News

Two communities, Eureka and Howard, are planning events to coincide with their school’s annual homecoming events.

Health Department Director Vicki Lindsey brought an issue before commissioners for consideration on Monday, September 11. Lindsey notified commissioners that her department keeps getting assessed late fees for a utility bill. As this has been a persisting issue, with late fees of roughly $9.99 being charged, Lindsey asked if another method of payment could be utilized to avoid this - requesting that they consider affording her office to pay the utility bill by card. She noted that this has been an issue as long as she has worked for the county and this has an impact on the budget. As potential solutions were discussed, it was shared that it was believed that utilities must be approved according to state statute. All departments receiving a late fee for utilities are to be considered and Legal Counsel Paul Dean was asked to look into creating a solution for this issue.

A special meeting of the Eureka City Council was called for Tuesday, September 5 to afford for continued discussion of recommended improvements to the water and wastewater systems.

Despite drizzle throughout the majority of the day on Monday of this week, Greenwood County (and the majority of Kansas) is still experiencing high drought levels.

LUCAS — Another 50 subscriptions would help Rita Sharp sustain her small-town newspaper. Sharp has owned the weekly Lucas-Sylvan News since 2012. It covers the towns of Lucas in Russell County and Sylvan Grove, 12 miles away in Lincoln County.

As rising costs continue to hit Americans’ pocketbooks, let’s highlight some easy ways that can help you save on your energy bill. A good place to start is knowing what your costs are, and whether they are trending up or down. Your cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) that you see on your energy bill can change independently of the other rates. In order to figure out your cost per kilowatt hour, take the electricity charge divided by the electricity used. This can help you figure out how much each kilowatt of energy costs.

Eureka Public Library is joining libraries all across the nation in celebrating “Library Card Sign Up Month” during September. While books are what most people traditionally think of when picturing libraries, today’s modern libraries offer so much more. Library Director Connie Mitchell noted that signing up for a free library card at Eureka Public Library means books, videos, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers and cake pans can be checked out. In addition, the public can use computers; access the Wi-Fi 24 hours a day; do printing, copying and faxing; receive digital items through Cloud Library and Hoopla; use databases through the Kansas State Library; sign up for Talking Books (a free service for persons with visual and other impairments); create something using the new Makerspace; have a test proctored; or host a gathering in the meeting room. “A library card can be one of the most valuable and useful cards you will ever carry,” Mitchell stated. To encourage persons who may not already have a library card to sign up for one, Eureka Public Library will be giving away a “Greenwood County Libraries – Discover Your Next Chapter” book bag with every new card during September and each new card holder will be entered into a drawing for a special prize. Mitchell emphasized, “The library is a tremendous community resource in terms of the services we offer and our special programming events. We hope those persons who don’t currently use the library will come in, sign up for a card, and discover how useful the library can be in their lives.”

On Wednesday, September 27, the Madison High School National Honor Society will be hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The drive will be held in the gymnasium of the school, located at 1500 Southwest Boulevard, in Madison.

Nature enthusiasts are known to say that spending time in the great outdoors has a positive effect on their mental and physical well-being. Such an outlook is more than mere speculation, as it turns out spending time in nature provides a host of health benefits that might surprise even the most devoted outdoors enthusiasts.