Anthony Cook/Sun photo Labette County High School pitcher Allie Reynolds (left side, facing camera) is mugged by teammates after registering the final out of the 2012 Class 4A regional in Girard. LCHS defeated host Girard 6-0 to earn a trip to the state tournament, the team's first since 2000. LCHS will be one of the top three seeds at the state tourney and is now 23-0 overall. LCHS also defeated Parsons 10-0 on Wednesday.

Anthony Cook/Sun photo St. Paul High School senior Jamie Holding (left center) celebrates with teammates after a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against Uniontown Monday in Arma. The St. Paul Indians defeated Uniontown 13-0 in five innings before defeating host Northeast 4-0 in the final of the regional to advance to the state tournament, the first for the school's baseball program.

Anthony Cook/Sun photo Parsons High School senior pitcher Taylor Kemp catches the third out of the fourth inning Monday afternoon at the Labette Community College softball diamond in Parsons. The PHS Lady Vikings got their 14th win of the season behind 16 strikeouts from Kemp in Monday's 2-1 win over Columbus. The game lasted 10 innings, but Parsons prevailed thanks to a leadoff single from Katie Teel in the 10th inning. PHS will play Labette County (21-0) at 3 p.m. in Girard on Wednesday in the regional semis.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Riley Ross, 3, of Edna plays atop a set of plastic stairs Friday while waiting on her father, Cody Ross, to finish speaking with Rick Trotnic about items to be included in the Katy Days fundraising auction.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Before heading into the Parsons Municipal Auditorium to an orchestra playing “Pomp and Circumstance,” students from the 2012 graduating class of Labette Community College pose for friends taking pictures in the building’s basement.

Jamie Willey/Sun photo Parsons High School junior Libby Hizey hands senior Jarett Taylor a tote full of canned food to load into a U.S. Postal Service truck Thursday in front of the school. PHS challenged Oswego High School in the Battle of the Cans for the 20th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers. OHS won the challenge by donating 289 pounds of food. PHS donated 188 pounds of food. Garfield School donated 95 pounds. “I always like to get kids involved in our food drive. Hopefully, they will learn there is always someone less fortunate than you. I want kids to realize they can help and make a difference,” letter carrier Caroline Peters said. Postal patrons wanting to donate food can put non-perishable items on, in or near their mailboxes, preferably in grocery bags, before their mail arrives on Saturday. All of the food will be donated to the Labette Emergency Assistance Center food bank to be distributed to people in need in the county. The local drive collects an average of about 4,000 pounds of food a year for the LEAC pantry and is the center’s biggest source of food.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Teresa Reed pulls large green onions from her newly constructed raised-bed gardens at her home near Strauss. Nearly everything she planted the first of March is ready to be harvested, allowing her to plant a summer garden.

Ray Nolting/Sun photo Parsons High School senior Ivory Kelly connects with a pitch in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against Independence. Independence won both games, which were the final regular season games for the Vikings.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Westside Christian Church member Sam Appleton cuts a piece of flashing to put on top of the stone facade of the church Monday to prevent birds from nesting in an opening. That and other work is being performed this week in preparation for a workday Saturday, during which members plan to paint the church.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Danielle Merchant was crowned Cinco de Mayo queen Saturday evening during the annual Voz-sponsored celebration. She was accompanied by Gabe Bernal. Marina Fitzwater was crowned Cinco de Mayo princess. Her escort was Michael Haile. Riley Dunlay, Reese Ponce, Isabelle Fuentez and Zach Collins were the crown bearers.

Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Students express their amazement as Labette Community College chemistry professor Doug Ecoff demonstrates how a neutral liquid changes color dependent upon whether an acid or base is added during this year’s Science Day for Parsons third-grade students.

Ray Nolting/Sun photo Service Valley Charter Academy students Jacob Grady (left) and Logan Lever try out fire equipment during the D.A.R.E. activity day Friday at the Labette County High School track. Altamont-Mount Pleasant Township had three firefighters on hand to talk to the fifth-grade DARE program graduates and show them the tools of their trade.

Anthony Cook/Sun photo Labette County High School senior pitcher Allie Reynolds tosses a pitch towards the plate in the third inning of game one of a doubleheader with Parsons High School Tuesday in Parsons. Reynolds had 17 strikeouts and no-hit the Vikings in an 8-0 LCHS victory. Reynolds had just one walk in seven innings of action. Reynolds struck out 18 in 10 innings of work in game two in a 3-1 win over Parsons to complete the sweep.

Ray Nolting/Sun photo Labette County Public Works track hoe operator Rex Haraughty lifts a large whistle pipe from Town Creek on 3000 Road west of Xavier Road near Chetopa Tuesday morning. Four of the six pieces of the whistle pipe were dislodged as their rock base washed away during the recent flooding. Four large sections of pipe were to be removed and repositioned. Two remained in place. Ed Rakestraw was helping Haraughty with the work and had connected the log chain to the whistle pipe and then to the track hoe bucket.

Ray Nolting/Sun photo Water from Town Creek flows northward through two remaining whistle pipes on 3000 Road west of Chetopa Tuesday morning. County Public Works crew members are repositioning the four dislodged whistle pipes and will repack them with rock. 3000 Road between Xavier and Wallace remains closed.

Ray Nolting/Sun photo Dillon Kepner looks at the kitchen of his house, covered in mud. Water was 20 inches above the floor in the home before it eventually receded.

Anthony Cook/Sun photo Parsons Middle School eighth-grader Jacob Almond tosses his second attempt in the discus event Monday at the Parsons High School track. Almond took second in the event. The Parsons MS Vikings hosted a 10-team field for their annual track invite.

Jamie Willey/Sun photo Justin Cohee of Melvern, Ark., works on a roaster on Saturday morning at his forge welding shop he set up at the Chief Black Dog's Trail Muzzleloader Club spring rendezvous north of Oswego.

Labette County High School student Kelsey Colistro rode to prom Saturday night in a buggy pulled by Spicy.

Girls in the Parsons Recreation Commission dance program freeze in place at the end of their dance Saturday during the PRC spring dance recital, "Dancing Through The Decades," at Parsons Municipal Auditorium.