​Cookie Contest promises sweet fun to Saturday shoppers

Great Bend shoppers have the opportunity to participate in a fun event this Saturday as they visit local retail stores and support Small Business Saturday. The seventh annual Great Bend Holiday Cookie Contest is being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing people to sample cookies from 16 participating business locations and vote for the best cookies in town.

Prairie Ink accepting submissions

Editors Jamie Oss and Teresa Johnson of Barton Community College's annual literary publication, Prairie Ink, are accepting entries for its seventh edition.

Mutual aid dispatched to river fire on Monday

Great Bend Fire Department dispatched units to the west of Radium Road in the area of the Arkansas River (SW 60 Ave. and West Barton County Road) at 12:06 p.m. Monday for the report of hay bales on fire. They arrived on scene and found several large hay bales as well as grass and trees on fire.

Raffle available at Grugg family fundraiser for medical expenses

HOISINGTON - Opportunities to win prizes have been added to the agenda at the upcoming fundraiser for a Hoisington boy who is facing a life-threatening illness.

KHP responds to accident near Bunker Hill

A Russell woman was taken to Russell Regional Hospital after the 2013 Ford Focus she was driving went off Old U.S. 40, half a mile west of Bunker Hill, at 7:50 a.m. Monday. Kansas Highway Patrol reports Ashtyn Elizabeth Brown, 17, was driving east when the car entered the south ditch and collided with a sign before coming to rest at an access road. She sustained possible injury; she was wearing a seat belt.

​School board schedules special meeting

The Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, at the district office, 201 S. Patton Road. The agenda calls for a one-hour executive session for the discussion of personnel. According to the agenda, no action is expected after the executive session.

No Kiwanis this week

The Great Bend Noon Kiwanis club will not have a regular meeting this week. The next meeting will be at noon Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Derrick Room at Perkins Restaurant. Use the north door.

Sunflower, local business ask community to brighten Christmas

Christmas will be a little merrier for children who might not otherwise have a package to open this year, thanks to a local non-profit agency and a Great Bendbusiness.

Many will benefit from Giving Tuesday

A gift to your favorite charity with be worth even more during the next few days. More than 60 area nonprofit organizations are participating in the Golden Belt Community Foundation's second Giving Day on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Trustees hear report on ‘Regional Workforce Needs’

Nearly once a month, the Barton Community College Board of Trustees hears a report on how well the college is meeting one of its nine overarching goals, known as ENDs. For the ENDS report on "Regional Workforce Needs," the board heard from five community volunteers – industry professionals who serve on advisory boards to Barton's workforce training programs.

​Clean audit for BCC

Barton Community College has received another "clean" or "unqualified" audit from Certified Public Accountants at Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball. College trustees approved the audit Tuesday after hearing from ABBB representatives Vicki Dreiling and Danielle Hollingshead.

Bridge repairs completed

Repairs to the rural Barton County bridge on NE 230 Road, between NE 150 Avenue and NE 140 Road have been completed, the County Engineer's Office announced Tuesday afternoon. The road was reopened as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Nearly 30 families share Thanksgiving thanks to one Great Bend man

One Great Bend man has found the spirit of Thanksgiving and is acting on it. Joseph Trimmer, a young oil field pipe repair worker, was inspired last week after witnessing an act of kindness, and since then, has made Thanksgiving a reality for 28 families in the Great Bend area, and counting.

Fire marshal offers safety tips for Thanksgiving cooking

TOPEKA - The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and Kansas families will be coming together for a time of celebration and thankfulness. The hours spent in the kitchen preparing turkey, mashed potatoes, pies and all the other fixings, however, comes with an increased risk for household fires. The Kansas Fire Marshal would like to remind Kansans of the importance of taking safety precautions to ensure a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Officials encourage safe driving for Thanksgiving travel

Thanksgiving Day is one of the busiest travel days of the year. With increased traffic, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the Kansas Department of Transportation focus on multiple safety measures for travelers. These organizations encourage drivers to take the following tips into consideration:

Health Department ready for flu season

The 2016-2017 flu season is rapidly approaching and the Barton County Health Department is prepared. The office will have the vaccines available starting Monday and ...

Levingston’s ‘wild ride’ in the media ‘super’

For the past few weeks, Austin Levingston, son of Cindy and Beau Levingston, Great Bend, has been navigating new waters as he's been plunged ...

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