The University of Kansas Health System announced last April their intent of purchasing Great Bend Regional Hospital. The acquisition became official August 1, and Thursday afternoon a facility dedication happened with a “ribbon tying”.

The ceremony included speakers, all of which touched on the importance of the purchase that kept health care close to home for residents.

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce CEO Jan Peters noted the deal will not only keep healthcare access local but it will keep a strong employer for the community.

Jan Peters Audio

The Great Bend hospital, now known as The University of Kansas Health System – Great Bend Campus, is part of a large string of hospitals including: St. Rose Medical Pavilion in Great Bend, Pawnee Valley Campus in Larned, HaysMed in Hays, and several more.

Jodi Schmidt serves as the Executive Director for Regional Development at The University of Kansas Health System but has been serving as the interim administrator at the Great Bend Campus since the acquisition. Schmidt says the combined effort and resources have already increased services in Great Bend.

Jodi Schmidt Audio

The process to hire a permanent administrator for Great Bend is underway with several candidates already applying.

Also speaking Thursday were Brenda Dykstra (Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer), and Kansas Senators Mary Jo Taylor and Jim Denning. Kansas Representative Tory Marie Arnberger was also in attendance.

Riley Elementary School Principal JoAnn Blevins says last year was tough. The traditional ways to correcting and responding to misbehavior were not successful at the grade school in Great Bend.

Riley served 98 out-of-school suspensions during the 2017-2018 school year and one expulsion. Blevins admitted that the entire staff struggled in helping students overcome barriers to learning.

The beginning of this school year, Riley implemented a trauma-responsive three-year plan.

JoAnn Blevins Audio

Riley organized a “trauma team” that consists of 11 members, of either teachers or classified staff. The team meets monthly to learn about trauma and how to respond once they see it from students.

Blevins says teachers tend to discipline students the way they were disciplined as a child. Data shows this approach is not working. Blevins added the number one goal at Riley this year is to build better relationships with the students.

JoAnn Blevins Audio

Blevins estimated Riley has already prevented 10 out-of-school suspensions with the new method of interventions and understanding the students’ trauma.

Riley also opened a student center where children that are misbehaving or disrupting the classroom can go, reregulate, and talk about why they are behaving in such a manner. The student can still keep up with his or her school work while taking a break from the class, and the classroom proceeds as normal without the disruption.

Leading up to the 2018 Airfest we have introduced you to several of the pilots who will be performing in this weekend’s air show. Now meet another.

Steve Afeman will be performing in all four airshow’s this weekend in an authentic World War II SN J-5 representing his company, Angle of Attack Airshows out of McKinney, Texas.

Steve Afeman Audio

Like many of the other performers this year, Afeman will be making his first visit to the Great Bend Airport and says the venue is perfect for an airshow of this size.

Steve Afeman Audio

The Great Bend Airfest begins Friday morning with gates opening at 9 a.m. The first of four weekend airshows will take place Friday afternoon at 5:15 p.m.

Saturday’s airshow times are 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. with a Sunday show at 12 noon.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A 23-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in prison without parole for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy.

Justin Watson was sentenced Thursday for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime.

Watson admitted that he and his co-conspirators kidnapped a victim identified as “N.J.” in March 2017. They drove to Colorado and used the victim’s credit card in stops across Kansas.

During the drive west, the conspirators discussed killing the victim. Instead, they stopped near Russell.

They left the victim, bound and gagged, and then drove away, leaving the victim in the field. The victims removed his bindings and went to the Russell police department.

Watson was arrested in March in Kansas City.

Press release from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office…

On behalf of all local law enforcement we wish to welcome visitors, participants and vendors to the Great Bend Air Fest, drag races and motor-cross events.

Organizers project between 10,000 and 15,000 people converging into Barton County. It is our mission to assist the motoring public in safely and efficiently arriving at their destination. During certain periods of time local law enforcement will be controlling traffic in and around the Great Bend Airport Complex.

Be aware that at critical time periods, traffic may be allowed to only move in one direction in congested areas. You may not be able to take the shortest route to your destination. This is done to prevent accidents and allow a continuous flow of traffic.

If you arrive at one of these locations, please follow the directions of the officers. Also, there will be areas where cones and barricades have been placed. Please do not drive around barricades.

Once again, welcome to Great Bend for the festivities and events, we wish you a most enjoyable and exciting weekend.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Wednesday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Cadillac Escalade driven by Dalton Huey Oliver, 71, Panama Beach FL., was eastbound on Interstate 70 just east of the Sylvan Grove exit. The vehicle left the roadway, entered the median and struck a culvert.

The driver overcorrected to the right and the vehicle overturned and came to rest on its wheels.

Oliver and a passenger Roslyn Flynt Oliver, 70, Panama Beach, FL., were transported to the hospital in Salina. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.