It wasn't a cat stuck in a tree, but it was a dog stuck in a storm drain.

 Firefighter in Wichita rescued the grateful pooch yesterday afternoon after a 9-1-1 call reported the small terrier has fallen into a storm drain. The Wichita Fire Department says the soggy dog's owner arrived on the scene just as they were lifting the canine from the drain.

The dog was not injured and was reunited with his owner.

Photo courtesy Wichita Fire Department

 Residents of Fredonia will soon see higher rates for sewer usage.

 At last night's city commission meeting, commissioners considered a resolution to raise rates for sewer use. City Administrator Wesley Young says part of the reason the rate hike was needed was to help pay for repairs to the system.

Commissioners werer reluctant to raise the rates, but agreed it was a step that neede to be taken. The measure was unanimously approved. The resolution will increase rates for the first one thousand gallons used from $28 to $35. It will also increase the rate for every one thousand gallons after that mark from $4 to $8. Young said the reason for this was to help spread the cost of the rate hike to the city's heavy users.

 Serious charges are made during an Osage County, Oklahoma, forum.

 During this week's Republican Forum, Osage County Clerk Robin Slack made some serious allegations against both former and current county commissioners. Slack said that she believes that not all county purchases are going through her office and that the $10 million courthouse annex is an example.  

Slack says that the Board gave the Osage County Industrial Authority authorization to proceed with a 10.5 million dollar bond to finance the annex project in late 2021. Slack says Osage County citizens had already voted against the measure. 

Slack says that Everett Piper, who stepped down as County Commissioner for District One in March, gave a presentation stating that the county would see a loss of nearly one million dollars. The Board converted the bond from an 18-month bond to a 30-year bond.

Everett Piper calls Slack's accusations untrue. Piper says Slack is intentionally misrepresenting the situation.Piper added that  every step of the requisitioning process has been reviewed and approved by legal counsel.  

Osage County District Attorney Mike Fisher also called Slack's comments were inaccurate.

 A bus stolen from a Kansas church is recovered in Texas.

 The First Christian Church in Medicine Lodge reported the bus stolen earlier this week after it was reportedly seen traveling at a high rate of speed outside of the city. The church had also reported two suspicious people in the area of the bus.

The bus was eventually located in Wichita Falls, TX, but no suspects were found. Texas authorities are continuing to search for the two suspects. When police in Wichita Falls are finished processing the vehicle, the church will be able to reclaim it.

 One person is dead after crashing into a tree on the campus of Emporia State University.

 The accident happened just after noon Wednesday. Reports indicate that the car failed to stop at a stop sign, left the roadway, and hit the tree. The driver of the car was taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Officers from the Emporia Police Department and the Emporia State Police Department responded to the scene. Due to the nature of the accident, the victim's name is not being released.

 The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says it is keeping a watchful eye on a logjam in the Neosho River.

 The large logjam was caused by downed tree, brush and debris that swept into the river after last weekend's heavy rainfall. The debris in the river has backed up next a bridge on US-60 near Wyandotte.

ODOT says they have no immediate concern for the structural integrity of the bridge. Authorities say that most of the debris is on the surface of the water, which allows water to continue to flow downstream. This is an important consideration to prevent upstream flooding. Any removal of the debris would have to be done from the water and current water levels are too high for that to be done safely.

 Miami Mayor Bless Parker has been a vocal critic of the Grand River Dam Authority and says little is being done to prevent upstream flooding.

 Two men are sentenced to time in prison for arson in northeast Oklahoma.

 30 year old Justin Gering of Fairland, OK, and 23 year old Tyler Tavis of Miami, were both sentenced to serve 5 years in prison for a fire at the Ottawa County Jail. They will also serve a year of supervised release following their prison terms.

The men both entered a guilty plea in March to a charge of Damage by Fire of Property Owned by an Institution Receiving Federal Funding.

 County courthouse improvements again take center stage at this week's Nowata County commission meeting.

 Nowata County Treasurer Rachel Marrs says upkeep on air filters in the courthouse could be better.

District Attorney Will Drake also updated commissioners on possible litigation against Nowata County.

This topic was covered in previous weeks during an executive session . In other business, commissioners accepted a bid on equipment for road construction and accepted a declaration of surplus on a 2016 copier.

The Nowata County Commissioners will meet again next Monday at 9 am at the Nowata County Courthouse Annex, and the meeting is open to the public.

 Kansas total tax collections for April are up.

 Governor Laura Kelly announced yesterday that tax receipts for April were $101 million or nearly 8% above estimates. Total tax revenues are up more than 9% from this time last year.

Kelly says that those numbers underscore the importance of responsible tax relief. Last week, the governor vetoed a bipartisan tax bill that passed unanimously in the Kansas House and with an overwhelming majority of the Senate. She later presented the legislature with her own version of a tax plan.

State Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart credited the increase in funds to processing 63,000 more 'balance due' checks from taxpayers than at this time last year. He also said that the increase for April is really just a carrying forward of payments that would normally be processed in May. As a result, tax receipts in May will likely be lower than estimates.

A culvert replacement project will start next week north of Sedan.

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, work should start on Monday to replace a culvert on K-99 about three miles north of Sedan. Lane width will be reduced to 11 feet and the speed limit will be reduced during the course of the project. Temporary signals will direct one-lane traffic through the work zone and drivers can expect brief delays. Weather permitting, the work should be finished by the end of September. KDOT awarded the construction contract of $816,00 to Bruce Davis Construction LLC, Emporia.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office receives a grant through a local business.

The Dickey Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Dickey’s Barbecue, is presenting a $11,000 grant to the sheriff's office. This grant will support the purchase of law-enforcement specific drones for interior tactical operations. The drones provide an added layer of safety for officers responding to emergencies.

Former Independence City Commissioner and Owner of Independence Dickey's BBQ Gary Hogsett says they appreciate everything the first responders do to make our region safe and it is a privilege to support their efforts.

 Independence Community College welcomes a former student as the 2024 commencement speaker.

 Sam Ford is an award-winning television journalist whose work has received many accolades including the AP, New York, and Edward R. Murrow awards, along with numerous regional Emmys. Ford has also been recognized by the Washington Association of Black Journalists and the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. He recently retired as the D.C. Bureau Chief for WJLA in Washington D.C.

Ford will be the keynote speaker at ICC's graduation ceremony on May 11^th at Memorial Hall in Independence.

 Montgomery County reminds residents that second half property taxes are due next Friday, May 10^th.

 Taxes can be paid in person at the county treasurer's office on the first floor of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Independence. Office hours for the treasurer's office are 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Mail-in property tax payments must be postmarked by May 10^th.

Anyone with questions can call 620-330-1100

 For those cleaning up from the recent storms, the City of Sedan has announced that the city dump is open today.

 They are accepting storm debris in the form of trees and brush only. Anyone with questions can contact the Sedan City Hall at 620-725-3193

 Authorities in Fredonia are warning of a utility scam that has been circulating recently.

 Fredonia utility customers are reporting that they have received a call from the utility company. The caller states their account is past due or there is a credit on the utility account. In either scenario, the caller is requesting immediate payment over the phone or bank information to refund the credit. Never give out your personal information over the phone before verifying the caller.

The City notes that the City of Fredonia Water and Light Department will, on occasion, make calls prior to disconnects, but they do not take payments over the phone. The staff will provide the 800 number for which the payment should be made, along with the customer’s utility account number. If at any time you are suspicious of a caller, hang up and call the utility office directly to verify account status.

 Bartlesville welcomes a new fire chief.

 Former Bartlesville firefighter H.C. Call has been tapped to lead the Bartlesville Fire Department following Chief David Topping’s retirement in June.

Call began his career in the fire service when he joined Bartlesville Fire Department in 2001 as a firefighter. He was promoted to driver in 2014 and also served as a relief captain. He left the department in 2017 to accept his current position as fire chief with the Collinsville Fire Department.

Call has earned several degrees throughout his career, including a Bachelor of Science degree from Rogers State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass. He has also completed the Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program, an advanced leadership program designed to support Oklahoma fire service leaders.

Call is set to take over as Bartlesville fire chief on May 29

 Rain over the weekend continues to fill Hulah and Copan lakes, with Hulah dam gates open for the first time in about two years.

 According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hulah Lake is nearly 10 feet above normal and nine of the gates are open at the dam, draining water at a rate of just over 2,000 cubic feet per second.

Copan Lake is 1 foot above normal. One low-flow gate is open 10%, releasing 5 cubic feet of water per second.

 An Owasso man is sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison on charges of child pornography.

 33-year-old Michael Joseph Moreland was sentenced to the prison term on Tuesday. The term will followed by 10 years of supervised release after being found guilty of receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography in Indian County.

According to court documents, between June 2022 and May 2023, Moreland knowingly received, distributed and possessed nearly 3,000 images and 50 videos of child pornography on his computer. In the days leading up to Moreland’s arrest, he was frequently in the top five and often the number one downloader of child pornography in Oklahoma.

A federal statute for victims of child pornography allows defendants found guilty of child pornography trafficking offenses to pay restitution to known victims. The court in this case ordered $15,000 in victim restitution.

Moreland will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

 The Grand River Dam Authority closes a boat ramp at Twin Bridges State Park near Wyandotte, OK.

 The ramp is near a large logjam on the Neosho River caused by flooding due to the recent rainfall.

Miami Mayor Bless Parker says responsibility for the water system falls squarely on the G-R-D-A and that they need to be held accountable by the state.

The City of Miami recently won a lawsuit against the G-R-D-A regarding flooding in Miami, claiming the Dam Authority failed to properly control flood waters. There is also a civil suit involving more than 450 property owners currently working its way through the legal system.

 The Missouri State Highway Patrol along with several other law enforcement agencies in Ozark County, Missouri, continue their efforts to find a man who was swept away by flood waters.

 Early yesterday morning, a woman called 9-1-1 to say her boyfriend's pickup truck had been washed off a bridge by fast-moving flood waters. Authorities later recovered the man's vehicle about 100 yards downstream from the bridge, but the man was not located.

The Ozark County Sheriff's Office urges all drivers to use extreme caution around flood waters and to remember to “turn around, don't drown.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol Underwater Recovery Team will continue its search efforts for the missing man today.

 Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signs House Bill 4156.

 The immigration reform bill would penalize those in the country illegally. The first offense will be a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and/or a maximum $500 fine. That individual will then be required to leave the state within 72 hours.

Subsequent offenses or offenses committed during a crime will be a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and $1,000 fine. As with the first offense, the individual will have to leave the state within 72 hours.

Oklahoma House Democrats were extremely vocal in their opposition of the bill, saying that it encourages racial profiling and attacks current undocumented Oklahomans who contribute millions in tax dollars every year.

 Kansas lawmakers override governor's veto on abortion bill.

 The Kansas legislature voted on Monday to override Governor Laura Kelly's veto of House Bill 2749. The bill would require medical care facilities and providers to report the reasons for each abortion provided at the facility or by the provider to the Secretary of Health and Environment.

The move to override the veto passed the House 84 to 41 and in the Senate by a vote of 27 to 10.

A marginal chance of severe weather is possible this afternoon and evening for the four states.

The threat will arrive late this afternoon and includes the potential for baseball-sized hail, 70 mph wind gusts and a possible tornado. Southeast Kansas may not see much storm development as the best chance will be west of I-135. Stay tuned to KGGF for more updates and information should severe weather threaten the area.

The National Weather Service has completed their damage surveys from this weekend's storms.

County coordinator Kris Marple says the Emergency Management team is working to track road, bridge, and structure damage.

Storms developed during the afternoon hours over the Flint Hills on Saturday, April 27th. As they progressed east, the storms started to produce tornadoes, two of which were rated an EF-2.

One of the EF-2 tornadoes formed southwest of Fredonia and ended just three miles west of the city limits. Damage was largely confined to trees and outbuildings but one home did sustain significant damage.

On the same storm track, an EF-0 tornado started two miles west of Fredonia and caused damage to some buildings at the fairgrounds.

County Commissioner Andrew Miller says this could have been much worse for the county.

Another EF-2 started four miles northeast of Coyville and ended four miles south-southwest of Yates Center. Most of the damage was to outbuildings and trees.

Finally, an EF-1 tornado started 5 miles east of Benedict with most of the damage to trees and outbuildings. In addition, a metal roof was damaged on a home and a horse trailer was knocked on its side.

Lead Photo: EF-2 damage near Fredonia, NWS

Photo: EF-0 Damage in Fredonia

Photo: EF-1 Damage east of Benedict

A former member of Congressman Jake LaTurner's staff is running for the position he leaves choosing not to seek re-election for Kansas's Second Congressional District. Candidate Jeff Kahrs says he has over 20 years of behind the scenes experience in Congress.

Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is also running for the open seat in Congress. Kahrs says there are some key differences between the two of them.

Kansas's primary election is August 6^th with the general election on November 5^th. On the Democratic side of the primary Joseph Swain is running against Eli Woody IV.