John’s life began on April 30, 1931, the son of John and Jennie (Smit) Bottema in Artesia, California. He served in the U.S. Army as a Corporal during the Korean War, and married Helen “Joan” Croft in 1954. She preceded him in death. In 1995 he married Gladys June (Payne) Arrasmith in Deadwood, South Dakota.

John was a mechanic, welder and shop foreman at Haliburton Industries. He loved racing and working on Hot Rod cars. Other interests included NASCAR, dirt bikes, dune buggies and off roading. He also rebuilt a 1931 John Deere tractor.

His loving family includes his wife, Gladys of Wichita; sons, Jeffrey (Michelle) Bottema of Lake Forest, California; Robert “Bob” (Vicki) Arrasmith of Wichita; daughter, Billie (Steve) Mills of Inkom, Idaho; daughter-in-law, Sheri Bottema Furin of San Dimas, California; grandchildren, Danielle (Scott) Allen, Tyler Bottema, Brandon (Lacey) Arrasmith, Derrick (Anna) Arrasmith, Christian (Mindy) Mills, Kevin Mills, Sarah (Colby) Robinson; twenty great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Joan; son, Johnny; brother, George Bottema; sisters, Winnie Greer and Kathryn Shearer. John passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 18, 2020, having reached the age of 88 years old.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 25, from 2-4 p.m. at Presbyterian Manor, 4700 W. 13th Street, North,&nbsp;Wichita, Kansas 67212.

Memorial contributions in his name may be directed to Presbyterian Manor, 4700 W. 13th Street, N., Wichita, Kansas 67212, or in care of Yazel-Megli-Zeiner Funeral Home, 902 E. D Street, Hillsboro, Kansas 67063. Please sign his online guest book and leave a memory of John at www.ymzfh.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579578703097.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>John Lee Bottema</h2>April 30, 1931~January 18, 2020(age 88)John’s life began on April 30, 1931, the son of John and Jennie (Smit) Bottema in Artesia, California. He served in the U.S. Army as a Corporal during the Korean War, and married Helen “Joan” Croft in 1954. She preceded him in death. In 1995 he married Gladys June (Payne) Arrasmith in Deadwood, South Dakota.John was a mechanic, welder and shop foreman at Haliburton Industries. He loved racing and working on Hot Rod cars. Other interests included NASCAR, dirt bikes, dune buggies and off roading. He also rebuilt a 1931 John Deere tractor.His loving family includes his wife, Gladys of Wichita; sons, Jeffrey (Michelle) Bottema of Lake Forest, California; Robert “Bob” (Vicki) Arrasmith of Wichita; daughter, Billie (Steve) Mills of Inkom, Idaho; daughter-in-law, Sheri Bottema Furin of San Dimas, California; grandchildren, Danielle (Scott) Allen, Tyler Bottema, Brandon (Lacey) Arrasmith, Derrick (Anna) Arrasmith, Christian (Mindy) Mills, Kevin Mills, Sarah (Colby) Robinson; twenty great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Joan; son, Johnny; brother, George Bottema; sisters, Winnie Greer and Kathryn Shearer. John passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 18, 2020, having reached the age of 88 years old.A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 25, from 2-4 p.m. at Presbyterian Manor, 4700 W. 13th Street, North,&nbsp;Wichita, Kansas 67212.Memorial contributions in his name may be directed to Presbyterian Manor, 4700 W. 13th Street, N., Wichita, Kansas 67212, or in care of Yazel-Megli-Zeiner Funeral Home, 902 E. D Street, Hillsboro, Kansas 67063. Please sign his online guest book and leave a memory of John at www.ymzfh.com

John Lee Bottema

Patsy Ann Sarratt, of Wilsey passed away Saturday evening, January 18th at the Morris County Hospital after a short illness. She was surrounded by family at the end to celebrate her life and to ease the pain of leaving her loved ones.

Patsy was born at home on April 3rd, 1936 in Goodman, Missouri to Hugh and Loraine Jones and as the first, was big sister to the next five kids born into the family. She married her high school sweetheart after graduating high school even though her journal at the time said that she intended to be a career woman as a secretary or book keeper. Those were big aspirations for a young woman in 1954.

Patsy was preceded in death by her parents and by her son Gary, who she dearly missed. She is survived by her husband JC, and children Mark (Sandy, Tammy, and Todd (Debbie, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

Patsy was a member of the Council Grove community since 1955, after she and JC moved there to start a business and raise a family. As a younger woman she was a member of multiple local organizations and was very involved in the community. She enjoyed summer life at the lake, golf (even though she’d tell you it was challenging, square dancing, and watching her kids and grandkids compete with life and grow to adults. She was exceptionally proud of her family and they were her reason for being.

In addition to raising a family, Patsy finally realized her goal to perform secretarial and book keeping work after her kids were all in school. Over the years she worked for several local employers in these positions and was very good at what she did. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

She will be missed by everyone who knew her as a person of kind words and helping hands who was there for others. Even at the end of her life, she was asking gathered family if they were getting enough to eat – that was her in a nutshell.

A celebration of life will be held at Sawyer Funeral Home Wednesday January 22nd from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; a time to enjoy food and share memories of Patsy.

Donations in Patsy’s memory can be made to the Morris County Hospital. The care and understanding the nursing professionals provided at the end of her life and to her family was exceptional.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579578570785.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Patsy Ann Sarratt, of Wilsey passed away Saturday evening, January 18th at the Morris County Hospital after a short illness. She was surrounded by family at the end to celebrate her life and to ease the pain of leaving her loved ones.Patsy was born at home on April 3rd, 1936 in Goodman, Missouri to Hugh and Loraine Jones and as the first, was big sister to the next five kids born into the family. She married her high school sweetheart after graduating high school even though her journal at the time said that she intended to be a career woman as a secretary or book keeper. Those were big aspirations for a young woman in 1954.Patsy was preceded in death by her parents and by her son Gary, who she dearly missed. She is survived by her husband JC, and children Mark (Sandy, Tammy, and Todd (Debbie, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.Patsy was a member of the Council Grove community since 1955, after she and JC moved there to start a business and raise a family. As a younger woman she was a member of multiple local organizations and was very involved in the community. She enjoyed summer life at the lake, golf (even though she’d tell you it was challenging, square dancing, and watching her kids and grandkids compete with life and grow to adults. She was exceptionally proud of her family and they were her reason for being.In addition to raising a family, Patsy finally realized her goal to perform secretarial and book keeping work after her kids were all in school. Over the years she worked for several local employers in these positions and was very good at what she did. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She will be missed by everyone who knew her as a person of kind words and helping hands who was there for others. Even at the end of her life, she was asking gathered family if they were getting enough to eat – that was her in a nutshell.A celebration of life will be held at Sawyer Funeral Home Wednesday January 22nd from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; a time to enjoy food and share memories of Patsy.Donations in Patsy’s memory can be made to the Morris County Hospital. The care and understanding the nursing professionals provided at the end of her life and to her family was exceptional.

Patsy Ann Sarratt



Kimberly A. Land passed away Sunday, January 19, 2020 at the Memorial Hospital in Abilene at the age of 62. She was born April 2, 1957 in Salina, Kansas the daughter of Richard and Betty (King) Booth.

Kimberly grew up in the area and graduated from Chapman High School. She Loved children, dogs, and reading books. Kimberly had just stated not long ago the she had spent a lifetime being good with God.

On October 25, 1976 she married James C “Jim” Land in Randolph , Kansas. He survives of the home. Other survivors include her sons Jason and his wife Marti Land of Abilene, Jeremy and his wife Jenn Land of Abilene, brother Steve Booth of Randolph, sister Gina Richardson of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and one grandchild Skyler. She was preceded in death by her parents.

The family has selected cremation and a private service will be held at a later date. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Abilene Public Library and may be sent in care of the Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home, 414 NW 3rd, Abilene, Kansas 67410. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.martinbeckercarlson.com.



Kimberly A. Land passed away Sunday, January 19, 2020 at the Memorial Hospital in Abilene at the age of 62. She was born April 2, 1957 in Salina, Kansas the daughter of Richard and Betty (King) Booth.Kimberly grew up in the area and graduated from Chapman High School. She Loved children, dogs, and reading books. Kimberly had just stated not long ago the she had spent a lifetime being good with God.On October 25, 1976 she married James C “Jim” Land in Randolph , Kansas. He survives of the home. Other survivors include her sons Jason and his wife Marti Land of Abilene, Jeremy and his wife Jenn Land of Abilene, brother Steve Booth of Randolph, sister Gina Richardson of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and one grandchild Skyler. She was preceded in death by her parents.The family has selected cremation and a private service will be held at a later date. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Abilene Public Library and may be sent in care of the Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home, 414 NW 3rd, Abilene, Kansas 67410. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.martinbeckercarlson.com.

Kimberly A. Land

WICHITA – With the Kansas City Chiefs, for the first time in 50 years, clinching their spot to compete for the NFL championship on Feb. 2 in Miami, there’s a lot of pent-up demand across Chiefs Kingdom for fans wanting to be there in person for the game and festivities.

Flexibility will be key for those booking travel at the last minute, but as a AAA member, you could save big on game tickets, hotel costs and car rentals – a definite score for your wallet!

Because the location of the Big Game is in Miami, a well-known vacation destination, there are multiple airports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) to consider when booking travel. Be flexible and remember that with less than two weeks until the game, airfare inventory may be low. Other Florida airports – such as Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville – may provide additional flight options and pricing and perhaps more availability on rental cars, with a relatively short drive to Miami.

If you don’t mind taking extra time to travel, bus and train routes may be another consideration. Dates, times and the number of stops can vary but if your funds are small but your love for football is limitless, this option could be worth investigating.

Hotel options are plenty and available for all price points, however booking now may be within the non-cancellation period, meaning charges (typically one night’s stay) for any cancellations.

“Being flexible with your flight, hotel and rental car options will be the best way to go about planning a trip to Miami for the Big Game, especially last-minute,” says Matthew Bert, travel agent with AAA Kansas. “If your plans allow, consider extending your time in Florida to escape the winter weather much of the country is seeing. South Florida’s average high temperature for February is about 75 degrees.”

Making your travel plans with a travel agent is a good idea, especially to try and avoid any potential scams.

Use your credit card when purchasing to give yourself a good way to have money returned if you need to cancel or dispute a charge.

Read hotel/airline policies carefully so you understand what cancellation policies entail.

Call the air/train/bus company you will use to get there personally. Leaving your reservations and hard earned dollars up to an emailed confirmation number can be risky. Do the same with hotel reservations. Try to talk to a live person who can confirm what you’ve just paid for.

Tickets – AAA members save up to 40 percent off on all Ticket Monster sporting event tickets, including the upcoming Big Game. To purchase tickets, AAA members can visit AAA.com/Ticketmonster and enter their valid 16-digit membership number at checkout to receive their discount.

Hotel – Best Western – Save up to 15 percent off when booking AAA rates.

Rental Car – Hertz – Save up to $15 on weekend and $30 on weekly base rate rentals with promo code 205531.

Driving to Miami – if you decide to embark on the long drive (22 hours/1,400+ miles from Kansas City; 24 hours/1,600 miles from Wichita) to Miami make sure your vehicle is ready. While some maintenance and repair tasks are best left to certified automotive technicians, there are several basic items motorists can easily check themselves between trips to their auto repair facility, including the following.

If wiper blades are worn, cracked or rigid with age, they will not adequately remove rain, grime and other debris that can obscure driver vision. If the wiper blades are sufficiently deteriorated, the metal wiper blade frame could contact and permanently damage the windshield.

Check and adjust tire pressure, including the spare. Inflate tires to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended settings—not the maximum pressure on the side of the tire. Check the tread depth by inserting a quarter upside down into a tire groove with Washington’s head facing outward. The tread should cover part of Washington’s head. If any of the area above Washington’s head is visible, it’s time to start shopping for new tires.

Have your battery checked, especially if it is over three years old. Winter cold breaks down the battery internally and accelerates the rate of corrosion on vehicle battery terminals. 

AAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to 60 million members nationwide and nearly 349,000 members in Kansas. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years. AAA is a non-stock, non-profit corporation working on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (<a href="http://AAA.com/mobile">AAA.com/mobile</a>) for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.AAA.com">www.AAA.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579538653734.jpeg" alt="Photo of Arrowhead courtesy AAA Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Photo of Arrowhead courtesy AAA Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA – With the Kansas City Chiefs, for the first time in 50 years, clinching their spot to compete for the NFL championship on Feb. 2 in Miami, there’s a lot of pent-up demand across Chiefs Kingdom for fans wanting to be there in person for the game and festivities.Flexibility will be key for those booking travel at the last minute, but as a AAA member, you could save big on game tickets, hotel costs and car rentals – a definite score for your wallet!<h2>AAA Travel Advice</h2>AirfareBecause the location of the Big Game is in Miami, a well-known vacation destination, there are multiple airports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) to consider when booking travel. Be flexible and remember that with less than two weeks until the game, airfare inventory may be low. Other Florida airports – such as Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville – may provide additional flight options and pricing and perhaps more availability on rental cars, with a relatively short drive to Miami.Bus and TrainIf you don’t mind taking extra time to travel, bus and train routes may be another consideration. Dates, times and the number of stops can vary but if your funds are small but your love for football is limitless, this option could be worth investigating.HotelHotel options are plenty and available for all price points, however booking now may be within the non-cancellation period, meaning charges (typically one night’s stay) for any cancellations.“Being flexible with your flight, hotel and rental car options will be the best way to go about planning a trip to Miami for the Big Game, especially last-minute,” says Matthew Bert, travel agent with AAA Kansas. “If your plans allow, consider extending your time in Florida to escape the winter weather much of the country is seeing. South Florida’s average high temperature for February is about 75 degrees.”Travel like a ChampionMaking your travel plans with a travel agent is a good idea, especially to try and avoid any potential scams.Use your credit card when purchasing to give yourself a good way to have money returned if you need to cancel or dispute a charge.Read hotel/airline policies carefully so you understand what cancellation policies entail.Call the air/train/bus company you will use to get there personally. Leaving your reservations and hard earned dollars up to an emailed confirmation number can be risky. Do the same with hotel reservations. Try to talk to a live person who can confirm what you’ve just paid for.<h2>Save on Travel with AAA</h2>Tickets – AAA members save up to 40 percent off on all Ticket Monster sporting event tickets, including the upcoming Big Game. To purchase tickets, AAA members can visit AAA.com/Ticketmonster and enter their valid 16-digit membership number at checkout to receive their discount.Hotel – Best Western – Save up to 15 percent off when booking AAA rates.Rental Car – Hertz – Save up to $15 on weekend and $30 on weekly base rate rentals with promo code 205531.Driving to Miami – if you decide to embark on the long drive (22 hours/1,400+ miles from Kansas City; 24 hours/1,600 miles from Wichita) to Miami make sure your vehicle is ready. While some maintenance and repair tasks are best left to certified automotive technicians, there are several basic items motorists can easily check themselves between trips to their auto repair facility, including the following.Windshield Wiper Blades If wiper blades are worn, cracked or rigid with age, they will not adequately remove rain, grime and other debris that can obscure driver vision. If the wiper blades are sufficiently deteriorated, the metal wiper blade frame could contact and permanently damage the windshield.TiresCheck and adjust tire pressure, including the spare. Inflate tires to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended settings—not the maximum pressure on the side of the tire. Check the tread depth by inserting a quarter upside down into a tire groove with Washington’s head facing outward. The tread should cover part of Washington’s head. If any of the area above Washington’s head is visible, it’s time to start shopping for new tires.BatteryHave your battery checked, especially if it is over three years old. Winter cold breaks down the battery internally and accelerates the rate of corrosion on vehicle battery terminals. About AAAAAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to 60 million members nationwide and nearly 349,000 members in Kansas. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years. AAA is a non-stock, non-profit corporation working on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (<a href="http://AAA.com/mobile">AAA.com/mobile</a>) for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.AAA.com">www.AAA.com</a>.

AAA: Travel advice for Chiefs fans heading to Miami

Today is Monday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2020. There are 346 days left in the year.

On Jan. 20, 2001, George Walker Bush became America's 43rd president after one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history.

In 1649, King Charles I of England went on trial, accused of high treason (he was found guilty and executed by month's end).

In 1801, Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be chief justice of the United States (he was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801).

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews.

In 1964, Capitol Records released the album "Meet the Beatles!"

In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

In 1986, the United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1994, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. (Faulkner joined the cadet corps in Aug. 1995 under court order but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress from the legal battle.)

In 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell, faced with stiff resistance and calls to go slow, bluntly told the Security Council that the U.N. "must not shrink" from its responsibility to disarm Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

In 2007, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., launched her first campaign for the White House, saying in a videotaped message on her website: "I'm in, and I'm in to win."

In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th, as well as first African-American, president. Russian natural gas began flowing into Ukraine after a nearly two-week cutoff that had left large parts of Europe cold and dark.

In 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, pledging emphatically to empower America's "forgotten men and women." Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.

Ten years ago: National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair conceded missteps in the government's handling of the Christmas Day 2009 airline bombing attempt in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama, undaunted by the new Republican majority in Congress, issued a sweeping challenge in his State of the Union address to do more for the poor and middle class and to end the nasty partisan political fight that had characterized his six years in office. The Islamic State group threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless its ransom demands were met. (Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa were both slain by their captors.)

One year ago: The Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots after a 26-23 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game; the outcome might not have been possible without what the NFL acknowledged was a mistake by officials who failed to call a penalty when a Rams player leveled a Saints receiver with a helmet-to-helmet hit in the final minutes of regulation. The Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 for the AFC championship. The year's only total lunar eclipse was visible throughout North and South America; it took place during the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position.

Today's Birthdays: Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 90. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 80. Singer Eric Stewart is 75. Movie director David Lynch is 74. Country-rock musician George Grantham (Poco) is 73. Israeli activist Natan Sharansky is 72. Actor Daniel Benzali is 70. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 68. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 68. Comedian Bill Maher is 64. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 62. Actor James Denton is 57. Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 55. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 55. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is 55. Actor Rainn Wilson is 54. Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway is 53. Actress Stacey Dash is 53. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 52. Singer Xavier is 52. Actor Reno Wilson is 51. Singer Edwin McCain is 50. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 50. Rap musician ?uestlove (questlove) (The Roots) is 49. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is 48. Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 41. Singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee is 36. Country singer Brantley Gilbert is 35. Rock singer Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) is 34. Actor Evan Peters is 33.

Thought for Today: "Whatever people in general do not understand, they are always prepared to dislike; the incomprehensible is always the obnoxious." — Letitia Landon, English poet (1802-1838).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy&nbsp;<a href="http://shutterstock.com/">shutterstock.com</a>." />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy&nbsp;<a href="http://shutterstock.com/">shutterstock.com</a>.</figcaption>
 </figure>Today is Monday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2020. There are 346 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Jan. 20, 2001, George Walker Bush became America's 43rd president after one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history.On this date:In 1649, King Charles I of England went on trial, accused of high treason (he was found guilty and executed by month's end).In 1801, Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be chief justice of the United States (he was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801).In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews.In 1964, Capitol Records released the album "Meet the Beatles!"In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.In 1986, the United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.In 1994, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. (Faulkner joined the cadet corps in Aug. 1995 under court order but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress from the legal battle.)In 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell, faced with stiff resistance and calls to go slow, bluntly told the Security Council that the U.N. "must not shrink" from its responsibility to disarm Saddam Hussein's Iraq.In 2007, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., launched her first campaign for the White House, saying in a videotaped message on her website: "I'm in, and I'm in to win."In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th, as well as first African-American, president. Russian natural gas began flowing into Ukraine after a nearly two-week cutoff that had left large parts of Europe cold and dark.In 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, pledging emphatically to empower America's "forgotten men and women." Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.Ten years ago: National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair conceded missteps in the government's handling of the Christmas Day 2009 airline bombing attempt in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.Five years ago: President Barack Obama, undaunted by the new Republican majority in Congress, issued a sweeping challenge in his State of the Union address to do more for the poor and middle class and to end the nasty partisan political fight that had characterized his six years in office. The Islamic State group threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless its ransom demands were met. (Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa were both slain by their captors.)One year ago: The Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots after a 26-23 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game; the outcome might not have been possible without what the NFL acknowledged was a mistake by officials who failed to call a penalty when a Rams player leveled a Saints receiver with a helmet-to-helmet hit in the final minutes of regulation. The Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 for the AFC championship. The year's only total lunar eclipse was visible throughout North and South America; it took place during the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position.Today's Birthdays: Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 90. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 80. Singer Eric Stewart is 75. Movie director David Lynch is 74. Country-rock musician George Grantham (Poco) is 73. Israeli activist Natan Sharansky is 72. Actor Daniel Benzali is 70. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 68. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 68. Comedian Bill Maher is 64. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 62. Actor James Denton is 57. Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 55. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 55. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is 55. Actor Rainn Wilson is 54. Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway is 53. Actress Stacey Dash is 53. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 52. Singer Xavier is 52. Actor Reno Wilson is 51. Singer Edwin McCain is 50. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 50. Rap musician ?uestlove (questlove) (The Roots) is 49. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is 48. Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 41. Singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee is 36. Country singer Brantley Gilbert is 35. Rock singer Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) is 34. Actor Evan Peters is 33.Thought for Today: "Whatever people in general do not understand, they are always prepared to dislike; the incomprehensible is always the obnoxious." — Letitia Landon, English poet (1802-1838).Copyright 2020, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Today in History -- Jan. 20

BY STEPHEN KORANDA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/post/kansas-governors-78-billion-budget-calls-taxing-hulu-delaying-payments-pension-debt#stream/0">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s <a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/budget-report/" target="_blank">budget wish list</a>
 is long: boosting spending on higher education, public safety and human
 services. She'd aim to cut some taxes, but look to add new ones for 
streaming video and music services.

Not surprisingly, the $7.8 billion plan is getting a mixed response from the Republicans who control the Legislature.

It’s
 the Democrat’s second budget proposal since taking office, and she’s 
relying less on some maneuvers used in past years, like taking money 
from the state highway fund to help keep the budget in the black. But 
she still wants some flexibility in state spending, so she’s hoping to 
refinance the state’s $9 billion in pension debt.

“Kansas has 
made tremendous strides in recovering from the last decade of fiscal 
chaos,” Kelly said in a statement. “This balanced budget builds on that 
progress and positions Kansas to begin a new decade of shared prosperity
 and growth.”

By the time this budget’s fiscal year (July 2020 to
 June 2021) ends, the state would still have about $628 million in 
reserves. That’s less than $1.1 billion at the end of the 2019 fiscal 
year, but well above the tiny reserves a few years ago.&nbsp;

Kansas 
has been on a tax rollercoaster over the last decade — with the state 
cutting taxes starting in 2012 during the tenure of then-Gov. Sam 
Brownback. Lawmakers changed course in 2017 after struggles balancing 
the budget and reversed many of those tax cuts.&nbsp;

Kelly has a few ideas about taxes, and one of them is puting $54 
million toward a program that helps reduce local property taxes. It 
hasn’t been funded since 2003.

Republican Rep. Troy Waymaster is skeptical, and said that for a $150,000 home, the discount would be about $25.

“Are
 people going to notice that? I would say probably not,” Waymaster said,
 suggesting that reducing vehicle taxes could have a bigger impact on 
Kansans’ lives.&nbsp;

It’s the second time Kelly has proposed reamortizing the Kansas Public Employees Retirement system’s debt.&nbsp;

The
 state has about 15 years left under a current plan to eliminate the 
deficit. Under that plan, KPERS payments will balloon to around $1 
billion annually by 2032.&nbsp;

Kelly wants to add an extra 10 years, 
which she said would lower annual payments by $130 million to $160 
million over the next four years. The payments would still top $1 
billion, but not until 2041. And total costs to pay off the debt would 
rise by about $4.4 billion.&nbsp;

Lawmakers rejected reamortizing last year. Some Republicans still want to try to pay off the debt on the current schedule.&nbsp;

“I
 think that we need to remain frugal and we need to continue to pay our 
bills as best we can with what we have right now,” said Republican Sen. 
Carolyn McGinn, who chairs the Senate’s budget committee.

Kelly’s budget director, Larry Campbell, said the current 15-year 
payoff schedule will only come to pass if the state is on time, every 
time.&nbsp;

“That ain’t going to happen,” Campbell said Thursday at a 
meeting with lawmakers. “That assumes the payments are made perfectly 
from now on and they’ve never been.”

Reducing the annual KPERS 
payment will give the state the ability to invest in services like 
education and roads, he said, while keeping a financial cushion to help 
weather any economic downturns.

To
 drive up revenues, Kelly is proposing adding sales taxes to more online
 digital purchases: Think Spotify, Netflix, Hulu or a digital download 
of magazines or books. Doing so could raise $22 million for the state's 
general fund, plus more for highways and local governments.

Campbell
 said buying a physical book, movie or audio recording in a Kansas-based
 store would be subject to sales tax, but those things purchased online 
in digital form currently avoid the fees.

“Kansas sales tax 
policy is antiquated,” Campbell said. “As more and more items are being 
purchased online, the least we can do is level the playing field for our
 existing Kansas businesses.”

When it comes to spending, the 
proposed budget would put millions more on state mental facilities, 
children’s services and corrections. The plan would renovate prison 
facilities in Winfield and Lansing to create dedicated substance-abuse 
treatment centers.

Kansas would also boost higher education 
spending by $28 million, with some targeted at need-based aid and 
technical education. Universities had requested more, including $50 
million in base funding and $10 million for aid.

Kelly’s proposal
 also reduces, but doesn’t fully eliminate, shifting money from the 
highway fund to help balance the budget. The plan would divert almost 
$160 million away from roads — $73 million less than used last year. In 
2018, Campbell’s office says the state “swept” (or shifted) $288 
million.

Then, there’s more about taxes. Kelly wants to reinstate
 a refundable credit for food sales taxes for lower-income Kansans only.
 Costing the state $53 million, the annual tax credits range from $60 
for an individual making under $30,000 to $240 for a married couple 
making under $40,000.

Campbell estimates 69,000 people get the 
state’s current nonrefundable tax credit and a total of 540,000 could 
receive a credit under the governor’s plan. It typically would be 
applied when Kansans file their taxes, but Campbell said there’s also a 
form to claim it without filing taxes.

Having people pay the 
sales tax and then apply for the credit was a concern for Republican 
Rep. Stephen Owens, who said they “may not end up getting anything 
back.”

Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/kprkoranda" target="_blank">&nbsp;@kprkoranda</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579280475519.jpeg" alt=" Gov. Laura Kelly says the state has made "tremendous strides" with its budget but still wants some flexibility. Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Gov. Laura Kelly says the state has made "tremendous strides" with its budget but still wants some flexibility. Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>BY STEPHEN KORANDA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/post/kansas-governors-78-billion-budget-calls-taxing-hulu-delaying-payments-pension-debt#stream/0">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s <a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/budget-report/" target="_blank">budget wish list</a>
 is long: boosting spending on higher education, public safety and human
 services. She'd aim to cut some taxes, but look to add new ones for 
streaming video and music services.Not surprisingly, the $7.8 billion plan is getting a mixed response from the Republicans who control the Legislature.It’s
 the Democrat’s second budget proposal since taking office, and she’s 
relying less on some maneuvers used in past years, like taking money 
from the state highway fund to help keep the budget in the black. But 
she still wants some flexibility in state spending, so she’s hoping to 
refinance the state’s $9 billion in pension debt.“Kansas has 
made tremendous strides in recovering from the last decade of fiscal 
chaos,” Kelly said in a statement. “This balanced budget builds on that 
progress and positions Kansas to begin a new decade of shared prosperity
 and growth.”By the time this budget’s fiscal year (July 2020 to
 June 2021) ends, the state would still have about $628 million in 
reserves. That’s less than $1.1 billion at the end of the 2019 fiscal 
year, but well above the tiny reserves a few years ago.&nbsp;Kansas 
has been on a tax rollercoaster over the last decade — with the state 
cutting taxes starting in 2012 during the tenure of then-Gov. Sam 
Brownback. Lawmakers changed course in 2017 after struggles balancing 
the budget and reversed many of those tax cuts.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579280510507.jpeg" alt=" Republican Rep. Troy Waymaster isn't a fan of Gov. Laura Kelly's idea to lower certain property taxes. Credit Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Republican Rep. Troy Waymaster isn't a fan of Gov. Laura Kelly's idea to lower certain property taxes. Credit Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Kelly has a few ideas about taxes, and one of them is puting $54 
million toward a program that helps reduce local property taxes. It 
hasn’t been funded since 2003.Republican Rep. Troy Waymaster is skeptical, and said that for a $150,000 home, the discount would be about $25.“Are
 people going to notice that? I would say probably not,” Waymaster said,
 suggesting that reducing vehicle taxes could have a bigger impact on 
Kansans’ lives.&nbsp;<h2>The pension dilemma</h2>It’s the second time Kelly has proposed reamortizing the Kansas Public Employees Retirement system’s debt.&nbsp;The
 state has about 15 years left under a current plan to eliminate the 
deficit. Under that plan, KPERS payments will balloon to around $1 
billion annually by 2032.&nbsp;Kelly wants to add an extra 10 years, 
which she said would lower annual payments by $130 million to $160 
million over the next four years. The payments would still top $1 
billion, but not until 2041. And total costs to pay off the debt would 
rise by about $4.4 billion.&nbsp;Lawmakers rejected reamortizing last year. Some Republicans still want to try to pay off the debt on the current schedule.&nbsp;“I
 think that we need to remain frugal and we need to continue to pay our 
bills as best we can with what we have right now,” said Republican Sen. 
Carolyn McGinn, who chairs the Senate’s budget committee.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579280544933.jpeg" alt=" Budget Director Larry Campbell says Kansas doesn't always make its pension debt payments on time. Credit Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Budget Director Larry Campbell says Kansas doesn't always make its pension debt payments on time. Credit Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Kelly’s budget director, Larry Campbell, said the current 15-year 
payoff schedule will only come to pass if the state is on time, every 
time.&nbsp;“That ain’t going to happen,” Campbell said Thursday at a 
meeting with lawmakers. “That assumes the payments are made perfectly 
from now on and they’ve never been.”Reducing the annual KPERS 
payment will give the state the ability to invest in services like 
education and roads, he said, while keeping a financial cushion to help 
weather any economic downturns.<h2>New streaming revenue and other ideas</h2>To
 drive up revenues, Kelly is proposing adding sales taxes to more online
 digital purchases: Think Spotify, Netflix, Hulu or a digital download 
of magazines or books. Doing so could raise $22 million for the state's 
general fund, plus more for highways and local governments.Campbell
 said buying a physical book, movie or audio recording in a Kansas-based
 store would be subject to sales tax, but those things purchased online 
in digital form currently avoid the fees.“Kansas sales tax 
policy is antiquated,” Campbell said. “As more and more items are being 
purchased online, the least we can do is level the playing field for our
 existing Kansas businesses.”When it comes to spending, the 
proposed budget would put millions more on state mental facilities, 
children’s services and corrections. The plan would renovate prison 
facilities in Winfield and Lansing to create dedicated substance-abuse 
treatment centers.Kansas would also boost higher education 
spending by $28 million, with some targeted at need-based aid and 
technical education. Universities had requested more, including $50 
million in base funding and $10 million for aid.Kelly’s proposal
 also reduces, but doesn’t fully eliminate, shifting money from the 
highway fund to help balance the budget. The plan would divert almost 
$160 million away from roads — $73 million less than used last year. In 
2018, Campbell’s office says the state “swept” (or shifted) $288 
million.Then, there’s more about taxes. Kelly wants to reinstate
 a refundable credit for food sales taxes for lower-income Kansans only.
 Costing the state $53 million, the annual tax credits range from $60 
for an individual making under $30,000 to $240 for a married couple 
making under $40,000.Campbell estimates 69,000 people get the 
state’s current nonrefundable tax credit and a total of 540,000 could 
receive a credit under the governor’s plan. It typically would be 
applied when Kansans file their taxes, but Campbell said there’s also a 
form to claim it without filing taxes.Having people pay the 
sales tax and then apply for the credit was a concern for Republican 
Rep. Stephen Owens, who said they “may not end up getting anything 
back.”Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/kprkoranda" target="_blank">&nbsp;@kprkoranda</a>.

Kelly's $7.8B budget calls for taxing Hulu, delaying pension payments

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two Kansas man on sex charges after an arrest.

On Thursday, the Wichita Police Exploited and Missing Children (EMCU) investigators received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Wichita Office, of a 14-year-old girl runaway being in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

EMCU began investigating the case and located the girl at a residence in the 2700 block of North Amidon in Wichita.&nbsp; Police also located a suspect identified as 20-year Devin Miller on Amidon and arrested without incident.&nbsp; Police located a second suspect identified as 19-year-old Kyle Ellery at a residence in the 2300 block of North Sommerset. He was arrested without incident.

The investigation revealed, Ellery picked up the girl&nbsp; in Missouri and brought her back to Wichita for purposes of inappropriate relations, according to Davidson.&nbsp;

Ellery and Miller were booked on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, sexual exploitation of a child, contributing to a child's misconduct, and aggravated interference with parental custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579299798895.png" alt="Smith photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Smith photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two Kansas man on sex charges after an arrest.On Thursday, the Wichita Police Exploited and Missing Children (EMCU) investigators received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Wichita Office, of a 14-year-old girl runaway being in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.EMCU began investigating the case and located the girl at a residence in the 2700 block of North Amidon in Wichita.&nbsp; Police also located a suspect identified as 20-year Devin Miller on Amidon and arrested without incident.&nbsp; Police located a second suspect identified as 19-year-old Kyle Ellery at a residence in the 2300 block of North Sommerset. He was arrested without incident.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579299729513.png" alt="Ellery photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Ellery photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation revealed, Ellery picked up the girl&nbsp; in Missouri and brought her back to Wichita for purposes of inappropriate relations, according to Davidson.&nbsp;Ellery and Miller were booked on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, sexual exploitation of a child, contributing to a child's misconduct, and aggravated interference with parental custody.

Police: Kansas man brought 14-year-old from Missouri for sex

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — Like all the best con artists, Randy Constant was a charmer, hard not to like.

Big hearted. Good listener. You’d never have guessed that the father of three, grandfather of five was a liar, cheat and serial philanderer who masterminded one of the biggest and longest-running frauds in the history of American agriculture.

“He was a wonderful person,” an old friend told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article239079858.html">The Kansas City Star</a>. “He just had that other side to him.”

“What he done shocked me to death,” said Stoutsville, Missouri, farmer John Heinecke, who did business with Constant for years. “I didn’t know he was that kind of corrupt.”

Church-going family man. School board president. Agribusiness entrepreneur. That’s the caring, accomplished Randy Constant people knew in Chillicothe, Missouri, which advertises itself on road signs as the “Home of Sliced Bread.”

Until the full story started to emerge last summer, Constant seemed like one of the best things to come out of Chillicothe since those first pre-cut loaves appeared on store shelves 90 years ago.

He made a good living buying and selling organic grain. He raised tilapia by the ton inside a former Walmart, shipping the farm-raised fish to Whole Foods and hundreds of other supermarkets nationwide.

His reputation earned him prominent mention in Successful Farming magazine’s June 2017 special issue as one of “10 Successful Farmers to Watch” in America.

What the magazine’s editors didn’t know was that Constant was already being closely watched. On a humid Tuesday morning later that same month, a line of black SUVs rolled down Oaklawn Drive and parked outside the four-bedroom, Cape Cod-style house that Constant shared with his wife, Pam.

“We have a search warrant,” agents from the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Agriculture said as they appeared at the couple’s front door around 9:30 a.m.

For five and a half hours, investigators sorted through records from Constant’s business and personal life. There was a lot of material to process because Constant had quite inexplicably become one of the biggest sellers of “certified organic” feed grain in the entire country.

Records showed that in 2016 he sold 7% of all the corn labeled organic and 8% of all the soybeans carrying that designation. More than $19 million worth that year, $24 million the year before and so on every year before that back to 2010 at least.

It was impossible for him to have done that legitimately. He didn’t have access to enough organic crop acres to supply so many bushels.

“Somebody who was competing with him in the organic market noticed that he was flooding the market with too much grain and at too low of a price for what organic grain should be sold for,” federal prosecutor Anthony Morfitt told The Star.

That’s what got the whole thing started. A tip rather than the government’s flawed oversight program for the organic food industry. For many years, that inspection system had failed to detect Constant’s fraudulent scheme. Now the feds were onto him.

There was plenty of temptation to cheat. Organic grain costs more to produce per bushel than conventionally grown crops and therefore demands a higher price. After processing, it is fed to cattle and chickens, whose meat is also sold at a premium in stores and restaurants because a growing number of consumers are willing to pay more for protein that comes from animals raised on a natural, organic diet.

There’s no proof that the meat is any better for you, but some people believe it is and others have philosophical or environmental reasons for preferring it.

To earn the National Organic Seal, the plants from which organic grain is harvested cannot have been genetically modified. And they must be grown without help from chemical fertilizers or synthetic weed or bug killers. But for decades the government’s system for ensuring that consumers get what they are paying for has been inadequate.

It largely depends on trusting that organic farmers are honest and that the private inspectors who monitor their operations are thorough in reviewing the paperwork because there is no test to determine whether an ear of field corn, say, is organic or not.

A clever and unethical seller can successfully pass off cheaper conventionally grown grain for the more expensive organic kind and make a huge profit, if they sell a lot of it.

The agents suspected Randy Constant of doing just that.

With the FBI’s assistance, the USDA would go on to prove that Constant was a swindler on a grand scale: More than $140 million in fraudulent sales between 2010 and 2017 for grain that was likely worth half that.

The Star’s subsequent reporting found that, in fact, his scheme stretched back further than that, to 2007 or 2006.

Constant scammed grain buyers, meat producers and millions of American consumers for a decade or more. The organic beef and poultry countless Americans were eating during those years wasn’t organic after all.

It was just like any other meat. All thanks to Randy Constant, who squandered the profits on a fish farm that failed, travel and a secret, double life that was shockingly at odds with his good-guy image in Chillicothe.

As his family members wept during his sentencing hearing for wire fraud in an Iowa courtroom last August, prosecutors disclosed the scandalous ways Constant had spent some of the ill-gotten profits.

Not only did he bankroll extravagant family vacations every summer — counting kids and grandkids, he’d treat a dozen to stays at luxury resorts like Hilton Head, South Carolina — Constant also admitted to using the grain sales money to pay for sex with prostitutes and wagering at casinos.

He took more than 20 trips to Las Vegas, often alone, during the seven-year period covered in his indictment. There he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal profits on gambling on the Vegas strip, hiring female escorts and providing financial support to three women with whom he had extramarital affairs.

He shared a bank account with one of them, and spent $110,000 on her car payments and other bills, a trip to Spain and surgery to enhance her breasts.

“During a roughly seven-month period in the course of the scheme,” Constant admitted in court records, “another account in my name and under my control incurred more than $250,000 in Las Vegas-related expenses.”

The revelations stunned those who had befriended the onetime high school football star and local Future Farmers of America president. They still find it hard to grasp that someone who once seemed to believe strongly in the value of growing food organically would betray that industry, not to mention business associates, friends and family.

“I knew a different Randy than what I read about in the papers,” said former Missouri organic farmer Maryann Kohl, now retired in Palm Springs, California. “Everything about him seemed good and legitimate.”

Who was Randy Constant? When did he go astray and how did he get away with his scam for so long? The Star spent more than a month finding answers to those questions by reviewing court, business and government records, as well as conducting interviews with regulators, industry officials and those who knew him.

The most intriguing question of all may never be answered. Only Randy Constant knows why he did what he did, but at age 60 he took his own life last August. Three days earlier he’d been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He was ordered to forfeit $128 million, a fine that he almost certainly never would have been able to pay off.

“I know Randy was deeply ashamed of his conduct,” his widow said soon after his passing.

She and other family members were unwilling to discuss with a reporter anything more about the man or his many mistakes.

Despite Constant’s faults, former business partner Glen Borgerding remains sympathetic and remembers him fondly.

“The reaction you get from people after hearing of his suicide is that he deserved what he got,” he said. “But I don’t feel that way. There was a lot of good in Randy and the real tragedy is that he went down this path.”

While many sellers have been hit with civil penalties for engaging in organic food fraud, only a few bad actors have ever been prosecuted criminally.

One of the first was a Texas farmer sentenced in 2010 to two years in prison for fraudulently mislabeling three kinds of beans and millions of pounds of milo as organic. The next year, two California fertilizer suppliers and an Oregon grain farmer got prison time for falsely claiming their products were organic.

And more recently, Bernard Saul of Bliss, Idaho, was sentenced in 2016 to three years in federal custody and three years probation for selling far more “organic” alfalfa seed than his organic farm could have produced.

But these cases were small potatoes compared to Constant’s scheme, the disclosure of which stunned the organic food industry both for its scale and how it exposed the shortcomings in the government’s organic certification program.

“We have been sitting on a ticking time bomb for years,” Margaret Scoles, the executive director of the International Organic Inspectors Association, said in prepared remarks at an industry conference in October.

“We just didn’t know the name of it — Randy Constant. This is a failure on all of our heads. Our system of managing organic integrity proved inadequate.”

Until Constant’s crime became public knowledge at the end of 2018, greater attention had been focused on illicit foreign shipments of grain from the Black Sea region. Almost nothing was being said about the potential for fraud domestically.

“Which is interesting, isn’t it?” Scoles told The Star. “That we were all looking at the Turkish grain fraud and we were all upset because that horrible imported grain was depressing organic grain prices in this country, and really what was happening was the largest fraud of all was being perpetrated right in the Midwest heartland where everybody’s honest.”

A 90-minute drive northeast of Kansas City, Chillicothe is about the same size today — population 9,500 — as it was when Jack and JoAnn Constant welcomed into the world the third of their four children. Randall Jay Constant was born two weeks before Christmas in 1958.

When he was growing up, Chillicothe was the kind of close-knit, rural community where the local newspaper would print kids’ letters to Santa Claus every Christmas season. Randy’s first appeared in print when he was 7 and then another made the paper two years later, in December 1967.

“Santa, I have tried to be a good boy this year,” the third-grader wrote. “I want a BB gun, a ball, a catcher’s mitt, a bat and a dart game. Please remember my family. Your friend, Randy Constant, Chillicothe, Mo.”

In the decade that followed, his name would appear dozens of times in the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. Most often it was in the high school sports report. At 6 feet, 175 pounds, he was an all-conference defensive end/linebacker his senior year on the football squad, one of two Chillicothe Hornets players selected that spring to play in Missouri’s first-ever Lions All-State Football Game in 1977.

He was a good student and a leader off the field. After attending the Boys State leadership program the summer after his junior year, he finished high school, often wearing his blue jacket as president of the local Future Farmers of America chapter.

Constant went on to study agricultural economics at Mizzou, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi — motto: “men of principle” — the same fraternity where years earlier Kenneth Lay, founder of Enron Corp., was a member. Constant married his high school sweetheart ahead of graduation in 1981.

Over the next dozen years, they had three kids and Randy’s job assignments for his ag industry employers (Archer Daniels Midlands, then Scoular Grain Co. and Pfister Seeds) had the young family moving from town to town across the Midwest. They never stayed in one place for long, from Decatur, Illinois, to Salina, Kansas, with stops in Nebraska, Iowa and the Kansas City suburbs.

According to his obituary, “the family returned to Chillicothe in 1994 when Randy became an organic farmer…”

Growing food organically was a tiny, but fast-growing industry back then, and there was a lot of confusion over terminology. Definitions differed over what constituted “organic’’ when producing fruits, vegetables, meat, grains and the products made from them.

In 1990, Congress sought to establish clarity with the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act. It called for the USDA to define the term and lay out regulations. It took more than a decade to accomplish that, with the final rule published in the Federal Register on Dec, 21, 2000.

That was around the time Glen Borgerding met Constant. Borgerding was a crop consultant from Minnesota who specialized in organic farming methods. Constant was farming some on his own and was the farm manager for an organic soybean brokerage company that was selling soybeans to the Japanese.

“They had hired Randy to run their Missouri operations,’’ said Borgerding, who the company brought on as a consultant.

When Borgerding’s contract with the firm ended a year later, he suggested to Constant that they go into business together and Organic Land Management LLC was born in January of 2001.

“We clicked really well,” Borgerding said. “We both had skill sets that really complimented each other.”

Borgerding’s role was as the strategic thinker, focusing on soil fertility management and doing the paperwork necessary to maintain their croplands’ organic certification. Constant was out in the fields taking care of day-to-day management of the acres they owned or rented in Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, while Borgerding oversaw operations in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Things went well those first five years, but then trouble came out of nowhere.

“We doubled our net worth every year until 2006, when we suddenly had a flat year,” Borgerding said. “This led to our operating-loan lender pulling out on us at the last minute, which left us pretty financially desperate for the 2007 crop year.”

He couldn’t figure it out. The yield estimates had been good throughout the growing season. The weather cooperated for the most part.

But without access to adequate credit, the joint operation couldn’t survive, and so they split up.

It wasn’t until several months after they parted that Borgerding’s suspicions were raised when he got a phone call from a customer who he wasn’t aware of ever doing business with. The man wanted to finish up some paperwork business with Constant.

That’s when Borgerding began to think that the down year in 2006 had nothing to do with poor yields. Rather he suspected that Constant was diverting Organic Land Management grain through a different company that Constant had formed without his knowledge.

“My gut feeling was that through OLM we were only tracking about one third of what he was actually selling as organic in 2006,” Borgerding said.

Years later he was stunned when he read about Constant’s long-running con and sordid double life in Vegas.

“When I heard that, I thought to myself, ‘damn, Randy,’ ” Borgerding said. “That would have been a helluva ride.”

Maryann Kohl met Constant in the 1990s, when both were active in the Missouri Organic Association, which promoted the value of growing crops organically.

“He was a very outgoing and well-spoken person,” she said. “Anything he could do to help another person with what they were working on, he would do.”

Her family’s farm was near Vandalia, about 150 miles east of Chillicothe. They had become acquainted at association events, but a friendship grew when they, along with Constant’s youngest daughter and two other farmers, visited the United Kingdom in 2004 on a trade mission sponsored by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

“He was fun and very much a gentleman,” Kohl said. He seemed devoted to his family and appeared to believe in the value of growing food organically.

She had no reason to doubt back then that he was complying with all the rules that a farmer must follow to maintain organic certification for his crops.

Organic farmers must hire private companies approved by the government to cross-check their books and inspect their farms annually. A few years after that trip to England, Kohl worked for Constant’s certifier, industry-leader Quality Assurance International, and by chance was chosen to inspect his operation, she said.

“I was there to make sure he was doing everything right, and as far as I could tell, he certainly was,” she said. “If he was hiding something, he was hiding it very well.”

But there are ways to cheat, such as keeping a second set of books. Tests for chemical residues were not mandatory at the time and are even now sporadic.

Was Randy Constant cheating even back then, when they drove hundreds of miles to inspect the certified organic farm ground he owned and rented in Missouri, Iowa and Colorado?

Kohl can’t help but wonder, but if so she chalks it up to his cleverness, rather than anything she did wrong.

“I wasn’t lenient on Randy because I knew him.”

She can’t be sure, but believes the year was either 2007 or 2008.

But it was around that time, in Nevada, that questions first arose about Constant’s business ethics.

An article in the June 2007 issue of an obscure publication, The Organic and Non-GMO Report, focused on the mystery surrounding a railcar full of organic soybeans.

Constant had sold the beans to Nevada Soy Product, which turned them into soybean oil. One of Nevada Soy’s customers canceled the sale after their tests showed the soybeans had come from genetically modified plants. While there is no test to determine whether a plant was grown organically, it can be determined in a lab whether that plant’s genes have been tinkered with.

When Nevada Soy co-owner Bob Rewinkle double checked the grain samples, “sure enough it was positive,” he told The Star last month.

According to the 2007 article, one of the scientists who tested the beans said there were only two explanations. Either there was an unintentional mixup, “or someone is trying to make money quick” by mixing genetically modified soybeans with the organic variety.

Constant denied wrongdoing, but Rewinkle wanted answers. The spoiled shipment was a $100,000 hit to his bottom line.

“As soon as that happened, I went into our certifiers, which at the time happened to be the state of Nevada, and told them what had happened, and they started an investigation,” Rewinkle said.

But nothing came of it. He never heard a thing from the USDA, and a spokeswoman at the Nevada Department of Agriculture told The Star that the agency has no record of what happened. The USDA would not speak specifically to this case, but said it had more funding now to investigate complaints than it did back then.

Rewinkle is still disgusted with the lack of followup by the USDA.

“If you’re the big overseer of the organic program, why don’t you do your job?” he said of the USDA. He then told The Star’s reporter, “You’re the first person that ever contacted me about this.”

Rewinkle wasn’t the only one finding fault with the federal National Organic Program during that time for failing to uphold the integrity of the organic food certification system.

The USDA’s Office of Inspector General issued a searing 2010 audit faulting the organic program’s oversight efforts. Complaints were rarely followed up on, and when they were it sometimes took years to resolve them.

The inspection system was also inadequate, the report said. Twenty years after Congress had required that crops be tested periodically for traces of chemical residues, no strict regulations to that effect were on the books.

Out of four certifying agents the OIG reviewed, none was conducting tests on the 5,000 organic farms and other operations they were responsible for.

It was in this environment that Randy Constant thrived.

“I think he figured out that, there’s just no checks and balances to determine really whether or not a No. 2 corn was actually raised organically or not,” said Clarence Mock, a Nebraska defense attorney who represented one of Constant’s co-conspirators in the criminal case.