Wednesday March 3, 2021 Volume 132, Number 34 FREEREE PRESSRESS Serving Thomas County since 1888 8 pages F P The Great Library Sale Book Great The Court’s files are blocking remodeling By Deitra Wedd going to be done with that prior to Colby Free Press our area being done at the Justice [email protected] Center. “Who’s going to start moving Thomas County commissioners our stuff, because we got a call heard Friday from District Judge that somebody needed (to work) Kevin Berens about some prob- in an area where we have secured, lems he sees coming up during confidential files, so they need to renovation project at the county be moved out. I’d have to have courthouse, including what to do staff sitting there (to watch them), with confidential files still stored because they can’t keep confiden- in the courthouse. tial stuff out in the open, and then Commissioners eventually sug- it’d have to all be put back. My gested moving old court files from staff cannot do all that work. a vault in the courthouse to locked “When the project was started, space in the county office com- we were told we could occupy plex until it can be moved to the those areas (in the courthouse) Justice Center later this year. Ev- until the project is completed, but eryone agreed to that. that has not been true from the be- Court offices were moved out ginning.” of the courthouse to leased space The judge said he was never south of Interstate 70 in South- told they needed to take every- wind Plaza in November so work thing with them when court of- could start on renovations, but fices moved, and they don’t have many files remain stored in thethe old space to store the files at the building downtown. temporary location. “What do we need to do to start “The thought process was, planning for you occupying those ‘Why move stuff multiple times areas (in the courthouse),” Judge Berens asked, “because you’re See “FILES,” Page 2 Energy costs to get state help By John Hanna Kansas with big energy bills that AP Political Writer are coming due, and advocates of the bill said some could face bank- TOPEKA – Kansas legislators ruptcy without help. moved quickly today to create a The measure had bipartisan low-interest loan program for cit- support in the Republican-con- ies to help them cover a spike in trolled Legislature, and GOP lead- Three times a year, costs associated with providing ers hoped to push the bill through Pioneer Memorial Library heat and electricity to residents both chambers Wednesday. Law- sells off unused, sur- during last month’s intense cold makers see the measure as a first plus and donated books, snap. step toward dealing with tens of which is an inexpensive A state House committee ap- millions of dollars in extra energy way to build up a per- proved a bill that would allow the costs faced by cities, businesses sonal library. A four-day state to loan out $100 million of and residential customers. sale started last Wednes- its idle funds immediately to cities Supporters of the bill said cit- day with prices averaging that have community-owned elec- ies-operated utilities saw gas pric- about 40 cents a book. tric and natural gas utilities. es during the cold snap as much “It’s about getting Sub-zero temperatures led to as 200 times higher than what they people out the door with a big spike in demand for natu- normally pay. the books,” said Melany ral gas, and other problems, such Wilks, library director. A as freezing equipment, made gas Follow John Hanna at twitter. seven-day sale in July, hard to obtain, causing prices to com/apjdhanna around the time of the jump. That left dozens of cities in Thomas County Fair, starts with higher prices that drop each day. By the end, prices are “by Colby native’s talk the sack.” The books cover about every category, from bi- ographies to fiction, -ro on Mars Curiosity mance to repair manuals and cookbooks to self- Colby native and former Mars help, with music CDs and Curiosity Rover team mem- videos on sale as well. ber Sarah Lamm will talk about EVAN BARNUM Mars exploration for the Dr. Max Colby Free Press Pickerill Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, in the Frahm Theatre on campus. Lamm will talk about Curiosity as well as the newest rover, Perse- Lawmakers look to protect businesses verance. She was a member of the team By John Hanna state’s local school districts to offer in-person saster” but lawmakers are getting fewer com- on NASA’s Curiosity Rover for and Andy Tsubasa Field classes to all of their students by March 26. plaints now. three years and worked for the Associated Press/Report for America Only a handful of the state’s 286 districts don’t “You can only go up from the bottom,” he U.S. Department of Energy’s Los plan to have a majority of their students back said. “I think things are at least trending in the Alamos National Laboratory over TOPEKA – Kansas lawmakers moved Tues- in classrooms by then, according to State De- right direction, but I would still contend that’s three summers. She was selected day to extend protections for businesses from partment of Education data. the only direction it could go.” as a 2019 Mars Generation 24 lawsuits over Covid-19, while a prominent The debates over those measures and oth- Legislators last year enacted a law to protect Under 24 Leader in STEAM and critic of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the ers rewriting the state’s emergency manage- health care providers from being sued over Space, a group of young people state’s vaccine distribution has improved in re- ment laws come amid ongoing Covid-19 in- medical decisions they made during the pan- from around the world who are Sarah Lamm cent weeks. oculations. Some Republican legislators con- demic. They also protected adult care homes breaking barriers in science, tech- The Republican-controlled Legislature is tend that distribution of vaccines is going too that followed state rules and public health di- nology, engineering, arts and math degree at Kansas State. considering several measures arising out of the slowly, pointing to federal Centers for Disease rectives and manufacturers that provided per- (STEAM) fields and bringing the Masks are required on campus. pandemic or Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s Control and Prevention data ranking Kansas sonal protective or medical equipment. sciences to the public through The free presentation can also be response to it. The Senate Judiciary Commit- near the bottom of states for doses adminis- But the general protection from lawsuits for multidisciplinary interests. watched at www.colbycc.edu/lec- tee approved a bill that would give businesses tered per 100,000 residents. stores, restaurants, bars and other businesses A 2018 graduate of Kansas State tures. an extra year of protection, until March 31, Kelly and state Department of Health and University, Lamm holds bach- The Pickerill Lecture Series is 2022, from lawsuits from customers or em- Environment officials contend that reportingSee “LAWMAKERS,” Page 2 elor’s degrees in chemistry, geolo- paid for each year by anonymous ployees who contract Covid-19 if those busi- issues have led the number of doses adminis- gy, and geography. She graduated donors. For information, contact nesses were “in substantial compliance” with tered to be underreported and the department from Colby Community College Dr. Linda Davis-Stephens at (785) public health orders. is working to fix that problem. Senate Presi- and Colby High School in 2014. 460-5528. The measure goes next to the Senate, which dent Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, Today, she is pursuing a master’s also was debating a bill to require all of the said the distribution had been a “colossal di- Page 2 Colby Free Press Wednesday, March 3, 2021 Area/State Weather Court files slow remodeling Briefly The deadline for Briefly is noon the From “FILES,” Page 1 workers are changing windows on that floorsure nobody is tampering with them. day before and for Monday’s paper, now instead of the county clerk’s floor “Iand agree with you,” Flipse said. “I feel noon Friday. Items submitted in the when we can leave it there,’” Berens said, decided to do the clerk’s floor the followingthe same frustration. We asked in our com- morning will be set up for the follow- “but the fact is, we cannot leave that stuff week. mission meetings, I said can this be done? ing day. there without my staff being harassed to “I called and they (the workers) were in- And they said we can do this with a minimal come up right now and go move something formed that the courts need a week’s notice amount of disruption to everybody. Well, I Gem Lions plan chili or spending the weekend trying to get stuff because that vault is full of stuff and it’s go- guess minimal is different to you and me moved so that the folks (contractors) have ing to take some time to move it,” she said. than it is to them, so I do feel your frustra- drive-thru Saturday access to those areas.” “Well, they wanted to know if they could tion as well.” The Gem Lions invite everyone to for He said they need to agree on a solution. have it out by Monday.” He asked if it would be an option to talk take-out-only chili, the “Covid version” “I’m tired of getting my staff up there to Harms said one of the problems they have to Willdan Energy Solutions, the contractor of a Soup Day, from 11 a.m.