(KLZA)-- Richardson County Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday setting the property tax levy in Richardson County for the new budget at 39.3977 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

That amount is an increase of approximately 17 percent from the previous year.

In other business the Board met with Jed Fritz, David Ebel and Andy Dunn of the Verdon Rural Fire District and Trent Scheitel from Frontier Bank who presented information on the purchase of a 2023 Freightliner Fire Truck and Cab Chassis.

The purchase price would be $309,648 and will be financed through Frontier Bank for five annual payments of approximately $59,070 with an interest rate of 3.95%.

Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize members of the Fire Department to execute, for bonded indebtedness for the purchase of the truck and cab chassis.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have approved an income tax cut and ditched plans to cut corporate taxes.

The Republican-led Missouri House on Thursday voted 98-32 in favor of a bill to cut income taxes from 5.3% to 4.95% beginning next year.

The measure now heads to GOP Gov. Mike Parson, who is expected to sign it.

Parson had directed lawmakers to cut income taxes during the special session.

Parson says he's thrilled by lawmakers' work.

The House also on Thursday stripped a last-minute proposal to phase out corporate income taxes.

(KAIR)--Atchison Police are seeking the whereabouts of a missing motorcycle.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, it’s believed it was taken sometime between 6:00 Tuesday evening and 7:30 Wednesday morning.
The 2020 Benelli TNT 135 motorcycle had been parked in the 900 block of Laramie Street at the time it was stolen.
No suspects are immediately known.

According to an online search, the starting price for a similar, brand new motorcycle is $3,000.

Anyone with information related to the theft is asked to call Atchison Police at 913-367-4323.

(KMZA)--Nemaha County, KS authorities are investigating a wreck that caused costly damage.

According to a release from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office, it happened earlier this month, in the early evening of September 10, when “an unknown person was traveling eastbound on 128th Road attempting to turn onto V Road when they slid off the side of the roadway traveling through a fence and cornfield before returning to the roadway.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the wreck resulted in damages of more than $1,000.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man, wanted for failure to appear in court, now faces additional charges following the discovery of what police say was methamphetamine in his possession.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 50-year-old Dwight Downing, Jr. was arrested late Tuesday morning, in the 1200 block of North 5th Street, taken into custody on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear. However, he faces additional charges for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, which Wilson says was found on Downing’s person as he was being arrested on the warrant.

Following his arrest, Downing was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

His bond is set at $10,000.

(KAIR)--Blue-green algae at a local lake leads to state officials placing it under a warning status.  

According to a joint release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Elkhorn Lake, located in Jackson County, was placed on the warning status list Thursday. That’s due to harmful blue-green algae blooms found at the lake, with the toxins, according to the release, potentially being absorbed by ingestion, inhalation of aerosols, and even skin contact.  Symptoms range from a rash and headache to vomiting and fever.  

The release explains that the warning status “indicates that conditions are unsafe for human and pet exposure,” meaning that “contact with the waterbody should be avoided.”

The City of Leavenworth is selected as a regional site for celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday.  That word comes in a release from the office of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, which explains that the announcement follows Leavenworth’s selection by the Veterans Day National Committee, which is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  

Kelly, in the release, says Leavenworth is more than deserving of this honor,” adding that’s due to what Kelly’s calls Leavenworth’s “rich history of celebrating Veterans Day dating back to the holiday’s roots.”  

According to the release,' Veterans Day 2022 “will mark the 103rd consecutive year for the Leavenworth County Veterans Day Parade,” which was first held on November 11, 1919, the one-year anniversary of the armistice agreement of World War I between the Allies and Germany in France. The celebration is recognized as the largest parade west of the Mississippi River.  

Retired U.S. Army Tech Sgt. Wilbur Grisham, who served in World War II, will serve as Grand Marshal of the parade. The theme is “Honoring Veterans for Defending Our Lives and Freedom During Wars or Disasters.”  

Becky Johnson, Secretary of the Leavenworth County Veterans Day Parade Committee, said, in the release, that the Committee would like to encourage Kansans from across the state to attend the parade in Leavenworth on Friday morning, November 11, at 10:30,  to help honor and pay tribute to all U.S military veterans.

More information about the Leavenworth County Veterans Day Parade can be found at lvvetsparade.com.

(KAIR)--A Leavenworth man, arrested for an armed home invasion in March, has been convicted for his crimes in Leavenworth County District Court.  

According to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, the guilty verdict was handed down Tuesday for 23-year-old Dejuan Sweet.  Sweet, following a two day jury trial, was found guilty for aggravated burglary, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated endangering a child, and battery.

His sentencing is scheduled for November 4.  

According to Thompson’s release, it was March 26 when Sweet and another person entered a Leavenworth home, located at 901 5th Avenue, to collect money Sweet was owed.  When the door was answered, Sweet pushed his way inside, demanding his money while pointing a handgun at a man and his pregnant girlfriend. Also in the home were other residents, including two children under the age of 6. When the father of one child tried to move her out of the room , Sweet pointed the gun toward both of them. He then started fighting with another occupant before fleeing the home after 911 was called.  

According to Thompson, Sweet’s co-defendant plead to multiple charges in August.

(KLZA)-- The Falls City Council spent more than half of their meeting time Monday night debating the merits of issuing a proclamation, making the last Saturday of October “Halloween Day” in Falls City.

Council member Mitch Merz said that several teachers from both Falls City Public and Sacred Heart Schools have noted that the school day following Halloween is a tough day for students to accomplish much since they are generally up later than normal the night before.

Some Council members felt that such a change would create confusion for the public.

Following the lengthy discussion the Council members voted 4-4 on a motion to approve the proclamation for this year only. Mayor Shawna Bindle cast the deciding vote, in favor of the proclamation for this year.

Even with the approval of making Saturday, October 29, 2022 “Halloween Day” in Falls City, trick-or-treating can still take place on Halloween which is October 31.

It is up to parents as to when their kids go trick-or-treating and up to homeowners whether or not they turn their lights on for trick-or-treaters on Saturday the 29th or Monday, October 31.

(KAIR)--Atchison firefighters, Thursday morning, responded to an Atchison house fire that left one person injured.

According to a preliminary report from Atchison Fire Chief Patrick Weishaar, fire crews, en route to the scene, had received a report that a senior citizen was possibly trapped inside. A resident of the home was rescued by firefighters, from a bedroom floor, and transported to Amberwell Atchison for treatment of injuries, but later died. The victim's name has not been made public. 

According to Weishaar, the small, one story home, located at 1033 Hickory Street, was engulfed in flames at the time they arrived, around 6:45 Thursday morning.

Crews were able to bring the fire under control, Weishaar said, but remained on the scene to monitor the situation throughout Thursday.

The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to assist local investigators in determining the cause of the blaze.

Weishaar, in his release, says the fire call came at shift change, meaning two shifts of Atchison firefighters were able to quickly respond.

Numerous agencies assisted at the scene of the fire, including Atchison Police, the Kansas Highway Patrol, Atchison County EMS, Evergy, Kansas Gas Service, and City of Atchison crews.

The local Salvation Army also responded, assisting residents with resources due to the loss of the home.

(KAIR)--A late Wednesday morning motorcycle wreck in Jackson County claimed the life of a Horton man.

Dead is 58-year-old Ronnie Waweenis, according to a report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

His services are pending at the Dishon-Maple-Chaney Mortuary, in Horton.

The Patrol's report states that Waweenis was riding his Harley-Davidson northbound on U.S. Highway 75, two miles north of Netawaka, passing northbound traffic. As he completed the pass, Waweenis lost control of his motorcycle which ran into the west ditch, ejecting Waweenis.

The fatal crash happened around 11:40 Wednesday morning.

(KNZA)--An Elwood man is facing charges in connection with a burglary at an Elwood plant.

According to court documents, 28-year-old Michael Russell has been charged in Doniphan County District Court with felony counts of burglary, theft and criminal damage to property.

He was arrested September 6 following an investigation by the Elwood Police Department into a burglary at Fairview Mills.

Taken was a large assortment of items. In addition, two forklifts and computer control panels were damaged.

A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for November 17.

Russell remains in the Doniphan County Jail, held on a $50,000 bond.

(KAIR)--An Atchison woman, arrested last week in connection to a stolen vehicle, faces additional charges following an alleged attack on law enforcement at the Atchison County Jail.  

31-year-old Sacandra Casiano was arrested Thursday, in the 800 block of South 6th Street, after Atchison Police Officers observed a 4-door Chevrolet at that location and determined that it was the vehicle reported stolen in Leavenworth earlier in the week.  

According to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, Casiano was arrested for possession of stolen property and booked into the Atchison County Jail.  As she was being booked into custody, Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie reports Casiano kicked a deputy, who was asked to assist jail staff with her booking due to her being uncooperative.  

Casiano, following the alleged kick, was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer.  

She remains in custody at the Atchison County Jail

(KNZA)--The Hiawatha City Commission has approved new pet license and impoundment fees.

 The Commission Monday evening approved an ordinance establishing the new fees.  

City Clerk Lynette Grier recommended that the fees be increased to account for the higher costs the city is incurring.  The fees have not been increased since they were set in 2007.

 The annual pet registration fee will increase to $10.  The fee for a duplicate pet  tag will increase to $5.00 and animal impoundment fee will increase to $50.  

Residents are required to license their pets with the city each year.

(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission has been asked to allow the retail sale of packaged cereal malt beverages in unincorporated areas of the county on Sundays.

Sac and Fox Tribal Attorney Chris Halbert and Tribal Council Treasurer Bridgette Robidoux met with the commission Monday to make the request. The tribe wants to sell packaged beer on Sundays at the Sac and Fox Truck Stop on U.S. 75 Highway.

Halbert said a bill passed by the Kansas Legislature last year allows Sunday sales from 9 am to 8 pm, except on Easter.

Commissioners would have to approve a resolution to allow such sales, which would be subject to a protest petition.

Commission Chairman Lamar Shoemaker said he didn't see a problem, but requested time for the commission to review the request.

In other business, County Emergency Management Director Don Pounds met with the commission to request $317,947 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the purchase of mobile radios for the county fire departments. The commission took the request under advisement. Commissioners will begin considering ARPA funding requests at their October 10 meeting.

The commission accepted a bid from GN Bank for a three-year lease purchase agreement at 3.99 percent interest for the purchase of a 2019 Case backhoe for the county solid waste department. It was among four bids received.

(KLZA)-- Peru State College recently announced the selection of their Grand Marshals for the upcoming 2022 Homecoming.

Alumni and long-time supporters of Peru State College, Paul (’67) and Arlene (Borcher ’67) Fell of Lincoln, and Jerry (’64) and Christina (Banks ’88) Joy of Stella were selected by the Student Senate as the Grand Marshals for 2022.

In addition to being alumni, the Fells and Joys are former faculty/staff members at the college and have remained engaged with their alma mater since graduation.

Paul Fell was an art professor, and Arlene Fell taught home/consumer economics from 1974-84, and later were longtime co-Presidents of Peru State College’s National Alumni Association.

Jerry Joy was a longtime football coach, athletics director, and administrator at the college. Chris Joy ran the bookstore for several years.

Most recently, the couples agreed to be co-chairs of Peru State College’s Project ROAR capital campaign.

Peru State President Michael Evans commented, “Between the four of them, they know so many alumni and friends of Peru State and have been involved with the college for a significant amount of time. They all have been very supportive of all the College and Foundation efforts.”

(KLZA)-- The Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn has announced the addition of Dr. Kelly J. Krier to the medical team.

Dr. Krier is board certified in colorectal surgery and general surgery with additional interest in cancer prevention, benign conditions, treatment of anorectal conditions, fissures and incontinence.

Dr. Krier is a South Dakota native. She will hold clinic and perform surgeries on the 4th Tuesday of every month at the hospital in Auburn.

Dr. Krier is a graduate of South Dakota State University and received her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and completed her residency in general surgery at The University of New Mexico.

Dr. Krier's interest in colorectal surgery led her to do a fellowship in colorectal surgery in Utah.

(KMZA)--A Tuesday evening single-vehicle Pottawatomie County crash near Wamego claimed the life of a Wamego woman.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 42-year-old Stefanie Turner was westbound on Elm Slough Road, just east of Prairie View Road, when she lost consciousness and her Nissan Pathfinder left the roadway.

Turner was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her 11-year-old daughter, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was not hurt.

The Patrol says both occupants were wearing seatbelts when the wreck occurred around 8:15.   

(KNZA)--The majority of the Hiawatha City Commission meeting Monday evening was spent in executive session with a potential city administrator candidate.

No action was taken after the closed door session.

The Commission has been searching for a new city administrator since the resignation of former City Administrator Mike Nichols in April.

Larry Paine has been serving as interim administrator since that time.

On the recommendation of the Hiawatha Fire Department, the commission approved Brent Matthias as a new firefighter.

Following questioning from Fire Chief Patrick Sheldon, the Commission agreed to put a second potential firefighter applicant on the agenda in two weeks for a vote.

Zachary Brown, owner of the two car washes in town, appeared before the commission via Zoom to request a sewer rate adjustment for the downtown car wash after a problem last month with the water softener in the equipment room caused about 30,000 gallons of water to freely flow. He said the event did not cause an additional load on the city's sewage system

The commission agreed to adjust the sewer rate in the total amount of $1,066.

(KLZA)-- Three people suffered injuries in a pair of Northwest Missouri wrecks this week.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reports that Tuesday morning at 11, a pickup driven by 47-year-old John Pitts of Fairfax, MO. was following a car driven by 57-yer-old Scott Langley of College Springs, Iowa and impacted the rear of the Langly vehicle when both vehicles started to slow to turn south from Highway 136 onto Interstate 29 at the city limits of Rock Port.

Pitts suffered what were described as minor injuries and was transported to the Fairfax Community Hospital by the Atchison Holt EMS. Langley was not injured.

The Atchison County Sheriff's Department, Rock Port Police Department and Rock Port Fire Department all responded to the scene of the wreck.

Monday afternoon at 3:20 a two-vehicle wreck occurred on US 59 Highway at Elwood Road a mile-and-a-half east of Craig, Missouri in Holt County.

The Highway Patrol report indicates two vehicles were westbound on US 59 Highway and a Dodge Durango driven by 74-year-old Janice Dougherty of Craig, Missouri, attempted to pass a semi truck and tractor operated by 80-year-old Billie Cronk of Maryville, Missouri, as it started to turn to the left onto Elwood Road.

The front left of the semi truck impacted the passenger rear of the Durango operated by Dougherty which then went off the road and slid down an embankment .

Dougherty suffered what were described as moderate injuries and was transferred to Mosaic Life Care Hospital in St. Joseph by the Atchison Holt Ambulance.

The Holt County Sheriff's Office and Craig Fire Department also responded to the wreck.

(KAIR)--A landmark event for Atchison’s Benedictine College, as for the first time in the school’s history, it had the privilege of hosting a foreign head of state.

President Katalin Novak of Hungary visited the campus Monday morning.

Neil Wieland was in attendance at the private event and filed this report. 

(KAIR)--The report of ongoing thefts at an Atchison County property leads to an investigation by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a release from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, the report was made to his office last week.

According to the report, trespassing and thefts have occurred on multiple occasions at 6924 Sherman Road.

Missing from the property are wheels, tires, a trailer, a camper shell, a Ford pickup truck, and other vehicle parts.

According to Laurie, the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information related to the crimes are asked to call authorities at 913-367-4323.

(KAIR)--A Leavenworth man is convicted on two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer.

That happened Friday, in Leavenworth County District Court, where Donald Barden, Jr. was also convicted in a case of residential burglary, and a third case involving auto burglary and felony criminal damage to property that happened the same day as the second case.

According to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, the crimes occurred in February of this year.

Sentencing for Barden is scheduled for October 28.

The release explains that on the morning of February 11, Barden entered a vehicle parked on a Leavenworth street, causing extensive damage to the vehicle’s interior while, according to Thompson, “searching for something to steal, but he was not able to locate anything of value.” Investigating officers later located a wallet holding identification cards bearing Barden’s name inside the vehicle.

That same morning, according to Thompson, “Barden forced his way into a residence in the 700 block of Cheyenne Street, in Leavenworth, with the intention of stealing the keys to the homeowner’s vehicle.” Locating them, he went outside to steal the vehicle but was stopped by the homeowner. However, Barden had fled before police arrived.

It was two days later, Thompson said, that Barden was found standing in the middle of a Leavenworth intersection, armed with a Glock pistol.

Refusing to drop the weapon when ordered to do so by Leavenworth and Lansing Police, he later raised the gun and ran toward police, who shot Barden several times, including in his groin, causing Barden to fall to the ground.

Transported for hospital care, Barden was later arrested.

The Glock was found to be unloaded.

(KLZA)-- The Falls City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to approve a resolution adopting the Falls City Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-23 of $27,311,950.

The majority of the budget amounting to $20,687,824 is in the various Utility Department budgets. The total budget is just over 12 percent lower than last year.

The property tax levy was approved at 44.3951 cents per $100 of assessed valuation which will bring in $750,935.

(KNZA)--A two-vehicle crash on U.S. 73 Highway south of Falls City Monday morning sent one person to the hospital.

The Richardson County Sheriffs Department reports a northbound mini-van driven by 40-year-old Sarah Johansen, of Hiawatha, crossed the centerline  into the path of a southbound Chevy  Traverse driven by 43-year-old Robin Alexander of rural Verdon shortly before 9:00.  

The vehicles collided within the intersection of 703 Road in the southbound lane of Highway 73, causing major damage to both vehicles and partially blocking the roadway.  

Johansen was transported by amulance to Community Medical Center in Falls City with what were suspected to be minor injuries.

Alexander was not hurt.

Johansen was issued a citation for driving left of center and failure to use a seat belt.  

The Sac and Fox Police Department and Richardson County Emergency Management Agency assisted at the scene.  

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The mining company that wants to extract an assortment of rare elements from under the ground in southeast Nebraska has announced a deal that will give it up to $285 million to help cover the roughly $1.1 billion cost of building the mine. In addition to the acquisition of a special purchase acquisition company called GX Acquisition Corp. II that NioCorp announced Monday, the Centennial, Colorado-based company also signed letters of intent to borrow up to $81 million more from Yorkville Advisors Global. So NioCorp could get as much as $366 million to finance the project. NioCorp CEO Mark Smith said “these transactions have the potential to put NioCorp on the fast track to obtain the required project financing.”

(KLZA)-- The Johnson-Brock Public Schools have be named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2022 by the U.S. Department of Education.

The award is for being an exemplary high performing school, with the honor based on a school districts overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The Blue Ribbon School designation is the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.

Johnson-Brock is one of just five schools in Nebraska to be honored, joining Adams and Humann Elementary Schools in Lincoln, Westside Elementary School in Norfolk and Omaha Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha.

Only 10 K-12 schools across the country were honored this year.

(KNZA)--Five Hiawatha residents were arrested after search warrants were served on a Hiawatha residence Sunday morning.

Brown County Sheriff John Merchant said Sheriff's deputies had information that two individuals who had outstanding warrants were inside a residence at 404 South Third Street and a search warrant was obtained.

Upon execution of the warrant, 30-year-old Ashley Rhyne and 42-year-old Peter Carter were both located in the residence.

While in the residence, Merchant said drug paraphernalia and other items of concern were visible in plain view and another search warrant was applied for and granted. He said an investigation and evidence from that warrant provided probable cause for multiple arrests.

Peter Carter was arrested on a $5,000 Cash Brown County Felony
Failure to Appear Warrant.

Ashley Rhyne was arrested on charges of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia as well as a $1500 Jackson County Warrant for Theft.

34-year-old Gary Wendtlandt was arrested on charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

64-year-old Rodney Bindel and 62-year-old Leonard Bindel were arrested on charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Opiates, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

The Hiawatha Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol assisted in the execution of the search warrants.

(KAIR)--One stolen vehicle is recovered, and an arrest made, while Atchison Police search for another reported stolen last week.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 31-year-old Sacandra Casiano was arrested Thursday, in the 800 block of South 6th Street, for possession of stolen property.

Wilson, in the release, explains that officers, shortly before 1:00 Thursday morning, were called to the 800 block of South 6th Street to check on the welfare of a person.

Once officers arrived, they observed a 4-door Chevrolet at the scene and determined it had been reported stolen in Leavenworth on Tuesday.

Following her arrest, Casiano was booked into the Atchison County Jail.
Meanwhile, Atchison Police are searching for a blue, 4-door Chevrolet Cruz.

According to Wilson, the 2013 Chevy was reported stolen from the 600 block of Washington Street. It’s believed the car was taken sometime between 1:00 Wednesday afternoon and 7:00 Thursday morning.

Anyone with information regarding the missing vehicle should contact Atchison Police at 913 367-4323.

(KAIR)--A Saturday night Jefferson County two-vehicle crash, inside the City of Meriden, sent both drivers to the hospital.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 58-year-old Topeka resident Shawn Ridgeway was westbound on K4 Highway, driving a pickup truck, when he crossed the center line into the path of an eastbound Kenworth semi-tractor.

The two vehicles collided in the eastbound lanes of traffic, with Ridgeway transported to Topeka's Stormont Vail for the treatment of a suspected serious injury.

The Kenworth driver, 49-year-old Junction City resident Adrian Fulmore, was also taken there with a suspected minor injury.

Both drivers were buckled up at the time of the 8:15 wreck.

(KMZA)--The Seneca City Council has voted to move forward with a concession stand project at Swisher Field.

The council took the action when they meet last week after reviewing bids received for the project and funding available. The total project cost is placed at $189,450.

Stephen Stallbaumer Construction will provide the majority of the labor, but city maintenance employees will finish the interior walls, insulate and paint.

The majority of funding for the project will come from a $100,000 donation from John and Janie Kramer. The city of Seneca will provide $50,950. The Seneca American Legion will contribute $20,000 and Nemaha Central USD 115 will contribute $15,000.

Plans have been developed of a two-story building, which will include restrooms.

Seneca City Administrator Tammi Haverkamp said the project is expected to be completed in time for the high school baseball season, which begins in mid-March.

(KMZA)--Charges have been filed in connection with a three-vehicle Pottawatomie County wreck last month that claimed the lives of two Wamego residents.

According to court documents, a complaint was filed September 16 in Pottawatomie County District Court charging 44-year-old Mark Stanwix with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, three counts of aggravated battery and one count each of interference with law enforcement, reckless driving and texting while driving.

The case was investigated by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The Patrol says Stanwix was driving a semi truck on U.S. 24 Highway, just east of Wamego, August 10 when he rear-ended two vehicles, one which was stopped waiting to make a turn.

37-year-old Randy Tinkel was killed in the wreck. His 7-year-old son, Korbin Tinkel, died from injuries three days later. Three others---including Tinkel's wife and two-year-old son-- were seriously injured.

Stanwix is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on October 10th.

He remains free on a $25,000 bond.

(KNZA)--The city of Hiawatha will hold their citywide clean-up day on Saturday, October 1st.

The clean-up site will be located at the city Public Works property at 912 Hiawatha Avenue. Items will be accepted from 8 to 1.

Paper Eaters will be on site to offer shredding services.

Recycling will not be available this year.

Tight restrictions will be adhered to at the unloading site, including proof of Hiawatha residency.  Each household will be allowed one pickup load, one carload, or one single-axle trailer load.  No contractors are allowed and the City reserves the right to refuse any load.

 Unacceptable items include household trash, leaves, grass clippings, tires, paint, oil, gas, hazardous materials, and any material containing Freon except appliances.

(KAIR)--A Sunday morning, two vehicle Atchison crash sent two to the hospital.

A report from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson says it was 11:00 Sunday morning when a Kia Soul, eastbound on Atchison Street, driven by 44-year-old Jefferson Brooks, Jr., of Wichita, entered the intersection of 9th and Atchison Street, colliding with a Ford Focus, that had been southbound on 9th Street.
The driver of the Focus, 79-year-old Judith Fridell, of Atchison, was transported by Atchison County EMS to Mosaic Lifecare, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, for treatment of her injuries.

A 16-year-old boy, traveling with Fridell, was taken by private vehicle to Amberwell Atchison for the examination of possible injuries.

Brooks was examined at the scene by EMS for possible injuries but refused transport.

According to Wilson, Brooks was cited for failure to yield and no valid driver’s license.

(MSC News)--Governor Laura Kelly Saturday joined the Amelia Earhart Foundation in honoring its namesake with a statue unveiling ceremony. The bronze statue, located at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, is the sister statue of the one that was installed in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in July.

“How better to cement our state’s legacy as the Air Capitol of the World than with a statue at the museum that celebrates a woman who showed all of us what it means to “reach for the stars,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I want to express my deepest appreciation for this museum and for this mortalization of an extraordinary individual who truly represents the best of the Kansas spirit.”

Born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart received her pilot license in 1923 and subsequently championed the advancement of women in aviation. She is one of the world’s most celebrated aviators and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart was declared lost at sea when she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.

"Amelia Earhart's bravery and relentless fighting for equality for women and girls still gives my generation strength and inspiration,” Gabrielle Henry, Amelia Earhart's great-great niece, said. “It is an honor to have her blood run in my veins, and even more so to hold her values in my heart."

“Although it was a historic milestone to bring Amelia Earhart to the U.S. Capitol in July, we are especially thrilled to finally unveil this ‘twin’ bronze statue of Amelia in her beloved Atchison, Kansas, hometown,” Karen Seaberg, founder and president of the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, said. “This magnificent statue will stand as an enduring symbol of Amelia’s pioneering legacy that will welcome and inspire future generations — especially the 150,00 middle school students within a 90-mile radius of Atchison — to explore aviation and aerospace careers through state-of-the-art STEM exhibits and interactive experiences in the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum opening in 2023.”

“Amelia represents Kansas around the world as a bold, courageous, and forward-thinking woman. I think she’d be especially proud to know her Atchison hometown is close to the ‘Air Capital of the World’ in Wichita, Kansas,” Makinzie Burghart, Atchison native and Director of Development for the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, said. “I look forward to welcoming everyone to the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum — especially young girls — to introduce them to Amelia’s pioneering aviation legacy and encourage them to bravely follow in her footsteps.”

Along with Amelia Earhart, Governor Kelly recognized a long legacy of pioneering women in Kansas history, including Susanna Salter, the first woman elected mayor in the United States in 1887; Georgia Neese Gray, who, during the Truman Administration, became the first woman to serve as United States Treasurer; and Lucinda Todd, a civil rights activist and one of the petitioners in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.

(KAIR)--Wet pavement, following morning rainfall, is blamed for a late Friday morning bicycle wreck that sent an Atchison man to the hospital.

According to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 22-year-old Sam Morales was riding a bicycle, around 11:30 Friday morning, when he attempted to turn into a driveway at 216 South 10th Street. As he did, Wilson says the tires of the bicycle slipped on the wet pavement causing Morales to fall off the bike.

Morales was transported by Atchison County EMS to Mosaic Life Care, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, for the treatment of his injuries.

(KAIR)--No voices from the public were heard as the Atchison City Commission this week held two required hearings prior to approval of the 2023 budget.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man, accused of brandishing a handgun during an altercation, is facing charges in connection with the incident.

32-year-old Kyle Lawley was arrested Thursday for aggravated assault in the 700 block of Kansas Avenue.

That’s according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson who, in a release, explains that Atchison Police Officers, Thursday night around 9:15, investigated an altercation that had occurred in a parking lot in the 700 block of Kansas Avenue.

According to Wilson, a 39-year-old woman reported that she had been threatened by a man she didn’t know who appeared to be holding a handgun.

Lawley was taken into custody at the scene of the altercation.

Wilson says a pellet gun, resembling a handgun, was recovered.

Following his arrest, Lawley was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KLZA)-- Ben Beethe is the new Johnson County Attorney.

Beethe was appointed during a special meeting of the Johnson County Commissioners and will replace Rick Smith who resigned to accept the appointment as First Judicial District Judge.

Beethe has served as Deputy County Attorney in Johnson County since 2015. He has been an attorney since 2008.

Rick Smith will be sworn in to office at County Court Judge in the First Judicial District on September 30.

(KAIR)--A Saint Joseph, Missouri man is facing a sex-crimes charge in Atchison County, arrested this week in connection with a case dating back several years.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 25-year-old Zachary Pickman was arrested Wednesday on an Atchison County District Court warrant charging him with aggravated sexual battery.

Although specifics aren’t immediately detailed, Wilson says Pickman’s arrest was made in connection with a case of alleged sexual battery that occurred in 2016.

Following his arrest, Pickman was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

He was released from custody Thursday on a surety bond of $50,000.

(KNZA)--USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres-Small visited J.B.N. Telephone Company in Holton on Thursday to announce a $6.3 million grant to provide high-speed internet access to eight counties in Kansas and Nebraska.

According to a release, USDA is making the investment through the third funding round of the ReConnect program.

The grant will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. The network will connect 704 people, 17 businesses, and 225 farms to high-speed internet in Jackson, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Republic, Washington, and Riley counties in northern Kansas as well as Jefferson and Thayer counties in southeast Nebraska.

The release says J.B.N Telephone will make high-speed internet affordable by participating in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity and Lifeline programs. It will provide low-income consumers who qualify, a monthly service credit up to $30.

“High-speed internet is essential for success in education, healthcare, and business in the twenty-first century,” said Christy Davis, USDA Kansas State Director for Rural Development. “Federal funding makes it possible for communications companies, like J. B. N. Telephone, to serve our state’s rural communities.”

(KNZA)--A November arraignment date has been set for a Texas woman charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a 2021 Brown County collision that claimed the life of a Sabetha girl.

According to court documents, Catrina Weathersett waived her first appearance in a Brown County courtroom Wednesday and is now scheduled for arraignment on November 30.

She was charged in March following a lengthy investigation by the Kansas Highway Patrol that included dashboard video of the collision.

6-year-old Taya Mooney died from injuries received in the July 25, 2021 wreck on U.S. 75 highway near Sabetha when a car she was a passenger in was struck from behind by a semi truck driven by Weathersett.

While the case was filed in March, she was just recently arrested by authorities in Texas and waived extradition to Kansas to answer to the charge.

Weathersett remains free on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.

(KNZA)--The annual Maple Leaf Festival will take place Saturday around the Brown County Courthouse Square in downtown Hiawatha.

The festival, which will run 10 to 5, will  include vendors, activities, entertainment, a car show and food trucks.

Returning this year to provide musical entertainment are Graceful Grit, the Red Dirt Band, and local artist Nirvana Petersen.  New this year to the musical line up is True North, along with local artist Tori Wist.  

In addition, there will be children's and adult activities from 11 to 4 --including  a rock climbing wall, bouncy houses, leaps and bounds, screamer slide, a mechanical bull and log slammer. A $10 wristband will be available at the festival for the events.

Local magician Barron Stringfellow will perform at at 10:00 and 1:30 The Kansas Children's Discovery Center will be set up on the courthouse lawn from 11 to 2.  In addition, expect Spiderman, Elsa and Captain America to make an appearance.

Craft and food vendors will be set up around the courthouse square.

The festival, organized by the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitor's Bureau, is being held in conjunction with the Brown County Historical Society's Heritage Days, which will take at the Ag Museum on East Iowa Street. A trolley will be offering transportation to and from the Ag Museum.

The day will kick-off will the 3nd Annual Glazin' the Streets 5K and Donut Dash Fun Run sponsored by Hiawatha Parks and Recreation.

(KAIR)--Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday announced a new program that will help Kansas small businesses innovate, bring new products and services to market, and compete at a global level. According to a release from Kelly’s office, the Small Business Research & Development Acceleration Grants, which were approved by the 2022 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Kelly, are being made available through the Kansas Department of Commerce. 

Kelly, in the release, notes that the “grants enable small businesses to enter new markets and stay ahead in [the] rapidly changing economy.”

The Small Business Research & Development Acceleration Grants are designed to assist Kansas small businesses in advancing a product or service to commercialization; modifying a product or service to enter a new market; or gaining a new client by leveraging higher education facilities, equipment, and expertise. 

Prospective grant recipients will work with a Kansas public higher education institution to conduct research and development and receive a 50/50 matching grant up to $25,000. 

The grant program is open to Kansas registered businesses headquartered in Kansas with 50 or fewer full-time employees with at least 60 percent of its workforce, including contracted staff, in Kansas. For every dollar received from the Small Business Research & Development Acceleration Grant, the company must contribute a dollar of its own resources. Up to 50 percent of the match may be an in-kind contribution if it is provided by a public higher education institution and approved by the Kansas Department of Commerce. Approved projects must be completed within one year.   

The fall 2022 application window is open now through October 17 and grants will be announced in November. For more information and to complete an application, please go to: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/rdaccelerationgrants/ or click here. 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state law enforcement oversight group says a former Jackson County sheriff's deputy used his Taser on a 12-year-old autistic boy who was handcuffed and hogtied inside the deputy's vehicle.

The oversight body reprimanded the deputy for using excessive force on the boy in February but did not revoke his law enforcement certification.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Matthew Honas was was terminated from his job with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department in March.

The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training said the boy was in Honas' patrol vehicle because he had run away from foster care.

(KAIR)--The President of Hungary is coming to Atchison.

That word is delivered in a media alert issued Tuesday by Atchison’s Benedictine College.

According to the release, President Katalin Novak will meet privately with students of the college later this month, providing an address and then taking student questions.

The release notes that Novak is both the first female president of Hungary and the youngest, at the age of 45, to hold the office.
Installed into the Presidency in May, Novak will serve a 5-year-term.

No public meeting is planned.

(KAIR)--The Doniphan County Health Department/Home Health has begun administering the updated Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster targeting what a release calls “the most recent Omicron subvariants.

According to the release, the local health department began the process of administering the boosters Wednesday.

That follows what the release says was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention giving its endorsement September 1 for “the use of updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters for anyone who is 12-years and older.” The CDC, in the coming weeks, is expected to recommend updated COVID-19 boosters for pediatric groups.

The Doniphan County Heath Department/Home Health Health continues to hold its Walk-In Immunization Clinic every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Questions should be addressed to 785-985-3591.

(KAIR)--For the second year, local-area girls will have the opportunity to learn about flight, as “Girls in Aviation Day” is held in Atchison this week.
The City, known as the birthplace home of groundbreaking aviator Amelia Earhart, houses a municipal airport named in her honor. At that location is the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum which will serve as host for the event.

Makinzie Burghart, Director of Development for the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation, says attendance is free.

Hands-on activities will be included as part of the mission to educate attendees about aviation and aerospace. Each girl who participates will receive a special patch.

The 2nd annual “Girls in Aviation Day” activities will be held Thursday evening from 6:30 until 8:00.

(KLZA)-- Richardson County Commissioners met with Chief Probation Officer Ashley Griess and Chris Reece, Southeast Nebraska Adult Drug Court Coordinator on Tuesday.

The Board approved entering into an Interlocal Agreement as presented with the Administrative Office of the courts and Probation, an Office of the Nebraska Supreme Court. The agreement will also be presented to Nemaha, Pawnee, Johnson and Otoe counties for approval.

Sheriff Rick Hardesty informed the Board that the annual State Jail Inspection was conducted September 15 and the facility was found to be in compliance by the inspector.

The Sheriff also reported that all staff positions are filled with the Jail and control room.

Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau Jr. met with the Commissioners. They discussed the resurfacing of the Dustless Highway north of Falls City and the Boy Scout Road, south of Humboldt.

Commissioners also reviewed the annual report of the expenditures of the Richardson County Historical Society. The Society is requesting continued annual funding in an amount of $10 thousand.

(KAIR)--A guardrail improvement project is underway on U.S. 59 in Atchison County. Work will occur at various locations from two miles north of Nortonville to Atchison.

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, intermittent lane reductions may occur where the contractor is working. Flaggers will direct traffic at those times. Delays to motorists should be minimal.

KDOT says work will take place Monday through Friday during daylight hours and is expected to be complete by early February 2023.

J & J Contractors Inc., of Iola, is the prime contractor on the $1.6 million project.

KDOT urges all motorists to be alert and obey the warning signs when approaching and driving through a highway work zone. To stay aware of highway construction projects across Kansas, go to www.kandrive.org or call 5-1-1.

(KAIR)--An early Monday morning crash, in Effingham, turned into a pursuit that ended with another crash and the arrest of a 27-year-old Effingham man.

According to a release from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, it was 1:30 Monday morning when an Atchison County Sheriff Deputy observed a vehicle crash at 4th and Edwards Road, in Effingham, with the Honda Civic traveling into the ditch on the west side of Edwards Road.

The car, driven by Effingham resident David Gardner according to Laurie, began to head out of the ditch when the deputy activated his emergency lights. Instead of stopping, it’s alleged that Gardner drove on, traveling south on Edwards Road and into a corn field on the west side.

According to Laurie, the deputy pursued Gardner until Gardner’s car crashed into an embankment, leading the suspect to flee on foot into the corn. A 20 to 30 minute pursuit was launched, with deputies ultimately locating Gardner and taking him into custody.

Following his arrest, Gardner was taken to Amberwell Hospital-Atchison where he was medically cleared and released to the Atchison County Jail. Gardner now faces charges for driving under the influence 2nd offense, flee and attempt to elude, criminal damage, and operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device.

Gardner is currently free after posting a $2,500 bond. 

(KMZA)--A Wednesday afternoon two-vehicle Washington County, Kansas wreck claimed the life of a Manhattan woman.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says killed in the wreck at the intersection of U.S. 36 and K-148, about three miles south of Hanover, was 71-year-old Anne Nielsen.

The Patrol reports Nielsen was driving a Volkswagon Beetle southbound on K-148 when she failed to stop at a stop sign and her car was struck by a westbound pickup truck on U.S. 36 driven by 60-year-old Jeffry Clark, of Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Nielsen, who was wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clark was transported to the Hanover Hospital for the treatment of possible injuries.

The wreck was reported around 3:45 Wednesday afternoon.

(KLZA)--Richardson County Commissioners voted to adopt the resolution approving the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget as published when they met last week.

The property tax request is up 17 percent to $5,744,631 with the levy at 39.97 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The total operating budget is $21,363,203, a 22 percent increase over the current fiscal year.

Sheriff Rick Hardesty informed the Board last week that Roland Merwin is no longer the Chief Deputy Sheriff, but will serve as the full-time School Resource Officer at the Humboldt – Table Rock – Steinauer Schools.

(KLZA)--The Mound City Board of Education accepted the resignation of Board member Brian Tubbs when they met Tuesday morning.

Tubbs has been appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for the 4th Judicial Circuit.

The Board conducted interviews for the School Board vacancy with Jesse Yocum, Sheri Meadows and Steven Edwards.

Following the interviews the Board voted to appoint Sheri Meadows to serve on the Board of Education.

The Board also approved Brandy White serving as the School Nurse for the 2022-23 school year.

(KLZA)--The Falls City, City Council did not meet Monday night as scheduled due to the lack of a quorum.

Council members Derek Leyden, Amber Holle, Carla Rhodd and Jim Wisdom were not present for the meeting.

(KNZA)--Formal charges have been filed against a rural Oskaloosa man in connection with a  shooting Sunday evening in Jefferson County.

 A complaint was filed Tuesday in Jefferson County District Court charging 27-year-old Logan Wittenberg with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated assault, all felonies.

Wittenberg made his first appearance in court Tuesday afternoon on the charges.  

According to the criminal complaint, he is charged in the attempted murder of Brian Robinson and Ashley Perdue.  Wittenberg is charged with threatening another individual with a handgun.

 He remains in the Jefferson County Jail, held on a $100,000 bond

(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission is considering the development of a long range road improvement plan for the county.

Josh Keithley, with Lincoln, Nebraska-based Midwest Engineering, met with the commission Monday to discuss how his firm can assist the county.

Commissioner Rich Lehmkuhl said he believes the county needs a long range plan for fixing its roads.

The county currently has 280-miles of hard surfaced roads, with several portions of those roads failing.

Keithley said they would start by doing a pavement assessment, which would include a visual inspection and taking and analyzing of core samples. He said they would then work with the road foreman to prioritize road improvements.

In other business, Leland Hanson, representing volunteers at the Eternal Hope Family Life Center in Hiawatha, met with the commission to request $4,000 in American Rescue Act Plan funding from the county for the purchase of 155 tons of rock for the east parking lot and alley. Hanson noted the many activities held at the center.

Commissioners took the request under advisement, with the commission now set to begin reviewing ARPA funding requests on October 10 instead of October 17.

(KNZA)--An early Tuesday afternoon two-vehicle Brown County wreck sent one person to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened at the intersection of 270th and Sage Brush Roads about six miles north of Robinson shortly after 12:30.

The Patrol reports a semi truck driven by 63-year-old Bradley Somers, of Robinson, was westbound on 270th Road, preparing to turn right onto Sage Brush Road, when a semi truck driven by 26-year-old Cody Barger, of St. Joseph, attempted to pass on the right and struck the passenger side of Somers truck.

Barger was transported to Hiawatha's Amberwell Hospital for the treatment of possible injuries.

Somers was not hurt.

(KAIR)--A report of shots fired during the early morning of August 19 in Atchison leads to the discovery of gunfire-damaged vehicles and to one arrest.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, Atchison Police Officers were called to the 400 block of North 9th Street, around 1:00 that morning, and determined that multiple shots had been fired.

Four vehicles became the focus of the investigators, with two empty ones having been struck by gunfire while the other two occupied.

The following investigation led to the filing of Atchison County District Court charges against 21-year-old Keldon Reynolds: criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of criminal damage to property.

According to Wilson, Reynolds is in custody outside of the local area, held in the Lyon County, Kansas Jail on unrelated charges.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story listed the incorrect date of the shots fired. It has since been corrected. 

(KAIR)--A Leavenworth man pleads guilty in connection with a gas station robbery that included an attack on an employee.

21-year-old Dameon Lewis, last week, plead guilty in Leavenworth County District Court to kidnapping, robbery, and felony theft, in connection to the February crimes.

According to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, Lewis, on February 20, went to the gas station early that morning and lured the employee out of the store by telling here an outside bathroom was flooding. Once outside, Thompson says Lewis attacked the woman, trying to push her in the bathroom before dragging her back into the gas station where he demanded she give him money from the register.

Grabbing the money and the woman’s keys, Lewis drove from the scene in the employee’s vehicle.

She immediately called law enforcement, who were able to identify Lewis in video footage, despite him wearing a hoodie and mask. He was arrested the next day.

(KAIR)--A local state representative is among a group of three named as the inaugural winners of the Legislative Champion Award, newly crated by the Kansas Independent College Association.

According to a release, Atchison's Dr. John Eplee, Kansas 63rd District State Representative, is named as a 2022 Legislative Champion of the Year, joined in that honor by Senator Molly Baumgardner, of Lousiburg.

The pair is joined in 2022 recognition by Olathe's Ron Ryckman, Jr., who receives the Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts as Kansas Representative.

The release explains that the Kansas Independent College Association "develops and enhances the competitive standing of its 20 member colleges by coordinating efforts including professional development and collaboration, governmental advocacy, and public engagement collectively aimed at supporting students and their success.”

As for the new Legislative Champion Award, the release explains that the association's "experience has shown...that Kansas elected representatives often act as a strong voice for the power of student choice in Kansas Higher Education,” saying they, along with "foresight across all sectors brings outcomes such as for every one dollar invested in state aid to Kansas Independent College Association students, [the association's] member colleges generate $32.57 in taxpayer benefits and $107.54 in private sector economic growth.”

(KAIR)--A pickup truck is missing, and Atchison Police have launched an investigation into where it went and who took it.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, the 1994 Chevrolet 1500 extended cab was parked in the 400 block of Parallel Street at the time it was stolen.

Investigators believe the truck was stolen sometime during the noon hour Friday, between 12:15 and 12:45.

Wilson describes the color of the truck as burgundy over silver.

Anyone with information regarding the crime should contact Atchison Police at 913 367-4323.

(KLZA)-- The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms , also known as toxic blue-green algae, at both Iron Horse Trail Lake (Wildlife Management Area) in Pawnee County, and Kirkman's Cove Lake in Richardson County.

Iron Horse Trail Lake remained on alert this week after also being on alert last week.

Samples taken at the lakes on alert measured above the threshold of 8 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin, which is a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.

When a health alert is issued, signs are posted to advise the public to use caution, and designated swimming beaches are closed during the alert. Recreational boating and fishing are permitted, but the public is advised to use caution and avoid exposure to the water, particularly avoiding any activity that could lead to swallowing the water. Do not let pets get in the water or drink from the lake. People can still use the public areas for camping, picnics and other outdoor activities.

(KLZA)-- The Tarkio, MO. Police Department is seeking the public's help in an investigation into an alleged attempted abduction Monday afternoon at the intersection of 4th and College Street in Tarkio.

The Tarkio Police Department's Facebook page indicates the incident occurred between 1:15 and 1:20 p.m.

Two suspects in a white utility van attempted to abduct a 20-year-old female who was walking. The suspects are described as either Middle Eastern or Hispanic.

Anyone with information, or who may have observed something suspicious is asked to contact the Tarkio Police Department.

The Police Department is asking anyone in the Tarkio and Fairfax area, who has a home or business security camera system to review footage between 12:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday to see if they see a white utility or cargo van on the video. If you do, you are asked to please forward the video to Police Chief Tyson Gibbons at chief.tyson.gibbons@gmail.com.

The focus area is along Highway 59, Highway 136 and Main Streets.

(KAIR)--A teenager required hospital treatment after being struck by a service truck late Monday morning.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, the 15-year-old girl was walking in the 1900 block of U.S. Highway 73, around 10:30, when she stepped from the median into the side of the southbound Peterbilt service truck.

Wilson said the girl was transported by Atchison County EMS to Mosaic Life Care, in Saint Joseph, for the treatment of injuries.

The 24-year-old driver of the truck was not hurt.

(KLZA)-- A Rock Port, Missouri man suffered what were described as serious injuries in single vehicle wreck Saturday morning.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reports 49-year-old Michael Maifeld was riding a motorcycle east on Route AA, just east of O Avenue northwest of Tarkio when he crossed the center line, ran off the north side of the road and into a culvert at 12:00 A.M. Saturday

The motorcycle came to rest on its side.

Maifeld was transported by the Atchison-Holt EMS to Mosaic Hospital in St. Joseph. The motorcycle was totaled.

The Atchison County Sheriffs Department assisted at the scene of the wreck.

(KLZA)-- During last weeks Falls City Board of Education meeting it was reported that as of September 12, enrollment figures in District 56 showed a total enrollment of 822 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The represents a decrease of 10 students from the previous year.

The larges class in the district is the senior class with 67 students. The smallest class is the kindergarten class with 46 students.

The Board officially recognized the Falls City Education Association as the exclusive bargaining agent for non-supervisory certificated instructional faculty of the District which includes teachers, guidance counselors, media specialists and speech-language pathologists for the 2023-24 contract year.

(KLZA)-- The Southeast Safety for Kids coalition and the Southeast District Health Department will be hosts of a car seat check up in partnership with Kids of HIS Kingdom on Wednesday, September 21st from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

To participate call 402-414-2460 to make an appointment time or drive up that day to Kids of HIS Kingdom at 1320 20th St in Auburn.

The day will offer free checks by nationally-certified child passenger safety technicians. Low-cost child safety seats will be available to replace seats as needed and as determined by the child passenger safety technicians. Free gifts for participating children are being provided by Blayne Behrends State Farm,

(KNZA)--The South Brown County USD 430 Board of Education, when they meet last week, approved using left over bonds funds for additional projects.

Superintendent Jason Cline said there will be roughly $540,000 left in bond funds when the main projects are complete. He recommended a few projects the funds could be used for.

 Following a lengthy discussion, the Board voted to pay for a two-inch asphalt overlay at the high school staff parking lot and elementary entrance drive at an estimated cost up to $54,000, and to pursue the purchase of window blinds for all buildings at an estimated cost of $45,000.  

In other business, Cline updated the board on the current enrollment numbers in each building.  The current headcount is 551 students, which is up about 50 students from this time last year. Cline said the after school program has started and there are currently 58 students signed up. The program runs Monday-Thursday until 5 pm. Cline also told the board that Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson will be coming to Horton High School on October 3rd to visit with students.

(KNZA)--The Horton City Commission received an update at a recent meeting on the status of the former hospital building.

Amberwell Health CEO Jerry Perry said they are offering options on three of the five properties that they own in Horton to be able to potentially donate it to any business that would provide to the community.

Perry said they have been seeking out some options, which have asked to remain confidential. However, as of the meeting none of them have panned out.

He said they are would consider donating the land or partnering with someone to help evolve a business.

Perry said there is likelihood that they will plan for demolition of the hospital in early 2023. He plans to come to the commission before the demo to see if they have any ideas with the building as far as “ in memory” proposals.

Perry also said that there would be an increase in physician hours at the Horton Clinic in 2023.

The Horton City Commission received an update at a recent meeting on the status of the former hospital building.

Amberwell Health CEO Jerry Perry said they are offering options on three of the five properties that they own in Horton to be able to potentially donate it to any business that would provide to the community.

Perry said they have been seeking out some options, which have asked to remain confidential. However, as of the meeting none of them have panned out.

He said they are would consider donating the land or partnering with someone to help evolve a business.

Perry said there is likelihood that they will plan for demolition of the hospital in early 2023. He plans to come to the commission before the demo to see if they have any ideas with the building as far as “ in memory” proposals.

Perry also said that there would be an increase in physician hours at the Horton Clinic in 2023.

Editor's note: the following was submitted by Brown Co Sheriff John Merchant

(MSC News)--County residents have been calling to inform  me of a different twist in the AMAZON scam that I sent out a few days ago. 

Now residents are being contacted by phone and being told that if the resident hangs up, AMAZON will charge them $200 and MASTERCARD will charge them $900.  The caller then states that if they wish to dispute the charges, you must press 1. When you press 1, you will speak with a live person who will try to get personal information from you. 

This is a scam and I am advising everyone to either hang up or do not answer calls you are unfamiliar with. The purpose of this new scam is to pressure people into speaking with a scammer.  These scammers are highly trained to glean information from you to access your financial accounts.  If you do not respond or speak with these people, your chances of becoming a victims are very slim.   When in doubt, please hang up on these type of calls.  

(KMZA)--An interim principal has been named for the Axtell School.

Prairie Hills USD 113 Superintendent Todd Evans in a release Friday announced the hiring of Gay Frazee for the interim role, effective September 19.

He said Frazee is a lifelong member of the Summerfield community. She taught at the Marysville Schools for 29 years as a Family and Consumer Science teacher.

Evans said USD 113 is excited about the positive impact that her experience, energy and educational insight will have on the students of the Axtell Public Schools!

Former Axtell School Principal Alana Seddon resigned, effective September 16, citing family reasons.

She had served as principal since the 2021-22 school year.

(KNZA)--A federal grand jury in Topeka has indicted a man for a fatal shooting in July on the Kickapoo Reservation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas said in a release Friday that 34-year-old Stryder Keo was charged with one count of murder in the second degree.

Keo is charged in the shooting death of 35-year-old William Blacksmith on July 17.

Authorities say Blacksmith was shot multiple times.

The release says the federal government has jurisdiction over the case because it happened within Indian country.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared S. Maag is prosecuting the case.

(KAIR)--This weekend marks the 46th annual celebration of the International Forest of Friendship. However, a somber tone is set for the Atchison celebration as honoree Kathy Carrigan died prior to the start of ceremonies.

Kathy, and her husband, Pat, were long involved with the Forest, with Pat’s father, Joe, having been heavily involved until the time of his death in 1996.

That’s when Pat took on increasing roles, becoming International Forest of Friendship co-Chair in 2003. A release calls Kathy Carrigan’s contributions to the Forest “essential,” saying that she worked on organizing the Forest’s annual ceremony, participated actively in office operations, and “was vigilant with the finances as the Forest’s treasurer.” Pat Carrigan died in January, 2022, with Kathy then stepping back from active involvement. She died Wednesday at the age of 78.

Both she and Pat were named as honorees for the weekend ceremonies prior to her death.

Kathy will be laid to rest Monday, with a Mass of Christian Burial beginning that morning at 11:00 at Saint Benedict's Catholic Church.

The International Forest of Friendship was presented in 1976 as a gift to America on the nation’s 200th birthday. The gift came through the City of Atchison, the birthplace home of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the Ninety-Nines, and Kansas State University’s Kansas Forest Service.

The annual celebration at the Forest will take place Saturday morning, with the local children-led Parade of Flags at 9:45, followed by the honoring of the Carrigans and the induction of new honorees at 10:00. This year, the parade will be led by the flag of Jamaica, the newest flag in the Forest, with Jamaica joining the 35 other countries represented in the Forest.

(KLZA)-- Owners of dozens of small meat markets across Nebraska will be receiving funds in the first-round of the American Rescue Plan Act state grants.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced a total of $4.9 million in grants to 64 meat processing facilities across the state via the state’s Independent Processor Assistance Program.

The program was launched this spring by the Nebraska Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts. It utilizes $10 million of the state’s $1 billion allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal effort to jump-start an economy slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program targets small meat processors with fewer than 25 employees and less than $2.5 million in yearly sales — businesses that struggled to pick up the slack when processing at larger, corporate slaughtering facilities fell behind during the pandemic.

Steve Wellman, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, said the grants will help Nebraska livestock producers and meat processors strengthen the nation’s food supply.

In total, the Ag Department will award approximately $9.8 million in grants through the Independent Processor Assistance Program. 

A second round of grants will be allocated in the first half of 2023, until funding is gone.

Previous recipients will be eligible to apply in subsequent rounds, but preference will be given to applications not awarded funding previously, a Ag Department spokeswoman said. 

Area companies that are among the grant recipients are Den's Country Meats in Table Rock; Pelican's Meat in Johnson; Cornhusker Beef Company in Nebraska City and the Diller Locker in Diller, each receiving $80 thousand grants.

(KLZA)-- Republican Party organizations in Johnson, Richardson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Otoe counties will host the Republican Party 5-County Barbecue Sunday afternoon at 5 at the Johnson Legion Hall, located at 300 Main Street in Johnson.

Southeast Nebraska voters will have an opportunity to meet and speak with Republica elected officials and candidates for various state offices.

A free meal will be served on a first-come, first-served basis and candidates will make remarks.

(KLZA)-- Access to roads, the campground and boat ramp at Burchard Lake Wildlife Management Area in Pawnee County may be closed temporarily due to a road repair project there this fall. 

This project consists of improvements to the interior WMA road, WMA campground road and to a portion of 615 Avenue from Highway 4 to the WMA.

Burchard Lake is closed annually to all access Oct. 15 through Jan. 14, except walk-in access for bank fishing along the perimeter of the lake during open water and ice fishing when safe ice exists.

Camping is only allowed in designated areas. The area is closed to all firearms and all hunting. Closures to the campground and interior road prior to Oct. 15 will be done by posting temporary signs and barricades so road improvements can be completed.

(KNZA)--The Hiawatha School Board has finalized the 2022-23 budget, which calls for net expenditures of nearly $20.5 million and a slight decrease in the property tax levy.

That came at their September 12 meeting following two hearings drawing no public comment.

Following the first hearing, the board approved a resolution authorizing the district to exceed the revenue neutral tax rate.

Following the second hearing, the board approved the 2022-23 budget as published.

The district will collect more than $6.7 million in local tax revenue.

In other business, the board approved hiring a Wichita-based firm to oversee a HVAC project at the wood shop and ag building.

Representatives of DCS Services were on hand at the meeting to answer questions.

They said they will obtain bids from different vendors, with the decision coming back to the board on who to go with. 

Federal Esser funds will be used to pay for the project.

Board President Ian Schuetz presented a certificate of recognition to middle school athletic director and physical education teacher Ben Kettler for outstanding performance.  Ketter was nominated for the honor by a patron.  He was thanked for continuing to go above and beyond to meet the needs of students. 

(KAIR)--A young state agency created to make sure the state looks after the children put in its care has 69 open investigations manned by a staff of five people.

That’s according to a report from the Kansas News Service, which says In one of the just seven cases that the Division of the Child Advocate has closed, it concluded that state officials met with a child too little and tried to move them to a new home weeks after major brain surgery.

Gov. Laura Kelly both created the special ombudsman's office and, as the state’s chief executive, she’s ultimately responsible for the state’s foster care system. Child advocate Kerrie Lonard told lawmakers on Tuesday that the office has had a hectic start, saying, “it does not feel sustainable.”

However, Lonard expects things to run smoother as her office fine-tunes its processes.

The Kansas News Service obtained a report the advocate’s office filed overlooking how the Department for Children and Families, and the private contractors it relies on to arrange foster care, handled the case of the child who underwent brain surgery.

In that report, investigators concluded that caseworkers filed inaccurate court documents, failed to meet with the child often enough — sometimes going a full month without seeing the child in person — and started efforts to move the child during recuperation from the brain surgery.

Lonard said the findings her office makes in each case will get released to the public when her office files its annual report, something mandated by an executive order Kelly signed last year.

The office sprung up through that order to monitor the state’s troubled child care system. 

Kansas Republican United States Senator Jerry Moran joined his Democratic counterpart, Jon Tester, of Montana, both members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in introducing legislation to reaffirm that any land taken into trust by the United States for Indian tribes is federally recognized from the day it was first taken into trust.

A release from Moran’s office explains that under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Secretary of the Interior was given authority and guidelines for taking land into trust for Indian Tribes. A 2009 Supreme Court decision denied the secretary’s authority for tribes who received federal recognition after IRA’s enactment. The senators’ legislation would ensure any land taken into trust after the IRA is still recognized and protected and shall remain in Indian country.

Moran, in the release, says that since the 2009 decision, tribes throughout the country recognized after 1934 have faced uncertainty regarding their lands taken into trust,”  adding that short of a full legislative fix, that he would support, Moran says the “bill will assure times of the status of their lands already in trust and enable stable economic development going forward.”

(KAIR)--Kansas Republican United States Senator Jerry Moran joined his Democratic counterpart, Jon Tester, of Montana, both members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in introducing legislation to reaffirm that any land taken into trust by the United States for Indian tribes is federally recognized from the day it was first taken into trust.

A release from Moran’s office explains that under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Secretary of the Interior was given authority and guidelines for taking land into trust for Indian Tribes. A 2009 Supreme Court decision denied the secretary’s authority for tribes who received federal recognition after IRA’s enactment. The senators’ legislation would ensure any land taken into trust after the IRA is still recognized and protected and shall remain in Indian country.

Moran, in the release, says that since the 2009 decision, tribes throughout the country recognized after 1934 have faced uncertainty regarding their lands taken into trust,” adding that short of a full legislative fix, that he would support, Moran says the “bill will assure tribes of the status of their lands already in trust and enable stable economic development going forward.”

(KAIR)--An Atchison woman is charged in connection with a recent vehicle burglary.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 28-year-old Kattibrie Lynch was arrested Tuesday, taken into custody on an Atchison County District Court warrant charging her for burglary of a vehicle and theft.

Following her arrest, Lynch was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

According to Wilson, the arrest follows an investigation by Atchison Police following the reported late morning, September 5 burglary of a vehicle that was parked in the 500 block of Unity Street.

Cash was taken from the vehicle shortly before 12 noon that day.

An investigation launched by police, following the reported burglary and theft, led to the charges against Lynch.

As of Wednesday, Lynch remained in custody in the Atchison County Jail.

Her bond is set at $10,000.

(KAIR)--The Doniphan County Pet Rescue invites area residents to take part in a new fundraiser, “Dogtober! Paws for a Cause Dog Walk.” It will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 2 from 2 to 6 in Bendena. All funds raised will go directly to the Pet Rescue to benefit the animals.

The event features a leisurely walk on the mostly level blacktop road that runs by the Pet Rescue’s new location at 887 Friendship Rd. in Bendena. The walk will commence at 2 p.m. Participants may bring a dog on a leash to walk, walk without a dog, or contact the Pet Rescue to make arrangements to walk with a shelter dog. Various distances will be marked off on the road for 4 miles, and people who are walking may choose the distance they would like to cover.

The entry fee for the Paws for a Cause Dog Walk is $20 per adult and $10 for children 12 and under. People who register before Sept. 20 will receive a t-shirt with a special design. To register, visit the Doniphan County Pet Rescue Facebook page and click on the link, or call the Pet Rescue at 913-370-3297 to register over the phone. Registrations will be accepted any time up to and even on the day of the event.

Pet Rescue Director Trina Earl, in a release says, it's the first year for the event, adding that it will also be a good opportunity for those attending to see the progress made at the Pet Rescue’s new location and also see what has yet to be accomplished.

Some other activities will be taking place that day, in addition to the walk. From 2 to 4 p.m., Wayne Meyer, DVM will be giving rabies vaccinations for $7, and the Pet Rescue will offer other annual vaccinations for free, thanks to a grant the organization received from PetCo. Agility equipment will be set up, and there will be a talent show after the walk. Chewy has sent a prize for the talent show winner.

There will also be hot dogs, chips, and drinks available after the walk.

(KMZA)--Axtell Public School Principal Alana Seddon has resigned.

Following an executive session Monday evening, the Prairie Hills USD 113 Board of Education accepted her resignation, effective September 16.

In a message to Axtell constituents, Seddon cited family reasons for her decision.

She said the decision was " incredibly difficult" because she has formed some wonderful relationships and enjoyed her time at Axtell.

Seddon was in her second year as principal at Axtell.

(KNZA)--U.S. Senator Jerry Moran made a stop in Hiawatha Thursday afternoon to announce the awarding of a grant to the Hiawatha Police Department for new technology.

As the lead Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, the Kansas Republican helped secure $30,000 in federal funds in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations package for the Police Department.

Police Chief Mickey Gruber said the funds will be used to purchase ten new tasers, replacing outdated ones.  He said the new devices will enhance the officers' ability to perform their duties, protect the citizens of Hiawatha and deflect situations without having to use lethal force.

The funds are expected to be delivered by the end of the month.

(KNZA)--A Robinson man, accused attempting to burn down a Brown County residence last year by using  Molotov cocktail,  has been bound over on multiple charges.  

33-year-old Nicholas Juarez was bound over Wednesday to Brown County District Court on charges of criminal use of an explosive, attempted aggravated arson and two counts of criminal threat.  Juarez also faces a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

 A sixth charge,  possession of methamphetamine, was dismissed prior to the preliminary hearing.  

Arraignment was scheduled for October 24.  

Juarez was arrested in February of last year following an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.  

He remains in the Brown County Jail, held on a $85,000 bond.

( KNZA)--A Thursday afternoon single-vehicle Atchison County wreck sent a Hiawatha woman to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened on Edwards Road, about 7 miles south of Effingham, shortly after 3:15.

The Patrol reports 41-year-old Tara Lee Lord was northbound when her Chevy Lumina drifted off to the right side of the roadway and struck an embankment.

Lord, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to Amberwell Health, in Atchison, with suspected minor injuries.  

(KAIR)--The Kansas Corporation Commission has ordered energy provider Evergy to explain a $1.2 billion increase in the company’s capital spending plan filed this year compared to projections shared when the company presented its Sustainability Transformation Plan last year.

According to a release from KCC, Thursday's order requires that a workshop to discuss the matter be scheduled by September 28 and take place before December 1, 2022. During the workshop, which can be viewed by the public on the KCC YouTube channel, Evergy will have the opportunity to explain the necessity and impact of the proposed capital spending and answer questions from Commissioners, Commission Staff, and the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board.

Prior to the workshop, Evergy is required to file updated and comprehensive financial modeling showing expected retail rate changes resulting from the continued increases in projected capital expenditures.

Evergy is required to file a Capital Investment Plan with the KCC annually.

A report filed by Commission Staff in response to the 2022 report expressed concern that the expenditures outlined exceeded those reported in the STP by 21.82%. The 2022 five-year Capital Investment plan was $1 billion higher than the 2021 five-year plan, and this increased spending projection was on top of a previously announced $1 billion increase between Evergy’s 2020 and 2021 five-year plan.

The Commission echoed the Staff’s concerns regarding the dramatic capital expenditure increases projections and whether that trend will undermine the goal of achieving regionally competitive rates and reliable electric service, especially with rising inflation.

The Order states, “Evergy’s Capital Improvement Plan affects the majority of Kansans and thus requires public scrutiny.”

(KLZA)--The Richardson County Fair is underway in Humboldt.

Wednesday night was the Coronation program as part of the Humboldt Fall Festival leading into the Fair.

Jayley McNealy was crowned Queen of the Fair with Madeline Scholl 1st runner up.

Crowned as King was Duaine Stalder and Linda Dovel was selected as the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year.

The theme for this years Fair is The Magic of Music.

The Fair is Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The DC Lynch Shows will be open around the square during the fair. There will be a parade around the Square in Humboldt at 11:00 a.m. each day.

There will be free entertainment on stage at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's entertainment will be Jimmy Weber, performing country music. He was a member of the US Air Fore Band during his 24 years of service in the Air Force.

Friday the Jason Mayer Band featuring Humboldt native Jason Mayer playing country, rock, folk and blue grass music.

On Saturday Top Down will perform. A live cover band playing hits from four decades.

The free entertainment is sponsored by the Richardson County Ag Society and the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce.

Other events include:

Thursday

6:30 p.m. the Southeast Community Band will play on stage in the Park.

7:30 the Farm Family Awards will be presented

Friday

4 p.m. - Kiddie Tractor Pull at the livestock Center.

Saturday

8 a-m – antique tractor show

Photo courtesy of Randy Gottula 

(KLZA)--The Richardson County Fair is underway in Humboldt.

Wednesday night was the Coronation program as part of the Humboldt Fall Festival leading into the Fair.

Jayley McNealy was crowned Queen of the Fair with Madeline Scholl 1st runner up.

Crowned as King was Duaine Stalder and Linda Dovel was selected as the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year.

The theme for this years Fair is The Magic of Music.

The Fair is Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The DC Lynch Shows will be open around the square during the fair. There will be a parade around the Square in Humboldt at 11:00 a.m. each day.

There will be free entertainment on stage at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's entertainment will be Jimmy Weber, performing country music. He was a member of the US Air Fore Band during his 24 years of service in the Air Force.

Friday the Jason Mayer Band featuring Humboldt native Jason Mayer playing country, rock, folk and blue grass music.

On Saturday Top Down will perform. A live cover band playing hits from four decades.

The free entertainment is sponsored by the Richardson County Ag Society and the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce.

Other events include:

Thursday

6:30 p.m. the Southeast Community Band will play on stage in the Park.

7:30 the Farm Family Awards will be presented

Friday

4 p.m. - Kiddie Tractor Pull at the livestock Center.

Saturday

8 a-m – antique tractor show

Photo courtesy of Randy Gottula 

(KLZA)-- Saturday, September 17, will be “Community Celebration Day” at Peru State College, an event sponsored by the College, the Athletic Department and the Peru State College Foundation.

All area residents are invited to attend the Bobcat Volleyball match against Mound Mercy at 9:30 a.m. in the Al Wheeler Activity Center and the Peru State Football game when the Bobcats host Baker University at 1:00 p.m. in the Oak Bowl.

Peru State President Dr. Michael Evens said this is a chance for the college to pay back the residents in the region for their continued support of Peru State.

(KLZA)-- A story by Paul Hammel in the Nebraska Examiner about the annual Nebraska Labor Report, indicates just how hard it is for employers to find workers.

In surveys of businesses in the Omaha area and northeast and southeast Nebraska, up to 94% of businesses responding to a “labor availability” survey said they had hiring difficulties.

In the Omaha area, 84% of the businesses surveyed reported hiring difficulties, with the biggest problem (82.5%) being a lack of applicants.

Of the areas surveyed, Falls City, Fairbury and Nebraska City had the most trouble hiring new employees, with difficulties being reported by between 90% and 92% of all businesses.

The head of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, Bryan Slone, recently stated that with 52,000 vacant jobs in Nebraska, the lack of labor is the “number one, two, three, four and five” issues facing the state’s business community.

The annual “labor availability” report was done for the Nebraska Department of Labor.

In 2016, the Nebraska Legislature passed a law allowing the Labor Department and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to conduct labor availability studies to determine the state’s needs and gaps in skill sets.

More than 3,000 businesses responded to the most recent survey, which focused on three regions: Southeast Nebraska, including Beatrice, Fairbury, Falls City, and Nebraska City, the greater Omaha area, and northeast Nebraska which included Columbus, Fremont, Norfolk, and Wayne.

(KMZA)--The Nemaha Central Board of Education has agreed to contribute funding toward the construction of a new concession stand at Seneca's Swisher ballfield.

Seneca City Administrator Tami Haverkamp met with the Board Monday evening to discuss the proposed project.

Haverkamp said the estimated cost of the project is $189,450.

The Seneca City Council in May accepted a $100,000 donation from John and Janie Kramer to help fund the project.

Haverkamp asked if the district would be willing to donate funding towards the project as well since Nemaha Central High School baseball games are played on the field.

After discussion, Board President Jason Hammes said he will meet with Superintendent Travis Desormiers about capital outlay commitments and would get back with Haverkamp regarding a contribution to the project.

It was the consensus of the board to donate funding, with the amount to be determined.

In other business, Desormiers spoke with the board about the current lack of transportation drivers. As a result, he requested to end the activity route that runs after middle school practices. The board voted to stop providing the activity route as of September 19.

(KLZA)-- Richardson County Emergency Management Agency will be conducting siren maintenance Thursday, September 15, starting at 1:30 pm.

This is just maintenance and you may hear the sirens sound throughout the county.  Please be aware that this is just maintenance no action is required.

(KAIR)--The story of an Atchison teenager, who died last year, may help be told by an interested actor. 

That word comes in a release from the family of Rocky Delfs, a 15-year-old boy who collapsed last year from a heart attack brought on by a genetic heart disease, Brugada Syndrome, that his obituary called “a rare birth defect.”

Delfs, on August 26, 2021, collapsed while running laps around the Atchison High School track. Transported for hospital care, he died days later, on September 1, at Children’s Mercy Hospital, in Kansas City.

According to a release signed by Delfs’ father, Bill, the family has been approached by actor Alexander Folk who is interested in telling Rocky’s story, including the importance of organ donation.

Rocky was an organ donor, and was able to save the life of his twin brother, and five other lives, through his death and donation.

Rocky’s family is hosting a community meeting later this month in order to discuss the project, with the release saying Rocky’s family wants “to reach out to the community of Atchison and invite anyone who would like to attend and help [Rocky’s family]” help tell Rocky’s story and the strong support shown by the Atchison community following his death.

The community meeting is planned for the afternoon of Tuesday, September 20 at 1:00, at the Atchison Chamber of Commerce.

(MSC News)--The Doniphan County Pet Rescue invites area residents to take part in a fundraiser called “Dogtober! Paws for a Cause Dog Walk.” It will be held on Sunday, October 2 from 2 to 6 p.m. in Bendena, Kansas. All funds raised will go directly to the Pet Rescue to benefit the animals.

The event features a leisurely walk on the mostly level blacktop road that runs by the Pet Rescue’s new location at 887 Friendship Rd. in Bendena. The walk will commence at 2 p.m. Participants may bring a dog on a leash to walk, walk without a dog, or contact the Pet Rescue to make arrangements to walk with a shelter dog. Various distances will be marked off on the road for 4 miles, and people who are walking may choose the distance they would like to cover.

The entry fee for the Paws for a Cause Dog Walk is $20 per adult and $10 for children 12 and under. People who register before Sept. 20 will receive a t-shirt with a special design. To register, visit the Doniphan County Pet Rescue Facebook page and click on the link, or call the Pet Rescue at 913-370-3297 to register over the phone. Registrations will be accepted any time up to and even on the day of the event.

“We’re getting excited about the Paws for a Cause Dog Walk,” says Pet Rescue Director Trina Earl. “It’s our first year for this event, and we’re hoping for a big turnout! It should be fun for everyone—families, individuals, and their furry friends.”

Earl adds that it will also be a good opportunity for those attending the event to see the progress made at the Pet Rescue’s new location and also see what has yet to be accomplished.

Some other activities will be taking place that day, in addition to the walk. From 2 to 4 p.m., Wayne Meyer, DVM will be giving rabies vaccinations for $7, and the Pet Rescue will offer other annual vaccinations for free, thanks to a grant the organization received from PetCo. Agility equipment will be set up, and there will be a talent show after the walk. Chewy has sent a prize for the talent show winner.

There will also be hot dogs, chips, and drinks available after the walk.

“Watch our Facebook page for updates on other activities that will be taking place the day of the walk,” says Earl.

The t-shirts will have a list of sponsors on the back. There are various levels of sponsorship, and any business wishing to become a sponsor is invited to contact the Pet Rescue. There will be some extra t-shirts available on the day of the event.

According to Earl, some of the expenses the organization is facing in addition to animal care are a water meter, water line, and sewer costs.

(KAIR)--When Atchison’s International Forest of Friendship holds its 46th annual celebration this weekend, the event is dedicated to Pat and Kathy Carrigan.

According to a release, the couple’s recognition comes due to the many contributions they’ve made to the Forest over the years.

The Forest was founded in 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration, with work having begun on the idea in 1973 by Fay Gillis Wells, then Chair of the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots. Having a close relationship to Atchison, she worked closely with Pat Carrigan’s father, Joe, who served as Atchison’s Bicentennial Committee Chairman.

Following Joe’s years of work on behalf of the Forest, including serving with Wells as the first Co-Chairs after having worked to build the Forest, he died in 1996. Following his death, son Pat took on increasing roles, becoming International Forest of Friendship co-Chair in 2003.

The release notes that Pat’s relationship with George Putnam, Amelia Earhart’s stepson, not only led to the creation of the Putnam Forest, adjacent to the Forest of Friendship, but also established firm ties between the Forest and the Putnam family.

The release calls Kathy Carrigan’s contributions to the Forest “essential,” saying that she has worked on organizing the Forest’s annual ceremony, participated actively in office operations, and “was vigilant with the finances as the Forest’s treasurer.”

Pat Carrigan died in January, 2022, with Kathy then stepping back from active involvement.

Among other local nominees will be longtime Atchison attorney Leonard Buddenbohm. A 43-year volunteer with the Forest, Buddenbohm now serves as Vice-President and Co-Chairman for the board.

The annual celebration at the Forest will take place Saturday morning, with the local children-led Parade of Flags at 9:45, followed by the honoring of the Carrigans and the induction of new honorees at 10:00.

This year, the parade will be led by the flag of Jamaica, the newest flag in the Forest, with Jamaica joining the 35 other countries represented in the Forest.

The International Forest of Friendship was presented in 1976 as a gift to America on the nation’s 200th birthday. The gift came through the City of Atchison, the birthplace home of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the Ninety-Nines, and Kansas State University’s Kansas Forest Service.

(KMZA)--The city of Seneca is urging residents not to flush wipes and other items down their toilet.

Unless it is toilet paper, the city says it should not be flushed.

That includes wipes of any kind, diapers, paper towels, feminine hygiene products and facial tissues. The city says those items must be disposed of in a trash can.

City officials say putting such items down toilets causes sewer lines and pumps to plug and can cause raw sewage to back up.

(KNZA)--A grant will be sought for the restoration of Hiawatha's historic clock tower building, which currently houses City Hall and the Frances Sewell Plamann History Center.

City Code Enforcement and Building Inspector Dave Wilson informed the Hiawatha City Commission Monday evening that he plans to seek a Heritage Trust Fund grant through the Kansas Historical Society for the project. 

Wilson said the grant application is due November 1st.  

He requested permission to hire BG Consultants to prepare a scope-of-work document and cost estimate for the project at a cost not to exceed $3,200, which the Commission approved.  

In other business, the Commission voted to terminate the contract with Utility Services for maintenance and cleaning of the city's two water towers, and to seek bids for a new firm.  City Water Superintendent Brad Scott said the city should be able to get someone else at a competitive price.  

Interim City Administrator Larry Paine informed commissioners that a candidate for the open city administrator position will be visiting the city in two weeks.  The city has been searching for someone to fill the position since the resignation of former City Administrator Mike Nichols in April.

(KLZA)-- The Holt County Autumn Festival will be held for the 69th year beginning Wednesday afternoon at 5 with the Fair opening.

The Baby Show is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. followed by the Junior Festival Queen Contest at 7 and the Senior Queen Contest at 8:00 p.m.

Most of the events will be taking place through Saturday around the Town Square in Oregon.

Exhibits will be open to the public beginning Thursday afternoon at 1:30 and will be open Friday and Saturday as well.

Thursday events include a kids' water fight on Main Street at 4:30, The Prince and Princess Contest at 6:30 p.m. and the Junior Miss Festival Queen Contest at 8:00 p.m.

Friday will be feature the Children's parade at 2:00 p.m. followed by Children's Field Events at 2:30 and a Frog Jumping Contest at 3:30. The Ugly Woman Contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. followed by the Holt County's Got Talent contest at 7:30, a hot dog eating contest at 9 and from 9 – 11 there will be music by Curtis Wayne Stroud and Adam Showalter..

Saturday events begin at 8:00 a.m. with a 5K Run. The tractor, car, motorcycle and golf cart show begins at 10:00 a.m. The Pony Express Therapy Dogs event will be held at 10:00 a.m. The Mic-O-Say Dancers will perform at 1:15 p.m. followed by the General Parade at 2 o'clock.

Saturday evening kicks off with a 5:00 p.m. barbecue, the FFA Auction will be at 5:15 p.m. and the MarDe Brooks Band will preform from 7 – 10:00 p.m.

(KLZA)-- The Falls City Board of Education conducted budget and property tax hearings Monday evening.

Following the hearings, the Board approved the budget proposal and the property tax request resolution for the 2022-23 Fiscal Year as published.

The General fund budget will increase 4 percent over the previous year to $15,400,136.

The property tax levy was set at a dollar and 1.8173 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which will bring in $9,754,571, a 2.6 percent increase over the 2021 property tax request.

The Special Building Fund remains unchanged at $404,040.

The total assessed value of property within School District 56 increased by 2.96 percent over 2021 to $958,046,107, an increase of just over $27.5 million.

83% of the he General Fund budget directly supports classroom instruction and students. The largest increase in expense will be a three percent increase in faculty and staff wages and fringe benefits.

The Special Building Fund Budget is decreasing by 43 percent and reflects the 2021-22 expenditure of ESSER II and III Federally funded projects which are no longer in the budget.

The total operating budget compared to the 2021-22 budget for School District 56 is a decrease of 4.36 percent.

(KLZA)-- Peru State College at the Peru State College Foundation have announced the creation of co-chairs of Project ROAR, an effort to raise $4 million of the $14.6 million cost of the five-building Project ROAR.

Named as co-chairs of the fund raising effort are Jerry Joy,(Class of 1964) and Christina (Banks ’88) Joy of Stella, and Paul Fell, (’67) and Arlene (Borcher ’67) Fell of Lincoln.

Additionally, retired Peru State President Dr. Dan and former First Lady Elaine Hanson of West Des Moines, Iowa have agreed to return and assist with the campaign as consultants.

Project ROAR will add more than 104,000 square feet of indoor space to the campus. This more than doubles the square footage of the Peru State’s largest building, the Al Wheeler Activity Center.

Three of the buildings will be near the baseball and softball fields at the Centennial Complex south of the main campus. The other two will be built on a practice field north of the Oak Bowl stadium. The largest components are large air-supported, artificially turfed domes at each site.

The Fells and the Joys are all alumni and former faculty/staff members at Peru State, and have remained engaged with Peru State throughout their adult lives.

The multi-purpose venues will allow for not only more Peru State events to occur, but for clubs, organizations, and other groups throughout the region to reserve the facilities for various activities.

Anyone with questions about Project ROAR or ways to support it can contact Ted Harshbarger (’77) at the Peru State College Foundation. Email him at tharshbarger@peru.edu, or call (402) 872-2304 weekdays.

(KNZA)--A rural Everest man is accused of threatening three 10-year-olds with a knife.

According to court documents, 19-year-old Grayson Weesner was formally charged Monday in Brown County District Court with three counts of aggravated assault.

Weesner made his first appearance in court on the felony charges, and a preliminary hearing was set for September 21.

He was arrested early last Friday morning by the Horton Police Department.

Weesner remains in the Brown County Jail, held on a $20,000 bond..

(KLZA)-- It's time for the 2022 Richardson County Fair and the Humboldt Falls Festival.

The theme for this years Fair is The Magic of Music.

The Fair is Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the Humboldt Fall Festival kicking off the events Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. with the Coronation program on stage in the City Square Park. Randy Gottula will crown the King and Queen during the Wednesday evening program. The Woman of the Year will also be recognized.

The DC Lynch Shows will be open all four days. There will be a parade around the Square in Humboldt at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

There will be free entertainment on stage at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's entertainment will be Jimmy Weber, performing country music. He was a member of the US Air Fore Band during his 24 years of service in the Air Force.

Friday the Jason Mayer Band featuring Humboldt native Jason Mayer playing country, rock, folk and blue grass music.

On Saturday Top Down will perform. A live cover band playing hits from four decades.

The free entertainment is sponsored by the Richardson County Ag Society and the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce.

Other events include:

Thursday

6:30 p.m. the Southeast Community Band will play on stage in the Park.

7:30 the Farm Family Awards will be presented

Friday

4 p.m. - Kiddie Tractor Pull at the livestock Center.

Saturday

8 a-m – antique tractor show

(KLZA)-- It's time for the 2022 Richardson County Fair and the Humboldt Falls Festival.

The theme for this years Fair is The Magic of Music.

The Fair is Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the Humboldt Fall Festival kicking off the events Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. with the Coronation program on stage in the City Square Park. Randy Gottula will crown the King and Queen during the Wednesday evening program. The Woman of the Year will also be recognized.

The DC Lynch Shows will be open all four days. There will be a parade around the Square in Humboldt at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

There will be free entertainment on stage at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's entertainment will be Jimmy Weber, performing country music. He was a member of the US Air Fore Band during his 24 years of service in the Air Force.

Friday the Jason Mayer Band featuring Humboldt native Jason Mayer playing country, rock, folk and blue grass music.

On Saturday Top Down will perform. A live cover band playing hits from four decades.

The free entertainment is sponsored by the Richardson County Ag Society and the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce.

Other events include:

Thursday

6:30 p.m. the Southeast Community Band will play on stage in the Park.

7:30 the Farm Family Awards will be presented

Friday

4 p.m. - Kiddie Tractor Pull at the livestock Center.

Saturday

8 a-m – antique tractor show

(KLZA)-- Richardson County taxpayers will be receiving a pink colored postcard in the mail this week with information notifying property owners of a property tax increase of more than 2% from the prior year, increasing the property taxes for that parcel for the tax year 2022.

This notification is required as a result of the passage of LB644 by the Nebraska Legislature. The notice is intended to provide awareness to taxpayers of how much a property tax increase of more than 2% for a political subdivision will affect their property taxes for that year.

For 2022 this notice only lists Richardson County and Southeast Community College. Taxpayers should be aware that there also may be an increase in the amount of taxes that will be required as well by the school districts, cities, villages, Education Service Unit #4, Nemaha Natural Resources District, Richardson County Ag Society and rural fire districts if the property tax requirement to fund their political subdivision's budget increases.

They are not required to be listed, or to participate in the joint public hearing if the percentage of increase is less than 2% from the prior year.

A public hearing has been scheduled for Monday, September 26, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 202 of the Richardson County Courthouse. During the joint hearing, a representative of each political subdivision will give a brief presentation on their intent to increase the property tax request more than the allowable 2 percent, and the effect of such a request on their budget.

Any member of the public will be allowed to speak at the joint public hearing.

For more information go the the website:

nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/107/Slip/LB664.pdf.

The Richardson County budget for Fiscal Year 2022-23 includes an increase in cost of fuel for the Road Department and the Sheriff's Department, an increase in the amount of costs associated with court appointed attorneys for the indigent, the increased costs associated with the safekeeping of inmates at the County Jail, salary increases, increased costs in required building repairs and planned road improvement projects, make an increase in the property tax requirement necessary.

(KLZA)-- The Falls City Council conducted two hearings concerning the 2022-23 Fiscal Year Budget when they met Monday afternoon.

No one from the public addressed the Council during the hearings.

The first hearing was on the proposed budget which calls for a total budget of $27,311,950, with a majority of the budget of just over $20 million within the various utility departments. That amount is 12 percent lower than last year.

The Public Safety, Police and Fire budget projects expenses of $1,555,769 with another $889,010 budgeted for Streets.

The property tax request is budgeted at $750,935 which is an increase of approximately $16 thousand or 2 percent above last years tax asking. The levy is projected at 44.395 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The valuation of property within Falls City increased 1 percent to $169,148,033.

(MSC News)--The start of a new school year is an expensive time for families; and if you're struggling to pay for phone and internet services while navigating back to school costs, a release from the Kansas Corporation Commission says help is available to stay connected.

During Lifeline Awareness Week, the Kansas Corporation Commission encourages Kansans in need of assistance to apply for Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP). Both programs help low-income individuals and families stay connected so they can access healthcare, attend classes, keep up with homework, find jobs and call for help in an emergency.

Anyone who qualifies for Lifeline is automatically eligible to participate in both programs. Due to higher income maximums, ACP also has the potential to help many families with internet costs that may not qualify for other types of assistance. Lifeline provides federal and state discounts up to $17.02 per month on phone service (wireless or residential) and broadband. The Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) provides a service discount of up to $30 per month for broadband service and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer or tablet purchased through a participating provider.

Both programs offer additional discounts for subscribers living on tribal lands.

Eligibility is based on income (at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for Lifeline or at or below 200% for ACP) or participation in certain assistance programs.

More information on income eligibility, participating providers, and the enrollment process is available on the KCC website.

(KAIR)--A teenager, reported as missing, is facing charges for the theft of a vehicle located in Atchison.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, the 2020 Toyota Corolla was recovered around 8:30 Friday evening by police. Reported stolen earlier in the day from Kansas City, Kansas, Wilson says Atchison Police had reason to believe the car could have have been at several locations. Following a search of those sites, the car was found in the parking lot of Atchison’s Walmart, located in the 1900 block of U.S. Highway 73.

Although the vehicle was located, the suspect was not, with the search launched for that person’s whereabouts.

The suspect, named as a 14-year-old boy, was located by police outside of an Atchison convenience store, located at 4th and U.S. Highway 59, around 11:30 Friday night. He was arrested and turned over to juvenile authorities.

According to Wilson, the teen had been reported to Kansas City, Kansas Police earlier on Friday as a missing person.

(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission on Monday approved hiring of three new employees. 

The Commission voted to hire Brandon Rader as solid waste director at a starting salary of $19 an hour; Richard Rodvelt as noxious weed director at a starting salary of $20 an hour and John “ Barry” Schuetz as District 2 crewman at a starting salary of $18 an hour.

George Bruning, who currently serves as Noxious Weed and Solid Waste Director, is retiring effective December 20.

The hirings reflect a separation of Bruning's duties into two separate positions. 

Commissioner Richard Lehmkuhl recommended that Rodvelt and Rader stagger their start dates in order to allow both to have one-on-one training with Bruning prior to being on their own. 

(KMZA)--The city of Seneca is moving forward with plans to build a new water treatment plant.

Following a hearing drawing no public comment, the Seneca City Council  last week approved a resolution authorizing the city to submit an application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for an up to $3.85 million loan to finance the project.  About $3 million of the loan would be forgiveable.

In addition, the Council approved a contract with Chris and Jennifer Rottinghaus for the purchase of property located at 213 North 1st Street for $65,000 to serve as the site for the new water treatment plant.

 An engineer with Wilson and Company told the Council at their July 20th meeting that a new treatment plan would reduce the high levels of manganese in the city's drinking water and other contaminants.  The proposed facility would also upgrade pumps and controls that move water to the water tower.

(KNZA)--An early Monday evening two-vehicle collision in Jefferson County sent nine to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened on U.S. 24 Highway at Lecompton Road around 5:30.

The Patrol reports 19-year-old Xavier Hernandez, of Atchison, was driving a westbound SUV when he attempted to turn south onto Lecompton Road in front of a car driven by 26-year-old Kansas City resident Mikael Owens and struck her vehicle head-on.

Hernandez, who suffered no apparent injuries, along with three passengers in his vehicle were transported to a Topeka hospital.

Owens and four passengers in her vehicle were transported for hospitalized treatment—two with suspected serious injuries.

The Patrol reports all the occupants were buckled up at the time of the wreck.

(KLZA)-- Following a public hearing last Wednesday evening, drawing no public comment, the Falls City Council approved moving forward with an application for Community Development Block Grant funds for a downtown revitalization project.

If received the grant would be for $435 thousand with $400 thousand for the project, $25 thousand for General Administration and $10 thousand for construction management. The city will guarantee the contribution of matching funds estimated at $100 thousand to complete the project.

While the block for the project has not been officially selected, it is likely the work will be one on Stone Street from 15th north to 16th Street.

(KLZA)--Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced five judicial appointments to Missouri Courts on Friday.

Brian Tubbs, of Mound City, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for the 4th Judicial Circuit.

Tubbs is currently principal of the Law Office of Brian Tubbs LLC. He holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics and agribusiness and a Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

He will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable William Richards.

(KAIR)--The Kansas Supreme Court this week will consider the appeal of a woman who shot her estranged husband to death in a downtown Leavenworth parking lot in 2017.

54-year-old Barbara Frantz, in July, 2020, was sentenced in Leavenworth County District Court to life in prison. She had been convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in 2018.

According to a release from the Kansas Courts, Frantz directly appealed her conviction of premeditated first-degree murder, with the defense, at trial, alleging that the actual shooter was Frantz’s 23-year-old son.

The Kansas Supreme Court, Tuesday morning, will consider three issues on appeal, with the release explaining they are whether the district court erred in limiting cross-examination of the victim’s son, whether the district court erred in denying Frantz’s motion for judgement of acquittal at the close of the state’s evidence, and if there was sufficient evidence at trial to convict Frantz of premeditated first-degree murder.

Gary Frantz was shot to death in January, 2017, and suffered five gun shot wounds, including one to the chest. According to a past release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, as Frantz lay dying, he told Leavenworth Police his wife had shot him.

(KAIR)--More than 10-years in prison is the sentence handed down in Leavenworth County District Court in a case involving the distribution of fentanyl.

According to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, 25-year-old Kansas City, Kansas resident, Christopher Renyer, was convicted for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia to distribute a controlled substance.

According to Thompson, Renyer was found by Leavenworth Police in a vehicle in the area of 1101 North 4th Street.

During the police investigation, Renyer was found to be in possession of the controlled substances, along with cell phones and baggies commonly used for distribution.

(KMZA)--A Hiawatha woman is facing a felony charge of aggravated battery in Nemaha County.

42-year-old Gabriella Gonzalez was arrested September 1st on a Nemaha Court warrant.

Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert said the criminal complaint alleges that on July 9, Gonzalez caused great bodily harm or disfigurement to another person.

The case was investigated by the Sabetha Police Department.

Gonzalez is currently free after posting a $100,000 surety bond.

She is scheduled to appear in a Nemaha County courtroom on September 27.

(KMZA)--The Seneca City Council has approved a 2023 city budget that calls for net expenditures of nearly $15.3 million and keeps the mill levy steady.

The Council took the action last week following a hearing drawing no public comment.

The budget contains an estimated tax rate of 32.591 mills, which is to generate nearly $893,000 in local tax revenue.

Even though the mill levy will remain unchanged, the city will collect nearly $63,000 in additional tax revenue due to a $1.9 million increase in the city's assessed valuation.

Following a separate hearing, drawing no public comment, the Council approved a resolution authorizing the city to levy a property tax rate exceeding the revenue neutral rate.

(KNZA)--A Jackson County man is to be sentenced next month after a plea deal was reached in an attempted murder case.  

According to court documents, 46-year-old Ervin Mitchell, of Soldier, recently pleaded no contest in Jackson County District Court to a felony charge of aggravated domestic battery, canceling a jury trial in the case.  

In exchange for the plea three additional charges—including attempted second-degree murder—were dismissed.  

Sentencing was set for October 28.  

Mitchell was arrested in September of last year after Jackson County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call.  

When they arrived, deputies found a woman who said she had been strangled during the disturbance.  

Mitchell left the scene of the incident, and was arrested after deputies deployed stop sticks to disable the vehicle he was driving.

 He remains in the Jackson County Jail, held on a $250,000 bond.

(KLZA)--The Richardson County Sheriff's Office participated in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign from August 19th – September 5th, 2021.

During this time, the department had 284 traffic stops. The department issued 75 citations, had 29 arrests with a total of 11 felony arrest and 10 warrant arrest.

The department went on 131 calls for service, investigated 7 accidents, and recovered 1 stolen vehicle.

KLZA)--The Falls City Police Department participated in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Mobilization from August 19th to September 5th, 2022.  During this time, Officers made eighty-two traffic stops with twenty-four citations and fifty-eight warnings being issued.  This enforcement effort did result in one DUI arrest, two minor in possession of alcohol and four transporting open containers of alcohol citations being issued.

Beyond the ticket activity, Falls City Police Officers answered one hundred and sixty calls for service, with five traffic accidents reported.  Officers additionally made two warrant arrests, investigated six reports of child abuse, two reports of sexual assault along with several miscellaneous investigations including thefts and dangerous dogs.

Falls City Police Officers worked over one hundred hours of overtime during the mobilization period.  The overtime cost was funded by a grant provided by the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Highway Traffic Safety Office.

The Falls City Police Department thanks the citizens of Falls City, Nebraska for their continued support and encourages all drivers to drive safely, buckle up and don’t drink and drive.

(KLZA)--The state has issued a health alert for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), also known as toxic blue-green algae, at Iron Horse Trail Lake (Wildlife Management Area) in Pawnee County.

Iron Horse Trail Lake remained on alert this week after also being on alert last week.

Samples taken earlier this week measured above the threshold of 8 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin, which is a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.

When a health alert is issued, signs are posted to advise the public to use caution, and designated swimming beaches are closed during the alert. Recreational boating and fishing are permitted, but the public is advised to use caution and avoid exposure to the water, particularly avoiding any activity that could lead to swallowing the water. Do not let pets get in the water or drink from the lake. People can still use the public areas for camping, picnics and other outdoor activities.

( KMZA)--The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for Nemaha County Rural Water District #3.

The advisory was issued August 7 for customers three miles north and one mile south of Highway 36 between Seneca and Baileyville—including the community of Baileyville.

The advisory was issued because of a line break resulting in a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

KDHE in a release Sunday that laboratory testing samples collected from the Nemaha County Rural Water District #3 indicate no evidence of contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed to be resolved.  

(KLZA)--The city continues to ask Falls City residents to perform voluntary water conservation measures for the next 10-14 days. If possible, please conserve large water consumption within the city limits. A detail of the water main break is as follows:

City crews worked late into the evening hours on 9.8.2022 to assess and repair the water main break at the Rulo Water Treatment Plant. There was a failure at a connection of an air relief valve to the 20" water main that fills the city water tower. Crews worked diligently to complete a temporary repair which allowed the system to get back into operation however the system cannot be ran at full capacity until the permanent repair is completed. A new valve assembly is currently being built and will be available for install in the next 5-10 days. This line typically pumps 1400 gallons/minute into the city water system but due to limitations of the temporary repair, it can only pump 900 gallons/minute. The water treatment plant crews are extending operational hours during this time to boost overnight water production to help offset the pumping reduction. In addition, we ask Falls City residents to voluntarily conserve water where possible over the next 10-14 days until the final repairs can be completed.

(KNZA)--Brown County Sheriff John Merchant is alerting residents of an Amazon scam that is circulating in the area.

Merchant says residents are being called repeatedly by an automated message stating someone had illegally charged an expensive item to their Amazon account, and to press #1 for more information.  

When #1 is pressed, it sends the resident to a live person who is attempting to get personal information about your Amazon account and financial information.  

The caller has a very heavy foreign accent.

Merchant said many residents have stated they are receiving more than 20 calls per day. It is annoying, but he says hanging up or letting the call go to voicemail is the best way to handle these types of calls. Never call them back.

He reminds county residents to never give out personal information over the phone or internet.

Merchant says if you feel you have been a victim of this or other scams, notify your local law enforcement

 

( KMZA)--The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for the city of Seneca.

The advisory was issued Wednesday due to a line break resulting in a loss of pressure in the city's water supply system.  Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

KDHE said Friday that laboratory testing samples collected from the city of Seneca indicate no evidence of contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed to be resolved.  

(KAIR)--An Atchison woman, accused of kicking police officers when they responded to a domestic incident this week, faces related charges for her crimes.

According to a report from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, it happened Wednesday, around 12 noon, when Atchison Police Officers “responded to a domestic disturbance in the 300 block of North 14th Street,” where 32-year-old “Gabrielle Cline was taken into custody for domestic battery involving” a 48-year-old man.

Wilson says it was during her arrest that Cline kicked officers and resisted arrest, but was ultimately taken into custody.

The victim of Cline’s alleged domestic battery, as well as several police officers, received minor injuries that required no medical treatment.

Cline now faces charges for domestic battery, battery on a police officer, and interference with law enforcement.

Following her arrest, Cline was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KAIR)--Atchison’s Maur Hill-Mount Academy, Saturday evening, will host its annual League of Saint Maur Dinner, and with the event comes honors for special recipients.

Named as the 2022 Fidelis Award winners are Atchison’s Richard and Ginger Hunninghake, whose four children also attended Atchison Catholic education.

A release from the school calls the Hunninghake’s “outstanding supporters,” and refers to Richard, commonly known as “Dick,” as “a legend.”
A longtime teacher, and coach at the school, Hunninghake retired from his role as MH-MA Assistant Principal/Athletic Director last year.

Dick’s wife, Ginger, is a native of Atchison, who has received numerous honors for her role in the Atchison community, which includes involvement with the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce, along with 14-years of oversight involvement with Atchison’s annual LakeFest concert. Currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, Ginger is also cited for her service as Parent Club President for MH-MH, as well as other roles of service.

The Fidelis award is presented annually, and was created to recognize individuals that have made a lasting impact on Maur Hill-Mount Academy in the spirit of Christ.

Also to receive recognition during Saturday’s ceremony will be Theresa Worman, a 1989 graduate who is named as the 2022 “Alumni of the Year” recipient.

According to the release, Worman was born and raised in Antigo, Wisconsin, but came to Atchison after her parents purchased the local Dairy Queen. She went to high school at Mount St. Scholastica and has, as the release puts it, “been a supporter of Maur Hill-Mount Academy ever since.”

The League of Saint Maur Dinner will be held Saturday evening, beginning at 5:00, at the Kansas City Airport Marriott.

The release explains that the League, a private membership that provides ongoing support to further the mission of Maur Hill-Mount Academy, was begun by Father Edwin Watson, OSB in 1965. Coming to an end in the 1990’s, it was reestablished by MH-MA President Phil Baniewicz.

(KAIR)--Following years of law enforcement service, becoming what Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse calls “one of the longest serving Undersheriff’s in Jackson County history,” Darrel Chapman steps down from the position.

According to a release from Morse, that happened Wednesday, with Chapman stepping down “after having a distinguished career in Jackson County.”

Chapman has served as the Hoyt Chief of Police, a police officer with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Police Department, and servedm prior to becoming Undersheriff, as a Sergeant with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the release, Morse appointed Chapman to serve as Undersheriff in 2011, and calls it “one of the best decisions [he’s made in his] life,” adding that Chapman “was one of the secrets of [the Sheriff’s Department’s] success in reducing crime and building one of the most successful rural county police agencies in Kansas.”

 On Thursday, the release notes, Morse received the KBI crime statistics for Jackson County for 2021, with the Sheriff saying that “burglary statistics are in the single digits, which is the first time in decades and the lowest since” Morse began working in law enforcement, adding that “Chapman played a major part in making this happen.”

Morse, Friday, announced that he has appointed Captain Scott Morris to serve as Undersheriff, replacing Chapman, who is, according to a release, pursuing a new career in the private sector. 

Morris is a longtime resident of Jackson County where he raised his three children with his wife Paula.  Scott

Morris for the last two years has served as the Captain of Patrol with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and was a part of the Sheriff’s Leadership Team.  During this time, Captain Morris also oversaw the office’s K-9 Program. Prior to coming to the sheriff’s office, Morris retired after a lengthy career with the Kansas Highway Patrol where he obtained the rank of Captain. 

(KNZA)--An Elwood woman is facing multiple counts of rape. 

Nemaha/ Marshall County Attorney Brad Lippert, who is serving as special prosector in the case, said a complaint has been filed in Doniphan County District Court charging 22-year-old Kaitland Quimby with four counts of rape.

Lippert said the complaint alleges that Quimby engaged in sexual intercourse with two different children under the age of 14, each of them on two separate occasions.

Quimby was arrested last month following an investigation by the Elwood Police Department. 

A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for September 27.

Quimby remains in the Doniphan County Jail, held on a $600,000  bond.

TOPEKA – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has released the 2021 Kansas Crime Index Report. The report compiles crime statistics reported to the KBI by state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Kansas.

Violent crime analysis

The 2021 Kansas Crime Index Report indicated that violent crime in Kansas decreased by 3.4% from 2020, showing declines in each of the categories of violent crime. A total of 13,422 violent crimes were reported in Kansas in the categories of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault and battery.

Violent crime in Kansas has been steadily rising each year since 2014. The decline of violent offenses in 2021, was the first decrease experienced since this uptick. Despite this decline, the number of violent crimes in 2021 remained 17.9% above the 10-year average.

Aggravated assaults and batteries continue to be a concern. While these offenses also declined by 1.9% in 2021, they remain 26% above the 10-year average, and account for a large percentage of the violent crimes reported. 

Property crime analysis

In 2021, property crimes declined overall by 7.5%. Motor vehicle thefts are of the most concerning offense in the property crime category. They also declined slightly, but remained 13.6% above the 10-year average. Property crime offenses are assumed to be underreported to law enforcement.

For the full 2021 Kansas Crime Index report and previous year’s statistics: https://www.kansas.gov/kbi/stats/stats_crime.shtml.

NOTE: Data from the Kansas Crime Index report is derived from standard offense and arrest reports submitted to the Kansas Incident Based Reporting System (KIBRS) by local law enforcement agencies across Kansas. It is dependent on victims reporting crimes. The report is compiled to provide a historical assessment and snapshot of crime trends. It is often not possible to draw further interpretations or conclusions from the data. The KBI cautions against using data to make direct comparisons between jurisdictions. Often these comparisons are not valid as the factors influencing crime vary widely between communities.

(LINCOLN, NEB.)  — As the new school year is now in full swing, the Nebraska State Patrol and Nebraska Department of Education are reminding parents, students, and schools officials of the options available to report school or student safety issues. 

 Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol says It takes partnership from teachers, students, parents, and the community to keep our schools safe. If you become aware of a threat of school violence, report it immediately.

The Nebraska State Patrol has multiple options available for people to report threats of school violence or any suspicious activity surrounding Nebraska’s schools. Those incidents can be reported to NSP’s Nebraska Information Analysis Center (NIAC) by calling 888-580-6422 or online at sars.nebraska.gov. Reports or tips can be made anonymously.

The Nebraska Department of Education also has multiple tools available to help keep schools and students safe. The Safe2Help program is another way to report threats of school violence, but Safe2Help can also handle a broader array of school issues, such as bullying or behavioral concerns. The Safe2Help program can be found at safe2helpne.org or by calling 833-980-SAFE.

Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or who may be having suicidal thoughts is urged to contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 on any phone.

Colonel Bolduc urges everyone to work together to make this a safe and successful school year across the state.

(KLZA)-- Proposed ordinance changes to increase utility rates for Falls City Utility customers passed on on second reading during Wednesday evenings City Council meeting.

If approved on final reading September 19, the rate increases will go into effect October 1. The largest increase would be in the sewer rate at 5 percent. The electric rate increase would be 4.8 percent; the water rate increase would be 4.5 percent and the increase in the natural gas rate would 1.6 percent.

In other business the Council approved a change order to the contract with Farabee Mechanical out of Hickman, Nebraska to repair the damaged crankshaft on electrical generating engine #5 at the Falls City Power Plant.

Utility Superintendent Ray Luhring said the original contract was for $358,000 to do the repair work, but there was more damage than originally anticipated pushing the cost to nearly $1.1 million.

The Falls City Board of Public Works recommended approving the latest change order. The cost for the change order is an additional $117,984 above the $1.1-million.

Luhring said insurance will cover nearly all of the costs of the repair work being done.

(KLZA)-- Falls City Utility Superintendent Ray Luhring informed the City Council Wednesday evening that a grant application the city had made, to help pay for a significant portion of the electrical distribution system upgrade project has been denied.

Luhring said the city is waiting to find out what areas of the application might have held down the score to receive the grant funding.

Luhring said despite not receiving the grant, the Board of Public Works wants the project with a price tag of $4,965,000 to move forward. Preliminary work on the project has been done.

Luhring said the Board of Public Works wanted confirmation from the City Council on the project moving forward and how to pay for it. The City will continue to research options on how to pay for the upgrades.

A half-cent sales tax approved by Falls City voters in May will be collected beginning October 1.

During the Mayors report Wednesday evening, Mayor Shawna Bindle announced she was looking for persons to serve on a Community Infrastructure Committee, which will help determine how the additional sales tax funds are spent.

The electrical upgrades would provide a significant improvement to the city's electrical distribution system.

(KLZA)-- Due to a water main break at the Rulo Water Plant that is significantly impacting water production, Falls City Utility water customers are asked to conserve water for the rest of this Thursday. (9/8) It is expected repairs will be made by the end of the day, but the City urges customers to conserve water while the issue is being fixed. The City expect to be back into full production no later than Friday morning.

(KMZA)--A vacancy has been filled on the Seneca City Council.

The Council Wednesday evening approved the appointment of Joe Schmelzle to the position of Ward 1 councilman.

Following his appointment, Schmelzle was sworn-in by Mayor Joe Mitchell and took his seat on the council.

He fills the unexpired term of Lucas Koch, who resigned in July after serving on the council since January.

Schmelze will serve a term expiring in January 2026.

He was the lone individual to express an interest in filling the position.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A 37-year-old St. Joseph, Missouri man is accused of beating his 6-year-old daughter to death with a bat.

Dustin Beechner is charged with child abuse resulting in death. During a brief court hearing Wednesday, a judge ordered that Beechner be held without bond.

St. Joseph police say they were called to a home last Friday and found the child dead with blunt force trauma to the head.

According to investigators, Police said Beechner led officers to the house’s roof, where they found a child, identified as Jozlyn Marie Beechner, covered in a white sheet. 

(KAIR)--An agreement is signed, clearing the way for the establishment of a new independent medical school on the campus of Atchison’s Benedictine College.

According to a release, representatives of the Catholic college, including President Stephen Minnis, and Wildwood, Missouri-based Catholic Healthcare International “signed a Collaborative Affiliation Agreement between the two entities [Thursday] during the annual meeting of the Catholic Medical Association, in Denver, Colorado.

Minnis, in the release, says he believes the proposed medical school “will be one of the most faithful Catholic medical schools in the world.”

The college decided on the September 8 signing date due to the date being the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

The release explains that the “proposed Saint Padre Pio Institute for the Relief of Suffering, School of Osteopathic Medicine at Benedictine College is an independent institution that will be located on the college campus,” and will be “a separately licensed, governed, financed and accredited entity that is not part of Benedictine College.”

According to the college, the medical school fits into the college’s new strategic plan, Transforming Culture in America, which states that “STEM education is a particular emphasis of Benedictine College,” which “instructs the college to advance the mission through science and health care by forming students comprehensively in bioethics and fostering external relationships.”

The release notes that discussions in the planning of the medical school included local officials “as the medical school is expected to make a significant positive impact on Atchison.”

According to Minnis, “it is vital to train future doctors at a place like Benedictine College that understands the essential role of faith and morality in the sciences.”

The planned medical school is not yet accredited or approved to make offers of admission.

(KAIR)--An agreement is signed, clearing the way for the establishment of a new independent medical school on the campus of Atchison’s Benedictine College.

According to a release, representatives of the Catholic college, including President Stephen Minnis, and Wildwood, Missouri-based Catholic Healthcare International “signed a Collaborative Affiliation Agreement between the two entities [Thursday] during the annual meeting of the Catholic Medical Association, in Denver, Colorado.

Minnis, in the release, says he believes the proposed medical school “will be one of the most faithful Catholic medical schools in the world.”

The college decided on the September 8 signing date due to the date being the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

The release explains that the “proposed Saint Padre Pio Institute for the Relief of Suffering, School of Osteopathic Medicine at Benedictine College is an independent institution that will be located on the college campus,” and will be “a separately licensed, governed, financed and accredited entity that is not part of Benedictine College.”

According to the college, the medical school fits into the college’s new strategic plan, Transforming Culture in America, which states that “STEM education is a particular emphasis of Benedictine College,” which “instructs the college to advance the mission through science and health care by forming students comprehensively in bioethics and fostering external relationships.”

The release notes that discussions in the planning of the medical school included local officials “as the medical school is expected to make a significant positive impact on Atchison.”

According to Minnis, “it is vital to train future doctors at a place like Benedictine College that understands the essential role of faith and morality in the sciences.”

The planned medical school is not yet accredited or approved to make offers of admission.

(KLZA)-- The Falls City Volunteer Fire Department has announced a plan to repaint all of the fire hydrants in Falls City.

The Department has hired a company to sandblast and remove all paint from the fire hydrants. Once that is done, they will be painted red. Once the paint has cured, firefighters will paint the tops of the hydrants with the color coding indicating the water flow for the hydrant.

The project will begin in the south part of Falls City on September 19 with approximately 70 hydrants, up to 15th Street being completed this year. The rest of the hydrants, totaling around 207 will be completed by the end of 2023.

The Fire Department is asking Falls City residents to allow access to the hydrants around their homes and businesses, and if possible, remove any flowers, grass or weeds to aid in the process.

The Falls City Volunteer Fire Department thanks the residents of Falls City for their continued support.

(KLZA)-- Richardson County Commissioners learned Tuesday that Deputy Sheriff Josh Townsend has resigned.

Townsend has accepted a position as a deputy in another county in Nebraska.

Two new Sheriff's Department vehicles approved for purchase during the August 23 Board meeting from Defender Supply, in Argyle, Texas has fallen through.

The vehicles are currently not available. At the present time there is not a state-bid price program in Nebraska for law enforcement vehicles to be purchased.

Sheriff Rick Hardesty also reported that a transmission will be replaced in a patrol unit.

The Sheriff also informed the Board he had attended a meeting organized by local citizens on August 27, to answer questions and address concerns of those citizens.

(KLZA)-- Pawnee County Clerk Candi Nicholas presented information on the 2022-23 Fiscal Year budget to the County Commissioners Tuesday.

The Board approved accessing the additional 1 percent budget authority allowed by state statute

Commissioners set the public hearing on the proposed budget for 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 20 and the final tax request hearing for 1:00 p.m. the same day.

County Attorney Jennifer Stehlik Ladman and John Warner, Administrator of the Pawnee County Memorial Hospital met with the Board to discuss the county owned land where the hospital parking lot is located.

Concerns were raised regarding liability. Stehlik Ladman said the County would not be able to deed the property to the hospital, noting it would need to be deemed surplus property and put up to public bid. No action was taken.

Highway Superintendent Chris Rauner informed Board members that work on the Burchard Lake Road project will be starting this month.

(KNZA)--Union Pacific Railroad will close and replace its crossing on K-246, east of Sabetha, this weekend.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says the roadway will be closed between U.S. 75 and Antelope Road from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, weather permitting.

Motorists can follow the signed detour using U.S. 75, 270th Street, Collins Avenue, and Old Highway 246, or use alternate routes.

KDOT urges all motorists to be alert and obey the warning signs when approaching and driving through a highway work zone.  To stay aware of road construction projects across Kansas, go to www.kandrive.org or call 5-1-1.

(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission on Tuesday received an additional request for American Rescue Act Funds from the county.

South Brown County USD 430 Superintendent Jason Cline and district IT Director Andrew Jones meet with the commission to request $110,000 in ARPA funds for the purchase of an emergency mass notification system for the district's schools.

Jones presented a demo of the system to the commission.

The system would be utilized in case of an active shooter or other emergency event.

Commissioners agreed to add the request to their list for consideration, which they will begin taking up at their October 17 meeting.

In other business, the commission approved the purchase of a used 2021 belly dump trailer from Kyle Jeske for $33,500.

Commissioner Bill Pollock requested to purchase the trailer for the District 3 road and bridge department to replace the district's belly dump truck.

And following an executive session, the commission voted the offer the positions of landfill director, noxious weed director and District 2 road crewman to the three applicants for the positions.

(KNZA)--A sealing project on Hiawatha's Oregon Street has been rescheduled.

The project was to have started Wednesday evening, but the city was notified that due to some machinery and equipment issues the contractor, Vance Brothers, Inc., won't start the project until this ( Thursday ) evening.

They are start at the railroad tracks and work eastward to First Street.

The contractor is to work through the night and be completely finished by Friday morning, weather allowing.

The city is asking that all vehicles be removed from Oregon Street for the duration of project.

(KAIR)--NextEra Energy, cited as the country’s largest wind and solar operator, was met with opposition Tuesday as the company looks to Jackson County as the possible location of a new solar farm.

WIBW-TV reports a crowd of concerned Jackson County residents were in attendance Tuesday as the County Commission held a meet and greet with the energy operator.

The possibility of NexEra securing around 2,000 acres of land, between 110th and 158th, west of E Road, was met with residents’ questions pertaining to property rights, noise, hazards, and other aspects of a potentially negative impact.

According to the energy company, the energy generated would remain in the Southwest Power Pool, extending from northern Texas to North Dakota.

The TV station reports that any such project would take more than 5-years, with the resulting solar farm expected to run at least 30.

Approval of the proposed project, as well as any related agreement, is far from completion.

(KNZA)--A cash reward is being offered as the search for whoever’s to blame for setting a Brown County’s Sheriff’s vehicle ablaze on a Hiawatha street continues.

According to a release from Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, a call came in shortly before 10:30 Tuesday night reporting that a Sheriff’s Department vehicle was on fire in the vicinity of 3rd and Miami Streets, in Hiawatha.

It was discovered that the vehicle had been intentionally set on fire, with the 911 caller, in the area immediately after the fire was set, able to provide basic information about the suspect.

The release says a cash reward is offered to whoever “can provide detailed information which leads to the successful arrest and prosecution of those who are responsible” for the arson.

Anyone with such information is urged to contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the Hiawatha Police Department, the Sac and Fox Police Department, the Kansas State Fire Marshals Office, and the Brown County Attorneys Office, all of which have collaborated in the investigation of the arson.

(KMZA)--The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Seneca. 

The advisory was issued Wednesday due to a line break resulting in a loss of pressure. KDHE says failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

A boil advisory has also been issued for a portion of Nemaha County Rural Water District #3 in the Baileyville vicinity, which the city of Seneca supplies with water. It includes rural water customers three miles north and one mile south of Highway 36 between Seneca and Baileyville, along with the community of Baileyville.

(KAIR)--A vehicle theft turned dangerous pursuit last year that began in Atchison County and ended in Leavenworth County earns prison for the driver.

According to release from Atchison County Attorney Sherri Becker, Casey Crawford was sentenced in Atchison County District Court this month to serve just over 2-years in prison.

In July, the 29-year-old Crawford plead no contest to fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer, the charge he was sentenced on.

According to the release, the pursuit began September 19, 2021, when the Atchison Police Department took a report regarding a stolen vehicle.

First spotted traveling west on 262nd Road by an Atchison County Sheriff's Deputy, Crawford then turned north onto U.S. Highway 59, refusing to stop for the deputy.

The pursuit continued into Atchison, where Crawford, driving at high speeds, dangerously passed other vehicles, with Atchison Police working to stop his vehicle, ran through stop signs, and then made it to Easton, in Leavenworth County, where he jumped from the still rolling vehicle and ran into a wooded area.

He was later captured through use of the Atchison County Sheriff's K9, Ernie.

(KAIR)--46-years will be commemorated as Atchison’s International Forest of Friendship holds it’s annual celebration this coming weekend.

Included among the activities, following Friday night’s Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum cocktail party, will be Saturday morning’s Parade of Flags and the induction of honorees for 2021 and 2022.

That will take place at the Forest of Friendship, described by its website as “a living growing memorial to the world history of aviation and aerospace.”
The forest was presented in 1976 as a gift to America on the nation’s 200th birthday.

The gift came through the City of Atchison, the birthplace home of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots and Kansas State University’s Kansas Forest Service.

On Saturday, local children are again invited to take part in the Parade of Flags, which is held each September at the Forest, which includes trees representing all 50 states and 35 countries.

This year, the parade will be led by the flag of Jamaica, the newest flag in the Forest, with Jamaica joining the 35 other countries represented, all with chapters or members of the Ninety-Nines, whose motto is, “World Friendship Through Flying.”

Children wishing to take part in the Parade of Flags should register at the Forest’s entrance by 9:20 that morning.

Following the parade, the annual induction ceremony will begin at 10:00. Thirty-two honorees, all contributing in some way to aviation and aerospace, will be added to the Forest.

Among this year’s honorees is Captain Brian Schiff, who will serve as distinguished speaker at the 2022 Luncheon at the McAllister Board Room at Benedictine College.

Tickets are required and can be obtained by calling 913-367-1419.

All inductees are sponsored by chapters of the Ninety-Nines, or by individuals or families.

Schiff is sponsored by the Ventura County Ninety-Nines, while the Forest of Friendship Board of Directors is sponsoring a local inductee, Atchison attorney Leonard Buddenbohm. A 43-year volunteer with the Forest, Buddenbohm now serves as Vice-President and Co-Chairman for the board.

Representing Jamaica is 2022 inductee Maria Ziadie Haddad, an active member of the Ninety-Nines International, the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, and Women in Aviation International.

(KAIR)--Two Topeka residents face drug-related charges in Jackson County, arrested Monday night following a traffic stop.

A release from Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says the driver, 26-year-old Arazally Perez-Villa, was arrested on charges for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving without a license.

The passenger, 35-year-old Kristy Eve Little-Bull-Noble, was arrested on charges for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no drug tax stamp.

Once in custody, the pair was booked into the Jackson County Jail.

According to Morse, the mini-van Perez-Villa was driving was stopped by a Deputy around 8:30 Monday morning, on 150th near U.S. Highway 75, for an alleged registration infraction.

(KAIR)--Two Topeka residents face drug-related charges in Jackson County, arrested Monday night following a traffic stop.

A release from Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says the driver, 26-year-old Arazally Perez-Villa, was arrested on charges for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving without a license.

The passenger, 35-year-old Kristy Eve Little-Bull-Noble, was arrested on charges for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no drug tax stamp.

Once in custody, the pair was booked into the Jackson County Jail.

According to Morse, the mini-van Perez-Villa was driving was stopped by a Deputy around 8:30 Monday morning, on 150th near U.S. Highway 75, for an alleged registration infraction.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man required hospital treatment following a Tuesday evening motorcycle crash.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, in a release, says it was shortly after 7:00 that officers were called to respond to the report of an injury accident in the 600 block of Atchison’s Harper Drive.

According to Wilson, a 2106 Victory motorcycle had been westbound on Harper Drive, ridden by 28-year-old Brent Foster, when it struck a curb, causing Foster to lose control, which led to him being ejected from the motorcycle.

Foster, following the crash, was transported by Atchison County EMS to Amberwell Hospital-Atchison for the treatment of his injuries.

(KNZA)--A Tuesday afternoon two-vehicle Doniphan County wreck sent a Wathena man to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened on U.S. 36 Highway, one mile east of K-238, around  2:50.

The Patrol reports a semi truck was slowing down to turn left through the median when a car driven by 32-year-old Trevor Moore struck the rear of the semi.

Moore was transported to Mosaic Life Care, in St. Joseph, for the treatment of suspected minor injuries.

The semi driver, from St. Albans, New York, was not hurt.

( KLZA)-- The Nebraska State Health Department has issued a health alert for toxic blue-green algae for Iron Horse Trail Lake (Wildlife Management Area) in Pawnee County.

Health alerts have been lifted for Kirkman's Cove Lake in Richardson County, Big Indian Lake in Gage County and Rockford Lake in Gage County in southeast Nebraska after being on alert last week.

When a health alert is issued, signs are posted to advise the public to use caution, and designated swimming beaches are closed during the alert. Recreational boating and fishing are permitted, but the public is advised to use caution and avoid exposure to the water, particularly avoiding any activity that could lead to swallowing the water.

Also you should not let pets get in the water or drink from the lake.

People can still use the public areas for camping, picnics and other outdoor activities.

(KMZA)--A Wamego man has been arrested in connection with the apparent fentanyl overdose death of a 21-year-old man.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, in a release, said KBI agents and the Wamego Police Department arrested 20-year-old McKaine Farr Tuesday for the alleged distribution of a controlled substance causing great bodily harm or death.

The Wamego Police Department requested KBI assistance after Jayson Ebert was discovered dead on Sept. 5, 2021, at a Wamego residence.

According to investigators, Farr knowingly distributed counterfeit oxycodone tablets laced with fentanyl that caused Ebert’s death.

He was booked into the Pottawatomie County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing.

(KLZA)-- Across Nebraska, a troubling number of school desks have sat empty during the past few years, say experts, teachers and school leaders now trying to fix the issue. 

Chronic absenteeism in Nebraska’s public schools skyrocketed during COVID-19, according to the most recent statewide data.

Nearly one in five Nebraska students missed at least 10% of days during the 2020-2021 school year, chronic absences that caused many of those students to fall behind academically and socially. 

The pandemic has sickened students. It has exacerbated mental health issues. It has also made life harder for many students already living below the poverty line – both things that in turn made missing school more likely. 

Overall, Nebraska students missed 6.6% of school days during the school year that ended in May 2021, state data shows. That’s up from 5.1% in 2015. Nebraska’s chronic absenteeism rate jumped by nearly 60 percent during that six-year period.

According to a story in the Flatwater Free Press, among the Nebraska school districts with the biggest jump in chronic absenteeism include Pawnee City with 22.4 percent and Sterling with 18.7 percent.

These student absences affected rural, suburban and urban schools in every corner of the state. The trends look particularly bad for students from families of low-income as well as students of color. 

Students also fall behind their peers socially when they regularly miss class, sometimes creating or worsening feelings of anxiety or isolation. 

Chronic absenteeism can also affect the entire classroom. Teachers are forced to balance students who are grasping current material with those who are behind, sometimes sacrificing general instruction or planning time to individually reteach students.

(KLZA)-- Peru State College President Dr. Michael Evans and the First Lady Joanna Evans invite Bobcat alumni and area residents to campus for the College’s annual Homecoming celebration, “Bobcats in Boots,” Saturday, October 1.

Evans said the parade, the food, the entertainment, and the game will be worth the visit. Alumni and family are invited to attend the Peru State College Foundation’s alumni reunion banquet Friday night where they will honor classes with milestone anniversaries.

A schedule of the weekend’s activities includes:

Friday, September 30

6 p.m. – All College Reunion – Student Center

Any Peru State graduate or friend of the College is invited to attend. The Foundation will be honoring the 50-year graduates, as well as those from the other decades. The cost of the meal is $30. To attend, please register by September 20.

7 p.m. – Bobcat Volleyball – Al Wheeler Activity Center.

The Bobcat volleyball team will be in action with the varsity team will host Culver-Stockton (Mo.) at 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 1

10 a.m. – Homecoming Parade – Downtown Peru State College

Free and open to the public.

11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Tailgate and Carnival – Campus Quad

Free and open to the public. The Peru State Jazz Band will be on hand to entertain the crowd. In addition, there will be inflatables and a variety of other activities available for the young and old alike.

2 p.m. – Bobcat Football versus Evangel – The Historic Oak Bowl

Halftime – Coronation of the 2022 Homecoming King and Queen.

(KLZA)-- On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Griffin will share his story at Peru State College as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series event at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Shaquem Griffin was born just minutes after his twin, Shaquill. Both boys went on to become remarkable athletes in high school and college at the University of Central Florida (UCF)—and both play in the NFL after being drafted by the same team —but Shaquem did it all with just one hand.

At birth, Shaquem experienced a rare condition called amniotic band syndrome and his hand ultimately had to be amputated when he was four years old. His family refused to treat him any differently than his brother, and from the time he could say the words, his motto has been “please don’t tell me what I can’t do.”

Shaquem’s collegiate accomplishments include first-team All-American Athletic Conference linebacker, AAC Defensive Player of the Year, National Champion and Peach Bowl MVP. After a historic performance at the NFL Combine, he was selected as a linebacker by Seattle, playing for the Seahawks from 2018 – 2020.

Griffin will share “Nothing Comes Easy,” his unbelievable success story—anchored by family and driven by commitment, belief, and purpose.

(KLZA)-- The Pawnee County Sheriff's Office is continuing an investigation after responding to an initial report Saturday of a double-fatality crash at Ironhorse Trail Lake north of DuBois.

Upon arrival, authorities found two men lying in the middle of the road in front of a vehicle. Both men were alive and transported to the Pawnee City Hospital for excessive alcohol and drug consumption.

One man was identified at 41-year-old Ronald Nalepa from Utah. He is wanted in Utah on felony charges. He plead guilty to stabbing a man in Logan, Utah in 2020 and is also wanted on multiple other stabbings and assaults from Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah.

The identity of the second man has not been released.

Nalepa reportedly became combative with EMS and hospital staff during and after his initial transport. Once he was medically cleared, Nalepa was transported to Omaha to wait extradition to Utah on the original warrant.

Sheriff Braden Lang told MSC News it's possible more charges could be filed in the case. Damage at Iron Horse Trail Recreation area, a Nemaha NRD facility is being assessed.

According to a Facebook post from the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office, Nalepa told Law Enforcement that he “really likes the Pawnee County area and plans to move here once his prison term is up.” Nalepa was staying with friends in the area while hiding from Law Enforcement.

(KAIR)--A theft at an Atchison business by a man wanted on a drug related Atchison County District Court warrant who allegedly fled from police following Friday’s theft is now in custody.

According to a release from Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, 59-year-old Maurice Burnett was arrested early Saturday morning, shortly after midnight, when an officer on patrol spotted Burnett in the 600 block of Atchison’s South 6th Street.

Knowing Burnett was wanted for the warrant, related to a May 31 case when Burnett was found to be in possession of fentanyl, the officer took him into custody.

According to Wilson, Burnett, at the time of his arrest, was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Additionally, Burnett was charged with the theft case that occurred at Walmart, and for fleeing and eluding officers who attempted to stop his vehicle as he fled from the scene of the alleged theft.

Following his arrest, Burnett was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

In an unrelated case, an early Sunday morning traffic stop, in Atchison, sent a St. Joseph, Missouri man to jail on drug charges.

According to a release from Wilson, an officer on patrol spotted a vehicle in the 700 block of Kansas Avenue that had an expired license tag. The officer stopped the vehicle, driven by 37-year-old James Jones, around 1:30 Sunday morning and the resulting investigation led to the arrest.

Jones was taken into custody for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, as well as for transporting an open container of alcohol.

Following his arrest, Jones was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KNZA)--The 2023 Jefferson County budget has been finalized.

That came following two separate hearings at the Jefferson County Commission's August 29 meeting.

The first hearing was held on the commission's intent to exceed the revenue neutral tax rate. About 30 people were present for the hearing. Comments were heard from many of those in attendance, with questions asked, and concerns expressed about the increase in property valuations and the proposed increase in property taxes. Commissioners noted the high cost of fuel, rock, asphalt and health insurance as contributing factors for the tax increase.

Following the hearing, the commission unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the county to levy a property tax rate exceeding the revenue neutral rate for the 2023 budget.

The regular budget hearing was then held, with no public comment received. The commission voted unanimously to adopt the 2023 budget as published, which contains a slight mill levy decrease.

It calls for the county to collect $16.5 million in local tax revenue. Even though the property tax levy will decrease slightly, the county will collect $1.8 million in additional tax revenue due to a more than $26 million increase in the county's assessed valuation.

(KMZA)--Seneca residents are being asked to conserve water Wednesday.

City Administrator Tammi Haverkamp that's because the city's water tower will be down for cleaning and maintenance.

Haverkamp says residents are asked not to water outdoors and to keep their home water usage to a minimum.

(KNZA)--After a pair of delay's, a sealing project on Hiawatha's Oregon Street is set for this week.   

City Clerk Lynette Grier, in an email, said city staff has received confirmation that the contractor, Vance Brothers, Inc., will start the project around 5:00 Wednesday evening. 

At that time, they will put barricades along the side streets and then begin closing Oregon Street entirely about an hour later.

Vance Brothers plans to start at the railroad tracks and work eastward to First Street.   

They hope to be completely finished by Thursday morning, weather permitting.

The city is asking that all vehicles are asked to be removed from Oregon Street for the duration of the work through the night.

(KAIR)--The execution of a search warrant at an Atchison hotel Thursday sent two to jail on drug-related charges.

According to a release from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, 19-year-old Matthew Wolfe and 23-year-old Arhianna Franklin, both of Atchison, “were arrested during the course of a narcotics investigation in the City of Atchison at the Super 8 Hotel,” located at 509 South 9th Street.

Wolfe and Franklin were both arrested on charges for distribution of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, possession of a stimulant, possession of marijuana, and no drug tax stamp.

Following their arrests, both were booked into the Atchison County jail.

According to Laurie, the search warrant recovered what’s alleged to be over 130 pills believed to be fentanyl, and small quantities of what’s believed to be cocaine and marijuana.

(KNZA)--A Fairview man has been arrested on child sex charges.

Brown County Sheriff John Merchant said 44-year-old Darin Lierz was arrested Friday on four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14.

Merchant said the arrest followed an extensive investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

Lierz is being held in the Brown County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

Merchant said the case remains under investigation.  

(MSC News)--Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on Friday announced that the August total tax receipts for Kansas were $652.5 million. Those receipts were $11.2 million more than the estimate and $23.5 million, or 3.7%, more than August 2021. 

Individual income tax collections were $307.3 million, or 2.4%, more than the estimate. Corporate income tax collections were $15.5 million, or 3.1%, more than the estimate. 

August retail sales tax collections were $239.6 million, or 1.9%, greater than the estimate. This amount is also $13.1 million, or 5.8%, greater than August 2021. Compensating use tax collections were $63.3 million, which is $1.7 million less than the estimate, but 8.2%, or $4.8 million, greater than August 2021. When viewed in the aggregate, sales and compensating use tax receipts are $17.9 million, or 6.3%, greater than August 2021.

(KAIR)--Two Wednesday evening special sessions for the leaders of the Atchison County Community Schools of USD 377 ends with next year’s budget approved as accepted.

That followed two public hearings, the first focused on the School District’s plan to exceed the revenue neutral rate, as required by state statute, while the second focused on the proposed budget.

Following a board assessment of the figures, and related discussion, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Andrew Gaddis, told MSC News the budget was accepted as presented by the Board of Education.

The 2022-2023 budget calls for net expenditures of nearly $8.9 million.

It contains an estimated tax rate of 40.958 mills, which is a one mill decrease from the 2021-2022 budget.

The budget calls for the school district to collect nearly $3.5 million in local tax revenue.

(KNZA)--A semi driver was injured Thursday afternoon in a rollover accident on I-29 in the city limits of St. Joseph.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says an unknown vehicle stopped abruptly in front of a southbound semi truck driven by 31-year-old Kevin Owens, of Belton, Missouri, to take the emergency crossover.

Owens semi traveled off the east side the roadway and overturned

Another southbound semi truck went off west side of the roadway to avoid a collision.

Owens was transported to Mosaic Life Care, in St. Joseph, for the treatment of suspected serious injuries.

The other semi driver, from Illinois, was not hurt.

The Patrol says both drivers were wearing seat belts when the accident occurred around 1:00

(KMZA)--The Nemaha County Commission has adopted a 2023 county budget that calls for net expenditures of $14.8 million and a one mill property tax levy decrease.

The Commission took the action Monday on a 2-1 vote following a public hearing on the budget. Commissioner Gary Scoby cast the dissenting vote.

During the hearing, county resident Freda Dobbins expressed her concerns that with the increase in valuation for her property, her property taxes will be considerably higher in 2022 than they were in 2021. She stressed the importance of the commission trying to cut costs where necessary to avoid having to increase the amount of property tax collected.

The budget contains an estimated tax rate of 36.7 mills, which is to generate nearly $8.3 million in local tax revenue.

Commissioners were able to lower the mill levy due to a nearly $14.6 million increase in the county's assessed valuation.

Following a separate hearing, the commission adopted a resolution which authorizes the county to levy a property tax rate exceeding the revenue neutral rate.

(KNZA)--The Hiawatha Police Department is investigating the theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle.

The Department, in a release, said it took at a report Thursday morning of the theft of the device from a pickup truck in the 700 block of North 1st Street.

The theft is believed to have occurred sometime during the overnight hours.

The investigation is continuing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Hiawatha Police Department at 785-742-2156.

Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed across the country in the last few years.

(KAIR)--A minimum-custody inmate of the Lansing Correctional Facility has been located and apprehended

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Michael Stroede walked away from the minimum-security unit at the prison Tuesday.

A KDOC release said Stroede was taken into custody Thursday morning by officials from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.  He was arrested on the KDOC escape warrant without incident.

Stroede had been serving a more than 9 year prison sentence for a drug conviction in Rice County in 2021.  Stroede’s sentence was set to end in October 2027, but he may face additional charges related to this week’s escape.

(KAIR)--The addition of an independent medical school receives the go-ahead from Benedictine College leadership.

According to a release, the Board of Directors for the Atchison-based private, Catholic college agreed to proceed with the plan, authorizing college President Stephen Minnis, on August 23, to sign a collaborative affiliation agreement between Catholic Healthcare International and Benedictine College. That’s set to happen September 8, a date decided by the college because it’s the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. The release calls the agreement “historic.”

The medical school, the release explains, “will be an independent, nonprofit, separately financed, licensed, accredited and governed entity,” with deliberations for the plan including local officials “as the medical school is expected to make a significant positive impact on Atchison.”

The proposed name for the medical school, to be located on the college campus, is the Saint Padre Pio Institute for the Relief of Suffering, School of Osteopathic Medicine, at Benedictine College.

The release notes that plans for the medical school fits into the college’s new strategic plan, Transforming Culture in America, which states that “STEM education is a particular emphasis of Benedictine College,” which “instructs the college to advance the mission through science and health care by forming students comprehensively in bioethics and fostering external relationships.”

With the September 8 agreement signing date still awaited, no timeline for the project is announced, with Minnis, in the release, saying Benedictine College “cannot wait to share more details of this project as they become available.”

The planned medical school is not yet accredited or approved to make offers of admission.

(KAIR)--An Atchison attorney is among four whose names are sent to the Kansas governor as nominees to fill either of two open 1st district judge positions, which oversee Atchison and Leavenworth Counties.  

According to a release, Atchison’s John Kurth joins attorneys Geoffrey Sonntag, of Tonganoxie, Clinton Lee, of Olathe, and Rhonda Levinson, of Kansas City, as being selected as the nominees.  

Three other Atchison attorneys had been in the running for the judicial positions as part of a list of 10 finalists which was narrowed down to the final four.  

The release explains that the 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission sent the names of those four nominees to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly who has 60 days to decide who will fill the two positions.  

One of the openings became available with the July retirement of long time 1st Judicial District Judge Martin Asher, of Atchison.  

After serving one year in office, the new judges must stand for a retention vote in the next general election to remain in the position. If retained, the incumbent will serve a four-year term.

(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission has adopted a 2023 county budget that calls for the county collect more than $7 million local tax revenue.

The commission took the action Wednesday on a 2-1 vote following a hearing drawing no public comment.

Commissioner Bill Pollock cast the dissenting vote, which came after he read a statement voicing his concerns about the inclusion of funding in the budget for economic development and courthouse security.

He said he believes the courthouse security violates citizens rights.  In addition, Pollock said he believes that tax dollars should not be given to individuals or groups that are not accountable to the voters.

He proposed that the money earmarked for the county's two economic development groups---the Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development and Horton Industrial Development Corporation--be used instead to fund the development of a comprehensive plan, which he said should be helpful to all businesses and individuals in the county.

Following a separate hearing, drawing no public comment, the commission adopted a resolution that authorizes the county to levy a property tax rate exceeding the revenue neutral rate.

Statement read by Commissioner Pollock:

“Although I agree with most of the budget there are two major areas that I believe weaken our county. What are we to follow? 1. We are to uphold the U.S. Constitution 2. Tax dollars are legal plunder and are not ours to give to charity of private enterprise. First I believe the court house security violates citizens rights as stated in the second and forth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Further it divides our community into two classes of people – those that are required to be searched and those that are not – citizens and employees. Second – Tax dollars are not ours to give to individuals or groups that are not accountable to the voters and are able to use those dollars to subsidize or aid or promote a private enterprise with public money. This is detrimental to the free enterprise system that helped to make America strong. Instead of giving tax dollars that are designated for Economic Development to groups that are not accountable to the public, I propose that those dollars help pay for the comprehensive plan that should be helpful to all businesses and individuals in the County and thus promote free enterprise.”

(KNZA)--A Hiawatha bicyclist was injured early Wednesday evening after being hit by a vehicle along a Brown County highway.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 72-year-old James Patton was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of U.S. 36 Highway, about one mile east Hiawatha, when a westbound SUV driven by Jody Pendleton, of Hiawatha, went over the line and struck him shortly after 5:30.

Patton was transported by ambulance to Amberwell Health, in Hiawatha, for the treatment of suspected minor injuries.

Pendleton was not hurt.

(KNZA)--A Texas woman is facing a charge of vehicular homicide in connection with a 2021 Brown County two-vehicle collision that claimed the life of a a Sabetha girl.

Brown County Attorney Kevin Hill said the charge was filed against Catrina Weathersett, of Holtom City, Texas, following a lengthy investigation by the Kansas Highway Patrol that included dashboard video of the collision.

6-year-old Taya Mooney died from injuries received in the July 25, 2021 wreck on U.S. 75 Highway near Sabetha when a car she was a passenger in was struck from behind by a semi truck driven Weathersett.

Hill said the complaint alleges that Weathersett operated the semi truck in a manner which created an unreasonable risk of injury to the person or property of another and constituted a material deviation from the standard of care, which a reasonable person would observe under the same circumstances.

While the case was filed in March, Hill said Weathersett was just recently arrested by authorities in Texas and waived extradition to Kansas to answer to the charge.

She was released Tuesday from the Brown County Jail on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond and is scheduled to make her first appearance in a Brown County courtroom on September 21.