News

Ellis County is opening its first winter shelter this year at Hays First Baptist Church. The Ellis County Ministerial Alliance will operate the shelter, which will open when the temperature drops to 20 degrees or lower and when there is a need, including for stranded travelers. The Ellis County Ministerial Alliance is recruiting volunteers to run the shelter. The first meeting is Sept. 10 at the Hays First Baptist Church. Source: KSN-TV

USD 428 in Great Bend has secured a $15,000 grant that will help homeless students in the school district. The money comes from the McKinney-Vento Homeless grant, which Director of Teaching and Learning JoAnn Blevins helped secure for the school district. The McKinney-Vento grant comes from the U.S. Department of Education. Its purpose is to remove barriers from unhoused children and youth so everyone has equal access to free and public education “We applied for the max amount that we could apply for, which was $15,000, and so that’s what I applied for, and that’s what we were lucky enough to [...]

The recovery community has built a sturdy foundation throughout the state, and a western Kansas mental health facility is seeing that addressing both mental health and addiction simultaneously in young people can help prevent future battles. Compass Behavioral Health in Dodge City is utilizing its employees to help people start their journey. “There was an opening for a peer support specialist, so I was like, you know, I’m going to get into that field and give back to people,” Seth McGinnes, a peer support specialist, said. The facility provides support for mental health and addiction and aims to give young people [...]

Governor Laura Kelly has directed flags to be flown at half-staff throughout Kansas on Wednesday, Sept. 4, in honor of Arkansas City Firefighter Trevor Rusk. Rusk died while off-duty on Aug. 24. However, since it was less than 24 hours since his last shift, it is considered a line-of-duty death. Rusk served the Arkansas City Fire Department since June 5, 2023. The ACFD said a visitation service will be held tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. at First Assembly of God, 3125 N. Summit St., Arkansas City. The memorial service will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 4, at [...]

A local goat who’s been “on the lam” for the last few days, frightening Lawrence drivers and bystanders, was detained by the Lawrence Kansas Police Department (LKPD). On Thursday, the LKPD shared body camera footage of the tussle. The footage shows a goat pinned in an alleyway between two houses. A Lawrence police officer lassos and tackles the goat before returning it to its rightful owner. “It turns out when it comes to lasso skills, we have a GOAT of our own here at LKPD — and not the kind that eats hay,” the LKPD wrote on YouTube. You can watch [...]

On Wednesday, 700 backhoe operators were in Wichita, showing off the skills necessary to do the job. The Backhoe Rodeo tests the skills of equipment operators, and it’s timed and judged on performance. “It just gives the operators a chance to come out and demonstrate their skill or get on a new piece of equipment that might be different from what they’re used to operating at home,” said Dan Defore, the water superintendent for the City of Winfield. This battle is part of a conference for people working in water and wastewater management. “There is education on drought preparedness, and there’s [...]