Anderson County Review — December 25, 2025

$1,100 CHRISTMAS
GIVEAWAY
INSIDE TODAYS PAPER!
WINNER
Probitas, Veritas,
Integritas In Summa
C O P Y P R I C E O N E M E A S LY U . S . D O L L A R
December 25, 2025
SINCE 1865 160th Year, No. 49
The
official
newspaper
of record
for for
Anderson
County,
KS, KS,
and and
its communities.
The
official
newspaper
of record
Anderson
County,
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Tumbling gas prices make Christmas merrier
This line is for catchy
subhead related to the
article posted below this
BY DANE HICKS
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
EMPORIA Kansans who traveled to spend the Christmas holiday with family or friends did
so with a special Christmas gift
from the U.S. economy: gasoline
prices at their lowest level since
2021.
According to the latest data from
AAAs daily fuel price tracker,
the national average price for
a gallon of regular gasoline has
dipped below $3, marking the
cheapest December at the pump
since December 2020 and the
first sustained break under that
threshold since 2021.
AAAs national average for a
gallon of regular unleaded stood
at $2.881 on Dec. 19, 2025, down
from about $3.094 a month ago
and roughly $3.045 a year ago.
This sustained drop reflects
broader energy market conditions including relatively low
crude oil prices, robust supply,
and seasonally softer winter
demand that have kept fuel
costs subdued heading into the
holidays.
Industry analysts note that
the national average has been
hovering below $3 since early
December, a level not seen consistently since May 2021 before prices spiked in subsequent years.
For drivers in Kansas, the savings are even more pronounced.
AAAs state price data show that
the average price for a gallon of
regular gas in Kansas was just
$2.514 as of Dec. 19, 2025, about 37
cents below the national average.
Kansas drivers have seen prices
tick downward in recent weeks
according to AAA:
Week ago: ~$2.586
Month ago: ~$2.717
Year ago: ~$2.682
State averages mask even
wider variation at the local level,
with one station in Emporia
reporting regular unleaded prices as low as about $2.11, and other
counties in the state with locations above $3.09.
In major Kansas metro areas,
prices remain comfortably below
national levels:
Topeka: $2.426
Lawrence: $2.520
Wichita: $2.600
Kansas City (KS): $2.581
At these prices, a typical 15-gallon fill-up in Kansas costs roughly $37.71 about $5.55 less than
the national average would cost
at current national pricing. That
adds up to real savings for holiday travelers and everyday commuters alike.
AAA attributes the drop in
prices to a combination of factors.
The main impact is lower crude
oil costs, which have remained
subdued relative to earlier in
SEE GAS ON PAGE 8
Fuel price drop
may help dampen
inflationary woes
BY DANE HICKS
and services. A commentary from financial analysts at advisorperspectives.com noted
that falling gas prices often
correlate with increased
consumer spending a
positive sign for broader
economic activity, as drivers have more discretionary income once they fill
the tank.
Fuel is one of the largest variable costs for
transportation and logistics firms. Lower gasoline and diesel prices can
reduce costs for shipping
goods by truck, rail and
intermodal
carriers.
While the savings dont
always translate immediately into lower prices on
store shelves, they slow
the rate of price increases
for shipped goods, helping
businesses manage costs
in a tough pricing environment, says Bankrate.
Motor carriers often
adjust fuel surcharges
based on price trends,
meaning that sustained
lower fuel costs can produce tangible savings for
distributors and suppliers.
Those savings can then
support more competitive pricing or improved
profit margins for companies that rely heavily on
freight.
A Cool on Inflation
Pressures
Energy prices, includ-
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
WASHINGTON As gasoline prices hover near
their lowest levels in years
economists and market
analysts say the broader U.S. economy could
feel the effects in multiple ways, from consumer
spending to shipping costs
and inflation trends.
Those lower fuel costs
combined with a report
last week that consumer
inflation cooled to 2.7 percent in November from
3.0 in September, creating optimism that stubborn high prices may be
relenting and providing
cautious hope that future
interest rate decreases in
2026 may boost home buying.
Lower gasoline prices are known to be a fast
route to put more money
back into consumer pockets. Because fuel is a frequent and visible expense,
shoppers tend to respond
quickly when it drops.
Analysts at Bankrate.
com estimate that average
drivers will spend about
$100 less on fuel in 2025
compared to the prior
year, thanks to lower
pump prices. This effectively functions like a tax
cut for households and
can free up cash for other
spending.
That extra spending
can show up in local
restaurants, retail stores
SEE PRICES ON PAGE 8
No one was injured Friday evening when a driver smashed
through the front display windows of Garnetts Family Dollar
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / Photo submitted
Store. Store officials were busy Saturday preparing for repairs
as the final week of the Christmas retail season got underway.
Nitro to nuts & bolts: Schuster makes things work
BY DANE HICKS
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
GARNETT John Schuster is a tinkerer
who keeps the vault of his familys literally explosive family history.
From nitroglycerine to antique cars;
from little paper weight figurines with
attitude made of engine valves and
rocker arms; from perfectly balanced custom weather vanes he makes for gifts
Schusters got a knack for the art of making things work, keeping history alive,
and keeping all his fingers.
I just never grew up, he said on a
recent afternoon in his extensively decorated backyard shop. I got older, but I
never grew up.
In his shop, the walls are lined with
antique tin signage from historic oil companies and gas stations surrounding what
must be every imaginable machine shop
tool arranged around the floor. A steady
drum beat of rock & roll music sets the
backdrop, and Schuster talks about the
things hes always done to keep his hands
busy.
SEE SCHUSTER ON PAGE 14
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
12-25-2025 / DANE HICKS
Schuster talks artifacts and
spare time and history in
his Garnett shop.
2025: Rains damaged roads, brought abundance, eclipsed other stories
BY DANE HICKS
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
ANDERSON COUNTY Rainfall totals
in Anderson County during 2025 tell a
familiar Kansas story to lead the local
news in 2025: a dry winter, followed by a
wetter-than-normal growing season, and
then a drier fall, leaving the year close to
average overall.
Like rain always does, it came with
positive and negative impacts. This year
in Anderson County the moist spring and
late dry out brought a bumper corn crop;
it also savaged county roads and raised
temperatures of rural drivers and county
road employees under constant criticism.
According to data from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and analyzed through the Iowa
State University Iowa Environmental
Mesonet (IEM), the long-running Garnett
1 East precipitation gauge recorded 39.11
inches of precipitation during 2025. The
30-year normal (19912020) for the site is
posted
below-average
40.71 inches, putting the
moisture, continuing a
year about 1.6 inches below
pattern of increasingly
normal.
variable winter precipitaThe Garnett station,
tion in eastern Kansas.
operated as part of NOAAs
National
Centers
for
But conditions shifted
Environmental Information
sharply in spring. From
(NCEI)
Cooperative
March through May, the
Observer Program, has
Garnett gauge recorded
records dating back to 1906,
13.88 inches, compared
making it the best longwith a normal 12.08 inchterm indicator of precipies, finishing nearly two
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
12-25-2025 / Archive
tation trends for Anderson
inches above average.
County.
April was especially wet,
accounting for more than
The year began with a
notably dry winter. Meteorological winter, half a foot of rain on its own. According
defined as December through February, to the Iowa Environmental Mesonets
monthly climate
brought just 1.63
summaries, the
inches of precipitawet spring helped
tion, compared with
recharge soils fola normal 4.89 inches, a shortfall of more than three inches. lowing the dry winter and supported crop
NOAA and IEM data show that December planting across Anderson County.
2024, January 2025, and February 2025 all
Summer continued the wetter trend.
2025 IN REVIEW
From June through August, the county
recorded 16.11 inches, well above the seasonal normal of 13.79 inches. June alone
produced nearly eight inches of rain, making it the wettest month of the year locally.
NOAA precipitation observers noted that
much of the summer rainfall came in episodic heavy storms, rather than steady
rainfall a pattern consistent with broader eastern Kansas trends in recent decades.
Rainfall tapered off heading into fall. From
September through November, precipitation totaled 7.84 inches, compared with
a normal 9.95 inches, leaving the season
more than two inches below average.
November was especially dry, registering
just over an inch of moisture.
The weather pattern was consistent for
most of the Farm Belt, and it showed in
the anticipation of solid corn and soybean
crops. USDA November 14th national forecast projected US production at 16.8 billion
SEE 2025 ON PAGE 14
2
RECORD
NEWS IN
BRIEF
PET REGISTRATION
DEADLINE MARCH 1
The City of Garnett wants to
remind citizens to register
their dogs/cats with the City
of Garnett before March 1,
2026. A late registration fee
will be assessed to any registration on or after March 1,
2026, for twice the amount
of the annual registration
fee.
GARNETT SENIOR CENTER
NEW YEARS BRUNCH
Celebrate the New Year
with a brunch at the Garnett
Senior Center on Thursday,
January 1st at 10 a.m.
Biscuits & gravy will be provided. Please bring a side
dish to share.
AMERICAN LEGION BINGO
HOLIDAY CHANGES
There will be no Bingo at
American Legion Post
48 Garnett on December
30th. Bingo will resume on
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
at 6:30pm.
ANDERSON COUNTY
COMMISSION
DECEMBER 15, 2025
Chairman Leslie McGhee
called the meeting of the
Anderson County Commission to
order at 9:00 AM on December
15, 2025 at the Anderson County
Commission Room. Attendance:
Leslie McGhee, Absent: Michael
Blaufuss, Present: Anthony
Mersman, Present. The pledge of
Allegiance was recited. Minutes
from the previous meeting were
approved as presented.
Road & Bridge
Ethan Lickteig, Road & Bridge
Supervisor, met with the commission. He will be viewing a demonstration of a Atmax Equipment
Co MowerMax Boom Mower on
Thursday. The equipment will
have an attachment for tree trimming and mowing areas that are
unreachable with current mowers.
The handrail at the courthouse
gazebo is complete and will be
painted this week and installed
soon.
Budget Amendment
Julie Wettstein, County
Clerk, met with the commission.
She presented a 2025 budget
amendment for the service program for the elderly budget.
Commissioner Blaufuss moved
and Commissioner Mersman
seconded to open the meeting
for public comment regarding
the amendment. All voted yes.
Dane Hicks inquired about the
additional funds that were transferred from the board to the
county when it was taken over.
Commissioner Blaufuss moved
and Commissioner Mersman seconded to close the hearing for
public comment. All voted yes.
Commissioner Blaufuss moved
and Commissioner Mersman seconded to approve the 2025 budget amendment for the service
program for the elderly. All voted
yes.
Emergency Management
Sarah Burkhart, Emergency
Management Director met with
the commission. She presented a
quote from Advantage Computers
to upgrade the current desktop
computers in Rural Fire and
Emergency Management to be
compatible with Windows 11. The
quote is for 2 complete desktop computers with Microsoft
office and set up for $4,206.
Commissioner Blaufuss moved
and Commissioner Mersman seconded to upgrade the computers for Rural Fire Coordinator
and Emergency Management
for $4,206 from Advantage
Computers to be paid out of
the civil defense fund. All voted
yes. Sarah presented a bid for a
Scotsman UC2024 ice machine
to be located at the Westgate
storage building. The ice machine
will be a resource the countys
emergency operations plan in the
event of an emergency or disaster. The machine will serve as
med support and cooling center
needs. She had a bid from Flynn
Appliance for $3,900 and a cost
if they purchased it themselves
for $5,102. She stated two firefighters are donating their time
to install and setup the machine.
Commissioner Mersman moved
and Commissioner Blaufuss seconded to purchase a Scotsman
US2024 ice machine from Flinn
Appliance for $3,900 to be paid
out of the civil defense fund. All
voted yes.
Rural Fire
Cruz Gillespie, Rural Fire
Coordinator, met with the commission. The Welda fire station
would like to add another drain
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
in the bays. Bids were received
from Todd Adams and Bill Lickteig
to remove concrete and insert a
drain. The bids were not similar so
Cruz will be speaking with them to
get an updated cost that are the
same and return next week. Cruz
submitted bids for a new one-ton
pickup to pull the foam trailer. He
also presented another truck that
he would like to purchase and put
at the Harris Station. The discussion was tabled until next week.
Cruz presented a red light permit
for Thomas Benton, Welda Fire.
Commissioner Blaufuss signed
the permit.
County Attorney
Steve Wilson, County Attorney,
met with the commission. He
gave an update on their case
load for 2025.
Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 12:00
PM due to no further business.
CREST UNIFIED SCHOOL
DISTRICT NO. 479
December 8, 2025 Board
Meeting Minutes
City of Garnett announces
City Hall and city refuse
schedule for New Years week
For the New Year holicay, Garnett City Hall
and all departments will
be closed on Thursday,
January 1, 2026, in observance of the New Year
holiday. They will resume
regular business hours on
Friday, January 2, 2026.
Trash routes will be as
follows:
Monday, December 29:
Regular Route
Tuesday, December 30:
Regular Route
Wednesday, December
31: Regular Route
Thursday, January 1,
2026: NO SERVICE
Friday, January 2,
2026: Thursday and Friday
Routes
NOTICE
And Co
Landfill
The Anderson County Landfill
will be closed December 25-28
& January 1.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Happy New Year!
The regular monthly meeting of
the Board of Education of Crest
Unified School District #479 was
held at the Crest Board Office,
Colony, on Monday, December
8, 2025. The meeting was called
to order at 7:00 p.m. by Board
President Travis Church.
Roll Call
Board Members Present
Nathan Beckmon, Travis Church,
Jamie Henderson, Kevin Nilges,
Lance Ramsey and Laura
Schmidt.
Board Members Absent – Seth
Black
Others
Present
Superintendent Shane Walter,
MS/HS Principal Travis Hermreck,
Board Clerk Elizabeth Donnelly,
and Jessica Mills.
Approval of Agenda
It was moved by Mrs. Jamie
Henderson and seconded by Mr.
Lance Ramsey to approve the
agenda as presented. Vote: 6-0
Approval of Consent Agenda
It was moved by Mr. Lance
Ramsey and seconded by Mr.
Nathan Beckmon to approve the
consent agenda including the
minutes of the November 10th
regular board meeting, bills in
the amount of $367,195.28,
Enrollment Report and Budget
Expenditure Report. Vote: 6-0
Information Items
ANW Special Education
Minutes The minutes of the
November 12, 2025, ANW
Special Education Cooperative
meeting were reviewed.
Su p e ri n te n d e n t/Pri n ci p a l
Report Mr. Walter gave a thank
SEE RECORDS ON PAGE 8
PAN-FRIED
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1-Stop
Every Sunday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Monday: $1.50 tacos, rice &
beans; $2 Natural Light cans
Tuesday: Sues choice!
Wednesday: Fried chicken
Thursday: Sues homemade
meatloaf
Friday: Chicken fried steak or
chicken fried chicken
Saturday:
1st Saturday: Ribeye Steak
2nd Saturday: Teriyaki-glazed
pork shops
BLE
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ALL A LY-STYLE!
FAMI
3rd Saturday: Surf & Turf:
boiled Shrimp and/or beef tips
4th Saturday: Fried Catfish
5th Saturday:
Homemade Lasagna
Sunday: Homemade pan-fried
chicken w/sides
CALL AHEAD, PICK UP (913) 898-6211
2×3
Agency West
Courtney Tucker, Agent
courtney.tucker@agencywestins.com
Auto Health Business & Commercial
Work Comp Bonding Homeowners Life
Recrecreational Vehicle Farm
415 S. Oak St. Garnett (785) 448-2284
For last years words
belong to last years
Thank you for supporting your local
hometown pharmacy this year!
Holiday Hours
New Years Eve 8:30am-5pm
New Years Day Closed
We will close at noon on
Wednesday, December 24th and
December 31st
and be closed Thursday,
December 25th and January 1st.
language, and next years
words await
another voice.
from all of us at…
Plan ahead and schedule your refills early
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785-448-6122 429 N. Maple Street, Garnett
Dining & Entertainment
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Kitchen Hours:
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Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
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Kitchen Hours: Wed. & Sun. 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri. & Sat. 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Bar open later Call ahead for large parties
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
LICKTEIG
JANUARY 28, 1935 DECEMBER 18, 2025
Bernard J. Lickteig, teaching these skills to othSr. age 90, of Burlington, ers.
Kansas,
passed
Bernie was precedaway on Thursday,
ed in death by his
December
18,
parents; siblings,
2025, at Richmond
Dionysius Lickteig,
Healthcare
and
Stephen Lickteig,
Rehabilitation in
Victor Lickteig,
Richmond, Kansas.
Patricia Goodeyon,
Eugene Lickteig,
He was born
Joyce
Burris,
on January 28,
Lickteig Linda
Lickteig;
1935, in Greeley,
love of his life,
Kansas, the son of
Dorothy Lickteig;
Alfred Joseph and
Albertine Eugenia (Peine) son-in-law, Johnny Folsom;
Lickteig. Bernie graduated Rachel Quezada significant
from Greeley High School other of son,David Lickteig.
in 1954. He joined the Navy
He is survived by his
in 1955 and served until children, Walter Lickteig
retirement in 1975.
and wife Renee, Linda
Bernard was united in Martin and husband Marty,
marriage to Dorothy Louise Kathleen Alexander and
Root on December 27, 1955 husband Royce, Charles
in Greeley, Kansas. This Lickteig and wife Iya,
union was blessed with Wanda Folsom, Bernard
seven children. Although Lickteig Jr. and wife
Bernard and Dorothy Michelle, David Lickteig;
grandchildren;
eventually separated, she several
remained the love of his great- grandchildren; greatgreat grandchildren and
life.
In his spare time, numerous other family and
Bernard enjoyed fishing friends.
and spending time outMass of Christian Burial
doors. Horses and mules will be held at 10:00 A.M.
were a significant part of on Tuesday, December 30,
his life, reflecting his deep 2025. Burial will follow in
appreciation for hard work the Holy Angels Cemetery
and tradition. In his young- in Garnett. Bernies famier years, he also enjoyed ly will greet friends from
hunting. Above all, Bernard 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on
cherished his grandchil- Monday, December 29, 2025,
dren and took great pride at the Feuerborn Family
in each of them. He was Funeral Service Chapel in
a natural storyteller and Garnett. Memorial contriespecially loved sharing butions may be made to
memories and stories from Southern Coffey County
Honor Flight and left in
his time in the military.
Bernie enjoyed discuss- care of the funeral home.
ing the news, world, nation- Condolences may be sent
al and local. He enjoyed to the family at www.feuerworking with his hands on bornfuneral.com
anything mechanical and
Garnett Lions Club
December minutes
Lion President Skip
Landis called our meeting
to order at 6:30 PM with
eleven (11) members in
attendance.
The Pledge of Allegiance
was recited, The Lords
Prayer
offered,
and
America was sung.
The Secretarys minutes
were provided at our last
meeting.
The Treasurers report
was given verbally by Lion
Dave. $9025.13 Lion Mike
motioned to accept the
report. Lion Ryan seconded the motion. The motion
passed by acclamation.
OLD BUSINESS
Membership Trifold:
Lion Chelsey provided a
copy of a tri-fold proof for
membership. With only
corrections in the meeting
time, they are approved for
printing.
Lions Christmas Float:
2nd Place! The parade was
well attended and we used
the Heroes of Sight Lion
Dane purchased two signs
that can be reused for further parades. He will bring
the bill to the next meeting.
Highway
Clean-Up:
Misty Villegass fiancee
is the new contact for the
Boy Scouts as an attempt to
continue this project. The
Boy Scouts are down to 4
members.
Pancakes with Santa:
Lion Chelsey advised that
the date is secured and
reminded the club that this
is a partnered event with
the VFW. Parents will be
available to discuss membership while their children play in the Snowball
Fight. Please plan to attend
to recruit future Lions!
NEW BUSINESS
District Governor, 17N,
Visit: Clark Lindstorm
wants to schedule a visit
to our club. Lion President
Skip advised it might be
best to look at Jan 5.
Lions Soup Supper:
January 22 is the date of
our Soup Dinner at First
Christian Church. We
discussed the volume of
soups made and the possibility of cutting back on
total production. Chili is
the largest volume held in
inventory after the event.
Advertising is key in any
event, including the radio
stations, newspapers, and
yard advertising.
Ticket prices will be
$8, Children 11-Younger
$6, Carry-out Quarts $10,
Carry-out Gallons $35
Lion Chelsey motioned
to adjourn the meeting at
7:02 PM. Lion Ryan secondedthe motion passed by
acclamation.
The winner of the 50/50
Raffle Drawing for $13 was
Lion Dane Hicks
FUTURE PLANNING:
07 DEC – Pancakes with
Santa Event
15 DEC – Christmas
Meeting
05 JAN – Regular Meeting
22 JAN – Chili / Soup
Feed (tentative)
Is time our friend or our foe?
From the minute we get
up in the morning until we
go to bed at night we are
controlled by time. The following may be said about
time. You cant save it,
borrow it, loan it, take it or
give it away. Time cant be
stopped, stored, stretched
or shared. All you can do
with time is use it or lose it.
So what do we do about
this time issue? Time is
unique because it is one of
the only things that everyone, young or old, rich or
poor, has the same amount
of.
Time can make you
feel like a prisoner because
you have too much or a last
minute Christmas shopper
because you have too little.
The people with too much
time dont understand the
issues faced by those with
too little time and those
with too little time dont
understand why other people have so much time.
With all that said we
have the same twenty-four
hours every day. If we
think about it I believe we
can see that God puts a lot
of importance on time. He
separated the light and the
dark to give us time for
rest. Every time he sent
his people into captivity he
did it for a specified time.
God also set one day aside
for we read in Genesis 2:3;
And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested
from all the work of creating he had done.
God did not create this
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL
BY DAVID BILDERBACK
day for us to ignore or to
fill with activities. We read
he blessed the seventh day.
God created you and me
for fellowship with him. In
Genesis 1:27 we read, So
God created man in his own
image in the image of God
he created him; male and
female he created them.
There is one more
important aspect of time.
It runs out. For each of us
time will someday cease.
God is no respecter of persons. Time will run out
for each of us. I hope that
makes us look at how we
are using our time. In
Hebrews 9:27 we read; It
is appointed for man to
die. After that time will
be no more. There will be
no opportunity to right
the wrongs. When we lay
down at night and all is
quiet and dark are we comfortable with the ticking of
the clock? If not maybe we
need to change the way we
spend our time.
Ministry on the
Holiness of God.
Author of the book,
On the Other Side
of the Door
Like David Bilderback
2×3
EKAE
MALEY
MAY 24, 1933 DECEMBER 20, 2025
Audrey Maley, age 92,
Moran, Kansas, passed
away on December 20, 2025.
A funeral service for
Audrey Maley will be held
Monday, December 29, 2025,
at 2:00 pm in the chapel at
Feuerborn Family Funeral
Service, 1883 US Hwy 54,
3
OBITUARIES
Iola, Kansas 66749. Family
will greet friends just
prior to the service at 1:00
pm,, December 29, in The
Venue at Feuerborn Family
Funeral Service. Burial
will follow the funeral service in Moran Cemetery.
2×3
EKAE
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!
2×2 Barnes
Seed
Keegan Barnes
1200 E. 4th Ave.
Garnett, KS 66032 785-304-2500
keegan.barnes@plantpioneer.com
Wishing you and yours a
2×6
Bluestem
2×3 Christmas and a
Merry
Bones Rock
Happy New Year!
Yard
Have a safe and Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year!
Holiday Hours:
December 24 closing at noon
December 25 closed
December 31 closing at noon
LANDSCAPE & DRIVEWAY ROCK MULCH SAND SOIL BOULDERS
(785) 242- 3070 3557 Old Highway 59 Ottawa
Merry Christmas everyone
and
best to you
for a
Merryour
Christmas
everyone
prosperous
New
and our best
to Year.
you for a
Thank you so much for
prosperous New Year.
supporting me and my
Thank you so much for
business this year.
Sue Page
supporting me and my
1-Stop
business this year.
Sue Page
1-Stop
601 South Oak, Garnett 785-448-3212
4
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OPINION
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
For mankind, the most pivotal day
Each Christmas season, Christians
around the world return to a story told
most clearly in the Gospels of Matthew
and Luke; a story humble in setting yet
monumental in consequence. It begins not
in palaces or halls of power, but in obedience, faith, and quiet wonder.
Luke tells of a young woman, Mary,
visited by an angel who announces she
will bear a son by the will of God. Her fianc, Joseph, though troubled, is reassured
in Matthews account that this child is
Emmanuel, God with us. Divine direction, the Bible says, drives the couple to
endure suspicion and fulfill the plan for
which they were destined.
Because of a Roman census, the couple
travels to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born
not in comfort, but in a stable. Shepherds,
the poor and overlooked of society, are the
first to hear the news and the first to kneel
before the manger.
Matthew adds another dimension: wise
men from the East, guided by a star, recognize the child as king and bring gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Their visit
draws the wrath of King Herod, forcing the
holy family to flee as refugees into Egypt.
From the outset, the Christmas story is
not sentimentalit is costly. It speaks of
sacrifice, danger, humility, and trust in
Gods promise.
Yet from this fragile beginning emerged
a faith that reshaped history. Christs message, fulfilled through His life, death, and
his resurrection, centered on two revolutionary ideas: charity rooted in love for
neighbor, and everlasting life grounded
in redemption rather than earthly power.
These principles formed the moral spine
of Christendom, and brought unparalleled
change to mankind.
Christian charity transformed societies. Hospitals, orphanages, poorhouses,
and schools arose from the belief that
every human life bears divine worth. Care
for the sick, the elderly, and the marginalized was not an afterthought but a calling.
Even today, many of the worlds largest
charitable organizations trace their ori-
REVIEW COMMENTARY
DANE HICKS, REVIEW PUBLISHER
gins to Christian teaching.
Equally transformative was the promise
of everlasting life. Christianity taught that
human dignity did not flow from kings or
governments, but from God Himself. This
belief limited absolute power and elevated
conscience, laying groundwork for ideas
of natural rights, equality before the law,
and moral accountability.
These principles profoundly shaped the
founding of the United States. While not
a theocracy, the nation was built upon
assumptions inherited from Christian
thought: that rights are endowed by a
Creator, that law must be tempered by
justice and mercy, and that liberty carries moral responsibility. Early American
institutionsfrom churches to colleges to
civic charitieswere expressions of this
worldview.
Christmas, then, is more than a historical remembrance or a cultural tradition.
It marks the arrival of ideas that changed
how the world understands power, compassion, and hope. From a manger in
Bethlehem came a faith that insisted the
weak matter, the lost can be redeemed,
and death is not the final word.
In remembering Christmas, we remember not only a birth, but a legacyone
that continues to challenge societies to
measure success not by wealth or force,
but by charity, humility, and faith in life
everlasting. ###
The Anderson County Reviews
PHONE FORUM
Record your comments on the topic of your choice
at (785) 448-2500. You do not need to leave your
name. Comments may be published anonymously.
Calls may be edited for publication or omitted.
Just heard about they made a deal for
the Chiefs, and now I find out its going
to be Olathe? How are they going to call
themselves The Kansas City Chiefs? The
Olathe Chiefs, yeah that has a nice ring to
it, doesnt it?
Id like to say thank you to the Nazarene
Church for the beautiful white trees lights
on 4th Street. Its wonderful.
There seems to be some confusion about
the enrollment numbers at Greeley
Elementary. Currently, there are 62 stu-
Irans on the brink; Trump should give a little nudge
The Iranian regime is in dire straits.
Thanks to the decisive actions of
President Trump and the State of Israel,
the Islamic Republic is no longer the
regional power it once was, and it now
faces crises on every front. Irans military infrastructure has been seriously
degraded, and its illicit nuclear program
has been severely decimated. Its network
of proxies throughout the Middle East
is disintegrating: Hezbollah is seriously
diminished; the Assad dynasty has collapsed; Iranian-backed militias in Iraq
face mounting political and public backlash; and Hamas is a shadow of its former
self.
The domestic situation is also bleak.
Thanks to chronic economic mismanagement, corruption and international
isolation, the economy is in shambles
and the country is running out of water.
Lacking popular legitimacy and unable
to deliver for its people, the regimes only
remaining instrument of control is rule
by fear.
Despite these many weaknesses, there
are still so many in the West who continue to labor under the misapprehension
that theres no alternative to the current
government.
The Iranian people have made their
preference abundantly clear in repeated
waves of uprisings. They do not want
a theocracy or a monarchy they want
a republic that is free, democratic, and
accountable to the citizenry.
GUEST COMMENTARY
MIKE POMPEO FMR. U.S. SEC/STATE
This is wrong on every level. It erases
the aspirations of millions of Iranians
who have risked their lives to demand
change. It ignores the existence of a
well-organized, democratic opposition
that has spent more than four decades
fighting the mullahs and preparing for
the day after the theocracy falls. And
it perpetuates the regimes propaganda
that the West must tolerate its brutality
because the alternative is chaos.
The Iranian people have made their
preference abundantly clear in repeated
waves of uprisings. They do not want
a theocracy or a monarchy they want
a republic that is free, democratic and
accountable to the citizenry.
Irans organized pro-democracy movement has the capacity, popular support
and systematic plan needed to replace
the moribund, murderous mullah-cracy with a government that reflects the
will of the Iranian people. This force for
positive change has a credible blueprint
for a democratic Iran that includes free
elections, the rule of law, the separation
of religion and state, and a commitment
not to pursue nuclear weapons.
This movement does not want
American troops on the ground or any
kind of external regime change. It has
asked only that the United States and
its allies support the Iranian peoples
demand for self-determination and deny
the regime access to the resources it
relies upon to survive.
US working with Israel to reach a
peace agreement in the Middle EastVideo
We know from history that the fall of
authoritarian regimes often appears
impossible until it is suddenly upon us.
When I served in West Germany as a
cavalry officer in the late 1980s, the idea
that the Berlin Wall would come down
just a few months after my tour ended
would have seemed like science fiction,
yet thats exactly what happened.
Even after nearly 14 years of civil
war, no one predicted the fall of Assad
in Syria, yet it seemed to crumble all at
once. Today, Irans dictatorship shows
the classic signs of fatigue that portend
the end stages of a regime: economic
exhaustion, internal fragmentation,
eroding deterrence and a population no
longer willing to live under clerical rule.
SEE POMPEO ON PAGE 8
Like Monroe, the Trump Doctrines a pretty good idea
President Trump likes putting his
name on things, so maybe it was inevitable hed get his own corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine.
Truth be told, what the presidents
just-released national security strategy
sets out as a new proposition is really
a restatement of the Lodge Corollary,
named after Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge in 1912. That proviso prohibited any foreign power or interest — not
just European governments — from gaining practical power of control in the
Western Hemisphere.
Naming rights aside, the treatment of
our hemisphere is a strong element of the
strategy. The so-called Trump corollary
aims to assert U.S. preeminence in the
hemisphere and keep non-hemispheric actors from creating threats or controlling strategically vital assets here.
It is, in the words of the strategy, a
common-sense and potent restoration of
American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.
We should, by all means, breathe new
life into a Monroe Doctrine that in recent
decades has become a museum curiosity.
The precipitating crisis for the making
of the doctrine was an 1821 declaration
by the Russians that theyd prohibit foreign shipping within 115 miles of their
holdings on the Pacific coast. Secretary
of State John Quincy Adams rebuffed the
edict in terms anticipating the doctrine.
NATIONAL COMMENTARY
RICH LOWRY, King Features Syndicate
The bigger issue was that the Spanish
empire was disintegrating. The end of
its grip in the Western Hemisphere catalyzed the birth of Latin American republics and presented the risk of interventions by ambitious, illiberal continental
Europeans states.
What to do? The British, who didnt
want to get locked out of Latin American
markets by other European countries
and viewed the U.S. as a potential partner, suggested a joint declaration that
continental powers should steer clear.
We strung the Brits along and then
President Monroe issued, on his own,
what would become his eponymous doctrine in an annual message to Congress
in 1823.
He asserted that the American continents, by the free and independent condi-
dents enrolled in preschool through 6th
grade, and on January 6th, when school
resumes, the number will increase to 65.
tion which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered
as subjects for future colonization by any
European powers.
New European footholds in the
Western Hemisphere were thought to
represent not just security, but territorial, demographic and ideological
threats. Metternich, the Austrian statesman, took great umbrage. He called it
an act of revolt, and pronounced it
fully as audacious and no less dangerous than the American Revolution.
Tsar Alexander said that it merits only
the most profound contempt. But Russia
backed off its 1821 power play.
Initially, we werent close to being militarily capable of contesting European
encroachments and we relied on the
British, in effect, to enforce our declaration. Still, the Monroe Doctrine became
a predicate of American geopolitical
power by avoiding major challenges to
our hegemony in our own hemisphere.
When we had the means, we enforced it
ourselves. Once we were no longer distracted by the Civil War, we pressured
France to end its intervention in Mexico
in the 1860s. We got Germany to stand
down during the Venezuela crisis of 1902
(this event led to the Roosevelt Corollary,
named after President Teddy Roosevelt,
stipulating the U.S. could deploy an
SEE LOWRY ON PAGE 8
Mr. Hicks, thank you for putting the
Chamber Choir photo in the paper. I have
long said the arts in our local schools
dont receive the publicity and attention
they deserve, and they are most often
very, very talented and win accolades
from their competitions. It was nice to
see this talent recognized in the paper.
I enjoyed the dedication ceremony for
Garnetts Liberty Tree yesterday and the
talk by Dan Benjamin about Garnetts
Liberty Festival and our traditional celebration of July 4th in our community.
I look forward to the committees special
250th birthday celebration this summer.
If you didnt make it to the dedication
there is a Youtube video online. Thank
you and God bless.
Letters to the editor
Singing Jingle Bumps
Bouncing down our roads, in a 5.7 liter pickup truck as our sleigh,
Oer the fields we go Bouncing over potholes
all the way,
Bangs and truck beds ding making spirits
spill,
Oh what fun it is to bounce down the
Anderson Couty roads tonight,
Oh, bounce, bounce, bounce , bounce, bounce
bouncing all the way, Oh, what fun it is to
bounce down our county roads tonight, with
a pick up as our sleigh, Hey Banging beds,
Banging beds, banging all the way, Oh what fun
it is to ride in a pick up as our sleigh;
A day or two ago, I thought Id take a ride,
and soon Miss Fanny Bright who was seated by
my side;
All the sudden hit a pothole square, and
Miss Fanny was no longer there, the ole pick up
truck was mean, bounced Miss Fanny out;
Misfortune seemed my lot, my truck-sleigh
bounced into a ditch, Fanny got really sore
cause she was bounced into a tree,
Oh bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce,
bounce, bouncing all the way, oh what fun it is
to bounce down our County roads tonight.
Brian Hall, Garnett
Connect with your elected leadership
President Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1111
Governor Laura Kelly
300 SW 10th Ave #241s,
Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 296-3232
email form:
www.governor.kansas.gov
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an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
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redress of grievances.
Lovers of freedom, anxious for the fray.
FORMERLY THE GARNETT PLAINDEALER,
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REPUBLICAN,
THE REPUBLICAN-PLAINDEALER,
THE GARNETT JOURNAL PLAINDEALER, THE GARNETT REVIEW,
THE GREELEY GRAPHIC AND THE ANDERSON COUNTIAN.
EST. 1865
Published with gusto each Thursday by Garnett Publishing,
Inc., and entered as Periodicals class mail at Garnett, Ks.,
66032, under USPS permit #214-200
Anderson County Review, P.O. Box 409, Garnett, Ks., 66032
(785) 448-3121 review@garnett-ks.com
GAROLD DANE HICKS, PUBLISHER
Copyright Garnett Publishing, Inc., 2025
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
5
HISTORY
How about a trip to Hanover? 60 years – Near blizzard conditions on Christmas Eve
Well the shortest day of
the year has come and gone
and now the days get longer
and spring arrives, so why
not start making plans for
the New Year?
If you are a traveler and
perhaps a history buff, why
not spend a day in Hanover,
Ks.? Hanover is about
a 3 1/2 hour drive north
of Garnett, almost on the
Nebraska state line.
While there, be sure and
pay a visit to the Hollenberg
Pony Express Station. It is
the only Pony Express station on its original site in
its origional dimensions.
Gerat H. Hollenberg sold
trading goods to travelers
on the trails before relocating east of Hanover in
Washington County. He
built his frame structure of
walnut on a stone foundation around 1857 or 1858,
as both home and business.
He and Sophia Brockmeyer
were married in 1858 and
the couple made their
home in four rooms on
the ground floor with two
DIGGING UP THE PAST
THAT WAS THEN
Henry Roeckers
Call (785) 448-6244 for
local archeology information.
PAULA SCOTT REVIEW HISTORY COLUMNIST
more rooms for a grocery,
post office and tavern. The
second floor provided an
open sleeping area for stage
employees. A blacksmith
shop and stable housed up
to 100 head of horses and
oxen. The station provided food, lodging and fresh
horses to the riders on the
Pony Express during its
operation from 1860 to 1861.
The station was purchased by the State of
Kansas in 1941. Listed in
the National Register of
Historic Places in 1961, it
became a State Historic site
in 1966. A really neat one
day trip.
2×3
Sonic
Christmas
YOU SAW THIS.
So did your customers.
Historical gleanings from
past local newspapers.
1885 – 140 years ago
December 25 – The old
jail is undergoing repairs
today. They are arranging to close the windows
at night so as to prevent
communication with the
outside world.
December 25 – Three fellows – cant call them men,
left a most filthy puddle
of spit where they sat in
the opera house last night.
The surroundings had
the appearance of a swine
resort.
1895 – 130 years ago
December 27 – Charley
McCrum reports that he
has just signed a contract
for flour and feed that
will keep the Garnett roller mills running day and
night for the entire year
1896. This is good news for
our people who want to see
the Garnett mills succeed.
December 27 – Mayor
Wagstaff and Councilman
Lane are responsible for
originating a plan whereby
many needy people of this
city were enabled to enjoy
a good Christmas dinner
and then have a goodly supply of provisions left for
the future. The day before
Christmas found a storeroom well stocked with
flour, meat, groceries, etc.,
and the mayor personally
superintended and distributed the articles among the
needy.
December 27 The U.P. Sabbath
school will have
a Christmas tree
and
musical
entertainment
in the church.
No admission
fee, but each one
who attends is
expected to take
a present for
some friend and
put on the tree.
1905 – 120 years
ago
December 26 THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ARCHIVE
Charlie Coleman
had a quarter of
beef–but Charlie Circa December 2005 Some of the cast members from the Westphalia
had no beef at Elementary School play, Thank You, Santa, gathered around
all,
someone visiting Santa following the program (l-r): Kristen Thweatt, Jessica
came in and Woolsey, Whitney Tate, Brittany Mitchell.
robbed Charlie.
While Mr. Coleman will not ing meet, Christmas Day, sion and maintenance of a
say anything regarding the was a success, from a sport nuisance were filed against
matter we understand that view, although the atten- Bouse in the court of Deane
Park Keeney and Charlie dance was cut down by L. Smith, Colony, justice of
Rice are being shadowed by cold and snow. There were the peace for Ozark townNight Watch Lacy. If this first eight races; then the ship. The same charges
is so we advise them not to winners met in four races, are already on file against
then two, and finally, in Bouse in district court in
try and hide in a barn.
December 30 – Isnt it one. The winners were connection with an earlier
about time that Garnett Scarlet Lady, owned by Dr. raid.
was getting bigger? Not Moonlight, of Eureka, first
1965 – 60 years ago
that we want a boom–but prize, $40; Tom Rices Joe
December 27 – Anderson
by taking in some of the Dongan, second, $25; Lady
land adjoining the city. It Lill and White Rock, owned County had a white
would help to reduce the by Doman of Paola, won Christmas this year, but
city tax and those adjoin- third and fourth prizes of high winds accompanying
ing the city have all the $7.50 each. Young Peril won the five-inch Christmas
conveniences of the town his race but was fined two Eve snowfall caused a
without paying any tax. If points for hesitating. The rash of highway mishaps
the city does nothing else races showed that blood and altered weekend travin the year 1906 it should counts in dogs the same as el plans for several families. The near-blizzard
during that time enlarge horses.
conditions also delayed an
the city limits on the north
1935 – 90 years ago
annual luminaries light
and west.
December 26 – In a raid ceremonies in two cities.
staged on Christmas Eve, High winds accompanying
1915 – 110 years ago
December 30 – Company Giles Bouse, Westphalia, the snowfall forced postK will give a dance in the was arrested and a quanti- ponement of the lighting
Armory New Years Eve, ty of liquor was confiscated of luminaries, a Christmas
for the benefit of the com- by County Attorney Merle Eve observance which
pany. There will be splen- Loughridge and L. O. Post, has become a custom in
city constable at Colony. sections of Garnett and
did music.
December 30 – The cours- Charges of liquor posses- Richmond.
Call (785) 448-3121 to advertise.
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6
YEAR IN REVIEW
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
Highlights of Anderson County news from the past year
January
January opened with
heartbreak in Colony, where
a 16-year-old former Crest
High School student was
arrested after an aggravated
assault incident and a subsequent fire that destroyed the
Colony Community Church.
Deputies pulled the juvenile
from the smoke-filled building before firefighters from
multiple departments fought
a blaze that rekindled the
next morning and ultimately
leveled the historic church.
Kansas legislators acted
to drop the sales tax on groceries which becomes mostly effective this month, but
the savings will be short
lived if voters pass a Garnett
sales tax increase to build
the new swimming pool and
other projects.
Winter Storm Blair gave
Anderson County a cold
start to 2025. Ice, sleet and
a few inches of snow coated
roads, trees and power lines,
but emergency officials credited residents for largely
staying home, helping the
county avoid serious crashes and widespread outages
despite sub-zero wind chills.
A new report from Kansas
State University extension
says farmland values are
holding steady in eastern
Kansas land deals, with location still being king and general values.
Mid-month, Garnetts city
government buttoned up a
host of housekeeping items
passing new ordinances
that spell out rules for golf
carts, work-site utility vehicles and micro utility trucks
on city streets, and updating
camping fees in city parks
starting January 1, 2025.
The Anderson County
Historical Society museum
hosts its first artifact identification day in late January.
Despite market impacts
of President Biden's ban on
new drilling leases on the US
coastline, county commissioners get a better bid from
the Leroy Co-op on its diesel
fuel for the coming year.
Hackers
attack
the
Power School program
affecting 50 million students,
including those in Kansas.
Anderson County District
Judge Eric Godderz swears
in newly elected officials
from the November elections, including second district county commissioner
Tony Mersman, county
sheriff Wes McLain, county
attorney Steve Wilson, register of deeds Sandra Baugher,
county clerk Julie Wettstein
and 3rd District county commissioner Mike Blaufuss.
The City of Garnett has
installed a new online booking system for the 3000 plus
camping spot reservations
it makes annually for city
parks.
The Kansas Senate floats
a plan for a constitutional
amendment to limit property
value growth affecting taxes.
A report from Kansas data
scientist Earl Glenn says 447
dead people in Kansas tried
to register to vote in March
of 24.
Ivin and Marvin Bauman
buy Wolken Tire from Patty
Rundle and expand their
Cedar Valley Tire & Auto
operation to Garnett.
He now lives in Garnett
and once played in the bands
that backed Sammy Davis
junior, the Coasters and the
Shirells along with Glenn
Miller, Woody Herman and
Bob Mills and the Texas
Playboys. Chuck Cowan was
inducted into the Kansas
Music Hall of Fame in
January.
President Donald Trump
is elected to the highest
office in the land for the second time promising a golden
age for America, and hits the
ground running with scores
of new policy orders.
Schools filled the latter half of January with
spelling bees and student
achievements.
Garnett
Elementary,
Crest,
Westphalia Elementary and
Anderson County Junior
High all crowned bee champions and runners-up, sending a county-wide slate of
students to compete at the
Anderson County Spelling
Bee at ACHS at the end of
the month.
January closed with business on the brain. The Jan. 30
edition carried the free 2025
Regional Business Resource
Directory as a supplement
a one-stop guide to Anderson
County and area businesses
positioning local firms and
services in front of readers
heading into the new year.
February
Colonys city ordinances
were updated to adjust water
and sewer rates and to formally rescind a long-standing breed-specific ban on Pit
Bull dogs inside city limits,
as the council rewrote rules
that affect daily life for residents and their pets.
A plea deal with Anderson
County's former county
attorney allows Joshua left
of Colony to avoid charges of
felon in possession of a firearm in exchange for a single
conviction of burglary after
an incident at Colony High
School in October last year.
Mike Hill and Helen
Norman of Garnett are
awarded the George Clasen
Memorial Service Award at
the Garnett Area Chamber
of Commerce's annual banquet, along with Parkview
Heights as Business of the
Year and the Friends of the
Library as Organization of
the Year. Anderson County
Sheriff Wes McClain pitches
a plan to bring the county's
Emergency Management
division under his wing.
Jacob Zimmerman and
Kurston Allen are crowned
king and queen of Crest
Winter
Homecoming.
Diego Garcia-Campoy and
Ana Vega win the honors at ACHS and Melaney
Chrisjohn and Landon Lopez
reign over the festivities at
Central Heights.
Anderson
County
Development Agency director Jessica Mills proposes Donna Harris Park, the
south yard of the Garnett
Rec Center, and the existing
skate park in Lake Garnett
Park as locations for the
pavilions the city got for free
with the exception of transport costs from the former
Overland Park farmers market.
County commissioners
get over the bad taste left
in their mouths by a dust
control deal gone bad a few
years ago, and take advantage of the companys conciliatory pricing and service
promises for the coming
years dust abatement.
With stronger majorities in the legislature,
Republicans
override
Governor Laura Kelly's third
veto of a law that would ban
child sex change operations
in Kansas.
By mid-month, healthcare access took center
stage. Hundreds of Kansas
pharmacists in white coats
rallied at the Statehouse in
Topeka, temporarily closing
more than 100 pharmacies
including independent stores
like Rockers Pharmacy in
Paola to spotlight how
pharmacy benefit managers
and low reimbursements are
driving closures and threatening community access to
medications.
In the same issue, former Anderson County
Emergency Management
Director J.D. Mersman cautioned commissioners about
folding the department
under the sheriffs office,
arguing that direct accountability to commissioners better matches their ultimate
responsibility for county
emergencies.
Landry Sparks, Ebony
Hughes and Julie Platt will
represent Central Heights
at state womens wrestling.
Gage Peine and Royce Ulrich
attend for CHHS men.
On the opinion pages later
in the month, the Reviews
editorial voice turned its
sights on the U.S. Postal
Service. A column urging
leaders to DOGE the USPS
channeled subscriber frustration over chronic delivery delays, telling stories
of local mail taking nearly
two weeks to travel short
distances and arguing that
national reforms cant come
soon enough.
The Feb. 27 edition mixed
youth innovation with longrange planning. Anderson
County
Junior
High
8th-grader Vivian Ribletts
Vivians Slime small-business project won the local
Youth Entrepreneurship
Challenge, earning a trip to
the state competition, while
other students pitched ideas
like a water-vapor condensing Gadget Factory.
At the same time,
Economic
Development
Director Jessica Mills laid
out five possible new homes
for three steel pavilions
acquired from Overland
Park from Donna Harris
Park and the Garnett Rec
Center yard to sites at the
Garnett Industrial Airport
with city leaders eyeing public input before committing
to a relocation plan.
That same issue also
pointed to a quieter but significant statewide story:
Kansas child-abuse reports.
A Sentinel analysis noted
that in recent years the vast
majority of reports have
been labeled unsubstantiated, with some counties posting 9597 percent unsubstantiation rates and the state
recording only about 1,300
substantiated cases over
20222023, even as agency
officials struggled to explain
sharp swings in the data.
town.
Federal cuts to ACA
Navigator grants blindsided
Thrive Allen County, with
CEO Lisse Regehr confirming a 90% reduction beginning in 2026 jeopardizing
staffing and statewide outreach.
In Anderson County, a
long-running farm-equipment theft saga moved
toward closure as Marvin
Slyter pled guilty to two felony theft counts tied to stolen
tractors and loaders discovered in 2019.
Garnett area musicians
rallied to restore the citys
vandalism-reward
fund
after feces-smearing vandals
struck the Santa Fe Depot,
prompting renewed calls for
security cameras along the
Prairie Spirit Trail.
One of the longest theft
investigations and prosecutions in recent memory
came to a close in Anderson
County District Court
Monday when Marvin Slyter
pleads guilty to two of nine
felony charges related to the
possession of stolen farm
equipment dating back to
2019.
The $1.8 million cattle-fraud
case
against
Tennessee livestock dealer Bert Smith continued
to grow with multistate
charges and an April 1 status
hearing set amid scheduling
complications.
County commissioners
in the six county Southeast
Kansas Mental Health
Center district are aggravated because the organization's
board pays key leadership
hundreds of thousands of
dollars a year, and commissioners say if they can afford
those salaries based primarily off Medicaid billings, they
don't need local county tax
money.
Vandals throw poop on
furniture at Garnett's historic depot, prompting calls for
new surveillance cameras at
various city locations.
Saint Boniface Church at
Scipio makes headway on
its new meeting hall project. The former hall suffered
storm damage in 2021 and
was razed in favor of a new
structure at the site.
Musicians taking part
in the monthly open jam at
Toddys Back Porch cocktail
bar agree to donate all their
tips at the upcoming jam to
the reward fund for their
recent depot vandals, raising
over $300.
William Vandenberg sentenced to five years in prison stemming from gunplay
involving his ex-girlfriend
and her new beau.
An April Fool's Day
court appearance is set for
Tennessee's Burt Smith on
charges that he built local
cattlemen Ron Ratliff out of
$1.8 million in bogus cattle
purchases.
Separately, a Review
investigation
revealed
SEKMHC director salaries to
be the highest among Kansas
mental-health districts, fueling regional backlash and
calls for accountability.
Kansas
Bureau
of
Investigation agents say
they have positively identified the remains of 16-yearold Jimmy Allen Dollison,
buried anonymously in
Garnett in 1973 after his
remains were found in a
local field, and the case has
turned into an active murder
investigation as they try to
find out who killed him and
why. This reopened a cold
case mystery tied to Kansas
Citys violent era.
County commissioners
from six counties held an
extraordinary meeting in
Iola questioning SEKMHCs
six-figure executive compensation packages the highest in Kansas with many
calling them immoral, but
meeting leader and Allen
County Commissioner David
Lee locks Kansas Informer
reporter Dane Hicks out of
the meeting while allowing
other media and private
individuals to attend.
Former Republican governor candidate Arlyn Briggs,
who pulled 80,000 GOP votes
in an unsuccessful bid for
the Republican nomination
in 2022, is back in Anderson
County District Court, this
time on charges he vandalized a family members property.
The Anderson County
Cornstock Concert On The
Hill hits 20 this fall, with
local performers Trevor
Holman and the Haymakers
the opening act.
County
Emergency
Services Dispatcher Sarah
Burkhart is hired to head
county emergency preparedness.
Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kellys
vetoes to limit future
COVID-style shutdowns and
protect faith-based foster/
adoptive families a major
ideological win for the GOP
supermajority.
The Kansas Insurance
Department released 2024
storm-damage totals, showing Anderson County at
$778,000 far below neighboring counties with multimillion-dollar losses.
A controversial SEKMHC
salary meeting may have violated Kansas open-meetings
law by banning a reporter;
commissioners also learned
counties are not required by
statute to fund the agency.
Vivian Riblett, an eighth
grader at Anderson County
Junior High school, was
named a finalist in the
2025 Kansas entrepreneurship challenge. She earned
a $1,700 award for her all
natural slime business, having qualified for the state
competition after winning
the Anderson County youth
entrepreneurship challenge
in February.
ed-rape charge against
illegal immigrant Porfirio
Cruz-Cantu after the victim
confirmed the sexual intent
of the Prairie Spirit Trail
attack from last October.
Court officials continued evaluating 16-year-old
Kaiden Robbs competency
in the arson that destroyed
Colony Community Church
the day after Christmas.
President
Trump
announced a UK trade deal
benefiting Kansas beef, agriculture, and ethanol producers by lowering British tariffs on U.S. goods, drawing
strong support from East
Kansas Agri-Energy leaders, and issued an executive
order aimed at slashing prescription drug prices by limiting PBM power and imposing most favored nation
pricing if drugmakers fail to
negotiate.
Recent flood waters continue to threaten the local
area, with a number of water
rescues.
Linus Thuston, the
Neosho County Attorney
who ran for the Anderson
County GOP CA nomination
in 2020, will face three felony counts of perjury in the
county he formerly served
regarding statements he
made about receiving nude
photos from a confidential
informant in a NC drug case.
A new Garnett fitness
business, Gains and Glory, is
the Beneficiary of a $100,000
grant from the Kansas historic economic asset lifeline program to refurbish
a downtown building and
open for business there.
Eli Martin qualifies for
boys 3A State Golf for ACHS.
The Yutzy School west of
Garnett will open this fall
to offer a more Christ based
educational experience for
area kids.
Local jam musicians host
a free Rock The Square
event May 31 at the Anderson
County Veterans Memorial.
Third
District
Congresswoman Sharice
Davids and fellow Democrats
fail to kill Trumps Big
Beautiful Bill, which continued the Trump tax cuts
for high earners in Johnson
County and nationwide.
The Central Heights
Viking baseball team mount
an improbable 6-0 deficit
comeback to beat Southern
Lyon County 8-7 in extra
innings and win a berth at
the state tournament.
Memorial Day weekend
rains dumped up to 5 inches
on the Greeley area, continuing a warm wet spring that
saw more than 15 inches of
rainfall between March 1st
and May 27th.
2025
March
After a three-year delay,
William Vandenberg of
Paola will face a jury,
charged with shooting up
his ex-girlfriend's car and
her new boyfriend's home in
southern Garnett in April of
2022.
Sharing space on that
front page was a very different kind of recruit: a fouryear-old Dutch Shepherd
simply named Sheriff.
The dog, trained in German
for search-and-rescue and
drug detection, is slated to
join the Anderson County
Sheriffs Office after community sponsors including a $16,500 donation from
Patriots Bank, donated
vet care from Countryside
Veterinary Clinic and lifetime dog food from Brummel
Farm Service stepped up to
fund the K-9 program.
Anderson Countys Youth
Entrepreneurship Challenge
showcases kids with original
business ideas.
Saint Lukes Home Care &
Hospice has moved its south
branch office from Ottawa,
Kansas, to Anderson County
Hospital.
New leadership breathes
life back into Westphalia
Day after a 10 year absence.
Garnetts historic 1909
Balyeat Building which
housed The Hunt Furniture
Store in Garnett for some 70
years and subsequent businesses in latter decades is set
for condemnation by Garnett
City Commissioners.
Richmond natives David
D. Schafer and Todd Mildfelt
are awarded by the Kansas
Notable Book Board for their
book Abolitionist Of The
Most Dangerous Kind.
Countywide, a required
real-estate market analysis
showed just how hot local
property has become, with
residential, commercial and
vacant land all seeing double-digit valuation increases
in the latest year-over-year
snapshot.
Put together, the first
quarter of 2025 in Anderson
County tells a familiar local
story: communities rallying
after loss, braving winter
storms, fine-tuning ordinances, celebrating kids
achievements and smalltown entrepreneurs, and quietly grappling with big-picture issues like health-care
access, child-protection data
and rising property values
all while the hometown
paper runs its own promotions and helps underwrite
a new four-legged deputy for
the sheriffs office.
Kansas senators advanced
SCR 1611, a constitutional amendment that would
allow Kansans to directly
elect Supreme Court justices
a dramatic shift from the
current lawyer-dominated
nominating system.
Locally, Sheriff Wes
McClain warned commissioners that the county jail
needs hundreds of thousands
in repairs from outdated cameras to a failing fire
suppression system if the
county hopes to earn national jail certification.
Meanwhile,
Garnett
moved forward on condemning the historic 1909 Hunt
Furniture Building after
falling glass and long-term
abandonment worsened its
structural danger down-
April
The county mourned the
drowning of 5-year-old Ruger
Petersilie in a farm pond
near Colony, prompting
renewed discussion about
rural water-safety measures
such as fencing, rescue
posts, and signage.
Kincaid sex offender
Kevin LaBelle receives an
18-year sentence for felony
sodomy after a plea deal
covering multiple child-sex
charges.
Porfirio DeLa Cruz-Cantu
an illegal immigrant
accused in a violent Prairie
Spirit Trail assault was
set for a June 30 trial.
County and Garnett city
officials agreed to dissolve
Garnetts Land Bank and
replace it with a countywide version aimed at faster
action on derelict properties
across multiple towns.
Nationally, the U.S.
Department of Education
demanded states certify that
all DEI policies be eliminated or risk losing federal
funds, while Kansas officials
called the mandate merely a
request.
Garnett learned it must
return more than $300,000
in FEMA overpayments tied
to Cedar Valley Reservoir
repairs in 20182019.
May
Commissioners approved
more than $300,000 in
long-needed repairs at the
county jail triple the sheriffs original estimate to
fix blind spots, acoustic hazards, broken doors, and outdated fire systems.
The SEKMHC salary controversy deepened as board
members refused public
comment, while outside mental-health officials confirmed
the high pay originated from
a private consultants recommendations which apparently got blanket approval from
the board.
KDOT announced a massive two-year rebuild of the
US-169/59 roundabout starting May 19, forcing a shoofly detour that will reroute
more than 5,000 vehicles per
day.
A fiery May 4 headon crash near Lane killed
eight people including
youth basketball players
and coaches in what is
believed one of the two most
deadly crashes in Kansas
highway history.
Marvin Slyter is sentenced to 24 months probation in a plea deal on numerous farm equipment theft
charges that have dragged
on for nearly six years, largely because he had no previous criminal record.
ACHS Bulldog Jordan
Miller sets a new school
record in the triple jump at a
Humboldt track meet with a
leap of 35 feet nine inches, a
first place meet finish.
County Attorney Steve
Wilson added an attempt-
June
Heavy rains drenched
Anderson County with up
to five inches in 24 hours,
triggering four water rescues, two rain-related vehicle crashes, and widespread
rural road flooding as an
already-soggy spring pushed
creeks past capacity.
The week also closed
the election-filing window,
leaving two USD 365 board
seats without candidates and
requiring November writeins or later board appointments. City races across the
county filled out with a mix
of incumbents, newcomers
and empty slates in places
like Greeley and Lone Elm.
Central
Heights
Viking Mens Track Team
brings home a state 2-1A
Championship.
Garnett began finalizing plans for the Liberty
Festival, set for June 28 at
Lake Garnett, promising
music from the Osawatomie
Community Band and Scipio
Bottoms, family picnics and
fireworks over the water.
A countywide EMS
improvement also made
headlines: a new network
of pre-planned helicopter
landing zones on rural propertiespaired with a faster
dispatch protocoldramatically cut med-evac response
times and proved successful
during a real emergency the
previous week.
Internally,
county
employees pushed for meeting time without commissioners present, arguing an
employee engagement committee could share ideas and
concerns more freely.
SEE 2025 ON PAGE 7
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
2025…
FROM PAGE 6
The community reeled
from the death of 16-year-old
Wyatt Witham, killed in a
late-night UTV rollover west
of Garnettanother in a
troubling pattern of Kansas
youth ATV/UTV fatalities
over recent years.
Kansas Governor Laura
Kelly attacked President
Trump for deploying federal
troops to protect ICE agents
during violent riots in Los
Angeleseven as Trump
argued federal law gives him
clear authority over Guard
activation to protect ICE in
illegal immigration raids.
Garnett reflected on the
legacy of Jim Cooper, a banking leader whose decades of
civic service, development
work, and stewardship of
Patriots Bank left an enduring imprint on Anderson
County life.
A sweeping federal energy debate hit home as U.S.
Senate Republicans unveiled
a bill to end industrial wind
and solar tax credits by 2028,
but preserve nuclear, hydro
and geothermal incentives
through 2036a move closely watched in rural Kansas
counties where industrial
projects have been divisive.
Westphalia announced it
would create its own municipal court, hoping to finally
enforce long-ignored nuisance and safety ordinances
involving dilapidated structures, loose animals and
other chronic problems.
Flooding again made
headlines when a sheriffs
deputy responding to a rescue became stranded in high
water, leaving his patrol
vehicle a likely total loss but
causing no injuries.
County commissioners
also withheld a $32,000 quarterly payment to SEKMHC
amid continuing backlash
over executive salaries
exceeding $600,000 annually,
despite the agencys heavy
reliance on Medicaid revenue.
Separately,
watchdog
reporting warned Evergy
ratepayers they face 33%
total bill increases.
The Review announced a
historic change: beginning
July 3, the paper will publish on Thursdays instead of
Fridays after a longstanding
Burlingame printing plant
closed. The shift marks
another transition in the
regions shrinking printpress landscape, even as the
newspaper reaffirmed its
commitment to the authenticity and permanence of
print journalism.
County fire officials
revived long-paused plans
for a Garnett rural fire station, shelving oversized 2019
engineering drawings and
restarting design discussions for a scaled-to-need
facility on West Seventh
Street.
The Anderson County
Fair Board pitched a major
overhaul of its aging livestock facilities, planning to
raise nearly half a million
dollars for a single large
metal structure to replace
decades-old
patchwork
barns.
At the county table,
commissioners
signaled
that SEKMHCs windfall of
life-changing Medicaid
funding means the countys
$90,000 subsidy may end
after 2025especially amid
continued scrutiny of executive pay.
Statewide,
Attorney
General Kris Kobach sought
a federal civil-rights investigation into four Kansas
school districts for policies
that conceal student gender-transitioning from parents, alleging FERPA violations.
Arthur Capper, the famed
Kansas publisher and U.S.
senator born in Garnett,
with museum exhibits and
Capper Foundation art displays honoring his legacy
in publishing, agriculture,
youth leadership and philanthropy.
The Richmond Free
Fair entered its 101st year,
emphasizing its Family
Tradition theme and celebrating a century-long legacy of 4-H, livestock shows,
parade traditions and multistate participation. Mary
and Leo Weiderholt will
be the grand marshalls of
parade Saturday, July 12.
A federal judge ruled in
favor of Kansas Attorney
General Kris Kobach, allowing the states new ban on
foreign funding in constitutional amendment campaigns to stand a major
decision ahead of the 2026
vote on electing Kansas
Supreme Court justices.
Kansas Congresswoman
Sharice Davids joined
Democrats in a final measure opposing President
Trumps renewed tax-cut
package, and the president
signs the bill during the July
4 holiday.
Anderson
County
assumed direct control of its
public transportation system, shifting oversight from
a previous board but keeping service hours and fares
unchanged.
A statewide KBI report
showed
crime
declining across Kansas, with
Anderson County logging a comparatively low
index-crime rate while
Allen County remained the
regions highest.
Facing a large projected
2026 budget shortfall shortfall, county commissioners
considered using $622,000
from an ethanol-plant tax
settlement to meet revenue
neutral requirements for
the 2026 budget.
Jerry and Carolyn Smith
are grand marshals of the
reconstituted Westphalia
Day Parade.
Anderson County began
preparing for the looming
Microsoft Windows 10 endof-life transition, confronting substantial technology
upgrade costs.
A statewide debate resurfaced over in-state tuition
for undocumented students,
with Kansas remaining one
of 22 states allowing the
benefit despite legislative
attempts to end it.
Commissioners withheld
state alcohol-tax funds typically allocated to SEKMHC,
part of a continuing backlash over high administrative salaries.
Forty-five year-old Chad
Farrar died of carbon monoxide poisoning while working
at a local residence, prompting EMS to adopt new mandatory CO-detector protocols
after several responders suffered exposure symptoms.
Steven Bundy and Kevin
Calley emerge as write-in
candidates for vacant USD
365 school board seats, ensuring contested races despite
no initial filings at the June
deadline.
New state assessment
results showed more than
150,000 Kansas students
functionally illiterate,
with criticism aimed at
KSDE for redefining proficiency metrics.
A third write-in candidate, Chris Brady, joined the
USD 365 school board race,
emphasizing academic performance, transparency, and
community engagement.
Long-serving
noxious-weed director Vernon
Yoder announced his retirement after 31 years, launching a county search for a
replacement amid a heavy
weed-growth season.
7
YEAR IN REVIEW
adult.
The county published its
delinquent-tax roll, showing
more than $510,000 owed a
20% rise reflecting increased
valuations and strained
household budgets.
A Review analysis highlighted the near blackout of
coverage by Kansas City and
Wichita media on the Prairie
Spirit Trail attempted-rape
case involving illegal immigrant Porfirio De La CruzCantu.
Garnett proposed a 2026
city budget with $1.5 million
more in spending but kept
its mill levy just below the
revenue-neutral threshold.
City officials prepared
to ask voters for a one-cent
sales tax in November to
fund a new swimming pool
and long-delayed infrastructure projects.
A longtime Country Mart
bookkeeper, Megan Marshell
Wilson, is charged with 17
felony theft counts after
more than $37,000 in missing
deposits were traced to her.
A massive outbreak of fall
armyworms swept through
eastern Kansas lawns and
pastures, leaving brown
swaths across the county
as extension agents urged
chemical treatment before
first frost.
Kansas Attorney General
Kris Kobach moved to block
Gov. Laura Kellys attempt
to join a multi-state lawsuit
against the Trump administration, arguing she lacked
legal authority.
A Wisconsin-based study
shows Kansas funerals are
the least affordable in the
U.S., with the average funeral in the state now costing
more than $12,500.
$10.4 million in Kansas SNAP
funds after Gov. Laura Kelly
refused to turn over program
data, putting assistance to
more than 400 local households in limbo and prompting a lawsuit from Attorney
General Kris Kobach.
Former county appraiser Gary Stapp releases his
first novel, a science-fiction
historical work entitled
Trespassers.
October
The Anderson County
Flywheelers annual gas
engine and tractor show
returned to North Lake
Park with steam tractors,
threshing demos and school
Education Day.
County commissioners
hear about rural landowners tempted to illegally burn
down dilapidated houses
they cant easily remove.
Porfirio De La Cruz-Cantu
avoids trial on attempted
rape by pleading to aggravated battery, mistreatment
of an elderly person and a
misdemeanor.
Garnett city leaders lay
out their case for a one-cent
sales tax to rebuild Garnetts
aging pool and ballfields
while acknowledging the
regressive nature of sales
taxes on poorer residents.
Lake Garnett Grand Prix
Revival highlighted the
growing vintage-auto event
for its 12th annual performance along with its charity
rides.
A dive into the proposed
1% city sales tax featured
former commissioner Jason
Sheahans math, arguing
the projected revenue cant
cover the full recreation
wish list without either
cutting projects or finding
more money elsewhere.
Patriots Banks long-running WINGS fundraiser
crossed the $20,000 mark to
help local women fighting
breast cancer.
Yet another USD 365
write-in candidateveteran educator Skip Landis
stepped up in races that initially drew no official filings.
Max Chrisjohn and
Ashley Harkins are Central
Heights king and queen of
fall homecoming.
Voters in Central Heights
USD 288 weighed a $15.35
million bond focused largely on a consolidated vo-ag
center and early childhood
space aimed at real-world job
training for students.
Kansans For Life presents
Aftermath a memorial display of 19,467 fetal models
each representing a child
lost to abortion in Kansas in
2023.
At the federal level,
Congresswoman Sharice
Davids faced criticism for
voting against a funding
bill that might have averted what some branded the
Schumer shutdown, even
as she publicly lamented the
government closure.
New College ACT test
results showed Kansas hitting a new all-time low,
with just 17% of graduates
testing college-ready in all
four subjects after a decade
of Kansans Can policy
that critics say prioritized
social-emotional programming over academics.
Garnett police arrested
a 23-year-old Hunter Hill
allegedly driving to pick
up his child from Garnett
Elementary with a blood-alcohol level more than three
times the legal limit.
Investigators tied a rash
of local forged-check purchases at local stores to a
broader theft ring spanning
11 Kansas jurisdictions and
roughly $24,000 in stolen
goods.
Zach Schaffer and Brylie
Kohlmeier are crowned king
and queen of ACHS homecoming. Jensen Barker and
Kinlee Edgerton win the
honors at Crest.
Halloween week turned
reflective and a little creepy.
A feature traced the holiday back to Celtic Samhain,
medieval souling, and immigrant Jack-o-lantern lore,
while a second story mapped
upcoming parades and trickor-treat routes for Anderson
County goblins. City staff,
meanwhile, faced an unusual complaint: a pack rat nesting in a Garnett cemetery
grave, prompting an education in how floral arrangements and stonework make
perfect middens for the
rodents.
Famed KISS guitarist Ace
Frehley passes away after
complications from a recent
fall at the age of 74.
Beyond the spooky season, Attorney General Kris
Kobach notched a legal win
in a multistate suit overturning a Biden-era rule that
would have forced doctors
and hospitals to perform or
insure gender-transition procedures under Obamacares
sex-discrimination
language.
Garnett City Manager
Travis Wilson takes steps to
rectify a pack rat thats built
a nest at a grave in Garnett
cemetery, causing stress
for family members of the
deceased.
November
November opened with
voters reshaping local tax
and school landscapes.
Garnett residents approved
the controversial one-cent
city sales tax to fund a new
pool and other recreation
upgrades, while Central
Heights voters passed a
$15.35 million bond for
vo-ag, early childhood and
gym improvementsboth
measures winning despite
debates over cost and scope.
Susan Wettstein cruised
to a Garnett city commission win, incumbent Gina
Witherspoon easily held her
USD 365 seat, and officials
began the painstaking process of counting and confirming hundreds of writein votes for the remaining
school board positions.
Local Marines celebrate
the 250th birthday of the U.S.
Marine Corps, tracing its origins to Tun Tavern in 1775
and following Devil Dogs
through Belleau Wood, Iwo
Jima, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Princetons
Kenneth
Teter is tragically killed in
Greeley when he accidentally falls underneath the
parked trash truck he was
operating.
A week later, the sky itself
stole the show. A rare, strong
Aurora Borealis event
pushed the auroral oval far
enough south that eastern
Kansas residents who knew
to use newer iPhone cameras
could capture eerie reds and
greens over Colony and the
countryside a solar-storm
science lesson wrapped in
social-media spectacle.
Back on the ground,
former Anderson County
Emergency Preparedness
Director (and Garnett
mayor) Mark Locke reached
a $30,000 settlement with the
county over his January firing to avoid costly litigation,
even as controversy continued swirling around emergency-services leadership.
Colony teen Kaiden Robb,
whose arson destroyed the
Colony Community Church,
received a sentence of 12
months probation and $2,000
in restitution as part of a
plea deal that dropped more
serious counts, while the
congregations new building
continued to rise.
Commissioners removed
their citizen appointee to the
SEKMHC board and replaced
her with Commissioner
Mike Blaufuss amid fresh
rumors of even higher executive salaries tied to a new
federal designation.
The final USD 365 vote
canvass results showed
write-ins Skip Landis and
Anne Marie Strobel winning two previously vacant
school board seats backed by
a more conservative slate of
supporters.
Late November brought
a mix of seasonal spirit and
simmering
controversy.
Commissioners broke election ties the old-fashioned
way by drawing names
from a hat settling council
races in Kincaid and Lone
Elm with a bit of courthouse
pageantry as required by
Kansas statute.
A front-page examination of gravel-road damage
reminded rural drivers
that washboards and ruts
often originate with drivers
behind the wheel as much as
behind a grader, with county
road supervisor urging slower speeds and patience after
heavy rains turned roads
to mush and back to concrete-like hardness.
A Welda-area crypto-mining project seeks
a special-use permit and a
72-panel solar array to power
its Dogecoin-computation
rigs a proposal county
staff noted would not fall
under the citys solar-ban
ordinance since no electric-
ity would be sold.
Garnetts newly approved
1% city sales tax received an
implementation date of April
1, 2026, clearing the last procedural step toward funding
the city pool replacement
and other capital projects
voters supported earlier in
the month.
Thanksgiving
season
also revived familiar traditions: Operation Christmas
Child volunteers at Dunkard
Brethren Church aimed to
top last years 216 shoeboxes
for overseas children, while
the annual Great Christmas
Giveaway kicked off with
$1,000 and multiple smaller
prizes awaiting lucky shoppers at local businesses.
Roughly 450 Anderson
County recipients stood at
the intersection of fraud
crackdowns, political finger-pointing, and questions
about obesity and nutrition
standards within the SNAP
government food assistance
program.
Garnetts last barber,
Larry Varvel, announced his
retirement after 62 years due
to a shoulder injury, closing
a chapter of shared stories
and small-town camaraderie.
A review of tax documents
confirms SEKMHC compensation soared to $889,000 for
CEO Nathan Fawson in 2024,
placing the agencys leadership firmly in the top 1% of
U.S. earners and reigniting
county outrage at the mental-health districts compensation structure.
2025
July
A long-planned downtown
project, The 130 Collective,
officially opened at 130 E.
5th in Garnett, transforming a historic building into
a shared space housing The
Beloved Book Co., Monroe
816, and 3 Monkeys Bakery
a major boost to downtown revitalization efforts.
County commissioners
signaled they will defund
Southeast Kansas Mental
Health Center for 2026 after
executives presented their
budget but failed to justify
six-figure
compensation
packages exceeding $600,000,
given the agencys sharply
increased Medicaid revenue.
Garnett prepared to celebrate the 160th birthday of
August
A Heartlander media
investigation revealed that
decisions by past Anderson
County prosecutors allowed
a violent offender to avoid
prison, setting the stage for
his later alleged killing of a
Wyandotte County deputy.
Garnett police received
new training on the
Sovereign Citizen movement, learning tactics to
handle encounters with
anti-government extremists.
A judge ruled 17-year-old
Kaiden Robb competent to
stand trial in the 2024 Colony
church-arson case, with
prosecutors still weighing
whether to charge him as an
September
USD 365 prepared to adopt
a 202526 budget exceeding
the revenue-neutral rate,
adding $528,000 in new property-tax revenue and expanding spending authority by
more than $4 million.
The Greeley Smoke Off
celebrates its 25th anniversary with food, live music,
charity competitions, and
family activities under the
towns water tower.
Colony Day brought
crowds to the streets with
floats, marching bands and
family-themed entries continuing the rural towns
summer-festival tradition.
Septembers news mixed
big-stage entertainment with
hard-edged crime and policy
fights. On the lighter side,
Cornstocks 20th anniversary lineup came into full
focus, with rising country
artist Kelsey Hart and the
Kentucky Headhunters joining headliner Chris Janson
and local favorites Trevor
Holman & The Haymakers
for a late-September blowout
at Lake Garnett.
Former Shawnee Mission
resident Shi Kinney was
finally arrested after more
than a year evading a warrant in the fentanyl-overdose death of her fianc in
Garnett, with lab tests and
a syringe DNA match leading to a first-degree murder
charge.
Prosecutors also moved
toward trial against illegal
immigrant Porfirio De La
Cruz-Cantu for an alleged
brutal Prairie Spirit Trail
assault on an elderly cyclist,
while a separate front-page
story in mid-September
detailed how, win or lose
in court, an ICE detainer
ensures hell either face prison or deportation.
Rural life and infrastructure showed both fragility
and resilience. A 78-year-old
farmer west of Cedar Valley
Reservoir survived a horrific grain cart auger accident
thanks to quick work by a
deputy with a tourniquet,
coordinated EMS, and preplanned helicopter landing
zones.
Commissioners
wrestled with how to demolish
a decaying historic bridge
near Scipio by trading
another vintage span to state
preservation officials.
Strong early corn yields
delighted East Kansas Agri
Energy and local growers
even as Kansas planted
fewer acres, though prices
are lower.
Commissioners prepared
a tax-foreclosure sale on
more than 20 delinquent parcels.
Policy tension reached
from Topeka into Anderson
County kitchens when the
USDA moved to withhold
December
Bert Smith, charged with
passing $1.8 million in hot
checks to a Garnett rancher, moved toward a January
preliminary hearing with
subpoenas issued and livestock-fraud investigators
brought into the case.
A continuing analysis
of SNAP and obesity tied
together local hardship,
statewide trends, and federal policy, noting Kansas
3536% adult-obesity rate
and projections that statewide obesity could exceed
50% by 2030, raising the
stakes in debates about
allowable food purchases
and program oversight.
Crime touched even the
quiet spaces of the county
when thieves stole bronze
veterans grave markers
from Springfield Cemetery
likely for scrap metal
echoing similar crimes statewide and leaving families
and caretakers outraged at
the violation of soldiers resting places.
Local government and
business agencies stepped
forward to strengthen
local collaboration, with
an inter-agency Chamber/
Foundation/Economic
Development
meeting
planned to help streamline
community engagement and
better align efforts in business growth, philanthropy
and city improvements.
Regional energy news
made national waves as
Parsons, Kansas, secured
the groundbreaking for
Americas first mile-deep
nuclear
micro-reactor,
backed by both Kansas senators, Gov. Laura Kelly, and
the Trump administrations
advanced-reactor pilot program a move supporters
say could power future data
centers and position Kansas
at the forefront of next-generation nuclear energy.
USD 365 announces a
January public hearing on
whether to close Greeley
Elementary, citing just
46 students, high per-pupil costs, and maintenance
needs. A companion frontpage review of national
research showed rural
school closures often lead
to lasting economic harm,
population loss, and declining property values in small
towns.
Anderson County Clerk
Julie Wettstein says county
attorney Steve Wilson will
see a $33,000 budget overrun
driven by surging caseloads
and inherited backlogs.
Holiday traditions still
anchored the season. Garnett
announced
Christmas
and New Year trash-route
changes, the 55th annual
Christmas Parade marched
under frozen skies, and the
ACHS marching band led
families into the small-town
glow of the holiday season.
8
LOCAL
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
Harts 100th birthday K-State fashion studies
The family of Shirley
Hart would like to invite
friends and extended
family to an open house
in her honor as she turns
100 years old. She can
be greeted at the Dutch
Country Cafe from 3-5
on Saturday, Dec. 27th.
Enter thru the door on
the south side of the
building.
There will be a special
program at 4 performed
by her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. No
gifts please but cards are
welcome.
If you are unable to
attend and would like to
send a card, please send
Colony Christian Church
experts give their tips for – Love Came Down
staying warm this season
Hart
to: Shirley Hart
c/o Desta Ledom
1802 S 22nd St.
Rogers, AR 72758
RECORDS…
FROM PAGE 2
you to Mr. Lance Ramsey for his 8
years of contributions and service
to the district. He was presented
with a plaque commemorating his
dedication. Mr. Walter shared that
the first home basketball game
will be the 19th of December,
which is the last school day
before Christmas break. January
5th will be half day of Professional
Development with the focus on
KESAs standards alignment and
half work day; students will return
on the 6th of January.
Items of Business
Jessica Mills Neighborhood
Revitalization Plan – Jessica presented an updated City of Colony
Neighborhood Revitalization
Plan. It was moved by Mr. Nathan
Beckmon and seconded by Mr.
Kevin Nilges to approve the
City of Colony Neighborhood
Revitalization Plan Residential,
Commercial and Industrial as presented. Vote: 6-0
Crest FFA Washington D.C.
Presentation At 7:20pm, five
Crest FFA students entered the
meeting to share a presentation
on National FFA Washington
Leadership
Conference
Washington D.C – July 7-10,
2026, pursuing funding from the
district to assist in making the
trip possible. This conference is
a premier leadership experience
designed for FFA members to
develop their skills while exploring
the history of the nations capital.
No action taken.
Insurance Policy Renewal
Discussion – Mr. Walter discussed
options for insurance premiums.
Current district property insurance will be renewed in February.
No action taken.
KESA – Mr. Walter discussed goals for KESA (Kansas
Education Systems Accreditation)
with the focus on standard alignment with district opportunities in
the 2025-2026 spring semester
for professional development and
professional collaboration goals.
It was moved by Mrs. Jamie
Henderson and seconded by Mr.
Nathan Beckmon to approve the
action plan as presented. Vote:
6-0
KSHSAA Baseball / Softball
Cooperative Agreement – Mr.
Hermreck discussed progress for
implementing cooperative agreement with SCC baseball / softball
programs. No action taken.
2026-2027
Calendar
Discussion – Mr. Walter shared
the 2026-2027 district calendar
with input about Back to School
Open House date. No action
taken.
Facility Improvements – Mr.
Walter updated the board on
the improvements that are being
completed for the school facilities.
Mr. Walter shared a Three Rivers
League teams signage rendering
for main gym.
Mr. Walter shared seating
ideas for the new concessions
area.
Mr. Walter shared a sample
of benches and updated player
chairs for gym.
Mr. Walter shared some
options for seeding grass area.
No action taken on any of the
items presented.
Personnel Executive Session
It was moved by Mr. Travis
Church and seconded by Mr.
Kevin Nilges to enter into executive session for the purpose of
discussing district staffing. The
reason for the session was the
non-elected personnel exemption
under KOMA. The meeting was to
resume in the board room at 8:38
p.m. Mr. Walter, Mr. Hermreck
were invited to attend. Vote: 6-0
Adjournment It was moved
by Mr. Lance Ramsey and seconded by Mr. Kevin Nilges to
adjourn the meeting at 8:42 p.m.
Vote: 6-0
ANDERSON COUNTY JAIL ROSTER
(as of December 9, 2025)
William Christopher Lee
Vandenberg was booked into jail
on July 25, 2024.
Porfirio De La Cruz – Cantu
was booked into jail on October
10, 2024.
Shi Leilani Kinney was booked
into jail on August 29, 2025.
Trenton Rudy Parker was
booked into jail on October 14,
2025.
Arial Joy Parker was booked
into jail on November 6, 2025.
Maras Montgomery McSwane
was booked into jail on November
22, 2025.
Lacy Jean Michael was booked
into jail on November 24, 2025.
ANDERSON COUNTY JAIL
FARM-INS
(as of September 3, 2025)
Jesse John King was booked
into jail on March 25, 2025.
Trevor Floyd Summers was
booked into jail on September 2,
2025.
MANHATTAN, Kan.
No one wants to be stuck
outside in cold temperatures without the proper attire. Kelsie Doty, an
assistant professor of
fashion studies in Kansas
State Universitys College
of Health and Human
Sciences, says there are
some important factors
that go into staying warm
when working or playing
outside.
We often recommend
that people layer for the
cold weather, rainy weather and wet season, Doty
said. A different fiber
might be appropriate for
each layer.
Doty says there are
two main textile families:
synthetic and natural.
Synthetic textiles are made
from such petroleum fabrics as polyester and nylon.
Natural fibers are
things like cotton, linen
and wool, Doty said.
They come from plants or
animals.
GAS…
FROM PAGE 1
year. Thats combined with
seasonally softer demand
since fewer long road trips
are taken in winter months.
Theres also a continuing
adequate gasoline supply
nationwide even amid the
pulse of increased holiday
travel.
While
international
energy markets and crude
production patterns can
shift quickly, the current
landscape offers some relief
for holiday travel budgets.
AAAs fuel price reports
suggest that prices may
stay relatively low into
early 2026 barring major
supply disruptions or sudden shifts in crude oil costs.
For now, drivers across
Kansas and the Midwest
can treat the lower prices
as a welcome Christmas
gift at the pump one
that makes holiday travel
and year-end errands a bit
lighter on the wallet.
LOWRY…
FROM PAGE 4
international
police
power when Latin
American
countries
were failing).
Since
the
1990s,
though, weve let down
our guard. China is
now Latin Americas
second-largest trading
partner after the United
States, and has expanded its influence in the
region on all fronts.
Russia has relationships with Venezuela,
Nicaragua and Cuba, and
has increased its covert
operations in Mexico.
Hezbollah has a notable presence in Latin
America.
Trumps focus on
countering these malign
actors could be seen in
his successful effort
earlier this year to get
Panama to pull out of
Chinas Belt and Road
Initiative, and is evident
now in his pressure campaign against a Maduro
regime in Venezuela that
is aligned with China,
Russia and Iran.
Trumps actions often
feel new and different,
but here, his strategic
departure is returning to
a traditional American
approach to our side of
the Atlantic.
Rich Lowry is editor of
the National Review.
Ben Yoder, Your Kansas Realtor/Auctioneer
The Kansas Property Place, LLC
Cell/Text (785) 448-4419
Office (785) 448-3999
www.KsPropertyPlace.com
Ben@KsPropertyPlace.com
501 E. 4th Ave., Garnett, KS
Kilet wins Senior Center pitch
In spite of the wind, 13
pitch players assembled to
play 10 games of 13-point
pitch. The top winner for
the evening was Mike Kilet
who won eight of 10 games.
Don Smith won the 50/50
and Karen Register won the
least number of games. Jan
Wards had the most perfect
hands of 13 points with five.
We also had our white
elephant gift exchange
which proved to be entertaining. One in the group
ended up with 3 rubber
Natural fibers are divided between plant fibers and
animal fibers. Those two
categories make a huge difference when it comes to
the time of year to wear
them.
Plant type fibers like
cotton, linen or hemp are
good for hot weather, Doty
said. Animal fibers, like
wool, mohair or even silk
can be really good for colder weather."
Deciding which layers to
wear could make the difference between a warm
or cold outing. I think
strategic layering is just
as important as the fiber
choice because you dont
want to work against that
fiber choice by leaving out
an air gap.
Doty recommends a
dense exterior layer like
nylon or denim, or materials in which the yarns are
tightly packed so the air or
water cannot get in.
duckies, another received
a John Deere plate that
hadn't been seen for 3 years
and another received a
"NO" button. It was a fun
time for all of us.
Come join us on
Thursday evening promptly at 6 o'clock at the Senior
Center for 10 games of
13-point pitch. Each player is to bring a snack for
the group to share. Always
room for one more.
Jan Wards reporting
Survive the Holidays
with Gift Baskets from
104 S. Maple St, Garnett, KS
785-433-3950
Follow us on socials!
To celebrate this season of the First Noel, Lexy
Langworthy led worship
with that song followed by
"King of Kings," "Hark the
Herald Angels Sing" and "O
Come All Ye Faithful."
Bruce Symes talked
about the life of a shepherd
and what that first Noel
meant for them. A shepherd had the job of leading the sheep beside still
waters and through pastures of tender grass and
keeping watch over them at
night. They were terrified
when an angel stood before
them until they realized
PRICE…
FROM PAGE 1
ing gasoline, are a major
component of headline
inflation measures like
the Consumer Price Index
(CPI). When gas falls, it
directly lowers the energy portion of the inflation
calculation and indirectly eases price pressures
on consumer goods that
depend on transportation.
Researchers have found
that a reduction in gas prices tends to lower inflation
expectations among consumers meaning people
may expect slower price
growth overall when fuel
costs retreat. sciencedirect.
com
Historical data show that
earlier drops in gasoline
prices have helped temper
inflation readings even as
other parts of the economy
faced persistent cost pressures. For example, a previous inflation report found
that falling gas prices contributed to an unexpected
decline in the CPI during
a period of price volatility.
investopedia.com
Limits and Trade-Offs
Economists
caution
that lower gasoline prices
are not a magic bullet for
all price pressures. Many
consumer costs such as
housing, healthcare and
food are less directly tied
to gasoline and may contin-
POMPEO…
FROM PAGE 4
The task for U.S. policymakers is not to predict
the exact moment when
the regime collapses, but to
shape the environment so
that when it does fall, the
outcome is stability rather
than chaos. This requires
an approach rooted in realism and willing to dispense
with the failed diplomatic
formulas of the past.
The latter trait has
characterized President
Trumps Iran policies
in both his first and second administrations. He
now has the opportunity
to round out his historic
accomplishments in the
Middle East with a truly
transformational achievement and help hasten
the demise of the Iranian
regime.
The benefits of such a
shift would be incalculable. Terrorists would lose
their primary sponsor;
Americas
adversaries
would lose a key outpost in
the Middle East; incredible
economic opportunities in
the maritime and energy
sectors would develop; and
a highly educated, globally connected Iranian population could emerge as a
the angel brought good tidings of great joy, a baby
wrapped in swaddling cloth
and lying in a manger.
Pastor Chase Riebel's
message "Love Came
Down" was from John 15:13.
Love is a long term commitment and an action. There
is no greater love than to
lay down your life for others. Jesus laid down His life
knowing full well the people He was dying for were
full of sin. Jesus' death was
a bittersweet gift to us.
Christina Rosetti wrote a
poem called "Love Came
Down at Christmas."
ue to rise independently. In
addition, lower gas prices
alone do not guarantee that
retailers will reduce prices; some businesses may
instead choose to hold prices steady to rebuild margins squeezed by other cost
increases.
Another consideration
is that cheaper fuel doesnt
offset all economic headwinds. Recent retail sales
data have shown that consumer spending can be
uneven across sectors, with
broader affordability concerns still shaping spending behavior. apnews.com
Energy forecasters expect
gasoline prices to remain
relatively low into early
2026, based on current
crude oil outlooks and typical winter demand patterns, suggesting continued
relief at the pump for many
drivers.
If prices stay low,
the combined effects
improved consumer budgets, reduced shipping costs
and eased inflation pressures could help temper
economic headwinds and
support modest growth.
But experts stress that fuel
prices are just one piece of
a complex macroeconomic
landscape, influenced by
wider energy market forces, supply chain dynamics
and policy decisions.
natural economic and political partner for the United
States.
No outside force can
or should affect regime
change inside Iran that is
a job for the Iranian people.
But we can help them by
ramping up the pressure
externally, and by supporting the Iranian people seeking a peaceful, democratic,
pro-Western future in their
desire for change.
Our task is simple: stand
with the Iranian people,
recognize the democratic
vision they have chosen,
and deny the ruling clerics
the money, legitimacy and
impunity they rely on for
survival.
When the day of change
arrives and it will the
U.S. should put itself in the
best possible position to
reap the benefits and enter
into a new era of friendship
with the Iranian people.
Former Kansas 4th
District Congressman
Mike Pompeo serves as a
contributor at FOX News
Channel, where this article
was first published. He previously served in the Trump
administration as the sixth
director of the Central
Intelligence Agency and the
70th U.S. secretary of state.
BRIDGE CLOSED
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Anderson County Bridge CLOSED at SW 1100
RD & SW Maryland Rd, will be completely
closed to ALL thru traffic. Road Closed on SW
Maryland Rd from 1100 RD to
1300 RD will also be closed.
community
9
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
CALENDAR
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Christmas Day
Friday, December 26, 2025
8:45 a.m – AM Yoga
Monday, December 29, 2025
8:45 a.m – AM Yoga
9:00 a.m. – Anderson County
Commission Meeting
5:30 p.m. – TOPS Meeting
6:00 p.m. – Hot Yoga with
Jenelle
6:00 p.m. – Celebrate Recovery
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
12:00 p.m. – Rotary International
Club Meeting
5:30 p.m. – PM Yoga
6:00 p.m. – BPW Meeting
6:30 p.m. – American Legion
Bingo (cancelled)
7:00 p.m. – Alcoholics
Anonymous
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
New Years Eve (may effect schedule)
8:45 a.m. – AM Yoga
10:30 a.m. – Noon Years Eve
hosted by Garnett Library
1:00 p.m. – Duplicate Bridge
6:30 p.m. – Awana
Thursday, January 1, 2026
New Years Day
10:00 a.m. – Senior Center
Brunch
Friday, January 2, 2026
8:45 a.m – AM Yoga
Monday, January 5, 2026
8:45 a.m – AM Yoga
9:00 a.m. – Anderson County
Commission Meeting
9:30 a.m. – American Legion
Auxiliary Meeting
5:30 p.m. – TOPS Meeting
6:00 p.m. – Hot Yoga with
Jenelle
6:00 p.m. – Celebrate Recovery
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
10:00 a.m. – Storytime hosted
by Garnett Public Library
12:00 p.m. – Rotary International
Club Meeting
5:30 p.m. – PM Yoga
5:30 p.m. – Garnett Community
Foundation Meeting
6:30 p.m. – American Legion
Bingo
7:00 p.m. – Alcoholics
Anonymous
7:00 p.m. – Garnett Senior
Center Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
8:45 a.m. – AM Yoga
Noon Years Eve party
at Garnett Public Library
The Yutzy School hosts Christmas program
Too young, too old,
too tired to stay up until
midnight? Join us at the
Garnett Public Library at
10:30 a.m. on Wednesday,
Dec. 31st, as we count down
to NOON!
There will be stories,
pictures, dancing, crafts,
bingo, refreshments and of
course a count down! This
is a family friendly event
and geared toward youth,
but all ages are welcome to
attend. Questions? Give
the library a call at 785-4483388.
ACC fall 2025 honors
lists announced
GARNETT As students
gathered around the manger scene, the familiar melody of Silent Night filled
the sanctuary. At the students invitation, the audience joined in singing as
the Nativity reenactment
reached its conclusion.
It was a simple, reverent
momentshared, sincere,
and unpolishedthat captured the heart of The Yutzy
Schools Second Annual
Christmas Program.
More than 120 families
and community members gathered Thursday
evening, December 18, at
the Garnett Church of the
Nazarene for a program
that wove together scripture, music, drama, and
student creativity. What
unfolded was not just a performance, but a thoughtful
retelling of the Christmas
story shaped by humility,
joy, and genuine effort.
Students from across
grade levels took part,
presenting choral music,
poetry readings, dramatic scenes, video presentations, and visual art
displays. Together, the
program explored the message of Christs birth and
the enduring themes of
hope, redemption, and light
through the voices and
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-25 / SUBMITTED
The Yutzy School hosted their 2nd annual Christmas program Dec. 18. Pictured in top photo are: Front row, from
left: Stanley Yoder, Reuben Miller, Holly Yoder, River Gable,
Serena Keim, Maciah Yutzy. Back row, from left: Andrea
Keim, Tristan Miller, Dawson Miller, Micah Yutzy, Stetcyn
Brown, Gloria Yutzy, Payton Brown. Directing the music
(bottom right corner) Mrs. Gessica Tastove. Above photo,
from left are: Left to right: Tristan Miller, Dawson Miller,
Micah Yutzy, Gloria Yutzy and Payton Brown.
work of children and teens.
Two original student plays
formed the centerpiece of
the evening. Middle and
Upper School students
presented The Christmas
Carolers
Catastrophe,
an original Yutzy School
mini-play that brought
humor and warmth to the
program. Through playful
dialogue and exaggerated
characters, the students
explored the frustrations of
imperfect caroling before
arriving at a simple truth:
Christmas joy is found not
in flawless performance,
but in giving from the
heart.
The Lower School followed with The Greatest
Merry Christmas to
you and the best of
New Years!
Story, a Nativity reenactment written specifically for the program. Told
through narration, pantomime, and scripture, the
play offered a gentle and
reverent retelling of Luke
2, inviting the audience to
see the Christmas story
through the wonder and
imagination of children.
SEE PROGRAM ON PAGE 14
IOLA, Allen Community
College announced its Fall
2025 academic honors, recognizing students named to
the Presidents Honor Roll,
Deans Honor Roll, and
Academic Honors list.
Presidents Honor Roll
(4.0 GPA)
Lily Marie Keith, Garnett
Blaine Allen King,
Colony
Darian Alyse LeBlanc,
Garnett
Ava Sinclaire Mills,
Garnett
McKenna Marie Powell,
Iola
Levi James Prasko,
Colony
Deans Honor Roll
(3.50 3.99 GPA)
Lonna Abigail Ayers,
Kincaid
Isaac Burton, Colony
Ryan Patrick Golden,
Colony
Kaitlyn Marie Mersman,
Garnett
Academic Honors
(3.0 3.49 GPA)
Ashley N Miller, Kincaid
Clayton Eugene Scott,
Colony
Camryn James Wilson,
Garnett
Tush honored for 25
years with KDOT
Benjamin
Tush
of
Garnett was one of five
Kansas Department of
Transportation employees
to be honored for 25 years
service as of January 2026.
Tush is an estimation
analyst with the department.
Twenty other employ-
ees were award for service
terms of 10, 15 and 20 years
according to a KDOT press
release.
"KDOT is proud to
acknowledge them for the
long-term dedication they
have provided to the state
of Kansas, the statement
said.
3×10.5
GCG Winners
Review publisher Dane Hicks presents Shawn Tompkins with the $1,000 prize in
the 2025 Great Christmas Giveaway, plus two unclaimed $50 weekly prizes.
$1,100 WINNER!
Cathy Hoke
Gary Hoke
Marty Dehn
Congratulations
to our $50 weekly
winners:
Mary Carey
Mary Jane Wall
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
AuBurn Pharmacy
Garnett Pizza Hut
Baumans Carpet & Furniture
The Anderson County Review
1-Stop (Parker)
Trade Winds Bar & Grill
7th Street Grocery
Waters Hardware
ACE Hardware
Cedar Valley Tire
GSSB
Midwest Sales & Surplus
Woodys Liquor
Neosho Memorial Hospital
Mont Ida Meats
10
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
WINTER SPORTS
Anderson County High School Central Heights High School Crest High School
2025 WINTER SPORTS
ACHS boys smaller than usual, but look to offset that with defense & shooting
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
GARNETT – The Anderson
County Bulldog boys basketball team enters the new
season with familiar leadership, a retooled roster,
and a longer schedule than
in years past.
Now in his seventh season at the helm, Dan Ray
returns as head coach of the
Anderson County Bulldogs,
guiding a squad that blends
experienced seniors with
emerging contributors.
The Bulldogs will be
tasked with replacing a
major piece from last years
lineup following the graduation of Noah Porter, an
All-Pioneer League firstteam selection and Class 3A
All-State honorable mention. Porter led the team
with averages of 23 points
and 10 rebounds per game,
production that will be difficult to duplicate.
Also departing due to
graduation are seniors Eli
Martin, Jack Dykes, and
Camryn Wilson.
Returning to anchor the
Bulldogs is senior Brayden
Wheat, a second-team AllPioneer selection last season who averaged approximately 16 points per game.
Wheat will be joined offensively by fellow senior
Brylan Sommer, who con-
2025 Anderson County High School Boys Basketball. Front row, from
left: Dixon Brooks, Chance Witherspoon, Jase Spencer, Kale Schafer, Kallen
Willard, Dalton Godwin, Camden Bettinger, Jack Miller, Colton Myers. Second
row, from left: Coach Jake Smith, Dagon Velvick, Gus Carver, Kemper Hollon,
tributed about eight points
per game a year ago.
Projected starters alongside Wheat and Sommer
include Aidan Steele,
Christian Barrett, and
Dylan Hoffman, with Beau
Howey expected to be the
first player off the bench.
Ray said the Bulldogs
strengths this season will
be their shooting and defensive effort, though he noted
the roster is smaller than
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ROCKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
Ethan Hoffman, Aiden Perez, Landry Hedrick, Conner Slyter, Dylan Hoffman,
Christopher Barnett, Braden Gillespie, Kai Goetz, Beau Howey, Coach Dan
Ray. Back row, from left: Aleck Smith, Christian Barnett, Brylan Sommer,
Aidan Steele, Brayden Wheat, John Stoltzfus, Coach Ricky Rios.
teams he has fielded in
recent years.
Our goal is just to get
better every week and be
peaking by the end of the
year, Ray said.
This season also brings a
notable scheduling change,
as Kansas high school
teams move to a 23-game
regular season for the
first time after competing
under a 20-game schedule
for many years. Ray said
the expanded slate will test
depth and consistency but
also provide additional
opportunities for growth as
the season progresses.
Lady Bulldogs look to build as young roster gains experience
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
GARNETT – The Anderson
County High School girls
basketball team heads into
the 202526 season with
a young roster, valuable
varsity experience, and an
emphasis on growth as the
Lady Bulldogs prepare for
another competitive year
in the Pioneer League.
The program is led by
coach Paige Ferguson.
Ferguson is in her second
season at Anderson County
after previously coaching
two years at Blue Valley
High School.
Almost all of the players
expected to contribute at
the varsity level this winter saw meaningful varsity
action a year ago, something the coaching staff
believes will help accelerate development despite
the teams youth. While
the roster includes several
underclassmen, the team
also benefits from senior
leadership that has helped
set expectations in practice
and games.
Competition in the
Pioneer League is expected to be strong once again.
Ferguson said the league
consistently features several talented teams, but noted
that depth across the conference makes every night
a challenge.
Our goal this season is
just to focus on the players making each other
come together as a team to
improve.
2025 Anderson County
High
School
Girls
Basketball. Front row, from
left: Manager Paislyn Foltz,
Coevin Velvick, Reagan
Slyter, Allie Thompson, Lilly
Beaudry, Koralyn Gaines,
Alli Rockers, Baylee Barnes,
Manager RaeLynn Morrison.
Second row, from left: Coach
Michaela Read, Coach Paige
Ferguson, Maura Rockers,
Sage Partida, Lilly Kent,
Shelby OConnor, Addy
Sommer, Lyndsay Hughes,
Maliah
Brewer-Velvick,
Ashlyn Honn, Manager
Bree Schafer, Coach Laurel
Ladewig. Third row, from left:
Brooklyn Kellerman, Hope
Hill, Addy Kueser, Brylie
Kohlmeier, Lyndsie Carey,
Emma Harvey, Rylee Hill.
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ROCKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
11
WINTER SPORTS
AC boy grapplers are inexperienced but have lots of potential
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ROCKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
2025 Anderson County High School Boys & Girls Wrestling. Front row, from left: Manager Sylvan Troyer, Manager Maggie Self, Sawyer Schaffer, Landon Totten, Westin Wright,
Gunner Grosdidier, Braxton Barnes, Braxton Herr, Manager Hayden Wright, Manager Nora Thompson. Second row, from left: Braxton Williams, Cowen Wittman, Caiden Fisher, Roberto
Cavallaro, Serenity Boothe, Ashlyn Nelson, Hailey Gregory, Shawn Barker, Brody Kohlmeier, Lucas Mills, Chase McClain. Back row, from left: Coach Keegan Barnes, Obree Barnes,
Andrew Kiatoukaysy, Eli Herr, Zach Schaffer, Donovan Price, Owen Thompson, Adam Kiatoukaysy, Avery Coyer, Coach Jeremy McAdam, Coach Ryland Wright.
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
tant coach Keegan Barnes
as the program continues
to build toward long-term
success.
Last season, the Bulldogs
relied heavily on youth,
fielding a roster that included eight freshmen and just
two juniors. That experience is beginning to pay off.
This years team features 22
wrestlers, with 13 freshmen
and sophomores making up
the core of the lineup.
We finally have a full
room, McAdam said.
GARNETT – The Anderson
County Bulldogs enter the
2025 winter wrestling season with optimism, energy,
and a growing sense of stability under longtime head
coach Jeremy McAdam.
McAdam is in his 11th
year leading the Bulldogs
and his 21st year overall
as a coach, having spent
a decade coaching youth
wrestling before arriving
at Anderson County. He is
joined this season by assis-
Four seniors chose to
join the room, and we have
almost all weight classes
full. This is very helpful in
dual competitions.
Seniors Zach Schaffer
and Owen Thompson provide leadership and experience for a young squad,
while freshmen Braxton
Barnes and Westin Wright
are among the emerging
wrestlers expected to make
an immediate impact this
winter.
Despite once again being
in a rebuilding phase due
to a large freshman class,
McAdam is encouraged by
the teams progress and
mindset.
With a new group of
freshmen, we are again in a
building year, but they are
doing great, he said. The
main goals for this year are
to get the young guys to
step up and set the pace for
the next few years.
Early results have
already shown promise, as
contributions are coming
ACHS lady grapplers have a new
coach, looking to build culture
ant as the success on it.
Ziegler defines this
seasons mission around
building strong, respectful
individuals who support
one another in practice,
competition and daily life.
We want everyone to
work hard every day, push
their limits, and grow as
athletes and teammates,
she said. Ultimately, our
goal is to make it to state,
but more importantly, to
develop good character
and a positive team culture
throughout the journey.
The roster has just 5 athletes, 4 of them are upperclassmen.
Seniors Obree Barnes
and Avery Coyer will be
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
GARNETT – The Anderson
County Bulldogs womens
wrestling program enters
the new season with a
small but motivated roster, a first-year head coach,
and a clear focus on growth
both on the mat and beyond
it.
Head
coach
Jolie
Ziegler, in her first season
coaching at the high school
level, is embracing the
opportunity to help shape
the Bulldogs developing
program.
In her first year of coaching high school, Coach
Zielger said the goals off
the mat are just as import-
joined by juniors Serenity
Boothe and Ashlyn Nelson
as well as freshman Hailey
Gregory.
Despite being a freshman, Gregory has quickly
made her presence felt in
the wrestling room.
Hailey
has
made
impressive
strides,
Ziegler said. Shes eager
to prove herself and consistently shows up with a
strong work ethic. Shes
committed to her own
growth and is a supportive
teammate who motivates
everyone around her.
The Bulldogs competitive mindset is one of
their biggest strengths.
According to Ziegler, this
group does not like to lose,
a trait that fuels effort
and intensity. The challenge will be translating
that drive into confidence
during matches.
Something that the team
will need to focus on as the
season progresses is their
confidence level.
At times we lack the
confidence needed to
secure a win, Ziegler said.
As the Bulldogs take the
mat this season, success
will be measured not only
by wins, but by growth,
resilience, and the foundation being laid for the
future of Anderson County
womens wrestling.
We proudly support
our area student athletes!
from across the lineup.
All the boys are key
players, McAdam said.
They have all been contributing to early wins this
year already.
As the season unfolds,
the Bulldogs may be young,
but confidence within the
program continues to grow.
We are young, but the
future is bright, McAdam
said. They just keep
impressing me.
With a full roster, developing talent, and experienced leadership, Anderson
County wrestling looks
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12
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
WINTER SPORTS
Crest boys seek state birth
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
COLONY – Coming off one
of the more successful seasons in the past 15 years,
the Crest Lancers boys
basketball team enters the
winter with experience
and high expectations
under fifth-year head coach
Dakotah Sporing.
Crest finished last season 165 overall, earning
an opening-round postseason bye and rolling to an
undefeated league championship. The Lancers season came to an end against
a strong Little River team
that went on to qualify for
the state tournament. This
result has fueled motivation heading into this year.
Weve set high expectations, Sporing said. We
want to repeat as league
champions, but our bigger
goal is to make the state
tournament. Winning our
preseason and mid-season
tournaments is also on our
list.
Despite the loss of three
seniors from last years
roster Gentry McGhee,
Denton Ramsey and Jacob
Zimmerman, Crest returns
a solid core of contributors
who helped power last seasons success.
Leading the group is
sophomore
point guard Kole
Walter,
who
earned
firstteam all-league
honors and honorable mention
all-state recognition last season.
Walters ability
to control the
tempo and make
plays will be
central to the
Lancers offense.
Senior Levi
Prasko
also
returns after an
all-league season in which
he
narrowly
missed setting
the schools sinTHE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ROCKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
gle-season shooting percentage 2025 Crest High School Boys Baskertball: Front row, from left: Ben DeTar, Daylan Nicholas, Levi Prasko, Henry White, Tristan
record. Prasko Koiy Miller, Kole Walter, Ty Coberly, Ethan Flyingman, Xander Boone, Lane Yocham, Max Disbrow.
is a reliable Fuller, Will Disbrow. Back row, from left: Bentley Hammond,
perimeter shooter and one of Crests top expected to step into a more time and shown the ability face challenges with size put the ball on the floor and
on-ball defenders.
prominent role this winter. to stretch the floor while throughout the season, get to the rim.
Junior Lane Yocham An extremely athletic play- also attacking defenders off as nearly every opponent
Competition will be
adds another scoring threat er, White brings energy, the dribble. Sporing said will have a height advan- strong again this year,
from the outside. Coming defensive pressure, and the both players have played tage. Crest plans to counter with Southeast Cherokee
within the flow of the game that with effort, pace, and and Pleasanton expected to
off the bench last season, ability to create turnovers.
Yocham set the schools
be among Crests toughest
Several underclassmen and are poised to become strong perimeter play.
single-season three-point have stepped up faster consistent scorers as the
Were going to be a tests. Pleasanton, in particpercentage record, shoot- than expected, according to season progresses. Will small team all season long, ular, returns its major stat
ing 42 percent from beyond Sporing. Koiy Miller and Disbrow also joins the var- Sporing said. But we can leaders and features athletthe arc.
Xander Fuller have both sity mix, adding depth.
stretch the floor and we icism and length.
Senior Henry White is earned increased playing
The Lancers expect to have multiple kids who can
Crest Lancers girls basketball eyes return trip to state
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
COLONY – After a historic postseason run a year
ago, the Crest Lancers girls
basketball enter the new
season with confidence,
experience, and unfinished
business.
After over 15 seasons
of finishing with a losing
record, Crest has now had
back-to-back 15+ victory
seasons.
Last years team became
just the second team in
program history to qualify
for the state tournament,
finishing 158 overall and
navigating a tough substate
path that included victories
over Sedan, Olpe and Flint
Hills. The Lancers season
ultimately came to a close
with a quarterfinal loss to
eventual state runner-upLittle River at the state
tournament.
Head
coach
Steve
Zimmerman, entering his
third season at the helm
with a 4026 career record,
returns three starters from
that state-qualifying squad
and several key contributors. Leading the way is
All-Three Rivers League
second-team
selection
Aylee Beckmon, a senior
who averaged 8 points, 4
rebounds, 3 assists and 3
steals per game last season.
Her all-around play and
defensive pressure continue to set the tone for the
Lancers.
Joining Beckmon in
the senior class is forward
Kinley Edgerton, who provides a strong interior
presence after averaging
7 points and 8 rebounds
per game, along with 1.5
blocked shots. On the perimeter, junior Jaycee Schmidt
returns after contributing 5
points, 3 rebounds and nearly 1 1/2 steals per contest.
Another familiar face
back in the rotation is sophomore Summer Valentine,
a returning letterwinner
who added 2 points and 4
rebounds per game a season
ago.
Crest will be tasked
with replacing its top two
scorers from last season,
Karlee Boots and Cursten
Allen, both of whom graduated. While that production
leaves a gap, Zimmerman
believes the returning core
combined with improved
depth and experience
Best of luck to all
our area teams!
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / ROCKERS PHOTOGRAPHY
2025 Crest High School Girls Basketball – Front row,
from left: Harlowe Rush, Remington Womelsdorf, Braylee
Edgerton, Sunny Brewer, Jaycee Schmidt, Danielle Burnett.
Back row, from left: Summer Valentine, Kinley Edgerton,
Aylee Beckmon, Allison Weatherman, Josie Walter, Kaelin
Nilges, Gracyn Ellington.
gained from last years postseason run positions the
Lancers well.
that comes from having
already broken through to
state, the Lancers open the
With a proven defensive
identity, veteran leadership, and the confidence
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
13
WINTER SPORTS
Viking boys look to build off last years late season success
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
RICHMOND – The Central
Heights boys basketball
team enters the 2025 season
looking to build on late-season momentum and establish itself as a contender
in the Three Rivers League
under veteran head coach
Rusty Cannady.
Cannady is entering his
30th year in coaching and
his second stint as head
coach at Central Heights. He
previously led the Vikings
from 2009 to 2014 and spent
several seasons as an assistant coach under longtime Viking coach Buddy
Welch. Before returning to
Central Heights, Cannady
also served eight years
as an assistant at Ottawa
University under Andy
Carrier.
The Vikings finished
last season with a 417
record but showed signs of
progress down the stretch,
winning three of their final
seven games following an
1-13 start. That late push
has carried into the offseason and preseason practices.
Central Heights will be
tested early this winter
with a demanding nonleague schedule. Games
against Anderson County,
Osawatomie, Iola and
Olathe Heritage all larger classification schools
are expected to challenge
the Vikings and prepare
them for league play and
postseason competition.
Despite a young roster,
the teams goals are ambitious. Central Heights is
aiming to compete near
the top of the Three Rivers
League this season.
Experience
remains
a concern, as only one
senior returns with significant varsity minutes.
Still, Cannady believes
the teams attitude and
approach will help close
that gap. He described the
Vikings biggest strength
as their positivity, adding
that the team will emphasize discipline, a fast pace
and patience on both ends
of the floor.
Several returning lettermen will be counted
on to provide leadership
and production, including
seniors Max Chrisjohn,
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-25 / SUBMITTED
2025 Central Heights High School Boys Basketball. Front row, from left: Brooks Hamilton, Aydan Dunbar, Ethan Kraft,
Chase Bones, Gabriel Carmack-Roberts, Alex Lickteig, Knox Cannady, Mathew Dunbar. Second row, from left: Blake
Bones, Payton Miller, Kreig Garrett, Aidan Howland, Max Chrisjohn, Landon Lickteig, Colt King. Third row, from left: Sawyer
Thackeray, Graham Higbie, Hal Higbie, Hans Higbie, Tate Smith, Kaiden Reeder. Not Pictured – Roarke Brock.
Aydan Dunbar and Aidan
Howland. Juniors Colt
King, Landon Licktieg,
Ethan Kraft, Chase Bones
and Payton Miller also
return, along with sophomore Knox Cannady.
The Vikings will need
to replace key graduates
Brody Roulette and Landon
Lopez.
One of the wildcards
on the roster this season
is the return of senior
Kreig Garrett, who had not
played basketball in recent
years. Garrett is an all-state
baseball player for Central
Heights and brings athleticism, outside shooting and
a scorers mentality that
Cannady said the team has
been missing. He has made
rapid progress in a short
time and is expected to play
an increasing role as the
season continues.
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-25 / SUBMITTED
2025 Central Heights Boys & Girls Wrestling. Front row, from left: Landry Sparks, Cayleigh Latimer, Alyssa Reed,
Charley Roehl, Kaylor Matile, Autumn Frasier, Ava Jones. Second row, from left: Ebony Hughes, Caitlynn Detwiler, Hayden
Jamescupp, Willis Miller, Jayden Kennamer, Julie Platt. Third row, from left: Attikus Rodriguez, Cooper Tush, Chase Mercer,
Gage Peine, Caleb Detwiler, Royce Ulrich, Josiah Meyer.
BY KEVIN GAINES THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
RICHMOND – The Central
Heights Vikings wrestling
program enters the 2025
season with a solid core
of state-level competitors
on both the boys and girls
sides, giving the team leadership beyond its years
despite having no seniors
on the roster.
On the girls side, Landry
Sparks at 100 pounds, Ebony
Hughes at 110 and Julie
Platt at 155 lead the way.
For the boys, Royce
Ulrich at 144 pounds and
Gage Peine at 165 return
after solid seasons a year
ago.
With an 18-member roster, the Vikings are young
but far from inexperienced.
Coaches Jeff Meyer, Jeff
Moore and Margo Hughes
have emphasized fundamentals, technique and conditioning.
Coach Meyer said, Fans
can expect a hardworking,
competitive squad representing Central Heights
with pride and toughness.
Central Heights opens its
schedule with three meets
before Christmas break.
The Vikings will compete
at Anderson County on
December 13 in a varsity
boys meet, followed by a
junior varsity boys meet at
Wellsville on December 17.
The final pre-break competition comes December 20
at Chase County, featuring
varsity and junior varsity
matches for both boys and
girls.
Vikings girls look to blend experience, youth
BY KEVIN GAINES
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW
RICHMOND – The Central Heights Vikings
girls basketball team enters the winter season
with a mix of experienced seniors, developing
underclassmen, and a renewed focus under
second-year head coach Adam Horstick.
Central Heights finished last season 1012
overall, going 45 in league play and placing
seventh in the league.
Well start three seniors, but overall were
still a young team, Horstick said in his season outlook. Our sophomores are going to
have to step up, along with a couple of freshmen, as they adjust to the speed of the high
school game.
Leadership will come from a senior-heavy
backcourt led by Marcy Cubit, a returning
starter who earned All-League honorable
mention honors last season while averaging
7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Fellow seniors Arabella Dunbar and Ashley
Haskins add experience and stability as both
Cubit and Dunbar were starters last season.
Sophomores Lily Burkdoll and Carly Matile
are expected to take on expanded roles this
season as they are projected starters.
Central Heights also welcomes several
newcomers who could see varsity minutes
early, including freshmen Kenna Kimball,
Makenzie Moon, and Lillea Clayton, as the
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-25 / SUBMITTED
Vikings continue to build depth for the future.
There are a trio of players the Vikings will 2025 Central Heights Girls Basketball. Front row, from left: Ashley
miss from last year as Addy Ouellette, Melany Harkins, Macy Cubit, Aracely Crump, Arabella Dunbar. Second row, from
Chrisjohn and Sydney Evans all graduated.
left: MaKenzie Moon, Aubrey Watkins, Josie Buckley. Third row, from left:
The Vikings will be tested early and often Carly Matile, Lily Burkdoll, Hannah Matile. Not Pictured – Kenna Kimball,
with a busy schedule that includes match- Ella Stinson, Mya Jumet.
ups against Anderson County, Oswego, Crest,
Erie, and Northern Heights and a preseason tournament at this team grow, Coach Horstick stated.
home. Horstick noted that Jayhawk Linn figures to be one
As the Vikings tip off the new campaign, fans can expect
of the top teams in the Three Rivers League this season.
a team still finding its identity but one determined to
While wins and losses remain important, the primary develop, compete, and lay the foundation for long-term success.
goal for Central Heights this winter is continued growth.
Im excited for this season and look forward to watching
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14
PUBLIC NOTICE
SCHUSTER…
FROM PAGE 1
He was born in 1947
Garnett High School Class
of 1965 and grew up in
a local oil industry family.
His grandfather, father and
uncles ran a shooting outfit a company that specialized in blasting the shallow
shoestring oil sands 450-800
feet under Anderson County
for local oil wells in order to
loosen the formations and
let crude oil flow more easily for extraction. Its a near
forgotten era in the history of the energy industry,
with nitro long abandoned
in favor of directed shape
charges used in modern oil
fields. But that family legacy the photos, the stories,
some of the equipment is
Schusters responsibility
now.
A few years ago he donated the companys final major
heirloom a 1950 Ford oneton shooting truck to the
Kansas Oil Museum in El
Dorado. The donation came
with much hassle from the
Kansas ATF, he said. The
familys oil industry history
remains preserved however
in scores of photographs from
those days in his sho, which
doubles as a family museum of
its own.
From the time he was in
elementary school he was a
fixture in his familys shop,
making speed boats and welding hot rod hood scoops on the
fenders of his bicycles. When
he was about 10 his dad gave
him the job of making shot
jars casings to hold dynamite to be lowered into a well
and detonated to set off the
nitroglycerine charge below it.
He paid me something
I dont remember how
much, probably not much,
Schuster said. But the
responsibility and the disciplined mechanics of the job
stuck with him. Hed later
2025…
FROM PAGE 1
billion bushel, up 12% from
2024 with an average of 186
bushel per acre production, nearly 7 bushels per
acre more than 2024 and a
record high yield forecast
at a national level. National
planted acreage was some 90
million acres, up 8% from
2024.
A mid-August DTN ag
information company digital yield tour projected
Kansas average corn yields
around 138.7 bushel per acre
for 2025. That estimate was
well above the risk management agencys five year
Kansas average of just over
111 bushel, suggesting significantly above average
yields for Kansas relative
to recent years. Local anecdotal reports also described
some farmers enjoying high
yields this fall.
Unfortunately, farmers
saw no windfall from the
bumper production. With
prices around harvest time
of $4.20 to $4.50 per bushel
crop income often did not
cover full production costs
for many farmers.
Rain, safety and roads
What did come with the
soaking rains was extensive
damage to county roads,
sometimes from fast falling rain gravel washouts,
PROGRAM…
FROM PAGE 9
Music throughout the
evening helped unite both
reverence and celebration.
Students sang familiar
hymns and carols, including Go Tell It on the
Mountain, How Great
Our Joy, and God Rest
Ye Merry, Gentlemen.
During the Nativity presentation, the invitation for the
audience to join in singing
Silent Night transformed
the reenactment into a
shared moment of reflection
and worship.
Behind the scenes, the
program was guided by
Yutzy School faculty who
supported and shaped the
students work. Miss Shaina
Esh, teacher at The Yutzy
School, served as emcee,
attend welding school at
Pittsburg State College (now
PSU) while working in the
local oil fields during summers and weekends.
I got out and I got a
(welding) job, and I hated
it, he said. I just couldnt
take to it. So, I quit and went
back to the oil field.
It was from there that
he eventually hired on to
United Telephone Company
13 years later servicing telephones. He retired 38 years
later in 2011.
He and his wife Peggy
now live in the house once
owned by his grandparents.
Land stretching the lot far
to the south made lots of
room for the shop, and the
shop made room for a large
family gathering venue and
for a studio of the mind
where Schusters creativity
went from his daydreams
into metal. Such was the
case with the little figurines
that channel a confluence
of James Dean and The
California Raisins.
I call them Jive Asses,
Schuster said of the
cigar-smoking
gremlins
made from engine rocker
arms and valves from an old
Oldsmobile and shaped into
poses. They just look like
theyre going to jump up and
do something ornery.
The Jive Asses carry a
Schuster trademark. He
wanted a certain crazed look
to the marble eyes when
the interior was illuminated with an electric light,
so he figured out a way to
heat marbles in a piece of
angle iron and drop them
into a bucket of ice water
at the precise temperature.
The inside of the marble
fractures but doesnt break
through the surface, keeping
them intact and diffusing the
light to imbue just the right
amount of jive.
Nearby is a wind vane with
a metal cutout of a Cushman
motor scooter on its rear
fletching a gift made for a
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
Public
Notice
Your RIGHT to know, guaranteed
by Kansas Law.
Current statewide Public Notice archive available at
www.kansaspublicnotices.com
Notice of hearing to close
Greeley Elementary School
(First published in The Anderson County
Review, Thursday, December 11, 2025.)
PUBLIC NOTICE
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW 12-25-2025 / DANE HICKS
Schusters Jive Asses stand guard over the workbench in
his backyard shop.
friend who was a Cushman
fan but who since passed
away. Schuster explains the
laborious process of learning
to balance the creation on
a ball bearing pivot sunk in
the main shaft in order to
provide almost no drag so
sensitive the assembly can
be moved with little more air
movement than a cough.
I made a jillion of those
damn things and gave them
away. I should have sold
them I guess, he concedes.
Behind us on the floor sits
a V-8 Lincoln engine destined
for his 1938 Ford truck. On
the work bench sit carboretors for his prized 37 Chevy
Businss Coupe, which is also
due for a steering overhaul.
Theres no estimating the
time invested in the projects
or in stockpiling the family
artifacts and photos. But then
again Schuster says without
other hobbies he never had
much in the way of other
distractions for his free time.
Ive never been a sports
anything, he said. This is
my football, my baseball, my
basketball Ive been this
way since I was in grade
school.
The donation to the El
Dorado museum brought
some celebrity however, and
some requests for his time
as a speaker at various collegiate and industry gatherings where students and
professionals sit ensconced
in Schusters historical retellings. Theres a Youtube video
of one his interviews with
more than 2,000 views. He
enjoys it, he says, but it cuts
into his shop time.
Afterall, theres a lot left
to do.
sometimes from saturated
washboard and chughole
fields that did a number on
vehicles. Swollen creeks
also claimed a number of
vehicles whos drivers made
the bad bet of crossing them,
including a stranded county sheriffs deputy working
a rescue call for a similar
traffic incident. Luckily no
one in those incidents were
seriously hurt.
RICHMOND Road issues spawned by
complaints over the condition of county roads in the
post heavy rain weeks and
months were a constant
topic at county Commission
meetings,
as
officials
lamented the continuing
high cost to purchase and
maintain road equipment,
trouble keeping experienced
road department personnel
and the increasing cost of
materials.
All in this together
National issues also
provided A poignant backdrop for a number of local
news topics as President
Trump pursued an aggressive economic and law
enforcement agenda that
had consequences and benefits locally. The previous
years inflationary spike
and resulting economic
troubles revealed an impact
on local property owners,
with Augusts annual delinquent property tax report
up 20% and delinquencies
from 2024. Also complicating the local finance picture particularly for more
than 400 families receiving
food assistance benefits
was the threat of suspension of that federal money
by the Trump administration after Governor Laura
Kelly refused to provide
research data on the Kansas
SNAP program as part of
the Trump Administrations
push to root out fraud and
abuse of government assistance programs. That effort
became a national firestorm
when it was revealed that
Medicaid and other assistance programs had been
widely abused in the State
of Minnesota. As the year
closed in Kansas, work
requirements had been
implemented for those
receiving SNAP, with the
threat of suspension of those
benefits still underway with
Kellys refusal to provide
data to be inspected.
Government money
Other major headlines
involving government funding leaped from the region
with revelations that the
CEO of the Southeast Kansas
Mental Health Center
received board approval for more than $600,000
in compensation in 2023.
That information aggravated county commissioners
who each participated with
public subsidies from their
own jurisdictions, and most
of them opted to defund
the organization for 2026.
Before that bad taste had
faded, another revelation
from the nonprofits 2024
taxes showed executive pay
got another huge bump, this
time driving CEO Nathan
Fawsons
compensation
close to $900,000 for the year
with similar proportionate
increases for other executives. While no malfeasance
was alleged or uncovered,
the story echoed concerns
about navigating Medicaid
regulations and waste,
fraud and abuse of government funds made a focus of
Trumps incoming administration.
Crime & punishment
In a story broadly ignored
by the rest of Kansas media
amid Trumps high profile
crackdown on illegal immigrant criminals, prosecutors in Anderson County
pursued attempted rape and
assault charges against an
illegal Mexican national,
Porfirio DeLa Cruz-Cantu,
in connection with an incident on the Prairie Spirit
Trail near Scipio late last
year. Cantu eventually
escaped the attempted rape
charge in a no-contest plea
deal and was sentenced to 41
months in a Kansas prison
for other related felonies.
directed both dramatic presentations, coordinated costumes, and authored The
Greatest Story. Mrs. Gessica
Tastove, the schools music
teacher and choir director,
led all musical instruction,
with accompaniment by
Megan Wright. Mrs. Maria
Casto assisted with rehearsals and logistics throughout
the preparation process.
Those who arrived early
were treated to student-produced music videos created
by students in The Yutzy
Schools Video Production
class, highlighting moments
from the first semester.
Artwork from the schools
drawing class was also
displayed, adding a visual
dimension to the evenings
celebration.
At the conclusion of the
program, Dr. Ric Mitchell,
Head of School, offered brief
remarks, expressing pride
in the students and gratitude for the school community.
The Christmas story
is about a perfect Savior,
Mitchell said, and about
ordinary, imperfect people
who keep trying. Thats a
story we can all relate to.
Tonight, I hope you were
touched by our students
effort, their sincerity, and
most of all by the love that
Jesus Christ has for all of
us.
Following the program,
families and guests gathered in the gymnasium for
refreshments and fellowship. The reception was
coordinated by Faye Yutzy,
Sheila Brown, and Julie
Keim, along with parent and
community volunteers.
The event was hosted by
the Garnett Church of the
Nazarene, whose continued
support has made gatherings like the Christmas program possible. The school
also expressed appreciation
for the ongoing partnership
of Daniel Yutzy and The
Yutzy Foundation, which
supports student programs
and opportunities throughout the year.
Now in its second year,
The Yutzy School Christmas
Program is becoming a
meaningful traditionone
that reflects the schools
commitment to Christcentered education, creativity, and the belief that growth
often comes not through perfection, but through effort,
humility, and shared joy.
Notice is hereby given pursuant to K.S.A.
72-1431, of a public hearing to be held
on the 8th day of January, 2026, at 7:15
p.m. board offices at Ray Meyer Gym
regarding the Unified School District No.
365, Anderson County, Kansas proposal
to close Greeley Elementary School for
the following reasons:
Consistent Low School Enrollment
Reduce operational costs for USD 365
in the form of operational costs, utilities,
maintenance and facility repairs
Consolidate resources to improve efficiency in program delivery for USD 365
students
Students attending Greeley Elementary
School will be reassigned to Garnett
Elementary School.
A representative of the board of education
will present the proposal to close Greeley
Elementary School and the board will
hear testimony as to the advisability of the
proposed closing.
dc11t3*
Notice of public hearing on
application for a variance
(Published in The Anderson County
Review, Thursday, December 25, 2025.)
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON
APPLICATION FOR A VARIANCE
Notice is hereby given that an application
has been filed with the City of Garnett
Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance
described as follows:
Case #:V 25-04
Applicant: Robert Brooks
Purpose of Variance: Variance on
Accessory Building
Legal Discription: E.S. NICHOLLS
SUBDIV GARNETT, S29, T20, R20, BEG
SW COR LT 11,TH N260', El87.5', Sl20',
W70', Sl40'W TO POB
A public hearing before the City of Garnett
Board of Zoning Appeals will be held
regarding said application for a Variance:
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
City Commissioner's Room
131 West 5th Avenue,
Garnett, Kansas, 66032
at which time written and oral comments
will be considered by the City of Garnett
Board of Zoning Appeals Information
regarding said application may be
reviewed prior to the meeting at the office
ofthe City of Garnett Planning Director,
131 W. 5th Ave., Garnett Ks., 66032
City of Garnett Board of Zoning Appeals
dc25t1*
The Anderson County Review is the
official newspaper of record for
Anderson County, The City of
Garnett, USD 365, and the other
incorporated
cities in Anderson County. Notices
published here meet all required
statutory legal parameters.
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THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
tit
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Its EASY to place
your ad! it (785)
448-3121 (800) 683-4505it admin@garnett-ks.com it
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Classified Rates:
Up to 20 Words …………………….$7.00
Each addtl word……………………..75
(Commercial) …………………………85
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Standard ROP ………….$10.00/clm.in.
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Call or send in your ad:
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EMAIL:
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Mail:
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P.O. Box 409
Garnett, KS 66032
REAL ESTATE
GOLD KEY REALTY
gold
Carla Walter Owner/Broker
785-448-7658 (cell)
www.goldkeyrealtyks.com
View all local properties for sale at our website:
www.KsPropertyPlace.com
Now offering
Auction
Services!
Call
(785) 448-3999
CALL CRYSTAL METCALFE
TO SELL YOUR HOME
C-(913) 579-5288
O-(816) 629-4494
MISCELLANEOUS
We Buy Houses for Cash
AS-IS! No repairs. No fuss.
Any condition. Easy process: Call, get cash offer
and get paid. Call today for
your fair cash offer: 1-913365-1969
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MISCELLANEOUS MISCELLANEOUS
Place your 25-word classified in the Kansas Press
Association and 135 more
newspapers for only $300/
week. Find employees,
sell your home or your
car. Call the Kansas Press
Association @ 785-271-5304
today!
Cash paid for high-end
mens sport watches. Rolex,
Breitling, Omega, Patek
Philippe, Heuer, Daytona,
GMT, Submariner and
Speedmaster. These brands
only! Call for a quote: 1-866481-0636.
Got an unwanted car???
Donate it to Patriotic Hearts.
Fast free pick up. All 50
States. Patriotic Hearts programs help veterans find
work or start their own business. Call 24/7: 1-877-560-5087
Bath & shower updates
in as little as one day!
Affordable prices – No
payments for 18 months!
Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior &
Military Discounts available. Call: 1-866-481-0747
Stop overpaying for health
insurance! A recent study
shows that a majority of
people struggle to pay for
health coverage. Let us
show you how much you
can save. Call Now for a
no-obligation quote: 1-888519-3376 You will need to
have your zip code to connect to the right provider.
We Buy Vintage Guitars!
Looking for 1920-1980
Gibson, Martin, Fender,
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Mosrite, Rickenbacker,
Prairie State, DAngelico,
Stromberg. And Gibson
Mandolins / Banjos. These
brands only! Call for a
quote: 1-877-560-1992
Water damage cleanup & restoration: A small
amount of water can lead
to major damage in your
home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs
to protect your family and
your homes value! Call
24/7: 1-877-586-6688. Have
zip code of service location
ready when you call!
Need new windows?
Drafty rooms? Chipped or
damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New,
energy efficient windows
may be the answer! Call
for a consultation & FREE
quote today. 1-866-766-5558
You will need to have your
zip code to connect to the
right provider.
Aging roof ? New homeowner? Storm damage? You
need a local expert provider
that proudly stands behind
their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available.
Call 1-877-589-0093 Have
zip code of property ready
when calling!
Injured in an accident?
Dont Accept the insurance
companys first offer. Many
injured parties are entitled
to cash settlements in the
$10,000s. Get a free evaluation to see what your case
is really worth. 100% Free
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FARM & AG
SERVICES
Buying raw fur:
rj
racoons,
otter,
beaver, bobcat
& skunk.
R & J Fur
913-390-5362
cell # 816-509-6945
Mound City, KS
American Walnut – buying
standing timber. Must have
25 or more trees. Call (916)
232-6781 in St. Joseph for deta
ils.
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SERVICES
1×2
Check out our
Monthly Specials
HAPPY ADS
Happiness is… Christmas
napkins and candles at
Josephines, 421 South Oak.
dc24t1
Happiness is… Kay and
I celebrating our 68th
wedding anniversary on
December 26, 2025. Happy
Anniversary Kay, I Love
You. Henry
dc25t1
Card of Thanks
Happiness
is…Teacher
recommended screen – free
Melissa and Doug toys at
Josephines on the square.
dc24t1
Happiness is… Puzzles,
games and last minute gifts
for everyone at Josephines,
421 South Oak. (785) 4483038.
dc24t1
Happiness is… Having
the Reviews EagleEye
News Drone do aerial photography or videography
for your wedding, special
event, property survey,
promotional video, high-altitude equipment or building inspection, etc. Realtime view from up to 400
feet elevation, up to nearly
1 mile range. Contact the
Anderson County Review
at (785) 448-3121 for more
info.
oc11tfn
Happiness is . . . submitting your FREE wedding
announcement ONLINE
for publication in The
Anderson County Review.
Go to www.garnett-ks.com
and click the form under
Submit News. Fill in the
form and click SUBMIT.
Available FREE 24 hours/
day!
oc24tf
A special thank you for all the
flowers, cards & expressions of
sympathy in the loss of my son-inlaw, Troy Miller, and my sister, Roxie
Watkins Sperry. Also, to Reuben &
his Feuerborn Family Funeral Home
staff for being there for us during
this sad time and for all who took
the time to come to Troys services.
All is greatly appreciated.
Kay Katzer &
the family of Troy Miller
Wedding, Engagement, Anniversary & Birth Announcements Business News
Send it in ONLINE
Go to www.garnett-ks.com and click
the appropriate form under Submit News.*
Its quick & easy!
* Photos need to be emailed separately to garnet -ks.com
MAKE MONEY
USE THE
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Edgecomb Builders
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edgecomb Custom Homes
Additions
Finishing Trimwork
Remodels
Lonnie Edgecomb (785) 204-1580
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HELP WANTED
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging is seeking a Caregiver
Coordinator. This position will coordinate and assist caregivers needing
access to agency and community services to help in their caregiving role.
The Caregiver Coordinator is responsible for assisting caregivers in determining eligibility for services, creating caregiver programs, acting as
an advocate for caregivers needing information on community resources
and supporting caregivers in their caregiving role.
Core qualifications include experience working with caregivers, older
adults and community service agencies. High school diploma or some
college, bachelor degree preferred. Must have valid KS drivers license
and pass a background check.
Job is in Ottawa, KS. Position can be full or part-time, M-F. No nights,
weekends or holidays. Paid sick, vacation, holiday and retirement benefits. Competitive hourly rate based on qualifications and experience.
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging is seeking a Medicare/Medicaid Program Coordinator. This position will coordinate and oversee
the Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) program and
the Administrative Case Management (ACM) program for the agency.
For more details or to send resume with references, contact
Leslea Rockers, leslear@eckaaa.org, or
send to agency at 117 S Main Street,
Ottawa, KS 66067.
For more details or to send resume
with references, contact Leslea Rockers,
leslear@eckaaa.org, or send to agency
at 117 S Main Street, Ottawa, KS 66067.
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging
it
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging
The Medicare/Medicaid Program Coordinator helps people understand
Medicare enrollment rules and enrollment, how Medicare works with
employer or retiree insurance, and Medicare plan options through the
SHICK program. The position helps Medicaid beneficiaries deemed
eligible for waivered programs maintain Medicaid waivered services by
helping review applications, verifying information, and helping with
renewal documents.
Job is in Ottawa, KS. Position is full-time, M-F, 8-4:30pm. No nights,
weekends or holidays. Paid sick, vacation, holiday and retirement benefits. Competitive hourly rate based on qualifications and experience.
East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging is seeking a Medicare/Medicaid Program Coordinator. This position will coordinate and oversee
the Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) program and
the Administrative Case Management (ACM) program for the agency.
The Medicare/Medicaid Program Coordinator helps people understand
Medicare enrollment rules and enrollment, how Medicare works with
employer or retiree insurance, and Medicare plan options through the
SHICK program. The position helps Medicaid beneficiaries deemed
eligible for waivered programs maintain Medicaid waivered services by
helping review applications, verifying information, and helping with
renewal documents.
Job is in Ottawa, KS. Position is full-time, M-F, 8-4:30pm. No nights,
weekends or holidays. Paid sick, vacation, holiday and retirement benefits. Competitive hourly rate based on qualifications and experience.
For more details or to send resume
with references, contact Leslea Rockers,
leslear@eckaaa.org, or send to agency
at 117 S Main Street, Ottawa, KS 66067.
16
LOCAL
THE ANDERSON COUNTY REVIEW Thursday, December 25, 2025
6×19.75
New Years Eve Sig Page
These Businesses Wish You a Safe and Happy New Year!
Adamson Bros.
Heating & Cooling
Ottawa
(785) 242-9273
Anderson County Abstract
Garnett
(785) 448-2426
Anderson County Review
Garnett
(785) 448-3121
Arnolds Prairie Greenhouse
LeRoy
(620) 964-2423
AuBurn Pharmacy
Garnett
(785) 448-6122
Barnes Seed Service, LLC
Garnett
(785) 304-2500
Benjamin Realty
Garnett
(785) 448-2550
Bluestem Farm & Ranch
Emporia
(620) 352-5502
Flynn Appliance CenterIola
(620) 365-2538
Bones Rock Yard
Ottawa
(785) 242-3070
Garnett Home Center
& Rental
Garnett
(785) 448-7106
Brand N Iron
Princeton
www.thebrandniron.com
Kansas Property Place
www.kspropertyplace.com
(785) 448-3999
Brummel Farm Service
Garnett
(785) 448-5720
Leiser Excavating &
Tree Work
(620) 437-7384
CARSTAR
Ottawa
(785) 242-8916
Midwest Collision
Paola
(913) 294-4016
East Kansas Agri-Energy
Garnett
(785) 448-2888
Natures Touch
Garnett
(785) 448-7152
Farmers State Bank
Garnett
www.fsbkansas.com
Member FDIC – Equal Opportunity Lender.
Patriots Bank
Garnett
www.patriotsbank.com
Member FDIC – Equal Opportunity Lender.
PrairieLand Partners
Iola
(620) 365-2187
Quality Structures
Richmond
800-374-6988
Sandras Quick Stop
Garnett
(785) 448-6602
Sonic Drive-In
Garnett
(785) 448-6393
State Farm Insurance
Ryan Disbrow-Agent, Garnett
(785) 448-1660
Terry Solander, Atty. at Law
Garnett
(785) 448-6131
Tom Adams Construction
Garnett
(785) 448-3997
United Real Estate
Garnett
(913) 579-5288
Valley R Agri-Service, Inc.
Garnett
(785) 448-6533
Wilson Chiropractic Clinic
Garnett
(785) 448-6151
Wittman NAPA Auto Parts
Garnett
(785) 448-6611
Yutzy Custom Structures
Garnett
(800) 823-8609
Our best wishes to you for your 2026