Blanche Hartzell Passes Away

    Blanche M. Hartzell, age 95, of Topeka passed away Friday, February 6, 2015 at Aldersgate Care home in Topeka.
    She was born April 25, 1919 in Denison, KS the daughter of Earl and Ruth Massey Smith. She married Philip Hartzell August 17, 1940 in Topeka. He preceded her in death October 10, 2000.             Graveside services will be Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the Rossville Cemetery. She will lie in state Tuesday afternoon from noon-5:00 p.m. at the Davidson Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made a davidsonfuneral.com.

RHS Wrestlers At Silver Lake

   The RHS wrestling team is competing at the Silver Lake Tournament on Feb. 7.  Schools attending this tournament are:  Anderson County, Baldwin, Caney, Clay Center, Doniphan West, Erie, Iola, Lawrence Free State,Leavenworth, Maur Hill Prep, Prairie View, Rossville, Salina South, Silver Lake, St. James Academy, St. Marys, Wamego,
    Results will be posted as soon as available.

RHS Splits With Wabaunsee

   The RHS boys basketball team defeated Wabaunsee team 55-44 on Friday night.  However,  the girls were not as successful as they only managed to score 24  against the Wabaunsee five who had 42.

Betty Badura Passes Away

Betty and husband Henry pictured

    Betty Badura, 70, passed away Thursday, February 5, 2015.
    She was born May 20, 1944 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the daughter of Bill and Jean Jeffries. Betty grew up and lived in Silver Lake before moving to Rossville in 1987. She married Henry Badura Jr. on July 8, 1961 and this union lasted 50 years. They were farmers in Rossville. Betty was an extremely outgoing person who never met a stranger. She made friends everywhere she went and people remembered her smiling face and ready laugh. She was a pianist for the Rossville Presbyterian Church for many years. She was an incredible baker and loved to share with happy recipients. She also maintained a big garden that she eagerly shared.
    She was preceded in death by her husband and father. She is survived by her mother, Jean Viergever, son, Bill (Carolyn), daughter, Suzette (Mack), grandchildren, Liane (Josh), Brad (Kristen), Jeff, Willie (Abby) and Kendall, three great-granddaughters, her sisters-in-law, Leona Faulk (Delbert) and Sue Badura. Funeral services for Betty will be at 11 am Saturday, February 7 at Penwell-Gabel Parker-Price Chapel, 245 NW Independence Avenue.
    Private burial will be at the Czech-Moravian Cemetery north of Rossville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rossville Presbyterian Church, PO Box 177, Rossville, KS 66533. The family will greet friends at 10 am Saturday at the funeral home.
    Condolences can be left at:  http://www.penwellgabeltopeka.com/obituary/98437/Betty-J-Badura/Topeka-Kansas

Farm Profit Conference In Rossville

Farmers who are trying to determine potential market returns, interest rates and the best farm program in which to enroll can find some answers at the Farm Profit Conference Feb. 10 at the Citizen Pottawatomie Community Center, 806 Nishnabe Trail in Rossville.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., and attendees can view displays before the dinner begins at 6 p.m. The event is the first of four spring farm informational programs being planned by 580 WIBW and the Shawnee County Extension Service.

Featured speaker is Tom Leffler, of Leffler Commodities in Augusta, who will present “The Markets: Which Way Will They Go?” In addition, Lance Thompson, of Shawnee County Farm Service Agency, will talk about new farm bill programs and how to determine which one is best for one’s farming operation, and Jim Aylward, of Frontier Farm Credit, will present “Financing in Changing Times.”

There is no cost for the program and meal, but reservations are required by noon Feb. 9. To make reservations, call the Shawnee County Extension office at (785) 232-0062 or e-mailkelly.lenz@morris.com.

Additional conferences are scheduled Feb. 19 in Council Grove, March 4 in Ottawa and March 18 in Westmoreland.

School Buses Drive More Miles Now

From the Capital-Journal

When Shawnee County last Thursday enforced new weight limits on the aged Willard Bridge, barring full-sized school buses from crossing, Kaw Valley Unified School District 321 switched to smaller buses. The northwest Shawnee County district, which includes Rossville and St. Marys, thought the buses were light enough to cross that it could save kids from an extra 20 minutes spent on the bus. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

“The buses are fine empty, but there were concerns we were going over the weight limits once kids came on,” said superintendent Kerry Lacock. “We’re just not willing to take a chance. We can’t take any students across on the bridge.”

Starting Friday, USD 321 students went back to riding the regular sized buses, forcing at least two bus routes out to Interstate 70 and around to Maple Hill to get to the small towns of Willard and Valencia — an 18.4 mile trip, compared with the 3 miles it takes to cross the bridge, he said. That adds about 20 minutes to the ride for about 119 students who rely on those bus routes to get home, he said. About 78 live south of the bridge.

“It’s a major inconvenience for those students,” Lacock said.

The detour also will be a strain on district resources. Six trips a day now have to go around the bridge, amounting to an additional 15,750 miles each school year.

Thankfully, with gas prices as low as they are, the district should make it through the end of the school year, Lacock said.

“We’re still calculating that, but the feeling is that we are very lucky that fuel prices are where they are,” he said. “If the prices were at the higher end, we would be in serious trouble.”

However, the district will have to come up with a more permanent solution: As of now, funding to replace the bridge is at least two years off.

“This is how we’re going to manage through end of the year, but we’re going to explore every option,” Lacock said.

The new weight limits prohibiting most heavy traffic from crossing the bridge, formally called the N.W. Carlson Road Bridge over the Kansas River, came after a recent inspection downgraded its safety rating from 50.7 in 2013 to 23.7, out of a scale to 100. The county has known for several years the bridge needed to be replaced — weight limits were reduced in 2007 as well — but the rapid deterioration, caused primarily by people not abiding those weight limits, increased that urgency.

The reduced weight limits are an effort to extend the life of the 60-year-old bridge just a bit longer, until the county can find the $24.6 million needed to replace it. As a result, USD 321 buses had to find an alternate route to reach south of the bridge.

Other students will be affected by the detour as well, Lacock said. Some who live in town will have to use different buses, and some high school students will be picked up several minutes later, while the buses drop off elementary students on the way to the high school, he said.

Parents are upset, he said, but not so much upset with the district as they are with the situation.

“There’s not a lot they can do,” Lacock said. “If that bridge doesn’t get fixed, it will be a major inconvenience” to people who come into the community.

The Shawnee County Commission for the past few weeks has been focused on finding solutions to the bridge’s deterioration. Two weeks ago, it spent an hour discussing the bridge’s safety and heard from nine people in the community, many of whom asked the county to replace the bridge as soon as possible.

Then, on Thursday, the commission took two decisive steps toward securing funding, both locally and federally.

Commissioners Bob Archer, Shelly Buhler and Kevin Cook unanimously approved dedicating to the bridge the county’s share of excess money from the current half-cent sales tax, which expires Dec. 31, 2016. That amount currently is estimated at $6 million, which, Buhler said, would be right about the 20 percent local match generally required for federal funds.

In meeting with state and federal representatives, Buhler said, that financial commitment from the county is a show of good faith that will help leverage more funding.

The commission also unanimously approved sending a letter to the city of Topeka, urging the council to quickly approve the proposed interlocal agreement. The county’s proposed price list, approved in November, includes $2.17 million per year to county bridges. That would come to $32.5 million during the life of the tax. The city previously considered putting $21.6 million toward county bridges.

“We are very happy that the commission has decided to dedicate and set aside the funds that they can,” Lacock said.

Meanwhile, people in the Willard and Rossville communities have been more watchful of the vehicles crossing the bridge, he said. And the Kansas Highway Patrol has been spotted more frequently as well.

“I think that’s the appropriate way of helping to make sure it is enforced,” he said.

1895 Shawnee Co. Map

    Below is a link to an 1895 map of Shawnee Co.  Note that the UP had stations at Menoken, Silver Lake, Kingsville, Rossville, St. Marys, etc.  According to my mother,  there was still a depot at Kingsville in the 1920.  I have no idea when it disappeared.  The Menoken depot must have disappeared sometime around then also.
    I note on the map that there was a stop called Sugar Works on the Rock Island east of Valencia.  I had never heard of that before.
http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/KS/County/shawnee.htm

Shannon Parr (13) at KSU

    Shannon Parr is a sophomore at KSU and on their track team,  competing in the high jump and pentathlon.  You can read her bio at:
http://www.kstatesports.com/sports/c-track/mtt/shannon_parr_825329.html

Horak, Reesor, Sowers, Steckel Sign LOIs

   Corbin Horak, Nick Reesor, Terrance Sowers, & Jack Steckel signed Letters of Intent on Feb. 4 to play football at Highland Community College this coming year.

RHS Girls Roll Over Bears

    The RHS girls dominated the St. Mary's girls in their basketball game on Feb. 3 at St. Marys.   

Rossville     11 13  26   8   =   58
St. Marys      9   4  12   7   =   32

Rossville scoring:

Hill                         6 (3)      2-4     17 
Kirk                        5           1-1     11
Nitsch                    4 (1)      0-0       9 
Steckel                  4           1-1        9
Shinn                     3           0-0        6
Day                       2           0-1        4
Conley                   1           0-1        2
Totals                   25 (4)     4-9       58.

For video of both the girls and boys games,  go to:
http://www.wibw.com/sports/ksprepzone/headlines/February-St-Marys-at-Rossville-290697531.html

Bryan Kidney--Lawrence Finance Director

The city of Lawrence announced its new finance director on Monday.

Bryan Kidney replaces Ed Mullins, who retired in the fall after 23 years in the position.

Kidney has worked in the private sector as vice president/client representative for Springsted Inc., and prior to that in the public sector as finance director for the city of Shawnee. He also has held financial positions for the cities of Gardner and Manhattan and for Pottawatomie County.

Kidney has specialized proficiency in debt management, public budgeting, auditing, internal controls, computer operations, accounting and investments, according to the city of Lawrence. He graduated from Emporia State University and has been involved with nonprofit board and community initiatives.

Kidney, who started on Friday, said his past experiences prepare him for the job.

“I am very excited to be a part of the Lawrence team,” he said in a statement. “I am joining an incredibly capable group of public servants that care for their community.”

Kidney’s municipal finance expertise will benefit Lawrence, City Manager David Corliss said in the city’s announcement. As finance director he will oversee the city’s utility billing, purchasing and bids, accounting, payment processing, debt issuance and financial reporting.

Dawgs Defeat Bears

    The RHS boys basketball team turned a 3 point half-time lead into a nice 19 point victory over St. Marys on Feb. 3.

Rossville      12   14   18   22   =   66

St. Marys     13   12     6   16   =   47

Rossville scoring:

Roduner            1           1-2      3 

Th. Horak          4 (2)      5-6    15
Sowers              5           2-2    12
C. Horak            4           4-8    12
Schultz-Pruner   1           3-5      5
Tu. Horak          3 (1)      1-2      8
Hammes           1 (1)       2-2     5
Woodcock         2            2-4     6

Totals               21(4)    20-31  66 

For video of both the boys and girls games,  go to:

http://www.wibw.com/sports/ksprepzone/headlines/February-St-Marys-at-Rossville-290697531.html

Jean Budden Passes Away

    Jean Ann (Ward) Budden Jean Ann (Ward) Budden, 86, of Tecumseh, passed away on Monday, February 2, 2015, at the St. Marys Manor in St. Marys
    Jean is survived by three children: Pamela Jean (Budden) Turner of Rossville; Frederick Richard (Rick) Budden and wife Diane of St. Marys; and Sally Ann (Budden) Price and husband Alvie, of Kingwood, Texas.
    For her complete obituary, go to: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cjonline/obituary.aspx?n=jean-budden&pid=174052694&fhid=25016&eid=sp_ommatch

RHS Booser Club Sign Update

    The RHS Booster Club has been working very hard this year to raise money to have a state of the art LED sign installed on Highway 24 and we need your help! We are currently just over half way to our goal...
    The sign will help us communicate school announcements, celebrations, and various events at both Rossville High School as well as Rossville Grade School. The sign will also allow us to communicate community events and emergency announcements that will benefit our entire community.
    Our goal is to raise $30,000.00 to cover the cost of the sign and installation. Please take a moment and consider making a donation!
    We have created an on-line site to help us reach community members, Rossville students as well as our alumni members. Please go visit —
http://www.gofundme.com/9d7yj8
    This will allow you to make a credit card donation as well as track our progress.
If you would rather send a donation by way of a check—please make your check payable to Rossville Booster Club and put LED sign in the memo portion of your check and send it in care of Rossville State Bank, 117 US 24, Rossville, KS, 66533