Talking is better than bombing

Chuck Kurtz

Third District Congressman Kevin Yoder, R-Kansas, says he has “grave concerns” about the nuclear deal negotiated in Geneva, Switzerland, between Iran and the P5+1 — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which includes the United States, plus Germany.

If that’s a surprise to anyone, well, you better pull your head out of the political sand and  get back into the real world because the political BS just never ends.

Who does your congressman listen to: Koch brothers, Cantor or you?

Do something you idiots!

It’s the third day of the government shutdown and stock prices are plunging, down nearly 180 points at lunchtime.

Now, I’m not a smart politician like those folks in Washington, all who say they are listening to their constituents and doing what they can to put the government back to work while pointing fingers at, well, at anyone who happens to be near. I’m not part of the rich and powerful who say they know what’s best for me and other Americans, especially those poor furloughed government employees who now have to try and figure out how to put food on the table for their kids and pay the monthly bills while the majority of our elected officials continue to draw their monthly paycheck.

Even Congressman Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., a conservative who is about as right-winged as a person can get politically, obviously is totally out of touch with what’s going on because of the shutdown. In a television news interview, Huelskamp told the reporter that the sun has come up, people are going about their business, the stock market hadn’t closed, and everything is just fine.

796 take part in Olathe Kids Fishing Derby

Nearly 800 registered anglers crowded the shoreline at Cedar Lake Park in southwest Olathe for the 32nd Annual Free Olathe Kids Fishing Derby on June 15. Photo by Chuck Kurtz

When the last fish was pulled out of the water and after all the fishing poles had been secured, 10-year-old Olathe angler, Jenna Morris, had hooked the largest catch of the day, a 26-1/2-inch catfish, at the 32nd Annual Free Olathe Kids Fishing Derby last Saturday, June 15, at Cedar Lake Park in southwest Olathe.

The Derby is for youngsters 3 to 15 years old and seniors 60 and older. Morris’ catch earned her the trophy for the Girls 9-15 Division. She was one of five trophy winners and among the 796 registered anglers that included just more than 44 seniors.

Voters approve Olathe bond election

Olathe School District patrons have approved a $244.8 million mail-in bond election by 77 percent of the vote, according to Johnson County Election Office officials.

To view the election results, click here.

The bond proposal will touch every school in the district. Major projects of this bond election include:

MNU prof starts Math Circles for middle school teachers

Remember your middle school math classes? Whether you excelled in them or not, you probably thought your teacher lived and breathed the subject.

But Dr. Mark Brown, associate professor of mathematics at MidAmerica Nazarene University, says even math teachers sometimes need to be reinvigorated about the subject they teach. That’s why he’s starting Heartland Math Teachers’ Circle and kicking off the project with a five-day workshop for middle school math teachers and mathematicians, June 24-28.

Area math teachers from as far away as Topeka will join Brown and other mathematicians in solving math problems and developing effective mathematical practices for the classroom. Tied to the standards for mathematical practice of the Kansas College and Career Ready Standards (similar to the Common Core State Standards), the conference will cover skills students need today.