Books available for check out at Osage City library

OSAGE CITY, Kan. – The State Library of Kansas recently announced the 12th annual selection of Kansas Notable Books, and the Osage City Public Library has received a grant to purchase all 15 of the titles. The library has them on display and available for check out.

The books feature quality titles with wide public appeal, either written by Kansans or about a Kansas-related topic. The Kansas Notable Book List highlights our lively contemporary writing community and encourages readers to enjoy some of the best writing of the authors among us.

“Our list is intended to showcase Kansas’ unique talent and history while encouraging residents to visit their library and check out the celebrated titles,” said State Librarian Jo Budler.

2017 Kansas Notable Books

Fast-Food Sonnets: Poems by Dennis Etzel Jr.; Ghost Sign: Poems from White Buffalo by Al Ortolani, Melissa Fite Johnson, Adam Jameson, and J.T. Knoll; Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future by Allan Drummond; Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard; Hurt People: A Novel by Cote Smith; Ioway Life: Reservation and Reform, 1837-1860 by Greg Olson; The Last Wild Places of Kansas: Journeys into Hidden Landscapes by George Frazier; Lost and Gone Forever: A Novel of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad by Alex Grecian; The Memory of Lemon: A Novel by Judith Fertig; Mike Torrez: A Baseball Biography by Jorge Iber; A Nest of Hornets by Robert Krenzel; Never Enough Flamingos by Janelle Diller; Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball by Scott Morrow Johnson; Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented the Wild West by Candace Fleming; The Small-Town Midwest: Resilience and Hope in the Twenty-First Century by Julianne Couch.

On Aug. 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will occur as the moon passes directly in front of the sun, darkening the sky. With increased traffic anticipated across the state as people travel to view the eclipse, the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Turnpike Authority, and Kansas Highway Patrol advise travelers to plan ahead and enjoy the eclipse safely.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 200 million people live within driving distance of the eclipse’s path of totality. While only the northeast corner of the state will be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse, the rest of Kansas will still experience part of the astronomical event.

With an increase in traffic and travel time expected, travelers should be patient, avoid distractions, and practice safe driving habits.

“We understand the excitement around the solar eclipse, and we encourage Kansans and our travelers to enjoy this rare opportunity. We do, however, want you to remain safe as you take the opportunity to witness this occurrence,” said Lt. Adam Winters, KHP public information officer.

Travelers across the state are encouraged to follow these tips to drive safely on the day of the eclipse:

• Allow plenty of travel time to reach a safe place for viewing, as roads may be congested due to increased traffic.
• Do not take photos or wear the eclipse sunglasses when driving.
• Do not pull over to the side of the highway to view the solar eclipse. Find a location off the highway and right-of-way to observe and/or take photos.
• If you are driving during the eclipse, turn on your headlights and do not rely on your automatic headlights.
• Expect the unexpected: watch out for other drivers and pedestrians.
• Plan ahead for fuel needs and always remember to keep your gas tank full during long trips.

Update: Dog swim day has been cancelled due to a sudden change in water chemistry leading to discoloration. The pool is officially closed as of Aug. 11.

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It’s fair time! The Overbrook Osage County Fair begins today, Wednesday, Aug. 9, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 12. The fair parade will be on Main Street at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Fire station open house

Osage County Fire District No. 4 will host an open house with games, food, fun and a blood drive 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12.

Dog and animal control ordinance update

After discussion by the city council discussion in July, it was decided to review similar ordinances from other cities with the possibility of creating a new ordinance that includes humane treatment and animal husbandry conditions along with the number of dogs allowed per residence. More discussion will be held at the August city council meeting.

2018 city budget

The 2018 budget has been drafted and will be presented to Overbrook residents at a public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017, before the monthly council meeting.

Overbrook swimming pool

Update: Pool closed Aug. 11. The swimming pool closes for the season Saturday, Aug. 12, with a free swim day. Then, it’s “Dog Day at the Pool” noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, for a dogs only swim; no humans allowed.

Osage County Emergency Management and Local Emergency Planning Committee will host a training and exercise planning workshop at 7 p.m. Aug. 24, 2017, at the Meyer Conference Room, Osage County Sheriff’s Department, 141 W. 14th St., Lyndon, Kan.

The focus of the workshop will be to provide participants the opportunity to develop a coordinated and comprehensive exercise and training calendar using the capabilities-based planning process to support the priorities and needs of all response partners within Osage County.

The workshop is designed to assess capabilities and preparedness levels of participating agencies, identify a cycle of exercises that increase in complexity to improve capabilities, and prepare a multi-year training and exercise calendar for 2018, 2019 and 2020. A multi-year training and exercise calendar uses a combination of exercises to accomplish program goals and objectives.

The workshop’s goal is to gain a clear picture of local agencies’ capabilities, resources, and level of training. The workshop will help each agency and the county identify training and exercise needs for the upcoming three years.

Participating agencies should notify Bryce Romine, Osage County emergency management director, of the number of expected participants by Aug. 22, 2017. For more information, contact Romine at 785-828-3323.

Work will begin on Monday, Aug. 7, 2017, to install new edge line rumble strips on U.S. 50, I-70, U.S. 75, K-10, I-35 and U.S. 73 in Osage, Chase, Lyon, Shawnee, Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth and Brown counties.

During construction, flaggers will be used to slow and guide traffic through the work zones. Work is expected to be completed in early October. The contractor will be working on the project, weather permitting, during daylight hours on Mondays through Fridays. Motorists are asked to use extra caution in the work zone areas.

STF, LLC, DBA Traffic Control Company, of Valley Park, Mo., is the primary contractor on the $115,728.30 project.

Osage County EMS will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility in Osage City. The event will be at 8 a.m. Monday, July 31, 2017, at the future site of the facility at the  corner of Sixth and Main streets.

The 3,200-square-foot facility will house an on-duty ambulance, living quarters for a paramedic crew, a reserve ambulance, and administrative offices.

Osage County EMS provides emergency and non-emergency ambulance service in Osage County, with two paramedic ambulances and a reserve ambulance staffed at stations in Osage City and Carbondale.

For more information, contact Donna Connell, Osage County EMS service director, at 785-305-0873.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded boil water advisories for Lyon County Rural Water District No. 3 and Park Place Communities Management; both systems are in Lyon County.

The advisories were issued because of a line break that caused a loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination. A boil water advisory remains in effect for Coffey County Rural Water District 2E.

Laboratory testing samples collected from Lyon County RWD No. 3 and Park Place Communities Management indicate no evidence of contamination, and all other conditions that placed the systems at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded boil water advisories for the cities of Admire, Hartford and Olpe, and Lyon County Rural Water District No. 2 and Lyon County RWD No. 4. All systems are located in Lyon County. The advisories were issued because of a line break that caused a loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Laboratory testing samples collected from Admire, Hartford, Olpe, Lyon Co. RWD 2 and Lyon Co. RWD 4 indicate no evidence of contamination, and all other conditions that placed the systems at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Boil water advisories remain in effect for the following public water supply systems in Lyon County: Coffey County Rural Water District 2E; Lyon County Rural Water District No. 3; and Park Place Communities Management.

TOPEKA, Kan. – On July 1, 2017, new domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking-related laws came into effect for Kansas.

Many of these laws have been enacted in other states offering the same or similar protections. One example is the Protection from Stalking or Sexual Assault Act amendment, which adds sexual assault to the definition of abuse and more clearly defines sexual assault for the purpose of getting a protection order. Sexual assault will now be defined as “engaging in any sexual contact or attempted sexual contact with another person without consent or when such person is incapable of giving consent.” Thirty-two states currently offer a protection order for a sexual assault victim, Kansas being the newest addition to this growing list.

“We are really excited this legislature has picked up these issues as being critical safety issues for victims and survivors,” said Joyce Grover, executive director of Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. “They will provide safety all over the state for years to come.”

Other amendment topics include strangulation, discussion of fatalities in closed meetings, mental health compensation, consideration of abuse in custody decisions, parental notification after assault, and infectious disease testing of offenders.

A list of the changes effective on July 1, 2017:

Multiple systems remain subject to boil water advisories

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for the city of Allen located in Lyon County. The advisory was issued because of a line break that caused a loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Laboratory testing samples collected from the City of Allen indicate no evidence of contamination, and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Boil water advisories remains in effect for the following public water supply systems in Lyon and Coffey counties: City of Admire; Coffey County Rural Water District 2E; city of Hartford; Lyon County Rural Water District 2; Lyon County Rural Water District 3; Lyon County Rural Water District 4; city of Olpe; Park Place Communities Management.