Hugoton High School’s Fall Homecoming will be Friday, October 7. Students, teachers and staff of USD 210 are encouraged to dress up all week to show their Eagle Pride!
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3  – Pajama Day
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4 – Team Tuesday (HMS)
– Twister Tuesday (HES & HHS)
(Colors by grade level)
Hugoton Elementary
Green – Preschool, Kinderprep & Third Grade
Yellow – Kindergarten & Fourth Grade
Red – First Grade & Fifth Grade
Blue – Second Grade & Sixth Grade
White – Teachers
Hugoton High School
Freshmen – Green
Sophomore – Yellow
Juniors – Red
Seniors – Blue
Teachers – White
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5 – West Coast Wednesday Beach Wear
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 – Twin Day
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7 – GAME DAY Wear red, white & blue
HES Playground Picture:
Kinderprep, Kindergarten, Second, Fourth & Fifth Grades – Red
First and Third Grades – White
Sixth Grade and Staff – Blue

Activities will kick off Thursday, October 6 with the Homecoming parade starting at 8:00 p.m. on Main Street. The parade will proceed to the Fairgrounds, where there will be a bonfire and pep rally. The Homecoming King will be crowned at this time.

Friday, October 7, the Homecoming Queen will be crowned at 6:00 p.m. at the football field. Then the Hugoton Eagles will take on the Southwestern Heights Mustangs in a rousing game of football with kick off at 7:00 p.m. Senior King candidates are Romano Burger, Valentino Degollado and Pedro Ordonez. Senior Queen candidates are Melissa Fabela, Katy Heger and Amy Scott. Junior attendant is Madison Shuck, sophomore attendant is Abby Heger and freshman attendant is Faith Degollado. Crown bearer is kindergartener Rowan Sullivan, son of Abel and Megan Sullivan, and flower girl is Brinlee Austin, daughter of Brian and Marie Austin.

Be sure to wear your Eagle red, white and blue to the field Friday evening to show your #EaglePride!

Stevens County Healthcare will host their annual FREE Health Fair this Saturday, October 1 at the Hugoton High/Middle School Cafeteria. Patrons must enter through the front doors of the school. The event will open at 7:00 a.m. Free lab draws include CBC, CMP. lipid panel, TSH and A1C. Men over 50 may also get their PSA. Patients must be nine years or older.

Anyone requiring lab work must pre-register by 4:00 p.m. Friday, September 30 at Stevens County Hospital, Pioneer Manor, Stevens County Retail Pharmacy or Stevens County Medical Clinic. A self-addressed stamped envelope is required to receive your results.

For more information, contact Alisha Hinz at 620-544-6162.

The Stevens County Commissioners met in regular session Monday, September 19 in the Commissioners’ Room at the Stevens County Courthouse. Present were Commissioners Pat Hall, Dave Bozone and Joe D. Thompson. Also present were County Attorney Paul Kitzke, County Clerk Pam Bensel, Clerk candidate Amy Jo Tharp, Commissioner candidate Tron Stegman and Marie Austin with The Hugoton Hermes.
The commissioners moved to pay the bills after discussing a few items. At 9:00 a.m., Jim Rice with the Kansas Natural Resources Coalition came in to give a report about his group’s activities. The KNRC had their policy meeting recently and opted to postpone their Planning 2.0 initiative. Jim then talked with the commissioners about a prairie dog issue in Comanche County and the possibility of an environmental group suing for the lesser prairie chicken’s endangered status again. He also said the KNRC is opposed to the Waters of the United States act.
Tony Martin was next up, and he reported the grader is nearly repaired after a bill of approximately $23,000. His crew has about one day of patch work left, but the cool wet weather has prevented them from finishing. The commissioners and Tony then talked about the crossing permits with Black Hills. The timeline has been moved up for Stevens County, as Black Hills will start here and proceed toward Seward County instead of vice versa. Two Black Hills representatives came in to ease any concerns the commissioners and Tony had regarding safety at the crossings. Both men assured the group that concrete – and a much hardier pipe – would be as safe and more cost-effective than casings, quoting the figures of $12,000 per crossing for concrete and $20,000-plus per crossing for casing. The commissioners along with Tony reiterated their concern for the safety of county residents and employees.Tony and the commissioners opted to allow Black Hills to issue the permits with amendments including a stipulation that Black HIlls would be financially responsible in the event of an accident and that the line would be six feet deep. The Black Hills reps agreed to that. Tony then discussed roads in Moscow needing upkeep. He said his group would likely help them out with a pothole near the highway, and then they would winterize the asphalt plant.
Next up was Darla Mirabal and quite a few supporters of the Fitness Center. The room was filled to near capacity as the commissioners tackled the tough issue of spending cuts. The group brought up several options for the Center to continue, including moving the equipment to the Bob Sosa Building at the Hugoton Recreation Commission and turning the Center into a co-op, where members buy the facility and provide upkeep. They also suggested pay cuts or eliminating a position. The commissioners brought up time and again the issue of keeping taxes lower while providing needed services for residents. Pat reminded the audience the county has only been responsible for the Center for a few years, and that’s because the hospital’s budget couldn’t bear the expense. Now taxpayers are subsidizing the Center for 200 people who use it out of 5700 people in Stevens County.

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The Hugoton City Council met in regular session with Mayor Jack E. Rowden; Councilmen Dean Banker, Dan Corpening, Shannon Crawford, Jason Teeter and Frankie Thomas all present.
Others present were City Inspector Josh Grubbs, City Clerk Thomas G. Hicks, Chief of Police Courtney Leslie, Outside Utilities Supervisor Paul Nordyke, Electric and Park Systems Supervisor Gary Rowden, City Attorney Wayne R. Tate, Marie Austin, Carrie Baeza, Pete Earles, Malissa Hicks, Marcy McGinnis, Damon Simmons, Ralph Sittingdown, and Paula Sosa. Mayor Jack E. Rowden presided.
Each member of the governing body was provided a copy of Municipal Judge Paula Sosa’s report for the month of August, showing three new cases brought before the court and 52,712.00 remitted to the city.
City lnspector Josh Grubbs provided his monthly activities report.
City Engineer Pete Earles presented a report about various water line projects that will need to be addressed at some point in time. Eighteen projects with probable construction costs of $4,931,605.40 were detailed.
Ralph Sittingdown returned to update the city council on the cleanup of his property at 215 S. Main. Progress continues as he works on erecting two storage buildings.
Dana Swan, owner of the old Catholic Church at 305 S. Main, failed to appear before the governing body on the condemnation of the storage building. Resolution No. 2016-1 set a public hearing date for April 11, 2016. Ms. Swan did not appear at that hearing. Following the hearing, the city council ordered Ms. Swan to remove or demolish the structure on or before September 1, 2016.
City Inspector Josh Grubbs reported Daniel Rios, owner of the property at 702 S. Adams, has substantially complied with Resolution No. 2016-5 regarding the cleanup of his property. No further action is required at this time.
The councilmen approved the Ordinance No. 833, AN ORDINANCE REGULATING TRAFFIC WITHIN THE COROPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF HUGOTON, KANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE “STANDARD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE FOR KANSAS CITIES,” EDITION OF 2016; DEFINING TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS AND TRAFFIC OFFENSES; PROVIDING CERTAIN PENALTIES; AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 827, AND ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH.
The councilmen approved Ordinance No. 834, AN ORDINANCE REGULATING PUBLIC OFFENSES WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF HUGOTON, KANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE “UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE FOR KANSAS CITIES,” EDITION OF 2016; WITH CERTAIN OMISSIONS, CHANGES AND ADDITIONS AS DETAILED HEREIN; PRESCRIBING ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS; AND REPEALING THE “UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE, 2015 EDITION,” INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE UNDER ORDINANCE NO. 828; AND REPEALING ALI. ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH.
At the behest of the city inspector, City Clerk Thomas G. Hicks drafted an ordinance regulating storm water runoff. The city engineer reviewed the proposal and provided his input. Most of the engineer’s recommendations were incorporated into a second draft. That proposed ordinance was provided for the city council and city attorney to review for possible future action.

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This upcoming weekend is simply chock full of events for area residents. Start off by trekking to the Hugoton High School football field Thursday, September 8 for some hard-hitting middle school football action. The seventh grade will begin playing at 4:00 p.m., while the eighth grade team will take the field at 5:30 p.m. Both teams will play Holcomb Middle School. There is a small fee for admission, and concessions will be available for both games.

Friday, you can start your day off right by visiting the Senior Center’s Quilt, Art and Photography Show at 624 S. Main. The Center will open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday, September 9 and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, September 10. If you would like your items to be displayed, you can drop them off Thursday, September 8 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can also call Senior Center Director Shila Moore at 620-544-2283 to find out more.

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The Safe Routes to School project and the Raydene Park Hike and Bike Trail are completed. Kathy Pritchett of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism along with Paul Stoner of EBH and Associates, Outside Utilities Supervisor Paul Nordyke, Jan Leonard, City Inspector Joshua Grubbs, Hugoton Hermes reporter Kay McDaniels, Brian Kroth of JKL Construction, Inc. and Inspector Marc Chaffin made the trek along Raydene Park’s new Hike and Bike Trail Wednesday morning. The total trail walk is six blocks. JKL Construction, Inc. of Plains, proposed and won the bid of $118,800.55 on the Hike and Bike Trail. Construction was completed last week with the inspection walk Wednesday.
City Clerk Tom Hicks, Leonard, Grubbs, Nordyke, Stoner, USD 210 Superintendent Adrian Howie, Bryant and Bryant Construction head Bud Bryant, Inspector Marc Chaffin, KDOT Greg Adams and Greg’s assistant took a walking tour later that morning of the new Safe Routes to School project. Bryant & Bryant Construction from Halstead won the contract with a bid of $193,244.00 plus estimated engineering costs of $47,059 and $600 City matching funds. The bid covered sidewalks from Sixth Street to Eleventh Street on the west side of South Jackson. The Safe Routes to Schools grant was for $250,000. Hugoton was awarded the Phase II funding for the infrastructure improvement grant in September 2012. At an October 6, 2015 meeting of the City Council in Hugoton, Hicks told the councilmen the project had been let for bids three times, twice as a stand-alone project and then as an inclusion with KDOT’s K-51 pavement project. Every bid received was in excess of $400,000.00. The engineer’s original estimate for the proposed SRTS project was $257,018.24 so all three bids were rejected as too high. The project was let in April 2016 one more time with Bryant and Bryant Construction winning the bid. The SRTS project consists of five blocks.
The Hike and Bike Trail starts at the middle school on the east side of the building by the practice field. The trail goes down to Twelfth Street and crosses over to Raydene Park. The trail runs from Main Street all the way to the Legends baseball field parking area. The trail connects the Safe Routes To School sidewalk with the Raydene Hike and Bike trail for a safer route for students on their way to and from the middle and high school campuses.

The Hugoton USD 210 Board of Education met Monday night for a budget hearing at 6:25 p.m. followed by the regular monthly meeting.

Questions and/or discussion concerning the proposed 2016-2017 USD 210 School District Budget started the hearing. Mr. Howie explained some of the changes made to the budget. Mr. Howie talked about the possibility of getting $546,000 from the Extraordinary Needs Fund. The Extraordinary Needs Fund was set aside by the Legislature for districts to apply for if they had an extraordinary increase in enrollment or a major decrease in property value affecting how much revenue the district brings in. The Legislature approved $13 million for the extraordinary needs fund. However, that amount is dependent on how much the state gets from the sale of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. If the state gets $38 million, then the extraordinary needs fund will receive the full $13 million. Any amount less than that, however, will be deducted from the fund, down to zero if the authority sells for $25 million or less. Nothing will be decided until the sale of the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

Intermediate School Principal Elise Heger, Middle School Principal Lance Custer and High School Principal Melody Witt introduced their new staff members to the board and then the board members introduced themselves to the new staff.

Hugoton FFA teacher Les McNally and chapter officers Anna Trotter, Roman Linstrom, Megan Newlon, Emma McClure, Elias Mendoza and Bernabe Mendoza talked about the FFA program. The students reported about the FFA teams placing, hosting lunch for teachers and staff from USD 210, Stevens county fair activities, national chapter applications and that the chapter placed fourteenth in the state. the Hugoton FFA chapter is also ranked from 151 to 400 in a group of 7,000 in the state. The group also discussed state degrees earned, state leadership and their attendance at the national convention. Paula Rowden informed the board the High Plains Education Corporative met Thursday evening and completed negotiations. HPEC serves 17 school districts, with Ulysses as the largest and Hugoton second largest.

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Katy Heger has traveled pretty extensively for such a young girl. She’s gone to the Kansas State 4A basketball tournament three times in as many years with the HHS Lady Eagles, and Amateur Athletic Union Ohlde Elite basketball has taken her all over the United States: from Kansas City to Iowa, to Dallas, Tx. and even Nashville, Tn. this past summer. But now, the sport has taken her further than she dreamed. Katy, along with her mother Stephanie and grandmother Barb, returned from their trip to Italy with “America’s Team” Tuesday, August 2.

Katy is no stranger to turning heads due to her prodigious skills on the court, but when she received an offer to compete against Italian teams, she jumped at it. Salina
Central High School Coach Geoff Andrews contacted eight girls from Kansas, Kentucky and Vermont to form a team. Kansan Geoff and Kentucky coach Dwayne Murray landed with America’s Team in Milan, Italy the morning of July 26.

Katy and the other seven basketball players went to Italy thanks to an incredible program called “America’s Team”. The organization seeks to “change lives through sports”, sending athletes to foreign countries to further their understanding of themselves, the world and other people.

America’s Team has partnered with the American Council for International Studies to bring the experience of international travel, cuisine and culture to countless athletes all over the nation. Other locations where basketball players can travel include the Dominican Republic, Spain, Germany and England.

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School starts next week, and students who will be attending Hugoton Middle School and Hugoton High School are invited to an Open House Tuesday, August 16.
HMS students and their parents will meet in the auditorium with HMS principal Lance Custer at 6:30 p.m. Afterward, attendees will have a chance to visit HMS classrooms and teachers until 7:30 p.m. High school students and their parents will meet in the HHS cafeteria at 7:30 p.m. with new principal Melody Witt. HHS students and parents can then visit teachers and classrooms until 8:30 p.m. Read More →

The Hugoton City Council met for their regular meeting Monday, August 8 in the basement of the City Office. Attending were councilmen Frankie Thomas, Shannon Crawford and Jason Teeter. Also present were Mayor Jack Rowden, City Inspector Joshua Grubbs, Outside Utilities Supervisor Paul Nordyke, City Clerk Tom Hicks, City Attorney Wayne Tate and Chief of Police Courtney Leslie. Councilmen Dan Corpening and Dean Banker were absent.
The minutes of last month’s meeting were approved after a small correction. The municipal judge’s report for July 2015 was also approved. The council then heard from Joshua Grubbs. He reported the weed violations have decreased.
The council heard from two representatives with Black Hills Energy. They said Bernard Smith’s retirement went smoothly, and the transition to the employee has been almost unnoticeable. Ronnie reported Black Hills is now contracting out all their one calls with a company called USIC. He assured the council a qualified employee would be available at any time in the case of a gas leak. Black Hills now has three employees in Hugoton, and one is always on call. Read More →