BUSINESS NEWS

The Great Bend Recreation Commission is forming Youth Basketball teams for any interested boys and girls, Instructional for 1st and 2nd grade and League for 3rd-6th grade.

Registration will be available till November 2. Instructional will start November 27 at the Activity Center and Basketball games will begin December 1 at the City Auditorium.

Register your child at the GBRC office, located at 1214 Stone Street. Full scholarships available prior to the deadline.

For more information on these leagues contact the GBRC office at 793-3755 ext. 110, website www.greatbendrec.com or Facebook page Great Bend Rec.

LINCOLN COUNTY — One person was injred in an accident just before 1p.m. Monday in Lincoln County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Briana D. Slayton, 30, Hays, was eastbound on Interstate 70 just west of 290th Road.

The Pontiac struck the back left corner of an eastbound 2016 Freightliner semi driven by Michael David Davis, 30, Umatilla, Oregon.

Slayton was transported to the hospital in Salina. Davis was properly restrained and not injured. The KHP did not have details on Slayton’s seat belt usage.

The wins keep piling up as the GBHS debate team earned first place in both the open and novice divisions and earned the second-place overall sweepstakes trophy at the Lyons Invitational Debate Tournament this weekend.

Juniors, Patrick Heath and Bayle Sandy posted five wins and zero losses in the open division and were awarded 1st place medals. Junior Daniel Abbott and Freshman Skylar Fletcher also posted a 5-0 record and brought home 1st place medals in the novice division.

The 3-2 record of the other two novice teams competing on Saturday helped the Panther Debaters earn enough points to win the 2nd place sweepstakes trophy. Those teams included Tia Mitchell and Isaiah Smith as well as Paige Byerle and Malachi Wasson.

The tournament featured 20 schools from across the state. Many area schools competed along with schools from as far away as Kansas City. There were 39 open teams and 37 novice teams fighting it out.

“I am proud of my team for doing so well at this tournament. It is a great feeling knowing all our hard work is paying off,” said Sandy.

Her partner, Patrick Heath, thinks other schools are starting to notice his squad’s success.

“We really showed the other schools that Great Bend is a force to be reckoned when it comes to debate,” said Heath.

Junior novice, Abbott said, “I’m very proud of my partner and all of my other squad members for helping make this tournament so successful for everyone.”

Fletcher quoted  tennis superstar Boris Becker when asked about her success at the Lyons Tournament.

“I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I love to play.”

The GBHS debaters next travel to Buhler on Saturday, October 20.

Alan LaPolice is trying to prove bi-partisanship is not dead. LaPolice is running as a Democrat in the general election against Republican and incumbent Dr. Roger Marshall in Kansas’ 1^st Congressional District. LaPolice has campaigned for the same seat as a Republican in 2014 and as an Independent in 2016, but hopes voters will see past party affiliation.

Alan LaPolice Audio

LaPolice has said multiple times that he does not like the political games politicians play or the fundraising they do. The farmer from Clyde hopes this will further separate himself from Marshall.

Alan LaPolice Audio

The deadline to register to vote is October 16 with the election rolling out November 6.

Barton County Officials know what the structural issues are with the courthouse, now they must finalize a game plan to take care of those issues. Last December, Barton County Commissioners authorized WDM Architects to perform a structural analysis of the 100-year old building which found the four outside corners separating from the center of the structure on the 4th floor. Here’s Barton County Administrator Phil Hathcock.

Phil Hathcock Audio

While monitoring is taking place, Hathcock says the plan is to re-seal the roof to keep moisture out of the building. After that the plan is to use strapping to shore up the integrity of the outside corners of the courthouse.

Phil Hathcock Audio

Hathcock estimates the cost of the strapping procedure will be around $50,000 which in the overall scope of needed repairs is fairly inexpensive. Also needed is a complete overhaul of the buildings aging heating and air conditioning system which is a forced water system that utilizes a boiler. The cost to upgrade to a modern heat pump system could cost in the neighborhood of $1.2 million dollars.

Hathcock says the county still does not have a timeline for the repairs other than the resealing of the roof which will be done as soon as possible.

10/12

BOOKED: Audrey Bellendir of Great Bend for Great Bend Municipal Court case for driving under the influence, transporting open container, failure to stop at stop sign, no DL, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Joseph Butts of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $500 cash only.

BOOKED: Matthew Booth on Barton County District Court case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Adrienna Kennedy on Barton County District Court case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Juan Bautista of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrants all for probation violation, no bond on all the warrants.

BOOKED: Sean Brown on Community Correction order for incarceration or until a treatment bed is available.

BOOKED: Randy Chanmber of Great Bend for serve sentence. Hoisington Municipal Court case.

BOOKED: Eliseo Velasco of Salina on Community Corrections serve sentence.

BOOKED: Brian Bunch of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court serve sentence.

BOOKED: Rodney Drake on Barton County District Court case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Manuel Ramirez on Rooks County District Court warrant for FTA, no bond.

BOOKED: Dustin Stiles on BTDC case for aggravated domestic battery, bond set at $20,000 C/S.

RELEASED: John Houp on BCDC warrant for failure to appear after posting a $500 surety bond. BCDC warrant for possession of controlled substance and drug paraphernalia after posting a $1,000 surety bond.

RELEASED: Audrey Bellendir of Great Bend for GBMC case for driving under the influence, transporting open container, failure to stop at a stop sign, no DL after posting a $1,000 surety bond.

RELEASED: Ashley Werner to Ellsworth County on their charges.

RELEASED: Kawliga Zimmerman to Reno County.

RELEASED: Shonda Washington of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrants for probation violation after she was granted probation.

RELEASED: Dominique Hoch of Great Bend on BCDC warrant for possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia after he was granted probation. Rice County District Court warrant after receiving order to release from the Rice County Sheriff’s Office.

RELEASED: Lori Fiscus of Great Bend on BCDC warrant for possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia after she posted a $10,000 surety bond.

10/13

BOOKED: Beckie Eisenbarth on GBMC case for assault DV, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Frank Relmar Jr. on GBMC case for battery DV, bond is set in the amount of $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR.

BOOKED: Monica Garcia De Salgado on KHP case for DWS, speeding, no insurance, bond set in lieu of $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Daniel Bartonek of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for theft by deception x7, theft, criminal use of a financial card, bond set at $5,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Brent Bretz of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court case for battery DV, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Dustin Stiles on BTDC case for aggravated domestic battery, released after posting a bond of $20,000.

RELEASED: Beckie Eisenbarth on GBMC case for assault DV after posting a $1,000 surety bond.

RELEASED: Brent Allen to Saline County.

RELEASED: Brent Bretz of Great Bend on GBMC case for battery DV after he posted a $1,000 surety bond.

RELEASED: Frank Relmar Jr. of Great Bend posted a $1,000 surety bond through Dyn-O-Mite Bail Bonding on GBMC case for battery DV.

10/14

BOOKED: Billy Hamilton on a Rice County District Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $500 cash only.

BOOKED: Eric Duerksen on BTDC case for aggravated battery, bond set at $75,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Oliver Guyton on BTDC case for aggravated battery, bond set at $75,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Ryan Hardey of Great Bend after time served.

RELEASED: Rodney Drake on BCDC case for serve sentence.

RELEASED: Randy Chamber of Great Bend for serve sentence.

Charlie Swank grew up in Oklahoma and was interested in duck hunting. Eventually taking a job at Cheyenne Bottoms in Barton County made perfect sense.

Swank retired as a biologist for the Cheyenne Bottoms area in September after 44 years with the Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. He started his career in wildlife in Oklahoma working around fisheries.

Charlie Swank Audio

Swank graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1971 and after his time in Oklahoma he received the Area Wildlife Manager position for Council Grove in Kansas. After three years, he accepted the biologist position at Cheyenne Bottoms in 1977.

After four decades of working in the wetlands, Swank recalls one serious injury that he survived.

Charlie Swank Audio

Swank worked with three Area Wildlife Managers at Cheyenne Bottoms during his career, including Stan Wood, Karl Grover, and current manager Jason Wagner.