The Topeka Zoo s giraffe population decreased from five to four this week as it bid farewell to Konza, a male who will turn 3 years old in July.
Konza left by trailer Monday for a zoo in the western United States, the identity of which is expected to be announced later by the receiving zoo. True to his nature, he made us all think he wasn t going to go but then he braved up and went right in, the zoo said Monday on its Facebook page. We will miss him so much but can t wait to see how well he does in his new home!
OTTAWA Growing up in Ottawa, former Topeka minister Jack Bremer found of one his many passions early in life. As a young boy, Bremer spent much of his time looking through the camera lens, snapping photos of important events and those who meant the most to him.
Bremer died April 30, 2020, in Burlington, Vt.
While many can take photos, what made Bremer s stand out was his ability as a teenager to capture some of the most poignant moments occurring around him. He captured his world in black and white and offered a viewpoint into his life as an adolescent.
Now, more than 50 of those photos taken during Bremer s teenage years are on display at the Old Depot Museum, 135 W. Tecumseh, in Ottawa. The exhibit is on display through March 2022.
Lana Kombacher is a self-described conservative Christian, a retired nurse and is running for the 3rd District seat on the Topeka City Council.
Kombacher said she has six children, including one who is deceased, 19 grandchildren and has spent about 40 years in Topeka.
Why are you running for Topeka City Council?
Kombacher said she is running for city council because she wants to be a new set of eyes for the governing body. She said she wants Topekans to be proud of where they live.
She said her decades in the city has shown her what Topeka could be. Kombacher said she supports the police and said good community safety, jobs and entertainment were the staple of the community in the past.
Sowers added that she d recently done considerable learning, reading and listening regarding the topic.
She said her opinion was influenced in particular by testimony the board heard from Alex Red Corn, an Osage Nation citizen who is an assistant professor and coordinator for indigenous leadership at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Members Sean Crittendon and Diane Liebsch were in the minority as the USD 409 board voted 5-2 in 2018 to keep the Redmen and Braves mascots.
Crittendon and Liebsch again voted late Monday in favor of doing away with those mascots.
They were joined by board members Sowers and John Eplee, who had voted in 2018 to keep those mascots; and Stefanie Gardner, Sally Berger and Brandi Ross, all of whom have joined the board since 2018.
Some Topeka building codes are old enough to drink. The building codes were adopted in 1997, and Topeka City Council on Tuesday night approved a new process of updating building codes.
City council unanimously approved recommendations from the Policy and Finance committee that hope to speed up the process by approving codes on an “as you go basis” and aim to get updated versions of the codes in place by the end of 2021.
Here is what you need to know about the process of approving building codes in Topeka.
How is this process different from the old one?
An appeals board made up of engineers, architects and general contractors would meet to review code books. The review process also involved engaging with stakeholders in the community for feedback on the codes the board was reviewing.