News

In 2021 the rural population of Kansas continued to decline while the Kansas City region remained one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation. It is estimated that Sunflower State has over 6,000 ghost towns and dwindling communities (World population review, KS). Rural flight has ushered in the Grim Reaper, actively collecting the soul of communities throughout the Heartland. Haviland is no different than many struggling communities showing a population growth rate since 2010 of negative 6% (World population review, Haviland).

Kansas Day at the Pratt County Historical Society Jan. 26-27 - Kansas Day at the historical museum will be next week, January 26 & 27, 2022.

The January 10 Kiowa County school board monthly meeting covered important COVID-19 related safety measures. Board members covered several items on the agenda and handled some old business in regards to the Kansas Association of School Boards with the approval of their policy updates. They appointed a negotiations team and reviewed their 2020-2021 financial audit before turning their attention to the most important meaure at hand - the district’s “Safe Return to In-Person instruction Plan.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. January 21, 2022 - Kansas feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.49 million cattle on feed on January 1, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. This inventory was down slightly from last year.

The St. John Short Stop is a business owned and operated by Kanza Coop. The Short Stop is a convenience store open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. It is managed by Shari Williamson and located at 434 North US 281.

The January 10, 2022 Skyline Board of Education meeting started with a tour of the vocational building by Bryan Pixler and his students. The group gave a presentation about the Engineering and Applied Math CTE pathway at Skyline. Pixler’s students began the semester drawing with traditional drafting instruments and learning about multi-view drawings and orthographic projection. Then in November 6 they began drawing with AutoCAD software, an industry standard program for design and drawing. The Drafting and CAD students finished up the year designing CO2 dragsters that were 3D printed.

SINCE 1906 when Haviland was incorporated, the volunteering women and men of the Haviland Fire Department [HFD] have pursued excellence in fire suppression and emergency services for the residents of eastern Kiowa County. Their legacy of service includes generations of people committed to annual training, State certifications, growing governmental regulations, equipment maintenance, and fund-raising. These things still continue to this day.

Workspace 311 is a downtown office space located at 311 N. Broadway in St. John. As an initiative of the Stafford County Economic Development organization, this building offers workspace for people with online jobs or to search for jobs in the area. This gives people opportunity to explore careers, schooling, and even more.

How to Tell Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper Apart in the Winter During the growing season, these plants are easy to tell apart as Virginia Creeper has five-leaflets per leaf and Poison Ivy has three. However, during the winter, distinguishing between the two vines can be more difficult as the leaves have dropped.