While summer may be slower paced for some, it’s an extremely busy time for farmers – tending to their fields, harvesting crops and moving livestock between pastures. The end result is a lot of heavy farm equipment on major highways and rural roads. K-State Research and Extension farm safety specialist Kerri Ebert says farmers should be mindful of fatigue that may increase the risk of farm-related accidents.

Kerri Ebert Audio

Ebert says that everyone plays a part in farm traffic safety, even those of us that live in town. She says while it can be frustrating to be behind a combine or other slow-moving piece of farm equipment, these vehicles are traveling a relatively short distance – so be patient.

Kerri Ebert Audio

According to the National Safety Council, about one-third of tractor related deaths occur on public roads. While many may assume the accidents are caused by bad weather or hazardous conditions, studies have shown that nearly 80 percent of all tractor-vehicle collisions occur in daylight and on straight, dry roads. Ebert says it’s the responsibility of both farmers and motorists to share the roads safely.

Much of the talk surrounding the Great Bend Municipal Airport now is centered on Great Bend Airfest which will bring over 30 historic aircrafts to town September 28 – 30.

Airport Manager Martin Miller realizes another large project will take place following the show that will affect the longevity of the runway. Miller says the bidding process for the repaving project on Runway 17/35 is over and now the City of Great Bend is waiting on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Martin Miller Audio

The total project will cost over $11 million. The FAA agreed to pay 90 percent of the reconstruction for 5,500 feet. In order to keep one of the longest runways in Kansas, Great Bend received funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation to help with the remaining 2,351 feet of the runway. Great Bend’s share of the project is estimated to be just over $1 million that will mostly come from the Airport Fund.

Miller anticipated tearing the runway up in early spring.

The City of Great Bend scheduled the three finalists for the City Administrator position to tour facilities, meet staff workers, and visit with the media Wednesday. Great Bend is looking for their next permanent city administrator since Howard Partington retired early in August of 2017 after 36 years in the position.

Here are the interviews with the candidates that were conducted in the conference room of City Hall.

Larry Collins Interview

Kendal Francis Interview

Scott Hildebrand Interview

Great Bend Police Department Incident Log (6/27)

Warrant Arrests

At 2:39 a.m. an officer arrested Cody Ward on 3 Smith County, TX warrants at 10th Street & Washington Street.

Breathing Problems

At 4:18 a.m. EMS assistance was needed at 1423 Holland Street.

Falls

At 8:33 a.m. EMS call was made at 2541 7th Street.

Theft

At 2:21 p.m. theft of a cell phone was reported at 2400 10th Street.

Injury Accident

At 2:24 p.m. an accident was reported at 10th Street & Kansas Avenue.

Warrant Arrest

At 3:14 p.m. an officer arrested Jeremy McFann at 1806 12th Street for a warrant.

Falls

At 4:37 p.m. EMS assistance was needed at 2701 Morton Street.

Non-Injury Accident

At 5:24 p.m. a hit and run was reported at 1715 Morphy Street.

Fire

At 6:17 p.m. fire assistance was needed at 2516 Lakin Avenue.

Injury Accident

At 9 p.m. an accident was reported at 2813 16th Street.

Sick Person

At 9:22 p.m. ambulance assistance was needed at 2202 26th Street.

Structure Fire

At 10:02 p.m. a report of a fire in the residence was made at 1217 2nd Street. Home owner put the fire out. Great Bend Fire Department responded.

The City of Great Bend scheduled the three finalists for the City Administrator position to tour facilities, meet staff workers, and visit with the media Wednesday. Great Bend is looking for their next permanent city administrator since Howard Partington retired early in August of 2017 after 36 years in the position.

Larry Collins has a deep history working with fire departments, including 30 years with the Dayton, Ohio Fire Department where he retired as Fire Chief in 2008. From there he served as Fire Chief for five years in Brevard County, Florida and most recently as Fire Chief in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Collins noted he was looking to land a city administrator job before his retirement and felt Great Bend was the right size.

Larry Collins Audio

Collins was fired from his Fire Chief role in Brevard County in 2014. Given a chance to explain the firing, Collins said the previous County Manager in Brevard County offered him a job to become the Safety Director in St. Lucie County, two counties down from Brevard. Collins tentatively accepted knowing that the job in St. Lucie would not be available until several months away. Collins brought in two of his Assistant Fire Chiefs with Brevard County to discuss the possibility of him leaving to create a succession plan, but wanted to keep the news quiet in case the move fell through and to avoid any chaos within the department. Collins says roughly two weeks later upon entering a meeting with the current County Manager he was fired and given 90 days of severance pay. Collins notes the next day that one of the Assistant Fire Chiefs he confided in earlier was appointed the Fire Chief, hearing that the Assistant told the Manager.

Larry Collins Audio

Kendal Francis comes from Beloit where he worked in the water / wastewater department for 20 years before moving on to become the City Administrator in Lakin and in Coffeyville for the past three years.

Francis stated Great Bend’s strategic planning attracted him to the job and he is ready to build relationships with staff and the community.

Kendal Francis Audio

Francis resigned from the Coffeyville City Manager position in March after settling terms with the Coffeyville City Commission. Francis’ contract did not end until August, but the Commission wanted Francis to resign immediately because of displeasure with Francis’ management style. Francis declined the proposal initially until the Commission agreed to pay out the remaining portion of his salary in his severance package. According to Francis, some of the five-member Commission disliked certain department heads and were upset Francis did not terminate the employees.

Kendal Francis Audio

Francis added there was also an issue with high utility bills in Coffeyville the past couple of years. Upon investigation, the City found out a meter reader was not actually reading the meters, instead he was estimating the total usage. The employee was terminated and after truly reading the meters it resulted in higher utility bills. The spiked bills led to discontent with community members making upset calls to Commissioners.

Scott Hildebrand grew up in Liberal and has spent the past two years as City Administrator in Valley Center. With a population of roughly 7,500 in Valley Center, Hildebrand says the job in Great Bend would be a nice step up and could not pass on the opportunity to apply.

Scott Hildebrand Audio

 

George Kolb has served as Interim City Administrator for Great Bend since October of 2017 and will continue to do so until the selected candidate settles into the position.

Previous administrator Partington got caught up in the community backlash of the suspension of former Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch last summer. Couch claimed acts of misconduct from Partington and former Mayor Mike Allison. The City claimed Couch was suspended because of not following an order from Partington, among other reasons. Couch was reinstated but eventually resigned from the position noting a “target on his back.” Partington stated he was bullied, harassed, and threatened and that the “harassing attacks have been the most difficult challenge I have faced in my life.”

As a Kansas boy in the municipal administration field, Hildebrand noted it was frustrating to see Partington go through the city turmoil last summer.

Scott Hildebrand Audio

In February, the Great Bend City Council moved forward with hiring Slavin Management Consultants to conduct the job search for $15,505 plus travel and office costs.

The candidates will go through formal interviews with the Great Bend City Council Wednesday, June 27 and then be available to the public for two meet-and-greets Thursday, June 28. Both meet-and-greets will be hosted at the Great Bend Events Center with the first one starting at 10:30 a.m. and the second at 4:30 p.m.

The City noted no immediate decision on the selection would be made following the interviews.

After two straight days of rain that was great for the fall crops but not so much for the 2018 wheat crop, farmers are hoping for a few dry days to finish up the wheat harvest in Central Kansas. Great Bend COOP Grain Merchandiser Matt Penka says so far in this area the harvest has been a mix of both good and bad depending on where your fields were.

Matt Penka Audio

Penka expects farmers to be busy the next few days finishing up on this years harvest with favorable cutting conditions expected through Saturday night.

Matt Penka Audio

Monday’s crop condition and progress report from USDA indicated that 52-percent of the wheat crop in Kansas had been harvested which was ahead of the 44-percent cut a year ago and well ahead of the 32-percent five-year average.

When the two B-29 warbirds land in Great Bend in September for Airfest, the wingspans combined will be the length of a football field. The event will mark only the second time in 53 years that two B-29s are flying in formation together, and it is all happening at the Great Bend Municipal Airport.

Airport Manager Martin Miller says the three-day event will include over 30 aircraft and a ceremony to honor all veterans.

Martin Miller Audio

There will be four airshows with one on September 28, two on September 29, and one on September 30.

Miller says there is a lot of history at the Airport already, which will be celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the Great Bend Army Airfield.

Martin Miller Audio

Miller notes there will be a shuttle service available for people to get from their parked vehicle to the runway.

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

Are some of your tomatoes showing a sunken, brown leathery patch on the bottom of the fruit? If so, you probably have what is called blossom-end rot. Appearing most frequently on tomatoes, blossom-end rot can also affect peppers, squash and even watermelons.

Though not a disease, this condition is caused by a deficiency of calcium during the formation of the fruit. And, as a calcium deficiency, it is often assumed that this is due to a corresponding lack of that element in the soil. This is not necessarily the case, especially in this part of Kansas. That is because our Kansas soils are mostly derived from limestone, which is partially made up of calcium. So, what causes blossom-end rot?

Actually, there are a number of possible causes, especially on tomatoes. Some of these causes are listed here below:

1) Tomato tops often outgrow the root system during cooler spring weather. As long as it is cool, the root system can keep up with this growth. But when the weather gets hot and dry, the plant becomes stressed, sending water — which contains calcium—to the leaves, bypassing the fruit. The plant eventually responds with new root growth and the condition corrects itself after a couple of weeks.

2) Heavy fertilization, especially with ammonium forms of nitrogen, can encourage this condition. Heavy fertilization encourages more top than root growth and the ammonium form of nitrogen competes with calcium for uptake. If blossom-end rot has been a perpetual problem with your tomatoes, try using calcium nitrate (15-0-0) when fertilizing.

3) Anything that disturbs roots such as hoeing too deep can encourage blossom-end rot. Mulching helps because it keeps the soil surface cooler and therefore a better environmental condition for root growth.

4) Inconsistent watering can be a factor also. Keep the soil moist, but not water logged. Mulching can help by moderating moisture levels over time. You should also avoid doing any damage to the roots as well as watch the type and amount of fertilization you apply. Soils with adequate calcium will not benefit from adding additional calcium. However, if your soil is deficient in this nutrient, add 1pound of gypsum per 100 square feet. Gypsum is calcium sulfate and will not affect pH, (though calcium tends to raise pH, sulfate lowers it and the two cancel each other out). Even if calcium is not needed, the gypsum will not hurt anything. It has also been observed that spraying plants with calcium has no effect in preventing blossom-end rot. The fruit’s waxy surface doesn't allow absorption of the material, nor does calcium move from the leaves to the fruit.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is optimistic that the U.S. Senate will pass a new farm bill by the end of the week. Moran said Wednesday that the Senate is finalizing the final details of the new document.

Jerry Moran Audio

Moran says the bill that came out of committee has very few contentious issues and says Wednesday and Thursday will be spent on amendment votes.

Jerry Moran Audio

The Senate version of the farm bill could set up a clash over food stamp reform with President Trump and House Republicans. While the House and Senate bills overlap in many areas, they differ considerably on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (SNAP) otherwise known as food stamps.

Moran says he expects the bill to pass the Senate. From there it will end up in a conference with the House version and lawmakers from the two chambers will have to work out a compromise.