KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City school officials say a student was critically injured when a parent and her child came into a school and began beating the student.
The fight happened Tuesday inside Ruskin High School.
Police said the parent assaulted the other student during the fight. No weapons were involved.
Off-duty officers and school security were able to break up that fight.
Ruskin High School is in the Hickman Mills C-1 School District.
Staff members with the City of Great Bend were able to introduce themselves for the first time to recently appointed Interim City Administrator George Kolb Wednesday afternoon.
Kolb acquired the position Monday night after the Great Bend City Council approved a committee’s selection of Kolb over one other applicant. Kolb has a long history of serving in similar city manager positions since the early 1970s.
Kolb made it very clear that his stay in Great Bend is temporary and is here to bridge the gap between the old and the new administrator.
George Kolb Audio
Kolb will officially start his job October 9 with a contract of no longer than six months.
Kolb spent three and half years as the city manager for the City of Wichita and most recently was the interim city administrator for Valley Center. His gig in Valley Center ended in June of 2016, and since then Kolb joked he has played a lot of golf until taking this position. Kolb stated he took the Great Bend offer because he felt obligated to give back to his profession.
Kolb noted he knew former city administrator Howard Partington and thought he “ran a good shop.” Asked if he felt the turmoil within the City of Great Bend was better following the suspension and reinstatement of Police Chief Cliff Couch, Kolb responded with “let’s hope so.” Kolb added that the situation did not factor into his decision to come to Great Bend.
George Kolb Audio
Kolb’s six-month contract will pay him $2,100 per week with hopes of still being in place as a newly-elected city council chooses their permanent administrator.
Partington retired August 16 amidst the Couch chaos after holding the position for 36 years.
As things begin to settle somewhat at City Hall, the City of Great Bend has made a few attempts to bring more transparency with their government.
The suspension, reinstatement, and then resignation of Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch over the last three months has caused community members to question how business is conducted with their local government.
One request to stream the Great Bend City Council meetings was checked off this past Monday night, with a live stream on Facebook set up by Community Coordinator Christina Hayes.
Christina Hayes Audio
Anyone can watch the council meetings live or the video afterwards by going to the recently created Facebook page for the Great Bend City Council. The page will allow more interaction with residents. The city also has a Request Tracker where citizens can report concerns or requests on 32 city topics. Some of the areas on the Request Tracker include: street lights, animal at large, unsafe structures, water leak, complaint reports at any city property, and general questions. The Request Tracker can be accessed at greatbendks.net.
A notice to suspend Couch July 24 stated the police chief made “false or reckless” accusations towards city administration and did not follow an order from former City Administrator Howard Partington. Without an investigation into Couch’s claims of misconduct with city administration, an uproar started with community members concerning how the city operates. Couch was later reinstated before submitting his resignation, mentioning “the target on his back” left him unable to adequately handle the police chief duties. The city’s turmoil resulted in an early retirement from Partington and resignation from council member Wayne Henneke.
Hayes also attempted to “Band-Aid” the last several months by having council members wear “I love (heart) GB” t-shirts at Monday’s meeting.
Christina Hayes Audio
Window decals with the “I (heart) GB” phrase will soon be available for businesses.
BUSINESS NEWS
Approximately 30 percent of adults in the United States suffer from allergy symptoms, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Allergens can collect in the air duct system of your home and circulate through the entire house. Magna-Dry, a locally-owned cleaning service, recently announced an expansion of their services to include residential and commercial air duct cleaning.
“At Magna Dry, we focus on improving the lives of our customers,” says Todd Clark, Owner.
“Our new air duct cleaning service effectively removes the dust, debris, and allergens that build up in ductwork, which allows our customers and their families to breathe easier.”
The special machinery allows Magna-Dry’s trained technicians to insert high-powered vacuum hoses into each vent register to extract all the debris that collects in the ductwork. Vent registers located in floors often collect food particles and other small trash that falls into the
floor during regular sweeping.
“Eliminating the dust and debris helps HVAC systems run more efficiently, and will extend the life of the filters,” Clark says. “We have been hearing some amazing feedback from our customers, and want to help as many people as possible during the peak allergy season this fall.”
FAIRVIEW, Okla. (AP) — Federal marshals say the last of two inmates who overpowered guards, stole a prison transport van and escaped from northwest Oklahoma last month has been apprehended in Missouri.
The U.S. Marshals Service says authorities apprehended 37-year-old Darren Walp Wednesday at a truck stop in Norwood, Missouri, after a standoff that lasted several hours.
The second inmate, 32-year-old Andrew Foy, was apprehended on Friday at a hotel in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
The inmates escaped near Fairview, Oklahoma, on Aug. 22 during a multi-state inmate transfer by a private transportation company. The van was later found abandoned and the men were last seen on Aug. 24 driving a stolen tractor-trailer rig in northeastern Oklahoma.
Authorities said they were taking Walp to Kansas to face charges for nonviolent offenses.
BUSINESS NEWS
The Great Bend Recreation Commission will be sponsoring a Fall Middle School Dance. The dance will be held on Friday, September 22, at the Great Bend Rec Activity Center located at 2715 18th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm for all Great Bend Middle School students. Admission is $5 per student at the door. Students need to show their GBMS students ID’s when entering the dance. No hats will be allowed. Pizza will be available for $1 per slice. Popcorn and water will be provided. The dance will be supervised by staff from the 20th Judicial District Juvenile Services and Great Bend Recreation Commission staff.
For more information stop by our office at 1214 Stone Street or contact the Recreation Commission office at 793-3755 ext. 2 or e-mail us at recreation@gbrec.net.
Is the game of baseball changing for the better or worse? KVGB Baseball Insider Mike Warren joins the Wednesday show.
For the 5th straight year, the Hahn Brothers Supercross Shootout with be held at the Great Bend Expo Complex this weekend.
The event is hosted by nationally recognized and professional motocross racers Wil and Tommy Hahn who grew up racing in and around Great Bend and consider this to be their home track. The shootout provides racing opportunities for pro and amateur racers from across the Midwest, according to event organizer Chelsea Mermis.
Chelsea Mermis Audio
The first race was held in 2013. Mermis says there are events and activities for both racers and spectators and it all gets underway on Friday.
Chelsea Mermis Audio
Sunday, Tommy, Wil & Ivan Tedesco will offer a riding technique class for racers and the public.
You can find a complete schedule by going to the Yamalube Hahn Brothers’ Shootout on Facebook.
While much has been made about the understaffed Great Bend Police Department recently, the Great Bend Fire Department has also been operating with a shortage in firefighters.
Recently retired Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said the department paid 1,856 hours of overtime in 2016 to maintain the minimum staffing levels. Looking for a way to add firefighters in a tight budget, Napolitano applied for a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency in February.
Great Bend Mayor Dr. Mike Allison announced at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting that the city was awarded the grant to hire additional firefighters.
Mike Allison Audio
The Great Bend Fire Department was turned down for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant last year, but will receive funds to hire three new employees this year. The grant lasts three years with 75 percent of the employee expenses covered for the first two years, and 35 percent covered in year three. Great Bend will have to provide 25 percent the first two years and 65 percent the final year of the grant. These three additional firefighters will raise the number of personnel on each of the three shifts from eight to nine.
Great Bend will have to decide if they want to keep the three firefighters following the grant assistance when the expense is fully on the city. The personnel expense for three firefighters is $123,222 plus $51,027 in benefits, equaling out to $174,249 each year. Great Bend’s share the first two years will be $43,563. The federal grant was worth $322,359 over three years.
The city council also approved the addition of one position at the Fire Department in the 2018 budget.
BUSINESS NEWS
The Great Bend Recreation Commission is forming Youth Basketball Leagues for any interested boys and girls in 3rd, 4th, 5th , and 6th grade. Registration began Monday, September 18 at the Recreation Center located at 1214 Stone Street.
This basketball program games will begin December 2. Practices begin two weeks before the first game. Games will be played in the City Auditorium. Register your child at the GBRC office, located at 1214 Stone Street. The Early Bird registration fee is $30.
The deadline to sign up is Friday, October 7. Full scholarships available prior to the deadline. Late registration week is October 9 – October 13 with a fee of $45.
For more information on these leagues contact the GBRC office at 793-3755 ext. 2 or check out our website www.greatbendrec.net or find out on our Facebook page Great
Bend Rec.
