Kansas Klips
Ellis Greyhound bus stop closes; no bus options left in Ellis County
ELLIS—The Greyhound bus stop in Ellis has closed, with the potential of other businesses shutting down. SJ Singh, the owner of the A&W and Ellis Days Inn, managed the bus stop on Second Street and said the City of Ellis has stopped him from operating it. The bus stop was the only bus service in Ellis County. A bus used to stop at the Golden Ox on Vine Street in Hays, but that business stopped the service. Ellis County was without bus service for over a year until Singh introduced Ellis to Greyhound, a relationship that went smoothly for its first six months of establishment. Singh said he is considering pulling A&W and the Days Inn Hotel from Ellis in the future but will continue operations for now. “One thing is for sure, I’m not investing anymore in Ellis,” he said. “Nothing is coming to Ellis anytime soon.” Singh said the Ellis City Council is discouraging investment in commercial ventures. Singh received a citation on October 17th and was given a court date of February 2nd. The Ellis bus stop opened in June. “The City said it’s not zoned for a bus stop, and we have to find another place,”he said. “There are only two places in Ellis where I can manage the bus stop, and they are both not zoned for it.” According to Ellis City Clerk Amy Burton, Singh didn’t have to appear in court after informing the City of the status of his bus stop. “Before the trial day, the City Attorney received a letter stating the bus stop was no longer in operation. Therefore, the case was dismissed,” Burton said. Singh said that the Ellis bus stop provided transportation to passengers as far as Garden City, Wichita, and Kansas City. The closest bus stops are in Abilene and Goodland. Burton said the City Council rejected the proposal to rezone Second Street from residential to commercial. This would have allowed Singh to continue operating the bus stop and potentially launch another establishment. “I had another plan to put a car wash in Ellis,” Singh said. “I had a plan to put it next to A&W, but I’m not doing it anymore,” Burton said. The Ellis City Planning Commission has been working on recodifying the Ellis zoning districts for more than a year, which would open the doors for the bus stop to resume operations. Despite the possible recodification, Singh said he will no longer pursue rezoning Second Street and is not interested in restoring the bus stop. (Hays Post)
Teens sentenced for fire that damaged Atwood School
WICHITA—The Goodland Star News reports a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old were convicted of charges including arson in connection to the Rawlins County Junior/Senior High School fire in Atwood last summer.
They have been charged with 15 felony counts. Both teens were sentenced to 30 months in a juvenile correctional facility. They will then serve parole until their 19th birthdays. Ten firefighters were injured responding to the fire, and the District was forced to find alternative facilities for students who attend the school. (KWCH)
Two Kansas towns in competition for “best small town” title
TOPEKA—The Kansas towns of Marysville and Council Grove are in a nationwide contest to determine the best small town in the Midwest. Voting is currently open for the contest hosted by USAToday to find out which small town people think is the best of the best in the Midwest. People can vote for their top choice once per day until the polls close at noon on Monday, April 1st. The winners will be revealed on Wednesday, April 10th. (KSNT)
Details of crash that killed Kansas officer presented to DA
SUMNER COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities presented details of a weekend crash that killed a Kansas police officer on his way home from work to the SumnerCounty District Attorney for possible charges, according to Sumner County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Friday. The accident occurred just before 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 16th, when a passenger vehicle driven by 26-year-old Scott Hollingsworth was southbound on U.S. 81 at 119th Street, according to Friday. A westbound pickup struck the vehicle driven by Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported three passengers in the pickup to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The pickup driver was not injured, according to Friday. The sheriff’s office will report additional crash details after the district attorney’s office determines possible charges. (Hays Post)
Fire at National Beef in Liberal contained after three-hour battle
SEWARD COUNTY—Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire late Wednesday, March 20th, at National Beef, 1501 East 8th Street in Liberal. Crews responded just before 10:00 p.m. to a fire reported in trailers in the load-out area of boxed beef storage on the east side of the plant, according to Liberal Fire Chief Kelly Kirk. Some trailers contained products to be shipped, while others were just loaded with pallets. It took crews approximately three hours to bring the fire under control. There were no injuries to employees or firefighters. Officials have not released a damage estimate. (Hays Post)
