On Sunday, we celebrated the most perfect human family in history: the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Feast of the Holy Family, celebrated on December 28, draws our attention to the quiet, ordinary, and deeply sacred life shared by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

What matters about Christmas! Titus 2:11-14 The book of Titus contains one of the clearest statements about God’s grace in all of Scripture. It explains the significance of Christ’s first coming, which we recently celebrated at Christmas, as well as His second coming. In this letter, Paul exhorted believers in Crete in his time, and he exhorts us today, to display a testimony of good works before outsiders – non-believers or those who don’t follow Christ.

The Rooks County Health Center Board of Directors met on Tuesday, November 25th for its regular meeting. Board members present were Shelbe Darnell, DC (Vice Chair); Anna Muir (Secretary), Dan Sanchez, MD; and Jay Casey. Hospital staff members present were Jeff Van Dyke (CEO), Stephanie Bjornstad, Tierra Brown, Sheila Hachmeister (CFO), April LeMarr, Samantha Pfannenstiel, Heather Rinehart, William Stahl (COO), Josie Thompson, and June Karlin, recording secretary.

Fort Hays Tech | North Central has announced the 2025 Fall Honor Roll, celebrating the academic excellence and dedication of our students. This distinguished list recognizes students who have achieved outstanding academic performance during the Fall semester.

The Heartland Community Foundation recently awarded $152,515.67 to local organizations in Rooks, Ellis, and Trego County during our fall/ winter grant cycle. In total, the community foundation helped fund 35 projects, including 14 fully funded and 21 partially funded.

Welcome to the Sentinel-Times! With this issue, we’re bringing together the Stockton Sentinel and the Plainville Times to create one countywide newspaper focused on all of Rooks County. Our intent is simple: to cover the news, people, and events that matter in every corner of the county—from Stockton and Plainville, to Palco, Damar, Woodston, Zurich, and Codell.

It’s that time of year again! The Sentinel-Times is excited to announce the First Baby of 2026 Contest. This year, local merchants have truly outdone themselves, offering over $500 in prizes for the first little Miss or Mister born in the new year.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced last Wednesday, December 24, that the Office of Rural Prosperity at the Department of Commerce awarded $337,833 in Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) grants to support 15 quality-of-life projects across Kansas, one of which includes a community project called “The Yard” in Plainville.

If you were out and about in town last Friday and Saturday, it’s highly likely you heard sirens and wondered what all the commotion was about. The first incident began in Mitchell County on Friday, December 26, along US Highway 24 west of Beloit.

This issue of the Stockton Sentinel marks the 29th edition of our much-anticipated holiday section, “Santa’s ‘Deer Ones.” Since its inception in 1996 with just 70 pictures, this year’s issue ties for the largest ever, with a total of 32 pages—matching last year’s record. For comparison, the 2023 ‘Deer Ones’ section had 24 pages, while 2024 and this year both feature 32 pages.