News
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City launches new website
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Three weeks since it was launched, the City of Chanute’s new, official website, www.chanute.org, is being fine-tuned with several interactive features like emergency alerts, updated department links, and live video streaming of the Lincoln and Main intersection renovation. “About a year ago, we started receiving requests for proposals from several different firms who specialize in developing websites for municip...
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Cross country bicycle team brings message to Chanute
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Bike the US for MS, a cross country bike team raising awareness about multiple sclerosis, made a day-long stop in Chanute Wednesday at Santa Fe Park as part of a two-month coast-to-coast trek from Yorktown, Va. to San Francisco, Calif. Route leaders Jack and Anne Dillon, Towson, Md., are former cyclists but are still very active and supportive of the event. “We hung up our bikes a few years back, but plan to su...
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KDOT clarifies payment from county
Tribune staff There was much confusion last week over the “return” of federal stimulus money by Neosho County to the Kansas Department of Transportation for the Shaw-Elk Road Improvement Project, but KDOT spokesperson Priscilla Petersen set the record straight. During last Friday’s County Commission meeting, payment of $425,820.74 was approved to be made from the county to KDOT. The meeting minutes read: “The Kansas Department of Transportat...
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Erie to save $186K on electric plant decision
ERIE — The city of Erie will save $186,600 after the manager of a municipal power pool gave city officials good news. The Erie City Council during a regular Monday meeting voted to support a recommendation by Colin Whitley, manager of the Kansas Power Pool, not to install catalytic converters on the generators at the city’s electric plant. The recommendation was the result of a revision of National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Polluta...
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Bicycle duo passes through Chanute to end shark finning
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter California high school teacher Mark DiMaggio and a former student will cross into Missouri today after passing through Chanute Wednesday on a 1,200 bicycle trek from Colorado Springs to Louisville, Ky. DiMaggio, who teaches biology, environmental science, earth science and field biology at Paso Robles High School in Paso Robles, Calif., and Paso Robles graduate Devon Lambert are “Spinning to End Finning,” raising m...
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Planet Aid places donation boxes
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter Wondering what those bright yellow boxes around Chanute are all about? The boxes belong to Planet Aid, a nonprofit organization that collects donated clothing and shoes to be recycled. According to the website at http://planetaid.org, Planet Aid collects approximately 100 million pounds of clothes and shoes each year, which are then processed, bundled and sold to exporters who make the clothes available at low cos...
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Commissioners again table occupancy permit ordinance
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Chanute city commissioners tabled a decision at Monday’s regular meeting to draft an ordinance related to requirements for occupancy permits. The commission will consider aspects of the permit and flesh out the specifics of an ordinance at a commissioners workshop to be announced at a later date. A formal decision to draft an ordinance will be voted on after the workshop during a regular meeting. During public ...
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K-12 education goals, school finance discussed at KASB meeting here
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter K-12 education played a large role in the most recent session of the Kansas Legislature. Tuesday, USD 413 hosted a meeting with Mark Tallman, associate executive director of advocacy for the Kansas Association of School Boards, to discuss the effects of various legislation on education as well as how things might change in the future. USD 413 school board members, school administrators, and senators Dwayne Umbarge...
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Second Cash Mob Thursday at 5:10
The second Cash Mob of the summer will take place Thursday. Participants will once again meet in the parking lot of the Memorial Building. Meeting time is 5:10 p.m. When everyone is gathered, they will proceed to a secret shopping location downtown. Rules for the Cash Mob are: spend at least $10 per couple or family; meet three new people – or reacquaint yourselves; and HAVE FUN! Receipts will be collected for door prize drawings toward th...
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American Red Cross issues emergency call for blood
The American Red Cross blood supply has reached emergency levels with 50,000 fewer donations than expected in June. This shortfall leaves the Red Cross with half the readily available blood products on hand now than this time last year. The Red Cross is calling on all eligible blood donors – now more than ever – to roll up a sleeve and give as soon as possible. All blood types are needed, but especially O positive, O negative, B negative and ...
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Main and Lincoln dirt, paving work ahead of schedule
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Despite sweltering temperatures and high humidity, work continues on schedule for the Lincoln and Main intersection renovation project. Ground-breaking began earlier this month with dirt and pavement work currently ahead of schedule, according to Randy Vihlidal, Dirt and Paving Foreman with Mission Construction. “On Lincoln, from Main southward, we hope to start pouring curb by the end of this week. After that w...
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Cherry Street sells vegetable wares today
The Cherry Street Youth Center is having its yearly vegetable sale today. The sale of vegetables from the center’s garden starts 9:30 a.m. at Cherry Street Youth Center West at 719 N. Garfield. It will run until all the produce is sold. Kevin Olson, who teaches the gardening class, said they’ve been running the garden for about five years, and they usually have one sale a year. “Sometimes we’ll have two depending on when things get ready,” ...
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Butcher Block - Taco John's feeding frenzy
Stu Butcher Tribune editor The question was: Do you think everyone in Chanute has eaten at Taco John’s since Tuesday? (the day the business re-opened after a fire closed the restaurant in December.) Manager Joe Negrete replied: “I know I’ve seen some four or five times.” It’s amazing how the community has expressed missing the fast food business. Stories of progress in the Tribune had numerous hits on the website and every Facebook comment is...
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County will return more than $425,000 of stimulus funds to KDOT
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter ERIE — Neosho County commissioners met in regular session Friday and authorized a payment of $425,820.74 as reimbursement to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) for the Shaw-Elk Road improvement project. The county was awarded the stimulus funding in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The reimbursement was part of an agreement between the county and KDOT for cost overr...
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GOP candidates discuss issues
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter ERIE — Republican candidates in Neosho County spoke before a full house of 70 plus at the Erie County Courthouse Thursday night. The meeting, put on by the Neosho County Republicans, filled one of the downstairs meeting rooms as candidates for Senate and House seats, Neosho County Commission, and Neosho County attorney met with constituents and spoke about their plans if elected or re-elected. Each of the candida...
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Chanute Art Gallery celebrates 39 years
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Nearly four decades strong, the Chanute Art Gallery is celebrating its 39th year of operation in Chanute this month and director Elly McCoy is planning an open house to mark the occasion. A special open house commemorating the Gallery’s 39th anniversary will be held on Friday, June 29 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Refreshments, music and special exhibits will highlight the open house. Founded in 1973 in the Tioga Hotel...
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Maring Aquatic Center provides cool relief
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter The heat is on but Chanute residents can find a wet escape from those 90-plus degree temperatures at a convenient location. The Maring Aquatic Center, 400 South Highland, features several amenities not found in most other public swimming pools. Features include a competition-sized pool, a lazy river, a play pool with interactive spray features and a water slide. “I’ve been coming here since the beginning of sum...
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Hearing in Parsons shooting delayed
Parsons Sun PARSONS — A preliminary hearing for a man who was the subject of a manhunt last month has been delayed. Douglas Dewayne Heiskell, 30, Parsons, is charged in Labette County District Court with criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, all felonies, and criminal damage to property, a misdemeanor. The charges relate to a May 2 shooting in Parsons...
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Chanute veterinarian recalls 54 years of practice
Travis Hendryx Tribune Reporter Dr. Bill LaRue has always downplayed any personal recognition and has kept his focus on providing quality animal healthcare in Chanute for more than half a century. But 54 years of quality, caring and consistent care for pets and livestock cannot go unrecognized as LaRue was honored with the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association’s (KVMA) Lifetime Service Award earlier this month in Manhattan. LaRue founded Chan...
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Humboldt’s Neosho River Park sees major improvements
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter HUMBOLDT — Major improvements have come and are coming to the Neosho River Park in Humboldt, thanks to a grant through the Kansas PRIDE program. The grant for $5,000, requiring a 50 percent match, is the Healthy Ecosystems Healthy Communities grant, designed to help Kansas communities preserve their natural resources and have a positive environmental impact. Representatives from the project, which was dubbed Hum...
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