• Levi Homeier shears a sheep Oct. 24. “We try to shear six weeks before lambing, and we try to give them their pre-lambing shots and get them all vaccinated,” he said. CATHERINE DOUD/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter

    Shearing sheep and sharing farm life

    October 28, 2026 - 06:22 | By Catherine Doud
    WILSON — There’s more to raising sheep than meets the eye.
  • Kali Kootz, who grew up in Wichita, works on her husband’s family farm. Courtesy photos

    Kootz grows rural roots

    October 28, 2026 - 06:22 | By Karen Bonar
    Some county residents are born into the farming life.“I have relatively little background in agriculture,” Kali Kootz said.The rural Kanopolis resident isn’t letting it hold her back, though.She grew up in Wichita and lived in Washington state before returning to Kansas.
  • Makenna Anderson celebrates during the state tennis tournament in Topeka. Anderson and her doubles partner, Reygan Coonrod, placed second. Courtesy photo

    REPEAT!

    October 21, 2026 - 06:22 | By Catherine Doud
    Bearcats successfully defend state titleTOPEKA — With a state title to defend and a target on their backs, the Ellsworth varsity tennis team rose to the challenge.
  • John Kueser, John Donley and Owen Donley sort calves after separating them from their mothers.

    SORTING CATTLE

    October 21, 2026 - 06:22 | By News Staff
  • The Ellsworth varsity girls’ tennis team won regionals for the fourth consecutive year and will move on to state this weekend. JENNA ZAMRZLA/Courtesy photo

    Tennis team qualifies for state

    October 14, 2026 - 06:22 | By Catherine Doud
    Girls’ tennis team wins regionals for 4th consecutive year; entire team advances to stateThe Ellsworth varsity tennis team advances to compete at state after the team won the regional meet Oct. 9-10 at home.“This is the fourth consecutive year that the girls’ tennis team has won their regional and...

    Editor's Pick

    Dr. Laurel Davis, Janelle Robson and Kelvi Place worked together to write the book “Surviving the Silence: A Meet-You-at-the-Front-Door Approach to Surviving Stillbirth and Miscarriage.” The friends published the book in December 2025. Courtesy photo

    Women break the silence about infant loss with book

    7 hours ago By Karen Bonar
    Statistically, one in four women will experience a pregnancy loss.Instead of choosing to be silent about their loss, three Ellsworth women joined together, in secret at first, to tell their stories.“For 22 months, we’d been working on this secret “book club” project,” Janelle Robson said.

    Kanopolis discusses recent email hack

    1 week ago By Karen Bonar
    KANOPOLIS — City council discussed a recent hacking incident during the Oct. 13 Kanopolis City Council meeting.“We got hacked — our email account,” Mayor Tom Wilkinson said. “It’s a bit of a mess.

    News

    County explores options to move forward with sales tax

    7 hours ago By Alan Rusch
    At Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission, an update on the proposed interlocal agreement between the county and each community in the county regarding a .25 percent sales tax was briefly discussed.County Clerk Shelly Vopat said all but one city in the county, Wilson, had approved to...

    Ellsworth sales tax on ballot

    1 week ago By Alan Rusch
    When they come to the polls Nov. 3, eligible voters in the City of Ellsworth will be asked to invest in their community. Specifically, they will decide whether to approve a proposed .25 percent sales tax increase.If approved, that sales tax would raise an estimated $1.2 million over 10 years.

    Obituaries

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    Willis J. McClure

    3 weeks ago By News Staff
    (1950-2026)Willis J. McClure, 76, of Ellsworth, Kan., passed away on his birthday, Sept. 19, 2026, at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita, Kan. He was born Sept. 19, 1950, in Kansas City, Kan., the son of Willis Stephen McClure and Blanche Lucille Adams McClure.
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    Diane M. Krupp

    3 weeks ago By News Staff
    (1944-2026)Diane M. Krupp, 82, passed away Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Wichita, Kan. She was born Feb. 22, 1944, in Great Bend, Kan., to Melvin and Angela (Penka) Weers. Diane married John Wayne Krupp in Great Bend on March 27, 1982.

    Sports

    Makenna Anderson celebrates during the state tennis tournament in Topeka. Anderson and her doubles partner, Reygan Coonrod, placed second. Courtesy photo

    REPEAT!

    1 week ago By Catherine Doud
    Bearcats successfully defend state titleTOPEKA — With a state title to defend and a target on their backs, the Ellsworth varsity tennis team rose to the challenge.

    Columns

    Fall brings many changes

    7 hours ago By Ken Cravens
    As the seasons begin to change and fall settles into our Kansas communities, we also find ourselves transitioning from the first quarter into the second quarter of the school year. And what a great start it’s been!

    Extension expertise

    1 week ago By Chuck Voelker
    I am a proud member of our local extension district’s governing board. One of our responsibilities is the annual performance evaluations for our 14 extension professionals.