Archive By Author - Susan Thacker
Great Bend Zoo's white tiger, 'Spirit,' dies
The white Bengal tiger at Great Bend's Brit Spaugh Zoo has died.
Kansas Prisoner Review Board taking comments
A man convicted of second degree murder and attempted voluntary manslaughter in 1987 in Russell County, and a man convicted of sex crimes in Pawnee and Barton County, are eligible for parole hearings in April. A total of 18 Kansas inmates are scheduled for possible parole in May. Prior to their parole hearings, the Prisoner Review Board will take public comments.
Preliminary hearing of former Honor Flights director continued
The preliminary hearing for the woman charged with stealing more than $100,000 from Central Prairie Honor Flights got under way this week, but has been continued to April 10.
Good Politics: Two sides come together
The oil industry and environmentalists – two groups seen as political opposites – managed to sit down together in recent months and form regulations that may become a model for the rest of the nation, the Associated Press reports. The issue is the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." In Illinois, members of the oil and gas industry wanted to use the method with a minimum of red tape, while some environmentalists wanted to ban it altogether.
ZOO NEWS: Education coordinator is amateur paleontologist
Few people turned out for Danielle Ricklefs' recent program on being an amateur paleontologist, coming as it did after a series of snow days. But Ricklefs, the new education coordinator at Great Bend's Brit Spaugh Zoo, promised she'll be repeating the program this spring. She also introduces paleontology, the study of fossils and the science of prehistoric life, to teach kids about extinction events, past and future.
TEXT LESSONS: Students attend Farm Safety Awareness Day
Area high school students were all over the road Wednesday as they attempted to send text messages while driving – and there was no way they'd avoid the occasional pedestrian in the cross walk or deer crossing their paths.
Pursuit ends in rollover
A pursuit of an Ellis County escapee that began Sunday morning in Hoisington ended when the suspect lost control of a stolen car at 31st and Washington Ave. in Great Bend. He was not injured and is back in custody.
Educators, farmers share concerns with lawmakers
Editor's note: This is the second of two articles about last Saturday's Legislative Coffee at Hoisington.
Edmonds concerned with tax increases
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories about Saturday's Legislative coffee in Hoisington. Today's article looks at the remarks of Sen. Mitch Holmes and Rep. John Edmonds. Part II will cover the question and answer period.
Local firm wins BCC auditing contract
Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball has won the bid to handle Barton Community College's next three audits. At Thursday's BCC Board of Trustees meeting, the Great Bend firm won the contract because it submitted the low bid: $116,870 for three years.
Warm bodies
During the recent snow storms, some employees stayed home and baked cookies, some braved the elements and slid into work, and some stayed home but worked nonetheless. In the midst of all that, word got out that Marissa Mayer, the new chief executive officer of Yahoo!, plans to put an end to telecommuting at that company later this year.
KC jazz icon coming to Great Bend Jazz Festival
Local big band musicians will share the stage with a Kansas City jazz icon for the 19th annual Great Bend Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 2, at the Crest Theater.
Fire deals heavy damage to Great Bend home
Leesa Maupin and her 16-year-old son Lucas stood barefoot in the snow Friday night as Great Bend firefighters attempted to save their home.
Taking notice: Advocate's awards richly deserved
Last week the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence presented one of its highest awards to Laura Brown, an advocate from the Family Crisis Center in Great Bend.
Articles By Author - Susan Thacker
Barton showcases campus on Senior Day
In colloquial terms, "senioritis" is defined as an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as they move closer to graduation. The opposite might be dubbed "senior excite-is," a condition in evidence Saturday at Senior Day on the Barton Community College campus.
Emotional recharge
Who doesn't like to see Kansas ranking near the top of a positive poll? This week we learned that Kansas is ranked the No. 4 Most Emotionally Recharged state for 2015, according to the Lantern Emotional Balance Index.
BCC sets new teacher credential standards
Barton Community College will change its polices on faculty credentials to comply with changes in Kansas Board of Regents regulations, BCC Vice President Dr. Penny Quinn told the college's board of trustees on Thursday. Now, off-campus instructors will need to have the same minimum credentials as full-time faculty.
The Amazing Spidey
Most spider monkeys live to be about 25 years old, so the 50th birthday of Great Bend's Spidey is amazing. In fact, the staff at Brit Spaugh Zoo believe he's the second oldest spider monkey in the world.
Spidey's birthday photos
Photos taken Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, in celebration of Spidey's 50th birthday. Spidey, at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo, is believed to be the second-oldest living spider monkey in the world.
Christian Unity Service moves beyond denominations
The Barton County Association of Churches is moving to an ecumenical chapel this year for its annual Christian Unity Service. People of all denominations - as well as those without a church home - are invited to attend the service at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Central Kansas Dream Center Chapel, 2100 Broadway Ave. They should use the west entrance.
A vote for status quo
Sen. Mitch Holmes, R-St. John, recently told constituents that the Legislature hasn't given up on the idea of doing away with April elections. The idea is to add city and school board races to November ballots and perhaps boost election turnout. There has also been talk of making them partisan races.
Smith, Piper join Rec Commission
There were two new faces at Monday's Great Bend Recreation Commission board meeting. Sandy Smith joined the board of directors, filling the position previously held by Dr. Mary Misegadis, whose term of office expired Dec. 31, 2014.
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