Opinion
Schools here have definitely changed
My the schools in my old school system have changed. I walked or rode my bicycle to school nearly everyday from K-9 as a kid in Chanute. I went to kindergarten at Murray Hill and then spent my grade school career at Lincoln Elementary. Of course there was the occasional wintertime ride — (no, my generation didn’t walk to and from school with snow up to our necks each way no matter what your parents tell you kids) — from mom, but mostly it ...
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Limestone pit evolved into Butchart Gardens
There are many beautiful cities one can choose to visit. One of those, high on my list, is Victoria, BC, Canada. Victoria is home to the famous Butchart Gardens. The history of the gardens is most interesting. Most people are familiar with the Portland Cement Company. The company was founded by Robert Pim Butchart in 1888. He began the business in Ontario. By 1900 it was a highly successful North American business. As a pioneer in the indus...
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The choice is yours
Do organically produced foods have higher nutritional value? Let’s take a look. Colorado State University (CSU) researchers recently compared vitamin content of organically and conventionally grown vegetables (carrots and broccoli). CSU found no statistically significant differences. Other research from focused on growing potatoes using four different farming techniques under the same growing conditions: an intensive high-chemical system;...
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Get family members involved in cutting clutter
“Cut the Clutter and Get Organized”: By Neosho County Family, Community & Education Council (FCE) In cooperation with Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service. Last week information was shared on things a person needs to consider when they start the de-clutter process. This week, as part of the Educational emphasis on the lesson “Cut the Clutter and Get Organized” ideas will be shared for getting family members to help. Ta...
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The Garden City Telegraph: Thank goodness it’s over
Ugly display The Garden City Telegraph: Thank goodness it’s over. Two of the more disturbing races in recent memory featured a pair of Republican congressmen from Kansas hoping to become the next U.S. senator from the Sunflower State, and a bevy of Republicans seeking the vacant First District Congressional seat. Now, barring a miraculous run from Democratic primary winner Lisa Johnston of Overland Park, Jerry Moran eventually will head...
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Allen favors new road law
Ratification of the proposed highway amendment to the state constitution and an increase of the state gasoline tax to three cents are two of the foundations of adequate road building in Kansas. This was the declaration of James A. Allen, Chanute member of the state highway commission, who spoke on October 5, 1928, according to the Chanute Tribune, before a huge crowd at the Chanute-Thayer slab opening jubilee at Thayer. Mr. Allen was one o...
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Library reading program participants rewarded
It is party time at the Chanute Public Library and we are definitely going to “Make a Splash” to end our 2010 Summer Reading Program. A total of 635 youth, teens and adults signed up for one of the four summer reading programs at the library this year and 461 completed the requirements. Many others read, attended programs, used the computers, or simply enjoyed a cup of coffee while browsing the latest magazines. Those completing the birth t...
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A supportive region
“Treat people as though they are what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being.” -- Goethe Not many non-profit agencies can brag about how supportive their communities are; we are one of the lucky ones. Since 1974, people in Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson counties have shown their support in various ways from volunteering at one of our service centers and foundation events to monetary donations that bene...
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Support school supply cause
With the start of the 2010-2011 school year just around the corner, many Chanute-area parents have already begun back-to-school shopping for their children. But as any parent knows, the annual late-summer shopping ritual doesn’t come cheap. According to a survey released last month by the National Retail Federation, the average American family will spend $606.40 this year on clothes, shoes, electronics and other back-to-school items. That ...
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Salmon hatchery portion of vacation to Alaska
When you think of Alaska, many things probably come to mind. Glaciers, snow and ice, cooler temperatures, mountains, water and wildlife, to mention a few. Many who travel to Alaska, like to go on fishing expeditions, especially to catch the famous Alaskan Salmon. If you like fresh salmon, it is hard to beat fresh Alaskan Salmon. When we visited Juneau, one of the places we visited was the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. It was an educational oppo...
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Ed funding big issue in governor race
TOPEKA (AP) — Education funding is likely to be an important issue in the Kansas governor’s race this fall, but voters shouldn’t expect the leading candidates to offer many specifics about how they’d change the formula for distributing state aid to public schools. The issue should play a significant role in any governor’s race, given that aid to the state’s 293 school districts consumes more than half of the state’s tax dollars. But this ye...
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A realistic perspective on risk
Chad A. Boaz, CRPC Financial Advisor How much risk are you as an investor willing to accept? This is one of the most important factors that can affect the way you structure your portfolio and your overall financial plan. Yet it is also one of the most difficult to quantify. There is no universally accepted way of accurately measuring an investor’s risk tolerance. A number of factors come into play, including the investment and economic en...
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Johnson exhibit ‘Safari in Sandakan’
Sadly all Martin + Osa stores and their internet site closed this past weekend. At its height there were 28 Martin + Osa stores nationally. From 2006 to 2010 this brand introduced the story of Chanute native Osa Johnson and her husband Martin to new audiences and younger generations. Unfortunately Martin + Osa, along with some other clothing brands, became a victim of the recession. It is unclear what American Eagle Outfitters will do with t...
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While traveling, strangers stepped up
How willing are you to help a complete stranger? I am sure you have heard the stories, just I have heard them, that people are “friendly” in some communities and “not friendly” in others. How many times have you heard that overall statement applied to a country or a town, both large and small? Take New York City for instance. People have told me that they thought the people in New York were unfriendly. I have been there several times and I h...
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Chanute accredited National Main Street Program
Main Street Chanute has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Main Street Chanute has met the challenges of the recession head on and is successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep the community vibrant and sustainable. Our organization is annually evaluated by Kansa...
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Comparing costs 40 years ago
Local resident Phillis Busby shared a financial journal that her husband, William J., kept for family expenses. The first pages were from September in 1969. The Busbys house payment was $30, cable TV bill $5, utilities totaled $16.09 and phone bill $18.94. Switch to 1993: Cable $22.52, utilities $213.55, phone $26.82, car $147. In 1998, the bills were cable $31.36, phone $63.08 and utilities $241.60. It’s interesting to compare prices o...
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Safety counts
Motorists traveling to U.S. 169 Highway and the new Chanute High School will benefit from a project begun this week to refurbish Plummer Road from the city limits just south of 14th Street to 35th Street. With work planned to be finished before the 2010-2011 school year starts on Aug. 17, Neosho County road crews plan to widen the road by one foot on each side, cut the road down by four to six inches to mill down to the base, work that mate...
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Library’s programs popular
While the library staff and board have been as excited as everyone else to see the new aquatic center open, we were anxious as to the effect it would have on our summer attendance. We planned fewer programs and hoped that the kids would still come – and they have. I hear that pool attendance has been great and so has library turnout. Programs have often been filled to capacity and demand for books and other materials was higher this June tha...
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Navy dirigible over Chanute
Glistening in the reddish tint of an afternoon horizon, the Los Angeles loomed silently out of the southwestern sky to astound thousands of Chanute people late yesterday, the 10th of October, 1928, with its mammoth proportions. The giant navy dirigible, long enough to house two lengths the height of the Ash Grove smokestack and still have 60 feet of emptiness, appeared over Chanute in a changed route from that contemplated when the bulky ai...
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New year, old issues for Kansas budget
John MIlburn An AP News Analysis TOPEKA (AP) — As the calendar turned from June to July, Kansas turned the page also on one of the most difficult financial years in history. Declining state revenues, cuts in spending and drops in personal income contributed to the challenges that Democrat Gov. Mark Parkinson and the Republican-controlled Legislature faced. And even up to the last day, the numbers weren’t particularly rosy. June revenue col...
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