Whither the weather?

Weather plays an important part in Kansas day to day life. Many of us watch the sky, the Internet, weather networks or the TV news for the latest information on changes in the weather.

State and federal agencies provide a wealth of information on climate and day-to-day weather in the Sunflower State. Here are some resources to keep on hand:

The National Weather Service in Kansas

---Dodge City NWS
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ddc/

---Goodland NWS
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/

---Kansas City NWS
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/

---Topeka NWS
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/top/

---Wichita NWS
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/

Current Kansas Road Conditions
http://511.ksdot.org/KanRoadPublic_VE/Default.aspx
(or just call 511 on your phone from anywhere in Kansas. From: Kansas Department of Transportation)

Kansas Turnpike Information
http://ksturnpike.com/travelinformation.shtml
(Click on "Weather" at the top of the screen)

NOAA Weather Radio
http://www.weather.gov/nwr/
(A nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. Includes warnings, watches and alert notices)

Kansas Weather Emergencies
http://www.kansas.gov/ksadjutantgeneral/Emergency%20Information.htm
(Information from the Kansas Adjutant General's Office)

Kansas Weather Data Library
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl/
(Kansas State University Research and Extension)

Kansas Climate Collection
http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/wdl/climate/
(Kansas State University Research and Extension)

Some Weather Images
Past
http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/wdl/climate/historicalphotoshtml/welcome.htm
Present
http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/wdl/climate/weather_images/index.htm
(Kansas State University Research and Extension)

Weather Trivia
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ddc/?n=wxtrivia
(Just for fun and a bit of education!)

Reindeer and a Sleigh on Radar?

T’was the week before Christmas
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring except for a mouse.
It glided across a pad of bright green
While web pages glowed on a glittering screen
The viewer was tracking a flight of good cheer
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be here....

For your viewing pleasure... the many faces and places that are and have been Santa Claus, brought to you by different government agencies and institutions:

Track Santa's journey around the world
http://www.norad.mil/
(North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD)

Do a search in google for letters to Santa (include the quotes in your search):
"letters to santa" site:gov
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22letters+to+santa%22+site%3Agov&aq=f&oq=

This from the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/dec08/santa.html

and this from NASA:
http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery-detail.asp?name=SantaClaus

Santa at the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/12/images/20081204-4_d-0987-515h.html

In Search of Santa (Smithsonian Institute)
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_search_santa.do

And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight....

Happy Holidays to all from the State Library of Kansas!

Child care helps

The following resources are compiled by the State library to help both parents and childcare providers in finding the assistance they need to provide Kansas kids a safe, happy, and educational environment.

Information for daycares/babysitters and those seeking them:
Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies- this site provides a list of agencies in various parts of Kansas that help parents find child care providers and they assist those providers with continuing education.
http://www.kaccrra.org/

Daycare homes and group daycare home regulations http://www.kdheks.gov/bcclr/regs/daycare_groupdaycare_regs.html

Child care licensing and registration
http://www.kdheks.gov/bcclr/index.html

Materials available for caregivers from KU Early Childhood Resource Center http://kskits.org/ecrc/

Financial help for child rearing:
Child care subsidy program from the Kansas Department of SRS
http://www.srskansas.org/ISD/ees/child_care.htm

Kansas Head Start Association- supports all 28 Head Start programs in Kansas
http://www.ksheadstart.org/

Tips for child rearing:
Kansas Parent Information Resource Center has wonderful ideas, tips, and website links to arm parents
http://www.kpirc.org/

Kindergarten in Kansas- guide for Kindergarten readiness http://www.kpirc.org/uploads/Kindergarten_in_Kansas.pdf

Parenting tools for the internet age
From the Governor’s office:
http://www.parenttools.ks.gov/default.htm
From the Attorney General’s office:
http://www.ksag.org/content/page/id/47

Kansas Parents as Teachers
http://www.kpata.org/

Job Training and Retraining

Statisticians and economic analysts have been top news makers lately pointing at figures indicating that thousands of Americans are losing their jobs at an alarming rate. Years ago Kansas set up various job training and retraining programs which have developed into a network of agencies, services and institutions ready to educate and assist Kansans in reentering the workforce. Listed below are links to some of these resources:

General Information

KansasWorks.com
https://www.kansasworks.com/ada/
(Website for posting and finding jobs in the state of Kansas)

Kansas Share Network
http://www.sharenetworkks.com/
(SHARE Network is a unique resource to help customers become self-sufficient)

Some helpful links to determine personal strengths and job areas that show a good future:
http://www.cowley.edu/student/career/occupation.html
(Cowley County Community College)

Kansas Colleges and Training Schools
http://www.kotn.org/colleges.html

Kansas Civil Service
http://www.da.ks.gov/ps/aaa/recruitment/

Kansas Unemployment Insurance System
https://www.uibenefits.dol.ks.gov/

Kansas Workforce Development Programs
http://www.skyways.kumc.edu/ksleg/KLRD/Publications/2009Briefs/j-employees-employer.pdf
(Part of the 2009 Kansas Legislator Briefing Book prepared by the Kansas Legislative Research Department. Information on programs developed by government within Kansas)

Links offered by Independence Community College
http://www.indycc.edu/abe/Sites%20for%20Educators%20Links.htm#Workforce%20Sites

Some Workforce Development Programs
Offered by Kansas Community Colleges

Barton County Community College
http://www.bartonccc.edu/communityeducation/
Workforce Training and Community Education

Colby Community College
http://www.colbycc.edu/?m=3
(Adult and Continuing Education)

Cowley County Community College
http://www.cowley.edu/training/index.html
(Workforce Development and Business & Industry Training Center)

Hutchinson Community College
http://cms.hutchcc.edu/hcc/home.aspx?menu_id=372&head_id=2886&id=3154
(Business & Industry Institute. Includes workforce development)

Johnson County Community College
http://www.jccc.edu/home/depts/001400
(Workforce, Community and Economic Development)

Kansas City Kansas Community College
http://www.kckcc.edu/academics/academicDivisions/businessAndTechnology/workforceDevelopment
(Workforce Development Department)

Neosho Community College
http://www.neosho.edu/divisions/outreach/index.asp

Allen County Community College
http://www.allencc.edu/web/service/work/work.htm
(Placement and Workforce Development)

Some Job Service Agencies in Kansas

Local and Regional Workforce Development Centers
http://kstwwiia.cprf.org/kbcn/linkswfi.asp
(Kansas Benefits Counselors Network)

Heartland Works
http://www.heartlandworks.org/
(Northeast Kansas)

Wichita Workforce Center
http://www.workforce-ks.com/

Workforce One
http://www.la1lwib.org/
(Western Kansas)

Workforce Partnership
http://www.workforcepartnership.com/
(Kansas City Metro)

The Flint Hills

The Flint Hills in central Kansas are an amazing sight no matter the time of year. It preserves our ranch heritage and tall grass prairies. Learn more about this valuable Kansas resource at the following links.
Tallgrass Prairie Maps
http://www.kansasenergy.org/KEC/FHmaps.html
(Kansas Energy Information Network)

Travel in the Flint Hills
http://kansasflinthills.travel/

Flint Hills as featured in National Geographic:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/04/tallgrass-prairie/klinkenborg-text

Flint Hills as a geologic region
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/flinthills/flinthills.html
and
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/field/flint/flint.htm

Flint Hills National Scenic Byway:
http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2095/ and
http://www.ksbyways.org/Pages/Flint/flint1.html

Symphony in the Flint Hills
http://www.symphonyintheflinthills.org/

Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/flinthills/

Kaw Mission State Historic Site
http://www.kshs.org/places/kawmission/

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
http://www.nps.gov/archive/tapr/home.htm

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF)

Recently Kansas Media announced that the U.S. Homeland Security Department was recommending Kansas as a location for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility.

"The National Bio and Agro-defense Facility -- or NBAF -- is a $451 million national defense laboratory being proposed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security proposed the lab because there is a gap in the nation’s strategy against bioterrorism -- namely in the nation’s ability to stave off and quash agricultural disease. Scientists at the facility will research biological threats and develop vaccines and other countermeasures to prevent and combat these diseases. NBAF will be America’s first line of defense in the war against animal and agricultural disease." (from KSU FAQ below)

Below are some links to information on who, what, where, why and how in regards to the NBAF:

Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.k-state.edu/media/nbaf/faq.html
(Kansas State University Media Relations)
(Other K-State Media articles: http://search.k-state.edu/?qt=nbaf)

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/editorial_0762.shtm
(U.S. Department of Homeland Security website)

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility for Kansas Heartland BioAgro Consortium
http://www.nbafinkansas.org/
(Task Force created by Governor's Executive Order to promote the Facility's location in Kansas and to inform the public of its benefits)
---Information about the Coalition
---"The NBAF Belongs in Kansas"
---Public Education Pamphlets
---News
---Frequently Asked Questions

Creation of Kansas National Bio and Agrodefense Facility Task Force
(i.e. the above Consortium)
http://www.governor.ks.gov/executive/orders/exec_order0701.htm
(Kansas Governor's Executive Order no. 07-01)

Proposed location of NBAF in Manhattan, Kansas
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/gc_1188509623607.shtm
(U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

Statements of Support regarding Kansas' Selection as Location
Senator Sam Brownback
http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=305490
Rep. Jerry Moran
http://www.jerrymoran.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1114&Itemid=107
Senator Pat Roberts
http://roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=fe4319d4-802a-23ad-4c89-6a5755965995&Region_id=&Issue_id=

Holiday Wistfulness

Do the holidays make you think of family long past or days gone by? Are you interested to see when your great grandmother got married or you think your grandfather was born in White City, or was it White Cloud, Kansas? Have you misplaced your son’s birth certificate? Kansas has resources to help you in your search through your family tree.
***

To obtain birth, marriage, divorce or death records, contact the Office of Vital Statistics (a division of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment).You can order records online at http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/index.html . Or you can contact them by phone or email at 785-296-1400 or mailto:Vital.Records@kdhe.state.ks.us?subject=Inquiry%20from%20OVS%20Web%20Site .

Did you hear that great-uncle Larry was once a Kansas representative? Then try looking through Kansas Legislators Past and Present at http://www.kslib.info/legislators/index.html .

Heritage Quest available from the State Library of Kansas is a great resource. Heritage Quest is a database that searches US federal censuses 1970-1930, family & local histories, tax lists, city directories, probate records. You can find it among the other statewide databases at http://www.kslib.info/ (click on “explore our resources”).

The Kansas State Historical Society has a wealth of great family information at
http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/index.htm

Was a relative in the military? You can search military records at http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/military/index.htm

You may want to utilize a Family History Center, available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (well known for their extensive family histories). Find the one closest to you at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp

You could try searching biographical sketches, obituaries, and other short biographies about Kansas people in various publications owned by the Kansas State Historical Society through their Kansas Biographical Name Index at
http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/individuals/nameindex.htm .

Did you see a picture of your relative someplace, somewhere? Then try searching through Kansas Memory at http://www.kansasmemory.org/