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Osage County Places: Melvern’s old bridge now only carries railroad buffs and walkers

View of Melvern’s Pine Street Bridge from Railroad Park; staghorn sumac in foreground. The Pine Street Bridge, also known as Fifth Street Bridge, in Melvern, Kan., was constructed between More »

Association releases 4-H and open results for 2017 Osage County Fair, Osage City

Members of the Osage County Farm Bureau serve up cold watermelon at the 2017 Osage County Fair. The Osage County Fair Association has released the results of 4-H and More »

Hidden History: Osage City opera house operator finds fame for others

An old postcard depicts the Grand Opera House at Osage City; from collections of Osage County Historical Society. By Wendi Bevitt At one time, Osage City had two opera More »

On the path of totality, Osage County trekkers bask in moon’s shadow

Eclipse watchers at Benedictine College stadium look to the sky to try to see the eclipse through cloud cover. While cloudy weather caused the solar eclipse to be elusive More »

Filings in the Osage County Courthouse, Sept. 11 – Sept. 15, 2017

September 20, 2017   Wayne White

The following information was compiled from records at the Osage County Courthouse, Sept. 11 through Sept. 15, 2017.

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William ‘Bill’ Ray Trueblood, 77, Osage City: Oct. 13, 1939 – Sept. 17, 2017

September 20, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

OSAGE CITY, Kan. – William ‘Bill’ Ray Trueblood, 77, passed away Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, at Osage Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Osage City, Kan. He was born Oct. 13, 1939, in Barclay, Kan., the son of Claude L. and Ellen Marconett Trueblood.

Bill attended Osage City High School and graduated with the class of 1957. He later attended Emporia State Teachers College. Bill joined the Kansas National Guard in 1960. After serving for 30 years he retired as a master sergeant in 1990. Bill farmed his entire life in the Barclay area. He began working for the Kansas Department of Transportation as an engineer in January 1961. His work took him throughout eastern Kansas. Bill retired with 40 years of service in 2001.

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OCPR Update: Get your kicks with Tae Kwon Do classes

September 19, 2017   Sponsor

OCPR-logo-redOsage City Parks and Recreation has made it easy to get your kicks with the fall session of Tae Kwon Do underway; also youth tackle football games are ongoing through the end of September. Here are the details of OCPR activities:

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Osage County Jail Log, Sept. 10 – 14, 2017

September 19, 2017   Wayne White

The following individuals were booked into the Osage County Jail in connection with charges or warrants as listed by the arresting agency.

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Man without a mission strolls through America’s hospitality

September 19, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

Larry and Debi Chrum offered Osage City hospitality and a home away from home to continental walker CJ Richards, right.

OSAGE CITY, Kan. – When CJ Richards started walking from his home in Derry, N.H., on May 7, he thought his trek would introduce him to America’s sights. Instead, as he realized not far from home, he had set out to meet America’s people.

Now, more than halfway through his 3,000-plus-mile trip to the California coast, Richards says his connection with people along the way is what has kept him walking.

“I’ve learned people are out to help you, not out to get you,” Richards said last week, sitting at the kitchen table in Debi and Larry Chrum’s home in Osage City.

His connection to the Chrums was just one example of him meeting people along the way who have offered hospitality to a traveling stranger.

Richards readily admits his decision to walk across the United States was for his own pursuit of happiness. He’s not walking for a cause or representing a charity.

He said he has enjoyed hiking since he was young, when he and a friend started hiking together while in Boy Scouts. And living in New Hampshire, the Appalachian Trail was practically in his back yard.

He had thought about taking a long hike before, such as the entire Appalachian Trail, but had also considered a cross-country trip.

Now 25 years old, he said he began thinking that he wasn’t getting younger, and there might not be another time when he was as unencumbered by life’s responsibilities.

“I started looking at my brothers, how they are involved with their families and jobs,” Richards said, “and thought now was my chance. I thought, ‘I’ve got to get going and do this now.’”

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Osage City woman dies after crash near Lawrence early Friday

September 19, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

An Osage City woman died after an early morning crash Friday about six miles north of Lawrence, Kan.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Carly Cornelison, 21, Osage City, died after the single-vehicle accident near the 400 block of North 2100 Road.

The sheriff’s office reported that a deputy was on patrol about 2 a.m. Sept. 15, 2017, and discovered a Chevrolet Impala that had left the roadway and struck a tree. Cornelison was found unresponsive in the vehicle. She was transported by ground ambulance to Stormont Vail Hospital, where she later died.

The sheriff’s office reported Cornelison was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle and she was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident.

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Jeffery D. Payne, 58, Lyndon: March 23, 1959 – Sept. 13, 2017

September 18, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

LYNDON, Kan. – Jeffery D. Payne, 58, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at Midland Hospice House, Topeka, Kan. He was born on March 23, 1959, in Gardner, Kan., the son of James and Helen Jenks Payne Sr.

Jeff had lived in Lyndon most of his life. He had worked as a mechanic of Sloop Sales & Hook’s Repair, south of Lyndon, for several years.

Jeff was married to Rebecca “Susie” Bruntmyer on June 30, 1990, at Pomona Lake.

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City of Osage City: Fall Citywide Cleanup Week, Sept. 18 through Sept. 22

September 18, 2017   Sponsor

City of Osage City’s Fall Citywide Cleanup Week will be September 18 through September 22. Cleanup will be for the one week only – all items should be placed at curbside by 7:00 a.m. on your regular scheduled trash pickup day.

Special pickup service can be scheduled for an additional fee. To schedule a special pickup or inquire about the fee, call Osage City Hall at 785-528-3714.

Acceptable items include: Boxes, junk furniture, mattresses, small appliances and other metal items, other bulky items, all smaller items must be bagged or boxed, metal and brush must be separated.

Items that will NOT be picked up: Tires; vehicles and/or major auto parts; buildings, major building parts, or large piles of building material; construction materials – no lumber; plaster or drywall; roofing materials; concrete chunks; loose piles of trash; animal carcasses; refrigerators with Freon; NO HAZARDOUS WASTE.

City employees will not enter your property to pick up trash and the City reserves the right to not pick up selected items that are not a part of this list.

The next City Wide Clean up will be scheduled for Spring 2018. No limbs or brush will be picked up until that time, unless a severe storm occurs.

Compost Site

The City of Osage City has a compost site located at 4th & Superior Streets (behind the old sewer plant) for dumping of tree limbs, grass clippings and leaves. For more information contact City Hall at 785-528-3714.

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Phyllis Ann Sluder, 87, Quenemo: July 23, 1930 – Sept. 15, 2017

September 18, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

QUENEMO, Kan. – Phyllis Ann Sluder, 87, passed away on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, at Ottawa Retirement Village, Ottawa, Kan. She was born on July 23, 1930, in Kansas City, Mo., the daughter of John and Grace Scherer Rusk.

Phyllis grew up in Kansas City and had lived in Tonganoxie, Kan., before moving to rural Quenemo, Kan., in 1970.

Phyllis graduated from the University of Missouri and worked for AT&T as an assistant engineer. She then earned a teaching degree from Emporia State University and taught elementary school for 15 years at USD 456. She attended Quenemo United Methodist Church where she was active in UMW, and was a member of the Melvern American Legion Auxiliary, and had worked on the Agency Township Election Board for many years.

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A Cowboy’s Faith: Pleasant memories of inspirational hero

September 17, 2017   Frank J. Buchman   1 Comment

A Cowboy's Faith: Click to read more from Frank J. Buchman.“Don’t smile at a funeral.”

Whoever said that would’ve been offended by reflections bringing pleasantries at recent graveside services.

Uncontrollable, the honorable feeling as the good pastor put 92 years into 15 minutes.

True living, farm life to the ultimate, yet most remarkably one of the very best people ever known. Wasn’t acquainted with Max until he provided sheep for a judging contest hosted by neighbor farm couple.

Always the most personable gentleman, remaining-lifetime friendship soon established. When that annual field day became this ranch project, Max was most dependable help.

Sometimes call-request was late, but the class or two of sheep always arrived early. Whatever assistance needed, moving livestock, taking reasons, collecting cards, Max did it.

A quarter-of-a-century, sometimes beautiful, sometimes icy cold. One frigid day, big wooly sheep escaped. Younger set scattering to retrieve from a 10-acre field, Max grinned the way for which he was best known.

At first-year horse sale during the field day, Tyson offered Little Jo, filly he’d trained, for auction. Apparent affection between not-yet-teenager and proud-project created sentimentality.

Max’s heartstrings touched, demanding: “You can’t sell that boy’s horse.” Gavel dropped, but Jo remained.

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Help Wanted: Three Lakes seeks substitute LPNs and RNs

September 15, 2017   Sponsor

Substitute LPNs and RNs needed for all Osage County and West Franklin County School Districts. Please send resume and references to Three Lakes Educational Cooperative, 1318 Topeka Ave., Lyndon, KS 66451, fax to 785-828-3671, or email to Jill Renner at jrenner@three-lakes.org.

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Osage County Places: Melvern’s old bridge now only carries railroad buffs and walkers

September 15, 2017   Contributor   No comments

View of Melvern’s Pine Street Bridge from Railroad Park; staghorn sumac in foreground.

The Pine Street Bridge, also known as Fifth Street Bridge, in Melvern, Kan., was constructed between May and August of 1909. It spans 148 feet and has a 15-foot wide wooden deck over a main double track line of the BNSF railroad.

It may have been constructed from materials from an earlier railroad bridge dating back to 1884. The only marking is the word “Cambria” stamped on some of the beams. This indicates it was manufactured by the Cambria Steel Co. of Johnstown, Penn.

The bridge was designed for vehicular traffic originally, but is now open only for pedestrian crossings.

The BNSF railroad was originally chartered as The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1859. By the time this bridge was built over the double track, AT&SF had more than 9,000 miles of rail.

Melvern is a great town to safely view trains passing from this bridge or from a viewing stand in Railroad Park.

The Pine Street Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Sheriff asks Osage City area residents to check vehicles for missing property, break-ins

September 15, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

OSAGE CITY, Kan. – Following a raid on a home in Osage City during which numerous stolen items were recovered, the Osage County Sheriff has issued a notice to area residents to check their vehicles for missing items or possible break-ins.

Osage County Sheriff Laurie Dunn said a search warrant was served on Sept. 12, 2017, at 214 S. Sixth St., Osage City, in connection to several car burglaries that occurred in the Osage City area on the night of Sept. 7, or early morning hours of Sept. 8.

The sheriff said numerous stolen items were recovered including handguns. She said some of the suspected vehicle burglaries have not yet been reported to the Osage City Police Department or the sheriff’s office.

Contacted by Osage County News Thursday, Dunn declined to identify the residents of the home and would not say whether the residents of the home were suspects in the auto burglaries. She said the case will be forwarded to the Osage County Attorney’s Office for prosecution when the investigation is completed.

Anyone who believes that items are missing from their vehicle or their vehicle has been broken into is encouraged to report it to the sheriff’s office or Osage City police.

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Nona Maurine Adams, 93, Lawrence: Dec. 22, 1923 – Sept. 13, 2017

September 15, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Nona Maurine Adams, 93, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kan. Maurine was born Dec. 22, 1923, in Manhattan, Kan. She was the daughter of Albert Edward and Mary Lee (Turner) Waterstradt.

She graduated from Chapman High School in 1941. She earned a degree in mathematics from the University of Kansas in 1945 and a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Emporia State University in 1972.

She was joined in marriage to Paul D. Adams on June 24, 1945, in Lawrence.

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Burlingame teen’s love of geology bestows him with ‘Rock Star’ title

September 15, 2017   Contributor   No comments

Zach Smith – Rock Star rockhound

Topeka Gem and Mineral Society will recognize a Burlingame teenager as a “Rock Star” after he recently became one of only two Kansas students to achieve this national status among dedicated rockhounds.

Zach Smith, 15, of Burlingame, Kan., recently completed the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies’ Future Rockhounds of America Program, earning the Rock Star status. Only one other student in Kansas, and only 27 in the United States, have ever achieved this national status since the program began in 2009.

Smith’s love of geology began when he was about 8 years old. He and his brother were looking for golf balls that had fallen into a drainage ditch near Forbes Field Golf Course in Topeka, Kan. Instead of golf balls, Smith found what he believed to be a Dalmation stone. The white stone with black spots was the beginning of a new adventure.

Since then, he has attended geology camp at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, visited geologically rich locations like the Coralville Formation in Coralville, Iowa, and went on a three-day geology field trip across Kansas as part of Cair Paravel Latin School’s summer programming.

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Peggy Ann Schreiber, 76, Lawrence: Feb. 23, 1941 – Sept. 13, 2017

September 14, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Peggy Ann Schreiber, 76, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kan. She was born on Feb. 23, 1941, in Osage City, Kan., the daughter of William and Neva Karnes Mathieu.

Peggy grew up in Osage City. She lived in Hoyt, Kan., before moving to Lyndon, Kan., in 1982 where she lived until 2012, when she moved to Lawrence.

Peggy graduated from Osage City High School in 1959. She had worked for the state of Kansas on the Board of Emergency Medical Services for 26 years until her retirement in 2003. She had been a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, Vassar, Kan.

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Snapchat post caused school district closure; Carbondale teen enters plea

September 14, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

LYNDON, Kan. – Just 15 words, two sentences, possibly a joke, posted on a popular social media network caused the entire Santa Fe Trail school district to close for the day on April 20, 2017, and resulted in a charge of criminal threat being brought against a 15-year-old Santa Fe Trail High School student.

Devin M. Culbertson, 15, of Carbondale, appeared in Osage County District Court today and entered a plea of no contest to a reduced charge of felony criminal threat.

Culbertson was originally charged with aggravated criminal threat in a May 4, 2017, criminal complaint. His attorney, Jack Hobbs, told the court the charge had been amended as result of plea negotiations with Osage County Attorney Brandon Jones.

In a press release about the arrest of Culbertson on the evening of April 19, Osage County Sheriff Laurie Dunn said the threat that caused the closure of the school was made verbally. “This was a verbal threat, no weapons or explosives were involved,” the sheriff said in the release.

An arrest affidavit filed by Osage County Sheriff Deputy Derrick Feliciano said that SFTHS Principal Patrick Graham notified him around 6 p.m. April 19, 2017, of a post on Snapchat he had received anonymously from a concerned parent.

According to Feliciano, Culbertson said in the Snapchat post, “[redacted] and [redacted] just dared me to columbine this place. Don’t come to school tomorrow.”

The deputy reported the statement was followed by four emoji smiley faces.

Feliciano also noted in his report that the next day, April 20, was the anniversary of the Columbine school shootings that happened in 1999 in Colorado.

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Osage City set to celebrate 2017 Festival of Beer

September 14, 2017   Wayne White   No comments

The Osage City Chamber of Commerce has scheduled this year’s Festival of Beer for 3-6 p.m. Sept. 30, 2017, at the 4-H pavilion at Osage City’s Jones Park.

In addition to dozens of craft, import and local Kansas beers to sample, the Bryton Stoll Band will perform, and the ever-popular raffle table will be offering prizes of all kinds. A local food truck will be available for concessions.

Beer aficionados are given a sample glass at the door and can take it home with them.

Tickets are $25 in advance at Jerry’s Thriftway, Osage City; Mulready’s, Emporia; and at brownpaperticket.com. At the gate, tickets are $30. Must be 21 to attend.

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Your senior center – open to all

September 13, 2017   Senior Center   No comments

Osage County citizens of all ages are always invited to enjoy ongoing activities at the Osage County Senior Center. Upcoming excursions include shopping trips to Topeka, with the next one departing from the center at 10 a.m. Sept. 22. Riders can pick the destinations they want to visit.

For more information, contact the center at 785-528-4906, or stop by at 602 Market St., Osage City, Kan.

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Help House News: Local food drive nets a ton of canned goods

September 13, 2017   Contributor   No comments

By Raylene Quaney

There was a great response to the countywide food drive through Harvesters held July 15-22. This was the first time a summer collection program was held, with 2,083.5 pounds of canned food donated to the Osage County food pantry at Help House.

We would like to thank the following for working to make the program such a success: Countryside Baptist, Osage City, Cowboy Church, Scranton, Crossroads Church, Scranton, Grace Community Church, Overbrook, Jerry’s Thriftway, Osage City, Lyndon United Methodist Church, Lyndon, Melvern United Methodist Church, Melvern, Michigan Valley Community Church, Michigan Valley, Michigan Valley United Methodist Church, Michigan Valley, Overbrook United Methodist Church, Overbrook, Quenemo United Methodist Church, Quenemo, Salt Creek Lighthouse, Lyndon, True Grace, Melvern, Vassar United Methodist Church, Vassar, Zion Lutheran, Vassar.

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Consumer Alert: Attorney general offers tips following Equifax data breach

September 13, 2017   Contributor   No comments

TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has offered tips for consumers to reduce their risk of identity theft following last week’s announcement by Equifax of a data breach affecting some 143 million U.S consumers.

Schmidt said an investigation of the breach is underway but is likely to be a lengthy process.

“This reported breach appears to be so large, and the compromised information so sensitive, that all Kansans should take a moment to focus on steps they can take to reduce the risk of identity theft while the investigation of this breach unfolds,” Schmidt said.

Equifax, one of the country’s three main credit reporting bureaus, last week reported that information compromised between May and July of this year is believed to include names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers.

Here are some general tips to protect you after a data breach:

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