More photos from Easter egg hunts

BUNNY RUN

The hunt for Easter eggs and candy started Saturday morning and continued into the afternoon, with three community events. The Great Bend Noon Kiwanis continued their long-standing tradition of offering a hunt at 9:30 a.m. at the Kiwanis Walking Track on the north side of Veterans Memorial Park. This year the club skipped the eggs but reportedly spent about $900 on candy, and all of it was gone about five minutes after kids got the ...

​E-cigarette explodes in office

A battery in an electronic cigarette exploded Thursday at 1300 Stone St., setting paperwork on a desk ablaze, Great Bend Firefighter Brad Dresher said.

College trustees watch legislation in Topeka

Barton Community College President Dr. Carl Heilman said he's hoping the Legislature will adopt Gov. Sam Brownback's budget as it concerns funding for higher education. The governor has proposed to keep state support at last year's level. Meanwhile, the Kansas Senate has proposed a 2 percent reduction in state aid, and the House budget calls for a 4 percent cut. One percent represents $80,000 in state aid, Heilman told the BCC Board of Trustees when ...

Op Ed Day

Sometimes the Great Bend Tribune gets requests to run something on the Op Ed page. Usually, we tell people we don't have an Op Ed page, but letters are welcome.

Your office pool is illegal

March Madness is upon us, and while many people are rooting for their favorite teams, others have their eye on the office pool.

Spring Break Zoo Crew goes behind scenes

Cleaning up after tigers and bears may not be every teenager's idea of how to spend spring break, but four students did just that last Thursday and Friday. Not only did Spring Break Zoo Crew members put in two full days of work at Great Bend's Brit Spaugh Zoo, but they also paid for the privilege. When Zoo Educator Danielle Ricklefs announced the program for junior zookeepers, she envisioned five different students enrolling for each ...

New at Brit Spaugh Zoo: Four new animals revealed

Members of the Great Bend Zoological Society got an early look Friday at Vixey, the new arctic fox at the Brit Spaugh Zoo. As the 11-month-old fox was released into her spacious new enclosure, she capered through the grass, inspecting every corner, and climbed every perch. The fox arrived here last December and has been in quarantine until now. She is housed in the enclosure where the bobcats used to be and can be seen ...

One hard lesson

There are lines that no one may cross, apparently. You can't draw a satirical cartoon of the prophet Mohammed without risking a death threat. You can't say the Holocaust never happened. And, as a 20-year-old Greek soccer player learned, you can't celebrate a goal by flashing a Nazi salute. Giorgos Katidis made the gesture – although he swears he was just pointing to a friend in the stands – and it earned him a lifetime ...

Local attorny calls threatened repeal 'short sighted'

Barton Community College officials have been following several bills proposed by the 2013 Legislature, including the repeal of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The Great Bend Tribune contacted BCC Trustee Robert Feldt, a Great Bend attorney, for his response to Wednesday's hearing. "There are a number of undocumented students who are going to Barton and Fort Hays State University. I don't think there are a great many, but there are some," Feldt said. "It was ...

Monterrey Dinner raises funds for Haitian school

A school in Haiti may be able to keep its doors open, thanks to a donation from the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Great Bend.

Take the money

Gov. Sam Brownback needs to follow the example of at least eight other Republican governors – so far – and accept the offer of a federal Medicaid extension.

Belpre woman seriously injured in rollover

A Belpre woman was injured Wednesday afternoon in a one-vehicle rollover accident in the 600 block of Patton Road, Great Bend. According to the Barton County Sheriff's Office, Deana Heinlein, 40, was driving north in a 1999 Ford Contour at 1:14 p.m. when the car left the road and went into the east ditch. It struck a culvert, causing the car to go airborne across a driveway before striking the ditch again and rolling. Heinlein, ...

​Holy Family School halts test to see new pope

Fifth graders at Holy Family School were taking state assessments Wednesday afternoon when word came that white smoke was coming from the Vatican.

Spring programs continue at GBRC

The number of programs offered by the Great Bend Recreation Commission has remained steady or slightly ahead of last year, Director Diann Henderson reports. But with no American Red Cross office in town, the commission hasn't been able to offer a spring course for baby-sitter training. The Red Cross Office in Great Bend closed Sept. 2, 2011, along with other offices across the nation, as part of a cost-saving measure. Program coordinators reported on recent ...

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.