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January
In the Osage County District Court office, the state of Kansas implemented a new computer file storage system. The system, serving as a pilot program for the state supreme court, will store images and documents in an effort to solve longtime space problems.
An anonymous donor pledged $100,000 to Santa Fe Trail USD 434. Two weeks later, voters defeated a $14.5 million bond issue by a more than 2:1 margin. The defeat was the third time the bond proposal failed, having been defeated in November 2005 and November 2006.


Chris and Catherine Faimon purchased The Osage County Chronicle and The Osage County Herald. The combined newspaper was named The Osage County Herald-Chronicle. Selling The Osage County Chronicle marked the end of a 30-year newspaper career for owner Kathy Kessinger. Bob Hanson, one of the original eight owners of The Osage County Herald, first published in 2003, remained at the newspaper as managing editor until July. The Faimons, co-publishers of The Coffey County Republican, at Burlington, also acquired D&M Printing. The newspaper and printing office is located at 527 Market St. in Osage City.
In Osage City, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe declined to allow a hiking and biking trail to be built on right-of-way owned by the railroad.
February
The first issue of The Osage County Herald-Chronicle is published.
The Osage County Commission accepted a recommendation of the Osage County Economic Development Corporation, hiring Stephanie Watson as the county’s economic development director. She had previously worked as the childcare coordinator for the Osage County Health Department, and secretary of the economic development corporation.
The Osage City Council agreed to an increase of the limit of bonds for the city lake dam project.
At the Osage County Conservation District annual banquet, Steve and Brenda Kitchen were named as winners of the grassland award. Other award winners were the Love Partnership, Kansas Bankers Award; Carolyn Peterson and Jim Jackson, buffer strip award; Ron and Judy Smith, continuous conservation award, Steve Vandevord family, windbreak award; and the E.J. Thompson family, young conservation farm family of the year.
The city of Burlingame hired Steven “Flip” Hutfles as city administrator. Hutfles gained his experience in Kosovo, Yogoslovia, as a deputy municipal administrator of two cities, while serving in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations from 2001-2005.
An Osage City woman, Shelly K. Pitman, 37, died in a head-on, two-vehicle collision in Atchison County. Pitman’s vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a truck. The other driver was uninjured.

Santa Fe Trail sends six wrestlers to the Class 4A State Wrestling Tournament in Salina; Jake Kober won the State Championship at 215 pounds and Josh Cauthon at 140 pounds. Devin Bingham and Ben Roberts of Burlingame High School competed at the Class 1-2-3A State Tournament in Hays.











 March
Fifteen-year-old Devin Brungardt, Osage City, was killed, and three other teens were injured as the result of a single-car accident on the Osage-Shawnee county line. Brungardt’s vehicle was eastbound on 109th Street when the vehicle flipped over.
In the county’s primary elections, four candidates competed for Burlingame’s mayor position; eight candidates filed for Burlingame City Council; five candidates continued to the general election for Melvern City Council seats. In school elections, 12 people competed for four seats on the USD 434 Santa Fe Trail Board of Education; and three candidates each competed for two school board seats in USD 454 Burlingame and USD 456 Marais des Cygnes Valley.
After a 52-51 overtime victory against St. Marys in the sub-state championship, the Lyndon High School Lady Tigers basketball team headed to the Class 2A State Tournament in Manhattan. In state competition, a first-round pairing with the eventual state champions, Oakley, ended the Lady Tigers’ season with a 59-48 loss.
Santa Fe Trail USD 434 Board of Education offered to help fund improvements to the Overbrook City Park athletic facilities. The school district offered $5,000 to begin and $1,000 each year to be reviewed annually.
Phase 1 of the Osage City walking and biking path was to go forward after the Osage City Council approved the action. The first phase includes an area north of Jerry’s Thriftway and east to the city limits, and from Fifth Street to the western city limits at Martin Street.


A building that was part of Lyndon’s history, and displayed a large panel of Bull Durham advertising art, was demolished. Most recently the home of A&L Café, a wall of the building had been propped up to keep it from falling before demolition began.
Rob Phillips, coordinator of the Santa Fe Trail Endurance Horse Race, told the Osage County Economic Development Corp. that he hoped the race would bring visitors to Osage County in September.
Miss Kansas, Michelle Walthers, encouraged healthy families while speaking to Burlingame High School students during her tour of the state.
The Osage County Commission approved the lease-purchase of a new mainframe computer and associated hardware after determining the 7-year-old system in the courthouse lacked enough memory, was obsolete, and was no longer compatible with the state’s computers. The total projected cost was $176,389.
A Melvern man, Jack Guyett, 64, was killed in a train/car accident approximately one mile southwest of Melvern. A passenger suffered injuries and was transported to a Kansas City hospital. Guyett’s southbound 1986 Mazda pickup was struck by the eastbound train.
Osage City prepared for the upcoming Smoke in the Spring championship barbecue contest, announcing an expanded opening night celebration at the fourth annual event.
An Overbrook area native was named as the first female general in Kansas. Brigadier Gen. Deborah Rose, who was previously the vice commander of the 190th Air Refueling Wing, was confirmed by the Kansas Senate to become the first female general in the Kansas Air National Guard. Rose is also a mother of two, grandmother of four, and the longtime organist at the Overbrook United Methodist Church. The official pinning ceremony was planned for April 14.
Life Star of Kansas and KanBuild representatives held a ribbon cutting ceremony on the tarmac of the Osage City Municipal Airport, and toured a leased KanBuild house that will be a home base for Life Star’s air-medical transport services. The air ambulance is to serve Osage, Coffey, Franklin, Lyon, Morrison, Anderson, and surrounding counties.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed Eric Godderz, of Burlingame, as a Fourth Judicial District Court Judge. Sebelius cited Godderz’s experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney as his preparation for the judicial bench.
April
Firefighters battled a blaze in downtown Burlingame that destroyed the former Faye’s Ceramics, 115 W. Santa Fe. The building shared walls with Davis Chiropractic and Aunt B’s Cookies & Cakes.
In an April 3 election, Steve Haller won as mayor of Osage City; Brenda Dorr won the mayor position for Burlingame; Adam Burnett won a write-in campaign for mayor of Melvern. Three candidates ran unopposed in mayor races in three other Osage County towns: Doris Beers, Quenemo; Bruce Williams, Lyndon; and J.D. Durkin, Carbondale. In city council races: Dan Mollnow, Gary Griffith, Bill Curtis, and Jason Croucher won seats on the Osage City Council; Larry Hulsopple and Ray Lester, Jr.,
Scranton City Council; Brendan Ryan and Brian Yockey, Melvern City Council; Norman Bloomquist and Vikki DeMars, Burlingame City Council; Bill Patterson, Lyndon City Council; Dorothy Chikly, William Goodyear and Don Schultz, Overbrook City Council; Daryl Makowski, Carbondale City Council; Barbara Devore, Quenemo City Council. The election also filled 20 school board seats across the county.
The Osage County Republican Central Committee selected Brandon Jones to serve as the Osage County attorney, due to former Osage County Attorney Eric Godderz being appointed as a district judge in Kansas’ Fourth Judicial District.

Randy Vowel of Sante Fe Smokery loads up meat in his smoker Friday afternoon. Vowell and his crew entered the contest for the second time this season.

Osage City’s name changed to “Snowsage City” during the annual Smoke in the Spring State BBQ Championship. A spring snowstorm dumped more than four inches on the city as competitors fired up their cookers Friday night before the contest. Parrothead Smokers, of Dakota Dunes, S.D., won Smoke in the Spring contest for the second time.
The Osage County Commission appointed Meredith Knowles as full-time director of the Osage County Health Department. Knowles had served as interim director since September 2006.
The Osage County Sheriff’s Department investigated the deaths of five show hogs south of Overbrook. Five dogs, including three pit bulls, a Rottweiller, and a mixed-breed dog, killed the 70-120 lb. hogs. Owners of the hogs later appealed to county commissioners regarding their previous reports to the sheriff’s department they said yielded no results.
Kyle Hallgren, of Osage City, received his Eagle Scout award during a court of honor at the Osage City United Methodist Church.
May


County emergency personnel and the Kansas Highway Patrol worked at the scene of a multiple-fatality accident on Hwy. 268 near Vassar April 27.
A head-on collision killed three adults and two small children near Vassar. The Kansas Highway Patrol said an eastbound 1992 Ford van driven by Charles E. Campbell, 63, Wellsville, crossed the centerline on Hwy. 268 in a no-passing zone, colliding with a 1999 Dodge van driven by Rebekah N Davidson, 34, Quenemo. Killed were Campbell, Davidson, passengers in Campbell’s vehicle, Ramona Ball, 56, and her grandson, Elijah Ball, 1, and one of two of Davidson’s children who were passengers in her vehicle, Nora, 2. Five-year-old Abraham Davidson was transported to the hospital with a broken leg.
The Osage City Council planned a late May public meeting to discuss the Rails to Trails project.
Santa Fe Trail USD 434 Superintendent Terry Schmidt announced he was resigning effective June 30.
The Osage County Herald-Chronicle published the 36-page Progress Edition, covering the many aspects of Osage County life and business. The edition, designed as a promotional tool for the county, was included as a supplement in the newspaper, but 800 additional copies were distributed through businesses, organizations, and governmental units.

Flooding was worst in the northeast part of the county the week of May 10. Transportation in and out of Burlingame, and most areas of the county, was nearly impossible for almost 24 hours. Many area residents proclaimed the area flooding as the biggest they had seen.

The first of 2007’s disasters hit Osage County as five to 11 inches of rainfall put residents in virtual isolation. The county was among 17 in the state to be declared a disaster area. Hardest hit towns in the county were Quenemo and Burlingame, where floodwaters moved into both towns.

A crowd gathers outside of Overbrook City Hall awaiting information about the status of the town’s police force, after the city council chose not to review the officers’ contracts.

Citizens gathered outside Overbrook City hall, shouting and applauding, after learning the town still had a police chief. The city council chose not to renew police officers’ contracts in a May 9 meeting. Due to state statutes, the police chief and five part-time officers retained their jobs, while an assistant chief was suspended with pay.
Burlingame saddled up for the biggest rodeo in the county. The two-night rodeo was held at the Burlingame Saddle Club arena at the south part of town. The community celebrated the event with a car show, art show, quilt show, parade, tractor pull and children’s activities.
Lyndon qualified Neal Rasmusson and Osage City qualified Nathan Johnson for state golf tournaments.
Dr. Steve Pegram was named as interim superintendent of Santa Fe Trail USD 434 after the resignation of Terry Schmidt was announced. Pegram had served as the superintendent of Silver Lake USD 372.
Area schools sent around 40 athletes for the State Track Meet in Wichita, bringing back 11 medals to Osage County. Medals included a gold in the discus and silver in the javelin by Lyndon’s Andrea Hoke; a silver in the 200-meter dash by Santa Fe Trail’s Jodi Mundy; bronze in the 100-meter dash by Burlingame’s Tabitha Lester; and bronze in the 400-meter dash by Lyndon’s Keene Niemack.
The Santa Fe Trail Lady Chargers softball team qualified for the Class 4A State Tournament in Mulvane, but was eliminated in the first round by a 3-2 8-inning loss to No. 2 seeded Garden Plain.
The Osage City Industrial Committee heard a proposal from Osage County Economic Development Director Stephanie Watson regarding tax rebates as incentives for homeowners or businesses to build or remodel structures in the county.
Overbrook PRIDE and the Overbrook Athletic Association kicked off the city’s park development project with a dedication ceremony. Grants totaling $286,509 were awarded for the project.
Citizens heard pros and cons of building a hiking and biking trail across Osage City during a public meeting. On a roll-call vote, the Osage City Council voted to keep plans active to build the trail along the Missouri Pacific Railroad line on the north side of the city. The city’s share of the $1.3 million project was estimated at $266,000. The state is funding the remaining 80 percent with federal funds allocated for historic, pedestrian, bicycle, scenic or environmental improvements.
June
A lightning strike at Burlingame’s water pump station left residents without water for two days. Residents were advised to boil water for three more days because of the potential for bacteria to enter the system while water pressure was low.
The Carbondale Lions Club raised $1,400 for community projects by sponsoring a mud run west of the city. More than 250 spectators turned out for the 10th year of the Mudathon, with proceeds going toward the city park, “Welcome to Carbondale” signs, the community building, and the Lions eyeglasses project.
Jeremy Struemph set a state skydiving record at Osage City. Struemph skydived 53 times in just over eight hours on June 14 to raise awareness of domestic abuse. Fifty-three is also the number of incidents of domestic abuse set every day in the state. The record attempt was a joint effort of Skydive Kansas and Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.



Jeremy Struemph carries his last rig after an exhausting 53 skydives in just over eight hours.
The Osage City Council voted to allow Sunday liquor and beer sales. The council heard from local businesses who said the decision would be good for local businesses.
Homeowners of the South Shore subdivision at Pomona Lake petitioned the county commission requesting repairs and maintenance of Vassar Road.
The 97th annual Sunflower Days County 4-H fair got underway in Melvern June 21. New to the fair were open class entries and horseshoe pitching.
A three-person quorum of the Burlingame City Council approved two utility rate increases for gas and water and an energy cost adjustment during a special meeting.
It was announced the city of Lyndon is among 14 cities sharing more than $4.2 million in federal funds in community development block grants. Lyndon’s $400,000 grant will go toward improvements of nearly 9,000 feet of sewer lines and manholes.
Larry Thurston began his duties as Lyndon’s city administrator. Thurston had farmed for 30 years and entered public service work 15 years ago. He had served as city administrator in Eureka from 2000 to 2003, and public works director in Louisburg from 2003 to 2004.
July

Osage County was hit by flooding again when the Melvern and Quenemo areas received around 20 inches of rain through the last day of June and the first weekend of July. Residents in the area were evacuated as water levels peaked beyond those of a month before, entering several homes in Quenemo.
The 62nd annual Osage City Osage County Fair concluded 42 years of service by fair board president Frank Mersmann. The fair, which ran July 16-18, was the second of the county’s three fairs.









County valuation increased by $836,000 from 2006 to 2007.
Osage City hosted the 13-15 State Babe Ruth Tournament July 21-25. The tournament, which was hailed as a success, led to the opportunity to host another state tournament in the city in 2008.
August
The fifth-annual Dogstock Music and Camping Festival’s biggest turnout yet was marred by an ATM theft, and later, the investigation of $100,000 in alleged worthless checks. The festival is a fundraiser for the Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation.
Burlingame gathered in Sumner Park for National Night Out on Aug. 7, the city’s first observation of the night.
State, county agencies verify the county’s bridges sound in response to a major collapse of an I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., Aug. 1.

The fair season concluded with the Overbrook Osage County Fair Aug. 2-8, the last of the county’s three fairs.
Scranton celebrated Day in the Park Aug. 11, more than two month after it was originally rescheduled by early June storms.

Eleven of the 78 cars on a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed southwest of Olivet Aug. 13. A switch was investigated as the cause of the accident.
The Lyndon Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of its downtown storefront with an ice cream social. The reorganized chamber is part of a push to improve events and build up the town.
The Scranton Parent Teacher Organization installs new playground equipment at the Scranton Attendance Center, wrapping up three years of planning and fundraising.
September
Sunday liquor sales begin in Osage City without protest on Sept. 1, enacted 60 days after a July 12 decision by the city council.

A fatality hit-and-run chase ended in Osage County along U.S. 56 east of Burlingame. Ramona Morgan, Chewelah, Wash., was driving the pickup truck, which allegedly struck and killed two highway workers and injured another. Morgan remains in the Osage County Jail, awaiting her trial for evading officers. She then faces second-degree murder charges in Douglas County.
Carbondale celebrated their fall festival with carnival rides, a parade and professional wrestling in the streets of the city.

The Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race ran through the county Sept. 13-14. Burlingame and Overbrook communities made the best of the event with town celebrations and the rekindling of Santa Fe Trail days in Overbrook. The 515-mile endurance race ended Sept. 15 in Gardner.

Osage County Relay for Life raised more than $50,000 at their ninth annual fundraising walk Nov. 22 at the Lyndon High School track. Twenty teams with hundred of members participated in the 12-hour benefit for the American Cancer Society.
The Jones Foundation in Emporia pledged $1,000 to every graduating senior from Osage, Coffey and Lyndon counties who attend Emporia State University or Flinthills Technical School in Emporia.
October
Lyndon celebrates the season with a beefed-up fall festival; Harveyville held their annual fair.
Wayne White, former editor of the Newkirk Herald Journal, joined the Osage County Herald-Chronicle as managing editor on Oct. 1.
Commissioners met with American Medical Response representatives as a reaction to delays in the county. Osage County Sheriff Lori Dunn said a 52-minute delay was part of a “significant history of problems” with the service.
Budget issues at Santa Fe Trail USD 434 schools continued, prompting the district to enact a budget freeze after reviewing expenses.
Carbondale Lions Club went big with the second mudathon of the year, pulling the biggest turnout to date while raising funds for city projects.
Osage County hired Anne Gray, Quenemo, as health department director.
A dozen railroad workers were hospitalized after exposure to a clorobenzyl chloride chemical spill along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line in the south part of the county.

A threat written on a bathroom at Osage City High School put the Osage City’s schools in lockdown on Oct. 18. The investigation led to the arrest of Devin Lindbloom, 16, of Osage City. He was charged with criminal threat with the intent to terrorize.
Lisa Montgomery, Melvern, was sentenced to death by a grand jury after being convicted of the murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, Skidmore, Mo., and the kidnapping of her unborn child in 2004.
More than 25 runners from Osage County schools competed at the State Cross Country Meet in Wamego. The Santa Fe Trail boys’ team finished ninth in Class 4A; Lyndon’s boys were 11th, led by an 18th-place finish by Dylan Filburn.
November

An Honor Flight carried 35 World War II veterans to visit the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C., Nov. 7. The flight was organized by Lyndon High School students and sponsors, who accompanied the veterans on the trip. A second flight is planned for April, 2008.
Osage City continues the process of addressing problems with cell phone service in the city. The community is looking into service through towers and providing wireless Internet service.
The Lyndon High School Tigers football team ended their playoff run with a loss to Pittsburg-Colgan in sectionals, ending a 10-2 season.
After months of debate, the county accepted Vassar Road as a public easement, paving the way for public maintenance of the road.
The Osage City Christmas Opener and parade was held just after Thanksgiving, kicking off the holiday season. Parades and openers were also held in Burlingame and Lyndon.
A traffic stop on I-35 led to a felony drug arrest and the forfeiture of $108,980. If the forfeiture case is successful, the money is to be divided between the arresting agencies and the Osage County attorney’s office.
December
Osage County dodged the worst of an ice storm that dumped several inches of freezing rain on northeast Kansas. Mild temperatures helped minimize the damage to tree limbs and power lines locally, causing minimal outages in a storm that left more than 130,000 Kansas residents without power.
The Osage County Commissioners continued work on the neighborhood revitalization plan. After reviewing a fourth draft of the plan, county commissioners invited discussion of and local cooperation in he plan by local government agencies. The plan offers tax rebates for improvements in designated blighted areas.
Osage City water rates were raised to defray the cost of state-mandated improvements to Osage City Lake and its dam.
The Osage County Herald-Chronicle, along with 32 area businesses, brought Christmas on Us to Osage County. The five-week contest commenced on Monday, Dec. 17, with the grand prize drawing in downtown Osage City, where two $1,000 prizes were presented to Tim McCoy, Osage City, and Mackenzie Curley, Osage City. A total of $3,000 was awarded to 14 winners, representing more than $950,000 in merchandise and services spent in Osage County during the holiday season.