Gardner News

Four SH Bronco wrestlers qualify for state

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:30:09 +0000

Four Broncos will make the trip to the 4A state wrestling meet by virtue of posting qualifying marks at a 4A regional in Spring Hill, Feb. 17-18.
Corey Spader (120), Blake Hampton (170), Coby Morris (195), and Chris Terrazas (heavyweight), will compete in the 4A state meet at the Bi-Centennial Center in Salina, Feb. 24-25.
“We got four kids qualified that can place at State,” said Coach Tucker Woofter. “It will be an exciting state meet.”
Spader improved to 29-4 at 120 with a gold-medal effort. Morris is now 36-7 after his gold-medal performance in the 195 pound division.
Hampton (30-6) took fourth at 170 and Terrazas (21-14) qualified with fourth in the heavyweight division.
Teamwise, St. James Academy took the title by a 194-180½ margin versus runner-up Bonner Springs. Tonganoxie took third with 170; Baldwin had 134; De Soto, 128; and Spring Hill, 115.
The top six will earn medals at the state meet.

Look for more local sports in our print edition!

Grand opening

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:30:11 +0000

Casey’s General Store celebrated its grand opening on Feb. 17. A costumed sandwich and costumed pizza slice waved from the corner enticing customers inside. The new store at 183rd Street and Gardner Road is the second Casey’s convenience store in town. Staff photo by Danedri Thompson

Legacy 4-H Club

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:38 +0000

Caleb Hasenleder
Club reporter
Legacy 4-H Club performed and sang their way to the top in the annual 4-H Club Days. Will these 4-H kids climb the ladder of success to fame, our fall off mid-way? Read to find out.
Many kids participated in this year’s annual get-together at Wheatridge Middle School, including the Legacy group from Johnson County. The kids performed stunningly with no-one falling below the red-ribbon mark and here are the results.
The group performing “The Gingerbread Girl” skit was awarded alternate-top purple; the judge stated that she had a hard time making that decision but someone had to win.
Lizzy Arnold and Elli Folks made their mark whenever they achieved top purple in vocal ensemble. Folks, played a flute solo and received a red ribbon. Jessi McEndree won a blue ribbon in her demonstration as well as a blue in her vocal solo. Erin Sullivan didn’t hold back as she got her blue ribbon for an impromptu and later a purple for her flute solo.
Arnold won a red ribbon for her flute solo, along with Kennedy Forshey who also got a red in impromptu and a blue ribbon in her piano solo. Ruthie Hasenleder won her blue ribbon for her playing of the piano. Kassidy Forshey didn’t surprise anyone as she took her purple ribbons for a vocal solo and impromptu.
These kids show what America has to offer by giving their best in whatever they do, no matter what the color ribbon or reward. We all impatiently wait for next years 4-H Club Days.

Ping pong club to host benefit tournament

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:18 +0000

To honor a friend’s memory while raising funds for scholarships, the Ping Pong Club at Gardner Edgerton High School will host a table-tennis tournament on Saturday, March 3.
Officially dubbed the “First Ever Blazer Pong Squad Ping Pong Extravaganza,” the event is a benefit for the Andrew K. Hurd Memorial Scholarship Fund. Hurd, an original member of the Blazer Pong Squad when it began three years ago, died in a car accident on Aug. 23, 2010. He would have been a senior at GEHS this year.
GEHS Senior Hayden Cain came up with the idea for the tournament after participating in a student-organized memorial soccer game on the first anniversary of Hurd’s death.
“I thought a ping pong tournament that everyone could get involved in would be a fun way to remember Andrew,” Cain said. “(Hurd) was one heck of a nice guy, and I hope everyone can come out and show their support of him and his family.”
The Blazer Pong Squad’s regular Friday meetings generally draw about half of its 60 members—a good turnout considering the meetings are at 7 a.m. But this is the first time since its inception in 2009 that the club has ever attempted anything like a benefit tournament.
“This is a really big deal for us,” said Derrick Abromeit, a GEHS social studies teacher who also serves as a faculty sponsor for the Ping Pong club.
“It is going to be a great time and a really cool environment to be in,” Cain added. “Even if you don’t want to play, come out and check out the matches. The competition is going to be fierce.”
The double-elimination tournament, which will take place in GEHS’s main gym is open to table tennis players of all ages and abilities. Tournament play will include doubles and singles brackets for both competitive and recreational skill levels. Players may participate in more than one bracket. The entry fee, which includes a T-shirt, is $10 for the first event and $5 for each additional event.
The registration deadline is March 1. Late registrations will be accepted the morning of March 3, but these entrants are not guaranteed a T-shirt. Tournament check-in begins at 9 a.m. The event will conclude when the last match is played.
Registration forms are available online.
People who don’t play ping pong but still want to support the cause are encouraged to make donations to the Andrew K. Hurd Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards $1,000 to a deserving GEHS student each year. Information about Hurd’s life and the scholarship fund his family created in his honor can be seen at www.andrewkhurdscholarship.com.
To register for the tournament or for more information, visit http://www.usd231.com/webschools/forms/subpage.aspx?menu=1_307 or email Abromeit at AbromeitD@usd231.com. Forms and fees can be mailed to GEHS, ATTN: Ping Pong Tourney, 425 N. Waverly Road, Gardner, KS 66030.

OUR VIEW: Recording should be allowed

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:30:03 +0000

Cameras, recording should be allowed in Capitol committee hearings
Give anyone an ounce of power, and it goes directly to their heads. Nowhere is that more apparent this week than in the state Capitol where committee chairs are attempting to keep the people, at least electronically, out of public meetings.
A Lawrence pastor was asked to stop taking pictures during the House Federal State Affairs Committee meeting last week. According to media reports, Pastor Enrique Penaloza was standing against a wall in a committee hearing listening to testimony related to an illegal immigration bill when he snapped a photo and was reprimanded.
Committee chairs, who are members of the Kansas Legislature, should think long and hard before asking patrons to put away their cameras and recording devices during public meetings in public buildings.
In this instance, the offender was Wichita Republican Rep. Steve Brunk, chairman of the House committee. Prior to the meeting, he announced he would enforce a ban on video cameras, flash photography and recording devices.
We don’t get it.
While Kansas open meetings laws allow prohibitions on photography and recording devices in an attempt to insure orderly conduct of proceedings, we fail to see how a non-flash camera or an audio recorder could be so distracting as to warrant a ban.
When controversial topics are addressed in committee meetings at the Capitol, they typically occur in cramped rooms filled with interested participants, press and legislative staffers. There’s often very little space for the public at large, and in years past, that would be a problem.
But it shouldn’t be today. With the advent of cell phones, Twitter and YouTube, there’s no reason the public should ever be denied access, and that includes not just reporters or those with press badges, but those concerned citizens who may be tweeting or documenting the proceedings for social media or blogs.
Rep. Brunk owes Pastor Penaloza an apology. Brunk should take a moment and reflect on how his prohibition affects all Kansans. And honestly, the rest of Kansas should get an apology, too. By limiting the flow of information out of the Capitol, all Kansans are diminished.

County seeks online citizen input for budget planning

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:29:45 +0000

Mark Taylor
mtaylor@gardnernews.com
Johnson County Government is using technology to get citizens involved in the budget planning process.
The county has launched an online budget simulator that will allow citizens to help prioritize the county’s spending in the 2013 budget.
“We want more citizen engagement in the budget process,” said Hannes Zacharias, county manager. “This technology provides citizens a convenient opportunity to express their views, thereby helping the county develop spending priorities that match the values of the community, all at the click of a mouse.”
The budget simulator was launched Feb. 16 and will be accessible until April 6.
By accessing the budget simulator at www.jocogov.org, citizens will have an opportunity to prioritize and rank county services, including public transit, public safety, human services, parks and recreation and library services, among others.
That information will be taken into consideration by the Department of Budget and Financial Planning in establishing the 2013 budget.
The budget will then be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval.
According to a press release issued last week by the county, the goals of the budget simulator are “to seek increased community feedback in the budget process, foster an ongoing dialogue with the community regarding public services, and develop and informative, reliable process for the Board of County Commissioners to use for county service prioritization and budgetary decision-making that hits warp speed from June to August.”

First Published Feb 15, 2012

joant — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:25:44 +0000

Notice of Public Meeting
Center and Main Street Intersection Improvements

The City of Gardner will conduct an open house public meeting for the Center Street and Main Street Intersection Improvements Project at City Hall, 120 E. Main St., from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2012. Gardner residents are encouraged to attend this public meeting to view the preliminary plans, discuss project details with the design team, and provide feedback on the recommended alternative.

For further information regarding this project, please call 913-856-0914, or see our project web page: http://www.gardnerkansas.gov/engineering_projects/

HELP WANTED

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:00:59 +0000

HELP WANTED

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:00:50 +0000

PUBLIC NOTICE

submissions — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:00:39 +0000