OLATHE—An Olathe man has created a phone booth where people can go and speak to loved ones who passed. The concept of the “wind phone” comes from a Japanese practice used for processing grief.

LAWRENCE—The City of Lawrence continues to work on options to help those homeless in the community. The City is preparing to create a pallet shelter village, which will serve as an emergency shelter option for those currently experiencing homelessness.

DERBY—Students and Derby’s Park Hill Elementary School have raised more than $900.00 to help train a classmate’s service dog. Each student was asked to bring at least $1.00 to school for the privilege of getting to wear a hat to school.

KANSAS — Among dozens of Kansas education bills filed in 2023 are proposals to adjust how many hours public school students spend in the classroom. Most Kansas public school students attend classes for about 1,100 hours each school year, but Kansas House Bill 2224 would drastically increase that by about 40%.

LIBERAL — With partly cloudy skies and a 20 mph breeze, the 74th annual International Pancake Day Race, a tradition between Onley, England, and Liberal, took place on Tuesday, February 21st. Isabelle Sullenger was the latest woman to add her name as the Liberal winner with a time of 1:13.51.

ATWOOD — Lisa Woody began her nearly 45-year Kansas sports officiating career in 1979, when she was asked to fill in at a volleyball game. Woody continued to officiate volleyball games and eventually added football, wrestling and basketball as well.

GARDEN CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged identity theft and have a suspect in custody. On Jan.

GLADE — Last week Monday, an arrest was made in connection to a search warrant executed on July 16, 2022, in Glade. During the execution of the search warrant, items were located that indicated they may be components of a methamphetamine lab.

Multiple injuries in shootout

DODGE CITY — The Ford County and Clark County Sheriff’s Offices have provided updates on the three deputies who were injured in an officer-involved shooting in Dodge City last Monday. Two Ford County deputies were hospitalized, with one hit by shrapnel and a second transported to a hospital in Wichita, where he underwent surgery for a gun shot. A third deputy, from Clark County, was also shot and taken to Wichita, where he received treatment.

HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) resident Juan Caballeros-Yescas died Wednesday, January 18, 2023. He was found unresponsive in his cell that morning.