Haskell County News

There have been frequent references to the "Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918," or "The 1918 Pandemic" recently in the news when mention has been made of the H1N1 "swine flu" epidemic.

A five-member committee from the Kansas County Treasurer's Association conducted a "peer review" Thursday and Friday of the office of Shawnee County Treasurer Larry Wilson, who has been a subject of criticism in recent months from the county commission.

Mark and Leah Shapland, Dighton, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Lacey Rae Shapland, to Nicholas James Noterman, son of Randy and Sheri Noterman, Niwot, Colo.

"Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by ecclesiastical bodies may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history," - James Madison A more recent example of "the danger of encroachment" is described in numerous articles ...

Monday, June 15, 2009 The weekend storms visited many parts of Western Kansas, but perhaps no area got hit as hard as one feed lot just north of Tice.

Severe storms that brought tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and rain caused some damage around the area Sunday night.

At least four tornadoes touched down Sunday amid severe thunderstorms that swept southwestern and south-central Kansas.

Storms with heavy winds have hit southern Kansas, blowing a semi trailer off a highway in Haskell County and damaging sheds in Ford County.

Heavy rainfall is likely overnight, but National Weather Service meteorologists say the Topeka area should be free of severe weather into Monday morning.

Severe springtime weather is nothing new in southwest Kansas. That doesn't make it any less frightening, we were reminded Wednesday when the threat of tornadoes triggered storm sirens in Garden City and the region a ' warnings that, hopefully, had local residents taking shelter in basements and other safe places.

And lo it came to pass. Four years ago, Sir Liam Donaldson predicted that a new pandemic was "inevitable". "It's happened before, in 1918, 1958 and 1969," the chief medical officer informed Andrew Marr on the BBC's Sunday AM programme.

Officials are reporting minor damage from a tornado that touched down near Garden City Wednesday night.