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Category Archives: Business
Veteran Owned Veterinary Center: Russ Baxley
Dr. Russ Baxley purchased the Gorman Animal Hospital in March 2022.
Renamed the Southeast Kansas Veterinary Center, it is located at 1251 240th St., Fort Scott.
Hours of operation are Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed.
The phone number is (620) 223-1171
Dr. Baxley is a veterinarian and a veteran.
All together he has served in three wars, Baxley said.
“As a youngster, I was in the Air Force,” he said.
He started as a veterinarian in the U. S. Army in Afghanistan where he worked on dogs that detected explosives and narcotics.
He then left the army and returned to Kansas and worked for a mixed animal veterinarian.
A hankering for more adventures led him to Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco and Egypt, as a contractor for the U.S. State Department, again working with detection dogs.
Returning to the U.S., he worked in Destin, Florida for a year and a half until the COVID 19 Pandemic restrictions made the job “undesirable,” he said.
Returning to Kansas, he traveled the state filling in at clinics for manpower shortages. It was then that he came to Fort Scott to the clinic he purchased in March 2022.
Dr. Baxley loves animals and the best part of his career is “returning a sick animal to health, seeing how happy the animal is and pleased the owner is.”
He is concerned about the misinformation for the care of animals that is on the internet and recommends that people look to information on academic or government sources.
The best source for veterinary advice is a veterinarian, he said.
In the industry there are new drugs coming for small animals that will help minimize pain and many new diagnostics for detecting and treating them.
For livestock, there have been new scientific studies for treating parasites, which helps decrease disease in cattle, while lowering production costs. “The hard part is getting people to change from old to new ways,” he said.
Coming in 2023, cattle producers won’t be able to buy common antibiotics over the counter.
“There is a paradigm shift coming to the livestock business in 2023,” Dr. Baxley said.
“They will need to get these (antibiotics) from a veterinarian, which requires a Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship,” he said. “This means that your vet has sufficient knowledge of a producers animals to make diagnosis.”
“I love helping people…save money and make money,” he said.
Kennel/Vet Assistant Needed
SEK Veterinary Center has an immediate opening for a Kennel/Vet Assistant. The position is part time- possibly more, if wanted/needed. Please apply in person at :
1251 240th St
Fort Scott, Ks 66701
River Room Still Open For Business
Last week, Luther’s BBQ Restaurant at 3 W. Oak, closed.
The building’s second story business, the River Room Event Center, is getting a new phone number and will honor any reservations that were made, according to Al Niece, owner of the building.
“There were some reservations in place for some events (at the River Room), I am honoring them all,” Niece said. “The River Room is one of the largest event centers in the area.”
Niece is in the process of having a phone line set up for the River Room to redirect those interested in reserving the event center.
This story will be updated when the phone number is in place.
The owners of the restaurant business, David and Tina Lipe and Luther Salisberry opened the BBQ restaurant at the corner of Oak Street and National Avenue in December 2019.
“They were behind on rent,” Niece said. “Having to go through the (COVID 19) pandemic we were trying to work with them. After they got shut down by the government last week…We had to terminate their lease for non-payment.”
“I’m told the government shut them down for taxes,” Niece said.
KDOR Executed Tax Warrants and Seized Assets
On November 1, 2022, agents from the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) accompanied by the Fort Scott Police Dept. and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Dept. executed tax warrants and seized the assets of Luther’s BBQ LLC for nonpayment of Liquor Enforcement Taxes and Sales Taxes: totaling $38,783.96, according to a press release from the KDOR.
The warrants were filed in Bourbon County.
The types of assets seized include all known bank accounts, on-site cash, business inventory, as well as personal property belonging to the owner. The business was sealed closed with a public notice posted on the outside.
“Luther’s BBQ LLC has paid all outstanding judgements and assets have been released to the business,” according to an email from KDOR on November 9.
KDOR’s policy and practice is to work with taxpayers in delinquent status to voluntarily enter into repayment agreements, according to the press release. It is only after these efforts and multiple failed collection attempts that the Department is forced to execute a tax warrant, utilizing such actions as bank levies, till taps, and ultimately asset seizure to ensure compliance with the law.
KDOR’s responsibility to recover delinquent taxes not only ensures fairness for individuals and business owners who do pay their taxes, but also ensures that money is lawfully collected to fund state and local programs on which Kansans depend, according to the press release. These programs include education, highways, public safety, and human services.
Customers, employees or others that may have items at the business may contact the agent assigned to
this case at 785-250-5084.
New Business Soon
Niece feels confident that the lower floor restaurant space will be leased soon, he said.
“We’ve been approached several times to see if we would entertain another restaurant,” Niece said. “We’ll get somebody else in there.”
To view the prior story on the opening of Luther’s:
Mill Creek Veterinary Clinic to Open January 2023
Mill Creek Veterinary Clinic is set to open on January 16, 2023.
The building at 13th Street and National Avenue is owned Dr. Amanda Brown-Goltra, 33.
“Mill Creek Veterinary Clinic will be a mixed animal practice with a focus on medicine and wellness,” Brown-Goltra said. “We will be able to see small animals in the clinic and large animals on the (clients) farm.”
“Our hospital motto is ‘Where your family is our family too,'” she said. “We plan to do this by offering in-house/cutting edge diagnostics that are cost-effective, thorough examinations, and client education to encourage the best care plan for our patients. We will always strive to convey a ‘we appreciate you and your time’ attitude so that clients feel comfortable and heard during their clinic experience and seek us for future veterinary care.”
Brown-Goltra is a 2008 Fort Scott High School graduate with a bachelors degree from Kansas State University in 2013. She earned her doctorate from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015.
She was highly involved in 4-H during her teen years and gives “a lot of credit to that program for getting me to where I am today.”
“I became a veterinarian to help people and their pets live their longest, healthiest life,” she said. ” As a child, I wanted to help every animal I possibly could and I failed a lot, which in turn encouraged a great passion in me to be able to help sick animals when I was older. As my career has continued, it has transformed into furthering education of owners to give their pet the best medical care.”
“I worked at Animal Care Center here in Fort Scott right after graduation for over five years and I worked at a busy, fast paced clinic in Webb City for two years after that,” she said. “I have over seven years combined as a veterinarian and almost 20 years in the veterinary field.”
For her, the best part of her job is “when I get to send home a healthy pet,” she said. “Puppies and kittens are cute and I enjoy cuddling them, but nothing brings me more joy than a pet being able to go home after being ill.”
“The biggest challenge I face is the money aspect and time aspect of my job,” she said. “First is the fact that money is required to keep my lights on and pay my staff, while I would love to be able to help for free, that is just not realistic. I do, however, understand everyone has a budget and I try to be very understanding and respectful of that budget. Time is the second challenge, I am a wife, mother, and daughter, and I have realized over the years that my family deserves my undivided attention and time, which means that for my best work life balance that will not allow for me to take after hours calls and be the best for my family.”
The clinic address is 6 E. 13th Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
Contact info: 620-224-2840 (not taking calls yet) OR [email protected]
The hours of operation: Monday-Wednesday, Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday hours are to be determined “Our open date will be January 16, 2023,” she said. This follows her maternity leave to give birth to a new son.
She and her husband, Eric, have sons: “Gordon (almost 3 years old), Gideon (almost 1 year old), and Gannon will be born in December,” she said. Her Mom and Dad are Karen and Charlie Brown.
In the community, she is currently a mentor for students at Fort Scott High School.
Artificers Gallery Opens For Christmas Art Show Dec. 2-4
Kate and Trent Freeman, local artists who moved from Kansas City,
are in the final stretch of their renovation of the building they purchased, at 8 N. National Avenue. The name of their art business is the Artificers.
“We are so excited to finally give the community a sneak peek into The Artificers,” Kate said. “Our Christmas Art Show will be held at 8 North National Avenue. We are renovating and restoring the Hammon’s Real Estate building and after a few obstacles we are ready to host our 6th Annual Christmas Show in our new gallery.”
The art sale/ show will be open December 2, from 5-9 p.m., December 3, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., December 4, noon to 5.p.m
“We hope everyone coming for the Candlelight Tour at the Fort Scott National Historic Site will stop in and see us,” she said.
The Artificers have selected eight artists to set up and sell their artwork this year.
For Christmas, Trent and Kate create sculpture exclusively.
“Other artists will have pottery, copper jewelry, Airbrush and Graphite, and an illustrator and a photographer,” she said. “Our artists are true craftsmen, all their work is original and limited, or handmade made from raw materials.”
The artists include: Trent and Kate Freeman, sculpture; Erin Shevling, pottery; Tim Kienzel, copper jewelry; Darrell Williams, Airbrush/Graphite; Julie Snitker, illustrator; Andrea Latham, ceramics; and Maggie Brenner, photography.
“We started this show six years ago at our former studio in Kansas City as a way to give some of our artist friends an outlet to show and sell their artwork during the Christmas and holiday season,” she said. “We soon learned that our clients loved coming as much as we enjoyed showing off our latest creations.’
‘We have had wonderful support every year from friends, family and clients new and old,” Kate said. “Last year, with the setbacks of the building remodel, Jared Leek, owner of Front Door Realty, Crooner’s Restaurant and The Liberty Theater, was generous enough to provide us space in Front Door Realty and open up Crooner’s so we could continue with our tradition of this show. We will be forever grateful to them for their generosity.”
About the Artificers
The Artificers is a collection of artists and craftsmen.
They are a privately owned art gallery, and a teaching studio and working studio with two resident artists, Trent and Kate Freeman.
Trent and Kate each have their own studio in the building.
The Artificers will offer a space for professional artists to apply to display their work as well as the aspiring artist to take classes in many different mediums including but not limited to clay, airbrush, watercolor, acrylic, stained glass etc.
“We will be having regular Master Artist gallery openings as well as opportunities to learn from those artists,” Kate said. “We also have several community art events on the horizon that we would like to host or be involved in developing. We are so excited to be a positive force in Historic Downtown Fort Scott and look forward to inviting you into our new space.”
Their website
Laree+Co: Started By A Mother’s Love
Laree + Co., a new children’s store in Fort Scott, began because of Alivia Kraft’s daughter.
“Lillian was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 at 27 weeks gestation but she did not let her diagnosis stop her,” Alivia said. “Despite being given a 5% chance of surviving to her first birthday, Lils overcame more than most people do in a lifetime and we were blessed with four breathtaking years with her.”
Trisomy 18 is a condition that causes severe developmental delays due to an extra chromosome 18, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
“She was the most beautiful, amazing, positive, and determined person I know,” her mother said. “To know her really was to love her. Lillian has inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and do something I’ve always dreamed of doing—starting a brand!”
“Because Trisomy 18 has impacted my life so much, part of my brand’s mission is to spread awareness by naming our items or collections after a medically complex warrior or angel (child),” Kraft said.
The business opened online in November 2018 and the storefront at 3 S. National Avenue, Fort Scott, opened in December 2020.
The business strives to produce beautiful, high quality clothes and more, for children of all abilities.
New in 2023: the majority of Laree+ Co collection have been hand illustrated and are exclusive to the business.
“10% of our profit will be put into the Lillian Rose Foundation, where care packages will be provided to medically complex infants and children, bereavement gifts to angel mamas, and making donations to hospitals close to our hearts,” Kraft said.
The store currently has seven employees.
Shop online at www.lareeandco.com
Mistletoe Market at Buck Run Tomorrow
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Hedgehog INK Bookstore Celebrates Four Years
Jan Hedges, owner of Hedghog INK, opened the bookstore in October 2018, with her husband Dick, at 16 S. Main.
“Both Dick and I loved books,” Jan said. “Anytime we traveled we always went to a bookstore. I thought it would be neat to work in one. We had a lot of books at home we needed to do something with.”
“Dick was very supportive of Fort Scott and was sad to see the downtown with hardly any businesses,” she said. “We started talking and, well, instead of someone else doing something, maybe we needed to do something.”
“We started looking at storefronts downtown,” she said. “I talked with the city staff and found that Jared Leek was looking for someone to rent this building.”
“Dick and I had both retired three times, and then we opened this bookstore,” Jan said. “We took the leap.”
And so the business venture began in October 2018.
“Dick died March 11, 2022,” Jan said. “He was the official greeter.”
The Business Has Grown
In the four years since opening, Jan has doubled the size of the store, finding space to rent behind 14 S. Main and a doorway entry to the space opened up.
“The added space we call the Great Room, we rent out, after hours to local groups,” she said. “PEO, the Garden Club, a magazine club have used the space.”
In this space also is a mezzanine type area.
“The reading loft is good for small groups,” she said. “High school, college kids study there, moms and their children sometimes go to read books.”
Coffee and tea are available for free, for those who want to sit a spell.
Employees
Currently there are four part-time employees at Hedgehog INK.
Sheryl Bloomfield has worked at the store since its opening and her specialty is decorating the windows at the front of the store.
Lynn Pallaske is in charge of their social media marketing.
Rylan Mason is a high school student and Casey Lewis was a customer who was “here all the time, so we asked her if she’d help us out.”
They all do the work of the store, processing donated books, shelving, working as cashier, etc.
People can call to see if the store has a certain book in stock.
“If we don’t have a book, we can try to order for people,” she said.
Book Offerings
Children’s books and history books are the store’s best sellers.
There is a section for local authors in all genres.
The list of local authors: Cathy Werling, Evelyn Kalvelage, Carol Russell, Sally Freeman Jadlow, Joyce Love, Rick Mayhew, Bourbon County Historical Preservation Association Books, Ann Miesner, Martie Wells-Smith, Jane Tucker, Mary Barbara McKay, Gerri Hilger, Kay Large, J. Speer, Rogena McPherson, Nanette Holloway, R.J. Thesman, Sally Smith, Barbara Ramsey, Marvin Ramsey, George Proctor and Ann Joyner.
“We have Writers Wednesday, a group that meets from 1 to 3 p.m. every week and recently hosted a writers seminar,” Jan said.
Story time at the store is starting again after a hiatus because of the COVID 19 Pandemic.
“It’s the first Saturday of each month in the reading loft area,” she said.
Fort Scott has been so generous in donating books to the book store, that during November and December they are not accepting donations.
They have over 30,000 books.
Other Products Are For Sale
In addition, the store sells local products such as goat milk lotions and lavender products, handmade handbags, photo cards, arts and crafts materials, games and puzzles, journals, chocolates and more.
Hours are Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are open by appointment at other times.
Contact the store at 620.670.2752 or [email protected].
Landmark Bank Has Raffle in Support of Wreaths Across America
Walmart Grants $3,500 to Bourbon County EMS
Walmart Provides $3,500 Grant to Bourbon County EMS to address the need for workout equipment for employees.
Grant Presented to Bourbon County EMS During a Check Presentation Ceremony at 405 Woodland Hills Blvd, Fort Scott, KS 66701
Fort Scott, KS October 18, 2022– Walmart announced today a $3,500 grant to Bourbon County Emergency Medical Services to address the need for workout equipment for employees. The grant was presented to Paramedic Supervisor Jon Lowery and EMS Director Teri Hulsey at a check presentation ceremony at Bourbon County EMS, 405 Woodland Hills Blvd, Fort Scott, KS 66701. The grant was facilitated by Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, Inc.
Each year, Walmart U.S. stores and clubs award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where they operate. For Walmart of Fort Scott, it’s about making sure our local EMS has access to the tools and equipment needed to keep our community members safe, including Walmart employees and shoppers. The mission of Bourbon County EMS is to provide a 24-hour operation to reduce the loss of life and property and to protect the environment. The highest priority is to protect Bourbon County residents from all hazards by providing and coordinating resources, expertise, leadership and advocacy through a comprehensive, risk-based emergency preparedness program of mitigation, management, response and recovery.
Through the grant, EMS will purchase a weight bench, barbells and plates, a dumbbell set, a squat cage, a bike and a treadmill. Having this grant allows equipment to be purchased without using funds from Bourbon County or Fort Scott.
Supervisor Jon Lowery states that EMS is a physically demanding job, and it is imperative that employees have access to equipment that allows them to be in top physical shape. Staying in top physical condition reduces injuries that could be sustained by crew or patients while moving or lifting patients, stretchers, equipment or other activities that could present in crisis situations such as fire or car accidents.
Bourbon County EMS has responded to 1,927 calls so far this year. These calls range from 911, transfers and dry runs.
# # #
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts that draw on the strengths of Walmart in the arenas of sustainability, economic opportunity, and community. As part of our commitment to creating a more sustainable food system worldwide, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States. They recently exceeded a $2 billion goal to fight hunger one year ahead of schedule and have donated more than 1.5 billion pounds of food to those in need across the country. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit www.foundation.walmart.com.
Glessner: Oct. 17-22 Earnings go to Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center
Tanya Glessner, owner and stylist of Upper Cut Salon, 408 Jefferson St. has a passion to help those with mental illness.
“This subject is close to my heart,” she said. “I believe many people struggle with this in silence. It takes a great deal of courage to ask for help. It’s important for people to share their experiences so others know they’re not alone and we need to do our part in letting our community know what their resources are so they feel comfortable in reaching out. I also believe many addictions stem from mental health issues due to people attempting to self medicate. So it’s important to take prevention measures before things cycle out of control.”
She has chosen to donate 100 percent of what she earns this week for haircuts to benefit the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center.
“This is in honor of mental health awareness month benefiting SEKMHC and the services they provide,” she said. “The fundraiser is October 17th-23rd. 100% of money made from haircuts this week will be donated. I will be taking all donations to Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center on the 24th.”
Glessner’s haircuts are $12 regularly.
“I always run a haircut special on Tuesdays for $10,” she said. “And all veterans and first responders, including police, firefighters, always get $10 haircuts.”
Glessner can be contacted at 620.224.6704.
The shop is open Monday through Saturday by appointment with flexible hours.
“People may also donate NEW shoes, clothing and food items,” Glessner said. “Families that receive services there (SEKMHC) are always in need of shoes, clothing and food. Many of them are low income or special needs.”
Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Newsletter Sept. 2022
