Police chief Anthony Celeste said the incident happened at 1807 S. Walnut on Thursday, May 23. At this home, officers discovered that infant sustained injuries that Celeste described as “life threatening.” The infant was taken to Coffeyville Regional Medical Center and later flown to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

Celeste said the pit bull was euthanized at the request of the infant’s family. A rabies test will be conducted on the dog’s remains.

A grandmother of the infant said one of the infant’s legs was severed at the shin.  Members of the Coffeyville Police Department are on scene (at 4 p.m., Thursday) to scour the yard in search for the leg.

We regret to announce that due to the inclement weather, all Cherry Blossom Festival activites have been rescheduled for Saturday, September 7th, 2013. Participants in the 5k may choose pick up their shirt at the Logan Park building today until 6pm or tomorrow 5:30am-9:30am. All other shirts will be held until Sept. 7. Registratons for the 5k and “So You Think You Can Sing” competitions will be held until then, also. We apologizewill for any inconveniences this may cause. Please share!!

Sheriff Robert Dierks said local officers, in conjunction with probation authorities, received information that several people on probation were allegedly violating their probation conditions at a residence in northern rural Montgomery County area.

Dierks said officers went to the residence to conduct a home visit and check on the conditions of probation. Six people were in the residence, all of whom were violating their probation directives, he said. They include Gary Best, age 27; Rochelle Best, age 25; Norma Johnson, age 37; Christopher Blevins, age 36; Garrett Crutchfield, age 38; and Wyona Marshall, age 38.

Four young juvenile children were in the home at the time of the visit. Dierks said conditions inside the residence prompted officers to have a concern for the children’s well being. They were taken into protective custody.

Based on what was observed when officers arrived, a search warrant was conducted and a small amount of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia was discovered.

Dierks is recommending Gary Best and Rochelle Best to be charged with child endangerment as well as probation violation. Norma Johnson and Christopher Blevins are expected to be charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and probation violation. The recommended charges against Wyona Marshall and Garrett Crutchfield will be probation violation.

Dierks said he was pleased at the results of the investigation, especially discovering the four children were in dangerous conditions inside that home.

“Our main goal is to ensure the safety and welfare of the kids,” said Dierks, noting that more charges may be probable as a result of an ongoing investigation.

The USD 447 Board of Education results are complete with the final tally including the votes from Montgomery, Neosho and Wilson counties.

The top three winners were Robert John (342 votes), Gina Booe (270 votes) and John Robert Potthast (233 votes).

Other candidates in the race included Mark Torkelson (212 votes), Michael Griffin (200 votes), andRoy Griffin (171 votes).

City of Caney elects new mayor

The City of Caney has a new mayor following the victory of Carol McClure over incumbent mayor Dale McBride on Tuesday.

McClure received 186 votes while McBride received 149 votes.

McClure will assume the oath of office at the Caney City Council meeting on April 15.

In other Caney City Council elections, Ward 3 councilor Casey Eytcheson will retain his seat after defeating a challenge by Amber Toth. Eytcheson received 49 votes while Toth received 35 votes.

Chad Bradford will represent ward 4 after earning a clear majority of votes. Bradford received 63 votes while challengers David Carey earned 33 votes and Zoe Wahl received 7 votes.

Dan Johnston was unopposed in his race for ward 1 councilor.

The race for ward 2 was decided by write-in vote. Bill Sims received the most votes with seven. Joe Taylor, a ward 2 councilor who chose not to seek re-election, received six votes.

Caflisch, Meier are top vote recipients in Independence

Leonhard Caflisch and Fred D. Meier were the winners in the Independence City Commission races in Tuesday’s general election.

Caflisch received 699 votes while Meier garnered 641 votes. Ned Stichman had the third-most votes at 588 while Phillip Chappuie received 371 votes.

Edwards wins write-in campaign; sales tax question OKd

Don Edwards will remain on the Coffeyvile City Commission after winning a write-in candidacy in Tuesday’s general election.

Edwards received 330 write-in votes while commissioner Pam Jones received 285 write-in votes. Caleb Gibbs earned 178 write-in votes.

Edwards will serve on the commission along with two newcomers: Marcus Kastler and Christopher Williams. Williams received 559 votes while Kastler received 358 votes.

Williams and Kastler will serve four-year terms while Edwards will serve a two-year term.

The city sales tax question was approved by an overwhelming majority.  Yes votes were 603 votes while No votes received 303 votes.

CANEY — Mayor Dale McBride confirmed Friday that he has delegated Rick Pell, police chief, and J.R. Secondine, public works director, to handle some administrative duties dealing with city projects due to the absence of a city administrator.

McBride said the idea to bring Pell and Secondine into positions of administrative authority was entirely his idea. He said he made those decisions based on the limited funds in city coffers and using existing manpower within the City of Caney.

“It all comes down to money,” said McBride. “If we had the money to hire a city administrator, we would do so immediately. But, we don’t. So, from my perspective, I’m making use of existing personnel. This is an interim situation. It’s not permanent.”

Among those projects that will be coordinated by Pell and Secondine is the placement of a centralized computer system within Caney City Hall.  Pell, who has coordinated other computer networks within City Hall, will work with Secondine as well as Carole Coker, city clerk, to assure that all city management records, work orders, billing systems, are centralized through that new computer system, McBride said.

“Rick knows the computer systems,” said McBride. “I told Rick and J.R. and that want our computer system for the street and water departments to be brought into the 21st century.”

Because of McBride’s decision to place more administrative duties on the shoulders of Pell and Secondine, much of the day-to-day management of the Caney Police Department will be handled through Ron Wade, assistant chief, while Mark VanDyne, public works foreman, will be handling more public works department management responsibilities.

Pell and Secondine will retain their existing titles, he said.

McBride said this personnel decision was allowable because he regarded them as “lateral moves” which did not require approval of the Caney City Council.  The council will still be delegated with the task of hiring a city administrator, which, the mayor said, could begin after the April 2 general election.

“I’d like for the council to consider sending out surveys to prospective city administrator candidates,” he said. “Until such time a city administrator is hired, we have to move ahead with several projects. That’s why I made the decision to bring Pell and Secondine to the table. This was strictly a management decision to use what existing manpower I have with the limited financial resources we have. But, because we do not presently have a city administrator doesn’t mean that the ongoing projects of the City of Caney have to stop. We have to keep our town moving ahead.”

McBride has been handling the duties of a city administrator ever since last year’s resignation of then-city administrator Don Whitman.  The council has not proceeded with the hiring of a new city administrator due to budgetary concerns.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department says a pickup truck occupied by John Wesley and Tomi Lee Enloe was stopped at county road 4400 and 5700 when a northbound pickup on county road 5700 passed in front of the stopped pickup. When the northbound vehicle passed, at least one gunshot was fired at Enloe’s pickup. The bullet traveled through the pickup truck and struck John Enloe in the chest.

The bullet had lost enough energy that John was not seriously injured.

The name of the assailant in the case was not revealed.

Sheriff Robert Dierks said an investigation into this case continues. Anyone with information about it should call the sheriff’s office at (620) 330-1000 or 1-800-498-1019. Callers may remain anonymous.

While attending a job fair last week where Taylor Newspapers manned a booth, I met lots of job seekers.

Some brought resumes. Others just moseyed by, picked up the free stuff on our table and asked a few questions.

But one young woman created a memory for me.

She was a senior in high school,  seeking summer employment before starting to a community college in the fall.

“Are you hiring?” she asked.

We said probably not, but we’re always looking for good resources, such as part-time photographers and writers.

“We’d be happy to take your resume,” I told her.

Then she said something that stuck with me. “I’m afraid my resume wouldn’t be too impressive,” she said. “I’ve spent all my life working on my parents’ farm. I go to school in the daytime and do chores morning and night.”

Whoa.

I told her to go home and create a resume, and write down exactly what she had told me.

As a farm girl, one who has driven a tractor since she was 12, one who has cleaned out barns, scooped grain until her back ached, fed chickens, pigs, cattle and goats — this girl knows the meaning of work.

She knows about dependability and getting jobs done on time. The morning school bus won’t wait until a farm kid finishes those chores. They’ll be done on time or the young student will miss that all-important ride.

A young person who has put up hay, helped her dad and mother in the farrowing house or candled eggs has something more than words to jot on a resume.

Farm kids don’t need to take art appreciation classes in school. They witness picturesque landscapes, sunrises and changes in seasons as they grow up.

They ride horses, drive four-wheelers and neatly stack big bales at the edge of meadows.

They fish in their ponds, learn to handle firearms and shoot deer, rabbits and turkeys.

They work as a family in the garden, raising, harvesting and canning their own vegetables.

Farm kids learn to keep good records on their livestock. When they raise and sell a 4-H calf, they can calculate the profit gained after deducting feed, vet medicines and other costs.

They typically know how to stand on their own two feet and give project talks, or give oral reasons for judging a class of lambs or swine.

Many of them earn leadership roles in church, 4-H or FFA, so they can moderate a meeting to perfection using Roberts Rules of Order.

They learn early in life the tactics of conservation — how to keep topsoil from washing into Oklahoma; how to plant wind barriers and how to recognize grass-cheating weeds that need sprayed.

Any farm kid can handle a paint brush, spade a garden, pull worms from tomato plants, gather hen eggs, mow grass, groom animals and take one grain of wheat, bite down on it and determine if it’s time to start the combine.

And, this girl thinks her resume might be lackluster?

Oh, I don’t think so.

Put her to work in a hardware store, newspaper office or grocery store, and she will enter the front door looking for things to do.

It’s that way with kids who grow up as farm and ranch kids.

Their resume is written on their foreheads and in their hearts.

They should never apologize.

Never.

• Rudy Taylor is publisher of three weekly newspapers in southeast Kansas.  He also takes pride in being a young farmer during his teenage years and a proud member of FFA.

Other candidates in the race (but not among the top six) were Tamara Kessler, Jeffrey Allison, Gina Hester, David Wallis, Matthew Moore and Troy Snider.

Here are the results of that board of education primary election:

• Robert John: 156

• Gina Booe: 125

• Roy Griffin: 95

• John R. Potthast: 93

• Mark Torkelson: 86

• Michael Griffin: 79

Tamara Kessler: 54

Jeffrey Allison: 52

Gina Hester: 41

Troy Snider: 33

David Wallis: 31

Matthew Moore: 23

Commissioner Tim White was given the boot after failing to earn enough votes to be among the top four vote recipients to advance to the April 2 general election.

The top four vote recipients were:

• Ned Stichman: 433

• Leonhard Caflish: 393

• Fred D. Meier: 269

• Phillip Chappuie: 159

White received 109 votes while Anthony Holmes garnered 102 votes. Roger D. Powell received 29 votes.

In the race for Caney mayor, incumbent Dale McBride received 84 votes followed by Carol McClure with 27, Russell Wade with 23 and Bill Sims with 14.

McBride and McClure will advance to the April 2 general election.

The results for the USD 447 Board of Education were not complete pending the tally of votes from Neosho County.  As of Tuesday evening, the vote tally from Montgomery County and Wilson County voters showed the following:

• Gina Booe: 114

• Roy Griffin: 89

• John R. Potthast: 88

• Mark Torkelson: 78

• Michael Griffin: 71

• Tamara Kessler: 53

• Jeffrey Allison: 52

• Gina Hester: 38

• David Wallis: 28

• Robert John: 20

• Matthew Moore: 20

• Troy Snider: 3

The top six vote recipients in the USD 447 Board of Education race will advance to the April 2 general election.

Ballots may be cast at the Montgomery County Clerk’s Office in Independence.  Call (620) 330-1200 for more details.

Voters in the cities of Caney and Independence as well as USD 447-Cherryvale-Thayer will have a primary election on Tuesday, Feb. 26.  See the Feb. 21 edition of the Montgomery County Chronicle for a rundown of candidates in the election.