Topeka Capital-Journal, The: Dome statue to weigh 6,000 pounds

Question: There were two articles in The Topeka Capital-Journal within a two-week span in which the statue on top of the Statehouse gained 2,000 pounds. The article on Aug. 12 said it will be 4,000 pounds. The one dated Aug. 22 said it will be 6,000 pounds. So which is it? And will there be lights on it? --- L.F., via e-mail.

Answer: The statue of the Indian will weigh 6,000 pounds, said Thaine Hoffman, the state architect.

"A base plate and a stainless steel supporting structure inside the statue were added during the casting process in Loveland, Colo.," he said. "That added about 2,000 pounds to the original figure."

He also said he wanted to clear up another misconception about the statue.

"The funding for the reinforcement of the dome to accommodate the statue is not coming from bonds for the Statehouse renovation," Hoffman said, "but from interest earned on excess funds."

There will be no light on the statue itself, he said, but there will be four aeronautical warning lights on each side of it and a floodlight on the Indian itself.

Question: In the Daily Record section of the newspaper every day, there is a Kansas River stage. Where is it taken? Is there a level when we should become worried about flooding? --- F.W., Topeka.

Answer: The river level is monitored continuously and the stage listed in the newspaper is taken at the Sardou Bridge across the river west of Philip Billard Municipal Airport, said Paul Frantz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"Monitoring of the Kansas River also is taken continuously at Manhattan, Wamego, Belvue, Lecompton and Lawrence," he said. "The process is computerized and the stage is posted throughout the day for the area news media."

Flood stage at Topeka is 26 feet, but dikes along the river throughout the Topeka area protect to about 36 feet.

Question: I thought that I heard on a television quiz show that there are 132 rooms in the White House. That seems like a lot. Is the figure correct or was my hearing bad? --- B.O., Topeka.

Answer: There are 132 rooms in the White House, according to a volunteer at the White House Historical Association in Washington, D.C., who answered our telephone call.

That includes all private and public open rooms on the five floors and in two basements, she said.

"Most visitors are shown only five rooms on the first floor of the mansion's east wing , but these rooms represent the elegance and beauty of the entire interior," she said.

Question: What happened to the disc jockey who was on Twister 106.9 with Ray Turner? I don't recall his name, but he was so good and funny and I miss him. --- P.W., Mayetta.

Answer: You are thinking of Marty Brandon, said Turner.

"He was from the East Coast and they moved back to Albany, N.Y.," he said. "Then they realized they missed this area so they moved back to Topeka, but he is not on radio."

Brandon said, "We realized after six months back there that Topeka was our new hometown and we missed it so we moved back."

He said he worked at Remington's for a time, but now is dealing blackjack at Harrah's Prairie Band Casino, which is close to your hometown of Mayetta.

If you have a question for retired Capital-Journal newsman Dick King, call 295-5610 and leave a message, or write to Dick King, The Topeka Capital-Journal, 616 S.E. Jefferson, Topeka, 66607.