News

The 23rd-annual Ottawa Veterans Day celebration and parade on Nov. 5.

Dear Readers, It’s funny now—that joke Mother Nature pulled on me last week—but I wasn’t laughing when, only a day after I’d packed all my summer clothes away, the mercury topped out above ninety degrees. And the winds that followed, as they abruptly changed the landscape out my window, didn’t do much to restore my sense of humor either. I’ve no idea where the leaves went because none are piled against the house and our patio is clean as a whistle. As I write, a breeze is still moving through the Flint Hills, rippling the pond water from east to west and making waves among the trees by lifting bare brown and grey branches up and down. The natural world’s undulations brought me to my senses. How could I forget the cardinal rules of dealing with the weather (Kansas weather) and life in general?

A study shows about half of children in the United States have detectable levels of lead in their blood, despite federal regulations that ban or restrict its use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted a new strategy to reduce exposure, particularly in low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately affected.

TOPEKA — Three of every four Kansans taking part in a statewide survey support a minimum age of 21 to purchase a firearm and endorsed a prohibition on sales of guns to people convicted of violent misdemeanors or anyone reported as dangerous to law enforcement by a mental health provider.

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A downtown Ottawa business is closing its doors at the end of the year. On Thursday, Mary Raley, who owns Maggie’s Popcorn and Nuts with her husband, Kyle, posted on the business’ Facebook page that the brick-and-mortar location would be closing for good after six years at 230 S.