BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

A federal lawsuit filed in October 2008 by an inmate of the Montgomery County Jail against jail officers, former Sheriff Stan Veach and Montgomery County has been settled in an out-of-court agreement.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR

COFFEYVILLE — Marilyn Smith of rural Dearing discovered this week how several years of persistent exercise workouts can help her body.

She was loading a 50-pound bag of dog food — certainly not the easiest thing to lift or handle — into the back of a pickup truck. The bulky bag of dog food — known for being a true back breaker — got an easy hoist from Smith, who is in her mid-60s.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” she said.

Thanks to more than four and a half years of thrice-weekly fitness routines, Smith can tout the success of physical exercise.

Smith was one of three members of Curves — a Coffeyville-based exercise and fitness firm — to celebrate their 1,000th individual physical fitness workout on Tuesday. Smith joined Phyllis Griffith and Jean Rexwinkle in reaching an exercise milestone that had not been reached by other Curves clients.

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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

Montgomery County continues to deal with slick streets and slushy sidewalks today — one week after a major winter storm dumped as much as a half foot of snow in some areas of the county.

The Christmas Eve snow storm also came with massive winds — some clocked as much as 40 to 50 miles per hour — that left snow drifts as tall as cars in many areas of the county.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

Regardless of the varied political views toward the 2009 federal economic stimulus program, there’s little doubt that federal dollars have been trickling in to Montgomery County since the program was created in February.

Known officially as the American Resource and Recovery Act of 2009, the bill was proposed by the Barack Obama administration to create and/or maintain employment, bolster “shovel ready” works projects in local communities, and assist communities and schools with various community-building programs.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

When Kansas teenagers get behind the wheel of a vehicle beginning on Jan 1, 2010, they’ll need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their fingers off their cell phones.

That’s the law.

A new graduated driver’s license law that goes into effect on Jan. 1 will prohibit cellular communication, including cell phone calls or text messages, for teen drivers age 14 to 17. The law does allow teen drivers to use cellular phones to report illegal activity or call for medical and/or emergency assistance.
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