According to today’s Andover Police Report (all of which can be read for free at ScoopFire.com), the last seven days have seen the theft of …
1. Golf flags from Flints Hills National
2. An antique bathtub
3. A skunk trap
Is there some weird scavenger hunt going on that I don’t know about?

I arrived 10 minutes early at Tuesday night’s Andover City Council meeting. It was a packed house, no doubt because word got out there was going to be a re-vote on the recycling ordinance that has been such a hot topic. (See story - “Second time a charm for recycling ordinance” - on ScoopFire.com.)

Anyway, I settled on the front row. A woman sat next to me whom I’d never seen before. She was by herself. I didn’t really think much of it. She never got up to speak, but she was obviously in support of the ordinance and showed it by applauding and making occasional remarks like “that’s right.”

As you probably know by now, the ordinance passed. Hutchinson-based Stutzman Refuse Disposal, Inc. was named the city’s preferred provider. The woman then left to sit at the back of the room.

Toward the end of the meeting, a Stutzman representative got up from the back of the room and spoke at the podium. He introduced his wife. Guess who?

“I am focused on educating the public to all the facts, and praying common sense will prevail.”
- Caroline Hale

Hale is one of three Andover City Council members who convinced mayor Ben Lawrence to again place on the agenda an ordinance establishing a recyclable waste utility and curbside recycling system (see story - “Deja phew” - on scoopfire.com).

This has been an emotional topic. Should be another interesting City Council meeting tonight.

If you have any interest at all, I would strongly encourage you to meet “Super Sheriff” Vern Miller when he appears at the Andover Public Library this weekend … again.

Earlier this month, a couple hundred people showed up to buy a copy of Miller’s biography, “Vern Miller, Legendary Kansas Lawman.” There were only 60 books on hand, though.

There will be more this time. Miller will be in the library’s art gallery from 10 a.m.-noon. He really is a joy to talk to - one of those people who delights in making everyone around him feel good.

To illustrate my point, here’s a little exchange I had when first meeting Miller (and the tape recorder rolling) ….

Me: Hello Mr. Miller - I’m the one here to interview you for an article for the Andover news site.

Miller: Hey, you’re a big fella! I wouldn’t have wanted to tangle with you.

Me: Well what’s that they say, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. Or something like that.

Miller: Right!

Me: My Dad admired you. I was born in Wichita in 1969 …

Miller: When I was sheriff!

Me: … and he thought you were alright.

Miller: What’s your Dad’s name?

Me: Duane Knapp. He’s big into motorcycles, too.

Miller: Well I’ll bet I’ve crossed paths with him dozens of times!

Me: Maybe. I don’t know how much trouble he’s been in.

(About 25 minutes later, just chewing the fat)

Miller: My wife and I have about 10 acres by Mulvane. We used to have a lot of animals, horses and everything, but now we just have dogs.

Me: My wife wants a horse. We have five acres.

Miller: Five acres is plenty. You should get her one!

Me: Yeah, I thought about it. It’s a big commitment though.

Miller: They’re not that much trouble. You should get her one!

Me: Well … alright!

From the Andover School District Office …

The Andover Central High School Boys Basketball team is sponsoring a Community Service Project called Lace Up Cancer.” They are collecting money for “The V Foundation” which is a cancer research organization that was founded by ESPN and former North Carolina State coach and ESPN commentator, Jimmy Valvano. Basketball players will be taking pledges until February 19th.
Team members chose this particular project not only to raise cancer awareness in general, but also to honor and support the people important to them - many in their school community included - who have had cancer. To help promote this project, the team will wear their Jimmy V pink shirts to school on various days, and will wear pink shoe laces during the Feb. 19 game.

Andover High School journalism teacher Kristin Baker is still practically a kid herself, and for that, her students are thankful tonight.
Baker has agreed to have an all-night “lock-in” at AHS starting at 9 p.m. There will be no work on the student newspaper, other than possibly reviewing contest entries. Instead, the students will do a scavenger hunt and other team-building exercises.
Baker was presented with the idea from her students but said she never thought AHS principal Bob Baier would go for it.
“But he thought it was a great idea,” Baker said (in a “just-my-luck” tone of voice).
The lock-out ends at 4 a.m., when Baker and the students will eat breakfast at IHOP.
Baker, by the way, keeps her reporting skills sharp by writing for ScoopFire. And for that, I am thankful.

The wife gave me an MP3 player for Christmas, which has come in handy at the Andover YMCA, since it recently eliminated its radio music (see story on ScoopFire.com).

Trouble is, when she wanted to upload some songs for me, I could only come up with about five suggestions. What can I say, the music that really gets me going at the gym, I’ve already listened to a thousand times.

So the wife added a few songs she thought I would like.

Fast forward to last week … I’m doing an incline press, and I’m doing it with the heaviest dumbbells I can manage for four reps. It is not easy getting those suckers up in a ready position (and for some reason I never ask anybody at the gym for a spot).

Anyway, I got too much weight over to one side and the whole bench tipped over. Weights in hand, I hit the floor hard and loud, like a big slab of beef in a freezer.

I wasn’t thinking about how much it hurt (a lot) or about how embarrassing the situation was (very).

In those couple of seconds, the only thing going through my mind was, “They are going to have to carry me out of here, and everyone’s going to find out I was listening to Lady Gaga.”

Epic Church, which was the subject of a ScoopFire article last month, is looking for a new home.
Pastor Kent Wagner said Epic’s last service in the Warren Theater East will be Sunday, Feb. 21.
Ideally, Epic would renting a facility in Andover or east Wichita that is about 6,000 square feet and would seat 200-300, with a children’s area.
If you have any suggestion for Wagner, he can be reached at (316) 833-8119.

Andover Central High School is having a Red Cross blood drive today, Feb. 1, in gym “B.” Walk-ins are welcome until 1:30 p.m.

My wife and I attended our first Andover Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Friday night. What a fantastic event. It gave us an excuse to see The Ville (inside St. Vincent De Paul) and visit with some of the city’s best and brightest.

I know I’ve said this before, but I am truly humbled by how the people of Andover have accepted us into the community in recent months. That’s especially true of Larry and Michelle Sell, who invited us to sit at their table.