Matt Erickson | BonnerSprings.com

Matt Erickson is a staff writer for the Basehor Sentinel.

Recent stories

The price of loyalty: Setting wages a balancing act for area cities: By Matt Erickson; September 12, 2012; This year, the average police officer in Shawnee takes home an hourly wage of about $23.59, a rate equal to about $49,000 per year, not including overtime.
Basehor-Linwood High School wins National Blue Ribbon Schools honor: By Matt Erickson; September 7, 2012; Basehor-Linwood High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Friday, one of six schools in the state to earn the honor for 2012.
New Basehor-Linwood school lunches draw praise, criticism during first few weeks: By Matt Erickson; September 6, 2012; As Taylor Marcus munched on a slice of pizza in the Basehor Intermediate School lunchroom Friday, she remembered what the school’s pizza used to be like.
‘It’s just their world’: iPads changing Basehor-Linwood sixth-grade classrooms: By Matt Erickson; August 30, 2012; After providing a few minutes to finish up homework, Juli Brown has some instructions for her students.
Former police officer sues city of Basehor, alleging wrongful termination: By Matt Erickson; 01:14 p.m., August 23, 2012 Updated 03:00 p.m.; A former Basehor police officer is suing the city and three current and former officials in U.S. District Court, alleging wrongful termination among other offenses.
Circus coming to Basehor will benefit Chamber: By Matt Erickson; August 23, 2012; The circus is coming to Basehor, and anyone who buys a ticket will not only receive a seat under the big top but also help spread the word about the city to potential new residents.
School districts vary on social media use: By Matt Erickson; August 22, 2012; In less than three years, the Basehor-Linwood school district’s Facebook page has amassed more than 1,000 “likes,” one for every two students in its buildings. But a few miles away, in Bonner Springs, there is no district Facebook page to be found.
Basehor-Linwood budget lowers mill levy slightly: By Matt Erickson; August 13, 2012; With the 2012-13 school year set to begin in a few days, the Basehor-Linwood school board on Monday approved a budget for the year that will decrease property owners’ tax burden slightly.
Construction of stoplight at Basehor intersection where Tonganoxie teacher was killed Friday to begin later this month: By Matt Erickson; August 13, 2012; The collision that killed a Tonganoxie teacher at 158th Street and U.S. Highway 24-40 in Basehor on Friday occurred just months before the planned addition of a traffic signal at the intersection.
New extension agent no stranger to county fair scene: By Matt Erickson; August 7, 2012; Steve McNorton has seen his share of county fairs — 90 percent of the ones held in Kansas, he estimates.

Recent photos

Officer Mike Joslyn is one of eight full-time officers in the Basehor Police Department. Police Chief Lloyd Martley says the department has had a difficult time retaining officers in recent years as their wages have lagged behind those at other area cities, but increases approved by the Basehor City Council this summer should make the department more competitive.

Dannielle White, a fifth-grader at Basehor Intermediate School, grabs some broccoli while loading up her lunch tray Friday.

Josh Marcus, a fourth-grader at Basehor Intermediate School, scoops some watermelon onto his tray during lunch Friday. Students at BIS on Friday said they liked the school’s new meals this year, after the district switched to a private food-service provider. But some parents and students — especially at Basehor-Linwood High School — have complained about the change.

Basehor-Linwood Middle School sixth-graders Darby Peterson (clockwise from lower left), MacKenzie Bizzell and Nolan Ford take notes on their iPads during Juli Brown’s English class Monday morning. Each BLMS sixth-grader was issued an iPad this year, and students say they’ve used them constantly so far.

A picture of a can filled with popsicle sticks appears on the screen of reading teacher Juli Brown’s iPad. Brown used the app to randomly select students to take turns reading aloud to the class.

Full photo list