News

The Ellsworth Fire Department is on the scene of a semi with hay bales on fire, located in front of Ampride and El A de Oros on the frontage road. The frontage road is closed to traffic.

By Mark Gardner

When the sirens sound in Ellsworth what is your first thought — tornado or nuclear war? The City of Ellsworth installed sirens more than 60 years ago for the sole purpose of warning citizens of a nuclear attack during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. Three weeks ago, the sirens — now used for tornadoes and less threatening activities — malfunctioned over and over again and it was several days before officials found the problem. Outdated circuit boards and aged faulty equipment were discovered when the city hired a Missouri company to inspect the sirens.

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING

As a high school student in the Kansas City area, Eva Wallert always thought “it would be so cool” to either host a foreign exchange student or to be one herself. Years later, her wish came true — perhaps more than even she could have imagined.

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An hour-long tour Monday afternoon of private industry operations and the Spiritual Life Center at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility left Congressman Roger Marshall almost speechless. “I’m excited to see the passion the warden and his staff have about people,” Marshall said. “This is not the prison I remember growing up seeing pictures of.”

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A tour group from Minneapolis, Minn. toured the Hanson-Lindfors mansion and headed downtown to tour the Kansas Motorcycle Museum.

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Central Plains senior Jayda Whiterock and her date Wesley Schwab, a junior from Nickerson, share a laugh during the promenade Saturday at the CPHS prom in Claflin.

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING

Laura Ensey has long wanted the opportunity to own and operate her own pharmacy. She found it in Ellsworth.

This month, ownership of downtown Ellsworth’s historic Seitz Drug Company shifted from Terry and Agnes Kepka to B&K Prescription Shop of Salina. Ensey will manage the business with the goal of becoming a partner in another year.

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By Mark Gardner

Members of the Ellsworth City Council Monday night discussed the possibility of a bond issue — probably in the neighborhood of $2 million — to pay for improvements to the city’s water and sewer systems.

A bond issue, if approved, would be spread over 10 years or more to ease the increases in water and sewer rates that would be needed to support the improvements. City administrator Scott Moore was expected to present more information to the council at its April 24 meeting.

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By Mark Gardner

Monday’s Ellsworth County Commission meeting ended with a guided tour of the Ellsworth County Jail with Sheriff Murray Marston.

After only a little more than two weeks of contractors working to rid the basement of black mold, major improvements have started to take shape. Most of the trash has been removed and most — if not all — areas of the jail are expected to be mold-free by the weekend.

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By Jennifer McDaniel

Just as Marquette State Bank continued building capital in its early years, bank officials considered the notion of offering customers an added layer of protection for safeguarding their investments.

Chartered in November 1892, the financial institution expanded quickly, growing from a few thousand dollars at its birth to nearly $170,000 within two decades.

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