Karmel Mangan Astarae, owner of Spirit Whispers Holistic Healing and Consulting, recently attended two weekend workshops for Shambhala Reiki Training and is a certified Shambhala Reiki master.

Astarae assisted in bringing Ian Henderson, certified Shambhala Reiki master of Amsterdam, Holland, to Lawrence for four workshops. Conference attendees includes Kansas residents, and more workshops will be scheduled in the fall.

Astarae has 12 years of experience in alternative healing modalities and has assisted thousands of clients with spirit-based options for wholeness, wellness and personal empowerment. The mission of Spirit Whispers, Astarae said, is to bridge the gap between the alternative and the mainstream, the ordinary and the sacred.

¢ TherapyWorks, Lawrence, has added two occupational therapists to its clinical staff.

Jennifer Brown has experience with inpatient and outpatient settings and a special interest in geriatrics and wellness. She completed her undergraduate coursework at Missouri Western College and is a graduate of Creighton University, where she received her clinical doctorate degree in occupational therapy.

Linda Stefanick comes to TherapyWorks with three years of experience in both nursing home and outpatient rehabilitation settings. She is a graduate of Worcester State College in Worcester, Mass., where she received her master’s degree in occupational therapy.

Honors and awards

The Society of National Association Publications has honored the Strength and Conditioning Journal with a gold award for most improved scholarly journal from among 1,130 entries. Alliance Communications Group, a division of Lawrence-based Allen Press Inc., publishes the journal in partnership with the National Strength and Conditioning Assn. Representatives from Alliance Communications and NSCA are scheduled to attend the 2005 SNAP EXCEL awards gala June 29 in Washington, D.C.

¢ Golf Course Management, the monthly magazine of Lawrence-based Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, was honored with five awards for design, photography and writing by the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Assn. The awards were presented at the association’s annual meeting in Memphis, Tenn.

Golf Course Management’s design team of Roger Billings, art/production manager; Becky Drager, designer; and Kelly Neis, prepress/production specialist; received first place in the Overall Magazine Design category for work on the August 2004 issue. The award marked the fourth consecutive year that the magazine received first place in the category.

The magazine also earned first place in the Best Photography category for a photo of comedian George Lopez by Seth Jones, associate editor. The photo appeared in the September 2004 “reflections” issue.

John Fech and Fred Baxendale, horticulturists at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., won first place nod in the writing category for Best Ornamental Feature. The story detailed how changing weather patterns can affect insects that target plantings on golf courses and was published in the August 2004 issue.

Terry Ostmeyer, senior staff writer, earned a pair of merit awards. He was honored for a story on biotechnology and golf course management that was published in January 2004, and for a feature on 2005 Old Tom Morris Award winner Jack Nicklaus that was published in December 2004.

Coming events

Scott Hodge, of the Tax Foundation, will be the keynote speaker at the Kansas Tax Conference, which will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.

Among the other scheduled speakers and topics are Jim Bartell, general counsel for the Kansas Department of Revenue, on department initiatives; Kathleen Smith, of the Kansas Department of Revenue, small business tax credits; and state Rep. Doug Mays, speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives, political atmosphere surrounding tax policy change.

Also scheduled are a discussion about property tax abatements, machinery and equipment tax credits and how Kansas compares and competes; and “The New Franchise Tax: What Every Business Needs to Know.”

The cost is $125 for Kansas Chamber of Commerce members or government employees and $175 for nonmembers. To review the agenda or to register, click on www.kansaschamber.org. For more information, contact the chamber at (785) 357-6321.