FIRE DESTROYS RURAL HOME

There were times all Great Bend Fire Department personnel could do Thursday afternoon was stand back and watch as a house southeast of Great Bend burned. Although everyone had gotten out safely, authorities said the house was a total loss. A lack of water once halted the battle to save the home of Shawn Crane Jr., 144 SE 20 Ave. Pumper trucks from the Ellinwood, Hoisington and Stafford fire departments were called ...

Seasonal swing

Health officials warn of whooping cough

Brightly wrapped gifts may not be all we are giving each other this holiday season.

Fish kill at Vets normal for time of year

The deaths of a handful of small fish at Veterans Memorial Lake are the result of the cold and not the recent toxic algae that plagued the popular recreational area, city and state officials said.

A SEASON OF GIVING

Several local charities received an early Christmas present Wednesday afternoon as Farmers Bank and Trust held its 14th-annual Holiday Charity Coffee.

NO HUMBUG HERE

It's official. The holidays have come to Great Bend. Residents lined Main Street on a chilly evening Saturday to watch the 2010 Home for the Holidays Parade makes its way through downtown to the Courthouse Square. Thirty two entrants walked, rode on floats or pranced on horse back as they displayed their Christmas spirit based on the theme "Our Favorite Christmas Stories." "I think things were really successful and everyone enjoyed the ...

Tree donation

Home for the holidays

The decorated gate at the southwest corner of the Courthouse Square, Santa's House, the ice skating rink and other seasonal decorations await local residents and their holiday guests as Great Bend prepares to launch its Christmas celebration Saturday. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. followed at 6:45 by the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas Tree.

Jobless picture looking brighter

The jobless rate in Kansas dipped from 6.7 to 6.4 percent from September to October as state businesses gained over 6,000 jobs since this time last year, the Kansas Department of Labor reported this week. This was the same unemployment rate at October 2009.

A RURAL PROSPECTIVE

Congressman Jerry Moran's 14th and final listening tour made a stop in Great Bend Tuesday morning. Come January, Moran will address constituents as one of Kansas' newest senators.

Gas prices? So what?

With Thanksgiving triggering the start of the holiday travel season, gas prices across Kansas have risen over six cents in the past week. However, an average cost of $2.77 per gallon won't likely keep Kansans from going over the river and through woods. Average retail gasoline prices in Kansas have risen 6.4 cents per gallon as of last Sunday. This compares with the national average that has increased 3.1 cents ...

Coming through

Four pick-up trucks piled with canned and boxed food formed a convoy from Great Bend High School to the Barton County Food Bank Friday afternoon.

Longoria to stand trial for capital murder, sodomy

Adam Joseph Longoria, the 36-year-old Great Bend man charged in the Aug. 21 slaying of 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt will stand trial for capital murder and criminal sodomy in connection to the killing, Barton County District Judge Hannelore Kitts ruled Thursday afternoon.

Algae warning lifted at Vets Lake

The toxic algae threat that closed Veterans Memorial Lake in Great Bend to all recreational activities has been down graded from a warning to an advisory, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported Wednesday afternoon.

He's no hero

Sure, Richard Klema and his squad crept through the North African desert by night to avoid the Germans.

TOUTING TOURISM

It is fitting that Barton County celebrate Kansas Tourism Week this week, Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Cris Collier told the County Commission Monday morning.

OF RISK AND REWARD

Three weeks ago, a fertilizer storage facility in West, Texas, not all that different from plants in many, small, rural communities, exploded. It killed 14 people, leveled much of the tiny town and rocked the nation.

Come on guys, keep those doors open

Sunshine Week, the national initiative by journalists to assure that sunshine illuminates every crevasse in the halls of officialdom, runs March 10-16. During that week, newspapers traditionally run editorials and columns extolling the importance of open government as it relates to our freedoms as Americans.

A two-way trail

Saturday marked the opening of Travel and Tourism Week in Kansas, which runs through next Sunday. The Barton County Commission Monday morning is set to authorize a proclamation to recognize the importance this industry plays in our local, regional and state economies.