The Tractor Daze and Mud Run will be held this weekend at the National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame.

More from a press release:

If you like Power, Tractors and Engines, you are going to love Tractor Daze and Mud Run at The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame.  The event is scheduled for Saturday, July 10; tractor pulls and farm activities from 9:00am to 5:00pm; Mud Run starts at 4:00pm.

Enjoy the Antique and Classic Tractor Pull, Garden Tractor Pull and farming demonstrations.  Exhibits include antique and classic tractors, lawn and garden equipment, and small engines. Take in the always popular Kiddie Pedal Pull, living history demonstrations, miniature train rides, petting zoo and so much more!

Then it’s time to sling some mud during the second annual Ag Hall Mud Run which starts at 4:00pm.  Watch the mud trucks try to battle their way through the 200ft mud bog!

Admission fees for the event are: Adults, $10.00; youth, 5-16, $5.00; under 5, FREE. The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is located just northeast of the I-70 & Kansas Route 7 interchange in Bonner Springs, Kansas, just two miles west of the Kansas Speedway.   For more information, call 913-721-1075 or visit our website at www.aghalloffame.com

Two Bonner Springs, Kan., residents were injured in a motorcycle accident earlier this week.

The accident, happening eight miles west of Lawrence on Highway U40, injured driver Gary E. Titsworth and Ruth E. Titsworth. It happened Monday afternoon.

It occurred after the motorcycle left the roadway and eventually overturned.

They were transported to hospitals. Both were wearing their bike helmets at the time of the accident.

At the end of the month, a portion of the Bonner Springs Police Department will have a new home.

The department's patrol and administration divisions will move to a new office next Wednesday (June 30). The office is located 130 N. Nettleton, just across the street from the current station.

Meanwhile, the department's Investigations Division will remain at 120 N. Nettelton.

Bonner Springs residents interested in getting a police report, paying a fine, speaking to an officer or contacting an animal control officer are required to go to the new building.

“We are looking forward to being better able to serve the community from our new space,” said John Haley, chief of police. “And we beg your pardon in advance for any inconvenience caused during our move.”

Once the move is complete, the new office can be contacted  from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

SPECIAL TO THE KANSAN

More than 800 academically talented seventh-grade students selected for the Duke University Talent Identification Program were honored June 6 at the Lied Center at the University of Kansas.

About 300 students attended the ceremony.

Susan Williams, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, addressed the seventh-graders and their parents and guests.

Her talk focused on celebrating talents and opportunities that can help the next generation of college students to change the world.

Selection to Duke TIP is based on college entrance exam scores that are in the top 36 percent while the students are in middle school. Students participate by taking either the SAT or ACT national achievement tests.

Working with host academic institutions such as KU, Duke TIP sponsors 35 ceremonies in its 16-state talent search region. 

Each Duke TIP student received a medallion. The state recognition ceremonies honor seventh-graders who earned scores above the average scores of college-bound high school seniors.

Of more than 74,000 applicants this year, 24,204 students qualified and were invited to state recognition events, including the more than 800 students recognized at KU.

The Duke program is in its 30th year, and this is the 12th year KU has been host for the Kansas recognition program.

A former Duke TIP participant from Paola, Michael Tetwiler, now a KU senior, served as master of ceremonies. An English major planning to study medicine, Tetwiler is the son of Lee Tetwiler of Paola and a graduate of Paola High School.

Joshua T. Charles, senior from Moscow, Idaho, provided entertainment. A piano major, Charles is the son of Don and Michelle Charles. He is a graduate of Rocklin (Calif.) High School.

Julie Bennington, coordinator for the seventh-grade talent search for Duke TIP, presented the medallions.

Students from Kansas City, Kan:

CARLA G. FLORES 
ANDREW M. RAMIREZ 
EMILY N. TRESNER 
SOPHIE WILSON 
THALIA E HERNANDEZ 
MELANIE LEYVA 
RAMON M. MURGUIA 
CARLY E. JOHNSON 
SEAN J. PAHLS 
KEELEY M. PETERSON 
LOGAN N. SHEARER 
MIKALA R. SULLIVAN 
RAYNA WEIBRECHT 

Students from Bonner Springs:

JEFFREY T. JOHNSON 
SAMEUL C. NELSON 
ASHLEY VEST 
JACK WALSH 

The Wyandotte County Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative will soon dispose of records for special education students who graduated from three local school districts on or before May 2005.

More from a Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools press release: 

The Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative provides special education and related services in the Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs, Kansas, and Piper, Kansas School Districts.

The Cooperative is required to keep special education records for five (5) years after the date of the student’s graduation or expected graduation before they are destroyed. 

Starting June 21, the Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative will begin destroying records of special education students who graduated on or before May, 2005 or whose special education record has had no new activity for five consecutive years.

If you wish to receive a copy of your records, please contact the Special Education Office at (913) 627-5672 prior to June 21, 2010.  All records that meet the described criteria will be destroyed after that date.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A Bonner Springs man was sentenced this morning to 37 months of federal prison after his involvement in several threatening calls to a Kansas Highway Patrol officer.

Timothy Wyrick, who was employed by the Kansas Highway Patrol, pleaded guilty to five counts of communicating a threat by interstate commerce.

He admits to calling both the cell phone and home phone of the officer in making the threats.

The calls begin in March 2009 and continued until Sept. 15, 2009. Some calls were made from Paola, Kan., while others came from Wyrick's cellphone.

An example of the calls included:

“You got to leave too early from your traffic stop!

Had you in my scope!

Well, gonna be some good things happen tonight.

Oh, I got your burial site all done, ready for you.

Bye, bye.”

A Bonner Springs resident has won $10,000 in the Kansas Lottery's "Second-Chance Drawing" game.

David Smart was one of five winners in the Midwest Millions game.

“When Lottery officials called to let me know I had won, I was away from my phone so they left me a message,” Smart said.  “Once I heard that I had won, I thought someone was playing a prank.”

Smart purchased his ticket at the Woods Mini Mart 6, located at 413 E. Front Street in Bonner Springs.

He said he's not sure how he'll spend his winnings.

The Kansas Highway Patrol, Bonner Springs Police Department and the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint this Friday.

The specific location was not released.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says no major delays are expected with the checkpoint.

Any driver who is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be given field sobriety tests.

A bill under consideration by the Kansas Legislature could create some more financial problems for local school districts.

The bill is House Bill 2739, legislation being proposed by Kansas Speaker of the House Mike O'Neal.

HB 2739 has received some attention at local board of education meetings this month, most notably by the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education and Piper Board of Education.

The most frustrating thing about the bill, those from school districts say, is the fact that 10 percent of the district's local option budget (funding consisting of local tax dollars) would be rolled into the state's general fund.

"It would have a much larger impact on poor districts," said David Smith, Assistant to the Superintendent for Communications in the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools District. "It will have a large impact on us. The district would be able to recoup that money by raising taxes locally."

But in order to "recoup" the money, the district estimates that they would have to raise their overall mill by six mills to recover funding lost if the bill's approved.

"It's not really realistic," Smith said. "It's a bad bill."

For smaller districts like Piper, the same type of cut could be devastating.

"These are the most extraordinary times in my 30 years," said Steve Adams, superintendent of the district.

The bill could cost Piper a few hundred thousand dollars in state aid that would have to be "made up" by more local tax dollars.

"The bill creates an illusion that funding has not been cut by the state," Adams said.  "But it will be."

A report released by the Kansas Department of Education shows that approximately $172 million in general state aid would be cut by the bill.

Along with the problems faced by KCK Public Schools and Piper, both Bonner Springs and Turner would have to raise their mill levies by 7.02 and 9.59, respectively. 

More financial information for each school district:

• KCK Public Schools: The district would lose around $4.3 million in state aid if the bill passed.
• Turner: The Turner School District would lose about $761,000 in state aid.
• Bonner Springs: The district would lose $414,100 in aid.
• Piper: Piper would lose just over $258,000 in funding.

Here is the PDF copy of HB 2739 and here's a PDF of the KSDE report.

The City of Bonner Springs will celebrate the fourth annual "Marble Day" on May 1. 



The downtown sector of the city will host various events from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. A parade will be held on Oak Street beginning at 10 a.m. and a marble contest will be held. 



Here is more information courtesy of Moon Marble:

Bonner Springs, Kansas will host the fourth annual “Marble Day” event on  May 1, 2010, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The entire downtown area will be abuzz with lots of free activities, fun entertainment, old fashioned games and plenty of just plain silliness.

The day will kick off with a “Wacky Parade” at the top of Oak St at 10   a.m. So dress yourself up, or dress up your pet (must be on a leash), decorate your bike, scooter, wagon or even your walker. Come one, come all to join the parade.

If you bring your pet and it has a special talent you’d like to share, be sure to enter it into the stupid pet tricks at 10:30 in Centennial Park.

Centennial Park will be the location for many of the day’s activities. The marble artwork and inventions contest and marble related activities formerly held in the community center will move to the park area this year. Entries for the contest may be dropped off there between 9 and 10 Saturday morning.

The marble tournament will begin at 11 a.m. at the marble ring in Centennial Park. The tournament is open to both boys and girls ages 7 to 15.

The famous “Running of the Pinkies” will take place on Oak Street at 1:30 p.m. Five thousand rubber pinky balls will bounce, roll and wind their way through a series of obstacles to the finish line. 

“Pinkie Sponsorship” will be available at many area businesses for several weeks prior to the event and also downtown on that Saturday with half the proceeds being donated to The Bonner Springs Senior Citizens/Nancy Jones Johnson Scholarship Fund.

Lots of old time games and contests will be ongoing throughout the day.

Participate in gunny sack races and navigate the straw tunnel. Join in the  
cakewalk at noon.  So gather your friends and family and join us for lots of fun, play and laughter.
 

The Piper and Bonner Springs golf teams recently teed it up in Gardner for the 2010 Gardner-Edgerton Blazer Golf Invitational.

The Pirates finished with an overall score of 333, good enough for 5th place of 16 teams competing. Bonner, meanwhile, finished with 353, enough for 11th place.

Piper golfer Nick Cavlovic's 77 was the fifth best score at the tournament.

Piper (333)

Nick Cavlovic 77
Pete Yadrich 85
Montan Fasching 85
Charlie Rinehart 86
Chris Pennington 87
Logan Smith 88

Bonner Springs (353)

Jonathan Price 82
Steven Walker 85
Logan Opat 90
Blake McMahon 96
Shane Crosby 106
Kaleb Kivett 119

A photo in the Kansan over a year ago of the old Kuhn Cannery bought memories flooding back to Kansas City resident, Rosa Vasquez.

Rosa was the 4th born in what would be a large family of Guadalupe and Rosalio Padilla.  Although the depression had been over for a while, times were still difficult.  Her dad was employed by the Lone Star Cement plant and she was born in a small house nestled in the hills located close to the company.

While growing up in Bonner Springs she grew accustomed to the quiet and calm way of life.  Even today she comments “I love the smell of spring, a cool summer breeze, summer showers and rainbows.  I love the crunchy smell of fall and all of its colors.”  She adds, “I love a big harvest moon, sunsets, and twilight time and snow showers.”

She has two sisters buried in the Bonner Springs cemetery.  One passed away at 3 months and the other passed away at the age of one year.  The family would later move to a two-story house on North Nettleton Avenue, close to the cemetery.  The house was located on a hill which made for memorable views of beautiful sunrises and spectacular sunsets.

Her first year in grade school was difficult because she knew little English and the teachers were not versed in Spanish.  Fortunately, her teachers at McDaniel Grade School through patience and the desire to teach bought out her learning abilities. 

She made friends and a lifetime of memories from her years at the grade school and later when a student at Bonner Springs High School.  Although she no longer lives in Bonner Springs, she gets together with several former classmates from her school days. 

They usually meet several times a year at different eating establishments for lunch.

At a very young age, Rosa wanted to help the family with finances, so she asked for a job at the local diner “Billies Sandwich Shop” on Oak Street and was hired as a dish washer.  She worked there for 14 dollars per week, usually 48 hours per week.  Downtown Bonner Springs was a much busier place then. 

Traffic lights at K-7 Highway and the Interstate 70 interchange in Bonner Springs are not working.

The problems are stemming from this morning's storms that hit the area.

KDOT units have been dispatched to the area to post temporary stop signs. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes, if possible. If not possible, commuters are encouraged to use "great caution."

The signals were knocked out at about 10 a.m.

A Bonner Springs, Kan., resident was injured on a highway accident this weekend.

Carrie Galvan lost control of her vehicle near Interstate 70 and 57th Street due to a wet road created by this weekend's rain.

She struck the median barrier at around 9:50 a.m. Saturday morning. She was transported to the University of Kansas Hospital with minor injuries.

No other vehicle was involved in the accident.

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Bonner Springs resident Jeff Burke was recently awarded a national company's award for being the employee of the year.

Here is more information about Burke and the award:

Jeff Burke of Bonner Springs, Kansas, a delivery representative for propane tank exchange company Blue Rhino, recently was named Rhino of the Year at the company’s annual awards banquet in Savannah, Georgia.

It is the highest honor given to an employee of Blue Rhino.

Burke, a 1997 graduate of Leavenworth (Kansas) High School, delivers portable propane tanks to retailers throughout western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

The five-year Blue Rhino employee also serves as a member of the company’s national Distribution Safety Council.

”I’ve met very few people who take as much pride in their work as Jeff Burke,” Blue Rhino President Tod Brown says. “He has been a valuable member of ‘the herd’ since his first day on the job. Jeff is exactly what we look for in a delivery representative—a passion for customer service and a commitment to doing the job right the first time and every time. He is well deserving of our company’s top honor.”

Blue Rhino is a national provider of branded propane tank exchange and complementary propane-fueled products to consumers.