Archive By Section - News
State, county jobless rate climb
Kansas labor officials are pinning January's larger-than-anticipated rise in the state's unemployment rate on weather and the end of holiday hiring, not on the lingering impact of the recession. The January 2011 jobless rate was 7.4 percent, up from 6.4 in December 2010 but down from 7.1 percent in January 2010.
Courthouse project moves ahead
Barton County Commissioners accepted a bid from a local contracting firm to take on a project to remodel the Barton County Treasurer's Office in order to make room for state-mandated computer equipment changes.
Cohen Center offers free new-age archiving to public
Barton Community College's Cohen Center for Kansas History now has two resources that give the public the ability to study and preserve historical documents and other papers, making them available to future generations when otherwise those pieces of history would eventually be lost.
KU players coming to Great Bend
University of Kansas basketball players will meet the public and play a game with local all stars at the annual KU Barnstorming Tour, Sunday, April 17 in the gym of the Barton Community College Kirkman Center. Diann Henderson, executive director of the Great Bend Recreation Commission, discussed the upcoming fundraiser at Monday's GBRC Board of Directors meeting. Tickets for a suggested donation of $8 will go on sale soon, with proceeds ...
Great Bend supports affordable flying program
Local officials have signed off on a statewide program that is aimed at getting more people to be able to afford air transportation out of Wichita. The Great Bend City Council voted to support the Affordable Air Fares for Kansans program, that is aimed at encouraging use of the Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita. City Administrator Howard Partington noted the Wichita flights are already important to local businesses and will presumably become more so in the ...
Three flown to Wichita after head-on collision
Three people were seriously injured in a head-on collision Friday night in Barton County. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol Online Crash Logs, Michael S. Grauer, 38, Great Bend, was driving east on K-156, 14 miles northeast of Great Bend, at 9:22 p.m. His Chevy Impala went across the center line for an unknown reason and hit an approaching Jeep head-on. Grauer was flown to Via Christi's St. Francis Hospital ...
CASTING A 'SPELL'
Allen County spelling champion Clara Wicoff correctly spelled "geriatrician" Saturday to win the Great Bend Tribune's 2011 Sunflower Spelling Bee. Wicoff, a seventh grader from Iola, won the spell-down in 2009, and this year she outlasted 2010 winner Matthew Wegner from Parsons and 79 other contestants. Wegner and Barton County's Allison Regehr made it to the final nine, but by Round 7 there were only four remaining contestants: Wicoff, ...
LWV to hold candidate forum
Great Bend and Barton County voters will have the opportunity to hear the views of local candidates prior to the April 5 general election during a forum sponsored by the Great Bend League of Women Voters Tuesday night.
County valuations on schedule to mail soon
Postal Presort, Inc. will be sending out about 18,000 pieces of county mail soon as the Wichita firm sends property valuations to county residents.
Crime Stoppers seeks info on home invasion
Crime Stoppers is seeking information about an altercation that occurred Feb. 28 at 1305 MacArthur Road. Although they arrested Travis Myers, the adult son of Great Bend City Councilman Randy Myers, on suspicion of domestic battery of his brother Nathan, authorities said Thursday that they'd like to hear from anyone who may have seen people entering the house early that morning. In a Crime Stoppers announcement released this week, Police Chief ...
Meals on Wheels changes vendors
The vendor for Meals on Wheels in Great Bend, Hoisington and Ellinwood will change on Monday, but coordinators said the recipients can still count on the same home-delivered service. Central Kansas Medical Center has been the only vendor since the program started locally in February 1972. But because CKMC will change to St. Rose Ambulatory and Surgery Center May 1, it will no longer staff a complete kitchen, which is necessary ...
One more day until Tribune's Sunflower Spelling Bee
Saturday's Sunflower Spelling Bee will be a battle of champions, with the winners receiving medals, scholarships and other prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the week-long national bee in Washington, D.C. Two former champions of the Great Bend Tribune's Sunflower Spelling Bee will be back - 2010 winner Matthew Wegner from Parsons and 2009 winner Clara Wicoff from Iola - but all 80 of the contestants registered for ...
Fire departments respond to vehicle fires
Fire departments from Ellinwood and Great Bend responded to two separate vehicle fires on Tuesday and early Wednesday. Both caused major damage but no serious injuries. A hazardous materials crew was called to U.S. 56 at SE 150 Ave. after a 2006 Newmar truck caught on fire around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The Barton County Sheriff's Office reports Hazmat cleared burnt vehicle parts from the road. Driver David Craddock of Great ...
Severe weather history costly to Kansas
This year, severe weather testing had to be postponed - due to severe weather. It's not the first time. But this year, the severe weather was of the winter variety, not spring, so you just don't know what to expect in the Great Plains. That's part of the reason for Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 7 through March 11, to get people used to being ready to respond to weather threats. So today, at 1:30 ...
From Jeans to Scrubs
The United Way of Barton County opened the campaign with veteran participants JC Penney in Great Bend and a denim fund-raiser and ended with first-time presentation at Great Bend Regional Hospital. It also concluded with the new name – United Way of Central Kansas.
Articles by Section - News
Myers walks out of meeting
After an often heated exchange between Great Bend City Council Member Randy Myers and several fellow council members over his alleged ethics violations, Myers stood up and walked out of the governing body's Monday night meeting.
GBFD roundup: Fire marshal investigates basement fire
An investigator from the Kansas State Fire Marshal's office was in Great Bend Monday to determine the cause of a fire Sunday afternoon at 2011 Jackson St. It was one of several fire calls over the weekend, Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said. Firefighters received the report of a basement fire at 4:37 p.m., at the house owned by James and Krissy Jackson. The first truck arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming ...
TOUTING TOURISM
It is fitting that Barton County celebrate Kansas Tourism Week this week, Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Cris Collier told the County Commission Monday morning.
OF RISK AND REWARD
Three weeks ago, a fertilizer storage facility in West, Texas, not all that different from plants in many, small, rural communities, exploded. It killed 14 people, leveled much of the tiny town and rocked the nation.
CINCO DE MAYO
The weather did not exactly cooperate, but Joe Hernandez and his friends didn't let it interrupt their celebration.
Cooking up great soil
Gardeners may finally catch a break after unexpectedly cool weather last week. It's finally time to start digging and planting, and that means its the perfect time to think about soil health. For gardeners in Great Bend, the city provides plenty of rich dark compost free for the taking.
City of Great Bend cooking up great soil for local gardeners
Gardeners may finally catch a break after unexpectedly cool weather last week. It's finally time to start digging and planting, and that means its the perfect time to think about soil health. For gardeners in Great Bend, the city provides plenty of rich dark compost free for the taking.
Job Olympics celebrates abilities
Students from 13 schools demonstrated their life skills and vocational abilities Friday during the Job Olympics at Great Bend High School's Panther Activity Center. This competition, open to any special education student in Kansas, is sponsored by the Barton County Transition Council and the Special Services Cooperative. Events at tables throughout the arena mimicked real job situations and life skills, such as food preparation, office work or automotive checking. There was event a contest for ...
Refresher on health care highlights Chamber luncheon
Mike Minton with Benefit Management Inc. was the keynote speaker at the Great Bend Area Chamber of Commerce roundtable for human resources professionals Tuesday noon at The Page. He provided a refresher on the Health Care Reform and Affordable Care Act. While there were tips and updates for owners of large companies, only general advice could be offered for small business owners, as the federal government continues to grapple with a lot of unanswered questions, ...
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