WICHITA — The Kansas Health Foundation is teaming with local education leaders to raise awareness of student health programs and help parents get involved with wellness committees that already dot districts across the state.
Federal law requires all public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to create local school wellness policies. But a foundation survey found that parents are largely unaware of the committees that form those policies. The survey found most parents want more information about school wellness programs, and 40 percent of them want to participate in forming policies but don’t know how.
In response, the health foundation is starting an initiative called Team Up for Kansas Kids to get information about student health practices in the hands of parents and local educators.
The Team Up for Kansas Kids website, teamupforkansaskids.com, includes resources for parents and educators and videos of schools with successful wellness programs. One video features these children at Briarwood Elementary School in Olathe.- KHI photo
“The Kansas Health Foundation is dedicated to providing all Kansans with the opportunity to live a healthy life – and that means promoting wellness at a young age,” said Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “Team Up for Kansas Kids aims to bridge the gap between those with the most influence on a child’s lifelong health and wellness – family members and school leaders.”
The foundation unveiled a website Wednesday with research studies, data and other resources for parents and educators.
The site includes statements about the positive effect that exercise and eating breakfast have on student brain activity and, ultimately, achievement.
Tammy Bartels, president of the Kansas Parent Teacher Association, said schools have an important role to play in forming children’s nutrition and exercise habits, which affect their academic performance.
“Parents want to know their kids are learning healthy habits during school hours, and they want to help implement wellness programs that will ensure their kids succeed,” Bartels said. “Healthy students are better learners, and an integrated approach to support wellness before, during and after the school day will help our kids reach their full potential.”
The Kansas Health Foundation is the primary funder of the Kansas Health Institute, which is the parent organization of the editorially independent KHI News Service.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s tactical team will be training in Hays Thursday.
Hays Police Department Chief Don Scheibler said the training will be at a residence in the 2700 block of Oak. The training will be “on and off all day long.” During the training, residents could see officers in full tactical gear, as well as armored vehicles.
“It is just training,” Scheibler stressed.
On Wednesday, officers from the HPD took part in joint training with the KBI team at Marian Hall on 13th Street.
Interim Chief Nelson Mosley addresses media on Wednesday-courtesy photo
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say all Wichita police officers will be wearing body cameras by the end of next year.
Interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley said Wednesday that the police department is adding 450 cameras to the 60 it already has. He says it will take about a year to outfit all officers with the devices because many other police departments are also ordering cameras.
Mosley says additional staff will need to be hired to manage the video recordings. He says clear policies will have to be established on operating the technology.
The Wichita Eagle reports the devices will cost an estimated $1.5 million. Officials say the money will come from the city’s budget.
A police union representing Wichita law enforcement said it supports the use of the cameras.
MANHATTAN — Gov. Sam Brownback this week told more than 650 attendees with diverse water interests that now is the time to act to meet current and future water supply needs for Kansas.
The governor shared his long-term vision for water resources at the Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water held Wednesday in Manhattan. Conference attendees heard the guiding principles for implementing the water vision and establish the regional goals. Regional planning areas will be established to address the priorities shared by Kansans.
“I appreciate the thoughtful and extensive input received throughout this past year from Kansans,” Brownback said. “That input now serves as the content of the vision. We need Kansans to act now on a shared commitment to preserve the water resources necessary to support our social, economic and natural resource needs for not only our current generation but most importantly our children and grandchildren.”
Brownback identified the first two priority action items designed to improve coordination on water related issues with the state’s primary water related agencies by:
• Creating the Governor’s Water Resources Sub-Cabinet at the executive level with additional regular agency collaboration to implement joint activities.
• Establishing a Blue-Ribbon Task Force to develop a balanced, affordable and sustainable method to provide financing for water resource management and protection; including alternatives that utilize public and private partnerships.
“The attendance at this year’s conference is indicative of the interest and concern Kansans have regarding our water resources,” said Tracy Streeter, Kansas Water Office director. “I’m enthused with the feedback we’ve received and look forward to implementing many of the action items contained in the proposed Long Term Vision.”
“Leadership at the local level is the most critical for the success of this Vision,” Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey said. “Local decision makers must listen to their constituents while at the same time balancing the future needs of their communities.”
Featured speakers on the first day of the conference included Paul Wenger, President of the California Farm Bureau Federation; Rhett Evans, CEO of Golf Course Superintendents Association of America; Brigadier General Duke DeLuca; and Darron Leiker, city manager of Wichita Falls, Texas.
Thursday’s agenda focuses on building water policy and vision discussions from the previous day with technical presentation posters and talks. Graduate and undergraduate students will present their research. Jerry DeNoyelles, Deputy Director of the Kansas Biology Survey, will present Reservoir Sedimentation: Challenges in Kansas.
For a complete list of the conference’s speakers and topics and to view the second draft of the Vision, visit www.kwo.org.
NEW YORK (AP) — One more time, Facebook is trying to simplify its lengthy privacy policy and explain how it targets advertisements to its 1.35 billion users.
The world’s largest online social network uses the information people share on its site, along with the apps they use and the outside websites they visit, to show them advertisements deemed relevant to them.
But over the years it has faced concerns from users and from government regulators and privacy advocates that its policies are too complicated.
On Thursday, Facebook introduced a tool called “Privacy Basics,” a set of animated, interactive guides designed to show users how to control what they share on the site. It also proposed changes to its terms and privacy policy, which it calls its data policy. The new policy is much shorter.
While most federal, state and local offices close for Veterans Day, the Hays VFW Post 9076 hosted their annual festivities Tuesday to honor those who have served their nation.
The ceremony began with the traditional 21-gun salute, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” led by Fort Hays State University Professor of Music Terry Crull. Officials and attendees then honored the winner of their annual “Voices of Democracy” writing contest, Rebecca Stegman, who read her winning essay to the audience of nearly 150.
“Clearly, veterans are important to our past and to our future,” Stegman wrote. “Veterans are the reason that the Untied States is a free country today. They fought for our freedom and in many cases also died for it. … Above all, veterans made this country and they are the reason we are who we are. This is their country.”
Many of the speakers at the ceremony also honored those who are currently fighting in conflicts throughout the world, including those in Iraq and Syria against ISIS.
“Let us focus our thoughts of thanks to those who are spending this sacred day away from their families and friends. Those not on American soil, but in a foreign nation, proudly displaying Old Glory on their right arm,” said Post Commander Chris Stegman. “May they return home safely and may we always remember all of the freedoms that our veterans have secured for us.”
The featured speaker was Hays native Col. Jim Spiess, whose 30-plus year military career included stints with the Marines, Army National Guard and Army Reserves. During his time, he was deployed to conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and the former Soviet Union.
Col. Jim Spiess Presents a WWII veteran with a medallion.
“Sadly, a lot of the veterans I visited with five years ago at this same ceremony are no longer with us,” Spiess said. “For our departed veterans, we know they are in God’s care, in his tender mercies and eternal love.”
Speiss also recited the Oath of Service along with all of the veterans that attended the ceremony. Post officials also honored approximately 20 World War II Veterans with medallions.
Do you suppose the shellacking Democrats took following the results of the November 4th midterm elections changed any minds about which side one should be on? Of course, I am talking about Democrats, not Republicans who came out the big winners.
One thing is for sure, all those liberal Dems that come out of the woodwork with comments about my writings, usually name calling, aren’t about to change how they vote. I wonder how many go to the same church every Sunday that I do as they try to put me in my place?
I don’t mean to get personal about me. I want to get personal with Democrats who are open-minded Christians.
No matter how you look at the election aftermath it was a tsunami, a real beating, a firestorm for Democrats. Obama’s excuse that two-thirds didn’t vote, as if that would have made a difference, doesn’t hold water. Maybe the onslaught would have been worse. Nor would communicating better about his “transforming America agendas” have made a difference. The facts are, people went to the polls fed up with his six years of trying to make America something totally different than it has been in the past.
I ask that readers pay special attention to the 4 “Cs” I reference that appear to have different meanings among the two parties.
This election should be a wake up call for fair-minded Democrats. Destroying our Constitution (1) established by our Founders is not what this country needs. Replacing free market Capitalism (2) with Socialism won’t get us out of the slowest economic recovery since the Depression.
Forcing Christianity (3) to take a back seat to everything we do may haunt us for years to come. That being said, I have asked the following question numerous times in the past with no response, therefore, I ask it again as I try to reach open and fair-minded Democrat Christians, most of whom are pro-life.
The question is: “what does the pro-choice party offer that is more important to this country (or shall we say civilization) than saving the lives of the unborn?” I sure would like an answer to that question! Maybe the silence indicates there is no plausible answer for anything in a Democrat platform being more important. Then why vote for abortion? A vote for a Democrat is a vote for abortion no matter how you look at it!
Helping the poor is not a good answer to my question. Since welfare began, we have not succeeded in our war on poverty. In fact, under Obama, the gap between the rich and poor has widened and isn’t getting as many people as possible on welfare just for more votes bordering on immorality? Since when do all those part time jobs created by our sluggish economy get people out of poverty?
How does one turn a blind eye on the numerous scandals of this administration? Another bombshell recently as the chief architect of Obamacare admitted a deliberate scheme in writing the bill to lie to the public about how OC would be funded knowing as proposed it would not pass, then on top of that went on to say Americans were too stupid to pick up on the deception.
Although abortion is the single biggest issue between the two parties there are many other positives coming from the Republican Conservative (4) side like less government in our lives, more personal responsibility, less spending, a strong military, free market Capitalism as noted above and adhering to our Constitution, and an emphasis on Christian values.
What is it they say, “use your head, not your heart.” How about using both when voting for our next president in 2016! Have a heart for those poor defenseless unborn babies!
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A health care attendant has been charged in a September homicide of a man he cared for in Lawrence.
Prosecutors on Wednesday charged 48-year-old Ronald Eugene Heskett, of Eudora, with first-degree murder in the death of 65-year-old Vance Moulton. He was found dead at his apartment on Sept. 12.
Prosecutors say Heskett was a health care attendant for Moulton, who had cerebral palsy. The Lawrence Journal-World reports investigators initially were unsure whether Moulton’s death was a homicide or suicide.
Heskett’s bail was set at $500,000 and his next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the suspicious death of a woman whose body was found in her home Sunday. Police say evidence indicates a violent incident occurred. The victim’s identity has not been released.
Robert Plant’s publicist says a report claiming that the singer turned down a hugely lucrative offer from U.K. mogul Richard Branson for Led Zeppelin to play a series of reunion shows is untrue. According to U.K. newspaper The Guardian, the rep called the report, which was published in British tabloid The Mirror, “rubbish.”
The Mirror article claimed that a source close to the band said Branson offered to pay Led Zeppelin 500 million pounds, about $800 million, to re-form for 35 concerts in three different cities, and that all the band’s members agreed to the deal except for Plant, who tore up the contract in front of the shows’ promoters.
In addition, the source told The Mirror that proposed concerts were to have been held in New Jersey, Berlin and at London’s O2 Arena, and that Branson was planning to have a Virgin Airlines jet rechristened “The Starship” and use it to fly the band to the shows.
Interestingly, the link to the online version of the Mirror story is no longer active.
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Robert Plant’s publicist says a report claiming the singer turned down a hugely lucrative offer from U.K. mogul Richard Branson for Led Zeppelin to play a series of reunion shows is untrue.
Now, Branson himself is denying it, saying, “As much as I love the band, there is absolutely no truth to the story.”
In a post on his Virgin corporate website, Branson writes, “I’ve been left dazed and confused by a story doing the rounds this week about us apparently offering Led Zeppelin £500 million to reform and carry out a tour. …I spoke to Robert Plant about the story, which he also confirmed is complete rubbish from his side too.”
“Robert told me he is very proud of his history and the band’s past, and has always had great respect and love for his work throughout his career. However, he really believes he must move on with his life and career today.”
Branson goes on to note how each Led Zeppelin member has their own successful careers “and should be respected in their own right. I’m proud of how so many artists from my generation, whether it is Led Zeppelin, Mike Oldfield or Peter Gabriel, are still being so creative and inventive. They have all moved on into exciting new phases, while still celebrating their incredible pasts.”
Branson concludes, “As Robert told me: “Look Richard, I just do things because I love them and I want to do more new things that I love.” I couldn’t agree more.”
HILL CITY — Now the work begins: That is the attitude in the Graham County USD 281 school district after voters approved a $7.65 million bond for facility improvements.
The bond issue, which passed 62 percent to 38 percent, will be used to upgrade the aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at both the elementary and high schools. Upgrades at both buildings also will include installing new windows at the high school and energy efficiency improvements.
The district also will make improvements to the elementary school playground, and the parking lot at the high school will be resurfaced. The upgrades will also include the creation of 92 parking spaces close to the building and spaces for handicap access and ADA compliance.
USD 281 Superintendent Jim Hickel said the next step is to review the projects with the architect and set the final aspects of the project before sending it out for bids.
“We’re planning to have everything ready to go by the end of the school year so we can get the bulk of everything done over the summer,” Hickel said.
He estimates the project will be done by the middle of September or October.
In 2009, voters defeated a similar bond issue.
Hickel said the district had proposed a few additional projects including a new gym in 2009, but he said that was a point of contention among voters and was left off this year’s bond proposal.
They have proposed a new all-weather track and new restroom and concession facility at Ringneck Stadium.
Hickel also said this time around more people helped to get the message out and more people were interested in “getting something done.”
He added several people who helped with the issue in 2009 took part in the latest effort and help to spread the word.
“We had several people out in the community presenting information at just about every social gathering,” Hickel said.
As to why their bond issued passed while many others around the state were defeated, he said every community is different but from his perspective, “we just had a large group of people that wanted to get something done and saw the need and pushed through.”
Learn how to join the global market place and expand Kansas exports when you attend the Northwest Regional Export Promotion meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The six meetings are part of the ExportNow Kansas Program aimed at local companies with export potential. The program will raise export awareness by connecting communities and companies to export assistance.
Kansas has experienced enjoyed some export modest success in the past few years, increasing exports by 26 percent between 2010 and 2013, according to statistics provided by Steve Kelly, Deputy Secretary of Business Development for the Kansas Department of Commerce.
“But experts say that 83 percent of global GDP growth will occur outside the U.S. by 2018, and Kansas needs to claim a greater share,” Kelly said in a news release.
“Who would benefit from these meetings? Businesses who produce goods and services suitable for export, local elected and appointed officials, and economic development officials are all encouraged to attend the free event,” said Karyn Page, CEO and President of Kansas Global Trade Services Inc.
There is no charge for this event, but RSVPs are required. Email Ella at [email protected] or call (316) 264-5982.
Built in 1936, the Rush County Line limestone bridge, straddles Russell County and is less than a mile from Ellis County. The deteriorating structure was torn down earlier this year, forcing its removal from the National Register of Historic Sites.
TOPEKA–As a popular southwestern Kansas tourist attraction was recently nominated by the Kansas Historical Society for the National Register of Historic Places, two northwest Kansas locations already on the national list had to be removed because they both were destroyed earlier this year.
The Rush/Russell County Line masonry arch bridge was demolished earlier this year after county officials determined it would be too expensive to repair the crumbling WPA project.
Rush County agreed to nominate to the National Register another similar New Deal-era bridge– the Sand Creek Tributary Stone Arch Bridge about 3 miles northwest of LaCrosse–to mitigate the loss of the Rush County Line Bridge. The Sand Creek Bridge was built in 1946; the Rush/Russell County Line Bridge was built in 1936.
The First Presbyterian Church in Abilene, operating as the Great Plains Theater, was destroyed by fire July 23, 2014.
Removals – National Register of Historic Places
The Rush County Line Bridge was demolished in 2014.
Rush County Line Bridge – Rush/Russell County Line
The Rush County Line Bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of the Masonry Arch Bridges of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of engineering and transportation. The bridge plaque indicated it was a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and was completed in 1936.
The bridge was demolished in 2014. The proposal to demolish the bridge required a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency, and was reviewed under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Rush County agreed to nominate to the National Register another similar New Deal-era bridge (Sand Creek Tributary Stone Arch Bridge) in their county to mitigate the loss of the Rush County Line Bridge.
The First Presbyterian Church/Great Plains Theater in Abilene was destroyed by fire July 23, 2014.
First Presbyterian Church of Abilene – 300 N. Mulberry Street, Abilene, Dickinson County
The First Presbyterian Church of Abilene was listed in the National Register of Historic Places May 25, 2001 for its local significance in the area of architecture. The limestone building was built in 1882 and 1883 and reflected the Gothic Revival and Romanesque styles. A new wing was added to the building in 1931. The Presbyterians moved to a new church in 1968 and the Southern Baptist Church congregation later purchased the building. In 1994, Terry Tietjens purchased the building for use as a Center for Performing Arts. The building was destroyed by a fire July 23, 2014.
At its regular quarterly meeting held at the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka on Saturday, November 8, the Historic Sites Board of Review voted to forward seven nominations to the office of the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C., to be evaluated by its professional staff. If staff members concur with the board’s findings, the properties will be included in the National Register. The board also voted to list one property in the Register of Historic Kansas Places and to remove two properties from both registers.
The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archaeological resources.
Below are summaries of the nominations and related documents:
National Register of Historic Places
Young Buck Site (14RY402) – northwest quarter Section 14, Township 10S, Range 7E, Manhattan, Riley County
The Young Buck site (14RY402) along the wooded south bank of Wildcat Creek in Riley County is the location of a prehistoric American Indian settlement. Recent archaeological investigations led by Kansas State University Research Associate Professor Brad Logan have yielded evidence of prehistoric habitation dating to the Woodland (AD 1-1000) and Late Prehistoric (AD 1000-1500) periods. The investigation targeted areas of potential future development identified by the City of Manhattan. The 2.5-acre site is nominated for its potential to yield significant information in the area of prehistoric archaeology.
Hotel Roberts – 120 W. Fourth Street, Pratt, Pratt County
Built in 1930, Hotel Roberts is the largest and most highly styled historic hotel in Pratt. Construction of the hotel was initiated by the Pratt Chamber of Commerce, which formed a committee in the late 1920s specifically to facilitate the construction of a large new hotel. Seen as a potentially valuable asset for the community, the hotel was financed in part through a public subscription campaign and constructed on land provided by the Chamber. The Pratt Hotel Company owned and operated the hotel and hired Wichita architect Samuel S. Voigt and Kansas City contractor Webster L. Elson to design and build the building. Elson not only supervised the rapid construction of the “fire-proof” building, he was a founding member of the Pratt Hotel Company and retained an ownership interest in the property for many years. The community hospital was established on the eighth floor of the building in 1932, complete with an operating room and an x-ray machine. Architecturally, the building is significant as an early and sophisticated example of the Art Deco style in central Kansas. The hotel opened as the Hotel Roberts in 1930 and continued under that name until 1959, when it was purchased by Monte Parrish and renamed the Hotel Parrish. It is nominated for its local significance in the areas of architecture and community planning and development.
Ray L. Smith House – 812 W. Central Avenue, El Dorado, Butler County
Pipeline engineer Ray L. Smith commissioned the construction of this Colonial Revival-style residence in 1936. The P. T. Cortelyou Construction Company of Wichita built the residence, which is speculated to have been designed by Topeka-based architect Thomas W. Williamson who was overseeing the construction of El Dorado’s high school and junior college that was completed in 1937. Smith’s residence is located in the Cooper Park Addition to El Dorado, which was platted in 1877 but not fully developed until the 1920s and 1930s. The residence is an excellent local example of the side-gable subtype of the Colonial Revival style. Its characteristic features include a pedimented front door, many plain and fluted pilasters, multi-light sash windows, end chimneys, cornice returns, and working shutters. It is nominated for its local significance in the area of architecture.
Wirkler-Krehbiel House – 2727 N. Main Street, North Newton, Harvey County
The history of the Wirkler-Krehbiel House is intertwined with that of Bethel College located across the street. Christian and Elizabeth Wirkler were charter members of Bethel College, which formed in 1887 and opened its doors in 1893. Wirkler erected the Queen Anne-style residence in 1898, and he served the college by housing student boarders. It was later home to Wirkler’s daughter Mary and her husband C. E. Krehbiel, an important local figure in early 20th century Mennonite circles and whose father had played a key role in the Mennonite settlement in the area. Bethel College acquired the home in 1958 and sold it in 1992 for use as a private residence. The house was built toward the end of the period during which the Queen Anne style was popular. The stylistic features include its irregular form, asymmetry, fishscale shingles, and turned spindles on the porch and balustrade. It is nominated for its local significance in the areas of education and architecture.
Little Stranger Church and Cemetery – Leavenworth County
The Little Stranger Church congregation built this wood-frame house of worship in 1868, and at the time of nomination, it stands to be the oldest wood-frame church in Kansas listed in the registers. The congregation traced its roots back to a group of settlers from Farley, Missouri, who arrived in Leavenworth County in 1858. Frequent announcements in the newspapers regarding various guest preachers suggest the church may have relied on the assistance of area churches for Sunday sermons. Despite the apparent success of the church in the 1910s, it closed in 1919 during the flu epidemic, never to reconvene again. The building remained shuttered until 1929 when a 4-H club requested to use the building for its meetings. Various organizations held meetings in the building through the mid-20th century. The church stands as a reminder of mid-19th century building techniques. It has a rectangular form and gable-front roof that presents a straight-forward image of utilitarian design. The associated cemetery includes more than 100 known graves, with the earliest deaths dating from the late 1850s and early 1860s, suggesting the cemetery may have pre-dated the construction of the church. It is nominated for its local significance in the areas of early settlement history and architecture.
Ira E. Lloyd Stock Farm – 1575 Avenue JJ, Ellsworth, Ellsworth County
Ellsworth attorney Ira E. Lloyd, who settled in Ellsworth in 1873, developed a stock farm east of town in the early 20th century. Lloyd served as the city’s attorney in 1874 and as the county’s attorney from 1875 to 1878. He had a brief political career in state-level politics, serving in the Kansas Senate representing District 30 from 1885 to 1887. He remained active in Republican Party politics, but he developed other interests in real estate, stock breeding, and horse racing. He partnered with W. H. Huntington to manage his Ellsworth Horse Farm north of town until 1902. Lloyd slowly acquired parcels of land that eventually became his 172-acre stock farm on the eastern outskirts of Ellsworth. Although the timeline of development and land acquisition is not fully known, it is speculated that after his wife’s death in 1899, Lloyd transitioned away from the horse farm north of town and focused on his new stock farm east of town. At this property, Lloyd managed a rather diverse small farm raising shorthorn cattle, chickens, and turkeys, and growing crops such as wheat and corn. It is nominated as part of the Historic Agriculture-Related Resource of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the area of agriculture.
Dalton Gang Hideout and Museum – 502 S. Pearlette Street, Meade, Meade County
The Dalton Gang Hideout and Museum is a product of the auto-tourism era of the early and middle 20th century. The Meade Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the Work Projects Administration (WPA) and the National Youth Administration, developed the site in 1940 around the former residence of John and Eva (Dalton) Whipple, a sister of the famed outlaw Dalton brothers known for their robbery of trains and banks. Though stories of the Dalton Gang visiting Meade in the late 1800s surfaced in the early 20th century, primary source evidence to support these claims has remained elusive. Nevertheless, local officials hoped to attract visitors using the colorful Dalton Gang tales and showcase history through the collections of local history buffs at this site. WPA officials reportedly turned down the community’s first proposal because it romanticized a gang of outlaws. The plans were resubmitted under the name Meade Historical Park, and greater emphasis was given to developing local history at the site. This mid-20th century roadside attraction is nominated as part of the New Deal-era Resources of Kansas and Roadside Kansas multiple property nominations under Criterion A for its local significance in the areas of social history, government, and tourism.
Register of Historic Kansas Places – Nominations
Ritz Theatre – 1145 N. Military Avenue, Baxter Springs, Cherokee County
The Ritz Theatre opened in 1926 in a converted two-story commercial building along Route 66 in downtown Baxter Springs. The building had previously housed John M. Cooper’s Dry Goods and Clothing Store, which opened in the 1880s, and the upper floor had served as a gathering space for various social organizations. Under the guidance of Joplin architect T. E. Martinie, the building was converted to a theater in 1926 and officially opened on April 30, showing The Ancient Highway, distributed by Paramount Pictures. A packed house heard music from Mrs. Roy Brooks, an organist at the Victory Theatre in Rogers, Arkansas. The popularity of drive-in theaters throughout the tri-state area likely contributed to the closing of the theater in the mid-1950s. The building then functioned as the Blue Castle Restaurant from 1957 to 1980. At the time of nomination, the building is being renovated to reflect its former use as a theater. It is nominated to the Register of Historic Kansas Places under Criterion A for its local significance in the area of entertainment/recreation.
Related Internet Links:
National Register of Historic Places: https://www.nps.gov/nr/
Kansas Historical Society (National and State Registers): kshs.org/14638
To read drafts of these nominations and links to photographs, see this link: kshs.org/14633
By KANSAS HEALTH INSTITUTE
