Translinesexpress May 29, 2013
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Translines EXPRESS May 29, 2013 Example of Excellence Congratulations to the KDOT employees from District Five and District Six who worked together to organize a snowplow relay on Feb. 21 from Jetmore to Wichita during a major snow storm to help safely transport a patient with a medical emergency. For their efforts, they were honored as an Example of Excellence for the first quarter of 2013. Secretary Mike King made the presentation in Dodge City on May 17. Nomination forms for the second quarter of 2013 are due June 30. KTA Legislature Back to work: Most members of the Kansas Legislature returned to To- peka on Tues- day to resume debate on the tax and bud- get bills that are needed to wrap the 2013 session. KDOT leaders are closely monitoring the debate over continuation of the state’s one-cent sales tax, passed Westar Energy crews hoisted a giant flag May 20 at the Kansas in 2010 to help get the state through the Turnpike’s Topeka service area in preparation for the arrival of recession, and the debate on the budget, several hundred motorcyclists traveling cross-country to the which is heavily reliant on the tax decision. Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The annual Run for the Beginning July 1, KDOT is to begin receiv- Wall event celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. At the wall, ing four-tenths-cent sales tax revenue to the riders placed wreaths in advance of Memorial Day. help fund T-WORKS. Weight Loss Challenge Way to go!: The Fort Scott Finishers lost a collective adding that since he likes to cook he initially found the 291.7 pounds and recorded the second largest weight challenge difficult. Coffman said that he didn’t take the loss percentage statewide (18.98 percent), claiming the competition seriously at first, but got into the full spirit $5,000 second-place prize in the Governor’s Weight when he saw how well each weigh-in was going. Loss Challenge. Team members from the Subarea office Schnichels cut out pretzels on the advice of Dr. Ann. were: Norval Schnichels (supervisor), captain; Charley Clay eliminated bread, sweets and pasta from his diet Clay, John Clark, Don Coffman and Roy Widmar. and concentrated on turkey and vegetables. Widmar “Most of us just set a weight goal,” of summed up the team’s efforts: “If it losing so many pounds during the Janu- Check out a video on the tastes good, spit it out.” ary 15 – May 15 competition, according Fort Scott Finishers at http:// Each team member took a long walk to Clay. As the weeks went on, the team youtu.be/q5mPLxsYHyM every day. And what a difference diet realized it had an excellent chance of win- and exercise made: Schnichels lost 63 ning the challenge, coming in 10th place after one weigh- pounds; Clay, 65; Clark, 88; Coffman, 27; and Widmar, in, and then sixth place with only several weeks left. 48. They plan to remain on their regimen and lose even “We lost 103 pounds in the last three weeks,” said more weight in the months to come. Schnichels. Mary Wynn, an RN at Mercy Hospital-Fort “We pretty much had fun with it,” said Widmar. Even Scott, served as the team’s official weight loss tracker. more fun awaits when the reward check arrives – with “I just backed off the starches and exercised,” said Clark, $1,000 in it for each Finisher. At left, before photos of the Fort Scott team Charley Clay Roy Widmar Norval Schnichels John Clark Don Coffman Following the Gov- ernor’s Weight Loss Challenge Roy Wid- mar, second from left, attempts to feed Nor- val Schnichels a cel- ery stick as they pose for a picture. From left, the Fort Scott Fin- ishers, Charley Clay, Widmar, Schnichels, John Clark and Don Coffman. Strong finish:The Fort Scott Finishers may have sTeam Counterbalance, 15th place - lost 131.90 pounds finished second overall in the Governor’s Weight Loss and 11.08 percent of their body weight. Challenge but five other teams from KDOT were in the sThe Big Aroundabouts, 19th place - lost 123.10 pounds top 25 as well. and 10.22 percent of their body weight. sThe Belly Dumpers, third place - lost 208 pounds and Congrats to all of KDOT’s big losers and if you are look- 17.77 percent of their body weight. ing to keep those pounds off or get involved for the first sTeam Number 51, 11th place - lost 140.6 pounds and time this summer there will be a program called “Move 11.77 percent of their body weight. Across Kansas.” Look for details in the coming weeks. sThe Bariatric Avengers, 13th place - lost 171 pounds If you would like to know how all the teams finished in and 11.42 percent of their body weight. the competition, the link is http://www.weightloss.ks.gov/. District Six At left, Secretary Mike King joins Roy Cessna, Garden City Vice-Mayor, and several local dig- nitaries to mark the completion of a project at the intersection of U.S. 50/83/400 and Schulman Avenue in Gar- den City. District Six activities: Secretary Mike King helped cut the ribbon at a ceremony in Garden City on May 17 to mark the re-opening of the Garden City Bypass (U.S. 50/83/400) and Schulman Avenue. The project, which added turning lanes and a traffic signal, is designed to improve access to the new Schulman Crossing retail development east of the bypass. The first phase of the development is anchored by a Menard’s store, which is expected to open by the end of May. Secretary King cited the economic benefits of the inter- section project, saying, “Investing more than $3 million here was an easy decision. This is exactly the sort of opportunity we look for when it comes to spending our economic development dollars.” The ribbon cutting was part of Secretary King’s three-day Secretary Mike King takes control of a plane in the tour across District Six, which included stops at several flight simulator at the Spencer Flight and Education KDOT Subareas and the Spencer Flight and Education Center in Scott City. Center in Scott City. used to build the center came from KDOT’s Airport Im- The Spencer Center has several computer stations for provement Program. flight training and a flight simulator and was built in honor Secretary King ended his southwest Kansas tour by of the four members of the Spencer family of Scott City, handing out Example of Excellence awards in Dodge who died in a plane crash in 2011. A portion of the funds City. Trivia! Have an idea for a news For Kansas tornadoes in 2012 brief or picture that 1. How many tornadoes were recorded in Kansas on April 14? could be featured in an A. 13 B. 23 C. 33 D. 43 upcoming edition of 2 How many tornadoes were recorded for the entire month of April? Translines Express? 3. When was the first tornado of the year? When was the last? Please e-mail your 4.How many tornadoes were recorded in Kansas for the entire year? suggestions to Was it more or less that the 10-year average? [email protected] Answers are below District One Honoring veterans: Highway signs honoring two Kansas killed in Vietnam more than four decades ago were unveiled May 20 in Marysville. The signs will designate two bridges in honor of Sgt. Joseph A. Zutterman Jr. and Spc. Michael T. Martin. The bridge west of Marysville on U.S. 36 will be designated the “SGT Joseph A. Zut- terman Jr. Memorial Bridge” and the bridge the south side of Marysville on U.S. 77 will be designated the “SP4 Michael T. Martin Memorial Bridge.” During the 2012 legislative session, a bill to name the bridges was intro- duced by Rep. Sharon Schwartz, passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback on May 17, 2012. Secretary Mike King, local officials and family members unveiled the “SGT Joseph A. Zutterman Jr. Memorial Bridge” and the “SP4 Michael T. Martin Memorial Bridge” signs at a May 20 ceremony in Marysville in the photos at right. TRIVIA ANSWERS 1. D. 43 – the second highest amount in one day since 1950. 2. 52 tornadoes, surpassing the old April record of 46 set in 1964. 3. Feb. 28 in Jewell County; Sept. 17 in Shawnee County. 4. 94 tornadoes in 2012 – that’s 18 below the 10-year average of 112. District Six Large turnout for Sitka Junction meeting: More than 60 people attended a public meeting in Ashland on May 16 to review a proposed improve- ment project at the junction of highways U.S. 160, U.S. 183 and K-34, known locally as the “Sitka Junction.” The junction has been the site of multiple accidents over the years, some of which resulted in fatalities. A hill directly east of the inter- Kris Norton, road design engineer, explains proposed improvements to the section limits sight distance “Sitka Junction” at a public meeting in Ashland on May 16. and KDOT is developing a project that would shift U.S. 160 slightly to the south and lowed visitors to get more of a “driver’s-eye view” of what lower part of the hill. Those who attended the meeting the future highway junction could look like. KDOT hopes reviewed displays that provided an aerial overview of the to begin construction on these improvements in 2015, proposed project and a three-dimensional model that al- depending on funding.