BOOKED: Lavet Elam of Great Bend on KHP case for circumventing an ignition interlock device, bond set at $2,500 C/S.

BOOKED: David McMullen of Great Bend for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Eric Shoemaker on BTDC warrant for probation violation, no bond. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $701 cash only or 349 days in jail. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $1,888.50 cash only or 70 days in jail.

BOOKED: Kenneth Reed on KDOC warrant for parole violation, no bond.

RELEASED: Kevin Froelich of Hoisington on HMC case for time served.

RELEASED: Peter Zamarripa on BTDC case for serve sentence.

RELEASED: Laveta Elam of Great Bend on KHP case for circumenting an ignition interlock device, posted bond amount of $2,500 C/S through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Melissa Loveall on Barton County District Court case with a $10,000 OR bond.

Two local lab fairs provided by The University of Kansas Health System Great Bend Campus have been combined into one, but the services and affordable prices remain the same.

The monthly fair is available at Great Bend Campus. The health system’s St. Rose Medical Pavilion no longer hosts a lab fair.

“We offer a comprehensive list of lab services at a greatly reduced cost,” said Raylette Schlochtermeier, lab supervisor. “This is not a for-profit service. We offer it as a convenience to the public.

“We have a great professional staff here at Great Bend Campus,” she said. “Staff members from the hospital and St. Rose Medical Pavilion have teamed up to make this event happen.”

The monthly lab fairs are scheduled from 6-9 a.m. one Saturday each month. Dates for the rest of the year are March 23, April 27, May 18, June 22, July 27, Aug. 24, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 23 and Dec. 28.

No appointment is necessary. Participants should enter through the doors labeled “Imaging – X-ray – Lab” at the southwest corner of the hospital.

Blood test results are mailed to patients. Participants may share the results with their physicians if they choose.

“Some people like to keep track of their lab numbers on their own and some like to seek interpretation from their doctors,” Schlochtermeier said. “We provide a reference guide to everyone so they can determine if their lab numbers are in acceptable ranges.

“However, before results are mailed, lab personnel review the numbers. If we notice any critical abnormalities, we contact people and encourage them to report the results to their doctors.”

Tests and prices include profile 1 for $20; comprehensive chemistry, $15; complete blood count, $5; lipid panel, $15; thyroid panel, $20; prostate specific antigen (PSA), $15; hemoglobin A1C, $15; vitamin D; $20; and iron studies, $30.

Fasting for eight hours prior to testing is recommended. Only cash and checks are accepted. No insurance claims will be filed.

“This is a great service for the community,” Schlochtermeier said. “We hope local and area residents take advantage of it.”

Zena Jacobs, clinical director of ambulatory and outpatient operations, noted, “We carefully weighed our options when discussing the possibility of lab-fair consolidation. As an organization, we decided it was yet another way to bring our services together and still provide the same great care.”

TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Acting Secretary Laura Howard announced today she has appointed Lesia Dipman to serve as Acting Superintendent of Larned State Hospital.

Dipman has served the State of Kansas for 34 years, starting her career at LSH in 1984 where she has worked in various positions, from food services to the nursing department, and multiple departments, from the State Security Hospital to the adolescent unit to the youth center. She attended Fort Hays State University and Kansas State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from KSU in 1994. By 2004, she was promoted to Director of Social Services at the hospital, and a year later earned a master’s degree in social work from Newman University in Wichita.

In 2006, Dipman transferred to the State Security Program at LSH as the Administrative Program Director, her most recent position before being named acting superintendent by KDADS Acting Secretary Howard. Dipman replaces Bill Rein, who served as superintendent at the hospital from June 2016 until January this year.

“In naming Lesia Dipman Acting Superintendent at LSH, we have found someone with more than three decades of distinguished service to the people of Kansas, to this hospital and to the surrounding community,” Acting Secretary Howard said. “I have every confidence she will bring the continuity we need to keep moving KDADS forward on the hospital’s important mission to provide a safety net of mental health services for Kansans.”

Acting Secretary Howard said the agency will begin the process of identifying candidates to serve as permanent superintendent for LSH immediately.

Ponds can provide water for livestock but if managed properly they can also provide outdoor recreation for the family and friends by stocking them with fish. There are challenges in taking care of ponds to ensure that the fish thrive and that aquatic weeds don’t take over.

The Cottonwood Extension District is offering a “Fish Pond Management” program on Thursday, March 14th beginning at 6:00 and concluding at 8:00 p.m. at the Agricultural Research Center in Hays.

Charlie Lee, K-State Extension Wildlife specialist will present information and tips on managing fish ponds–including aquatic weed control, pond problems and solutions and as always there will be time for Q & A.

There is no cost to attend this program and all interested people are invited. Snacks & refreshments will be provided so RSVP is not necessary but appreciated by calling the Cottonwood Extension Office at 785-628-9430 that’s 628-9430.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas wildlife official says the prevalence of chronic wasting disease in deer is on the rise in the western part of the state.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism recently announced that 37 of more than 360 deer have tested positive for the fatal disease since the beginning of the fiscal year.

Chronic wasting disease causes brain lesions in deer, elk and moose.

The agency’s wildlife disease coordinator, Shane Hesting, says that most of the CWD-infected deer were killed by hunters in southwest Kansas. He says there’s also been an increase in prevalence of the disease in the northwest over the past several years.

Hesting says the department hasn’t detected the disease in eastern Kansas, but it doesn’t mean CWD is absent from the area.

The Barton County Commission approved a Project Programming Request Monday morning to make more safety improvements to the intersection of North Washington Avenue and Northeast 30 Road, often referred to as JuCo Road.

In the middle of February, Barton County Engineer Barry McManaman found out the county was approved for High Risk Rural Road funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The funding will help improve the safety of the intersection that took the life an Olmitz teenager in an accident last April.

Barry McManaman Audio

KDOT will cover 90 percent of the costs of design, construction, and inspection using Federal funds, up to a maximum of $295,000.

Commissioner Jennifer Schartz felt it was a good idea to add more awareness to the intersection with citizens still feeling more needs to be done to the intersection.

Barry McManaman Audio

The majority of the funding will be used to widen a concrete drainage box on Northwest 50 Road. McManaman mentioned possible improvements to the JuCo Road intersection could include LED stop signs, overhead lighting, widening or replacing rumble strips, and radar speed displays.

The funds are for Federal Fiscal Year 2021, so if could be a couple of years before the projects get started.

After a weekend of winter weather, it might be hard for people to realize that this week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kansas. Kansas experiences a wide variety of summertime severe weather, including: tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding. Because of that, Barton County Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller says residents are encouraged to use this week to review their severe weather safety plans.

Amy Miller Audio

Miller talks about some of the basic things you can do to prepare for the changing of seasons.

Amy Miller Audio

A complete list of ideas and tips to help you with your severe weather management plan can be found at bartoncounty.org under the Emergency Risk Management tab.

The statewide tornado safety drill will be conducted Tuesday at 10 am with a backup date of Thursday, March, 7.

Storm Fury on the Plains which includes storm identification and awareness training from National Weather Service staff takes place on Thursday at 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm at the Crest Theater in Great Bend.