On a very hot summer day, Russell residents have to look for another way to stay cool.
The Russell Municipal Pool is closed today, June 26, for repairs.
Officials expect it will re-open tomorrow, June 27, with normal operating hours. However, there will be no private swimming lessons prior to the 12noon opening time.
A Rice County woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a cattle fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
This summer, if you see a boat clad with the “Wear It Kansas” logo, you might want to motor over and say hello– it could get you some free stuff.
In an effort to promote life jacket use on Kansas waters, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) boating education coordinator, Erika Brooks, will be hitting the water to give away free t-shirts and tank tops to boaters wearing a life jacket. Brooks will also educate boaters about proper life jacket practices, as well as ways to improve their overall safety while on board.
“It’s much easier to show people how life jackets are supposed to fit correctly and what ‘readily accessible’ means when you are working with their personal equipment,” said Brooks. “Proper use of safety equipment can play a large part in reducing accidents and fatalities. In fact, out of the 43 boating-related fatalities we have seen in the past nine years, 86% of the parties involved did not have a life jacket on.”
Current “Wear It Kansas” boating dates include:
June 29, Bill Hill Reservoir
July 5-6, Wilson State Fishing Lake
July 20-21, El Dorado Reservoir
Aug. 3-4, Pomona Reservoir
Aug. 31-Sept. 1, Milford Reservoir
Russell County Extension is joining Ellsworth County Extension to form the new Midway Extension District beginning July 1.
Midway will be governed by an eight-person board of four representatives from each county.
The K-State Extension organization plans to have at least two agents based in both Russell and Ellsworth Counties.
Two longtime Russell County Extension agents recently retired: Ag Agent John Stannard and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Joann Paschal.
4-H Youth Development Agent Dusti Cason remains in Russell County.
The two Ellsworth County KSU Extension Agents are Jamie Rathbun, FACS, and Brent Goss, Agronomist.
RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GOVERNING BODY 4 JUNE 2013
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 Irene Dirks, Troy Leiker, Lynelle Shubert, and Allen Weigel
BEING ABSENT: Mary Jo Clevenger
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written, printed and distributed.
GUESTS: Wanda Mai, Wanda Boxberger, Wanda Pfannenstiel, Louella Kaiser, Laura Malsam, Nancy Bollig, Darrell Hladek, and Janelle Miller
Darrell Hladek, WaKeeney City Fire Chief was present before the Governing Body to present his departmental report and 2014 budget request.
Louella Kaiser, WaKeeney City Librarian, was present before the Governing Body to present a summary of activities at the library for the past year and the library’s 2014 budget request. Louella and members of her board were thanked by the Governing Body and took their leave.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR: Hardy Howard presented a building / moving permit for Floyd and Darlene Schneider to move a mobile home onto a vacant lot at N. Main and Hazel Avenue. After a lengthy discussion, Irene Dirks motioned to approve the permit as presented. The motion died for a lack of a second. The permit was tabled pending additional information.
An engineering estimate for the repaving of the access road at the Triplett Truck Plaza was reviewed.
The replacement of the city street name signs was discussed. Samples and quotes will be obtained prior to moving ahead with their replacement.
Due to the much improved drought conditions it was the consensus of the Governing Body to lift the fireworks ban for the 2013 Independence Day holiday. A final decision will be made at the June 18, 2013 meeting.
At this time an ordinance making appropriation for the payment of claims for the month of May 2013 was read, whereupon, Troy Leiker motioned to approve claims in the amount of $204,760.67. Irene Dirks seconded. Motion carried. Warrants #9200, #9215, #9232, and #9234 were reviewed prior to approval.
No further business appearing, the meeting was adjourned.
Harold Courtois has resigned as the administrator of Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital to accept a similar position in Russell.
After just over a year and a half, at the Trego County Hospital, Courtois is returning to Russell Regional Medical Center where he was Lab Director from 1983 to 1991.
Courtois said that while he is sad to be leaving the hospital it is in a much better financial situation now than when he came to WaKeeney in November of 2011.
He said that the future of the hospital is bright, because of the support they getting from the county, the board and the people of Trego County. Trego county voters overwhelmingly approved a one percent sales tax in March to help the hospital with expenses.
Courtois said they’ve been able to hold their own since the no-fun warrant, “We’re actually doing better than that. We’ve got $1.2 million in reserve and building that.”
His last day at Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital is Friday July 12th and he starts in Russell on Monday July 15th.
Courtois grew up in Russell and graduated from Russell High School.
Two Kansas lakes are included in Bassmaster Magazine’s second annual listing of the best fisheries in the nation.
Jefferson County’s Perry Lake and Russell County’s Wilson Lake are ranked 84th and 86th on the national list.
The list of the top 100 bass lakes for 2013 was developed by consulting state agencies on catch rates, population studies and stocking schedules for all the fisheries they managed.
From there, the list is sent to B.A.S.S. Nation presidents and conservation directors to rank each of these bodies of water based on the tournaments they held.
Then a panel of Elite Series pros, outdoor writers and industry professionals finalize the lakes list and rankings.
Finally, more than 3,500 B.A.S.S. members offered their opinions and rankings regarding their region.
Governing Body Agenda
City of WaKeeney
408 Russell Ave., WaKeeney KS 67672
Regular Meeting 6/18/13 at 7:00 PM
I. Roll Call
II. Approval of minutes of last meeting
III. Petitions, requests, complaints, guests, etc.
• Don Tilton and Teri Klitzke, Mapes & Miller, CPA’s. Presentation of the 2012 audit report
• Cathy Albert, Director, Travel & Tourism. Presentation of 2014 budget request
• Floyd & Darlene Schneider, 28032 U Road. Request to move existing mobile home from rural Trego County to N. Main and Hazel Avenue
IV. Report of City Officers / Department Heads
• Chief of Police
a. Monthly departmental report
• City Administrator
a. CDBG demo application
• Mayor
a. Fireworks
V. Old Business
• Chicken Ordinance
VI. Executive Session (if needed)
VII. Adjournment
A small rural church in southwest Kansas is celebrating what some might consider a gift from God.
A minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ashland says she was sorting through some boxes at the church when she found one filled with some unusual Bibles.
The 15 Bibles found by Minister Marsha Granberry were printed in several languages including Eskimo, Slavic, Cherokee, Russian, Chinese and Yiddish.
Most of the Bibles were printed in the 1920s and 1930s, except the Cherokee version, which apparently was printed in 1860.
Granberry says the Bibles are in pristine condition, with no watermarks, tears or underlining.
The Wichita Eagle reports the monetary value of the Bibles hasn’t been determined but the small congregation is considering putting them up for auction to pay for a badly-needed church bathroom.
Crew members from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Stream Survey and Assessment Program are traveling across the state this summer to collect information regarding the health of Kansas’ flowing waters.
From May through August, a team of biologists, stream ecologists and numerous volunteers will visit 45 sites in nearly 20 different counties to study a vast array of aquatic life.
Primary survey sites this summer include the Saline and Smoky Hill River basins.
Since 1994, KDWPT has been surveying and assessing streams to establish and maintain an inventory of the fish, mussels and other aquatic invertebrates found in Kansas’ 12 river basins. The results and samples from each site are used to help manage native aquatic communities, including threatened and endangered species and species in need of conservation.
Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore announced Friday, that four different vendors have been selected to provide full-service child support activities in all 31 judicial districts in the state of Kansas.
The vendors include YoungWilliams, Lee Fisher, 18th Judicial District Court Trustee, and Veritas.
“Privatizing child support services in Kansas will help ensure that more money is collected for custodial parents,” Secretary Gilmore said. “Child support can make a big difference in the financial well-being of a child who is living in poverty.”
In Kansas, DCF’s Child Support Services division collects more than $200 million each year from non-custodial parents to support children. The department projects that the State could increase these collections by approximately $52 million over the initial three-years of the contracts under a privatized system.
The executive director of the Kansas Corporation Commission no longer works for the commission.
KCC spokesman Jesse Borjon told The Topeka Capital-Journal that as of Friday, Patti Petersen-Klein is no longer employed by the commission. He did not specify if she was fired or quit.
Controversy erupted recently after a consultant’s report stated a rift had developed between Petersen-Klein and staff at the KCC, which regulates the electricity, natural gas, oil, telephone and transportation industries in Kansas.
Borjon says KCC commissioner Tom Wright made a motion to terminate Petersen-Klein in an open meeting Thursday, but that motion failed. The commission then entered closed session but adjourned without any action.
He says Jackie Montfoort-Paige, KCC’s director of administration and finance, will be executive director until the position is filled permanently.
The Russell County Rural Fire Department has a new grant from the Kansas Pipeline Association.
The KPA gives grants to select first responders in each of Kansas’ Homeland Security Districts who attend pipeline training events.
Russell County Emergency Manager and Rural Firefighter Keith Haberer says the group will use the $1,000 to purchase to new safety gear.
