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 ...

BCC considers early-childhood ed certificate option

Barton Community College may have the answer to a federal mandate requiring Head Start employees to be better educated, said Cheryl Couch, coordinator of the college's Early Childhood Education program. Her department has spent the past year developing two certificate programs for child-care workers. Couch presented the idea to the BCC trustees at last week's study session. The college could meet an industry need by offering a Preschool Education & ...

Barton County Progressives hold first meeting

The elections of 2010 are history, but on Tuesday a new group, Barton County Progressives, held its first meeting. It was spearheaded by Marty Keenan and Christina Stein. In addition to being Democrats, one thing they have in common is that they've both run for state office and lost, Keenan said by way of introduction. "When the election ends and you're not successful, what do you do now?" Keenan ...

'reinvent my normal'

HOISINGTON - With a great ability to connect with teenagers, motivational speaker Mike Donahue spoke to Hoisington High School students on Monday and urged the students to stop self-medicating with alcohol, drugs and negative behavior, and to begin treating the pain underneath the mask.

Butterflies

Monarch butterflies alight on wire mesh at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo Butterfly Garden. Various species of butterflies in all stages of live can be found in the garden.

Cale sculpture going up at Historical Society

The history of Barton County, from unbroken grassland to modern wind turbines, is the latest subject for Great Bend artist Chet Cale. A series of bas relief panels by the sculptor is going up at the Barton County Historical Society. Bev Komarek, executive director of the historical society, said the artwork – 8 feet wide and 6 feet high – will be the focal point of the museum's new recognition wall. Names of significant donors ...

Study: Drought impacting fish populations

MANHATTAN – The Plains-parching drought gripping North American has caused dramatic changes in native fish communities, including those that call Arkansas River home, a Kansas State University researcher said. These changes could have a damaging impact on the health of the Ark as it trickles around Great Bend. "A couple of key species that we have been studying have virtually disappeared where they historically were abundant," said Keith Gido, a KSU biology professor who studies ...

Barton County doing well, for now

Three local lessons can be gleaned from a new Kansas State University report outlining the fiscal health of the 105 counties in the Sunflower State.

Great Bend sends two to Miss Kansas

PRATT - The next Miss America could come from Barton County. The next step toward the title is the Miss Kansas Pageant, which starts today at Pratt and concludes Saturday. Twenty-five women will compete, including two from Great Bend.

Keeping memories alive

The Memorial Parks Advisory Committee is on a mission.

Volleyball tournament honors Klug

Sixteen teams participated in the Rhonda Klug Memorial Volleyball Tournament held Sunday afternoon at Vets Park. It was only one of the activities planned for that day for the final day of the second June Jaunt festival in Great Bend that got residents out and about enjoying the attractions the city has to offer.

June Jaunt lives up to hype in Great Bend

Overwhelming success!

A SPECIAL RIDE

The American Legion Riders will once again lead the way in the opening ceremony as they have for several years. This year, the ride will have special meaning for J.P. Postlethwaite, who has been the lead rider. This year he will be the featured speaker for the opening ceremony.

Vets Lake looking good

The Great Bend Water Department has begun testing for nutrients at Veterans Memorial Lake which has, in the past, been plagued by toxic blue-green algae.

Apartment project falls through

In January, the Great Bend City Council supported the use of federal low-income housing tax credits to help finance the building of a 32-unit apartment complex in Great Bend.

RAMP UP!

Imagine the damage a small piece of concrete an inch in diameter can do if it's picked up in the blast of a jet engine. It can rip a hole in aircraft body panels, damage propellers, crack windshields, and even injure airport personnel on the ground.

Youth Bike Safety Rodeo Friday

The Barton County Health Department, Barton County Sheriff's Office, Great Bend Police Department and the Barton County Landfill have teamed up to provide their annual Bike Safety Rodeo for children ages 5 to 14 on Friday at the Britt Spaugh Park northeast baseball field near 22nd and Morton streets.

The bridge is official

The bridge on West 10th Street spans the City of Great Bend's flood-control ditch and was built by the city in the late 1980s as part of that massive anti-flooding effort.

JUNE JAUNT DELIVERS

June Jaunt delivered something for every age group in Great Bend.