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KU News: Media invited to KU Innovation Park Phase III ribbon-cutting on Aug. 17

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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Contact: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-864-8858, [email protected]
Media invited to KU Innovation Park Phase III ribbon-cutting on Aug. 17
LAWRENCE — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and other leaders will join the University of Kansas on Aug. 17 to celebrate KU’s economic development efforts.

A ribbon-cutting event for the KU Innovation Park Phase III Expansion Facility will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the new building at 2029 Becker Drive in the university’s West District. This is near the intersection of 19th and Iowa streets.

While the event is not open to the public, members of the media are invited to attend. No parking permits are required for KU Innovation Park lots.

At the event, Kelly and Moran are scheduled to make presentations, as are Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, representatives from partner organizations and LaVerne Epp, the KU Innovation Park executive chair.

The KU Innovation Park is an economic development organization and business incubator that provides lab, office and coworking facilities to support innovation-driven and technology-focused companies and entrepreneurs.

The Phase III building encompasses 66,000 square feet of lab and office space adjacent to the main facility. Its opening kicks off a 15-year plan for the development of a major research and business park in KU’s West District.

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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

KU News: New associate vice chancellor for federal relations to begin work Aug. 15

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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Contact: Andy Hyland, Office of Public Affairs, 785-864-7100, [email protected], @UnivOfKansas
New associate vice chancellor for federal relations to begin work Aug. 15

LAWRENCE — Kyle Christian will join the University of Kansas as associate vice chancellor for federal relations beginning Aug. 15.

He brings significant legislative experience and a deep knowledge of the federal funding process to the position. He joins the university from Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global life sciences leader, where he helped lead federal government engagement for the company.

Before that, he served as a lead policy adviser for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, where he directed policy and funding for health care, education and appropriations issues. He has also served as a policy adviser across a broad range of issues for former U.S. Rep. Mary Bono.

Originally from Overland Park, Christian is a KU alumnus, earning undergraduate degrees from KU in political science and history before going on to earn a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College.

“I am thrilled to return to my alma mater and play a role in the future of the university, driving forward research and related partnerships and further establishing KU’s position in the higher education community,” he said. “It is an honor to lead federal engagement for the University of Kansas, and I look forward to growing support from the federal government for the incredible work taking place across all KU campuses.”

Chancellor Douglas A. Girod said Christian would be instrumental in KU’s efforts to engage with the Kansas congressional delegation, partner with federal funding agencies, advocate for access and affordability for students, and to raise KU’s profile in the national higher education community.

“I am pleased to welcome Kyle to his new position, and I know that his broad range of experience in Washington paired with his deep passion for our university and its critical role in society will help us to advance our goals on Capitol Hill,” Girod said. “Please join me in welcoming him to KU.”

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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

Tickets available to Support Hospice of Reno Co Annual Festival of Remembrance

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The 21st annual Festival of Remembrance, Hospice Reno County’s largest yearly fundraiser, will be held Friday, August 19th, 6pm, at Prairie Dunes Country Club. You can support this fundraiser either in person or by participating in silent auction bidding.

Raffle tickets to win the 2019 Ford Fusion, donated by Mel Hambelton Ford are still available online. Pre-sale ticket sales close Sunday, August 15th at noon. Five pre-sale participants will be chosen and announced Monday, August 15th live on KWBW radio morning show. Five additional participants will be selected the night of the event. All ten participants will be given a key the night of the event, with one winner holding the winning key.

Auction items include trips, excursions, electronics, home goods, wine, furniture and more. Grand raffle items this year are $1000 cash, a $500 Dillons gift certificate, and a $500 Jackson Meat gift certificate. Raffle tickets for the items and car are available for pre-sale purchase online and are available in person on the night of the event.

More information on the 21st Annual Festival of Remembrance can be found at www.hutchregional.com/hospice-homecare-of-reno-county/

 

Conservatives opposing ‘woke’ culture win seats on the Kansas Board of Education

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By Suzanne Perez
KMUW

Conservatives frustrated with Kansas public school policies won seats on the state Board of Education on Tuesday and could push to reshape the lessons taught in schools.
Two Republican members of the board were ousted by challengers who spoke out against lessons on racism, sexuality and gender identity. They also say parents should have more control over what happens in classrooms.
“A lot of people are concerned about indoctrination instead of education,” said Dennis Hershberger, who defeated incumbent Ben Jones in central Kansas. “Things in the classroom are much more about creating a society that most people and most parents don’t agree with, and academics is taking a backseat.”
It was a distinct change from what are normally low-interest, low-turnout races for the board, which sets education policy and academic standards for schools across the state.
There is not a Democratic challenger in any of the three races, so the conservative challengers, along with moderate board Chairman Jim Porter, have secured seats on the board.
Hershberger, who lives near Yoder, is chairman of the Reno County Republican Party and defeated Jones by about 9,000 votes.
In District 5 in western Kansas, incumbent Jean Clifford of Garden City lost by about 5,000 votes to Cathy Hopkins of Hays, who ran unsuccessfully last fall for a seat on the Hays school board.
Porter held off a primary challenge from Luke Aichele, a McPherson barber who opened his business in defiance of COVID-19 protocols in 2020. Porter represents District 9 in southeast Kansas.
Dennis Hershberger, who lives near Yoder, won the District 7 seat on the Kansas Board of Education, ousting incumbent Ben Jones.
Hershberger, a former nurse and truck driver, said Wednesday that his primary victory reflects widespread frustration over plummeting test scores and the state of public schools in general.
Hershberger and his wife primarily homeschooled their four children, though one graduated from a private Christian school. He thinks the Kansas board is “rubber-stamping” decisions by Education Commissioner Randy Watson and should have more direct control over schools.
Hershberger decried what he calls “woke” leanings in public education, including efforts to be more inclusive and welcoming of trans students.
“I mean, it’s just common sense. God created man and woman, and now we have a culture that is telling us that that is not even reality anymore,” he said.
“I have a biblical worldview. I believe that God put things in order to work a certain way, and now a lot of that is at risk.”
School board meetings across Kansas have become battlegrounds for protests about mask mandates, critical race theory and other issues. Last fall, races for local school board seats drew more attention than usual, as well as high-profile endorsements and national PAC money.
In Wichita, three of four conservative candidates won seats on the school board. In the Derby district just south of Wichita, a conservative majority took over in January and immediately lifted mask mandates. Weeks later, several board members took issue with a principal who showed a video about white privilege.
Conservative candidates running for the state board raised similar issues, though not via most traditional media. Hershberger and Hopkins, two of the primary winners, told The Sentinel newsletter last month that they would support arming teachers.
“I would entertain supporting the removal of gun-free zones. Bragging that there are defenseless children and adults within the walls makes zero sense,” Hopkins told The Sentinel, a media arm of the conservative Kansas Policy Institute. “Teachers and staff have Second Amendment rights, too.”
Hershberger said warnings should be posted at school entrances that “any violent intent will be met with deadly force.”
Hershberger said he favors school voucher systems like one in Indiana, which was expanded last year to include most middle-class families. Such systems let parents enroll their children in private schools, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their education.
“The money should follow the child, right? … They (Indiana) have been doing it successfully for 10 years, and I don’t understand why everybody isn’t doing that,” he said.
Members of the Kansas Board of Education serve four-year terms. They set subject-area standards but do not make specific curriculum decisions — those are up to local school boards.
The board also doesn’t make decisions about school funding. Those issues are handled by the Kansas Legislature and governor.
Two more seats on the 10-member board are up for election in November.
Democrat Jeffrey Howards will face Republican Danny Zeck for the District 1 seat currently held by Janet Waugh. That district includes northeast Kansas and part of Topeka.
In District 3, which covers much of the Kansas City suburbs, incumbent Republican Michelle Dombrosky will face Democrat Sheila Albers.
https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-08-03/conservatives-opposing-woke-culture-win-seats-on-the-kansas-board-of-education

https://www.kmuw.org/2022-08-03/conservatives-opposing-woke-culture-win-seats-on-the-kansas-board-of-education

Building a Legacy of Auction: Lonny McCurdy Inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame

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tammiehoeme
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One of the highest honors an auctioneer can receive is to be inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. This year, you may recognize one of the inductees as Lonny McCurdy, founder of McCurdy Real Estate & Auction. Only three auctioneers are inducted each year after being nominated and then selected by a committee. Lonny was recognized for his achievements, leadership, and impact within the auction industry.
“I feel truly honored. I am so thankful for everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years… they made this all possible,” remarked Lonny.
Lonny and his wife, Annette, opened McCurdy Auction forty years ago in 1982. However, Lonny started auctioneering long before that – his first auction was at the age of 14. His father, a part-time automobile auctioneer who owned and operated a car dealership, was the one who inspired and began Lonny’s career as an auctioneer.
He continued to gain auction experience and knowledge throughout high school and college and graduated from Emporia State University with a degree in business administration. Afterward, he married his high school sweetheart, Annette, and they moved to Wichita where he worked in banking for 12 years.
Even as a Vice President in banking, Lonny never stopped auctioneering. His part-time auction business was growing, so in 1982, he and Annette fulfilled their dream of owning a full-time auction business and opened McCurdy Auction Service. They conducted a variety of auctions such as household, farm machinery, business liquidations, real estate, coin collections, and many others.
As a new business with three young children, McCurdy Auction has always been centered around family. From their kids helping at auctions at the young age of five, to eventually promoting them to CEO and COO, McCurdy is a family business through and through. Both Lonny and Annette grew up in family-owned businesses, and the same business principles and foundation they lived by, such as sticking to the Golden Rule, are still considered crucial business practices today.
“Dad [Lonny] always taught us to not worry about making a living but to worry about treating people right and taking care of them, and you will always make a living that way,” remarks Megan McCurdy Niedens, COO, and auctioneer.
Added to their auction family in 1986 was Rick Brock, a rookie auctioneer with a desire to learn the business.
Lonny taught Rick all he knew, and soon they became great friends.
Today, Lonny’s dream of a small family business has flourished into a full-service auction company conducting over 500 auctions a year, reaching bidders in almost all 50 states with nearly 40 staff members. McCurdy has repeatedly been recognized as Small Business of the Year in Wichita, one of the Best Places to Work, Wichita’s Top Auction Firm, and has been awarded over 90+ National Marketing Awards from the NAA.
Lonny never forgets the role the Wichita community plays in this success. He has a passion to give back and has helped raise over $45 million for different local charity organizations through benefit auctions and fundraisers.
Lonny McCurdy is a man of integrity, grit, and compassion. It shows in his work, his management style, and simply in the way he treats anyone and everyone. He takes pride in getting to work with his two children, his wife of over 50 years, and one of his best friends.
Congratulations to Lonny, a pioneer who has truly created a legacy of auction.

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