Jason Bitter was convicted on a charge of aggravated endangerment of a child, a case that began when Bitter was observed driving a vehicle on Highway 56 into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed. At the time, Bitter’s daughter was in the vehicle with him. This situation resulted from an argument between Bitter and the child’s mother.

Barton County deputies tracked Bitter to a location in Pawnee Rock, where he was arrested.

The child was not harmed. Sentencing on the charge, a felony, is also set for December.

Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor announced Friday, October 5 that as the result of various pleas entered on Thursday, October 4, some defendants now have felony and misdemeanor convictions on their record.

In separate cases, Jerry Lee Cossman plead to charges of criminal threat and violation of a protective order. The threat was uttered about a Barton County Deputy Sheriff, and a Great Bend Police officer.

The other case was filed when Cossman contacted a person who had complained about his prior threats against that individual and family members. When a district court judge issued a protective order, Cossman was served with a copy of that order. However, he persisted in contacting the victim, and Great Bend Police Department officers began an investigation. The investigation ended with Cossman’s arrest and the entry of a plea to the charge.

In Kansas, criminal threat is a felony-level crime, while the violation of an order charge is a misdemeanor. Sentencing is set for late December.

BOOKED: Kawliga Zimmerman on EMC warrant for failure to appear, no bond.

BOOKED: Evan Markley of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for possession of methamphetamine with a bond set at $10,000 C/S. BCDC case for felony obstruction, introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia with a bond set at $40,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Joshua Graves on CKCC serve sentence on BCDC warrant for time served.

RELEASED: Gerald Martin of Great Bend on BTDC case for felony of possession of stolen property, DWS, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia after receiving a $20,000 OR bond per Judge Burgess.

RELEASED: Jerry Cossman on BTDC warrant for interference LEO, domestic battery, criminal damage to property. BTDC warrant for interference LEO. BTDC warrant for interference LEO. BTDC warrant for theft and possession of controlled substance after being dismissed by the order of the court. BTDC warrant for criminal threat after bond was reinstated. BTDC warrant for violation of protection order after bond was reinstated.

written by: Rip Winkel – Horticulture Agent, Cottonwood Extension District

The cold nights will be increasing in frequency now that we are into October. If you had planted tomatoes in your garden last spring, you may still have some fruits that are approaching maturity. The best thing to do is to leave them on the vine until red-ripe, or until that first freeze has been forecasted. Tomatoes will ripen off the vine but must have reached a certain phase of maturity called the ‘mature green stage.’ Look for full-sized tomatoes with a white, star-shaped zone on the bottom end of the green fruit.

Now, if you are harvesting your tomatoes before a frost, here is an idea you may want to try. Separate those tomatoes into three groups for storage: those that are mostly red, those that are just starting to turn, and those that are still green. Go ahead and get rid of those tomatoes with defects such as rots or breaks in the skin. Then place the tomatoes on cardboard trays or cartons, using layers of newspaper to separate fruit if you are going to stack them. It is common that a tomato may start to rot, leaking its juice everywhere. The newspaper will help keep the juice from contacting the surrounding fruit. Finally, store these groups of tomatoes at, or as close to 55 degrees F as possible until you are ready to eat them.

And as the temperatures begin to fall toward the first freeze this fall, the pepper plants you planted in your garden continue to produce fruit. It is not uncommon for them to still have a slew of green fruits dangling on the branches when that first freeze kills the plants. When you know a freeze is in the forecast, you might want to harvest all of the peppers. The larger ones will be good for eating, but very immature peppers often taste bitter. Ergo, you might want to compost them instead of serving them for dinner.

As opposed to tomatoes, peppers can be stored fresh for a much longer period of time. They can usually keep in the crisper drawer of a refrigerator for several weeks if kept moist (not wet). For longer storage, freezing them is a great option.  Though mushy when thawed, the flavor still comes through when cooked in foods. Try dicing them into small pieces and then freezing on a cookie sheet. The frozen pieces can then be poured into plastic bags, and placed back into the freezer to be used later. Measuring is much easier as the pieces are not frozen together in a clump. This method works just as well for hot peppers, but be sure to wear gloves when handling.

Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at rwinkel@ksu.edu or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.

RUSSELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident jusf after 10p.m. Thursday in Russell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Impala driven by Kalli Pfeifer, 16, Russell, was westbound on U.S. 40 at 183 Street one mile west of Russell.

When the vehicle’s passenger-side wheels dropped off the right side of road, the driver overcorrected causing the vehicle to cross the roadway and enter the south ditch.

The vehicle struck the embankment of 183rd Street, became airborne, crossed the roadway, impacted the ground west of 183rd and rolled on its top.

Pfeifer was transported to Russell Regional Medical Center. She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just before 9:30a.m.Thursday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Dodge Ram driven by John Merrill Krisel, 60, Council Bluffs, IA, was westbound on Kansas 156 just west of Pennsylvania Avenue. The vehicle traveled left of center and struck a 2009 Kia Sorento driven by Kathy A. Jimmerson, 60, Dodge City, head-on.

Jimmerson and a passenger Steve W. Jimmerson, 55, Dodge City, were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Parsons Funeral Home.

Krisel was transported to the hospital in Hoisington and later transferred to St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

As the Great Bend City Council approved the inspection services from Kirkham Michael for the 8^th Street paving construction, they received a glimpse of the expense of not having an in-house engineer.

The project cost of the street construction will hit the City of Great Bend but the price tag will be reimbursed by the benefit district, those around 8^th Street.

The inspection cost of $38,225 was accounted for, but councilmember Cory Urban noted that just one project is nearly half an annual salary of a city engineer.

Cory Urban Audio

The City has historically utilized its engineering tech to perform construction inspection jobs. However, Karl Otter subsequently resigned his position. City Administrator Kendal Francis says the City has interviewed applicants to fill the position.

Kendal Francis Audio

Great Bend does have a contract with Professional Engineering Consultants out of Wichita to serve as their on-call engineer. PEC did not have personnel available for the duration of the project, forcing Great Bend to solicit bids from qualified firms.

Kansas State University researchers are conducting tests to learn more about the potential impact of African Swine Fever Virus and measures to help prevent the disease from entering the United States. K-State assistant professor of animal feed safety, Cassie Jones, says the good news is that ASFV is not zoonotic and it’s not something that would impact pork safety. As a result, consumers don’t have to be concerned. However, that’s not the case for pork producers…who Jones says are on high alert for the disease potentially entering the U.S.

Cassie Jones Audio

Kansas State University has on-going research on African Swine Fever Virus and Jones says they hope to have more answers in once the data has been completely analyzed in a few weeks.

Cassie Jones Audio

Jones says if African Swine Fever Virus were to enter the U.S., it would be more devastating to the pork industry than the PEDV virus.

More information on African Swine Fever Virus can be found at: www.ksuswine.org.