Job program funding to be discussed by commission

County officials will consider spending $10,000 in tax dollars for a local effort to find workers for local jobs.

SWEET, SEASONAL SOUNDS

The sounds of the season will be carried by Great Bend High School A Cappella Choir members as they present the 74th-annual Vespers Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the high school auditorium.

Electrical short causes fire

Investigators from the Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office and the Great Bend Fire Department determined the blaze that destroyed a house southeast of Great Bend Thursday afternoon was likely caused by an electrical problem, Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said Friday morning.

Dogs find drugs at GBHS

Drug sniffing dogs from the Great Bend Police Department and Barton County Sheriff's Office made two positive "hits" on possible narcotics during a surprise, random search at Great Bend High School Thursday morning, Unified School District Superintendent Tom Vernon said.

Birding heritage expressed in bronze

Great Bend City Council members gave their approval this week to a plan to use public property to help advance a design plan that ties in downtown Great Bend with the region's birding attractions. The council approved using the lawn around the Great Bend Library for bronze statues that will include a bird design, according to Beautification Committee Chairwoman Linda Dougherty. She told the council that the bronzes, if the fund raising is successful, ...

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 ...

Christmas Past

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens The Ghost of Christmas Past is a cheerful spirit, at least in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." At the Barton County Historical Village and Museum, staff and volunteers celebrate the season with the "Ghosts of Christmas Past" open house. The annual event will take ...

Child abuse prevention group changes name, hires director

Ourselves and Our Families Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse has changed its name to the Child Abuse Prevention Education and the board of directors has hired Dana Murphy as the executive director.

Gas heads closer to the $4 mark

Speculation has it that $4 gas is just around the corner, and a 20 cent per gallon hike in local prices in recent days certainly seems to point in that direction.

CAMEL LOT

Things can get mixed up in dreamland, and that's how a modern auto sales lot turns up in Bethlehem - and travels more than 2,000 years back in time - for Holy Family School's annual Christmas musical, "Camel Lot." The musical by fifth and sixth graders is part of the school Christmas concert featuring music by students in grades K through 6. The ...

Seasonal swing

Moms send more goodies to service personnel

The Great Bend Military Moms group recently packed and shipped another 150 boxes for soldiers serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan areas. Each soldier will receive at least 2 boxes loaded with food , snacks, games, toys, DVD's, CD's, personal care items, and lots of love and appreciation from home.

City honors workers for 135 years city service

City employees were honored for their longevity when the Great Bend City Council met Monday night.

Make sure the right toy goes to the right child

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one in a series of articles about winter safety preparations.) Many of us will be shopping for children during the Christmas season, and that can introduce special dangers - not just from the possibility of being trampled in the toy aisle, either. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, it's important for the child's safety to make sure that we are buying the right toy for the right child. Toys ...

Proposed Head Start regulations raising concerns in Kansas

TOPEKA - The 28 local Head Start programs in Kansas and others across the nation are facing changes considered the most significant since Head Start was launched 45 years ago as a cornerstone of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. The chief goal of Head Start, which is federally funded, has been to better prepare low-income children for school. Studies show that those who do better at school tend to ...

Job Fest offers chance for networking

People looking for full- or part-time work will have an opportunity to meet employers during Job Fest 2013, taking place from 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the Best Western Courtyard, 2920 10th St.

Letting the dogs out

Saturday morning, leashes will be rattling and tails will be wagging all over the Great Bend area. Pooches will bound out the door and into the car as their owners make their way to Veterans Memorial Dog Park for the first ever Bark for Life Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event, sponsored by local Relay for Life teams, precedes the annual event coming up on June 7.

RSVP selling flowers for Memorial Day

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.

Kansas 150 years 1861-1900

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