Castro County Farm Bureau recently reached out to help out the local Snack Pak 4 Kids Program. SP4Kids is a local program serving DISD students in need and provide them with weekend food assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic has created real food hardships for many across Texas. Castro County Farm Bureau is assisting those who are in need of food, as well as those who provide the food. The organization was given a check for $2,000 from Castro County Farm Bureau. Shown are Angie Osterkamp-Agent, Sawyer Lunsford, Samantha Aleman-County Secretary, Jennifer Sullivan, SP4 Kids president, Matt Gfeller, vice president, and Jason Cantrell, agency manager.

Texans age 65 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, but they're not in the first priority group. Front-line healthcare workers and long-term care residents are in the first priority group, known as Phase 1A, and have been receiving vaccines for weeks.

Kari Schulte from Nazareth was selected 2021 Miss Castro County Ag Queen on Friday at the Castro County Stock Show. Kari is a member of Naz FFA, Nazareth and Castro County 4-H Clubs and the daughter of Heath & Nicole Schulte. The contest, sponsored by The Castro County News, was based on essays and resumes submitted by contestants, with heavy emphasis on the resumes. First runner up was Shelby Annen from Nazareth and second runner up, Klancy Bruton from Dimmitt.

Pet owners choosing to travel domestically while following the appropriate precautions or those planning a post-COVID adventure may be apprehensive about leaving their animal companion at home during their vacation. Carrying a critter cross-country may seem daunting, but with the proper planning, owners should be confident that they can get their furry friend where they need to go.

Our annual book sale here at Rhoads Memorial Library is less than two weeks away as it will commence on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, and end at noon on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. Books of all genres will be available, with prices remaining at 25 cents for paperbacks, 50 cents for hardbacks. Movies and audiobooks will be available, too, as will how-to books, inspirational books, humorous books, and children's books.

People wanting a COVID-19 vaccine are becoming targets for scammers. Warnings are being sent out by government agencies on what people should look for to avoid being targeted.

The blessing and the curse of a family member having diet restrictions is that you get to do things differently. Our family now has to watch dairy and wheat when cooking. For many it would not seem to be that big of an adjustment, but if you want to know how it changes what you buy, eat, or make, look at the ingredients of many, if not all, of the things you purchase on a consistent basis.

Are you between two decision - to obey or to disobey God? Then you need to pause. Many Christians make decisions in a haste only to discover that they were wrong. However, these can be avoided if we will choose to obey God all the time.

As this new year dawns, we are excited to set aside the past. Yet, as challenging as 2020 has been we have an emotional connection to the past year. It has shared bad times with us for sure, but there have been good times as well. 2020 has witnessed our tears and our smiles, our achievements as well as our disappointments. We have become comfortable with uncomfortable, like a dear friend. 2020 stands as a faithful reminder of our very existence and the storms of life.