Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Aviation in Kansas

The aviation industry has played and continues to be a vital part of the Kansas economy. Below are links to resources on aviation in Kansas as well as news stories on recent events concerning aviation in Kansas.

HISTORY

Wings over Kansas
A website that gives reports, reviews, and detailed histories of various aspect of aviation history.
http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/history/list.asp

Kansas Aviation Museum
A great all around resource for a wide variety of aviation history in Kansas.
http://www.kansasaviationmuseum.org/

Aviation and Aviators in Kansas
From The Kansas Historical Society’s Kansapedia. Gives information on famous Kansans that werein the forefront of developing the aeronautics industry in Kansas. Also includes information on some corporations.


MAJOR AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS IN KANSAS TODAY

HawkerBeechcraft

http://www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/

Wikipedia entry for Beechcraft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft

The Boeing Company
http://www.boeing.com/

Wikipedia entry for Boeing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing

Bombardier Learjet
http://www.learjet.com/en/3_0/3_2/3_2_1/3_2_1.jsp

Learjet in Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learjet

Cessna Aircraft Company
http://www.cessna.com/

Cessna in Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna

General Wikipedia entry on Aircraft manufacturing in Wichita
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita,_Kansas

Kansas Department of Transportation / Division of Aviation
For up to date commercial information on the what the government of Kansas is doing in aviation, this is the best resource.
http://www.ksdot.org/divaviation/

RECENT EVENTS CONCERNING AIR MANUFACTURER OPERATION IN KANSAS

Governor Brownback's Press Releases
The following link will provide a cite where you can get
press releases from the Governor concerning recent events.
https://governor.ks.gov/media-room/media-releases

The Wichita Eagle has covered recent events concerning Boeing leaving Wichita. Here is a link to many of the Stories. You can use their search function to locate others.
http://www.kansas.com/search_results?aff=1100&q=boeing+leaving+wichita&submit.x=12&submit.y=7&submit=Search

Airports in Kansas
Kansas has one large commercial airport, and many smaller airports. There is a regional airport being developed in Garden City With the help of federal funds.

Kansas Airport Directory
http://www.ksdot.org/divaviation/PDF_Pic_Pages/Binder1.pdf

Mid-Continent Airport – Wichita
Wichita is serviced by various airlines, the main carrier has been AirTran, which was bought by Southwest Airlines. Southwest has Agreed to continue service to Wichita. Here are some links from The Wichita Eagle that will provide more information.
http://www.kansas.com/search_results?aff=1100&q=southwest+airlines&submit.x=31&submit.y=7&submit=Search

Mid-Continent Airport website (Wichita)
http://www.flywichita.org/

Garden City Regional Airport in the news
http://www.gctelegram.com/news/American-Eagle-Announcement-1-17-12

More articles on Garden City’s Airport
http://www.kansas.com/search_results?aff=1100&q=garden+city+regional+airport&submit.x=15&submit.y=6&submit=Search

The Garden City Regional Airport website
http://www.fly2gck.com/gcrawebsite/homepage/homepagelayout.html?homepagecontent/main/main.html

Article contact: Tom Roth
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Enjoy Kansas at 151

It is hard to believe, but Kansas is already coming up on another birthday - the 151st.

It's a good time to remember that the website of the Kansas State Historical Society offers rich resources for those who enjoy interesting trips in Kansas, online shopping, and online exhibits.

On the Visit page online visitors can learn more about Kansas Historic sites and where they are located. Kansans can plan day trips or short vacations by region of the state at Travel by Region:

High Plains
U.S. 36
Flint Hills
Wooded Hills
East I-70

or by special interest in Travel by Theme:

Civil War
American Indians
African Americans
Forts & trails
Kansas families
Nature
Missions
Diners

Without driving at all, Kansans can vist a variety of online exhibits on the Historical Society's Exhibit Page. These include:

All That Glitters: Dressing Up & Stepping Out
Beyond Lewis and Clark: The Army Explores the West
Carry A. Nation:The Famous and Original Bar Room Smasher
Forces of Nature
From Far Away Russia: Russian-Germans in Kansas
Game Faces: Kansans in Sports
Sinners and Saints: Vice and Reform in Kansas
They're Playing Our Song: Community Bands in Kansas
Willing to Die for Freedom: A Look Back at Kansas Territory

Those who love to head for museum gift shops should know about the Online Museum Store. The left sidebar features a fascinating variety of Kansas-themed books and gifts.

Black History Month 2012

Monday will mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, an observance of the life of the man and his message of equality and justice. Beyond January Black (African American) History Month is observed in February. Below are some resources on African Americans in Kansas and the United States:

KANSAS

African Americans in Kansas
http://kansas150slk.blogspot.com/2011/01/african-americans-in-kansas.html
(The 2011 Kansas 150 blog article on African Americans in our state)

Biographies of African Americans held by the State Library of Kansas
http://sites.google.com/site/afambio/
(Resources that can be requested by contacting the Library)

Kansas State Data Center
http://www.kslib.info/sdc/statewide.html
(Scroll down to the bottom of the screen for "African Americans in Kansas)

Kansas African American Affairs Commission
http://www.kaaac.ks.gov/

African-Americans in Kansas and the West
http://www.kshs.org/p/african-americans-in-kansas-and-the-west-a-bibliography/13533
(Kansas State Historical Society)

Nicodemus Kansas National Historic Site
http://www.nps.gov/nico/
(National Park Service)

Nicodemus Kansas: the African American Mosaic
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam010.html
(Library of Congress)

Exodus to Kansas
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2008/summer/exodus.html
(National Archives)

U.S AND MISSOURI

FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
African American History
http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=116
(Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

African American Odyssey
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html

Africam American History and Culture
http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/guide/african.html

African American Perspectives, 1818-1907
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/aaphome.html

The African American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ohshtml/aaeohome.html

From Slavery to Freedom: The African American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapchome.html

Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html

Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sthtml/sthome.html

Voices from the Days of Slavery
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

African American History
http://www.nps.gov/history/aahistory/
(Visit sites around the country with a connection to African Americans and African American history)

Missouri's African American History
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/africanamerican/intro.asp
(from the Missouri State Archives)

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

LinkBlack (African-American) History Month, 2011
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb11ff_01.html

Black History Month Biographies
http://www.census.gov/multimedia/www/radio/black_history_month/

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Online Resources guide
http://www.dol.gov/oasam/library/bib/african.htm

PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Black History Month on PBS
http://realscreen.com/2011/12/08/pbs-unveils-2012-black-history-month-line-up/

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Welcome back to Topeka, Legislators

On January 9, members of the Kansas House of Representatives and
the Kansas Senate will return to Topeka for the 2012 Legislative Session. As
required by the Kansas Constitution, the legislators will meet for 90 days,
ending the session sometime in early May. Governor Sam Brownback will present
his second State of the State speech on January 11 outlining his goals for the
state during 2012.

Previous Governors' State of the State addresses and other messages can be found online at:
http://www.kslib.info/messages/index.html

Section of the Kansas Constitution requiring the Governor to deliver a message to the legislature:
http://www.kslib.info/constitution/art1.html

The Governor is also required to present a budget plan for the state:
http://budget.ks.gov/gbr.htm

Find your legislators' contact information at:
http://www.kslegislature.org/

Find out who your state legislators are by entering your address at:
http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/

Click on either House or Senate and then on the member's name. This will bring up a picture and the contact information for your legislator- OR you can call the Legislative Hotline, a service of the State Library, to leave a message for your legislator at 1-800-432-3924.

Talk to your legislators about what concerns you:
1. When emailing or writing a letter to your legislator, address him or her as Honorable Representative or Honorable Senator
2. Be sure to include how your concern affects people in your area
3. Offer background information to support your argument
4. Offer to testify to your argument

Find out more about your legislators:
Directories:
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/legis.pdf
Histories of elected officials:
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/history.pdf
Legislators Past and Present:
http://www.kslib.info/legislators/index.html

Call the Legislative Hotline with any questions regarding Kansas government, the status of bills going through session, bill numbers for certain policy issues, legislative history assistance, or how to contact your legislator: 1-800-432-3924

Article contact: Kim Harp