Tuesday Is The Last Day To Register To Vote In Kansas
Tuesday is the Kansas deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming election. Kansans can register to vote at county election offices or online at the Kansas secretary of state’s website. Tomorrow the Sedgwick County Election Office begins mailing advance voting ballots.
Advance voting in person at the election office begins October 24. Advance vote centers will open October 30, and General Election Day is November 6. For more information go to sedgwickcounty.org/elections.
KS School Board Reviews Science Standards Work
State Board of Education members are reviewing the progress of Kansas and other states in drafting common science standards.
The board plans to hear Tuesday afternoon from the state official overseeing work on the standards and from a member of the state’s standards-writing committee.
KS Expects Mild Flu Season But Encourages Shots
Kansas health officials are expecting the state to have another relatively mild flu season, but they’re still encouraging shots for nearly everyone 6 months or older.
Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer and Health and Environment Secretary Robert Moser had a Statehouse news conference Monday to promote getting vaccinated. Both received flu shots during the event.
The flu season typically starts in early October, but the state has yet to receive a report of any influenza cases. But Colyer said it’s still wise to get a shot to reduce the chances of spreading the illness.
Moser said the state’s 2011-2012 flu season was relatively mild because the winter weather was warmer than normal. He said the state is expecting the same pattern this winter.
Kansas Winter Wheat Planting Making Progress
Kansas farmers are nearly done planting winter wheat, with 81 percent of the crop now seeded.
Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service also said in a report Monday that 44 percent of the winter wheat has emerged.
The agency even offered an early condition report for the 2013 crop, with 10 percent of the newly planted wheat already rated poor to very poor. Forty-eight percent of the wheat is rated in fair condition, with 40 percent rated good and 2 percent in excellent condition.
Meanwhile, fall harvest is nearing the end for the Kansas corn crop, with 90 percent of it now cut. That is a couple of weeks earlier than usual.
About 17 percent of the state’s soybeans and 24 percent of the sorghum crop have been harvested.
Kansas To Roll Out New Driver’s License
Kansas driver’s licenses are about to get a new look and some new features.
The Department of Revenue is unveiling the new design at an event Tuesday with Governor Sam Brownback and Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan.
Motorists will begin receiving the new licenses this week. Among the elements are new security features to protect against identity theft or illegal duplication.
Revenue Department spokesperson Jeannine Koranda says Kansas updates its driver’s licenses every four to six years as technology changes.
