News

The Lansing Board of Education has postponed taking action on the school district's 2024-2025 budget.

The city of Basehor turned out in a big way to help a local 3-year-old young boy who is struggling with leukemia. Teddy Maples was diagnosed with Precursor B- cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is currently undergoing treatments. Basehor’s VFW Post 11499 hosted a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Maples family to help with Teddy’s medical bills.This form of leukemia is most common in children and is highly curable. Teddy is currently taking chemotherapy at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. The facility is one of the top children’s leukemia treatment hospitals in the United States and a quick 30-minute drive from the Maples family home in Basehor. Hayden Maples is Teddy’s dad and he was at the dinner, along with many other members of his family and extended family. He was touched to see the turn-out from people he didn’t know who came to support Teddy.“Teddy is doing well right now even though we don’t know the long-term effects and implications of his treatments," Hayden Maples said. "He has undergone six chemo treatments so far and he is ready to begin treatments with a new drug that has been found to reduce recurrence potential. Teddy is technically now in remission as there is no leukemia left in his bone marrow. We really appreciate everyone showing up for this dinner.”Teddy has undergone six chemo treatments plus numerous spinal taps to look for cancer cells that might still be in his body. He has a chemo port which is a small device implanted under the skin to allow easy access for chemo treatments. The port is a great alternative instead of the nurses trying to access Teddy’s small veins for infusions. He will be on weekly maintenance treatments and testing to ensure he stays free of leukemia.Basehor’s VFW purchased 40 pounds of pasta, 50 pounds of meat, 40 pounds of sauce, 300 breadsticks and 17 cakes for the dinner. Basehor Community Volunteers were also on hand to help with clean-up.Dave Breuer and his wife were among the people who attended the dinner and said he’s always happy to support Basehor citizens.“We’re here to support Teddy’s family because you never know where life will lead you. We are lucky to have so many healthy grandchildren ourselves, and we know that the Maples family is going through a tough situation and we wanted to help, even just a little bit,” Breuer said.A total of $4,000 was raised to help the Maples family with Teddy’s medical expenses.

It is anticipated Leavenworth County commissioners will vote Wednesday to approve the county government's 2025 budget.

A Leavenworth man who was charged with murder and racketeering has pleaded no contest to amended charges, according to court records.

Nancy Baker is the recreation supervisor for the city of Leavenworth Parks and Recreation Department. In this Q&A, she talks about the upcoming Doggie Splash at the Wollman Aquatic Center.

A Leavenworth man has pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a shootout and a pursuit, according to a news release from the County Attorney's Office.

Another amenity is now complete and open for public use at the Basehor Civic Campus. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held recently for the splash pad, located just north of the Basehor City Hall building.Mayor Dick Drennon briefly spoke prior to the ribbon cutting, thanking everyone in attendance as well as members of the Basehor City Council and administration. “I cannot put into words how proud I am of our City Council and their dedication to meeting the needs of our community. Seeing all of these wonderful new features behind me shows their commitment to our city and to providing quality of life amenities to our residents. Today is just the start,” Drennon said.In addition to the members of the Basehor City Council, the mayor also thanked City Administrator Leslee Rivarola and Deputy City Administrator Maddie Bouton for their hard work in bringing this project across the finish line. In addition, Drennon recognized GBA, Doug Pickert of Indigo Designs, Crossland Construction and the subcontractors who worked long hours, often in the heat, to complete the projects on the Civic Campus.Other amenities are yet to be completed, but progress is being made. The playground should be completed in another week once the rubberized surface is installed. Also on the horizon is a pond which will be stocked with fish as well as a dock for fishing. A sledding hill should be ready for action once the first snow hits this winter. In 2025, more trails will be completed to help with access to several of the features, including an amphitheater.Susan Marquardt and her three children were among those in attendance at what was dubbed "the first splash of the season." Two of her children attend nearby Grey Hawk Elementary School so they were especially excited to see the project finally complete.“We couldn’t miss the opening of the splash pad. It’s kind of cool tonight, so we made sure the kids put on long-sleeved shirts. They are really excited for this,” she said.While the main attraction of the evening was definitely the splash pad, the Basehor Community Library also took advantage of the people attending to offer a scavenger hunt and face painting. The Friends of the Basehor Library distributed bookmarks to help publicize their upcoming Oct. 4-6 book sale.The new Basehor Kiwanis Club distributed plastic buckets to children heading to the splash pad as well as information about an upcoming bicycle rodeo which will be held on Sept. 14 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Basehor-Linwood Early Learning Center located at 15880 Garden Parkway. The rodeo will consist of a safety class, training course, bicycle inspections and helmet giveaways. For children already having a helmet, they are encouraged to bring it to ensure a proper fit for safety purposes. Basehor Velo Cycling Group and Santa Fe Trails Bicycle and Coffee Shop will be on hand to help with the rodeo.