Archive By Author - Susan Thacker
Opportunity quilt
Central Kansas Thread-Benders Quit Guild members Ronnie Drees, left, Iva Behrens and Susan Gray show the Opportunity Quilt, which was won by Behrens in a drawing in December. Each year members raffle one quilt, using the money donated for tickets to buy materials to make TLC quilts, which are provided to people after a fire, serious illness or other disaster. Drees and Behrens were co-chairwomen for the 2010 Opportunity Quilt promotion, and Gray ...
DOUBLE LOCKS OF LOVE
Melissa Hittle and her 5-year-old daughter Bailey started the new year by donating a combined 26 inches of hair to Locks of Love. The nonprofit organization will use their hair to make wigs for financially disadvantaged children in the United States or Canada who have lost their own hair. According to information from Locks of Love, most of the children it helps have lost their hair due ...
Search is on for best snow sculpture
With snow on the ground, Garet Fitzpatrick, leisure coordinator at the Great Bend Recreation Commission, reminds residents of the annual GBRC snow sculpture contest. Program coordinators reported on this and other events when the GBRC Board of Directors met Monday. Groups and individuals are invited to make a snow sculpture this winter and send a photo of it, along with information about the people who worked on it. Mail ...
Second burglary suspect arrested
Great Bend Police arrested a second suspect Thursday in connection with last month's burglary at P&S Security, where a number of guns were stolen. Lt. Bill Browne said the 16-year-old suspect was arrested at approximately 4:19 p.m. Thursday in the 5900 block of Eisenhower. His name was not released. He is being held in a juvenile detention center near Reno County. The burglary at P&S Security, 1705 K-96, occurred Dec. ...
Gun show draws crowd at Expo
Gun dealers from across the state brought their wares to Great Bend this weekend, for a gun show at the Great Bend Expo Complex west of town. The show continues today, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but Saturday's turnout was enough to convince Anthony Lutz with R.K. Shows - sponsor of the gun show - that his first Great Bend show won't be his last. ...
City supports zoo's AZA goal
For several years, the goal at Great Bend's Brit Spaugh Zoo has been to gain accreditation from the American Zoos and Aquariums Association. Now Zoo Director Scott Gregory says he's ready to apply for the coveted AZA stamp of approval - one year ahead of schedule. The application deadline for this year is March 1, Gregory said. Once the application is processed, the accreditation organization will probably schedule a summer inspection. ...
Plan for in-county tuition break gains momentum
The next tuition increase at Barton Community College may include a price break for local residents. The idea was suggested at a recent BCC Board of Trustees study session, and discussed again briefly on Thursday, at the January study session. Last year, trustee Mike Johnson said he'd like to see Barton County residents pay less for tuition, since they already support the college with their tax dollars. On Thursday, ...
Winter traffic accidents reported
The winter storm that began last week contributed to several accidents in central Kansas, including a fatality Sunday in Pratt County. Kansas Highway Patrol also worked one injury accident last Friday in Ellsworth County, and one Sunday in Rush County. Lazaro Antonio Garcia, 43, of Emporia, died when the pickup he was in went out of control on any icy Pratt County road some time Sunday afternoon. The KHP ...
Burglary suspect arrested
The suspect in the Dec. 19 burglary of P&S Security, Richard Allen Etim, was arrested just after 3 p.m. Thursday, the Great Bend Police Department reported. Lt. William Browne said an officer made a traffic stop on a red Honda car at Lakin and Harding. During the stop it was discovered that Etim, 22, was in the car, and there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was ...
Heart transplant a success
Former Great Bend resident Brent Tiede received a successful heart transplant this week, and is recovering at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. Tiede, 38, who now lives in Maize, is a 1991 graduate of Great Bend High School. He has known for years he would eventually need a heart transplant, after bring diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition in which the heart beats ...
Police: Leave the guns at home
Ring in the new year tonight, but don't celebrate by firing guns in the air, authorities warn. Last New Year's Day, 4-year-old Marquel Peters was killed by a stray bullet that came through the roof of the Church of God of Prophecy in DeKalb County, Ga. Officials believe the bullet had been fired into the air to celebrate the new year. Celebratory gunfire is dangerous; it can cause ...
Warrant issued for gun theft suspect
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Richard Allen Etim, 21, the Great Bend Police Department's prime suspect in the theft of 23 guns on Dec. 19. Police have been looking for Etim since early last week, and at 5 p.m. Tuesday they were successful in securing the warrant for his arrest, Detective Denton Doze said. Etim is a black male with brown ...
New Year's taxi rolls again
There's no excuse for drinking and driving on New Year's Eve, because the Great Bend Police Department will be offering a taxi service from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m., Chief Dean Akings said. This is the third year that the GBPD has taken on the volunteer project. Akings and Sgt. Gary Davis will be doing the driving, taking partiers anywhere in Barton County for a $5 donation to the GBPD DARE ...
BCSO to drop VIN inspections
After this week, the Barton County Sheriff's Office will no longer provide VIN inspections for vehicles coming to Kansas from other states, Sheriff Greg Armstrong said. Kansas Highway Patrol will take over the program, but with reduced hours. Vehicle Identification Numbers are used to check the title history of a vehicle. Motor vehicle title inspections are required when licensing a vehicle in Kansas which has an out-of-state title. The BCSO ...
Skull found in river
A partial human skull was discovered Sunday on the Wet Walnut Creek, Barton County Sheriff Greg Armstrong said. "It could be from the 1800s," the sheriff said Monday. Greg Brown said his sons Tanner and Layton were duck hunting with friends Kyle and Kevin Corbett Sunday morning when they found the skull less than a mile from his residence southeast of Great Bend. "Kyle was first to see it," Brown said. ...
Articles By Author - Susan Thacker
It's not persecution
The Military District of Washington issued a statement concerning Master Sgt. Nathan Sommers, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Army Band.
Hot cars quickly become deadly for children, pets
It doesn't take triple-digit temperatures outside for unattended vehicles to reach oven temperatures inside. But as summer weather returns to the Golden Belt, safety experts remind people to never leave a child or pet alone in a vehicle. Lt. Bill Browne at the Great Bend Police Department said it isn't unusual for people to call 911 when they see an unattended vehicle with a child or pet inside. More often than not, the vehicle is ...
Summer reading off to magical start
The yellow hard hats seen Monday at Great Bend Public Library weren't for construction work. Staff wore the hats to celebrate the theme for this year's summer reading program: "Dig Into Reading."
SDS axes contract with Rec Commission
Last month the Great Bend Recreation Commission's board of directors approved a new contract to provide day services to Sunflower Diversified Services, but on Monday GBRC's Executive Director Diann Henderson said Sunflower won't approve a contract for the coming year.
Inmate in custody after walking away from Barton County Jail
This story has been updated. An inmate who walked away from the Barton County Jail sometime Sunday night was back in custody by 11:40 a.m. Monday. Lee W. Dean, 23, who was being held for probation violation, was located in the southeast part of Great Bend and 201 Plum St., Sheriff Brian Bellendir announced in a news release. "(Dean) was taken into custody without incident," Bellendir said. "A second subject at the location was taken ...
Summer reading programs start Monday
The Great Bend Public Library has a new look going into the summer reading programs. The front desk has moved and the Children's Department has been refurnished.
Tax Troubles: Deep Cuts Hurt Most of Us
Enjoy your tax cut, Kansans.
Cale sculpture going up at Historical Society
The history of Barton County, from unbroken grassland to modern wind turbines, is the latest subject for Great Bend artist Chet Cale. A series of bas relief panels by the sculptor is going up at the Barton County Historical Society. Bev Komarek, executive director of the historical society, said the artwork – 8 feet wide and 6 feet high – will be the focal point of the museum's new recognition wall. Names of significant donors ...
Nex-Tech Zoo Fest is Saturday
The annual Nex-Tech Zoo Fest runs from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo. There will be free food and live entertainment for the whole family.
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