BY RUDY TAYLOR
rudy@taylornews.org

CANEY — Two Caney men will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in usual fashion — alternating back and forth as local Scoutmasters.

Bill Holeman and Roy Shafer have been longtime friends, but the years they have labored together as scouting leaders have created a special bond. And, even though both their sons have long exited the ranks of local scouting, Holeman and Shafer are just as enthusiastic about the Boy Scouts of America as they’ve ever been.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

A Kansas Legislature audit report concerning consolidation of Kansas school districts as a cost-savings measure is generating ample comments in school board offices and in the state capitol this week.

The report, issued late Monday by the Legislative Post Audit Committee, was requested to determine the cost savings that could be derived if more Kansas public school districts were to consolidate or merge.  Lawmakers emphasize that the report is not a proposed plan, nor even a specific legislative bill; the audit report is merely a guide to examine for future discussions.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

CHERRYVALE — Grim faces were prevalent around the USD 447 Board of Education meeting table Monday after board members discussed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

Reductions in state support for public schools is prompting the school board to wield a budget axe, and it’s a position that doesn’t please board members and Superintendent Randy Wagoner.

“Once you get to this point, there are options for us to consider, but none of them are happy options,” said Wagoner.

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Two drivers were injured and 10 cattle had to be euthanized following a collision between a car and a cattle truck near the U.S. 400-169 highway junction north of Cherryvale on Sunday afternoon.

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Coronation of the 2010 Winter Sports Homecoming King and Queen will be held next Friday, Feb. 12, at Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville.  Five FKHS seniors are vying for the queen crown. They include (front row, left to right) Danielle Bromley, Kyra Colbert, LaToya Johnson, Kelsey Buetow and Lauren Cox. King candidates include (back row, left to right) Jeffry Brown, Blake Parker, Neil Barnes, Zachary Mitchell and Nathan Miller.  The Field Kindley Golden Tornado will host the Columbus Titans in the homecoming basketball games.  (Photo by Andy Taylor)

CANEY — The Caney Valley High School Playmakers will brighten the stage of the CVHS Auditorium with the theatrical presentation of “Just Another High School Play.”

The play will be held on Friday, Feb. 5 for Caney Valley Jr.-Sr. High School students. Two public performances are scheduled: 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6 and 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 7.

Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students.
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Word has been received that members of the Kansas Army National Guard’s 226th Engineering Company arrived in Afghanistan earlier this week as part of a one-year stint with Operation Enduring Freedom. The 226th company includes detachments from Cherryvale and Pittsburg and its company headquarters in Augusta. The company had spent the past month at Fort McCoy, Wis., undergoing training. These 226th company members were photographed during a a prayer held at a departure ceremony in Salina, Kan., on Dec. 30. (Photo courtesy Kansas Adjutant General’s Office)

BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

COFFEYVILLE — The Coffeyville Historical Society will be recipient of a $16,900 state grant to be used for continued restoration of the Brown Mansion.

The $16,900 state grant — combined with $25,350 of the society’s own money — will be used to re-glaze and refinish the wood windows at the Brown Mansion located on South Walnut Street. Now a popular tourist destination, the 1906-era mansion has been designated as an American Treasure by the National Park Service. The mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

CHERRYVALE — More than $120,000 in state funds will be used in Cherryvale to assist the town with an upgrade of Main Street later this year.

The City of Cherryvale was notified last week that it was a recipient of a $120,408 Community Development Block Grant which will be used to upgrade Main Street, from Liberty Street to Montgomery Street. The City of Cherryvale will match the grant dollar for dollar, bringing the total project to more than $240,800.
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