For the first time in more than a generation, the city of Great Bend will have a new full time City Administrator. Kendal Francis was hired Monday to the position that has been vacant since the previous administrator Howard Partington resigned in the midst of the Cliff Couch controversy after leading the city for the previous 36 years.

The Beloit native was chosen from 24 applicants for the job that he plans to begin on July 30.

Wednesday during an appearance on “City Edition” on 1590 KVGB and 97.7 FM, Francis talked about what he found attractive about the job.

Kendal Francis Audio

George Kolb, who served as Interim City Administrator since last October, referred to city residents as “customers”, a term that Francis says will be the theme as he moves into his new role.

Kendal Francis Audio

Francis spent nearly 20 years in Beloit with the city’s water department before landing his first administrator’s job in Lakin. He then served as City Administrator in Coffeyville from August 2015 to March 2018 before being asked to resign over a dispute with certain city council members.

The fireworks display hosted by the City of Great Bend on July 3 turned out successful according to Community Coordinator Christina Hayes. Hayes noted over 1,000 people were inside the Great Bend Expo Complex and more than 1,000 outside the Complex for the 10 to 15 minute firework show.

The consensus from feedback Hayes received, explained the preference on having the display the day before the holiday.

Christina Hayes Audio

Hayes says there was a decline in attendance over recent years when the fireworks display was on July 4. The Great Bend City Council chose to move the show to July 3 to also alleviate the overtime personnel had to serve on the holiday.

The City donated $5,000 for the display and handled the fundraising for the remaining $10,000 from community businesses and individuals. Hayes told the Council they will have to consider whether or not the display will happen every year based on the difficulties of funding the show.

Several years ago, the City of Great Bend issued Industrial Revenue Bonds to private investors for land east of Great Bend Regional Hospital. The Hospital’s lease payments over the years have assisted with paying the investors.

This spring, the University of Kansas Health System announced an intent to purchase the operations of Great Bend Regional Hospital and its affiliated clinics.

Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter says KU Medical wants to pay off all the bonds and take over ownership of the land.

Bob Suelter Audio

Suelter says this will allow the University of Kansas Health System the opportunity to expand the hospital if they choose. When it was a doctor-owned hospital, Regional was limited on the amount of expansion they could do.

Suelter added KU Medical is planning on closing the sale of Great Bend Regional Hospital in early August.

George Kolb was hired last October to become the Interim City Administrator for Great Bend after a tumultuous summer that saw the city lose it’s previous Administrator of 36-years along with the Police Chief. Now he is getting ready to see his time in Great Bend come to an end. Kendal Francis was officially hired Monday to become the next City Administrator and will begin his new duties on July 30th. Kolb says he feels good about his time in Great Bend as he helped calm the waters after a firestorm of controversy that also saw the addition of a new Mayor and newly elected council members.

George Kolb Audio

That thirty thousand foot view of the city has allowed Kolb to have a unique perspective of where Great Bend should go in the future.

George Kolb Audio

Kolb says his only plans right now are to enjoy being back home in Wichita with his family, spending more time with his grandchildren and playing plenty of golf.

WICHITA, Kan. | A woman is suing a Wichita plastic surgery clinic, alleging it failed to warn her of a rare, plumping side effect of a popular body-contouring procedure.

The Wichita Eagle reported that Tammy Hammond filed the lawsuit last month against Dr. Bruce Ferris and his clinic, the Plastic Surgery Center.

Hammond received three treatments of “CoolSculpting” over a 16-day period more than two years ago. CoolSculpting is a noninvasive form of fat-cell freezing.

The lawsuit says the woman developed a benign tumor in her liver and experienced fatty tissue growth post-procedure. The procedure left the woman “with a condition that has disfigured her body and shattered her self-confidence,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of not telling staff who perform the procedure about its known hazards so they could warn customers.

An attorney for Ferris and clinic said the lawsuit “contains both legal and factual errors.”

The final motion hearing for Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir took place Wednesday morning inside the courtroom at the Barton County Courthouse. After sorting through motions filed by both the defense and prosecutor, trial dates were set for November 14 – 16.

Following an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Bellendir was accused of “ill-treating” Nathan Manley while in handcuffs and striking the confined man on the side of his head on August 10, 2017.

At the motion hearing Wednesday, a few more details were revealed from the incident on August 10, 2017 and the subsequent dates of the case. Bellendir was responding to a burglary that was reported at his daughter’s house. Manley, of Ellinwood, was the subject accused of the burglary / theft. Manley was booked into jail that same day on a warrant.

On September 5, 2017, Bellendir was asked to come to the KBI office in Great Bend for an interview / conversation with a few of the agents regarding the case. Bruce Mellor, in charge of the KBI office in Great Bend and husband of Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor, called Bellendir to come in for the discussion. KBI Senior Special Agent Jeff Newsom says the conversation about the incident lasted about an hour, of which Bellendir voluntarily attended.

Bellendir is charged with a Class-A misdemeanor.

Both the defense attorney, Jess Hoeme, and the prosecutor, Bill Halvorsen, have 21 days to submit a list of questions to the judge to be part of a screening process in the jury selection.

Online enrollment for all USD 428 students will open on July 18. If you choose not to enroll electronically, you may do so in person on Aug. 7-8 at all schools.

To get started with online enrollment, please go to www.usd428.net and select the Family Access button under Quick Links near the center of the page. If you do not know your login information for your Family Access account, click the “Forgot your login or password” link. Enter your email address and click “Submit.” If the school has a matching email address on file, an email will be sent to that address with information on how to log in.

If the school does not have your email address on file or you experience other problems, please call the District Education Center at 620-793-1500 during regular business hours.

Please remember to set you internet browser to allow pop-ups and have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This is a free download that allows you to open the PDF documents. It is available at https://get.adobe.com/reader.

Once you gain access, the enrollment process is self-explanatory with information readily available about how to navigate the screens.

The system is set to accept payment by using a credit card or you may pay by check or cash at the school.