Douglass

2-year-old girl killed in fall from tractor

A 2-year-old girl was killed during the weekend when she fell from a tractor while riding on it with her father and was run over by the large mower it was pulling, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said.

The child, Samantha R. Nichols, was dead at the scene Saturday night, Murphy said. He said the tractor driven by her father, Christopher, was pulling a brush-hog type mower.

The sheriff said the investigation is continuing.

Kansas City, Mo.

Former President Bush to speak this afternoon

Kansas City, Mo. — Former President George H.W. Bush today will speak in the closing session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service.

The speech will take place at 12:50 p.m. in Exhibit Hall D of Bartle Hall Convention Center.

The conference was convened by the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Bush is the founder and honorary chairman of the foundation.

Included will be a celebration of Bush’s 80th birthday, which is Saturday.

Wichita

Eagle editor tapped for North Carolina job

Rick Thames, editor of The Wichita Eagle since 1997, was named editor of The Charlotte Observer on Monday.

The North Carolina native returns to a paper where he spent nine years in a number of editorial positions.

He was the The Observer’s city editor, assistant managing editor and public editor.

“Rick is a top-notch journalist,” publisher Peter Ridder said at a newsroom meeting Monday. “He comes to us with deep knowledge of this state and region.”

Thames replaces Jennie Buckner, who is retiring after 11 years as editor.

Thames began his newspaper career in 1978 as a reporter at The Fayetteville Observer. From 1980 to 1988, he worked at the Miami News.

Sherry Chisenhall, The Eagle’s managing editor, will serve as interim editor until a replacement is hired, and is a candidate to succeed Thames.