Autumn Deterding was chosen as the Cambridge Area Rotary Student of the Winter Quarter for Cambridge. We had the pleasure of hearing about her family, all of her activities and future plans. Autumn is pictured with Kate Warner, Public Image Chair. Congratulations Autumn!

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is pleased to announce that Dr. Rachelle Kaspar-Cope has successfully met the criteria and passed the examination necessary to become a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP). Founded in 1989, NAMS is North America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and quality of life through an understanding of menopause. Those who hold the NCMP certification have demonstrated special interest and competency in the field of menopause. These include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurses, pharmacists, and others. We congratulate Dr. Kaspar-Cope on achieving this important certification. If you have questions or concerns about menopause call 308-697-3317 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kaspar-Cope.

Kansas City, MO — This holiday season, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Region 7 Office, is partnering with the State Highway Safety Offices in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska to share the message about the dangers of drunk driving. From December 15, 2021, through January 1, 2022, law enforcement will participate in the high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

The 2021 One Act season came to an end at the State One Act competition on Thursday, December 9th with the Southern Valley One Act team coming in 5th in the state contest. The cast started practices in early October for their play “Marmalade Gumdrop.” The play is a fantasy story about a young boy whose mom has told him to part with some of his old toys. As the furniture in his room comes to life, Wally learns that there is a lot of fun left in old toys. With a small cast of just 10 characters, they thought it would be easy to get together for practice; however, all of the cast members were busy going in many different directions. They had cross country, cheerleading, football, softball, quiz bowl, and mock trial all to contend with for practice times. In fact, the group only had two full-cast practices before the Fine Arts Festival. The group was thankful for the opportunity to perform for the elementary school and high school to give them a few more practices and trials to run their play before RPAC.

The Village of Oxford Board of Trustees discussed moving forward with condemning some properties during their meeting on Monday, December 20. Clerk Calderone told the board the Village attorney asked if they would like a deadline for the owner to complete some work. Chairman Clint McQuiston said they had asked for some things after inspecting the property initially last year and nothing has been done. They have also found a lien on the property the owner was going to sign over to the Village. “We need to press the issue on the other houses and check for liens,” said McQuiston. The board will decide what to do next after they see title reports.

BEAVER CITY – During the last meeting of the year on December 20, 2021, the council approved utilizing up to $60,000 sales tax funds for economic development projects in 2022. Once the city finalizes the application process, businesses can apply for a grant and funds will be dispersed on a first come/first serve basis. The city will pay 50% of the total project with a cap of $20,000. City Clerk Teresa Youngquist reported that to date, five businesses have expressed interest in participating in the program.

It’s one of those days. I had this column almost finished, I thought in the mode to save as I went, and all of a sudden I hit some wrong key and it was gone! So back to square one to try to reconstruct.

The Indianola City Council held their regular meeting on December 20th at 5:30 p.m. Minutes of December 6th were approved as well as claims and the treasurer's report. There was discussion of reorganization of Council duties and all will retain their current positions.

McCook, Nebraska—Community Hospital wants to help people prevent Type 2 diabetes before it starts by encouraging them to enroll in the Eat Smart – Get Fit program. This year-long program aims to prevent or delay diabetes by encouraging healthy eating, increased activity and stress reduction, according to Monica Wacker, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at the hospital.

The Sons of The American Legion, Squadron 343, Edison, met on the evening of December 18, for the purpose of delivering Christmas food baskets to 12 local veterans. Members participating were L-R: Wendell Chaffin, Tyson Froscheiser and Arlan Leising. Photo by Kaitlin Chaffin.