Mollie Andrews, agriculture educator and FFA advisor from Gregory County, was invited to attend the National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE) convention in Phoenix, AZ, November 28-December 2, celebrating their 75th year as an organization. The NAAE is a federation of state agricultural educators associations with more than 9,000 members involved in school-based agricultural education from middle school through postsecondary, and state and national agricultural education leadership.

This January’s weather, with its snow, blizzards, and bitterly cold temperatures is reminiscent of another January 42 years ago. Thankfully, no tragedies arose as a result of the elements this year, but the same can not be said of the storm in January 1982.

Spring cleaning, fall cleaning, deep cleaning any time of the year, is dreaded by most people, but once in a while, a surprise is revealed that might not have been discovered otherwise. Maybe it is a lost ring, the mate to a lone sock, a photo album tucked away in an obscure spot, or your pet’s toy stash. Such was the case when Richard and Bev Rubel decided to do some cleaning at St. John’s Church in Paxton.

January is National Mentoring Month, and the Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR) is celebrating the month aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more individuals with quality mentors.

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ERSPECTIVE Hope all made it well and warm into 2024. On January 4th, when schools opened, we had the first school shooting in Iowa. A 17-yearold with a shotgun and handgun killed a sixth grader and wounded other students. Recently the principal who intervened, saving others, also died. Interviewed later, some students said that this shooter had been bullied for most of his school life. I’m guessing it might have been over gender identity like last year’s school shooting at a Christian school in Nashville. There are those who would rather censor books available in school libraries, putting their 2nd Amendment weapons ahead of children’s lives. California and New York State have enforced the basic red flag laws over weapon acquisition and storage. If these laws were more widespread many of the 30,000 annual deaths from gun violence could be prevented.