County moves ahead on landfill development

Development continues at the Barton County Landfill and now work is underway to prepare for the next phase.

Singers to serenade sweeties

The Great Bend High School Madrigal-Pops Singers will deliver singing Valentines from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a $25 donation. The recipient will be serenaded with a choice of a love song or a song more appropriate for friends or work-place relationships. The recipient will also receive a decorated cookie.

Community colleges support new funding model

Kansas community colleges are supporting a proposed cost model for technical education, but advising legislators not to fund vocational schools at their expense. Staff from the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees and four community college presidents met with freshman legislators in Topeka on Jan. 11. Barton Community College President Dr. Heilman shared the talking points and 2011 legislative agenda, which includes those issues, along with reinstituting a program ...

County thanks Hayden for wetlands work

Barton County Commissioners have approved a message of thanks to former Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Secretary Mike Hayden for his efforts that brought improvements to Cheyenne Bottoms, South Hoisington and other areas in the county.

Great Bend man sentenced to life without parole

One day after a Topeka man was sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation, his accomplice from Great Bend has also received a life sentence without parole, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Tuesday. Adan Molina, 30, Great Bend, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He entered the plea in November after three days of trial in U.S. District ...

Eisenhower students study 'how the body works'

Eisenhower Grade School third grade students are taking a trip through the human body and studying how the brain responds to stimuli.

Candidates file for area positions

Noon on Tuesday was the filing deadline for those interested in running for various school board, city council and hospital board positions in Barton County. The regular election is April 5.

Meth case draws life sentence

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – One of the leaders of a drug trafficking operation that sold methamphetamine in Great Bend, Topeka and Kansas City has been sentenced to life in federal prison without parole, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Monday. Alfonso Rubio-Ayala, 27, Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He entered the plea in November after three days of trial in U.S. District Court in Topeka. In ...

Making the grade: Students take different paths in earning academic distinction

The three Barton Community College students named to this year's Phi Theta Kappa All-Kansas Academic Team will forever be linked together for earning their distinguished Phi Theta Kappa awards, but each has taken a different path to achieve success. The paragraphs below tell their stories. Morgan Cooper doesn't know what it's like to earn a "B" grade. She's aced every class since kindergarten. She's also a dynamo as a ...

Three Barton students selected for All-Kansas Academic Team

Three Barton Community College students will join other Kansas community college scholars on Feb. 17 in Topeka to be honored for their scholastic achievement. Barton sophomores Matthew Koch, Great Bend; Morgan Cooper, Wichita; and Angela Johnson, Junction City, are among 49 community college students named to the 2011 All-Kansas Academic Team, sponsored by the international headquarters of Phi Theta Kappa international honor society, the Kansas Association of ...

Seed money for senior projects

By a split decision, Barton County Commission took action Monday to help an agency that touches the lives of most area seniors.

Landfill has ground-moving year in 2010

This past year was a big one for the Barton County Landfill, as a variety of programs continued to grow, according to Solid Waste Manager Mark Witt. Witt notes that the landfill has been able to operate on its revenues, instead of on tax dollars, and 2010 was no exception. He noted that the estimated total for annual revenue, generated by disposal fees, was over a million dollars. In fact, he noted in a recent ...

HOI to add 22 units in 2011

A local program that has already proved its success in developing housing in Great Bend has received the support of city officials in an effort to locate another 22 units in the coming months.

Longoria attorneys seek to strike death penalty

Attorneys for Adam Joseph Longoria have filed a motion seeking to have the Kansas death penalty declared unconstitutional. Longoria, 36, is awaiting trial on a capital murder charge for allegedly killing 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt of Great Bend last year. The motion filed earlier this month in Barton County District Court acknowledges that the constitutionality of the Kansas death penalty has already been upheld by the Kansas Supreme ...

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH

Members of Boy Scout Troop and Pack 184 were up to their elbows in dough Saturday, making noodles for the upcoming fundraising dinner. Twelve-year-old Tristan Mitchell, a Scout First Class, fed pieces of rolled out dough into a cutter, as his younger sister Tori caught the emerging strips. Several Scouts were performing similar tasks at other tables, while older ...

Wanted: Several good homes

At an adoption event this past Saturday, Ebert warmed the hearts of many. But, he still needs a home.

Spring and music in the air

The Panther Jazz Band pumped up the audience at the GBHS Panther Bands Spring Contest Concert Monday night with their opening rendition of Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock. It was a night to celebrate the accomplishments of the high school music program and a select group of accomplished musicians who competed at the state level earlier this spring. Senior band members also recognized and thanked their parents for the support offered through the years of ...

More sleep time? USD 428 gives a nod

High schoolers may get a few extra zs next year thanks to a proposal approved at the USD 428 board meeting Monday night. But not for teachers. Board members approved a series of late starts for the high school during the 2013-2014 school year that would give teachers the time they need to collaborate, but take away two hours of student contact time a month

GBRC shares Blue Ribbon Award to promote health

Several people working to make Barton County a healthier place received some recognition and financial assistance Monday during the Great Bend Recreation Commission Board meeting. Doug Vance, executive director of the Kansas Recreation & Park Association, visited the meeting along with representatives from BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas, to present a $2,500 facsimile check and a banner in honor of Great Bend winning the Blue Chip award.

Residents fear stray gunfire near 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.

County hopes to spark Vet Memorial donations

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.

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.

‘To parents, be the adults’

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.

Kansas 150 years 1861-1900

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