John and Tammy Sturn live in Ellinwood but can often be found in The Slammer in Lyons. The Slammer (thericecountyslammer.com), located in the Historic Rice County Jail, offers an escape room, historic tour, cellblock venue, a murder mystery dinner and overnight accommodations. “It’s cool. It has been a retirement business that helps preserve an historic building,” John Sturn said. John noted that when the building was the county jail, the sheriff and his wife lived downstairs. Chris McCord bought the building in 2020 with the idea of turning it into an Airbnb-type venue. The escape room opened after Thanksgiving in 2021. [...]

Maggie Harris has worked at Barton Community College for over 12 years but is fairly new to her role as its chief communications officer, a job she stepped into last September. Born and raised in Dodge City, she attended Sacred Heart Catholic School, Dodge City High school and Dodge City Community College before attending Washburn University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass media and public relations. “I was recruited to a position in the Admissions Office at Barton Community College as an admissions representative and fell in love with the community at Barton College and the Barton County area,” she said. [...]

New Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson told the City Council Monday night that he had its update prepared for the meeting, but “obviously my report changed quite a bit at about 6:30 yesterday.” He was of course referring to the supercell thunderstorm that roared through the community late Sunday afternoon and into the evening, leaving extensive damage in its wake. “I was so impressed with our community,” he said. Source: Great Bend Tribune

A hearing is scheduled to begin next week in Wichita District Court, allowing a non-profit Central Kansas water advocacy group to present additional evidence why it opposes a plan by the cities of Hays and Russell to implement a water transfer from a location in Edwards County to Ellis County in the Smoky Hill river basin. The evidentiary hearing, set to begin July 19, results from a remand order by the Kansas Supreme Court in June that places the challenge issued by the Water Protection Association of Central Kansas back within the confines of the district court to consider supplemental additions [...]

As a show of support to local participating businesses, the City of Ellinwood agreed on Tuesday to pick up half the tab for future recycling services to the community.  At Tuesday’s meeting of the Ellinwood City Council, Shelby Zuniga, executive director of Sunflower Diversified Services in Great Bend, told council members present that their organization had experienced increased costs over the past few years, resulting in the development of a direct-pay rate structure for participating businesses in the area.  “We started to charge a fee in Great Bend in the middle of 2021,” Zuniga said. “We’ve had to increase the rates.” [...]

Two representatives from the Kansas State Department of Education met with patrons of USD 112 Central Plains on June 27 to answer questions about the upcoming Aug. 1 vote. The vote will give patrons of the district the option to disorganize with a “yes” vote or remain the same with a “no” vote. “I’m not here to convince you how to vote,” said Scott Gordon, general counsel for KSDE. “I want you to know what will happen afterward. “You may have heard rumors or information from people who say they’re on the inside. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Nobody [...]

Water issues dominated agenda discussion at the Larned City Council’s meeting Monday. In the first item of new business, the council approved the establishment of a Water Rights Task Force followed up with the purchase of a new rotary fan press filtration unit for the city’s wastewater plant. City Manager Brad Eilts told the council that the statutory window was closing on the city’s ability to secure water rights for the community based on peak usage. For the past four decades, the city has operated under an unsecured water right to consume 601.2 million gallons annually. By state statute, a community [...]

Recently hired new Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson took his seat in the City Council Chamber for the first time Monday night. “We’ll start off and welcome Brandon here,” said Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns, who has been filling in as interim city administrator. “We’re very happy he’s here, and we’re looking forward to the many things that he’s going to be able to help us accomplish.” Anderson, who was hired in May, officially began his duties in Great Bend on June 30. ... A Caney, Kansas, native, Anderson is a 1995 Kansas State University graduate who has served as [...]

To help folks find their way around town, the Great Bend City Council Monday night gave its nod to the installation of new city way-finding signs. The bid went to Mark’s Custom Signs of Great Bend for $44,950 for 15 markers. “One of the city’s Strategic Plan goals was to replace all the way-finding signs in town so that they look cohesive with our welcome signs and create inviting directional signage to the points of interest and city locations,” said Christina Hayes, Convention and Visitors Bureau director and community coordinator. Source: Great Bend Tribune

A bridge on East Barton County Road crossing Walnut Creek that was built about a 100 years ago will be replaced after the County Commission Wednesday morning approved the project. “It’s one that we’ve been in discussions with for quite a few years wanting to get it replaced because it’s a narrow bridge, 19 feet wide,” said County  Engineer Barry McManaman. “Farm equipment has some trouble getting through, in fact, they can’t get through there.” Source: Great Bend Tribune