S U N D AY, A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 1 6

4A

L&T

News

news@hpleader.com

A B O V E: T h e c u r r e n t M u n c h k i n l a n d p l a y g r o u n d a r e a . T h e a g e a n d p o t e n ti a l s a f e ty i s s u e s w i th t h e c u r r e n t
e q u i p m e n t w a s w h a t i n s p i r e d l o c a l E a g l e Sc o u t C h r i s ti a n E r m a n n to t a k e o n th e p l a y g r o u n d a s h i s E a g l e
pr o je ct . L&T photo/Elly Grimm
L E F T : A s k e t ch o f t h e n e w e q u i p m e n t t o b e i n s t a l l e d a t th e M u n c h k i n l a n d p l a y g r o u n d a r e a a t D o r o t h y s
H o u s e a n d t h e L a n d o f O z . T h e p u r c h a s e o f t h e n e w e q u i p m e n t w a s a p p r o v e d a t th e m o s t r e c e n t m e e ti n g
o f t he Li ber a l C it y C om m i ssi on . Courtesy photo

Munchkinland ...
O Continued from Page 1A

major Wizard of Oz characters on

it, helping it fit in at the location.
One of the major reasons
Ermann said he decided to take on
the project was to make a safe play
area for children in the community.
Fixing up a place like the
Dorothy's House playground, it
creates a positive impact on the
community for tourism, Ermann
said. It also provides a safe place
for children to have fun and enjoy
themselves that their parents can
be comfortable with. I know right
now some of the equipment does
look a little sketchy and dangerous,
and it might unsettle some parents
who might not want their children
to play there.
The project was born several
months ago, and to help begin
raising funds, Ermann said
donation boxes were put up before
Christmas at a few local businesses.

Then in February letters were sent

out to local businesses asking for
donations. But a major step for the
project, he said, was the
commissions approval Tuesday
evening.
The commissioners approved
enough money to pay for the
equipment by themselves. So all
the money we've earned previously
plus any money we get from here
on out is just going to be for extras
to help improve the experience,
such as landscaping or putting in a
bench, Ermann said. And even if
we don't use all the money we
earned, it will go back to Dorothy's
House so they can make any
needed improvements, too.
The new equipment is scheduled
to be delivered six to eight weeks
after the completed paperwork is
mailed in, which Ermann said
should be next week. For the

general timeline of the project, the

old equipment will come down
probably a week or two before the
new equipment comes in. This
ensures there is time to get the old
equipment out, level the surface
and get rid of any other potential
issues. Ermann said his plan for the
project has always been to get
everything in before the beginning
of the school year, and added it
looks like staff will be able to hit
that deadline easily.
Talking about the new
equipment specifically, it's going to
be a lot more modern, so it will be
much more durable, Ermann said.
Also, the materials it's made from
are really durable, so it should last a
long time. And looking at a bigger
picture, I think it will have a
positive effect on how tourists and
even locals see the community and
how there are positive changes
going on.
Another big motivator behind
the project, Ermann said, was
safety.
A big thing for me is safety
because in Boy Scouts, there are a
lot of things we do to make sure no
one gets hurt. For example, last

2 Bundys, 3 others balk at

pleas in Nevada standoff case
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS Two sons of

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and
three other men refused to enter
pleas in federal court in Las Vegas
to charges in an armed
confrontation with government
agents two years ago.
Magistrate Judge George Foley
Jr. entered not guilty pleas on
behalf of each man during a
sometimes
contentious
arraignment that featured cat-calls
and cheers from about 30 Bundy
backers and defendants family
members, under watchful eyes of
about a dozen U.S. marshals.
We dont need any outbursts,
Foley warned from the U.S.
District Court bench Friday. Twice
he told the restive audience, This is
not a show.
Before
balking
at
entering his plea, Ammon
Bundy alleged he had
been mistreated in
custody to Nevada
from
Oregon,
where he and the
others have been held
since their arrests in the
occupation of a U.S. wildlife
refuge this year.
He said hed been
handcuffed for 23 hours
during the move, including
11 hours to a bench, and
that jailers once passed him
by when other inmates were
fed. He said he got a meal
after he complained.
I do not see how we are
being treated as innocent in
any way, he said.
His brother and codefendant, Ryan Bundy,
professed to understand his rights
but not the charges against him.
He also said
he wants to
serve as
h i s

own lawyer.
The judge noted that a court
clerk and prosecutor Steven Myhre
had just spent 94 minutes reading
the 63-page, 16-count indictment
aloud. The word-for-word recital
came after the defendants
exercised their right to hear the
charges against them.
A grand jury accused 19 people
including Fridays defendants,
family patriarch Cliven Bundy and
13 others who were arraigned
previously of conspiracy,
obstruction, weapon, threats and
assault charges in the April 2014
standoff with federal agents near
Bunkerville, about 80 miles
northeast of Las Vegas. All 19 are
now in federal custody in and
around Las Vegas.
Seven men, including the five in
court Friday, are also facing
conspiracy, weapon, theft and

damaging government property

charges in Portland, Oregon,
stemming from the 41-day
occupation of the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge.
U.S. District Judge Anna Brown
in Portland has scheduled jury
selection to begin Sept. 7 in the
Oregon case, despite defense attorneys objections that they wont
have enough time to prepare and
that it would be improper to make
their clients defend two cases at
once in different states.
Co-defendants Blaine Cooper
and Ryan Payne stood Friday next
to their court-appointed attorneys
in Las Vegas and said their rights
were being violated.
Payne told the judge it was
preposterous, sir, to have to
defend himself against federal
charges in two jurisdictions at the
same time.

Why should you take your car to

Squeaky Clean Car Wash?

Our tunnel wash has:
> Custom Prep
Pre-wash inspection for removal of bugs, light mud and bird poo!

> Outstanding Customer Service

Friendly, reliable, trained team members

> Highly Maintained Equipment

Regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance

COME SEE US TODAY!

Squeaky Clean Car Wash

1305 N. Western Ave, Liberal
8am-8pm Mon - Sat
Tunnel Wash Closed on Sunday

summer I went on a hiking trip,

and one of the things they stressed
was being safe because it was a
long trip. So they required us to
get into groups of seven, so in case
someone got hurt, someone could
get help, Ermann said. Applying
that to this playground, with the
safety, the way it is right now, I
personally know if you go down
that slide, you're likely to scrape
yourself, and it also gets hot since
it's metal.
Overall, Ermann said, he is
excited for the project to happen.
I've had a couple people talk to
me about how they heard I got the
money. So I want to clarify that
although we did raise the money to
purchase the equipment, getting
more donations will make the
playground that much better
because the extra money will go to
other improvements for that area

like landscaping or benches or

other extras, Ermann added.
Then, with my project, any money
we don't use will go back to

Dorothy's House, like I said earlier.

So it's all staying here in the
community no matter what.