MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 15A
Fierce flames in the night
The Associated Press
Trees involved in a nighttime controlled backburn fire set by firefighters to safely burn forest fuel in the path of the Blackerby Fire give off a shower of sparks early Sunday, near Grangeville, Idaho. Firefighters took advantage of cooler temperatures and higher humidity to fight the fire overnight and conduct controlled back burns in efforts to safely remove forest fuel in the path of the fire.
TOPEKA — Addressing the question of whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt children in Kansas has been added to a legislative study committee's list of things to do.
Last minute hearing set
▼ ADOPTION RIGHTS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rep. Willa DeCastro, R-Wichita, said Friday she scheduled a hearing Sept. 14 of the Joint Committee on Children's Issues with adoption the only item set for discussion. Earlier this week, DeCastro said she wasn't planning for her committee to discuss the issue "anytime soon."
The panel will hear from staff about current adoption laws in Kansas, as well as from the Kansas Children's Service League, which is contracted by Social and Rehabilitation Services to handle adoptions of children in foster care.
DeCastro said her decision wasn't based on any pressure
"I said from the onset, from the beginning, that I would accommodate them," DeCastro said, referring to the leadership.
from House leadership or other legislators.
Rep. Steve Huebert, R-Valley Center, asked legislative leaders last month to put adoption criteria on a list of topics to be studied before the Legislature begins Jan. 9. He believes adoption should be limited to homes with a mother and father.
His proposal has received criticism from gay and lesbian advocacy groups, and many lawmakers said they weren't eager to take on such an emotional issue.
State law is silent on whether gays or lesbians can adopt children. Unmarried couples can't adopt foster children jointly.
An unmarried individual can adopt a child and live with another person, but only the person who adopted would have
Last year, 627 foster children were adopted in Kansas, and about half that number were placed in homes through private adoptions. SRS says the number of foster children averages about 4,500 per month, but it doesn't keep track of whether foster parents are gay or lesbian.
legal custody.
DeCastro said Hueberts issue wouldn't be the focus of the hearings, but she expected the topic would be discussed.
"My sense is that it's not maybe a major problem," DeCastro said.
She added that if interest was great enough in Huebert's proposal, there could be specific hearings next session.
"My goal is that every child in the foster program deserves a safe and secure home. If we can identify a home for them, then that is good and workable solution for everyone," DeCastro said.
NATION
Minority population increasing quickly
TOPEKA — The Hispanic population of Kansas, which doubled from 1990 to 2000, is growing tenfold in percentage compared to the overall population, with many of those jumps in rural counties with dwindling population.
Census Bureau estimates show the state grew from 2,688,418 in 2000 to an estimated 2,735,502 last year, an increase of 1.75 percent. The Hispanic population went from 188,252 to 220,288,a 17 percent hike.
In rural Kansas, Hispanic
Hispanics have their greatest presence in metro areas. The largest number of Hispanics was 43,908 in Sedgwick County. But that's only 9.4 percent of the population.
growth was most noticeable because many counties have fewer people than four years ago. For instance, Hispanic growth jumped 30 percent in Ness County while the overall population dropped 11 percent. In Republic County, Hispanics increased by 14.5 percent and total population dropped 10.5 percent.
The percentage can be somewhat misleading. For instance, Logan County led with a 44 percent hike in Hispanic growth. But that translates to 72 Hispanics in a county where the population dropped 7 percent to 2,827.
"In more rural areas, you see dramatic increases, but that doesn't mean we're talking about all that many people," Melinda Lewis, of the Hispanic rights group El Centro in Kansas City, Kan., said.
There are counties where both numbers and percentages are high. Seward County is on the verge of having a Hispanic majority, at 49 percent of its residents. The Hispanic population grew 20.5 percent, almost seven times the total.
Like many areas of western Kansas with Hispanic growth, Seward County has a thriving beef industry that includes feed lots and packing houses that lure many coming from Latin America looking for work and a place to live.
"They go where the jobs are and there has been a long pattern of minorities going out there and finding work," said Steven Maynard-Moody, director of the University of Kansas Policy Research Institute.
"The question is how sustainable are those jobs going to be over time. The question is what's going to happen to these folks," he said.
KU HALL CENTER
The Associated Press
Humanities Lecture Series 2005-2006 All events are free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
785. 864.4798 I www.hallcenter.ku.edu
The Hall Center
Deborah Lipstadt
Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies, Emory University, author of Denying the Holocaust: The Genocide and Holocaust
The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 14
Woodruff Aud., Kansas Union
"History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving"
Co-sponsored by KJ Hillel and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Novelist and essayist, critic of fundamentalist Islam; author of The Satanic Verses and Midnight's Children
"Step Across This Line:
An Evening With Salman Rushdie"
Co-sponsored by Student Union activities
Salman Rushdie
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 6
Lied Center
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 17
Ballroom, Kansas Union
Power
Samantha
Founding Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy; Harvard adjunct lecturer; author of A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
One of America's most distinguished writers about the law: a criminal defense lawyer in his native Chicago; author of Presumed Innocent and Reversible Errors
"Can U.S. Foreign Policy Be Fixed?"
Co-sponsored by the RU School of Law
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 16
Woodruff Aud., Kansas Union
Scott Turow
"Confessions of a Death Penalty Agnostic
Allan Cigler
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 5
Woodruff Aud., Kansas Union
Chancellors Club Teaching Professor of Political Science, University of Kansas; author of Perspectives on Terrorism How 9/11 Changed U.S. Politics
The New Electoral Landscape Two Political Churches and at Unbelieving Mass Electorate
kansan.com
Healthy Bodies By Design
Josh Magaha
In-Home Fitness Specialist
(913) 915-8792
www.HealthyBodiesByDesign.com
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BARTONline
Having trouble getting your class schedule to work?
Dropped a class?
Need to add a class?
Barton County Community College offers online college courses.
We offer both 9-week and 17-week sessions General education courses transfer to Kansas Regents schools.
Find our schedule online!
www.bartonline.org