The person who knows us best is Jesus, and the best way to meet Him is through reading four books in the New Testament, called the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John offer a portrait of Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection, and invite us to know Him personally.
The Old Testament provides the story of God’s preparation to send the Son to be the Messiah (called Christ) to deliver the world from the grasp of evil. New Testament letter writers such as Paul and Peter help clarify the meaning of Jesus’ life, and the Gospels give us a picture of His interaction with the Father and people.
I never saw Uncle Eddie studying math or English, but I remember Eddie prepping for his Government final.
His teacher was Mr. Chain. He also taught my brother and me.
I asked him if he could hang on long enough to teach my son, and he said, “I think I’ll make it.” I later asked him if he could hang on long enough to teach my daughters.
“Not happening,” he said.
Ask anyone who had him, and he is either their favorite teacher or at the very least the most respected.
Charles Chain wasn’t showy. He wasn’t looking to be friends with his students, and he didn’t play favorites.
His mission was simple — by the end of the year you will know how the government works whether you want to or not.
Government was my favorite subject. Mr. Chain explained the Constitution from the Preamble to the amendments in a way that made each student he taught understand it.
Mr. Chain was a veteran, and if we could ever get him talking about the Navy we might be able to escape Marbury vs. Madison for a day. There was wisdom in his military stories as well, so it was not a day wasted.
But he would get back on task and back to teaching the critical components of the operation of government.
Mr. Chain was doing more than providing an education. He was creating citizens who would be equipped with the knowledge of their rights and the way laws are created.
A bit monotone? Perhaps. But everything he said was with intent.
Perhaps by today’s standards a Chain lecture might seem boring. Government was not an exciting class for the most part.
But the discussions that became part of class were lively. And Mr. Chain knew his subject matter inside and out.
Even after I graduated and started a career in media, I would check with Mr. Chain from time to time on various aspects of process and governmental action.
Mr. Chain was known as much for his stoic appearance as for the occasional grin, even the rare chuckle.
He was real, and he came with a reputation. Very few students in the Liberal school system who had any relative that had attended Liberal High School didn’t know that one day you would have to pass Mr. Chain’s class.
It was tough material but it was delivered by a competent and qualified instructor.
That’s what made him a legend.
I don’t know the value I could put on every class I took, but I know most value that I can attribute to my education came from Mr. Chain’s government class.
Toward the end of the year, we had to write our own constitutions for are fictitious island nation. Would it be bicameral or unicameral? How long would the terms be and why?
We had our mini constitutional conventions and wrote up our own form of government, and yet none could hold a candle to the one we had come to know in Mr. Chain’s class.
That’s the legacy of the now departed Mr. Chain. He didn’t create high school graduates. He empowered them to be effective citizens. And we owe him our undying gratitude. Thank you, Mr. Chain. Godspeed.
One of the rules of the Kansas Department Of Corrections grant that Cimarron Basin Community Corrections has for Fiscal Year 2025 is that “Grantee must demonstrate salaries for all positions are consistent with similar, County-funded positions.”
Is Kayla Janko’s salary of $104,957 in line with that of others at the county in positions of comparable responsibility? And what about her supervision officers who are making $30.99 per hour (At 40 hours per week, that amounts to $64,459 in a year)?
According to information provided to me by April Warden under open records requests, in June of this year, the Advisory Board for Cimarron Basin Community Corrections met and approved a 7 percent bonus for all staff. These bonuses were paid in July. Note that this was all done at a time when nobody at the county is supposed to be getting a raise.
Kayla Janko, the Director of Cimarron Basin Community Corrections, whose total pay in 2024 was $107,647, got a $7,347 bonus, and her supervision officers got bonuses in the amount of $4,513.
No, I’m not going to address the county tax increase today. I believe there are enough members of the community taking a keen interest in remedies, and we will report on those efforts as information becomes available.
Needless to say, the natives are restless. Justifiably so. And while this decision has created a rift in our community, there are other efforts being discussed by other entities that are looking to a more positive future.
For one, the City of Liberal is exploring the option of changing downtown to angle parking and a more pedestrian friendly district for about three blocks.
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