Archive By Section - News
Foster Grandparents recognized for service to children
Beverly Prescott of Larned and Sr. Patricia Martinez of Great Bend were honored for their service as Foster Grandparent volunteers at the November In-service and Holiday Luncheon held at Cedar Park Place in Great Bend on Nov. 17th.
Are you due a refund from the IRS?
ST LOUIS Mo. - The Internal Revenue Service is looking for almost 112,000 taxpayers who are missing regular refund checks totaling more than $164.6 million.
Website helps college-bound students
Comparing Barton Community College to area peers using the institution's own data is one thing, but an independent, apples-to-apples survey is even better, says Charles Perkins, Barton's dean of information services. A website allows prospective college students and their parents to compare schools online, checking everything from enrollment and graduation rates to costs, Perkins said. The Integrated Postsecondary Education DataSystem (IPEDS) collects data from nearly 6,700 post-secondary institutions across ...
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
When Rita Vredenburg moved from Texas to Kansas last year to be closer to her sister, she brought her village with her. The Christmas Miracle Village, that is. Vredenburg has a collection of holiday lights, Nativity scenes and animated displays that light up the night in rural Stafford County. The scene on north U.S. 281 - about a mile south ...
Jobless picture looking brighter
The jobless rate in Kansas dipped from 6.7 to 6.4 percent from September to October as state businesses gained over 6,000 jobs since this time last year, the Kansas Department of Labor reported this week. This was the same unemployment rate at October 2009.
Change is tough, even for counties
As most Americans continue to strain their vision watching for the promised economic recovery, it's not just the working class that is having a difficult time making ends meet.
County seeks designs for veteran memorial
It was President Calvin Coolidge who said: "The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten."
Tiede ready for a change of heart
This Thanksgiving season, Brent Tiede won't get to toss a football around with his kids, go hunting or even go to work, but he is counting his blessings - among them the promise of a new, healthy heart. The call could come any day from St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., where the former Great Bend man is at the top of the B waiting list - those needing ...
A RURAL PROSPECTIVE
Congressman Jerry Moran's 14th and final listening tour made a stop in Great Bend Tuesday morning. Come January, Moran will address constituents as one of Kansas' newest senators.
County lowers speed limit on McKinley
With a school zone, baseball complex and growing array of health providers, city and county officials have become concerned about the speed that traffic follows on McKinley, south of 10th Street.
Taking a 'bough': New Mayor's Christmas Tree planted
Great Bend's schedule of holiday events will move into Official Christmas Mode at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, with a parade down Main Street. A 13-foot Serbian spruce was planted in the courthouse square last week, so that the annual lighting of the Mayor's Christmas Tree can take place at 6:45 p.m., said Scott Keeler, superintendent of the city's parks.
Gas prices? So what?
With Thanksgiving triggering the start of the holiday travel season, gas prices across Kansas have risen over six cents in the past week. However, an average cost of $2.77 per gallon won't likely keep Kansans from going over the river and through woods. Average retail gasoline prices in Kansas have risen 6.4 cents per gallon as of last Sunday. This compares with the national average that has increased 3.1 cents ...
Talking Turkey: Kids learn more about Thanksgiving's top bird
With Thanksgiving just days away, children flocked to the Kansas Wetlands Education Center on Saturday to talk turkey. Pam Martin and other staff explained the peculiarities of our favorite holiday bird, from head to toe - or snood to spur.
A year changes what Kansans really think
HAYS – Most Kansans think their state is a good place to live, though not as many as in 2009, and, by a significant margin, more think the economy is "poor" or "very poor."
Coming through
Four pick-up trucks piled with canned and boxed food formed a convoy from Great Bend High School to the Barton County Food Bank Friday afternoon.
Articles by Section - News
BCSO participating in 'Click It or Ticket'
Barton County Sheriff's officers are emphasizing seat belt laws by participating in the Click It or Ticket program. For the week prior to Memorial Day, and continuing until June 2, drivers can expect to see more BCSO deputies on the highways, aggressively enforcing "Kansas Occupant Restraint" laws and other traffic statutes. Click It or Ticket is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Sheriff Brian Bellendir said his ...
Two Barton coaching contracts 'pending'
Nine head coaching contracts were renewed Wednesday when the Barton Community College Board of Trustees met, but the contracts of two head coaches are "pending final review." The board discussed personnel matters behind closed doors for nearly an hour before voting on head coach contracts, administrative contracts and contracts for managerial staff. Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman said there were no changes in head coaches, but the board did not approve a contract for a ...
Bridge work to cause traffic delays
Orange cones and construction crews are already in place on the U.S. 281 bridge just north of the Great Bend city limits as the Kansas Department of Transportation begins to replace the span, a project that could take until next spring.
Two flee; child left in truck
A minor child was left in a truck with a loaded gun Monday night as two suspects fled from Barton County deputies.
Tornado-safe room building starts
Workers began pouring the foundation of the new Great Bend Middle School tornado safe room Tuesday morning, less than a day after the devastating F4 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., tore the roofs off two elementary schools, injuring many and killing nine confirmed at the time of this writing.
Bridge work completed
Work on the bridge north of the Club at StoneRidge has been completed and the road is open, according to the Barton County Engineers Office.
Claflin set to open Community/Fitness Center
CLAFLIN - Numerous volunteers have put their hands together and established a new Community/Fitness Center for the Claflin area. The project involved refurbishing the old Claflin Elementary School for the new purpose.
City Council: Dog laws need more teeth
Great Bend residents George and Zola Weber said they love living in this community. But now they live in fear of their neighbors' pit bulls and suggested to the City Council Monday night it ban such vicious dogs from inside the city limits.
Higher gas prices not likely to drop by weekend
Gasoline prices have risen dramatically in the past two weeks throughout much of the Midwest. While the price increases may ease off by June, but don't expect relief at the pump this Memorial Weekend, industry experts say. The American Automobile Association's online daily fuel gauge report and GasBuddy.com both showed the average price for a gallon of regular gas Monday in Kansas was $3.92. Just one week ago, the average price was $3.64, and it ...
These services are always needed
The last week in April may have been National Crime Victims Rights Week, but the needs of those impacted by crime continue even without any special recognition, Camila Komarek told the Barton County Commission Monday morning.
Although pricey, road sealing vital
When Dale Phillips first started working for Barton County, the oil used to seal the county's 380-plus miles of paved roads cost 15 cents per gallon. This year, it costs $2.50.
GBHS 2013 grads strive to “have a life worth living”
Great Bend High School principal Tim Friess welcomed family and friends to the graduation ceremony at Panther Stadium Sunday, where he announced the 206 graduates of the Class of 2013. The sun broke through clouds briefly late afternoon, making it possible for the ceremony to be held outside, despite the threat of impending thunderstorms.
First Steps: Aging out of foster care
This is part one of a three part series focusing on youth aging out of foster care.
Gov. Brownback addresses BCC graduates
Gov. Sam Brownback congratulated students on achieving a major milestone Friday, during Barton Community College's 43rd commencement ceremony. A crowd filled the Physical Education Building, where the governor offered several pieces of advice to the graduates, starting with, "Always, always, always listen to your mother." He also encouraged them to be lifelong learners, people of integrity and pursuers of dreams. "The why of a good dream is because somebody else benefits," he said, encouraging them ...
