Newton

A viewer e-mailed us, wondering why she doesn't see the Newton temperature any more on our weather coverage. Turns out there is a simple answer, my favorite kind. Our meteorologists tell me that the weather reporting equipment at the Newton airport needs repair, and the Federal Aviation Administration hasn't taken care of it yet. Hopefully, it will be done soon. In the meantime, Newton is still there, and we appreciate our Newton viewers. Roger

No one's hurt in a house fire in Newton Thursday night. Fire crews were called a two story house fire at 10th and Poplar around nine o'clock. Officials say the home was fully engulfed when they arrived, but crews were able to knock the fire down quickly. No one was home at the time of the blaze. Authorities say the cost of damages is around $30,000.

Living in Newton may have just gotten a little safer and more efficient. city leaders today dedicated the new fire/ems station in south Newton. It's been in the works for years. The new station was built as "green" as possible, with highly efficient appliances and mechanical systems. But, most importantly, the new facility will address lengthy response times newton has been battling for years. Fire/EMS Chief Gary Denny says, "Newton's had tremendous growth on the south side, so our response times did lengthen with that growth.

A Newton man dies after being injured in a crash Tuesday morning. The Harvey County Sheriff's Office says Ralph Lowry drove across the center line and collided with a semi. The crash happened around 9:30 Tuesday mornign near E. 1st Street and Oliver a few miles east of Newton. Lowry was flown to a Wichita hospital where he later died. The driver of the semi was not hurt.

Sunset Elementary School in Newton was put under lockdown for a short time this morning after shots were fired at a home near the school. Harvery County authorities tell us the 'shots fired' call came out at a home near the school.  The school district tells us the students are okay and the lockdown was just a precaution.

Administrators have lifted a lockdown at two Newton schools. Chisholm Middle School and Slate Creek Elementary school were placed on lockdown for  short time Friday afternoon. The schools were placed on lockdown after someone called 911 to report a man they said was walking near the schools with a gun and wearing camoflage. Police search the area and didn't find anything. Students are free to leave the buildings and walk home, Buses may be a bit late taking students home.

The Emergency Accident Report Plan or EARP is in effect for the city of Wichita and Newton. If you are in an accident and no one is hurt, no drugs or alcohol is suspected, and the vehicles are driveable then exchange information and do not call 911. Within 24-hours, fill out and turn in an accident reporting form. In Wichita, you can find them at any police substation or QuikTrip. Newton is receiving about 1 inch of snow per hour. If that continues to hold through the night, the city says it could see up to 14 inches of snow.

(NEWTON, Kan.) Thursday was the first day law enforcement could start enforcing the state's new primary seatbelt law. That means officers if officers see you without a seatbelt on, they can pull you over. In the past, seatbelts were a secondary offense. Law enforcement would have to see you doing something else wrong before they could ticket you for not wearing a seatbelt. Wichita is still drafting a city ordinance to enforce the law, but the city of Newton was ready to go this afternoon.

Triple digit heat did not keep the crowds from the 48 th annual “Fly-In” held at the Newton airport. Planes of all shapes and sizes were not only on display on the ground but also in the sky. “Young Eagles” was one of the most popular programs Saturday afternoon; the program gives kids a chance to learn everything they can about air travel. On the ground, kids are shown how the plane works and what makes it fly. Then once up in the air each kid gets a hands-on course on actually how to fly a plane.

Country star Martina McBride came to Newton Kansas Tuesday evening to showcase her 11th album called “ELEVEN. She is traveling across the country by train, sponsored by Amtrak, and stopping in cities from Los Angeles, CA; Kansas City, MO; Newton, KS to New York City, NY. The stop was also part of Pink Together, General Mills' national breast cancer awareness campaign. Pink Together will donate $1000 to every local Susan G. Komen chapter at each of the 11 stops on McBride's tour.

Doors were locked at Newton High School Thursday. School officials say it was a precaution after one of their teachers was arrested Wednesday. According to Newton Police, 45-year-old Eden Bloom was asked to leave the school several times before a School Resource Officer arrested her. That's when they found methamphetamine in her possession.  “At the time of the incident no students were in danger,” said Newton Police Deputy Chief Eric Murphy. Newton parents received an alert on Thursday afternoon around 1:30 that there was increased security at the school.

Teenagers across the country headed to prom over the weekend. That means thousands of parents dusted off their cameras and lined up for prom photos. A mother in Newton captured more than dance photos, she filmed a mini family reunion. Robert Baron is a soldier who has been serving in Afghanistan for the past several months. With a lot of help from his wife, Baron surprised his sister Andrea outside her senior prom at Newton high school. "She was very surprised. She didn't really say anything.

A Newton woman accused of stealing from the city's Newton Bucks Program has pleaded no contest to the charges. A judge Thursday accepted a plea deal from Kayla Tillery.  She pleaded no contest to charges of forgery, theft and computer crimes.  The state dismissed an additional nine charges and recommended 45 months probation.  She also agreed to pay restitution to the Newton Chamber of Commerce. Investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how much Tillery took so they know how much she will need to pay back.

Even at 95, Glenn Mauch refuses to retire. The Dodge City resident was one of several older workers honored for their role in the Kansas work force. It's the 16th year the state has recognized workers who are 55 years old or older, and work in both the public and private sectors. The Department of Commerce gave Mauch the oldest worker award Tuesday. He details cars and drives them at a dealership in Dodge City. He said he is proud of his work ethic. "I've done something I like to do besides making a living out of something," Mauch said.

The Newton Chamber of Commerce will now conduct its own background checks on potential new hires after an employee with a criminal background was arrested on forgery charges. Kayla Tillery faces felony theft charges, accused of stealing "Newton Bucks" from the chamber and giving them to friends. The overall loss is valued at $30,000. Tillery has been convicted of more than 20 theft-related crimes dating back to 2006. She was also sentenced to probation for a similar crime in Arizona.

Harvey county prosecutors have filed formal charges against a woman accused of printing thousands of dollars in free Newton Bucks. Kayla Tillery, 43, faces forgery and felony theft charges while an employee at the Newton Chamber of Commerce. Investigators said she forged a check in the amount of $5,500 and issued more than $25,000 in Newton Bucks that weren't paid for. Thousands of dollars in bad Newton Bucks, it's not the talk Newton businesses want to hear. "It's just been quite a shock to our business community," said Phil Anderson, III, the owner of Anderson's, a general store on Main Street.  "And, sure hope that we can pull out from all of this and have a better system.

Harvey County attorney David Yoder says he will file criminal charges later this week.  He says someone at the Newton Chamber of Commerce has been stealing what they call "Newton Bucks. " Newton Bucks are as good as cash at 30 businesses in town.  People buy them from the Chamber, spend them, then the Chamber reimburses the businesses the cash value. The program encourages people to shop local, but in this case, it was a way for someone to rip off the Newton Chamber of Commerce.

Newton parents are discussing the idea of bringing a bilingual school to town, after members of the school district visit Wichita's Dual Language Magnet school, Horace Mann. But how many would support it?  The Newton district says support is key to whether the idea of moves forward. In a science classroom at Horace Mann Elementary, the instruction is in Spanish.   Newton parents like Maria Toribio like the concept.  She's part of a growing Latino population in Newton.  The 2010 Census showed Hispanics make up more than 16% of the community.  That's one reason why the Newton School District sent a group to Horace Mann.

A six-year-old Newton girl makes a new friend more than 600 miles away and it's all because of a note attached to a pink balloon. Kindergartner Peyton Henderson had no idea when she launched her balloon with more than 500 others, she would actually get a reply back. Two days after she set it free here in Kansas, someone found it in Glen Allan, Mississippi, more than 600 miles away. Peyton was one of a few hundred students from Chisholm Trail Elementary who participated in a balloon launch last September.

A Wichita man remains hospitalized after he was struck by his own truck in Harvey County. Emergency crews were called to the scene at I-135 and First St. just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. The sheriff's department said a 26-year-old man got out of his pickup to inspect damage after he slid into a guardrail. He was hit by his own truck after a vehicle driven by a 61-year-old man slid into the parked pickup. Click here for Storm Shots The 26-year-old man was rushed to a Wichita hospital in critical condition.