The WEEKEND Friday, April 2, Goodland Star-News 2021 1205฀Main฀Avenue,฀Goodland,฀KS฀67735฀฀•฀฀Phone฀(785)฀899-2338 $1 Volume 89, Number 26 10 Pages Goodland, Kansas 67735 inside Commissioners make final move on townships today By Kevin Bottrell since she has been in office, and eliminating local companies, but material costs and avail- • Heard from Dale Schields of the Sherman [email protected] the positions will cut down on the amount of ability prevented some from wanting to bid. County Community Foundation, who invited More lo- The Sherman County Commissioners took Ron Schilling suggested the county look the commissioners to attend the Strategic cal news work her office has to do at election time. It and views the final step to dissolve township govern - will also allow the commissioners control into using the current Topside Manor build- Doing session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at from your ments at their meeting on Wednesday. over township cemeteries. Party precinct ing for a daycare, which might help attract the Goodland Elks Lodge. The public is also Goodland committee member positions for each of the workers with families to Sherman County. invited to attend. Star-News The commissioners held a public hearing to take comments on the proposal to dissolve townships will still be in place. Commissioner Rod Blake said the building • Heard from Michael Dorn, who is request - township governments, but no one appeared In other business, the commissioners: will not sit idle, but they will need to have ing to use the park at Smoky Gardens for a to make a statement. They approved a resolu- • Implemented a ban on controlled burns. the building inspected to see what it can be men’s revival on June 18 and 19. Dorn said the tion, which is the final step. • Got an update on the new Topside Manor, used for. activities will include worship, camping, disc The commissioners started the process at a which is to break ground on April 29. Kevin •Appointed Pat Schiefen to the High Plains golf and more, and he inquired if they could meeting in February. The county is allowed to Rasure said the contracts have all been as- Mental Health board. set up a shooting stand on the south side of the dissolvetownship governments if no one files signed, and the project is under budget, with •Approved a proclamation designating the lake where it could be done safely. Blake said for election and no budgets have been filed a contingency set aside, and credited the week of April 11-17 as Telecommunications they would ask the county attorney if there for a number of years. County Clerk Ashley construction management team for its work. Appreciation Week, honoring the work of were any issues with that. Mannis said no one has filed for election Rasure said some contracts were awarded to Sherman County dispatchers. Cowgirls start season 2021 marks 20th anniversary The Goodland High School softball team had its first games of the season on Tuesday in Colby. of Hainan Island Incident See Page 10 By Kevin Bottrell [email protected] April 1, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of an international in- cident that captured the attention of weather everyone right here in Goodland. In 2001, after two planes col- lided near China, U.S. Navy Lt. report Jeff Vignery of Goodland spent 11 days in captivity before being returned to the United States. 42° Vignery returned to Goodland in 10:00 a.m. 2018 when he was about to retire Thursday from the Navy and retold his story. Today He was flying an EP-3E signals •฀Sunset,฀7:12฀p.m. intelligence aircraft 72 miles off Saturday China when a Chinese fighter plane approached. The Chinese pilot •฀Sunrise,฀6:27฀a.m. tried a maneuver called “thump- •฀Sunset,฀7:13฀p.m. ing” where one plane flies directly Midday Conditions in front of another’s wing to disrupt •฀Soil฀temperature฀48฀degrees the airflow. However, the Chinese •฀Humidity฀41฀percent pilot miscalculated and collided •฀Sky฀clear with the EP-3E. Vignery was in the •฀Winds฀south฀21฀mph฀gusting฀฀฀ left seat when it happened, and said to 33 his plane had been on autopilot, •฀Barometer฀30.36฀inches flying straight and level. and falling At first there was talk of bailing •฀Record฀High฀today฀฀86°฀(1996) out, as the pilots didn’t have com- •฀Record฀Low฀฀today฀฀฀฀฀0°฀(1936) plete control of the plane. Vignery said the plan was to ditch, but they Last 24 Hours* then realized they could make it to High฀Wednesday฀ 53° the nearest airfield on the Chinese- Low฀Wednesday฀ 20° Commander Jeff Vignery returned to Goodland in 2018 to speak controlled Hainan Island. at the Kiwanis Club (above). It is now 20 years since he was held Precipitation 0.00 After landing, the 24-man crew This month 0.00 captive in China following his crash. Vignery and his wife Julie and the plane were taken into cus- (above right) appeared at the welcome home ceremony in his Year to date 4.79 tody by the Chinese. Vignery said Above Normal 2.85 inches honor at the Max Jones Fieldhouse on May 5, 2001. Hundreds he was housed in military quarters, of people came out to the fieldhouse, including family members The Topside Forecast a basic room with basic room with Today:฀Intervals฀of฀clouds฀and฀ such as Jeff’s father Ron Vignery (right), and the ceremony was beds. He was interrogated twice a covered on both local and statewide news. sunshine with high of 76 and low of day, and while the prisoners were 39, winds south southwest shifting threatened, Vignery said they were On May 5, 2001, Vignery was to meet President George W. Bush named commanding officer of the the U.S. and worked at Navy Per- north northeast 10 to 15 mph. Sat- not physically harmed. treated to a standing ovation as and other officials at the White Naval Operations Support Center sonnel Command in Tennessee. urday:฀Sunny฀with฀76฀as฀high฀and฀ During their 11 days of captivity, hundreds of people packed the Max House. He described Bush as very in Columbus, Ohio. The center is He finished his career as executive low of 46, winds east southeast 5 U.S. diplomats were able to visit Jones Fieldhouse to welcome him down-to-earth. They were also one of many around the country officer of the operational support to 10 mph. the crew and worked to negotiate home. The crowd included friends, taken to a Yankees-Red Sox game that supports reservists, making center in Aurora, Colo. Extended Forecast their release. The government family, state and federal officials at Yankee Stadium, where they got sure they are prepared and ready Vignery, a 1992 Goodland High Sunday:฀Sunshine฀with฀some฀ secured their release on April 11. and Vignery’s old coaches. The to sit in the box belonging to team to be mobilized. Vignery oversaw School graduate, retired in 2018 clouds, high of 84 and low of 47, The crew returned to their base at two-hour celebration featured owner George Steinbrenner. a staff of six serving 120 reservists. after a 21-year career in the Navy. winds southwest 10 to 15 mph. Whidbey Island, Wash., where Vi- speeches by then-Congressman Following the Hainan Island Following that, he worked at Monday:฀Sunshine฀with฀clouds,฀ gnery said he received a welcome Jerry Moran, Dr. Travis Daise, Rev. Incident, as it came to be known, the U.S. embassy in the United high of 86 and low of 48, winds home celebration and 21 days of Loren Strait and more. Vignery served as a pilot instruc- Arab Emirates as a Navy exercise west northwest shifting south leave time. Vignery and his crew also got tor for five years, and was then coordinator, and then returned to southeast 10 to 15 mph. (National Weather Service) Get฀24-hour฀weather฀info.฀at฀162.400฀MHz. local markets 10:00 a.m. Wheat — $5.26 bushel Free COVID testing to continue Latest COVID-19 Numbers Posted county price — $5.27 Sherman County Wallace County Corn — $5.74 bushel Governor Laura Kelly has announced that CO- friends, going on vacation, going shopping, or even Posted county price — $5.38 VID-19 testing will continue to be available at no-cost going somewhere local. Tests are one of the easiest Recovered 630 Recovered 177 Milo — $5.58 bushel through the end of 2021 to everyone at community ways Kansans can protect themselves, their families, Active 0 Active 0 Soybeans — $13.58 bushel testing sites across the state. coworkers, and members of the community. Deaths 11 Deaths 0 Posted county price — $13.41 “More than 800,000 Kansans have received at least To schedule a test, please visit kdheks.gov/coro- Total Cases 641 Total Cases 177 Canola — $8.90 bushel one shot, but we know that testing is still a critical navirus to find the testing site closest to you. No-cost Posted county price — $25.66 and necessary tool until every Kansan is vaccinated,” testing is available to everyone at community testing Thomas County Kansas hundredweight Governor Kelly said. “Accelerating vaccinations and sites across the state. Additionally, ask your workplace Recovered 1,114 Deaths 4,913 Sunflowers increasing testing in tandem will help save lives and or school if testing is available on-site. Oil current crop — $22.30 cwt. Active 2 Total Cases 302,372 keep schools and businesses open. It’s how we get back Free testing is available for all K-12 schools and Deaths 18 Trend: 510 cases, 11 deaths Posted county price — $19.43 to normal.” school-related activities in Kansas.