The first day of classes at Nowata Public Schools could be pushed back because of ongoing construction.

The district is proposing a revised start date of Wednesday, August 19^th, pending approval from the Nowata Board of Education. Superintendent Dr. Mindy Englett says the additional time would allow construction crews and district employees to complete essential work and make sure school buildings are safe, secure and ready for students and staff.

District officials acknowledge the change could create an inconvenience for families and employees, but say safety remains their highest priority. The Board of Education will consider the revised calendar at an upcoming meeting. If approved, the complete school calendar will be posted and shared with families and staff.

Data centers continue to be a topic of discussion in Montgomery County from the County level to Coffeyville and Cherryvale.

Action Council Director Melissa Johnson says there are several reasons data centers would be interested in the county.  Johnson says there are a number of guardrails in place when any business is looking at coming into the county.

Johnson says when it comes to data centers people are most concerned with energy and water usage.  A moratorium on data centers was recently brought before the Montgomery County Commission but the motion failed without a second.

USD 445 is moving forward with a proposed mill levy increase for the upcoming budget year.

The USD 445 Board of Education authorizes the district to publish a levy of up to 1.8 mills above the Revenue Neutral Rate. The published figure serves as a ceiling, meaning the board may approve a lower levy when it adopts the budget in September. District officials say the increase would fund employee raises, textbook purchases and the Local Option Budget. A drop in state aid means the district would need to raise the levy by nearly seven-tenths of a mill just to generate the same LOB funding as last year.

The full 1.8-mill increase would add about $29 per year to the property tax bill on a $140,000 home. A public hearing on exceeding the RNR is scheduled for September 14^th at 4:00pm, followed by the district’s budget hearing at 4:15pm.

Netflix debuts another series featuring the Southeast Kansas area.

The first season of Little House on the Prairie came out earlier this month and is eight episodes long. Independence Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Wilson says it is neat to have another show talk about this area.  Wilson says you can enjoy the new show as they lead up to Carrie Days at the start of August.

The event celebrates the birth of Carrie Ingalls, who was born on August 3^rd, 1870. The Little House on the Prairie Museum is located at 2507 County Road 3000 in Independence and is open seven days a week from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

Kansas farmers had 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork last week, according to the USDA's latest Crop Progress and Condition report.

Corn and soybean conditions remain strong, with 64 percent of corn and 72 percent of soybeans rated good to excellent. Corn silking and soybean pod setting are near or ahead of the five-year average, while sorghum development is also running ahead of normal.

Pasture and range conditions are rated 57 percent good to excellent, although about one-third of the state's topsoil and subsoil moisture remains short to very short.

The 115th Annual Labette County Fair continues today in Oswego with a busy day of livestock competition and rodeo action.

The day begins with the Poultry Show at 9 a.m., followed by the Meat Goat and Sheep Show at 4 p.m.

This evening wraps up with the first night of the ACRA/IPRA/Open Rodeo at the fairgrounds. Mutton Bustin' begins at 7:30 p.m., followed by the rodeo at 8 p.m.

The Labette County Fair continues through Saturday with additional livestock shows, the Danger Zone Bull Riding event, the Bill and Shirley McKinzie Memorial Livestock Sale, and the Demo Derby.

More details are released concerning the weekend drowning death of an Arkansas police officer.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 24-year-old Fred Marsh was canoeing on the Elk River near Noel on Saturday night. Marsh was part of a group that included his fiancee and other friends. The Rogers, Arkansas, Police Officer noticed a swimmer in the water who appeared to be in distress. Marsh entered the water in an attempt to help the other individual. During the rescued attempt around 6pm, Marsh became exhausted, went under the water, and did not resurface.

Emergency crews were called to assist in the search, but that search was called off around 10pm. Marsh was recovered from the water around 10pm on Sunday morning.

Rescue crews from the M-S-H-P along with Noel Fire and the McDonald County Sheriff's Water Patrol assisted with the recovery effort.

Fred Marsh was in his first year as a police officer with the Rogers Police Department.

The Chautauqua County Fair continues this week with four days of activities beginning Wednesday.

Open-class entries and 4-H judging take place Wednesday, followed by livestock shows, a free barbecue and bean feed, inflatables, rides and a talent show Thursday.

Extension Agent Emily Hen says the community should come out and support the fair and its participants.

Friday’s schedule includes the Barnyard Olympics, bingo and an 8 p.m. rodeo. Saturday features a parade, kids’ pedal pull, barbecue and pie contests, a livestock premium sale and another rodeo. The fair concludes Saturday night with a free dance and live music from Out of Touch.

We will have a live broadcast from 10:00am to noon.

Montgomery County Public Works will begin a box culvert replacement on a county road north of Cherryvale today.

County Road 6200 will be closed between County Roads 5300 and 5375 starting today to allow the project to be completed. The closure is located about a half mile north of US-400, and 2 miles west of the US-169 junction. County Road 6200 will be closed at that location for the next six to eight weeks, until the culvert replacement is complete.

Drivers are asked to plan alternate routes and allow extra time for travel during construction.

Temperatures across the four-state region have spiked in the past few days, with highs in the triple digits.

When temperatures rise, the risk of serious heat-related illness increases. Whether you are working or playing outside, Dr. Brett Gray says there are some precautions to take if you are going to be outside for an extended period of time.

 Dr. Gray says if you are spending a lot of time outside this week, be on the lookout for signs of heat exhaustion. 
 

Heat exhaustion can quickly escalate into heatstroke, which is a life-threatening medical emergency. If an individual becomes disoriented or confused, stops sweating, or faints, seek medical attention and call 9-1-1.

Officers from the Coffeyville Police Department will be taking part in a training exercise today and tomorrow on the campus of Coffeyville Community College.

C-P-D wants the public to be aware that there will be an increased police presence on the campus today and tomorrow while training occurs. Both faculty and staff at the school are aware of the event and nearby residents should not be alarmed by the presence of law enforcement. There is no emergency. The training will conclude on Wednesday.

A measure to place a moratorium on data centers, wind and solar farms, and battery storage facilities fails at Monday’s Montgomery County Commission meeting.

The contentious issue has been a topic of discussion by the Commission for several weeks. At Monday’s meeting, County Administrator Jonathan Booe presented commissioners with some pros and cons of allowing the construction of data centers in the county. Booe says data centers may be bring positive economic impacts to the community because they say they want to be good neighbors.

He cited the City of Pryor, Oklahoma, in which a data center company purchased a much needed new fire engine for the City. However, Booe also outlined the negative impacts. He says one of those is stress on the power grid. 

Another issue is water use. Booe says the state’s current largest consumer of water is just north, in Burlington.

Commissioner Phil Clubine says he is not necessarily against data centers, but he does support a temporary moratorium.

However, Commissioner Robert Bever says he wants to hear proposals from the company before he would support a moratorium.

During the public comment period, more than ten Montgomery County citizens spoke, with most of them in favor of the moratorium. The motion is made by Commissioner Phil Clubine and put up for the vote by Chairman Mike Cordray.

The failure of the measure to pass does not mean that the issue is closed. Commissioner Robert Bever is retiring at the end of this term, which means there will be a new member of the Commission in January. That commission could take up the issue again at that time. Until then, however, it appears there will be no data center moratorium in Montgomery County.

Kansas voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes in the August 4th primary election and then again in the November general election.

An important part of any election is the poll workers. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab says civic-minded people across the state are need to help.

Volunteers must complete training, be registered to vote - if they are of voting age-, be an American citizen, at least 16 years old and willing to take an oath of office. In addition, volunteers get compensation for their time. If volunteers are unable to work an entire day, they are encouraged to take a part-time shift or split the day with a friend, family member or colleague. Schwab says even younger teens can volunteer.

Individuals can get started by calling the Secretary of State’s office at 1-800-262-VOTE , by contacting your local election office (Montgomery County residents go here) or by filling out an online application.

An extreme heat warning is in place today from noon to 8 across southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma.

Temperatures across the area are expected between 100 and 103, with a heat index up to 115 possible.

Those working outside should take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water. It's also a good idea to check on the elderly and those without air conditioning.

Data Centers were once again a topic of discussion at last night's Cherryvale City Council Meeting.

According to Mayor Gary Minnich, HyperDatagrid has contacted the city regarding a potential data center in Cherryvale. An agreement with the company fell through earlier this year. Minnich says that the city has not responded to the company at this time, and that the council would like to gather more information on the technology before moving forward with any similar project.

In other business, work continues on the budget, with a workshop planned for July 30^th at 5 p.m. City Clerk Karen Davis says the city has made the declaration to the county to raise the mill levy up to 10 mills if a tax increase is needed, but no changes in the budget have been voted on, and there will need to be a public forum if the revenue-neutral rate needs to be exceeded.

The council also approved special assessments from last fall that will be added to the tax roles for mowing and cleanup on private properties in addition to approving a mower purchase not to exceed $36,000 for the smelter property and opened the bid process for HVAC for the fire department.

The Montgomery County Action Council Celebrates community leaders at its annual meeting and awards ceremony

Around 90 community members attended the event held over the weekend at the Coffeyville County Club.

Executive Director Melissa Johnson opened the meeting with a report focused on calls to action for an economic development approach that puts the well-being and long-term success of Montgomery County citizens first.

The evening also recognized outstanding individuals and organizations whose contributions have made a lasting impact on Montgomery County. This year's award-winners include Lew Forman winning the Rob Gill Community Spirit Award and April Nutt, who won the Curtis Lavine Entrepreneurship Award. VSE Aviation was awarded the Pear Schmidt Golden Shovel Award, and the Jim Kelley Lifetime Service Award was given to Tim Emert.

Today is the final day for summer meals pickup at USD 445, although dine in breakfast and lunch will continue through Friday.

Today, students pickup meals will receive enough food to cover meals this Wednesday through Friday, so there will be no Friday curbside pickup.

Pickup is available today at 606 Cherokee from 11:30 to 12:30 in Coffeyville, at the Caney Valley Food Pantry in Caney from 11:00 to 12:30 and at Dearing Park from 11:30 to noon.

Dine in meals will continue through Friday at Community Elementary at 102 S Cline in Coffeyville from 7:30 to 8:30 and 11:20 to 12:30.

A moratorium against large tech projects including data centers in Montgomery County fails after the motion dies.

It was standing room only at Monday's Montgomery County Commission Meeting, where a large number of citizens spoke on the issue, most of whom were against data centers coming into the county. Montgomery County Action Council Executive Director Melissa Johnson as well as Tim Wilson spoke spoke against a potential moratorium.

Commissioner Phil Clubine made the motion for a six-month moratorium against large tech projects, but the motion died without a second, so the motion failed, meaning there is no moratorium at this time.

Large tech projects could include data centers in addition to wind farms, battery storage systems and solar farms.  Any potential moratorium approved by the county would not affect what happens within any city limits.  The commission could still vote on a potential moratorium in the future.

The 115th Annual Labette County Fair continues Monday in Oswego with the Swine Show.

The show begins at 6 p.m., giving 4-H and FFA exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their hog projects after months of hard work and preparation.

The fair continues throughout the week with livestock shows, rodeos, the Bill and Shirley McKinzie Memorial Livestock Sale, the Danger Zone Bull Riding event, and the Demo Derby before wrapping up Saturday, July 25.

The Rogers, Arkansas, Police Department announces the passing of one of its officers in a weekend drowning incident.

According to the Rogers Police Department, 24-year-old Fred Marsh died in a drowning incident on Saturday, July 18, on the Elk River while canoeing with his fiancee and friends. Marsh was in his first year of service as a police officer.

Out of regard for the privacy of the officer's family, no additional details about the accident have been released.

The pond at Neodesha's Riverwalk Park remains under a blue-green algae watch.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, watch status means that a harmful algae bloom is possible and may be present in the water. Contact with the water in the pond is discouraged and should not be ingested by humans or animals.

For more information, go here.

The Mid-Continent Community Band's weekly performance in Independence will move inside tomorrow night due to the forecast hot weather.

With temperatures tomorrow forecast to be around 100 degrees, the weekly band concert scheduled for Riverside Park will move indoors. Attendees are invited to enjoy the band's music in the cool comfort of the William Inge Theater on the main cmapus of Independence Community College.

Tomorrow night's concert begins at 8pm. Admission is free.

Independence will soon have new pickleball courts.

The plans for the proposed Oakes Pickleball Courts are included in the upcoming Phase Three of the Central Park Sports Complex through a Land and Water conservation Fund grant through the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Plans are underway to construct the four pickleball-dedicated courts near the existing dog park. The courts will be available for use by all levels of pickleball players.

No timeline has yet been given for construction.

The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference announces its 2025-2026 KJCCC All-Academic Award winners with 126 student athletes from Coffeyville Community College on the list.

The Conference made the announcement last week, honor those student-athletes who finished the academic year with at least a 3.5 overall GPA. CCC finished second-highest of the twenty schools in the conference with only Barton County totaling more, with 131.

CCC was one of only seven conference schools that  had at least 100 student-athletes from their school recognized with the award.

The recognition highlights Coffeyville Community College's continued commitment to excellence both in the classroom and in athletic competition.

The Kansas Primary Election is coming up on Tuesday, August 4th and the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office wants to help with trusted election information.

Votekansas.gov is the official website of the Secretary of State’s Office and can help voters find their polling location and see a sample ballot. Kansans can also see a candidate list for legislative and statewide offices and a list of county election offices. Advance voting data and locations are also available, plus vot6ers can learn more about the process and steps for Kansas elections.

The Kansas Secretary of State is responsible for administering elections, collecting certain records of Kansas businesses and publishing the official publications for the State of Kansas. The Secretary of State is one of four state offices authorized by the Kansas Constitution.

For voter information, visit votekansas.gov