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You might notice that we’ve shared a plethora of stories about the history of the Independent-Reporter and its predecessors in this issue of the newspaper. Some might argue we’ve gone over the top in self-congratulations.
Read moreAs I was outside with my kids waiting for them to catch their big yellow bus to begin another school year, I was reminded of how all of the back-to-school excitement is similar to the anticipation of fall on the farm.
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Richard J. Hinton crossed into the “promised land” of Kansas on Aug. 7, 1856.
Read more“Price is what you pay, value is what you get,” Warren Buffet is fond of saying. That line was running through my head recently as my wife and I were preparing to have some flooring replaced in our kitchen and living room.
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Cholera struck with a vengeance the summer of 1867 along the line of the Kansas frontier. At the end-of-track boom town of Ellsworth, panicked townspeople raced to get away, reducing the population from nearly 1,000 to only 40 citizens by the middle of July.
Read moreA proposed amendment with the potential to affect the citizens of Kansas for generations will be on the Aug. 2 ballot. Yes, the Value Them Both amendment is that important. For years those who opposed access to what many consider to be a woman’s health issue have chipped away at abortion rights. This proposed amendment, if successful, would give Kansas lawmakers the power to impose an outright ban on safe, legal abortions even in cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother.
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From the moment of his arrival in Kansas Territory from his former Iowa home, Owen Abbot Basset’s course was directed in support of the free-state cause.
Read moreIt’s easy to forget today that agriculture is the foundation of civilization. It’s the process that ended our ceaseless following of food and allowed us to settle into cities. What followed, over the past several millennia is the world we inhabit today. In short, farming and ranching are the essential drivers of the manufacturing — or service-based economy we all enjoy.
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