DODGE CITY

Lawmaker to resign after 7 years in House

State Rep. Ethel Peterson, a Dodge City Democrat, is resigning after seven years in the Kansas House.

In a letter to constituents in her 119th District, Peterson said she would leave effective Oct. 31. The retired teacher and counselor said the weekly drive between Dodge City and Topeka during the session had taken a toll and that it was the main reason for her decision.

A convention of Democratic precinct leaders in the 119th District will nominate a successor.

Ottawa

Hazardous fumes close fast food restaurant

Several patrons and employees of an Ottawa fast food restaurant may have inhaled hazardous fumes when a worker poured a mixture of chemicals down a drain, officials said.

An employee at a KFC restaurant apparently poured Liquid Fire, a drain cleaner that contains sulfuric acid, and then chlorine bleach into the drain, according to the Ottawa Fire Department.

The chemical mixture released a hazardous gas in the restaurant Monday evening. Five employees and three customers reported respiratory problems and difficulty breathing.

KANSAS CITY, Kan.

Services are Friday for former legislator

A funeral for former state Rep. Norman Justice is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the city’s Trinity A.M.E. Church.

Justice died Thursday at the Colonial Manor Nursing and Care Center in Leavenworth. He was 77. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Justice, a Democrat, represented a Wyandotte County district in the House for 16 years, starting in 1973. He retired in May 1989, citing health reasons.

He also served as chairman of the Kansas Civil Rights Commission for five years before becoming a legislator.

PARSONS

Management changes for S.E. Kansas papers

The Chanute Tribune and the Parsons Sun will be under common management beginning Nov. 1, Harris Enterprises Inc. announced Wednesday.

Ann Charles, 52, the editor and publisher at Parsons, will become publisher of both newspapers. Duane Schrag, 48, the editor and publisher of the Tribune, plans to move to Abilene in the next several months to get married.

Harris Enterprises Inc., a Hutchinson-based newspaper company, owns the two dailies and six others.