Volunteers right cemetery stones

HOISINGTON - Volunteers from Superior Essex in Hoisington and from the Methodist Church spent some time on Wednesday evening at the Methodist Cemetery located outside of Hoisington restoring tombstones to their proper place. The Barton County Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism..

Council hears of Pride Park Project

HOISINGTON - A group of concerned citizens approached the city council with a proposal to upgrade Pride Park. They would add shelters, parking, a new playground and refurbish the restrooms and basketball court, as well as add landscaping.

St. Xavier Church celebrates 125 years

SEWARD - With a crowd that overflowed the sanctuary, St. Francis Xavier Church in Seward celebrated its 125th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of Father Rene Guesnier on Sunday.

Doc Witt announces retirement after 38 years of healing

HOISINGTON - Avid outdoorsmen, hunter and photographer, Dr. Dan Witt of Hoisington has announced that he will retire from his job after 38 years as a urologist. He will devote himself full-time to his first three hobbies.

ATV Rodeo to be held

HOISINGTON - The 2nd annual ATV Rodeo will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 on the south side of the railroad tracks in Hoisington. Admission is $5. Children under 12 are free. "It's good family entertainment," said Pat Horton, Hoisington Main Street Inc. volunteer. HMSI will run and benefit from the concessions, and Kans for Kids will benefit from the gate fees and any other proceeds. The events ...

Great Bend Airport 9/11 Memorial revealed

In a solemn ceremony remembering those lives taken and those lives given, the 9/11 Memorial for the Great Bend Airport was revealed Wednesday morning in Great Bend. It will be on permanent display in the airport.

‘Gathering of the Eagles’ to hold alumni event

ELLINWOOD - The "Gathering of the Eagles" alumni event, which happens every three years, will be held this year during Ellinwood High School's Homecoming on Sept. 30.- Oct.1.

City to purchase new building

HOISINGTON - The Hoisington City Council, after an executive session, voted to purchase the property at 169 S. Main for a price up to $2500 for back taxes. City Manager Jonathan Mitchell explained that is was on the sheriff's sale for back taxes. The city wanted to keep the building available for a retail building.

Council hears update on cattle drive

ELLINWOOD - The Ellinwood City Council, in its regular monthly meeting, heard an update on the cattle drive from Lloyd Kurtz.

EHS welcomes new principal

ELLINWOOD - Shawn Henderson is the new principal at Ellinwood High School, and he comes with energy and enthusiasm for his new job.

Remembering yesteryear: Keep those doggies moving

ELLINWOOD - The sound of a thundering herd of 400 longhorn cattle will reverberate through the streets of Ellinwood at 1:30 p.m. Saturday as they are driven through the city as a part of the 150th birthday celebration of Kansas' statehood. Committees have been meeting and plans made since January. Professional cowboys have driven the cattle overland with all of the provisions for water and hay and food that were required 150 ...

HMS volleyball wins

HOISINGTON - HMS Volleyball got off to a great start on Tuesday when they traveled to Hays and faced Hays Kennedy, Dodge City Sacred Heart and Larned in a Quad on the campus of Hays High School. After too weeks of practice the Lady Cards came away with a slew of victories. The A team and B team both finished with 3-0 records accentuated by some fantastic serving. The C team fought hard and ...

Mentoring program begins at HHS

HOISINGTON - With continuing efforts to improve, Hoisington High School seniors have begun a mentoring program for freshman to assist with the transition to high school.

9/11 Memorial revealed Wednesday

WICHITA - After months of work, the 9/11 Memorial crafted by Bruce and Brent Bitter from Hoisington was revealed in Wichita on Wednesday.

Just having fun

Sequester resulting in preliminary Title 1 cuts for area schools

BARTON COUNTY - Congressional gridlock over the U.S. budget is trickling down to Barton County with the automatic spending cuts that went into effect March 1, called the sequester.

Step into the dark recesses of the mind

ELLINWOOD - Step into the deeper, darker reaches of the mind at the "Fine Wine , Good Friends and a Wicked Murder" at 6 p.m. on May 31 in Ellinwood at Lone Wolf Restuarant, the event opening the weekend for the 2nd annual June Jaunt. The cost of a ticket is $20 and only 50 will be sold and are available from the Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce.

Copper recycling

Copper recycling can be a good thing coming out of old air conditioning or plumbing during replacement. Copper is a non-renewable resource, and apparently recycled copper is worth nearly as much as new copper.

Hoisington City Council discusses animal control

HOISINGTON - The Hoisington City Council decided at its regular meeting last week to continue the animal control options the way they currently are. The city currently takes all stray animals to the Hoisington Veterinary Hospital. The council had looked at a proposal to take care of the animals by the city as a cost saving measure, but turned it down.

City of Ellinwood to purchase property

ELLINWOOD - The Ellinwood City Council, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, agreed to purchase 11-12 acres of property from Alfred Pohlman for $3,600. The property is located north of 7th St. It is west of Kennedy and north of the water tower.

Hoisington to host annual ‘Mud Run’

HOISINGTON - Engines will once again roar as drivers try to drive through the mud at the fourth annual Mud Run at 1 p.m. on June 1 in Hoisington, south of the railroad track on the east side of U.S. 281. It will be held in conjunction with the Kansas Mud Racing Organization.

USD 355 board taking steps for iPad initiative

ELLINWOOD - The USD 355 School Board, at its regular meeting Monday night, agreed to take another step in the iPad initiate. Currently, about twenty percent of the certified staff have iPads. The board agreed to buy approximately 30 more so that the remaining staff would have an iPad.

Foreign tourism developing in Barton County

Travel writer Matt Bates of Scotland and Lisa Weigt, International Program director for Kansas/ Oklahoma Travel and Tourism recently toured Barton County.

Living a "Glass half-Full' Life

In the early 2000s, like so many up and coming children of the prairie, Ellinwood native J. Basil Dannebohm, had the bright lights of the city shining in his eyes.

School board makes appointments

ELLINWOOD - At its regular monthly meeting, the USD 355 school board made two appointments to the new Ellinwood Recreation Commission Board of Directors. They were Mel Waite for four years, and Rob Fisher for one year. The ERC will soon begin planning a budget, hiring a director, and making plans for 2014.

Soaring with Eagles

America's Promise and DARE contest essay winners soared to the highest height on Saturday when members of the Experimental Aircraft Club in Great Bend took them on a 15-20 minutes airplane ride over Great Bend.

Just swinging