DesotoExplorer.com

De Soto company acquires Ohio-based addition

Posted by Laura Herring on December 15, 2011 at 10 a.m.

Huhtamaki, a food packaging company with its North American headquarters in De Soto, is expanding their company through the acquisition of Ample Industries, Inc.

Huhtamaki announced in a press release earlier this month that the Ohio-based Ample Industries, which employs approximately 230 people, will "further expand Huhtamaki’s product portfolio of tableware, cups, containers, carriers, and serviceware."

Along with the acquisition of Ample Industries, Huhtamaki announced in the release plans to expand in the paper drink cup and pressed paperboard plate industries.

This is Huhtamaki's second major acquisition this year. They bought Texas-based Paris Packaging in September.

Census figures show how De Soto stacks up

Posted by Laura Herring on December 14, 2011 at 9:14 a.m.

Call it learning by numbers.

The U.S. Census Bureau — through its American Community Survey program — released a large new batch of statistics for every community in the United States on Thursday.

De Soto residents, according to the figures, are generally older and more predominantly white than those in most of the listed surrounding cities and pay the most for their homes. With the exception of Topeka, the cities listed here are home to newspapers or news websites owned by the World Company, parent company of The Explorer.

All the numbers are a five-year average from 2006 to 2010. The numbers are garnered from a continuous survey that the Census Bureau conducts throughout the country. The five-year average is meant to lower the margin of error on the statistics, but some of the margins of error are still significant. But they’re the best numbers that will be released.

So dive in and learn how De Soto stacks up to other communities in the area.

Median age of residents

Only three nearby communities have median ages higher than De Soto.

1. Manhattan: 23.4 years
2. Lawrence: 25.6
3. Eudora: 31
4. Tonganoxie: 31.2
5. Baldwin City: 31.7
6. Olathe: 32.4
7. Bonner Springs: 33.8 8. De Soto: 34.5
8. Shawnee: 35.0
9. Topeka: 36.0
10. Basehor: 38.9

Percent of population that is white

According to the numbers, De Soto is the most predominantly white community in the area.

1.De Soto: 99.3 percent white 2. Tonganoxie: 97.5 percent 3. Baldwin City: 97.4 percent 4. Basehor: 96.0 percent 5. Eudora: 95.7 percent 6. Bonner Springs: 89.7 percent 7. Manhattan: 88.7 percent 8. Shawnee: 86.8 percent 9. Olathe: 84.2 percent 10. Lawrence: 82.5 percent 11. Topeka: 75.7 percent

Percent of owner-occupied homes

More folks still own than rent in De Soto.

1. Basehor: 81.6 percent owner-occupied
2. Bonner Springs: 75.2 percent
3. Olathe: 74.1 percent
4. Shawnee: 73.3 percent
5. Eudora: 72.5 percent 6. De Soto: 70.6 percent
6. Tonganoxie: 67.9 percent
7. Baldwin: 62.4 percent
8. Topeka: 59.6 percent
9. Lawrence: 46.7 percent
10. Manhattan: 41 percent

Median price of a home

De Soto's median home prices are the most expensive in the pack.

1. De Soto: $220,100 2. Shawnee: $198,600 3. Olathe: $193,300 4. Basehor: $183,000 5. Lawrence: $172,900 6. Manhattan: $163,800 7. Tonganoxie: $151,800 8. Eudora: $151,200 9. Baldwin: $150,600 10. Bonner Springs: $147,100 11. Topeka: $94,200

Spending on housing costs

This is the percent of homeowners who spend more than 35 percent of their household income on housing costs.

1. Bonner Springs: 25.2 percent of homeowners
2. Lawrence: 22.4 percent
3. Baldwin City 20.2 percent
4. Topeka: 19.1 percent
5. Shawnee: 18.1 percent
6. Basehor: 17.2 percent
7. Tonganoxie: 16.8 percent
8. Olathe: 16.7 percent
9. Manhattan: 16.6 percent
10. Eudora: 15.3 percent 11. De Soto: 11 percent

Median monthly rent

Some of these communities may be more focused on renting houses than apartments.

1. Basehor: $921
2. Baldwin: $826
3. Olathe: $801
4. Eudora: $777
5. Lawrence: $774
6. Tonganoxie: $765
7. Shawnee: $753
8. Manhattan: $739
9. Bonner Springs: $697 10. De Soto: $680
10. Topeka: $628

Median household income

This number is probably lower in college towns, such as Lawrence, because students who earn part-time incomes do drag numbers down.

1. Olathe: $75,228
2. Shawnee: $72,122
3. Basehor: $72,120
4. Baldwin City: $65,053 5. De Soto: $61,915
5. Eudora: $60,544
6. Tonganoxie: $58,672
7. Bonner Springs: $56,630
8. Lawrence: $41,290
9. Topeka: $40,342
10. Manhattan: $36,630

Median earnings for a male, full-time, year-round worker

De Soto is towards the bottom of the list.

1. Basehor: $60,326
2. Olathe: $56,934
3. Shawnee: $56,312
4. Baldwin City: $50,833
5. Bonner Springs: $47,670
6. Tonganoxie: $47,500
7. Eudora: $45,861 8. De Soto: $45,000
8. Lawrence: $42,362
9. Topeka: $40,832
10. Manhattan: $39,095

Percent of households receiving food stamps

There are several ways to measure poverty in a community, and this is one.

1. Topeka: 11.9 percent of households
2. Bonner Springs: 7.4 percent
3. Eudora: 5.3 percent
4. Lawrence: 5.1 percent
5. Baldwin City: 4.7 percent
6. Manhattan: 4.1 percent
7. Olathe: 3.7 percent 8. De Soto: 3.4 percent
8. Shawnee: 3.1 percent
9. Basehor: 2.1 percent
10. Tonganoxie: 0.8 percent

This story originally appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World by reporter Chad Lawhorn. We modified portions of this story to reflect De Soto numbers.

Fire department calls: Dec. 3-9

Posted by Laura Herring on December 9, 2011 at 2:11 p.m.

The Northwest Consolidated Fire District responded to the following calls in De Soto in the last week:

• Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8:38 p.m.: an injury accident at Corliss Road and E. Kansas Highway 10.
• Saturday, Dec. 3 at 9:49 p.m.: an injury accident at W. 135th Street and Moonlight Road.
• Saturday, Dec. 3 at 11:41 p.m.: an invalid assist in the 31600 block of W. 85th Street.
• Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:08 p.m.: an EMS call in the 33600 block of W. 85th Street.
• Monday, Dec. 5 at 5:09 a.m.: a report of smoke detector activation without fire in the 8400 block of Rik Mar Drive.
• Monday, Dec. 5 at 4:13 p.m.: an invalid assist in the 8200 block of Corliss Road.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 1:03 a.m.: an EMS call in the 9800 block of Post Oak Drive.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 10:12 a.m.: an EMS call in the 8900 block of Overhill Circle.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 2:15 p.m.: an EMS call in the 34200 block of Commerce Drive.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8:22 a.m.: an EMS call in the 32800 block of W. 84th Street.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8:28 a.m.: an EMS call in the 8700 block of Kill Creek Road.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 5:46 p.m.: an EMS call in the 8400 block of Dicken Avenue.
• Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.: an EMS call in the 33600 block of W 85th Street
• Friday, Dec. 9 at 12:36 a.m.: an EMS call in the 33200 block of W. 87th Terrace.

Show off your holiday decorations!

Posted by Laura Herring on December 9, 2011 at 10:53 a.m.

Would your house put the Griswald family to shame? Is your yard filled with light-up reindeer and inflatable snowmen or are you more of a classic, evergreen swag decorator? It doesn't matter how you've chosen to show your holiday spirit, we want to see it! Email your holiday decoration photos to editor@desotoexplorer.com, complete with your name and address, and we'll post them in a special, holiday photogallery.

Law enforcement calls: Dec. 2-8

Posted by Laura Herring on December 9, 2011 at 10:23 a.m.

Johnson County Sheriff's deputies responded to the following calls in De Soto in the past week:

• Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8:52 p.m.: a report of a non-injury accident at Kill Creek Road and W. Kansas Highway 10.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 9:57 a.m.: a theft report in the 34100 block of W. 85th Terrace.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 5:49 p.m.: a report of a non-injury accident at W. 83rd Street and Cedar Creek Road.
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:50 p.m.: a report of a loose animal in the 8500 block of Ottawa Street.
• Thursday, Dec. 8 at 3:48 p.m.: a report of a previous theft in the 3200 block of W. 83rd Street.

Contractor breaks ground for new Dollar General store

Posted by Laura Herring on December 7, 2011 at 10:40 a.m.

GBT Realty crews excavate soil in the first stages of construction on the new Dollar General store at the intersection of Lexington and Penner Avenues in De Soto on Thursday, Dec. 8. by Laura Herring

After months of planning, workers with Tennessee-based GBT Realty Corp. have broken ground at Lexington and Penner avenues for the new Dollar General store.

The store is expected to be completed by the spring.

The city earlier this year sold the 1.3-acre lot to GBT for $140,000, which includes $10,000 toward any traffic light needed in the future. A traffic study done in September showed no need for a light at this time.

Construction plans hit a bump last month when GBT realized it was far over budget expectations and asked for relief from the city. According to City Administrator Pat Guilfoyle, the city and GBT reached an agreement in which the city would waive $25,000 for the required landscaping on the original site plan. This waiver is in accord with new landscaping regulations the City Council and Planning Commission hope to implement, Guilfoyle said.

Fire department calls: Nov. 27-Dec. 2

Posted by Laura Herring on December 6, 2011 at 11:02 a.m.

The Northwest Consolidated Fire District responded to the following calls in De Soto in the last week:

• Sunday, Nov. 27 at 8:23 p.m.: a report of an equipment failure in the 9700 block of Kill Creek Road.
• Monday, Nov. 28 at 6:42 a.m.: an EMS call in the 8700 block of Lynn Road.
• Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 3:53 a.m.: a report of smoke in the 33800 block of W. 83rd Street.
• Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 1:52 p.m.: an EMS call in the 33600 block of W. 85th Street.
• Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10:48 p.m.: an EMS call in the 8400 block of Edgerton Road.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 12:15 p.m.: an EMS call in the 8200 block of Kaw Avenue.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 1:03 p.m.: a request for assistance from the sheriff's department in the 8200 block of Kaw Avenue.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 8:09 p.m.: an EMS call in the 28400 block of W. 95th Street
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 10:49 p.m.: an EMS call in the 9700 block of Kill Creek Road.
• Friday, Dec. 2 at 6:47 p.m.: a report of a smoke detector activation without fire in the 34500 block of W. 83rd Street.

Holiday Bazaar attracts large crowd despite rainy weather

Posted by Laura Herring on December 5, 2011 at 10:52 a.m.

Thirty-two vendor booths, double the number as last year, filled the gymnasium at the De Soto Community Center for the second Holiday Bazaar. "I'm so pleased with how things are going this year and the positive feedback," said organizer Jennifer Marrs. "I think this is just what De Soto needed and I hope to keep doing it." by Laura Herring

The annual De Soto Holiday Bazaar and Mayor's Tree Lighting drew a large crowd Saturday, Dec. 3, despite rainy weather. With double the number of vendor booths and Santa Claus arriving on a fire engine, there was something for everyone at the event.

"Everyone's having a great time," said Jenny Whitehair, who brought her family to the event. "It's a great community activity and something fun to do on a rainy day."

Thirty-two vendor booths squeezed into the gymnasium, leaving just enough room to wander between them. Shoppers could buy everything from homemade dog biscuits and crocheted hats to handbags and jewelry.

"I'm so pleased with how things are going this year and the positive feedback," said organizer Jennifer Marrs. "I think this is just what De Soto needed and I hope to keep doing it."

Of course the bazaar was more than just holiday shopping. The De Soto Rotary Club served chili and homemade soup and Santa Claus arrived on a fire engine to greet the kids. More photos from the event can be viewed in this photogallery.

Law enforcement calls: Nov. 28-Dec. 1

Posted by Laura Herring on December 2, 2011 at 12:53 p.m.

Johnson County Sheriff's deputies responded to the following calls in De Soto in the last week:

• Monday, Nov. 28 at 5:55 p.m.: a report of a non-injury accident at Lexington Avenue and Golden Lane.
• Monday, Nov. 28 at 9:29 p.m.: a report of a non-injury accident at Kansas Highway 10 and Lexington Avenue.
• Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6:53 p.m.: a report of harassment in the 8800 block of Thompson Drive.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 11 a.m.: a warrant service in the 8200 block of Kaw Avenue.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 1:21 p.m.: a theft report in the 31700 block of W. 83rd Street.
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 8:09 p.m.: a report of an overdose in the 28400 block of W. 95th Street.
• Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11:32 p.m.: a report of a criminal threat in the 34200 block of Commerce Drive.

Guns, explosives removed from De Soto home during search

Posted by Laura Herring on December 1, 2011 at 9:57 a.m.

Two people were arrested at a home in eastern De Soto on Wednesday, Nov. 30, after a search by Johnson County Sheriff's deputies resulted in the seizure of several firearms and explosive devices, among other items, according to a release from the department.

Deputies searched the home after more than four months of investigation into the residence. Johnson County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Erickson said the type of explosives were not known at this time but the Olathe Fire Department's bomb squad were called in to dispose of the devices.

In addition to the guns and explosives, deputies seized methamphetamines and marijuana.