News

WILSON — A request for annual chip seal work was approved at Monday’s meeting of the Wilson City Council.The council approved a bid from Vance Brothers (formerly Circle C) in an amount not to exceed $138,000.

SALINA — Kiley Barnett, 39, Kanopolis, appeared in Saline County District Court March 25 for a review hearing. She was allegedly involved in a fatal crash resulting in a motorcyclist being killed on a rural Saline County road.

Further raising of water and sewer rates was once again discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth City Council.Interim City Administrator Allen Dinkel reminded the council they adjusted both rates in 2025 — the first time since 2019.

KANOPOLIS — Less than 10 minutes into the March 20 special meeting, the Kanopolis City Council entered executive session for 30 minutes to discuss nonelected personnel.Upon exiting the session, employee payment was addressed.

SALINA — Following a full-day evidentiary preliminary hearing in Saline County District Court March 10, Kayla Errebo, 33, Lorraine, who faces multiple charges in connection with a fatal crash that took place Aug. 8 in Saline County, received the judge’s ruling on the morning of March 11.

KANOPOLIS — Line-by-line, city council Member Theresa Kyler reviewed a portion of the city employee handbook with fellow council members during the March 10 meeting.“I’ve got a lot of questions,” she said.With two recent hires, employee evaluations topped Kyler’s list of questions.

WILSON — The USD 112 Central Plains Board of Education met for its regular monthly meeting March 9. The meeting began with passionate comments from community members following the board’s special meeting Feb. 23 in Claflin, where the board voted 5-1 to close Wilson Elementary School.

Ellsworth Jr./Sr.High School eighth grade student Willa Finnegan correctly spelling the word “varnish” to win the 2026 Ellsworth County Spelling Bee Feb. 25 in the school’s Performing Arts Center.First place is a familiar spot for Finnegan, since she won the same bee in 2025.

At Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission, Greg Heller of the Fort Harker Guardhouse Museum Complex, Kanopolis, said a film crew will be in Kanopolis March 14 to shoot a movie.Heller said the movie is called “Under the Painted Sky,” and is set in the Fort Dodge area of 1874.

Career and Technical Education classes at Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High School take many forms, from IT to agricultural to shop to culinary and more. For people not familiar with the concept, they may seem like fluff classes, but instead, they are real-life stepping stones to career success.