The names of suspects charged in the burglary at Home Cookin’ were made public. Brett Kreutzer and Nicholas Nix, both 18, both of Stockton, had been charged with identical counts of Burglary, Conspiracy, Theft and Criminal Damage To Property. The charges allege the young men broke the window glass in the east, rear door of Home Cookin’ and took the money bag and money from the cash register, with a value of less than $1,000. Kreutzer had been an employee of the restaurant. A robbery occurred at Midwest Motel June 30th, between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. Unknown person or persons entered the office through an unlocked door and took cash from the register. No suspects had been arrested, and an investigation was ongoing.

The new office building at Webster State Park was officially open as the staff had moved into the facility on June 19, 2006.

Dr. Shannon Hessler, DVM, began work at Central Veterinary Services in Stockton on June 7th, 2006. Dr. Hessler had just received her degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio Medical Sciences at Colorado State University in May.

The State PRIDE Evaluation Team, consisting of Pam Stone, Jan Simon, Jan Mason and Ben Allen, was in Stockton on June 13, 2006 to evaluate the Stockton PRIDE Committee on the many programs they had implemented around town. People from the community that attended the meeting were Vicki Berkley, Jenny Thayer-Wood, Toby Wood, Willardene Purdum, city clerk Sandra Rogers, Gift Advisory Board Representative Chuck Williams, Rooks County Commissioner Bob Schamel, city manager Connie Conyac, PRIDE President Harry Purdum, city commissioner Diane Creevan Voss, Linda Yohon, city commissioner Twila Sander, Ruth Ann Bigge, Jayne Prockish and Virgi Laska.

Rooks County Health Nurse Lorraine Baughman said there were 12 confirmed cases of mumps in Rooks County. In addition, there were 14 probable cases, waiting for results of blood work. Across the State of Kansas, there were 719 mumps cases (confirmed/probable) cases in 65 counties with the majority of those in Douglas County with 258.

Teachers Ginger Kollman and Barb Henson were honored for 25 years of service at Stockton Grade School.

Stockton Police Chief Don Jenkins, Jr. informed the Sentinel that a Stockton Grade School student had confessed to creating the bomb threat that took place at the school on May 11, 2006 forcing the evacuation of students, staff and administrators in the elementary and high schools. According to Jenkins, the student confessed to the grade school principal, Elton Armbrister. County attorney Ed Hageman said charges of Criminal Threat and Causing the Evacuation of a Public Building had been filed. Jenkins said the school may also file sanctions of its own.

A handwritten bomb threat forced the evacuation of students, staff and adinistrators in the elementary and high schools here in Stockton on Thursday, May 11. The note was found in a girls’ restroom in the grade school. The 354 students in the elementary and high schools were safely evacuated from the premises and taken to City Hall. Residents of homes adjacent to the school also were evacuated. Because of its proximity to the school, U.S. Highway 24 was closed from the overpass at Webster Reservoir to U.S. Highway 183. Bomb sniffing dogs from Salina were brought in, but no bomb was found. The all-clear was issued, and the highway reopened by 6 p.m. Law enforcement officials were investigating the incident, the second at the school district this school year.

A casting call was out to students from third through eighth grade to be part of Kids On Stage II for the coming summer. Joan Balderston, Maxine Bates and Ruth Phelps were once again setting up a theatre workshop for aspiring actors and actresses at the Nova Theatre for two weeks in June, 2006. The focus of the workshop was memorization. Each student would have a spotlight performance in either a skit, a duet, an excerpt from a play, or reciting a favorite poem in a performance scheduled for June 22.

Vernon Sammons was celebrating his 100th birthday on May 8, 2006, and family, friends and neighbors were invited to a Celebration, planned by his kids and grandkids on Sunday, May 7th at the Solomon Valley Manor.