Agricultural producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and this flexibility is available for most commodities.

At the regular meeting of the Stockton City Commission held on Tuesday, April 19th, Solomon Valley Manor Administrator Amanda Atkisson met with the commissioners to ask about submitting for the Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the facility qualifies, it could receive funds to help with payroll for the next two months. Commissioner Reesa Brown asked how they would apply for non-profit, noting she feels it would be taking money away from those businesses that need it. Commissioner Don McLaughlin stated if the facility does qualify and then doesn’t need the money, it can be given back. Commissioner Nathan Glendening, who is a nursing home administrator, noted that his facility applied for and got a loan. He explained the guidelines for the funds, noting that the bulk of it has to be used for payroll. Commissioner Bob Becker felt Atkisson should go ahead and apply to see if the Manor would qualify for a loan. The commissioners then voted for Atkisson to apply for the funds with a vote of 4 yes (Rogers, McLaughlin, Becker and Glendening and 1 no (Brown.)

THE UNKNOWN GOD. Polytheism (belief in many gods) inundated the Roman Empire. In fact, they attributed their standing as the world's powerhouse to maintaining good relations with ALL of "the gods." That makes Paul's comment in Acts 17:23 interesting indeed. After walking around Athens, Greece and talking to people about Jesus and His resurrection, some philosophers heard Paul's teaching and brought him to Mars Hill, a place where civic leaders met. It was there that Paul told them, "as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you." Apparently, the mindset was, "Just in case we have failed to honor some god, we'll have this idol so he won't be angered at us." So who is this "unknown God" that the Athenians worshiped and attempted to pacify? The reality is that ALL of the "gods" they worshiped were figments of their imagination. They clearly must not have had an idol dedicated to the only true God, our Creator - Jehovah (i.e. the Triune God - the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit). With all of that said, what I find interesting is the fact that God gave Paul a open door to proclaim the truth. All Athenians needed to understand, that "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12). Peter said the same in Acts 4:12—"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." Eternal life is found only in Jesus and Paul wisely used belief in an "unknown god" as an opportunity to preach Him to these pagans. Our world is no different today. If true Christians look for the opportunity, we, too, will find open doors to tell people of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who gave His very life for their sin.

Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt encourawges Kansas consumers to visit with their auto insurers about potential discounts, rebates or reductions in premiums during the COVID-19 crisis.

Caleigh Iwanski, a 2020 graduate of Stockton High School, was recently awarded a scholarship from The Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the 2020-21 academic year. The awards include renewable and one-time scholarships to 72 students totaling $202,000 for the ensuing academic year.

As part of her administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order #20-24 Thursday, April 16, which extends the duration of the state’s Stay-At-Home order established in E.O. #20-16 to expire on midnight May 3.

Congressman Roger Marshall, M.D., received an update from U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on the implementation of the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Secretary Mnuchin indicated that more than $243 billion in loans have already been processed through 4,600 lenders participating, providing vital funds for more than 1 million small businesses. This includes more than $3.7 billion in loans to 19,915 Kansas businesses.

Ila Belle Hoar, Plainville: “I sure appreciate your ‘new’ newspaper, and it was so newsy last week.”

Sentinel:

If your life was a book, how would it read? That is the question Pastor Brian asked this week in our video service from Chapter 12 of The Story. Would your book be a story of commitment, a story of failed promises, a story of comebacks, or a story of change?