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MARCH 10, 2020
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State Farm Insurance - Amanda West Agency
Contact: Amanda West
104 NW 15th Street
Abilene, KS 67410-1548
Phone: (785) 263-2230
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Up to $11,000 in Incentives Now Available for Homebuyers in Dickinson County
BELOIT, KS, March 9, 2020 - A new program that seeks to make home ownership more affordable is now available to eligible buyers purchasing a home in Dickinson County.
The Dickinson County Home Ownership Pilot Program officially launched March 6. It offers up to $11,000 in incentives through a combination of a fixed rate 4% down payment loan of up to 10% of the purchase price ($10,000 maximum) and closing cost grant of $1,000. Funds are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. To be eligible, the primary bank loan must also be provided by a participating Dickinson County bank including First Bank Kansas, Pinnacle Bank, and Solomon State Bank.
North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC), Beloit, is administering the program led by Program Coordinator Keegan Bailey.
"The primary goal of the program is to reduce the number of homes on the market," Bailey said.
"A secondary goal is to attract alumni back to the region to work, start/buy a business, or retire."
Loan funds for the program are being provided by North Central Kansas Community Network, Co. (NCKCN)-Four Rivers Business Loan Pool. NCKCN is an affiliate of the North Central Regional Planning Commission. Contributions from several local entities - including Eagle Broadband, First Bank Kansas, Pinnacle Bank, Solomon State Bank, and TCT Broadband - are being used for the grant portion of the program. Four Rivers Housing Opportunities, Inc., a non-profit managed by North Central Regional Planning Commission, also contributed grant funds.
"This initiative would not be possible without the generous assistance we received at the local level," Bailey said. "In addition to the monetary contributions from several local entities, Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation also helped with various planning activities and hosted the launch party. We are excited to bring this program to Dickinson County."
Similar pilot programs have been completed in Cloud, Ellsworth, Lincoln and Mitchell Counties and in the City of Marysville. Future plans include the expansion of pilot home ownership programs to each of the remaining counties in the NCRPC 12-county service area, pending the availability of funding. Results of these pilot programs will be used to develop a permanent regional home ownership program.
For more information about the Dickinson County Home Ownership Pilot Program, contact your local realtor, a participating Dickinson County bank, Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation, or visit
www.ncrpc.org/services/homeownership.
The NCRPC is committed to advancing rural Kansas through comprehensive planning and development services. Its primary service area includes 12 counties and 83 cities in North Central Kansas. For more information about the NCRPC, visit
www.ncrpc.org.
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Memorial Hospital Recognized for Birth Registration Process
Memorial Hospital, in Abilene, recently received a certificate of achievement and a letter from the Kansas State Registrar and Deputy Director Office of Vital Statistics, Elizabeth Saadi, PhD, for "the splendid way in which the staff handles the birth registration process."
Memorial Hospital's staff met all of the guidelines for timely reporting of birth certificates, ensuring new parents the opportunity to obtain an official birth certificate and social security card for their child soon after their birth.
"We are very proud of our staff and the quality of care they provide to patients," Memorial Hospital CEO, Harold Courtois said. "Our Birthing Center staff does an outstanding job, and they deserve to be recognized for all that they do."
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Salina, KS -
An early morning flight beginning Thursday from Salina nonstop to Denver, marks another major improvement in air service for the airport of choice for north-central Kansas.
The United Airlines service, Flight 5147, flown by SkyWest Airlines, departs at 6:10 a.m. from Salina Regional Airport, taking passengers to Denver International - arriving at 6:50 a.m. mountain time, where they can connect to other flights or enjoy a Rocky Mountain weekend.
The difference is that this flight, and future ones, will no longer require stops in Hays, either coming or going.
Then over lunch hour, 12:35 p.m, Flight 5194 will depart nonstop to Chicago O'Hare Airport, landing at 2:39. A mid-afternoon arrival offers better connecting flight times or an afternoon exploring Chicago.
Together, the two hubs (Denver and Chicago) offer connections to 99 cities across the country and the world, said Gary Foss, managing partner of the ArkStar Group, air service consultant to Salina.
The new schedule helps to meld the two flights, allowing travelers the option of using both hubs for the same fare; providing the option of flying out through one and returning through another.
"The nonstop flight to the west (Denver) makes flying east easier, as a customer can fly out using the Chicago O'Hare departure and can return to Salina connecting from Denver without stopping in Hays," Foss said.
Thursday's other significant change signals the beginning of daily flights (7 days per week) to Denver and Chicago, eliminating a Saturday gap in the previous schedule.
The flying public is already responding to the changes as more than 43 passengers are booked to board the CRJ-200 regional jets Thursday. More than double that are booked on Friday and Saturday flights.
"The bookings are very strong under the new schedule," Foss said, "and they're increasing sharply. Bookings are up significantly every day of the week. That's very encouraging." As projected months ago by ArkStar advisers, the market is responding.
"Advance bookings validate the fact that the schedule change will result in continued double passenger growth," said Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.
"The new schedule enables Salina and area travelers to take full advantage of nonstop flights to Chicago and Denver to make connections for travel throughout the United States and beyond," he said.
Adding to the time and driving distance advantage for folks in north-central Kansas are competitive air fares.
"There is little reason to drive to another airport," Foss said. "Air fares from Salina are very competitive with those out of Wichita and Kansas City."
As always, parking at the Salina Airport is free.
"So whether connecting to Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco or New York, Boston or Washington, D.C.," Foss said, "Salina Regional Airport has the flight for you at affordable air fares."
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Please find the links below to the January 2020 Labor Market report and the map of county & state unemployment rates.
The February 2020 Labor Report will be released on Friday, March 27, 2020.
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2020 IKE BOOK TALK SERIES
The book club meets in the Visitors Center Auditorium at 200 SE 4th Street, Abilene. This free program is open to the public. Registration is not required.
Ike's Book Club meets the second Tuesday of every other month. The informal gatherings often include a guest facilitator and may be paired with a movie.
2020 Book Talk Schedule
- March 10 | 7 p.m.: Mrs. Miniver
- May 12 | 7 p.m.: One Soldier's Story: Bob Dole (facilitator: Sandra Wiechert)
- July 14 | 7 p.m.: The Alice Network: A Novel
- September 6 | 2 p.m.: Teach Us All (movie)
- September 8 | 7 p.m.: Warriors Don't Cry
- November 8 | 2 p.m.: To Hell and Back (movie)
- November 10 | 7 p.m.: To Hell and Back
The 2020 Ike Book Talk series is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation, Union Pacific Foundation, Humanities Kansas, and the Abilene Public Library. All books are available at the Abilene Public Library or in our gift shop. You can shop online at
www.ILikeIkeStore.com.
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March Morning Meeting
March 18 @ 8:30 AM
Location: Dickinson County
K-State Extension Office
March Lunch Meeting
March 19 @ Noon
Location: Dickinson County
K-State Extension Office
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Abilene Forward Community Meeting
Date: Monday, March 23, 2020
Time: 6:00 PM
Place: Abilene Public Library, 209 NW 4th St, Abilene, KS
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American Legion Post 240
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2020
Time: 10
AM
to
6
PM
The ALR Post 240 Annual Ride, this year will be a Benefit Ride to help support Anna Gunter from Midway Bar & Grill after the passing of fellow veteran and co-owner of Midway, Steve Gunter.
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Register by March 27 for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training offered by the Quality of Life Coalition
T
he Quality of Life Coalition is pleased to offer this free intensive training on suicide awareness and intervention skills in Abilene on April 2-3,
2020. The presenters are staff members
of the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Headquarters Counselling Center, which receives all Kansas calls to the National Suicide Hotline.
Please click the image to register. Lunch and snacks are provided. You must attend both days. Fifteen CEU's are available
: see information below.**
Please register SOON. There are only 30 positions available
.
**15 CEU's are available!
(Social Workers,Psychologists, Educators, Law Enforcement)
At the conclusion of the full training each participant will be certified in ASIST skills. A certificate of completion will be issued in the participant's name and will indicate the number of hours (15) of training received.
This certificate needs to be submitted by the attendee to their licensing organizations for credit towards CEU's.
**Medical personnel interested in CEU's will need to contact their licensing board prior to the workshop.
Why take ASIST?
LIFE-SAVING
: Anyone can experience thoughts of suicide. By giving participants the skills to help friends, family members, students, colleagues, and community members stay alive, ASIST supports suicide-safer communities.
TRUSTED
: ASIST is the most widely used suicide intervention training workshop in the world. Over 100,000 people attend ASIST each year in more than 30 countries.
ENGAGING:
ASIST is a dynamic, hands-on workshop that uses adult learning principles. It includes presentations, discussions, and audiovisuals, plus simulations to practice intervention skills.
PROVEN:
ASIST works. A major 2013 study showed that the ASIST intervention process significantly reduces thoughts of suicide and helps people at risk feel more hopeful about living.1
1 Gould, M.S., Cross, W., Pisani, A. R., Munfakh, J.L., & Kleiinman, M(2013) Impact of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills training on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 43:6, 676-691
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T
AKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FEATURES ON THE CHAMBER WEBSITE!
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DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN ADD EVENTS TO THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR? JUST CLICK
HERE AND FILL OUT THE FORM.
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IKE DEALS - HOT DEALS FROM OUR MEMBERS!
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MEMBER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
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