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In December 2021, several communities in Kansas were devastated by wildfires. The high winds, storms, and fires resulted in loss of life, homes, and livelihoods. In response, Senate Bill (SB) 318 passed the Senate 35 to 0. The version that passed the Senate exempts sales tax on fencing material used for agriculture purposes and allows county commissioners an option to abate property taxes on any property that has been more than 50% destroyed. SB 318 must pass the House before it can become law.

The 85th Annual Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society has been moved to from Sunday to 2 p.m. Feb. 6 because of the Kansas City football game. Bob Walz’s presentation on the architecture of Santa Fe depots will be featured. The program and free an open to the public. This is the 1910 image of the AT&SF depot built in Princeton, in 1904.

Prairie Paws Animal Shelter recently received a Rachael Ray Save Them All grant from Best Friends Animal Society for its “No-Kill Kansas” program to help save animals living in under-funded communities in Kansas.

Ottawa’s new mayor Eric Crowley was sworn in on January 19 and will serve as the head of the City’s government for at least the next year- he sat down with the Herald to talk about how he got involved in local government, his goals for the city, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Note: some answers have been edited for clarity.

As temperatures drop, the risk of illness – including cold and flu – rises. It can be easy to mistake the flu for a common cold since many of the symptoms are the same, but muscle aches, cough, fever, headaches and sore throat are some of the more common signs you may be suffering from the flu, which tends to come on quicker than a cold.

Weather is hard to predict. Meteorologists have many tools at their disposal to help forecast storms and other phenomena, but it is impossible to predict the weather with 100 percent accuracy.

Central Heights Middle and High School principal Luke Matile was awarded the Administrator of the Year Award by the Kansas Association of Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) last weekend at the Kansas Association of Agricultural Educators Symposium in Mayetta. The award is sponsored by Kevin and Rosemary Harris, owners of Harris Crop Insurance in Abilene.

Three elementary schoolers and three middle schoolers from Central Heights proved they had what it takes to become spelling bee champions during last week’s school spelling bee. Middle schooler Liley Elsasser took first place in the competition, with Ben Wuertz coming in second and Avery Coble taking third.