News
City of Erie to give away lot
ERIE — The city of Erie will give away a lot in a new housing subdivision during the Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion next month. The Erie City Council decided last month to give away a lot valued at $15,000 in the Burress Addition in an effort to stimulate interest in new home building in the city. The winner will be determined by a drawing. The winner must agree to begin construction of a new house on the lot within a year. The house must be...
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Mother, son struggle with celiac disease
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com When he was about 6, Urcer Mac Heiskell complained to his mother of his stomach hurting around bedtime. His mother, Amber Meier, at first figured her son wanted to delay bedtime, so she would try to comfort him while encouraging him to go to sleep. When Urcer began to have "accidents" at school, a cause of much embarrassment for him, and he complained his stomach pain was increasing, Meier knew som...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. June 11, 1973 Kansas Power & Light Co. crews began laying power lines in downtown alleys, Michael McDowell, executive director of the Parsons Urban Renewal Agency, said. McDowell said construction in alleys behind Parsons Plaza was proceeding on schedule with the beginning of the second phase of laying lines. Leon Ginn Builder of Parsons also was constructing transclosure...
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BARC concert set Friday
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com This year's annual BARC for the Park concert is at 7 p.m. Friday at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium. Musical appearances will be made by local favorites, pianist Ken Weaver, country western singer Rick Cook and his daughter, Jaylee, and the band Sober as a Judge from Missouri. "Last year the band came, but the judge couldn't be here. He is a real judge in Missouri. This year the judge will be here...
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Bicyclists to converge on Oswego Friday
OSWEGO — The city of Oswego is preparing for an onslaught of bicyclists and their support crews on Friday as Biking Across Kansas stops in the community. A number of community organizations are preparing food, drink and entertainment options for the estimated 890 cyclists who have pedaled across Kansas, starting at the Colorado border, in an eight-day ride. BAK organizes the annual ride in early June that crosses the state from west to east. B...
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Vet tech program comes to SEK
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com An Overland Park-based college is bringing its veterinary technician program to Southeast Kansas for students who want to study at home instead of leaving town. Wright Career College is now enrolling students for its mobile vet tech program that will begin in Parsons in August. On Monday, representatives from the college parked a mobile vet lab at Proud Animal Lovers Shelter, where it will be located onc...
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'House Calls' available on amazon.com
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com Entering the glass doors to Dr. Gary Yarbrough's clinic, patients' eyes cannot help but be drawn to the white sign taped to the glass announcing that "Insurance is neither required nor accepted." Below, in smaller print, it is noted that office visits cost $46, and that patients' insurance will cover the cost of needed lab work, X-rays or other medical needs performed at the hospital. "Medicine is ...
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Revilalization discussion is under way
ERIE — A group that works with the city of Chanute wants to begin a neighborhood revitalization program in the city, but the Neosho County appraiser seems to oppose the county’s participation in the program. Murray McGee, executive director for the Chanute Regional Development Authority, and Brenda Krumm, CRDA chairwoman, talked to Neosho County commissioners Friday morning about starting a neighborhood revitalization program. Legislation for...
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Bookmobile schedule set
The summer bookmobile will be making it rounds beginning next week to a neighborhood near you. The theme for the bookmobile this year is "Reading Rainbow Readers are Leaders," and it will be operating every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., June 11 through July 25. Youth are invited to visit the bookmobile to check out books, enjoy fun activities and have a chance to win prizes for the number of books read. Children ...
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Labette County Clerk Linda Schreppel will retire June 28.
Schreppel: No more hats to wear
By Ray Nolting rnolting@parsonssun.com OSWEGO — Labette County Clerk Linda Schreppel has worn many hats during her 30-plus year career in the clerk's office. She developed a skit to show how many hats a county clerk wears in the course of a day, a week or a year. The count is up to 20 now with law changes, Schreppel said. She's performed or narrated the skit many times over the years, adding hats as required by law changes. The last time she ...
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Juneteenth events start Friday
By Colleen Surridge csurridge@parsonssun.com The Brown Chapel AME and volunteer members of the community have coordinated and planned Parsons second annual Juneteenth celebration, June 14-16, at Glenwood Park. The event will kick off with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday and will include the history of Juneteenth. Referred to as "Freedom Day" or "Emancipation Day," Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery on Ju...
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Fire destroys detached garage
ALTAMONT — Fire destroyed a detached garage at a rural Altamont home Wednesday night. Altamont-Mount Pleasant Township firefighters were called at 8:34 p.m. Wednesday to the William Hefley home, 16012 S. U.S. 59. Altamont Fire Chief Keith Shaffer said Hefley and his sons were working on a pickup in the two-bay garage when a spark ignited gasoline, which spread quickly throughout the garage. The house, which is about 15 feet to the south of the...
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Judge wants to keep man out of jail
A Labette County judge said he didn't want to send a former Parsons man, who has been through four previous probation revocation actions, to prison. Rather, he may release the man to his uncle in Galena, where Dameek L. Harrison-Taylor, 21, can find a job and have a place to stay. He's been convicted of two cases in Labette County, two counts of possession of stolen property (misdemeanors) from 2011 and attempted aggravated robbery in 2010. In...
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North End Used Cars closes
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com Today will mark the end of a family operated business that has lasted for 35 years in Parsons. Gene and Pat Armitage will close North End Used Cars, 2111 N. 21st St., today to give them time to clean up the six acres of property so they can sell the land, machinery, house and shop buildings and retire after running the used car and metal recycling business since 1977. “She wanted to play with the grandki...
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Court of Appeals to hear cases in Pittsburg
A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals will convene in Pittsburg, Tuesday and Wednesday, to hear oral arguments in eight cases and consider 19 other appeals that are being presented in briefs without oral argument. The hearing panel includes Judge David E. Bruns, who has been designated as presiding judge for the docket, and Judges Patrick D. McAnany and Kim R. Schroeder. The cases being argued include four criminal and four civil ...
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Longtime musician, mentor Saliba dies
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com A driving force of music in the Parsons community died Tuesday afternoon, leaving a legacy of countless musicians who she mentored over many years. Dana Saliba, 83, died at Brookdale Place in Overland Park. Longtime friend and fellow retired music teacher Kay Lawrence of Parsons said on Wednesday that Saliba had overcome several illnesses and had been getting better in recent days before she succumbed to...
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Fire damages business
A fire Tuesday morning caused an estimated $16,000 to an unoccupied Parsons business. Parsons firefighters were called at 10:06 a.m. Tuesday to 2701 Main on the report of a structure fire. When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke coming from the building. Once inside, crews quickly found the source of the smoke, Fire Chief Larry Steeby said in a prepared statement. The bathroom inside the business had sustained damage from what appear...
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Reserve officer injured
By Ray Nolting rnolting@parsonssun.com A Labette County Sheriff's Department reserve officer was injured while directing traffic at a two-vehicle accident Tuesday morning. The first accident occurred at 8:43 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. 400 about one-tenth of a mile west of the U.S. 400 and 24000 Road junction west of Parsons. A car driven by Jack C. Mann III, 22, Mission, was eastbound on U.S. 400 and a Renzenberger transport van driven by Douglas ...
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Center loses alcohol funds
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com The Parsons City Commission approved a distribution plan for special alcohol funds that included cutting out the Labette Center for Mental Health Services, but not without discussion. The commissioners on Monday approved divvying up $15,550 of the funds to four organizations, with LCMHS being the only one requesting funds to be left out. The distribution plan was recommended by a panel that included City...
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City wants quiet zones back
By Jamie Willey jwilley@parsonssun.com Parsons city commissioners decided on Monday evening to begin the procedure for re-establishing quiet zones at Union Pacific Railroad street crossings, but it may be a long time before train horns are silenced at the Appleton Avenue crossing. City Manager Fred Gress told commissioners that the U.P.’s signal division directed engineers to ignore quiet zones regulated by automated horns at the crossings. T...
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