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2006: A review of top stories

By Staff | Jan 3, 2007

Editor’s note: This concludes The Mirror’s look back at 2006.

April

More houses in rural areas of the county translates into more traffic on rural roads. A resident complained about the state of her gravel road. County commissioner Dean Oroke provided a list of county roads slated for repairs or upgrades.

Leavenworth County was making the most of the Internet. From selling surplus goods online to providing a list of property values online, the county was increasing its presence on the Internet.

Area residents who live along County Road 1 met with county commissioners to ask them to improve the three-mile stretch of County Road 1 between the turnpike and Kansas Highway 32.

Carla Jean Meyer Senger, 37, entered a no-contest plea in Leavenworth County District Court to securities fraud and felony theft. The 1986 THS graduate originally had been charged with 33 felony counts, stemming from allegations she was running a $1.2 million Ponzi scheme.

A new apartment complex for senior citizens, Sundance Apartments, was quickly filling up. Just months after opening, 20 of the 24 low-income apartments had been spoken for.

Track season was in full force and the Chieftain teams rolled at the Bobcat Relays. THS girls won by more than 130 points, and THS boys finished second to Bonner Springs.

Meanwhile, the THS baseball team was riding a three-game winning streak.

On the greener side, the THS golf team was struggling a bit. Tonganoxie finished seventh at the Lansing Invitational. Cody Sims was Tonganoxie’s top golfer. The senior finished with an 88, for 16th place at the meet.

Rex Hutton’s tae kwon do students competed in Wichita, and came home with trophies that show their success.

Basehor-Linwood school Superintendent Jill Hackett would be leaving the district, effective June 30. In a 15-hour span the week of April 19, school board members terminated Hackett’s contract and then reversed themselves and accepted her resignation. Hackett would be on administrative leave through June.

Tonganoxie teen Shadoe Barton, who was injured five weeks earlier in a car accident, and who had been hospitalized since then, was improving. Her family was quick to credit the power of medicine, as well as prayer, for her recovery. When the accident occurred, Shadoe was a freshman at Kansas University.

Matt and Vicki Bichelmeyer purchased John Lenahan’s building that had housed a hardware store for a half-century. The couple hadn’t settled on a long-term use for the 3,000-square-foot building.

Several hundred Tonganoxie-area children participated in the annual Easter egg hunt in Chieftain Park. The event is sponsored by Tonganoxie Recreation Commission.

The THS girls track team won the Lansing Invitational and the Bobcat Relays, but had to settle for second at the Eudora Invitational. Eudora won its own meet with 153.5 points. THS scored 98.75.

Tonganoxie school students participated in a disaster drill in which all 1,600 students were bused, or walked to areas away from their schools. School officials said they were pleased with the efficiency in which the drill was carried out.

The Mirror won the sweepstakes award in the Kansas Press Association’s annual Awards of Excellence competition. In addition, Caroline Trowbridge, The Mirror’s editor and publisher, was elected president of the statewide newspaper association.

Area officials were deciding on a firm to study U.S. Highway 24-40 from Kansas Highway 7 east of Basehor to County Road 1 south of Tonganoxie. According to one official, the study would address this question: “What do we need to do to keep 24-40 a smooth corridor and still provide impetus to promote economic development?”

THS trackster Roxi Grizzle made the top javelin throw at Kansas Relays. Grizzle’s throw measured 148-1, a personal best for the sophomore who transferred from De Soto in the fall.

Tracie Hileman placed first in four events at the Cardinals Relay in Eudora. Her 40 points set a new school record for most points scored by a THS girl in a single track meet.

May

A Kansas Supreme Court ruling blocked a sexual predator from living at a home in Leavenworth County. The court’s ruling upheld an earlier ruling by a district court judge that said the group home was operating illegally because it had not undergone county land-use review processes. The home is at 24130 Golden Road west of Linwood. The owners, who had not obtained a special-use permit, had planned to house 71-year-old LeRoy Hendricks — under 24-hour supervision — at the house. Hendricks, who had a 50-year history of molesting children, was working his way through the state’s sexual predator treatment program.

An armed man tried to rob G&P Country Mart, but was interrupted by two customers who entered the convenience store on east U.S. Highway 24-40. The suspect fled the store, without taking any money.

Mrs. Miller’s iris garden was opened to the public again. The garden, at the Canaan Farm, west of Tonganoxie, was established 50 years ago by Corinne Miller.

Plans were well under way for the annual Tonganoxie Days Festival in June. Chamber of Commerce members were working to solidify events during the fest.

Sheriff’s officers hit a payload of marijuana in southern Leavenworth County. John Schermbeck of the sheriff’s office said officers seized more than 2,000 plants in a remote area. He estimated the crop, if mature, would carry a value of more than $1 million.

Tonganoxie police Chief Kenny Carpenter earned an honor from the state Veterans of Foreign Wars organization. Carpenter was selected as the group’s Police Officer of the Year. In addition, Tonganoxie VFW member Larry Meadows was named district commander for Kansas’ first district, which includes 20 VFW posts with more than 4,300 members.

Tonganoxie High School’s softball team lost to Lansing, taking the Chieftains into a tie for the Kaw Valley League top spot.

McLouth athletics standout Kevin Stewart decided to walk onto the Pittsburg State University football team.

Tonganoxie High School officials were doubling as weather-watchers during the days leading up to graduation. Officials were concerned that if the weather didn’t cooperated, they would have to move ceremonies to Kansas City Kansas Community College. The high school’s usual rainout site — the high school gym — was undergoing renovations and wouldn’t be available. The KCKCC plan didn’t have to be used, however, and THS graduated 105 seniors in an outside ceremony at Beatty Field.

And McLouth High School graduated 41 seniors during ceremonies at the Bulldog Sports Complex.

The Tonganoxie school board acknowledged the continued growth at the elementary school and authorized the principal to hire an additional kindergarten teacher for the 2006-2007 school year.

A chemical spill forced the evacuation of the elementary school. No one was injured.

In nearby Basehor-Linwood school district, the school board hired a new principal, Robert Albers. He replaced Jill Hackett.

The new Bioscience Development Corporation of Tonganoxie selected five people to lead its board of directors. The group hopes to attract companies involved in bioscience to the city.

A Tonganoxie woman was sentenced a second time in connection with a scheme in which she defrauded friends and family members. Carla Jean Meyer Senger, Tonganoxie, was sentenced to 24 months in custody. She already had served 469 days in prison, so prosecutors estimated she would serve another four months before she would be released. In April, Senger entered a no-contest plea to securities fraud and felony theft charges.

Ali Pistora, a Tonganoxie High junior, threw the javelin 154 feet, 6 inches to take first place at a Kaw Valley League meet. It was the top high school girls throw in the nation.

McLouth native Mark Smelser won the criterium in the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Lawrence. Smelser is a Kansas State University student.

Two young Tonganoxie filmmakers — Tracy and Tristan Bowersox — prepared for the premiere of their movie, “Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead,” at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. Proceeds from admission went to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

City council members agreed that the city would buy a home at Third and Main streets. The city is interested more in the land, than the house that sits on it, as officials explore the possibility of a larger city hall and police station.

County commissioner Don Navinsky said he didn’t plan to seek re-election to the commission during the November election. Navinsky represented the First District, which is in the northern part of the county, for 12 years.

The THS girls track team took second a regionals.

First State Bank and Trust acknowledged it plans to construct its newest branch at 110th Street and Parallel Road in Wyandotte County. The new branch site is across the street from Village West.

At an end-of-the-year gathering, the Tonganoxie school district honored its friends of education and honored staff members achievements. The district also recognized staff members who were retiring.

THS discus thrower Sarah Hartshorn and javelin thrower Ali Pistora both brought home silver medals from the state track tournament.

June

The Tonganoxie Recreation Commission offered a reward for information about who had vandalized ball diamonds.

Leavenworth County Clerk Linda Scheer is taking the county’s new voting machines on the road — in an effort to help residents get acquainted with them before the Aug. 1 primary elections.

The McLouth BBQ Blowout celebrated its 15th year, as cooks fired up their grills to compete for prizes. Winners at the event earn an automatic bid to the American Royal barbecue contest.

Gloria and Rick Reischman purchased Village Floral from Calvin and Susan Quisenberry. Gloria Reishman said the community’s growth was a selling point for the flower and gift shop in downtown Tonganoxie.

Work continued on renovations to the Tonganoxie High School building and junior high building. And construction of a new middle school was well under way. Once that work is done, the high school will encompass the existing high school building and the junior high — and ninth- through 12-graders will attend classes in that expanded campus. Students in the fifth through eighth grades will attend class at the new middle school, which is slated to open in January.

Tonganoxie High landed six players on the 2006 all-Kaw Valley league softball team. And not one of those players was a senior.

Tonganoxie Days again was a hit. The annual festival in Tonganoxie featured booths downtown, as well as entertainment.

Damien Grammer, a 2006 McLouth High School graduate, died in an automobile accident about five miles west of Tonganoxie — five days before he was scheduled to begin boot camp.

The Mirror newspaper staff members earned three gold awards in the annual Heart of America contest sponsored by the Kansas City Press Club. Caroline Trowbridge, editor and publisher; Lisa Scheller, news editor; and Shawn Linenberger, reporter, nabbed the top prizes in three categories.

Once again, students from Kansas State University were in the Tonganoxie area for an archaeological field school. For several years, KSU students and their professor, Brad Logan, have focused on the Stranger Creek basin.

Tonganoxie’s population was estimated at 3,774 by the U.S. Census Bureau. That number actually is the estimate for 2005. And it represents an increase of 1,046 people since the 2000 Census was taken. That’s a 38.3 percent increase.

Leavenworth County commissioners decided to seek bids from area artists interested in making historical murals in the recently renovated courthouse in Leavenworth.

John Davis of Tonganoxie was elected attorney general at the American Legion Boys State in Manhattan.

Residents on East Fourth Street questioned city council members about the need for a sidewalk as part of a street renovation project.

The Environmental Protection Agency lodged fines against two Tonganoxie development corporations — South Park Development and Stonecreek Development — for altering the path of a small stream. Both subdivisions are on the east side of Tonganoxie. South Park was assessed a $43,277 fine, while Stonecreek was penalized $50,687.

July

A fire at the Tonganoxie Nursing Center forced the evacuation of residents. The fire started in a commercial clothes dryer, and 71 residents were moved from the home. A total of 51 residents were moved to the recently closed county infirmary. Firefighters estimated that smoke had filled 40 percent of the nursing home and they were not sure when residents could return to the structure. Officials later said they determined damage from the fire totaled $100,000. A total of 12 days later, residents began returning to the nursing center.

The memories of two Tonganoxie men were honored as part of a tribute to fallen law enforcement officers. A memorial outside the Judicial Center honors Leavenworth County deputy sheriffs Elmer “Okie” Parmer and Robert L. Freeman, who lost their lives in the line of duty.

A 23-year-old McLouth man died from injuries he received in an all-terrain vehicle accident near McLouth Chase William Coffin died in the accident, which also injured Robert Robinson, 22, Lawrence. In addition, two people were killed south of Lansing on U.S. Highway 73, just south of the Leavenworth County-Wyandotte County line. Apparently James A. Norwood, 44, Leavenworth, was driving the wrong direction on the road when his vehicle struck another one, in which John Felton Bridgewater, 28, Kansas City, Kan., was a passenger. Norwood and Bridgewater died in the crash.

Tonganoxie school board members heard that work on the new middle school was ahead of schedule. In other matters, the board elected Kay Smith as its president.

Kim Feyerabend, Eudora, delivered her second daughter in Tonganoxie — in the family van under the city’s water tower on U.S. Highway 24-40. Sydney Rose Feyerabend was born July 3, three days before her due date.

Tonganoxie high softball players and their parents met with school board members behind closed doors to discuss coaches Craig Lohman and Debbie Himpel. No action was taken.

Two Tonganoxie 21-year-olds died when their car smashed into a semi trailer on South Iowa Street in Lawrence. Jacob Wyrick and Benjamin Pickert, both 2003 Tonganoxie High graduates, were killed in the accident. Lawrence police later said alcohol played a role in the fatality.

Tonganoxie Library director Sharon Moreland opened the library’s community room to any area resident who needed a place to escape the triple-digit temperatures.

State Sen. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing, has been selected as a member of the First State Bank and Trust board of directors.

Toby Young, who founded a volunteer program for prisoners at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for her role in helping one of those prisoners, John Maynard, escape.

The Leavenworth County Planning Commission rejected a special-use permit that would have allowed House of Hope, a faith-based group, to construct a home for troubled teens.

The Tonganoxie City Council received proposals for new signs at the city’s south and east city limits. The council ultimately decided on a plan submitted by Tonganoxie’s Eagle Monuments.

August

Tonganoxie City Council members agreed to move forward on working with the county on plans to upgrade Leavenworth County Road 1 south of town. The city agreed to begin work on an interlocal agreement between the city and county concerning each government’s role in the road. The upgrade is necessary before the Kansas Turnpike Authority will open an interchange on County Road 1.

Leavenworth County commissioners agreed to spend $34,000 on three murals for the newly renovated courthouse. The murals will be made by artists Michael Young, Ernst Ulmer and Brad Seever.

The Leavenworth County Fair was the main event during early August. The annual fair, staged in Tonganoxie, proved to be an attraction to young and old.

Some McLouth residents were shocked when Charles Karmann opened a liquor store in downtown McLouth. For decades, McLouth had been a dry city. But a change in state law gave the McLouth City Council a three-month time period in which to vote to prohibit retail liquor stores. The council, apparently unaware of the change in law, didn’t vote. So Karmann opened his store. The legality of the store was challenged and its fate ultimately was decided in the November election. Voters overwhelmingly decided McLouth should allow liquor to be sold.

At least some things never change. Enrollment at Tonganoxie Elementary School was again up. Principal Jerry Daskoski said early enrollment numbers showed an increase of 39 students at the school, one of the largest elementary schools in the state.

J.C. Tellefson defeated Sam Maxwell III to win the Republican nomination for First District Leavenworth County commissioner. Tellefson’s victory meant he would face Democrat Ed Sass in the November election. The two men hope to replace Don Navinsky, who decided not to seek re-election.

McLouth’s annual threshing bee celebrated its 49th year.

The Tonganoxie Braves softball team finished fourth in the U.S. Specialty Sports Association Elite Fastpitch Softball Tournament in Florida.

Leavenworth County officials received good news: The county made the first cut in the competition to land a proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The facility is a joint effort of the U.S. Homeland Security, Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments. It would employ about 250 scientists in a 500,000-square-foot facility that would cost about $451 million.

City council members searched for a solution to a problem that could mean the new middle school wouldn’t open in January, as planned. City officials had been negotiating with West Fourth Street residents for several weeks, in hopes of securing permission from those residents to run a water line on their property. But negotiations hit several snags. City council members decided to find another route and not run the line down Fourth Street.

Longtime Tonganoxie funeral director Calvin Quisenberry closed on the purchase of a home on U.S. Highway 24-40, where he and his wife, Susan, plan to expand their business. The new site between Tonganoxie and Basehor will not replace Quisenberrys’ existing funeral home in Tonganoxie.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority increased the amount it would contribute to finance improvements to Leavenworth County Road 1. The KTA agreed it would kick in $2 million toward the project, which preliminary estimates said would cost $14 million. The KTA plans an interchange at the county road, which must be upgraded before the interchange plans are finalized.

A Tonganoxie man, along with several other family members, found what Kansas University researches believe were pieces of an American mastodon, which roamed the area 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. The find By Mark Bichelmeyer and others was made on the Wakarusa River.

The owners of Annie’s Country Jubilee have undertaken a 3,500-square-foot addition to their entertainment venue at Fourth and Main streets in downtown Tonganoxie. The project includes additional seating, as well as other amenities.

A Leavenworth County’s commitment to 4-H was recognized during the 2006 Leavenworth County Fair. The Miles family — Steve and Crystal and son, Jason — received the 4-H Spirit Award.

September

Leavenworth County Clerk Linda Scheer deemed that a petition regarding the County Road 1 improvement project was not valid. The petition asked: “Shall the city of Tonganoxie financially contribute toward the County Road 1 improvement project?” Of 275 signatures submitted to the courthouse, Scheer ruled 222 were valid. Scheer said 262 valid signatures were necessary to force a vote. An estimated $14.54 million in work is planned for County Road 1 between Tonganoxie and County Road 32 to support a turnpike exit on the Kansas Turnpike about three miles south of Tonganoxie. The Tonganoxie City Council voted to consider spending up to $2.8 million on the road improvements.

Barbie Cain, an 8-year-old McLouth girl, was killed in a Labor Day vehicle accident in the afternoon on Kansas Highway 116 south of Effingham in Atchison County. According to Kansas Highway Patrol reports, the accident occurred after 14-year-old Christopher Cain, Barbie’s brother, fell asleep while driving a 1996 Ford Ranger truck they were traveling in.

Leavenworth County 4-H members Jason Miles and Ben Reynolds received state recognition. Miles, of Lawrence, was awarded a 4-H state scholarship, while Reynolds, of Tonganoxie, was selected as a Kansas 4-H aerospace project winner.

The Tonganoxie High football team defeated Lansing, 37-14, in the season opener. Last year, the Chieftains fell in the season opener, 14-10. McLouth lost its season opener, 42-21, to Troy.

Six Tonganoxie Junior High students — all ninth-grade boys — were suspended for their roles in distributing and buying prescription drugs. The drug was hydrocodone, a pain-reliever also known as Vicodin. The two students who distributed the drug were expelled for the rest of the school year, although one student appealed the expulsion. The school board reduced his time away from school and ruled that he could return to school in January. The four students who bought the drugs were back in school within two weeks of the incident.

The city formed an advisory committee to work on plans for a new swimming pool in Tonganoxie, which, if built, would replace the 80-year-old Chieftain Pool between Second and Third Streets on the east side of Main.

Petro and Pantry Phillips 66, a gasoline station that had done business at the northeast corner of U.S. Highway 24-40 and Kansas Highway 16 for decades closed its doors Sept. 8. Brumit Oil stations in Grantville, Leavenworth and Valley Falls also closed.

At 83, John Lenahan retired. On Sept. 9, he held an auction at his downtown store, Lenahan’s Hardware, for the retailer’s final sales. Lenahan closed his store after 35 years of business.

Tonganoxie Future Business Leaders of America members placed 10th as a team in entrepreneurship at the national conference in Nashville. The team of Tyler Miles, Mike Fonkert, Chris Downs and Austin Young competed at the event, which was held in the summer. Miles, Fonkert and Downs now are seniors at THS, while Young is a freshman at Kansas University.

Farm Bureau recognized the Mike Oelschlaeger family with its Century Farm award.

Tonganoxie High School senior Justin Smith was one of 16,000 students across the nation named a National Merit semifinalist.

Sarah Smith, a 16-year-old Tonganoxie teen, was injured Sept. 13 when she fell from her colt. The horse slipped on wet grass. Sarah was taken by air ambulance to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., where she remained a patient until Nov. 22. At that time, she returned home and started outpatient therapy.

The THS volleyball team won its first Rossville Tournament title under coaches Tiffany and Brandon Parker. THS defeated Holton in the semifinals and Towanda-Circle in the title match.

Fans gathered Sept. 15 at the McLouth High football field for a ceremony honoring longtime school supporter Stan Braksick. At halftime of the football game against Wathena, the district officially renamed the stadium Stan Braksick Sports Complex.

The Tonganoxie High boys and girls cross country teams swept the McLouth Invitational on Sept. 14.

THS senior Mike Fonkert was named as a commended student by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

According to official Sept. 20th count, enrollment for the new school year was 1,791. The previous school year’s count was 1,704.

Garrett Kelly, a May THS graduate and Kansas University freshman, portrayed former Linwood resident Randy Leach in the play “Leaves of Words” by KU graduate student Tim Macy on Oct. 6 and 7 at the Lawrence Arts Center. On April 15, 1988, Leach reportedly was last seen at a pre-graduation party in rural Linwood. The play looks at circumstances before Leach’s disappearance and takes a “what-if” approach, giving several scenarios of what might have happened.

School officials suspended two students for alleged marijuana use Sept. 22. The two boys, who were on the football team, were suspended from school for two weeks and did not play in games Sept. 22 and Sept. 29.

The Tonganoxie High volleyball team won its home invitational for the first time since 1998. The Chieftains downed eventual 4A state champion Eudora in the semifinals and Manhattan in the championship. THS improved to 20-3 after the tournament.

Jake Eibes and Kylie Campbell were named McLouth homecoming king and queen during the Sept. 22 game against Valley Falls. The Bulldogs won the game, 46-0.

October

The Chieftain boys cross country team placed sixth and the girls ninth at the prestigious Rim Rock Invitational in rural Lawrence.

The Tonganoxie City Council, by a 3-2 decision, voted against calling a special Dec. 5 election for a 3/4-cent sales tax hike to finance a new swimming pool. However, the council is moving ahead with plans for a new pool, and is targeting a public vote during the April 3 election.

Lynn McClure, who had been the Leavenworth County Development Corporation executive director for more than two years, left his economic development post Oct. 13 to become vice president for commercial loans at First State Bank and Trust in Basehor.

The Mirror newspaper of Tonganoxie won first place in its division in the Inland Press Association’s national front-page contest.

Daniel Volk and Ali Pistora were named homecoming king and queen on Oct. 6.

Diane Titterington, by a 6-0 school board vote, was named the THS softball program’s new head coach. Titterington, who had been an assistant the previous two seasons, replaced co-coaches Debbie Himpel and Craig Lohman.

The Tonganoxie High football team shut out Perry-Lecompton, 21-0, clinching an outright Kaw Valley League title for the Chieftains.

Tonganoxie’s girls cross country team placed second at the KVL meet after losing out on the title because of a tiebreaker.

The city council, at its Oct. 23 meeting, called for a special election on a petition successfully filed with the county clerk to settle the question: “Be it ordained that the governing body of the city of Tonganoxie to not contribute financially to the proposed Leavenworth County Road No. 1 turnpike interchange project.” However, the council also filed a lawsuit in Leavenworth County District Court challenging the legality of the petition, on a 3-1-1 vote, with Ron Cranor opposed and Jim Truesdell abstaining because of a potential conflict of interest. The meeting became more interesting when Mayor Dave Taylor vetoed the court challenge. The next day, city attorney Mike Kelly determined that the mayor could not veto the motion. An initial petition requesting a public vote on spending city money on the interchange project was ruled invalid in September, but County Clerk Linda Scheer deemed a second petition valid.

A Tonganoxie High football player was suspended from school for allegedly consuming alcohol during school. School officials took the student out of football practice after suspecting he used alcohol during school.

THS boys and girls cross country teams both took third at the Marysville 4A regional.

The Tonganoxie volleyball team finished its season at 32-9 after taking second at a 4A substate tournament in Holton. The hosting Wildcats defeated THS in two games. The loss marked the sixth straight year the Chieftains finished second at substate.

McLouth ended its volleyball season with a 10-19 record after losing to Jayhawk Linn in two games at the Wellsville 3A substate.

Holton ended Tonganoxie’s football season with a 20-0 victory Oct. 31 in Holton. THS finished the season with a 9-2 record.

The Tonganoxie boys cross country team placed fifth, while girls placed eighth at the state cross country championships in Wamego. Matt Brock was Tonganoxie’s top finisher at 27th on the boys side, while Christy Weller placed 25th in the girls race.

McLouth fell to arch-rival Oskaloosa in the final game of the regular season, 28-13. McLouthfinished 3-6 after going 10-1 a year ago.

November

Basehor developers Ed McIntosh and John Bell announced plans to open a grocery store in Basehor.

Republican J.C. Tellefson, rural Leavenworth defeated Democrat Ed Sass of Easton, by roughly 250 votes, in the Leavenworth County First District commission race.

The Tonganoxie Braves fifth-grade football team won the Kaw Valley League regular season title and the KVL Superbowl on its way to a 14-1 record.

A 1962 Tonganoxie High School graduate pled guilty to Medicaid fraud charges. Jay Philip Parker, 62, a longtime Oskaloosa pharmacist, agreed to pay $75,000 in restitution to the Kansas Medicaid program. His pharmacist and pharmacy licenses also were revoked by the Kansas Board of Pharmacy, which fined him $33,000. On Dec. 29, Parker was sentenced in Jefferson County District Court to a year in prison, but then placed on probation for his involvement in the fraud. The probation will run for 12 months.

Four Tonganoxie volleyball players — Rachel Bogard, Sami Franiuk, Tracie Hileman and Ali Pistora — were named to the All-Kaw Valley League volleyball team. Alex Nowasell was the THS soccer team’s top all-league selection. He was a second-team selection on defense.

Mildred McMillon became the first resident to file to run for a Tonganoxie school board seat. Francie Campbell and Alan Theno also filed.

December

Jeff Hughes was named the Lawrence Journal-World’s football player of the year.

The Tonganoxie High girls basketball team, ranked No. 2 in the state, won the Eudora Tournament by defeating No. 3 Paola in the finals. The THS boys won their early season tournament in Osawatomie. Both teams were 5-0 entering 2007.

Classes in the Tonganoxie school district were let out Dec. 13 so teachers could move into the new middle school.

Leavenworth is exploring the idea of construction of a regional airport for Leavenworth County.

Jerry Daskoski, Tonganoxie Elementary School principal, announced he was resigning at the end of December. Daskoski said that the commitment he had made to the elementary school had taken away from his family. Tammie George, assistant TES principal, was named to as acting principal. It’s expected the district will conduct a search for Daskoski’s replacement.