Food, Fort Scott

Scooter’s Coffee to Match Customer Donations to Support Ukrainian Refugees

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Scooter’s Coffee franchisees in the Omaha, Neb., Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., areas are teaming up with their customers in April to raise donations that will directly support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Through the end of April, more than 50 participating Scooter’s Coffee locations in the Omaha and Kansas City area markets will accept donations at checkout as part of a “Compassion Ukraine” fundraising effort with YouCanFreeUs Foundation, which will directly support Ukrainian refugees.

Customers may add a donation of $1 or more to their Scooter’s Coffee tab at checkout, and donations at most participating locations will be matched by Scooter’s Coffee, up to $30,000.

Dedicated to its core values of Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage, Scooter’s Coffee and its franchisee community are committed to supporting those in need through national programs like Wounded Warriors Family Support and the Pink Agenda, as well as local partnerships like this with YouCanFreeUs Foundation, an international human rights organization that is providing emergency support on the ground at the border of Ukraine. Visit youcanfreeus.org for more information.

 

Participating Locations Include:

Iowa

 

Council Bluffs: 16th & Broadway

 

Kansas

 

Chanute: 1415 S. Santa Fe Ave.

Coffeyville: 11th & Old Willow

Fort Scott: 2402 S. Main St.

Gardner: 1850 E. Santa Fe St.

Lansing: Center Dr.

Lawrence: W. 89th St.

Leavenworth: N. 4th St.

Lenexa: 77th & Quivira

Lenexa: 23491 Prairie Star Pkwy – Shawnee Medical

Olathe: K7 & Santa Fe

Olathe: 2027 E Santa Fe St. – Mur-Len

Overland Park: 87th & Grant

Overland Park: 95th & Antioch

Overland Park: 127th & Pflumm

Overland Park: 135th & Grandview

Overland Park: 7621 Shawnee Mission Pkwy

Overland Park: 107th & Roe

Overland Park: 9100 W. 74th St. – Shawnee Medical – Harvest Kitchen

Overland Park: 9100 W. 74th St. – Shawnee Medical – Main Entrance

Overland Park: 165th & Lowell

Pittsburg: 25th & Broadway

Shawnee: 10610 Shawnee Mission Pkwy
Shawnee: 75th and Nieman

 

 

Missouri

 

Independence: Route 291 & East 23rd St. S

Independence: 4309 S. Noland Rd.

Kansas City: NE Antioch & Englewood Road

Kansas City: 51st & N. Oak Trafficway

Lee’s Summit: 805 SW M 150 Hwy

North Kansas: Burlington Rd.

Raytown: 10105 E. 350 Hwy

Sedalia: 3507 W. Broadway Blvd

Smithville: Hwy 169 & Hospital Dr.

St. Joseph: 5325 Faraon St. – Mosaic Life Care

Warrensburg: 501 N. Maguire St.

 

 

Nebraska

 

Bellevue: 36th & Hwy 370

Bellevue: Fort Crook Road

Bellevue: 22nd & Capehart

Bellevue: Harlan Drive & Galvin Road

Grand Island: 2105 S. Locust – USAVE Pharmacy

Grand Island: 3418 W State St.

Kearney: 4402 2nd Ave.

Kearney: 114 2nd Ave E

La Vista: 84th & Giles

North Platte: South Dewey

Omaha: 132nd & Center

Omaha: 72nd & Dodge

Omaha: Millard Plaza

Omaha: 175th & Center

Omaha: 90th & Grant

Omaha: 96th & Q

Omaha: Canfield’s Plaza

Omaha: 72nd & Q

Omaha: 78th & Dodge

Omaha: 63rd & Pacific

Omaha: 122nd & Center

Omaha: 156th & Maple

Omaha: 129th & Fort

Omaha: Rockbrook Village

Omaha: 144th & Dayton

Omaha: 145th & Center

Omaha: 84th & Park Dr.

Omaha: 72nd & Military

Omaha: 90th & Maple

Omaha: 78th & Cass

Omaha: 60th & Center

Omaha: 72nd & Cornhusker

 

 

About Scooter’s Coffee

Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. In more than two decades of business, Scooter’s Coffee’s success is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company’s four core values, which are Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage. The Scooter’s Coffee Brand Promise, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: “Amazing People, Amazing Drinks… Amazingly Fast!®” It represents the company’s business origins and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal and new customers.

 

Scooter’s Coffee is at the dawn of a strategic growth phase nationwide, approaching 450 stores in 23 states. The U.S. coffee market is an estimated $48 billion a year recession-resistant industry, and Scooter’s Coffee is striving to become the #1 drive-thru coffee franchise in the nation.

For more information, visit, scooterscoffee.com, facebook.com/scooterscoffee,

ownascooters.com or call 877-494-7004.

 

Media Contact:

Kristen Crawford
Media Liaison for Scooter’s Coffee

[email protected]

 

 

Art, Entertainment, Fort Scott, Gordon Parks Museum

Photography Meet & Greet Seminar April 27

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Kirk Sharp is the director of the Gordon Parks Museum on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Submitted photo


The Gordon Parks Museum will host a Photography Meet & Greet Seminar on Wednesday, April 27
at 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Come meet and greet Veretta Cobler, professional photographer, who will give a
presentation on working with film and digital photography.
Veretta has moved back home to Fort Scott after over four decades of living in New York City where she
maintained her fully–equipped commercial photography studio. Throughout her career she transitioned from
the classic photographic film and darkroom expertise to the complexity of today’s digital photography
technology. Her experience expands to studio lighting and graphics computer skills. She is looking forward to
sharing her knowledge in her home community.
This in–depth seminar is designed for all levels of photographers from the beginner to the more
experienced. She is looking to help improve and enhance their shots.
While in New York City as a professional photographer, she worked in fine arts, fashion, portraiture, still life
and journalistic cultural study. Her fashion images were published in various U.S. magazines including Bride,
Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, Elegant Bride, Martha Stewart Living, The Knot, Seventeen, Prom, and New York
Magazine. Her New York clients now use her images for their social media accounts.
Veretta’s fine art photography has resulted in exhibitions and publications of her work throughout her career.
Published works include New York Underground (2004), a coffee table photography book depicting the
nightlife in New York City in the late 1970’s. She has recently completed a book about the life and teachings of
a Lakota spiritual man, and is in the process of seeking a publisher.
Her work can be viewed at her website at www.veretta.com.
Free registration is available at the Gordon Parks Museum, online or over the phone, at 620–223–2700 ext.
5850.

Business, Fort Scott, Uncategorized

Marketing, Apparel and Printing Services Move Downtown

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Vehicles are reflected in the window of 5 S. National Ave. This space is the temporary home of My One Stop until the space next door to the south is renovated.

Rachel French is the president of My One Stop, which has had a office in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park since 2005.

The business offers marketing print and digital services, signage, labels, apparel and embroidery printing services and more.

“We are moving downtown to because we wanted to be a part of the revitalization of downtown,” French said. “We wanted to be more accessible to businesses in Fort Scott…We can help them in gaining business and traffic.”

“We were looking for the right space and found this place was available and were excited to make the move,” she said.

The storefront at 7 S. National, just north of E3 Ranch store, is currently being renovated to meet the needs of the business, she said.

The building at 7 S. National Ave. is in the renovation process by the owner, Jennifer LaRoche. Submitted photo.

In the meantime, French and her team of employees have moved into 5 S. National, sharing space with the Lillian Rose Foundation, until the renovation is completed.

Jennifer LaRoche, who owns the building and is doing the reno, told French the reno will most likely be completed in June.

“I wanted to be close to the construction,” French said.

Her My One Stop  team is comprised of Ann Marie Buster-web and graphic designer, Rosemma Perry-sales representative, Tina Wilson-sales representative and Casie Yount-graphic design lead.

“We have hit the ground running,” French said. “Since we came, we saw the traffic downtown, and we are using our knowledge to help the downtown revitalization.”

The east side of 7 S. National Ave. looks out into the courtyard dining area of Common Ground Coffee Shop,  whose storefront is around the corner on East Wall Street. Submitted photo.

The business just recently created a downtown loyalty program, to encourage businesses in that area.

“We want to bring pride into our downtown again,” she said. “And people to be excited and have a business here.”

Included in the loyalty program is a Downtown Fort Scott Loyalty Card.

Eleven businesses have come on board and the card will provide the purchasers $55 worth of discounts for just $10.

The cards can be purchased at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall; or the My One Stop office currently at 5 S. National.

Ten percent of the sale of each card will be donated to the Fort Scott Downtown Chamber Committee to be used for future projects to benefit the downtown area.

That committee is in charge of the Downtown Clean-up Day April 22. “We are donating all the t-shirts for the clean-up,” she said.

French is a member of that committee and also she partners with Fort Scott High School and Pittsburg State University in a paid internship program. She also does the mentor program at FSHS with the Chamber.

“We think it’s important for youth to see what businesses do on a daily basis and see what Fort Scott has available,” she said.

French is looking forward to the move into 7 S. National, she said.

“Then you’ll be able to have a custom-designed t-shirt before you leave,” she said. “We would love to do more t-shirts for organizations. and businesses.”

Rachel French. Submitted photo.

 

Bourbon County, Government

Minutes of the Bourbon County Commission of March 29

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March 29, 2022 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and
the County Clerk present.
Also present for all or some of the meeting were Clint Walker, Anne Dare, Don
Coffman, Matt Crystal, Drew Solomon, Tom Booser, Merrill Atwater, Dr. Randy
Nichols, and Mark McCoy.
Eric Bailey presented permits for Joe Kerr at Indian Rd and 195th for an entrance
culvert. The second permit is for Craw-Kan to install fiber lines in the southwest part
of the county. Clifton made a motion to approve the permits at Indian Rd & 195th and
also for Craw-Kan in the southwest area of the county. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Eric said that he received a phone call this morning regarding a utility company
cutting Maple Rd. at approximately 190th or 195th he has not seen it yet. He was not
aware of this and is going to work with them to get the appropriate permits. Eric said
that he does not think that cutting the road was the best option but he was not aware
of the project prior to them cutting the road. Eric asked that if a utility company
contacts a commissioner, then please refer them to his department so they can look
at all options and get appropriate permits. Jim said that he had a conversation several
months ago with a utility company but he said that he told them to contact Eric.
Eric said that due to the road safety plan grant received last year, TranSystems
Company is in town gathering data. Eric said that if you see vehicles with lights
driving around gathering data but those vehicles should be clearly marked.
Eric discussed the placement of a stop sign in Bronson in the area of 25th & Bay St at
the far west part of the curve. He provided maps and of the location and it was
discussed as to what the best placement would be. Jim made a motion to place a stop
sign at the intersection of Bay and the curve between 25th & Bay. This would stop the
westbound traffic on Bay Street and the sign would be placed on northwest corner of
the intersection. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Eric said that Dustin had worked diligently to find a dump truck and it paid off
because they were able to find a 2008 Sterling in Tulsa for $60,000.00 and it has the
plow attachments that they will be able to put the county plow on it. Eric said that
they finished at 267th and Arrowhead with the 36” culvert replacement so that isn’t so
narrow now. He said that they are scheduled to burn at Elm Creek Lake on Friday,
weather permitting. Eric gave an update on the windmills saying that they are still
working on the punch list that he submitted and everything is going good on finishing
up. Jim Harris asked if Eric had received information on federal funding for the year
yet. Eric said yes, but that it had been postponed. Lynne asked about the ditching on
Wagon Rd that he had received a call on. Eric said that it is on the list and they are
working as fast as they can but they also need to look at fixing cross tubes if the
ditching is going to really help anything.

Millie Lipscomb, with the Elk’s Lodge, said that with costs rising on everything, that
she was requesting a donation from the county of $750 instead of $500 that has been
donated by the county the last few years. Clifton made a motion to donate $750 to
the Elk’s Lodge for their fireworks display this year. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Ashley presented the contract with Hamlin Energy to help secure the best price for a
gas supplier since Pro Solutions is going out of business. She said that they will look
and price as well as monitor bills and recommend locking in a price or changing
suppliers. She also said that the contact is not for a specific time frame that it can be
revoked at anytime with a written letter from the county. Clifton made a motion to
allow Chairman Harris to sign the contract with Hamlin Energy. Lynne seconded. All
approved.
Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to add mowing at 401 Woodland Hills
Blvd. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion to move county counselor comments to the end of the agenda.
Lynne seconded. All approved.
Clifton said he had been asked if the bids received were apples to apple and he said
that they are not. Justin Meeks recommended rejecting all bids and rebidding it. He
said that he thinks that we should rebid with better specs. Jim agreed. Clifton made a
motion to reject the bids for mowing and rebid it with more detailed specs and to be
due back by next Tuesday’s meeting. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion to go into executive session under KSA 75-4319(b)(4) to discuss
data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts,
and individual proprietorships. The session will last for 30 minutes returning to the
commission room at 9:57 am and will include the 3 commissioners, Noble Health
representatives (Drew Solomon, Tom Boozer, and Marrill Atwater), Josh Jones, Shane
Walker, Susan Bancroft, and Justin Meeks. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion to resume normal session at 9:57 am with no action. Lynne
seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion to move the executive session for personnel matters to next
week’s meeting. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Susan reminded everyone that the meeting next week on March 5th will be held at the
Mapleton Community Center at 6 pm and asked what the commission wanted to do
about future meetings in outside areas of the community. Jim said that he would like
to see one held at Garland and Hiatville. Lynne said he would like to see a night
meeting held here at the courthouse as well and Jim agreed. Lynne also said that if
you are going to have meetings at those locations you should probably have one at
Fulton, Hammond and even Devon. Jim said he would be in favor of trying that and

proceed based on attendance. Jim recommended that once we have been to several
remote locations for meetings, that they continue with a remote location meeting
once per quarter and an evening meeting at the courthouse every 4-6 weeks possibly.
Susan said that she would work on a schedule. Susan handed out a capital
improvements document to help department heads to understand what needs to be
taken into consideration when looking at capital projects. This also includes
personnel. If a department needed to add personnel they would have to justify the
reason for requesting.
Noble Health Presentation – Drew Solomon gave an update on the feasibility study. It
is substantially complete. There are a few items that need to be done. A lot of good
findings. Tom Booser will provide additional information. Tom is the coordinator of
the research. All of rural Kansas has a demographic trend happening. Every year 25
families leave this county. Right now 19% of the population of Bourbon County is 65+.
In 20 years 40% of the population will be 65+. This region is the least healthy in the
entire state. Kansas used to rank 9th in terms of health and has declined to 29th out of
the 50 states. Through community meetings and surveys the consensus is that we
need more healthcare. Data shows there is a very significant trend in this county.
There was substantial migration for healthcare from this area prior to the hospital
closing. Eleven million dollars per year for healthcare leaves Bourbon County for care
outside of this county. If this is going to be a sustainable hospital it must control the
out migration. It must find a way to build trust in the community and attract people
back. In this community, in this region, these hospitals carry twice the
uncompensated care burden as most rural hospitals. As the population ages, you can
see from a financial standpoint, your coverage may exceed, in terms of income from a
hospital, 40% of revenue. Medicare pays less than private insurers. Medicare
typically pays less than the cost to deliver the care. The current model of this
hospital the cost to deliver the care is higher than what the reimbursement is. Every
time you see a patient you lose money. The only way a hospital can fix that is from a
high percentage of private insured patients. If you have a large Medicare/Medicaid
population and you can control payments you have a very stable model. This is why
so many hospitals get some level of tax subsidy because there is a structural mismatch
between costs and revenue. The only way to surmount this, going forward, is to do
something different than you’re doing right now or what has been done in the past.
This is a structural problem and you have to change the approach. Part of that is
collaboration. Rural hospitals should collaborate more. This is going to require
transformation. A completely different way of behaving in regard to healthcare.
There has to be some sort of community leadership to get people to understand that
using healthcare in the region keeps it sustainable. In this region, workforce could be
the main component of whether a hospital is viable or not. There is a nursing school
in Pittsburg that graduates about 120 students per year. On average, those students
owe $25,000 which could be about 15 to 20% of your pay every month to pay off that
loan. What if there were help for these candidate nurses so they wouldn’t have that
debt. This requires community activism and some original thoughts. The former
hospital operated in a certain model allowing surgery and other things like that.
There is a merging model called a rural emergency hospital that could be an option

for this hospital. It is emerging legislation that is not done. There is no assurance
that this hospital would qualify for it but is at least an option to look at. It provides
some sustainability for rural hospitals and may provide an option for this community.
It is set to go into law in January 2023 so we will know how this plays out as this
hospital comes. On the building itself, we believe could be supported by the
operations. It can be a platform for other services for the community. You have a
very large hospital, maybe not all of it is used for healthcare. Recommendations for
viability – we believe moving the hospital into a non-profit 501(c)(3) status, given the
appraisal on the hospital, is the appropriate way to go forward. We’ll need a tax
exempt bond to support the building. Collaboration with other hospitals is needed.
You have to reduce migration out on healthcare services. This is critical. We think
given the space in the hospital, there is the potential for behavioral health unit. This
behavioral health unit would house patients outside of Bourbon County and provide
revenue for the hospital and provide the services needed. There is a high need for
this. The structure and the size of the facility enables this and should happen. In the
basement of the hospital, the idea to serve families with a daycare and headstart
program. There is space to do it. That enables people who consider having careers
and working in the hospital to have a way to care for their children while they work.
The rest of the community can use it as well. The disconnect between people using
services outside the region and staying put is based on the trust that people have in a
hospital. You have to rebuild the trust of the community to use the hospital and to
believe they get the best care there. If the $11,000,000.00, that leaves the county
for healthcare, if just 30 to 40% were to remain in the community that is the
difference between a viable and not viable hospital. The large burden of
uncompensated care there has to be a way to mitigate that. Get people enrolled in
Medicaid that can be and things such as that. Coordinate services with other hospitals
in the region. Every hospital in the region loses money. Work with the business
community to contract directly with them to provide healthcare in this town for the
people who work here. If we can do that then you have a sustainable basis for a
hospital going forward. It doesn’t fall on just hospital management it is a community
project. Drew Solomon stated that the market rate value of the building is $19.6
million. The appraisal brings to light that there is a significant asset there. Clifton
asked when the study would be complete and receive the report. Drew stated 4 to 6
weeks should see it completely finished. Rob Harrington thanked Noble Health for
their work on this project.
Public Comment – Donald Coffman asked if a new stop sign was being put out in
Bronson that hadn’t been there before. Jim stated that they would be. Donald asked
if a “stop ahead” sign should be placed before the stop sign to let people know it’s
there. Jim confirmed Eric would be putting one out as well as the stop sign. Clint
Walker talked about the loss of over $1,000,000 by not expanding Medicare. Clint
also stated they Allen County subsidizes their hospital at $2,000,000 per year and
their ambulance service $1,000,000 per year.
Elected Official Comment – Bill Martin brought to the commission’s attention a Kansas
Supreme Court case that affects the sheriff’s office. Bill suggested that the

commissioner’s get with the county counselor to go over the case. Justin stated there
were comments in a previous meeting about the commissioners controlling elected
officials employees. Some statutes say that commissioners are responsible for policy
except elected officials. You guys have no control over the hiring and firing of
elected official’s employees. If there is a policy in the handbook and the elected
official doesn’t want to follow it they don’t have to.
Commission Comments – Lynne wants to see commission meeting at Devon, and one at
Lake Fort Scott. Jim stated he wants to go off-site once per quarter and have a night
meeting every 5th or 6th meeting depending on participation. Jim stated that he is not
in favor of raising the mill levy. Lynne stated that department heads with a surplus
should use that money for raises for their departments.
Clifton made a motion for an executive session 75-4319(b)(2) for consultation with an
attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the
attorney-client relationship for possible litigation for 5 minutes, including 3
commissioners, Justin Meeks, and Shane Walker returning at 10:58am. Lynne
seconded. All approved. Clifton made a motion to return to normal session at
10:58am with action. Lynne seconded. All approved. Lynne made a motion to allow
Justin to handle litigation situation that has arisen. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion for an executive session 75-4319(b)(2) for consultation with an
attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the
attorney-client relationship for possible litigation for 7 minutes including Justin, Susan
Bancroft and 3 commissioners returning at 11:06am. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion to return to normal session at 11:06am with no action. Lynne
seconded. All approved.
At 11:07 Clifton made a motion to adjourn. Lynne seconded. All approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Jim Harris, Chairman
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Commissioner

Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS Talking Tigers Take First In Sweeps

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Submitted by Angella Curran
FSHS Talking Tigers competed at Paola on Saturday April 9.  The Tigers took 1st place in Sweeps!!!
POE: Anna Laubenstein 4th, Regen Wells 6th
HI: Joy Self 3rd, Caroline Barnes 6th
DI: Regen Wells 5th
DUO: Caroline Barnes and Joy Self 3rd, Anna        Laubenstein and Regen Wells 4th
INFO: Neil Gugnani 1st*, Shekhar Gugnani 2nd*, Thade Yates 3rd
DX: Neil Gugnani 1st*
FX: Thade Yates 3rd
IMP: Shekhar Gugnani 1st*
Tabloid Extemp: Shekhar Gugnani 1st, Thade Yates 3rd
POI: Silvia Moreno 1st*
*Indicates state qualifier
Bourbon County, Youth

March 2022 Uniontown 4-H Club Reporter’s Report

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by Marley Sutton


Several Uniontown 4-H Club members have been busy competing in local Aggie Day events recently. On March 25th members competed at Fort Scott Community College Aggie Day in Meat Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation and Vet Science. The highlight of the day was our Junior Meat Evaluation teams as they finished 1st and 2nd overall in the contest. Marley Sutton was 2nd, Makinlee Bloesser 3rd, Austin Maycumber 4th, Kendyl Bloesser 5th, McKinley Sutton 6th and Seth Shadden 7th.


Two weeks later members competed in the Allen Community College Aggie Day Livestock Judging contest. The teams ranked 5th and 8th overall with Makinlee Bloesser leading the way with an 18th place individual finish.

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda for April 12

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Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: April 12, 2022
1st District–Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District–Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District–Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk–Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM
Call to Order
• Flag Salute
• Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
• Eric Bailey – Road and Bridge Report
• Lora Holdridge – Executive Session KSA 75–4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of
individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
• Tri–Valley Agreement for Services
• County Counselor Comment
• Susan Bancroft, Finance Director Comment
o Executive Session – KSA 75–4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual
nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
• Public Comment
• Elected Officials Comment
• Commission Comment

 


Tri-Valley Agreement for Services

Opinion

Don’t Lose Your Marbles by Carolyn Hayward Tucker

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Keys to the Kingdom

My brother (retired senior pastor) kept a jar of marbles on his church office desk just for a witty conversation piece. The thing that brought grins and chuckles from his parishioners was the sign posted beside it: “Lost your marbles? Take a few.” Randy’s container had Pee Wees, Shooters, and Boulders; the most-popular marble that people chose was the  cat’s eye Shooter. Although I’ve never played the game, I have a few marbles of my own. “Losing your marbles” is a familiar colloquialism. If you’ve said or done something goofy, you may have even had a good friend  ask, “Have you lost your marbles?!”

 

We all have days when we do ridiculously-stupid stuff and an eyewitness would probably think we’ve lost our marbles. I can use myself to illustrate this point. Many years ago, I was preparing to go somewhere and I placed my camera on top of the car as I loaded everything. Silly story short, I later found the smashed-to-smithereens camera on the road a half mile from my house. Needless to say, I didn’t take any pictures that day. I can recall  two different times when I attempted to make sweet tea using salt. That didn’t turn out well at all. Now for the most-recent scatterbrained example: After I had written, proofed, tweaked, and saved this column for publishing, I opened it up several days later and  accidentally deleted it. Poof! The document was gone like a ‘57 Chevy — so I had to rebuild it from scratch. I sure could’ve used one of my brother‘s marbles that day!

 

Sometimes it’s quite a challenge to get all your marbles in a row and keep ‘em there. Once they get loose, they’re liable to roll anywhere. The Bible speaks plainly about the mind of believers. “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). If our thoughts are causing anxiety, we’re probably not rejecting the lies, fears, and doubts that Satan throws at us. God gives believers the power to have a sound mind which enables us to be at peace in troubling situations.

 

Christians have to actively control what we allow into our minds. Understanding the following scripture may dissuade us from watching the news 24-7: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 NLT). Fixing our minds on good news (what God says in His Word) is crucial. Not focusing on bad news is also crucial if we want God’s peace in our life. Jesus said that He was leaving His own peace with us,  which is the real thing and not an imitation peace that the devil offers. “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).

 

The biblical and common-sense approach to life is found in this scripture: “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 AMP). Believers are to entrust their lives and everything in life to their all-wise and loving heavenly Father. We can rest easy knowing we can rely on Him to take care of our every need.

 

The Key: God knows how to keep your marbles from scattering and getting lost.

Opinion

Capital Investment by Gregg Motley

4 Comments
Gregg Motley. President of the Regional Economic Development, Inc. Submitted photo.

In our economic system, nothing drives the economy more than capital investment.  It is the fuel for the engine of business and our country’s fiscal wellbeing.  Very little constructive happens apart from men and women with funds to invest deciding to take risks for an attractive return on their money.

 

Several megatrends that have impacted our nation since the beginning of World War II have served to shift capital investments away from small communities into urban areas.  Government tax policy, the explosion of business regulation at all levels, and cultural sentiments that have moved us away from capitalism to socialism are a few of the factors that have decreased the amount of capital investment in rural American and our economy as a whole.  More recently, our government has made it less attractive to produce energy by traditional means which discourages capital investments and disproportionately impacts rural America.  One does not see oil wells in the urban core of our cities.

 

As evidence, consider that between 1980 and 1989, business investment in equipment, software and structures grew by 2.7% per year on average and 5.7% in the decade of the ‘90’s; between 2000 and 2011, that number was a paltry 0.5% per year, less than one-tenth the amount of the previous decade.  Moreover, as a share of Gross Domestic Product, business investment has declined by more than 3% since 1980.  If we had the numbers divided between rural America and urban areas, I am sure that they would show that we have borne much more of the decline on a percentage basis.

 

The most obvious example of this in Bourbon County is the dearth of new construction over recent decades.  One simply cannot create value by building something new, as evidenced by the gap between an appraisal and construction costs.  This is also true of new houses.  Nothing puts a damper on capital investment more than the potential of an immediate double-digit percentage loss on that investment.  Naturally, an entrepreneur will build their building and their business in a location where value is created.

 

As an alternative, many Bourbon County men and women have stepped up and purchased struggling buildings and converted them to productive use, opening the doors to a new business in the process.  These people love Bourbon County and are willing to risk the negative return on investment to see us move forward.  Next time you drive by a newly remodeled business location, stop in and thank them by buying something.

 

Bourbon County REDI has this capital investment gap in our crosshairs, looking for ways to close the value gap and help facilitate growth in our business community; sometimes this involves grants, creative financing or angel investments.  If you love Bourbon County, be a part of the solution by helping us reduce barriers to successful entrepreneurship and supporting the men and women who have invested their

Bourbon County, Entertainment, Fort Scott

Watch Fun in the Mud April 23-24 at Bo Co Fairgrounds

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Mike Hayden and son.
Submitted photo.

A Fort Scott 4×4 Mud Run to benefit a local recreation center is coming to town on April 23-24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Spectator’s cost is $5 person, or $10 for carload (6 and under free).

Participating Mud Run entries are $20.

All proceeds are being donated to the Fort Scott Recreation Center, according to the event organizer Michael Hayden.

“We really appreciate him doing this, the additional funds really help out,” Tom Robertson, director of Fort Scott Recreation Center, said. “This assistance will help with scholarships for kids and families that can’t afford to sign up for a program such as baseball, swim lessons or cooking class, anything with a fee attached.”

Bourbon County was chosen to have the event because leadership was welcoming, Hayden said.

“We wanted to have a mud run somewhere in the southeastern Kansas area to give our members a larger event to attend in a part of the state that is often overlooked for bigger cities,” said Hayden. “After contacting a few different counties, the leaders in Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott seemed most open and welcoming to the idea.”

Submitted photo.

The event will be at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, located on South Horton in Fort Scott, just across from the community college.

 

“Mud Runs involve a mud pit dug to a specific depth and length in which a vehicle attempts to power through and reach the other side in the shortest time possible,” Hayden said. “Heavy equipment is standing by to pull out those that get stuck before reaching the end.”

There are typically several different classes of vehicles to keep competition fair, he said.

“We will have two different mud pit depths and three different classes, based on tire size,” Hayden said. “The vehicles need to be registered and street legal, with the exceptions of a few minor modifications. The intent is to allow the average person to be able to come out and have fun! We we have trophies and door prizes in all classes.”

The mud run is organized by the Kansas Ram Club.

“Our major sponsors are Ron’s Tire and Service in Fort Scott, Simon’s Dirt Work in Fort Scott and Buddy’s Home Furnishings in Pittsburg,” he said.

“Also, we have added an additional exhibition night for Friday night at 6 P.M. in which the Kansas Gambler 500 vehicles are going to be coming through the mud pit as part of their annual cruise,” Hayden said. “They plan to have somewhere around 100 eccentric vehicles and should be an exciting time!”

Bourbon County Local News