Coffee shop reopens as a community gathering place

ELLINWOOD - With at comfortable and family friendly atmosphere, the beautifully decorated Fire Escape Coffee House, in downtown Ellinwood, has reopened as a community gathering place for all ages. The shop serves regular coffee as well as specialty drinks and snacks, all staffed by volunteers.

Student doubling

GBPD to offer threat assessment to businesses

The Great Bend Police Department will begin offering vulnerability assessments to local businesses including armed intruder, beginning about the first of March. The assessment will include flood and tornado threats as well as human.

USD 431 begins process of adding locking doors

HOISINGTON - The USD 431 School Board approved on Monday, adding locking doors to the four schools in the district.

Multicultural: Coca-cola commercial includes everybody

Looking at a globe of the world, one sees in the western hemisphere, the continents of South America and North America. Canada, Mexico, and Brazil are all American nations.

USD 112 students invest in Kansas history

BUSHTON - Things worth doing are worth doing well, and seventh graders at Central Plains Middle School put this proverb to work as they invested time and energy learning about notable and not-so-famous Kansans.

Ellinwood Chamber banquet celebrates successes

ELLINWOOD - Over 200 people attended the successful Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce annual banquet on Friday, capping off a year of new programs, changes and initiatives at Lone Wolf Restuarant.

The Saga of Miss Sally Wolf

"Everybody's talking at parties about the tunnels in Ellinwood," said Miss Sally Wolf, the mannequin at the Wolf Hotel. "I'd like to be able to join in. I've never seem them."

Hoisington Main Street Inc. to host Valentine’s Dinner

HOISINGTON - Hoisington Main Street Inc. will once again host a romantic Valentine's Day Dinner for couples beginning at 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Knights of Columbus, 114 N. Main. The evening will be highlighted with a chance for couples to renew their wedding vows.

Surrogacy- nobody's business but participants

If adults represented by competent attorneys choose to use a surrogate to have a family, why should it be anybody's business but the participants?

Ellinwood artist Poteet earns state honor

ELLINWOOD - Ellinwood Grade School second grader Taylor Poteet was unaware that the picture he drew was chosen from among thousands of entries as runner-up for the 15th annual "Kansas Don't Spoil It" calendar contest.

Ellinwood Library prepares for Smithsonian exhibit

ELLINWOOD - The Ellinwood School/Community Library has been chosen as one of six libraries in the state to host the "Hometown Teams" Smithsonian Institution exhibit from Jan. 31 to March 15, 2015.

Stoss named Hoisington ‘Citizen of the Year’

HOISINGTON - Darlene Stoss, long-time Hoisington area resident, was named "Citizen of the Year" at the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce banquet.

Two booked in jail after high speed chase

HOISINGTON - Two men Jonas Grubb of Great Bend and Jason McKinnon of Great Bend were booked on Sunday into the Barton County Jail after leading area law enforcement on a manhunt.

Hoisington chamber celebrates successes

HOISINGTON - The Hoisington Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet on Saturday evening "Celebrating Life in the Heartland."

Alcohol sales to minors still continues in Barton County

BARTON COUNTY - The Kansas Department of Alcohol Beverage Control conducted a second sting for 2014 on April 11 and while the results have improved from the first sting, more needs to be done.

Barton County Commissioner Don Cates was a good friend

You know you have a good friend when they change you just by being a friend.

Medals of Honor Presentation brings history alive for students

HOISINGTON - A cross-curricular study aimed at teaching history, English, speech, character qualities, technology and collaborative work, Hoisington High School juniors each studied a Medal of Honor recipient, stirring feelings of patriotism and admiration for American heroes.

Farmers: Start your engines

HOISINGTON - Which is the better, faster, stronger tractor? Allis Chalmers, John Deere? Massey Ferguson?

EHS/EMS students learn positive thinking

ELLINWOOD - Motivational speaker Joe Coles spent the day Wednesday at Ellinwood Middle and High School teaching the students life skills, positive changes, and including everyone.

USD 355 to soon install electronic doors

ELLINWOOD - The planning stage is nearly over as USD 355 will soon be installing electronic locking doors at district schools, beginning the first of May. They will be done shortly thereafter.

Food Stamp program undergoes reduction in benefits

The federal Food Stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, underwent changes beginning in October of 2013, and as a result, local charities that provide food are now seeing an increase in usage.

Immunizations still necessary

Prevention is the best medicine.

Area-wide oration contest held Saturday

Catholic students from the Dodge City Diocese learned about the importance of forming healthy habits and spoke about their knowledge at the annual Civic Oration Contest held Saturday in Great Bend.

City of Hoisington repairs major water leak

HOISINGTON - The city of Hoisington had a major community water leak on Tuesday when the main transmission line to the community failed.

‘HomeWords’ wanted

Kansas Poet Laureate Wyatt Townley wants to bring poetry home to Kansans, and in that vein, is beginning a weekly poetry column that will be published in the Great Bend Tribune.

Poet laureate magically weaves words

ELLINWOOD - Wyatt Townley, Shawnee Mission, finds poetry in every day life, in trains, in the Kansas wind, and in nature. Imaging magical ways to weave words, she comes home to poetry.

Council considers one-way streets at EGS

ELLINWOOD - At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Ellinwood City council discussed traffic flow in front of Ellinwood Grade School on Sixth Street.

Camp Aldrich dining hall destroyed in fire

An early morning fire destroyed the Camp Aldrich dining hall on Saturday. It created an orange glow that could be seen from Claflin.

Camp Aldrich Dining Hall destroyed