Monthly Archives: October 2022

MSSU hosts ghastly event ahead of Halloween

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Guest speaker and author Michele Patrick today brought chills to students with her haunting stories about the city of Prague.

Patrick presented Haunted in Prague: Stories of Spirits, Sorcerers, and the Supernatural, sharing stories of supernatural legends that are associated with notable tourist attractions.

Patrick grew up learning about the country and continued her education at the University of London, and eventually lived in Prague for a brief period of time.

Known as one of the most haunted cities in the world, Prague has a rich history of real events and people that have shaped the capital city’s ghost stories into what they are today.

Watch KOAM & Fox 14 Evening news to see the whole story or check back later for additional content.

Click here to learn more.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

13-year-old steals vehicle; loses life in head-on collision

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PARSONS, Kan. – Parsons Police Officers say a 13-year-old is dead following a head-on collision with a semi-truck on US 400 Highway.

Deputies say the collision occured just West of the U.S. 59 Highway Junction on October 27.

Labette County Sheriff’s Department and officers with the PPD responded to the scene.

According to the crash report, a 2022 GMC Sierra was traveling westbound when it crossed into the eastbound lane and struck a tractor-trailer head-on.

Officers identified the driver of the Sierra as a 13-year-old runaway from Successful Dreams. The report indicated the juvenile stole a vehicle from Tom Davis Auto Group before the collision.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, “These crashes are never easy. They are hard for the emergency responder that must work them. They are hard for the community to hear about but most of all they are impossible for the families to comprehend. I have been told that the juvenile did not survive after being transported. This hit our community hard. My sympathies go out to everyone involved. I only hope that this terrible incident learned form to avoid another senseless loss of life.”

Police say the driver of the semi-truck was uninjured.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Burglary suspect arrested in Parsons, Kan.

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PARSONS, Kan. – The Parsons Police Department arrested a male suspect after he allegedly burglarized a residence.

The PPD says a resident called dispatch regarding suspicious activity at a neighbor’s house on October 27.

The report indicated that a man dressed in all black had carried a safe out from the house.

While waiting for backup to arrive, Sgt. Kepley said he noticed the back door of the house was open.

Kepley continued waiting until he saw a man who matched the suspect’s identity carrying a safe on his bicycle. Neighbors confirmed the man’s involvement with the burglary.

Deputies arrested a male suspect who they say has a lengthy history in the criminal system.

The following charges were requested:

  • Burglary
  • Criminal Damage
  • Theft
  • Interference with Law Enforcement

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, “this is the revolving door that law enforcement sees daily. This is just one small part of a broken system that lets out offenders with low bonds or even let out on their Own Recognizance (OR) only to reoffend and victimize another innocent citizen. I have often told citizens that we cannot arrest ourselves out of crime, but the courts must meet us halfway and either reform or imprison the ones that we arrest. I sincerely hope that the judicial system makes this criminal answer for his crimes because it is evident that he will not reform on his own. I applaud the citizen who called the police. If it had not been for him using the ‘See It, Hear It, Report It’ philosophy this case wouldn’t have been solved so quickly. I also want to give a thank you to Sgt. Kepley and Tyeler Riggs for their quick and decisive response to the situation as it unfolded.”

 

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Mr. Food: Chili Cheese Dog Ring

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Here’s an easy-to-make dinner that you can really sink your teeth into! We made a crescent roll ring and filled it with all the fixins’ for a chili cheese dog, which means you can expect flavorful ground beef, hot dog pieces, and plenty of cheese. Our Chili Cheese Dog Ring is so good, it’s almost spooky!

What You’ll Need

  • 3/4 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 hot dogs, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

What to Do

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef and onion, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.
  3. Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix well. Add hot dogs and heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese; set aside.
  4. Unroll crescent rolls. Place wide end of triangles in center of pizza pan, forming a ring, overlapping dough as necessary. Spoon meat mixture into center of each triangle. Bring smaller ends of triangles over meat, tucking ends under.
  5. Bake 20 minutes, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake 5 more minutes, or until heated through and golden. Serve warm.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

"National Prescription Drug Take Back Day" a success in Cherokee County

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CHEROKEE COUNTY, Kan. — Nearly 500 pounds of prescription drugs are now in safe hands.

Throughout the day on Saturday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Galena Police Department participated in “National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.”

It’s an opportunity for the community to safely get rid of unneeded or expired medications.

All the collected drugs will given to the Drug Enforcement Administration for proper disposal.

The "Midwest Trumpet Festival" is back, and better than ever

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Trumpet enthusiasts from all over the Midwest are likely to be heard playing in Pittsburg.

Sunday and Monday, the annual “Midwest Trumpet Festival” is being held at “Pittsburg State University”. The event is all put together by music professor Todd Hastings, who started the program in 2009.

The two days are full of recitals, master classes and presentations for students and educators coming from all over the region.

The festival hasn’t happened in two years due to COVID-19, so this year was even more of an excitement for those participating.

“So, being able to make the drive down to Pittsburg, and just spend a couple days like totally immersed in incredible teaching and incredible playing, it’s something that I know my students don’t get to do very often, but it’s been great to be able to bring them to this so that they can experience that,” said Eric Dickson, Trumpet Professor, Truman State University.

If you didn’t make today’s concert, that’s okay. Monday offers more concerts, workshops and presentations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It’s all happening at the “Bicknell Center for the Arts” in Pittsburg.

The night before Halloween

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JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin’s “St. Paul’s United Methodist Church” hosted families for some fun before Halloween. This event allowed children to trick or treat on the night before Halloween, instead of on a school night.

Around 30 to 40 cars were decorated and passing out candy. Church members also served grilled hot dogs, chips and drinks for families to eat.

“It’s fun because I like candy and also I’m cold,” said Hudson Riggs, Trick-or-Treater.

“Yeah, so this is an amazing event. And it is so important, I think, for us the church to be part of the community. It’s all about fun. It’s all about just getting people together, celebrating in a safe and just exciting way. So that’s what it’s about,” said Britton Fields, Lead Pastor, St. Paul’s Church.

Pastor Fields said he believes they surpassed last years attendance of more than 1,000 people.

The history of headstones at George Washington Carver National Monument

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DIAMOND, Mo. — History was embraced at George Washington Carver National Monument.

A tour was given through the property, educating about Carver’s family members that are buried on the property.

It also provided those a chance to learn more about the symbolization of the engravings on their headstones.

“Today we focused on epitaphs and engravings. Epitaphs and engravings focus on the Carver family cemetery, because when you really take the time to really study a marker in a cemetery, there’s a lot of information that you can get. Not only by date of birth, date of death, if known, but also how they lived in some cases. And so we focus on the symbolism of the engravings as well as the meanings behind the epitaphs as well,” said Valerie Baldwin, Park Guide.

“I enjoyed the tour, The land is beautiful, and it really makes you imagine what it would have been like to be here as a child,” said Malissa Nell.

George Washington Carver was laid to rest in Alabama, on the grounds of Tuskegee University.

Hundreds attended this Galena "Trunk-or-Treat"

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GALENA, Kan. — Despite some rain this evening, hundreds still came out for some Halloween fun.

The Park Hill Nazarene Church of Galena held it’s annual “Trunk or Treat” event. This year’s event featured monster trucks, motorcycles, and of course, plenty of candy.

Kids and their parents came in Halloween costumes, making their way through the church parking lot to fill up candy bags. Church officials say hosting this event is a way to be more involved in the community.

“To show people, kids, parents that God loves them and we care about them. And hopefully if they don’t have a church home, they’ll come back and learn more about God and ultimately, come to know him as their savior,” said Brad Hunt, Pastor, Park Hill Nazarene Church.

The most popular guest today was Polo, the Riverton School District’s therapy dog, who proudly wore his Pitt State Gorilla shirt.

Clouds Decreasing Today; Good Trick-or-Treat Weather Tonight

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We have started our Halloween with some light rain and fog but the weather should become much nicer by later today. Above average temperatures are likely this week where we could see 70s for several days. This will be the precursor for what looks to be a strong system moving through by the end of the week.

Temperatures this morning are in the upper 40s and low 50s. Dewpoints are sticking close to temperature values and because of this we could see fog in many areas across the Four States as we are saturated.

With the kids headed off to school we are going to see plenty of clouds across the Four States and cool temperatures in the 40s and 50s so you might want to send them off with a hoodie or jacket this morning. For tonight as we celebrate Halloween expect a nice night for tricks and treats all around as we will see a clear night and cooling temperatures.

The occluded low that brought us rain this weekend is moving off to the north and east where it is set to dissipate. We should see high pressure take its place and control our weather pattern for the next few days with plenty of sun for several days and a southerly wind to warm us up. This wind could get breezy by mid-week thanks to a surface pressure gradient.

November looks to have a warm start as we are likely to see above average temperatures for the next two weeks in the Four States.

For today expect a high around 70 with clouds decreasing and sunshine by the afternoon. Tonight expect a low around 46 with clear and calm conditions which should make for good trick or treat weather. In the next several days we will see temperatures in the 70s before a more impactful system moves into the area by late week.