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.

HHS wrestlers competed in the 4A Regional tournament at Pratt this past weekend. Hugoton’s team boasted three top finishers who will go on to State in Salina next weekend. HHS junior Michael Mendoza finished with a third place in the 152-pound weight class after winning over a Rose Hill competitor. Hugoton senior David Cruz will finish off his high school wrestling career with a State trip after his victory over a Pratt wrestler in the final match. Cruz wrestles in the 220-pound division. Carter Coziahr, a junior from Hugoton, also earned a trip to State with his fourth place finish in the 160-pound class.

The 2019 State wrestling tournament is scheduled to take place at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina and will begin with opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. Friday, February 22. Ticket sales and gates will open at 8:00 a.m. Friday and at 7:00 a.m. Saturday. If the tournament runs ahead of schedule, it will continue to run ahead with no adjustments made – so please arrive early!

The Stevens County Conservation District’s sixty-ninth Annual Apprecition banquet will be Saturday, february 16 at the Memorial Hall in Hugoton starting at 6:30 p.m. Join them for dinner, accomplishments, awards, meeting and elections. Hunny’s BBQ will be catering the dinner, courtesy of Citizens State Bank. Also, door prizes will be given away! The banquet is free of charge, but RSVP’s are required. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by the Hugoton High School Show Choir. Poster winners will be announced. Make your reservations by Thursday, February 14 at 4:30 p.m. by calling 620-544-2261 extension 314.

Valentine’s Day is sneaking up yet again! If you haven’t got your gift yet, don’t worry! Local Hugoton merchants have got you covered! Every winning couple chosen will then be entered into the 2018 Sweetheart Sweepstakes drawing for a chance to win a $50 Chamber gift certificate. For the Valentine’s sweepstakes, only couples are eligible to win. The winners will be drawn Friday, February 15.

While you’re ordering your sweetheart’s Valentine bouquet, sign up at Creative Specialties for a $25 gift certificate. If you’re browsing the aisles at Yardmaster, you can register there for a $25 gift certificate. In case your love harbors a devotion to shopping, Janet’s Bridal and Boutique has you covered! Register at 1010 Van Buren for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. Looking for the perfect gift at Flatlanders? Sign up there for a chance at their $25 gift certificate!

If you and your sweetie like to dine out, several local restaurants will help you with the perfect setting! Daylight Donuts is offering a $20 gift certificate to their winners, while Jet Drive-In is giving away two free dinners and drinks. Register at Slim Pickins in Moscow for a chance to win lunch for two and drinks!

Prefer more exotic cuisine? Then head over to Acosta’s & Nieto’s Cafe or Los Agaves Bar and Grill to register to win a $25 gift certificate! You can also eat your fill of egg rolls and Chow Mein if you win the two $25 gift certificates from China!

Bultman Tire Center has your back if your sweetie’s to-do list includes some vehicle maintenance, with a $50 gift certificate for their winning couple.

In the event you don’t know what your loved one wants, a free subscription to The Hermes is always a good fit! You can also let your loved one pick their own gift, by signing up at Equity Bank for a chance to win a $25 Visa gift card or by letting Citizens State Bank handle the bankroll with their $20 Gas Capital Dollars, good at any Hugoton Chamber member business.

Be sure to sign up at Hugoton Drug, as they’ll be giving their winners a $25 gift certificate. Drop by the Little Gift Shop in the Corner at the Stevens County Hospital to sign up for a chance to take your pick of jewelry for their winners!

Make sure to sign up at these businesses to win in the twentieth annual Sweetheart Sweepstakes!

Lone Star to host sixty-second annual
Ground Hog Supper Friday

Lone Star Friends Church will host its sixty-second annual Ground Hog Supper from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 1, 2019. The supper will consist of sausage, hash browns, homemade biscuits and gravy, green beans, salads, and homemade pies and cakes. A free will offering will be taken.

Directions to Lone Star Friends Church from Hugoton is 14 miles east on Highway 51 and from Liberal it is nine miles north on Highway 83, then nine miles west on Highway 51.

Seating is available on the main level, so no stairs are required.

Plan to celebrate Groundhog Day at Moscow UMC Supper

Moscow United Methodist men are making the final preparations for their annual Groundhog Supper this Saturday, February 2. Serving will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and take out plates are available for a small fee.

The menu will feature sausage, ribs, tenderloin, liver & onions, pickled heart, BBQ pork, sauerkraut with meat, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, sausage gravy, biscuits and BBQ baked beans. And don’t forget the delectable selection of homemade pies! A free will offering will also be taken.

The Stevens County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session Monday, January 21. Joe D. Thompson and Tron Stegman were present. Also present were County Counselor Paul Kitzke, County Clerk Amy Jo Tharp and RoGlenda Coulter from The Hugoton Hermes. Commissioner Pat Hall was absent.

Commissioners had a very light schedule: Tony Martin and Kim Harper at 9:30 a.m. and Brendan with Gilmore Solutions at 10:00 a.m.

The Commissioners were discussing miscellaneous issues with Amy Jo when this reporter arrived. Motion was made and passed to accept and pay the bills.

Tony Martin, Kim Harper and Keith Rome came in to discuss a non-profit gas line to help farmers having issues with fuel and gas sources. They discussed right-of-ways and easements. Commissioners said to get with all landowners who they need to go across. If all else fails, they were instructed to come back in and talk to them about county right-of-ways. They also talked about whether any lines had to bore under roads. They will have to have steel casement or concrete caps. They asked if depth of the line would make a difference. Because the ground constantly moves in southwest Kansas, this would not make a difference. They also brought in a map for the Commissioners to review.  Joe and Tron both agreed the group should try to do all they could to stay out of county right-of-way and do as much as possible with the landowners.

To read the rest of this story,
check out this week’s issue of The Hermes –
available at the following stores:
Carter’s Country Supercenter
Dollar General
Daylight Donuts
Hugoton Drug
Stevens County Retail Pharmacy
and Eagles Landing in Hugoton
Slim Pickins in Moscow and the
Corner Stop in Rolla
or subscribe online now by clicking here!

Make sure to bring a big appetite this Saturday, January 26! The Hugoton United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual Ground Hog Supper at the Memorial Hall, Sixth and Monroe in Hugoton!

The Hugoton United Methodist Men will host their supper from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The menu features all the staples of a delicious “ground hog” meal: sausage, hot biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauerkraut and ribs, applesauce and pies! There will be coffee and milk to drink. Bulk sausage will also be for sale. A free will offering will be taken.

Be sure to get out and enjoy some great food and excellent company this Saturday!

Charles “Chuck” Holt of Hugoton made the long drive to Topeka this week to claim his $100,000 prize he won on the 100X The Cash instant game. Long hauls aren’t anything new to Holt, who is a truck driver, but this ride was particularly nerve- wracking.

“I scratched the ticket off on December 31, so I was already been nervous about waiting for the right time to come claim the prize,” said Holt. “The whole drive here, I had the ticket in my pocket and would keep checking to make sure it was still there. I’m definitely glad to have it turned in finally!”

Holt said he waited to come claim the ticket due to work obligations. “It’s a long drive from Hugoton to here and I knew I would be passing through on my way to a job in Minnesota, so I decided to hold onto the ticket until then.”

Holt said he thought he had been pranked when he first scratched off the winning ticket.

“When I got to the matching symbol and I uncovered the prize amount, it showed ‘$100,000’. I assumed somebody was messing with me. It wasn’t until I had the clerk check the ticket and it printed out a claim form that I knew it was real.”

“I just stared at the ticket in disbelief for a minute or two before finally snapping out of it,” Holt said. “I signed the back of the ticket and put it in a safe place until I could claim it.”

Holt said he already has some ideas on what to do with the money. “I’m definitely putting some back for retirement, but we also have five kids, so there’s lots of expenses this could help with as well. It’s a real blessing for the whole family!”

The winning ticket was sold at Toot N Totum 124 at 520 East Eleventh Street.

Submitted by Kansas Lottery.

The Hugoton City Council met for their year end meeting Wednesday, December 26, 2018 in the council meeting room. Attending the meeting were Councilmen Dean Banker, Frankie Thomas, Dan Corpening, Shannon Crawford and Jason Teeter. Also present were Mayor Jack E. Rowden, City Clerk Carrie L. Baeza, City Inspector Josh Grubbs, Outside Utilities Supervisor Paul Nordyke, Electric and Park Systems Supervisor Gary Rowden and Hugoton Hermes reporter Ruthie Winget.

Mayor Rowden presided.

City Clerk Carrie Baeza explained the proposed amendments for the 2018 budget. After some discussion, the council voted to approve the amended 2018 budget. The amended budget can be seen on page 6 of this week’s issue of The Hugoton Hermes.

The council approved the motion for uncollectible utility accounts to be charged off with every effort made to collect the accounts.

The City Clerk reported to the council during the year of 2018, the city share of the 1.5% sales tax – turned over to the county as per the interlocal agreement – is $230,499.24.

The council did their annual wage and salary review. After going into executive session, the council approved a Cost of Living Allowance of 2.2% for 2019 for city employees.

The council also approved a Cereal Malt License renewal for the Best Western Plus Stevens County Inn.

The meeting adjourned.  Their next meeting will be January 7, 2019 at 5:15 p.m

As the New Year quickly approaches, many businesses are opting to start 2019 with special hours to allow their employees time to celebrate. The City of Hugoton will be closed Monday, December 31 and Tuesday, January 1. Stevens County Courthouse will be open December 31 and closed January 1, except the clerk’s and the treasurer’s offices will close at noon Monday. Stevens County Medical Clinic will be closed New Year’s Day only. Citizens State Bank will close at 1:00 p.m. Monday afternoon, and will reopen Wednesday, January 2 with regular hours. Equity Bank announced they’ll be closed Tuesday only. The Post Office will be open Monday, but will close all day Tuesday, January 1. Dollar General will be open regular hours throughout the holiday, as will Circle K and Toot N Totum. Eagles Landing will be closed until Wednesday, January 2. Flatlanders will be closed Tuesday only. Yardmaster will be closed New Year’s Day only. The Hermes will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Early deadline for the January 3 paper will be Thursday, December 27 at 12:00 noon. Stevens County Library will be closed New Year’s Day, so definitely visit Monday to stock up on entertainment. Hugoton Recreation will have open gym December 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., December 30 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., December 31 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and January 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. so you can start working off all those holiday goodies on the court! The Stevens County  Retail Pharmacy and Hugoton Drug both said they’ll be closed New Year’s Day so make sure to get any refills Monday! Both also plan to open Wednesday with regular hours. McDonald’s announced they’ll close at 8:00 p.m. for New Year’s Eve and will open with regular hours New Year’s Day. Subway will also be closing at 8:00 p.m. Monday and will reopen Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Please have a safe and happy New Year this coming week!