ALMA, Kan- Four people were injured in a rollover accident just before 2:30 Thursday morning in Wabaunsee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 GMC Sierra driven by Jacob Paul Routh, 19, Wamgeo, was northbound on Wabaunsee Road 8 miles northwest of Alma,
The driver lost control and the vehicle rolled in the west ditch.
Routh and passengers Austin Hayes Waters, 19, Wamego, Erika Kristin Eakes, 29, Manhattan, and Timothy D. Kaucich, 26, were transported to the hospital in Wamego.
The KHP had no home address on Kaucich. They also reported Waters and Kaucich were not wearing seat belts.
WAKEENEY — It’s going to be a noisy Independence Day celebration in WaKeeney after all.
Due to abundant rains during the first two weeks of June, city council members voted at their June 17 meeting to allow the discharge of fireworks within the WaKeeney city limits.
Fireworks can be used Thursday-Saturday, July 3-5, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Plentiful rains fell in WaKeeney the entire month of June.
The complete minutes of the June 17, 2014 WaKeeney City Council meeting follow.
RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GOVERNING BODY 17 JUNE 2014
The Governing Body of the City of WaKeeney, Kansas met in a regular session at City Hall 408 Russell Ave at 7:00 PM with the Mayor presiding and the following members present:
Mayor Kenneth Roy and Council Members Mary Jo Clevenger, Irene Dirks, Troy Leiker, Lynelle Shubert, and Allen Weigel
BEING ABSENT: None
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written, printed and distributed.
GUESTS: Jolene Niernberger, Beulah Jones, Deb Fabrizius, Shirley Gordon, Glenda Moore, Joy Fischer, Jean Nickelson, Norma McRae, Armellia Reiter, Mary Hillman, Terry Eberle, Charlie Knoll, and Janelle Miller
Jolene Niernberger, Director, Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs was present before the Governing Body to request funding in the city’s 2015 budget. Jolene presented financial information on the two programs and introduced the volunteers members present at the meeting. Jolene and her volunteers were thanked by the City Council and took their leave.
CHIEF OF POLICE: Terry Eberle provided his monthly departmental report. Terry discussed with the city council the need to replace the oldest Chevy Tahoe patrol car later this year.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR: City Administrator Hardy Howard presented to the Governing Body an analysis of the past 19 years of the city’s assessed valuation, mill levy, property tax, and sales tax collections prior to the development of the 2015 budget. Some budget issues were discussed by the City Council. A draft of the 2015 city budget will be presented at the next meeting.
A motion was made by Troy Leiker and seconded by Allen Weigel to purchase approximately 1,000 ton of available asphalt millings from Venture Corporation for $12.00 per ton. Motion carried.
Due to the improved drought conditions, it was the consensus of the Governing Body to allow the discharge of fireworks within the city as per ordinance on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th from 9 AM to 11 PM.
The City Administrator advised the City Council that an ad has been placed in the Western KS World seeking to hire a full time employee for the public works department. The position is open until filled.
No further business appearing, the meeting was adjourned.
Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History has received the 2014 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.com.
This award reflects the consistently positive reviews visitors give the museum on the TripAdvisor website. The Sternberg Museum is also ranked the No. 1 attraction in Hays.
“This museum is amazing!! The exhibits were top-notch and far exceeded my expectations,” said one review, posted by a visitor from Highlands Ranch, Colo., last November.
“Our three toddlers had a blast in this museum! There was a function going on where 250 kids were split up in groups throughout, however that did not affect the quality of our visit,” said a South Dakota visitor in May.
The Sternberg Museum, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has identified the state’s first two cases of travel-associated chikungunya virus. The patients, both of whom are adults from Sedgwick County, reported recent, but separate, travel to the Caribbean.
“Chikungunya virus can be a serious and debilitating disease, and we want travelers to be aware,” said KDHE Secretary Dr. Robert Moser. “It is important for persons traveling to countries where chikungunya virus infections are currently reported to take appropriate precautions to prevent exposures to mosquito bites.”
Outbreaks of chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, have occurred in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Chikungunya (pronunciation: chik-en-gun-ye) was first established in the western hemisphere on St. Maarten, an island in the Caribbean, in December 2013. Additional cases have been identified in 19 countries throughout the Caribbean.
Cases in the United States among travelers returning from these countries have been identified in several states. No local transmission has been identified in the U.S. mainland. Local transmission occurs when mosquitoes in the area have been infected and are spreading it to people.
However, the mosquitoes that most commonly transmit chikungunya virus – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus – have both been identified in the United States, including in Kansas. There is growing concern among public health officials that chikungunya virus could become established in local mosquito populations and pose additional risks to people.
Infection with chikungunya virus is rarely fatal, but symptoms can be severe. Most people who become infected will have fever and joint pain. Other symptoms include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash.
To prevent mosquito bites, KDHE and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend people:
• Use air conditioning or window/door screens to keep mosquitoes outside. If you are not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes inside your home or hotel, sleep under a mosquito bed net.
• Help reduce the number of mosquitoes outside your home or hotel room by emptying standing water from containers such as flowerpots, buckets or old tires.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants when weather permits.
• Use insect repellents. Those that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide long-lasting protection.
KANSAS CITY – This video was fiilmed Tuesday from the GARMIN VIRB Action camera. It provides a look at the first ride down the Verruckt Waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark.
Featuring waterpark designer Jeff Henry and ride engineer John Schooley, you will see the insanity that is responsible for the world’s tallest waterslide.
The Verruckt is not open to the public due to several delays in the design and testing phases.
Zair Koeiman drove in four runs and Larks starter Ian Bentley allowed just two earned runs over six innings Wednesday night as Hays picks up an 11-5 win over the Dodge City A’s in Dodge City.
The A’s took advantage of a pair of early errors by the Larks and led 4-2 after three but in the fifth inning Hays rallied to tie the game at four with a two-run single by Zair Koeiman.
The Larks blew the game open with a five run sixth sparked by Ty Detmer’s two-run double.
Zair Koeiman was two-for-four with four RBIs and Derek Birginske was three-for-four with three runs scored in the Larks win.
Bentley allowed five runs, two earned and struck out six in six innings in his first appearance this summer for his first win of the summer.
Hays has won six of their last seven games and they improved to 16-9 overall and 12-9 in the Jayhawk League.
Larks have Thursday and Friday off before beginning a two-game series in Liberal Saturday and Sunday.
The Hays Monarchs Senior American Legion ran their winning streak to eight games Wednesday night with an 8-1 win over the Ellis in Hays.
The Monarchs scored the first run of the game on a passed ball in the bottom of the first. Hays added two more in the third on a pair of wild pitches to go up 3-0.
The Monarchs broke the game open with a three-run fifth.
Seven Hays pitchers combined to allow just one run as the Monarchs more to 12-3 on the season.
Ryan Ruder and Jordan Gottschalk both finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Monarchs open the Wild West Fest baseball tournament Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. with Wichita Greys at Hays High School.
Ellis plays Erie Colorado at 3 p.m. Friday at Hays High.
The Hays Senior Eagles open the tournament with Rock Creek Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. at Larks Park.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and Republican primary opponent Milton Wolf have both signed a pledge to fight for repeal of the federal health care overhaul.
But Wolf was getting credit Wednesday from the Washington-based conservative group behind the pledge for signing it first.
Independent Women’s Voice announced Tuesday that Wolf signed the pledge. It calls for blocking funding to administer the health overhaul and repealing the 2010 law championed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
The group announced Wednesday that Roberts also had signed the pledge and congratulated him on following Wolf’s action.
Both candidates have criticized the health care overhaul repeatedly while campaigning.
The primary is Aug. 5. Also seeking the GOP nomination are former mail carrier Alvin Zahnter, of Russell, and homemaker D.J. Smith, of Osawatomie.
RUSSELL — Freedom Fest is Russell kicks off at 8 a.m. Friday with the third annual Dynamite Dash.
Organizers of the 5K run/walk course — obstacles included — this year have partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, with $10 of each registration fee benefiting the breast cancer awareness organization. The go-at-your-own-pace race will be south of Russell at Lasada.
The Russell VFW will host a community barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a patriotic program set to begin at noon. Bingo will follow, beginning at 2 p.m., with a cake walk scheduled for 4 p.m.
Gates at the Russell County Fairgrounds open at 4 p.m. for the evening’s entertainment. Music begins at 6 p.m. with Jeremy Nichols Band, DIRT and headliner Chris Cagle.
For more Freedom Fest information, click the image above or visit www.russellchamber.com.
Former senator Bob Dole greets friends and fans Wednesday at the Russell VFW Post 6240. (Photo courtesy Brett Akagi)
RUSSELL — Approximately 100 people gathered Wednesday in Russell as former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole returned to his hometown to help dedicate a new mobile VA unit to be used by the Robert J. Dole VA Center in Wichita. The unit will be used for rural educational and health initiatives. It features an area in the front for presentations and a clinical area in the back. The dedication was held at the Russell VFW Post 6240.
“This is going to be good for western Kansas because we don’t have nearly the amount of facilities that they have in larger cities,” Dole said. “This new mobile unit will allow the Dole VA Medical Center to meet further educational and health service needs in rural areas across the state. I am proud to be a part of this initiative as the Dole VA reinforces its commitment to serve all deserving veterans within its boundaries.”
The dedication and ribbon cutting came in the wake of the national Veterans Affairs investigations which included the discovery of secret patient waiting lists at many VA hospitals, including the Wichita facility.
Dole said “90 percent of VA employees are doing a great job:”
New mobile VA unit for use in Kansas (Photo courtesy Brett Akagi)
Dole also said he was surprised by the turnout at the event in Russell.
The Dole Medical Center in Wichita serves 59 Kansas counties. It also operates six Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Hays, Salina, Hutchinson, Dodge City, Liberal and Parsons. Wednesday’s event comes one day after the 90-year-old former senator visited five northern Kansas communities to meet friends and supporters in the latest leg of his yearlong homecoming tour.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
What is the Next Big Thing? Maybe it is the World’s Largest Thing. Today, in the third and final part of our series on grassroots art, we will meet an artist who has developed a specialty in the World’s Largest Things. When she’s not on the road, this artist can be found in rural Kansas.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
Erika Nelson is a visionary artist, national researcher and speaker on the topic of roadside attractions such as the World’s Largest Things. As an expert in grassroots art, it is fitting that she makes her home in Lucas, the Grassroots Art Center of Kansas.
Erika grew up in Missouri. As a child, she lived near a town which had painted its water tower to look like a giant billiard ball. In fact, it was called the World’s Largest 8 Ball. Her grandparents lived up north near the supposed home of Paul Bunyan and the Babe the big blue ox. Perhaps those experiences shaped an early appreciation of unusual, oversized artifacts.
Erika got her bachelor of fine arts degree from Central Missouri State University and an MFA from the University of Kansas. She enjoyed the creative and unusual. Her first public art endeavor was a Spam carving workshop. “I always had a soft spot in my heart for these odd, offbeat things (such as I had seen as a child),” Erika said. She started traveling to visit those attractions which might be termed the World’s Largest Things.
“I was mapping and recording these as I traveled,” Erika said. “Then I wanted souvenirs and reminders of them, so I started making small replicas.” Using her artistic talents, she started making small models of these distinctive landmarks.
In Kansas, she came to the community of Lucas which had become a center of grassroots art. “The town was so open and welcoming,” Erika said. She volunteered at the Grassroots Art Center and then found a house next door to Lucas’ Garden of Eden. It was such a good value that she bought the house and stayed.
Erika continues to travel extensively. She is a part of the Kansas Humanities Council speakers bureau and the Kansas Arts Commission Arts on Tour roster. As a working artist, she is involved in various public art projects such as community murals. She has created exhibits as far away as Philadelphia and at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida.
In 2007, she created a non-profit organization relating to history, preservation, production and promotion of the distinctive roadside attractions known as the World’s Largest Things. These are those unusual artifacts such as the World’s Largest Ball of Twine as found in the rural community of Cawker City, Kansas, population 510 people. Now, that’s rural.
Erika’s travels have literally taken her coast to coast in her quest to study these attractions. For example, the World’s Largest Box of Raisins is found in Kingsburg, California, the World’s Largest Ketchup Bottle is found at Heinz Park in Pennsylvania, and the World’s Largest Beach Ball is in Pensacola, Florida. Erika has catalogued more than 500 of these remarkable, quirky attractions around the U.S. She has even appeared on the TV show Conan.
One might expect to find more of the World’s Largest Things in Texas, but that state ranks third behind California and Minnesota. (Kansas has a very respectable 17.)
As mentioned, Erika has created small replicas of these landmarks. That has now become – are you ready for this? – the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things. Erika has created a traveling road show which displays this remarkable collection. She also consults with community members who want to create their own version of the World’s Largest something. “For many communities, these things can be a point of pride or hope,” Erika said.
For more information, and the entire list of biggies, go to www.worldslargestthings.com.
What is the Next Big Thing? Maybe it is the World’s Largest Thing. We commend Erika Nelson for supporting grassroots art and helping communities grow their identity through the World’s Largest Things. Such larger-than-life symbols can make a big difference.
More pleasant weather is expected to greet festival-goers Thursday, as the second day of Wild West Festival kicks off.
While there is a slight chance of thunderstorms, they are forecast to arrive after midnight. A high temperature of 83 is projected, although the wind is projected to increase from the afternoon to evening.
Country artist Brett Eldredge will headline Thursday’s entertainment, with Max Walker and Jessica Carreira opening at 6:30 p.m. and Vineyard following at 8 p.m. Eldredge is scheduled to take the stage at 9:30 p.m.
ALMA, Kan- Four people were injured in a rollover accident just before 2:30 Thursday morning in Wabaunsee County.
