Month: August 2017

Primary election turnout for local Wyandotte County contests considered good

The voter turnout for the primary election Aug. 1 in Wyandotte County is considered good compared to previous primaries, according to Election Commissioner Bruce Newby.

The final figure for voter turnout in Wyandotte County was 13,773, or 17.87 percent of the vote, he said.

“The candidates generated a lot of buzz, got people interested,” Newby said.

Wyandotte County also had a better voter turnout percentage than Shawnee County, (the Topeka area), which had 12.58 percent, according to the Shawnee County election commission’s web page; and Sedgwick County, (the Wichita area), which reported an 8.3 percent turnout, according to the Sedgwick County election web page.

Wyandotte County held vote canvassing today, and no changes were reported in the outcomes of the primary election from last Tuesday night to today’s canvassing, according to Newby. There were changes in the vote totals.

Newby said the Board of Canvasssers voted on whether to accept provisional ballots today.

The closest contest on Tuesday night may have been for second place in the Board of Public Utilities’ 1st position, at large, contest. Incumbent Mary Gonzales placed first with 5,850 votes, while second place was close. Bryan Messmer had 2,055 votes to Kevin Braun’s 2,036, a 19-vote difference. The outcome of this race did not change after provisional votes were counted today.

Vote totals changed slightly, with the addition of 119 provisional ballots. Also, about 59 ballots were not counted, he said, and the largest group of those, about 15, were from voters who forgot to sign their mail-in ballot affidavit and did not go to the election commissioner’s office to sign it by the deadline.

The final, certified Wyandotte County primary totals:
Primary election results, official final results
With 13,773 votes cast, 17.87 percent of registered voters
All precincts are in

UG Mayor- Chief Executive Officer
David Alvey, 4,334 votes, 31.62 percent
David Haley, 2,539 votes, 18.52 percent
Mark R. Holland, incumbent 5,491 votes, 40.06 percent
D. Keith Jordan, 325 votes, 2.37 percent
Janice Grant Witt, 1,019 votes, 7.43 percent

UG Commissioner, 5th District
John T. Fotovich, 447 votes, 11.28 percent
Mike Kane, incumbent, 2,318 votes, 58.51 percent
Sarah Kremer, 1,197 votes, 30.21 percent

UG Commissioner, 7th District
George Cooper, 460 votes, 27.96 percent
Jim A. Gibson, 418 votes, 25.41 percent
Jim Walters, incumbent 767 votes, 46.63 percent

UG Commissioner, 8th District
Brad Isnard, 285 votes, 14.82 percent
Kendon McClaine, 574 votes, 29.85 percent
Jane W. Philbrook, incumbent, 1,064 votes, 55.33 percent

Sheriff
Donald Ash, incumbent 6,609 votes, 49.93 percent
Charles W. Bunnell, 685 votes, 5.18 percent
Marvin L. Main, 1,250 votes, 9.44 percent
Celisha Towers, 2,888 votes, 21.82 percent
Victor Webb, 1,804 votes, 13.63 percent

BPU member, position 1, at-large
Kevin Braun, 2,036 votes, 17.12 percent
Mary Gonzales, incumbent, 5,850 votes, 49.19 percent
Bryan Messmer, 2,055 votes, 17.28 percent
Nikole C. Owens, 1,952 votes, 16.41 percent

T-Bones falter in Lincoln

On Sunday, the Kansas City T-Bones (41-30) were six outs away from securing a big series split on the current 10-game road trip. Lincoln had other ideas as the first place Saltdogs (46-25) scored two runs in the eighth to steal a 4-3 win over Kansas City at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Jeff Walters entered the game in the bottom of the eighth on a hot streak, having not allowed an earned run since he returned from the inactive list on July 13, a span of 10 appearances and 9 2/3 innings pitched. Walters retired the first batter he faced but then gave up singles to Nathanial Maggio and Brandon Jacobs to set Lincoln up for the comeback.

A wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third, forcing the T-Bones to walk pinch hitter Tommy Mendonca on a 3-0 count. Randolph Oduber then delivered the go-ahead RBI single to score two and give Lincoln the 4-3 lead.

The T-Bones rallied in the ninth, getting a leadoff walk from Leo Rojas off closer Michael Wagner. With two outs, Chantz Mack singled to put runners at first and second, but Mack was picked off first base on a pitch that bounced in to Marcus Lemon by catcher Dashenko Ricardo of Lincoln for the final out of the game.

Most of the afternoon the T-Bones had the upper hand. Lincoln scored a pair of runs, one of them unearned, off Matt Sergey with a pair of errors by Kansas City, but the right hander buckled down and tossed six strong innings, getting a quality start with five strike outs.

Kansas City erased the 2-0 lead in the fifth off Shairon Martis the starter for Lincoln. Jordan Edgerton singled with one out and then moved to third on a single from Chantz Mack. A sacrifice fly scored Edgerton from third to cut the lead to 2-1.

The T-Bones then got back-to-back singles from Kevin Keyes and Cedric Hunter to take the lead at 3-2 after five. Meanwhile Sergey retired the last seven he faced, giving way to Grant Sides, who worked a 1-2-3 seventh. Jeff Walters (1-3) was charged with the loss while J.R. Bunda (7-0) got the relief win, and Wagner notched his league-leading 15th save.

The T-Bones fell five games behind the Saltdogs for the division lead but still hold a share of the lead in the wild card race in the American Association. The T-Bones are now 3-4 on the 10-game road trip, moving on to Fargo Monday night.

The game is set for 7:02 p.m. and can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network with the pregame starting at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets for home games are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.

– Story from T-Bones

Water restored to Piper area after main breaks

Water should be restored to Board of Public Utilities customers in the Piper area after some water main breaks over the last day.

According to BPU spokesman David Mehlhaff, there were three 12-inch, one 16-inch, and one 2-inch main breaks within about 24 hours in the Piper area.

Crews made repairs and everyone now should have water, he added.

The BPU will look into why several water mains failed at the same time, he said, and whether it had something to do with heavy rains on the weekend.