2/27/2011

april

2Saline County commissioners tour the proposed site west of Salina for Andrew Hammond's motocross course at Prairie Harbor Golf Course, in preparation for a vote on a conditional-use permit. Some residents who live near the proposed facility object to the plan because of concerns about noise and dust.

2Salina firms Research Products and Premier Pneumatics are among the five finalists for the state's Exporter of the Year award, the Kansas Department of Commerce announces. Other nominees are Osborne Industries in Osborne, BioMicrobiotics in Shawnee and Chemidex in Overland Park. In the past four years, Salina companies twice have won the award.

3Children converge on Bill Burke Park for the Ninth Annual Community-Wide Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by Salina Parks and Recreation.

5Salina city commissioners, led by Tom Arpke, ask city staff to look into the legalization of the sale and discharge of fireworks in the city. Less than a year earlier, Saline County lifted a 28-year ban on the sale and discharge of fireworks.

6By a 2-1 vote, Saline County commissioners approve a motocross track and recreation area west of Salina at the southeast corner of the Halstead Road and Interstate Highway 70 intersection. Commissioner Randy Duncan voted against the motion, which was approved by Commission Chairman Jerry Fowler and Commissioner John Rey-nolds. Andrew Hammond requested the track.

7A package delivery firm is planning to start an operation in Salina and build a 32,000-square-foot facility on the south side of Salina Municipal Airport. The Salina Airport Authority approves the sale of land on the north side of Water Well Road, just west of Salina Vortex, for $16,000 an acre, to house the facility. The land is being sold to a Madison, Wis., construction company, which will build the distribution center for the delivery company. Local officials decline to identify the package delivery company.

8During a hearing on a series of pretrial motions in the rape case against Paul Henry Parker Jr., District Judge Rene Young declines to restrain news organizations from reporting on Parker's criminal history, as Parker's defense attorney had asked.

8Michael Combs, 53, and his wife, Michele, climb aboard their light sport aircraft to embark on a 19,400-mile flight with stops in 50 states. Their plane, dubbed Hope One, takes off from the same runway Steve Fossett, who died in a plane crash in 2007, used for the GlobalFlyer.

12Colleen McCain Nelson, a 1992 graduate of Salina South High School, wins a 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her work as an editorial writer for the Dallas Morning News.

12 Salinans attending an open house at the Salina Art Center Warehouse question where the water will come from for the restoration of the Smoky Hill River.

14District Judge Rene Young rules that Paul Henry Parker Jr. will be tried in Saline County, that the jury will not be sequestered during his rape trial and the news media will be free to report Parker's criminal history. Parker is charged with raping an elderly patient at Salina Regional Health Center on Feb. 20. Young grants defense motions for a more detailed questionnaire for potential jurors and that attorneys will question potential jurors in small groups.

14The latest design by Saline County for improving a two-mile section of East Water Well Road raises fewer objections by neighboring landowners at a hearing with county commissioners with one big exception. Wes Jackson, president of the Land Institute, says the road goes through the institute's proposed visitor center. The proposed route also disturbs a vantage point on the prairie where Jackson and institute administrators take visitors to see natural prairie on one side and "our attempt to build an agriculture based on the way the prairie works on the other side. It's a perfect learning spot," Jackson said.

15Amanda E. Castro, 30, is bound over for trial on felony counts of abuse of a child and aggravated battery in connection with injuries suffered by Malik Shackelford. She is accused of violently shaking Malik and causing injuries to his brain that are delaying his development and causing continued medical concern. The injuries occurred while she was Malik's child care provider.

15About 600 supporters of the tea party gather at a State of the People rally on one side of Robert Caldwell Plaza. Nearby, about 40 people attend a rally in opposition to the tea party.

15A volcanic eruption in their home country of Iceland might mean that five members of the Rotary International study group will have to remain in Kansas beyond their scheduled April 23 departure date. Airspace in several European countries has been shut down because of the eruption under the Icelandic glacier in southern Iceland, 70 miles from Iceland's capital.

15After an alleged altercation during the tea party rally, Salinan Ken Cannon, a gubernatorial candidate, is arrested on charges of battery and making a criminal threat. Authorities say the argument between Cannon and Greg Thoman, of Concordia, stemmed from past problems when Cannon was employed by the Concordia School District. Thoman is a former president of the Concordia school board.

17Itamar Zorman, 24, a violinist from Israel, is the winner of the second annual King Award for Young Artists. He is studying at the Manhattan school of Music in New York. Zorman will receive $10,000 and will return to Salina in the fall to solo with the Salina Symphony during the opening concert of its 2010-11 season. The contest drew nearly 90 entries from around the world.

19Aaron Peck, 32, takes over the gavel from Mayor Luci Larson and is possibly Salina's youngest mayor ever.

19Marshall Perry lowers his estimate of the cost of Bicentennial Center improvements from $14.5 million to $10.5 million and gives Salina city commissioners a year-by-year breakdown of how he'd like to see the improvements made. He suggests about $1.826 million in improvements the first year, including construction of a new plaza and lobby, repair of the wall panels, replacement of the roof and parking lot improvements.

20More than a year after Lonnie Riedel, 18, was paralyzed after being hit by a bullet outside The Grind in downtown Salina, Antwon M. Pierce is charged with attempted second-degree murder and other offenses for the Feb. 8, 2009, shooting. Pierce, 30, is serving a prison sentence at Ellsworth Correctional Facility for aggravated assault and other charges from an unrelated shooting. He is now accused of shooting bullets in the area of The Grind, 301 W. Ash, after being refused entrance to a party being held there. In addition to attempted second-degree murder, Pierce is charged with aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal discharge of a firearm, said Salina Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield.

20Saline County Appraiser Rod Broberg tells county commissioners at their weekly meeting that the number of property tax appeals has increased by about 44 percent from 2009. There have been 851 informal appeal hearings scheduled. That breaks down to 297 residential properties, 483 commercial properties and 71 that represent a mixture of farm, vacant and other kinds of parcels. There were 592 appeal hearings scheduled at this time last year, Broberg said. Commercial values, after remaining essentially flat for about three years, were adjusted this year and in some cases have increased by 40 percent or more.

22Salina School District officials announce that, beginning with the 2010-11 school year, new requests for elementary school transfers will not be approved, and transfers granted in previous years might be rescinded if a school is overcrowded.

22Kent Johnson, an engineer with the city of Salina, says a flashing school zone sign on Quincy Street south of Cloud Street, near St. Mary's Grade School, is being moved 50 feet south. The sign was hard to see for some drivers. Roshana Ariel, an assistant editor at the Salina Journal, was ticketed for violating the school zone and published a column suggesting the sign be moved. Johnson says he had heard other complaints about the sign.

22Officials say 3 or more inches of rain fell on parts of Saline County, causing standing water on streets for a time, while a lightning strike left some residents without electrical service for an hour or longer. Lightning struck a main power line south of Salina Central High School shortly before 5 a.m., causing the line to fail and shutting off electrical service to about 1,500 customers, says Tom Sydow, regional director for Westar Energy. Some didn't have power restored for more than two hours. The heaviest rain is in the northeast part of the county.

26Salina city commissioners say the Bicentennial Center needs work, but they're not ready to commit $10.5 million without more investigation into the source of funding. They could discuss the improvements again at a study session in May.

26Attorneys representing both the prosecution and the defense ask Saline County District Judge Rene Young to revisit a motion for a change of venue based on pretrial publicity related to Paul Henry Parker Jr., who is accused of raping an elderly Salina woman. The trial, scheduled to begin May 18, is continued.

26Robert "Kenny" Feebeck, 21, of Tescott, pleads no contest to amended charges of one felony count of attempted second-degree murder and a misdemeanor charge of criminal discharge of a firearm in connection with the shooting of moving vehicles on Interstate Highway 70. A Hillside, Colo., man who was driving his family through Saline County on a trip to Ohio testified earlier that a bullet pierced the top of the cab of his pickup truck near his head in the early morning hours of Nov. 21. David L. Weaver said the bullet skimmed along the roof of the cab and shattered the rear windshield, showering glass on his three young daughters, who were sleeping in the back seat. They were not injured.

27Aaron Peck, who took over a week ago as Salina's mayor, says he will not run for re-election to the city commission next year. Peck says his family and the time required to be a commissioner factored into his decision.

27Two photographic murals depicting the heroism of Salina's firefighters are dedicated at the city's Fire Station 2, 1110 S. Santa Fe. The murals were designed by former Salinan Kelly Krob, of Baltimore.

30Jane Gates, executive director of the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, announces that she has booked Roger Daltrey, Arlo Guthrie, The Black Crowes, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard and Ladysmith Black Mambazo to perform at the Stiefel during the 2010-11 season.

30Randy Duncan files for re-election to the 1st District Saline County Commission seat.

may

1Brown Mackie graduates receive their diplomas during a ceremony at the Salina Bicentennial Center.

3The wheat appears to be ripening about a week ahead of schedule. Farmers are concerned, though, that a late freeze could zap the life out of a crop that is showing early promise for high quality and lots of bushels.

3Three of five Salina city commissioners indicate during a study session that they're amenable to lifting the city fireworks ban. After hearing a presentation by City Manager Jason Gage, Fire Chief Larry Mullikin, Police Chief Jim Hill and firework stand owner Ed Winebrenner, commissioners agree they want to allow fireworks in Salina but it would be best to wait until 2011. City staff will begin working on a fireworks ordinance to present in the future.

3Rep. Charlie Roth files for re-election to the 71st District Kansas House seat.

5The Salina Police Department, Saline County Sheriff's Office and Crimestoppers purchase software that will allow them to receive crime tips anonymously through text messages and e-mail. The messages are routed through several secure servers.

8It's a busy Saturday as graduates from Ell-Saline High School, Kansas Wesleyan University, St. John's Military School and Kansas State University at Salina receive their diplomas.

8U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visits Abilene, where he talks about what Gen. Dwight Eisenhower did after World War II to maintain peace, prosperity and freedom.

9Graduation weekend continues, with Sacred Heart High School seniors reflecting on their long journey.

10Soldiers of the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion 137th Infantry Regiment Kansas Army National Guard gather at the Bicentennial Center for a ceremony before being deployed to Africa.

11Roy Applequist has snared a segment of European agribusiness, adding a stalwart farm equipment maker in England to his Great Plains Manufacturing family. The net effect could mean more jobs for Salina and north-central Kansas. Simba International, based in Sleaford, England, designs and markets tillage equipment.

11Classes are canceled at Ell-Saline Middle-High School in Brookville because of vandalism overnight. When head janitor Merle Walker arrived early in the morning to unlock the doors, the whole school reeked of skunk spray.

12Five Ell-Saline High School seniors are arrested in connection with the damage to the school that resulted in classes being canceled, and more arrests are expected, officials say.

13Charles R. "Chuck" Dinneen, who was shot by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper after a chase, is bound over for trial on charges of robbery, two counts of kidnapping, criminal threat, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, domestic battery, two counts of fleeing and eluding and multiple traffic infractions.

14Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty are remembered at the annual Peace Officer Memorial Day ceremony in Jerry Ivey Park.

16Graduates of Salina South and Salina Central high schools receive their diplomas at ceremonies at the Salina Bicentennial Center.

17 Jerry Glover, part of a research team at the Land Institute, 2440 E. Water Well, is honored by National Geographic Society as one of 14 "Emerging Explorers." He'll receive a $10,000 award to continue his research into fostering sustainable agriculture.

18Early estimates indicate that Saline County's total assessed value dropped by about $3.1 million from last year, to $521.2 million. That means that it would take a property tax levy increase of about 4 mills for the county to raise as much next year as this year.

18Adjustments to property values were made about 50 percent of the time after property tax appeal hearings were held with owners, and a number of those adjustments came on commercial properties, County Appraiser Rod Broberg tells Saline County commissioners at their weekly meeting. Commercial values, after remaining essentially flat for about three years, were adjusted this year and in some cases shot up 40 percent or more.

20Ryan Godbout, 10, who called 911 to help his mother when she suffered a seizure at home, is honored with a Fire Chief Citizen's Award medal and gets to ride to school in the front seat of an ambulance and have lunch with firefighters.

20Representatives of four Salina public entities say that filing a federal lawsuit is the next step in a multiyear battle to get the U.S. Department of Defense to pay to clean up pollutants it left behind during 24 years operating the former Schilling Air Force Base. The public entities -- the city of Salina, Salina Airport Authority, Salina School District and Kansas State University at Salina -- are in the settlement phase in negotiations with the Department of Justice.

22More than 150 volunteers descend on downtown Salina to help paint light poles. The 346 poles were painted using $2,000 in supplies from the city as part of a project by Salina Downtown, Inc.

23Southeast of Saline graduates remember their past before receiving their diplomas during a ceremony at the school.

24Gypsum Hill Cemetery should last 40 years longer than had been expected, and the city could fetch about $1 million for an additional 2,500 cemetery plots as a result of action taken by Salina city commissioners. Steve Snyder, director of Salina's parks and recreation department, says the city had been running low on burial space, with only 1,500 plots remaining. So, relying on a Kansas law that allows cities to reclaim areas of cemeteries and resell them if 50 years have passed and no one has been buried or transferred to the grave, Laura Seaton, who works for city attorney Greg Bengtson, began to do some research.

27City officials announce that Kenwood Cove, the city's new aquatic park, will not open May 29 as expected, but will open June 5, a week later. Steve Snyder, parks and recreation director, says contractors still are working on electrical issues and the sound system.

27Long-time Salina banker Alan Eichelberger has been terminated from his position as president and chief executive officer of Bank VI of Salina because of the performance of the bank, Eichelberger says. His departure came after federal regulators required the bank to repost its fourth-quarter financial statement. The revised statement shows the bank lost in excess of $3.9 million in that quarter.

29Saline County District Court Chief Judge Daniel Hebert notified the Kansas Supreme Court in a letter earlier this month that he will not seek retention in the November election and will retire at the end of his current term Jan. 10. Hebert, 65, was appointed as a judge in the 28th Judicial District, which includes Saline and Ottawa counties, on May 1, 1984.

31Members of the POW/MIA Awareness Group release red, white, blue and black balloons as part of the Memorial Day ceremonies conducted in Sunset Park.

june

1Kaden Harper, 9, is shot to death at his home at 11382 S. Simpson, and his 14-year-old stepbrother, Ryan T. Velez, is arrested on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting. The boys were students at Southeast of Saline School and were home alone when the shooting occurred.

1A combination of birds getting into electrical equipment over the weekend and rising temperatures lead to a series of power outages in the downtown area. Seven or eight power outages, each lasting just a second or two, hit the downtown area between late morning and early afternoon, says Tom Sydow, regional director for Westar Energy.

2Philips Lighting could add 22 jobs at its Salina plant after the Saline Economic Development Incentives Council approves $150,000 in grants. Philips wants to bring three different projects to its Salina plant. All of the jobs would pay more than $22 an hour. The grant proposal must be approved by Salina city commissioners.

3Ryan Velez, charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his 9-year-old stepbrother, makes his first appearance in Saline County District Court, with his parents at his side. District Judge Pat Thompson appoints attorney Mitch Christians to represent Velez.

3Salina Parks and Recreation officials warn potential swimmers that there will be a strict dress code for Kenwood Cove, the city's new $11.4 million water park, and violations -- including clothing items such as thongs and cheeky pants -- won't be tolerated. Other prohibited items include bras, basketball shorts, cutoffs, tank tops and T-shirts with designs.

4Mitch Christians, who represents Ryan Velez, who is charged with the murder of his 9-year-old stepbrother, Kaden Harper, tells a judge that keeping Velez in the Saline County Juvenile Detention Center appears to be the only reasonable option at present because of the nature of the charges Velez faces. Velez is charged in juvenile court with first-degree murder.

4Phil Black, 55, of Salina, files against incumbent Republican Charlie Roth for the 71st District seat in the Kansas House of Representatives. Black, dean of academic affairs at Brown Mackie College and a Salina School Board member, is a Democrat.

5A practical joker hides one or more fake medallions in the Indian Rock Park area, hoping to fool searchers into thinking they've found the Smoky Hill River Festival Medallion. The real festival medallion wins the finder a bevy of valuable prizes, including $1,500 in cash and $1,500 in river festival gift certificates.

5Kenwood Cove, Salina's $11.4 million water park, opens with a splash -- and a few minor glitches. People enjoyed the park's opening day, despite motor issues on the park's body slides that forced more than an hour wait for people wishing to try the slides without an inner tube.

7Dr. Ronald Young, 56, a longtime Salina chiropractor and martial arts instructor, joins the field of Republican candidates for the 71st District seat in the Kansas House of Representatives. The seat is held by Republican Rep. Charlie Roth, who is running for re-election.

8Crystal Barnett, Elijah Barnett, 6, Eason Barnett, 3, and Gary Barnett receive $1,500 in cash and $1,500 in Smoky Hill River Festival gift certificates after they find the Smoky Hill River Festival medallion in a grassy area under a tree at Indian Rock Park.

9Robert "Kenny" Feebeck, 21, is sentenced to two and a half years in prison after admitting to shooting a bullet that nearly hit the driver of a pickup truck traveling on Interstate Highway 70. David L. Weaver, of Hillside, Colo., testified at a preliminary hearing that the bullet pierced the top of the cab of his pickup truck Nov. 21 and shattered the rear windshield, showering glass on his three young daughters, who were sleeping in the back seat.

9Saline County District Judge Patrick Thompson orders Ryan Velez, 14, to stand trial on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting death of Kaden Harper, 9. Thompson said he made the ruling after reviewing an affidavit prepared by law enforcement. The affidavit has not been made public.

9The former director of the Salina Housing Authority has dropped her legal claim that she was fired primarily for refusing sexual advances from Salina businessman, congressional candidate and former mayor Alan Jilka. Ann Rollins Johnson, who directed the Salina Housing Authority from December 2000 to January 2008, agreed that in exchange for Jilka and the other individuals she named agreeing not to sue her, she would drop her allegations against them, leaving only her claim that she was wrongly terminated under the terms of her contract. She agreed to settle that breach of contract claim in exchange for receiving $25,000, said attorney J. Steven Pigg, of Wichita, who represented Jilka and the city of Salina in the case.

9Salinan Monte Shadwick announces he is ending his congressional campaign and endorsing Tracey Mann. Shadwick was one of seven Republican candidates vying for the 1st District seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Moran, of Hays, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Shadwick said he had "substantial support in the Salina area but not the resources to expand that support districtwide."

10The Smoky Hill River Festival kicks off with the annual Festival Jam, which draws thousands of people to Oakdale Park.

10Ho-hum wheat prices dampen the attitude toward the quickly approaching wheat harvest.

11Brad Anderson, chairman of the Kansas Wesleyan University art department, recreates an art project he first tried 22 years ago at the Smoky Hill River Festival -- streamers hanging from a 4-by-4-foot pole. This time he does the project on a larger scale, using 100 larger sheets of Mylar hanging from wires across a practice tennis court.

13Officials say the gate count for the Smoky Hill River Festival is 64,835 people and that the temperature ranged from an average daily high of 92 to an average daily low of 71.

14At a study session, Salina city commissioners look at preliminary designs of a Smoky Hill River development plan. Preliminary estimates are that the primary phase could cost from $18 million to $23 million.

14A 38-year-old man is shot in the thigh and a 35-year-old woman is shot in the calf while they're outside a mobile home in the Del Ray Mobile Home Park, 917 N. 13th, about 10:25 p.m. Police say the shooter had driven too fast through the mobile home park and the man had yelled at the car to slow down. The driver left and returned about 10 minutes later with a gun.

15Sonia and Manuel Garcia request a conditional-use permit to operate a commercial rodeo on their property at 1477 N. Fair-childs.

15Dave Loewenstein, of Lawrence, completes work on a 13-foot-tall mural at Campbell Plaza. Loewenstein is an artist-in-residence for Salina Arts and Humanities.

17Connie Bonfy-Stewart resigns as executive director of Salina Arts and Humanities, saying she will leave the post effective July 9. She has accepted a position as program director for Arts Partners Wichita, a nonprofit organization that integrates the arts into the curriculum of Wichita schools.

17Wheat is ready to harvest in much of Saline County, but the ground is too muddy for combines. Near Assaria, farmer Clayton Short was the lone harvester June 16 as he binned the bounty from 80 acres. He continued late the next morning.

17Salina police say a warrant has been issued for Christopher Damored Brown, 31, who is wanted for two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shootings of a 38-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman at the Del Ray Mobile Home Park, 917 N. 13th. Brown is not believed to be a Salina resident, although he had been staying at various locations in Salina for a while, Salina Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield says.

20Adam Yancey, 23, of Emporia, is booked into Saline County Jail on a charge of attempted first-degree murder and other charges after allegedly stabbing Daniel S. Meadows, 27, of Gypsum.

21Jamil A. Wright, 22, of Lawrence, is arrested, accused of holding a gun to the head of a 74-year-old Salina man June 20 and demanding that he give him the money that he had just withdrawn from an ATM. He is accused of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and criminal use of a financial card in connection with the theft of Forrest R. Leonard's wallet containing credit cards, identification and the cash he had just taken from the drive-through ATM at Sunflower Bank, 2012 S. Ohio.

21A faulty controller shuts down the wave pool at Salina's Kenwood Cove. Steve Snyder, director of Salina Parks and Recreation, says the part could be delivered and installed by Associated Pools by the afternoon and the replacement shouldn't cost the city any money.

23The trial begins in Saline County District Court for Paul Henry Parker Jr., who is charged with raping an elderly Salina woman in her room at Salina Regional Health Center.

23Hundreds of millions of dollars the state owes to school districts before the end of June likely will go unpaid until sometime in July as the state continues to struggle with declining tax revenue. Lisa Peters, director of business for the Salina School District, says that under the school funding law, nearly $9.5 million should be coming into the district's account in the next few days, but she's already expecting much of it won't arrive until July, after the start of a new budget year.

24Four samples taken by swabs rubbed on Paul Henry Parker Jr.'s fingers and palms after he was arrested at Salina Regional Health Center all contained the DNA of the elderly woman he is accused of raping, a Kansas Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist testifies at his rape trial in Saline County District Court.

25Paul Henry Parker Jr. testifies that the only physical contact he had with an elderly woman he is accused of raping at Salina Regional Health Center was a handshake. He is the final witness to testify at his trial in Saline County District Court.

26Authorities in Mississippi arrest Christopher Damored Brown, 31, who was wanted in connection with the shooting of two people June 15 in a Salina mobile home park, Deputy Salina Police Chief Carson Mansfield says. Brown was wanted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder. A 38-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were injured in the shooting at Del Ray Mobile Home Park, 917 N. 13th.

28After deliberating for about an hour in Saline County District Court, a jury of six men and six women find Paul Henry Parker Jr. guilty of rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual battery, battery and aggravated burglary. After about 10 minutes of additional deliberation, jurors unanimously agree that Parker should face a sentence more harsh than state sentencing guidelines would normally provide because the elderly victim was particularly vulnerable.