Barton County is now home to a series of murals created with the purpose of interaction. Featured near main roadways in Claflin, Ellinwood and Hoisington, the murals share a common theme and message, inviting all who pass by to “Rise Above.” They also make awesome photo backgrounds. Early in 2021, the Barton Arts Movement received a $5,000 grant from Central Kansas Partnership and Rise Above Central Kansas for a public art installation on the topic of “resiliency.” “The positive message in these murals acknowledges the real challenges of everyday life, while still encouraging those who pass by to hope, dream, support each other, and persevere,” said Andrea Bauer, cochair of the Barton Arts Movement.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Janeth Vasquez’s journey is a common story in southwest Kansas. Her parents immigrated to Kansas from Mexico in the 1980s, seeking a better life for their baby daughter in the growing Hispanic community that rose up around Liberal’s meatpacking plant. But what Vasquez accomplished when she became the first Latina ever elected to office in Kansas’ most Hispanic city was anything but common. “I feel like there’s no representation for us,” Vasquez said. “Latinos account for the largest portion of our population. … But at the end of the day, the largest demographic of people that have the power in town are not the Hispanics.”
Source: GC Telegram

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday that Pittsburg is one of six cities that will benefit from a grant of more than $1.4 million to replace 16 diesel, long-haul freight trucks with 16 low-nitrogen oxide, compressed natural gas (CNG) freight trucks. The grant of $1,457,181 was awarded to the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) in Kansas City, Missouri, from the 2021 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants program. Other than Pittsburg, MEC’s project cities include Kansas City, Salina and Topeka in Kansas, along with Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. Besides replacing the diesel trucks, the funding will also allow MEC to conduct a rebate program to replace two to four diesel transit buses or off-road diesel cargo handlers with electric models.
Source: Morning Sun

There is a controversy about how Dodge City was named. Three people with the surname “Dodge” have been part of this argument. The debate about the name “Fort Dodge” involves two men. The third person only figures into the name of our town.
Source: Dodge Globe