Opinion
Party key in Kansas treasurer’s race
TOPEKA (AP) — The biggest issue facing State Treasurer Dennis McKinney in trying to keep his job might be that he’s a Democrat in Republican-leaning Kansas, running in what is supposed to be a great year for the GOP. Even Republican nominee Ron Estes, who says he can make the office more efficient, isn’t critical of McKinney. They don’t appear to have much policy to debate, other than the long-term health of the pension fund for Kansas teac...
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Part II: The Amana Colonies
Last week I wrote about the historic Amana Colonies in southeastern Iowa. This National Historic Landmark is one of America’s longest-lived communal societies. Located along the Iowa River, this unique community functioned, as originally organized, for 70 years. The fact is that two groups settled in this rich river valley. The Order Amish, in 1846 and the Community of True Inspiration in 1855. Both of these groups were seeking to live in an...
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An all weather road
The time when an all-surface highway across the state will be a reality is only a few hours away. The 6.6 miles of paving on U.S. Highway 73W in Franklin County, north of here, has been completed, according to information received here at the office of Hugh. D. Barnes, state division engineer. Completion of the Douglas county portion of the highway slab is expected this week, according to a report in the Chanute Tribune on October 16, 1928....
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Don’t forget to vote for Johnson in 8 wonders
The Chanute Tribune recently reported that Martin and Osa Johnson are among 24 finalists in the People category of the 8 Wonders of Kansas. This is indeed an honor to be recognized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Please take time to vote! For online voting go to: http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/vote.php. You can vote three times per email address. For example, if you have two email addresses you can vote six times. Each time you vot...
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September: Life Insurance Awareness Month
Chad A. Boaz, CRPC® Ameriprise Financial To make sure Americans are reminded of the need to include life insurance in their financial plans, the nonprofit LIFE Foundation coordinates Life Insurance Awareness Month. This year marks the seventh anniversary of Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM). According to the 2008 LIMRA study, 68 million American adults have no life insurance and among those with coverage, most have far less than recom...
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Financial FYI: New rules for gift cards
The gift card…an impersonal gift or the recipient’s paradise? I have to be honest, shopping is not one of my favorite things to do, so I enjoy giving the choice to my friends and family by providing them with a gift card. I was at a meeting recently that shared information about new gift card rules that took effect on Aug. 22. If you are like me, you may be interested to learn a little about those rules. The following information comes fro...
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Part one: The Amana Colonies
I don’t know if you are familiar with a national historic site called the “Amana Colonies.” I had heard of it and even visited the area several years ago and thought most people knew about it as a visitor destination, but I now realize many people are not familiar with the Amana Colonies The group who formed the Amana Colonies came to this country from Germany. They were a breakaway group from the German Lutheran Church and their ideas were...
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Mexican heritage
While Mexico will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain next week, Chanute is presenting its 93rd annual Mexican Fiesta this weekend at Santa Fe Park. From its inception in 1917, the fiesta has grown with Chanute’s Mexican American community. The fiesta started among Mexican immigrants who came to work on the Santa Fe Railroad. Many lived in boxcars in what was then called the “Little Mexico” section of Chanute. Fro...
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We have gas
As most of us know, Chanute was founded in 1873 after Octave Chanute settled some bickering between four townships. The railroad followed shortly thereafter. The census in 1880 was a mere 887 people but by 1900 it had grown to more than 4,200. No doubt this growth was brought about in large part by Chanute being including into the steel arteries of the industrial world. Then something happened between 1900 and 1910 to make the population mor...
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‘Winter’ hours begin at library
As we close an absolutely wonderful summer at the public library, we would like to thank all those who participated in our programming, read for the summer reading program or made use of our other services. While I know that the hot summer weather contributed to our rise in circulation, I also hope that our programs also enticed you to visit the library. We would also like to thank the many Chanute businesses who made t-shirts and other priz...
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Tri-Valley grateful for dedicated direct care staff
Several years ago, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to set aside a week in September to recognize employees who work with people with disabilities. This year, the week of Sept. 12-18 has been designated as National Direct Support Professionals (DSP) Recognition Week and Tri-Valley plans to celebrate with its employees. Tri-Valley is proud of its 113 direct support professional’s and the work they do. Without their care and dedication, serv...
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Origins of the KKOY Sky Copter
Mark Patton Tribune Reporter Everybody remembers their first real job. Sure I mowed lawns and delivered the Chanute Tribune as a kid but my first “real job” was working for KKOY Radio. I started off playing local commercials and doing station identifications for Kansas City Royals and Chiefs games. I also did the dreaded weekend shifts, the Saturday and Sundays that nobody else wanted to work. After a four-year stint in the USAF, I retur...
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Mix it up with ... What’s Cookin’ with Diabetes
People newly diagnosed with diabetes typically experience a mix of emotions – many are afraid they may never again be able to enjoy food or have a dessert. Most people can learn to manage the disease successfully and still enjoy the food they eat! K-State Research and Extension along with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, would like to help you with just that! Join us for a special workshop that has been cooked up so people with diabet...
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Creepy local legends
Every small town has its legends. Some of them are downright spooky. Chanute has always been a special, magical and odd place to me so it is no different, I suppose. The thing about legends is that there is usually nobody left alive to vouch for their veracity, to tell you if they are true. One legend I heard was that of “Indian Cave.” The first time I saw this cave was as a small boy, perhaps six years old. My sister’s Brownie troop was h...
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Chanute gearing up for 40th annual Artist Alley
On Sept. 25 downtown Chanute will explode with hundreds of people roaming the street to be entertained, eating a funnel cake, admiring the antique cars and motorcycles, or shopping with the many Arts and Craft booths that line six blocks in downtown. This is the 41th annual Artist Alley Festival. The first Artist Alley was conceived and co-chaired by Cecilia Beuligman and Ruth Mannoni, both board members of the 1969 Neosho Valley Art Counc...
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Exhibit explores marketing, commercial ventures
A new special exhibit, “Travel Fees...When Adventure Was Serious Business,” can be viewed in our second floor Selsor Art Gallery at Chanute’s Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum. Curator Jacque Borgeson and Stanford student intern Jesse Stutt superbly tell the story of marketing and commercial ventures used by the Johnsons to help fund their pioneering documentary films. The introduction states, “From a shaky shoestring start to glitzy sho...
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Let’s drill some hydrogen wells
Edward P. Cross, president Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association The benefits of hydrogen for generating power from fuel cells are well-documented, whether for vehicles or commercial electricity production. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in an oxidation/reduction reaction to produce electricity, with water and heat as the only byproducts. This avoids waste products like sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide....
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Organizations face losing tax-exempt status
How many times do we get mail, read it, then put it away and forget about it? In 2007, tax-exempt organizations were supposedly told that they had three years to comply with a new law, requiring tax-exempt organizations to file a Form 990-N, starting with May 15, 2008, after the completion of that tax year. The law mandates that all tax exempt organizations, other than churches and church organizations, must file an annual return with the IR...
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Juneau unique state capital
What U.S. State Capital is accessible by only air or sea? Actually, two state capitals meet that criteria. They are Hawaii and Alaska. Today, however, I want to visit with you about Juneau, the capital of Alaska. The city and borough of Juneau is located in the panhandle of Southeast Alaska. It is located 900 air miles north of Seattle, Wash., or 600 miles SE of Anchorage. Alaska covers a large landmass and it is often difficult to actually...
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Talk about taverns, past and present
It has been said that nothing is sure in this world but death and taxes. While I’m not disputing that, I have always felt that in Chanute one might say that nothing is sure but death and taxes – and an abundance of churches, hair stylists and taverns. It seems that there are still plenty of the first two but upon my most recent return to my old hometown, I have found a strange lack of the third. There are the places of legends that I recall ...
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