1940 Census Enumeration Information Released

The Census Bureau goes to great lengths to protect the confidentiality of the personally identifiable information they collect.  However, 72 years after a Census Day, they release the full record of the information collected.

On April 2, 2012, more than 3.8 million pages of digital images of the 1940 enumeration records were released through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).   The records show the names, ages, relationships, education and employment information of everyone in the United States and its territories.

The starting point for research is NARA’s 1940 Census website, which has links to FAQs, glossary of terms, how to research the Census records and the scanned pages:http://1940census.archives.gov

If you need help finding the correct enumeration district (that’s how the pages are organized )http://stevemorse.org/census/xml1940edmaps.html

If you want to help index some of those 3.8 million pages:https://the1940census.com/

Article contact: Peter Haxton
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Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK)

Many older Kansans and their family members need advice about health insurance issues, especially those centered around Medicare. They need to be aware of Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK).

Information on SHICK can be found on the website of the Kansas Department on Aging at:

http://agingkansas.org/SHICK/shick_index.html

SHICK counselors receive training on Medicare, Medicare Supplement Insurance, Long-Term Care and other health insurance subjects that concern older Kansans. The counselors do not work for any insurance company. They are working to assist the public to make informed health care decisions. Those who need help can call 1-800-860-5260 to get started or they can go to the Locating Help tab at:

http://agingkansas.org/SHICK/psa_map.html

and click on the home county to receive information on the local SCHICK Coordinators in their area. There are several basic brochures on Medicare Coverage and Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, that might help individuals decide what questions they need to ask. There is also a FAQ that answers questions on legal issues and health care options. The FAQ tab is available at:

http://agingkansas.org/kdoa/FAQ.html

It is also possible to send short, specific questions by email form at:

http://agingkansas.org/SHICK/questions.html

This is a service that more Kansans should be aware of if they are going to make informed health care decisions in their later years.

Agriculture and Food Inspection in Kansas

The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) has a wide range of responsibilities concerning agriculture and food safety. From the field to the table food safety is an important issue, and is for the most part regulated by this agency. The links below will take you to sites on agricultural produce and food inspection regulations as well as forms for businesses, including farmers markets.

Food Safety
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/326

2005 Kansas Food Code
http://www.ksda.gov/includes/document_center/food_safety/Food_Safety/Kansas_Food_Code.pdf
(Kansas Administrative Regulations 4-28-8 Through 4-28-15. It's always a good idea to contact an issuing agency regarding the current status of agency regulations)

Statutes and regulations supplied by the KDA
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/statutes/
(Check with the KDA or State Library of Kansas on the current status of statutes)

Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Consumer related food safety information.
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/326/cid/1515

KDA individual food safety sheets
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/333
(The Kansas Department of Agriculture provides food safety educational materials for consumers, food workers and the food industry)

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment also has information on reporting foodborne illnesses including reports of foodborne illnesses in Kansas
http://www.kdheks.gov/epi/foodborne.htm

The Bad Bug Book
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/default.htm
(the US Food and Drug Administrations’s manual on all manner of foodborne pathogens)

Start at the Store, don’t bring home bad food from the store in the first place. Also includes a video.
http://www.webmd.com/fda/start-store-7-ways-prevent-foodborne-illness

Inspection reports on restaurants and lodging businesses from the Kansas Department of Agriculture website.
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/
(Click on "View Food Safety and Lodging inspection results" and "View Food and Lodging Applications" to search for these reports)

Article contact: Tom Roth
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Rural Opportunity Zones

Legislation passed in 2011 to encourage economic growth in rural counties. Kansas Statutes 74-50,222 and 74-50,223 create Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ). There are 50 counties in Kansas that have been authorized to offer one or both of the following financial incentives to new full-time residents:

·Kansas income tax waivers for up to five years OR
·Student loan repayments up to $15,000

Learn more about this program and how you can participate below!

Governor Sam Brownback’s roadmap for growing Kansas economy
and establishing Rural Opportunity Zones:
http://governor.ks.gov/road-map/growing-kansas-economy

Governor Brownback’s message to the 2012 Legislature
including mention of Rural Opportunity Zones and their effect:
http://governor.ks.gov/media-room/speeches/2012/01/12/2012-state-of-the-state

Text of KSA 74-50,222
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/statute/074_000_0000_chapter/074_050_0000_article/074_050_0222_section/074_050_0222_k/

Text of KSA 74-50,223
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/statute/074_000_0000_chapter/074_050_0000_article/074_050_0223_section/074_050_0223_k/

Map of Rural Opportunity Zones:
http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?NID=385

Information on the tax credit available from the Kansas
Department of Revenue:
http://ksrevenue.org/taxcredits-roz.html

Listing of the qualifications to see whether you can apply
for the credit:
http://ksrevenue.org/pdf/ROZQualifications.pdf

Kansas Department of Commerce description of the program:
http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?nid=320

Rural Opportunity Zone guidelines:
http://ks-kdoc.civicplus.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=649

Office of Rural Opportunity offices and contact information:
http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?NID=99

Article contact: Kim Harp

Women's History Month

Women's History Month, observed during March in the United States and the United Kingdom, has its origins in International Women's Day, first celebrated in 1911. The months offers educators, libraries, organizations and others an opportunity to promote, teach and learn about the accomplishments of women within our society historically and today.

Below are some links to information on women... both at the state level and national level:

KANSAS

Kansas Historical Society
http://www.kshs.org/search/index/query:women
(Web pages at the Kansas Historical Society's website regarding women. Be sure to click on the tabs on the page for links to information at Kansapedia, Kansas Memory, State Archives and shopping)

Kansas Women in Literature, by Nettie Garmer Barker
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/BarKans.html
(Transcription of a 1915 book)

Women's Suffrage in Kansas
http://www.kancoll.org/voices/1997/0997sufr.htm
(A timeline presented by the Kansas Collection)

Status of Women in Kansas
http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-status-of-women-in-kansas-1
(2002 report published by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Click on FREE DOWNLOAD button)
2004 update
http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-status-of-women-in-kansas-2004-highlights
2009 State Profile
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/womens-economic-status-in-the-states/sws-2009/kansas-2009-1


NATIONAL

Women's History Month (US Library of Congress website)
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
("The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society."

Women's History Month (Law Library of the US Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/women_history.php
("Women’s History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women throughout the history of the United States.")

Women's History Month, March 2012 (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff05.html
(Part of the Bureau's Profile for America: Facts for Features)

Women's History Month (U.S. Department of Defense)
http://www.defense.gov/specials/womenshistory/
(Women in the military)

Women's History Month (National Register of Historic Places)
http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/wom/
("The National Register of Historic Places lists many properties significant for women's history. We take the opportunity of Women's History Month to highlight just some of the properties that exemplify the contributions of women to American history. ")

National Archives Online Gallery: Women
http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/women/

National Women's History Month
http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php
(Website of the National Women's History Project)

Women's History Month (History.com)
http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history-month

Ten Things Invented By Women
http://www.womenshistorymonth.co.uk/
(From the U.K. Women's History Month website)

Some State Library ATLAS Catalog Subjects:
Women--Kansas
Women air pilots--United States--Biography
Women composers -- United States -- Biography
Women educators--United States--Biography
Women--History
Women journalists--United States--Biography
Women judges--United States--Biography
Women labor leaders--United States--Biography
Women legislators--Kansas--Biography
Women legislators--United States--Biography
Women painters--United States--Biography
Women photographers--United States--Biography
Women physicians--United States--Biography
Women pioneers--Kansas
Women psychologists--United States--Biography
Women scientists--United States--Biography
Women singers--United States--Biography
Women social reformers--United States--Biography
Women--Suffrage--Kansas

Article contact: Bill Sowers
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Redrawing our Congressional Districts

As the Kansas Senate prepares to vote on proposed changes to the state's Congressional districts, this may be a good time for a bit of a redistricting review.

The apportionment of seats in Congress is based on the population of the states as counted by the U.S. Census Bureau during the decennial census. The states are then provided small area population counts so that they may redefine their Congressional districts to reflect changes in the state's population.

There are four Congressional districts in Kansas. The First Congressional District, which covers most of the western half of Kansas, has lost population while the other three, especially the Third District, have gained population. The Special Committee of Redistricting then has to redraw the maps so the population served by the districts is more equal. The Special Committee will do the same with the Kansas Senate, House and Board of Education districts, which have also seen population shifts.

To learn more about redistricting, and to see current proposals, the Kansas Legislative Research Department has created this site:

http://redistricting.ks.gov/

You can learn more about the Special Committee on Redistricting on the Kansas Legislature's site:

http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/committees/ctte_spc_special_committee_on_redistricting_1/

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.

http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/aviators-and-aviation-in-kansas/11971

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
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