If it feels like there have been talks about making changes to the intersection at 10th Street and Grant Street in Great Bend for years, that is because it has. Grumblings of the narrow intersection, especially for large trucks and semis turning south onto Grant towards Walmart, started in 2015.
The City of Great Bend began working with the Kansas Department of Transportation for funding to widen the intersection. Last November, the City of Great Bend approved a bid from Morgan Brothers’ Construction out of La Crosse to handle the project.
City Administrator Kendal Francis says as long as the snow does not get too crazy, the street widening will begin March 18th.
Kendal Francis Audio
Weather permitting, the repairs have an 85-day working-day contract to wrap up by the middle of July.
The project is funded through a KDOT grant which requires 10 percent City matching funds. The city is committing matching funds in the amount of $214,000 for the project that will widen the intersection.
If you live within five blocks of the intersections of 24th Street and Washington or 24th Street and Adams Street, you may be without water for a portion of the day this Friday. The City of Great Bend informed the public at the Great Bend City Council meeting Tuesday night that the fire hydrant repair project in those two areas on 24th Street are set to begin Friday, February 22.
The two hydrants along 24th Street have been in need of repairs since early December 2018, but the City and APAC have struggled to reduce the water flow to those areas because of non-functioning valves.
Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis says crews were able to reduce the water to the areas and expects the repairs to the two hydrants to be finished in the late afternoon on Friday.
Kendal Francis Audio
Repairs will require the water be turned off for the better part of the day. Staff does not know how big the vicinity will be in which water will be shut off; however, they expect the water to be off within three to five blocks of each hydrant. Francis noted the crews will try to restrict the repairs to the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Any questions regarding the hydrant repairs can be directed to Public Works Director Simon Wiley at 620-793-4150.
The hydrant at 24th and Washington was struck during a hit-and-run accident in December and forced Jefferson Elementary School to close school one afternoon because crews could not get the water turned off quick enough. Francis says USD 428 does not have school this Friday so the repairs will not interfere with the school day at Jefferson.
The city identified roughly 10 fire hydrants throughout Great Bend during an inspection that need repairs. The cost for the repairs will likely come from the remaining balance of the $6 million water line replacement project.
HODGEMAN COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 12:30p.m. Tuesday in Hodgeman County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Peterbilt semi driven by Fraire Moises Espino, 61, Garden City, was eastbound on Kansas 156 seventeen miles west of the U.S. 283- Kansas 47 junction.
The semi traveled left of center and collided on the driver’s side of a westbound 2019 Peterbilt semi driven by James A. Depping, 54, Juniata, Nebraska.
Depping was transported to the hospital in Garden City. Espino was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Former Great Bend Elks Lodge at 1120 Kansas Avenue.
After more than 100 years of having an Elks Lodge in Great Bend, the local charter will be shutting down in March. A lack of members and those wanting to take on leadership positions were the main reasons for Great Bend Lodge #1127 closing.
The charter in Great Bend has been open since 1908, and Elks Secretary Cherie Jacobs says the organization was set up to give back to the community through a religious-founded group.
Cherie Jacobs Audio
There are currently 134 members associated with the Great Bend Elks Lodge. Jacobs says many years ago in the charter’s prime, there more than 1,200 members. The Great Bend Elks sold their building at 1120 Kansas Avenue last year and have been holding meetings at Golden Belt Printing on the US Highway 281 Bypass since.
Cherie Jacobs Audio
Elks has assisted with college scholarships, youth programs, drug awareness, and veteran appreciation.
There are 21 other State Lodges in Kansas, including charters in Russell and Pratt. Jacobs is working on finding out if members want to transfer their membership to different charters before the Great Bend Lodge closes.
The final date for the Elks Lodge in Great Bend is March 10.
AURORA, Colo. — Arapahoe County prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged a Kansas man accused of kidnapping an Aurora woman and attempting to sexually assault another woman in Kansas days after he was released from prison.
Tre Carrasco photo Arapahoe Co. Sheriff
Prosecutors levied eight counts against Tre Carrasco, 23, on Tuesday morning, including felony kidnapping, robbery and motor vehicle theft.
Aurora police arrested Carrasco on Feb. 12 after local SWAT officers “conducted a high risk stop” on a vehicle the Kansas native was suspected to have stolen days earlier.
Police originally charged Carrasco with five felony counts, including carjacking and attempted kidnapping. Prosecutors have since tacked on additional charges.
Carrasco is accused of following a woman to her car at about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in the parking lot of the 24 Hour Fitness near Abilene Street and East Florida Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit filed against him.
The 38-year-old victim told police a man believed to be Carrasco stood at the driver’s side door of her silver Toyota Camry and told her to “scoot over.” The man then entered the car before she could close the door and said “scoot over or I’ll kill you,” according to the affidavit.
Carrasco is described as being 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 180 pounds.
The woman “immediately began to try and open the door to get out of the car,” according to the affidavit. The man reached over the victim and tried to prevent her from fleeing, but the woman was quickly able to escape the car and went back inside the local gym to call police. She had dropped her cell phone in the car before the man drove away toward the south exit of the parking lot.
The victim was not injured in the incident.
The victim described the man who stole her car as “between dark and light skinned … resembling the popular musician ‘The Weekend,’ ” according to the affidavit.
That description helped the victim and investigators identify Carrasco in a police line-up on Feb. 12. In their reports, police “noted Carrasco does have a passing resemblance to the singer.”
Four days before the car theft outside the Aurora gym, investigators in Kansas say Carrasco tried to rape a woman at gunpoint in Hays.
Hays detectives contacted Aurora police on Feb. 3 alerting them Carrasco was likely in Aurora and “there was a credible, suspected threat” he would commit the same crime, according to the local arrest document.
Carrasco was in Colorado last summer after entering an “out-of-state post release” program, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. He was later picked up on a parole violation.
Aurora police issued multiple alerts for Carrasco and the stolen car following the reported incident at the Aurora gym. An Aurora officer spotted the stolen Toyota Camry at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, according to the affidavit.
But the driver and an unidentified passenger didn’t stop, and the Aurora officer didn’t pursue the car.
The arrest document did not specify why the officer did not follow the vehicle.
Carrasco was released from prison in Kansas on Feb. 1, according to Kansas DOC records and reports published in The Wichita Eagle newspaper.
Carrasco was sentenced to prison in April 2013 for several aggravated battery charges stemming from an incident in July 2011, according to Kansas DOC records.
Carrasco is a registered sex offender.
He incurred a litany of disciplinary infractions while in Kansas prisons between 2014 and 2018, including using stimulants, disobeying orders and disrespecting correctional officers.
Carrasco has not been arrested as an adult in Colorado prior to the incident this month, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
Carrasco is being held at the Arapahoe County Jail on a $150,000 bond, according to court records.
It is currently unclear if or when Carrasco could be extradited to face his charges in Kansas.
He is currently scheduled to appear in Arapahoe County District Court at 8:30 a.m. on March 8 to face a pair of felony charges for being a fugitive of justice and wanted by another agency, according to court records.
Carrasco is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in his Arapahoe County case at 1:30 p.m. on March 12, according to Vikki Migoya, spokeswoman for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
The certified public accounting firm of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered (ABBB) has jointly released the results from the 2019 ABBB/Leading Edge Alliance National Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The survey asked about manufacturing companies’ performance in 2018, managers’ expectations for 2019, and the strategies that high-performing manufacturers find most effective.
“This report helps us to prepare solutions that will lead to growth for our own manufacturing clients,” said Julie Wondra, CPA, Partner & Manufacturing Industry Leader. “With this great insight and data, we are able to position our clients for success in the coming year.”
Eight out of ten U.S. manufacturers expect to grow sales this year, buoyed by their optimism about the strength of regional, national and global economies, according to the 2019 National Manufacturing Survey Report prepared by Leading Edge Alliance (LEA), a global association of 220 accounting and consulting firms.
“Across the board, manufacturers are optimistic about the regional economy, sector growth, and increasing revenue expectations in 2019,” the report states. “Looking ahead, manufacturers expect raw materials, labor costs, lack of available talent and competition to be significant hurdles in 2019. The tariffs implemented by President Trump provide productivity issues; however, an increase in spending on Big Data and business intelligence are delivering innovative technology for minimizing productivity concerns.”
More than 350 manufacturing executives participated in the survey, which includes respondents who produce industrial/machining, transportation/automotive, construction, food and beverage, and other products.
2019 Survey Highlights
Growth: 81% of manufacturers expect their revenue to increase in 2019, and 61% expect their overall sector to expand in 2019.
Economy: Optimism for the regional, national and global economies has increased by more than 12 percentage points over the last two years.
Priorities: Manufacturers’ top three priorities are growing sales, improving profitability and addressing the workforce shortage.
Challenges: Most manufacturers (52%) cited labor/talent as their greatest barrier to growth, followed by competition (34%) and profitability (25%).
The survey identified three key growth strategies manufacturers will use to keep their companies on a growth track: Technology, mergers and acquisitions, and talent management.
Technology: Manufacturers plan to leverage technology as key to solving productivity concerns; 76% said that they will investigate/prioritize cybersecurity in 2019, and 43% said they will prioritize Big Data/ERP/IoT.
M&A: More manufacturers are considering a merger/sale or acquisition in 2019; 21% expect to acquire another business in 2019 and 16% are in the pre-planning stage of a merger or acquisition.
Talent: Faced with a growing labor shortage, manufacturers have turned to a range of tools to improve hiring and retention with 62% increasing compensation, 39% implementing retention strategies and 35% using internal training programs.
To view the full National Manufacturing Outlook and Insights report, visit www.abbb.com/resources.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran’s opposition to President Trump’s emergency declaration put him at odds with other Republicans in the Kansas congressional delegation. Moran says he shares the president’s concerns about border security but opposes the way he’s pursuing money for a border wall. The senator says his concern about presidents bypassing Congress isn’t new.
Jerry Moran Audio
Moran and Kansas’ other U.S. Senator, Republican Pat Roberts voted for the funding bill that prevented another partial government shutdown. So did Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids.
But all three Kansas Republicans in the U.S. House – Roger Marshall, Steve Watkins and Ron Estes – opposed the bill – saying its lack of funding for the wall forced the president to declare an emergency.
Monday, California and 15 other states filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra released a statement Monday saying the suit alleges the Trump administration’s action violates the Constitution.
Barton students who will be attending the ACDA convention include (back row, from left) Aaron Schulz, sophomore in Music Education; Dylan Carrier, sophomore in Liberal Studies; Dorian Lueth, sophomore in Music; Alex Robl, sophomore in Music Education; Sara Oberle, Faculty Sponsor, (front row, from left) Aiden Johnson, freshman in Music Education; Kelsey Neeland, freshman in Music Education; Katelyn Robinson, sophomore in Liberal Studies.
Story by Sara Oberle & Brandon Steinert
The Barton Community College Student Chapter of American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) will attend the professional organization’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee National Conference from Feb. 27 – March 2 in Kansas City.
The ACDA serves choral musicians in educational, religious, community and professional domains by gathering choral professionals to network, perform, learn, and inspire one another in their work. Seven students from Barton will be in attendance for the four-day conference, where they will attend master classes and lectures and attend performances by auditioned student and professional ensembles from the United States and abroad. The conference headliner will be the English composer John Rutter, who is familiar to many high school and college choral singers.
Barton will be represented by Dylan Carrier, Dorian Lueth, Kelsey Neeland, and Aaron Schultz of Great Bend; Katelyn Robinson and Alex Robl of Ellinwood, and Aiden Johnson of Ellis. Chapter sponsor and Barton Director of Choral Activities Sara Oberle was selected to sing in the “Director’s Legacy Chorus” which will perform Saturday afternoon at the Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts under the batons of internationally esteemed choral musicians including Eph Ehly, Ann Howard Jones, Don Neuen, Dale Warland, and others.
“I’m very excited that our students will have the ability to attend a national convention this early in their pre-professional training,” Oberle said. “Typically national conventions are held in various locations across the country every other year, so we are fortunate to have access to one nearby. Many of the few undergraduates in attendance will be from much larger programs that include graduate training. It’s important for students to experience music-making on such a high level so that we know what to aspire to as educators and musicians. This is a chance for our students to have their horizons expanded as they learn about teaching methodologies and literature of many cultures. They will have the chance to interact with music industry representatives, conductors of renown, music publishers, and four-year colleges. We will hear excellent performances and return inspired and transformed.”
The student chapter of ACDA has been fundraising through the year to make this trip possible and welcomes any additional support to underwrite this pre-professional training. Please contact faculty sponsor Sara Oberle for more information at oberles@bartonccc.edu.
Barton County Commissioners Monday voted to spend no more than $11,500 to connect the landfill to the courthouse via a wireless connection. The landfill currently operates a server to run their network but that server will no longer be supported after January of 2020. According to Network Administrator Dereck Hollingshead, the wireless connection would eliminate the need to replace the server, eliminate some reoccurring costs and improve data backup solutions.
Dereck Hollingshead Audio
A new server would actually cost over $3,000 less than providing the wireless connection but Hollingshead said a tower that was installed to provide the access will also be used for other projects.
Dereck Hollingshead Audio
Once the landfill is connected, the only county office that will not be connected to the courthouse will be the Environmental Office located at 1910 18th Street in Great Bend.
No tax dollars will be used for the project. The money will come from landfill dollars that are generated by user fees.
Barton County Commissioners Monday voted to spend no more than $11,500 to connect the landfill to the courthouse via a wireless connection. The landfill currently operates a server to run their network but that server will no longer be supported after January of 2020. According to Network Administrator Dereck Hollingshead, the wireless connection would eliminate the need to replace the server, eliminate some reoccurring costs and improve data backup solutions.
