News
Neosho may switch natural gas provider
ERIE — Commissioners may change the natural gas provider for the Neosho County Law Enforcement Center in Erie in order to save money. Mike Williams, senior account executive for ProEnergy Solutions, Sedalia, Mo., presented the commissioners and Sheriff Jim Keath an analysis of the natural gas use at the LEC. Because the center uses more than 1500 Mcf (1,000 cubic feet) of natural gas per year, Kansas Gas Services, which is the center’s current...
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News & Notes
Water line flushing The city of Parsons will begin flushing water distribution lines on Monday for three to four weeks. Residents may notice some water discoloration and/or cloudiness during the flushing. There may also be a chlorine taste and odor, and water pressures could be low, but all of these affects will be temporary. Flushing the water lines is a standard, important operational procedure for any water system. The purpose of flushing i...
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Agency to take over foster services
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A nonprofit organization is remodeling the former Medical Arts Building on Main Street in preparation to take over foster care and adoption services in Southeast Kansas. Stacy Manbeck, director of child placement for KVC Behavior Healthcare, said the agency is preparing the building at 2410 Main for offices of employees who will oversee foster and adoption services, as well as family preservation, for La...
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News & Notes
Senior center events Beekeeper Steve Heston will present “Harvesting Honey” at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Parsons Senior Center. From 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, the center will host Tea with Marj & Janice with special guests Dr. S.P. and Bali Jothi, who are moving from Parsons after more than 40 years. The public is encouraged to attend. The Senior Citizens Organization of Parsons will have a covered-dish dinner at noon May 18 at the center. Gol...
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Chase ends in Neosho County
A 32-year-old Thayer man may face charges in Labette and Neosho counties after fleeing from police officers during a traffic stop in Parsons. The pursuit began around 10:36 a.m. Thursday after a Parsons police officer attempted a routine traffic stop for a broken tail light at 16th and Crawford, Parsons public information officer Kari West said. The man led police into Neosho County, where his car became flooded at a low water crossing near 40...
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Man in wreck dies at his home
A Parsons man died at his home, possibly from medical complications following an accident Monday afternoon in Neosho County. Parsons police, firefighters and Labette Health’s ambulance service were called at 6:07 p.m. Wednesday to 2530 Clark. Police Chief Scott Gofourth said Lauro Valdez, 30, was pronounced dead at the home. Valdez and three other Parsons residents who live in the home were involved in an accident Monday afternoon on U.S. 169...
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Erie school receives grant for recycling
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com ERIE — Having earned the title of being the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold-certified school, Erie High Charter School administration, staff and students feel an obligation to lead by example. “Our school has been designed as a green school and has received a lot of awards and recognition for the design of our school, but we realized we did not have a good opportunity for o...
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PSU student uses spark plugs to fund education
From Pittsburg State University PITTSBURG — Kelsey Trotnic spent many evenings in her dorm room this past year thinking about spark plugs. It’s not the sort of thing one expects of a college coed about to embark on a career as an elementary school teacher. Trotnic, an elementary education major from Parsons, will graduate from Pittsburg State University on Saturday and in the fall will teach fifth-grade social studies and communication arts a...
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News & Notes
Salvation Army camp The Salvation Army is reminding area residents that it will offer Service Extension Youth Camp again this year. The camp dates are June 11-14. The camp is offered to all children ages 8 to 12. There is no income restriction. The registration cost is $20 per child. The Salvation Army has scholarships available for those who cannot afford the registration cost. All camper applications are due by Friday and can be picked up at...
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Lab determines species of skull
A skull found in rural Labette County two months ago ended up being a partial calf skull. Labette County Sheriff Robert Sims recovered the skull in a wooded area on March 11 near 12000 and Meade roads. The skull was about one-eighth of a mile south of the road. A father and daughter were walking on the land looking for shed deer antlers and found what they thought was a partial human skull and notified the sheriff’s department. Sims didn’t kno...
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Candidate wants city to improve housing
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A city commission candidate thinks Parsons needs to put more effort into improving the town’s housing stock. William Brown, a candidate in April’s election who has filed for the 2015 election, shared some of his ideas to encourage home owners to repair their houses with city commissioners during their Monday evening meeting. Brown said he went door to door recently surveying the public about homes and pr...
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News & Notes
Playful City USA Parsons was among the 217 cities that earned recognition from national nonprofit KaBOOM! as 2013 Playful City USA communities for their efforts to give children ample opportunities for play. Sponsored by the Humana Foundation, Playful City USA is a national program from KaBOOM! that celebrates and promotes local policies that increase play opportunities for children and is a key platform in combating the lack of play among chi...
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Judge rejects evidence in marijuana case
A Labette County judge ruled that evidence seized from a Parsons home — 58 pounds of marijuana — should be suppressed. District Judge Robert Fleming made this ruling in the case against Robert M. Tang, who is accused of distribution of marijuana, failing to affix a drug tax stamp to the marijuana and use of drug paraphernalia, all felonies. The charges followed a May 4, 2011, search of Tang’s home at 2507 Clark by the Labette County Sheriff’s ...
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EHS students help businesses with soical networking
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com ERIE — While many schools can’t embrace the use of social media in education, Erie’s Personalized Learning Program students are using it daily, not only as an educational tool, but also to promote businesses in their community, including their own. Like many businesses, D’Angelo’s Pizzeria was listed on Facebook. The generic page, with a generic restaurant logo of a white fork and knife against a ...
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EMS chief lobbies in Washington, Topeka
Chris Way, director of emergency medical services for Labette Health, has an active role in lobbying for ambulance services and their employees statewide and in the nation’s capital. Way is vice president of Kansas EMS Association and formerly served as president of the organization. As a member of KEMSA, Way has made five trips to Washington to lobby for issues important to the emergency medical service. A story about his March trip to D.C. w...
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City to decide on tethering issue soon
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com The Parsons City Commission plans to vote on May 20 on whether or not the city should proceed with preparation of an anti-tethering ordinance. A local group, Basic Animal Rights Committee, has been pushing for a local ordinance and state statute to outlaw continuous tethering of dogs. The commission met with the group and the Kansas director of The Humane Society of the United States during a work sessio...
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New tire business opens
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A new Parsons business offers tires and after-market products. Breck Gofourth opened AD After Market and Tire at 1320 Corporate Drive in Industrial Park No. 1 on May 1. His father, Scott Gofourth is a co-owner, and Dustin Kite is a partner in the new business. AD After Market and Tire is a Goodyear tire dealer but also offers many other tire brands. The business just received its pickup truck bed liner i...
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City approves Timber Creek incentives
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com The city of Parsons will help a local meat processor expand his business as he focuses more on retail sales. The Parsons City Commission voted unanimously Monday evening to approve an economic development incentive package for Timber Creek Meats, which is now located in Flynn Industrial Park with a retail outlet at 925 Main. Owner Cory Steves plans to construct a 40-by-50-foot building on an empty lot ju...
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County commission hears about concealed-carry law
OSWEGO — The Labette County Commission on Monday received a primer on the concealed carry law from an instructor and Labette County Sheriff Robert Sims. Oswego Police Chief George Elliott is a concealed-carry instructor and Sheriff Sims said one of his officers would get certified soon to teach the classes. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, will allow citizens with concealed-carry permits to bring firearms into many public buildings,...
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Erie USD 101 hires new superintendent
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com CENTRAL PLAINS — Central Plains USD 112 superintendent Steven Woolf has been chosen by the Erie USD 101 Board of Education as the new superintendent of schools for the 2013-14 school year. Woolf will officially begin his duties July 1, replacing current superintendent John Wyrick, who has taken the position of superintendent at Altamont USD 506 beginning July 1. Woolf received bachelor’s and master...
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