At the regular weekly meeting of the Rooks County Commission held on Tuesday, June 29th, Julie Cole and Adam Comeau, representing the Rooks County EMS, were present to discuss the department’s proposed 2022 budget. Noting the increase in calls and the limited number of volunteers, the department is considering hiring three, full-time positions to help cover the high volume hours and some weekends. Comeau presented information showing how other towns and counties operate their departments with some who have full-time employees. The volunteers are a valued part of the Rooks County EMS, but with the steady increase of calls, the department proposed additional funds to be able to hire three employees. This has been an ongoing discussion between the EMS and the Rooks County Commission for the past eighteen months. Commissioner John Ruder called for a ten-minute executive session with commissioners Tim Berland and Greg Balthazor, Julie Cole, Adam Comeau and Stockton City Clerk Courtney Flower to discuss non-elected personnel. There was no further discussion when the commissioners came back to the open meeting.

Several changes in the Kansas concealed carry law took effect July 1, 2021, including a reduction in application fees, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said. Among the changes approved during the 2021 Kansas legislative session, a new provisional license will be available for individuals between 18-20 years of age.

(The following article is taken in part from the unapproved minutes of the July 1st Stockton USD 271 Board of Education special meeting.) A special meeting of the Stockton Unified School District No. 271 Board of Education was held on Thursday, July 1st during the noon hour in the District Conference Room.

Pastor Mike and his wife Terry moved to Stockton this past spring with Mike’s first sermon at Stockton’s Assembly of God Church held on Easter Sunday. The couple came to Stockton after ministering in Freemont, Nebraska at the Full Life Church for the past 13 years.

THE WHEAT TRUCKS were rolling into the Farmers Union Elevator in Stockton on Saturday afternoon as the area harvest kicks into high gear..

After extensive study, the University of Kansas Alumni Association’s national board of directors has voted unanimously to retire the Kansas Honor Scholars Program (KHSP), which since 1971 has recognized the top 10% of high school seniors throughout Kansas for their academic achievement.

THE NIGHT SKIES WERE LIT UP in Stockton on Sunday, July 4th, to celebrate our nation’s independence, with hundreds of aerial firework displays enjoyed by all..

Twelve Rooks County students at Fort Hays State University are among the 2,547 students who completed associate, bachelor, or graduate degrees at Fort Hays State University in the spring 2021 term. Graduates are listed with their degrees and majors and, in parentheses, areas of concentration.

Claire McClellan of Plainville is among the nearly 3,130 students who completed degree requirements from Kansas State University in spring 2021. The graduates are from 101 Kansas counties, 44 states and 44 countries.