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Community thread
- By Phillip Brownlee
- Posted Aug. 31, 2007 at 1:00 a.m.
- Filed under Open thread
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Festival to Honor 2007 Kansas Notable Books
The Kansas Book Festival unveiled the poster for its 2007 event and announced the authors who will appear at the event on October 5-6 in Wichita.
State Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau, who chairs the Festival’s Executive Committee, was joined by Councilwoman Lavonta Williams and Cynthia Berner Harris, director of the Wichita Public Library, in unveiling the poster at a news conference at the Library and announcing the 50-plus authors who have confirmed to date.
“The credit for the Festival begins with Governor Sebelius who is honorary chair; she’s committed to the importance of reading and literacy and has supported the Festival since its inception,” said Brandau. “It says so much about our state and our values that we have a statewide event to honor books and literature! It says that Kansans honor their history, reading and their culture.”
“We’re thrilled that the Festival will return to Wichita for a second year. It offers our community excellent exposure and great literature,” Berner Harris said. “The Festival contributes to our collaborative efforts and goals for the Wichita area to be place where people value reading, writing, and learning.”
The poster, featuring a stylized sunflower, was designed by Gary Hughes, a Wichita State University graduate who is now a senior graphic designer for Hallmark and lives in Overland Park.
The Festival will feature readings, talks, and panels by more than 60 authors, among them
*
Michael Korda, Editor in Chief Emeritus of Simon & Schuster and author of Ike: An American Hero*
Steve Doocy, Kansas native and co-host of Fox and Friends and author of The Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook: Everything I Know About Love and Marriage*
Journalists Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel, authors of Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America, a new book based on their USA Today column*
Antonya Nelson, a native of Wichita and a University of Kansas graduate who is a critically acclaimed fiction author; her latest book is the story collection Some Fun*
Harriet Lerner, from Lawrence and author of the groundbreaking books The Dance of Anger and The Dance of Fear
cont’d athttp://www.wichitagov.org/News/CityEvents/08-15-2007b.htm
The official Website for above is at:
http://www.kansasbookfestival.ks.gov/
I want to repeat a call I made some time ago for the eagle to publish a set of short ‘mini-vation’ trips within Kansas. With limited time and funds many of us would like to take vacation trips close to home and keep our dollars in the state.
A great little place for those of us with small children – Rock City just north of Salina. My grandchildren loved climbing all over the boulders there – and even left a blood donation!
Then there is the Rolling Hills zoo just west of Salina.
;^)
City officials announced today that they have hired the Wichita firm of Wildcat Construction to begin emergency repairs to the South Broadway Bridge.
The bridge was closed Aug. 16 after City bridge inspectors discovered structural concerns. The repair work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 4, and will take an estimated two months to complete. Estimated cost of repairs is $500,000, although actual costs could vary depending on further analysis of the structure once work begins.
The 800-foot long Broadway Bridge is located approximately halfway between MacArthur and 31st Street South. The four-lane bridge carries about 14,000 vehicles a day over the Union Pacific railroad tracks.
“I am aware this caused a diversity of inconvenience to this community,” said Third District City Council Member Jim Skelton. “It is welcome news that the City is taking action to alleviate the impact neighborhoods, businesses, school districts and motorists.”
Once completed, the emergency repairs will allow the bridge to be reopened until it ultimately has to be closed again for complete replacement. The planned repairs include the removal and replacement of the south three-deck spans, the repair of the concrete and exposed steel on the underside of the deck and any other repairs deemed necessary.
Once repairs are complete, the city’s inspection team will evaluate the structure to determine whether any traffic restrictions are necessary. Such restrictions could include weight limits and whether traffic needs to be limited to two lanes.
“It is important for the public to understand this 70-year-old concrete bridge is totally different from the one that failed in Minneapolis,” noted Chris Carrier, Director of Public Works. “This bridge has relatively short spans and more reinforcing steel in the deck than you would normally expect to find. Under the worst of circumstances, we would not expect a sudden and complete failure.”
The repairs project announced today should allow the bridge to be reopened to traffic for three to five years. The city and its inspection team will continue to monitor the bridge condition once it is reopened.
The city is also beginning the process to design a new bridge. The process will take several years to complete and needs to be coordinated with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Replacement of the bridge will take an estimated 14 months.
“The City of Wichita would like to thank its bridge inspection team, Professional Engineering Consultants, the Union Pacific Railroad and MKEC Engineering Consultants for putting in some long hours to help us make these important decisions for the citizens of Wichita,” Carrier said. “ Without their hard work, this would not have been possible.”
The method of repairs to the bridge should be fully explained to the public by the City of Wichita public works department. The public needs to receive full information so they can decide for themselves if they wish to drive across that overpass structure again. A superficial painting of the underside of the bridge structure and resurfacing the bridge roadway ISN’T GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Wichita City Manager George Kolb today appointed Ron Blackwell as Chief of the Wichita Fire Department (WFD). Chief Blackwell is a former Wichita resident and a Wichita State University graduate, who was a City of Wichita firefighter from December 1975 through June 1999.
“I’m eager to lead the Wichita Fire Department,” said Chief Blackwell, who attended an afternoon news conference at City Hall, 455 N. Main. “This is an exciting time for the department, especially given the plans to build three new fire stations and increase staff.”
Chief Blackwell will begin his job in October. Kolb appointed Blackwell after a nationwide search for a successor to outgoing Chief Larry Garcia, who is retiring after 20 years as chief and 50 years with the City.
“Ron has a distinguished record of community service and accomplishment in fire service.” Kolb said. “Of all the available candidates, he was the best choice and best fit for the job.”
During his nearly 23 years with the WFD, Blackwell volunteered for several civic and community organizations. He is a 1999 recipient of the Devore Foundation’s Excellence in Public Service Award.
In 1999, he became Deputy Fire Chief in Prince George’s County (Largo, Maryland) before serving as Fire Chief from, September 2001 to August 2004.
From August 2004 to December 2006, Blackwell served as Fire Chief in Anne Arundel County (Millersville, Maryland). Since December, he was Interim Executive Director of the International Association of Arson Investigators in Crofton, Maryland.
As Wichita Fire Chief, Blackwell will oversee 415 Fire staffers, manage a $33 million annual budget and earn $120,000 annually. The Mission of WFD is to minimize the loss of life and property resulting from fires, medical emergencies and other disasters. Founded in 1886, WFD has demonstrated exceptional community value by providing emergency medical response, fire suppression, fire prevention, public education, public health services as well as internal and external customer service.
For more information about Chief Blackwell, the WFD annual budget and a rebroadcast of today’s announcement, please go to the links located in the right column. Rebroadcasts will soon be available on Cable Channel, City7.