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Sarah Hedberg, a 2024 honor graduate of Lansing High School, was recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), said Steve Rice, president of the Leavenworth Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club (PKARC.org).The ARRL represents and supports licensed amateur radio operators nationally. Hedberg is an FCC-licensed technician amateur radio operator. She has been active in ham radio for five years. She participated in a field day event in June and other radio events and various club activities, said Rice.Her first radio contact, she said, was with her grandfather, Larry Hedberg, KD6EUG. Her call sign is KE0YXG."I was very optimistic about her chances of earning the scholarship after learning of all her accomplishments during her high school years," said Rice. "I was proud to recommend her as a member of our club to the American Radio Relay League. We are excited to have learned she was awarded the scholarship. We look forward to watching her career development. Amateur radio is part of her family tradition, and our club is honored to be a part of her growth."Ham radio is a family endeavor for Hedberg. Her parents, Scott and Christa, and younger sister, Emily, are also licensed ham radio operators.Sarah Hedberg is attending the University of Illinois to study chemical engineering.

Children exit David Brewer Elementary School on Tuesday after the first day of classes of the new school year. Schools in other local districts have… Login to continue reading Login…

The First City Creatives 2024 Duck Hunt took place Saturday in downtown Leavenworth. There were 28 teams comprised of over 200 participants this year. They were on a mission to find 1,000 rubber ducks hidden either indoors or outdoors throughout 29 Leavenworth businesses. Each team was titled with a duck-themed name such as Wise Quackers, Release the Quacken and Duck Detectives. Shop owner Cari Payer led the scavenger hunt electronically via an app that participants monitored with their cell phones throughout the event. The hunt not only included finding the ducks but performing fun activities while taking fun photos and videos. Payer said last year’s hunt was so popular that it was expanded to three hours this year. Prizes were awarded to first- through third-place winners. Additional prizes were awarded for such things as most ducks found, most enthusiastic participants, best team costume and the Duck Duck Goose trophy for least points acquired. First place went to the No Duck Left Behind team, second place to Quackiest Quackers and third place to The Chicken Chicks.

Leavenworth Board of Education members have set public hearing dates for the proposed school district budget for the 2024-2025 school year.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held recently for Consolidated Water District No. 1’s new Waterworks Campus. The new campus will be located at 21825 147th St. in Basehor.Mike Fulkerson, general manager of Consolidated Water District No. 1, explained that the new space is a much needed upgrade over the current 1,100 square foot space. With the rapid expansion of the area, the new Waterworks Campus will be a more central location for the utility, which serves 3,000 customers in Basehor as well as Lansing.“Growth is the theme of this area and we need to expand to provide services to our customers. We have simply outgrown our current space. We have never failed to meet the challenge and recognize the need for a safe and sufficient water supply,” Fulkerson said.The new Waterworks Campus will consist of 16,000 square feet of usable space including 4,000 square feet of office space and a 12,000 square foot shop area that will include a wash bay, lockers and space for pipe and aggregate storage. The office area will also include a conference room, staff and executive offices, as well as a dedicated secured records storage area.During the dedication ceremony, Fulkerson noted that this new project has been in the works for two years. He thanked the dignitaries in attendance including Basehor Mayor Dick Drennon and members of the Basehor City Council, Tim Johnson representing the Kansas 38th District, Tim Buehler representing the Kansas 40th District, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall.Roger Brandt, chairman of Consolidated Water District No. 1, spoke of the dedication of his staff, especially during this transition time.“We have three employees to take care of 3,000 customers. You don’t realize how smooth things can go and we are thankful for that. We are going to have a great finished product,” said Brandt.Jason Butcher also said a few words about the project. He is the senior project developer with Strickland Company, the contractor who is building the new campus. He noted that the development will last for generations and provide a beautiful addition to Basehor.The new space is located on 3.5 acres which was purchased from Glen and Margaret Leintz, who own the adjacent land. In the 1990s, the Leintz family sold one acre of their land so a new water tower could be constructed. They have been so happy with how that one acre surrounding the water tower has been maintained over the years, they were happy to offer up more land for the new campus.