Mothers and grandmothers of Hugoton rejoice! Mother’s Day is upon you, and the best gifts to be had can be found right here in Stevens County! While your loved ones do all the errands for you while you rest and relax, remind them to sign you up for the 2018 Super Mom Sweepstakes!

Sons and daughters – if you haven’t picked up gifts for your beloved mother or grandmother, help is right around the corner – literally! Stop into one of the following Hugoton businesses for any number of great prizes and sign her up for Super Mom!

Janet’s Bridal and Boutique is offering a $25 gift certificate to their winner, as is Finishing Touches. Citizens State Bank will give their winning mom 20 Gas Capital Dollars, and Equity Bank will be giving $25 cash to their winner.

While you’re picking up the perfect present at Yardmaster or Creative Specialties, register her for a $25 gift certificate. Or, if you’d rather let the professionals handle it, stop by to sign up at Stevens County Retail Pharmacy for a $30 Gift Card.  Hugoton Drug will award their winner a Gift Basket and a chance to be Super Mom.

Give Mom a night off from cooking dinner by registering at China, where she could receive a $25 gift certificate, or at Acosta’s & Nieto’s Cafe, where the prize is a $25 gift certificate. Cruise on down to the Jet Drive-In where they’ll award two free dinners and drinks. If your special Mom is partial to Italian, stop by Pizza Hut to sign her up for a chance at a free large pizza!

If Mom’s pretty handy around a car, sign her up at NAPA auto and Truck parts where she could win a a Car Care Basket. Kates Pet Grooming is giving their winner a $35 Gift Card and The Gift Shop at the Stevens County Hospital will award their winner a choice of jewelry.

Elegant Exchange by Darla will award their winner a $20 gift certificate. Tan’alon will offer their winner a Gift Basket. Flatlanders winner will receive a $25 Gift Card and a chance to be picked as Super Mom.

While you are shopping for something sweet and delicious be sure to sign up your mom at Daylight Donuts for a chance at a $25 gift certificate. Or if you have a taste for something spicy stop in at Los Agaves for a chance at a $25 gift certificate.

Be sure to enter your mom or grandma before Monday, May 14 at all of these Hugoton businesses. Selection of Super Mom 2018 will take place Monday, May 14. Winners at each business will be notified by the merchant. Super Mom will appear in The Hugoton Hermes, after claiming her prize of $50 Chamber Bucks!

So there you have it – several gift ideas, along with fabulous prizes! Who could ask for more – and all right here in Stevens County!

April 28, 2018, Erick E. Nordling, Executive Secretary of the Southwest Kansas Royalty Owners Association (SWKROA) presided over the Association’s Seventieth Annual Meeting in Hugoton. The SWKROA membership and guests heard presentations on several topics.

Scott Soptick, a certified public accountant with the Lewis, Hooper & Dick, Certified Public Accounting firm in Garden City, opened the meeting with practical tips about what documents members should keep, as well as what and when documents should be discarded.

Dr. David Newell, Associate Scientist of petroleum geology and stratigraphy with the Kansas Geological Survey in Lawrence, gave an informative presentation entitled “Southwestern Kansas Oil and Gas Production: where we’ve been, where we are… uh, where are we going?” Dr. Newell’s overview of Kansas production of gas and oil by county and historical contributions of gas and oil produced from southwest Kansas also highlighted the characteristics of the gas found in the vast Hugoton and Panoma Council Grove gas fields, including the BTU content (heating value) of produced gases and concentration of helium throughout the fields. He also provided insight about how prices for gas and oil influence new exploration and drilling of wells. During the question and answer session, Dr. Newell explored the prospect of discovering new gas and oil reserves in and under the ‘basement’ granite formations.

Finishing off the morning session, Charlie Wagner, a natural gas consultant from Hugoton, provided a historical overview of the development of the Hugoton Natural Gas Field following the drilling of the 1927 Crawford No. 1 discovery well four miles southwest of Hugoton. Mr. Wagner related how his career with Republic Natural Gas Company in 1953 in the Hugoton Field area conducting gas well back pressure testing and proration, which progressed with numerous assignments with Republic and later with Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company including maintaining pressure and production data, determining reserves and preparation of KCC and FERC reports and rate case exhibits.

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

If you’re any kind of Hermes reader, you know – Hugotonites love history. Depending on who you’re talking to, you’ll be treated to any number of stories from “way back when” or “back in my day. . .” To show off local history, Stevens County Economic Development Director Jan Leonard has been digging – at times literally – into the history of Hugoton and Stevens County in order to entice history buffs to visit.

Recently, he’s been researching the story of the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, as they are rumored to have lived in Hugoton in the early days of their life of crime.

During the course of Jan’s investigations, he discovered the story of Dr. William Elwood Bundy, a physician who practiced in Hugoton for several years.

Dr. Bundy and his wife Elmira  moved to Hugoton in 1911. He was most noted as a cancer doctor. Bundy had developed a formula designed to be applied topically to areas of skin cancer. Within a month or two of applications, the cancer would rise to the surface, then be peeled painfully out. Using this process, he could remove all the cancer runners without surgery.

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

Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 2 pm at Pioneer Manor in Hugoton: The Quilts of Valor will have a presentation of quilts to twelve Veterans in the community of Hugoton. Please join them as they honor these Veterans with a quilt in appreciation of their military service. This got a little mixed up in this week’s Hermes. The Hermes apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Due to the high potential for wildland fires, Governor Jeff Colyer M.D. has declared a State of Disaster Emergency for the state. This declaration allows state agencies to preposition firefighting assets and personnel in case wildland fires develop.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to an enhanced steady-state level 3. The SEOC is staffed by personnel from KDEM and the Kansas National Guard. They are in contact with the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Kansas Forest Service; no additional support has been requested at this time. The Kansas National Guard has UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews on standby.

Very high and extreme grassland fire danger is forecast across much of the state through Friday and perhaps into Saturday due to warmer temperatures, low relative humidity, and strong winds. A Red Flag warning has been issued by the National Weather service for numerous areas of the state. Any fires that start will have extreme fire behavior and the potential to spread rapidly.

KDEM officials are reminding Kansans to avoid any activity that could create a spark and start a new fire.

• Avoid open burning.
• Check with the local authorities in each county for information regarding county burn bans.
(Stevens County is currently under a burn ban)
• Do not drive on or stop your car on dry or tall grass because your exhaust can spark a fire
• Do not throw cigarettes on the ground.
• Check and re-check any recent fires for rekindling.

For more information regarding the weather and a map of the red flag warning, click here.

The Hugoton City Council met for their regular session April 9, 2018 at the council meeting room. Attending the meeting were Mayor Jack E. Rowden and Councilmen Frankie Thomas, Dan Corpening, Shannon Crawford and Jason Teeter. Also present were City Clerk Carrie Baeza, Outside Utilities Supervisor Paul Nordyke, Electric and Park Systems Supervisor Gary Rowden, City Inspector Josh Grubbs, City Attorney Wayne Tate, Police Chief Courtney Leslie, Brad Musgrove, Jeff Sarchet and Hugoton Hermes reporter Ruthie Winget. Councilman Dean Banker was absent.

The council approved the city council minutes from March 8 and March 19.

Each member of the council was provided a copy of Municipal Judge Paula Sosa’s report for the month of March. They reviewed and approved the report showing $3,310.00 remitted to the city during March.

City Inspector Grubbs gave his monthly activities report. The council reviewed and approved the quarterly charge-offs.

Brad Musgrove from Musgrove Insurance stopped by to review the City of Hugoton’s insurance package. The council voted to approve the insurance package.

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

A member of United States Senator Jerry Moran’s staff will be in Hugoton at the Stevens County Library at 500 S. Monroe Street from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. to hold open office hours Thursday, April 19. Individuals who are experiencing difficulties with Social Security, Medicare, Veterans’ affairs or have other concerns regarding federal issues are encouraged to attend.

Questions about the event may be directed to Jordan_Langdon@moran.senate.gov.

The Stevens County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session Monday, April 2, 2018 with all members, Pat Hall, Joe D. Thompson and Tron Stegman present. County Clerk Amy Jo Tharp, County Counselor Paul Kitzke and RoGlenda Coulter from The Hugoton Hermes were also present.

The agenda for the morning included Airport Board at 9:00; Tony Martin at 9:30; SDSI at 10:00; Russell Child Development at 10:15; and Great Plains Development at 10:30.

When this reporter arrived, the Commissioners were talking with EMS Director Rodney Kelling. He was talking about what the penalty should be for burning during a burn ban. Amy looked up the resolution for the burn ban that appeared in The Hermes. This is a very serious issue right now with it being so dry. Paul will look into it and get back with Rodney.

Rodney brought up the matter of fireworks. People who sell fireworks need to know in advance if they should order inventory or not. Commissioners said this is very hard to decide so early since there is plenty of time for it to rain and change things. They plan to put this decision off as long as possible. Commissioners realize this is a big deal for big fundraisers and the fireworks show for the Fourth is an important happening.

The Airport Board did not come in.

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

Spring is officially here, and lots of Easter festivities will be taking place this weekend!

First up is the traditional Easter Egg Hunt at Parsons Sports Park at Third and Washington, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, March 31. 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!

If you’re more into hunting bargains than Easter eggs, get over to the Stevens County Fairgrounds for the fifty-first annual Kiwanis Auction Friday and Saturday! The sale starts at 10:00 a.m. both days. Saturday, two auction rings will begin at 11:00 a.m. Consignments are being accepted until sale time Saturday morning. Lunch will be served both days by area 4-H club members.

Several businesses will be observing special hours in honor of Good Friday March 30. The Hugoton and Moscow City Offices will be closed Friday, as will the Stevens County Courthouse. The Hermes will also be closed all day Friday, with deadline at 5:00 p.m. Monday. Citizens State Bank announced they will close at 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. First National Bank will remain open regular hours March 30. Both Hugoton Drug and Stevens County Retail Pharmacy will be open regular hours, including from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon Saturday. Presto and Toot N Totum will be open regular hours throughout the weekend, as will Dollar General, and both the Hugoton and Moscow Post Offices will be open regular hours. Carters Thrifty King will be closed Sunday to allow their workers time to celebrate Easter with their families.

Please enjoy a very happy Easter

HHS will host “Moroccan Moonlight”

Hugoton High School juniors invite the public to see all their hard work putting together this year’s Prom – “Moroccan Moonlight”. Community members can view the prom decorations at the high school cafeteria this Saturday, March 24 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. You’re asked to enter through the front doors of the high school. You can also see the prom guests in all their finery during the Promenade from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. on the front walk of the high school.

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Chamber Banquet will be Saturday

It’s not too late! There is still time to get your name on the list to attend the Chamber’s 2018 Annual Awards Banquet this Saturday, March 24! Join Chamber members to help honor Distinguished Service Awards Recipients and of course there will be dinner and entertainment! The Depot Theater Group will be here for the “Thirtieth Year Reunion of Ridgeview High’s Class of 1988”, and you never know what might happen. Saturday is guaranteed to be an evening of fun! Tickets are still available by calling the Chamber today at 544-4305!

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Community Palm Sunday service planned
for March 25

The community is invited to a Palm Sunday service this Sunday, March 25, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church. Pastor Gary Damron of the Lone Star Friends Church will give the message.

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Commodities to be distributed Tuesday

Commodities will be distributed at the VFW Hall, 300 S. Monroe in Hugoton, Tuesday, March 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There is no charge to participate in The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Income eligibility guidelines are as follows:

Household Size                                                               Maximum Gross Monthly Income
1                                                                                                             $1,307
2                                                                                                             $1,760
3                                                                                                             $2,213
4                                                                                                             $2,665
5                                                                                                             $3,118
6                                                                                                             $3,571
For each additional family member, add $453