News
Taking a look at the tax picture
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Taxation, budgets and mill levies are complicated subjects. Finance directors and CEOs may understand exactly how the pie is cut, but the average taxpayer is often bewildered by budget language. They receive a tax bill twice a year and don’t understand where the money goes. They only know the bills appear to go up each year. Even reporters don’t often understand the whole story. A recent article in an area newspa...
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Tahitian dance part of Women’s Night Out
NEODESHA — The S.S. Wilson is set to sail at 4 p.m. on Women’s Night Out Wednesday, Sept. 19 with a theme of “Wellness Cruise” at the Neodesha Civic Center, 1407 N. Eighth. Cruise Director Janice Reese has organized a great evening of fun, food, fashion shows, exercise and dance demonstrations, and shopping!¬† Kerry I. Holyoak, producer/choreographer of the TeKana Hau Nui Dancers‚Ñ¢ is pleased to be joining the Women’s Night Out Wellness Crui...
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Yates Center celebration begins Friday
YATES CENTER — Yates Center will be celebrating Mardi Gras this weekend. The event kicks off Friday, Sept. 7 with 5 p.m. registration for the KCBS BBQ cookoff. Sponsored by Gilead Lodge #144 this is a KCBS sanctioned and state championship BBQ. The American Legion Riders beer garden will be open 5 to midnight and the Buddy Ray Band will play from 8 to 11 p.m. with an intermission at 10 p.m. for a fireworks display. Saturday begins at 7 a.m. w...
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Chanute firefighters raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Association
Joshua Vail Tribune Chanute firefighters again raised money to fight muscular dystrophy over the weekend. Fire trucks parked outside of Walmart to collect donations. “It’s a tradition with fire departments to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association,” Chanute Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Jones said. Firefighters across the United States collect millions of dollars each year in hope of finding a cure for the various diseases that make up muscu...
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The word from Mongolia
In May of 2012, Chanute native Adam Erickson graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in English. Within weeks, he was a member of the Peace Corps and bound for Mongolia on a two-year assignment. Erickson’s first posting was the capital city of Ulaanbaatar where he and nine other Peace Corps volunteers learned the language and customs of Mongolia. He has recently been assigned a permanent posting in the city of Erdenedalai. This...
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Butcher Block — Pining for the NEO-CHA drive-in
Stu Butcher Tribune editor An Associated Press story last week about the Kanopolis Drive-In film festival sparked memories of the NEO-CHA drive-in in Chanute. The drive-in north of Chanute on what was then U.S. 169 highway was the first job for me when I was in high school. The managers of the Peoples Theater downtown, Ray Walsh and Beryl Browining, also managed the drive-in. The first thing that comes to mind is the gray, metal speakers with...
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Faith and love focus of prayer breakfast
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter Love was the theme of the the 28th annual Jesse Jackson Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. Jonathan Johnson, 891st Engineer Battalion chaplain, opened the meeting by sharing the 2012 theme verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Johnson said that faith informs hope, which informs the basis and expression of love for our fellow man. “If we have fai...
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KPR radio to switch to main signal
Listeners in Chanute and southeast Kansas will hear some new voices on the air beginning Monday, Sept. 10. KANQ, 90.3 FM, Kansas Public Radio’s 17,000-watt transmitter in Chanute, will switch from KPR2, a news-talk format, to KPR’s main signal, carrying NPR news, classical music, jazz and listener favorites from NPR like “Car Talk,” “A Prairie Home Companion” and “This American Life.” The signal can be heard in Neosho, Wilson and parts of All...
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Shaw Bridge Project on schedule
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter ERIE — It was a light agenda for the Neosho County Commissioners on Friday. Commissioners Nicholas Galemore and Hugo Spieker present at the Erie meeting, with Commissioner Mike Schoenhofer absent. The group listened to an update on the $3.9 million Shaw Bridge Project from inspector George Finical. He said progress remains on schedule (late November) but hesitated to commit to an early completion. “It will be c...
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Elkstock fares better than weather
Though the rain kept some people away, the second annual Elkstock on Saturday still raised significantly more money than last year. “Receipts are still coming in,” said Elks Lodge 806 secretary Frank Springer, who was excited at what was accomplished. “I believe by the end of this week we will have gross receipts over $7,500 for the event...that is about $1,800 more than last year.” Once all expenses are paid next week, the net proceeds wil...
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Labor Day gas prices $4.35 in Chicago
For Labor Day weekend, American consumers in 45 states will likely see the highest fuel prices they’ve ever seen at this time of year. Only motorists in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming will be spared from record-high prices at the pump. “The average motorist will be laboring a bit more to pay for gas this Labor Day weekend. When you return to work after the Labor Day holiday it might be a good time to ask your boss for a ra...
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New K-47 stretch finally opened to traffic
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter A 10-mile stretch of K-47 reopened on Thursday between Altoona and Thayer. It is wide and flat, with easy curves and a generous shoulder for farm implements. Motorists will no longer be forced into a 30-mile detour, nor will local residents be eating dust from the construction vehicles. The project was completed within its schedule and budget targets. Lots of dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting. Included in th...
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Local fans celebrate fall sports at pep rally
A block of Main Street, between Highland and the construction at Lincoln was closed to automobile traffic late Thursday afternoon, so local fans could celebrate the beginning of the fall sports season at the annual downtown Chanute pep rally. The event featured the high school’s band, vocal ensemble, and spirit squad (with assistance from a sizable pack of younger, elementary school-aged cheerleaders), as well as appearances by all of the sc...
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Arrest made in Medicap break-in
An arrest was made after a break-in at Medicap Pharmacy in Chanute Tuesday. Officers responded to a call around 11:39 p.m. from witnesses observing an individual breaking a glass and entering the pharmacy on 1720 S. Santa Fe. Witnesses observed the individual exiting the store after a few minutes and followed him a short distance down the road on foot. A few minutes later officers were able to take Ryan Galt, 36, of Chanute into custody. G...
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Trees struggle after warm winter, drought
Joshua Vail Tribune Reporter Trees in Chanute may be a casualty of the hot summer and drought. “Citywide we expect a significantly larger number of trees that will need to be removed as compared to a normal season,” said Chanute Parks Superintendent Dan McMillan. McMillan usually does an inventory of street trees in late spring, and makes a list of those that have died and need to be removed. About 30 street trees were removed last year, and...
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City’s website offers viewing, paying utility bills
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Would you like to know how much electricity you consumed over the past two years? Are you interested in comparing your natural gas usage on a month-by-month basis over the past two years? Would you like to know when payments were received without looking at your check register? The City of Chanute has just launched a new service allowing viewing and paying utility bills online. Signing up through the city’s websi...
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Water fights, Sunday nights and cats’ rights
Tim Erickson Tribune Reporter Chanute City Commissioners met Monday night in a marathon three-hour session. They addressed modifying Stage 2 water use restrictions for a car wash owner, allowed for Sunday sales of liquor within the city limits and added cats to the current leash law. All that and more, plus passing the city’s 2013 budget. Early in the meeting, South Town Car Wash owner Cody Mummert asked commissioners to modify the water ban ...
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Thayer man killed by tractor at Nebraska State Fair
A 75-year-old Thayer man was killed when his antique tractor rolled on top of him at the Nebraska State Fair, the Associated Press reported. The Nebraska State Patrol said Charley DeWeese was trying to load his 1936 John Deere tractor onto a trailer when the accident happened Sunday morning. Deweese fell off the tractor and was pinned beneath it after the tractor’s right rear tire slipped off the ramp, the report said. State Patrol Lt. Dennis...
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Ash Grove worker injured in dump truck mishap
Ash Grove employee Bill Brown was injured on Tuesday when his 90-ton Komatsu dump truck backed over the edge of a sloped limestone pile. Company spokesperson Jackie Clark said the accident happened at midday near the plant’s primary crusher. Brown was transported via helicopter to Joplin Freeman hospital for “assessment by medical personnel as a precaution,” said Clark. The hospital said Brown was in stable condition late Tuesday afternoon. ...
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Smith trial ends with plea bargain
Shanna Guiot Tribune publisher More than two years since his arrest and after hearing testimony from only two witnesses, the rape case against Nicholas Smith, St. Paul, has been resolved. Judge David W. Rogers, Fredonia, quietly thanked the jurors for their service then discharged them just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The State of Kansas filed the single charge against Smith August 3, 2010, in Neosho County District Court alleging he un...
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