Early morning fire damages Olathe home

Firefighters responded to a house fire around 2:30 a.m. near 133^rd Street and Mur-Len Road. When firefighters arrived smoke was coming from the rear of the home. In the coldest temperatures of the year, firefighters quickly attacked and extinguished the fire. The family of two safely escaped the fire before firefighters arrived.

An investigator is working to determine the cause of the blaze, which appeared to have started near the fireplace. Damage is estimated at $50,000. No injuries were reported.

Soccer honor for East’s Stone

From the Olathe School District

Griffin Stone

Olathe East High School senior Griffin Stone was named to the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Fall High School Boys All-America Team. The awards program recognizes the best high school soccer players in the nation. He has been invited to attend the annual NSCAA All-America Luncheon in Los Angeles in January.

In addition, he was selected to play in the sixth annual High School All-America Soccer game on Dec. 3 in Raleigh, North Carolina, making him one of 40 of the nation’s elite boys soccer players from across the United States

“Olathe East congratulates Griffin on his outstanding accomplishments – he has given his heart and soul to the Olathe East soccer program, and he has truly earned the title of ‘All-American’,” Athletic Director Amanda Faunce said. “Griffin is a true competitor and teammate (which you could see at every practice and at every game) and he has demonstrated the utmost respect for the game and his command of his teammates to hold the same. Griffin has the ability to lift up others and make the team more important than himself, and you will always see him upbeat and positive towards others, never giving in, regardless of the situation. It has been a privilege to have Griffin as a member of Hawk Nation and we could not be more proud of him.”