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Editor’s Note — The first installment of 2019 — The Year in Review appeared January. This second installment will be followed in a future edition with more stories from this past year.

April

Sixty years of quality

50 in-person bids are taken Monday afternoon during the 60th annual Green Garden Angus production sale at the farm south of Lorraine. Other bids were taken on the internet from across the United States.

Enthusiasm is key for Ellsworth County Democratic leadership

When Ron and Pat Svaty returned to their hometown of Ellsworth in 1968, the local Democratic Party was a visible part of the community.

Pat Svaty remembers the fundraisers every St. Patrick’s Day. And the watch parties. And later the annual get-togethers at the Adolph and Lila Vopat farm the Saturday morning of Wilson’s After Harvest Czech Festival. There was also a Democratic women’s organization.

Is trade deal with China close to done?

First District Congressman Roger Marshall delivered potentially good news to Kansas farmers Saturday morning during a legislative coffee at the Ellsworth Antique Mall.

School officials consider change in hours at KMS

Members of the Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo USD 327 School Board expect to decide at their May meeting whether the district will change the schedule at Kanopolis Middle School, starting with the 2019-20 school year.

Meanwhile, officials are seeking input from district patrons on the possible change.

From school finance to Medicaid expansion

Fifteen people gathered at Grandma’s Soda Shop in Wilson Saturday morning for an update on activities at the state legislature from two local lawmakers, 108th District Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria, and 109th District Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill.

Johnson also spoke and answered questions for more than a hour at the Ellsworth Antique Mall. About 50, including government students at Ellsworth High School, attended the Ellsworth session.

Hand works to empower women

Anna Hand, 25, an Ellsworth High School graduate who attends engineering school at Fort Hays State University, was a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March. The commission has met yearly since 1946 at UN headquarters in New York City to debate global standards on gender equity and women’s empowerment.

Looking to the Future

Sixty-four patrons of the Central Plains USD 112 school district spent a little over two hours April 11 working on long range planning recommendations for the district.

The result was a set of common themes that will be presented to the board for consideration.

Back on Track

Wilson students celebrate the dedication of their school’s renovated field and track Wednesday, April 10, with Scott Grauer of Wilson Communications and other supporters. Teams from across the area participated in the junior high track meet, the first in Wilson in more than two decades. The meet and dedication were originally planned for April 11; however, the event was moved up a day because of weather concerns.

Childcare center faces a more secure future

Four months can make a huge difference and in the case of the Ellsworth Childcare and Learning Center, it’s all for the better. Directors made the center’s problems public late last year after director Stephanie Roehrman was charged with three counts of theft.

Wire can’t stop inmates from seeking Pals on the Internet

Simply key in the words “inmate online dating,” and there’s no shortage of websites dedicated to pairing up prisoners with individuals on the outside. While some sites describe themselves as prison pen-pal services, others focus on matching up members with inmates in the hopes of developing serious friendships and relationships.

Building to start on rentals

Overcast skies and a stiff north wind didn’t dampen spirits Monday morning as Joiner Construction of Ellinwood broke ground on its Kansas Housing Resource Corporation Moderate Housing project along Prairie Lane west of the First Bank Kansas building in Ellsworth.

May

Docs to take up slack

The Ellsworth County Medical Center faces the same issues as other hospitals — including a shortage of physicians.

To ease the problem, the center’s chief executive officer Andrew Bair has announced the addition of contract doctors for a few months.

Music. Music. And more music

The first Midwest Underground Music Fest attracted about 350 music lovers Saturday to the hills north of Ellsworth for an all-day celebration of music and the Kansas performers who provide it.

CPMS in Bushton targeted for closure

After months of speculation and discussion, the Central Plains USD 112 board of education finally targeted Central Plains Middle School in Bushton for closure.

Drovers receives major state grant

For the second time in its 20-year history, the National Drovers Hall of Fame has received a major state grant to help restore downtown Ellsworth’s signature Insurance Building.

STEM class introduces students to the future of work

In January, the high school launched its firstever robotics class.

Like other school districts across Kansas and much of the nation, science, technology, engineering and math, otherwise known as STEM, based classes are being added to school curriculums.

City talks runways and ballfields

Ellsworth has not received official word yet; however, city administrator Scott Moore fielded a telephone call Friday from the office of First District Congressman Roger Marshall.

According to the representative, the Ellsworth Municipal Airport will get a new runway and taxiway and they will be fully funded by the federal government.

Otherwise, the city would have been responsible for 10 percent — or $900,000 — of the $9.1 million project.

Town to rock restored depot

For several years, volunteers have worked to restore the old frame building that stands in the shadow of the concrete grain bins of the Ellsworth Coop.

Their efforts will be on display Sunday, May 26, at Pickin’ at the Depot, an afternoon and evening event to raise money for the local landmark.

Ellsworth journalism students shine at State

The Ellsworth Junior/ Senior High School student publications department came away from the annual Kansas Scholastic Press Association’s State Journalism contest Saturday, May 4, in Lawrence with seven placings and a third place showing in the 2A sweepstakes competition.

Run for Soul and Car Show planned June 1 at Ellsworth

When the Run for the Soul Motorcycle Run rumbled out on June 20, 2000, it was an opportunity for Greg Garringer to see his vision beginning to come true.

Two years earlier, Garringer, a chaplain at Ellsworth Correctional Facility, and prison warden Ray Roberts wanted to build a Spiritual Life Center smack in the middle of the grounds. But there were obstacles standing in their way. The biggest of those was the estimated $1.2 million price tag to build the facility.

While individuals like former chaplain Herbie Harris hustled, drumming up donations, Garringer considered other ways to raise money. It wasn’t long after a conversation with LeeRoy Charvat, a member of a local Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter, that plans for a poker run started coming together.

Ellsworth seniors celebrate graduation milestone

Sydney Wilson, president of the 38-member Ellsworth Junior-Senior High School Class of 2019, set a tone of thanksgiving Sunday, during the annual graduation ceremony in the school gym, as she looked back on the educational journey the class took to reach their special day.

Former Ellsworth resident prepares for Honor Flight

After what seems like more than a lifetime of waiting, Ron Hicks is finally getting his wish.

And he couldn’t be more excited.

Later this month, Hicks will board an airplane and fly to Washington D.C. courtesy of the Kansas Honor Flight organization. And for the first time, he’ll be able to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and touch the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.

Water, water everywhere

Severe weather and repeated rounds of heavy rain on already saturated ground have caused minor flooding throughout Ellsworth County.

Memorial Day observances are about remembering

Veterans and their families gathered at cemeteries throughout Ellsworth County and the surrounding area Memorial Day Monday to remember those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country’s freedom.

Memorial Day observances at Ellsworth and Wilson each focused on its history and the reason for the celebration.

Future of CP Middle School on June agenda

A three-hour public hearing May 21 at Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood, ended with the Central Plains USD 112 board of education delaying a vote on the future of Central Plains Middle School in Bushton until the June 10 regular board meeting at Wilson School.

June

The Flood of 2019

Kanopolis Lake crested late Sunday afternoon at 33 feet above normal; however, predicted rains throughout this week could cause the water to rise again, Dan Hays with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.

With the exception of the Corps-operated Riverside Park below the dam, Kanopolis Reservoir continues to be closed.

This is the third-worst high water event in the history of the state’s oldest reservoir, Hays said. Only 1951 and 1993 saw higher levels.

Cancer fund here to help

Along with fundraisers, team competitions and games, musician Kristie Stremel will perform live music during the event. A luminary ceremony will take place at dusk, followed by drawings for prizes and the announcement of the individual and group triathlon competition winners.

USD 112 board votes to close CPMS

By a vote of 5 to 2, the Central Plains USD 112 board of education voted Monday to close Central Plains Middle School in Bushton beginning with the 2019-20 school year.

Making homes affordable

When the NCK Home Ownership Program was launched a little more than a year ago in Cloud and Mitchell counties, homes started selling. Within 10 months, 26 homes — 16 in Mitchell and 10 in Cloud — had new owners who used the program.

In all, $3.2 million in properties sold. Of that amount, $261,000 was provided by NCK.

House on the Prairie

It may be one of the more unusual jobs Ellsworth contractor Ralph Doubrava has accepted in a career that spans more than three decades.

For a little more than a year — through the heat of summer and the cold of winter — he drove the dozen or so miles from his home to eight cleared lots in the village of Carneiro to build Gretchen Griffith’s house from the ground up.

Entrepreneurs welcome

Officials from NetWork Kansas were in Ellsworth this past week to welcome Ellsworth County to a program aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with financing.

State green lights housing

Ground is set to be broken later this year on 12 rental houses in Ellsworth and two in Kanopolis as part of a tax credit package recently approved by the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation.

Night of Hope

A decade of helping Ellsworth County cancer patients was celebrated Friday as survivors, team members and the public gathered at Ellsworth Junior-Senior High School’s Shanelec football field for the Ellsworth County Cancer Fund’s 10th annual Triathlon.

Blast Off! Skies to light up June 29 over Ellsworth

Ellsworth is marking the Fourth of July in a big way this year with a day full of fun, and a night filled with fireworks, during the annual Star-Spangled Splash & Blast celebration.

Girls and Boys of Summer

Each summer, the Ellsworth County Independent Reporter publishes photos of the summer recreation ball teams. Watch for more teams in future editions.

July

Kanopolis ready for Fort Harker party With only days to go until the

With only days to go until the Fort Harker Days celebration kicks off July 12-13, Joye Neuman is buzzing about, making final preparations for the community’s biggest event of the year.

Changing of the ECF Guard When Todd Britton started

When Todd Britton started working for the Kansas Department of Corrections, Ellsworth Correctional Facility was just being constructed.

It was 1988, and the chances of finding gainful employment in Ellsworth were slim. Not too long before, the city had lost 750 manufacturing jobs to Mexico.

But — as luck would have it — not only did Britton find a job at the new correctional facility. More than 30 years later, he still works there — at least for a little longer. Britton plans to retire.