All posts by Loretta George

Bourbon County, Government

Tax Sale On The Horizon For Bourbon County

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Patty Love, Bourbon County Treasurer. Submitted photo.

Bourbon County staff are in the process of carrying out a tax sale on property owners who have not paid their taxes.

In Bourbon County, a property qualifies for the tax sale after taxes are three years delinquent, said Bourbon County Treasurer Patty Love.  “The taxes become delinquent in October of the following year. For example, the 2020 taxes will not be delinquent until October 1, 2021.”
“The tax sale is the only recourse we have to force people to pay their taxes,” Love said.
“We have mailed out warning letters letting people with 2016 and prior delinquent taxes know that we are working on a tax sale for 2021,” she said.   “Those letters were mailed in October, November and December.  We have now sent the list to the title company and they are doing the title searches.”
  The property title company then returns these to the county attorney and will be filed with the court.
“To keep their property off of the tax sale, the property owner can pay 2016 and prior taxes at this time and they will be removed from the tax sale,” Love said.  “Once the attorney has filed them with the court, the only way they can be taken off of the tax sale is if the property owner pays all taxes 2020 and prior taxes plus a $200. court filing fee.”
Once all  the properties are filed, a notification will be published in the Fort Scott Tribune newspaper and also to the website bourboncountyks.org.
“The property owner has up until 10 a.m. the day of the tax sale to redeem their property by paying all taxes and $200,” Love said.
“In order to bid on the property at the tax sale, you have to have all of your property taxes current, and sign a paper stating that you are not related to the owner of the property you are bidding on and that you are not buying the property for the delinquent owner,” she said.
The tax sale takes place in the lobby of the  Bourbon County Courthouse. with the property being sold to the highest bidder, she said.
“We will determine a date after all properties are filed with the cour,” Love said.
Justin Meeks, Bourbon County Counselor. Submitted photo.

“We started to receive abstracts from the title company about two weeks ago,” said Bourbon County Counselor Justin Meeks.  “We are getting a couple a day. We should have the sale in the late spring and if needed, another one in October or November of this year.”

The county personnel are on the the title company’s timeline,” Meeks said.

“They have been very busy, which is a good thing for everyone because that means houses are selling,” Meeks said.

Business, Food, Fort Scott

Fundraiser For Marsha Lancaster is Feb. 19

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Marsha Lancaster. Submitted photo.

Local business owner, Marsha Lancaster, has been in the hospital for over a month, according to her sister Debbie Baxley.

“She went into the hospital at Pittsburg for two to three days, then they took her to Arkansas,” Baxley said.

“Her kidneys were shutting down and they couldn’t find a hospital to take her with COVID (the pandemic virus plaguing the nation and the world),” she said. “They found one in Arkansas and we said just take her to wherever she can get help.”

They have tested Lancaster three times for COVID-19 and each was negative, her sister said.

Lancaster is currently on dialysis every other day and oxygen.

“Her kidneys’ aren’t functioning yet, the doctor said they could kick in any day,” she said. “They have been trying to get her off of oxygen. That’s been going well.”

“We can see her on our cellphone and she looks good when we talk to her,” Baxley said.

 

Cards can be sent to Marsha at

Regional Springdale NW Medical Center,

609 W. Maple Avenue, 6th floor, attn: Marsha Lancaster

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

 

Her business is running with the help of others.

 

The Marsha’s Deli crew on Feb. 10, 2021. From left:  Beverly Lind, Debbie Baxley (sitting) behind Deb is Carla Hamrick, Tom Lancaster, Lisa Bradley,  Shelly Rowe. .Submitted photo.

Her well-known restaurant, Marsha’s Deli, is continuing with the help of staff and family. The restaurant is located at 6 W. 18th in Fort Scott.

Baxley and her daughter, Shelly Rowe, along with Carla Hemrick, and Lisa Bradley “are taking care of the business for her,” Baxley said.

Monday and Tuesday the restaurant was closed due to the ice roads and arctic weather conditions.

 

A fundraiser has been started for Lancaster.

Meanwhile, a fundraiser has been started for Lancaster.

“We thought being self-employed, there was no way she wouldn’t need help,” Linda Findley who is spearheading the fundraiser said.

The fundraiser is  Friday,  Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elk’s Building at 111 W. 19th. People are asked to drive to the east door of the building and orders will be taken by helpers. Then the meals will be brought out to the buyer.

It’s a chicken and noodles dinner with mashed potatoes, green beans, and bread for $10 cash or check only.

Pre-ordering is encouraged. Call 620-215-2036 or 816-797-4884.

Findley said she is anticipating serving 500 meals, with over 200 already ordered.

“Numerous people have sent big donations,” Findley said. “Marrone’s of Pittsburg and G & W Foods of Fort Scott has helped with food.”

Helping the day of the fundraiser will be Nancy Maze, Brenda Collinge, Debbie Myers, JoLynne Mitchell, and Adina Findley, Findley said.

 

 

Bourbon County, Schools

St. Martin’s: Third Year Educating Boys

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St. Martin’s Academy Theotokos Hall. Photo was taken from the school’s website.
The St. Martin’s Academy all-school photo taken December 2020. Submitted.

Saint Martin’s Academy, rural Fort Scott,  is a Catholic boarding school for boys that combines classical academics with a practical work program on a sustainable farm, according to its’ website. www.saintmartinsacademy.org

The school is in its’ third year.

 

 

Daniel Kerr is the headmaster of the academy and gave fortscott.biz an email interview.

 

Daniel Kerr is the founder and headmaster of St. Martin’s Academy. Photo was taken from the academy’s website.

 

“We have 42 students this year across all four grades: 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th,” Kerr said.   “Our first graduating class of nine will graduate on May 29th.  Our graduates’ plans include college, apprenticing in a trade, and mission work.”

 

Adam Taylor is the new assistant headmaster of St. Martin’s Academy. Photo was taken from the academy’s website.
One of the new faculty this year is Adam Taylor,  who is the assistant headmaster.
“Adam spent 20 years in the Marines before entering the private sector as a vice president at Cloudera, a software company,” Kerr said.  “His son, Ian, is a 12th grader.”
Bryan Meyers is the new St. Martin’s Academy Dean of Student Life. Photo was taken from the academy’s website.
The school also has a new dean of student life, Bryan Meyers.
 “Bryan has taught at a variety of private and public schools for over a decade and has a passion for integrating academics with the living laboratory of the farm and fields,” Kerr said.  “He teaches several classes and is also the school’s beekeeper with several active hives and more on the way.”

St. Martin’s Academy Rugby Team. Submitted photos.
The school offers rugby as part of the program.
“Practices for the 2021 Rugby season are well underway and we have seven or eight matches slated in the late winter and early spring, mostly with teams from the Kansas City metro area,” Kerr said.   “Team captains Ian Taylor, Henry Hickey (12th grade), and Nate Jones, Danny Harrington (11th grade) will lead the Kingfishers in our first year of playing with a full squad of 15.  Rugby is played by all the boys who are able and helps develop a real esprit de corps and sense of camaraderie.”
The school is still in the construction phase with the main completed building, Theotokos Hall, the center of activity.
“Theotokos Hall serves a multifunctional purpose during our first years,” Danielle Bauer, who has development and fundraising duties at the academy, said. “Currently the building houses our kitchen, dining hall, common area and hearth, library and classrooms. Most importantly, the top floor of Theotokos Hall serves as our chapel where the boys gather daily for prayer and Holy Mass.”
It also served as a temporary dormitory until bunkhouses could be built.
A bunkhouse at St. Martin’s Academy in construction. The students help with the building of the structures. Submitted photos.
“Three of our five bunkhouses scheduled for construction are now occupied by the boys,” Kerr said. ” This has been a game-changer for us by freeing up space within our main building, Theotokos Hall, to be developed for proper classrooms and a library.  Enrollment next year should approach 60 and it is likely we will have a waiting list by May.”
The students are involved in the community.
“Among our work project, the boys are currently re-building several picnic tables for Gunn Park and have done some preparatory cooking for Fort Scott’s soup kitchen (Feeding Families In His Name at the First United Methodist Church),” Kerr said.
“I am sincerely grateful for the hospitality and kindness of Fort Scott’s civic leaders and residents in welcoming St. Martin’s these first few years,” Kerr said. “We look forward to being increasingly engaged in service and cultural projects that make positive contributions to the community.”
St. Martin’s Academy students practice music in their bunkhouse room. Submitted photo.
St. Martin’s Academy is located at 1950 Indian Road, Fort Scott.
Fort Scott

Alene Jolly Retires After 40 Years at Tri-Valley

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Tri-Valley Developmental Services is located at 4305 Campbell Drive in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park.

Alene Jolly is retiring from Tri-Valley Developmental Services after 40 years. Her last day is Friday, Feb. 12.

 

Alene Jolly. Submitted photo.

Through those years Jolly has done transportation of clients, worked at the service center, was a case manager, worked at residential services, and most currently, the program director in Fort Scott.

 

She has tried to provide individuals that receive services involvement in the community, “to add value to their lives and provide services, too.”

 

Tri-Valley empowers people with disabilities to realize their potential as full citizens in the community, by supporting them in working and living in the place they call home, according to the company’s website.

 

Currently, Tri-Valley in Fort Scott has close to 40 employees and 30 individuals they provide services to.

 

For Jolly, the best part of the job was seeing the individuals that she worked with having joy when they accomplished a task.

 

“It puts warm fuzzies in your heart,” she said.

 

Tri-Valley opened in 1975 and Jolly has been with the company since 1980.  Through the years she has seen people’s attitudes change towards developmentally disabled in the community, she said.

 

“There is more acceptance, especially of the individuals having jobs in the community,” Jolly said.

 

Mary Davis, a former co-worker of 25 years, said of Jolly, “She is a very capable, intelligent, dedicated person. She can do about anything that needs doing.”

 

Jolly thinks it is time to start a new chapter in her life.

 

“I’m going to do a little this, a little that,” she said. “Travel, crafts, gardening…things I have put on the back burner.”

 

Opinion

Pretty Is A Pretty Does

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Carolyn Tucker. Submitted photo.

Keys to the Kingdom

Carolyn Tucker

 

If I had a nickel for every time I heard my Mom tell me, “Pretty is as pretty does,” I could buy a Big Mac or some Belgian truffles. Even though she’s been gone several years, her words of wisdom still resound in my soul. Recently, I was visiting with a Missouri cousin and this particular quote came out of my mouth. This relative had heard that expression before, but had never really thought about the meaning. So I explained it in a straight-shooting manner and he said, “That makes sense.” My sweet cousin Danny is a perfect example of this saying when I exchange “pretty“ for “handsome.”

How you act and what you do is what makes you truly pretty, not your appearance. A gal can be pretty, but she is only (as good, kind, etc.) as she does. An individual with exemplary character, ethics, and integrity is more important than good looks. Just because a person is physically pleasing on the outside doesn’t guarantee he/she is pretty on the inside. If our actions, attitudes, and behaviors are ugly, it doesn’t matter how gorgeous we are on the outside! Our words and deeds continuously speak for themselves because what‘s on the inside will certainly find its way to the outside — for good or bad.

Jesus was batting a thousand with His point-blank sermon. He criticized the religious leaders by telling them that religious appearance is not enough. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and self-indulgence“ (Matthew 23:25,26 NLT). The religious leaders were only concerned with outward appearances and neglected inward purity and loving others. Jesus instructed them to clean the inside of the cup and dish first, and then the outside will follow suit.

Jesus boldly told the crowds and His disciples not to follow the example of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees. Why? Because they didn’t practice what they preached. In fact, Jesus said that everything they did was for show. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs — beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:27,28 NLT).

In the book of 1 Samuel Chapter 25, Abigail is a beautiful woman with brains married to nincompoop Nabal. When David’s men kindly asked Nabal for provisions, he foolishly refused, insulting the most powerful man in the region. When Abigail wisely intervened and brought a caravan of food and gifts to David and his 600 men, she fell to the ground at his feet. She made one of the longest speeches by a woman recorded in the Bible. God used her humble words and prudent actions to save many lives. After her scoundrel husband died, she later became David’s wife. Abigail was pretty on the outside, but she is remembered as one of the great peacemakers because she was pretty on the inside.

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT).

The Key: Live your life inside-out to get to the heart of the matter.

Fort Scott, Schools, Sports

Tiger Swimmers Compete

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The Fort Scott High School Swim Team, Feb. 4, 2021

Last week the Fort Scott High School  Boys Swim Team competed at Coffeyville on Tuesday.

  Oliver Witt took 1st in both the 500 Free and the 50 Free.  He swam a state consideration time in the 50.

Bobby Kemmerer took 1st in both the 100 Free and the 100 Back, swimming a state consideration time in the 100 Free.

  Sam Mix took 2nd in both the 50 Free and the 100 Breast.

The boys also were able to swim in the 400 Free Relay placing 1st as an exhibition team.

On Thursday, the Tiger Swimmers traveled to Hutchinson to compete in the Buhler High School meet.

Oliver took 1st in the 200 Free and 4th in the 100 Butterfly.

Sam took 3rd in the 50 Free and Bobby took 2nd in the 100 Free and 4th in the Breast.

Next week the boys will be preparing for their last regular-season competition, the League Meet in Osawatomie.  This will be the last opportunity for earning State Qualifying times.  The 5A-1A State Swim Meet will be on Saturday, February 21st in Shawnee Mission.

Submitted by Coach Angie Kemmerer

Bourbon County, Health Care

Girard Medical Center of Uniontown To Open In March 2021

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An exam room in the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown clinic.

Girard Medical Center of Uniontown, the new community health center in western Bourbon County, will open in March.

 

Residents currently must travel either to Fort Scott which is 20 miles away,  Iola-25 miles, Pittsburg-38 miles, or Girard-30 miles for medical care.

 

Spearheaded by Uniontown Ruritan, and the vision of several members of the community, the Uniontown health clinic is a collaboration of Ruritan, USD 235 School District, the Bourbon County Commission, the City of Uniontown, and Girard Medical Center.

 

“We hoped to open March 1, but it may be mid-March,” Ruth Duling, the CEO of Girard Medical Center, said.

 

Ruth Duling, CEO of Girard Medical Center. Photo from CMC website.

 

The school district provided the building for the clinic, which is located south of the Uniontown High School football field on the main street in the small town.

 

 

The sign in front of the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown building, which is located just south of the town’s football field.

 

 

“Uniontown USD 235 is excited to partner with other organizations to bring health care options to our district communities,” USD 235 Superintendent Bret Howard said.  “The 2020-21 school year has been very challenging, especially when it comes to community health.  USD 235 is pleased to partner with Girard Medical Center and the Uniontown Ruritan Club in making this dream a reality.”

 

Bret Howard, Superintendent of USD 235. Submitted. photo.

 

“It is great to see the successful culmination of a dream become reality in the creation of the Uniontown rural health clinic,” Mark Warren, District #37 Governor of Middle America Ruritan, who helped spearhead the project, said. “This clinic has the potential to benefit citizens of all ages and provide a choice in health care for the residents of our community.”

 

Mark Warren, Uniontown Ruritan member, opens the east door of the medical clinic. in February 2020, before the renovation of the building began.

 

 

GMC is planning to start providing services to the community with the clinic open three days a week, Duling said.

 

“The remodel has gone well,  and we just have clean—up and finishing touches,” she said.

 

“We are still working on securing personnel,” Duling said. “We will have two positions to start with and we have applicants for those positions already.”

 

The Girard Medical Center of Uniontown is part of the satellite clinics that GMC has in southeast Kansas:   Girard Medical Center of Cherokee, Girard Medical Center of Arma,  and Girard Medical Center of Frontenac.

 

The business area of the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown.

 

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Interest In The Mayhew Cemetery Has Revived

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Submitted photo.
Shirley Hurd is a lifelong resident of Fort Scott and a researcher at Old Fort Genealogy Society (OFGS).
In 1995 she started to research the Mayhew Cemetery, she said in a press release. “This cemetery was set out in a deed in 1885, when the owner, Henry Mayhew sold all but a 100 x 100-foot section where his son-in-law was buried.”
The cemetery is predominantly an African-American burial site .
At the time she began her research, she and two others made a visit to Chet Ober (the property owner) of the site and asked if he could show them where the Mayhew Cemetery was.
“The location (Ober) took us to is where the Mayhew No. 2 cemetery is located,” she said. “Mr. Ober told us that he asked Bourbon County several times to fix up the cemetery. He stated that the county dozed the tombstone, sometime after 1961, into the river, and told him to use the ground as farmland.”
Others Have Sought Info About the Cemetery
Prior to Hurd, in 1973 OFGS Member Gerald Wood met with Ober.
“He stated that he tried diligently to get someone to help preserve the cemetery, but when they were unable to do so, they had it bulldozed since they needed the land,” she said.
In 2006 Hurd was asked for information about the Mayhew Cemetery by Sandra Dudley who was writing a story about the cemetery.
Hurd told Dudley all that she knew about the cemetery and Dudley attempted to view the site.
Dudley found a sign that stated “Do Not Enter – Hazardous Waste – Keep Out” and a Fort Scott City employee told her she was not allowed on the property, that it was private property, according to Hurd.
Dudley published a booklet in 2007 named “The Buried Roots of African-American Ancestry in Fort Scott, Kansas” which includes information on the Mayhew Cemetery.
Hurd Started Researching Again in 2019, After a Hiatus
Last year, she had another join in the research.
“In 2020, Ann Rawlins joined the research of the Mayhew Cemetery and we soon located Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 from aerial maps,” she said. “We believe that Mayhew No.1 could no longer hold any more burials in the 100 x 100-foot lot and burials were started north of the original site, and then to the east just south of the (Marmaton) river bank.”
The updated list of names is now about 175 buried in the two sites of the Mayhew Cemetery, she said.
“There is a Civil War Soldier buried in Mayhew, along with some that were freed as slaves and retained their slave owners’ names,” Hurd said. “There is an entire family that died in 1911 – 13 of whooping cough and other complications due to disease at that time. There are newborns, children, families, neighbors, and a couple (of people) that even lived to be 100 years old. There are so many stories of these families that need to be told.”
“Restoration of the cemetery is not possible,” Hurd said, “but there is a plan to have a memorial stone with all the names of the deceased on it placed in Fort Scott.”
A tombstone that had been located at Mayhew Cemetery. Submitted photos.
The memorial stone will be financed through personal and business donations.
“If you would like more information on the Mayhew Cemetery, please stop by OFGS Library or give me a call,” Hurd said.
OFGS’s phone number is 620-223-3300 or her email address is [email protected]. The office is located on National Avenue, in the basement of Memorial Hall.
Ann Rawlins is a librarian at Old Fort Genealogical Society and recently assisted  Hurd on the project.
 The site for Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 was unknown until Rawlins’ twin brother, Dr. Wayne R. Tucker, used lidar photography of the area. He found that there were two separate locations that were divided by a low channel.
“Once this was discovered…and we had located and recorded GPS coordinates of several surface items,” Rawlins said, “we have been authorized…to dig, but are still working on surface finds.”
“There are many buried in Mayhew who would never have been posted in the local newspapers or death records, so the total number of burials may never be known,” Rawlins said.
“Robert J. Hoard, Ph.D., State Archeologist of Kansas Historical Society is investigating the sites,” Rawlins said, “and has now classified them as historic and archeological cemeteries.”
Currently, a moratorium is in effect that Fort Scott city crews can only brush hog the area to maintain it, and no further damage to the site can be done.
The document is signed by former Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin and authorized by the Fort Scott City Commissioners, Rawlins said.
For an upcoming information event on the Mayhew Cemetery:
To donate to the memorial:
Fort Scott, Government

Land Bank Moves Forward In Fort Scott

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Allyson Turvey. Submitted photo. She was selected by the new city manager to become the Fort Scott Land Bank Manager.

At a Feb. 1 meeting, the newly formed Fort Scott Land Bank voted on the acquisition of 10 N. National Ave.

“This first acquisition marks a historic step for the Fort Scott Land Bank,” City Manager Jeremy Frazier said.  ” It is important to note that this could not have been possible without the visionary leadership of the city commission and the hard work of many key employees such as Community Development Manager Allison Turvey and many others.”

Frazier’s first official day on the job as city manager was Feb. 1.

Jeremy Frazier. Submitted photo.

 

“The city would also like to express its appreciation to the principal owners of J&S Properties and Earth Always for allowing the Fort Scott Land Bank to acquire this property,” he said. ” When asked why the acquisition was allowed to proceed, the owner noted that first, he felt that this would be the best way to preserve the historic building on behalf of the community of Fort Scott, its residents, and the downtown business community. Second, he expressed that he had great faith and optimism in the current city commission and myself to make the best use of this acquisition in a way that would benefit and improve the community.”

 

The owner donated the property.

 

“His generosity has breathed life into the Fort Scott Land Bank which was once only a plan and now is reality,” Frazier said.  Thank you J&S Properties and Earth Always. We have high hopes for this building and its location in the future.”

 

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank is an independent instrument of the city with the responsibility to efficiently buy, hold, manage,  and transform surplus city properties and other underutilized or distressed properties to turn these properties into productive use, according to Allyson Turvey, the newly appointed manager.

 

The Land Bank Board is comprised of Joshua Jones, Mayor of Fort Scott; Kevin Allen, City Commissioner, Pete Allen, City Commissioner; Randy Nichols, City Commissioner; Lindsey Watts, City Commissioner; Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioner;
Gregg Motley, Bourbon County Economic Development Board, Inc. Director; Turvey, LandBank Manager, and  Susan Bancroft, LandBank Treasurer

 

“At our next meeting  (Feb. 9)I will be giving a presentation on the processes and objectives of the Land Bank,” Turvey said.  “We will also be discussing priorities for acquisition of property.”

 

Turvey provided the following on the Fort Scott Land Bank:

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.

 

Vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties are often grouped together as “problem properties” because they destabilize neighborhoods, create fire and safety hazards, drive down property values, and drain local tax dollars.

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank was created to strategically
acquire problem properties, eliminate the liabilities, and transfer the properties to new, responsible owners in a transparent manner that results in outcomes consistent with community-based plans.

These opportunities are a collection of parcels owned by the Fort Scott Land Bank.

Every transfer of property from the Fort Scott Land Bank will be accompanied by a development agreement, outlining the final use of the property as well as accompanying timelines. The purchase price
for Land Bank properties will be negotiated based on the cost to acquire the property as well as the details in the development agreement. The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees will approve the final agreement and purchase offer.

 

Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Fort Scott, Health Care

CHC/SEK In Negotiations With Price Chopper to Move to 2322 S. Main

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Krista Postai. Submitted photo.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is in negotiation with the owners of the former Price Chopper building to acquire it, Krista Postai, CHC/SEK President and CEO, said in an email interview.

 

“However the details are not yet finalized,” she said. “Following the closure of the store in 2019, the health center identified the building as a potential site to house a future clinic based on the uncertainty surrounding the future of the existing hospital building at that time,”  she said.

 

“The large size and convenient location would allow us to bring our medical clinic, walk-in care, and pharmacy into one location with enough space to allow additional expansions if needed,” Postai said.

 

The Price Chopper building is located at 2322 S. Main and has been empty since 2019.

 

The Price Chopper building Nov. 2017, prior to opening.

 

The CHC/SEK lease for the clinic space at the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills expired on December 31, 2020,Postai said.

 

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

Postai said CHC/SEK needed to “move forward on determining a long-range plan for a permanent home for our clinic.”

 

“We did secure an additional two-year lease from Mercy Health System in December – who remains the owner on the building —  on our existing clinic space, with the understanding from Mercy that there was no option to renew,” she said.

 

 

“Mercy also donated several acres of land behind the existing hospital to CHC/SEK and we were planning new construction when the opportunity to acquire the Price Chopper Building was once again raised,” Postai said.

 

 

“We had originally pursued the possibility of utilizing that space (the Price Chopper building) in collaboration with Ascension Via Christi when it first became available but were in the midst of transitioning both the clinic and the Emergency Room over from Mercy which was the priority for both organizations,” she said. “We did, however, remain in contact with the owners of the building who were anxious to see this space utilized once again.”

 

 

“With our plans to now move forward on acquiring the former grocery store, we have reconnected with Ascension Via Christi regarding the possibility of future collaboration and are in serious discussions with their senior leadership,” she said.

 

 

“We remain committed – as does Ascension Via Christi – to ensuring the residents of Bourbon County have access to primary and emergency care today and into the future,” Postai said.

 

 

Entertainment

Motorcycle Riders To Stop at Veterans Memorial in Fort Scott

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Photo from the Tour of Honor Facebook page.

A nation-wide group of motorcyclists is stopping at the Veteran’s Memorial on Skubitz Plaza in downtown Fort Scott when the warm weather gets here, a part of a self-directed ride to selected memorial sites across the nation.

 

“We’ll be featuring the veterans memorial at 2 Old Fort Blvd. this year — one of seven in Kansas — and you can expect riders visiting there between April 1 and October 31, usually solo but sometimes in groups of 2 or 3,” Steve Brooks, with Tour of Honor LLC, said. “They’ll be stopping there to pay respects and taking photos of their rally flag and motorcycles.”

 

The Tour of Honor Motorcycle is a self-directed ride to selected memorial sites that honor American heroes and will have approximately 1,000 riders in 2021, according to  Brooks.

 

“Fort Scott was selected by Kansas state sponsor Alexander Schmidt because of the veterans memorial there,” Brooks said. “All states have state sponsors that wish to share more of their state.”

 

“Not all riders are veterans, but all are patriots and support veterans,” he said.

“Tour of Honor is a great reason to hit the open road, honor our nation’s heroes, and contribute to a few good charities, according to the website tourofhonor.com “The event is a season-long, self-directed ride to memorials and monuments around the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. Beginning April 1, visit as many sites as you want, with any route you choose.

2021 will have an all-new set of memorial sites to visit, with new roads and new experiences for any avid motorcyclist!”