Rossville Safe Streets Luncheon

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- A group of Rossville residents celebrated their hard work educating the community Tuesday.

It was part of the Rossville Safe Streets first annual Luncheon at Dekat Hall. Rossville Safe Streets was formed in 2011 with the goal of building a stronger community one healthy choice at a time. The group consists of representative from government, schools, health, business, youth, community and parents sectors.

At the meeting the group updated on their efforts from the past year including PSA’s, poster, and tobacco ads that Rossville High School students worked on.

“It’s been great,” said Codi Manning, Rossville Safe Streets director. “We’ve just really exploded through grant funding, through partnerships. We’ve just been able to accomplish a lot making our streets a better place to live and really empowering our high school students to make the best choices that they can.”

Rossville Safe Streets partners with Safe Streets Topeka and Prevention Recovery Services.

The luncheon closed with the presentation of three Rossville Community Champion awards. Awards went to Doug's Pharmacy for business. The youth award went to Adrienne Olejnik. The volunteer award went to Christi McKenzie. 

A video of the event can be seen at:
http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Rossville-Celebrates-Building-A-Stronger-Community-With-Safer-Streets-307648971.html

Mary A. Sharp Passes Away

      Mary A. Sharp, 91, passed away Monday, June 15, 2015 at her home.
      She was born March 18/19, 1924 at Okmulgee,, OK, the daughter of Elmore and Nina Bell Patterson Blackburn.  She an her husband operated a service station in St. Marys for 33 years.
      Funeral services will be at 3:00 P.M. Friday, June 19, 2015 at the St. Marys United Methodist Church.  Private family interment will be in Valley View Cemetery, St. Marys.  Mrs. Sharp will lie in state after 5:00 P.M. Thursday, June 18, 2015 at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys where family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 P.M.  Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Marys United Methodist Church or Grace Hospice.             Online condolences may be left at her complete obituarty which is at:  http://piperfuneralhome.com/obituaries/mary-a-sharp/

Mary Ann (Bushey) Taylor Passes Away

      Mary Ann  (Bushey) Taylor, 72, passed away at her home in Topeka Monday June 15, 2015.
      She was born August 14, 1942 at Topeka the daughter of Frank and Mary Cunningham Bushey.  Mary Ann grew up in St. Marys and graduated from St. Marys High School in 1960.
      A  Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, June 18, 2015 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys.  Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys.  Mary Ann will lie in state after 6:00 P.M. Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at Piper Funeral Home where there will be a wake service at 7:00 P.M.  Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple St., St. Marys, Kansas 66536.  Online condolences may be left at her complete obituary which can be read at:http://piperfuneralhome.com/obituaries/mary-ann-taylor/

Gladys (Davis) Ryan Passes Away

     Gladys Davis Ryan, 105, Topeka died Monday, June 15, 2015, at Topeka Presbyterian Manor.
     She was born April 3, 1910, at Rossville. Gladys graduated from Christ Hospital School of Nursing in 1933.
     She married Gerald Ryan in 1936. They lived in Wyoming for 50 years. Surviving are a sister: Eva Graves of Topeka; two nieces; and a nephew.
     Funeral services will be at 2:00 PM, Thursday, June 18, 2015, at Jellison Chapel, Presbyterian Manor. Interment in Rossville Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service time. Memorial contributions may be made to Presbyterian Manor, 4712 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66606. To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com.

Chad Stafstall Saves Woman In River

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -- A man's love of fish likely saved a young woman's life early Monday afternoon.

Chad Stafstall of Wolf Construction was headed to a job site in Tecumseh when we pulled into the boat ramp off NE Seward Ave. to check the Kansas River level to see if it would be good for fishing.

When he got out of his truck, Shafstall heard a woman screaming for help. He found her clinging to a tree branch with water up to her shoulders.

The Shawnee Co. Sheriff's Office said the woman, 28 year-old Jennifer Webb, had called 911 moments earlier, saying she was in the water and couldn't swim. Shafstall also called 911, then went into the water and grabbed her, using the trees and bank to work their way back to shore.

"She couldn't have gotten any luckier with me or anyone in my company," Shafstall said. "I spent my life in Rossville, swimming in the river and then in the Coast Guard, so some additional training."

"She was scared which bothered me more than anything," he added.

Both Shafstall and Webb came out the incident muddy - but safe.

You can see video of this at:

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Clinging-To-Branch-Woman-Saved-From-Kansas-River-307428401.html

Robert Marney (48) Passes Away

Robert H. “Bob” Marney joined his beautiful wife and our Lord in Heaven on June 14, 2015. Bob was born June 9, 1930, in Mayetta, Kansas, to James I. “Ivan” Marney, Sr., and Mamie F. Belcher Marney. He grew up in the Rossville area and graduated from Rossville High School in 1948. He went to work for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Rail Road immediately following graduation and worked there until his retirement June 10, 1991. Bob enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on February 23, 1949, and transferred to the United States Marine Corps on January 20, 1951. He was a member of the General Supply Battalion, First Combat Service Group, serving in the Korean Conflict, and was honorably discharged on January 19, 1954. He married Teresa G. Besta on May 14, 1955, in Rossville, Kansas. They resided in Topeka until 1965, when they moved to Delia. They moved to Holton in 2004, where Bob resided until March of 2015 when he moved to Atria Hearthstone in Topeka.

His parents, a sister, Toria Ann Marney, a brother, James I. “Jim” Marney, Jr., and his wife of 52 years preceded Bob in death. He is survived by his three children: Sandy (Scott) Allen and Gary (Karen Lira) Marney, Holton, and Kim (Mark) Davis, Topeka; eight grandchildren: Lannie (Jared Johnson) Thomes, Taylor (RaeAnn Pinkerton) Allen, Joshua (Erica Lembke) Marney, Torri (Travis Christian) Marney, Heather Marney, Erin (Joe) Miller, Ethan Davis, and Sean (Sydney Chambers) Davis; four great-grandchildren: Peyton Thomes, Fallon, Aubrey and Eliza Miller; one sister, Elzora (Jim “Red”) Homan; one brother, Ben (Letha) Marney; two sisters-in-law, Nancy Besta and Terri Kerwin; three brothers-in-law, Bennie Besta, Bob J. (Susan) Kerwin, and Ron Cowan; and many nieces and nephews.

Bob was very active in Lions Club International, where he served as Past District Governor for District 17AW. He was also a member of Jimmy Lillard American Legion Post #31, Masonic Lodge #393, Scottish Rite Valley Lodge, V.F.W. Post #1367, the Jackson County Fair Board, and Jackson County Zoning Appeals Commission. He was active in Boy Scouts, Little League and Pony League Baseball, girls’ softball, and Jackson County 4-H, in many capacities. He was a member of Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton, where he was active in the SEEKERS Sunday School Class and JCMA Christmas Store.

Services will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. The family will greet friends following the service at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 17th at the Rossville Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Jackson County Senior Center c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436.

Semper Fi

Oakley Place Photos

        For photos of Oakley Place,  go to:
http://rossvilleksphotos.blogspot.com/2015/06/oakley-place-in-rossville.html

KSNT Comments On Rain

TOPEKA (KSNT) — All the rain from recent weeks has been a burden for many including all the flooding and road closures it’s caused.

But if you can remember it wasn’t like this a year ago. In fact we barely got a drop. Now there is too much of it.

“I just think this is a part of nature,” said Patricia Bixby, Rossville resident.

And shower don’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

A year ago Kansas was in an extreme drought, and now it seems like we can’t get rid of the high wind and rain Mother Nature has brought us.

“If anything we have been in a drought for the last couple of years and that certainly has had some determinable affects across the entire state of Kansas,” said Audra Hennacke from the Topeka National Weather Service. “But with the increase of moisture that we’ve had over the last couple of months, definitely this spring.”

The Topeka National Weather Service say the rain is coming from Nebraska.

But sometimes it’s too much of a good thing. With round after round of showers and storms, some towns like Rossville just can’t catch a break.

Last week this town was hit with storms and flooding. On Thursday Mother Nature struck again. Residents now let to picking up the pieces.

“We had to end up taking the second tree down because the wind split the base of it,” said Bixby.

Bixby was lucky that her home did not flood with the intense down pour. But her neighbors can’t say the same.

“Water has to go somewhere and with the rainfall rates the ground, and not soak in the moisture quick enough, and that’s where some of the rain turns into runoff leading into flash flooding on the streets,” said Hennacke.

Far Northeast and East Central Kansas aren’t in the clear just yet.

For video,  go to:  http://ksnt.com/2015/06/13/after-seasons-of-extreme-drought-rain-continues-to-pour-in/

Rattlers Get 2-1 Win At Baldwin City

      The Rattlers took an early 2-1 lead and held Baldwin City scoreless for the last six innings of the June 13 road game.

Rossville      1   1   0   0   0   0   0      2   5   2
Baldwin        1   0   0   0   0   0   0      1   4   0

      Jeff Christen led the offense for the Rattlers going two for two,  getting one RBI and one run.
      Taylor Mah pitched two innings allowing  3 hits, 1 run,2 walks, and 1 strikeout.  Jake Hozey came in as a reliever and pitched four innings allowing just one hit, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and no runs.  Jake Mechalski picked up the save, pitching the seventh inning  allowing no hits, walks or runs.
     

Rattlers Win At Baldwin City

     The Rattlers bounced back in the night-cap of their June 12 double header at Baldwin City with a 9-7 come from behind victory.

Rossville        0   2   1   1   2   3   0      9     11   2
Baldwin          6   0   0   0   1   0   0      7     12   4

Rattlers Lose Game One

    The Rattlers lost their first game of the Friday night double header at the Baldwin City Blues.   Rossville got four hits,  but was not able to string them together and put just one run across the place while Baldwin City for five runs out of five hits.

Rossville     0   1   0   0   0   0   0      1   4   2
Baldwin       0   3   0   0   0   2   -       5   5   1

Alligator In Rossville

Anti Smoking Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgni0usHA4&feature=em-subs_digest

Ready For More Flooding??

ROSSVILLE (KSNT) – Racing to recover from flooding last week, Rossville braces for more rain.

The town west of Topeka saw rushing water creep on to Main Street and through backyards when Cross Creek flooded on June 5. Now, six days later, the recovery process is in the beginning stages.

However, a threat of rain in the forecast could stop the effort before it picks up steam.

And that race against the clock is one the town is all too familiar with, according to Rossville Police Chief Jason Connell.

“A good majority of the citizens in our community that have been through this before. We’ve – in my time – we’ve learned from the wise elder folks that have been through this 10 times, 12 times. They gave us guidance,” he said.

That guidance to stay calm, survey which houses would most likely be in the flood zone and how to prepare those residents may be needed again soon.

There is more rain coming to the area. Earlier this week, the National Weather Service and Shawnee County officials were in the town surveying the damage and helping with the clean up.

“Shawnee County came out and we had three big dumpsters full of debris we had to get rid of,” Connell said. And for a town with approximately 1,100 people, that waste adds up.

The weather service helped the town figure out,” how the water moved out (Cross Creek) north of town and how it came into town,” according to Connell.

Even with all the effort, Connell is realistic about the potential for another flood soon, saying people can not stop mother nature.
Video can be seen at:  http://ksnt.com/2015/06/11/rossville-races-against-rain-as-it-recovers-from-flooding/