The Field Kindley Memorial High School Class of 2024 has officially graduated, and embark on the next chapter of their lives.

Audio from today's graduation ceremony can be found HERE, courtesy of Bartlett Co-Op.

Congratulations to the Nado Class of 2024!

The Caney High School Class of 2024 has graduated, embarking on the next journey of their lives.

Audio from the graduation ceremony can be heard HERE, courtesy of Totah Communications, Totel CSI, and Independence Community College.

Congratulations to all Caney graduates!

Area graduations are coming up this weekend and many will be broadcast live on the KGGF family of stations.

Today, Caney High School graduation will begin at 10 a.m. and be broadcast live on the Mighty 690, KGGF, courtesy of Totel CSI, Totah Communications and Independence Community College.

Also Today, Field Kindley High School graduation starts at 10 a.m. as well and will be broadcast on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF, courtesy of Bartlett Coop.

Tomorrow, Independence High School graduation begins at 1 p.m. and will also be broadcast live on Sonshine 98.9, KQQF, courtesy of Independence Community College.

Standing room only as over 250 people packed into the Carnegie Arts Center in Parsons for a hearing on zoning in Labette County.

There were two hearings the first for the Land Use Map and the second for regulations on zoning. Before the hearing began Board Chairman Mark Jones gave a presentation on both the map and zoning plan. He says the purpose of the meeting was to change everyone's worries into peace.

Of the over 250 people in attendance, there were about five who raised their hands when asked by one member of the audience who was in favor of zoning. There were about 30 county citizens who spoke during the hearings with one speaking for zoning. One citizen echoed the feelings of the crowd in saying they didn't want more government involvement.

The board voted to approve the Land Use Map on a three to two vote and voted to leave the zoning regulations hearing open for another meeting. That meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 24^th at 6:00pm with the location of the meeting to be determined.

 The Cherry Blossom Festival in Cherryvale gets into full swing this weekend.

 Tonight's events include a parade at 5:30pm followed by Music in Logan Park featuring the Christian band Worship Calling.

Saturday wil feature a full slate of events including a 5k run starting at 7am, the car who in downtown Cherryvale from 8am to 1pm, and craft vendors and food trucks downtown from 9 to 3. Organizer Carol Staton says there will also be other fun events including a Pie-In-The-Face booth.

Plus, join KGGF will be broadcasting live from 10 to noon. Sunday morning wraps up the festival with Church in the Park with Micah Booe at 10:30am.

 Kansas veterans who encounter issues with the Veterans' Administration have the complaints heard in the U.S. Senate.

 Kansas Senator Jerry Moran – the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee – recently questioned a panel of witnesses about how VA policies are affecting Kansas vets. Moran recounted one story of a veteran battling cancer who was told to change providers after completing 58 of 60 chemo treatment. He was then told he would have to drive to Topeka for treatment.

Moran directed his questions to the VA's Executive Director of the Office of Rural Health Dr. Peter Kaboli. Kaboli says that decision was unacceptable.

Moran said the error should always be in favor of the vet, especially in states like Kansas where the distances between cities are so great.

 More than 38 million Americans are expected to hit the roads for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

 That's the highest number for Memorial Day since Triple A began tracking the data in 2000. With so many drivers on Kansas highways, the Kansas Highway Patrol is urging drivers to travel safely. As part of the Drive to Zero campaign, K-DOT notes that 2024 traffic crash deaths are down nearly 20% so far this year as compared to the same time period in 2023. The National Safety Council advises drivers to make sure their car in in good shape before heading out on any trip and to make sure everyone in the car buckles up. Slow down, drive distraction-free, and have a designated sober driver to make sure everyone on the road gets home safely.

 At this week's Fredonia City Commission meeting, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Justin Dodd addressed the commission about his priorities for the department.

 Dodd told commissioners that training was vital to having a good department. He also says safety needs to be a priority.

Dodd also unveiled a plan to map the city's water infrastructure, stating that, in order to maintain the water department in a way that is most beneficial to residents, the city needs to know the location of underground pipes. Commissioners agreed with Dodd's vision for the water department, but noted that any changes would need to be on a suitable time table in order to fit into the city budget.

The race is on for Coffeyville students at the annual Field Day.

Students in 3rd grade through 6th grade spent the day at Veterans Memorial Stadium, participating in a variety of games, races and activities.

Event organizer Tyler Coots says this year had the best participation yet.

The students were able to utilize the football field, track and field areas, and the area around the stadium for the day's activities. Coots says the school is fortunate to have these resources available.

The last day of school for USD 445 is May 24th, which will be a half day for students.

 The Oklahoma State Senate unanimously approves disaster funding for tornado-ravaged counties.

 The State Senate gave final passage to House Bill 29-12 and House Bill 29-13 that will help Oklahoma counties approved for FEMA disaster assistance recover and rebuild following the storms. The bills now advance to Governor Kevin Stitt's desk to await his signature.

Together, the two bills will offer a total of $45 million for the purpose of rebuilding after the recent storms.

The counties of Carter, Hughes, Love, Murray, Okmulgee, Osage, Pontotoc and Washita have been approved for FEMA disaster assistance so far.

 The City of Copan and two other rural water districts are under a boil water order.

  The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issued the order on yesterday for all customers of Copan PWA, including Osage County Rural Water District #20 and Washington County Rural Water District #7 to boil water for at least one minute before consuming or using it.

 This order was issued due to high turbidity in the drinking water.

 Every penny in the budget is accounted for; that was one of the main points made during a workshop conducted by the Caney City Council last night concerning Caney Grocery.

 Caney City Administrator Kelley Zellner says it was good for everyone to see the up-to-date numbers.

 Zellner said during the workshop that every penny in the budget for the next few years is being used, especially when it comes to water services. He says the next few weeks is crunch time when it comes to the decision to keep the store going, and asks residents to continue to contact their elected representative with thoughts and ideas about Caney Grocery.

 The council concluded to keep looking at the numbers, and keep a June 30^th deadline on whether or not to keep Caney Grocery open.

Memorial Day is coming up and organizers of the Coffeyville service need help.

Dr. David Wiggins says he's been working with area groups to once again put the flags up in Fairview Cemetery.

Volunteers can show up to Fairview Cemetery at 7 a.m. on Memorial Day to help put up flags. Wiggins says there are 1,400 flags that can be put up.

In addition, volunteers are needed for the municipal band. Rehearsals will be this coming Wednesday and Thursday, and Wiggins says woodwinds are especially needed.

The Memorial Day Service starts at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day and will feature many events including a fly-over and Iwo Jima reenactment. Anyone interested can contact Wiggins by emailing wiggins.david@coffeyville.edu or by calling him at Coffeyville Community College.

 A couple of area road closures will affect drivers in Oklahoma this weekend.

 Oklahoma State Highway 20 between Ralston and Hominy will be closed to through traffic this weekend for beam installation as a part of an ongoing bridge replacement project. Local traffic will continue to be allowed while through traffic will follow a marked detour. The closure will run through Sunday.

 The other closure affects northbound US-75 in Bartlesville. US-75 will be narrowed to one lane at the junction of US-60/Adams Boulevard today from 8am to 3pm.

 Drivers in both areas are urged to use caution.

 An Oklahoma man is sentenced in a child sex abuse case. 

  43-year-old Lance Douglas Roark, of Bluejacket, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty in January of abusive sexual contact with a minor under 12 in Indian Country and assault with intent to commit aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under 12 in Indian Country.

 Roark will have court supervision for life after his release from prison, be required to register as a sex offender and pay $5,000 in restitution.

Roark is a citizen of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI and Craig County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

An adoption or a donation could win a dog bed from Coffeyville Friends of Animals.

Board Director Becky Barnhart says thanks to a donation they are having a drawing for a dog bed.  CFA is open Monday through Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

 As graduation nears for seniors in the USD 436 School District, numbers have been released concerning the latest round of ACT Test Scores.

 The average test score stayed the same in the science category, but scores in every other category has increased the last two years, including an increase from fourteen to nineteen in the English part of the test.

 Superintendent Blake Vargas says he's glad to see the numbers improve.

 Vargas says he is excited to see test numbers continue to improve in the future.

 A Mount Vernon woman is indicted on federal charges in a lottery ticket scheme.

 31-year-old Amy Young faces one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud stemming from a scheme she allegedly carried out by using stolen credit cards to purchase lottery tickets at a Phillips 66 station in Joplin. She is accused of recruiting others to claim any prizes from the tickets and the splitting the winnings. According to the indictment, during July and August 2022, Young and her accomplices purchased nearly 2,000 Missouri Lottery tickets worth around $62,000 and pocketing more than $54,000 in cash winnings.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

 The Cherry Blossom Festival gets underway today in Cherryvale.

 Organizer Carol Staton says the first order of business is to crown the Festival Royalty.

The pageant happens tonight at 6:30pm. Tomorrow's activities include a parade at 5:30pm and music in the park with Worship Calling starting at 6:30pm in Logan Park. The Cherry Blossom Festival runs through Sunday.

 Kansas joins the states of Wyoming, Utah, and Alaska in suing the Biden administration over a recent rule change to Title IX. 

 The new rules, set to go into effect on August 1^st, states that treating individuals according to biological sex instead of gender identity violates Title IX and can cause a loss of federal funding.

Kobach says allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' and women's sport is simply unfair.

when asked if he respected the transgender identity, Kobach said people had a right to change their appearance and presentation, but that they can’t change the structure and other advantages that males gain.

 A 16 year old high school student from Valley Center will travel to Europe with his best friend this summer.

 But Hayden Brown and his dog Onyx won't be there to see the sights. Instead they'll be competing in the Junior Open Agility World Championship in Belgium this July. Brown and his dog will compete as a part of the American Kennel Club Junior Agility Team USA. This is the only Junior Agility Team in the U.S. and many compare it to an Olympic team.

Brown has been competing in dog agility since he was 8 years old and his Shetland Sheepdog Onyx has been training since she was a puppy. Brown first began competition through his local 4-H club.

The U.S. Junior Agility Team is made up of 26 junior handlers from around the nation ranging in ages from 8 to 18. Brown is the only male and the only Kansan on the team.

The competition takes place in Belgium July 18^th through 21^st.

 A Porsche is left split into two halves after a high speed accident in Joplin.

 The accident occurred late last night as the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle then struck a utility pole and a building before coming to a stop nearly a block after the initial impact. Two people were in the car at the time of the accident – a male driver and a female passenger. Both were taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Their names and conditions have not yet been released.

Authorities are investigating the crash as a DWI.

 A Joplin man is dead after his pick up truck crashes off a bridge in Jasper County.

 33 year old Darren Shockley was pronounced dead at the scene yesterday evening after his Chevy Avalanche crashed off a bridge over Turkey Creek on North Black Cat Road northwest of Joplin. The vehicle traveled nearly 300 feet before coming to rest in the waters beneath the bridge. Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol say Shockley was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was ejected during the crash.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation but authorities say alcohol may have been involved.

 Multiple crews from the Bartlesville Fire Department responded Wednesday afternoon to a report of a drowning in the Caney River near Johnstone Park.

 Rescuers brought search boats to Johnstone Park and additional crews searched the river bank near the Tuxedo Boulevard bridge during the noon hour.

Bartlesville Fire Chief David Topping later confirmed it was a false report.

 The City of Fredonia has developed a new public safety issue in the past few weeks.

 At Wednesday's City Commission Meeting, Commissioner Bill Jones raised the issue of attacks by loose dog in the city. He says the issue is becoming a major concern.

Police Chief Brad Pflueger told the commission that there has been between 10 and 15 dog attacks in the city in the past few week. Pflueger says the police are aware of the problem, but handling it is a difficult issue.

Pflueger advises residents to take extra precautions when walking in the city to protect themselves until the issue can be gotten under control.