A lending institution was selected at the Labette County Commission meeting Monday to finance two-thirds cost of four patrol cars.
Chetopa State Bank was the low bid to finance $74,781.65 for two years. The payments would be $39,294.23 at an interest rate of 3.49 percent. Low bid repayment was $78,588.46. Total cost will be $111,422.47.
This lease purchase is for four Crown Victoria patrol cars.
IN OTHER ACTION at Monday’s meeting:
• Signed a contract with Mound Valley for deputy police patrol for 51.66 hours a month at $16 per hour.
• Sheriff William Blundell, 911 Supervisor Brandy Grassl and Emergency Management Director Jim Cook discussed the burning regulations and requirements.
The  county-wide burn ban was lifted last Thursday at a special meeting by the commissioners. They advised that if you are going to burn to call the non-emergency telephone number in Oswego 620-795-2565 or in Parsons 620-421-1400. You are urged to call one of these numbers and notify dispatch that you will be burning.
• Noxious Weed Director Dennis Martin and Dale Goedeke will bring back bid specifications for a vehicle request at the next meeting.
• Brock Sutherland, William Mahoney and Rod Landrum of Labette Health discussed with the commission the next planned project: Rector Diabetes Education & Resource Center. With collaboration and support from the project’s medical director, Parsons pediatrician Dr. Manish Dixit, and Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, the Rector Diabetes Education and Resource Center will serve as a national model for future rural health and education initiatives, said Labette Health President and CEO William Mahoney. A group checked students from five area grade schools and found that 31.9 percent are overweight or obese, which can lead to diabetes. This center would help to educate students, teachers, nurses, doctors, etc., deal with diabetes with traininng.
“It  would be like Greenbush is to the area school  institutions. This education center would be the rural model for others to copy helping rural people with diabetes. This is the only rural model  in the United States,” William Mahoney said.
“This new facility would put Parsons on the map. It could change the behavior and reduce Type 2 diabetes,” Mahoney said.
When their grandson, Rhett, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes four years ago, Jacque and Kelly Rector looked in vain for detailed information about his condition. Because of their frustration, a donation was made for a new Labette Health facility bearing their name which will serve as a resource for area diabetics and their families as well as health-care professionals, educators and the community.
Thanks to the Rector family’s generosity, Labette Health can now create a rural model that is effective not only in educating people about diabetes, but hopefully providing an example that can be duplicated in rural areas throughout the country.
The Rectors have been involved in selecting colors, carpet samples, etc., Rod Landrum said.
The new 2,400 sq. ft. facility will be located on the northwest corner of the Labette Health campus, Brock Sutherland said.
The commissioners approved the new project. The county is the owner of the ground where the Labette Health facilities are located in Parsons. “It’s nice to see the Rectors step up and do this,” Commissioner Lonie Addis said. It is a great project.
A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Thursday, April 2.

Cheri Peine, MMC, City Clerk, City of Oswego, has been selected as the 2009 Mildred Vance City Clerk/Finance Officer of the Year for the State of Kansas.
The award was announced at the 59th Annual City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Association (CCMFOA) Spring Conference in Wichita on March 12.
Peine will be recognized for this achievement and presented with a plaque in recognition of her accomplishments at the League of Kansas Municipalities Conference in Topeka this October.
Cheri Peine began her career with the City of Oswego 31 years ago and has served as City Clerk for the past 24 years. She is a 31-year member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), achieving her Certified Municipal Clerk certification and recently achieving the prestigious Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) certification.
Cheri is a member of the Midwest Assistance Program (MAPS), KSGFOA, KS Rural Water Association, Municipal Court Clerk’s Association, Oswego Chamber of Commerce and Oswego Community & Parks Foundation. She is also a Certified Grant Administrator from the State of Kansas.         Cheri is on the Board of Directors of CCMFOA and took over the gavel as President of this organization the same day she was awarded City Clerk/Finance Officer of the Year. She has worked tirelessly for the City of Oswego and is an integral part of the community. The face of the City of Oswego would be different without her influence over the past 24 years, according to her Governing Body and co-workers.
This award is presented each year to a Kansas City Clerk or Finance Officer who has made significant contributions to the State association, the profession and to their city. The award was named in honor of Mildred Vance, former auditor and City Clerk/Finance Officer for the City of Parsons, who served her community proudly from 1948 to 1988. Mildred was instrumental in developing and promoting professional education programs for city clerks and finance officers at the state and national levels and was one of the first 100 clerks to receive the Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation in 1972. Mildred strongly believed that city clerks and finance officers should contribute to their communities and she unselfishly gave of her time and talents in church, community and civic activities.
To be eligible for the award nominees must be a current Kansas City Clerk or Finance Officer who has held the position for at least 3 years, be a member of CCMFOA for at least three years, and have attained the status of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) or have received the GFOA Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting.
Nominations may be submitted by fellow City Clerks, Mayors, Council members, City Managers/Administrators, or fellow employees.

Tori Carter, Sophomore at Oswego High School, is participating in a People to People program founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. This summer, Tori will be going to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to learn leadership skills and about the the cultures of students from other countries.
The objective of the program is to promote international understanding while building leadership skills among America’s youth. The 19-day experience includes meetings with government officials, interaction with other students her age, educational activities, and home stays with host families.
President Eisenhower believed that if people from different cultures could come together in peace and friendship, so eventually would countries. Since its founding, People to People has launched many international programs, including Sister Cities and Project HOPE.
Tori’s trip will cost $7,000 total. She has completed several fundraisers to finance her trip. Those include: baking and delivering pies at Thanksgiving, selling handpicked pecans, cooking and selling an original recipe of apple butter, making and selling concrete bird baths/feeders from elephant ear leaves, participating in the craft show at the Chetopa Pecan Fest and the Edna craft show, selling chances on a $100 bill and a handmade quilt, compiling and publishing a Carter family cookbook.
Her next fundraiser will be a roast pork dinner on Saturday, March 21, at the Oswego Community Building starting at 5 p.m. The meal will include: pulled pork with barbeque sauce on the side smoked by Dusty Moses, her  cousin, baked beans made by Steve Blackledge, her uncle, potato salad, desert, drinks of coffee, iced tea or water. Donations will be accepted.
An auction will be held at 6 p.m. of various items.
Tori is the daughter of Bob and Ruth Marie Carter, granddaughter of Patty and Terry Walker and Bob and Wilma Carter, all of Chetopa.

Ball  & Claw Auction in downtown Oswego is back to serving as an auction house this time for the Ross Auction Service.
This Saturday, March 21, at 5:45 p.m. you can bid on a variety of guns, anvils, antiques, furniture, collectibles and mounts.
Cody Ross became an auctioneer in July of last year. His wife, Jamie, helps with the auction service. Cody is the son of Larry and Phyllis (Fulkerson) Ross of Oswego.
Ross also takes consignment auctions the first and third Thursday of every month at 5 p.m. at the old “Center Creek Feed” building located on highway 171, between Webb City and Carl Junction in Missouri. He handles antiques, collectibles, furniture and tools, etc.
To consign, contact Ross at 620-529-4416; “we take almost anything,” he said.
The Assembly of God youth will be offering refreshments.
Ball & Claw Auction is located at 717 Fourth St. in Oswego in the former theater building. The Ball & Claw Auction is well known for its antique furniture and collectibles throughout the United States.
The Rosses invite you to come out to their auction this Saturday and get acquainted. Watch for next auction date in this newspaper.

For more information, see the March 18 issue of the Labette Avenue. To locate previously posted death notices, enter the decedent’s last name in the archive search box on Labette Avenue’s home page. Labette Avenue publishes death notices free of charge. Paid obituaries ($20) are printed in their entirety in the Labette Avenue and online at www.taylornews.org/lba.

Jack E. Mosler

GROVE, Okla.—Jack E. Mosler, 82, of Grove, Okla., passed away Saturday, March 14, 2009, at St John’s Medical Center in Joplin, Mo.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, in the Murdock Funeral Chapel in Oswego with Rev. David Shrum officiating. Interment will follow in the Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Oswego. Memorials may be made to Grove Integris Home Health or Grand Lake Humane Society with the Murdock Funeral Home, 203 Illinois, Oswego, KS 67356 serving as custodian. Condolences may be left at murdockfuneralhomes.com.

Jack was born Sept. 29, 1926, in Chetopa, Kan., the son of Vernie and Frances Isabel (Silkey) Mosler. He farmed in Cherokee County, worked for Freeto Construction Co, Layton Oil Co and retired from KAAP in 1993.

Jack married Wilma “Billie” Raetz on  June 5, 1949, in the Labette Methodist Church in Labette. The couple would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 5, 2009.

He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed  camping, traveling and fishing.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents, a sister Elva Shrum, and two brothers, Leonard and George.

Those surviving are his loving wife, Billie, and pet  “Heidi” of the home in Grove; two daughters, Jacqueline Caywood and husband Don of Parsons, Kan.; and Lori Ann Shryock and husband Brent of Augusta, Kan.; three sons, Dennis Mosler and wife Shelley of Owasso, Okla., Douglas Mosler of Grove; and Daniel Mosler of Fairland, Okla.; 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; a sister, Mabel Brannin of Oswego; a sister-in-law, Marguerite Mosler of Hallowell; and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.

Lillian V. Korinek

OSWEGO–Lillian V. Korinek, 91, of Oswego, Kan., passed away Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Presbyterian Manor in Parsons.

Graveside funeral services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, at Oswego Cemetery with Rev. Tom Heflin officiating. Interment will follow in the Oswego Cemetery. Visitation will be 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, in the Murdock Funeral Home, 203 Illinois, Oswego.

Memorials may be made to the Girls and Boys Town, P.O. Box 6000, Boys Town, NE 68010.

Lillian was born July 2, 1917, in Black Wolf, Kan., the daughter of Charles and Anna (Homolka) Kroboth. She married Charles Korinek on July 26, 1939. The couple lived in Ellsworth, Abilene, and Ft. Scott, before moving to Oswego. She was a member of the the Willowdale Methodist Church Talmage, Kan.

She enjoyed sewing and being involved with her grandchildren and family.

Those surviving are three sons, Arthur and wife Nancy of Oswego; Eldon and wife Pam of Ft. Scott; and Arnold of Oswego; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Preceding Lillian in death were her husband and two sisters.

Ralph Dean Olinger

PARSONS—Ralph “Dean” Olinger, 70, of Parsons, Kan., Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Freeman Heart Institute in Joplin, Mo.

Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 19, at Harrison Cemetery, rural Thayer.

Arrangements are under the direction of Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons.

Mary Maxine Myers

COLUMBUS—Mary Maxine Myers, 87, of Columbus, Kan., died Saturday, March 14, 2009.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, at Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, Columbus. Burial will be in City Cemetery, Columbus. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Harold L. Parsons

PARSONS—Harold L. Parsons, 101, of Parsons, Kan., died Monday, March 9, 2009, at Elmhaven West nursing home in Parsons.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Friday, at Faith United Methodist Church in Parsons. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Parsons. The family will receive friends at Carson-Wall Funeral Home from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Memorials are suggested to Faith United Methodist Church.

Jane Mawhiney Warbinton

ANTHONY—Jame M. Warbinton, 83, of Anthony, Kan., formerly of Altamont, died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at Wichita.

Funeral services were held Feb. 9 at the First Congregational Church in Anthony. Burial was in Forest Park Cemetery, Anthony.

Memorials may be given to the First Congregational Church or to Country Living and may be sent in care of Prairie Rose Funeral Home, 602 E. Main St., Anthony, KS 67003.

Susan Carol (Watts) Duncan

ANTHONY—Susan Carol (née Watts) Duncan, 63, of Anthony, Kan., died March 13, 2009, at her home, after a courageous battle with cancer. In addition to many other family members, she is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Ted and Faye Watts, Oswego.

Catholic Services were held Wednesday, March 18, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Danville, (Harper County) Kan., of the St. Joan of Arc Parish Community, with Recitation of Rosary at 1:30 p.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 2 p.m., all with Father Michael Peltzer officiating. Burial was in Fairview Cemetery, Danville, Kan.

Memorials in memory of Susan may be given to the Sacred Heart Altar Guild, Anthony, or to the Shriner’s Orthopedic Hospital, St. Louis, Mo., and may be sent in care of the funeral home.

Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, Inc., 602 E. Main St., Anthony, KS 67003, is in charge of arrangements.

William “Bill” E. Taylor

COLUMBUS—William “Bill” E. Taylor, 78, of Columbus, Kan., died Sunday, March 15, 2009.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 19, at 11 a.m. at Murdock Funeral Home with Rev. Dennis Johnson officiating. Burial will follow in the Park cemetery. Visitation will be held Wednesday evening from 7 to 8 p.m., at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to Autumn Place, 301 S. East Ave, Columbus, KS 66725. Condolences may be left at murdockfuneralhomes.com.

Mary Alice Shears

PARSONS—Mary Alice Shears, 79, of Parsons, Kan., died Monday, March 16, 2009, at her home. She had been in failing health.

Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, at East Bethany Cemetery. Friends may call after 1 p.m., Wednesday, at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons.

Judith Ann “Judy” Oler

PARSONS—Judith Ann “Judy” Oler, 65, a lifelong Parsons, Kan., resident, died  Monday, March 16, 2009, at Elmhaven West nursing home in Parsons. She had been in failing health.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, at Memorial Lawn Cemetery patio with the Rev. John Schaich officiating. Burial will follow in the cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, at Carson-Wall Funeral Home.

Memorials are suggested to Faith United Methodist Church or the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice and may be left at or sent to the funeral home, P.O. Box 942, Parsons, 67357.

Thomas M. Hollingsworth

PARSONS—Thomas M. Hollingsworth, 59, of Parsons, Kan., died Sunday at the Labette Health Center in Parsons.

Cremation has taken place and no services are planned. Penwell-Gabel of Independence was in charge of arrangements.

On the recommendation of county fire chiefs, the Labette County Commission
this morning lifted the countywide burn ban.

The chiefs and the commission still encourage those planning prescribed
burning to notify the Labette County Communications Center in advance by
calling 620 795-2565 or 620 421-1400.

Labette County now offers a Tag and Tax Estimator on the county’s website, county treasurer Crystal Addiis said this week.
On your computer go to the county’s website: www/labettecounty.com. Look for the red button, shown on the right of the screen “Tag and Tax Estimator.”
This takes you to a screen called “Kansas Motor Vehicle Property Tax and Fee Estimator,” Addis said.
This service allows you to determine the property tax and applicable fees for the current tag renewal year or the remainder of the previous year in Sedgwick County. In a table shown below on the screen, you select the vehicle model and year you are purchasing or already own, the trade-in vehicle (if applicable), then click the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. From the resulting list, select the correct vehicle model and you’ll see an estimate of the property tax due.
This will give an estimate on tag, title, and property tax fees for a new purchase or registration renewal.  This does not include the sales tax fees.
“We are excited to offer this service to the county,” Addis said.

Three Excellence in Education Awards were presented at the annual Labette County USD 506 Staff Appreciation Luncheon held on March 9. One elementary teacher, one high school teacher, and one support staff member are chosen annually as recipients of the award. All staff members have opportunity to nominate staff from their building for the awards.
Selection criteria for nominees include: at least five years of district service; exhibits outstanding service to the district; goes above and beyond the normal job requirements; enriches the lives of students; serves as a good example for all; exhibits professional courtesy; sets and achieves goals to improve job performance.
Steve Spencer – Support Staff Recipient –– he serves as district Maintenance Director. This is his 24th year of service to USD 506.
Heather Wilson – LCHS Teacher Recipient –– she has taught English at LCHS for the past 12 years. She received her B.S. degree from PSU in 1997 and her M.S. degree in 2002.
Mary Manuel – Elementary Teacher Recipient –– she teaches seventh and eighth grade at Mound Valley Grade School. This is her 18th year of teaching. She received her B.S. degree from PSU in 1991 and her M.S. degree in 2001.
Other nominees are as follows:
Support Staff: Ronda Rohling, Altamont Grade secretary; Melissa Russell, Bartlett Grade para; Missy Buchanan, Edna Grade para; Susan von Wedell, Meadow View para; Gayle Peoples, Mound Valley cook; Nancy Boegel, LCHS secretary
Elementary Teachers: Mona Garrett, Altamont 8th grade; Lisa Strickland, Bartlett Special Education; Judy Taylor, Edna Special Education; Susan Patton, Meadow View seventh/eighth grade
High School Teachers:  Lewis Goins, English teacher and Kent Peterson, business teacher.

Labette County Fair Board president Steve McKinzie gave a report on lawn mower races at the monthly board meeting held Wednesday, Feb. 25. There were nine members and two guests present.
McKinzie said that the track should be made with a road grader with old tires on top. Dan Peterson suggested the fair board have a used tire drive.
There will be three classes of lawn mowers: single cylinder modified, twin cylinder modified and super modified.
Everett  Becker and Steve McKinzie will be in charge of lawn mower races.  McKinzie will also be checking on insurance.
ALSO AT THE MEETING:
• Introduced Kylie Ludwig, Family and Consumer Science agent. Jeff Falkenstien reported about the judges pay. The committee of Jeff Falkenstien, Kristen McKinzie, Sherry Foister, Lisa Strickland and Kylie Ludwig will look more in depth at judges pay for the county fair and report back.
• Jim Schmitz, 4-H Program Assistant reported about changing work sharing to help with clean-up since the correction camp will not be here this year at the fair.
• President McKinzie suggested the board could use help cleaning up the grandstands on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.  They could use help on the show ring, Tuesday morning of the fair.
• Schmitz also reported he is working on building collapsible showcase units that will cost $50 to $75 for materials to build each. Schmitz is donating his labor to make them. Rick McKinzie moved and Jeff Falkenstien seconded to spend up to $500 for the showcases.
• President Steve reported that Lori McKinzie is working on sale pamphlets.  He also asked the superintendents to go through the fair book and bring any changes to the next meeting. Steve reported he would like to finish putting wash racks in the hog barn.
Clint Hanigan reported on the demolition derby.  Everett Becker moved and Destry Lynn seconded to adjourn the meeting.
Next meeting will be Wednesday,  March 25, at 7:30 pm.
–– Submitted by Bill Chapman