The high school football season kicks off this week amidst a shortage of referees from the middle school level all the way up to varsity. There’s one high school in Reno County that’s trying to do something about it. Buhler High School has a half dozen teachers and administrators who also serve as game referees and officials. It’s also one of only a handful of schools across the state that is offering a class in sports officiating. The classrooms and hallways at Buhler High School are filled with current and possibly future football and basketball referees. “Within a few walking steps, there’s three of us that are on a football crew together. We have another crew member on our crew that’s at the middle school. And we have a retired teacher who’s our white hat who’s in our building every day doing some things,” says teacher and girl’s golf head coach Brennan Torgerson.
Source: KSN-TV

The city of Russell has been awarded over $2 million from a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities” program. A news release from FEMA says the grant program is intended to help states, local communities, tribes and territories fund projects that reduce the risks from disasters and “emphasize the need for resilient infrastructure.” Russell received a total of $2,039,650 to fund the project’s second phase, which will rebuild the entire power distribution system from north Russell city limits from St. John Street to Culp and 9th Street to the 1900 block of North Main.  In all, 124 FEMA grants totaling $1.8 billion in federal cost share were chosen among all 10 FEMA regions in 38 states, including 115 communities, one Native American tribe, territories and the District of Columbia. Final grant figures will be available when the projects are completed.
Source: KSN-TV