Linn County News
Published July 3, 2024
Billy Sherwin Hardesty, of Linn Valley, Kan., died on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at Shawnee Gardens, in Shawnee Mission, Kan. Billy was born April 7, 1942, in Platte City, Mo., to Lowell S. and Delvina (Anderson) Hardesty, Sr. Billy graduated from Park Hill High School in the class of 1960. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1964. Billy was the first Mayor of Linn Valley. He held a variety of jobs throughout the years, most notably as an office manager for his brother Lowell’s State Farm Insurance office in Overland Park, Kan., for 21 years.
Billy was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter, Jill Hardesty in 2015; one step-son, Jarrod W. Manford in 2016.
Survivors include his wife of 31 and 1/2 years, Sandra (Skare) Hardesty; one son William Teague Hardesty; one daughter Angela Kuehn (Kevin); one step-son, Daniel Manford (Mary); two stepdaughters, Teresa Mayer and Cynthia Rowlands; one brother, Lowell S. Hardesty, Jr. (Kaye); one sister Sherry Hinebaugh (Nick); two granddaughters, Emily and Anna Cormack; six step-grandchildren, Sydney Olea (Alex), Scotty Rowlands (Laura), Nicky Rowlands (Renee), Jefferson Manford, Jewel Manford (Jake), and Cooper Mayer; and seven step-great-grandchildren.
The family will hold a Celebration of Life this fall at the Hardesty Farm. Friends and family may leave online condolences at www.schneiderfunerals.com.
OBITUARIES
Bernard Thomas “Tom” Brownback ~ 10-06-1938 to 02-27-2026
Linn County News Published March 4, 2026 Bernard Thomas "Tom" Brownback was born on a farm in Centerville, Kan., the fifth child born to William Earl and Kezia Ellen (Reynolds) Brownback on Oct. 6, 1938. He passed away on his farm in rural Blue Mound,... [More]
Bernard E. “Gene” Post ~ 05-02-1934 to 12-15-2025
Linn County News Published March 4, 2026 Bernard E. “Gene” Post, 91, of Mound City, Kan., passed away peacefully on Dec. 15, 2025. Born on May 2, 1934, in Mound City, Kan., he lived a life marked by generosity, quiet strength, and unwavering... [More]
Joy Dean Young ~ 01-13-1939 to 02-16-2026
Linn County News Published Feb. 25, 2026 Joy Dean Young, age 87 of Mound City, Kan., passed away at his home on Feb. 16, 2026. There are no services scheduled at this time. Services under the direction of Schneider Funeral Home, Mound City Chapel.
More Obituaries
- Ramona June Holland ~ 04-19-1956 to 02-07-2026
- Rebecca Lowe ~ 01-04-1948 to 02-09-2026
- Rex McCulley ~ 11-27-1946 to 02-14-2026
- Beverly Ann (Kisinger) Griffin ~ 10-07-1942 to 02-03-2026
- Katherine Paulette Curry ~ 02-27-1945 to 01-31-2026
- Terry Dean Crump ~ 02-03-1942 to 01-27-2026
- Viola May “Budd” Ralston ~ 02-04-1933 to 01-21-2026
- Jerel Lynn Pankratz ~ 12-08-1956 to 01-20-2026
NEWS
Commissioners hear from appraiser on valuations report from KPI
During the meeting on March 2, the Linn County Commissioners heard from County Appraiser Lisa Kellstadt who stated that in response to the KPI (Kansas Policy Institute) report on valuations she had sent documents to each commissioner and would like to report on those. Kellstadt... [More]
2025 data is in: Four straight years of unaffordable assessed valuation hikes. Where’s the relief?
Assessed valuation changes for 2025, released this morning, reiterate the need for a constitutional amendment to limit the increases. The average increase for existing residential property (not counting new construction) of 5.9% is more than double the inflation rate, and that’s... [More]
USD 346 potential $10 million bond issue discussed
The USD 346 Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to discuss options for renovating the science suite at Jayhawk Linn along with several other items. The meeting began with discussing a timeline, with HVAC and plumbing kicking things off and a pre-construction... [More]
More News
- SPECIAL - PUBLIC NOTICE LINN COUNTY, KANSAS PLANNING & ZONING BOARD
- Pleasanton contracts with engineer for water plant roof
- La Cygne Council approves property purchase
- Commissioners discuss future of economic development
- Linn County Planning Commission approves Thies motorcycle CUP
- Governor Kelly issues state of disaster emergency for wildland fires
- Parker City Council awards roofing bid
- Commissioners receive update on large-scale culvert project
SPORTS
Pleasanton boys advance in Sub-State tournament, girls end season
The Pleasanton boys’ and girls’ basketball teams began their Sub-State tournament action this past week. Pleasanton is in the Madison 1A Div. 1 Sub-State and the boys entered the tournament as the 1 seed with a 20-1 record while the girls were the 11 seed with an... [More]
Jayhawk wrestling has four wrestlers place in the top four at State
The Jayhawk boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams traveled to Hays on Feb. 27-28 to compete in the 3-1A State tournament. The Hawks brought a total of 11 wrestlers to the event, six girls and five boys. The boys’ team earned three State medals while the girls’... [More]
Prairie View boys’ wrestling sends two to State
The Prairie View boys’ wrestling team traveled to Paola on Feb. 21 to compete in a 4A Regional to determine who would make the 4A State tournament in Salina on Feb. 27-28. The Buffalos took eight wrestlers and two emerged as qualifiers for the State tournament, Bentlee... [More]
More Sports
- Jayhawk boys’ wrestling sends five to State and sets milestones
- Prairie View basketball ends regular season with wins in the final week
- Pleasanton boys’ basketball finishes regular season as Three Rivers champions
- Jayhawk girls’ wrestling taking six wrestlers to State
- Pleasanton basketball faces off against Southeast and Erie
- Prairie View girls’ wrestling qualify five for State
- Prairie View boys/girls’ wrestling hosts Jayhawk in a dual
- Pleasanton basketball travels to Northeast and hosts Yates Center during Courtwarming week
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Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com
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