Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. announced March 16 it will not disconnect any residential or business member for non-payment of their electric bill until further notice.

Kansas Governor Kelly announced Executive Order #20-06 to temporarily prohibit evictions and foreclosures across the state in an effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

(The following article is taken in part by the unapproved minutes from the March 27th Rooks County Commission special meeting.)

Lucy (Laska) Beilman: “Sandra Oakley was my fourth grade teacher. She is the reason I became one.”

MAX. He was the nicest of guys and a great neighbor. For some 30 years, he brought the newspaper over to my mom and dad. They sat, drank coffee, watched the morning news, and chit-chatted. Living outside the country for 20 years, we didn't see Max often—until we moved back in 2014. Years previously, he had attended the local Baptist church, but hadn't gone to church for a long, long time. My heart was burdened for him as he was then in his 90s. The main wedge between him and God was his inability to believe a "good God" could let children be born with disabilities. The real issue was his rejection of God's sovereignty - or that God has the right to do as He chooses. So, is God REALLY in control? Does God know what he's doing? Thankfully, YES! In fact, it's a comfort to my soul. Job serves as an amazing example of faith and trust. Job said, "When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt; my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and come to their end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good" (Job 7:4-7). Life was unbearable. But despite all of the staggering suffering that God allowed Job to go through at the hand of Satan, he came out of the fog at the end and proclaimed, "I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me" (23:12-14). God gave Job grace to accept the suffering and to eventually come through it with an even deeper submission to Him and His right to do as He deems best. Sadly, to my knowledge, Max never did bow to God's sovereignty. Where are you today? I trust that you, too, stand with Job, and know that God makes no mistake no matter the hardness of life.

While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip. When leaving, the woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn’t miss them until they had been driving about 20 minutes. By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel several miles before they could find a place to turn around, in order to return to the restaurant. All the way back, the husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. They finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car, the old geezer yelled to her, “While you’re in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Kansas small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced March 21st. SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Pre-paredness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Gov. Laura Kelly on March 17, 2020.

Mark Trumbo: “This weather has sure put a kibosh on fishing.”

At the regular meeting of the Rooks County Commission, held on Tuesday, March 17th, the commissioners met with the county department heads dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Health nurse Lori Eichman and emergency management director Butch Post gave them an overview and updates as noted to date. Those present discussed plans for the courthouse during this time, and the commissioners will keep the public updated through the emergency management Facebook page.

Average groundwater levels in central and western Kansas held fairly steady during 2019 as annual precipitation rates were near to above average in much of the state, according to preliminary data compiled by the Kansas Geological Survey.