Office located at 111 E. Main, Mankato, Kansas 66956
ii
Established 1890, Volume 130, Issue No. 43
IV
11111 I!1111,
Price 50
USPS, NO. 274-940 Thursday, October 24, 2019
Rural and Remote ready for u.s:
Flag
retlrment to
Jewell County applications
be at park
By Jenny Russell
It has always been my dream that I
could work anywhere that I wanted in
rural Kansas and also be able to have
any job 1 wanted. Until now it has
definitely been easier to find jobs via
traditional means in an urban area. But
a new project through NWK Economic
Innovation Center (NWKEICI), which
Jewell County is a part of, is a game
changer in rural work. The program is
called Rural and Remote.
Rural and Remote is a job place-
ment service for rural and remote jobs.
Through a partnership with NWKEICI,
individuals locating in the 26 north-
west Kansas counties (including Jewell
County) that the Dane G. Hansen Foun-
dation serves will be provided with
free remote work training, paid intern-
ships-experience in remote work and a
12 month subscription to a job place-
ment service that has thousands of
available jobs in different skill sets.
Depending on a person's education
level and if they have worked remotely
before, a participant could skip ahead
in the process.
Available jobs for placement in-
clude technical jobs like coding, web
development, and database adminis-
tration. There are also professional jobs
in marketing, sales, telenursing and
on-line teaching. Lastly, there are ad-
ministrative jobs like executive assis-
tant, bookkeeper and customer ser-
vice. There are different job levels to
choose from too including full-time
with benefits, part-time, and freelance
work
Remote work is work done outside
of a traditional office environment. It
is work that does not require a com-
mute or working from a centralized
office. This could mean working from
home, a co-working space, or a public
space while living right here in Jewell
County. Here are some other facts about
remote working:
Globalization, new technology,
the prevalence of coworking, and in-
creased mobility described as the Open
Talent economy--have led to a higher
number of freelancers. Today, a greater
share of Americans use significant
time working outside their offices
43 percent of full-time employees
used part. of their time working re-
motely in 2016, a 4 percent increase
since 2012.
Since 2007, there's been a 115
percent increase in the number of re-
mote jobs being offered
Not everyone can be a full-time
digital nomad hopping between rural
retreats, or take the lessons of effi-
ciency. This is what Rural and Remote
provides through their certificate pro-
gram.
Most remote jobs require previous
experience in working remotely, that's
what Rural and Remote does in pro-
viding paid internships for NWK par-
ticipants.
It's easy to say, "We brought in
100 or 200 new jobs," but in many
cases, if a city focused on providing
entrepretmurship training and business
skills instead of paying to lure compa-
nies, they might have had a,greater
"return."
We can pursue this work here
becat~!qf the broadband expansion
that out~lll~ telecommunication com-
panies'~ in more than 10 years
ago. Ofi~ dines we have better internet
in Jeweil County, then people do in the
.big urban areas.
"Rural and Remote is a great solu-
tion to the question, 'What would I do
if I moved back?' and it also gives a
good solution for alumni to take ad-
vantage of to be able to make the leap
back home more plausible. Often in
rural areas, we see one spouse who has
a career in something like farming and
their spouse's career doesn't necessar-
ily translate here That's where Rural
and Remote will be a great asset, since
that person will have an abundance of
opportunities right at their fingertips.
Now people can have the benefit of
living in Jeweil County and all of the
perks about jobs located in the big city.
I would love to see Jewell County with
the most Rural and Remote workers
out of all of the 26 counties Who can
you share this opportunity with to make
that goal a reality?
To get started with the Rural and
Remote process, go to rutaland
remote.org and fill out the form on the
home page ff you have questions,
please contact jccda @ nckcn.com.
By Lyndell Hanson
The VFW Post 7830 Auxiliary
sponsoring a flag retirement ceremony -:~
at the Mankato VFW post building on,
Nov. 3. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. soups,
sandwiches, desserts and drinks
be served for a free will donation - :.
Following the lunch, the Rock
Hills Boy Scout Troop 46 and Cub
Scouts will perform a flag retirement
ceremony at the Mankato City Park.
The public is invited to attend.
r
Deb Warren and Marilynn George, (front) Kathleen Stump and Kimberly
held in Mankato. More than 30 women participated in the retreat.
Commissioners approve
purchase for new desk
The Jewell County Commissioners
met Oct. 14, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. Com-
missioners, Steve Greene, Mark
Fleming and Keith Roe were present
The letter of support for Solomon
Valley Transportation was approved
to sign.
The Domestic Awareness Month
Proclamation for October was ap-
proved
Carla Waugh request to purchase
one new desk from Navrat's Office
Products for the County Clerk's Office
was granted The desk unit has a recep-
tion station, bridge, two comer units,
full height pedestal, return shell, cre-
dential lateral file, drawer and key-
board platform for an estimated cost of
$2,925.00. This desk matches the other
desks in the county clerk's office.
Joel Elkins, general superintendent,
discussed training for personnel. Steve
Greene advised a compliment and a
complaint on the road and bridge de-
partment.
Darrell Miller, county attorney, and
Don Jacobs, sheriff, discussed the ve-
hicle ordered from Rusty Eck Ford that
hasn't been delivered. They are unsure
when it will be delivered. After calling
the dealership, they were informed the
vehicle was in storage but the delivery
date was uncertain.
Chris Petet discussed purchasing a
microwave for the break room.
Unconfirmed case of bacterial
meningitis in Jewell County
The Jewell County Health Depart-
ment was made aware of an uncon-
firmed case of bacterial meningitis in
the county. They have been working
closely with the Kansas Department
of Health & Environment (KDHE)
and medical professionals about the
situation
Preliminary lab testing was per-
formed, and it has indicated that the
bacteria found in this case is not re-
lated to Neisseria meningitidis, the
leading cause of bacterial meningitis
that is spread from person to person
through respiratory secretions. There
are other forms of bacterial meningitis
that are less likely to be spread from
person to person and are not a concern
for public safety. KDHE feels that this
case is not a public safety concern at
this time.
If you have any questions or want
additional information about bacterial
meningitis, contact the Jewell County
Health Department at 785-378-4060
or visit their Facebook page.
Jewell County Memories
October 18, 1889
O.N. Gray worked himself sick at
threshing time. It's hard for some
people to remember that they can't be
boys for 70 years.
Cholera was getting in its work on
hogs. A few days since it began on
C.C. Hinman's fhrm, it had killed about
200 hogs.
A nine-yi~ar-old son of John H.
Milhan, of Highland township, had his
hand crushed in a cane mill so that it
had to De amputated except the thumb
and forefinger.
Peter Hoffer took two stalks of com-
mon 90 day corn to town. One of which
had put forth 14 ears and the other 16.
The ears grew along the stalk as thick
as pepper pods. So much had been
undertaken that nothing had been ac-
complished in the way of sound com.
Ben McGinnis was preparing the
ground for setting an orchard in the
spring.
Waide (back) sew at the quilting retreat
Law enforcement
to collect unused
medications
Law enforcement officers at loca-
:ions across Kansas will be collecting
unused medications for safe disposal
on Saturday,
The collection events are part of a
nationwide effort to safely dispose of
leftover medications to prevent acci-
dental or intentional misuse Since the
Drug Take-Back Day program began
in 2010, more than 88 tons of un-
wanted medications have been col-
lected and destroyed in Kansas alone.
Unused medications are dangerous
for children, pets and the environment.
Diversion of opioid painkillers, in par-
ticular, can contribute to the misuse of
these drugs that has become a serious
nationwide problem. Getting leftover
medicines out of the medicine cabinets
and safely destroyed keeps them from
falling into the wrong hands and makes
our communities safer.
Medications will be accepted at
drop-off sites acrossthe state from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. To find a
location, visit www.ag.ks.gov .
The National Drug Take-Back Day
is coordinated by the federal Drug En-
forcement Administration.
Medicines that languish in home
cabinets are highly susceptible to di-
version, misuse and abuse. Nation-
wide, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)estimates opioid
overdoses kill 130 Americans every
day. According to the Kansas Depart-
ment of Health andEnvironment, phar-
maceutical opioids are a leading cause
of drug poisoning deaths in Kansas.
Studies show a majority of abused
prescription drugs are obtained from
family and friends, including from the
home medicine cabinet. In addition,
Americans are now advised that tradi-
tional methods for disposing of unused
medicines - flushing them down the
toilet or throwing them in the trash -
pose potential safety and health haz-
ards and should be avoided.
Unused prescril~tibns can be turned
in year-round at .many local law en-
forcement locations: l~nsans should
contact their~ local she, Hff's office or
police department ~:jn~ -informa-
tion. -; ~:: ~,;~ ~:i~~.i~,".~.~;~;hf', :.~ .''
Jewell
apartment
board meets
The Jewell Apartments Board of
Directors met at 7:15 p.m. on Monday
Oct. 7, at the city hall.
Attending the meeting were Darrell
Bohnert, Josh Burks, Max Burks, Derek
Birdsell, Wade Wilson, Gaye Daniels,
Shelby Bohnert and Jacque Williams.
Jacque Williams presented her
monthly report. After a recent building
inspection, it was determined a few
windows will need to be replaced that
are still under warranty. Williams is
also continuing to seek bids to replace
the fire alarm panel.
Remodeling of Room 100 will be-
gin in the next month, once supplies
have been ordered ,
Foundation
applications due by
November Ist
The fall round of local Dane G.
Hansen grants are due Nov. 1. Jewell
County municipalities and non-profit
organizations are eligible to apply for
money toward community projects that
utilize volunteers. To find the applica-
tion and criteria, go to http://
jewellcountykansas.com/jewell-
county-community-foundation-apply.
Thanks to those who donate to the
Jewell County Community Founda-
tion during the March Match Month.
The Jewell County Community Foun-
dation now has funds to contribute to
Match Month totaling more than $6,000
in the last two grant rounds. Money
that is raised and matched during Match
Month is held in a permanent fund
where the interest will go to support
local Jewell County projects.
In addition to Match Month dona-
tions given to the unrestricted fund and
matched by Dane G. Hansen during"
March, here are other ways to donate:
Establish a fund that supports
something in your community that you
are passionate about
Give a living gift any time of year,
but it's most beneficial when it's
doubled in Match Month
Consider the foundation in your
estate planning. Think of your com-
munity as another one of your children
or commit as little as 5 percent of your
estate to the community (95 percent to
your heirs.
Consider a donation of grain, cattle,
or land. Cash is not the only thing that
the foundation can accept.
Because of Jewell County's par-
ticipation in the Strategic Doing pro-
cess each year, Dane G. Hansen Foun-
dation makes a commitment to infuse
up to $50,000 to be awarded in the
spring and in the fall. The funds will
support immediate needs for local com-
munity grants and build or grow per-
manent funds for future community
grants. Follow the Jewell County Com-
munity Development Facebook page
for details.
The foundation is excited to see
applications from Jewell County non-
profits and municipalities in the grant
round open now and due Nov. 1. Ap-
ply at http://jewellcounty kansas.corn/
jewell-county-community-foundation-
apply/
Last Thursday, VFW members and "Friends of the Park" installed the new flag pole the northwest corner at the i
east shelter house. The city of Mankato will be responsible for the flag :'
Mankato city employees dug the hole for a new flag pole at the Mankato City Park. Todd Meehan and Gerald
McAtee poured the concrete for the base.
Last Thursday, VFW members and "Friends of the Park" installed the new flag pole at the northwest corner at the east shelter house. Those who helped
7830.included (from left) Becky and Herman Hernandez of Moonlight Workshop and Todd Meehan, Gerald McAtee and Lyndell Hanson of the Mankato VFW post
