News

The March 20 meeting of the Ellsworth County Medical Center board of directors featured an answer to the age-old question many hospital patients often have — why does it take so long to get my bill?

Preston Sauers, director of business operations, said it has to do with the complexity of the hospital’s revenue cycle — the process of turning what the clinicians do into cash for the hospital.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

Yes. It’s spring. A time of renewal and rebirth. It’s also that time of year when homeowners — including those in the city of Ellsworth — give their homes a good, thorough spring cleaning, and that often means clearing the clutter that’s built up over time.

But while wading through those precious treasures, the idea of how to get rid of them seems a little daunting.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

School finance. Tax windfalls. KPERS. Budget allotments for the Kansas Department of Corrections and other state services.

These and other issues are expected to be discussed Saturday, April 6, at Legislative coffees in Wilson and Ellsworth with Sen. Richard Wilborn, R-McPherson, and Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

It’s been a long, cold winter colored by grey, overcast days broken up by fleeting moments of sunshine.

With winter days waning, most people are already over it, and have been for a while now. But at least in the short-term, it doesn’t appear Ellsworth will be warming up anytime soon.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

‘I don’t want to be poor all my life’

Hunter Defenbaugh loves working in prison.

Five nights a week, the 19-year-old corrections officer works overnight shifts in the infirmary at El Dorado Correctional Facility 30 miles northeast of Wichita. He checks on sick inmates, gives them blankets, calls nurses for help.

Defenbaugh likes the job, he says, because he likes helping people. It beats his old gigs flipping burgers at McDonald’s or ringing up customers at Walmart.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

The Marquette Learning Center celebrated Dr. Seuss’s (a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel’s) birthday Friday, March 1, a day early, with a pajama day and reading. Dr. Seuss was a huge advocate of the importance of reading to and with children. His birthday, March 2, is celebrated by many schools and children’s facilities with extra books and reading time, along with special activities that stress the fun and importance of reading.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

AKanopolis-based cattle company is again asking state health officials to reissue a modified permit request to expand its facility.

In November 2018, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment temporarily rejected a similar request from Ed Schneider with 4S Feeders. Because the permit was considered pending, a revised request was submitted late last year.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

The past year in Ellsworth County was “very mild,” according to Keith Haberer, emergency management director for Ellsworth and Russell counties.

Will 2019 follow the same pattern?

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

The U.S. Department of State has selected Kendra Staley of the International English Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, for a twoweek English Language Specialist project focusing on teacher-training in Turkmenistan at the National Institute of Education.

Staley, a 2000 graduate of Ellsworth High School, is part of a select group, as one of about 80 U.S. citizens each year selected to serve on an English Language Specialist assignment.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/

From Farm to School

When the Farm-to-Table movement started in upscale eateries a few years ago, the idea connected restaurant guests with the source of the locally grown ingredients making up their daily menus.

The concept not only promoted locally and regionally grown products, but celebrated the quality found in fresh, unadulterated foods.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Ellsworth%20County%20Independent%20ReporterID559/