LOGAN — The Dane G. Hansen Museum will present a grilling class, led by instructors Anna Schremmer and Cody Miller from the Phillips-Rooks K-State Research & Extension Office.
The class will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 23 in the Hansen Museum Community Room.
Enjoy samples and discover new recipes during this fun class at the grill.Menu includes several items, including grilled pizza and kabobs.All grilling supplies will be provided.Class size is limited, so sign up today.Registration deadline is April 20.
This creative learning opportunity is offered to the public through the Hansen Museum’s Continuing Education Program with funding from the Hansen Foundation. Registration fee is $25 per participant. For more information, contact Director Shari Buss at 785-689-4846.
The museum is open weekdays 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.; Sundays and holidays 1-5 p.m.. It is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The museum is handicap-accessible, and thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, there is never an admission fee.
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man has died after being electrocuted while working in the garage of a suburban Kansas City home.
Police say the man’s death Wednesday morning at a homein the 6500 block of Hallet Street in Shawnee, Kansas, is under investigation but appears to be an accident.
African American girl from Nicodemus. Photo courtesy of the Nicodemus Historical Society.
Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, gave a presentation Saturday in Hays on Nicodemus and the role of African American women through history.
Bates spoke to the Courtney-Spalding Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She is a descendant of the first settlers in Nicodemus, who came to Kansas in 1877. Nicodemus is the last and only remaining all-African American settlement west of the Mississippi. At its height, the community had about 600 residents, but the population declined after the railroad decided not to route through the town.
Bates has done extensive research on Nicodemus. In 2012, she published a book with more than 200 historical photos. It is still available in Nicodemus, which Bates was instrumental in getting declared a National Historic Site.
To understand African American culture today, Bates said you have to go back to the slave culture in the South.
“Women did not have choices during slavery,” Bates said.
African American women worked in the fields or in the master’s house. Women who were older or not as physically capable raised the children during the day. They referred to them as aunties or grannies.
This is why women or men that are family friends are often still referred to as aunts or uncles in black culture, even though they may be no blood relation. It is a term of respect, Bates said.
African American girl and resident of Nicodemus. Photo Courtesy of the Nicodemus Historical Society
Some of the slave children would be assigned to the master’s children. They would help take care of the children, empty their chamber pots, fan them, help them dress and maybe even play with them.
By the time the slave children were 12, they were assigned adult jobs.
“You did not have any control of what was going to happen to your kid,” Bates said. “If they wanted take the kid and take her to the house like in the movie ‘Queen’ after she had the child by her master, the master could say ‘I want the child to be raised in the house.’ ”
Bates said part of the psychology of controlling the slaves was divide and conquer. The slave owners fostered division between house and field slaves as well as division among light-colored slaves and darker-colored slaves.
Yet, any amount of African blood in a person in the South, no matter what their appearance, meant they were regarded as black.
“If you were dark and had kinky hair, you were considered less than a mixed blood that would have lighter complexion and more white features and straighter hair,” she said.
“So when Emancipation comes, the mixed bloods that were living in the house and some of them may be living in quarters, they are shunned on both sides of the fence. The full bloods have been taught to shun them because they think they are better, and that still has psychological effects on African Americans today. We have intraracial prejudice against each other along those same lines.”
Also after Emancipation, women begin to have choices not only about their own lives, but the rearing of their children.
Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, gives a presentation Saturday in Hays to the Courtney-Spalding DAR chapter.
“Freedom affords you an opportunity to have a choice,” Bates said. “You can pick who you want to be married to. You can decide what your children’s names are going to be. Many people change their names right after Emancipation.”
In some cases, brothers chose different surnames. Bates gave the example in Nicodemus of the Wellingtons and Weltons. There were three brothers all Wellingtons, but one changed his name to Welton.
“If you were looking at genealogy or even the census, you would not know,” she said.
In another case, a woman was pregnant at the end of the Civil War and decided to give her child the surname Taylor, instead of the name of her plantation owner. There were brothers and sisters in that family as well who had a different surnames.
Freedom in Kansas meant choices, your children weren’t going to be sold away from you and it was an end to a violent life.
“Imagine you have a child and you love that child and you watch that child grow, and then he does something that he wasn’t supposed to do and he gets beat on the public pole,” Bates said. “You don’t have any choice, and they make you stand there and watch your child get beat.”
A new psychology took hold after African Americans were freed. Bates summed up with the phrase “We rear our daughters and we love our sons.”
Bates said African American women are very independent and opinionated.
“We had to be,” she said. “How can you depend on a man who you may have jumped the broom with, but he doesn’t have any control over himself? So how can I rely on him? Coming out of slavery, African American women relied on themselves. So in the culture we raise our daughters to be independent.”
Women also continued to rely on the “sisterhood,” friends and other women in their community, just as the women in slavery relied on the aunties and grannies to raise their children.
In a white society, black mothers felt sons, who might struggle to find jobs and face other prejudices, needed their support, Bates said.
“We are all suffering from post-slavery trauma,” Bates said referring to both white and black cultures.
Bates said the relationships between black and white women can still be strained.
“Back in the ’60s I would be called a Tom, an Uncle Tom,” she said. “That would be someone who embraced relations with white people. I have found just being a human being that people are people, no matter what. There are people who are black that I would not want to be around.”
Angela Bates receive the DAR Women in American History Award Saturday.
At the end of her presentation, Bates was honored with the DAR Women in American History Award for her work to preserve African American history.
Bates also serves as a speaker for the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau, who sponsored her talk Saturday. She is a member of the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Bates received the Kansas Sampler Foundation’s “We Can” award (1993), the Brown Foundation’s award for excellence (1994), the Outstanding Contributions award (1996) from the Kansas Humanities Council, the African-American Preservation Hero award (1996) from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Woman of Distinction award (1997) from the Kansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee of Topeka for her work in preserving African American history, and, more recently, the 2012 Kansas Trail Blazer Award. (Bio information courtesy of the University of Kansas).
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some Republican lawmakers are calling for the resignation of University of Missouri-Kansas City Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal over what they say was his inadequate response to the disruption of a conservative speaker’s appearance last week.
Police arrest protester image courtesy UMKC News
Lawmakers also threatened to reduce the university’s budget to “make a statement” about what they consider an increase in liberal intolerance on college campuses.
University students on Thursday interrupted an anti-transgender speech by conservative Michael Knowles, a contributor to the Daily Wire website. As other students booed and began to walk out, one student rushed the stage and used a water gun to shoot a mix of lavender oil and other nontoxic substances toward Knowles, who wasn’t injured.
The student, Gerard Dabu, was tackled by campus police and later charged with disturbing the peace, assault on law enforcement, property damage and resisting arrest. He was also suspended and banned from campus during the investigation.
Agrawal issued a statement the next day saying the students’ treatment of Knowles “crossed a line.” He said the school was committed to free speech and maintaining a safe environment for all points of view, “even extreme ones.”
The chancellor also called Knowles “a speaker whose professed opinions do not align with our commitment to diversity and inclusion and our goal of providing a welcoming environment to all people, particularly to our LGBT community.” Knowles denounced the chancellor’s statement during an appearance later on Fox News.
Agrawal issued a second statement as lawmakers discussed the issue Monday night.
“My original statement may have given an indication that UMKC does not support freedom of expression for all. I apologize if I’ve given that impression, for that was not my intention,” Agrawal wrote. “It is not the university’s role to take sides, but to rise to the higher principle of promoting a respectful exchange of ideas for our students to form their own views and engage in critical thinking.”
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi told House lawmakers during a Wednesday hearing on the incident that he still has faith in Agrawal and is confident that he’s committed to free speech.
Choi later told reporters that he doesn’t feel pressured to fire the chancellor, although Republican Rep. Robert Ross during the hearing had asked him “at what point would a staff member not be worth that trade off in a reduced amount of your budget?”
“Am I willing to sacrifice a person for the sake of getting more money from the state?” Choi said. “The answer is, in my case I’m going to be fair to the individual.”
On Monday night, Sen. David Sater, a Cassville Republican and a member of the Appropriations Committee, was among those calling for Agrawal’s resignation during a discussion on the floor of the Missouri Senate. Sen. Gary Romine, a Farmington Republican, said the Senate needed to make a statement, adding: “Intolerance has taken on a different swing of the pendulum at this time.”
Democratic Sen. Jason Holsman, who district includes the university, urged lawmakers to give Agrawal time to clarify.
“The rest of the students do not deserve to be in the cross-hairs of an appropriations battle over words you find distasteful from the chancellor,” Holsman said.
St. Louis Democratic Rep. Peter Merideth told Agrawal during the House hearing that he’s “much more concerned with our reaction to your reaction.”
“That I find much more troubling than anything you said,” Merideth said.
Police said the liquid shot at Knowles was a mixture of lavender oil and nontoxic household liquids. The color and scent of lavender have been adopted by the LGBTQ community as a symbol for transgender solidarity.
Thursday A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Very windy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph.
Strong cooler north to northwest winds are expected Thursday afternoon. Some gusts may approach 50 mph during the afternoon hours. #kswxpic.twitter.com/m87GUvvu6Q
Thursday Night A 20 percent chance of showers before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 36. Windy, with a north northwest wind 21 to 26 mph decreasing to 8 to 13 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 70. North northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.
Friday NightClear, with a low around 44. North wind 6 to 9 mph becoming south after midnight.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 82.
Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Sunday A chance of showers between 8am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Laura Kelly cannot file a brief in support of a law that would add about $90 million annually to public school funding.
The governor on Monday asked the court for permission to file the brief in support of a bill she signed April 5.
The court said on Wednesday that such motions, called amicus briefs, must be filed 30 days before oral arguments in a case. The arguments on the latest effort to address school finance litigation are scheduled for May 9.
Four school districts sued the state over education funding in 2010.
Attorneys representing the schools argued that late request to file the brief didn’t leave them enough time to respond to her argument.
HAYS, Kan. – Allison Jurgensen hit a two-out single to centerfield which scored Lily Sale from second base with the game-winning run as the Fort Hays State softball teams rallied for for a 3-2 walk-off win in game two of their doubleheader with Newman Tuesday afternoon at Tiger Stadium completing the doubleheader sweep. The Tigers (19-18) rallied with two runs in the sixth to win the first game 3-1.
Adrian Pilkington Postgame Interview
Game 2 Highlights
Sale led off the seventh with a bunt single then moved to second on a Terran Caldwell sacrifice bunt.
Katie Adler tied the game in the sixth with a two-out single to center. The big hit came in an epic 10-pitch at bat in which she fouled off eight straight pitches before hitting a grounder past the pitcher that scored Hailey
Chapman who ran for Sara Breckbill after her one-out double.
Terran Caldwell hit a solo homer over the right field wall to lead off the bottom of the first to tie the game 1-1.
Michaelanne Nelson (8-9) picked up the complete game win allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Hailey Chapman (10-9) pitched a gem in the first contest. She struck out six with two walks in the complete game two-hitter. Chapman retired seven of the final eight Jet hitters and worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh.
Game 1 Highlights
Bailey Boxberger tied the game 1-1 with a two-out RBI single center scoring Terran Caldwell in the third.
The Tigers scored two in the sixth to take the lead for good. Elise Capra reached on an error to open the inning then scored from third on a passed ball. Katie Adler followed with a double then scored on Lily Sale’s one-out double to left.
The Tigers return to MIAA play Friday with a doubleheader at Central Missouri then play two at Southwest Baptist Saturday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The families of victims of a mass shooting at a central Kansas business in 2016 have won a $2 million legal settlement from a pawn shop that sold the firearms to the shooter’s girlfriend.
Law enforcement near the parking lot of Excel in Hesston on the day of the tragedy -Courtesy photo
The settlement of three lawsuits in Harvey County District Court was announced Wednesday by Brady, a national center against gun violence.
Brady attorneys represented the wife and young son of one of three people shot to death at the Excel Industries factory in Hesston. Fourteen people also were wounded.
The victims’ families argued that the now-defunct A Pawn Shop should have known that shooter Cedric Ford’s girlfriend was a straw buyer. He was a convicted felon barred from possessing the firearms.
An attorney for the pawn shop did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
CHICAGO (AP) — Tim Anderson says he isn’t sure what he did to rile up the opposing pitcher or get ejected from the game.
But he’s certain of this much: He’s not changing his ways.
And if flipping a bat to celebrate a towering home run offends the other team, so be it.
“It’s all confusing,” he said. “I’m the one that ended up in the locker room, and I was the one that got hit by a pitch.”
The fiercely energetic Anderson spiked his bat following a home run and Kansas City’s Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball in his next at-bat, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals’ 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.
Anderson, the AL’s leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.
There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.
Though Keller insisted he wasn’t trying to hit anyone, Kansas City’s Hunter Dozier said Anderson should have expected retaliation.
“And once you get hit, just deal with it and go to first. That’s my take on it,” said Dozier, who hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th.
Anderson has often talked about encouraging players to express themselves, something Major League Baseball has tried to embrace with its “Let the Kids Play” marketing campaign. But not everybody in the game sees it the same way.
“I’m going to continue to be me and keep having fun,” Anderson said. “Our fans, they pay their hard earned money to come to the ballpark to see a show so why don’t I give them one.”
The 25-year-old Anderson and the Royals have mixed it up before.
In April 2018, Anderson shouted after a home run against Kansas City. Later in the game, he was playing shortstop when Royals star catcher Salvador Perez reached second base. Words were exchanged and the benches cleared.
When the tempers cooled, Perez and Anderson shook hands. Perez said Anderson had hollered a few weeks earlier when he homered twice on opening day.
Anderson also has a history with crew chief Joe West, who he called “terrible” after getting tossed from a game against the crosstown Cubs in September.
West had little to say Wednesday, telling a White Sox spokesman: “Because of the language that was used on the field, the umpires declined comment.”
Renteria insisted Anderson “clearly” wasn’t showing up the Royals.
“Get him out. You want him to not do that? Get him out,” Renteria said.
He also called his flare-up with Sveum a “misunderstanding” in the heat of the moment with players and coaches slow to clear the field.
“He just got excited and said, ‘Get your team back, get your team in the dugout,'” Sveum said.
That angered Royals manager Ned Yost, who said, “We’ve got no issues but I’m not going to allow anybody to yell at my team.”
DOZIER GOES DEEP
Dozier connected leading off the 10th against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made a winner of Wily Peralta (2-1), who worked two innings.
Scott Barlow pitched in the 10th for his first career save, getting Daniel Palka on a game-ending grounder after walking Leury Garcia. Keller gave up two runs and four hits. And the Royals picked up their first win in six road games this season.
Palka singled batting for Yoan Moncada in the seventh to break an 0-for-32 skid to start the season and got optioned to Triple-A after the game.
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito left with two out in the third because of tightness in his left groin.
Giolito — 4-0 in eight starts against Kansas City — seemed to feel discomfort throwing a 1-1 pitch to Alex Gordon. He stretched his leg and took a few warmup tosses before heading to the dugout and was to be re-evaluated.
Giolito did not allow a run or hit in 2 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out five, walked one and hit a batter.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: Maldonado was in the lineup after being scratched Tuesday because of an illness.
White Sox: Moncada had a headache but no concussion after being lifted for precautionary reasons in the seventh. He was shaken up stealing second in the fifth inning, when Maldonado’s throw hit his helmet as he was diving. … The White Sox have no timetable for OF Jon Jay (strained right hip) going on a rehab assignment. Renteria said he is “just scratching the surface now of increasing some of his activities” after being placed on the 10-day injured list during spring training.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Homer Bailey (1-1, 5.29) tries to win his second straight start when the Royals open a four-game series at the New York Yankees. RHP Domingo Germán (3-0, 1.38) pitches for the Yankees.
White Sox: RHP Iván Nova (0-2, 5.28) tries for his first win with the White Sox as Chicago opens a four-game series at Detroit. The veteran took the loss at New York on Saturday despite holding the Yankees to one run over six-plus innings. RHP Tyson Ross (1-2, 3.50) starts for the Tigers.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of driving away after crashing into the rear of a stalled car as people tried to push it off a Lawrence road.
Walden photo Douglas County
Andrew Walden, 25, Iola, faces one count of leaving the scene of the May 2017 crash that sent four people to a hospital, two of them in critical condition. Although that count and two felony aggravated battery charges were filed in January, Walden wasn’t arrested until this week. Jail records show he has been released on $7,500 bond.
A civil lawsuit filed against Walden says he was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into the car. Walden acknowledged hitting the car in his written response to the suit but denied that he’d been drinking.
TOPEKA – Encouraging Kansas National Guard members to participate in peer counseling sessions, Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2365 in an official signing ceremony today, exempting any notes or records of National Guard members’ counseling sessions from the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA).
“Mental health matters – for civilians and guard members alike. It’s important that we do all we can to decrease the stigma around mental health and encourage guardsmen and women to seek the necessary help,” Kelly said. “This is an issue of great importance to me personally and I’m proud to sign this legislation into law.”
Kelly was joined by Major General Lee E. Tafanelli, mental health representatives from the Kansas National Guard, and legislators at the signing ceremony.
“We must work together to expand access to affordable healthcare and mental healthcare for our men and women in uniform,” Kelly said.
House Bill 2365 amends the law concerning the peer support counseling session communication privilege within the Code of Civil Procedure. By adding references to National Guard members throughout the section, their records would be inadmissible and not subject to disclosure or discovery in judicial or other proceedings. This legislation will become effective upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
Governor Kelly also ceremonially signed House Bill 2123 at the event. This legislation was officially signed on April 2, 2019 and amended the Kansas National Guard Education Assistance Act.
The governor signed four additional bills yesterday, bringing the total number of bills signed in the 2019 Legislative Session to 42, with one being vetoed. By law, the Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign bills into law, veto bills or allow bills to become law without her signature.
House Bill 2040
Designates a portion of United States highway 75 as the John Armstrong Memorial Highway and a bridge on United States highway 77 as the SGT Kevin A. Gilbertson Memorial Bridge. This legislation will become effective upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
House Bill 2084
Amends the Kansas 911 Act, including making changes to the membership of the 911 Coordinating Council. This legislation will become effective upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
House Bill 2085
Clarifies that if a rural water district has available capacity, the board of the district must adhere to the benefit unit reinstatement requirements in continuing law. Also, the bill increases the maximum repayment period from 20 years to 40 years for loans provided by the Secretary of Health and Environment to municipalities for the payment of all or part of a project associated with a public water supply system. This legislation will become effective upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
House Bill 2144
Amends the law related to community college student fees and enacts the Community College Taxpayer Transparency Act. The bill includes findings and conclusions generally noting the structure and financing of community colleges; the duty of transparency owed by community colleges to property taxpayers and students of community colleges; and reaffirming the students and taxpayers of community colleges as the priority in financial decisions, reporting processes, and transparency measures of community colleges. The bill takes effect on and after July 1, 2020.
Area law enforcement officials are on the lookout for a suspect who fled a traffic stop early Wednesday morning in Ellis County and are asking the public’s helping in locating the suspect.
According to Ellis County Undersheriff Scott Braun, at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, an Ellis County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop at mile marker 172 on Interstate 70 on a car driven by 56-year-old James D. Pfaff.
Braun said the deputy because suspicious of the possibility of illegal drugs in the vehicle and detained Pfaff in order to search the vehicle. While waiting for a K-9 unit to arrive on scene, Pfaff was able to flee the scene in his vehicle, according to Braun.
Pfaff proceeded east on I-70 into Russell County at speeds in excess of 100 mph, Braun said, leading enforcement officials on a chase south of Gorham toward the south county line. There, he drove into a field and was able to escape from law enforcement.
Pfaff’s car was found unoccupied a short time later.
Law enforcement officials from the Barton, Ellis, Rush and Russell County sheriff’s departments, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and Hays Police Department all assisted in the pursuit.
Braun said Pfaff is not considered a danger to the community, but they are asking for the public’s helping in locating him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact law enforcement.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Law enforcement and school district officials continue to investigate vandalism to a music room at Pretty Prairie High School and have identified four students involved. It is still up in the air whether at least one student can even be prosecuted.
Photos Reno Co. Sheriff
Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder says he has only received a brief narrative of what happened at this point and says he has only been told about three suspects: an 8-year-old, a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old.
Under Kansas law, Schroeder says he cannot prosecute the 8-year-old. He says that would fall under a child-in-need-of-care case.
“I can’t comment too much on the case because it involves juveniles,” Schroeder said.
The paperwork will eventually be sent to the District Attorney’s Office for possible legal action, however, how that will be handled is unknown.
USD 311 is also taking appropriate action against the students involved. The damage is estimated to be between $50,000 and $75,000, according to the sheriff’s department.
A GoFundMe pagehas raised over $5000 to help the students and school.
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RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities and school officials are investigating vandalism at Pretty Prairie High School.
Photos courtesy Reno Co. Sheriff
Just after 9:00a.m. Saturday, deputies were dispatched to Pretty Prairie High School for a criminal damage to property case, according to a media release.
Deputies met with Principal Kevin Hedrick who said he was giving a tour of the school to the up-coming freshman class when he noticed the band room had been vandalized.It appears that the school was entered between the hours of 1:00am – 3:00a.m. Saturday.
The entire band room received severe damage. Several different colors of paint were thrown across the floor, walls and over equipment. The majority of the drums, if not all, had holes punched in them. Some of the drum heads had painted hand prints left on them. Several different musical instruments were completely destroyed.
Fire extinguishers were discharged on the building and inside of a recently purchased Van that belonged to the school. Both in the band room and in the van, items within had been thrown around. Although it is going to take a bit to see what if anything has been stolen, we believe items have been taken.
The school gave a rough estimate of damage to be between $50,000 and $75,000 and could be more.
If anyone has information regarding this case please contact the Reno County Sheriff’s Office at 620-694-2735 or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Detectives are continuing to investigate this case.
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RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities and school officials are investigating vandalism at Pretty Prairie High School.
Many instruments were damaged or destroyed in the school’s music room over the weekend, according to the school’s social media page.
Vandals threw paint on pianos and destroyed music instruments along with causing extensive damage to that area of the building.
“We just got permission from the sheriff’s department and from our insurance agency to start the cleanup process and then start the inventory of what’s broken, what’s not, what can be repaired, what can’t,” USD 311 Superintendent Randy Hendrickson said. “Hopefully our goal by the end of the day is to have a list of what we need to get back into the kids hands so we can get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
While the music room was off limits, music classes were moved to the school’s auditorium. Area schools have sent emails and calls of support in an effort to help including Burrton USD 369 who was working to provide students in Pretty Prairie with replacement instruments. They have also volunteered to help restore the school’s music room.
If you would like to help the Pretty Prairie music department you can do so by calling Pretty Prairie High School at 620-459-6313 or the USD 311 offices at 620-459-6241.
