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Wednesday, August 5th
Potential Tenants Look
at GB Packing Building
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce
has been busy trying to find a new tenant for the now vacant
Great Bend Packing Plant. Chamber Director Jan peters
reports that several groups are interested in the facility,
including one that took a tour last week and is expected to
return to visit with business leaders, community leaders,
and investors. A second group is also scheduled to take a
tour this week. The chamber has been working to collect the
names of former plant employees so that they can be
contacted if a new tenant resumes operations at the plant.
Peters also reports that Smithfield, the parent company of
John Morrell, has sold most of the equipment that was in the
building. Efforts to sell the building are currently being
coordinated by a national realtor in Chicago that is working
with all six of the properties that Smithfield closed this
year.
Great Bend Police Receive Grant Funding
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – The Great Bend police Department
has taken advantage of federal stimulus dollars by applying
for and receiving a grant of $91,000 through the Edward
Byrne Memorial Justice Grant. The money will be used to
replace a vehicle, upgrade the training facility west of
town, purchase new equipment for entry team, and to equip
the squad cars with new laptops. The department is also
submitting a second grant request to the Byrnes fund in the
amount of $12,000. That money would be used to pay for an
upgrade to the department’s computer network, including a
new file server. This round of grant money is part of the
normal budget of the fund, and not part of the stimulus
money. The department held a public hearing at this week’s
city council meeting, which is required before the grant
application can be submitted.
County Working on Emergency Pet Plan
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – Barton County is working on
putting a plan in place that will ensure the safety of pets
in case an emergency evacuation is required during a
disaster. Barton County Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller
says federal law requires a plan to be in place to deal with
pets after the problems encountered with Hurricane Katrina.
We are “working with individuals and agencies, not only in
Barton County, but in our south central homeland security
region, to provide the capacity…to shelter those household
pets.” Miller says a tornado would be the most likely cause
for this plan to be implemented. The plan will cover
domestic pets such as cats, dogs, and even turtles, however,
livestock animals, snakes, and fish are all excluded. There
is also a need for volunteers both locally and with the
statewide program. You can contact Amy Miller at the Barton
County Courthouse for more information.
Larned Prepares for CERT Training
LARNED, Kan. (KVGB) – A Community Emergency Response Team,
or CERT, will be forming in Pawnee County in the near future
as an informational meeting will be held to kick off the
program tonight. The organization is made up of neighborhood
volunteers who receive 20 hours of hands on training in
things like basic firefighting, search and rescue, and first
aid. Often during a major disaster or large scale emergency,
local first responders are overwhelmed, creating the need
for these community teams. Training is provided by local
police, fire, and EMT officials and everyone is encouraged
to volunteer as there are a number of ways people can help.
Anyone who completes the training will be allowed to join an
emergency team and will be issued some equipment to be
prepared for a disaster. Tonight’s informational meeting is
open to the public and begins at 6:00 p.m. in the Pawnee
County Courthouse lounge.
Dodge City Casino May Open Early
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) - So far, fortune is smiling on the
new Dodge City casino. Building superintendent Hank Morris
says construction on the state's first new casino is going
so smoothly that the work is two weeks ahead of schedule.
Morris expects to be done with the project by late October,
when casino staff will move in 570 slot machines and 10
gaming tables. Jeff Thorpe, president of Boot Hill Gaming
Inc., still expects the casino to open the first two weeks
of December. No specific date has been set. Thorpe says good
weather in February and March allowed crews to get ahead of
schedule on the 60,000-square-foot building, which will hold
2,900 people.
(AP - Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.)
Tuesday, August 4th
Massive Street Project
Underway
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – Work is underway on the massive
street re-pavement, or slurry sealing, project in Great
Bend. The City of Great Bend has contracted with Vance
Brothers of Kansas City, Missouri, to work on 288 blocks of
streets and City Administrator Howard Partington reports
that work will begin on the west side of town in the Country
Acres subdivisions, move to Twin Lakes, and then proceed to
the east. The goal is to lay 20,000 square feet of material
per day, or 10 to 12 residential blocks. The city’s website
at www.greatbendks.net will be updated two days in advance
of work on any street. The contractor will also put out door
hangers and post no parking signs the night before work is
done. Vehicles must be moved by morning; otherwise they will
be towed to nearby driveways or off the block being worked
on. An effort will be made to complete work in residential
areas by 5:00 p.m., and streets will require several hours
to set once work is completed.
County Adopts New Flood Management Regulations
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – The Barton County Commission has
adopted the revised flood plain management regulations along
with a new digital flood insurance rate map, or DFIRM.
County Engineer Clark Rusco says the new maps are much
easier for builders to use and are more accurate than the
maps from the 1970’s that are currently in use because the
new maps incorporate aerial photography. County staff has
been working on the updated map and regulations in some form
over the last seven years, and much of the work has focused
on updating the map, with very few substantial changes to
the actual building regulations. Another key benefit of the
DFIRM is the electronic accessibility of the maps and the
ability to integrate the flood plains into online services
such as Google Earth. Rusco also notes that paper maps are
becoming a thing of the past and Barton County will probably
be one of the last counties in the country to receive paper
copies of flood maps. More information about the new maps
and regulations is online at www.bartoncounty.org. The new
regulations will take effect in September.
Council Approves Great Bend Budget
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – At last night’s Great Bend City
Council meeting the 2010 budget was approved with a slight
decrease in the mill levy and some small budget cuts that
equaled less than three percent. No public comment was
recorded during the public hearing. In other business, the
council approved a contract with Great Plains Development to
administer the $400,000 grant received from the Community
Development block Grant program that will allow the
re-construction of 13 blocks of city streets in the
northeast part of town. The city has just 120 days to
finalize plans for the project and the engineering firm HWS
of Manhattan has already been working on the final plans.
Work will be done on Heizer Street 11th to Park and from
16th to 19th streets. Work will also be done on Hubbard from
10th to Lakin, and on Holland from Broadway to 19th. The
city’s share of the project is $68,000. Finally, last night
the council approved a $26,000 engineering agreement with
Burns and McDonnell to oversee the mill and overlay work
that will improve the taxiway and runway at the Great Bend
Municipal Airport.
State Treasurer Touts Educational Savings Program
LARNED, Kan. (KVGB) – In a recent trip to Larned, State
Treasurer Dennis McKinney emphasized the state’s Learning
Quest Educational Savings Program. The program creates an
investment account that is allowed to grow tax free and if
the funds are withdrawn to pay for college, then the money
remains tax free. McKinney says the legislature has also
approved a special program to make sure disadvantaged
students save for college. Anyone who is at least 200% under
the federal poverty level can qualify for a matching
contribution of up to $600 from the state. McKinney says “we
have families out there working hard, but they’re
struggling, and saying is it worthwhile to put money in that
savings account…if your willing to work hard, save, and
invest, [the state] is willing to help you do that.”
McKinney also emphasized that the accounts are good at
community colleges and technical schools, noting that many
of the most in demand jobs right now come from one and two
year programs. More information about the state’s
educational savings program can be found online at
www.kansasstatetreasurer.com.
Dodge City Woman Faces Sentence For Paying Ransom
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - An illegal immigrant who lived in Dodge
City was sentenced to a year in prison for paying a smuggler
$1,000 to bring her nephew into the United States. Angela
Ramos-Ocana pleaded guilty in June to intentionally
encouraging an illegal immigrant to live in the United
States. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped charges
alleging she made threatening comments about a federal
prosecutor in Arizona during a recorded jailhouse phone
call. U.S. District Judge Monti Belot on Monday rejected the
prosecution's recommendation for a sentence of time served
and gave her to the maximum prison time under sentencing
guidelines. Belot said the public needed to be protected
from people like her who are in the country illegally and
are encouraging others to come here illegally.
Monday, August 3rd
Larned Still Working on
2010 Budget
LARNED, Kan. (KVGB) – The budget process in Larned has gone
slowly this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the loss
St. Joseph Memorial Hospital at the end of September. City
Manager Don Gaeddert says it has been difficult to put
together revenue projections with future needs being
uncertain. The hospital issue is the “big elephant” in the
room says Gaeddert, and “we’re just not sure how that is
going to affect us.” City staff have not finished their
projections for the 2010 year, although they hope to have
more numbers and proposed budget for the council to consider
at tonight’s council meeting. Early numbers show that the
city is four mills short of the 2009 budget, or about
$60,000, however Gaeddert says he has not closely examined
the expenditure side of the budget yet. The Larned City
Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in the City Office on Broadway
Street.
Children's Miracle Network Funds Local Gift
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – Central Kansas Medical Center in
Great Bend has received new equipment to help newborn babies
with any breathing problems they may encounter thanks to the
Children’s Miracle Network and a local radio-thon conducted
on 100.7 Eagle Country. Funding was secured for the neo-puff
breathing units and Eagle Radio Operations Manager Andie
Price says it shows how much difference a dollar raised
locally can make. Its cool “to get a reaction from the
listener, having them call in and be a part of the process.”
The breathing units are used in a small percentage of babies
born by c-section, by those that have endured difficult
deliveries, or with pre-term infants. 100% of the money
raised in the radio-thon is used to help with medical
expenses and CMN helps children from birth to age 21 with
expenses. Local CMN Coordinator Stacy Helfly can be
contacted at 786-6284 and works in Barton, Rush, Pawnee,
Stafford, Pratt, Mitchell, Lincoln, Ellsworth, and Rice
counties.
Grant Funding Helps Hoisington
HOISINGTON, Kan. (KVGB) – While budget season may been tough
on the City of Hoisington, seeing budget reductions of
$400,000, however there was some good news received
recently. City Manager Jonathan Mitchell says the Hoisington
Police Department will receive $9,500 for new in-car cameras
thanks to the Edward Byrnes Memorial Grant Program. The new
cameras are the same used by the military and video can be
transferred via USB jump drives instead of the 8 mm tapes
currently used. In addition to that grant, the city has also
received word form the Kansas Department of Commerce that
$400,000 was awarded to the city through a Community
Development Block Grant to help pay for the improvements
taking place at the water treatment plant.
Barton Offers CNA Courses to Area High Schools
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – Barton Community College will be
offering a new high school program that will place students
interested in a nursing career on the fast track before they
graduate high school. CNA, or Certified Nurse Aid courses,
will be offered at Ellinwood, Great Bend, and Lyons high
schools. Program Coordinator Penny Zimmerman says offering
the classes in high school can help students get into
nursing school sooner because the CAN license is now a
prerequisite to Barton’s nursing program. Early exposure can
also help students to realize whether or not they want to be
in the health care industry, something Zimmerman says
students will “figure out quickly.” Funding for the program
is from the Carl D. Perkins Leadership Fund aimed at
improving technical education in high schools. The program
should be up and running by the start of school this fall
and Zimmerman says the goal is to expand the program to more
area high schools in the future.
Additional Study Set for Wilson Lake
RUSSELL, Kan. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
the Kansas Water Office will now be able to conduct more
studies about using Wilson Lake as a water source for nearby
cities. A current planning study is expected to wrap up in
August. But additional funding has been allocated for
another study at the 9,000-acre lake in central Kansas. That
study could take up to three years to complete. Wilson Lake
attracts about 250,000 visitors each year. But some area
cities want to pump its water to help meet growing demand.
It could take about $100 million to set up a distribution
system to actually pull water from the lake. There are also
concerns about water levels at the lake, which has been low
for the last few years.
Friday, July 31st
Painful Cuts Balance Hoisington Budget
HOISINGTON, Kan. (KVGB) – The City of Hoisington has closed
a $400,000 budget gap for 2010 with a combination of cuts
and fee increases. City Manager Jonathan Mitchell says
“we’ve had to make some really tough decisions…moving
forward, but we are making those tough decisions to provide
a balanced budget.” Mitchell was also concerned because many
of the city’s funds and programs were projected to have a
deficit in 2011, making the cuts even more necessary. To
cover the gap, the city raised the mill levy by 2.2 mills,
increased electric rates by ½ a cent per kilowatt, increased
water rates by 7.5%, increased sewer rates by 8%, as well as
increasing fees for court costs and recreational programs.
The city also chose to eliminated four unfilled fulltime
positions and one seasonal position, along with the
restructuring of the city pool’s management. Another large
cut included funding for the Main Street Hoisington Program,
which was reduced to $2,500 from the previous $30,000. A
public hearing for the budget is set for August 10th at 7:00
p.m. in the city building.
County Approves Roof Bid
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KVGB) – The Barton County Commission was
able to select a bidder for anew roof on the Barton County
Office Building, located at 12th and Kansas in Great Bend,
only after a lengthy discussion by the commissioners. Four
bids were received, with the lowest bid received from Ryan
Roofing of Wichita. The only problem was that specifications
were for a spray –on foam roof, and Ryan bid with a PVC
plastic based material. Commissioner John Edmonds was
opposed to accepting the low, saying the commissioners were
not qualified to determine if the plastic material bid met
the required specifications. Commissioner Kirby Krier
however, felt that the 15 year warranty offered by the
plastic roof product exceeded the specifications of the bid.
Local roofer Dave Tabrisi also spoke in favor of the plastic
material at the meeting and the commissioners approved the
low big with a four to one vote. Total cost for the new roof
will be $47,000 and the 15 year warranty will also cover any
internal damage caused by a roof failure.
Brownback Responds to Defense Lab Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVGB) – Kansas Senator Sam Brownback has
responded to a recent report released by the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) that claims the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) did not properly evaluate all of the
potential sites for a National Bio and Agro Defense Lab that
was approved for Manhattan, Kansas. Brownback says the
claims made in the report may be case of sour grapes. “Some
of the allegations were put forward by a Texas group that is
not happy they didn’t win the bid, and is now trying to
upset the overall allocation of the bid to Kansas.”
Brownback also says concerns about Manhattan being located
in “Tornado Alley” paint a false picture as the San Antonio,
Texas sight proposed actually had more tornados over the
last 50 years than Manhattan. The structure will also be
built to withstand the most powerful of tornados. Another
important key to keeping the facility in Manhattan is the
development of the animal science research corridor that has
developed between Manhattan and Columbia, Missouri and
currently contains 30% of the world’s animal science
industry. DHS is standing behind their choice and once
funding is received it will take six to eight years to
complete the lab.
Community Health Organization to Expand
LARNED, Kan. (KVGB) – The group responsible for organizing
the effort to keep a hospital located in Larned has decided
to expand its membership. The Pawnee County Community Health
Organization, originally created in the mid-nineties to
recruit doctors to Larned, will expand from 10 to 14
members. The position occupied by the Chief of Staff at St.
Joseph Hospital will be removed, and up to three positions
will be added for local medical staff. Two positions will
also be created for health care consumers since the board
consists primarily of members already involved in the health
care industry. Finally, the St. Joseph Auxiliary has been
re-christened the Community Health Organization Auxiliary
and they will retain their position on the board. The
hospital will close on September 30th, however negotiations
are underway with other critical access hospitals to open up
a new branch in Larned.
Kansas, Nebraska Still at Odds in Water Dispute
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska and Kansas officials will
continue to wage a high-stakes battle over use of the
Republican River, but it remains unclear just where that
fight will play out or what it might take to resolve it.
Attorneys general from both states on Thursday rejected
parts of a June 30 ruling issued by a Colorado-based
arbitrator. But neither could immediately say if they intend
to take the battle to court. Among other things, the ruling
determined that Nebraska owed Kansas $10,000 for Nebraska's
alleged overuse of the water in 2005 and 2006. Kansas said
that violated a compact that guides the use of the heavily
irrigated river basin. The Republican River starts in
eastern Colorado, flows into Kansas and up to Nebraska and
returns to Kansas.
(AP - Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.)
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