3/6/2011

july

2The prosecution plans to present evidence that Justin Letourneau was shot to death partly because he was telling people about an earlier murder that he witnessed, assistant Saline County attorney Christina Trocheck reveals at a hearing in Saline County District Court. She presented the information as she asked District Judge Jerome Hellmer to set aside a ruling he previously had made granting separate trials for Willie Parker in the deaths of Letourneau and Alfred "Al" Mack. Hellmer reversed his earlier ruling and agreed to have a combined trial.

2Despite several heavy storms at the start of harvest, a dry two weeks has allowed Kansas farmers to bring their wheat to the elevators.

3Graduates of the Asbury School of Nursing gather at Salina Regional Health Center for an all-school reunion. Opened in 1925, the three-year nursing school closed in 1989.

3Former Hawthorne Elementary School students dig up a time capsule they buried in 1976, finding such treasures as a comb, a Michael Jackson record and old copies of the Salina Journal.

4Rain, rain and the prospect of more rain prompt organizers to postpone Salina's Skyfire fireworks show.

5Former students involved in a senior prank that school officials said went too far at Ell-Saline High School have made appearances in Saline County District Court, and several are seeking diversion agreements so that no criminal charges will appear on their records. Nine recent graduates initially were charged as juveniles or adults with criminal damage to property and criminal trespass in connection with the May 10 incident, which left the school smelling of skunk and doors chained shut from the inside. Those charged will be jointly responsible for more than $2,600 in damages, which includes the cost of having carpets professionally cleaned.

5Maggie Zingman, of Chandler, Okla., stops in Salina in preparation for the Surviving Parent Coalition's Ride for Their Lives bicycle tour, scheduled to come through Salina and Colby on Sept. 4 and 5. Zingman hopes that by continuing to publicize the rape and strangulation of her daughter, Brittany Phillips, on Sept. 28, 2004, police ultimately will find the clue that will lead them to the man responsible for her daughter's death. She thinks her daughter's killer might have come through Salina as he fled Oklahoma.

6One woman is killed and another is injured in a stabbing at a home in Assaria. The injured woman drives from Assaria to Lowe's, 3035 S. Ninth, and runs inside, then walks back out and waits for authorities to arrive. The woman's car, a white Lincoln which had personalized Saline County tags, was parked near a display of lawn mowers at the front of the store. It had a large amount of blood inside and blood stains were visible on the drive's side rear door. Police seek the man responsible for the crimes.

6All charges are dismissed against a former St. Francis Community Services employee who had been accused of child abuse for his actions to restrain a 15-year-old boy after the boy began shoving staff members. Saline County District Court Judge Daniel Hebert dismisses charges against Kenneth J. Kossow, 33, of Gypsum, at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing after viewing a video of the incident that occurred Feb. 24 at the residential facility for boys who have mental health or behavioral problems.

6Members of Saline County's planning and zoning commission unanimously approve a request from Alsop Sand to move its mining operation to a small lake at Webster Conference Center, northwest of the intersection of Interstate Highway 70 and Ohio Street. The company already mines sand on the northeast side of the intersection, on land also owned by the conference center.

7Valerie Paulson, 38, had gone to her Assaria home to retrieve some of her belongings when she was attacked, allegedly by her husband, and stabbed to death, Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski says. Her sister-in-law, Jessie Putman, who had gone with her, also suffered multiple stab wounds, but she escaped and drove to Lowe's, 3035 S. Ninth, to seek help. Putman underwent surgery at Salina Regional Health Center and was in good condition. Paulson's husband, Michael Andrew "Andy" Paulson, 39, was arrested by Ottawa County sheriff's officers and Kansas Highway Patrol officers at a cafe in Bennington. The owner of the cafe said Paulson walked in clutching a photograph and said he needed the police, and asked for a glass of water.

8Volunteers with Trinity United Methodist Church, 901 E. Neal, schedule a "blitz build" to construct a house for Habitat for Humanity at 226 N. Second. More than 30 people gather at the site to begin framing what will be Habitat's 28th house in Salina. It will take about three days to frame the house and get sheeting on the outside walls and roof of the one-story, four-bedroom house.

8The Olive Garden once again topped the list of most requested restaurants in a survey conducted by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, but officials with the restaurant say there are no plans to open a site in Salina. The May retail survey, the second of its kind, generated 1,118 responses, up from 909 in 2007. Salinans also want to see Chipotle and Panera Bread. The top three retail stores they'd like to see are Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and Gordman's/Home Improvement.

9Bond for Michael Andrew "Andy" Paulson is set at $2.5 million as he makes his first appearance in Saline County District Court via television hookup from Saline County Jail. If found guilty of first-degree murder, Paulson would face a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison. For attempted first-degree murder, the sentencing range would be from 12 years, three months to 54 years, five months. He is accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Valerie Paulson, 38, and attempting to kill his sister-in-law, Jessie Putman, 41, at the Paulsons' Assaria home.

9Work is under way on a new devotional garden on the south side of Kansas Wesleyan University's Pioneer Hall. President Fletcher Lamkin said the idea for the garden started when a deteriorated cross-and-flame Methodist logo was taken down but some sort of replacement was needed.

12Salina city commissioners give their OK to the August closure of the city's yard waste site on Markley Road. Mike Fraser, Salina's director of public works, says the cost of operating the site has greatly increased since the 2007 ice storm.

12World War II veterans are given the chance to relive their bombing missions as the Wings of Freedom tour brings B-17 bombers and other planes to the Salina Municipal Airport.

12Salina city commissioners agree to place $10.5 million in Bicentennial Center improvements on the city's five-year capital improvement plan, but say they'll decide later how to fund the improvements.

18Nnaemeka "Emeka" A. Obiagmu, 22, of Pine Bluff, Ark., a student at Bethany College, drowns during a barbecue at Lakeside Recreational Park in southern Saline County. Friends realized he was missing shortly before 6:30 p.m. and called the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said.

18More than 200 head of cattle die near Minneapolis after temperatures soar above 100 degrees over the weekend. Perry Owens, president of the Kansas Cattlemen's Association board of directors and manager of Ottawa County Feeders, tells KWCH television that cattle began dying July 17, and the deaths continued for several days after. Temperatures were in the range of 103 degrees.

20About 1.66 inches of rain falls in Salina rather quickly during a series of thunderstorms that spread across north-central Kansas, but little, if any, damage is reported in the area. Miltonvale had one of the largest recorded rainfall totals in the state -- 5.8 inches of rain from late afternoon July 10 to early July 21, said Leon Wasinger, a forecaster from the National Weather Service in Wichita. Minneapolis reported 3.09 inches and Ellsworth 1.91 inches.

23More than 1,000 custom cars fill Oakdale Park as the Kustom Kemps of America's 30th Anniversary Leadsled Spectacular gets under way.

24Members of the Salina area Kansas Storm Special Olympics basketball team return from the National Special Olympics in Lincoln, Neb., to a victory celebration after winning the gold. It was the first gold medal earned by a Kansas Special Olympics team in national competition since the late 1980s.

25A man is shot dead near the playground in Sunset Park about 7:40 p.m. on a cool Sunday evening that had brought many adults and children to the park. Witnesses say a large party had been going on in the shelter near the park entrance where the shooting occurred, and there were children on the playground.

26Authorities arrest two people in connection with the fatal shooting of Salinan Derek Dean Rico, 17, who was shot with a medium-caliber handgun. Juan Pablo Ramos Jr., 18, was arrested the night of the shooting and is charged with aiding a felon. Jose M. Garay, 28, of Salina, was arrested the next day in Dodge City on a charge of first-degree murder. Garay's arrest came about the same time as friends and relatives of Rico gathered in Sunset Park for a candlelight vigil in honor of the victim.

27Under the county's proposed 2011 budget, the property tax levy will remain the same, and there will be no cost-of-living pay increase for county workers for another year. However, those workers not already at the top of the pay scale for their positions will receive step pay increases.

27Organizers of the Kustom Kemps of America Leadsled Spectacular liked the extra space they gained by moving from Thomas Park to Oakdale Park, but trash pickup was a problem. Frank LaForge, an exhibitor out of Wichita, said trash containers were full when he arrived Saturday morning and he didn't see anyone emptying them near his spot by the park's Eric Stein stage. At one point, he said, the trash formed a 2-foot-tall pyramid above the trash can.

28Only about 400 people ¬­-- less than 3 percent of Saline County's 35,000 eligible voters -- have cast ballots in advance of the primary election, County Clerk Don Merriman says.

28Bel Air Southern Baptist Church, a 50-year-old church with its roots embedded in the U.S. Air Force, has celebrated its final service and hopes to sell its building at 1100 W. Cloud. Dwindling membership prompted the church to close, the Rev. Kirk Stricker says.

29A call has gone out to artists to apply for SculptureTour Salina, an exhibition of sculptures to be placed along a three-block stretch of Santa Fe Avenue from May 2011 through April 2012.

29A lack of bus stops has delayed the start of a new bus line that eventually will provide service between Wichita and Salina and Wichita and Pueblo, Colo. Service should begin in a couple of months.

30The latest numbers show that Salina's housing market has slowed; it's taking longer for single-family homes to sell, and the number of homes sold in June was down compared with June 2009. However, the average sale price rose from $129,354 in June 2009 to $134,869 this June.

august

2Salina Police Chief Jim Hill says the July 25 shooting death of Derek Rico, 17, could be an indicator that Salina has a gang problem. His comments come after City Commissioner Samantha Angell says during a city commission study session that she's concerned with recent headlines about murders and other violent crimes.

2Dangerously high temperatures are back in the forecast, but Salinans are taking the scorching temperatures in stride. The National Weather Service in Wichita issued a heat advisory for the Salina area. High temperatures are forecast to be in the low 100s with the heat index in the 110-degree range.

2Davin Sprague, 37, 2660 E. Shipton, is arrested on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder after the body of his wife, Kandi L. Sprague, 28, is found buried on the two-acre property where she and her husband lived. Kandi Sprague had been reported missing July 29 by a family member who had not had contact with her since about July 23, said Saline County Undersheriff Dave Dunstan. The family member who reported her missing was not her husband.

3Tom Arpke unseats longtime Rep. Deena Horst, R-Salina, to win the Republican nomination for the 69th District House seat in the primary election. The unofficial tally is Arpke 1,088, Horst 792. Incumbent Charlie Roth easily defeats challengers J. Neil Jednoralski and Dr. Ronald Young, both of Salina, for the Republican nomination for the 71st District House seat. In the race for Saline County Commission, incumbent Randy Duncan beats challenger Phyllis Anderson for the Republican nomination. Democrat Barb Shirley defeats Mike Zrubek for the Democratic nomination.

4While mechanical problems have caused temporary shutdowns of some of the features at Kenwood Cove aquatic park, attendance has remained high as temperatures have soared. The park was expected to bring in just more than 91,000 people for the first year, according to Steve Snyder, parks and recreation director; it averaged 1,633 a day between June 5 and July 31, as attendance hit 92,285.

4Volunteers with American Legion Post 62 provide water for CityGo bus riders as temperatures climb.

5Salina's string of 100-degree days is broken, but it was still plenty hot enough that some of the animals at the Tri-Rivers Fair needed extra attention.

6City park and Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials believe an algae bloom might be the culprit in the deaths of 300 to 500 fish in Jerry Ivey Park. When parks department staff arrived at the park after a call from a resident, they encountered the smell and sight of bloated bullhead catfish, channel catfish, perch and goldfish floating in the park's small pond; surrounding the dead fish was a large amount of algae.

6For the third year in a row, the proposed Salina city budget does not include merit or cost-of-living pay increases, although City Manager Jason Gage said commissioners have indicated they will look at the budget midyear to see if employees will get a raise.

7First Congressional District Republicans meet in Salina for an "I'll Back the Winner Unity Breakfast" following the primary election. The event was one of several GOP rallies around the state.

9Mark Dinkel, attorney for Paul Henry Parker Jr., argues in a motion filed in Saline County District Court that the sentence Parker is expected to receive for raping an elderly Salina Regional Health Center patient is "cruel and unusual." Parker is expected to be sentenced to 51 years and eight months for the rape, without consideration of aggravating circumstances. Dinkel compared the sentence to the sentence for premeditated murder -- life with parole eligibility after 25 years.

12A woman and her 10-year-old daughter escape from a fire in a house at 622 Ralph, but the family's two dogs die of smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire and its point of origin are unknown.

12Temperatures in Salina reach 105 degrees, but that's nowhere near the record high for the area. In 1936, officials say, it was 117 degrees in Salina on Aug. 12.

13Property owners could see taxes go down slightly. The combined property tax levy is projected to decrease by less than a hundredth of a mill -- 0.075 -- from a combined actual mill levy of 128.054 in 2009 to an estimated 127.979 for 2010.

16Salina residents could decide in November whether the city's sales tax should be increased by 0.25 percent to help pay a portion of the cost of the Smoky Hill River renewal project. Proponents say the first phase of the project could cost $27.7 million, with the full project costing up to $74 million.

16Davin Sprague, who is accused of killing his wife, Kandi Sprague, will be evaluated to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.

17Brian Enright, 19, of LeRoy, who was driving a pickup truck when his friend in the passenger seat fired a shot that nearly hit the driver of an oncoming pickup, is sentenced to 2Ôªø1âÑ2 years in prison. Enright pleaded no contest to an amended felony charge of attempted reckless second-degree murder and a misdemeanor charge of criminal discharge of a firearm in connection with the Nov. 21 incident.

18Salinan Lonnie Riedel says he was dancing at a party when someone said shots had been fired, the music stopped and "everything just started to unravel." He was among several witnesses to testify at a preliminary hearing for Antwon M. Pierce, 30, who authorities believe fired numerous shots in the area of The Grind, 301 W. Ash, including the one that hit Riedel. Riedel, who rolled into Saline County District Court in a wheelchair, was struck by a bullet that lodged near his spinal cord in the Feb. 8, 2009, incident, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The preliminary hearing will continue.

18A proposal to name the Salina Municipal Golf Course after a subdivision will be sent to Salina city commissioners without a recommendation from members of the Salina Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Advisory board members voted unanimously on the referral after expressing concern about the size of a $10,000 donation proposed by Cornerstone Development Group and suggesting that the word "Public" be added to the proposed name, "Grand Prairie Golf Course."

20Salina sculptor Rich Bergen turns a discarded selection of round mill plates into a sculpture, standing about 12 feet high and titled "Wheels of Commerce," that will be displayed in front of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce office, 120 W. Ash. The sculpture will serve as the initial offering for SculptureTour Salina, an exhibition of sculptures from around the U.S. to be placed along a three-block stretch of Santa Fe Avenue from May 2011 through April 2012.

23Salinans are a step closer to voting on whether to fund the initial $27.7 million phase of the Smoky Hill River renewal project with a 0.25 percent sales tax after Salina city commissioners approve a question to be placed on the November election ballot. The sales tax is expected to bring in $25 million to $28 million over 10 years.

24Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, confirms that Salina will be home to a new FedEx Ground facility. Over the next year, Jones Development will build a 32,000-square-foot station on 6.77 acres just west of Salina Vortex in the Airport Industrial Center.

24A committee of 32 has been named to study attendance boundaries in the Salina School District and recommend changes to the Salina School Board by the end of the year. Superintendent Rob Winter says that while elementary school boundaries were redrawn just a few years ago, as the district went from 12 elementary schools to eight, the middle school and high school boundary -- generally along Republic Avenue -- has been unchanged since 1960.

25A friendly battle between Salina police and firefighters boosts blood donations during the annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive.

27Salina police search for a man who robbed a woman of her purse in the parking lot of Central Mall.

27Workers arrive at the Salvation Army Thrift Store to find 21 worn tires stacked in the alley at the back of the store at 157 S. Fifth. They say it costs the store thousands of dollars each year to pay to have worn and otherwise worthless items that people drop off behind the store after hours hauled to the landfill.

27Three men who helped victims in a Feb. 20 crash in Saline County are nominated by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission to receive the Carnegie Medal.

31Dustin L. Ringle, of Salina, is arrested on a charge of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with a crash at 2 a.m. Aug. 29 north of Salina that killed 23-year-old Kansas State University sophomore Meghan C. Will, of Salina. He also faces charges of felony DUI, driving with a suspended driver's license, driving left of center, unsafe speed and no seat belt.

31Authorities are seeking two teenagers believed to be involved in three arson fires set in vehicles within a two-block area of central Salina. The two boys were seen running in the area of the fires.

september

1Antwon M. Pierce is ordered to stand trial in Saline County District Court on attempted second-degree murder and other charges in connection with the 2009 shooting that left Lonnie Riedel paralyzed from the chest down. Riedel was shot Feb. 8, 2009, outside The Grind, 301 W. Ash.

2Nick Charvat, a 1998 graduate of Salina South High School and a vocal music teacher at Smoky Valley middle school and high school, dies unexpectedly.

3Jasmin Johnson, 18, 936 Cherokee, is arrested on charges that could include attempted second-degree murder after dragging a police officer about 190 feet with her car after he pulled her over for allegedly driving with a suspended driver's license. Officer Harvey Kutschka, who suffered cuts and bruises on his arms, was evaluated by his doctor, according to Capt. Mike Sweeney, of the Salina Police Department.

4In its first season, Kenwood Cove aquatic park exceeded all expectations by bringing in $91,600 more in revenue and 30,000 patrons more than expected, according to Steve Snyder, director of Salina's parks and recreation department.

4Kansas Attorney General Steve Six tells three fathers of abducted children who make a stop in Salina on their cross-country tour that Kansas has made progress but can do more to protect children. The three fathers were Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and later recovered; Mark Lunsford, father of Jessica Marie Lunsford, 9, who was abducted from her home in Homosassa, Fla., in February 2005, raped and murdered; and Ahmad Rivazfar, whose two daughters were abducted Sept. 22, 1988, by their mother's boyfriend from their Pensacola, Fla., home, raped, and one was killed. Six said one of the initiatives the group is pushing -- DNA testing of people arrested for a felony offense -- has begun to help solve crime in Kansas now that legislators passed $1 million in funding to purchase new equipment and fund staffing in Kansas Bureau of Investigation laboratories.

6Chapman residents cele-brate Labor Day with a pedal tractor pull, a carnival and other events.

8Andy Paulson, 40, is ordered to stand trial in connection with the July 6 fatal stabbing of his wife, Valerie, and the attempted murder of his sister-in-law, Jessie Putman. Prosecutor Christina Trocheck notifies the court that she intends to seek a Hard 50 sentence if Paulson is convicted.

8The Friends of the River Foundation present two former Salina mayors -- Kristin Gunn and Steve Ryan -- to head up their campaign to educate voters about a proposed 0.25 percent sales tax that would fund Smoky Hill River improvements. The sales tax, over a 10-year period, would bring in $25 million to $28 million for the first phase of improvements. The tax will be voted on in November.

8Gus, Katrina Simoneau's basset hound, returns home after having been lost since June 21.

9Up to 0.20 of an inch of rain fell, helping to resurrect thirsty fall crops in and around Saline County. More rain is needed to finish fall crops in and around Saline County, according to Tom Maxwell, Central Kansas District agricultural Extension agent.

9Madison Miles and several other dancers at Kansas State University at Salina have formed the Spirit Cats, a dance team that is performing during halftime at St. John's Military School's football games and other events.

10Ray Gonzales' ability to turn his feet backward has won him some national fame. The forklift operator at Exide Technologies is pictured, with a short story, in the "Ripley's Believe it or Not Special 2011" edition that went on sale Sept. 1.

10Tony Clark, of Wichita, a Marine veteran, runs through Salina as part of a 224-mile run from the Kansas-Nebraska line to the border with Oklahoma. The run was an effort to raise more than $26,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps severely injured veterans with services and rehabilitation programs.

11On the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Sue Cooper and several others wave flags from the Amos Road bridge over Interstate Highway 70. Cooper's sister, Karen Divilbiss, says that as time passes, fewer people show up to wave flags on the overpass. "The first couple of years, the bridge was just full of people," Divilbiss said.

11Salinans sign up and weigh in for the third annual Pound Plunge, a weight loss and fitness program.

13The Salina Police Department creates a new gang unit to fight what Salina Police Chief Jim Hill tells city commissioners is an "emerging gang problem" in the city. He announces creation of the unit during an hour-long presentation to city commissioners.

13A majority of the Salina City Commission paved the way for a possible name change of Salina's Municipal Golf Course by sending the issue back to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Commissioners voted 3-1, with Tom Arpke opposed, to allow the course to be designated a qualified city facility so it could be renamed.

14Salina Area United Way officials announce they hope to raise $1.22 million in the annual campaign, compared to the $1.15 million raised last year. The extra $70,000 will go toward funding the Smart Start program, to subsidize the pay of employees of child care centers, as well as provide scholarships to encourage them to earn degrees in early childhood education.

14Salina firefighters rescue a woman from the roof of her burning home at 621 State after seven other people had escaped from the house, which was destroyed.

14Norm Jennings, of Smoky Hill Vineyard and Winery, north of Salina, uses a harvesting machine to harvest his grapes. He's among three local vineyard owners who have teamed up to buy a Braud mechanical grape harvester made by agricultural equipment maker New Holland. The vineyard owners plan to harvest their own grapes and custom-harvest grapes for other growers around the state and the Midwest.

16Saline County hopes to save $50,000 by hiring an outside contractor to provide meals for the Saline County Jail.

16A rural Saline County woman is found not guilty of reckless driving Thursday, but the jury can't reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of aggravated child endangerment she faced in connection with a crash that injured three children who were in her care. Saline County Attorney Ellen Mitchell said, after District Court Judge Jerome Hellmer declared a mistrial, that Starla Harrell will be retired on the charges of child endangerment.

17Officials with the Salina Regional Health Foundation announce that more than $6 million has been raised for the Donna K. Vanier Children's Center, exceeding the fundraising goal. The children's center, to be built at 155 N. Oakdale, will house three separate, but interrelated children's programs: Salina Regional Health Center's Infant-Child Development Program, Child Advocacy and Parenting Services and the Salina Child Care Association.

18More than 200 people gather at Church of the Cross, 1600 Rush, for the annual NAACP Block Party.

20Patrick Armer, of Salina, is found guilty of child abuse and intentional aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in connection with injuries suffered by his child, who was an infant at the time the injuries were inflicted March 5, 2009.

21David Konert, 56, who is homeless, is arrested on 13 counts of arson in connection with more than a dozen fires overnight, most of them in trash containers behind businesses from west Salina to downtown. No injuries were reported and, for the most part, no property was damaged outside of the trash receptacles, said Fire Marshal Roger Williams.

21Heidi Feyerherm's Love, Chloe Foundation, named in honor of her 7-year-old daughter who died of brain cancer, has snared a $25,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant to increase the growing nonprofit organization's ability to help other kids with cancer.

22Pastor Loren Houltberg led students in a chapel service at Salina Christian Academy during the school's "Meet You at the Pole Day" event. Christian students across the country gathered at their schools' flagpoles for prayer.

23Dennis Lauver, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, announces the chamber's support for a 0.25 percent sales tax to pay for the first phase of the Smoky Hill River renewal project. Voters will decide on the sales tax in the November election.

23With just more than a month to go until voters decide on a 0.25 percent sales tax to help fund the first phase of Smoky Hill River improvements, opponents of the tax gather for the first time in the Prescott Room of the Salina Public Library. The Friends of the Salina Taxpayers hope to organize, raise money and buy advertisements.

24District Judge Rene Young orders Ken Cannon, a Reform Party candidate for governor, to stand trial on one felony count of making a criminal threat after hearing testimony from two men who said Cannon threatened to kill one of them and "blow him up." His trial on that charge and accompanying misdemeanor charges of battery and disorderly conduct was set for 9 a.m. Jan. 11. The exchange occurred during an encounter between Cannon and two longtime acquaintances at an April 15 tea party rally in Salina.

24More than 800 people attend the first Steel Day event at PKM Steel in Salina, designed to introduce people to the company and its products. According to the American Institute of Steel Construction, more than 8,000 people attended 195 Steel Day events nationwide last year. Mark Hamade, chief human relations officer, said more than 800 preregistered for Salina's event, which was more than any other place in the world. "There are more than 280 companies in the world doing this, and we had more than any other place," he said. "We are really excited."

25The Land Institute opens the door to its new research building during the annual Prairie Festival, and hundreds of visitors tour the facility. The $2 million facility demonstrates a long-term faith in the institute's goal of creating a form of agriculture in which "conservation is a consequence of production," says Conn Nugent, a member of the board of directors of the Land Institute.

25Hundreds of people line Santa Fe Avenue for the parade that is part of the Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair. Other activities during the day include a chili cook-off competition, historical craft demonstrations, children's games and activities, an outdoor pantry, live music and entertainment and an evening street dance.

27Salina city commissioners approve an ordinance outlawing public nudity.

27Salina city commissioners learn, at a study session, that the Bicentennial Center arena lost $118,280 through food service operations in 2009, prompting talk of possible food price increases.

27Drive-in service is poised to make a comeback at Jim's Country Style Chicken, 649 S. Broadway. Four parking stalls under the canopy at Jim's are now equipped with menu boards. Instead of ordering into a speaker, drivers may call in their orders to the kitchen using their cell phones.

29Salina Municipal Court Judge Brenda Stoss finds Ken Cannon, Reform Party gubernatorial candidate, not guilty of the misdemeanor charge of false impersonation of a law enforcement officer. Stoss rules that evidence presented does not establish the charge.