The  Chetopa Little League sign-up date and time has changed… it is now from 1-2 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, at the old gym in Chetopa.

An Altamont writer, KyAnne Weaver, will autograph copies of her new book, Diary of A Cavewoman, on Saturday, March 12, at the Mustard Seed, 119 S. 18th in Parsons.
See details in this week’s Labette Avenue.

Oswego second grader Dani Lewis sang the national anthem at Monday night’s Sub-state opening game between the Oswego Indians and the Central-Burden Raiders in Oswego. Dani is the daughter of Nikki and Ty Lewis.  Her rendition of the National Anthem can be heard on Labette Avenue’s Facebook page.
(Photo by Bev Cline)

A Mound Valley native is making  heads turn in the world of country music and he currently is riding high with his latest musical offering, “Real.”
James Wesley, 40, resides in Nashville with his wife, Mindee, and children, Emily and Braden, and travels extensively as he fine-tunes a musical career that started in Labette County.
While growing up, he was known as James Wesley Prosser, the son of Mound Valley residents James and Jackie Prosser. Although the family no longer lives there, local friends stay in touch with Wesley who dropped his Prosser name at the request of record company marketers.
His “Real” hit is currently on the CMT Pure 12 Countdown and the Real video has been ranked No. 1. His children are featured on that video.
“James is the real deal,” said Kim Vanderhofe of Mound Valley. “He’s genuine and always remembers that his roots were right here in Mound Valley.”
Vanderhofe said she receives telephone calls or texts from Wesley several times a week. She and her husband, Carl, were invited to travel to Nashville last Oct. 16 when he debuted at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville.
“I do everything I can to promote him in this area,” said Kim. “I’ve sold lots of his shirts, and I ask everyone I know to contact other country music fans and ask them to ‘play it through’ on radio stations.
While growing up, James Wesley Prosser played music in various venues including Neewollah, dances and many school programs.
He attended Mound Valley Grade School and graduated from Labette County High School.
Singing from the tender age of three, James first tried to make a living with his talent while in college.
His first paying job was playing music at the Best Western Motel on the west side of Independence — and he recalls having to clean the bathrooms as part of his gig.
He and his family then moved to Eureka Springs, Ark., where he played at a local theater and worked on the side in the landscaping business.
Times have changed, and he now commands an impressive travel and entertainment schedule, singing and playing among the top names in country music.
He first signed a recording deal with Warner Brothers Records in 1999 and produced his debut album, “Life Goes On.” The album produced two singles which charted Billboard Hot Country.
He then signed with Broken Bow in 2009 and released his first single for the label, “Jackson Hole,” which also was made into a music video.
His “Life Goes On” also made the charts and he has recorded many songs during his stay with the two recording companies.
His most recent song, “Real,” continues to be a winner among country radio stations. He was interviewed last week on the Crook and Chase TV show.
James Wesley will play on Friday of this week at Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar and Grill” in Auburn Hills, Michigan, then Saturday at Neon Armadillo in Fort Wayne, Ind., then heading west to Kansas City the following week for an appearance at “Denim and Diamonds” in Kansas City and Joe’s Sports Bar in Chicago.
Wesley is scheduled to play at Katy Days in Parsons in May.
He can be followed on his website: www.jameswesleymusic.com.

With all the snow and bad weather several games have been rescheduled.  Just wanted to let everyone know all the new dates for Oswego High School basketball games.

Chetopa @ Chetopa Feb. 14-JV boys will start at 5:00 followed by Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys.  There will be no JV girls on this date.

Uniontown @ Uniontown Feb. 17-JV girls will start at 5:00 followed by Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys.  There will be no JV boys.  JV girls will only play 3 quarters.

Northeast @ Northeast Feb. 21- JV boys and Varsity Girls will begin at 6:00.  Varsity Boys will follow the Varsity Boys.  JV girls will not play.

Candidates for Chetopa High School basketball homecoming include: Front row: Kayla Underwood, Laken Conard, Ashley Judd, Nikki Sanders, and Jaya Johnson; back row: Breylan Berrios, Ryan Bruning, Justin Orns, Waylon Pike, and Josh Dvorak.The crowning of the queen will be held before the girls game approximately 5:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 11 at the Chetopa Gymnasium. (Courtesy photo)

Oswego High School senior basketball queen candidates and their attendants were caught showing their support for OHS Homecoming week and “Indians for a Cure” activities by dressing like “nerds” on Nerd Day. Pictured left to right: seniors Brittany Anderson, Rachael Green and Jordan Murphy; freshman Jordan Schreppel; sophomore Brianna Allen and junior Rebecca Wilson.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be held on Saturday, Jan. 15, at noon at the Oswego Community Center. The keynote speaker will be Labette Community College Head Basketball Coach Armando Johnson.
Other speakers will be Martha Gatewood, Oswego Mayor Tom Bringle and Former Mayor Philip Blair, Reverend Roy Russell and Chetopa Former All-State Football player, Rod Armstrong. The invocation will be given by Rev. Riley Cartwright. Read more

Theresa Farris, kindergarten teacher at Service Valley Charter Academy (SVCA), has been named the 2010-2011 KFAC Teacher of the Year (Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom).
She will be awarded this distinction in March at the State Ag Day in Topeka. Because of this, she is also being nominated for the 2011 Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Awards Program. Also, she will attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Conference held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in June. Read more