Basketball Sub-State Begins Mon, March 2

    The RHS girls begin Sub-State play on Monday March 2, at 7:00 PM against Riley County at Rossville. The winner will play the winner of the Silver Lake-Oskaloosa game on Thursday, March 5 on the Rossville court.
    The bracket for the Rossville 3A girls sub-state tournament is at:
http://kshsaa.org/Public/ScoreCenter/Brackets/Basketball/3ASub-State.cfm?Activity=2&WeekID=712

    The RHS Boys basketball team will begin play on Tuesday,  March 3, hosting Council Grove on the Rossville court at 7:00 PM.  The winner will play the winner of the Osage City-St. Marys game on Friday, March 6.
    The bracket for the Rossville 3A sub-state tounament is at:
http://kshsaa.org/Public/ScoreCenter/Brackets/Basketball/3ASub-State.cfm?Activity=2&WeekID=706

Weight Restrictions Tightened Again.

The Shawnee County Commission is expected to put even tighter weight restrictions on the Willard Bridge Thursday morning, Feb. 26. It’s the second time this year they’ve acted.

Originally built in 1955, then upgraded in 1983. The Willard Bridge now has five years or less until it must be replaced.

But instead of immediately replacing the bridge, the Shawnee County Commission is looking to set a weight limit that will only allow passenger cars and pick-up trucks.

“I’m more than disappointed I’m severely disappointed that this at the county and state level that that has not been taken care of,” said Martin McClelland, Farmer.

Martin uses the bridge to transport his cattle back and forth from the other side of town.

“We are starting calving season now in about 2-weeks. And so that’s the real busy season. You’re over their multiple trips,” said McClelland.

And tougher restriction also applies to school buses.

A school bus use to be able to pick up a kid and drop them off at school within 10 minutes when crossing the Willard Bridge. But now with these new weight limit regulations in place school buses are not allowed to cross the bridge. What use to take 10-minutes now takes 45 minutes using a now route.

“It’s pretty inconvenient for kids to be getting up before 6:40 am in the morning so they can get on a bus to go to school by 8 o’clock. Some of the parents have started bring the kids in on their own,” said Kerry Lacock, USD 321 Superintendent.

Advocates of the bridge have also taken to social media. Posting an open letter to the commission saying…

“We have done our part; we have done what you have asked us to do….we are asking for immediate funding for replacing the bridge.”

Even if the money can be found. It will take at least two-years to build.

Shawnee County Commissioners will get a briefing from the county engineer on what to do next starting at nine o’clock Thursday morning.

This Week's 3A Wrestling Rankings

    There were a few  changes in the Top 10 3A schools rankings this week,    Mid-East rivals St. Marys and Silver Lake moved up in the rankings and  Wabausee  regained its #10 spot.
   

1.  Rossville

2.  Norton

3.  Silver Lake

4.  Hoisington

5.  St. Marys

6.  Oberlin

    In the individual rankings,  Issiah Luellen moved up from #6 to #5 and Nick Reesor moved from #2 to #1.

113 lb.   Bryce Gfeller          #1
126 lb.   Alex Cavanaugh   #2
138 lb    Isaiah Luellen       #5
160 lb.   Nick Reesor           #1
182 lb.   Isaac Luellen         #1

Click on below to see complete rankings.

State Wrestling Results To Be Posted

    I will publish the results of the wrestling matches as soon as I get the info.  If any parent or other person attending the tounament can e-mail me the results of each match,  it will speed up the posting of the results.  My e-mail is frank.ruff@juno.com

Commissioners Debate Willard Bridge

From WIBW OnLine:

 The debate over the Willard Bridge continued in a divided Shawnee County commission meeting Monday morning - and there doesn't seem to be any concrete plans on when or how to replace the failing bridge.

"Commissioner Shelly Buhler has been on the commission for 8 years," District 3 Commissioner Bob Archer read from a printed-out letter Monday morning. "It is incredible that the previous commissioners did not address this issue before it became a crisis."

As tensions in Shawnee County are rising over the future of the failing Willard Bridge, Archer made his stance known.

"I guess no one made it a priority."

After Commissioner Shelly Buhler's previous motions to take the $7 million allocated for a new pool and aquatic park in SW Topeka and put it toward rebuilding the Willard Bridge was denied - she didn't have much to say.

"No comment," she said quickly after Commissioner Kevin Cook asked her if she had any "administrative communications" in response to Archer's statement.

In past discussions, Buhler has said the commission needs to act now. Last month the weight limit on the fracture critical bridge was reduced from 15 to 9 tons as a safety precaution.

But Archer and Cook want to wait.

"Before allocating funds to rebuild the bridge, we should look for additional fund sources to benefit all county tax payers. It would be totally responsible not to do so," Archer said.

He added that the $25 million it will take to rebuild the bridge is an enormous price tag for Shawnee County to absorb.

He suggested KDOT, Federal Highway Administration, and surrounding counties could help with the bill.

"[It] may have been eligible for federal funding for years. KDOT funding may have also been available," Archer said.

Cook said some of the responsibility falls on Rossville and Silver Lake - two main communities that depend on the bridge.

"When it came time on prior sales tax soon to expire, neither of the townships were willing to offer any proceeds from their portion of the sales tax for infrastructure projects," Cook said. "Moneys collected by Rossville and Silver Lake are kept by Rossville and Silver Lake. I would think they would have a financial interest in helping rebuild the Willard Bridge."

It does not seem to be a matter of disagreement that the bridge needs to be replaced, but how and when to do it is at a stalemate.

Cook asked County Counselor Rich Eckert to write a letter to the federal delegation outlining the county's immediate need and asking for its assistance.

At least 2,000 people use the bridge daily. The reduced weight limits prohibit many heavy vehicles, such as semis and school buses, from crossing. That has caused a major delay for school buses en route to and from school. Many people also use the bridge to connect to I-70 and US-24 Highway.

The debate continues on Thursday's meeting. 

State Wrestling Schedule

2015  STATE  WRESTLING  SCHEDULE

Friday – February 27, 2015
7:00am – 8:30am --- Wrestler Weigh-ins
8:00am --- Gates Open
10:00am --- First Round
2:00pm --- Second Round – Championship Quarterfinals
4:00pm --- First Round Consolation
TBD --- Championship Semifinals
TBD --- Wrestler Weigh-ins

Saturday – February 28, 2015
7:00am --- Gates Open
9:00am --- Consolation Cross Bracketing
10:45am --- Consolation Quarterfinals
12:15pm --- Consolation Semifinals
2:00pm --- Fifth place and Consolation Finals
TBD --- Parade of Champions (40 minutes after the consolation finals)
TBD --- Championship Finals (immediately after introductions)

TICKETS:
Adults --- $10.00 Daily
K-12 --- $8.00 Daily
(KSHSAA ticket prices do not include any facilities surcharge levied at selected host sites)

PROGRAMS:
Sold at each site: $4.00

KSHSAA STATE WRESTLING T-SHIRTS AND APPARAL WILL BE SOLD AT EACH SITE:

State Qualifiers

Weight Class Name  Grade Record
113  Gfeller, Bryce       10     23-2
120  Hurla, Holden         9     23-8
126  Cavanaugh, Alex   11    36-7
138  Luellen, Isaiah         9    27-6
152  Gentry, Derek        11   24-15
160  Reesor, Nick          12    35-6
182  Luellen, Isaac        11    17-0
220  Davoren, Kole       11    23-8

Wrestling Team Send-Off on Thursday

    There will be send-off for the wrestling team at 11:00 on Thursday as they leave for Hays to compete in the 321A state championships.

Carol Neeley Passes Away

Carol Joan Novotny Neeley was born to Peter and Elizabeth Novotny on October 5, 1965 in Topeka, Kansas. She passed away on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at her home in Rossville, Kansas.

Carol was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She graduated from the University of Kanas with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work. Over the past 20 years, she held a variety of clinical and administrative positions throughout Kansas.

She was a loving and devoted mother. Her children, Max Neeley and David Bailey, were always at the center of her world. They were the loves of her life. 

Carol had an adventurous spirit and enjoyed doing new things from hiking the Grand Canyon to parasailing off the coast of Hawaii. She was loyal, fun loving, and generous with her time and resources.

In addition to her children, survivors include her sister, Sarah Novotny; first cousin, John Martin and family; aunt, Elizabeth Novotny; uncles Hans, Franz, and Alfred Novotny and their families; her former husband, Steve Neeley; and friends too numerous to mention.

Her Memorial Service will be held on Friday, February 27 at 4pm at the Rossville United Methodist Church, 411 Pearl Street, Rossville, KS. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to Heifer International and the Humane Society .

Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel is assisting the family. To leave a special message for the family, go to:  http://www.penwellgabeltopeka.com/sendobitmessage/99899/Carol-Neeley/Topeka-Kansas

Shelly Buhler Talking About Bridge

    Below is a video of Shawnee County Commissioner Shelly Buhler talking about the need  of a replacement for the Willard Bridge.
http://bcove.me/ya00btci

Support Growing For Willard Bridge

From CJonline.com:

Shawnee County Commissioner Shelly Buhler, right, is joined Friday 

by four other advocates of the Willard Bridge on N.W. Carlson Road 

- Judy Ross, Larry Ross, Gean Schott and Derek Slack

    “It’s bigger than an inconvenience,” said Derek Slack, lead pastor at Rossville Christian Church, on Friday morning. “It’s dangerous. It’s everything.”
    As the group stood, a large truck, easily several tons over the weight limit, rumbled by overhead.

Waiting game
    The county on Jan. 29 reduced the weight limits on Willard Bridge, and the Shawnee County Commission will consider lowering them again Thursday — more in a series of attempts to prolong the life of the 60-year-old bridge as its reconstruction continues to be kicked down the road.
    The last time the county reduced the weight limits was in 2007. That same year, the county identified replacing Willard Bridge as its top legislative priority, with county counselor Rich Eckert and public works director Tom Vlach testifying for funding.
    Commissioner Kevin Cook brought this up Thursday to illustrate how long replacing the bridge has been an issue for the county. His voice was slightly raised — he seemed passionate, even angry.
But in the next breath, he told Buhler he couldn’t support her motions to add the bridge to the county’s debt just yet: He wants to give state and federal partners more time to respond to their pleas, now eight years old.
    Buhler responded, a couple of times, “I respectfully disagree.”
    The affected residents don’t express their thoughts so kindly.
    “How would they feel if their son, daughter or grandchild had to risk their life to go to school?”           Willard city clerk Laura Lord asked the commissioners. “Waiting could cost a life.”
    To them, the phrase “monitoring the situation” has become a curse word.
    Buhler’s motions — one to add $7 million to the debt and one to fund the bridge instead of a $7 million pool in southwest Topeka — failed without a second.
    That silence spoke volumes to the people in northwest Shawnee County.
    “If we don’t get other people from other communities in the area, we’re not going to get a bridge,” bridge advocate Lynette Hudson said.
    So advocates have taken to social media. They started a Facebook community, already with 784 likes. They are encouraging people to use #WillardBridge on Twitter. At Friday’s Rossville High School basketball games against Riley County, they set up a photobooth, where people could write their thoughts on chalk and get a printout on Willard Bridge photopaper.
    “Used to shop on Wanamaker,” one read, referencing people who now do their shopping in Manhattan to avoid the bridge.
    “#WillardBridge use to get to school” was another.
    Throughout the school that night, from fans in the crowd to the woman taking tickets, everyone was talking about Willard Bridge.
Bridge v. pool
    The conversation about the bridge has evolved, even in just the past few weeks.
After the county reduced the weight limits, the focus was on concern for the children — a bus full of students clearly couldn’t cross. How long had it been that way? What about a minivan?
    When the commission considered dedicating sales tax money to replace the bridge, conversation manifested into a petition and emailing campaign to show those with votes how important the bridge was to them.
    But in the last few days, the conversation has become laced with rage and incredulity.
To many, the issue has become “the bridge against the pool” — an idea likely egged on by Buhler’s motion Thursday, but also corroborated by Commissioner Bob Archer’s statement earlier this month that a pool in southwest Topeka is his Willard Bridge. Archer’s only comment on the issue Thursday was a motion to approve taking on the debt.
    If Willard Bridge advocates were frustrated before, now they are irate, indignant.
Many residents who talk about the bridge inject a dose or two of sarcasm into the conversation, trying to find a place for their anger and disbelief.
    “A lot of us are going to be slipping, but not in a pool, if this bridge goes down,” said Dean Page, an 87-year-old Rossville resident.
“A pool sounds nice,” Slack said with a wry smile, “but I don’t know if I’ll be able to take the bridge to get there.”
    Many will tell you about the metal bars they have purchased for their cars — so they can break out their windows if the bridge goes down while they are driving on it.
    “We try to come up with a new joke every day,” Slack said.
    Friday’s quip?
    “For every $1 million you donate to Willard Bridge, you get a free cup of coffee,” he said with deadpan humor. “It’s more than fair.”
    Jokes, yes, but the undercurrent is completely serious: No one gets us. And until they do, we are on our own.

Rallying support
    To get that support, Hudson said, they need to make people understand replacing the bridge, estimated at $24.6 million, is about more than tacking on 20 minutes to a drive — people have been doing that for years for fear of the bridge. And that it doesn’t just connect the small township of about 85 people, or even the few cities to the north of it — Rossville, St. Marys, Silver Lake — to Topeka.
It is about farmers who need the bridge to transport their equipment and harvest. Dozens of acres of farmland lay just north of the bridge.
    It is about the Rossville and Silver Lake school children who use crosswalks on US-24 highway to and from school. Traffic on the two-lane, nearly shoulderless highway steadily has increased as word of the bridge’s condition spread.
    It is about the more than 2,000 people who cross the bridge each day, some to work in Topeka’s hospitals and fire departments, some to shop at the local vendors. Many more use it to connect US-24 and Interstate 70, or vice versa.
    “This not just a northwest Shawnee County issue. This is a Shawnee County issue,” Buhler said. “I represent District 1, but when I was elected I promised to make decisions for what is best for the whole of Shawnee County. This bridge is a vital link for Shawnee County residents and commerce in and around northeast Kansas.”
    The community only has one representative on the county commission, and they understand why people who don’t live out there might not want their property taxes going to it. Though, when you bring that up, they also question whether more people place the bridge below building a pool in one of the more affluent parts of the county.
    Most residents, Buhler included, would rather the cost come from the county-wide sales tax, not from their local property taxes.
    But, as the new mantra goes in the northwest corner of the county, “The time is now

Regional Team Standings At Regional

The standing of the 23 teams competing at the St Marys 321A Wrestling Regional on Feb. 21 were:

1.   Rossville 172.0
2.   Silver Lake 136.5
3.   Marysville 123.5
4.   St. Mary`s 112.5
5.   ACCHS 96.0
6.   Sabetha 87.0
7.   Wellsville 82.5
8.   Onaga 82.0
9.   Wabaunsee 81.5
10. Riley County 66.5
11. Council Grove 65.0
12. Pleasant Ridge 59.0
13. Doniphan West 49.0
14. McLouth 32.0
15. Oskaloosa 29.5
16. Troy 26.0
17. Riverside 24.0
18. Burlingame 13.0
19. Hiawatha 12.0
20. Mission Valley 9.0
20. Immaculata 9.0
22. Maur Hill 0.0
22. Osage City 0.0

Wendy Madere Wins Horizon Award

From CJOnline:

    The first year of teaching is usually filled with excitement, anxiety, challenges and victories. And that is no exception for the four Shawnee County winners of the Kansas State Department of Education Horizon award that recognizes exemplary first-year teachers.
    “It was such an honor to even be nominated by my district, so winning was a shock,” said Wendy Madere, a Washburn Rural High School graduate, second-grade teacher at Rossville Grade School and the first Horizon winner for Kaw Valley Unified School District 321, which includes portions of Shawnee and Pottawatomie counties. “I understand how many amazing first-year teachers there are in Kansas and to be recognized in this way is very humbling.”
    Madere was one of 32 first-year teachers who were honored at the recent Kansas Exemplary Educators Network, or KEEN, education conference held in Topeka. The 2015 winners, nominated by their districts, were first-year elementary and secondary teachers during the 2013-14 school year and chosen from four regions.

Althea (Immenschuh) Keller Passes Away

     Althea Marie Keller, 93, Topeka, died Thursday, February 19, 2015, at Autumn Home. 
     She was born July 15, 1921, at Silver Lake, the daughter of Harold Ralph and Martha (Meyer) Immenschuh. She attended Silver Lake Schools. Althea had lived at Rossville before moving to Topeka in 1941.
     She was a member of Women of the Moose #555 and Good Sam Campers.
    Althea was married to Gail Vernon Keller on November 28, 1940, at Topeka. He preceded her in death on February 27, 1998. Surviving are a son: Phil Keller of Topeka; a daughter: Jean Graham (Larry) of Clarinda, Iowa; a sister: Viola Clark of Overland Park; a brother: Charles Immenschuh (Mary Ann) of Topeka; two grandsons: Corey and Nick Keller both of Topeka; a step-grandson: Robert Graham of Penn Valley, CA; a step-granddaughter: Wendy Graham of Penn Valley, CA; and four step-great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, Tuesday, at Penwell-Gabel Parker-Price Chapel, 245 NW Independence, Topeka. Private interment of cremains will be in Rochester Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the 

, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674. To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com. Althea Marie Keller