What’s up from

the primary election?

By Martin Hawver

Tuesday’s primary election just took a little time from some Shawnee County voters – 44,274 of 116,968 registered voters – who decided to pop in a vote, while more than 72,000 apparently found other ways to have fun or at least wait until the ballot would be shorter in November.

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, won the Republican primary over former state senator and current Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, both statewide and in Shawnee County, where she lives, and five other GOP candidates.

The Shawnee County vote was 7,804 Masterson to 5,878 for Schmidt. Masterson had the endorsement of President Donald Trump, which probably sent more conservative Republicans to Masterson. In a relatively low-turnout election in which the flip side of the ballot was the Supreme Court election issue, it’s hard to tell whether Trump generated the Masterson win or whether a chance to vote for the politicization of the Kansas Supreme Court tipped the balance for Masterson. Could have been either, or both.

That Supreme Court issue – putting the state’s highest court justices on the ballot in contested races rather than having the governor select a candidate from three nominees from a statewide commission that weighs their skills, history and knowledge of the constitution and law -- failed 61% to 38% statewide. But the conservative pro-life GOP tends to draw the most conservative of voters to the polls where, historically, they have been outvoted. (Remember 2022, the proposed constitutional amendment to virtually outlaw abortion in Kansas, which lost by a similar margin?)

Shawnee Countians rejected that Supreme Court proposition 30,252 to 12,956. (And, have you noticed that the “vote No” signs came down more quickly after the election than the “vote YES” signs? Probably so they can be easily altered for whatever Republicans come up with for 2028.)

On the Democrat ticket for the general election, State Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park -- who was not endorsed by outgoing Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly – won her party’s primary, statewide 108,427 over 86,595 for Kelly-endorsed State Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Fairway. The Shawnee County vote was 8,620 Holscher/6,576 Corson.

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So far, it’s just numbers. In the next week or so, the Shawnee County Election Commission may compute those voter numbers to give us an idea of just what group of our neighbors might be shaping the upcoming election. Maybe by age…probably not weight.



And…some of those campaigns have already started. Masterson in the days after winning the primary has already put enough ads on TV that we can’t see what the new Fords are going to look like next year. That couple-week respite from politics…apparently not this year…



Registration opens Aug. 24 for Topeka appearance

of author Lucy Foley

Bestselling international thriller author Lucy Foley will talk about her new book at 7 pm Thursday, Sept. 24, in Marvin Auditorium 101ABC at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10^th.

Registration opens at 9 am Aug. 24 by going to https://events.tscpl.org/event/16961572

Foley will talk about her work including writing a new Miss Marple mystery Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, answer questions and sign books. The first 200 attendees will receive a free copy of the book.

New York Times, Sunday Times (UK) and Irish Times bestselling author Foley has written eight novels including The Guest List, which was on many best book lists, a winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller and a Reese Whitherspoon Book Club selection.

Several of her novels are currently in adaptation for television and film. She is a Waterstones Thriller of the Month author and a three-time nominee at the British Book Awards.

Foley’s novel Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel will be released in September. This is a new Miss Marple mystery and the first fully authorized novel featuring the iconic detective since Agatha Christie.

To celebrate the release of Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, attendees are encouraged to wear teal or turquoise to match the book cover. “It's a fun way to celebrate the evening and will make for some great photos!” library folks said.

Round Table Bookstore will be on site with a selection of Foley's books available for purchase. You may have up to two books signed at the event.

This author visit is supported by the Friends of the Library. 

This weekend in Topeka: Health screening, jazz concert

Health screening Saturday

A free community health and cancer screening will be offered from 9 am to noon Saturday at the University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus facility at 2641 SW Wanamaker Road, Suite 100.

The University of Kansas/St. Francis, in partnership with the Kansas Masons, Orient-Topeka Lodge No. 17 and the Masonic Cancer Alliance, will host the clinic.

The event is open to the public and no insurance is required. Screenings are available for all ages:

• Skin cancer screenings
• Prostate cancer screenings
• Take-home colorectal cancer screening kits
• Genetic counseling education
• Radon home testing kits while supplies last

A highlight of this year's screening event is HOPE On Wheels (Health Outreach, Prevention and Education), a 42-foot mobile medical unit operated by The University of Kansas Cancer Center and its outreach network, the Masonic Cancer Alliance.

Area Masons work with staff from the Masonic Cancer Alliance and the Kansas Masonic Foundation to coordinate screening events across Kansas. Brooke Groneman, outreach director for the Masonic Cancer Alliance, said more than 20,000 Kansas residents have participated in these screenings since 2003.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, approximately 9,500 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each day, including nearly 250 cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Kansas. Early detection and screening can help identify potential concerns before symptoms develop.

Anyone identified with a potential health concern during a screening will be encouraged to follow up with a healthcare provider and will be provided information about available healthcare resources.

Topeka Jazz Workshop Sunday

Listen to the sounds of modern jazz from 3 to 5 pm Sunday at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10^th. The concert will be in Marvin Auditorium 101ABC.

Performing will be Topeka's 18-piece big band The Topeka Jazz Workshop. The band is a collection of musicians from northeast Kansas dedicated to performing and promoting jazz music.

The Topeka Jazz Workshop has been a prime factor in keeping jazz alive and well in Topeka and northeast Kansas for five decades, library officials said. Founded in 1960, the Topeka Jazz Workshop Band is the oldest continuous community-based big band in the United States.

In addition to performing live big band jazz, the TJWB operates the Topeka Youth Jazz Program, which provides jazz education and performance opportunities for middle and high school students in northeast Kansas. 

Walk to End Alzheimer’s

set for Sept. 26

The Alzheimer's Association will host the Walk to End Alzheimer's Northeast Kansas in Topeka on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Lake Shawnee at 3400 SE Leisure Lane.

The Walk to End Alzheimer's brings together families that have been impacted by Alzheimer's and anyone interested in supporting brain health in the community.

The event includes the Promise Garden ceremony where walkers will carry flowers of assorted colors, each color representing their personal connection to the disease.

More than 100 individuals and 30 teams have already registered and there is no cost to participate. To learn more, go to alz.org/TopekaKSwalk

Editor’s Journal: Appetizers, anyone?

By Vickie Griffith Hawver

Looking for easy, breezy summer appetizers that won’t heat up your kitchen? Topekan Adrianne Evans has you covered in her latest Foodie Finds column for the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library newsletter.

Most of the ingredients can be found at local farmers’ markets.

In addition to being a library volunteer, Evans and co-Boomer Peg Dunlap write the Foodie Friends Field Trips column for the bi-monthly Hawvers’ Still Booming Newsletter, where they share with us their culinary adventures at restaurants within easy driving distance of Topeka.

In her current library column, Evans features recipes for and pictures of tea sandwiches and savory fruit appetizers, along with tips for saving summer herbs.

“So there you have summer on a plate with light appetizers,” she writes.

She also shares her recommendations for books she’s found at the library that feature appetizers along with a couple of food-related books she’s recently read and enjoyed. Check it all out at Foodie Finds: Easy Summer Appetizers - Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

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Comin’ up in the September/October Hawvers’ Still Booming Newsletter:

What about living downtown? In our ongoing series on where you want to call home as you get older – so far we’ve featured aging-in-place considerations and building your own senior-friendly home from scratch -- you’ll read about a Topeka couple who sold their home on five acres southwest of Topeka and bought a building on Kansas Avenue.

They renovated it, converted the second floor into a loft for them and space for their two businesses, and have two business tenants on the first floor which, they said, “keep the building active and connected to the downtown neighborhood.” They love it there. Read more about it in the September/October Newsletter via the link that will be available in a Dispatch after Labor Day.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

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