Alma, Kansas

  This was a special year for Kansas Farm Bureau as they celebrated their 90th annual meeting.  They also celebrated a 1.5% membership gain this past year.  

  "We are so pleased with the growth of membership which includes 1,097 new voting members.  Our job as an organization is to support farm families who earn their living in a changing industry," said KFB President Steve Baccus

  Wabaunsee County Farm Bureau assisted in this gain by also ex-ceeding their membership challenge.

  Residents at Alma Manor recognized Veteran's Day by hon-oring manor residents  that served in the military.  Nineteen of the fifty manor residents served in the military and posed for a group photo.   Each veteran was introduced and recognized for their years of service, including which branch of the military they served in.  After special music was played in their honor they traveled to Alma Grade School where they attended the grade school Veteran's Day program.  On Monday, November 17, the Alma Manor Veterans traveled to Topeka where they ate lunch at the Golden Corral.  The Golden Corral annually provides free meals to Veterans on or near Veteran's Day.    

  While questions are constantly being asked about where the economy is headed, and many find them-selves digging in for hard times, the spirit of giving continues in Wabaunsee County.   Members of the Wa-baunsee County Ministerial Alliance  are pleased to say that the community has been generous, both with cash donations and with food and staples.

  Donated items and cash donations are used to help friends and neighbors with great needs by helping with utility bills, sharing food items, and  occasionally by purchasing a tank of gas for a stranded traveler.

Wabaunsee County's tax statements have arrived in mailboxes.

And, as residents examine them, County Clerk Jennifer Savage said there was a formula error in the line-by-line breakdown, but the totals are correct.

She said the State of Kansas levies 1.5 mills, but the calculation for that line incorrectly factors in bond money levied by the school districts.

She said the amount being levied by the state is not changing, and added that she is glad residents studied their sheets and called in to her office with questions so that her office is aware of the errors.

Certified stonemason Rocky Slaymaker of Emporia will be the lead instructor of the third annual Historic Stone Fence Workshop.

Richard Blevins denied doing anything illegal. Still, the former state arson investigator and small-town lawman pleaded no contest to a crime labeling him as a pervert.

The money paid for a lot of improvements both inside and outside the hospital. Some of the larger improvements in the main hall include new floor and ceiling tiles, a new sprinkler system, and a new nursing ...

An emotional exchange between felon and victim at the Wabaunsee County Courthouse ended with the sentencing of a former state fire inspector to 32 months in prison for soliciting sex from a teenager.

Stephen Anderson couldn't quite get his wheel barrow into the mostly locked down Republican National Convention area today.

Friday, August 15, 2008 Mission concert The fourth annual free Flint Hills Community Band Concert will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kaw Mission in Council Grove.

Eric Theel is the new Shawnee County Information Technology director. Theel was chosen unanimously by the Shawnee County Commission at the end of Monday's commission meeting.

Dozens of business, government and academic leaders converged Thursday to tamp down criticism from a handful of people questioning proposed construction of a federal lab at Kansas State University to study the ...

Three people were hurt late Wednesday in a one-vehicle accident on a Wabaunsee County road about a mile north of Alma.

RADAR ESTIMATED BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE WARNED AREA. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE WARNED AREA AND ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.

The city of McFarland - right in between Alma and Paxico - saw about six inches of rain in an hour-and-a-half's time.

In an emotional ceremony the Catholic Church in Eskridge turned its building over to the community for a new use.

The word "bittersweet" came up frequently in the ceremony that signified the official and final closing of the church, but gave birth to new life in the community.

"I want to thank everyone who has made this a glad and sad occasion right now," Gateway to the Flint Hills Coalition PRIDE Boosters President Sandy Williams said. "Because having the church gone is hard."

State Senator Laura Kelly was present at the ceremony and summarized the events that day in terms of her own faith.

Fire district proposed budgets came in all over the map, and some departments may have to convince their constituents they need the funds they've requested.

Wabaunsee County Commissioners heard proposals from Fire District Nos. 3-8 Monday, and warned districts proposing levies of five mills or more that the proposal will need to be voted on by residents in the fire district.

County Attorney Norbert Marek explained why.

He said at one point there was a cap of five mills on fire districts and the legislature had lifted that cap. However, a judge ruled last year that fire districts requesting five mills or more still must pose the question to their voters.

Residents in Alma, Kansas are being asked to conserve water after a water main break.

The Eskridge City Council took no action Wednesday on a previous request from Bill Ridinger, owner of Bilbilt Construction, who had asked about changing dock restrictions.

At a previous meeting, Ridinger asked the council to consider raising the maximum dock height from 12 feet to 14 feet to accommodate all the necessary elements for docking boats as well as a proper pitch on the roof and the potential for a deck on top.

He said the current regulations of 12 feet allow for a short railing, but not enough to have a truly safe setup.