The Salina Journal

City to consider line-painting bid

The Salina City Commission Monday will consider awarding a contract for painting lines on approximately 76 miles of city streets.

The low bidder for the project is Twin Traffic Marking Corp., Riverside, Mo., whose bid was $16,400.

The city engineer's estimate for the project was $18,146.

The line-painting will be done in May.

Monday's meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 107 of the City-County Building.

County to look at vehicle replacement

The Saline County Commission Tuesday will consider replacing five vehicles for the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Glen Kochanowski is requesting commissioners approve, with trade in of old vehicles, and the purchase of the new vehicles from Long McArthur, 3450 S. Ninth, for $145,656.

That price includes the purchase of some equipment and is $15,656 more than authorized in the 2001 equipment fund.

Interim County Administrator Rita Deister is recommending commissioners approve the purchase of the vehicles without some of the requested equipment at a cost of $129,078, slightly below the $130,000 authorized for vehicle purchases. She recommended the remaining equipment be purchased at the end of the year if Kochanowski has enough surplus in his office's budget.

Tuesday's meeting begins at 11 a.m. in Room 107 of the City-County Building.

Youth leader faces molestation charge

LAWRENCE -- A Tonganoxie church youth group leader has pleaded guilty to charges of molesting four teen-age boys who were members of his church.

Daniel Walter Peterson, 33, of Lawrence, was a youth group leader at the Tonganoxie United Methodist Church. He pleaded guilty Friday in Douglas County District Court to committing criminal sodomy and three counts of indecent liberties with a child.

The offenses became known after a boy at the church told the minister that sexual crimes had been committed at Petersen's Lawrence home. The minister contacted Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services officials, who then called police.

Authorities said the boys were from 13 to 15 years old at the time of the incidents, which occurred between 1997 and 2000.

Peterson had been charged with eight counts of aggravated indecent liberties against a child, two counts of criminal sodomy and one count of aggravated sexual battery. Those charges were reduced in the final complaint.

Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone said Peterson could face nearly six years in prison on the criminal sodomy charge alone. On the three other charges, Peterson could be sentenced to an additional two years and 10 months each, Malone said.

Wichita woman confesses to forgery

WICHITA -- A Wichita woman has pleaded guilty to forging checks to herself to launder $567,238 from the trucking company she worked for.

Deanna J. Stroud, 55, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Wichita Thursday.

Stroud admitted to eight counts of check forgery and three counts of money laundering. She committed the crimes while working as a bookkeeper for Metro Express in Wichita.

She faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, without parole, for each count of check forgery and a maximum of 20 years on each count of money laundering.