KDGLTV

03/05/2026

03/04/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2026
Contact: Yazmin Moreno | [email protected] | 620-765-7080

Phase two of the freight technology upgrades along U.S. 83 in western Kansas underway

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has begun phase two of the U.S. 83 Advanced Technology Project, which will install advanced highway technology along U.S. 83 from Rexford to Liberal. This phase will install highway technology in Finney, Scott, Thomas, Haskell, Seward and Logan counties.

Work will take place at 28 sites along this corridor. Key improvements include upgrading four signalized intersections with connected vehicle technology and freight signal priority, including Freight Video Detection Systems. The project will also add nine permanent portable dynamic message signs, 14 CCTV cameras, two permanent dynamic message signs, one road weather information systems and two wind speed and visibility detector sites. These upgrades will provide travelers with real-time updates on roadway conditions, traffic delays and closures through KanDrive and message boards while also supporting improved mobility and efficiency for truck traffic.

Phillips Southern Electric Company Inc., of Wichita, is the contractor for this $2.5 million project. Completion is expected in spring 2027, weather permitting.

For more information, contact Yazmin Moreno, KDOT Southwest Public Information Officer, at (620) 765-7080.

The map shows the approximate location of the project in red.

03/04/2026

03/04/2026

03/04/2026

The KBI arrested a Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office detention officer Monday afternoon for child s*x crimes.

On Monday, March 2, at 2:00 p.m., KBI agents arrested Dustin Dean Chartier, 36, of Greensburg, at the Kiowa County Courthouse. Chartier was arrested on charges of r**e, aggravated s*xual battery, indecent liberties with a child, lewd and lascivious behavior, and two counts of indecent solicitation of a child. Formal charges are pending.

In December 2025, the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office requested the KBI investigate allegations of s*x abuse of a minor by a detention officer in 2021. Chartier was placed on administrative leave during the KBI investigation. While investigating the initial allegation, a second victim disclosed another s*x abuse incident, prompting the KBI to open an additional investigation. The Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office was fully cooperative with the investigation.

Following his arrest Chartier was booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

The investigation is ongoing.

02/24/2026

We are on scene at a pig truck rollover south of Booker. Please avoid the area.

02/24/2026

02/21/2026

02/19/2026

02/19/2026

Good morning folks. If you step outside you can see the winds are already howling. Crews from Staions 1,4 and 7 and were called to Clark County around 230am for a new fire west of Sitka. The fire was contained and everyone was released around 5:00. Stay safe out there.