The 2022 Rooks County Vision Leadership Class celebrated the completion of their leadership skills class with a dinner and program at Chesapeake Roadhouse on Wednesday, December 14. This year’s participants included: Tom Benoit, Andrea Dix, Jennifer Kesler, Haley O’Neal Spiess, Alexa Rogers, Marlene Whitney, Anne Williams, and Shay Simoneau.

The Rooks County Commission’s regular weekly meeting held on Tuesday, December 13th had a short agenda for the morning session. Commissioners Tim Berland and John Ruder were in attendance with commissioner Greg Balthazor absent from the meeting.

Whoo! The day of the Pony Express was gone and post offices were established across Kansas. The first post office to be established after the organization of the Kansas Territory was at Marysville on November 11th, 1854. The first post office established after Statehood was at Indian Valley in Anderson County on February 8th, 1861, with it closing on November 4th, 1861. Before Kansas became a state, mail was delivered in the territory to Cantonment Leavenworth, later Fort Leavenworth starting on May 29th, 1828.

The Stockton City Commission opened its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 6th with the approval of the Consent Agenda. Included in the Agenda were the Solomon Valley Manor gross payroll in the amount of $94,249.20, the Solomon Valley Manor warrants in the amount of $94,685.33, the City of Stockton warrants in the amount of $97,078.10, the City of Stockton gross payroll in the amount of $109,985.55 and the November 22nd regular meeting minutes.

At the Rooks County Commission meeting on Tuesday, December 6th, the commissioners approved the bid from K-Camp for a self-insured property and casualty plan for the County as well as a workers compensation plan with K-Worcs for the 2023 year. The company has insurance policies with over 70 counties within the state of Kansas. Representatives from K-Camp were at the meeting and had the necessary papers signed so the County can now move forward with the Resolutions as stated, and then execute the agreement for coverage to begin on January 1st, 2023. The Resolution with K-Worcs will be signed at a later date.

There may not be any snow on the ground yet for this holiday season, but Stockton is creating its own Winter Wonderland with snowflake-themed banners and lights utilizing a $3,000.00 grant from the Heartland Community Foundation for new Christmas decorations.

183 Lanes (906 South Cedar) in Stockton will be closed for the remaining weekends during the month of December: Saturday and Sunday, December 17th and 18th; Saturday and Sunday, December 24th and 25th; and Saturday and Sunday, December 31st and January 1st, 2023. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Jesse and Anna Luna, rural Plainville, received one of Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) Farm Family of the Year awards at their annual meeting held December 3-5 in Manhattan. Each year, a select number of families receive the Farm Family of the Year award for their service and leadership in agriculture, Farm Bureau and their communities.

The Stockton FFA Vet Science teams took first, second and third place in their categories at the Northwest District FFA Vet Science at Colby on Tuesday, November 29th. The eighth-grade team who placed first with their individual placings were Mia Odle (first), Kolby Dix (second), Haden Hahn (third), Skylar Amlong (fourth), and Camille Lowry (seventh place).

Megan Riener, Stockton’s vocal music teacher, was named the Northwest KMEA Outstanding Elementary Music Educator at the KMEA Honor Band and Choir Concert held at Fort Hays State University on Saturday, December 3rd. She was also selected as the Overall Outstanding Educator for Northwest Kansas and will represent the Northwest District at the state level this coming February.