BOOKED: Jordan Trevino of Great Bend on a Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $500 C/S.
BOOKED: Tre Fiesterman of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for contempt, bond set at $487 cash or 25 days. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $47.50 cash or 29 days in jail.
BOOKED: Jennifer Gunter of Wichita on a Barton County District Court warrant for theft, bond set at $2,500 C/S.
BOOKED: Santia Henderson for Russell County District Court warrant for probation violation with $602.31 cash only bond. Russell County District Court warrant for probation violation, $1,000 C/S.
BOOKED: Richard Clark on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation, bond set at $2,000 cash only.
BOOKED: Garret Mallow of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation with a bond set at $750 cash only. BCDC warrant for probation violation bond set at $1,700 cash only.
RELEASED: Tre Fiesterman of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for contempt x2 after posting both cash bonds through Great Bend Police Department.
RELEASED: Sasha Kirksy of Wichita after posting bond.
RELEASED: Jamie Moore of Great Bend for BCDC case for possession of stolen property, no insurance, driving while suspended, possession of stolen property after time served.
ELLIS COUNTY —The Hays Police Department has reported that 34-year-old Ryan Paul Thompson has been apprehended by the Ellis Police Department.
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ELLIS COUNTY —The Hays Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred Wednesday night that resulted in the death of a Hays resident.
Thompson photo Hays Police
According to a media release from police, just after 10 p.m. police received a 911 call of a possible domestic disturbance involving a gun in the 2700 block of Indian Trail.
Officers arrived on scene and found a 26-year-old male that had been shot. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Ellis County Coroner’s Office was notified of the death and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Scene Unit responded to assist with processing the scene.
Ryan Paul Thompson has been identified as being involved in a physical altercation just prior to the shooting. Thompson fled the scene prior to law enforcement arrival and has not been located. The Hays Police Department is requesting the assistance in locating Thompson, who should be considered armed and dangerous. Please call (785) 625-1030 if you have any information relating to this incident.
Thompson is described as 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, bald with hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a black beanie stocking cap, black t-shirt, and black sweat pants.
Thompson has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated endangerment of a child and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Police have not released the name of the victim to allow for notification of family members.
Great Bend, KS – Members of the Barton County Young Professionals (BCYP) group are invited to the 6th Annual Casino Night on Saturday, March 16, 2019, in the Expo I building (2 miles West of Great Bend). The event begins at 6 pm. Suggested attire for the evening is “snappy casual!”
Casino Night is sponsored by Cornerstone Automotive, LLC and Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd.
Following a delicious dinner and program, attendees will be invited to enjoy exciting casino games, networking, and prize drawings at the end of the night. Only 200 tickets will be sold, so reserve yours early by visiting the Barton County Young Professionals (@BartonYP) Facebook page! Tickets are $25 per person for general admission dinner tickets, or companies can reserve corporate sponsored tables with program recognition for $300 (table of eight). Corporate tables will receive VIP treatment and extra perks!
For more information, visit www.BartonYP.com or 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.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Lottery is warning its players to be on the lookout for scams.
Recently, the Kansas Lottery received multiple reports from its players about scammers contacting them via Instagram claiming to be the Kansas Lottery and asking for money.
The Kansas Lottery wants to remind its players the Lottery will never contact prize winners via social media or ask for money in order for a winner to claim a prize.
In order to avoid future scams, the Lottery is reminding its players to never provide personal information, such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers over the phone or social media. The lottery also wants players to be wary of prize notices for contests or promotions they never entered or do not remember entering.
The Kansas Lottery has alerted Instagram of the scammer account and has asked for it to be removed. The Lottery has also alerted the Kansas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division about the scam.
If a player believes he or she has been contacted by a scammer, please contact the Kansas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division by phone (785) 296-3751 or by email at cprotect@ksag.org.
Philip Likens of La Crosse has a particular strategy when buying instant tickets, and this time his plan paid off with a $20,000 win when he played the $2 Double Bonus Crossword!
“I always buy two of whatever tickets I’m getting,” said Likens. “This time I bought $18 worth of tickets, but only two of each kind. When we get home with the tickets, I’ll take one and my wife will take the other, and then we’ll scratch the tickets together.”
Likens explained he miscounted the number of words on his crossword ticket at first and his wife, Gretchen, figured out how much they had actually won.
“I only counted eight words at first, and I was pretty excited for $500! She’s the one who recounted and figured out how many words we had, and how much the ticket was worth. I still don’t believe it,” he said.
The Likens family was already planning a vacation, so their big win comes at the perfect time.
“We were planning a cruise for us and our daughters for this year. We will probably use some of the winnings to pay for the trip, and put the rest into savings for now,” said Likens.
The winning ticket was sold at Casey’s General Store 1905 at 1315 10th Street in Great Bend. There are still six $20,000 top prizes left in the $2 Double Bonus Crossword instant scratch game, as well as thousands in other cash prizes.
Bayle Sandy and Patrick Heath, juniors at Great Bend High School, were named Academic All-Americans from the National Speech & Debate Association.
The Great Bend High School Forensics and Debate Team is proud to celebrate National Speech and Debate Education Day on March 1, 2019.
National Speech and Debate Education Day was created by the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Honor Society to recognize and celebrate the positive impact of speech and debate activities on students, schools, and communities. The NSDA is the largest, interscholastic organization of students in the United States. For 90 years, it has empowered its members to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals, and honorable leaders in our society.
On March 1, 2019, there will be more than 1.5 million speech and debate alumni celebrating speech and debate education nationwide.
Kim Heath, Panther debate and forensics coach, said that “National Speech and Debate Education day is a wonderful opportunity to recognize our students for what they are doing and to thank the community for the support that they have given.”
As part of this event, the GBHS Forensics team would like to recognize their latest National Speech and Debate Association Academic All-Americans. Only one percent of NSDA member students will receive this prestigious award. This distinguished award recognizes students who have completed at least five semesters of high school, earned at least 750 merit points in their Honor Society, achieved rigorous academic criteria, and demonstrated outstanding character and leadership.
Our school would like to announce that Patrick Heath and Bayle Sandy have been selected for this achievement.
“I am so proud of Patrick and Bayle,” said Heath, “Not only are they being named Academic All-Americans, but they are also achieving this recognition during their junior year. This spotlights their high level of commitment to this activity and to their team.”
Heath continued, “Both Patrick and Bayle were fortunate enough to have retired debate and forensics coach, Barbara Watson, during their first two years of high school. Mrs. Watson was an outstanding educator who helped her students be very successful in their debate and forensic competitions for many years at Great Bend High School. This winning tradition continues through students like Patrick and Bayle.”
High school speech activities teach students the soft skills that we hear over and over again from businesses that they need in their employees.
Patrick Heath shared that “Not only has debate and forensics helped me in public speaking, theater, and argumentation, but it has transformed my ability to organize and my work ethic. . . .These skills, and the many others I have learned along the way, have changed my life forever. I thank my coaches and the National Speech & Debate Association for giving me the opportunity to gain abilities that I will use for the rest of my life.”
“Speech and debate changes lives,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “From increased attendance to higher test scores and a rise in college acceptance, speech and debate prepares young people for college, the work force, and beyond.”
Bayle Sandy summed up the power of this activity best when she noted, “Speech and debate have changed my life and expanded my horizons by teaching me to constantly test my limits, to never give up on myself, and inspire others around me. These lessons, along with many others, have prepared me for any challenge I might face even when it is not in a classroom.”
From local celebrations, to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C., the educational value of speech and debate will be celebrated near and far on March 1, 2019. In addition to special events and programs, thousands will share personal stories of how speech and debate changed their life on social media using the hashtag #WeAreSpeechAndDebate.
The GBHS Panther forensics team will be competing at Moundridge Saturday, March 2.
It has been a busy year for the Great Bend City Human Resources Department with a number of new employees hired to fill vacant positions. Human Resources Director Randy Keasling was hired over a year ago and tasked with streamlining the hiring process along with increasing the retention of current employees. Keasling says there have been many new hires in the past year, especially in the Police and Fire Departments.
Randy Keasling Audio
At the end of 2017, the Great Bend City Council authorized a compensation study that was done to review the city’s pay structure and benefits to bring the city more in line with communities the size of Great Bend.
Randy Keasling Audio
The study also resulted in changes to vacation policy which allowed employes to earn additional vacation days after working for the city for fewer years.
Arthur Gallagher and Associated, a firm from Kansas City, was hire for $31,725 to conduct the study that compared the pay structure and benefits of Great Bend with 19 other communities of comparable size.
BOOKED: Melody Ann Simpson on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear, no bond. BCDC warrant for forgery x4 and theft by deception x2, bond of $10,000 C/S. BCDC warrant for forgery and theft by deception and theft with a bond of $10,000 C/S x11. BCDC warrant for burglary of a motor vehicle and theft x2 wiht a bond of $5,000 C/S. BCDC warrant for forgery and theft by deception, bond of $10,000 C/S. Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear, bond of $1,000 C/S.
BOOKED: Johnny Sublett of Kansas City on BTDC warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $2,500 C/S.
BOOKED: Matthew Beckham of Great Bend on KHP case for circumvent ignition interlock with a bond set at $2,500.
RELEASED: Garrett Buckbee on BTDC warrant, released by order of the court through Judge Keeley on a $32,500 C/S OR bond. Released on EMC warrant through Judge Pike.
RELEASED: Matthew Beckham of Great Bend on KHP case for circumvent ignition interlock after posting a $2,500 surety bond through Dyn-O-Mite.
Barton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Log (2/27)
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Lottery is warning its players to be on the lookout for scams.
It has been a busy year for the Great Bend City Human Resources Department with a number of new employees hired to fill vacant positions. Human Resources Director Randy Keasling was hired over a year ago and tasked with streamlining the hiring process along with increasing the retention of current employees. Keasling says there have been many new hires in the past year, especially in the Police and Fire Departments.