News
NCCC hikes tuition and fee rates for fall
The inevitable happened at Thursday’s meeting of the Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees — tuition and fee rates were raised for 2011-2012. “This is never an easy recommendation to make when we have to increase rates to our students,” said NCCC President Brian Inbody.  “However, with our rapid growth, lower county valuation, and shrinking dollars from the State coupled with our commitment to provide a premier, quality education ...
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Local severe weather presentation Tuesday
Byron Shultz, K.C.E.M., Neosho County sheriff’s office, is heralding the severe weather season. Area residents are invited to attend a presentation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 at Chanute Memorial Auditorium. “You can learn what it takes to produce a severe storm as well as what to watch for,” Shultz said. The presentation is sponsored by the Neosho County Sheriff’s office and will be put on by the National Weather Service, Wichita. “The pre...
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CHS chess team takes high hopes to State
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter Twelve members of the Chanute High School chess club compete at the State tournament in Wichita today. Eight of the 12 members are seniors who anticipate having a strong showing and compete for the title. For most of the seniors, it is their fourth trip to the State tournament. CHS math teacher Bob Larson has been the chess club coach for 31 years and has gone to State almost every year. His teams were gran...
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Evidence in drug case suppressed by court ruling against wire tap
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter On Wednesday Judge Tim Brazil determined the wire tapping used to find evidence in the drug case against Charles Bruce, Jr., was inadmissible. As a result all the evidence found through the wire tap must be suppressed. Bruce, 26, Iola, was charged in February of last year with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count possession of ephedrine, pseudoephedrin...
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County, city show slight drop in population
Stu Butcher Tribune editor For years the city of Chanute’s population was painted on North Lincoln on a wall in front of what is now the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum and Chanute Public Library. It read 10,500. Any guesses what it is now? According to preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, Chanute has a population of 9,119, down from 9,411 in 2000, a 3.1 percent drop. Chanute’s lower numbers pale when comparing other sout...
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Firearm disturbance results in arrest of former resident
PITTSBURG — A Pittsburg man was arrested on Monday after police officers were called to a domestic disturbance involving a handgun being fired. Donald Dexter, 32 of Pittsburg, was arrested Monday night as a result of the incident. Dexter, formerly from Chanute, was arrested and transported to the Crawford County Jail on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, two counts of child endangerment, criminal restraint, p...
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Steps taken for annual Relay for Life event
Marilynn Rutledge Tribune Reporter Neosho County’s Relay for Life teams gathered Tuesday night in the New Chicago Room with the theme of Mardi Gras for the annual kick-off dinner. The dinner was sponsored by C&S Traveling Kitchen who provided the teams with the dinner and Benchwarmers Bar and Grill who supplied the group with the New Chicago Room. The dinner was open to anyone wanting to learn more about Relay or planning to form a team for ...
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Erie gets $105,065 grant for park improvements
Parsons Sun ERIE — Erie is one of only five Kansas communities awarded a share of $440,000 in Small Communities Improvement Program grants administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. Lori Zeigenbein, owner of TLZ Construction and a member of the Erie City Park Group, said the city received a $105,065 SCIP grant for phased improvements to the city park, including new playground equipment, replacement of the multi-sport courts (tennis a...
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Royster students get lesson in Legislature
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter In late February four Royster Middle School eighth graders were selected to be pages for Representative Jerry Williams, D-Chanute, at the Capitol in Topeka. Wendy Wawrzewski, a Social Studies teacher at Royster, took Storme Jones, Pauline Donaldson, Cutter Boone and Ramsey Davis to Topeka where they learned about how delegates vote on bills, toured the Capitol, and ran errands for Rep. Williams. They even ...
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Sherman funeral March 16
The funeral for John Sherman, Jr., is 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 16 at Grace Episcopal Church in Chanute. The Tribune regrets publishing the wrong day.
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Last two snow days won't be made up
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter At the USD 413 Board of Education meeting Monday night board members made a popular decision by voting to not make up two of the four snow days the district had in January. Superintendent Steve Parsons said that his position remains the same and that instructional time should not be lost because of a snowstorm. However, he added that they have made up one day already and they will make up another on April 22...
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County organizing Melt Down activities
Marilynn Rutledge Tribune Reporter Following an example set by Allen County, the Neosho County Health Department will be organizing a “Melt Down” weight loss challenge for citizens of Neosho County starting sometime this spring. Allen County started Allen County Thrive a few years ago, and has now made it a goal to reach out to nine different counties that are under the Kansas Health Institute grant The Melt Down, which was initially to ...
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First United welcomes new pastor
Marilynn Rutledge Tribune Reporter Chanute’s First United Methodist Church welcomed Dyton L. Owen, Ed.D., into the church as its new pastor on Tuesday, March 1. Owen, previously of Jetmore United Methodist Church in Jetmore, said he was excited to make his home in Chanute and will be making it his goal to meet many of the community members during his first few months here. “I have planned to do a lot of listening for my first several mont...
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After report of two motel guests being unresponsive, one taken to NMRMC, the other to Neosho Co. jail
Tribune staff On Monday, officers with the Chanute Police Department were dispatched to 1814 South Santa Fe, Chanute, on a report of two individuals who were unresponsive. When officers arrived at Guest House Motor Inn both subjects were responsive and were evaluated by medical personnel, said Det. Raymond Hale, public information officer.   Rumors had spread that there were two dead bodies at the motel. Response to a phone call to the mote...
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Area briefs
Pittsburg man injured in U.S. 59 accident An injury accident occurred at 5:20 p.m. Friday on U.S. 59 Highway, eight miles south of Erie. A 2005 Ford Focus driven by Roger D. Brown, Pittsburg, was following a 2003 STE truck and struck the rear of the vehicle, the Kansas Highway Patrol report stated. The truck pulled to the side of the road and vehicle 1 then struck the rear of vehicle 2 again. Brown was transported to Labette Health in Pars...
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CES presents father, son piano team
The Chanute Entertainment Series presents Simon and Son, the only international father and son piano team on the concert circuit today, at Chanute Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10. The duo provide world-class entertainment for the whole family, with a high energy program ranging from Listz to Liberace to Gershwin. Pianists Peter and Sailing Simon present a dazzling evening of keyboard acrobatics, popular and classical music an...
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Benchwarmers serves up recipe for Taste of Main Street America
A cookbook featuring more than 200 locally-owned restaurants around the nation includes Chanute’s Benchwarmers Bar and Grill among the mix of popular non-franchise restaurants and cafe´s. The cookbook, Taste of Main Street America, has been a work in progress since 2009 to compile the recipes that Main Street America has to offer. “In 2007 during the national election, both parties were using the term “Main Street America” for the average A...
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Community supports battle against ALS
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter Local man Richie Kerns, 41, was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, early January. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is usually recognized when the sufferer feels weakness in some part of his body. For Kerns, it was his feet. Richie's story "I noticed riding my motorcycle that I was having trouble using the shifter peg with my foot," said Kerns. "I thought it was the motorc...
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Gouging at the pumps?
Kathleen Carney Tribune Reporter Rapidly escalating gas prices have area residents worried about cutting back more than usual. There are indications that this recent spike could only be the beginning of the high prices. Madgelene Harper lives in Savonburg, but makes the 18-mile commute to Chanute daily to work at Fresenius Medical Care. “It’s a lot of gas, and that means less money for other things,” said Harper. “You have to cut back on t...
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Area briefs
Erie trims city council candidate field ERIE — In Tuesday’s primary, four of the seven candidates in the Erie City Council race advanced to the general election. Both Scott Ewen and Jim Dyson finished with 182 votes, the most in the field. Tammy Klenklen received 141 votes. Those three candidates will be joined by Stanley Wade on the April 5 ballot. Wade received 103 votes. The top two vote-getters in April will earn seats on the council. Ri...
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