Monday COLBY August 28, 2006 50¢

Volume 117, Number 136 FFFRREEREEEE PPPRRESSREESSSS Serving Thomas County since 1888 8 pages FRRREEEEEE PRRREEESSSSSS 8 pages FF PP

Officer Colby Wesleyan awarded for Church plans anti-bullying campaign LEAWOOD (AP) — A Leawood a bigger future police officer who has won an na- tional award for anti-bullying pro- grams said he originally was moti- By John Van Nostrand vated by troubles his own son was Colby Free Press having with a bully. In 1992, Randy Wiler’s seventh- Colby Wesleyan Church officials grade son was beaten by a bully who want the church’s congregation to It has made it had bothered him since preschool. grow. “ Wiler had the bully arrested, but To help make that happen, the awkward. We can do said he realized his son’s school had church building must first grow. small groups, but we been unaware of the problem. The church has begun an exten- Two anti-bullying programs sive addition project. Plans are to don’t get the large Wiler created in response have eventually add a fellowship hall and groups...” earned him the title of 2006 Inter- expand the parking lot. The church, Rev. Gene national DARE Officer of the Year. located at 320 W. Pine St., does not He is the first Kansas officer to earn have room or the amenities to hold Rothfuss, the distinction since the award was wedding receptions or banquets. Colby Wesleyan Church established in 1990. “It has made it awkward,” said Wiler’s programs, which focus Rev. Gene Rothfuss. “We can do on making children, parents and small groups, but we don’t get the schools aware of bullying and how large groups, like potluck meals.” will see it on Sunday morning. to stop it, are now used internation- Rothfuss, who has been at the “They go gray,” he said, imply- ally. church for three years, said when ing the older age of congregation Studies indicate that 60 percent of there is enough interest to have such members. bullies will have at least one crimi- events, including food, the church Rothfuss said he has told people nal conviction by the age of 24. must use the Colby Community of the programs the church offers Their targets become anxious, lose Building or Heartland Christian but knows the addition to the church sleep, see their grades drop and can School. will make Colby Wesleyan Church have increased thoughts of suicide. The church’s current building more attractive. Wiler tested one program last at opened in the late 1980s and fit the “We have to appeal to younger Brookwood Elementary School in congregation’s size at that time. families,” he said. Leawood, one of four schools “We had a small congregation Robert said there is no definite where he teaches. then,” said Eugene Robert, a church timeline for when each phase of the The program Wiler wrote for board member. “We did not have project will begin or completed. DARE uses role-playing and word the finances and just built the class- “But we do have some goals,” he puzzles to teach bystanders that rooms and sanctuary. We thought, said. they can and should help stop bul- as we grew, we would add on.” Work began this summer with the lying by reporting it to teachers, Robert said the congregation has relocation of the parking lot supporting someone who is being increased over the years which en- entryway. When that is complete, bullied and possibly standing up to couraged the board to revisit those Robert said efforts will shift to plan- the bully themselves. ning the financing and construction building ideas. This summer, the JOHN VAN NOSTRAND/Colby Free Press “He always told us just to imag- church board made its formal pre- of the ministry center. Members of the Colby Wesleyan Church poured concrete last week for the church’s new, relocated ine being in their shoes, imagine sentation about the proposal to the Phase one: The parking lot entry parking lot driveway. The driveway work is the first of four phases of addition to the church. how you would feel if you were the congregation. The congregation is being moved to the west side of one being bullied,” said Caroline voted in favor of the entire project. the building, creating a two-lane pected to begin in early 2008. The nected to the church. The church is spaces. Dodd, 13, a former Brookwood student. Not only is the church wanting driveway for all traffic. Where the 6,600 square foot building is pro- about 9,400 square feet. Phase four: Church officials will West Elementary School in space for those activities, but the entry way used to be, plans are to Wamego used the program in early church also sees the work as a way create a fenced in playground for posed to be built on a portion of the Phase three: Plans are to pave either sell and remove or demolish current parking lot, on the church’s the remainder of the current park- the house on its property east of the 2005. In one year, the school re- to attract more and younger fami- youth including access to the south side. The building will have ing lot after the Family Life Minis- church. That lot will then be con- ported a 24 percent reduction in lies. church building. bullying behaviors and a 67 percent Rothfuss said churches that don’t Phase two: Construction on the a kitchen, large meeting room and try Center is complete. The revised verted into a 55-space, paved park- other amenities. It will not be con- parking lot is projected to have 47 ing lot. reduction in the number of students attempt to attract younger families Family Life Ministry Center is ex- who bully. Price of Sheridan County Toll road hay has man says his road impact has been forgotten NEOSHO, Mo. — Add the high price of hay to the burden on cattle By Jan Katz Ackerman Sheridan County has 1,230 miles producers coping with prolonged Colby Free Press of road, 700 of which are gravel and drought in parts of Kansas, Mis- the remainder are dirt. Besides the souri and points south. A Sheridan County man wants family homes, Heim said the area With hay production below nor- his and 10 other families’ road re- needs to be accessible to McGraw mal and motor fuel prices soaring, paired. Methodist Church and Bainter Con- ranchers are paying far more for the Mark Heim, who lives 15 miles struction. feed than they did a year ago. northeast of Hoxie, told Sheridan Heim said he has tried to talk to Hay farmer Steve Roark, who County Commissioners David Sheridan County Road and Bridge also raises 200 beef cattle near Zimmerman, Ron Schamberger Director Bob Schwarz Schwarz Neosho in southwest Missouri, said and Keith Kennedy Monday it has without success. the calls he has received from been 10 years since the road lead- “I’m done with him,” Heim said. ranchers in Kansas and Oklahoma ing from U.S. 24 Highway to his Heim said he’s also concerned hoping to buy his hay suggest many house has been crowned and about access to the road for the face tough decisions before winter. sanded. Hoxie School District’s bus. Timely rains and a surplus of hay “Everything needs done,” Heim “It’s time to do something,” Heim from last year have allowed Roark said. “One thing is that it’s never said. “People are tired of pulling the to sell several hundred small square been mowed much because there bus out of the ditch at their ex- bales this year. are fences right on the road.” pense.” “Right now, hay is hard to find,” “Fences on the road?” Hoxie school board clerk Roark said. “And with diesel $3 a Schamberger asked. “I wasn’t Kaylene Oelke said the road is not gallon, that just adds that much aware of that.” a problem for the school district. more to the cost for someone to get Heim said fences owned by She said the bus which services area the hay home.” Leroy Reitcheck have been placed has no more difficulty on the road At Nash Farms, a hay transporta- directly on the shoulder of the road than “any other road in the county.” tion and supply company in Colum- forcing county employees to bypass Heim said the area’s residents bus, Kan., owner Steve Nash said mowing the area. were concerned a culvert near hay production is a fraction of nor- “So you think it should be Bainter Construction had recently mal. Meanwhile, his tractors burn mowed,” Zimmerman asked. been removed causing water to eight to 10 gallons of diesel per Heim said the east-west road he drain directly on to the road. hour, adding $30 per hour to his pro- and his neighbors are concerned “I wasn’t aware of that,” duction costs. about is 10 and one-half miles north Schamberger said. Nash said he is buying hay in of Hoxie. He said that ditches of the “That’s one of those deals Mr. western Kansas and Nebraska for road have only been mowed one Schwarz should have been aware $65 per round bale, up from around time this year, and as spokesman for of,” Heim said. $20 per bale last year. By the time the neighborhood, the group Schamberger said the commis- Nash hauls the hay to Texas, ranch- wanted the county to be responsible sioners would look into the situa- TISHA COX/Colby Free Press ers there can expect to pay $100 to for their welfare. tion and have Schwarz deal with it. $120 per bale for mixed grass and Tell Benson, left, and his father, Tom Benson, a firefighter with the Colby Fire Department, “Like I said, there are 11 families, Zimmerman, Schamberger and lespedeza hay. took manned a voluntary “toll booth” Saturday at Fourth and Franklin in Colby during the some who are in their 80s and if we Kennedy all reiterated they would Small square bales of alfalfa are annual Boot Block to raise money for the Muscular Distrophy Association. Assistant Fire Chief get an inch of rain and you need to direct Schwarz to evaluate the road, selling for up to $10 per bale, Nash Rick Dickman said 16 firefighters and three kids raised $1,800 for the association. get an ambulance down that road signs and intersections in the area said. you’d be in trouble,” Heim said. Heim talked about.