The Kiowa County Hospital District and County Board met in regular session on March 27, 2018 at 6:35 p.m. at the Bransgrove Building Meeting Room. 

District Board members present were: Mary Eikner. Sylvia Shields, Cathryn Anderson, Priscilla Waggoner, and Robert Woods. 

County Board members present were: Lori Shalberg. John Negley, Craig Kerfoot Kim Harris. and Dennis Pearson. 

Others present: Shannon Dixon, Char Korrell, Deb Hill, Dawn Back, David Lenderts, and Beth Spady. 

A stream of blue-clad graduates entered a packed gym at the Lamar Community College Wellness Center for the college’s 79^thAnnual Commencement ceremony.  In just a short time, those students would become LCC alumni.

Dr. Linda Lujan, LCC President, opened the commencement with a brief welcoming address.  She remarked on the hard work of the graduates, congratulating them on all of they have accomplished. 

Join the staff of Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in commemoration of the Memorial Day Holiday with a free guided walk Saturday, May 26, at 10:00 a.m. The Sand Creek Massacre is a seminal event in American Indian history, a brutal massacre that took 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho lives in a surprise attack by Colorado (US) Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War. Join Park Guide John Launius for this free guided tour, which discusses one of this nation’s most profound tragedies. 

Kiowa County Sheriff Casey Sheridan has announced that Madison Kelley will be the recipient of this year’s County Sheriffs of Colorado scholarship award for Kiowa County.

CSOC offered 31 $500 scholarships this year to deserving high school and college students across the state to help fund their higher education expenses during the 2018-19 school year.

For those of you who think I spent too much time last week whining about “Overboard” not being funny, just a heads up that “Life of the Party” this week is going to be more of the same. It’s no surprise that neither movie is any good, their studios sent them out to die against “Avengers: Infinity War”. Both comedy bombs lucked out because that movie got moved up a week at the last minute, so they got to open on weekends when people had already seen the superior blockbuster. They still got crushed, just not as badly.

Dear EarthTalk:I’m in the market for a new acoustic guitar and I’m wondering what are my options if I care about its impact on the environment?-- Angelo Martinez, Scranton, PA

The Kiowa County Board of Commissioners has been honored with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region Partners in the Outdoors Award for 2018.

The award was announced at the annual Partners in the Outdoors conference last week in Breckenridge. The Kiowa County Board of Commissioners was nominated by CPW’s Rick Gardner, who serves as a district wildlife manager in the Lamar area. Accepting the award on behalf of the county was Commissioner Cindy McLoud.

Hot and dry conditions accelerated fieldwork and planting activities last week, according to the Mountain Region Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. Precipitation late last week was mostly confined to northern and some eastern counties.

Northeastern county reporters observed damaging hail and isolated heavy rainfall, although moisture continued to improve dryland crop and rangeland conditions. In east central counties, those who haven’t received moisture noted the winter wheat was severely stressed. High winds were also reported. 

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has ordered flags lowered to half-staff on all public buildings statewide Tuesday, May 15, in recognition of Peace Officers Memorial Day during Police Week, and as proclaimed by President Trump. Flags should be lowered from sunrise to sunset.