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Index

Advice/Crossword ..... 6BClassified .................. 9BComics ..................... 7BDaily Record .............. 2ADeaths/Funerals ..... 11AOpinion ..................... 4APolice news ............. 10ASports ....................... 1BTV ............................. 6BToday ........................ 2A

What’s next for Klein?

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, after a whirlwind time in New York, is ready to get back to routine.

Sports, Page 1B

In the ovenFor a treat that will fill

your house with a cozy aroma, try making a batch of cinnamon rolls.

Wednesday in Flavor

Here comes Santa ClausThe installation of a

Santa statue atop the Dillons in Brookwood Shopping Center is an anticipated event.

Today, Page 2A

Pro footballThe Cleveland Browns

score 30 straight points in a 30-7 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose record is now 2-11.

Sports, Page 1B

Inside today

Coming up

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Choose from 3 Great Deals fromPinnacle Fitness!

School funds

pass by Kansas

By Celia Llopis-JepsenTHe CaPITal-Journal

The federal government has allocat-ed billions of dollars under President Barack Obama’s signature education

initiative, Race to the Top. But in five competitive rounds of state funding, zero dollars have gone to Kansas

schools.Now, in an ongoing round of district-

level funding, Kansas’ only applicant, Topeka Unified School District 501, has been eliminated from the run-ning.

Race to the Top kicked off in 2009. The original $4.35 billion budget was part of the American Recovery and Re-investment Act. When it was an-nounced, the U.S. Department of Edu-cation, led by Secretary Arne Duncan, said the goal was to spur reform by making states compete. There would be winners and losers.

In the first phase, 40 states, includ-ing Kansas, and the District of Colum-bia applied. Two won. Tennessee and Delaware took home a combined $600 million.

Today, the U.S. Department of Edu-

Please see SCHOOL, Page 10A

Zero dollars have gone to state since race to the Top began

agency: Scales a top priority

By Andy Marso THe CaPITal-Journal

The Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Weights and Measures sent a letter to large agricultural scale companies in November saying that "a new day has come" and promising to carry out its duties with "renewed vigor."

But the scale company owner who brought his complaints about lax regulation to the de-partment's highest officials this year say they are nothing more

than pretty words."They’re absolutely doing

nothing,” said Joe Hamilton, of UniBridge Scale Systems.

In October, The Topeka Capi-tal-Journal reported Hamilton's complaints that Weights and Measures is giving some com-panies "a free pass" in allowing them to sell shoddy scales that were cheating consumers out of millions while undercutting scale companies that tried to play by the rules.

One example Hamilton gave was Travis Scale, which, ac-cording to court documents, sold a condemned scale to a dairy in Bird City without get-

Please see SCALES, Page 8A

OCTOBER 2012 FILE PHOTOGRAPH/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Joe Hamilton, the owner of UniBridge Scale Systems, says the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Weights and Measures is “doing nothing” in regards to scale regulation.

On Tuesday: Senator-landlord pushes bill to regulate her competition.

POLICY MATTERS10th in a series of 15 articles.

CJOnline.com/policymatters

By Tim HrenchirTHe CaPITal-Journal

The Topeka City Council is consider-ing amending the city’s capital improve-ment plans to arrange to borrow money next year to finance three proposed street projects that previously weren’t part of those plans.

The proposed capital improvement budget and capital improvement pro-gram before the council would include providing funding:

n In 2013 to improve S.W. 17th Street between Washburn and MacVicar ave-nues.

n In 2013 to improve S.E. 21st from California Avenue to about 700 feet east of Carnahan.

n In 2013, 2014 and 2015 to widen and make other improvements to S.W. 37th Street between Burlingame Road and Gage Boulevard.

The projects are part of city manager Jim Colson’s proposed 2013-14 CIB and 2013-17 CIP, which the council plans to consider adopting Dec. 18.

The council each year approves a CIB, which lists capital improvements the city may consider in the next two years, and a CIP listing priorities for improvements to be carried out in each of the next five. Once a CIB and CIP are adopted, the

3 street projects may be initiated

ONLINERead a report on the status of the city’s capital improvement projects.

CJOnline.com

But owner of scale company refutes assertion

ONLINEView a table of states that have received money.

CJOnline.com

Transition method doesn’t violate state law

O’Neal’s dual jobs raise ire of critics

POliCY MATTERS

By Tim CarpenterTHe CaPITal-Journal

Speaker Mike O'Neal stands in the unique position to juggle dual roles as the House's power broker and as linchpin of

the state's most influ-ential business lobby-ing organization.

O'Neal reached this vantage point in Kan-sas politics by starting a new job in October

as chief executive officer and president of the Kansas Chamber while drawing to a close his 28-year career in the Legislature.

"This opportunity to work with the Kan-sas Chamber is perfect for me," O'Neal said.

The arrangement rendered the Hutchinson Republican a GOP insider and outsider during the 2012 election cy-

ONLINEListen to Rep. Mike O’Neal talk about his legislative career.

CJOnline.com

2012 FILE PHOTOGRAPH/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Rep. Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, stretches limits of a citizen legislature by simultaneously serving as the House’s top political leader and as president of the Kansas Chamber.

cle. He dispensed advice as a savvy House veteran and as a fresh cog in chamber ma-chinery pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into legislative campaigns.

A week ago, O'Neal rode shotgun to funnel votes of House members to his candidate for that top post, Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican who won the job of speaker. O'Neal can still play offense and

defense until the mid-January start of the 2013 legislative session.

O'Neal's method of transition doesn't violate Kansas law or House rules, be-cause the speaker said he won't become an official lobbyist for the chamber until after resigning from the House in Janu-ary.

The arrangement did inspire appre-hension in some quarters that O'Neal stepped into a minefield by over-lapping public service obligations of a state lawmaker with employment by an organization dedicated to influencing the Legislature.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hen-sley, a Topeka Democrat frequently at odds with O'Neal, said state law should be amended to prohibit employment

Please see O’NEAL, Page 6A