Week of September 10 2024

FLASH Wendy’s closed for remodeling until December 
1 McPherson County to Exceed Revenue-Neutral Rate for 2025
2 McPherson City Approves Payment for Fire Station No. 2, Honors Police Officers
3 Rainfall Roundup
4 McPherson College Opens New Boiler House Café
5 Animal Shelter Introduces New Fees
High School Varsity Sports updates 

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FLASH Wendy’s closed for remodeling until December 

1 McPherson County to Exceed Revenue-Neutral Rate for 2025

The McPherson County Commission approved a resolution to exceed the revenue-neutral rate during a public hearing on the 2025 budget. The mill levy will increase from 28.907 to 30.628 mills, driven by rising costs for wages, infrastructure, and post-pandemic inflation. Several residents voiced concerns over property tax hikes and inflated property valuations, with officials encouraging citizens to protest appraisals if they believe them to be inaccurate. Commissioners explained that maintaining roads and bridges, as well as compensating county employees, necessitated the tax increase. Despite the rise, officials emphasized that previous efforts to minimize tax hikes had delayed the need for this adjustment.  

During the same meeting, the McPherson County Planning and Zoning Department reported they issued 10 permits in August, with a total valuation of $1.73 million, including $1.5 million for a new chicken barn. Year-to-date, the department has collected $25,850 in fees, surpassing last year’s full total by $3,000.

Source: McPherson County

2 McPherson City Approves Payment for Fire Station No. 2, Honors Police Officers

The McPherson City Commission approved a progress payment of $387k to Hutton Construction for ongoing work on Fire Station No. 2. The new station on North Main is nearing completion, with exterior work, including overhead doors, expected to be finished soon.  

Two McPherson police officers, Sergeant Leslie Caballero and Sergeant John Yates, were honored with the Next Gen Under 30 awards, recognizing their leadership and contributions to the community. Along with Austin, another city staff member who also received the award, they were invited to lunch with the governor in Topeka to celebrate their achievement.  

The City Commission has authorized legal action against Lock and Load Midwest LLC for supplying defective cement blocks used in the Lakeside Pond bank restoration project. Wise and Reber will file a civil lawsuit to recover costs associated with the faulty materials. The decision came after an executive session. 

*Ad Astra Investigates*  

The Elm Street drainage project in McPherson is nearing completion, with the storm sewer extension on Euclid almost finished. However, recent rain and the relocation of traffic signal wiring and a sewer lateral have caused minor delays in the final stages of the project.

Source: City of McPherson

3 Rainfall Roundup

Heavy rain swept through McPherson on the evening of September 5, 2024, with localized downpours flooding low-lying areas. A 60 mph wind gust was recorded at McPherson Airport during the storm. East McPherson saw significant rainfall, with a local rain gauge measuring 2.10 inches, well ahead of the monthly average by 1.37 inches. A second round of storms later in the evening contributed to further rainfall, while surrounding areas experienced varying storm intensity.

Source: Ad Astra Radio, my rain app

4 McPherson College Opens New Boiler House Café

A new café has opened on the campus of McPherson College. The Boiler House, located in the center of campus, has opened its doors. It is named after the repurposed building that now houses it, which was once the home of the campus boiler system. It features both indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant, operated by Sodexo, the food service provider for McPherson College, offers a limited menu of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and soup. It also features homemade ice cream from Indigo Moo’d of Lindsborg. Pre-bottled alcoholic beverages will also be available inside only after 5 p.m. Food will be available for dine-in or carry-out, and online ordering will be available in the future through the Sodexo app. The café is open to faculty, staff, visitors, and students, who can purchase food using the dining dollars included in their meal plan. Food is available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m., with doors closing at 9 p.m. Completion of the Boiler House is just one of several expansion projects underway at McPherson College.

Source: KSN

5 McPherson Animal Shelter Introduces New Fees

The McPherson Animal Shelter has introduced new adoption and impound fees following a partnership with a new veterinarian, allowing them to spay or neuter all animals before adoption. Adoption fees now cover spay/neuter services, vaccinations, microchipping, and other health treatments. Fees for puppies under 5 months range from $100 to $200, depending on whether the animal is already fixed. Impound fees have also been updated, with a $35 charge for the first day and a $10 daily fee after that. This new vet partnership ensures fully vetted animals, improving the health and well-being of pets entering new homes.

Source:  McPherson Animal Shelter 

McPherson High Varsity Sports Updates 

Tuesday, September 3 

Volleyball Triangular at Andale

The McPherson Bullpups faced a tough start to their volleyball season, falling in both matches at the Andale Triangular. Despite a strong opening set against Andale, which they won 25-21, the Bullpups struggled in set two, falling behind 7-0 early and unable to recover. In the decisive third set, the teams traded points before Andale pulled away for the win. Against Mulvane, McPherson couldn’t build momentum, dropping both sets 19-25 and 17-25. Head Coach Christy Doile remains optimistic, stating, “We are playing hard and hustling. We just need to find consistency, and I’m confident this group will.” McPherson is now 2-5 and will look to rebound in a triangular at Buhler on September 10.  

Thursday, September 5 

Cross Country at Great Bend 

Both the McPherson boys and girls cross country teams finished 7th at the Great Bend Invitational. Two Bullpups medaled, with Lexi Patterson placing 11th in the girls' race (20:28) and Caleb Muehler finishing 3rd in the boys' race (16:12). The Bullpups demonstrated strong individual efforts, with other top finishes including Ethan Elder’s 19th-place finish (17:07) and Eva Ramey’s 22nd-place finish (21:28). The team will continue their season at their next meet, aiming to build on these performances.  

Full results:  

Varsity Boys: 

Ethan Elder – 17:07 – 19th 

Tripp Pelzel – 18:42 – 68th 

Garrett Floyd – 18:54 – 77th 

Kayden Friesen – 19:09 – 85th 

Jonas Emery – 20:29 – 114th 

Micaiah Stevenson – 21:55 – 133rd   

Varsity Girls: 

Eva Ramey – 21:28 – 22nd 

Eliza Jex – 23:43 – 71st 

Molly Owen – 23:54 – 74th 

Kayla Porter – 24:55  – 89th 

Ashlyn Schroeder – 25:19 – 93rd 

Lindley Jex – 27:02 – 101st  

Boys Soccer at Circle


McPherson 7 Circle 0 

The McPherson Bullpup boys soccer team opened their 2024 campaign with a dominant 7-0 shutout over Circle. Leading 3-0 at halftime, the Bullpups added four more goals in the second half to secure the victory. Manny Morales and Borin Heang each netted two goals and an assist, while Ben Bocox, Yahir Valadez, and Alex Brubaker also scored. Goalkeeper Gabe Standfast made two saves to maintain the clean sheet. McPherson will participate in a tournament at Maize South on September 10, 12, and 14.  

Player of the McPherson Great Bend football game: Catch Delaney  

In a tough season opener, the McPherson Bullpups fell 28-6 to the Great Bend Panthers. Despite the loss, McPherson's Catch Delaney stood out as the team's Ad Astra Radio Player of the Game, contributing both offensively and defensively. Delaney scored the Bullpups' only touchdown on a three-yard pass from quarterback Carter Allen and added key rushing yards throughout the game. On defense, he delivered several crucial tackles, helping to slow Great Bend's attack. While McPherson struggled to contain explosive plays from Great Bend, including a 79-yard touchdown run by Jace Shart, Delaney's performance was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult start to the season.

Ed note: what a football name

Source: Ad Astra Radio

In the future, McPherson Citizen Journal will be reporting crowd sourced scores submitted to us. This will allow us to cover more sports, including non-high school varsity. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT SCORES.

Article Source: Ad Astra Radio, KSHSAA Covered

Sources

2. https://www.mcphersoncountyks.us/949/BOCC-Recent-Agendas-Minutes-and-Video

3. https://www.facebook.com/CityOfMcPhersonLocalGovernment/videos/382716314722608

4. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mcpherson-podcast-news-9-6/id1694025121?i=1000668604573

5. https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/new-cafe-opens-on-mcpherson-college-campus/

6. https://www.facebook.com/mcphersonanimalshelter/

7. https://www.adastraradio.com/adastra-sports/bullpup-weekly-sports-roundup-aug-29-sep-5-2024; https://www.spreaker.com/episode/mcpherson-bullpups-hosts-great-bend-panthers-high-school-football-090624--61303255