Butler County News Archives

The tornado that ripped through El Dorado on June 10th, 1958, is being remembered at the Butler County Educational center. via WIBW-TV Topeka

“We won't open the presents until both our parents are there”

The teenage daughters of Stephen and Linda Schneider said the Christmas decorations are still up at their Haysville home. via Kansas.com

Suspected "pill mill" operator Stephen Schneider is back home. He was released from the Butler County Jail at about 7 a.m. today after a federal judge in Wichita approved terms of his release pending his trial ... via Topeka Capital-Journal

“You might have noticed it for maybe two, three to four seconds.”

Rubble from earthquake damage to a building lies strewn along a sidewalk in an old section of Louisville, Ky., Friday, April 18, 2008. via The Wichita Eagle

“We have great teachers in this state, and other states recognize that”

Kansas is looking for a few - thousand - good teachers. And right now is prime recruiting season, with school officials across the state trying desperately to secure quality educators. via Topeka Capital-Journal

“It takes strong winds to do that”

Some might consider it deja vu all over again. A storm complex that morphed into a bow echo raked central Kansas overnight, reminiscent of what happened about 10 days ago in Butler County. via The Wichita Eagle

Sheriff Craig Murphy said Levi Michael Measles of Grenola was killed about 4:45 a.m. Saturday when his Chevrolet Blazer overturned as it rounded a curve two miles south of Leon. via Kansas.com

“May really is the time to harvest cool season grass hay such as fescue”

It's pretty clear Mother Nature would prefer that you kept your baler parked for the month of May. via The Enid News

A 27-year-old man was hospitalized and two other men were questioned after a late-night visit became a beating and stabbing in the 200 block of North Millwood early Sunday. via The Wichita Eagle

“Some cities are looking for something cleaner rather than petroleum based. We want people to know, however, that neither Butler County nor the City of El Dorado went to them. The company contacted us.”

Barton officials mum on relocation By Chris Strunk Last Updated: April 10, 2008 09:55:12 AM Apparently stung by its reception in Maize, Barton Solvents officials are declining to publicly discuss its potential ... via Ark Valley News

Click for More News Updated: Under the agreement, Goff will serve five years in prison and pay $11,000 in restitution. via KWCH

“We've got a lot of damage from El Dorado clear up toward Burns and east toward Cassoday.”

Butler County officials convened at 9 a.m. today, preparing to fan out through the county to assess damage caused by a powerful line of thunderstorms overnight.

Straight-line winds of at least 70 miles an hour were recorded in Harvey and Butler counties early this morning as a bow echo line of thunderstorms raced through the region.

The winds blew a semi trailer-truck off I-135 two miles south of Newton, knocked down dozens of power lines in Butler County, flattened barns and grain bins, and blew at least one mobile home off of its foundation, said Jim Schmidt, director of emergency management for the county. Read more

Strong easterly winds are blanketing the Wichita metropolitan area with smoke from a controlled burn in the Flint Hills east of Butler County.

'The whole city of El Dorado is covered with a haze of smoke, and it's all the way to Augusta,' said Dan Armstrong, fire chief for Butler County Fire District No. 3. 'You can't believe the smoke.'

Pastures in the Flint Hills routinely encompass thousands of acres, he said, so the fire could be quite large.

Northeasterly winds gusting to 25 mph have carried the smoke all the way to Wichita, but a Kansas Highway Patrol dispatcher reported no traffic problems caused by the haze. Read more

“Amber Goff used bolt cutters to make a hole in the fence of the prison”

A former corrections officer charged with helping two inmates escape rom the prison in El Dorado has agreed to a plea deal. via KBSL 10

“We can just move on from here. We accept, as we always have, her responsibility in this.”

Former corrections officer Amber Goff helped two men escape from the El Dorado Correctional Facility after receiving a cell phone call from one of them, then cutting through a padlock and tossing wire cutters to the inmates.

Goff, 24, admitted her role -- and detailed the escape plan -- during a hearing Friday in U.S. District Court, where she pled guilty to a federal firearms charge. Goff admitted she provided guns to Jesse Bell and Steven Ford after they escaped from the El Dorado prison Oct. 28. Read more

“A person doesn't imagine what happens when you got through a tough time”

Thursday marks a new beginning for a Kansas Church. More than two months ago, the Emmaus Mennonite Church burned down, near Whitewater in Butler County. via KBSL 10