The candidates for the Elk Valley High School 2010 winter homecoming are (back row) senior Justin Wallace, junior Jason Ledford, senior Joey Englebrecht, (front row) junior Leah Kimzey, junior Heather Beougher, and junior Monique Wade. Homecoming ceremonies are slated for Friday night during half-time of the boys’ basketball game.

This year’s West Elk winter homecoming candidates are (back row) Zach Carlson, Kevin Love, Bradley Linder, Miguel Zaragoza, (front row) Desiree Carter, Kayla Jacobs, Morgan Boles, and Sarah Taliaferro. The homecoming ceremonies will be held during the half-time of the boys’ basketball game at WEHS on Friday, Jan. 29… provided it is not cancelled because of snow.

The local team of citizens who have been working on an application for a broadband internet center in Sedan received disappointing news on Tuesday: Their application was not selected by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

According to Anthony G. Wilhelm, director of the Broadband Technology Opportunities program in Washington, D.C., no further consideration will be given the application.

At the center of the proposal was the Bradford Hotel in downtown Sedan which would have been the focal point of an internet center if the grant had been approved. Harry Watts of the Kansas Farm Bureau Foundation, led the effort and wrote the grant. Others involved were Quad County Enterprises, the Sedan Area Foundation (owner of the hotel), Southern Kansas Telephone Co., the Southeast Kansas Education Center at Greenbush, USD 286-Sedan, local chambers of commerce in Chautauqua County, the Hometown Prosperity organization and numerous individuals and businesses.

Jack Newcomb, director of Quad County Enterprises, expressed his own disappointment in the decision at the federal level, adding that it might be possible to make another application for the next round of funding.

But he wants to get together with the local people who have been involved in the process to seek their input.

“The letter we received did not give us any hints as to why we weren’t successful,” Newcomb said.

Another Kansas Day celebration will be hosted by the Sedan Elementalry School on Friday, Jan. 29, in the Chautauqua County Fair Building from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

Elementary teacher Cheryl Kopfman said there will be 35 exhibitors ranging from music, spinning wheels, embroidery, crocheting, quilting, blackpowder rifles, butter churning, biscuit making-arrowheads, fossils, rope making, wheat and corn grinding, apple peelers and potato mashers collection, tredle sewing machine, woodcarving, Indian history and artifacts, old fashioned lawnmowers, old washing machines and washboards,  and a newspaper exhibit.

“This just is a sample of the many exhibits that we will have,” Kopfman said.  Read more

Forty-two patrons of the West Elk school district say they will continue to oppose USD 282 plans to close the elementary schools in Moline and Severy.

The group, formed at a Saturday meeting in Severy, will be called “Concerned Citizens of USD 282,” and they have acquired the services of attorney Mary Ann Shirley of Eureka.

The meeting was called by Lesa Schroeder, a former member of the board of education, and Eric Krug, both of whom reside at Severy. Read more