The Southern Pioneer Electric Helping Us Give To Society (H.U.G.S.) team presented a $1,500 grant to the Dudley Township Library Foundation on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. The grant will help fund the library’s Summer Reading program and Story Walk.

“For many children in our rural community, the library serves as a crucial resource for educational enrichment, especially during the summer months,” said Suzie Boschman, Library Director.

Boschman says plans for the summer reading program include a variety of educational performances including a puppet show and reptile presentation and a story walk will provide an immersive and enjoyable experience that encourages family involvement and health outdoor activities.

“We’re happy to partner with the Dudley Township Library Foundation and power their summer programs,” said Ruby Terrazas, H.U.G.S. team member. “We look forward to seeing how they grow the program.”

Southern Pioneer Electric crews continue restoration efforts for consumers near Haviland, Greensburg and Byers impacted by outages from a severe storm system that blew through portions of its service territory on May 18, 2025.

“Sunday night’s storms created significant damage impacting over 1,400 Southern Pioneer customers at its peak,” said Brian Beecher, manager of operations and engineering. “Crews will be working to restore service to our remaining customers as quickly and safely as possible.”

Evening storms brought high winds and tornadoes to portions of Kiowa and Pratt counties, damaging approximately 60 poles owned by Southern Pioneer Electric. Most of the impacted are transmission lines used to service the company’s substations. These damages are in addition to long-distance transmission lines serviced by Southern Pioneer Electric’s generation and transmission provider, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation.

“The wire on these poles is heavy and can pose potential safety hazards,” said Beecher. “We encourage our customers to stay away from any downed or damaged lines and ask that they give our crews plenty of space to work.”

Southern Pioneer Electric anticipates this will be an extended outage for the area as crews assess and navigate the damage from the storm. Updates regarding the restoration will be shared through the company’s Facebook page.

Customers who see downed or damaged lines should report the damage by calling 1 (866) 668-8800. Southern Pioneer will continue to provide restoration updates on its social media page and website until restoration is complete. Customers with questions or concerns may call 1 (800) 670-4381 during regular business hours (M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).