Local – Page 376 – Great Bend Post Archive

ABBB named Top 200 Accounting Firm by INSIDE Public Accounting

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS

Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd. (ABBB) is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized in INSIDE Public Accounting’s (IPA) annual ranking of the Nation’s Top 200 Accounting Firms for the fourth consecutive year. The firm rose fifteen spots to number 174 in this year’s Top 200 list.

For the most recent fiscal year, IPA 200 firms range in size from $17.9 million to $37.7 million in revenue, have more than 1,300 equity owners, and employ more than 13,500 staff.

“With the addition of our Overland Park office, 2018 has been an exciting year for us. We are honored to be recognized as one of the top 200 public accounting firms in North America for the fourth year in a row,” said Brian Staats, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of ABBB. “We thank our clients and team for making this accomplishment possible!”

Founded in 1987, INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA) is published by The Platt Group (TPG). TPG publishes both the award-winning INSIDE Public Accounting newsletter and the award-winning National Benchmarking Report, along with other key reports on the accounting profession. TPG aids firms in becoming more successful through a variety of services. TPG works with managing partners, CFOs, and thought leaders across the nation to provide practical ideas, benchmarking data, and information to take firms to the next level of improvement.

Wednesday Weather

Posted on July 31, 2018August 1, 2018

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 90. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 93. South southwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

Thursday Night

Clear, with a low around 68. South southeast wind 10 to 13 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 94. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Friday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Breezy.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 95.

Sunday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 72.

Monday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 96.

Where your tax dollars go to in Barton County

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

How are your tax dollars spent? For residents in Barton County that pay taxes through shopping, property taxes, motor vehicle taxes, or any other tax, you might be surprised how your tax dollars are distributed.

Barton County Administrator Phil Hathcock presented the 2019 operating budget to Barton County Commissioners on Monday. One of his PowerPoint slides included a distribution chart of how tax dollars are dispersed. Hathcock says 26 percent or less of your tax dollars support the Barton County government.

Phil Hathcock Audio

For citizens of Great Bend, 23.5% of your taxes go to Barton County. 28.1%of the taxes go to the City of Great Bend, 24.8% to USD 428, 17.9% to Barton Community College, 4.6% to the Great Bend Recreation Commission, 0.8% to the State of Kansas, and 0.5%to the Cottonwood Extension District.

Commissioners passed the 2019 operating budget that includes a slight decrease in mill levy, now down to 43.592.

Moran responds to reports of renewed trade talks

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

Bloomberg reported this week that that the United States and China aim to resume talks in a bid to avert a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. That’s good news according to Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, but he says the U.S. needs to get other trade agreements in place before dealing with the Chinese.

Jerry Moran Audio

Moran says a more focused effort to get trade agreements with Mexico and Canada will put the U.S. on more solid ground as they try to get concessions out of China.

Jerry Moran Audio

Beijing and Washington have been locked in a trade dispute since they began applying 25 per cent tariffs on $34 billion of each other’s goods on July 6th, with duties on another $16 billion of products in the pipeline. The US is working on a list of an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods to be subject to 10 percent tariffs as early as September.

Reinecker looks to pull huge upset

Posted on July 31, 2018

Nick Reinecker says in order to “Make America Great Again”, we must return to the Republic our founding fathers intended. Limited government, individual liberty and the adherence to the Constitution. Reinecker, a Republican, is running for congress Kansas’ 1st District, a seat currently held by Roger Marshall. Reinecker was in Great Bend last week to be a part of the Candidate Forum that took place at Great Bend High School.

Nick Reinecker Audio

Reinecker along with his wife Katy, runs the Inman Harvest Cafe. The former police officer, firefighter, EMT, and CNA will be trying to pull off the huge upset of Marshall in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Alan LaPolice, who has unsuccessfully ran for the seat in the last two elections as both a Republican and an Independent, awaits the winner in the November general election, this time as a Democrat.

The Opioid Crisis is Real

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension
District – Great Bend Office. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu

written by: Donna Krug, District Director and Family & Consumer Science Agent – Cottonwood District

Not a day goes by that we don’t hear something in the news that involves the abuse of drugs. Whether it is a crime spree with the perpetrator high on drugs or an accident caused by someone unable to drive safely while taking a prescription medication – the opioid epidemic has become a public health crisis with devastating consequences.

A couple of years ago when I broke my arm in a cycling accident I needed pain medication to get me through the rough times. I didn’t like the way I felt while taking the prescribed pain pills so I worked hard to get off of them as quickly as possible. I was happy to get completely off of the pain medicine a few weeks after surgery and get back to my normal routine.

So, what exactly is an opioid? Opioids include powerful prescription pain medications and the illegal drug, heroin.

The statistics show that 25% of patients prescribed opioids for pain misuse them. This misuse translates to 115 Americans who die each day from opioid overdose. Another eye-opening statistic is that 80% of heroin users first used prescription opioids.

Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in your body to relieve pain. Prescription opioids can be an important part of treatment but carry significant risks for addiction and overdose because of the addictive euphoria they create and the tolerance that occurs after repetitive dosing.

There are effective treatment options for opioid dependence, yet only 10 percent of people who need such treatment receive it. Naloxone, also called Narcan or Evzio,(both registered trademark names) can completely reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and prevent death.

To avoid opioid misuse and overdose:
 Do not take more medication than what is prescribed.
 Do not take other people’s prescriptions.
 Do not mix opioids with alcohol, antianxiety medications, muscle relaxants, sleep aids, and other opioids.
 Be proactive in addressing pain. Experts suggest exploring various methods of alleviating pain, such as over-the-counter pain medications, exercise, or alternative therapies.

There are several signs to watch out for if you think someone might be experiencing an opioid overdose. These include:
 Shallow breathing
 Gasping or choking for air
 Pale skin
 Blue lips and/or fingertips
 Small, pinpoint pupils
 Unconsciousness

Erin Yellend, a specialist with K-State Research & Extension, has written an excellent educational fact sheet titled, “The Opioid Crisis: What You Need to Know”. It covers all of the information I have shared today in great detail. You can download and print a copy by visiting the KSRE bookstore and typing in publication MF3404.

Latin America becomes increasingly important market for Kansas wheat

Posted on July 31, 2018

The Latin American region of Mexico, Central America and South America imports nearly one billion bushels of wheat annually, with 368 million bushels coming from the United States. Imports from the U.S. are expected to increase to more than 500 million bushels by 2050.

Fostering relationships with this expanding market has been a long-term priority of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry. USW holds a Latin American Buyers Conference every other year.

Attended by 97 participants representing 16 countries, this year’s conference was held July 18-20 in Brazil, as a way to nurture relationships between U.S. wheat farmers and buyers in the region.

“It’s significant that the conference was held in Brazil this year because Brazil is one the world’s leading wheat importers,” said Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin.

At the forefront of this year’s conference was the apprehension of a growing number of trade policy concerns. This was quickly replaced with the excitement and abundance of opportunities available from U.S. Wheat Associates and the 2018 U.S. wheat harvest.

USW President Vince Peterson illustrated the changing dynamics of global wheat trade and increased competitiveness from Russia and other non-traditional importers into the region. Mark Fowler, Vice President of Overseas Operations, followed up by highlighting the need for providing increased value for our U.S. wheat customers through additional technical service.

“U.S. Wheat Associates continues, with the variety of quality provided by the six classes of U.S. wheat available, to remain the best choice for our customers in Latin America,” said Fowler. “As the market becomes more competitive and our customers strive to differentiate their products to their customers, our ability to provide the technical service and product development assistance becomes even more vital to our success.”

Dr. Romulo Lollato, Extension Wheat Specialist at Kansas State University, spoke on “The Role of Agricultural Extension on Wheat Quality: A Case Study For Hard Red Winter.”

According to Gilpin, Lollato was able to communicate to buyers about what Kansas wheat farmers are putting into their crops for both management and quality.

“Buyers have a better understanding of what goes into the production and management of Kansas wheat for quality,” Gilpin said. “This will help differentiate us in a competitive marketplace.”

Aaron Harries, Vice President of Research and Operations for Kansas Wheat, said this conference is a chance for farmers to meet these buyers face to face, show their appreciation for their business and to allow them ask questions of the people who grow the wheat they are buying.

“I hope that the buyers and attendees appreciate the transparency we show,” Harries said. “We fully disclose information about the crop, even in years when our wheat crop isn’t that good. I hope they come away from the conference knowing that if they seek any information or expertise, we have that readily available for them.”

Harries said his biggest takeaway was that the emerging and expanding markets for Kansas wheat are going to be in Central and South America, because logistically it a lot easier to ship wheat from the United States to South America. It’s becoming cost prohibitive to ship U.S. wheat halfway around the world.

“Meeting with international wheat buyers in Latin America is important because we export half of the wheat that we grow every year. It is important for farmers to have those markets,” Harries said. “We try to continue fostering relationships with the buyers. Currently, the Latin American region imports 25 million metric tons (918.6 million bushels) of wheat annually, which is expected to increase to 35 million metric tons (1.286 billion bushels) by 2050. The U.S. enjoys 40 percent of that market share.”

Cop Shop (7/30)

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

Barton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Log (7/30)

Non-Injury Accident

At 10:49 a.m. an accident was reported at 164 NE 21 Road.

Burglary / Not in Progress

At 11:59 a.m. a burglary was reported at 1192 NE 200 Road in Claflin.

Burglary / In Progress

At 4:57 p.m. a burglary was reported at 521 3rd Avenue in Claflin.

Great Bend Police Department Incident Log (7/30)

Assault

At 5:21 a.m. a report of Israel Klein threatening her with a knife at 1033 Adams Street was made. Klein left prior to officer arrival.

Warrant Arrest

At 9:54 a.m. Mason Cox was arrested on a city warrant at 1217 Williams.

Burglary / In Progress

At 1:37 p.m. a burglary was reported at 1026 Jefferson Street.

Theft

At 3:15 p.m. theft of a handicap placard was reported at 3503 10th Street.

Non-Injury Accident

At 3:46 p.m. an accident was reported at 10th Street & Main Street.

Theft

At 4:05 p.m. a theft was reported at 3503 10th Street.

Breathing Problems

At 4:13 p.m. ambulance assistance was needed at 311 Walnut Street.

Non-Injury Accident

At 5:23 p.m. an accident was reported at 1621 Hubbard Street.

At 5:36 p.m. an accident was reported at 700 Frey Street.

Theft

At 5:42 p.m. a theft was reported at 2900 23rd Street.

At 7:11 p.m. an identity theft was reported at 2900 23rd Street.

Warrant Arrest

At 7:54 p.m. Israel Kline was arrested on a warrant at 1033 Adams Street C.

Traffic Arrest

At 10:12 p.m. an officer arrested Cale Cordell in the 2200 block of Main Street for DUI and open container.

Shots Fired

At 10:15 p.m. a report of hearing gun shots in the area of Baker Avenue & Broadway Avenue was made.

Barton County Sheriff’s Booking Activity (7/30)

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

BOOKED: Nicodemus Trejo of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, bond is set at $502.50 cash only.

BOOKED: Juan Enrique Lugo-Pasillas of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, bond is set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Mason Cox of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond is set at $500 C/S.

BOOKED: Derek Lysinger of Claflin on CMC warrant for failure to appear, bond set in lieu of $2,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Israel Klein of Great Bend on EMC warrant for failure to appear, no bond. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $943.50 cash only. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set at $682.50 cash only.

BOOKED: Jeffrey Kramer of Hoisington on Hodgeman County District Court warrant for contempt of court with a bond set at $500 cash only. Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for contempt of court with a bond set at $552.50 cash only. Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear with a bond set at $200 cash only or 48-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Cale Cordell of Little River on Great Bend Municipal Court case for DUI, no headlights, failure to stop at a red light, and open container, bond set in lieu of $1,000 C/S.

RELEASED: Matthew Hapes of Great Bend on BTDC warrants all for probation violation. Time served on all cases.

RELEASED: Randy Dent of Great Bend on Barton County District Court case, released to CKF Treatment.

RELEASED: Daniel Glaze of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for probation violation, time served.

RELEASED: Tommy Shepherd of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for contempt, released by order of the court through Great Bend Municipal.

RELEASED: Nicodemus Trejo of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, posted bond amount of $502.50 cash only.

RELEASED: Cody Day of Great Bend on BCDC warrant for probation violation, time served.

RELEASED: Juan Enrique Lugo-Pasillas of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, posted bond amount of $1,000.

RELEASED: William Kilgore of Great Bend on BTDC case for flee and elude, DWS after receiving time served per Judge Willey.

RELEASED: Mason Cox of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for contempt of court, after posting a $500 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Jeffrery Kramer of Hoisington on Hodgeman County District Court warrant for contempt of court after posting a $500 cash only bond. Kramer still has local charges.

Still a need for poll workers Aug. 7 in Barton County

Posted on July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

Barton County Election Officer Donna Zimmerman says the County is still in need of workers for next Tuesday’s primary election. The poll workers will receive over $100 for their day that starts at 6 a.m. on August 7.

Zimmerman says a voting board worker is needed in Great Bend, Claflin, Pawnee Rock, rural Barton County, and two are needed in Ellinwood.

Duties include: set up polling location for voters, check in voters and obtain voter signatures in poll book, operate voting machines, issue ballots to eligible voters, and provide voting instructions to voters.

If interested, visit bartoncounty.org and go to the Elections Department tab to fill out a form. Information can also be submitted over the phone by calling 620-793-1835. The workers must attend election school prior to the election either this Friday or next Monday.

A supervising judge will earn $135 per day while all other board workers will receive $115 per day.