It was the best Thanksgiving ever -- Tom Purcell

"I was in no mood to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. We were hurting financially and the wife was driving me nuts trying to cut down on costs."

Get the most out of Thanksgiving -- Martha Carr

Most Americans know the story of Squanto and how he helped the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts survive the winter of 1621 by showing them how to adapt to their new home. School children everywhere still celebrate the great tidings with cornucopias and pilgrim hats and turkeys drawn by tracing a hand and coloring in the fingers like feathers. The thumb is always the turkey's head.

Don't say we didn't warn you

Jennifer Tesch's daughter, Kennedy, was kicked off her cheerleader squad - supporting a youth flag-football team - in Madison Heights, Mich., after complaining to her mother about the saucy language of one of the cheers in the girls' repertoire: "Our backs ache!/Our skirts are too tight!/We shake our booties!/From left to right!"

Top 3 face ranked conference foes this week

The Christmas shopping can wait. Instead of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving should be called BCS Friday.

Turkey Day Treasures

No better time than the presnt for a little Turkey Day trivia as we head into the NFL's annual Thanksgiving tripleheader. See if you can name these players:

Duke bottles up Kansas State for Coach K’s 800th win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kyrie Irving didn't wait long to make his mark at Duke. The freshman guard scored 17 points and did an outstanding defensive job on preseason All-America Jacob Pullen and the top-ranked Blue Devils beat No. 4 Kansas State 82-68 on Tuesday night to win the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at the Sprint Center. Irving was a heralded recruit coming out of St. Patrick's H.S. in New Jersey and there ...

Spicy Thanksgiving NFL matchups have lost their lustre

If the folks who make the NFL schedule are grimacing, it's understandable. Those spicy Thanksgiving matchups have lost their spark.

Mary Louise Matthews

Mary Louise Matthews, 73, of Great Bend, died Nov. 23 at her home. She was born Oct. 9, 1937, at Chetopa, the daughter of Henry Clinton and Rosie (Busick) Powell. She married Donald Henry Matthews on Jan. 22, 1957, at Great Bend. She was a homemaker and a former maid for the Holiday Inn. Mrs. Matthews was a Great Bend resident since 1951, coming from Chetopa and Parsons. She was a ...

George Joseph Gorsline

George Joseph Gorsline, 90, of Great Bend, died Nov. 23 at Cherry Village Nursing Home, Great Bend. He was born Dec. 27, 1919, at Flushing, N.Y., the son of Walter and Stella (Bafalska) Gorsline. He married Lillian Elizabeth Alger. She died Jan. 11, 1976. He married Margaret Elizabeth Bender Dec. 16, 1978, at Great Bend. He was a truck driver for Davis Van Lines and Baroid and a delivery man for McCurdy's ...

Jim Forrest, Ruth Kazmaier named Grand Marshals of Christmas Parade

The Larned Chamber of Commerce and Chamber Ambassadors invite you and your family to join them for the 90th annual Christmas Day Parade on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m. This year's theme is "Christmas with a Splash." Parade lineup will begin at 10 a.m.; judging of the floats will begin at 10:30 a.m. with four cash prize awards to be given, sponsored by our local banks, First State Bank, Farmers Bank & Trust, ...

The Diamonds to return for a special Christmas concert

Back by popular demand, The Diamonds will be performing in Larned, a special encore performance on Sunday, Dec, 5, at the Larned Community Center beginning at 7 p.m. Sponsoring this concert is Prairie Arts Unlimited as part of their performing arts series. This is a truly unique concert for The Diamonds as they will be featuring a selection of Christmas favorites.

American baaa

Terry Dean Brown

SMITH CENTER - Terry Dean Brown, 48, died Nov. 20 at his home in Smith Center. He was born Aug. 23, 1962, to Jack Dean and Henrietta Jane (Karnatz) Brown. He is survived by three brothers, Rick Brown of Beloit and Jeff Brown and Frank Trimmer, both of Great Bend; five sisters, Vickie Larson Will of Concordia, Billie Cline-Smith of Beloit, Lisa Brown of North Newton, Kim Craig of Smith Center ...

TSA groping

Nov. 25, 2010

Barton County Sheriff A semi-trailer driver hauling round bales rolled his trailer around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday at NW 20 Ave. and NW 30 Road. He was not injured, but the road was blocked for a time. Great Bend Police Kaytlyn Johnson was turning onto 23rd St. from Washington and struck a vehicle driven by Sara Bruce who was stopped at the stop sign at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday. Someone ...

“Celebrate Wheat” Quilt Block Challenge announced

The theme for the 2013 Barton County Fair quilt block challenge is "Celebrate Wheat." Coordinated by members of the Central Kansas Thread Benders quilt guild, the contest is open to anyone who sews. Kits are available for pick up for $3 at the Barton County Extension Office, 1800 12th Street in Great Bend. Each kit contains two fat eighths of fabric. Each of these fabrics must be used in the final block as well as ...

Pacers put down Knicks for 2-1 series lead

INDIANAPOLIS - Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Paul George had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assist to lead the Pacers past New York 82-71 Saturday night in Game of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Pirates topple Mets

NEW YORK - Francisco Liriano struck out nine and pitched into the sixth inning to win his debut with Pittsburgh and help the Pirates beat the New York Mets 11-2.

Pettitte, Yankees edge Royals 3-2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Andy Pettitte finally stopped beating himself up long enough to look at video of his past couple of outings, subpar efforts by any stretch and certainly his own lofty standards.

Lady Panthers to play Hays

The Great Bend High School girls' soccer team travels to Hays on Tuesday to play an opening-round game of a Class 5A regional tournament

Oilers capture third place at state tourney

HILLSBORO - Central Plains High School brought a young team, but the Oilers came through for a third-place finish at the Class 3-1A state tennis tournament on Saturday to take home some hardware.

Eagles lead area teams at Mid-Central Activities Association meet

HAYS - It was Thomas More Prep Marian that ruled Thursday's Mid-Central Activities Association track and field meet.

Cubs chase Strasburg in fifth en route to 8-2 win over Nationals

WASHINGTON - Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision as the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 8-2 Saturday.

S.R.C.A. Drag Strip draws national eye

In its 60th year, the drag strip at Great Bend honors not only it's anniversary but also its national publicity.

Lingmerth leads at Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Tiger Woods was surrounded by four rows of fans who stood shoulder-to-shoulder, curious to see how he was going to escape from the trees on the second hole at The Players Championship. Cheers erupted when he pulled out a 5-wood, a risky shot off the pine straw through a 15-foot gap of pines.

Lady Oilers win league title

ST. JOHN - The Central Plains High School girls' track and field team won a Central Prairie League title on Thursday.

Blue Jays take lead in ninth to beat Red Sox

BOSTON - Adam Lind hit a tiebreaking homer off Boston closer Junichi Tazawa leading off the ninth inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Grizzlies take 2-1 series lead over Thunder

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Grizzlies call it grit and grind, and it got them through another ugly game.

School recognized for Character Education

TOPEKA-Kansas schools and school districts were honored Thursday for their support of character education as part of the Kansas Schools of Character Recognition Program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas Character Education Initiative and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

Ellinwood Rotary announces theme for AHF Parade

ELLINWOOD - The Ellinwood Rotary Club announces the 2013 theme for the After Harvest Festival Parade to be held at 10 a.m. July 2. This year's theme is "Home Is Where Our Story Begins." They are hoping registrants for the parade will incorporate this year's theme into their parade float.