County farmer Eva Reynolds directed $2,500 to Hugoton FFA through America’s Farmers Grow Communities sponsored by the Bayer Fund. As part of their mission Hugoton FFA will use the funds to provide gardening plants to Senior Citizens and beautify the planter boxes at Pioneer Manor. “In addition, the funds will be used to continue the
development of leadership in our great organization by providing extra funding so that more FFA members may attend leadership development activities,” said Kynna Crawford, Hugoton FFA President.
Celebrating its tenth year, America’s Farmers Grow Communities,
partners with farmers to support nonprofit organizations strengthening rural communities. The program offers farmers the chance to direct a $2,500 donation to a nonprofit of their choice. It has awarded more than $33 million to over 8,000 nonprofits across rural America.
“A better life is Bayer’s goal. Farmers are invested in their communities, they root for their neighbors, and they know when and where there is a need,” said Al Mitchell, Vice President Corporate Engagement, Bayer. “Farmers are one of America’s best resources, which is why Grow Communities partners with them to direct donations to the organizations they are passionate about and that make a positive impact and a better life in communities.”
To learn more about the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, visit www.AmericasFarmers.com or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericasFarmers.
Started in 2010, the America’s Farmers programs, sponsored by the Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, have been dedicated to partnering with farmers to strengthen rural communities. The programs provide funding for ag scholarships, nonprofit donations and school STEM grants. Since inception the fund has awarded over $50 million to rural communities. For more information visit AmericasFarmers.com.
The Bayer Fund, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Bayer employees live and work by providing funding for food and nutrition, education, and community development projects.

Crews will begin a surface recycle and chip seal project on K-25 from the east U.S. 56 junction in Stevens County to the south city limit of Ulysses Wednesday, April 24. The project will begin at the Stevens/Grant County Line and continue south to the east U.S. 56 junction in Stevens County.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane controlled by flaggers and a pilot car. KDOT urges drivers to be alert, pay attention to all work zone warning signs, and be prepared to stop.

Bettis Asphalt and Construction of Topeka is the contractor on this $2 million project which is expected to be completed in July, weather permitting.

For more information on this project, contact Larry Meyer, Area Construction Manager, at (620) 624-4451 or Lisa Knoll, KDOT District 6 Public Affairs Manager, at (620) 765-7080.

Lots of Easter festivities will be taking place this weekend!

First up is the traditional Lion’s Club Easter Egg Hunt at Parsons Sports Park at Third and Washington, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, April 20. The Hunt is divided by age.

There will also be an Easter Egg Hunt later that afternoon at First Church of God at 801 West City Limits, starting at 3:00 p.m. All children up to sixth grade are welcome to look for goodies!

Bethel Friends Church at 1040 S. Jefferson Street in Hugoton will have Good Friday services at 7:00 p.m. April 19. The church will have Sunrise Services 6:50 a.m. Sunday morning, April 21 with no Sunday School. Normal morning services will be at 10:30 p.m.

Several businesses will be observing special hours in honor of Good Friday April 19. The Hugoton and Moscow City Offices will be closed Friday, as will the Stevens County Courthouse. Citizens State Bank plans to close at 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. Equity Bank will be offering regular hours.

Pigs R Us, Acosta-Nietos and Stumpy’s will be closed Easter Sunday. The Jet will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Pizza Hut will not open until 4:00 p.m. Easter. Las Agaves, China, McDonalds and Subway will be open as usual.

Please enjoy a very Blessed Easter!

It’s not too late!
There is still time to get your name on the list to attend the Chamber’s 2019 Annual Awards Banquet this Saturday, April 13! Join Chamber members at the Memorial Hall at 6:00 p.m. to help honor Distinguished Service Awards Recipients. Dinner and entertainment will abound! Entertainment is by Southwest Jazz Collective. Theme for the evening is Mardi Gras.
Saturday is guaranteed to be an evening of fun! Tickets are still available by calling the Chamber today at 544-4305!

Community Palm Sunday Service is April 14

The Stevens County Church Ministry Association invites everyone to attend the Annual Palm Sunday Community Service this Sunday, April 14, starting at 6:00 p.m. The service is hosted by the Hugoton Assembly of God Church at 138 S. Main Street in Hugoton.

Bethel Friends Church’s Good Friday and Easter Services are announced

Bethel Friends Church at  1040 S. Jefferson Street in Hugoton will have Good Friday services at 7:00 p.m. April 19. The church will have Sunrise Services Sunday morning, April 21 at 6:50 a.m. with no Sunday School. Normal morning services will be at 10:30 p.m.

In 2017, 28 percent of all traffic crashes in Kansas were attributed to driver inattention or distractions. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and law enforcement agencies across the state are working to educate drivers of the dangers of driving while distracted. Kansans will see a multi-media campaign running to support these efforts.

While distracted driving is most often associated with cell phone use, many other situations can cause distractions in the car. Interacting with children, eating food, using other electronic devices, and even things happening outside the vehicle contributed to more than 16,000 distracted driving crashes in Kansas in 2017.

“Taking your eyes off the road to send a text is like driving blindfolded down a football field,” said Chris Bortz, Traffic Safety Program Manager for KDOT. “You wouldn’t risk driving blindfolded, yet we see people on their phones or eating or putting on makeup every day on our roads.”

Many people may not know that distracted driving can be a ticketable offense in Kansas. For example, any texting, social media or internet activity on your phone can lead to a minimum $60 ticket plus court costs. However, the worst result of distracted driving would be to cause an injury or death.

“We are facing an epidemic. Too many people are injured or killed due to inattention on our roads. Distracted driving crashes are 100 percent preventable,” said KDOT Secretary Julie Lorenz. “Protecting yourself, your passengers and other Kansans is as simple as putting the phone down and avoiding all other distractions in the car.”

Law enforcement officers also encourage Kansans to “just drive” when they are behind the wheel. If your attention is anywhere other than the road, you’re driving distracted, and you’re driving dangerous. Drivers can minimize distractions by turning off electronic devices and keeping both eyes on the road ahead at all times. They also encourage passengers to hold their driver accountable and to not be a distraction themselves.

Lyla Evans of Hugoton Middle School has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.
Lyla volunteers her time with the after-school program, the summer program, and McCurdy Ministries during the summer to help make sure that their school is ready to go for the upcoming school year. “I know I speak for everyone at HMS when I say that we are very proud of Lyla for taking the time to give back to others,” said Middle School Principal Tyson Eslinger.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), recognizes middle level and high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service.
“Across the United States, young volunteers are doing remarkable things to contribute to the well-being of the people and communities around them,” said Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey. “Prudential is honored to celebrate the contributions of these students, and we hope their stories inspire others to volunteer, too.”
“Demonstrating civic responsibility through volunteerism is an important part of life,” said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. “These honorees practice a lesson we hope all young people, as well as adults, will emulate.”
Prudential Spirit of Community Award application details were distributed nationwide last September through middle level and high schools, Girl Scout council, 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and Affiliates of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network. These schools and officially-designated local organizations nominated Local Honorees, whose applications were advanced for state-level judging. In addition to granting President’s Volunteer Service Awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards selected State Honorees, Distinguished Finalists and Certificate of Excellence recipients. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.

Commodities will be distributed in Hugoton at the former VFW building Tuesday, March 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Peace House ministries is the sponsoring organization.

There is no charge to participate in The Emergency Food Assistance Program or “TEFAP”. To be eligible for commodities, your household’s total monthly income must be below the threshold listed below.

For questions, call Patty Bultman at 620-428-2046 or Kristin Farnum at 620-453-0933.

Hugoton Area Chamber of Commerce, Stevens County Economic Development and Stevens County Farm Bureau Association will host a Legislative Update this coming Saturday, March 16 starting at 3:00 p.m. in the Senior Center.
The Update offers a great opportunity to speak with government representatives and to hear about goings-on in the Kansas State Capitol. State Senator John Doll and State Representative Marty Long will speak briefly about their accomplishments and ongoing projects.
The public is invited to listen and to ask questions, so please mark your calendars to attend the Update Saturday afternoon.

The American Red Cross will be in Hugoton March 14 from 12:00 Noon to 6:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church at 600 South Van Buren. The American Red Cross has a severe shortage of type O blood and urges type O donors – as well as eligible blood donors of all blood types – to give now to
ensure lifesaving patient care isn’t impacted this winter.
Type O blood is the most in-demand blood type, helping patients facing life-threatening conditions and emergencies every day. Type O negative blood can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what emergency room personnel reach for when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type. Type O positive blood is also especially needed because it is the most transfused blood type and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type.
Right now, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types, and blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. Recent snowstorms and severe weather in many parts of the country have forced hundreds of blood drive cancellations, causing more than 20,000 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected.
Individuals of all blood types – especially type O – are asked to make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting Red CrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Friday, March 1, Governor Laura Kelly will sign the proclamation declaring March 4-8 as Severe Weather Awareness Week March 4-8, 2019.

A tornado siren safety drill is scheduled to be conducted in Hugoton and Moscow Tuesday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m.
If there is inclement weather Tuesday, the backup date is Thursday, March 7 at 10:00 a.m.

Don’t forget to stay ahead of the storm and enroll with CodeRed alerts! Click here to be instructed in how to become a member of CodeRed and receive text messages or phone calls about weather warnings, cancellations and other community events. Also be sure to follow the “US National Weather Service Dodge City Kansas” on Facebook for up-to-date local weather information.

Last year in southwest Kansas, there were 509 reports of severe wind, hail or flooding, compared to 527 in 2017. There were six tornadoes, well below the average of 28. The largest hail, measuring four inches in diameter, was recorded in Ford County May 29, 2018. The strongest wind was 87 mph and was measured in Stanton County July 29, 2018.

Severe Thunderstorm Events in 2018

There were only six tornado reports in southwest Kansas in 2018, and most of these were weak. The climatological average is 28 tornadoes. In this part of the state, the first tornado of the year was May 18, and the last tornado was July 13. The most prominent tornado occurred near Ensign May 29 and was visible from the NWS office in Dodge City located about 15 miles away. The tornado developed northwest of Ensign in Gray County and moved east-northeast, dissipating just inside Ford County. The tornado managed to miss structures that could have been damaged. Scouring of fields was observed to be eight inches deep in spots.

Several episodes of very large hail occurred across western Kansas in 2018. May 17, the most notable storm developed in Colorado and moved across Scott, Lane, Ness, Hodgeman and northeastern Ford counties. Winds up to 80 mph and hail as large as baseballs tore off siding and dented cars. Crops across parts of Scott County were destroyed. Most of the houses in Dighton suffered broken windows and roof damage. This storm left a hail swath ten to 15 miles wide. There were three consecutive days from June 22 to June 24 where severe wind gusts were observed at the National Weather Service office in Dodge City – 80, 70 and 59 mph wind gusts respectively) as lines of storms moved eastward and southeastward each day across western Kansas.

The National Weather Service office in Dodge City serves the southwest Kansas area. There are seven offices throughout Kansas. Each office is staffed by a team of highly trained meteorologists, technicians, electronics technicians, information technology specialists, hydrologists and administrative assistants. NWS offices are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.

Contact the NWS office to learn more about the weather, weather safety, NOAA Weather Radio, office tours or to learn more about careers in meteorology in the NWS or in NOAA.