After four years away from the Kansas competition, past winner Tim Keane of rural Manhattan returned and claimed the championship of the Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest in both the serious and humorous divisions.

“It’s a sweep for Tim Keane, who won back in 2022,” said poetry contest chair Ron Wilson of the Lazy T Ranch near Manhattan. “This is the sixth time in the 16-year history of the contest that the same person won both divisions. We were especially pleased that the finals attracted an audience of 162 people, which is an all-time record in attendance.”

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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Four people have been arrested after authorities say they broke into Oliver Brown Elementary School in Pottawatomie County and caused thousands of dollars in damage.

According to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified Saturday around noon of a previously reported break-in at the school.

Investigators determined four individuals unlawfully entered the school and caused more than $3,000 in damage to school property. Detectives identified all four suspects, who were arrested Monday and Tuesday.

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Lane Mathies of St. George on suspicion of burglary, felony criminal damage to property, criminal trespass and contributing to a child’s misconduct. He was released after posting a $15,000 bond.

Also arrested were 19-year-old Gabriel Summerlin of Manhattan and 18-year-old Kody Kemp II of Ogden on the same charges. Both remained confined in the Pottawatomie County Jail on $15,000 bonds.

A 16-year-old Manhattan boy was also taken into custody on suspicion of burglary, felony criminal damage to property and criminal trespass. He was turned over to juvenile intake, and his name was not released because of his age.

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The potential for data centers being built in Pottawatomie County gives rural landowners an uneasy future, an agriculture law professor said.

Roger McEowen is the Kansas Farm Bureau professor of agricultural law and taxation at Washburn and also teaches undergraduate agricultural law courses at K-State. He said July 15 that the dynamic farmers are primarily concerned with big infrastructure and its burden on neighbors.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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The Pottawatomie County planning commission’s public hearing originally scheduled for July 28 in St. Bernard Catholic Church Parish Hall has been rescheduled. A member of the commission’s staff told The Mercury on Thursday that they were unable to meet the mandatory 20-day advance publication of a legal notice for the hearing.

The hearing will still be held at the same location, but will be now held at 6 p.m. Aug. 20. Residents will be able to give their comments on proposed regulations that would govern any data center built in the county.

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The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help as it continues to investigate the 2015 death of a woman whose case remains unsolved nearly 11 years later.

According to investigators, deputies and emergency responders were dispatched at approximately 4 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2015, after receiving a report that a woman had fallen from a moving pickup truck.

Responding personnel found 45-year-old Shannon Chebultz with serious injuries in the roadway near Macy Place Drive and Elm Slough Road. Investigators determined Chebultz had been riding in a truck driven by her boyfriend, Travis Quigley, when, for reasons that remain unknown, she either fell or was ejected from the moving vehicle.

Chebultz later died from her injuries.

The sheriff’s office said Quigley was interviewed by investigators and the scene was thoroughly processed. Despite years of investigative work and numerous leads, the circumstances surrounding Chebultz’s death remain undetermined, and the case remains open.

Investigators are now renewing their appeal for information, saying someone may have details that could help provide answers for Chebultz’s family.

Anyone with information related to Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office case No. 2015-2423 is asked to contact Detective Martinez at 785-457-3353. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the sheriff’s office Crime Stoppers page at ptsheriff.com or by emailing coldcase@ptsheriff.com

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The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a missing 16-year-old girl who was reported as a runaway.

Lillian Parker, 16, of Westmoreland, was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, in the Westmoreland area.

Deputies describe Parker as a white female who is approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. She has short red hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing a blue-gray T-shirt, pale pink pants, and possibly a black pullover hoodie featuring a “Murder Drones” graphic. She may also be wearing blue Converse sneakers with beads on the laces.

Anyone with information about Parker’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at 785-457-3353 or submit an anonymous tip through the department’s Crime Stoppers page.

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Six people were injured Saturday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 24 Highway east of Wamego, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred just before 4 p.m. July 4 at the intersection of U.S. 24 and Airport Road, about 1mile east of Wamego.

Troopers said a Honda Civic driven by 22-year-old Fernanda Koskinen of St. Marys was traveling westbound on U.S. 24 and attempting to turn south onto Airport Road when it failed to yield and was struck by an eastbound Ford van driven by 36-year-old Galvin P. Carroll of St. Marys.

Koskinen and three passengers were transported to Stormont Vail Hospital or Children’s Mercy Hospital with suspected serious injuries. Two additional passengers suffered minor or possible injuries and were taken to Stormont Vail Hospital.

Carroll was not injured. One passenger in the Ford van suffered a minor injury and was taken to Wamego Health Center. Five other passengers — ages 3, 3, 6, 8 and 11 — were not injured. All occupants of both vehicles were reported to have been wearing seat belts or appropriate restraints.

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Rev. Michael Goldade, who was raised in St. Marys, was one of the four Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) priests elevated to bishop in Wednesday’s Episcopal Consecration service in Écône, Switzerland.

But by Thursday, he and the other priests were excommunicated by the Vatican, which also warned that people who “formally adhere” to the SSPX priests would also be excommunicated.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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A traditionalist sect of the Catholic Church defied Pope Leo XIV Wednesday as it ordained four new bishops, including a St. Marys priest, without papal mandate. The Society of Saint Pius X now faces possible excommunication from the church.

The Society of Saint Pius X, or SSPX, was founded in 1970 and opposes the Second Vatican Council, which modernized the Church and allowed reforms such as the celebration of Mass in vernacular languages. It consecrated four original bishops in 1988, which resulted in excommunication from the Church for a schismatic act.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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