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Kansas Klips

Wed, 04/22/2020 - 06:20
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Rush County bladesmith makes history

McCRACKEN — Trevor Crowell, of rural McCracken, never dreamed he would win the Season 7 Episode 26 championship of History Channel’s serial bladesmithing competition, “Forged in Fire.” A self-taught blacksmith who has cranked out thousands of hand-crafted knives over nearly four decades, Crowell bested three opponents in the TV show that air recently, taking home $10,000 in winner’s money. It was his sister, Patty Crowell, and nephew Matthew Crowell, who urged him to try getting on the show. Screened through multiple interviews over a months-long process, Crowell says it was an unforgettable experience. He competed against blacksmiths from Texas, North Carolina and New York and says they have all stayed in communication. “We’ve all become good friends,” he added. (Hays Daily News)

Service cut short by coronavirus

PRATT — Pratt High School graduate Courtney Blankenship spent the past 18 months creating for herself a new life in a new home in Morocco through the U.S. Peace Corps. But her 27-month term was cut short when she was evacuated and returned home to Pratt in March because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Her mother and grandmother were planning to visit her and had just arrived in Melilla, a Spanish city on the border of Morocco, when they had to make an emergency border crossing at midnight because they got word that Morocco would be closing its borders at 6 a.m. the next morning. Shortly thereafter, Morocco suspended all flights in and out of the country, and all Peace Corps Morocco volunteers were told to pack their bags and be ready to evacuate at a moments’ notice. Blankenship and her family members were all able to take the same flight, arriving home safely on March 19. Of her experience in the Peace Corps, Blankenship said she had “some of the hardest days and some of the best days of my life.” (The Pratt Tribune)

Farmer tops in nation in milo yield

GREENSBURG — Winning a national award once is an honor; winning it more than 10 times means you must be doing something out of the ordinary. But even after winning the National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest for the 10th time, Ki Gamble, a fourth-generation farmer from Greensburg, says growing sorghum, better known as milo, is second nature in Kansas. “We live in a perfect place to compete on the national level in milo because of our elevation, temperature and rainfalls,” Ki siad. He said they didn’t do anything different in his contest fields than they do on the whole farm. The Gambles’ farm includes 10,000 acres of irrigated and dryland crops. Ki contributes his practice of soil testing and scouting for weeds and insects throughout the season as a part of his success in growing winning crops. “We’re perfectionists, and we pay attention to small details,” Ki said. “We not only have to do the big things right, we have to do the small things right.” (The Hutchinson News)

KBI: No charges against deputy in Rush Co. officer-involved shooting

RUSH COUNTY – The Rush County Attorney reports that no charges will be filed against the Ness County sheriff’s deputy who shot and injured a suspect in a January officer-involved shooting on Highway 96 in Rush County, according to a media release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. After reviewing KBI investigative reports, Rush County Attorney Tony Rues determined the use of deadly force was justified, and he will not file charges against the sheriff’s deputy. The deputy was in pursuit of Timothy “Timmy” W. Kellebrew who was suspected of committing an aggravated robbery with a firearm of a Dollar General store. Kellebrew was charged in Lane County district court for his alleged involvement in the robbery at the Dollar General Store in Dighton. Charges are pending for suspected crimes that occurred in Rush County. (HaysPost.com)