Wichita

Testing finds no signs of sudden oak death

Preliminary results from tests on plants in Kansas have found no signs of sudden oak death, a blight that kills oak trees and sickens some ornamental plants including rhododendrons and camellias, Tom Sim of the state Department of Agriculture says.

The state’s climate does not make it easy for the disease to spread, he said. Sudden oak death likes relatively low humidity and temperatures, as well as water.

“If somebody has an oak that suddenly died, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with it,” said Sedgwick County extension agent Bob Neier.

But officials are testing plants shipped from a California nursery to 39 states, including Kansas, for possible infection. The fungus-like pathogen has killed thousands of trees in California and Oregon.

Since March, plants from California have been inspected for the disease before being shipped.

Wichita

Trespasser drowns in concrete plant’s lake

A man drowned during the holiday weekend in a lake on the property of the Dolese Bros. concrete plant, police said.

The man, who drowned Sunday, was identified by police as Gregory Berry, 44, of Wichita.

Police said he was trespassing on the property when company employees who were using the lake spotted him. Tim Gaul, the plant’s operation supervisor, said employees were allowed to use the lake, but not for swimming.

The employees “were coming down to tell him to leave, and I guess he just jumped in,” Gaul said. The employees called 911, and police said search-and-rescue crews spotted the man on a few occasions early in the search.

He appeared “to be out splashing around, having a good time,” Wichita police Sgt. Jesse Boomer said.

The man’s body was found about 5:30 p.m. at the west end of the lake.

Much of the property is surrounded by a fence about 8 feet high, topped with barbed wire and posted with signs that read: “Private Property. Keep Out. Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.” On the south side of the property, bordering Interstate 235, the fence is about 4 1/2 feet high, with no barbed wire.