The Saline County Sheriffs Office says George Meinhardt was in the Saline County Jail on a probation violation and had been in jail since June 29th. Meinhardt was convicted on drug charges from 2009.

The Sheriffs Office says Meinhardt was supposed to have returned from a medical furlough Wednesday evening but did not.

He is 5'11 and weighs 147 pounds. His address is 136 Bel Air and anyone having information on the whereabouts of Meinhardt are asked to contact the Saline County Sheriffs Office at 826-6500.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Building 600 at the Salina Airport, 2720 Arnold Court, Salina, Kan.

The 287th Special Troops Battalion is headquartered in Hays with subordinate companies located in Wichita, Norton, Smith Center and Great Bend.

The consultant team of Don Brandes, Design Studios West and Jon Jones, Wright Water Engineers, Inc. will present the Smoky Hill River Renewal Master Plan Summary. The presentation will focus on the Final Master Plan, technical engineering issues, cost estimates, phasing, critical issues and future implementation plans.

For more information on the Smoky Hill River Renewal please
visit: www.salina-ks.gov or www.smokyhillriver.org.

Coverage for Kansans accepted into the pool may begin as early as Sept. 1st .The pool, known as the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan - is administered by the Kansas Health Insurance Association. Under Kansas law, Commissioner Praeger is responsible for oversight .

According to Commissioner Praeger, the new pool is intended for Kansans with identified preexisting
conditions who have been without health insurance coverage for at least six months.

The KHIA Board of Directors voted in late June to operate the new federal pool rather than
having the federal government administer it.

The new pool will operate until January 1, 2014, when the federal health reform law requires
health insurance companies to offer coverage to all applicants at standard market rates, regardless of health status.

Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said that just after midnight Thursday morning, Steven Stegman of Culver went to a home in northwest Saline County where his wife and children were staying.

He pointed a loaded shotgun at everyone in the home, but it was wrestled away from him by his teenage son and a 63 year old man who lives at the house.

Stegman then drove away, authorities were called and he was stopped in short time later by a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper near the I-70/Hedville interchange.

The 63 year old man was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of cuts and brusies and difficulty breathing. Stegman was taken to the hospital for treatment of a cut and then booked into jail.

The Fund for Greater Salina is an unrestricted community grant fund supported through donations and investment returns.

Fund for Greater Salina grants will be awarded to selected non-profit organizations, or individuals or groups with a charitable project that will benefit those in Saline County.

Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $550,000 in grants from the Fund for Greater Salina. Grants have ranged in size from $250 to $5,000.

The Foundation has awarded more than $20 million dollars in grants including scholarships, Seize the Moment, donor-advised, and designated grants.

Those interested in applying can find the application, grant guidelines and supporting information on the Foundation’s web site, www.gscf.org, or can write or call the Foundation office for a grant application form, P.O. Box 2876, Salina, KS 67402- 2876, (785)-823-1800. Applicants should note that the application form has been
updated. Only applications on the Foundation’s updated form will be accepted.

Applications must be received in the office by September 8, 2010 to be considered. Awards will be announced in October

The Junior Law Enforcement Band, composed of approximately 50, 5th through 9th grade musicians from Salina and the surrounding area, was formed in 2009 and first performed as part of the Salina Municipal Band’s 125th Anniversary concert in August of that year.

With support from a Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Horizons Grant, as well as the Kansas Highway Patrol, Saline County Sheriff’s Department and Salina Police Department, the Junior Band has continued to rehearse and perform, earning first place at the Worlds of Fun Music Festival in Kansas City this Spring.

The Salina Municipal Band will be celebrating its 126th Anniversary at the August 3 concert, with refreshments for all attendees following the concert.

The Municipal Band’s 2010 season will wrap up with its annual appearance in the Tri-Rivers Fair Parade and a concert of marches between the BiCentennial Center and Ag Hall at 7:00 p.m. following the parade.

Repairs will also begin on Iron Avenue from Front to Ohio Monday,In conjunction to those repairs, the intersection of Iron Avenue and Oakdale Avenue will be closed to north and south traffic for two days starting Monday. Traffic will be detoured down Penn Avenue during repairs to the intersection. Crews will be milling and replacing the broken asphalt on Iron Avenue. The work on both projects will begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. daily. Repairs are expected to take two weeks, weather permitting.

Bridge deck patching and rail replacement will be followed by a polymer overlay of the bridge deck and the replacement of the bridge approaches.

I-70 traffic will be detoured onto the off ramps then back onto the on ramps during removal of the bridge rails over I-70. Halstead Rd will be reduced to one lane of traffic and will be controlled by traffic signals throughout construction.

Construction that began on Monday is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Jose Garay was arrested Monday evening in Dodge City during a traffic stop without incident . Garay is wanted in connection for the murder of Derek Rico about 7:40 Sunday evening following a fight near the playground in Sunset Park. Rico died from a single gunshot wound.

Garay was booked into the Saline County Jail early Tuesday morning on a charge of 1st degree murder and bond is $750,000.

Also arrested in Dodge City in connection with the shooting on aiding a felon charges were David Marino and Abagail Soto both of Salina.

18 year old Juan Pablo Ramos Jr of Salina was arrested on Sunday evening on a charge of aiding a felon.

The mower was taken from the westbound rest area on I-70 near Solomon between the 24th and 25th.

The mower was a Red in color Gravely 252Z model riding mower belonging to Unlimited Options 2 of Salina.

Value of the mower is placed at $10,000 .

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, they were in a Yukon eastbound on the interstate about 15 miles west of Salina , when the driver moved into the passing lane and the vehicle drifted off onto the shoulder into the median. then back onto the shoulder and then again back into the median before rolling 1 1/2 times coming to rest on it's top.

All the occupants from Humble Texas were were taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment including 12 year old boy who was later lifeflighted to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

The Highway Patrol says all the occupants were wearing safety belts.

Rico was killed by a single gunshot from a medium caliber handgun. Garay is described as a hispanic male, 6'1" 232 pounds and was last seen wearing a black shirt and jean shorts.

Arrested in connection to the case on a charge of aiding a felon was 18 year old Juan Pablo Ramos.

Police believe the shooting was the result of a fight. When asked at a media briefing Monday morning wether or not this could be a gang related shooting, Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield says some involved claim gang affiliation.

There was a large gathering of people in the area of the park where the shooting occured.

A suspect has been identified and is believed to be armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees the suspect is asked to call the Salina Police Department immediately at 785-826-7210 or 911. The suspect’s photo and description are included in this release.

RAMOS, JUAN, PABLO, JR, date of birth 08/26/1991, age 18, address 738 N. 2nd Street, has been arrested and charged with Aiding a Felon in connection with this crime.

If you have any information concerning this crime, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit www.pd.salina.gov and follow Crimestoppers link to submit a web tip. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 and you are not required to give your name.

Suspect: GARAY, JOSE, MANUEL, Hispanic male, date of birth 03/24/1982, age 28, height 6’1”, weight 232 pounds. Last seen wearing a black shirt and jean shorts.

Earlier this year in February Rico was referred to Saline County District Court on a charge of disorderly conduct in an incident where a student at Salina Central was struck in the face by another student for losing his gang flag of a gang called "The Deuces". Rico was not the one who struck the student in the locker room of the school.

Between the 17th and 23rd, burglars forced opened a front door to an apartment in the 400 block of East Bond and took an X-Box game system, an HP laptop computer and a .45 caliber handgun. Loss put at $1,700.

And on July 23rd returned home in the 2100 block of Nottingham, and found the front door opened . Missing was a laptop computer, and 25 inch LCD flatscreen tv. Loss put at just over $1,600.

As he and the friend were approaching his car, a suspect described as a black male wearing a gray hoodie and black shorts, pointed a gun at the man demanding his wallet an cell phone.

The man and suspect wrestled, before taking the mans wallet. The man said he had $700 in cash in the wallet.

This will be the 25th year of the program. The program will begin with an overnight retreat near Salina August 31-September 1, and includes seven additional full-day sessions, one every two weeks, concluding December 7. Each session will include learning a new leadership skill or capacity, a community panel, and community tour. The final session will include a celebration of class accomplishments.

Leadership skills included in the program are Learning Styles; Steps to a Performing Community; Wisdom Cycle; Consensus and Collaboration; Vision Process; Facilitation Techniques; Creative Thinking; Listening; Storytelling; and Servant Leadership.

Community exposure includes Social Services; Education; City/County Government; Health Care; Economic Base; Tourism; and Arts and Culture.

At the conclusion of the program, class members will have the opportunity to use their leadership skills for the direct betterment of the community through a group project or projects, based on their vision for the community. Group members will be responsible for researching their idea(s), determining feasibility, acquiring resources to complete the project, completing the project, and celebrating their accomplishment.

“The Leadership Salina program gives people an opportunity to develop not only their leadership skills, but exposes them to the challenges and opportunities facing our community,” stated Lauver, Chamber President/CEO. “The program gives participants an in-depth look at the Salina community and encourages them to take an active role in its future progress and development.”

Persons interested in receiving more information about the program can contact Don Weiser at the Chamber office, 827-9301 or email dweiser@salinakansas.org.

After police followed the trail a little more than an hour, they found a 48 year old Salina man at his home who was the apparent victim of an attack late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Mansfield says that the 48 year old man was attacked by someone with a knife in a parking lot in the 100 block of north Santa Fe. The trail of blood led to the home of the man on north 13th. The man suffered a knife wound that split his hand between his fingers, a cut on the forearm and a knot above an eye.

The man does not remember what happened to him, and Mansfield says

Police believe alcohol was a factor in the incident. The man declined medical treatment.

Two 19 year old males were playing video games just before 4 am at a house in the 700 block of Cherokee, when they heard a loud noise at the back door and found a male with a rifle crawling through the broken door.

The suspect 17 year old Gabriel Seim pointed the rifle at the two and said he was looking for a person. The two victims said they did not know anyone by that name, and Seim then left the house through the back door and ran eastbound.

The victims recognized the Seim from high school and called Police. Seim was arrested about 11 Wednesday morning.

Dr. Hagens was, until recently, the editor of The Oil Drum, one of the most popular and highly-respected websites in the world for analysis and discussion of global energy supplies and their implications for the future.

Immediately after the lecture, attendees will be offered an opportunity for information and local action around a key regional energy resource issue.

food and refreshments will be served, with opportunity to meet the presenters and discuss the issues involved.

“Changing locations will save us the facility expense,” said Fair coordinator Marcia Demuth. “That way we can redirect the funds to help more kids in our community.”

Area businesses have been especially involved in this year’s Fair. Philips Lighting has
donated all of the crayons, erasers, rulers, glue sticks, and scissors for the backpacks.

New this year are obstacle courses, YMCA class demonstrations, and nutrition information provided by volunteers from the YMCA. The Back-to-School Fair also features 25 exhibitors promoting student and family services, physicals, dental and mental health screenings, asthma checks, hair trims, car seat checks, and the distribution of 1,850 backpacks containing free school supplies to pre-registered Saline County K-12 students.

Registration for the free school supplies is required. Registration is Monday, August 2nd from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church located in Salina on the corner of 9th and Crawford. To qualify for the backpacks and supplies, students must live in Saline County, be enrolled in grades K-12 for the 2010-2011 school year and must be eligible for free or reduced priced lunches.

It takes more than 100 volunteers coordinated by The Volunteer Connection working nearly 700 hours to make the Fair run smoothly.

“We encourage the community to come out and be part of this fun, community event,” said Daran Neuschaffer, Back-to-School Fair committee member.

For questions about registration or participating in the Fair, contact Marcia Demuth at St. John’s Military School, 823-7231 extension 7702 or Brenda Gutierrez at the Salina Area United Way, 827-1312.

The annual event is sponsored by the Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Initiative, American Family Insurance, companies, foundations, churches, service clubs, and individuals throughout the community. The Fair is for all Saline County families and students.

The hot humid weather that has been across central Kansas the last several days , was put on hold for awhile Tuesday afternoon with Thunderstorms that produced some hail, gusty winds and heavy rain.

The storms moved through Saline County between 4 and 5 pm. The strong winds blew a camper off of I-70 into the median with no reports of injuries. Some reports of trees and power lines down due to the storm .

Heavy rain caused some street flooding in the usual places in Salina when there is heavy rain. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for counties in central Kansas due to the heavy rain.

The following video is from the storm that moved through Salina and Saline County Tuesday afternoon.

The following video is of thunderstorm that affected Ottawa and eastern Saline Counties between 6 and 7pm. The scary looking cloud in the video at beginning is a rain and hail shaft. The view is looking north while driving on north Ohio south of I-70. The video of the heavy rain is from the rest area on US 81 at the Ottawa-Saline County line.

In addition, on July 29, 2010, a report of last minute contributions will also be filed by any state or local candidate who receives any contributions in the amount of $300 or more. These campaign reports are public documents and are filed in each candidate’s home county with
his or her county election officer.

Candidates for statewide office file their reports only with the Secretary of State. The reports can be reviewed during regular
business hours in the County Clerk/County Election Commissioner’s Office.

State candidate reports can be viewed on the Commission’s website at
www.kansas.gov/ethics. The reports contain the names of most contributors and the amounts of their contributions as well as information as to how campaign funds are spent.

Starting on Monday, August 16, 2010, a new yard waste site will
be opened at the Salina Landfill located at 4292 S. Burma Road.
The hours of operation for the Landfill are: Monday – Fridays 7:00
am - 4:30 pm and Saturdays 7:00 am - 2:00 pm.

Residents will be allowed to bring yard waste free of charge to the
new yard waste site. In the next few weeks the City Commission
will consider a reduced rate for commercial yard waste.