Tag Archives: Local News

Local non-profit spruced up Pittsburg

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – The City of Pittsburg now has more color thanks to some local volunteers.

Pittsburg Beautiful today planted fall mums around town to spruce up the streets.

“We are a nonprofit that is around to help our city expand in the best and most beautiful way,” said Stephanie Watts.

In total, the organization planted upwards of 60 flowers today.

Click here to learn more.

 

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Pittsburg childcare expert speaks on expanding problems in Southeast Kansas

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – Low wages for childcare workers and a long waiting list for available child care puts Southeast Kansas parents in a tough position.

Child care employees are some of the lowest-paid employees in the United States

“I believe that the issues we have with child care are systemic,” said Monica Murnan, Director of Greenbush Community Support Services. “The issue has to do with the fact that there’s not a state or federal infrastructure to support child care like there are for other educational programs.”

Records in southeast Kansas show that there are more children needing care than there are openings available.

Officials say families that receive subsidies for childcare have nowhere to take their children.

“We have to add slots, someone has to do that,” Murnan said. “We are in the process of putting together a child care facility for the community. We have been working on it for 3 years, and the need in the community is tremendous.”

Murnan says the new business, The Son Shine Child Care Center in Pittsburg will have 84 openings available.

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

 

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 THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Mother expresses frustration after son falls victim to school bullies

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CHANUTE, Kan. – A mother whose child attends Chanute Elementary is expressing her frustrations after she says the School Administrators mishandled a case of her son getting bullied.

Stephanie Henderson said her son was bullied in school on three separate occasions from September 8 through the 23rd.

Henderson says the bullies assaulted him with kicks to the groin which caused him to urinate blood.

“As a parent, I am very upset, frustrated, and disappointed in the school system,” Henderson said. “I believe they are not doing a good job of protecting our children. One of my main concerns is that the school wants him to come back and they’re not making any changes to protect my son and don’t trust that they will.”

For now, Henderson’s son is completing schoolwork from home.

Watch KOAM or Fox 14 News or come back later for additional content.

 

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

FULL INTERVIEW: Local friend to Loretta Lynn reacts to her passing

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GROVE, Okla. – Jana Jae, a local musician and permanent fixture on the former American television show Hee-Haw today spoke with KOAM about the passing of her long-time friend Loretta Lynn.

Though they lived in separate states, Loretta Lynn and Jana Jae shared a long history of friendship.

Jana told stories of their early days while working together. In the interview, Jae credits Loretta for greatly impacting her career and connecting her with Country Music Hall of Fame member Buck Owens.

>Loretta Lynn, coal miner’s daughter and country queen, dies

It was Buck who wanted Jana to play the iconic blue electric guitar, but Jana says Loretta gave her the confidence to embrace the somewhat unorthodox instrument.

“Buck wanted to play that violin on Hee-Haw,” said Jae. “I was such a purist… I thought oh my gosh that will ruin me entirely. I was later talking to Loretta about it because she had worked with Buck and done shows with him and she said ‘darling you just do it Buck’s way and you will be okay’”.

Without the boost of confidence, there’s no telling if the blue violin would have ended up as Jana’s trademark.

Jana shared that Loretta paved the way to success for women in the country music industry.

“I just think she was a trailblazer in country music but also for women in country music,” Jae said. “She broke lots of glass ceilings and paved the way for musicians who came a little bit later. She was a treasure, she was a wonderful person and so down to earth. She was a good friend to so many people and a wonderfully talented woman. She will be greatly missed.”

Watch the full interview for more from Jae.

Click here to learn more.

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The Waco School House Haunt brings terror to the 4-States

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ASBURY, Mo. – October means Halloween, candy and spook houses so we spoke with some Halloween experts to learn more.

Located inside of an old school house built in 1934, the WACO School House Haunt was opened in 2013 by brothers Brian and Jason Renn.

The brothers say when they first entered the house, they discovered unspeakable horrors such as shadow men to other spooky sightings.

“Everybody needs to come out because even if you’re scared to death, we’ll make it comfortable for you and we’ll make it enjoyable for you,” said Brian Renn.

The Waco School House Haunt opened on October 1st and officials say it will stay open on the weekend until the 29th.

Click here to learn more.

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Freeman health displays new mammogram tech to bring awareness to breast cancer

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JOPLIN, Mo. – To celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Freeman is showing off its newest mammography system.

Officials say the new technology is called Pristina; officials say it makes the mammogram process less painful.

“We had a different system called the Duetta,” said Sarah Kelly with Freeman Health System. “It’s patient-assisted compression, so the Memotech will compress the patient to a degree but we will still get a good picture.  We give the patient a remote and they push a button and it compresses them further. This helps to displace the tissue to get an even better picture,” said Kelly.

Watch KOAM and Fox 14 tonight to see the whole story or check back later for more information.

Click here to read more.

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Joplin Firefighters practice rescue and training drills

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JOPLIN, Mo. – The Joplin Fire Department today conducted a routine training event.

The training consisted of 12 firefighters who participated in the following drills:

  • Search & Rescue
  • Ventilation training
  • Access training

Chief Canon says the training builds confidence amongst participants.

“The more confident we are in our skills and the faster we can get the job done, whether it’s putting out the fire or rescuing somebody that’s still stuck inside of a house, the better we are at our craft, the faster we are, ” Cannon remarked.

Watch KOAM & Fox 14 News or come back later for more information.

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Missouri Task Force 1 work in devastated Hurricane Ian zone

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FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Missouri Task Force 1 is currently performing primary searches on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. The team was assigned to Fort Myers, Florida on Monday and has since been moved to Fort Myers Beach. The team is currently going house to house, structure by structure searching for survivors and victims as well as documenting the amount of damage to each building. This is a tedious task that will take some time; however, several other task forces have also been assigned to that area.

The MO-TF1 DSAR (Disaster Situation Assessment and Reconnaissance) Team, which is a sUAS drone team of four members, are also on their way to Fort Myers Beach. Once they arrive, they will be assigned to assist the teams on the ground. They will be able to provide tactical mapping, situational assessment and primary search of areas that are not accessible by foot.

On Monday, the DSAR team was assigned to San Carlos Island. The team arrived there to find over 300 shrimp boats, pleasure boats and sailboats that had been pushed into yards, houses and into the mangroves. The drones, primarily the DJI Matrice 30T, were used to search every boat. The camera capabilities, zoom functions and infrared camera on this drone made it the perfect choice. The team was able to read registration numbers and boat names on many of the boats and literally look inside them. By the end of the day Port Authorities were able to verify all boat captains and crews were accounted for on the boats searched by MO-TF1 DSAR.

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

Ottawa County Deputies respond to shooting; Investigation underway

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UPDATE: The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office today identified two victims of a shooting as the wife and son of an 84-year-old male suspect.

OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla. – When officers arrived at the scene of an Ottawa County shooting, they quickly located two victims. The OCSO says the suspect shot his wife in the arm, as well as shooting his son twice.

Police noted that both victims were in stable condition when they left in ambulances.

The OCSO says police took the suspect in successfully. They are now requesting two Assault & Battery with a Deadly Weapon Charges.

During investigations, detectives learned that the male victim required surgery after the incident and was unable to comment. However, police interviewed the female victim.

Officers learned that the female victim’s husband is suffering from dementia.

The OCSO says they do not have an update on the son post-surgery as of 9:30 P.M. on October 4th.

Stay with KOAMNewsNow.com for updates about this developing story.

October 4th Shooting

Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson told KOAM that officers were called to a location at South 680 Road & East 85 Road just southwest of Peoria to assist Ottawa County deputies with a shooting investigation.

Ottawa County Undersheriff Rocky Ferdig told KOAM staff that the shooting is not related to the escapee of four county jail inmates.

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Lunch honors first responders of the 4-State area

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MIAMI, Okla. – KOAM and Service Solutions honor first responders today in Miami, Oklahoma.

Chris Warner spoke with Daniel Allen with the Miami Fire Department about the services of first responders, protecting the community.

The First Responders Appreciation Lunch was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

You can keep an eye on upcoming events for first responders here.

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