Archive By Author - Susan Thacker
Girl Scouts to sponsor Salina arts, crafts show Nov. 19
SALINA - Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland will host the 45th Annual See 'N Sell Arts and Crafts show Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Salina Bicentennial Center. The doors will open at 8 a.m. and the show will run through 4 p.m. The first 100 ticket holders through the door will receive a free goody bag filled with items and See 'N Sell bucks that have a cash value at the vendors' ...
Fall Gospel Sings Concerts feature 10 hours of music
The seventh annual Fall Gospel Sings Concerts start at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, and continue on Saturday, Oct. 22, with live music from 1-9 p.m., all at Barton Community College's Fine Arts Auditorium, 245 NE 30 Road. The annual event is promoted by gospel music lovers Lynn and Mary Chestnut with the help of several area churches. Admission is free, with love offerings taken for the singers. Concessions will be ...
HANDS-ON AVIATION: Model association plans fly-in
Roger Brining was in the sixth grade the first time he saw a model airplane in flight. He was with his father, a pilot, and they were near Sterling. "We saw the airplane off in the distance, and I thought it was a regular, full-size airplane," he said. Only when it went between two trees did he realize his mistake. Over the years, Brining has built ...
BCC ready to be graded
Most students at Barton Community College still have several weeks before they have to turn in their final papers, but the college has until Nov. 1 to submit its AQIP Portfolio to the Higher Learning Commission. This document, which will be used in the college's re-accreditation process, was recently completed and the final draft will go to the board of trustees next week for approval. The document shows Barton ...
Hammeke joins GBRC staff
Megan Hammeke is the Great Bend Recreation Commission's newest recreation coordinator, in charge of programs for senior citizens and people with special needs, as well as the summer aquatics program. GBRC Director Diann Henderson introduced Hammeke to the recreation commission's board of directors when it met Monday. Hammeke joined the GBRC staff in April, working in the office. She was promoted to coordinator after the retirement of Linda Marqueling, ...
Sisters of Peace host Open Farm Day
A half inch of rain may have kept their solar oven from working Saturday, but it couldn't dampen the spirits of the hosts of Heartland Farm's Open Farm Day. Because of the rain there were no hayrack rides, and people couldn't swing on a rope in the 200-year-old swinging tree. What they could do was tour the 80-acre farm in rural Pawnee Rock owned by the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Several ...
Police returning burglary evidence to victims
The Great Bend Police Department has some stolen items and would like to see them returned to their rightful owners, Detective Terry Millard said. From March to October of 2010, the GBPD investigated several residential and car burglaries in the city. Numerous items were recovered when police arrested Christopher Harmon of Great Bend, who was eventually convicted. While most of the stolen property has been released back to its owners, GBPD still ...
State not seeking death penalty in Longoria case
Prosecutors in the capital murder case against Adam Joseph Longoria announced Thursday that they won't seek the death penalty if he is convicted. The announcement by Assistant Attorney General Kevin O'Connor came at the conclusion of a new preliminary hearing for Longoria, who is charged in the death of Great Bend teenager Alicia DeBolt. The state is still seeking a capital murder conviction, which carries a penalty of life in prison, ...
BCC may open Camp Aldrich to bow hunting
The Barton Community College Board of Trustees may consider a plan to allow limited bow hunting at the college's Camp Aldrich. Board member Robert Feldt discussed the idea Thursday's at the trustees' monthly study session and asked for it to be placed on the agenda of the next business meeting, Oct. 20. Feldt is the board's representative on a committee formed to look at ways to improve the use ...
Longoria hearing continues today
When text messages were exchanged between Adam Longoria's and Alicia DeBolt's cell phones, Nex-Tech Wireless towers were collecting the data. That was the source of much of the testimony on Wednesday, as Longoria's second preliminary hearing in connection with the Great Bend teenager's murder got under way. Longoria is charged with capital murder, as prosecutors allege that he committed the premeditated murder of 14-year-old DeBolt on or about Aug. ...
Don't Talk to the Actors
Great Bend Community Theatre kicks off its 2011-12 season this week with a comedy about the crew of a Broadway-bound play.
Attorneys prepare for next Longoria hearing
Attorneys for Adam Longoria have filed a new motion seeking to have his case thrown out of court, saying the Kansas Attorney General's Office has prejudiced potential jurors through the media. At the same time, defense attorneys are asking the court to reinstate some of the privileges Longoria lost after making statements to reporters this past summer. Longoria is scheduled to appear in Barton County District Court at 9 a.m. on ...
Local businesses model fall styles
Animal prints are still in style this autumn as ladies wear longer sleeves and add layers to their fashion ensembles. Volunteers modeled clothes from four Great Bend clothing stores Monday at the Fall Style Show, sponsored by the Great Bend Senior Center and the Recreation Commission. The program got under way Monday afternoon at the Senior Center. Models included Alice Brozek, Pauline Mong, Rozie Tomlin, Megan Hammeke and Margaret Ann Younker, ...
Facebook official subpoenaed for Rykiel case
The preliminary hearing for the man arrested after the death of a 15-year-old runaway did not happen on Thursday as scheduled. Joseph Jeffery Rykiel, 30, is charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy with a child 14-16 years old, and aggravated endangering of a child through a reckless situation. He was arrested after Jessica Cheyanne Shearer died on July 4 at a Great Bend residence. <p ...
Harmon starts prison sentence
The Great Bend man responsible for more than a dozen burglaries and thefts has begun his prison sentence, according to information from the Kansas Department of Corrections. Christopher Allen Harmon, 28, was released from the county jail to KDOC custody last week, and has been incarcerated in the El Dorado Correctional Facility. His earliest possible release date is June 11, 2013. The KDOC website shows the level of custody for ...
Articles By Author - Susan Thacker
Wetlands Aquatic Center at Great Bend photos
Great Bend's Wetlands Aquatic Center opened for the summer on Saturday. Here are some photos taken in the afternoon.
Poppies to honor veterans available
The American Legion Auxiliary will be out this Memorial weekend asking for donations to help with its Poppy Program. Members will be in front of Great Bend businesses with poppies this evening and all day Saturday. They will also be out on Sunday if they still have some of the 3,000 poppies, said Marianne Krallman, cochair of this year's Poppy Program. Look for volunteers in front of Walmart, both Dillon's stores, Orscheln's and True Value ...
Ironic freedom
On Thursday, Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill that establishes "Celebrate Freedom Week" during the week of Sept. 17 and requires schools to teach students about the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence in grades K-8 each year during that week. (Sept. 17, 1787, is the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted in Philadelphia.)
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 ...
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.
Our zoo is famous and other local news
Tying up a few loose ends on stories that didn't make the front page:
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 ...
Cool/Not Cool
The Imagination Playground is coming to Great Bend and will make its public debut during June Jaunt. The portable playground is a set of oversized blocks, lightweight but sturdy enough to build with. They were designed by award-winning architect David Rockwell, who was inspired by watching his own children play.
These masterpieces have wheels
Barton County Historic Society is celebrating the 60th anniversary of organized drag racing in the Golden Belt with a new exhibit and a car show during its open house this Saturday.
GBRC shares Blue Ribbon Award to promote health
Several people working to make Barton County a healthier place received some recognition and financial assistance Monday during the Great Bend Recreation Commission Board meeting. Doug Vance, executive director of the Kansas Recreation & Park Association, visited the meeting along with representatives from BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas, to present a $2,500 facsimile check and a banner in honor of Great Bend winning the Blue Chip award.
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