In today’s fast-paced digital age, a lack of computer-based skills and knowledge can be a barrier to everything from everyday tasks to finding employment or career advancement.

Goodwill Industries of Kansas has put together a digital skills training program that is on wheels.

Justin Rupert with Goodwill of Kansas says the RV or bus travels the state and provides Kansans access to a wide range of hands-on workshops, building a more marketable workforce.

Justin Rupert Audio

The Learn IT Digital Skills Classroom made a visit to Great Bend last Friday where it stopped off at Great Bend Public Library.

The mobile classroom features 10 computer stations, a full library of Google-based resources, virtual classroom technology, and individual coaching. Rupert says Google recognized a need for digital skills training.

Justin Rupert Audio

Goodwill of Kansas was the recipient of one of the top 10 grants provided from Google. A national effort, the program is made possible by a $10 million grant.

RUSSELL — Police arrested a Russell man on Monday in connection with a string of alleged burglaries in the Russell area over the past month.

The RPD said the department had received several calls beginning Jan. 1 regarding burglaries and thefts from Russell homes and businesses.

On Monday, an anonymous tip was received about the location of the suspect in the recent burglaries, the department said in a news release.

RPD officers responded and found the suspect — Devon Maurice Page, Russell — who was placed under arrest for two outstanding warrants, through Russell District Court, for aggravated burglary and theft, forgery, theft, and criminal use of financial card. Page was taken to the Russell County Sheriff’s Office for processing. More charges are expected.

BOOKED: Mitchell Selle of Great Bend on BTDC case for burglary of motor vehicle x3, criminal damage to property, bond set at $5,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Todd Gunderson of Lyons on BTDC warrant for failure to appear, no bond.

BOOKED: Abraham Rivas-Ramos of Great Bend on Rush County District Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $500 C/S.

BOOKED: Laveina S. White on Barton County District Court warrant as a material witness, no bond.

BOOKED: Jamie Moore of Great Bend on BTDC case for two counts of possession of stolen property, DWS, and no proof of insurance, bond set at $5,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Todd Gunderson of Lyons on BTDC warrant for failure to appear, released to unsupervised probation. Transported to Rice County Sheriff’s Office on their charges.

RELEASED: Mitchell Selle of Great Bend on BTDC case for burglary of motor vehicle x3, criminal damage to property, posted bond through A-1 Bail Bonding in the amount of $5,000.

RELEASED: Alia D. Lucas on GBMC warrant with a $1,000 surety bond through Dyn-O-Mite Bail Bonds.

BOARD OF EDUCATION
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 428
Eisenhower Elementary School, 1212 Garfield, Great Bend, Kansas

AGENDA — January 31, 2019 12:00 Noon

1. Call to Order / Roll Call …………………………………………………………….. Mr. Umphres

2. Adoption of Agenda ………………………………………………………………….. Mr. Umphres

3. Recognition of Visitors ………………………………………………………………………….. Mr. Umphres

4. Board of Education Meeting date change …………………………………….. Mr. Umphres
Due to a schedule conflict of the March 11, 2019 Board of Education Meeting and Spring Break (March 11-15, 2019), administration requests approval to move the meeting to Monday, March 4, 2019.

5. Personnel Report ………………………………………………………………………. Mr. Umphres
The administration recommends approval.

6. Building Report ………………………………………………………………………… Mr. Umphres
Eisenhower Elementary School Principal Laurie Harwood and other staff members will share information regarding the academic programs and the school improvement efforts at Eisenhower Elementary School.

7. Adjournment ……………………………………………………………………………. Mr. Umphres

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today announced his appointment to key committees, as well as his continued chairmanship of two influential subcommittees, in the United States Senate. Sen. Moran will serve on the following committees for the 116th Congress:

• U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Chairman
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense

• Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government

• • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations
• U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Chairman
  • Subcommittee on Aviation and Space
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety

• S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance
• U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
• U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

“These committee assignments and their wide-ranging jurisdiction allow me to advocate for priorities important to Kansans,” said Sen. Moran. “Throughout the 116th Congress and as a member of these critical committees, I look forward to crafting and supporting legislation that helps rural communities grow and prosper, benefits farmers and ranchers, bolsters our Kansas economy and small businesses, provides for our nation’s military and veterans, ensures Native Americans have the tools they need to succeed and allows our federal agencies to perform their vital functions while responsibly using taxpayer dollars. I am grateful for the opportunity Kansans have given me to represent them in the United States Senate, and these committee assignments position me well to deliver results for our state.”

Sen. Moran will remain chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which exercises funding jurisdiction over the Department of Justice, the FBI, the United States Trade Representative, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce, to name a few.

Sen. Moran will also retain his chairmanship of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, where he will continue to craft meaningful data privacy legislation and be a strong advocate for consumer protection and the empowerment of our Olympic and amateur athletes.

Sen. Moran’s membership on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will further allow him to advocate for Kansans on a wide array of issues pertaining to banking, financial services, insurance, housing, community development and global competitiveness.

Sen. Moran has worked throughout his time in Congress to improve the quality of life for the nearly 250,000 veterans living in Kansas. He has served on both the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees and will continue this service in the 116th Congress as the second highest-ranking Republican member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Additionally, Sen. Moran will continue serving on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to work on behalf of the four tribes in Kansas and propose and support legislation that promotes tribal sovereignty, economic development and land management.

GBHS Speech students kicked off the 2019 Forensics competition on Saturday, January 26 by capturing the 1st place sweepstakes trophy at the Kinsley Invitational Tournament and qualifying seven entries for state competition.

Great Bend dominated the field of ten western Kansas schools by turning in outstanding performances in the three preliminary rounds. All nine of the students who made the early morning trek to Kinsley made it to the final round in at least one of their events. Students who placed first or second in their event earned the right to compete at the Kansas 5A State Forensics Tournament to be held in May.

Those qualifying for State included:

Senior, Jalyn Lear — 1st Place in Prose and 1st Place in Serious Solo Acting
Junior, Bayle Sandy — 1st Place in Impromptu Speaking, 1st Place in Original Oration, and 2nd Place in Serious Solo Acting
Junior, Patrick Heath — 1st Place in Informative Speaking
Sophomore, Dinah Newman — 2nd Place in Informative Speaking; and Freshman, Malachi Wasson — 2nd Place in Humorous Solo Acting.
Other students earning medals included: Patrick Heath — 3rd Place in Humorous Solo Acting; Dinah Newman — 6th Place in Poetry; CJ Gibson — 5th Place in Prose and 6th Place in Informative Speaking; Isaiah Smith — 5th Place in Poetry and 7th Place in Impromptu Speaking; Isaiah Smith and Malachi Wasson — 4th Place in Duet Acting; Skylar Fletcher and Robbie Brining — 6th Place in Duet Acting; Skylar Fletcher — 7th Place in Humorous Solo Acting and Robbie Brining — 6th Place in Original Oration.

First-year head coach Kim Heath was very pleased with the efforts of her squad.

“The students were excited to finally be able to get their performances out to a competition. It was very satisfying to see their hard work pay off with a big sweepstakes win and so many individuals qualifying events to State,” said Heath.

Varsity team members, Patrick Heath and Bayle Sandy and novice members, Daniel Abbott, Isaiah Smith and Malachi Wasson traveled to Buhler last Friday to debate legislation in the Buhler High School mock congress debate tournament. This activity involves authoring, defending, and arguing the pros and cons of legislation in a forum very similar to the U.S. Congress. The GBHS student congress team proposed legislation to restore net neutrality.
Students are scored by a judge on their speaking abilities and the top six speakers earn medals. Junior, Daniel Abbott placed 4th in the novice house and Freshman, Malachi Williams placed 5th. Junior, Patrick Heath finished 7th in the varsity house.

The squad will see their next action February 8-9 at the Abilene Cowboy Invitational. Students will compete in Student Congress on Friday and Forensics events on Saturday.

Larned State Hospital announced last week that Superintendent Bill Rein has submitted his resignation. Rein has been at the hospital since 2016 when he was appointed the position to address staffing issues. At the time of his appointment, Larned State Hospital had more than 30 percent of their full-time jobs open.

Rein has been heavily involved with the mental health field for decades as he assisted with the draft of the state’s comprehensive mental health reform legislation in 1985 and 1990.

Rein took over for Tom Kinlen in 2016 when Kinlen resigned from the position.

The Stafford High School graduate served as the Commissioner of Behavioral Health Services for the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services prior to coming to Larned. In the previous position, he provided administrative direction and support to the two state psychiatric hospitals.

Rein’s resignation is effective February 8.

Throughout Barton County, there tax supported agencies who use volunteers to make up their governing boards. One of those is the Center for Counseling and Consultation, an agency that provides and makes recommendations on mental health services in Barton County and the surrounding area. Monday, Barton County Commissioners approved three individuals who will take a spot on that governing board. Commissioner Jennifer Schartz will remain on the board along with two newcomers, County Administrator Phil Hathcock and Wilmer Wegele. Hathcock and Wegele will replace outgoing board members Bob Suelter and Elise Snapp. While commending Suelter and Snapp for their service, Jennifer Schartz expressed her appreciation to Hathcock for stepping up and applying for the board position.

Jennifer Schartz Audio

Barton County Environmental Manager Judy Goreham also chimed in with her appreciation of Wegele, and says the work he has done on her committee bodes well for the Center for Counseling and Consultation moving forward.

Judy Gorham Audio

The Center was organized under Kansas Law and is governed by a Board of Governors composed of citizens from each of the four participating counties including Barton, Rice, Stafford and Pawnee.

Repairs are ongoing with two hydrants on 24^th Street in Great Bend. The hydrants at 24^th Street & Washington and 24^th Street & Adams are receiving major repairs after the City of Great Bend discovered valves that do not allow the City to shut the water off.

APAC out of Hutchinson has handled the repairs. City Administrator Kendal Francis says the Public Works Department is unable to handle the complex assignment.

Kendal Francis Audio

APAC is already in Great Bend as they work to complete the $6 million water line replacement project.

Great Bend City Council member Jolene Biggs asked Francis if this type of project is something the City will always have to contract out or if they will eventually be able to handle some of the work in-house.

Jolene Biggs & Kendal Francis Audio

The hydrant on Washington was struck during a hit-and-run accident last December. The repairs to other hydrants will be funded from the remaining balance of the water line project.

Francis added as soon as the hydrants on 24^th Street get repaired, APAC will take on repairs at the intersection of 18^th Street and Baker.