SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a carjacking and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 4000 block SE Adams Street on a report of an aggravated robbery, according to Police Lt. Kerry Connell. It was reported a man with a firearm threatened an individual and stole the victim's vehicle.

At 5:3o p.m., police observed the stolen vehicle near SW 37th Street and SW Topeka Blvd.&nbsp; and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled from officers, initiating a brief vehicle pursuit that lasted approximately 1 minute before being terminated. 

The driver of the stolen vehicle continued to drive at a high rate of speed and struck a vehicle near SW 57th and SW Topeka Blvd. 

The driver of struck vehicle was transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

A short time later, the suspect&nbsp;identified as 27-year-old Kareem L. Evans,  was taken into custody and transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

On Monday afternoon, doctors released Evans and he was booked into jail&nbsp;was booked into jail on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery, Burglary to vehicle, Aggravated Assault,&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated Battery,&nbsp;&nbsp;Criminal threat, Theft, Interference with a Law Enforcement and multiple traffic violations, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696274980973.png" alt="Evans-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Evans-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a carjacking and have a suspect in custody.Just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 4000 block SE Adams Street on a report of an aggravated robbery, according to Police Lt. Kerry Connell. It was reported a man with a firearm threatened an individual and stole the victim's vehicle.At 5:3o p.m., police observed the stolen vehicle near SW 37th Street and SW Topeka Blvd.&nbsp; and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled from officers, initiating a brief vehicle pursuit that lasted approximately 1 minute before being terminated. The driver of the stolen vehicle continued to drive at a high rate of speed and struck a vehicle near SW 57th and SW Topeka Blvd. The driver of struck vehicle was transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A short time later, the suspect&nbsp;identified as 27-year-old Kareem L. Evans, was taken into custody and transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.On Monday afternoon, doctors released Evans and he was booked into jail&nbsp;was booked into jail on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery, Burglary to vehicle, Aggravated Assault,&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated Battery,&nbsp;&nbsp;Criminal threat, Theft, Interference with a Law Enforcement and multiple traffic violations, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.

Kansas carjacking suspect moved from hospital to jail

MCPHERSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit-and-run that occurred just after 8p.m. Saturday in McPherson County have identified the driver who fled.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Chevy Colorado driven by 25-year-old Brice Nolan Kasting of McPherson was southbound on 17th Avenue&nbsp;at Mohawk Road one mile east of Interstate 135 and struck a pedestrian identified as 59-year-old Pedro Amezcua-Cabrera of McPherson. Kastin then fled from the scene.

Amezcua-Cabrera was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center.

Kasting was booked into the Mcpherson County jail Sunday night and is being held on requested charges of attempted 2nd-degree murder; unintentional but reckless, accident involving death or personal injury, DUI, reckless driving and improper passing, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696279708231.png" alt="Kasting photo McPherson Co." />
 <figcaption>Kasting photo McPherson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MCPHERSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit-and-run that occurred just after 8p.m. Saturday in McPherson County have identified the driver who fled.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Chevy Colorado driven by 25-year-old Brice Nolan Kasting of McPherson was southbound on 17th Avenue&nbsp;at Mohawk Road one mile east of Interstate 135 and struck a pedestrian identified as 59-year-old Pedro Amezcua-Cabrera of McPherson. Kastin then fled from the scene.Amezcua-Cabrera was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center.Kasting was booked into the Mcpherson County jail Sunday night and is being held on requested charges of attempted 2nd-degree murder; unintentional but reckless, accident involving death or personal injury, DUI, reckless driving and improper passing, according to online jail records.

Suspect in deadly Kansas hit-and-run accused of DUI

Following is recent booking activity for the Saline County Jail, as provided by law enforcement. Photos, if provided, are courtesy of Saline County Jail

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law

NAME: Chaney, Chris, Anthony REQUESTED CHARGE(S):

Use/poss drug paraphernalian/human body, Poss of marijuana, Criminal trespass; Interfere with access to health care facility

NAME: Chase,Lucas, Anthony REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant

NAME: Kogler, Drew, Michael REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs Unknown severity

NAME: Leister, Scott, Lambert REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear, return to court for testimony

NAME: Palmer, Simone, Christine REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear

NAME: Scott, Jerry, Allan REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation, DWS; 3rd or subs conv&nbsp;

NAME: Snell,Wesley,Andrew REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation

NAME: Tiller,Jones, Christy-Ann REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear

NAME: Bill, Serenity, Dasha REQUESTED CHARGE(S):

Forgery; Distributing or issuing written instrument, Theft by deception: Value $1,500 to $25,000

NAME: Drumm, Brent-Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear

NAME: REQUESTED CHARGE(S):Probation Violation, Outside warrant/NCIC hit, Failure to appear, Outside warrant/NCIC hit

NAME: Florke,Richelle,Nicole REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Disorderly conduct; Fighting words or noisy conduct to cause resentment, Criminal trespass; Unknown circumstance

NAME: Kronmiller,Kaden,Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation

NAME: Martin, Joshua, Evans REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation

NAME: Moore, Jiselle,Leigh&nbsp; REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Contempt of Court; Direct

NAME: Tolson, Nolan, Ryan REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Domestic Battery: rude physical contact

NAME:Alliston,Danielle Nicole REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Probation Violation

NAME: Ehster,Eric Scott REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Assault of a law enforcement officer, Battery on LEO; Phys contact county/city LEO, Criminal threat; Unknown circumstance, Interf w/LEO; obstr/resist/oppose felony warrant

NAME:&nbsp;McClanahan,Tiffany Jean REQUESTED CHARGE(S):Domestic battery: Knowing/reckless bodily harm

NAME: Strait,Eric Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant/NCIC hit

NAME:Upshaw,Amanda Lynn REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Theft of prop/services; Felony

Following is recent booking activity for the Saline County Jail, as provided by law enforcement. Photos, if provided, are courtesy of Saline County JailAll persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law<h2>Saturday</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696252822867.jpeg" alt="Chaney, Chris, Anthony" />
 <figcaption>Chaney, Chris, Anthony</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Chaney, Chris, Anthony REQUESTED CHARGE(S):

Use/poss drug paraphernalian/human body, Poss of marijuana, Criminal trespass; Interfere with access to health care facility<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253051459.jpeg" alt="Chase,Lucas,Anthony" />
 <figcaption>Chase,Lucas,Anthony</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Chase,Lucas, Anthony REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253293686.jpeg" alt="Kogler, Drew, Michael" />
 <figcaption>Kogler, Drew, Michael</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Kogler, Drew, Michael REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs Unknown severity<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253336556.jpeg" alt="Leister, Scott, Lambert" />
 <figcaption>Leister, Scott, Lambert</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Leister, Scott, Lambert REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear, return to court for testimony<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253397641.jpeg" alt="Palmer, Simone, Christine" />
 <figcaption>Palmer, Simone, Christine</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Palmer, Simone, Christine REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253435232.jpeg" alt="Scott, Jerry, Allan" />
 <figcaption>Scott, Jerry, Allan</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Scott, Jerry, Allan REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation, DWS; 3rd or subs conv&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253485765.jpeg" alt="Snell,Wesley,Andrew" />
 <figcaption>Snell,Wesley,Andrew</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Snell,Wesley,Andrew REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253632176.jpeg" alt="Tiller,Jones, Christy-Ann" />
 <figcaption>Tiller,Jones, Christy-Ann</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Tiller,Jones, Christy-Ann REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear<h2>Sunday</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253781047.jpeg" alt="Bill, Serenity, Dasha" />
 <figcaption>Bill, Serenity, Dasha</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Bill, Serenity, Dasha REQUESTED CHARGE(S):

Forgery; Distributing or issuing written instrument, Theft by deception: Value $1,500 to $25,000<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253846648.jpeg" alt="Drumm, Brent-Lee" />
 <figcaption>Drumm, Brent-Lee</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Drumm, Brent-Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253883801.jpeg" alt="Findley,Robert, Eugene" />
 <figcaption>Findley,Robert, Eugene</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: REQUESTED CHARGE(S):Probation Violation, Outside warrant/NCIC hit, Failure to appear, Outside warrant/NCIC hit<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696253953487.jpeg" alt="Florke,Richelle,Nicole" />
 <figcaption>Florke,Richelle,Nicole</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Florke,Richelle,Nicole REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Disorderly conduct; Fighting words or noisy conduct to cause resentment, Criminal trespass; Unknown circumstance<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254016328.jpeg" alt="Kronmiller,Kaden,Lee" />
 <figcaption>Kronmiller,Kaden,Lee</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Kronmiller,Kaden,Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254053559.jpeg" alt="Martin, Joshua, Evans" />
 <figcaption>Martin, Joshua, Evans</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Martin, Joshua, Evans REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254130359.jpeg" alt="Moore, Jiselle,Leigh" />
 <figcaption>Moore, Jiselle,Leigh</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Moore, Jiselle,Leigh&nbsp; REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Contempt of Court; Direct<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254188383.jpeg" alt="Tolson, Nolan, Ryan&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Tolson, Nolan, Ryan&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Tolson, Nolan, Ryan REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Domestic Battery: rude physical contact<h2>Monday</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254300413.jpeg" alt="Alliston,Danielle Nicole" />
 <figcaption>Alliston,Danielle Nicole</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:Alliston,Danielle Nicole REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Probation Violation <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254356543.jpeg" alt="Ehster,Eric Scott" />
 <figcaption>Ehster,Eric Scott</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Ehster,Eric Scott REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Assault of a law enforcement officer, Battery on LEO; Phys contact county/city LEO, Criminal threat; Unknown circumstance, Interf w/LEO; obstr/resist/oppose felony warrant<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254405048.jpeg" alt="McClanahan,Tiffany Jean" />
 <figcaption>McClanahan,Tiffany Jean</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;McClanahan,Tiffany Jean REQUESTED CHARGE(S):Domestic battery: Knowing/reckless bodily harm<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254431726.jpeg" alt="Strait,Eric Lee" />
 <figcaption>Strait,Eric Lee</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Strait,Eric Lee REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant/NCIC hit <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696254475359.jpeg" alt="Upshaw,Amanda Lynn" />
 <figcaption>Upshaw,Amanda Lynn</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:Upshaw,Amanda Lynn REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Theft of prop/services; Felony

Saline County Booking Activity Sept. 30 -Oct. 2

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — An estimated $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night, tempting players to spend a couple dollars on a long shot at instant riches.

The prize is the world's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">ninth-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;behind earlier drawings of Powerball and Mega Millions, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">nearly nationwide lottery game</a>. The jackpot is the fourth-largest in the history of Powerball.

“If I could win it, I’d be the happiest person in the world,” said Chevy Johnson, who was buying Powerball tickets Monday at Bob's News &amp; Book Store in Fort Lauderdale.

The prize has grown so massive because no one has matched all five white balls and the Powerball to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">win the jackpot</a>&nbsp;in 32 consecutive drawings, dating back to July 19.

That losing streak reflects the stunningly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">long odds of winning</a>&nbsp;the jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million.

Hector Griffith, another customer at Bob's News, said that if he won, his priority would be taking care of his family.

“It would change my life, completely change my life,” Griffith said. “I can’t wait to win it.”

Donnie Ross, a clerk at a BP gasoline station in New Hope, Minnesota, said when the prize grew so large for a recent jackpot that topped $1 billion, some customers spent hundreds of dollars on tickets.

“We had a huge bunch of people coming in right at the last minute to buy all their tickets before the drawing happened,” Ross said.

The $1.04 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to receive the winnings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>, paid annually over 30 years. Winners nearly always pick the cash option, which for Monday night's drawing would be an estimated $478.2 million.

A Powerball ticket costs $2 in most states and players can pick their own numbers or have a computer make the selection.

Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — An estimated $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night, tempting players to spend a couple dollars on a long shot at instant riches.The prize is the world's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">ninth-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;behind earlier drawings of Powerball and Mega Millions, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">nearly nationwide lottery game</a>. The jackpot is the fourth-largest in the history of Powerball.“If I could win it, I’d be the happiest person in the world,” said Chevy Johnson, who was buying Powerball tickets Monday at Bob's News &amp; Book Store in Fort Lauderdale.The prize has grown so massive because no one has matched all five white balls and the Powerball to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">win the jackpot</a>&nbsp;in 32 consecutive drawings, dating back to July 19.That losing streak reflects the stunningly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">long odds of winning</a>&nbsp;the jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million.Hector Griffith, another customer at Bob's News, said that if he won, his priority would be taking care of his family.“It would change my life, completely change my life,” Griffith said. “I can’t wait to win it.”Donnie Ross, a clerk at a BP gasoline station in New Hope, Minnesota, said when the prize grew so large for a recent jackpot that topped $1 billion, some customers spent hundreds of dollars on tickets.“We had a huge bunch of people coming in right at the last minute to buy all their tickets before the drawing happened,” Ross said.The $1.04 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to receive the winnings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">through an annuity</a>, paid annually over 30 years. Winners nearly always pick the cash option, which for Monday night's drawing would be an estimated $478.2 million.A Powerball ticket costs $2 in most states and players can pick their own numbers or have a computer make the selection.Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

$1.04 billion Powerball jackpot tempts players to brave long odds

KANSAS CITY —The search for an escapee from a Missouri county jail ended Sunday afternoon west of Kansas. After a pursuit with law enforcement in Ray County, Missouri, 33-year-old Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O 'Dell was located just west of Kansas City and taken into custody just after 5 p.m.,&nbsp; according to a social media report from the FBI. The stolen vehicle from Phelps County was also recovered.

O'Dell is facing federal charges. According to a federal indictment O'Dell planned to travel to Texas to shoot at illegal immigrants who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico. The indictment also alleges he planned to murder officers and employees of U.S. Border Patrol who attempted to stop him.

PHELPS COUNTY—Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail in Phelps County, according to the FBI in Kansas City. Scott later turning himself to authorities.

Law enforcement continue to search for 33-year-old Schmidt O'Dell. He is described as a white male, 6-feet-1 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and a full beard at the time of his booking.

He may have shaved his beard to disguise his identity. He was last seen wearing a maroon-colored shirt with a Phelps County logo and brown slacks with a tan stripe.

Just after 11p.m. Friday two inmates at the Phelps County Jail escaped by comprising the structural integrity of the cell and exiting the building.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696203010807.png" alt="O'Dell-after his arrest on Sunday-photo Phelps Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>O'Dell-after his arrest on Sunday-photo Phelps Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The search for an escapee from a Missouri county jail ended Sunday afternoon west of Kansas. After a pursuit with law enforcement in Ray County, Missouri, 33-year-old Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O 'Dell was located just west of Kansas City and taken into custody just after 5 p.m.,&nbsp; according to a social media report from the FBI. The stolen vehicle from Phelps County was also recovered.O'Dell is facing federal charges. According to a federal indictment O'Dell planned to travel to Texas to shoot at illegal immigrants who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico. The indictment also alleges he planned to murder officers and employees of U.S. Border Patrol who attempted to stop him.----------PHELPS COUNTY—Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail in Phelps County, according to the FBI in Kansas City. Scott later turning himself to authorities.Law enforcement continue to search for 33-year-old Schmidt O'Dell. He is described as a white male, 6-feet-1 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and a full beard at the time of his booking.He may have shaved his beard to disguise his identity. He was last seen wearing a maroon-colored shirt with a Phelps County logo and brown slacks with a tan stripe.Just after 11p.m. Friday two inmates at the Phelps County Jail escaped by comprising the structural integrity of the cell and exiting the building.

FBI: Escaped inmate captured near Kansas City

PHELPS COUNTY —Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail in Phelps County, according to the FBI in Kansas City. Scott later turning himself to authorities. 

Law enforcement continue to search for33-year-old Schmidt O'Dell. He is described as a white male, 6-feet-1 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and a full beard at the time of his booking. 

Just after 11p.m. Friday the two inmates at the Phelps County Jail escaped by comprising the structural integrity of the cell and exiting the building. 

As a reminder, anyone who aids a wanted fugitive could be subject to serious charges.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jonathan O'Dell is asked to call 9-1-1 as soon as possible.  For non-emergency tips, please call our command post at (573) 426-3886.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696102076107.png" alt="What escaped Phelps County Jail inmate O'Dell looked like without his beard. Call 911 is you see him." />
 <figcaption>What escaped Phelps County Jail inmate O'Dell looked like without his beard. Call 911 is you see him.</figcaption>
 </figure>PHELPS COUNTY —Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail in Phelps County, according to the FBI in Kansas City. Scott later turning himself to authorities. Law enforcement continue to search for33-year-old Schmidt O'Dell. He is described as a white male, 6-feet-1 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and a full beard at the time of his booking. He may have shaved his beard to disguise his identity. He was last seen wearing a maroon-colored shirt with a Phelps County logo and brown slacks with a tan stripe.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696102787994.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 11p.m. Friday the two inmates at the Phelps County Jail escaped by comprising the structural integrity of the cell and exiting the building. O'Dell is facing federal charges. According to a federal indictment O'Dell planned to travel to Texas to shoot at illegal immigrants who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico. The indictment also alleges he planned to murder officers and employees of U.S. Border Patrol who attempted to stop him.As a reminder, anyone who aids a wanted fugitive could be subject to serious charges.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jonathan O'Dell is asked to call 9-1-1 as soon as possible. For non-emergency tips, please call our command post at (573) 426-3886.

FBI: Search continues for escapee from county jail in Missouri

By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina Post

Artwork of famous children's books and seasonal literature cover Oakdale Elementary School's library this year — Amy Pihl, Oakdale's new librarian, put up the decorations for the incoming students.

The school's library sees children of all ages, and Pihl said her main goal this year was to connect with students and help them along their education journies. 

"I'm going to see them grow for the next five years, so I'm going to get to know them," Pihl said. "I can go up to their kindergarten teacher and say, 'You remember how so and so was really tricky? Well, the work you did paid off because in four years, this is what he's doing now.'"

Pihl didn't begin her librarian career in education but at the Salina Public Library before taking a break to raise her children for the last seven years.

At Salina Public Library, Pihl worked with adults daily, with no plans to switch to elementary education.

"Before I had my own children, it was hard for me to envision working with kids," Pihl said. "My kids are in elementary school, so this sort of clicks."

Now, she enjoys seeing all elementary grades of children, impacting their lives with stories, literature education and digital literacy for the older students.

"One of my absolute favorite things, honestly, is just storytime on the rug," Pihl said. "I love helping with digital literacy, and helping especially with fifth graders who are about to go to middle school, to have digital citizenship."

The switch to elementary education was a shift for Pihl, especially being out of the workforce to spend more time with her young kids.

Read More: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/f3f1d073-c287-4d8e-8879-e621f9340dc6">Salina Central Theatre to present, "Noises Off" Oct. 6-8</a>

Now that her youngest enrolled in Kindergarten, she wanted to return to the workforce, and the years with her kids inspired her to pursue elementary education.

"This is a shift, but ultimately, it's my dream job," Pihl said. "Man, they sure smile, and they sure love you, and once you take the time to connect with them, it's totally amazing and worth it."

The new position faced challenges since Pihl would be the third person in the school's library in the last four years, and this sometimes made connecting with the older students in fourth or fifth grade difficult.

Even through the role's challenges, Pihl said she remained determined to connect with the older children and teach them as much as she can this year.

"I'm hoping by next year, the fourth graders and I can establish some of those relationships," Pihl said. "Make me love you, make me cry at your fifth-grade clapout — just make me invested and let's get invested in each other."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696177780765.jpeg" alt="Oakdale Elementary School Librarian Amy Pihl thumbs through one of the books in the library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier " />
 <figcaption>Oakdale Elementary School Librarian Amy Pihl thumbs through one of the books in the library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier </figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina PostArtwork of famous children's books and seasonal literature cover Oakdale Elementary School's library this year — Amy Pihl, Oakdale's new librarian, put up the decorations for the incoming students.The school's library sees children of all ages, and Pihl said her main goal this year was to connect with students and help them along their education journies. "I'm going to see them grow for the next five years, so I'm going to get to know them," Pihl said. "I can go up to their kindergarten teacher and say, 'You remember how so and so was really tricky? Well, the work you did paid off because in four years, this is what he's doing now.'"<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696177915631.jpeg" alt="Oakdale Elementary School librarian Amy Pihl scans in returned books at her desk in the Oakdale Library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Oakdale Elementary School librarian Amy Pihl scans in returned books at her desk in the Oakdale Library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Pihl didn't begin her librarian career in education but at the Salina Public Library before taking a break to raise her children for the last seven years.At Salina Public Library, Pihl worked with adults daily, with no plans to switch to elementary education."Before I had my own children, it was hard for me to envision working with kids," Pihl said. "My kids are in elementary school, so this sort of clicks."Now, she enjoys seeing all elementary grades of children, impacting their lives with stories, literature education and digital literacy for the older students.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696178007317.jpeg" alt="One of the seasonal books, "Halloween Mice" by Bethany Roberts and Doug Cushman, sits on the Oakdale Elementary School library's shelf on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>One of the seasonal books, "Halloween Mice" by Bethany Roberts and Doug Cushman, sits on the Oakdale Elementary School library's shelf on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"One of my absolute favorite things, honestly, is just storytime on the rug," Pihl said. "I love helping with digital literacy, and helping especially with fifth graders who are about to go to middle school, to have digital citizenship."The switch to elementary education was a shift for Pihl, especially being out of the workforce to spend more time with her young kids.Read More: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/f3f1d073-c287-4d8e-8879-e621f9340dc6">Salina Central Theatre to present, "Noises Off" Oct. 6-8</a>Now that her youngest enrolled in Kindergarten, she wanted to return to the workforce, and the years with her kids inspired her to pursue elementary education."This is a shift, but ultimately, it's my dream job," Pihl said. "Man, they sure smile, and they sure love you, and once you take the time to connect with them, it's totally amazing and worth it."The new position faced challenges since Pihl would be the third person in the school's library in the last four years, and this sometimes made connecting with the older students in fourth or fifth grade difficult.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696178099000.jpeg" alt="Amy Pihl, Oakdale Elementary School's new librarian, smiles in the Oakdale library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Amy Pihl, Oakdale Elementary School's new librarian, smiles in the Oakdale library on Monday, Sept. 25, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Even through the role's challenges, Pihl said she remained determined to connect with the older children and teach them as much as she can this year."I'm hoping by next year, the fourth graders and I can establish some of those relationships," Pihl said. "Make me love you, make me cry at your fifth-grade clapout — just make me invested and let's get invested in each other."

Oakdale Elementary School welcomes new librarian — Amy Pihl

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Four of the five candidates for USD 305 School Board attended the forum

USD 305 School Board candidate Dana Kossow was not.&nbsp;

"There are two types of people in this country today: a consumer and a citizen," forum moderator Randy Picking said. "You are all citizens because you're interested in what's going on. These folks up here [school board candidates] are citizens because they want to run for a zero-paid job and they catch flack from radio talk show hosts."

Four other school board candidates, Mark Bandre, Scott Gardner, Paul Gebhardt and Ann Zimmerman discussed issues such as&nbsp;

Positives and areas of concern in local education

Zimmerman Positives "We have a big initiative this year called visible learning, and it's looking at research of all the things that teachers do. Almost everything teachers do positively affects learning for the students, but there are certain things they do that have a bigger, positive influence on student learning. And this is a study of that and there are books on it," Zimmerman said. "We are training our teachers on it now.

"Thanks to our great super superintendent Linn Exline, the people are seeing what really works. And so if you've got a choice of two or three possibilities for teaching methods, and you can use the one that works better than any of them, that's what you want to do because the teachers all want the kids to learn. That's one of our big strengths this year positive things."

Area of Concern "One of the big challenges now has become chronic absenteeism. There have been so many students since the pandemic who are absent. It was somewhat of a problem before but even more so now that students who are absent more than 10% of the year maybe make up to 40% of our students are absent that much of the year. So we have started an effort to talk to the parents to call them not just wait till their way to end, but to call the parents to check with the families and do our very best to get those kids back in school. Because when you're not there, they're losing out and the more they're gone, the harder it is to catch up." Gebhardt "Well, I think that we have adequate funding for what we've done. We have over the last 20 years increased twofold our amount of funding available. So looking at that it's a matter of how we spend so that we can avoid having problems with retaining good teachers, and quality teachers and ensuring that those funds are used for the appropriate reasons where we might spend on infrastructure or ancillary items. It comes down to the teachers and their function that really is the big one and that's that's been a problem for a while already. Making sure that we have good-quality teachers." Gardner Positive "I think the positive thing is that the system that we're in right now and just the three to five years, we're not afraid to change as we learn more, we adapt, we make changes as necessary. That's the thing that we always have to be ready to do - modify what we're doing to change it in order to reach the goals that we're trying to reach," Gardner said. "If we're doing something that isn't working we need to stop as quickly as possible, change course and adapt the policy."

Area of Concern "The thing that's a big concern, as far as I'm concerned, is the funding that we're supposed to get from the state for special education. Those numbers are drastically underfunded, and because of that, we have to take money from other areas to help fund it necessary." Bandre Positive "I come from a family that's always valued education. I have a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. My brothers are both lawyers. My parents are both college graduates and three of my four grandparents went to college. So I come from that perspective, the current board president, he and I've talked long about the different ways people become contributing members of the community. But one of the really, really cool things about what USD 305 does is all the diverse ways we prepare people for whatever it is they want to do, but you can leave Salina South or Salina Central with a welding tech certificate from Salina Area Technical College. You can join the military.

"We prepare people in a lot of different ways, and part of the reason we're able to be successful and all the different offerings for those over many years of leadership from our predecessors on the board. For Mrs. Exline and her predecessors and superintendent and the great things teachers have done we've planned ahead financially. We don't see this a lot and let you very carefully study the budget that we put out each year. But Salina school districts are in great shape financially, they have adequate savings, and they have a master plan for making sure that facilities are well taken care of. For me, it's a real honor to be able to help shepherd that budget through the process. That's one of the key things the board does."

Areas of Concern "I want to echo the two things that Ann [Zimmerman] and Scott [Gardner] said, getting kids to come to school is a real challenge. A part of that stems from poverty in the community. We have a number of families that just struggle with how to get from A to B each day," Bandre said. "We talked about a student recently where they just can't afford the gas money to get them in there but they're within the two-and-a-half mile range where we're allowed to do bussing. So solving some of those problems. I got one of the things we can do, that I hope to work on if reelected, is figuring out better ways to help inform our state and federal elected officers. The special education funding is a problem without a doubt."

'Winning back' parents and students who left public school during COVID-19

Bandre "The pandemic disrupted a lot of things. That was not a fun time for anybody, any stretch of the imagination, and parents made choices. I want to make sure that every family has the ability to make a choice about the best place they want to go to school whether that's private school, or public school. I want to make sure that Salina Schools put their best foot forward on that. I think many of you've seen or heard over the last year and a half, I think two years now we've been doing some pretty extensive marketing programs. We actually hired an outside firm to do some studies of 'Why did people leave the school system to potentially do to get them back?'

"I'm sure you're aware that the state legislature has recently made it possible where students from other communities could choose to go to school here if they want to. That has pros and cons as well. One of the things we're worried about in the district is right now if somebody from Salomon wanted to send their kid to Salina, they could more or less choose which building they want to go to. If they pick our building that already has full seats, it's not fair to people who are within the district. You have to go to the neighborhood school that you live in. So try to find parity.&nbsp; 

"But again, going back to the marketing study, we've tried to help make sure people know what the outcomes are from Salina Schools and to make sure they know that our teachers are wonderful people that are doing great work within the limited finances that we're able to use to pull everything together." Gardner "I would agree with Mark the marketing studies is powerful. But one of the things that I think we really need to be concerned about is giving them exactly what they need in order to be successful. We can do that we have to find out what they deem as important. So it's not about what we think or what we want. It's about being able to deliver what's necessary in order for them to be successful. As long as we're being meaningfully unique for what our community and what our people are asking for. We've all got our degrees and we moved on. We've got to make sure that the generation coming behind us is able to be successful."

Gebhardt " I think that a lot of the pandemic brought on a lot of challenges that people weren't capable of getting past. It put challenges on the school systems and educational systems that they weren't able to get past. And I think they're getting what they need, just like Scott said, matter of fact, the unique taught lessons and information, the foundational skills is going to be the critical piece that needs to get together because, after the pandemic, we're going to have years before we actually truly see how much impact that actually made on everything we're having to deal with now and then making changes through each of these events and getting past this. It's going to be time before we get all out in the wash. So getting us to that point. I think it's going be the biggest challenge." Zimmerman "How to Win students back to public schools. Well, some parents learned during the pandemic, how hard it is to educate children, and they were happy to have kids go back to public schools and we were happy to have them."

"I hope that people can get good information about public schools in Salina, about us about USD 305. There's a lot of innuendo out there that you hear about public schools, which is not based on facts in our district. If you're hearing bad things about public schools, you might want to take a visit to our public schools and find out how hard those teachers are working, how engaged those students are, how much they're learning, and there is a lot of learning gap from the time that the pandemic and they're working very hard to make up that gap."

"I am concerned about kids who are spending their high school years and even their middle school years working online. So much of middle school and high school, we all remember, was about social interaction. You learn so much there now not all social action in middle school and high school is positive, but neither is social interaction anywhere. You learned to navigate things that you would never come close to learning if you were just doing things online. So the market study is good, we hope that the information is out there that people read it, that people hear it and get good information about our district, and that they will make wise choices. I think the wisest choice is almost always to go to public schools."

Balancing quality education with taxpayers' burden

Zimmerman "Much of our school district money comes from the state and there's a 20 mill levy that's all across the state.&nbsp; Districts that have a very rich tax base which would include Johnson County Schools and maybe like some oil well schools out in western Kansas - they have lots and lots of income from that 20 mils and other school districts have very little value in their property taxes in their district." "That money is spread even is tried to spread evenly across the state to I mean, not usually but to compensate for those differences. And so already, there's a sharing of that part of the tax burden among the whole state so that you don't get a poor education because you live in one zip code, a great education because you live in another."

"We have an extremely well planned out budget that has planning for all our roof replacements and concrete replacements and so we do our very best to use every single dollar in a way that's not gonna hit us up with an emergency spending that we need to grab money from our local taxpayers that wasn't planned. So I think we're doing a really good job using the taxpayer money." Gebhardt "I think it's the best way of verifying that we're doing right by all the students and the teachers and the community as a whole by looking into the cost-benefit analysis or return on investment, making sure that the way that the tax money is being spent is being yielded back to the people through evidentiary filings, ie grades, making sure that the grades are up to snuff as a measure."&nbsp; "Making sure that we don't have anything sitting and nothing not being used. If we have investments in things that are not being utilized. Then we need to trim the fat because that's costing the taxpayers more money." Gardner "It comes back to education. That comes back to educating our adult citizens as to how mill levies and all of that actually work with the revenue neutral rate, and what it actually equivalates to because even while we're not revenue neutral, the average increase probably effects someone by about $9 or $10.

"We hear these numbers, but we really don't understand how the numbers actually work. And even working for the city. That's what I do, I look at numbers all day, and I find ways and find different methods to save money and to reduce costs."

"We might realize that it's really not that big of a number, actually, depending on if your taxes have gone up. If your taxes don't go up, it doesn't affect you at all. What you're actually looking at is we're going to get revenue from different things that were not on a tax basis, that particular year, but now they are."

"For example, we give businesses tax incentives. We didn't get any money from them because we returned it back to them. Well, now that those incentives are gone, we will tax them, and that money will come in. If we say we're not, that money won't come in anymore. We try to do things to get businesses to come to Salina. When that time is up, we have to go back and start to recoup so that we can do things for new businesses coming to Salina. If we never change that tax thing, we will never see that growth and we will not be able to get businesses to come in because we won't have the money to put into the system." Bandre "There's pros to go at first and this order approach. I want to tell you a quick story on this. My father-in-law has been on the school board in Garnett where he lives for 36 years. Believe it or not, this is his last year. He was on the school board when the Wolf Creek Nuclear power plant was built in Burlington. One of the fun things for Garnett at that time funds set in quotes was a lot of the workers doing the work in Burlington. Lived in Garnett. So the kids were going to school there at that time some of the revenue-neutral things Dan was talking about where the mill levy dollars are equitably spread across the state. It wasn't done quite the same."

"So Burlington and beautiful schools that will Creek ultimately funded but the workers were all living in Garnett, which didn't get some of that revenue. So there's some history behind why the dollars are better spread out but are allocated across the state. I hope that we keep doing that. Part of that comes from one of the answers earlier like helping to educate the folks in Topeka, Washington but how does the decision they make affect the local schools. As Scott mentioned earlier about the special ed not being adequately funded. I don't remember the exact percentage but it's something like 62% of what they're supposed to be funding might be worse than that is what actually comes through and that that hurts in every other sense."

"I think the key thing that the taxpayer needs to know is that Salina Public Schools has done an excellent job using the dollars that are available. There's been a lot of press the last couple of weeks, Salina Public Schools has found $4 million in savings over the life of the 30-year bond because of how it was refinanced. Over the course of all the bonds that USD 305 has done over its history. This company has found ways to save something like $16 million while having quality facilities."

"It's important for our students to be able to have quality facilities here new softball fields. All that's part of the system. So I think I'm biased certainly one of the good things about being on the board and having access to this budget for four years. But I feel really confident about the way dollars are being spent. I know my taxes have gone up in my house this year because somebody decided my house is worth more. So I understand that side too. But those dollars that come in I think are being shepherded wisely and you folks have questions about that. Let me know and we'll talk about it."

Candidate's stance on removing library books from shelves due to their "inappropriate nature"

Clarke Sanders, Republican State Representative, 69th District was in attendance for the forum. Sanders asked the candidates how they felt USD 305 is doing in alignment with keeping "appropriate" books on school library shelves. He cited a list of 30 books that have been deemed "questionable in nature."

"There's been controversy in the last two or three years about books on the school library shelves. In fact, I think there's a list of about 30 books that are questionable in nature. How do you feel we're doing in alignment with keeping appropriate books on school library shelves," Sanders said.&nbsp;

"One of the really great things about any educational system is giving students access to literature. You have to be able to read. You have to be able to discern. We're all faced with things every day, especially with these things beeping at us. We all have access to information. There's tons of information we were talking about the good old days when my parents got a newspaper at home and that was the only source of information was that one public newspaper."

"Now we get information from everywhere. I think the key thing that we can do in our public schools is help young people discern what they're reading. How do you make good quality decisions based on what's there? I personally as somebody that followed things this last year, am aware I'm not in favor of banning books for any reason. I am in favor of educating our librarians and our students and making sure that the things that are brought into the schools in the first place have value behind them. Your definition of value may not agree with my mine&nbsp; but we're trying to make good informed decisions about what's there.

"The second thing beyond that, one of the things we did this last year during some of the contentions that Clark alluded to, was we've as a school board made sure that parents have a right to come in and have a voice and what their students are reading. Without a doubt, they should be aware of this. They have access to check with librarians about what what books their students are checking out. When my sons were in school, I didn't care what they read. I wanted them to read. I wanted them to inform themselves and learn how to interpret that literature, whatever it might be. But as parents, they have the right to come in and pull those back out if they want to. So great question. That's what I think on the matter and I want people to read and be informed." Gardner "I agree with Mark, as a parent, it is my responsibility to educate my kid at home first. It's my responsibility to give my kids right from wrong as I as I see it, are they going to be perfect? No. But as long as I know that I've&nbsp; raised them the right way. Then I want to expose them so that we can have that conversation so that I can tell you okay, this is how I did this is how mom and dad sees that. Before you get out into the public eye and you hear what somebody else has to say."

"I think far too much we don't educate at home. We look and let somebody else do it. And then when they do it wrong, we want to get mad. I know at my church, you drop your kid off. That kid is mine now. And so if you haven't disciplined them, I'm going to correct it. And my opinion or my statement back to you won't raise your kid I will, otherwise don't bring them here.

"I think that we have to do a better job of raising our kids ourselves, instead of blaming somebody else for not raising them the way that we think they should be raised. So I really don't care what's on the library shelf, because I raised my kids. That is something you don't need to be reading. I trust that when they get there to look at it like no, I'm not interested in that. Are they gonna always do that every time? No, they're not. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to expose them to that and then allow them to go to college and then get exposed to it and actually make the wrong decisions. So yes, let's have this conversation." Gebhardt "Much like Mark and Scott, I don't believe in the banning, because I don't think that solves the problem. I think if you're if you have questionable material on the shelves for the students, it's condoning it and condoning its endorsing. And so in that case, it doesn't if it doesn't benefit the students, then it's money not spent wisely. And in that case, it goes back to the librarians. Librarians need to be educated and they need to be judicious about how they curate their libraries." Zimmerman "We had three book objections this year, three different people. Not one of them was the parent of children in our schools. And not one of them had read the book. It was the same boook, "All Boys Aren't Blue." But we had a policy are you set up from the 80s that said what to do in a book objections. The first thing was to talk to the principal and the librarian at that school, and if they didn't agree with that, there was a committee from the school of faculty, the library and the principal and some community people, and they all read the book."

"The question was, is there enough social value or literary value or artistic value in this book, that if there's some part of it that makes you cringe somewhat, which there was from this one, but is there enough other stuff that it's still worth having? Does it deal with an issue that some kids need to know about? Then there was another committee from the other high school and more community people and then there was the appeal to the board and all of us read that book. And we all agreed that there was value in that book. 

"I was dismayed that the objectors hadn't read the book. They took a couple of pages that will make you cringe and it's true did but they didn't read any of the rest of the book, as far as I can tell. And books are great things. I read some books in high school that were probably not quite appropriate to me. And it did not turn me into any kind of monster, I don't believe."

Zimmerman "I am having a great time on the school board. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of meetings. It's a lot of reading every week. You're reading dozens if not hundreds of pages. But it is really worthwhile. I really want our schools to be great. I want our kids to be successful. I want our kids to be wise, to wisest 18-year-olds they can be when they get out of school and to have a great life on the way up.

"I had a wonderful time in Salina Public Schools, and a great transformative education can stretch minds, can stretch hearts, and can leave you with more wonder for life and wonder for the earth and the world. That's what I want for our kids to be full of wonder when they graduate and ready to discover more. When you turn 18, you're not grown. You have a lot more room to do so, that's what I want for our kids is transformational education."

Gebhardt "I would like to make sure that if I get elected, that I'm I'm able to do the things that I can do to impact our community in a positive manner. I think the educational system is the heart of the community. And I think that's one of the reasons that drives me to run to do this venture. I want to go and utilize all my skill sets from my leadership in the Navy to my time as a student out here as well as all my previous time going to the school system here using things like Project XL and various other programs that were going on.

"I've seen other places around the nation and other places around the world. And while we're very sheltered here in Salina, there are a lot of other places that are a lot more rife with problems."

Gardner &nbsp;"I hope that you will reelect me. It's an honor to do that. But I think one of the biggest things about me is who I am is exactly who you've met. But when I sit on this board, it's not about me. It's not about my beliefs. It's about what's best for our kids and what is best for our community. So, there have been a lot of things that I voted for that me personally, Scott would not have done. But because of what's necessary to move forward in the community. I'm either behind it or maybe against it. I have to do what's best for the community."

Bandre " I spent most of my life involved in education. But despite that, I have learned a tremendous amount over the last four years, and part of the reason I'm running again is to try and keep on using some of that knowledge to help benefit our students and our families. Again, you're not always going to agree with me. I'm not always going to agree with you, but I'm going to respect your opinion."

"I can assure you that even during the height of COVID-19, we had so much controversy about masking. If people disagreed with me, no doubt about it. But I respect your opinion. I wrote back to every single person who wrote to me, and I'm going to keep on doing that. So I feel like similar to what Scott said, I put my heart and soul into this the last four years. I've read a tremendous amount of material, trying to help figure out what's best for our students, and our teachers to make sure that Salina Schools are the best place to learn."

2023 Election: Candidates for school board weigh in on local issues at forum

LAWRENCE (AP) —Kansas basketball player Arterio Morris was charged Friday with one count of rape and dismissed from the Jayhawks' program, the latest in a string of legal trouble that has followed the former prep standout from his days at Texas.

Morris was booked in Douglas County and his bond was set at $75,000, public records showed. His arrest came after an incident report came to light this month that detailed an alleged rape that occurred at McCarthy Hall, which houses the Jayhawks' men's basketball team along with other residents and is located near Allen Fieldhouse.

Morris was not named in the incident report, but he was subsequently suspended from the basketball program.

“We are now aware he has been arrested and charged, and he was dismissed from the program,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said in a statement to The Associated Press. "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further at this time.”

Morris transferred to Kansas despite facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas, where he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">spent his freshman season playing</a>&nbsp;for the Longhorns. According to Frisco police, he was arrested after officers were called to his ex-girlfriend’s house, where she told police that he had grabbed her arm, pulled her off a bed and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">caused an injury to her neck</a>.

The 20-year-old Morris was scheduled to appear at a jury trial next week, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arterio-morris-assault-charge-plea-38d0793e4028bef514814cdd861ada3a">it was canceled earlier this month</a>, when he entered a no contest plea to a Class C charge and ordered to pay a $362 fine.

In announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-arterio-morris-transfer-9954090b704101c1da788cf556fa1272">Morris had transferred to Kansas</a>, Self said the school was aware of the charges he was facing in Texas, and that school administrators had spoken with compliance officers at the University of Texas and within its athletic department.

“Based on these discussions, we are comfortable welcoming Arterio to the University of Kansas," Self said at the time, "and he is well aware of the high standards and expectations that come with being a member of the Kansas men’s basketball program. We fully expect him to meet those daily.”

Morris was a top-20 recruit coming out of Kimball High School in Dallas. He signed with the Longhorns and appeared in 38 games last season, helping beat them Kansas in the Big 12 title game and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

But the 6-foot-3 guard never made the impact that most expected in Austin, averaging just 4.6 points, and Morris hoped that by transferring to Kansas his basketball career would get off to a fresh start.

Even without him on the roster, the Jayhawks are likely to be preseason No. 1 when the AP Top 25 debuts next month. They return starters Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar Jr., welcome a trio of elite freshman recruits and landed two of the nation's top transfers in former Michigan forward Hunter Dickinson and Towson sharpshooter Nick Timberlake.

Kansas begins the season Nov. 6 against North Carolina Central.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696006772212.png" alt="Morris transferred to Kansas despite facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas, where he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">spent his freshman season playing</a>&nbsp;for the Longhorns.-photo courtesy University of Texas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Morris transferred to Kansas despite facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas, where he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">spent his freshman season playing</a>&nbsp;for the Longhorns.-photo courtesy University of Texas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE (AP) —Kansas basketball player Arterio Morris was charged Friday with one count of rape and dismissed from the Jayhawks' program, the latest in a string of legal trouble that has followed the former prep standout from his days at Texas.Morris was booked in Douglas County and his bond was set at $75,000, public records showed. His arrest came after an incident report came to light this month that detailed an alleged rape that occurred at McCarthy Hall, which houses the Jayhawks' men's basketball team along with other residents and is located near Allen Fieldhouse.Morris was not named in the incident report, but he was subsequently suspended from the basketball program.“We are now aware he has been arrested and charged, and he was dismissed from the program,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said in a statement to The Associated Press. "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further at this time.”Morris transferred to Kansas despite facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas, where he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">spent his freshman season playing</a>&nbsp;for the Longhorns. According to Frisco police, he was arrested after officers were called to his ex-girlfriend’s house, where she told police that he had grabbed her arm, pulled her off a bed and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-texas-morris-arrest-assault-84dac6d707b7558e4b8285b686d0e195">caused an injury to her neck</a>.The 20-year-old Morris was scheduled to appear at a jury trial next week, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arterio-morris-assault-charge-plea-38d0793e4028bef514814cdd861ada3a">it was canceled earlier this month</a>, when he entered a no contest plea to a Class C charge and ordered to pay a $362 fine.In announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-arterio-morris-transfer-9954090b704101c1da788cf556fa1272">Morris had transferred to Kansas</a>, Self said the school was aware of the charges he was facing in Texas, and that school administrators had spoken with compliance officers at the University of Texas and within its athletic department.“Based on these discussions, we are comfortable welcoming Arterio to the University of Kansas," Self said at the time, "and he is well aware of the high standards and expectations that come with being a member of the Kansas men’s basketball program. We fully expect him to meet those daily.”Morris was a top-20 recruit coming out of Kimball High School in Dallas. He signed with the Longhorns and appeared in 38 games last season, helping beat them Kansas in the Big 12 title game and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.But the 6-foot-3 guard never made the impact that most expected in Austin, averaging just 4.6 points, and Morris hoped that by transferring to Kansas his basketball career would get off to a fresh start.Even without him on the roster, the Jayhawks are likely to be preseason No. 1 when the AP Top 25 debuts next month. They return starters Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar Jr., welcome a trio of elite freshman recruits and landed two of the nation's top transfers in former Michigan forward Hunter Dickinson and Towson sharpshooter Nick Timberlake.Kansas begins the season Nov. 6 against North Carolina Central.

KU guard Arterio Morris charged with rape, dismissed from basketball team

NAME:&nbsp;Dickerman,Wade Erin REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation, Failure to appear

NAME: Green,Derrick NathanielREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violations

NAME: Lawrence,Raymond MonroeREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation

NAME:&nbsp;Obrien,Bailey Eugene REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant/NCIC hit

NAME:&nbsp;Parker,James David REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Criminal Deprivaton of Property,&nbsp;Domestic Battery: rude physical contact

NAME:Presley,Khadeizsha Monay REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Failure to appear

NAME:REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Failure to appear,&nbsp;Harass by telecom device; Phone call with intent to abuse/threaten/harass

REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Driving while suspended.

NAME: Jamison,Nathaniel LaneREQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Probation Violation,&nbsp;Driving While Suspended,&nbsp;Failure to appear

Following is recent booking activity for the Saline County Jail, as provided by law enforcement. Photos, if provided, are courtesy of Saline County JailAll persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987527123.jpeg" alt="Dickerman,Wade Erin" />
 <figcaption>Dickerman,Wade Erin</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Dickerman,Wade Erin REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation, Failure to appear<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987656635.jpeg" alt=" Green,Derrick Nathaniel" />
 <figcaption> Green,Derrick Nathaniel</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Green,Derrick NathanielREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violations<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987733609.jpeg" alt=" Lawrence,Raymond Monroe" />
 <figcaption> Lawrence,Raymond Monroe</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Lawrence,Raymond MonroeREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation Violation<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987817830.jpeg" alt="Obrien,Bailey Eugene" />
 <figcaption>Obrien,Bailey Eugene</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Obrien,Bailey Eugene REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Outside warrant/NCIC hit<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987898933.jpeg" alt="Parker,James David" />
 <figcaption>Parker,James David</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Parker,James David REQUESTED CHARGE(S): Criminal Deprivaton of Property,&nbsp;Domestic Battery: rude physical contact<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695987959603.jpeg" alt=" Presley,Khadeizsha Monay" />
 <figcaption> Presley,Khadeizsha Monay</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:Presley,Khadeizsha Monay REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Failure to appear<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695988021005.jpeg" alt="Rader,Brietan Ron" />
 <figcaption>Rader,Brietan Ron</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Failure to appear,&nbsp;Harass by telecom device; Phone call with intent to abuse/threaten/harass<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695988097582.jpeg" alt=" Wallace,Shakeila Marie" />
 <figcaption> Wallace,Shakeila Marie</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:Wallace,Shakeila MarieREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Driving while suspended.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688562049999.png" alt="Jamison,Nathaniel Lane " />
 <figcaption>Jamison,Nathaniel Lane </figcaption>
 </figure>NAME: Jamison,Nathaniel LaneREQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Probation Violation,&nbsp;Driving While Suspended,&nbsp;Failure to appear

Saline County Jail Activity, Sept 29

MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations

Just after 9p.m. September 25, police&nbsp;received reports of a potential drug distribition in the area of 956 K Avenue in Council Grove, according to a media release.

Police obtained a search warrant and with the assistance of the&nbsp;&nbsp;Morris Co. Sheriff’s Office established a perimeter around the home.

As officers conducted surveillance in the area, multiple gunshots were fired from the property. A Special Response Team from Junction City&nbsp; was called to assist in the arrest of 42-year-old Jacob T.L. Hutchinson of Council Grove. He is in custody on requested charges of&nbsp; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, aggravated child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Lyon County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695933468305.png" alt="Hutchinson from an earlier arrest in Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Hutchinson from an earlier arrest in Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegationsJust after 9p.m. September 25, police&nbsp;received reports of a potential drug distribition in the area of 956 K Avenue in Council Grove, according to a media release.Police obtained a search warrant and with the assistance of the&nbsp;&nbsp;Morris Co. Sheriff’s Office established a perimeter around the home.As officers conducted surveillance in the area, multiple gunshots were fired from the property. A Special Response Team from Junction City&nbsp; was called to assist in the arrest of 42-year-old Jacob T.L. Hutchinson of Council Grove. He is in custody on requested charges of&nbsp; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, aggravated child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Lyon County Jail.

Shots fired during drug bust at Kansas home

Claudine Harriette Ashcraft, 90, passed away on September 23, 2023 at Holiday Resort Health &amp; Rehab Center in Salina, KS.

Claudine was born on June 27, 1933 in Ottawa County, KS to parents Harry and Jessie Mable Nolf Merriman.

Her and Dick had a lot of fun camping, traveling and getting together with their friends. Later, Claudine enjoyed her part time job at Arbor Court, loved going to the Senior Center to play cards with her friends, reading books, doing word search puzzles, an occasional trip to the casino and watching Wheel of Fortune on TV. She was a life member of the United Methodist Church of the Cross and always looked forward to the visits from family and friends.

Preceded in death by Jessie Merriman (Mother), Harry Merriman (Father), Dick Ashcraft (Spouse), Joyce Satterlee (Sister), Pamela Ashcraft (Daughter), Aaron Merriman (Brother), Raymond Merriman (Brother), Larry Merriman (Brother), Baby Boy Forristal (Grandson)

Claudine is survived by; Children Marilyn Rundberg and spouse Daryl of Salina, KS, Carolyn Forristal of Salina, KS, Rhonda Estep and spouse John of Salina, KS; Others: Mary Lou Arnold (Sister) , Glenda McAfee (Sister), Jody Rundberg (Granddaughter) of Olathe, KS, Kristine Peterson (Granddaughter) and spouse Darren of Salina, KS, Justin Forristal (Grandson) of Salina, KS, Amanda Keller (Granddaughter) and spouse Doug of Salina, KS, Griffin Peterson (Great-Grandson) , Sydney Peterson (Great-Granddaughter) , Campbell Peterson (Great-Grandson) , Olivia Trow (Great-Granddaughter), Isabella Forristal (Great-Granddaughter) and numerous other family and friends.

A Memorial Service will be&nbsp;on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 11:00 AM&nbsp;in the United Methodist Church of the Cross;&nbsp;1600 Rush St.;&nbsp;Salina, KS 67401. Inurnment of her cremains will be private at a later time in the Roselawn Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church of the Cross;&nbsp;1600 Rush St.;&nbsp;Salina, KS 67401&nbsp;or The American Heart Association;&nbsp;5800 Foxridge Dr, Mission, KS 66202.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Roselawn Burial and Cremation Services, Online condolences can be sent to&nbsp;www.roselawnsalina.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695954574418.jpeg" alt="Claudine Harriette Ashcraft" />
 <figcaption>Claudine Harriette Ashcraft</figcaption>
 </figure>Claudine Harriette Ashcraft, 90, passed away on September 23, 2023 at Holiday Resort Health &amp; Rehab Center in Salina, KS.Claudine was born on June 27, 1933 in Ottawa County, KS to parents Harry and Jessie Mable Nolf Merriman.Her and Dick had a lot of fun camping, traveling and getting together with their friends. Later, Claudine enjoyed her part time job at Arbor Court, loved going to the Senior Center to play cards with her friends, reading books, doing word search puzzles, an occasional trip to the casino and watching Wheel of Fortune on TV. She was a life member of the United Methodist Church of the Cross and always looked forward to the visits from family and friends.Preceded in death by Jessie Merriman (Mother), Harry Merriman (Father), Dick Ashcraft (Spouse), Joyce Satterlee (Sister), Pamela Ashcraft (Daughter), Aaron Merriman (Brother), Raymond Merriman (Brother), Larry Merriman (Brother), Baby Boy Forristal (Grandson)Claudine is survived by; Children Marilyn Rundberg and spouse Daryl of Salina, KS, Carolyn Forristal of Salina, KS, Rhonda Estep and spouse John of Salina, KS; Others: Mary Lou Arnold (Sister) , Glenda McAfee (Sister), Jody Rundberg (Granddaughter) of Olathe, KS, Kristine Peterson (Granddaughter) and spouse Darren of Salina, KS, Justin Forristal (Grandson) of Salina, KS, Amanda Keller (Granddaughter) and spouse Doug of Salina, KS, Griffin Peterson (Great-Grandson) , Sydney Peterson (Great-Granddaughter) , Campbell Peterson (Great-Grandson) , Olivia Trow (Great-Granddaughter), Isabella Forristal (Great-Granddaughter) and numerous other family and friends.A Memorial Service will be&nbsp;on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 11:00 AM&nbsp;in the United Methodist Church of the Cross;&nbsp;1600 Rush St.;&nbsp;Salina, KS 67401. Inurnment of her cremains will be private at a later time in the Roselawn Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church of the Cross;&nbsp;1600 Rush St.;&nbsp;Salina, KS 67401&nbsp;or The American Heart Association;&nbsp;5800 Foxridge Dr, Mission, KS 66202.Arrangements have been entrusted to Roselawn Burial and Cremation Services, Online condolences can be sent to&nbsp;www.roselawnsalina.com.

Claudine Harriette Ashcraft

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Authorities are investigating after a&nbsp;46-year-old Lawrence man tried to repeatedly stab a 38-year-old man.

Just before midnight Tuesday, police were sent to a residence in the 700 block of North 3rd Street for a report of two men allegedly fighting in the street, according to a media release.

When officers arrived on-scene, no one was actively fighting, but they soon learned the suspect had come to the residence intending to stab the victim. 

Witnesses reported the suspect had brandished a knife and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to stab the victim. The suspect and victim were known to each other. The suspect was booked into the Douglas County Correctional Facility on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder. Police will present the case will to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for charging consideration. No injuries were reported in the incident. Police did not release the name of the suspect.

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Authorities are investigating after a&nbsp;46-year-old Lawrence man tried to repeatedly stab a 38-year-old man.Just before midnight Tuesday, police were sent to a residence in the 700 block of North 3rd Street for a report of two men allegedly fighting in the street, according to a media release.When officers arrived on-scene, no one was actively fighting, but they soon learned the suspect had come to the residence intending to stab the victim. Witnesses reported the suspect had brandished a knife and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to stab the victim. The suspect and victim were known to each other. The suspect was booked into the Douglas County Correctional Facility on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder. Police will present the case will to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for charging consideration. No injuries were reported in the incident. Police did not release the name of the suspect.

Man accused in attempted knife attack at Kansas home

REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Use/poss drug paraphernalian/human body,&nbsp;Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs; Misdemeanor,&nbsp;Poss of marijuana,&nbsp;Traffic Control Signals

REQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Theft of prop/services:Value less than $1,500,&nbsp;Theft of prop/serv;&lt;$1500 3 business in 72 hrs

Following is recent booking activity for the Saline County Jail, as provided by law enforcement. Photos, if provided, are courtesy of Saline County JailAll persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695904506281.jpeg" alt="Daulton,Joseph Theodore" />
 <figcaption>Daulton,Joseph Theodore</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Daulton,Joseph TheodoreREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Failure to appear<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695904573334.jpeg" alt="Dempsey,Danair Eurell" />
 <figcaption>Dempsey,Danair Eurell</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Dempsey,Danair EurellREQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Use/poss drug paraphernalian/human body,&nbsp;Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs; Misdemeanor,&nbsp;Poss of marijuana,&nbsp;Traffic Control Signals<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695904638330.jpeg" alt="Jefferson,Tasha Lorraine" />
 <figcaption>Jefferson,Tasha Lorraine</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:Jefferson,Tasha LorraineREQUESTED CHARGE(S):&nbsp;Theft of prop/services:Value less than $1,500,&nbsp;Theft of prop/serv;&lt;$1500 3 business in 72 hrs<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695904705920.jpeg" alt="Roberts,Christopher Don" />
 <figcaption>Roberts,Christopher Don</figcaption>
 </figure>NAME:&nbsp;Roberts,Christopher DonREQUESTED CHARGE(S): Probation violation

Saline County Jail Activity, Sept. 28

LABETTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a field on Sunday have made an arrest.

Just after 2:30p.m. Sunday, a man placed a 911 call after discovering the body later identified as 28-year-old Kylie Caldwell of Parsons in a field one half mile west of the intersection of 20000 Road and Ness Road in rural Labette County, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

On Monday the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Parsons Police Department arrested 53-year-old Derrick W. Curry, 53, of Parsons, on requested charges for interference with the judicial process; to conceal or destroy evidence of a crime and he was booked into jail.

&nbsp;On Tuesday, KBI agents and investigators executed search warrants at Curry’s apartment at 2626 Kimball Avenue&nbsp; in Parsons, and on his vehicle. 

On Wednesday morning an arrest warrant was issued for Curry for second-degree murder in connection to the death of Caldwell. It was served to him while he was in custody at the jail. Curry and Caldwell were acquaintances, according to the sheriff's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695834559542.png" alt="Curry-photo Labette Co." />
 <figcaption>Curry-photo Labette Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>LABETTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a field on Sunday have made an arrest.Just after 2:30p.m. Sunday, a man placed a 911 call after discovering the body later identified as 28-year-old Kylie Caldwell of Parsons in a field one half mile west of the intersection of 20000 Road and Ness Road in rural Labette County, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. On Monday the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Parsons Police Department arrested 53-year-old Derrick W. Curry, 53, of Parsons, on requested charges for interference with the judicial process; to conceal or destroy evidence of a crime and he was booked into jail.&nbsp;On Tuesday, KBI agents and investigators executed search warrants at Curry’s apartment at 2626 Kimball Avenue&nbsp; in Parsons, and on his vehicle. On Wednesday morning an arrest warrant was issued for Curry for second-degree murder in connection to the death of Caldwell. It was served to him while he was in custody at the jail. Curry and Caldwell were acquaintances, according to the sheriff's office.

Suspect accused in death of woman after body found in Kan. field

Salina Central High School began celebrating its Homecoming Week on Monday, complete with daily themes, a Wednesday parade, and a Saturday evening dance to conclude the school spirit-filled week.

The spirit themes include "Barbie" on Monday, "Rhyme without Reason" on Tuesday, "Frat Out" on Wednesday, "U.S.A." on Thursday and "Mustang" on Friday.

Each day allows students to dress up within the theme, from all in pink for Barbie on Monday to wearing school-themed clothing on Friday.

School staff will allow students to dress as they want within the school dress code.

Salina Central will parade through downtown at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, beginning at The Temple at 336 S. Santa Fe Ave. After the parade, the school will host a pep rally at 7 p.m. at Salina Stadium.

The royalty candidates will parade with other students, local businesses and organizations to show school spirit and excite students for the pep rally.

On Friday, Sept. 29, during the Salina Central High School football game against Valley Center High School, staff will coronate the winners during halftime.

This year's queen candidates at Salina Central include seniors Lydia Dong, Tyler Vidricksen, Azbey Peckham Callan Hall and Kendyl Gary. 

Salina Central's king candidates include Kyler Brecheisen, Gunnar Gross, Dez Gibson, Jameer Moore and Levi Losey. 

Each student stays involved in the school, varying from choral groups to sports.

Tyler Vidricksen is the daughter of Deby and Casey Vidricksen and sister to Hayden. After high school, Tyler plans on attending Kansas State University and is currently undecided on her major. While in high school, she participated in basketball, volleyball, softball, book club, and yearbook. She also served as Relay for Life captain for four years. Her favorite high school memory was going to the state basketball tournament her sophomore year and getting second place.


<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675385626672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina PostSalina Central High School began celebrating its Homecoming Week on Monday, complete with daily themes, a Wednesday parade, and a Saturday evening dance to conclude the school spirit-filled week.The spirit themes include "Barbie" on Monday, "Rhyme without Reason" on Tuesday, "Frat Out" on Wednesday, "U.S.A." on Thursday and "Mustang" on Friday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695853576951.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Each day allows students to dress up within the theme, from all in pink for Barbie on Monday to wearing school-themed clothing on Friday.School staff will allow students to dress as they want within the school dress code.<h2>The Parade</h2>Salina Central will parade through downtown at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, beginning at The Temple at 336 S. Santa Fe Ave. After the parade, the school will host a pep rally at 7 p.m. at Salina Stadium.The royalty candidates will parade with other students, local businesses and organizations to show school spirit and excite students for the pep rally.On Friday, Sept. 29, during the Salina Central High School football game against Valley Center High School, staff will coronate the winners during halftime.<h2>The King and Queen Candidates</h2>This year's queen candidates at Salina Central include seniors Lydia Dong, Tyler Vidricksen, Azbey Peckham Callan Hall and Kendyl Gary. Salina Central's king candidates include Kyler Brecheisen, Gunnar Gross, Dez Gibson, Jameer Moore and Levi Losey. Each student stays involved in the school, varying from choral groups to sports.Tyler Vidricksen Tyler Vidricksen is the daughter of Deby and Casey Vidricksen and sister to Hayden. After high school, Tyler plans on attending Kansas State University and is currently undecided on her major. While in high school, she participated in basketball, volleyball, softball, book club, and yearbook. She also served as Relay for Life captain for four years. Her favorite high school memory was going to the state basketball tournament her sophomore year and getting second place.
Dez GibsonDez Gibson is the son of Danielle Cranston and Greg Gibson and brother to Greg Gibson. After high school, Dez plans on attending college but is unsure of where at this point. While in high school, he participated in football and basketball all four years and track for 3 years. His favorite memory from high school was the Back to School dance during his sophomore year and playing against Salina South.
Lydia DongLydia Dong is the daughter of Jonathan Dong and Jami Evan and sister to Kaili and Keryn. After high school, Lydia is planning on attending a university to major in pre-law. While in high school, she was involved in Vets, Maroons, wrestling and Softball. She is also the senior class STUCO treasurer and Mustang Media Producer. Her favorite high school memory was winning against a boy at the Salina South dual her freshman year and beating South for the eighth year in a row.
Kyler BrecheisenKyler Brecheisen is the son of Rae Brecheisen and brother to Kinleigh (ken-lee) and Karlyn. After high school, Kyler is planning on getting his associate's degree in applied science for welding. While in high school, he participated in baseball all four years and is currently on the Maroons. His favorite high school memory was the home football games in the student section and riding to school with his sister.
Kendyl GaryKendyl Gary is the daughter of Trish and Brandon Gary and the sister of Mason. After high school, Kendyl plans on attending a university and majoring in psychology with hopes of becoming an occupational therapist. While in high school, she participated in basketball, volleyball, and track. She also was a part of the maroons and yearbook. Her favorite high school memory was winning their first volleyball tournament this year at Wichita-North.
Levi LoseyLevi Losey is the son of Troy and Monica Losey and brother to Logan and Lakyn (lay-ken). After high school, Levi plans on attending Kansas State University and majoring in agronomy. While in high school, he participated in football, basketball, and track. His favorite high school memory is going to the gym with his brother.Azbey Peckham&nbsp;Azbey Peckham is the daughter of John and Jennifer Peckham and sister to Danielle and Hannah. After high school, Azbey plans to attend
the University of Kansas and major in elementary education. While in high school, she was involved in basketball and swimming. She participated in Scholars Bowl, Link, NHS, and book club and currently serves as the managing editor of the Pylon and the Stuco senior class
 vice president. Her favorite memory from high school was breaking the school record in the 100 butterfly and seeing the board get changed.
Jameer MooreJameer Moore is the son of Tammy Fairchild and Xavier Moore and brother to Quincy, Jazlyn, and Starlet. After high school, Jameer plans on attending a university to major in either mechanical engineering or drafting. He also plans to continue his football career in college. While in high school, he participated in football, track and field, and basketball. His favorite high school memory was beating Salina South.
Callan HallCallan Hall is the daughter of Michael and Lisa Hall and sister to Griffin and Braxton. After high school, Callan plans to continue her twirling career at a Division One college and pursue a career in the medical field. While in high school, she participated in volleyball, basketball, track, student council, Relay for Life and Link. She is also active in the Ark Church Community. Callan was also awarded the All-League Honors in volleyball and basketball, the Hoby Leadership Award, and the I Dare You Leadership Award. She has also received 25 individual national titles and a world champion title with Shannon’s Star Twirling Club. Her favorite high school memory is the state basketball tournament her sophomore year and going 24-1 for the season.
Gunnar GrossGunnar Gross is the son of Guy and Kathryn Gross and brother to Grayton and Kallia. After high school, Gunnar plans on playing football and wants to pursue a career in the medical field. In high school, he participated in football and basketball. Gunnar was awarded 1st team All-State non-senior, First Team all AVCTL in football 1x All-State and 2x all AVCTL in baseball. Gunnar is also active in the Ark church community. His favorite memory from high school is winning the
 regional playoff game in football last year and beating Salina South three years in a row.