Archive By Author - Susan Thacker
HEARING THEM OUT
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories about Thursday's candidates' forum, and features comments by candidates for the Legislature. Part II will appear in Sunday's Great Bend Tribune and will include remarks from candidates for Barton County sheriff, county treasurer and county commissioner.
BCC trustees publish budget
The Barton Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday approved next year's operating budget and publication of a proposed budget. The estimated local tax would be 32.77 mills, similar to the last two years.
Primary lessons
Barton County's primary election is less than three weeks away.
Burglaries plaguing Barton County
PAWNEE ROCK -- The Barton County Sheriff's Office was summoned to the 400 block of Pawnee Ave. at 10 p.m. Tuesday, when someone reported hearing sounds coming from an abandoned residence and saw a "blue-type truck" at the residence. Deputies checked the residence but found no signs of entry. This was the same block where a burglary of another unoccupied residence was reported on Monday.
Owners report burglars gut Pawnee Rock home
PAWNEE ROCK - Burglars got away with the kitchen sink – and the counters and cabinets, as well as an entire bathroom and other items, the owners of a fully remodeled Pawnee Rock house reported Monday. In fact, Chris and Kristina Frost say the home they restored a few years ago was gutted while it sat unoccupied.
Cowboy Up
The job title "Cowboy" conjures images of riding range and roping dogies, but real life cowboys in the 21st Century have a lot more to do than wander over yonder and gaze at the moon. Working knowledge of animal science, including animal nutrition, safety precautions and more is required. A cowboy may still ride a horse, but may also need to be able to download information into a computer.
FAIR FUN
For one week in July, the Expo grounds west of Great Bend become a microcosm of Barton County. Our work and our creative hobbies, our favorite music and what we do for fun all come together as the Barton County Fair.
BCC hopes to offer cowboy program
Barton Community College officials plan to ask the Board of Regents to approve a new educational program for cowboys. The idea is to create a certificate for beef cattle production, similar to the certificate that can now be earned for knowledge of crop production.
FAIR TIME
The Barton County Fair officially got under way Wednesday, but many of the people who attended had been at the Expo complex west of Great Bend since setup began Monday.
Stolen pickup recovered
A 1988 Dodge Dakota pickup that was stolen from Barton County around the same time law enforcement officers were searching for a fugitive has been recovered, Undersheriff Larry Holliday said. It was found Tuesday in Wichita.
Rec Commission budgets for capital improvements
Next year's Great Bend Recreation Commission budget anticipates spending down more unencumbered cash for capital outlay expenses, GBRC Executive Director Diann Henderson said Monday.
Multiple fires reported Friday and Saturday
Fireworks, heat and lightning were among the causes of unrelated fires Friday and Saturday in Barton County. Structure fires were reported in Great Bend and Olmitz.
Fugitive may have stolen Barton County vehicle
The Barton County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday evening that the search for fugitive Michael Aaron Jayne had been called off for the Barton County area, after federal authorities confirmed he had left the area. Authorities believe he left in a pickup stolen from a Barton Hills residence.
BCC trustees look at insurance, schedule
The cost of insurance for Barton Community College athletes is going up next year, but it is still lower than it has been in the past, Dean of Business Management Mark Dean told college trustees.
BCC Trustees add capital projects to proposed budget
The Barton Community College Board of Trustees heard a preliminary budget report at Thursday's study session. Dean of Business Management Mark Dean said he doesn't anticipate a mill levy increase for next year's budget, based on early figures on Barton County assessments. The mill levy was 32.807 in 2010-11 and 32.771 in 2011-12.
Articles By Author - Susan Thacker
Dream Center changing lives
Great Bend's Central Kansas Dream Center, located in the former Roosevelt School at 2100 Broadway Ave., is all about "reaching hurting people, restoring families (and) realizing dreams." Director Kimberly Becker recently spoke at a Noon Kiwanis meeting and described the ministries at the site, along with plans for growth.
Hate crimes
Great Bend residents routinely call the police to report that their cars or garages have been splattered with eggs or paint balls, and usually they're advised to wash everything off and call back if there was any actual damage. Sadly, vandals took it up a notch this week by writing racial slurs on the vehicles of a black family.
Police continue probe after shots fired at car
The .40 caliber bullet holes in Chrystal Wilson's 2002 Ford Taurus are proof that shots were fired. The Great Bend Police Department is still sorting out what actually happened at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at 1318 Macarthur Road.
Three fake $100s turned in to police
Great Bend's Burger King is out $300 and the Great Bend Police Department received three counterfeit $100 bills this week.
Akings, Lebbin spend most money on primary
Dean Akings has outspent incumbent Jennifer Schartz in the Republican primary election for Barton County Commissioner representing District 5. In District 4's Republican primary, incumbent Ken Lebbin has outspent the challenger, Alicia D. (Schartz) Straub.
Gunfire leads to two arrests
Two Great Bend men were taken to jail early Sunday after shots were fired at 1318 Macarthur Road. Dennis Morrison was initially booked on a charge of attempted first-degree murder and Jacob Keenan was booked on charges of aggravated burglary and criminal threat, although further investigation led to lesser charges for both men.
Hudson Chicken Ride part of annual celebration
HUDSON - The Hudson community in Stafford County will hold its annual Chicken Ride, Turkey Trot or Not, and Ham & Jam this Saturday, Aug. 2.
Library holds huge food fight
The spaghetti was flying - as was the ketchup, mustard, whipped cream and Hawaiian Punch - Friday afternoon on the lawn of the Great Bend Public Library.
Courthouse will be open Saturday, Aug. 2
The Barton County Courthouse will be open Saturday for anyone wishing to vote in the primary election, County Clerk Donna Zimmerman said. The courthouse will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including over the noon hour.
Trustees publish FY-15 budget
Even with a cut in state aid expected, the Barton Community College Board of Trustees won't ask local property owners for more tax money in Fiscal Year 2015, Barton's Dean of Administration Mark Dean said Thursday.
Breaking Ground: Expanding health centers a plus
The announcement that the Heartland Cancer Center in Great Bend will be redesigned and expanded is welcome news.
The Magic of Science
Dan Dan the Magic Man can stretch a piece of chewing gum about 12 feet and make a live rabbit appear in an empty cage. But magician Dan Heath's greatest trick may be the way he can hold the attention of a young audience for the better part of an hour.
Teen Towers
Teens continue to enjoy science-themed activities during the Great Bend Public Library's "Spark a Reaction" summer program. On Tuesday, two boys and two girls showed up at the library's Teen Spot for a building contest using spaghetti and miniature marshmallows.
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