Eric Allen Daily News 2/22
Garden City Soldier Surprises Children, Part 1
Garden City Soldier Surprises Children, Part 2
Garden City Soldier Surprises Children, Part 3
Can-Can Dancers Needed in Dodge City

By Julius White

February 21

If you have ever had ambitions to be an entertainer, here’s your opportunity. The Long Branch Variety Show at the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City will hold auditions March 24 and March 31 for the upcoming season. Show Director Doug Austen will be casting for Can-Can dancers, singing bartenders, piano players and other comedy and musical specialty acts. The Long Branch Variety Show will open for its 55th season May 26th. For more information call…620-227-8188.

USD 457 School Board Meeting Recap 2/21
GCPD Update 2/21
Veterans Tuition Bill Moves Forward in Kansas

By the Associated Press

February 21

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas House committee has approved a bill allowing all military veterans to pay the lower tuition rates at state universities normally reserved for Kansas residents. The tuition break already applies to veterans who live in Kansas for two years during their military service and establish a home in the state within 30 days of leaving the military. Veterans save about $4 million in tuition costs a year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the measure endorsed Monday by the House Education Budget Committee extends the in-state tuition break to all veterans. The bill goes next to the House Appropriations Committee for review.

GCCC Update 2/20 (Allied Health)
U.S. Air Force in Western Kansas
Kansas Headlines 2/22
By the Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A Topeka man was sentenced to more than 55 years in prison for the 2010 shooting of another man during a crime spree. Forty-four-year-old Stephen Macomber was convicted of second-degree intentional murder for the death of 26-year-old Ryan Lofton.
     
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - A Manhattan man pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge for the death of a man whose body was found along a dirt road last December. Nineteen-year-old Michael Layne is accused of killing 31-year-old Steve Freel. He's also charged with robbery, burglary and kidnapping.
     
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas House members voted against doubling the fee for registering boats that are used in state parks. Critics said increasing the fees to $60 was too expensive and gave an administrative agency too much power.
     
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas House is preparing to debate Secretary of State Kris Kobach's bill that would require some potential voters to prove they're U.S. citizens before casting ballots in this year's presidential election. The legislation would impose the proof-of-citizenship requirement on June 15th, more than six months ahead of schedule. It would apply to people who registering to vote for the first time in Kansas.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters Update 2/22
USD 457 School Board Hears iPad Proposal

By Eric Allen

February 21

A proposal to put an iPad in the hands of every high school student in Garden City. At this week's school board meeting for USD 457, members were presented with details on a 1-to-1 initiative put forth, and recommended, by a group of administrators and teachers in the district. It's a proposal two years in development locally, with smaller pilot programs being tested in several classrooms.

Presenters outlined a number of advantages to the plan, such as student-controlled learning guided by teachers, a closing of the digital divide between those with access and those without, fewer textbook purchases and less paper, and engaged learning. They also said the iPad initiative was supported by 84% of the teachers in the high school. 


The discussion continued after the presentation with a number of questions from board members, talking with the group about potential concerns with content management on each iPad, equal access to wireless Internet in the community, and cost. The first year purchases of iPads and accessories would amount to $1,042,937.64. The second year would be $452,577.14. The third year would be $349,600.00.


The district and school board now seek public feedback on the proposed initiative. The board will vote on the proposal April 2.

Kansas Ag Secretary Addresses Farmers

By Julius White

February 21

At a gathering of some 400 farmers at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman affirmed the state’s commitment to helping them succeed. At one point, Rodman told the crowd…”we’re here for you.” 

Rodman said his number one focus is to take care of the farmers--whom he referred to as his department’s customers--and help bring more agriculture business to the state. But the speech wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Rodman acknowledged hurdles such as shortages in farm labor, called for more agricultural education, and said legislative repeals of old statutes and regulations would make his department more efficient and effective.

KDOT SWKS Update 2/16
Dodge City Traffic Advisory

By Julius White

February 20

Beginning Wednesday, Dodge City drivers should be prepared for traffic slowdowns, as the northbound Lane of N. Fourteenth Avenue, between Ross Blvd. and Iron Rd., will be closed. However, city officials say the inside lane will stay open for northbound traffic, and the outside lane will be used for equipment installing a gravity line to the water reclamation facility.

The construction is expected to last until March 14.

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Garden City Commission Meeting Recap 2/22
Finney County United Way Update 2/22
2012 International Pancake Day Race in Liberal
Pancake Day Goes England's Way

By Eric Allen

February 21

Shrove Tuesday was all sunshine in Liberal, but the ideal weather conditions didn't set the scene for a repeat title defense in the International Pancake Day Race with Olney, England. In the end, teenagers set the top times this year for both towns, but it was the British runner who won back the title for Olney, for the first time since 2006.

15 runners signed up for the Liberal race, ranging in age from 18 to 49: mothers, daughters, students. To compete, per tradition, the women must flip the pancake in the pan at the start of the race, dash the length of the race, and flip the pancake again at the end of the race to prove they still have it.

At the finish line, dignitaries joined hundreds of fans to see the results this year.

In the end, 19-year-old Kaela Krueger, a first-time racer, won the Liberal race with a time of 68.6 seconds.

But rival town Olney, England had the last laugh this year, as former Mayor of Olney, Mike Hughes, announced the British time this year: 58.5 seconds from 18-year-old Devon Byrne.

This is the first Pancake Day victory for Olney in six years. Liberal still leads in total wins, 36-26 over the years.