Signe Cook, a 5^th-grade teacher at Park Elementary School in Great Bend, was named a Region 1 finalist for the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year award through the Kansas State Department of Education. This award recognizes excellent teaching in the classroom.

USD 428 Board of Education member Susan Young stated to make it as a finalist in Region 1 means a lot considering the large size of the region.

Susan Young Audio

Cook is now one the eight finalists up for the distinction of Teacher of the Year, with an elementary and secondary teacher chosen as a finalist in each of the four U.S. congressional districts in the state.

Cook was named a finalist for the award at a ceremony on September 8 in Salina. As a finalist, Cook received a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program.

Signe Cook Audio

Cook is now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during ceremonies in Wichita on November 17.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year receives a lifelong learning scholarship, $4,000, and serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state.

RUSSELL — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on numerous charges after a high-speed chase. At approximately 10:48 p.m. Saturday, a Russell County Deputy observed a vehicle driving around the football field in Lucas. The Deputy attempted to stop the blue Ford Mustang bearing a Kansas temporary plate, according to a media release from the sheriff’s department.

The driver of the vehicle refused to yield and fled. The pursuit led through the city of Lucas before turning east onto K-18. The driver of the Mustang fled east on K-18 at speeds over 100 mph and eventually turned south on Highway 181 in Lincoln County. The pursuit went through Sylvan Grove and proceeded south on Highway 181 to the 209 exit at Interstate 70.

Another Russell County Deputy successfully deployed stop sticks at this location, flattening one of the vehicles tires. The driver of the Mustang turned east on I-70 and continued to flee for another few miles. The driver finally pulled over in the area of the 212 Mile Marker on I-70. The driver and passenger were both taken into custody at that location without further incident and transported to the Russell County jail for booking.

The driver was identified as 23-year-old Zachary A. Packard of Salina. Packard’s initial Russell County charges include Felony Flee and Elude, Reckless Driving, Driving while Revoked, Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Packard is also being held on a Kansas Department of Corrections Parole Violation warrant.

The passenger of the vehicle was identified as 20-year-old Darian R. Vanmeter of Salina. Initial charges for Vanmeter include Possession of Meth and Possession of Marijuana.

“The Russell County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Lincoln and Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Offices, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Lucas Fire Department for their assistance in bringing this pursuit to an end without injury or property damage,” Sheriff Fred J. Whitman said in a social media release.

Barton County Commissioners Monday approved a cooperative effort between the county and Great Bend Township to help alleviate drainage issues at Bissell’s Point. Public Works Director Darren Williams estimated the cost of the work to the township will be just over $30,000. The board voted 4-0 to allow county crews and equipment to be used in the project, something that Commissioner Jennifer Schartz says is a good idea in certain situations.

Jennifer Schartz Audio

The work will take place in the area of Point Drive and Sunset Road where in times of precipitation, water will flow down the middle of the road instead of the ditches. The work will include improving the ditches and the slope in the road to optimize proper drainage.

The Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ensures standardized criteria for basic life support. Each year, the Board sends out an inspector that reviews departments like the Great Bend Fire Department and EMS. The Board inspects the ambulances to make sure the vehicles are carrying what they are supposed to be carrying and that everything functions correctly on the ambulance.

Great Bend Fire Chief Luke McCormick says the inspector will also verify that no medications have expired.

Luke McCormick Audio

The Great Bend Fire Department and EMS received an “exceptional” rating on their review that took place August 30. McCormick says the inspector spent a good part of the morning going through all the ambulances.

Luke McCormick Audio

The Kansas Board of EMS usually gives departments a four or five day notice of their arrival. The Kansas Board of Pharmacy was also in Great Bend to check the DEA license and to make sure the department is ordering narcotics correctly.

9/7

BOOKED: Jeremie Scott of Great Bend on Barton County District Court case for aggravated battery, bond set at $75,000 C/S. BCDC case for aggravated assault, bond set at $20,000 C/S. BCDC case for possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia, bond set at $10,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Tristan Shaver of Larned on a case for confinement of 42 days in jail.

BOOKED: Brian Fellers of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation with a bond set at $500 cash only.

BOOKED: Bruce Felder of Rush Center on Barton County District Court case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Jason M. Sohm on Barton County probation serve sentence for Barton County District Court warrant and serve sentence.

RELEASED: Luis Cerna of Great Bend to ICE.

RELEASED: Kyson Scott of Ark City after serving time in full.

RELEASED: Debra L. Gray on Stafford County District Court warrant by order of the court.

RELEASED: Barbara Jean Schenk to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for transport for their warrant.

RELEASED: Damien Clone on BCDC warrant with a serve sentence.

RELEASED: Charles J. Buck Jr. on BCDC case with a $10,000 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Colby Jay Hopkins on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant with a serve sentence.

9/8

BOOKED: Joel Munoz of Great Bend on BTDC case for serve sentence, no bond.

BOOKED: Jackson Whiterock of Bushton on BTDC case for serve sentence.

BOOKED: Ernesto Montez on Great Bend Municipal Court case for improper signal, no driver’s license, no insurance, and obstruction, bond at $1,000 C/S. Barton County District Court case for failure to appear, no bond.

RELEASED: D’Qunitis Rideaux on BCDC warrant on a 12-hour furlough.

RELEASED: Joseph McNett on BTDC case for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, no proof of insurance. Posted bond through Dynomite.

9/9

BOOKED: Justin Kelly on Great Bend Municipal Court case for domestic battery, bond amount of $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Juvenile male on BTDC warrant for failure to appear x3, no bond.

BOOKED: Meghan Knox of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, bond set in lieu of $500 C/S.

RELEASED: Justin Kelly on GBMC case for domestic battery, bond posted through Dynomite of $1,000.

RELEASED: Juvenile male transported to Bob Johnson’s.

RELEASED: Jason M. Sohm on Barton County Probation serve sentence for BCDC case. Time served.

RELEASED: Meghan Knox of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear after posting a $500 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: D’Quintis Rideaux of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for probation violation after serving time.

The excitement is starting to build for the 2018 Great Bend Airfest that will take place September 28th at the Great Bend Airport. The three day event will include four airshows, military and historical displays, warbird and helicopter rides, a veterans recognition ceremony with a flyover, a 1940’s hanger dance and both flying B-29 superfortresses “Fifi” and “Doc”. Airport Manager Martin Miller was at Monday’s Barton County Commission meeting to promote the event and says in addition to the airshow, Airfest will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Great Bend Army Airfield.

Martin Miller Audio

Great Bend Airfest is getting a lot of publicity outside of the state due in part to the fact that Fifi and Doc will both be at the event, something that has happened just one other time.

Martin Miller Audio

To see more information and a full schedule of events and airshow times, visit greatbendairfest.com.

Wednesday on “City Edition” on 1590 KVGB and 97.7 FM, you will have the chance to hear from Josh Wells, Communications & Marketing Director for Doc’s Friends, a nonprofit organization that was responsible for the restoration of the historic bomber.

First as usual, a drought update is in order and it reflects the rainfall from the previous weekend.  The rains prior to 8 a.m. September 4, significantly improved drought conditions across the state.  Essentially the western two-thirds of the state is totally out of soil moisture deficit conditions.  The area of extreme and exceptional drought has retreated to the east of Manhattan towards Kansas City.  And the additional rains should help ease conditions further.  Now, although no one wants to say it too loudly, we need a dry stretch with seasonal temperatures.  Much of the corn is ready or almost ready to cut.  Soybeans should be able to finish well and much of the milo looks great.  The only fly in the ointment would an early frost, especially for the cotton crop to the south of Barton County.  Wheat farmers will have to adjust to dealing with wet soils as they prepare ground to plant the 2019 crop.  Now for today’s topic.

If you pay any attention to what’s going on in the world of agriculture, it’s hard to miss the concern over insect pollinators, their role in pollinating many of the foods we eat, and the challenges they face on a variety of fronts.  These challenges include climate change, loss of habitat, pesticide use and for bees – colony collapse disorder.  Pollinators are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of fruits and vegetables every year.  This isn’t just certain insecticides but also it seems for bees, fungicides.  K-State Research and Extension has just released a new publication entitled “Pesticides and Bees.”  The publication may be downloaded for free here as am Adobe file and contains valuable information: https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=236&pubId=21298.  It provides information on minimizing the possible damage to bees through proper pesticide use.

Other problems include loss of specific plants for specific pollinators, for example milkweed species and the Monarch butterfly.  Here again, information can and is helping, but not just for Monarch butterflies.  To that end, The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is hosting a butterfly festival this coming Saturday, September 15 starting at 9 am.  There isn’t space here to describe all the activities but weathering permitting it will also feature a stop on bees.  It presents an opportunity to learn, catch and tag Monarch butterflies, and be involved in a range of activities for all ages.  More information can be found at https://wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu or by calling 620-566-1456.

You may be wondering why this is featured in an ag column.  Simply put, where we produce crops and livestock is an interconnected ecosystem between the managed and natural world.  We risk much by ignoring one for the other and the unintended consequences of ignoring or eradicating something as simple as a butterfly species can have a cascade of unintended and irreversible consequences.

BUSINESS NEWS 

Comic books and graphic novels have made a resurgence thanks to the success of the Marvel Universe movies. In the Shafer Art Gallery’s next exhibit, “Beyond Words: Visual Narratives from the Block Book to the Graphic Novel”, visitors will explore the rich history of graphic novels dating back toward the end of the middle ages.

“If you grew up loving comics or recently discovered graphic novels this exhibition will put the visual narrative art form into historical and cultural perspective,” Shafer Art Gallery Director Dave Barnes said. “Far from being literature just for children, comics are a medium of artistic expression that can be used to communicate sophisticated and nuanced content.”

Modern comic strips first began to capture audience’s attention toward the end of the nineteenth century. The improvement in printing presses both encouraged artists to explore the medium and newspapers to purchase the comics for their readers.

Comic books were first developed as a way for artists to re-sell their comics to readers. The comic books many know and love did not become popular until Superman was released in the late 1930’s. Graphic novels weren’t created until the 1970s and 80s.

The works selected for this exhibition are intended to encourage visitors to consider the roles of image and narrative in our cultures, and to examine storytelling techniques in different media.

“The Shafer Gallery is very fortunate to be able to exhibit these unique works of art that are rarely available to the public in a comprehensive form,” Barnes said. “We hope to make this a fun and thought-provoking experience.”

The works in Beyond Words are from the Rare Book Collection and the Comic Art Collection in the Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books at the University of Missouri Libraries. The exhibition was curated by Kelli Hansen, Librarian, University of Missouri Libraries, Special Collections and Rare Books, Columbia, Missouri, and organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free.

About ExhibitsUSA

This exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. These exhibitions create access to an array of arts and humanities experiences, nurture the understanding of diverse cultures and art forms, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. For more about ExhibitsUSA, email MoreArt@maaa.org or visit www.eusa.org.

About Mid-America Arts Alliance

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our region and beyond. They achieve this primarily through their national traveling exhibition programs, innovative leadership development, and strategic grant making. They are especially committed to enriching the cultural life of historically underserved communities by providing high quality, meaningful, and accessible arts and culture programs and services. They believe in more art for more people. Additional information about M-AAA is available at www.maaa.org.

Keep up with the latest Barton news here: news.bartonccc.edu