Sure, Richard Klema and his squad crept through the North African desert by night to avoid the Germans.
Thursday marks the 35th anniversary of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, and the ACS, Barton County Health Department and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are encouraging residents to celebrate by quitting.
The Salvation Army in Barton County opens its annual Christmas Red Kettle Campaign Thursday and Great Bend Salvation Army Store Manager Jane Berg said the goal locally is $39,000.
Jake Radke looked out over the gymnasium filled with Great Bend High School students mingled with a handful of veterans Thursday morning and got a lump in his throat.
If Unified School District 428 Superintendent Tom Vernon had been a weatherman, he would have told his School Board Monday night, they might need umbrellas. District taxpayers may want to break out some goloshes as well.
Shirley Degenhardt sits in her flower bed filled with mums on Hemlock Street in Great Bend Friday morning. For several years, Degenhardt would buy mums then plant them after the flowers' season had waned. They survived and have taken over part of the front yard, exploding into an array of reds, golds and other fall colors each autumn. "I don't buy them anymore," she said.
This year is sixth the Great Bend Beautification Committee will offer those planning holiday parties ideas on how to decorate for the season, while at the same time, earning some money to improve the community.
Tests performed on Great Bend water in September found e. coli and total coliform bacteria. However, a second set of "repeat" samples all tested negative, city Water Department officials said. They will continue the required routine testing.
HOISINGTON – A speeding car led to a pursuit that ended at a Hoisington service station with a standoff and the use of tear gas Wednesday night, Barton County Sheriff Greg Armstrong said.
In the First Barton County Commission District, auctioneer and Democratic incumbent Kenny Schremmer of Hoisington kept his seat by defeating Republican challenger and 9-12 Coalition organizer Kyle Radenberg of rural Barton County, garnering about 62 percent of the vote.
INMAN – After six weeks of voting, the Kansas Sampler Foundation announced the results of the 8 Wonders of Kansas People contest. Former Great Bend resident and microchip pioneer Jack Kilby, and Civil War nurse and veterans advocate Mary Ann "Mother" Bickerdyke (who lived at Bunker Hill, Ellsworth, Great Bend and Russell) were not among the top vote getters.
The Great Bend Kansas National Guard armory should escape unscathed the round of federally mandated National Guard furloughs announced Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, said Sharon Watson with the KNG Public Affairs Office.
LYONS – A Lyons man was sentenced Wednesday to 17½ years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of rape and aggravated indecent liberties, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.
Barton County Administrator Richard Boeckman offered his biweekly update on the activities of various county departments during the County Commission meeting Monday morning. Highlights included:
At an adoption event this past Saturday, Ebert warmed the hearts of many. But, he still needs a home.
We are fortunate to live in a region with abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation. One of the most diverse of these opportunities is the Arkansas River.
It's only a matter of time before someone is hit by a stray bullet while enjoying the Arkansas River bed south of Ellinwood, local resident Tom Komarek told the Barton County Commission Monday morning.
The Memorial Parks Advisory Committee was given the go-ahead by the Barton County Commission Monday morning to hold two much-needed fundraisers to build the Veterans Memorial at Golden Belt Memorial Park north of Great Bend.
A lot of dirty laundry has been aired publicly of late.
With high school and college graduations fast approaching, the Central Kansas Partnership is urging parents to keep the community safe by prohibiting underage drinking and not providing alcohol to underage youth at graduation celebrations.
The new digital finger printing machine has arrived and it will soon be in use by the Barton County Sheriff's Office. Activation is pending approval from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Barton County Administrator Richard Boeckman said during the County Commission meeting Monday morning.
Paving work along Kansas Avenue is complete, according to Great Bend City Engineer Rob Winiecke. Joint sealing crews were done Monday, and it was open to traffic as of Tuesday.
For the City of Great Bend and its Convention Center, it's back to square one – sort of.
This week marks the fourth-annual Senior Corps Week, an opportunity to thank Senior Corps volunteers for their service, said Donna Baugh, Volunteers in Action director. One way folks can become involved is by purchasing their Memorial Day flowers from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program this year. The flowers are on display at the RSVP office, 1025 Main, room D114 in Great Bend, and at the RSVP Thrift Store at 158 S. Main in Hoisington.
After an often heated exchange between Great Bend City Council Member Randy Myers and several fellow council members over his alleged ethics violations, Myers stood up and walked out of the governing body's Monday night meeting.