News
Shetlar family reunited after serious crash
Lindsey Shetlar was dismissed from Freeman Hospital in Joplin on Monday. A Facebook page, labeled Sheltlar Updates Page (Shetlar is actually misspelled) said the family was reunited after a Dec. 22 crash on the north edge of Moran. The update reported about Lindsey, “you can see the pain in her face but she is up and going and will continue to get better with every passing day.” It also said Aubrianna, 8, had a much better day. “She was up a ...
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Blood drive in honor of veteran, 97
The American Red Cross invites Chanute area residents to donate blood in honor of Earl Ostrander, 97, at the Chanute Community Blood Drive. The event will be on Wednesday, Jan. 2 from 1 to 7 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chanute American Legion Post 170, 301 N. Evergreen. Ostrander started donating blood before he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. He has donated blood as often as he could over the years f...
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Chanute healthcare providers not all ready for KanCare transition
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter The Jan. 1, 2013 start date for KanCare is only days away, and some Chanute providers are still in the middle of the transition process. KanCare is the state’s new system for integrated care for Medicaid, providing services to some 395,000 poor and disabled residents. Most Medicaid services will now be provided through one of three managed-care organizations: Sunflower State Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare Communit...
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City amends budget; closes books
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter On Thursday night, Chanute city commissioners closed out their 2012 books with a light agenda and an amended budget. Chanute City Finance Director Rebecca Wood had previously published the city’s intent to amend its budget. Like all budget discussions, the session was opened for public comment before passage. And like almost all budget matters, no one was present to contest the changes. The hearing was opened and...
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County transfers funds to balance budget
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter ERIE — Neosho County commissioners spent their last meeting of the year wrapped in the nuances of language, needing help from County Clerk Linda Powers to discern the difference between adjusting budgets, amending budgets, transferring funds, making resolutions and offering motions — all this in an effort to balance out the county books for 2012. Commissioners spent much of the meeting looking over the ledger she...
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City hears long-term water strategy
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter When Chanute Vice-Mayor Kevin Berthot thinks about the Neosho River as the city’s sole source of drinking water, he gets concerned. Not just because the taps might run dry, but for other reasons that could render the water undrinkable. “I have concerns about contamination from upstream,” he said after Thursday night’s commission meeting. “What if there was an industrial accident, or something happens at Wolf Cree...
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Chinese, pizza offered on Christmas as option
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter While the vast majority of Chanute’s residents enjoyed Christmas day dinner at home on Tuesday, those looking to go out were reduced to one choice – Eastern Chinese Buffet on West Cherry St. Unlike characters in A Christmas Story ¬≠¬≠¬≠— who were forced to eat duck at a local Chinese restaurant after dogs stole the family turkey – Jean Wang said her restaurant served Crab Leg Buffet, reserved for special occasion...
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Fire inspection notices sent out
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Over the past few weeks, businesses on Main Street have been receiving Self Inspection Worksheets from Chanute’s Fire Department. According to Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Jones, the courtesy notices are a prelude to mandatory inspections that will begin after the first of the year. “This is not the first time for the program,” Jones said on Thursday, “but we have not had a fire inspection program in several years.” J...
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— City Commission, 7 p
Thurday, Dec. 27 — City Commission, 7 p.m., Memorial Building, 2nd floor. Monday, Dec. 31 — Chanute Do-Si-Do, 8 p.m., Central Park Pavilion, New Year’s Eve Dance and breakfast. — Casino Night on the Serengeti at the Venue. Dinner will start at 7:30. Tickets are $50 for couples and $25 for individuals, and all ticket sales benefit the museum. Seating at the event is limited. Tickets are available at the Safari Museum or through Talk of the To...
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Budget balancing act at end of year
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Across Kansas, cities and counties are performing their annual dance, balancing their budgets in preparation for year-end accounting. For many of these taxing entities, it remains a challenge, balancing income and expenses projected 18 months earlier (during budget hearings for the upcoming year) and squaring those expenses and revenues at year’s end. Both Chanute and Neosho County are facing end-of-year reconcil...
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Crash of stolen sheriff’s truck injures family
A Chanute man was arrested following a wreck in which he crashed a stolen Neosho County sheriff’s pickup into a family of four with Chanute connections Saturday evening on the north edge of Moran. The Neosho County Sheriff’s office said Charles E. Bruce, 29, was involved in a fight on U.S. 59 about 13 miles east of Chanute about 6:45 p.m. Bruce told a sherrif’s deputy he had been attacked. As the unidentified deputy investigated the incident,...
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Fire put out at vacant Main Street building
Chanute Fire and Police departments responded to an early morning fire at 203 E. Main Christmas Day. Rebecca Wood, public information officer, said the fire was put out and no injuries are reported. The building was vacant. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Wood said. City’s final meeting of year on Thursday Chanute’s City Commission is meeting one final time to close out 2012 on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Building. Agend...
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Community Christmas dinner offers respite from lonely holiday
Brian McDowell Tribune Approximately 50 area residents enjoyed food and fellowship at the Zion Lutheran Church on Christmas. This was the first community Christmas Fellowship Dinner hosted by the church, and featured a turkey dinner and a bingo game where names of dinner attendees were used instead of numbers, and prizes were awarded. The idea for this event came from Betty Stich, who helps run the GriefShare support group that meets at the ch...
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The Grinch steals Christmas at the courthouse
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter ERIE — Self-proclaimed Grinch Rodney Burns was back before Neosho County Commissioners on Friday morning, delivering news that was probably expected but disappointing never-the-less. “I feel like the Grinch,” said the auditor with Schlotterbeck & Burns LLC as he placed a single sheet before commissioners. “It is not what you want to see, but that’s the way it is.” Burns told commissioners their General Fund balan...
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Sentencing, and delay in child rape case
One of two people convicted in connection with a child rape that occurred in November 2008 were sentenced in Neosho County District Court on Friday. The sentence was handed down by 31st Judicial Court Judge Daryl Ahlquist. Byron C. Johnson, Chanute, was sentenced to 24 months of intensive probation, continued treatment in a sex offender program out of Wichita and a host of other conditions in connection with his conviction. Sentencing was del...
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Stark woman wins Legion drawing
It was an early Christmas present for Carol Hill of Stark, whose name was drawn in the American Legion drawing Friday night. The winnings were advertised at “more than” $10,000, but an exact figure was not available Friday night. There was a reported run on ticket sales this week as numbers were reported at nearly 1,300 sold. The American Legion Riders were hoping to sell 4,000 tickets to add to the already-raised $170,000, which would have ...
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Staff Sgt. Gray military mechanic
Staff Sgt. Steffan Gray of Chanute is a proud member of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, a provisional unit of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. His unit was featured on the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing website: http://www.380aew.afcent.af.mil/ Gray’s 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management flight assists aircraft and refueling in southwest Asia. “It gets everybody where they need to go,” said Senior...
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Toys for Tots wrapping up Christmas campaign
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Although Marine Toys for Tots has been around nationally since 1947, its presence in Chanute only dates back to 2005. That was the year Dick Lisman, almost on a whim, decided to hold a bake sale in front of his Main Street building and donate proceeds to a Toys for Tots program. He collected almost $500 on that night in early December. When he called up the Lawrence office to figure out where the money should go,...
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Students bring Christmas cheer through holiday song
Joshua Vail Tribune reporter Christmas spirit was in the air at Chanute Health Care. First through sixth grade students from Chanute Christian Academy sang Christmas carols for the residents on Wednesday. The students, led by CCA music teacher Janice Gordon, sang classic Christmas hymns and performed spoken pieces for the residents, many of whom sang along. Tonya Hurst, Chanute Health Care assistant activities director, said the children bro...
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THE ACCIDENTAL COFFEE GROWER
Armstrong continues to support Honduras from hometown Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter After living in Honduras since 1998, Chanute native Lisa Armstrong, along with her two adopted Honduran children, was forced to flee for her life in May 6 of this year. South American drug cartels had infiltrated her small village and focused their efforts on recruiting – or killing – her. She had one hour to pack and leave town. Since a military coup in 2009,...
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