Shawnee Chamber honors Mary Beatty of Hereford House with first-ever Shawnee Friendly Service Award. Mary Beatty (above, third from left), a hostess at Hereford House in Shawnee, won the first ever Shawnee Friendly Service Award as well as a $500 Visa gift card. Mayor Michelle Distler gave a speech thanking Beatty for her customer service that exemplifies the Shawnee spirit. Beatty received the award at the Tourism Celebration luncheon on May 16 at Town Hall in Shawnee.
Lancer Lacrosse team advances to LAKC title game Friday. The Lancer Lacrosse team defeated Northland in the Lacrosse Association of Kansas City semi-finals to earn a spot in Friday’s championship match. They’ll face perennial foe Rockhurst, which defeated Pembroke Hill in the semis. The game Friday will start at 8 p.m. at Durwood Stadium on the UMKC campus.
Sollie Flora appointed to serve on National League of Cities’ Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee. Mission councilmember Sollie Flora has been appointed to the National League of Cities 2019 Transportation and Infrastructure Services federal advocacy committee. The committee develops the league’s federal policy positions on issues involving transportation, including planning, funding, safety and security of public transit, streets and highways, aviation, railroads and ports. As a committee member, Flora will be involved in shaping the league’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of American cities and towns in front of Congress, with the administration and at home. She said she’s proud to represent Mission. “Infrastructure and transportation consistently remain top priorities of my constituents,” Flora said. “There is a lot of work to be done, and advancing cooperation between cities like Mission and our representatives in Washington will be key.”
Dennis Creason, founder of Oakland Christian School in Shawnee, found not guilty in sex abuse case. Dennis Creason, the founder of a former Christian school in Shawnee, was found not guilty on all five counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. A jury reached the verdict Tuesday in Johnson County District Court. Creason’s trial began a week ago and was sent to the jury late Monday. He denied ever making sexual contact with students and his defense team said parents of the alleged victims were “caught in a bad game of telephone with their own kids where information was shared and details changed.” Prosecutors said the five girls who testified in this case were “terrified” of confronting Creason and had no reason to lie about what happened. [Former Johnson County Christian school leader found not guilty on all counts — WDAF]
Lenexa man seriously injured after truck hits bridge pillar. Timothy J. King, 49, of Lenexa was seriously injured after his pickup truck ran off a busy highway and into a bridge pillar on Tuesday. The crash occurred about 4:50 p.m. on southbound K-7 Highway under Shawnee Mission Parkway, when his 2012 Ford F-150 ran off the highway into the concrete pillar. King was alone and no other vehicles were involved. Reports indicate he was not wearing a seat belt. [Lenexa man suffered serious injuries after his pickup truck slammed into bridge pillar — KSHB]
