Signs Posted For New Weight Limits

Video of the posting of signs for the Willard Bridge is at:
http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/New-Weight-Limit-Signs-Posted-On-Willard-Bridge-294439181.html

Rossville Helps With St. Marys Fire (updated)

From KSNT.com

    According to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, the fire broke out at approximately 5:15 a.m. at 510 Mission. St Marys Fire, St Mary’s Police, Rossville Fire, Pottawatomie County EMS and the Pottawatomie County Sheriffs Department all were called in for mutual aid to assist.
   According to St. Marys fire chief Dan Marstall, two adults were sleeping in the upper floor of the 1 and 1/2 story home when they were awoken by the smell of smoke or fire, he presumed. Marstall said the pair began yelling for help and neighbors heard them and were able to rescue the couple by getting a ladder up to the 2nd story window and getting the couple out of the home. Marstall says the fire is believed to have originated in the bathroom area, but no official cause or damage estimate was available as of 9 am. There were no injuries and the fire was brought under control in less than an hour.

    Video after the fire can be seen at:  http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Early-Morning-Fire-Strikes-St-Marys-294354621.html

State Wrestling Results for Feb. 27.

The State 3-2-1A Wrestling Championships are under way in Hays.  They will run through Sat., Feb. 28.

The first round  is complete with the following results:

113#    Bryce Gfeller (24-2) of RHS  defeated Colton Byram (23-13) of Mound City-Jayhawk Linnbu a fall at 3:24.
120#    Holden Hurla (20-8)RHS defeated Trevor Compton of Mound City-Jayhawk Lin with a 6-0 decision.
126#    Alex Cavanaugh (37-7) of RHS defeated Trevor Lowell (33-7) of Belleville-Republic Co. with a fall at 3:23.
138#    Isaiah  Luellen  (28-6) of RHS defeated Zac Schneider (19-16 of Ellsworth 17-3.
152#    Derek Gentry (24-16) of RHS lost to Logan Sherman (36-4) of Fredonia with a very close  8-6 decision.
160#    Nick Reesor (36-6) of RHS defeated Mccoy Rains (17-8) of Oakly by a 3-2 decision.
182#    Isaac Luellen (18-0) of RHS defeated Kekey Kroetsch (21-14) of Lyon by a fall at 2:14.
220#    Kole Davoren (23-9) of RHS lost to Juan Guzman (25-11) of Hesston by a 7-2 decision.

At the end of the first round,  the top three teams are Norton 28, Hoisington 22.5, RHS 19.  Norton and Hoisington have 10 state qualifiers competing and Rossville only 8.

Round two matches:

113#    Bryce Gfeller defeated Tanner Cassity (25-13) of Hoisington 14-5.
120#    Holden Hurla lost to Colton Hutchinson of Smith Center by 7-1.
126#    Alex Cavanaugh defeated Kody Kind of Bennington by a fall at 1:06.
138#    Isaiah Luellen defeated Hensley of Ellis by a  4-3 decision.
152#    Derek Gentry lost to Kelton Suchy (25-4) Russell by a very close 8-7 decision.
160#    Nick Reesor defeated Remington Putin (35-15) of Marysville by an MD 10-1
182#    Isaac Luellen defeated Adam Janzen  of Marysville with a 9-4 decision.
220#    Kole Davoren lost to Wyatt Eitel (28-19) of  Scott City by a 7-0 decision.

Round three matches:

113#    Bryce Gfeller defeated Skylar Johnson (23-6) of Norton with a 9-7 decision
126#    Alex Cavanaugh lost to David Hileman (30-8) of Smith Center
138#    Isaiah Luellen lost to Brandon Ball (42-1) of Hoisington with a 9-1 MD.
160#    Nick Reesor defeated Shelton McCain of Atwood-Rawlins Co. with a 9-4 decision.
182#    Isaac Luellen defeated Dalton Brand (36-2) of Russell with a 6-4 Decision.

Saturday Matches

113#    Bryce Gfeller with wrestle Bryce Younger (38-3) of Ellis for first place.
126#    Alex Cavanaugh will wrestle in the consolation bracket for a possible third place
138#    Isaiah Luellen will wrestle in the consolation bracker for a possible third place.
160#    Nick Reesor will wrestle Chuck Schmidt (20-3) of Eureka for first place.
182#    Isaac Luellen will wrestle Kaden Housel(33-2) of Cherryvale for first place.

At the end of the Friday matches,  the top three teams are:  Hoisington 86.5, Rossille 81.0, Norton 75.5.

RHS Girls Win In OT

The RHS Girls picked up another win with an overtime win over Rock Creek on Feb. 26.

Rock Creek    4   7   9   6   3   =   29
Rossville        7   6   8   5   7   =   33

Rossville scoring: 
Hill                5         5-6   15
Kirk               2         2-2     6
Steckel           1 (1)   2-4     5 
Conley           1         0-0     2
Shinn             1          0-2    2
Totals           10 (1)   9-16  33

RHS Boys Lose To Rock Creek

   The RHS boys basketball team lost to Rock Creek, 58-50 on Feb. 26.

Rock Creek    14    7   18   19   =   58
Rossville          6   12   15   17   =   50

Rossville scoring:
Horak                2 (1)      4-6      9
Sowers              4           1-3      9
Horak                3           1-2      7
Roduner            1 (1)      2-2      5
Schultz-Pruner  2           0-3      4.

Totals               12 (2)    8-16   50

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