Steel yourself. Higher energy bills are on the way. With the recent spike in electric and natural gas usage due to wintry weather, it’s likely that electrical rate increases will follow suit for Iola residents. “We are seeing an extremely high jump in usage,” confirmed city clerk Roxanne Hutton. (For example, one resident who used 27 units of energy in January, used 32 in February. The rest of the year, they average 7 British Thermal Units.) Source: The Iola Register

Iola City Council members are keen on developing a policy to codify what incentives can be offered for new business development. Councilman Carl Slaugh has taken the reins to the endeavor, asking his fellow Council members for their thoughts on what should be considered when drafting the policy, which would require approval of the full Council’s approval.... The subsequent discussion covered several areas, from setting criteria to determine how much, if any, can be offered. Members pointed to such criteria as the number of employees or revenue generated from sales taxes or utility usage. Mayor Jon Wells said incentives, and criteria, [...]

City leaders officially declared an “extraordinary financial emergency” for Humboldt Monday night in response to recent spikes in natural gas prices. Residents and businesses can expect an 80% increase in their per unit usage charges in statements issued later this week, Cole Herder, city administrator, told council members... Humboldt is on the hook for an immediate $49,022 payment to KMGA to go toward a $1 million advance payment that one of the consortium’s suppliers demanded during the crisis. KMGA uses about 20 suppliers. Herder said one of those suppliers told KMGA that in order to reserve $30 million worth of gas [...]

Public officials pleaded Monday for Kansans to turn thermostats down and conserve electricity as utilities warned that severe cold would force coordinated power outages across the Midwest. Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of emergency Sunday in anticipation of sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that reached the -30s. The extreme conditions knocked wind turbines and natural gas plants off the grid as power consumptions soared, prompting concerns about skyrocketing natural gas supplies and an inability to meet demand. Evergy, which serves eastern Kansas and western Missouri, announced plans Monday afternoon to begin shutting off power for rotating blocks of customers for [...]

Kansas is working to fix its troubled system for sending vaccine data to the federal government, saying glitches caused about 100,000 doses that were given to not be registered as being administered. The state’s vaccination rate has consistently ranked as among the lowest in the country. As of Monday, 10% of the state’s population had been vaccinated, with 394,523 people receiving at least the first of two required doses, state health data  showed.  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows  the state administering only 67% of the 581,975 doses it has received. The state, however, puts the figure at [...]

The electrification of cars and small trucks is on the horizon, but the state of Kansas is doing the bare minimum to be prepared. A new state scorecard from the advocacy group the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks the state 29th, with a score of 15.5 out of 100. Only five states scored at least half of the available points. “This means that all states can improve their policies,” said Bryan Howard, the scorecard’s lead author. He said the scorecard is intended to help identify promising policies related to EVs (electric vehicles) and EV-charging infrastructure. The rankings evaluated states [...]

Allen County currently gets about 100 doses of COVID-19 vaccine a week. The supply chain filters from manufacturers to the federal governments, to states and then to county health departments who will allocate it as needed. The county is nearing the end of Phase 1. Volunteers are sought for a vaccination clinic. It’s going to take a bit of time and a lot of patience before most Allen County residents can get a COVID-19 vaccine, but the local health department is starting to develop a plan for when that time comes. Source: The Iola Register

The rural economy in parts of 10 Plains and Western states continues to grow, but rural bank CEOs say their biggest fears for the 2021 economy are excessive inflation and higher long-term interest rates, according to a new survey of bankers. The overall index of the Rural Mainstreet Survey improved to 52.0 in January from December’s 51.6 — the highest reading since before the onset last year of the coronavirus pandemic. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy. Source: The Iola Register

Hybrid learning has become the go-to compromise for Kansas’ largest school districts to get students back in classrooms. Districts in Lawrence, Topeka, Olathe and elsewhere rotate students between in-person and online lessons. Kids get physical time in front of a teacher without risking crowded classrooms during the pandemic. But some Kansas teachers say the hybrid model isn’t much better than keeping students online full-time. The constant shift from the classroom to the screen disrupts learning. Teachers say they have twice the workload while splitting their focus between online and in-person students, giving neither the attention they deserve. Source: The Iola Register

Growing up, Brittni Israel’s home in Westphalia seemed to be a dumping ground for unwanted dogs.  A nonstop parade seemed to make their way to her.  Maybe it was a coincidence. Or maybe desperate pet owners knew Israel and her family would find the dogs a good home. And they did.  Israel’s love for animals has shaped her career. She recently was named director of the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility in LaHarpe. Source: The Iola Register