By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds were created by the Kansas
Legislature in 1999 as a tool for cities and counties to develop major
commercial, entertainment and tourism areas. The City of Great Bend and Great
Bend Economic Development are diving into their first STAR bond to make
improvements at the Great Bend Expo Complex and proposed hotel location on 10th
Street.

<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/5cc321c7-76ae-4893-a1cd-932f0f7df217">RELATED STORY: Great Bend prepping incentives for hotel/restaurant development</a>

The work would include improvements to the SRCA Dragstrip with increased
seating, livestock arena, banquet hall with four multi-purpose courts for
sporting events, amphitheater, improvements to the existing rodeo grounds and
an additional hangar and or restaurant. 

Economic Development Director Sara
Arnberger was confident this project could include <a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/4dc443f9-006f-4511-895a-185b614aa472">resurfacing needed to the
dragstrip</a>, which has been closed the past couple of years because of repairs
needed.

"I can't fully answer the dragstrip question because there are still legal negotiations still happening, but please know we are taking that into consideration as we plan this project," said Arnberger. "We wouldn't be entering into this project if didn't feel like we could accomplish it with the stages that we're at. It is a priority to see the dragstrip running again."

STAR bonds are repaid through the increased sales tax revenue, within a 20-year
period, generated by the development. Arnberger said STAR bonds are an
important tool for communities to attract new visitors while improving the
quality of life for Great Bend residents.


"There are no additional taxes charged to residents with the STAR bond," said Arnberger. "The program allows us to temporarily redirect future sales tax revenue from the development within the district we establish. Existing sales tax will remain unchanged for residents."

There are currently 16 STAR bond projects in the works or completed in Kansas.
With several more steps ahead, a public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21&nbsp;to create a STAR Bond District.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

"This is adding something to Great Bend," said Arnberger. "Something very impactful and positive."

STAR bond: Possible solution to improve dragstrip & Great Bend Expo Complex

- <a href="https://www.bauercomputers.com/">Bauer Computers</a>

- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mayomoneymanagement/">Mayo Money Management</a>

- <a href="https://www.g-btires.com/#:~:text=G-B%20Tires%20has%20been%20offering%20tire%20repair%20services%20and%20quality">GB Tires</a>

- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057397421328">Z's Liquormart</a>

- <a href="https://www.greatbendappliance.com/">Great Bend Appliance Furniture and Sleep Source</a>

- <a href="https://www.boonesmaytag.com/">Boone's Maytag</a>

- <a href="https://www.cornerstonegreatbend.com/">Cornerstone Automotive</a>

- <a href="https://yourstrulyks.com/">Yours Truly</a>

- <a href="https://sutherlands.com/s/great-bend-ks/3702">Sutherlands</a>

- <a href="https://www.nex-tech.com/fiber/great-bend/#:~:text=With%20Nex-Tech%20fiber%20Internet,%20you%E2%80%99ll%20have%20all%20the%20bandwidth%20you">Nex-Tech</a>

- <a href="https://www.nex-techwireless.com/locations/location/great-bend#:~:text=Great%20Bend%20-%20Nex-Tech.%20Hours.%20Monday%20-%20Friday:%208:00%20a.m.">Nex-tech Wireless</a>

- <a href="https://jimloglass.com/contact/">Jimlo Glass Center</a>

- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ruherituals/">Ruhe Rituals</a>

- <a href="http://www.magnadrygb.com">Magna Dry Cleaning Services</a>

- <a href="https://www.millersofclaflin.com/index.html?ns=search&amp;utm_campaign=netsertive&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;nsxk=46269a2706b442bc9b047dd27cc49fc8&amp;msclkid=1e82b055b36f1f6182f3d751aa695747">Millers of Claflin</a>

- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100087373218375">Mattress Solutions</a>

$20K Christmas Cash Giveaway Official Rules

1. Limit One Entry Per Person Per Day Per Sponsor Location.&nbsp; 2. Complete entry form in full. Please Print. Must Be Present To Enter.&nbsp; 3. The $20K Christmas Cash Giveaway promotion is open to all Kansas residents at least 21 years of age except employees of Eagle Communications, Hull Broadcasting, Bauer Computers, Moeder Plumbing, Heating &amp; Air Conditioning, MAYO Money Management and their spouse/companion. Employees of other participating businesses and their families may enter; however, they may not register at their place of employment.&nbsp; 4. Listen to Eagle Radio Stations KVGB FM - B104.3 The Point... 100.7 Eagle Country - KHOK FM... 1590 AM 95.5 FM - KVGB... and Hull Broadcast Station Hits 106.9 - KBGL for details 5. Finalists for this promotion will be qualified from in-store registrations... and during special $20K Christmas Cash Giveaway Instant Finalist Days. Only one finalist per household may qualify. No purchase necessary to win.&nbsp; 6. Prize is non-transferable for any cash value. Winner is responsible for taxes and fees.&nbsp; 7. Signing this entry form allows Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting to use your name, likeness, image, character or voice for promotional purposes.&nbsp; 8. No sponsor or their affiliates assume any liability in connection with this giveaway.&nbsp; 9. Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting reserve the right to disqualify any entry for violation of contest rules. The decision of Eagle Radio of Great Bend and Hull Broadcasting is final.&nbsp;

$20K Christmas Cash Giveaway

Medical Park Pharmacy, Mayo Money Management, Hazmat Response, Protective Equipment Testing Lab, R&amp;R Roofing, Freedom Claims Management, Inc., Rosencrantz-Bemis Water Well Company, Stone Sand Company/Stone Waste Management, Miller Plastics/Miller Warehouse, Nex-Tech Wireless, USD #431 Hoisington, Great Bend Redi Mix, Heavy Duty Diesel &amp; Auto, USD #428 Great Bend

Make a Difference Contest 

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

The Kansas City Chiefs and their 5-0 record and the Royals back in the playoffs are a good indication that October has arrived. As the cooler temperatures move in, Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir again reminds drivers to be aware of deer on the roadways. 

"We get a lot of deer strikes this time of year," he said. "Some of it's because of the harvest. They're harvesting some of the row crops and have a lot of corn and beans. Farmers are out in the field; they're chasing those deer from their habitat."

The annual deer rut usually peaks around mid-November in Kansas, but the mating season can run from late October through mid-December. Most deer strikes occur at dusk or dawn, and the first visual indicator of deer on the road are their reflective eyes. 

"It's been my experience that, if there's one, there's usually a couple more behind them," Bellendir said. "You'll get one across the road, don't be confident that that was the only one because there's probably another one coming someplace."

Common safety tips for drivers include slowing at deer crossing signs or known active areas, avoiding evasive actions that can result in rollover accidents, and wearing seat belts.

In Barton County, any motor vehicle accident with a deer resulting in damages of $1,500 or more must be reported to law enforcement. Law enforcement prefers the accident is reported from the location of the incident. A driver may request a salvage tag but Bellendir advised drivers not to take possession of the deer until a deputy issues the salvage tag.

October means increased deer activity on Central Kansas roads

Grain Belt Express (GBE or GBX) is a controversial project that proposes to transmit electricity from Kansas to Indiana after passing through Missouri and Illinois. It intends to send 5,000 megawatts though high-voltage lines so that Kansas wind power might benefit electric grids in the Northeastern United States. The project, first proposed by Clean Line Energy Partners in 2009, was acquired in 2018 by Invenergy Transmission LLC, a privately-owned company based in Chicago. Invenergy has invoked eminent domain to obtain easements on the property of thousands of Midwestern farmers, homeowners, and businesses.

Eminent domain derives from the “takings clause” of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the government or its delegate may use land for the public good as long as fair compensation is provided. One of the most notable interpretations of the takings clause resulted from the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision titled Kelo vs. City of New London (the basis for the movie Little Pink House.) Susette Kelo purchased what she regarded as her dream home in 1997 in Fort Trumbull, a park in New London, Connecticut. It was a well-kept, close-knit neighborhood.

In 1998, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals built a plant next to Fort Trumbull, and the city of New London decided that the park was a depressed neighborhood in need of economic development. The city wanted to generate revenue when it learned that Pfizer wanted to expand into Susette’s neighborhood. The city therefore invoked eminent domain over Fort Trumbull so that the New London Development Corporation could seize the land for public use. Susette and her neighbors fought hard to keep their homes, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such economic development was in the public good.

It's important to note the opinions of the dissenting justices. Justice Clarence Thomas claimed that the urban renewal project offered “a vague promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue.” Justice Sandra Day O’Conner wrote that “Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carleton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.” The dissent claimed that “The beneficiaries [of the decision] are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.”

Clean Line Energy Partners began GBX, but there were other renewable energy projects on the books, including one to deliver wind power to Oklahoma, Illinois, Arkansas, and Tennessee (Plains and Eastern Clean Line). Clean Line, however, folded for a number of reasons. The Tennessee Valley Authority didn’t want any of the line’s electricity, and the State of Illinois didn’t regard Clean Line as a public utility acting in the public interest and denied the company a certificate of convenience. The Department of Energy therefore terminated its financial support for the line. Most importantly, however, lawmakers in Arkansas viewed Plains and Eastern Clean Line as an obvious abuse of eminent domain. The state had no intention of allowing a Kelo-like scenario to occur in its jurisdiction.

In the aftermath of Kelo vs. City of New London, the Institute for Justice, which had represented Susette

and her neighbors, warned that eminent domain abuse would continue and launched a campaign titled Hands Off My Home. Within five years of the U.S. Supreme Court verdict in 2005, forty-three states enacted legislation to prevent the abuse of eminent domain in the name of economic development, and nine state supreme courts restricted the use of eminent domain for the same reason. Because of these proactive measures, forty-four projects that sought to invoke eminent domain for private gain were shut down.

But why didn’t Kansas legislators or the Kansas Corporation Commission adopt the same tough measures to protect its citizens? On July 1, 2007, the Kansas legislature enacted K.S.A 26-501a, which prohibited the taking of private property by eminent domain for transfer to a private entity. On the same day, K.S.A 26-501b was enacted, an amendment that stipulated that the Kansas legislature could authorize eminent domain for “private economic development purposes.” In essence, Kansas did nothing at all to protect its citizens. The amendment to K.S.A 26-501a allowed Kansas to commit the same abuse as the New London Development Corporation.

As for the Kansas Corporation Commission, they granted the permit for Grain Belt Express because Invenergy was touting job creation for the state and an economic boon of $7 billion to $9 billion for the area. The KCC acted no differently than the city of New London. Eminent domain could be invoked for private economic development and gain at the expense of Kansas landowners regardless of the devastating impact GBX would have on property owners who treasured their homes and land as much as Susette had valued her dream home in Fort Trumbull.

But it’s dubious that any economic windfall will benefit Kansas at all. Invenergy has pledged that construction of the line will result in approximately 8,000 jobs in Kansas, but given that the state’s labor pool would not support this number, the jobs would be allocated to out-of-state residents. The jobs would be temporary, and there are no specifics as to where $7 billion of economic investment would come from. One can hear the echoes of Justice Thomas’s words about “a vague promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue.” But the larger point is that after the Kelo decision, granting eminent domain for private corporate gain should have been off the table in Kansas.

While legislation is occasionally introduced into the Kansas Legislature that would prohibit eminent domain abuse, it always dies in committee. It’s obvious that, while some Kansas lawmakers take the issue seriously, Kansas Legislative leadership doesn’t. One can only speculate as to why these elected individuals do not want to take a stand on seizing land for private economic development, but surely the role of lobbyists cannot be dismissed. Again, one can hear the echoes of the U.S. Supreme Court dissent in 2005, which predicted that people with disproportionate influence and power in the political process will be favored over the average citizen.

K.S.A 26-501b also stipulated that eminent domain could be invoked by a utility. This is not uncommon, but as the State of Illinois stated for both Plains and Eastern Clean Line and Grain Belt Express, these merchant lines with a “transmission utility status” only are not valid utilities operating in the public good. No one is forced to buy energy from a merchant transmission line.

It's disturbing that the KCC cannot see the parallels between GBX and Plains and Eastern Clean Line. Grain Belt Express is running into all the same problems as Plains and Eastern Clean Line — permitting issues, claims of eminent domain abuse, a lack of funding, a lack of customers, and an uncertain future alliance with the Department of Energy. Surely it is madness for the KCC and State Legislators to allow eminent domain to be invoked when the project hangs in limbo. Surely it is eminent domain abuse when land is taken for a project that has remained speculative for over twelve years. And as of now, the Midwest Independent System Operator, or MISO, has not included GBX on its grid because it questions whether GBX can deliver affordable electricity. It is a project with “ever-shifting assumptions and specifications.”

Why is Kansas beholden to a company that is interested in private economic gain rather than the farms and legacies of Kansans? Every Kansas Legislator, state or federal, should be made to answer one simple question: Are you for or against this land grab that constitutes federal overreach and eminent domain abuse?

One might say that Invenergy is the Pfizer of Kansas. It seeks economic benefit at the expense of Kansas landowners — the average person like Susette Kelo who wanted to preserve a simple way of life and hold onto her home. The U.S. Supreme Court dissent got it right: political influence and big corporations are abusing eminent domain. For the record, the Fort Trumbull urban renewal development never materialized. By 2010, Susette Kelo’s neighborhood consisted of vacant lots that generated no tax revenue for the city of New London. After Hurricane Irene hit the area in 2011, the neighborhood was turned into a trash dump for storm debris. Will this be the fate of farmland, homes, and businesses that have been in Kansas for generations? The answer to that question lies in the hands of the KCC and our Legislators.

Tammy Hammond Landowner &amp; Rosewood Services CEO Pawnee Rock, KS

'Letter to the Editor' - Grain Belt Express

The Barton Theatre Department will present a comedic romp through the prose of one of the most recognized literary figures in the world with its production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, with various showtimes from Oct. 17-19 in the Cavanaugh Room in the Barton Library.

General admission tickets are $15 and are available at&nbsp;<a href="https://shows.bartonccc.edu/">shows.bartonccc.edu</a>. Price includes coffee and dessert. Very limited seating available. This show is intended for mature audiences only. For more information, contact Barton Theatre Director Dan Williams at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:williamsd@bartonccc.edu">williamsd@bartonccc.edu</a>&nbsp;or (620) 792-9205.

Barton Theatre to present Shakespeare with a comedic twist

Upon hearing in-depth what the Family Crisis Center offers to its patrons during a Barton County Health Department in-service meeting about a year ago, Misty Trudeau, chief financial officer at the health department, vowed to secure a grant to work alongside the Family Crisis Center. Tuesday morning, Health Department Director Karen Winkelman asked the Barton County Commission to approve a Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant in the amount of $160,956.

"We had wanted to do a project with Family Crisis Center for quite some time," Winkelman said. "This project is to support community-based efforts to develop, operate, and expand initiatives to prevent child abuse and neglect, coordinate resources and activities to support families to reduce the likelihood of childhood abuse and neglect, and to foster understanding and knowledge of diverse populations affected in treating childhood abuse and neglect."

The grant is federally funded and handled through the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund. The Barton County Health Department will serve as a pass-through to get the funds to the Family Crisis Center, and also offer social work support for the project. Crisis Center Executive Director Kylee Graves said parents can already receive childcare support from the Department of Children and Families if they can show proof of employment. Part of the grant will be used to assist parents searching for jobs.

"If you can't find daycare, how you you get a job?," said Graves. "This grant is going to hopefully bridge that gap so we can get parents back into the workforce so they can access the resources that are already out there."

Graves recently hired a new staff member. The grant will also pay for that employee and the social worker from the health department to attend a week-long parenting class through the Conscious Discipline curriculum. That education will be used in outreach programs for area families. The focus of the grant will be to prevent child abuse in children ages 0-5.

Barton Co. Health Department, Family Crisis Center receive $161K joint grant

Corn stunt spiroplasma and its associated vector (corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis) have been recently confirmed in Kansas. Corn stunt spiroplasma has been confirmed in 26 counties. Recent scouting efforts across Kansas confirm active leaf hoppers in many additional counties. Although the majority of the positive reports are from field corn, K-State Plant Pathologist Rodrigo Onofre says we also confirmed corn stunt spiroplasma in sweet corn as well. High levels of disease were found in late-planted and double-cropped corn, leading to potential yield reduction, says Onofre. Symptoms of the disease may include shortened internodes, which can result in a stunted stature of the corn plant as well as leaves with red discoloration. Because other biotic and abiotic factors can cause red or purple discoloration in corn, laboratory testing is important to diagnose corn stunt disease and distinguish it from other stressors.

In the past, corn stunt disease has been limited in distribution to southern Texas, Florida, and California. Corn stunt is caused by a wall-less bacterial pathogen called corn stunt spiroplasma. The corn leafhopper can also transmit additional pathogens, either singly or in combination with the corn stunt spiroplasma. To date, only corn stunt spiroplasma has been detected in Kansas, says Onofre. Additional research is needed to determine the presence of other pathogens vectored by corn leafhopper in Kansas.

This disease is spread only by the corn leafhopper, which was also just confirmed in Kansas. Corn leafhopper acquires pathogens within minutes of feeding on infected corn plants but it can take up to 30 days for the leafhopper to be able to infect healthy corn plants during feeding events. The corn leafhopper is relatively simple to identify under magnification. These leafhoppers are light tan to yellowish-white in color and approximately 1/8” long. Two distinct dark spots between the antennae and eyes are very characteristic of this species. Nymphs lack wings and can vary in color. Like most leafhoppers, all stages move quickly when disturbed and hide in shaded areas of corn plants. All stages can be sampled using a sweep net; a video showing how to sample for corn leafhoppers in mature corn canopies can be found here: https://youtu.be/QgLuWWSwHWU.

Disease testing – Help us track the disease

If you suspect a field has corn stunt, submit a sample to the K-State Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab. The best type of sample for corn stunt testing is living symptomatic leaf tissue.

Dry/senesced corn leaves are not recommended and may lead to inconclusive results. Entire plants are not required to test for this disease, only symptomatic leaves, as only the midrib will be used in testing.

Collection and shipping instructions can be found below:

· Collect and ship samples on or before Wednesday to avoid weekend storage

· Collect symptomatic living leaves (ideally from multiple symptomatic plants)

· Label and use plastic bags; Do not use paper bags, and do not add water. · Fill out submission form, search on-line for KSU Plant Pathology lab. Include variety/hybrid info

· Ship leaves ASAP overnight via UPS or FedEx when possible. USPS can take up to 14 days · Send photos to clinic@ksu.edu with the tracking number or date shipped

§ Symptom/problem close -up and in focus

§ Entire plant from ground level to the top of plant

§ Site – capture the pattern in the field; transition areas, terraces, etc.

Information provided by Rodrigo Onofre, K-State Research &amp; Extension Row Crop Plant Pathologist.

CAMPBELL: Corn stunt disease - a new threat to Kansas corn

Barton's Executive Director of Business reads to Ellinwood students

You have an opportunity today to become the next instant finalist in the $20K Christmas Cash Giveaway! It's presented by Bauer Computers, Mayo Money Management, and Moeder Plumbing Heating &amp; Air, Your Bryant Dealer - Whatever it takes!&nbsp;

Sign up today at NexTech 3700 10th Street, Great Bend. You can register from 10am - 4:30pm.&nbsp;

Find official contest rules, Daily Registration Locations, Instant Finalist Day calendar, and more <a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/48c5c560-0a08-486a-b6b9-c86c56f04063">HERE.</a>

$20K Christmas Cash Giveaway- Sign up today at NexTech

Barton County Sheriff’s
Office incident log (10/8)

At 9:35 a.m. a report of cattle out was made at NW 70 Avenue
&amp; NW 160 Road.

At 1:37 p.m. an accident was reported at W. US 56 Highway
&amp; SW 70 Road in Pawnee Rock.

At 5:24 p.m. a gas leak / spill was reported at SE 100
Avenue &amp; SE 30 Road in Ellinwood.

Great Bend Police
Department incident log (10/8)

At 1:02 a.m. Sarah Haberman was arrested for DUI in the 1100
block of Sherman Street.

At 7:13 a.m. EMS assistance was needed at 1101 Kansas
Avenue.

At 7:26 a.m. a burglary was reported at 2208 12th
Street.

At 10:28 a.m. a possible flag on her credit report was
reported at 125 Locust.

At 10:33 a.m. an officer red tagged an abandoned vehicle at
2506 16th Street.

At 1:13 p.m. a fire alarm was reported at 3820 Broadway.

At 1:43 p.m. EMS assistance was needed at 1621 Madison.

At 4:27 p.m. a subject possibly breaking into the garage was
reported at 1202 Adams. It was an employee of the rental agency.

At 4:52 p.m. a possible theft of a lock was reported at 1202
Adams. No theft.

At 5:08 p.m. an accident was reported at 3910 Cedar Park Pl.

Cop Shop (10/8)

Eagle Media in Great Bend produces the Great Bend Post Podcast, available wherever you consume your podcasts. Hear past shows, interviews and meetings from local guests in the Barton County area. Make sure to follow the Post Podcast to receive notifications of new episodes.

View Great Bend Post Podcast on Apple Podcasts <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/great-bend-post-podcast/id1693657426">HERE</a>. View Great Bend Post Podcast on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4E0Vv03Pfyf9n37kFV4n5b">HERE</a>.

🎙Follow the Great Bend Post Podcast

Today Widespread haze after 9 a.m. Sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 5 to 11 mph.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South-southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.

Thursday Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 54. South-southeast wind 7 to 10 mph.

Friday Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 6 to 10 mph.

Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Saturday Sunny, with a high near 87.

Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Columbus Day Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 34.

Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 58.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wednesday's weather

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning amid a battle of the bullpens, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.

Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees, who will turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-mlb-playoffs-royals-yankees-55c69e03da0c418a922ad02831ea0610">six-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on Thursday night</a>&nbsp;with a chance to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">the American League Championship Series</a>.

The Royals used four relievers before Kris Bubic took over for the eighth. The left-hander struck out Austin Wells before Stanton hit his 3-1 pitch nearly 420 feet to left to give New York the lead.

The Royals tried to answer off Luke Weaver in the bottom half, getting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-kansas-city-patrick-mahomes-bobby-witt-25b56b7e0ed73261a13434168c102551">Bobby Witt Jr.'s first hit of the series</a>&nbsp;and a two-out single by franchise stalwart Salvador Perez. Weaver recovered to get Yuli Gurriel to fly out to end the threat, and he also handled the ninth to earn the save and cap 4 1/3 scoreless innings by the New York bullpen.

The Yankees won despite another frustrating night in the postseason for MVP front-runner Aaron Judge. He went 0 for 4 with a walk, and is now 1 for 11 with only an infield single through three games against the Royals.

It helped that the powerful Yankees drew nine walks Wednesday night, giving them 22 for the series.

It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-mlb-playoffs-a71e04dca396f35402287621911ad50e">first playoff game at the K in 3,268 days</a>, since the Royals beat the Mets in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. They won their first title in 30 years a few days later in New York.

The first baseman on that Royals team, Eric Hosmer, was on hand to deliver the first pitch for a crowd that included Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Yankees had some good swings against Seth Lugo's dizzying array of nine pitches, but they had nothing to show for it early on.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto flew out to center in the first</a>&nbsp;on what would have been a homer in 17 ballparks. Judge followed with a liner snared by Witt at shortstop that had an exit velocity of 114 mph. And in the third, Gleyber Torres hit a ball to the warning track in right, moments after a review confirmed that his would-be RBI blooper down the line had landed foul.

The Yankees broke through in the fourth on Stanton's double — Soto came around from first to score, though he might well have been out had Witt delivered a better relay throw to the plate. And in the fifth, Soto added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

The Royals answered with two in the fifth. Kyle Isbel got them on the board with a two-out double to left, and Michael Massey ripped a sinking liner that somehow missed Soto's glove in right for an RBI triple.

Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt was dinged for both runs on four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. Lugo went five for Kansas City, allowing two hits and walking four against the team that led the league in free passes this season.

UP NEXT Yankees: Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) heads back to the mound Thursday night. He allowed four runs — three earned — over five innings in the opener Saturday night but got no decision in the 6-5 win for New York.

Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) will face Cole again after pitching just four innings Saturday. He allowed three runs but was long gone by the time the Yankees scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Stanton hits go-ahead homer in the eighth, Yankees beat Royals to take ALDS lead

 Otis-Bison football coach Marc Cowles, who will be joined by Senior's Jake Hoopingarner and Logan Maier.

- Great Bend Lady Panther volleyball coach Shelly Duvall

-"Voice of the FHSU Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock

Wednesday on Sports Day (Watch)

- Great Bend football coach Erin Beck will be in the Mayo Money Management studio to preview Friday's WAC game at Liberal. He'll be joined by Junior's Karter Brown and Blaine Ensley.

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" with Great Bend Lady Panther Tennis. He'll be talking with players&nbsp;Darcy Feist, Mackenzie Lindberg, Clarise Snapp, and Makenzie LaViolette.

- Thursday Sports Headlines including reaction to game 3 between the Royals and Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Thursday on Sports Day

With changes in the game at the high school level, volleyball records can be difficult to track. Milestones are a little easier. Tuesday night in Haysville, Great Bend sophomore Kya Behr reached one of those milestones with her 1,000th career assist. The No. 9 Lady Panther volleyball team moved to 20-2 on the season with wins against Campus and Goddard-Eisenhower.

Great Bend opened the night with a 25-16, 25-22, 25-16 win against the host Colts. The Lady Panthers defeated Eisenhower 25-22, 25-20 to close out the night.

Great Bend used a committee of attackers on the offensive side against Eisenhower. Behr and senior Cassie Ellegood each put down six kills, and senior Kara Feist and sophomore Alex Mayers each added five. Ellegood was huge on the serve with six aces, and Behr added two. Work in the back row was lighter with 17 digs. Mayers paced the team with five, junior Ava Kaiser added four, and Behr and freshman Mikayla Minton each had three.

Behr finished her freshman campaign with 589 assists. She finished with 13 in the Eisenhower match. Tarynn Kirmer (Stueder), who played at GBHS from 2010-13, has the current school record for 2,449 career assists.&nbsp;

With her six aces in the Eisenhower win, Ellegood now has 36 aced serves on the season. Kirmer also holds that season record with 80 aces in the 2012 season. Ellegood is just 19 aces from climbing into the school's top-10 list for aces in a season.

Great Bend plays host to Emporia and No. 4 Hillsboro (2A) on Thursday.

Behr collects 1,000th career assist; Lady Panthers move to 20-2 with wins at Campus

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

A pair of goals in the final twelve minutes Monday night in Council Bluffs, Iowa, including a late penalty kick provided the difference maker in Barton Community College men's soccer team falling 2-1 at 6th ranked Iowa Western Community College.

The loss drops Barton to 1-4-1 in games decided under thirty minutes to play including two of the past three determined in the final three minutes.

Concluding its strenuous stretch of four games in a week including traveling over 1,100 miles in the last three days, Barton has its overall record drop to 9-5-1 while the Reivers stay unblemished at 12-0-1.

The Cougars will get some much-needed rest this week before returning focus to conference play Saturday hosting fellow second place Kansas City Kansas Community College in a 1:00 p.m. kick-off.

Barton was limited to just two shot opportunities in the contest, the Cougars getting on the board first 4:27 into second half play from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/msoc/2024-25/bios/kanku_loic_7v7s">Loic Kanku</a>&nbsp;netting his 7th of the season off an uncleared corner kick situation.

The Reivers put 17 shots in the air on the night,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/msoc/2024-25/bios/bergamin_gabriel_93fg">Gabriel Bergamin</a>&nbsp;recording six saves keeping Barton in the contest until a uncleared loose pass through the box was deposited to the back of the net tying it up with 11:30 remaining.

Bergamin was put in another tough situation with 2:55 left as the Cougars were on the unfortunate end of a defender falling on the ball resulting in a handball call and subsequent game winning spot kick.

The second straight hard luck decision under three minutes left drops Bergamin to 5-3-0 on the season.

Cougar soccer team comes up short at No. 6 Iowa Western

For the first time in conference play this season, Monday night in El Dorado the 5th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team dropped a set, but the Cougars responded by taking the next three for a 3-1 victory at Butler Community College (18-25, 26-24, 25-12, 25-20).

Barton runs its match unbeaten streak to nine straight, improving to 9-0 in KJCCC play and 22-1 overall while Butler drops to 4-5 in league and 12-14 on the season.

The Cougars conclude their brief two-match road trip on Wednesday in a 6:30 p.m. first serve at Pratt Community College with their next home match coming Wednesday, October 16, hosting 8th ranked Colby Community College.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/reyes_phoebe_zp2h">Phoebe Reyes</a>&nbsp;had a season high 18 kills on 43 swings to carry most of the workload with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/olander_aubrey_49pp">Aubrey Olander</a>&nbsp;recording 9 kills on a game high .539 attack as each recorded a pair of blocks withing the Cougars' 9 total net rejections.

Also posting a season high,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/stankovic_elena_icdc">Elena Stankovic</a>&nbsp;put up 30 assists in Barton's 6-2 offense as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/reyes_maurin_5w3d">Maurin Reyes</a>&nbsp;led the second wave with 14 assists helping the team's .221 overall attack percentage.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/wierzbicki_anna_emil">Anna Wierzbicki</a>'s six blocks led the net defense with an .462 efficient performance on the offensive side on 7 kills coming from 13 attacks.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/nixon_kassidy_bbcx">Kassidy Nixon</a>&nbsp;had a .300 night with 8 kills on 20 swings, adding a block and 9 digs to help the defensive effort.

Leading the back line in sharing team high honors were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/danenberg_naya_4891">Naya Danenberg</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wvball/2024-25/bios/kaneko_mina_z3c5">Mina Kaneko</a>&nbsp;with 11 digs each.

Butler controlled most of the opening set on a match high .273 attack, building the first of an eventual seven-point victory margin at 13-6.

On the other side of the net, the Cougars committed eight of their twenty-two errors in the first set, hitting at just a .054 percentage.

The second set saw the teams commit a combined thirteen attack errors, trading point-for-point throughout the frame, with Barton battling back from a 23-22 deficit to come out on top 26-24 to even the match.

Barton took full control of the third set to take the match lead by committing just two attack errors for a .462 efficiency while the defensive effort helped limit the Grizzlies to a negative .045 with 7 errors and just 6 kills.

Putting down a match high 16 kills in the fourth set to outscore Butler's 12 kills, Barton completed the first set woe for the comeback victory for its second straight win at the Power Plant.

No. 5 Cougar Volleyball overcomes uncharted territory in 3-1 win at Butler

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr.'s towering two-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to beat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in a tense NL Division Series. The Padres moved within one victory of eliminating the Dodgers in the NLDS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park, which was packed with a rally towel-waving record crowd of 47,744. The fans roared as Robert Suarez struck out Gavin Lux on a full-count pitch to complete a four-out save.&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1843830374603915373" target="_blank">Tatis’ impressive homer</a>&nbsp;gave the Padres a 6-1 lead, but&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1843834271322026046" target="_blank">Teoscar Hernández hit a grand slam</a>&nbsp;with one out in the third off Michael King to bring the Dodgers within a run. Mookie Betts also homered for the Dodgers to break an 0-for-22 playoff slump,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1843821961811767777" target="_blank">but apparently thought left fielder Jurickson Profar had robbed him</a>&nbsp;like he did in Sunday night’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-padres-dodgers-score-7735823d51ac695a0555fa20e3dd0d3e">10-2 Padres win at Dodger Stadium</a>, when tempers flared on the field and in the stands. Betts rounded first and headed toward the dugout before teammates and even King motioned that it was a homer.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched another homer off Aaron Nola, and Sean Manaea took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning as the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Tuesday in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. Jesse Winker also went deep and Starling Marte had a pivotal two-run single to help the wild-card Mets, playing their first home game in 16 days, grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five set. Game 4 is Wednesday, with All-Star Ranger Suárez scheduled to start for Philadelphia against fellow lefty Jose Quintana. A win advances New York to the National League Championship Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres. The Mets have never had a clinching celebration at Citi Field, which opened in 2009.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Lynx are three wins from a fifth championship, chasing a league record with an entirely different core from the previous dynasty. Napheesa Collier is fully in charge of this group. Collier had 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds and Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun 88-77 and into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball">WNBA</a>&nbsp;Finals for the first time in seven years on Tuesday night. Collier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lynx-wnba-defensive-player-of-year-collier-coach-of-year-reeve-c3d8f3bb8792e519bcb351aef7f42383">the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year</a>, added four blocks in a vintage all-around performance.

LONDON (AP) — That long-held Wimbledon tradition of line judges dressed in elegant uniforms is no more. The All England Club announced Wednesday that artificial intelligence will be used to make the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls at the championships from 2025. Wimbledon organizers said the decision to adopt live electronic line calling was made following extensive testing at the 2024 tournament and “builds on the existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology that has been in place for many years.” “We consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club. “For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.” Bolton said Wimbledon had a responsibility to “balance tradition and innovation.”

ALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Hockey Club wasted no effort creating a playoff-like atmosphere for its inaugural regular season game on Tuesday night. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-hockey-club-bettman-nhl-arizona-coyotes-f54b5a9d3041281312ca173e4b3442a4">NHL’s newest franchise</a>&nbsp;surrounded its home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks with a fan celebration leading up to the puck drop and beyond. An outdoor concert featuring country music artist Shaboozey highlighted the pregame celebration. The festivities culminated in an outdoor watch party for fans who did not have tickets to enter the Delta Center. Two giant screens aired the ESPN broadcast. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1843839558523465911" target="_blank">skated out the ceremonial puck</a>&nbsp;and handed it to Utah Hockey Club and Jazz owner Ryan Smith. Ashley Smith dropped the puck for Utah Captain Clayton Keller and Chicago Captain Nick Foligno before the game.

WEDNESDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball Playoffs

San Diego 6, LA Dodgers 5 (Padres lead best-of-five series 2-1)

NY Mets 7, Philadelphia 2 (Mets lead series 2-1)

Wednesday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

Wednesday, October 9 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day 1:30PM&nbsp;1590/95.5FM - ALDS Game 3 - Cleveland @ Detroit 5:30PM 1590/95.5FM - ALDS Game 3 - NY Yankees @ Kansas City Thursday, October 10 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590/95.5FM - ALDS Game 4 - NY Yankees @ Kansas City Friday, October 11 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day 2:30PM 1590/95.5FM - NLDS Game 5 - NY Mets @ Philadelphia 6:30PM 1590/95.5FM - NLDS Game 5 - San Diego @ LA Dodgers 6:30PM B104 - High School Football - Great Bend @ Liberal 6:30PM KHOK - High School Football - Lakin @ Hoisington 6:30PM KBGL- High School Football - Larned @ SW Heights Saturday, October 12 3:00PM 1590/95.5FM - ALDS Game 5 - Detroit @ Cleveland 6:30 PM 1590/95.5FM - ALDS Game 5 - Kansas City @ NY Yankees&nbsp;&nbsp; Sunday, October 13 TBA&nbsp;1590/95.5FM - NLCS Game 1 - TBA Monday, October 14 TBA 1590/95.5FM - ALCS Game 1 - TBA TBA 1590/95.5FM - NLCS Game 2 - TBA Tuesday, October 15 TBA 1590/95.5FM - ALCS Game 2 - TBA Wednesday, October 16 TBA 1590/95.5FM - NLCS Game 3 - TBA

Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting PBP Schedule

The Panther soccer team had the opportunity to triple its win total in a matter of just five days. Last Thursday, Great Bend defeated Wichita West 3-2 to move to 2-8 on the season. Tuesday night, back at The Cav against Berean Academy, the Panthers surrendered three straight goals to fall to the Warriors 3-1.

Panther junior Alex Alcala created some excitement midway through the first half, first on a big shot that went wide in the ninth minute, then again after he drew the Berean keeper off his line 10 minutes later though the Panthers could not put a shot on frame. 

Great Bend continued to attack. Sophomore Dustin Fugitt ripped a shot from the box in 21st minute but the Warrior keeper had the angle provided the block. Four minutes later, senior Ernan Rodriguez followed a defensive takeaway with a long shot to the Berean keeper.

Finally, the Panthers broke through in the 27th minute. Junior Diego Soto sent a goal kick through the middle of the field. The ball made it through to the offensive side with plenty of pace when senior Victor Reyes tracked it down and beat the Warrior keeper for the opening goal with 13:44 remaining in the first half.

Soto provided a big defensive play to keep Berean off the board three minutes later, but just 50 ticks after that, Warrior sophomore Mason Balzer found himself unmarked in the middle of the field and was able to beat Panther keeper Eli Contreras. That 1-1 score lasted through intermission despite a few late chances from Alcala on the Panther offensive end.

The sides had chances early and late in the second half. Berean's two chances came early in the half. Balzer scored after a long run in the 43rd minute for a 2-1 Warrior lead. Balzer then caught Contreras off his line a couple minutes later for his hat trick and the 3-1 finish.

Berean had one final near-goal with a shot off the upright in the final 11 minutes of action. A Warrior rebound would have meant an empty net but Panther junior Landon Hubbard responded with a big defensive stop.

Great Bend's best chances in the second half came in the final eight minutes. Senior Victor Reyes ripped a shot toward the bottom corner of the goal to force a diving save in the 73rd minute. Fifty seconds later, freshman Juan DeLuna forced another big Warrior save. With four minutes to play, sophomore Jackson Young sent a bending shot toward goal but the Berean keeper was up to the task.

The Panthers fall to 2-9 on the season and play host to Garden City at The Cav on Thursday.

Panthers surrender three straight goals to fall to Berean 3-1

- Tuesday reaction to the Royals and Yankees in the ALDS, and the Chiefs and Saints on Monday Night Football.

- "Voice of the Cardinals" Cole Reif preview's Hoisington and Lakin Friday night at Elton Brown Field.

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" for Panther sports

Tuesday on Sports Day (Watch) 

BUTLER COUNTY —A Kansas pilot avoided injury in a crash after a landing just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2026 Fixed wing-single engine Zodiac piloted by Randall Dean&nbsp;McFarland, 68, Augusta, landed in a private landing strip at&nbsp;11157 SW 75th Street just west of SW Santa Fe Lake Road.

Local

Region

Sports

Contests