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News & Notes
Lardy retirement reception There will be a retirement celebration for KLKC Radio’s Steve Lardy from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday in the Parsons High School community room. Lardy is retiring from KLKC after 29 years at the end of June and moving with his wife to Florida. Eagle Scout Court of Honor Parsons Foursquare Church will host an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Brandon White at 2 p.m. Saturday. The public is invited to attend, and a reception will ...
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Democrats to choose Grant’s replacement
Second Kansas House District Democratic precinct committee men and women will meet on July 1 to elect a nominee to replace retiring State Rep. Bob Grant. The convention will begin at 7 p.m. in the Commission Room on the second floor of the Crawford County Courthouse in Girard. Democratic precinct persons from Allen, Bourbon, Crawford and Neosho counties who live in the 2nd House District are asked to attend the meeting. All Democrats are welco...
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Sun offers new publication
The publishers of The Chanute Tribune and Parsons Sun announced today that their newspapers will include a new publication, sekEXTRA!, beginning Saturday morning. sekEXTRA! is designed to become a one-stop spot for local and regional entertainment and events, as well as the best place to find out where the garage sales are, where the good deals are from local merchants and what services are offered in Southeast Kansas. It will contain the clas...
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Doctor ends 37 years of practice
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com Dr. Chirund Lava moved to Parsons to join his friend’s medical practice in 1976. Dr. Irt Liu left long ago for Hawaii, but Lava decided to stick around for a while. On June 27, the general and oncology surgeon will retire after practicing medicine for 37 years at Labette Health. “I think it’s time. I’m old enough, I guess,” the 72-year-old doctor said. Lava graduated from medical school in 1963 in his ho...
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Youth mentors seek donations
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Growing up overseas on a military base; moving frequently; changing homes, friends and schools; and often having parents deployed three to nine months at a time can make for a difficult life for some teenagers of military personnel. Raised in a military family, Anthony Amor spent most of his youth growing up on the coast of Japan, making him well acquainted with the issues children of military pers...
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Shaw: City's tax rate in line
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A city commissioner on Monday evening pointed out that the city has kept taxes low compared to the other taxing units in Parsons, but higher taxes could be coming soon. Commissioner Tom Shaw said during the commission’s regular meeting that the city has raised its mill levy by only 2.05 mills, or 4.54 percent, since 2000. Shaw referred to a spreadsheet prepared by city staff at his request that showed th...
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USD 503 teacher negotiations still under way
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Negotiations between the USD 503 Board of Education and the Parsons-National Education Association resulted in salary increases being tabled by the board Monday. The agenda for the board's regular monthly meeting included a 1.5 percent salary increase for all district principals and the one assistant principal at Parsons High School, Trevor Addis, and a 1.5 percent salary increase for classified e...
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Athlete grade policy to be reviewed
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Parsons High School students who are failing two classes may have a chance to return sooner to participating in athletics and other Kansas State High School Activities Association interscholastic activities come the 2013-2014 school year. PHS Principal Matt Rogers approached the USD 503 Board of Education Monday night with an idea to change PHS' current policy for students who are failing two class...
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Zoning issues OK'd
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com The Silver Wheels Skating Rink and Hannah’s Promise Pregnancy Home both moved a step closer toward opening on Monday evening. Parsons city commissioners approved ordinances that will rezone the properties of the organizations. The decisions came as no surprise because the Parsons Planning Commission voted unanimously in May to recommend that the city commissioners approve the rezoning requests. The commi...
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Suspected mumps case investigated
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Parsons pediatrician Dr. Manish Dixit has reported a possible positive case of mumps in Labette County in a 16-month-old child, and wishes to caution the public to being alert to possible symptoms and ensuring children are immunized. Public Health of Labette County Director Debbie Baugher, R.N., reported that the last word from the Kansas State Health Department, as of 5:30 p.m. Friday, is the stat...
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Harding pleads to two battery counts
A Parsons man charged with attempted murder for trying to run over another man last year was convicted of two counts of aggravated battery Monday. Donzell M. Harding, 21, formerly of 1725 Broadway, was to be tried in Labette County District Court for attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery and attempted aggravated arson, all serious felonies. He faced another aggravated battery charge for allegedly battering his girlfriend during an...
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Great Plains hires new CEO
Daniel Mann has been named the new CEO for Great Plains Development Authority and is to begin his position July 15. Mann, who currently serves as vice president, national business development, of Quad Cities First, has 13 years in economic development. Great Plains contracted with Jorgenson Consulting to find a CEO who would be able to take a hands-on leadership role in staging the industrial park on a national and international level. The par...
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Missouri man dies in wreck
EDNA — A Missouri man died in a one-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon east of Edna. According to Labette County Sheriff Robert Sims, the accident was reported at 2:23 p.m. Saturday and the wreck occurred on U.S. 166 west of Meade Road. Ronald L. McDonald, 62, of Goodman, Mo., died from injuries suffered in the accident. First responders found Goodman's vehicle in a field on the north side of the highway and Goodman on the ground a short dist...
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Office remodel makes more room for officers
OSWEGO — A remodeling project at the Labette County Sheriff's Department is nearly complete and will provide additional office and storage space for the department. Labette County Sheriff Robert Sims said the project put to use about 1,200 square feet of unoccupied space in the building that fronts Commercial Street and houses officers. The cost will be about $35,000 when the project is complete, using existing money in the budget. Sims said h...
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Team Punishment trains
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com OSWEGO — Ignoring the sweat dripping down the front of his face, 23-year-old Kyle Seifert eyed the punching dummy in front of him from behind raised gloves, then quickly threw a right punch to the dummy's jaw followed by a left upper cut. Outside the open garage doors leading into his home gym in Oswego, Nick "The Punisher" Phillips watched Seifert, and four other fighters working out on punching a...
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City wants to delay concealed carry compliance
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com The city of Parsons took its first step toward an exemption from a law that would allow people to carry concealed weapons into public buildings. During Thursday's work session, the Parsons City Commission authorized a letter to be sent to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt indicating that the city would like to have until 2014 to assess its buildings and determine how it will proceed. The exemption w...
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Fire burns at old landfill
Construction debris caught fire at a construction and demolition landfill south of Parsons Wednesday night. Labette No. 9 Fire District responded to the fire, as did firefighters from Parsons, Neosho Township and Altamont. Labette Health's Ambulance Service and the sheriff's department also responded. Most of the other fire departments were needed for their water tanker trucks. Labette No. 9 Fire Chief Rob Gartner said the alarm came in at 7...
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Tank Connection is exporter finalist
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A local tank manufacturer earned designation as a finalist for the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. The Kansas Department of Commerce announced Tuesday that B&W Trailer Hitches of Humboldt won the Governor’s Award of Excellence, and Excel Industries Inc. of Hesston won the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award at the annual Team Kansas/Kansas Cavalry Awards Banquet a...
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Woman competes at national baking event
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Katie Martino did not take the commitment to six weeks self-denial lightly when she made the decision to give up sweets for Lent three years ago. Forfeiting something truly desirable during the time of penance and prayer was not easy, and Martino found herself yearning to appease her eyes, if not her tastebuds. "I was dying for sweets and started reading dessert blogs and looking at the pictures ...
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Rotary donation
Parsons Rotary collected $1,575 for the Moore, Okla., tornado victims last week. Rotarians collected money from members and the community through Friday. Of the money, $850 came from Rotary members and $725 from non-members. The fundraiser was in response to a request from Rotary District 6110 (Tulsa) to collect money for tornado relief for Moore. All of the money collected will go toward the people victimized by the May tornado. The half-mile...
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