Great Bend, KS – Members of the Barton County Young Professionals (BCYP) group are invited to participate in a free leadership development series designed to help YP’s grow personally and professionally.  The next presentation, “Meet the Mayor,” will be held on Wednesday, September 26, at 12 pm at the 10th Street Pizza Hut.

Why Attend?  This is an opportunity for BCYP members to meet Great Bend’s Mayor, Joe Andrasek! By attending, you’ll meet Joe and learn why he ran for Mayor. He will share with the group his goals as Mayor, and there will be plenty of time for open dialogue between BCYP members to discuss ideas and share thoughts on how we can work together for the betterment of our community.

We hope you’ll join us for this free and informative presentation. The event will begin at 12 p.m. and will conclude with door prize drawings at 1 p.m. And remember, you get an extra ticket in the drawing for wearing your professional nametag at BCYP events! Each attendee must pay for their own buffet meal before leaving. RSVP’s are not required. For more information, visit www.BartonYP.com for find @BartonYP on Facebook.

Barton County Young Professionals (BCYP) exists to provide leadership, networking & volunteer opportunities. BCYP is a free membership organization for anyone 21-40ish who lives or works in the Barton County area. Over 750 individuals currently participate in BCYP membership. To learn more about the benefits of membership or to see an event schedule, visit www.BartonYP.com or call the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development at 620-792-2401.

The coach is different, but the success is familiar as twelve Great Bend High School debaters traveled to Halstead on Saturday to compete in the first debate tournament of the 2018 season.

“I was really impressed with our debaters, particularly our novices, most of whom had never even seen a round of debate,” said Kim Heath, first year debate coach at GBHS, “we finished in 4th place out 16 schools. It was awesome to see our kids start the season so strong.”

Heath has taken over for Barbara Watson who retired from Great Bend High School at the end of last year.

“Our topic this year is immigration,” said Heath, “with all of the press this topic is getting lately, our debaters have really begun to see the real-world implications of the arguments they are making in the debate rounds.”

Leading the Panther Debate squad at Halstead were Geoffrey Pafford and Daniel Abbott who finished in 8th place with a 4-1 record. Pafford is a 4th year debater and Abbott, although a junior, has never debated before this year.

“I was so proud of Daniel and Geoffrey. For them to go 4-1 at Daniel’s first ever tournament is a testament to both the potential of Daniel and the leadership of Geoffrey. I am really excited to see how they develop throughout the season,” said Heath.

The other experienced duo on this year’s squad is Bayle Sandy and Patrick Heath, both third-year debaters. Sandy and Heath went 3-2 on the day, but faced some of the toughest competition the tournament had to offer. The duo defeated the eventual tournament champs from Sterling, lost to the 2nd and 3rd place teams, and defeated the 4th place team.

“Rarely does a team face all four of the top medal winners in a tournament,” said Coach Heath. “Their 3-2 record is amazing, considering the talent they were facing in every round.”

In the novice division, the team of C.J. Gibson and Robby Brining placed 8th out of 26 teams from 16 schools, winning 3 rounds and dropping 2. Also going 3-2 was the team of Skylar Fletcher and Malachi Wasson. Other novices competing included the team of Paige Byerly and Tia Mitchell going 2-3 and the team of Isaiah Smith and Dalton Ruble who finished 1-4.

Attending the tournament, but not debating was the team of Natalie Bayona and Citraly Torres. The novices will next debate on Tuesday at Ellinwood and both experienced and novice debaters will travel to Hays High on September 29.

A Claflin man died in an accident early Monday morning in Stafford County.

According to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Trevor R. Cates of Claflin died in the one vehicle accident four miles west of Hudson on NE 10 Avenue when his 2002 Pontiac left the roadway and overturned in the west ditch facing north. Cates was ejected from the vehicle and he was found pinned beneath the passenger side of the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.