SPORTS: PLAYOFF SPOT IS PRIZE IF PARSONS WINS TONIGHT. PAGE 5 ParsonsSun THURSDAY, OCT. 27, 2011 — 50 CENTS www.parsonssun.com Bridge repair set The Kansas Department of Planners Transportation plans to begin an RESCUE TRAINING emergency repair project on the Big Hill Creek Bridge on U.S. 400 in Labette County on Monday. again Earlier this year, a traffi c accident damaged the deck surface of the bridge located reject about 4 miles east of the Mont- gomery-Labette County line. Workers will make the repair by fi rst sawing and cleaning the rezoning affected area, and then patch- ing the deck with silica fume resurfacing material. One-lane BY JAMIE WILLEY traffi c will be controlled by sig- PARSONS SUN nals at the work zone, and mo- The Parsons Planning torists should expect brief de- Commission rejected a request lays. KDOT awarded the repair on Monday from city staff to contract of $33,000 to Mission rezone property on Grand, Construction, St. Paul. possibly endangering a planned housing development for low- income families. Also on Monday, the planners THIS ISSUE approved a special use permit to allow a used car dealership to ■ Volume 140 open in Flynn Industrial Park. ■ Issue 95 The planners shot down the ■ 10 Pages request to rezone land from ■ 1 Section single-family residential (R-1) to The Sun contains multi-family residential (R-3) on When you the south side of the 2100 block see news of Grand in a 7-0 vote. The land happening is owned by the city of Parsons. or if you The Parsons City Commission have a story had approved a project that idea, call the would allow a developer to newsroom at acquire the land for free to allow 421-2000. recycled newsprint him to build six duplexes that would be rented to people with low incomes who would be able EATHS to buy their homes at half of their D value after 15 years. The planning commission Obituaries or notices for the Ray Nolting/Sun photo already had considered the following people can be found request during an earlier Concrete refuse from past road work in Parsons provided the perfect practice field for Southeast Kansas firefighters Wednesday to train with on Page 2 in today’s Sun: meeting, but failed to act on it. ■ various pieces of rescue equipment at the old city landfill south of town. Parsons firefighters (from left) Matt Claibourn, Jay Hawks and Andrew Alvin Pontious By state statute, the inaction was ■ Johnston work on shoring up a slab of concrete using wood, clamps and Paratech stabilization devices. Parsons is part of the Southeast Veronica Kennan interpreted as a recommendation ■ Kansas Regional Rescue Team and the federal Department of Homeland Security provided funding for the various pieces of rescue equipment Margarett Stroup to the city commission to not used during the exercise. The equipment includes the shoring devices, jackhammers, large-bit concrete drills, concrete saws and probes allow the zoning change. The with video cameras that can be snaked through openings in a collapsed building. The equipment is kept at various departments in Southeast city commission approves or Kansas, including Parsons, Chanute and Pittsburg. See related photos on Page 10. FUNERALS rejects zoning change requests based on recommendations from RUTH WESTERVELT, 91, the planners. of Parsons, service at 2 p.m. City Manager Fred Gress today at First Presbyterian asked the city commission to Church. override the recommendation to ORA AHRENS, 99, Chetopa, Electrical fi re damages Parsons home deny the zoning change during service at 10 a.m. today at the an Oct. 17 meeting, but the Chetopa Church of God. commission sent the issue back MAX LARIMER, 87, An early afternoon fi re caused about $12,000 to a Parsons home and scene until about 5. to the planning commission of Topeka, service at 10:30 its contents Tuesday. Steeby said the cause of the fi re was electrical and the fi re began in the instead. The commission a.m. Friday at Penwell-Gabel Parsons fi refi ghters were called at 1:02 p.m. Tuesday to a reported confi ned attic space of the front porch. directed the planners to give the Southwest Chapel in Topeka. structure fi re at 1601 Gabriel. Firefi ghters found smoke and fl ames com- There were two people in the residence at the time of the fi re but ev- public a chance to comment on ALVIN PONTIOUS, 71, ing from the attic of the front porch and heavy smoke coming from the eryone got out safely. The home is a rental property owned by Robert the possible change to determine of Pittsburg, service at 2 p.m. main attic of the residence when they arrived, Parsons Fire Chief Larry Williams and was occupied by Irwin Aldaco. The structure was insured if the city staff can acquire a piece Friday at Forbes-Hoffman Steeby said. but Aldaco did not have renter’s insurance. of property connected to the land Funeral Home in Parsons. Steeby said fi refi ghters used a pike pole to pull portions of the porch Steeby estimated damage to the home at $10,000 and damage to con- and to consider the historical MARGARETT STROUP, ceiling to gain access to the main part of the fi re. After knocking down tents at $2,000. signifi cance of the area. Mayor 94, of Derby, service at 11 a.m. the fi re in the porch attic they focused on the walls and main attic of the Parsons police, the Labette Health Ambulance Service, the Altamont- Tom Shaw was concerned that Saturday at First Christian home. Mount Pleasant Township Fire Department and the Labette County people may object to the land Church in Erie. “They pulled ceilings inside the residence to put out fi re that had ex- Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted at the fi re scene. being developed because part tended from the porch roof into the walls and ceilings of the structure,” Later Tuesday, Parsons fi refi ghters were called to CST Storage, 2101 of it lies in the gathering spot Steeby said in a prepared statement. S. 21st. The call came in at 5:33 p.m. and material inside of a roll-off trash for people participating in the The fi re was under control about 1:45 p.m. and crews remained on dumpster was on fi re. Damage was limited to the dumpster. Voguette Club’s triennial Black LOCAL SMILES Homecoming. Commissioner Kevin Cruse wanted to make sure that the city couldn’t acquire the Families deal with cancer diagnosis property at the southeast corner of South 22nd and Grand. Gress told planners on Monday TOPEKA (AP) — “Is my mom ately to my offi ce.” er, I had questions.” kind of let them ask us any ques- that the city staff has “tried and going to die?” They spent the afternoon at Telling children about a loved tions they wanted.” tried and tried” to acquire the For families facing a breast can- home, drawing strength from each one’s cancer diagnosis can be Jarod wanted to know what was property on the northwest corner cer diagnosis, that is more than a other and prayer. tricky. Different levels of informa- going to happen. of the land in question. He said question. It is a lingering fear that “We called our parents because tion should be given based on the “We were very open with what there has been a “great deal of never really goes away even after I didn’t want them to worry,” Kim child’s age, according to the Amer- was going to take place with mom,” resistance” from the owner to treatment has been completed. Johnson said. ican Cancer Society. But children Kim said. “It was awfully scary for selling the property, but perhaps When Kim Johnson got the call When their boys -- Jacob, now of all ages should know four things them when I did go into Tallgrass, the private developer would be telling her she had cancer, her fi rst 15, and Jarod, now 13 — came when a relative is diagnosed with and I said, ‘I’ll see you later, after able to convince the owner to concern wasn’t about her progno- home from school, Kim said Boyd cancer: surgery,’ because I think you know sell. sis, nor was it about how she would “informed them that Mom got — The kind of cancer their when the ‘C’ word is involved and No one at Monday’s meeting battle the disease. It was how some news. There is something loved one has — for example, she’s going to have surgery to get spoke about the historical would she tell her kids, who at the she’s been having concerns about. breast cancer or lymphoma. her breasts cut off. For adults, that’s signifi cance of the land, but Jackie time were 12 and 10 years old. Mom has breast cancer.’ — Where in the body the can- hard to understand, but for 10- and Payne told the planners that she “How do you tell your kids?” “That was hard. When you hear cer is located. 12-year-olds ...” grew up in the neighborhood and she remembers asking herself. ‘breast cancer’ you think death. — What will happen during Vicky Millard’s experience was would like to see it redeveloped Johnson was diagnosed in You think it’s a death sentence. cancer treatment. different, not only because her with single-family housing Leah Butler is a kindergartner March 2009. It’s not but ..