75¢ COLBY Wednesday March 5, 2014 Volume 125, Number 36 Serving Thomas County since 1888 10 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS Highway closure starts soon By Steve Haynes ing and improving the road and [email protected] ditches over the winter, mixing asphalt millings into the surface in State officials say they’ll give some places, with more available. priority to emergency workers and Road Supervisor Paulette Feldt people who live along the high- said after the crew gets it bladed way after K-23 closes between the and more millings worked into the U.S. 83 junction east of Selden surface this month, it should be and Hoxie next month. able to handle the traffic. Top regional officials of the She noted that the county pro- Kansas Department of Transpor- hibits heavy trucks from using its tation and representatives of the roads unless they need to pick up contractors who will do the work or deliver on one, but there is a met with 50 to 70 city and coun- lot of truck traffic around the feed ty officials, emergency workers, yard. farmers living along the road and “I’d be aware of the truck traf- others earlier this month to talk fic that goes down that one,” she about the closing and how it will said. “It’s going to be a good road, be handled. though.” Work is scheduled to start on Another unmarked detour is Monday, March 17, with the erec- Thomas County Road 36, a six- Fun times, serious issue tion of signs in the morning and mile paved route which runs south closing the road about midday. from U.S. 83 at Rexford to U.S. Alisa Finley, a Colby Contractors have six months, until 24. High School senior mid-September, to complete the The first question at the meet- with an aggressive work. ing, from a farmer, was if people brain tumor, marked The official detour will be will be able to cross the highway a pie war off her marked on U.S 83 through Selden during construction. Travis Scott, bucket list last week and Rexford to the “Nine-Mile” district construction engineer from (above) at the school. junction east of Colby, then back Norton, said yes, for the most part. Her classmates east to Hoxie on U.S. 24. The Crossings will be kept open for all watched as Brock route is nearly 47 miles, more than county roads except when actual Wagoner (right), a double the 18.7 mile trip between work requires them to be closed. musician with the U.S. 83 and Hoxie. That should be only for a day or Mama’s Boys, sang However, area residents are two at a time, he added. her a solo, something expected to use the “Feedyard Crews will keep some kind of else she has always Road,” marked as Road 70W, be- access open to all homes along the wanted. KWCH News tween Selden and U.S 24. That highway, he said, though it may Channel 12 (below) route is about 21 miles total, with just lead to an east-west county dropped by to inter- 11.25 miles of gravel road. That road. And farmers who need ac- view Alisa, her mother segment, which runs south from cess to fields will be taken care of Theresa Cable-Finley the west side of Selden, is marked as well. and stepfather Robert as Sheridan County Highway 481, Scott described the process for Finley. but some of the signs are faded. County crews have been grad- MICHELLE MORRIS See “HIGHWAY,” Page 2 Fotogirl Audit report reveals mistakes By Sam Dieter deficiencies” in its audit. Colby Free Press One of the deficiencies resulted [email protected] from the inability of the college to show the firm an accurate record Colby Community College of how accounts receivable, mon- trustees received the report on ey students and others owe the the annual audit of the college’s college, have aged recently. The finances at a special meeting last firm said the college should check Tuesday morning and learned these accounts regularly and have about half a dozen problems with a policy for writing off those that the college’s bookkeeping and ac- can’t be collected. counting. The audit said Glenda Over- The firm said it found some sig- street, vice president of financial nificant mistakes in the way the affairs, is aware of this problem, way the college does its finances, and in fact, since she started work- not properly tracking the money ing, she has updated the trustees on it is owed by students or keep- her efforts to collect old accounts, ing close enough track of revenue mainly from former students. She coming in from student tuition and pointed out last year that the col- fees. Most originated in turnover lege still had $2 million in old ac- in the financial aid office, where counts, mostly left over from past all three employees left last July. students. The college was owed Several files have not been re- over $2 million, including tuition, viewed properly in the past, the last month, but only $533,183 in report said. Smaller problems in- January. clude not properly updating a na- The college had not reconciled tional database on which students the revenue coming from student are getting financial and not keep- tuition, fees and housing contracts ing monthly and yearly track of written down on its general ledger certain funds. with the credit hours and records Except for changes in the date, of students enrolled at the time. the trustees approved the same au- The final deficiency was due dit from the financial firm Adams, to employee turnover, the report Brown, Beran and Ball that they said. Old student files had not looked at in their regular meet- been maintained, and in four of Death penalty bill fought ing Feb. 18. Accountant Michelle the 60 federal Perkins Loan files Ryan came to the special meeting the firm reviewed, it could not find TOPEKA (AP) – Kansas death penalty is currently no time limit. A House committee was to hear testimony to give the report. She said the re- the students’ exit interviews. opponents say a bill that would shorten the Some legislators and the Kansas Coalition on the proposal this afternoon. port usually comes about this time A smaller problem brought up appeals process amount to a “leaky Band-Aid” Against the Death Penalty argued Wednesday Kansas reinstated the death penalty in 1994 of year, but that work on financial by the audit came as a result of on a broken system. that the changes would increase the chances an but has not carried out any executions. aid records had delayed the audit the college not reporting to the The state Senate approved a bill last month innocent person will be executed. slightly. National Loan Database System setting a limit of three years and six months for Supporters say death penalty appeals take The audit identified three “ma- often enough to cross check if stu- the Kansas Supreme Court to hear and decide too long for the state to complete under the terial weaknesses” and three more an appeal of a death penalty conviction. There current structure. pressing issues it calls “significant See “AUDIT,” Page 2 Page 2 Colby Free Press Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Area/State Weather Studio Friday looks western Briefly Sculptor and cowboy artist The deadline for Briefly is noon the day before. Items submitted in the Sue Krehbiel will be featured morning will be set up for the following day, space available. The deadline during Studio Friday at Colby for Monday’s paper is noon Friday. Community College this week. Krehbiel will be working on Church collecting toys, cloths for kids her projects from 9 a.m. to noon Colby Wesleyan Church is seeking donations and clients for Kid’s Clos- and 1 to 3 p.m. next Friday in et, a new ministry that lets parents shop for free children’s clothes, toys and the art room in Ferguson Hall. other supplies from donated items. For information or to donate, contact People are encouraged to come Heather Alwin at 269-7603 or [email protected]. watch, or to bring their own works to display or work on at this free event. Red Cross plans blood drive here National Weather Service The artist says she grew up The American Red Cross will have a blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a on a central Ohio grain and live- Tuesday, March 18, and 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at low around 26. Southeast wind stock farm. As the youngest of the Community Building. Call (800) 733-2767 or go to redcrossblood.org 5 to 10 mph becoming south- five children, her summers were to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome. west after midnight. filled with farm chores and 4-H Thursday: Mostly sunny, with livestock projects. While visit- The art of Sue Krehbiel, featured this week at Studio Friday, Conservation district has trees to sell a high near 67. Southwest wind ing an older brother when he focuses on western themes. The Thomas County Conservation District is taking orders for conserva- 10 to 15 mph. worked on a custom harvest- tion-grade and potted trees until Wednesday, March 26. Costs range from Thursday Night: Partly ing crew, she fell in love with auction and realty business. sculpting classes at Hutchin- $1.65 to $80 each for pines, junipers, shrubs, shade and fruit trees and cloudy, with a low around 36.