By Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Lamar Community College’s fall semester is quickly coming to a close and everyone is looking forward to the holidays.  The LCC campus will be starting Saturday, December 24, 2015, and will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2016, so that faculty and staff can spend time with their families.

Certain departments on campus will have additional closures including the Bookstore, Tutoring Lab, Library, and Fitness Center.  The Bookstore will be closed starting December 21 and the Library will close on December 22.  Both will reopen with the rest of campus on January 3.

By Chris Sorensen

After a few weeks of stability, drought conditions worsened in Colorado, with a notable deterioration in Kiowa County.

Northwest Moffat remains the only part of the state untouched by any level of drought, while 60 percent of the state is considered abnormally dry – the lowest drought category.

Breakfast

December 12: Waffles, orange juice, milk, mixed fruit

December 13: Egg patty, toast, sausage, grape juice, milk, V8

December 14: Doughnuts, cereal, grape juice, milk, orage

December 15: NO SCHOOL

Lunch

December 12: Italian beef steaks

December 13: Nachos

December 14: Sloppy Joes

December 15: NO SCHOOL

• There will be a Christmas program at the Sheridan Lake Bible Church on Sunday December 11 at 6p.m.  There will be finger food following the program.

• Plainview  Christmas program Tuesday, Dec. 13

• Tuesday, December 13th is the Annual Christmas Dinner party at the Prairie Pines.  The community is invited to come and asked to bring and side dish or dessert to this semi-formal dinner.

The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board awarded the first round of implementation funding for six Inspire Initiative pilot communities, totaling $13.5 million in grants.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has  announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer farmers and ranchers more opportunities to participate in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The announcement includes new CRP practices to protect water quality and adds an additional 1.1 million acres targeted to benefit wildlife, pollinators and wetlands.

Melissa Marie Kirkpatrick, 43, was arrested on December 5, 2016, by the Walsenburg Police Department on suspicion of First Degree Murder of her ex-husband Timothy Kirkpatrick in September.