In the case of a partial pasture burn, managers need to consider that cattle will tend to intensively graze the burned areas over the unburned grass. K-State Pasture Management Specialist Walt Fick says making a contingency grazing plan may be in order.

Fick says patch burn grazing allows you to rotate grazing without a fence but changing the areas you burn each year. He says plans will vary depending on what part of the state you are in and how much of your pasture burns.

His parents call him Boone. But, you may want to just call him sir. Boone Debo was born at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center tipping the scale at 14 pounds and 2 ounces. CRMC's Melissa Summer says his due date was to be April 1^st.  While he is the biggest baby born in Montgomery County, he is second on the state's list. He missed that record by about 2 ounces.

His parents are Matthew and Savannah Debo.

Time to think about spring cleaning. K-State's Karen Blakeslee says do not forget to clean up the kitchen.  Once you complete the cabinet clean-out, she says it's time to clean the refrigerator, oven, and especially the microwave.  The warmer weather also means we start preparing some meals outdoors.

However, before putting the burgers and vegetables on the grill, Blakeslee says you'll want to make sure it’s clean.  She says it's also a good idea to invest in a meat thermometer.   

Coffeyville Regional Medical Center adds a new tool for the operating room. It's high tech camera to be used during laparoscopic surgeries. CRMC General Surgeon, Dr. Michelle McGuirk is using the Stryker 1588 AIM Platform camera, which is designed with five distinct advanced imaging modalities that allow surgeons to see more and do more during surgery.

The new technology offers nine surgical specialties to optimize color and lighting settings.

Tri-County Tech will receive $1,350 in grant funds to support its robotics team. The grant is one of 26 funded by Public Service Company of Oklahoma this year. The AEP FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics grants initiative is a company-wide program to support pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade student education with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

PSO Community Affairs Manager for Bartlesville, Michael Gordon, says PSO is aware of the critical need for strong STEM education.

Keep your eyes out, the city of Caney has formed a neighborhood watch. This gives the local police department extra set of eyes and ears around the area. Caney Police Chief Ron Wade expresses good energy and urgency by the members from the first few meetings. Do you know what to do to report an incident as neighborhood watch? Police Chief Ron Wade tells us some things you'll learn in the meetings include how to report the incident to the police, what to say, and how to direct them correctly. Hoping to see a significant drop off in theft and other crimes throughout the area, Wade is optimistic about the new neighborhood watch with the spring season being upon us.

New lungs, new man. Coffeyville Community College football coach Aaron Flores is almost three weeks removed from a double lung transplant. He is able to walk a mile a day and got to take his first post surgery shower yesterday. He is out of the hospital and into an apartment as he starts pulmonary rehab. For updates on Coach Flores you can visit the Facebook page “Coach Flo is getting New Lungs!”.

CPD Participates in Child Abduction Response Training. The Coffeyville Police Department was one of 35 law enforcement agencies throughout the area who participated in training to respond to child abductions or mysterious disappearances of a child. All 35 agencies involved with the training will dedicate personnel to serve as Joint Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team members and will be able to provide assistance to neighboring jurisdictions during an actual investigation. The training consisted both of classroom training by the FBI’s National Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and Behavioral Analysis Unit on topics such as an overview of child sex offenders, information on the behavior of child abductors, guidance on false allegations of abductions and case management. Police Chief Kwin Bromley stated, “This training was very valuable to our department,” Captain Danny Grigg and Detective Lucas Vargas also attended the training held at Butler County Community College.

April 17^th the Paw Prints van will be in Coffeyville for you to get your pets spayed or neutered. Coffeyville Friends of Animal's Becky Barnhart says you need to make an appointment ahead of time.

Barnhart says they will be at different places around town throughout they day and when you call and schedule your appointment they will tell you what location they will be.

Jobs, that's been one of the biggest driving forces for the people supporting Tyson coming to Montgomery County. Former Coffeyville City Commissioner and Tyson Opposer Justin Martin says he's not buying that argument.

Martin says if you haver questions about why he doesn't support Tyson you can email him at notysonjustin@gmail.com. There is also a “No Tyson in Montgomery County” Facebook page that you can find information on.

Want an easy investment that benefits your local community as well? With the new federal opportunity zone program being put in to place, southeastern Kansas has these options. Trisha Purdon the executive director of the Montgomery County action council, said they got the green light for 3 of 4 of their proposed zones, including Caney, Cherryvale, and the city proper portion of Coffeyville. With these new zones, investment companies can invest into local projects and offset their capital gains, making it easier to put money back into other local projects benefiting the investor and the local communities. A project that Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer had yet to hear about, but after consideration and approval from the Kansas Department of Commerce those 3 zones are now apart of the program.

Nothing like beautifying your community all while doing the same to yourself; over in Independence they have created a fun way to clean up your city all while exercising. Bulldog pride is a walking group created in efforts to clean up the streets of trash throughout Independence, and get yourself physically active with friends and family. Lisa Wilson the director of the Chamber of Commerce in Independence says the group is just that, an excuse to get out on a Saturday morning, meet new friends and help beautify your community. The group meets every Saturday at 9 am for the hour long walk at Bulldog Station in Independence on main street. Great way to get the family out, easy way to clean up the community and is completely free. All you need is a trash bag and a great attitude to help your community.

Tax time is a prime opportunity for scam artists to strike. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says they aren't only targeting those who have to pay taxes.

Schmidt says if you do need to buy something or you want to donate part of your return to charity reach out to them don't let someone contact you.

This is the time of year when prescribed burning happens around Kansas. The practice helps preserve native grasslands. But, recently, concerns have been raised about the impact on air quality. KSU's Zifei Liu has been researching the make up and movement of the smoke.

He advises pasture managers to use a specially-designed on-line tool as a guideline for burning with minimal impact on air quality. It can be found at www.ksfire.org.

Texas charges land a Kansas chief of police in jail. Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy says LaHarpe Police Chief Ashley Wright and her husband, David, are in custody over a theft charge from Rule, Texas. David Wright is the former police chief of the community. The warrant was for David. Ashley was arrested for refusing to let deputies carryout the arrest warrant against her husband. David was terminated at Rule Police Chief in October of 2015 over an improper investigation into an alleged assault on his daughter in school. He refused to turn in his badge and ID which lead to the theft charges.

He's also charged in Allen County for impersonating an officer when he allegedly acted on his wife's behalf.

***KOAM contributed to this story

The Independence City Commission meets tomorrow evening. One of the items on the agenda includes the 2016 Fiscal Audit Report. The report was prepared by Yerkes & Michels of Independence. The audit, which was included in this week's board packet, found some areas of concern in the oversight of city funds. The report found eight areas where there appeared to be a lack of in-house controls. A corrective action plan has reportedly been signed by City Manager Craig Whitehead and City Clerk Michael Borovetz.

Further details will be discussed at Thursday's meeting. KGGF's Sam Speck will be covering.

With it officially being springtime in the state of Kansas, it is also time to be on the look out for spring severe weather. Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Rick Whitson says people can come out to an event put on by the director of the National Weather Service in Wichita.

The event is called Fury on the Plains and will be at 6:30 pm at the Ron Stevens Building by the fair grounds. He says it is open to the public and is free of charge.

A 50-year-old Galena man lands in jail. Galena Police arrested 50-year-old Steven Thomason last night for a municipal failure to appear warrant. During the arrest, evidence was found which lead to a search warrant for the residence where Thomason was located. During the search, over 7 grams of methamphetamine were seized along with drug paraphernalia.

Thomason was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on additional complaints of felony posession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernaila.

Severe storm season is upon us, and taking the right safety precautions is always a top priority. The city of Independence has recently changed their emergency alert system, moving away from the previous Nixel program to an easier, more tech savvy system. Registering for the new system is as easy as visiting the city website at independenceks.gov, finding the banner across the top and filling it out there. If you have any questions on the registration process you can also call (620) 332-2500. Lisa Wilson of the Independence Chamber is happy with the new approach as the new system has texting or email options alerting you in the event of a severe storm, giving you an extra edge up on mother nature. Independence also has 4 public shelters scattered through it's city, the Civic Center, Independence High School Gym(no pets), Montgomery County judicial center basement, and finally the temporary city hall otherwise known as Building D. Even with your own storm shelters, Wilson urges to register just in case your shelter is buried in debris, they can still find you.

Lawmakers continue to wade through a report from consultants on what it could cost to improve Kansas schools. Representative Jim Kelly says he is hopeful that one of the spending scenarios will satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court mandate.  The report indicates the state would need to add from $421-million to an additional $2-billion annually to the $4-billion currently allocated.

The goal would be to boost the high school graduation rate to 95% within the next four years.

There's a scam alert from the Chanute Police Department. The department reports a caller, using the name Timothy Churchill, has been calling people claiming to be with an extended car warranty company. He is using the number from Neosho Regional Medical Center. The number shows up on your caller ID as a call from the hospital. Police indicate the alleged scammers are also using other names and numbers.

The Chanute Police Department reminds residents to be cautious about giving any information to anyone over the phone or by mail.

Coffeyville Community College Head Football Coach Aaron Flores continues to show improvement following a double lung transplant. Flores underwent the procedure in Omaha, where he remains hospitalized. He is expected to have a test today that will determine if he can start eating and drinking. Two of four chest tubes have been removed. Flores has been up and walking around without what had become his signature cough.   Coach Flores was diagnosed several years ago with an illness that causes fibrosis of the lungs.

A Go Fund Me account has been established for the Flores family.

New regulations will be in place after a poultry bill gets through the Kansas House and Senate. Representative Jim Kelly says there hadn't been anything in place before.  Kelly says now they have framework in place in case Tyson or any other poultry producer does come into Kansas.

Governor Jeff Colyer will need to approve the measure.

Walk Kansas, the eight-week K-State Research and Extension health initiative encouraging people to be physically active, has started and will continue through the 12th of May. State coordinator of Walk Kansas, Sharolyn Jackson, says that while the challenges are the same, but the “virtual” trails, that were inspired from the Eight Wonders of Kansas Guidebook, have been updated.  Walk Kansas teams choose one of three goals. The first challenge, the activity goal, is 480 miles, the second challenge covers 768 miles and the third is 1,152 miles. Regardless of which challenge they choose, Jackson says each team member must do at least 10-minutes of continuous moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for those minutes to count Walk Kansas. You can find out more about Walk Kansas by going to walkkansas.org or by contacting your county or district Extension office. The official dates for Walk Kansas are March 18th-May 12th. However, those dates could be different for your county.

The Coffeyville Public Library has some fun planned for Spring Break. Director Katie Hill says there will be four days of activities.

Hill says on the movie night they will be showing Space Jam and on the craft day they will be making dream catchers.

Crisis Training is important for police officers especially when it comes to helping those with mental health issues. Independence Police Chief Jerry Harrison says his department is taking steps to help with that.

Harrison says they are going to do whatever they can to help those who struggle with mental health in Independence.

A multiple vehicle crash snarls traffic along 11^th Street between Willow and Elm yesterday. A car was hit in the back by a semi and pushed into the oncoming traffic lane where another truck hit the car.

It happened in front of McDonald's during the noon-hour yesterday.

A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. But, many small businesses struggle to provide any medical benefits for their employees.

Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce Director Candi Westbrook says they're teaming up with CRMC to help address that through some health

screenings.  The lab work is $25. If a company has more than 20 employees the screening can be done on-site. Otherwise, screenings will be

done at the Sleep Inn on April 5^th between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m.

Employees can register at 252-2550.

The investigation into the death of 70-year-old Larry Beemus continues.   Beemus was found last week near the railroad tracks at 1705 W. 11th Street.  Preliminary results of the autopsy have been received, and no foul play is suspected.  The Coffeyville Police Department has determined Beemus moved to Coffeyville around August of 2017.  He was a veteran and suffered from dementia.  Police have been unable to locate any family members. 

If anyone has information about Bermus or who may know a family member, are asked to contact Detective Sergeant Lucas Vargas at 620-252-6010.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office asks the public to be on the lookout for someone who is setting fires in the county.  Conditions remain dry with high winds and low humidity putting us in a dangerous fire situation.  Sheriff Bobby Dierks tells KGGF News they believe the suspect is driving a black pickup with a black camper top.  Anyone who sees the vehicle or suspicious activity should call the sheriff’s office at 620-330-1000. 

Montgomery County remains under a burn ban until further notice. 

When he came to Caney as the new City Administrator, Fred Gress says he and the elected officials put together some economic development plans. He says one of those was a grocery store.

Gress says the Kansas Health Foundation has earmarked $4.2 million to help bring rural grocery stores back. He says the wrote an application for it and he's just gotten word that they can move on to the next step.

It's time to think twice about missing school, with a tougher truancy enforcement in place Independence Police Chief Jerry Harrison explains how they are making sure their task force falls within the legal limits. Partnering with the county attorney and superintendent as they will all meet next week to build a plan that is fully within the state laws, while still creating the most effective task force they can. Harrison states he is excited to see what this task force will do on the truancy numbers in the upcoming years.

He also stresses this task force is for the greater good of the kids, not wanting them to be in trouble, but still making them more responsible and preparing them for success in the future.

A Chetopa man lands in the Cherokee County Jail. 47-year-old Charles Robert Lawellin, Jr, was arrested on two warrants for felony theft. Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves tells KGGF News his office began investigating the man last year after learning of suspected fraud he was perpetrating on area residents. Lawellin allegedly scammed two residents out of over $10,000 which he required as down payments on buildings he was to construct, but never did.

Lawellin's bond was set at $20,000.

A man shot during a 2016 high speed chase with Cherokee County authorities will spend 7 years in prison. 39-year-old Kevin Duncan was seen driving erratically near a city park and making threats toward children. Columbus Police and Cherokee County Sheriff's deputies tried to pull him over, but he lead them in a chase into Crawford County where speeds top 100 miles per hour, while he fired a gun through his sunroof. He also pointed the gun at one of the officers.

Once he was stopped and tried to flee, he was shot by Crawford County deputies before he was taken into custody.

KOAM contributed to this story

Homeowners beware! Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says a Bourbon County roofer has been banned from working in the state. Shane Bailey, of Bailey Construction, was permanently banned from operating as a roofing contractor in the state of Kansas. The action came after Bailey failed to respond to a lawsuit filed against him. Schmidt says the roofer did not register with the Kasnas Roofing Registration Act and failed to give consumers the required 3-day right to cancel services for door-to-door sales.

He also cashed checks before the required five day waiting period.

The president of the Coffeyville Boys and Girls Club is recognized at the Youth of the Year Competition held by the state-wide organization. Jim Falkner was named Volunteer of the Year. He was also named to the state board responsible for legislative, funding and legal issues. Coffeyville's representative at the competition, Juleonna Stevenson finished in 3^rd place.

You may learn more about the Boys and Girls Club by calling 620-252-6437.

The Red Ravens men's basketball team will play on Wednesday, March 21^st at 2:00 pm. Coffeyville Community College will be providing a fan only bus. The bus will leave at 10:00 am from Nellis Hall's parking lot. Athletic Administrative Assistant Janna Kastler says she has to have reservations made by Monday, March 20^th by 5:00 pm. CCC is closed next week for spring break, but she says she will be checking her phone and emails.

The cost is $20 per person for the bus, and you are responsible for your ticket and food. If the team continues to win, there will be a bus going on Thursday the 22^nd at 2:00 pm and Friday the 23^rd at 2:00 pm. Games will be at 6:00 pm those 2 days. If CCC makes it to the championship game there will not be a bus going that day. For more information you can call Jana Kastler at 620-252-7360.

Coffeyville City Manager Kendal Francis resigns from his job effective immediately. The move comes ahead of his contract which was set to expire on August 31^st. Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Candi Westbrook says her organization has worked over the last three years to build a better relationship with the city.  Director of the City's Electric Utility, Mike Shook, has been named interim city manager by the Coffeyville City Commission.

Francis has been city manager since August of 2015.

The Coffeyville Fire Department is conducts a live fire burn training yesterday afternoon in the 1100 block of West 10th Street. In addition to the CFD, the South Coffeyville Fire Department and the Coffeyville Community College Fire Science class participated. The windows on the house were boarded up so the firefighters and students experienced entering structures with no light available.

Plans are for the condemned structure to be demolished in the near future.

Bartlesville is home to another new restaurant. Chicken Express has opened on the east side of U-S 75, north of Nowata Road. It is the second chicken restaurant to open in 2018. Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express, are among the new businesses coming to Bartlesville.

You can enjoy their chicken selection from 10:30 am to 10 pm every day. 

The Montgomery County Commission discusses plans for chip and seal repairs to various county roads for the upcoming year. Public Works Coordinator Robert Bever noted some recent work done for the county doesn't appear to be holding up and suggested they might want to use a different contractor. Commissioners also discusses requiring a bond for contractor's doing the work.

A flood buyout lease agreement was also signed on a property at 4985 County Road 1600 in Coffeyville.

The Coffeyville Public Schools Board of Education receives more information about a portion of the school redesign. Curriculum Director Lora Stalford outlined the district's plan for Secondary Social/Emotional Character Development. The principals from Roosevelt Middle School and Field Kindley High School discussed the changes being made to integrate SECD into daily school life.

School board members also discussed updates for the student handbook and facility planning.

We have an update on Coffeyville Community College head football coach Aaron Flores. A statement released by CCC reports that Coach Flores is now off the ventilator and doing well. He traveled to Omaha over the weekend to receive a double lung transplant. So far, despite the pain, the lungs appear to be working well.

A GoFundMe account has been established for the Flores Family.