The 25th-annual Chisholm Trail Festival kicked off in downtown Newton Thursday night, with the Street Dance, family entertainment and the preliminary round of the Newton Idol singing competition.

City officials are scrambling over the holiday weekend to try to figure out how to accommodate a public memorial service for Michael Jackson at a venue that can hold no more than 20,000 people.

The death of a man who spent much of his life around trains is a mystery after his body was found beside tracks in central Kansas.

The Newton High School football parents have scheduled a car wash from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 11 at AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Walgreens. The cost will be a donation.

The location for Sunday night’s Levi Gangi and Diamond W Wranglers concerts have been moved to Military Park, with Levi Gangi performing at 6 p.m. and Diamond W Wranglers at 7 p.m.