DesotoExplorer.com

Election 2008

Adrienne Chambers, 12, and mother Alicia Chambers help keep the old shingles in the wheelbarrow Katie Wynn, 18, is pushing to the dumpster. They were part of a youth group from Southside Community Church in Paragould, Ark., that helped repair the roof at De Soto Youth Ministries for a missions trip.

Photo by Leann Sulzen

Dean Sheets, 81, competed and won the 2008 Sunflower State Games July 12 in the 180-pound weight class, 50 and older division of folkstyle wrestling. He retired after pinning his opponent twice in the first period.

De Soto's FlexRide transit program has seen a sharp rise in ridership in recent months as gas prices have increased to flirt with $4 a gallon.

Photo by Elvyn Jones

Wes Wedman helps 7-year-old Ciara Tabor of De Soto sketch the frame of a character Friday at the De Soto Library’s “Drawing Manga” program.

Photo by Leann Sulzen

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain stresses the importance of strong energy and foreign policies during a town hall-style meeting Thursday at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. More than 900 people attended the standing-room-only event.

Photo by Thad Allender

Hayley Brown, left, poses for a photo with some of the friends she made at the FBI National Academy Associates Youth Leadership Program she attended recently in Virginia.

Photo by Submitted

As fuel prices cause concern to school districts developing 2008-2009 budgets, USD 232 is exploring an arrangement that would lock-in the cost of diesel for the next school year.

Photo by Elvyn Jones

De Soto saw only 20 new single-family home starts from July 1, 2006, to June 20, 2008, but the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city had 118 new residents in the first 12 months of that period.

Photo by Elvyn Jones

With a decline in development fees with the building slump, the planned sidewalk and landscaping improvements on 83rd Street from Wea to Shawnee streets was stricken from the capital improvement list in the city's 2009 budget. An $821,000 project to repave 83rd Street from Kill Creek Road east to the city limits remained in the CIP.

Photo by Elvyn Jones

Carly Stanley played a key role in the Kansas Olympic Development Program team's advancement to the national tournament. Stanley, a defensive center mid, stuck a penalty kick in the net in the semifinals to get Kansas to the championship game of its region. One team from each of the nation's four regions will play in a tournament in March at the Disney Sports Complex in Florida.

Daniel Peterson, a junior-to-be, will be the most experienced pitcher returning for De Soto next Spring. Peterson was the top pitcher on the Wildcats' staff over the summer, as the team compiled a 13-3-1 record.

Julie Tollefson makes her way to the finish line Saturday during the Eudora Horsethief 5K Race. Tollefson ran in the race along with her husband, John, and son, Jacob.

Election 2008

Census numbers show a wide range in growth for area communities. Southern Johnson and northern Miami counties, as well as Basehor, experienced the most growth in the area. Lecompton, on the other hand, experienced no growth.

Photo by Thad Allender