Valley Hope a home grown success story By Dick Boyd    nortontelegram@nwkansas.com             The homegrown success story of the Norton Valley Hope Association, the largest non-profit alcoholism and drug addiction treatment center in the United States, is now available for all to read in a hard c...

Changes taking place in downtown Norton           Downtown Norton is looking at a lot of changes as Hall’s Clothing goes out of business and Moffet Drug store changes ownership.           Hall’s Clothing Owner Steve Streck said the economy is the major factor behind his decision to close.      &nb...

QUICKBOOKS classes offered through Fort Hays State University Small Business Development Center Record Keeping with QUICKBOOKS   February 24 or March 24 in Hays   Advance registration is required due to limited space   Session one:  BEGINNERS  - Learn the fundamentals:   Setting up your company Working with lists Working with bank accounts Entering and paying bills Features to make your life easier Session two: ...

Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center Seminars BRING OUT THEIR BEST WITH LEAN CULTURE LEADERSHIP   Webinar – January 27, 2010            Join us for Lean Culture Leadership, an informative Webinar on how to bring out the best from your teams.  Learn practical leadership skills that can improve communication, teamwork and problem solving by 100% or more th...

National Census Almost Underway           Starting in February, the United States Census will begin mailing questionnaires for the 2010 census to every resident in the United States.  The census calculates how many people reside in each county and will determine where an estimated $400 billion in tax money will be distributed over the next ten years. &nb...

Small Business Development Center Question of the Quarter   Question of the Quarter The Kansas Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has implemented a resource contact activity called "Question of the Quarter", to seek input statewide from resource partners. One survey question is asked each quarter seeking your feedback. Your feedback provides valuable input on how the KSBDC can improve the services rendered to you an...

Norton Public Library participates in 2010 Kansas Reads   The Kansas Humanities Council has joined the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas to present 2010 Kansas Reads...Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. Humanities programs will be presented around the state for the duration of the event, from February 1 through March 14, 2010. The programs will be brought to you by the Norton Public Library and...

Resources for Influenza information Influenza and you – the following resources can help keep you up-to-date on seasonal influenza and novel H1N1.   Centers for Disease Control & Prevention   http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu Kansas Department of Health & Environment   http://www.kdheks.gov/h1n1 1-877-42...

KDOT launches KanDrive           Online information gateway connects Kansas travelers to helpful information for planning safer, better travel statewide.           How are road conditions east of Topeka on I-70? Is there a traffic accident slowing my evening commute?  Where are work zones on Kansas hi...

City of Norton Snow Ordinances The City of Norton wants to remind the public of our three snow ordinances.  One requires the removal of snow and ice off public sidewalks within 24 hours after the fall of snow or sleet. The second ordinance relates to removing parked vehicles from emergency snow routes.  When the City of Norton publicly announces through the news media that an emergency ...

H1N1 Flu; Recommendations for Businesses Businesses across Kansas play an important role in helping limit the spread of H1N1.  Recommended actions for businesses will depend upon the severity of disease in coming months.  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is watching the situation closely, and will advise if changes are needed.  For now, under current flu conditions, these are ...

Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech Awarded $101 Million WASHINGTON, January 26 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday announced that Rural Telephone and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nex-Tech, was one of 14 recipients selected for Recovery Act Broadband Infrastructure funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Lenora-based telecommunications cooperative and its Hays-based subsidiary will receive a ...

A Bank Without Money By Ron Wilson, Director           (Let’s stop by the bank today.  Unlike your local financial institution, there’s no teller windows or ATM at this bank, but there is a tremendous resource.  This is what Marci Penner calls the We Kan! Bank, a new initiative of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.     &n...

Housing Funds Available From USDA Rural Development Loan Program Funded At Highest Level In 15 Years   USDA Rural Development is seeking applications from residents who qualify for the Agency’s Single Family Housing Direct Loan Program. The program provides home purchase financing, repairs, and re-financing provisions for lower income families.  This year, in addition to the regular annual allocation of funds fr...

Funding for the Storefront Renewal Project Announced After a successful response from business owners and positive comments from community members in 2009, the Norton City/County Economic Development Board of Directors decided to offer the Storefront Renewal Project again in 2010 with a few minor adjustments.   The board approved the 2010 Storefront Renewal Project application and allocated a maximum of $15...

County clears up confusion Many Norton County taxpayers recently received a postcard from the State of Kansas, Department of Revenue regarding the Intangibles Tax.  The yellow postcard has caused a lot of confusion, especially to taxpayers who are not required to file.           The intangibles tax is not a new tax.  It is a local tax on gros...

Nominations sought for Small Business Week Awards           The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now accepting nominations for its 2010 Small Business Week Awards.  These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs and those individuals who support and champion small businesses.           For...

H1N1 Vaccine available Tuesday, December 22, 2009 The H1N1 Vaccine will be available at the Norton County Health Department for the following individuals-   Who: Anyone regardless of age When: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 8 am – 4:30 pm   Where: Norton County Health Department, 801 N. Norton, Norton, Kansas   2nd dose for infants and children is available only on this clinic day The vaccine is f...

Wealth transferring hands in northwest Kansas           The numbers simply are staggering, the amount of money that soon will transfer from one generation to the next.           By the time 2020 arrives, the transfer in northwest Kansas alone will be more than $2 billion.          ...

Lenora Recycling Guidelines   What to Recycle: Plastics – bottles and jugs (soft drink, beverage, cooking oil, milk, juice, detergent, shampoo) NO motor oil jugs!   Glass – green, brown and clear food or beverage bottles and jars (soft drink, jelly, liquor, salad dressing)   Metals – all food and beverage cans and empty aerosol cans (steel [tin]- vegetables, soup, coffee, lids of...

Register for Code Red Notification Calls The Norton County Sheriff’s office is asking residents to register to receive Code Red notifications.  Code Red notifications are sent to notify or warn residents of natural disasters such as tornados, flash flooding or any other event that threatens public health or safety.  By registering, residents will receive a message on their designated telephone when such...