‘I am now cancer free.’ Grateful Merriam Police Cpl. Phil Lewis returns to work

After 22 months away, Merriam Police Cpl. Phil Lewis has returned to work following treatment for colon cancer.

It was a long road back, because Lewis suffered a series of medical setbacks after being diagnosed in January 2019.

“Unfortunately, nothing went as planned, and I experienced a lot of complications from the numerous surgeries and treatments I had,” the 17-year police veteran said in a news release. “Although my recovery was anything but routine, it was successful, and I am now cancer-free.”

During his ordeal, Lewis received help from organizations such as Answering the Call and Guns N’ Hoses, as well as from Merriam and its residents.

During several hospitalizations, he said, city and police employees “fed my family, helped my wife around the house and volunteered their time at her business. They have attended and held numerous fundraisers donating their own time and money.”

Lewis has an answer for people who wonder why he would return during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of social unrest following high-profile police shootings:

“I love being a police officer, and I’m not done yet. I have a debt to repay to the law enforcement community, the Merriam Police Department and the citizens of Merriam for all they have done for me. I can’t just walk away from that.”

Olathe picks new councilman

The Olathe City Council has appointed Kevin Gilmore to fill a council vacancy that resulted from the unexpected death in August of Mayor Michael Copeland.

After Copeland died, Mayor Pro Tem John Bacon took his place. On Oct. 6, the council chose Council Member Wes McCoy, who then represented Ward 3, to fill Bacon’s at-large position. That left another vacancy in Ward 3.

Gilmore is director of pensions and benefits USA at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe.

According to a university press release announcing his appointment in September 2019, Gilmore had been chief financial officer at MidAmerica Nazarene from 2009 to 2016 before becoming a partner in a management consulting firm.

Gilmore served on the Olathe Board of Education from 2003 to 2011 and was board president for two years. In the 1990s, he served four years on the Kansas State Board of Education and was chairman for two years.

A graduate of Leadership Olathe and Leadership Kansas, Gilmore earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in organizational administration/leadership, both from MidAmerica Nazarene.

Gardner Edgerton teacher honored

A science teacher at Gardner Edgerton High School is one of five educators to earn a 2020 ABC award from the state’s Confidence in Public Education Task Force.

Shannon Ralph and the others were recognized for their leadership in developing a blueprint for educating students after schools closed last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Within one week, these educators, along with the talented educators they recruited to join the team, developed the Continuous Learning Plan, which helped lead teachers and students through the end of the school year,” the task force said in a news release. “As the Kansas plan spread it also served as a foundation for other states as they developed their own continuous learning plans.”

The team and more than 500 other educators worked over the summer to help schools get ready for an uncertain opening this fall.

Ralph was named the 2015 Kansas Teacher of the Year when she worked in Dodge City. Once schools shut down in March, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson convened a group led by Ralph and four other award-winning educators to oversee the learning plan.

Watch for deer while driving

Traffic safety experts say drivers should be especially watchful for deer — which are more active during the mating season this time of year — especially at dawn and dusk.

“If you are unfortunate enough to have a deer enter the highway in front of your car, it is best to hit the animal and not swerve to avoid it,” Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Candice Breshears said in a news release.

“Often, we find more serious crashes occur when you swerve to miss the deer, potentially losing control of your vehicle, leaving the road or veering into oncoming traffic.”

Last year, eight people were killed and 556 people were injured in Kansas deer-vehicle crashes. AAA Kansas reports that among its policy holders, the average damage claim for deer-related accidents was nearly $4,500 from 2016 to 2019.

Anyone seeing a deer should watch for others, experts say, because they seldom travel alone. A sustained honk of the horn might scare them away.

‘Magic happens’ when he picks up his trumpet

Christopher Petrella, who plays trumpet in the Shawnee Mission South High School marching band and orchestra, was one of 11 finalists in the 14-to-18 age group in the Ictus International Trumpet Competition.

Petrella has been playing the trumpet since in fifth grade. He chose the instrument because he liked its sound and to set himself apart from his father, a percussionist in the Kansas City Symphony. He practices three to four hours on school days and seven to eight hours on the weekend.

“Chris is a unique talent. When he picks up his horn, magic happens,” Steve Adams, Shawnee Mission South band director, said in a news release. “His work ethic and dedication are beyond exceptional.”

As a freshman, Petrella was the first South student ever to make the Kansas All-State Band. He intends to pursue a music career and hopes to play in a symphony orchestra.

County transaction will save $6.5 million

Johnson County Government agreed this month to take on millions of dollars in new debt so it can save nearly $6.5 million by paying off costlier old debt.

On Oct. 15, county commissioners authorized the sale of $54.4 million in general obligation refunding bonds and $6.8 million in lease purchase revenue refunding bonds. Four outstanding bond issues will be retired.

“We were pleased to take advantage of low interest rates,” Commission Chairman Ed Eilert said in a news release. “The interest savings benefit Johnson County taxpayers in financing public capital improvements at the lowest costs.”

JCCC exhibit captures equality struggle

From Oct. 27 through Nov. 23, Johnson County Community College is hosting an outdoor photo/video exhibit that juxtaposes the 1960s civil rights movement with today’s Black Lives Matter movement.

The exhibit, #1960Now by artist Sheila Pree Bright, is outside the college’s Fine Arts & Design Studios. Students were tapped to install the exhibit, which also includes an interactive opportunity in the vestibule where people can respond to the material.

The exhibit will be open during campus hours, but reservations are required to ensure social distancing. Only one person at a time can participate in the interactive portion. Masks are required on campus.

Free produce at Mission event

The city of Mission is collaborating with Harvesters to host a mobile food distribution event, primarily featuring fresh produce, at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31.

No identification is needed at the drive-thru event in the east parking lot of Shawnee Mission North High School, 7401 Johnson Drive. Recipients will be asked to provide the number of people in their household, and food will be distributed while supplies last.

Meanwhile, on Oct. 22, the city opened its Community Food Pantry at Trinity Lutheran Church, 5601 W. 62nd St., with hours from 4 to 7 p.m. The pantry will be open again on Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.

County agencies refigured

Johnson County Government has moved forward with a reorganization, approved earlier this fall, that’s designed to enhance the visibility of its aging services and bring efficiencies to planning, transit and housing functions.

Effective Oct. 19, the Planning, Development and Codes Department was renamed to Planning, Housing and Community Development. By year’s end it will have assumed full responsibility of housing services and administration of a federal block-grant program.

Those functions previously were handled by the Department of Human Services, which is now the Department of Aging and Human Services.

This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘I am now cancer free.’ Grateful Merriam Police Cpl. Phil Lewis returns to work."