News
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CES families read one book together this month
Joshua Vail Tribune reporter Chanute Elementary School kicked off its first One School, One Book program Thursday. One School, One Book is a program where every family in an elementary school receives a copy of a chapter book to read over the course of one month, with activities at school to enrich the experience for the students. “The objective of this is for you to read with your family,” CES teacher Sandy Roecker said to the students ...
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USD 413 information system available for emergency and alerts
If not already signed up, parents can receive emergency notifications about their USD 413 students through the PowerSchool Student Information System. “If it is something that is serious or an emergency we have a way of contacting our parents through our student information system,” District Superintendent James Hardy said. Pat Summervill, USD 413 database administrator, said the school district has been using PowerSchool for about 11 years...
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District on alert after concerning Facebook comments
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter USD 413 and the Chanute Police Department are proceeding cautiously after concerning comments were allegedly made on Facebook by a former student. A USD 413 staff member discovered the comments on the page of a student who graduated several years ago. Those comments caused the staff member to be concerned and administration was contacted. “Most of the comments were not a threat, not made towards schools or any sc...
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New publisher for Southeast Kansas Living magazine
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter Kimber Wallace of Neodesha, the new publisher and editor of Southeast Kansas Living magazine, is planning to increase the online presence of the publication. Wallace bought the publication from Jackie Witherspoon in November of 2012. Southeast Kansas Living aims to celebrate the people, places and spirit of southeast Kansas with articles and photos that highlight area events, history, culture, industries, busines...
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Man, 28, with Chanute ties, shot and killed in DC
A 28-year-old man with Chanute ties was shot and killed in the Capitol Hill area in Washington DC area in the early morning of Dec 24. The victim was Jason Anthony Emma, 28, of Northeast, Washington, DC. He is the son of Dee (Tharp) Emma, a 1969 graduate of Chanute High School, and Dr. Robert J. Emma, Arlington, Va. A Washington, DC TV station reported police received the call of a shooting at 13th and C Street around 2 a.m. Police found Emm...
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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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