Monthly Archives: September 2018

Business, Fort Scott

La Hacienda Offers Calorie Counted Meals on New Menu

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Mirna Santana, one of the owners of La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, holds the new menu which includes sections of calorie and fat counted food offerings.

The La Hacienda Restaurant recently redesigned its’ menu to include selections in which the calories and fat content have been counted for those wishing to eat healthier.

A Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways Grant financed the initiative whose purpose was to increase food transparency, Jody Hoener said.

Hoener is a part of the Restaurant and Food Retail subcommittee of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team that consists of Sherise Beckham (Registered Dietitian) and Joy Miller (RD)and Hoener.

“Joy was able to use KSTATE Extension software to calculate nutritional content,” Hoener said.

The restaurant collaborated on the calorie/fat content additions with a Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways To Healthy Kansas Initiative.

La Hacienda owners have pledged to increase access to healthy food, she said.

The new counted calorie menu items are spread throughout the listings and are highlighted in green.

The front of the new La Hacienda Restaurant menu.

 

 

Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS to Host Royal Tea for Young Princes and Princesses

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Local children will enjoy a Royal Tea with their favorite fairy tale characters from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Fort Scott High School Commons.

 

Young princes and princesses can play Highland games with Merida, sip tea with the Queen of Hearts and Alice, decorate cookies with Cinderella and her evil stepsisters, or sing their favorite royal songs with Belle. They can also create shell necklaces and fish with Ariel and Prince Eric, create flower crowns or don a beard with Snow White and Prince Charming, and show their creativity with Princess Leia. These and many other royal fairy tale characters are portrayed by FSHS Thespians.

 

Children must be accompanied by an adult for the event and are encouraged to dress in their own royal attire. Admission is $10 per child and each can receive a $2 discount by donating a non-perishable food item for the annual Thespian Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat service project. Admission includes all snacks, games, crafts, and activities with each royal character.

 

For more information, please see the Fort Scott High School Thespians Facebook page or contact FSHS Thespian Director Angie Bin at 620-719-9622 or [email protected].

 

Government, Kansas

Personal Income in Kansas Continues to Rise

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TOPEKA, KS –Governor Jeff Colyer M.D. on Wednesday highlighted a report that shows Kansas personal income rose significantly in the second quarter.

The report, released yesterday from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, showed Kansas wages increased by 4.7 percent, leading the seven states Plains Region.  Earnings increased by 6 percent in Kansas industries such as agriculture and professional business services. This increase puts Kansas at the 10th fastest income growth in the nation during the second quarter.

“It’s great to see Kansans taking home bigger paychecks as our economy continues to improve,” said Governor Colyer, “We have been hard at work in Kansas trying to attract higher value jobs to our state in order to grow our economy, and we are delighted to see earnings on the rise as a result of businesses investing more in our state.”

The full report can be found at the following link:

www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state

Business, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Chamber of Commerce Coffee at Family Dental Sept. 27

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WEEKLY CHAMBER COFFEE REMINDER
Join us for the weekly Chamber Coffee!

Hosted by:
Fort Scott Family Dental 
Sneak peek of their new location Downtown
at the corner of Wall & Main!
 
 Location: 2 N. Main St.
(enter through south door on Wall St.
next to Crain Insurance Agency)
Thursday, September 27th, 8am


Click here for Fort Scott Family Dental’s website.

Click here for Fort Scott Family Dental’s Facebook page.
Chamber members and guests are encouraged to attend for networking, community announcements, and to learn about the hosting business or organization.
Members may pay $1 to make an announcement about an upcoming event, special/sale/discount, or news of any kind.
Upcoming Coffees:
October 4th – Gordon Parks Museum
October 11th – Labconco 20th Anniversary
October 18th – Pioneer Harvest Fiesta
Bourbon County, Schools

Bourbon County Schools See Enrollment Increase

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September 20 is the headcount date for Kansas school districts.

The enrollment of a district is the number of students regularly enrolled at the district on September 20 of the preceding school year, according to the website: http://kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/summary_sb_19_2017.pdf

Bourbon County public schools have noted an increase in enrollment, which means an increase in funding.

Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston.
 

 

 

 

 
Fort Scott Community College

Fort Scott Community College enrollment is up around 1,000 credit hours from last year at this time, President Alysia Johnston said.  “15 credit hours (per semester) is considered full time.”

“We also report numbers based on Full-Time Equivalency (FTE); therefore, the 1,000 credit hour increase would be an FTE increase of 66,” Johnston said.

How does the increase in students benefit the school?

“It is hard to give you an exact dollar amount – as I’m not sure how many of the 1000 credit hour increase we would have provided tuition scholarships for; and if the credit hours were generated from in-district, out-district, or out of state,” Johnston said. “If I assume that 50% of the hours we gave scholarships for , and they were all in-district, it would be approximately an increase of around $80,000.”

“Our enrollment is up due to the great work our faculty and staff at FSCC do to ensure we meet the needs of our students and community,” she said. ” Their dedication, expertise in their area, and devotion to quality is reflected in our increased enrollment. Our focus is not just on growing enrollment, but maintaining and improving excellence in our programs and meeting student needs so they can be successful and reach their goals.”

USD 235

Bret Howard, superintendent of USD 235, Uniontown.

The Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) for Uniontown is 451 with enrollment of 458 students, Bret Howard, superintendent for USD 235 said.

“Unofficially we are up 6 (from last year),” Howard said. “We will still be audited by the Kansas State Department of Education and numbers can change slightly. Nothing is ever “official” until after the audit.”

“A school district receives $4,165 for each full-time equivalent (FTE),” Howard said. ” All Kindergarten through 12th-grade students are 1.0 FTE. A Pre-K student is funded at .5 FTE per student and each district has a cap determined by the KSDE. We are funded with 14 Pre-K slots or 7 FTE in Uniontown USD 235.”

“A district also receives weighted funding for At-Risk Students, Students on Free Lunch, Students who ride district provided transportation to and from school, etc,” Howard said. “A district budget has many different factors that make it up.”

USD 234

USD 234 Assistant Superintendent Nicki Traul.

The enrollment has also increased at USD 234, said Assistant Superintendent Nicki Traul.

Fort Scott Schools have seen an increase of 27 students from last school year.

In 2018-19 there are 1934 students, in 2017-18 there were 1907 students and in 2016-17 there were 1890 students, she stated.

 

 

 

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Entertainment, Fort Scott

Friday Night Concert in the Park, Sept. 28

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On Friday evening, September 28, the Concert in the Park (First and Main Street) show will feature a group of performers drawn from Allen, Bourbon and Linn Counties.

Some of the performers will be familiar to regular concert attendees while others will be making their first appearance. They are all very accomplished musicians and entertainers. The program will be similar to the one presented by this group last year that was very well received.

This is part of the Friday night concert in the park series sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.

The performance will begin at 7:00 PM.

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the FSCC Round Room at 2108 S. Horton.

The concert is free to the public. Because of limited seating, you are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

Fort Scott

Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 9-11

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Veterans Day Celebration

The first-ever Veterans Day Celebration in Fort Scott will be held November 9, 10, & 11 at various venues throughout the city.

The celebration begins on Friday night, November 9th at 5 pm with a reception for veterans at the Boiler Room Brewhaus. The reception is made possible by a generous donation from Peerless Products.

Saturday, November 10th, a special Veterans Day Program will begin at 10 am at Fort Scott Memorial Hall.

Special guests will include Gold Star Mother, Jennifer Jackman, Vice Commander of the American Legion Department of Kansas, Chuck Shoemaker, Commander of the American Legion Department of Kansas, Dan Wiley, and Kansas Senator from the 12th District, Caryn Tyson.

Other events on Saturday include a hospitality room for veterans from Noon – 4 pm at the VFW, special recognition of veterans at the high school musical at 2 pm, the Veterans Day Parade through downtown Fort Scott at 5 pm, and the 1800’s Remembrance Grand Ball begins at 7 pm at Memorial Hall.

Sunday, November 11th, activities begin at 9 am with church services at Community Christian Church, the annual Veterans Day Service at US National Cemetery Number One begins at 11 am, and the celebration concludes with a free will donation lunch at the VFW.

All the events, with the exception of the VFW lunch, are free to all veterans and active duty personnel. For more information, contact the Fort Scott Convention & Visitors Bureau at 620.670.2750 or online at visitfortscott.com.

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Mercy Hospital

Mercy Auxiliary Earns Gold

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Pictured accepting the award (left to right): Sally Emerson, 2018 Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas – District 2 Coordinator; Reta Baker, President, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott; Alice Allen, 2018 Auxiliary President, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott; Diana Holloway, 2018 President, Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas; and Tom Bell, President/CEO Kansas Hospital Association

The Mercy Hospital Fort Scott Auxiliary Volunteers received a Gold Award of Excellence at the Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas (HAK) Convention held in Kansas City on September 7. The award is the state’s top honor for hospital auxiliaries that have demonstrated service and commitment to their hospitals and communities.

Auxiliaries who earn this prestigious honor must meet 21 criteria set up by the HAK such as participating in health-related community service activities, giving direct service to the hospital and contributing to health career scholarships.

Mercy Auxiliary holds a variety of fundraising events annually to raise money to purchase small equipment items for the hospital. In 2018, $22,573.88 was given. They also offer five $200 scholarships for students going into the medical field at Fort Scott Community College each semester.

This past year Auxiliary members volunteered 9,214 hours. Auxiliary members are usually the first person a patient sees when they walk in the door, and often times the last person they see. They are an integral part of the hospital, and we are very thankful to have such a dedicated and hard-working volunteer team!

 

Obituary

Obituary of William Dee Eastwood

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William Dee Eastwood, age 90, a resident of rural Bronson, Kansas, passed away Saturday, September 15, 2018, at the Guest Home Estates in Ft. Scott, Kansas.
 He was born October 1, 1927, in Allen County, Kansas, the son of Henry Edward Eastwood and Esther Marie Jackson Eastwood.
Dee served with the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
He married Stella Irene Phillips on August 10, 1950.  She preceded him in death on September 3, 1976.
He later married Erma F. Sproat on June 30, 1978.
Dee was a farmer, a cattleman, and an oil producer.  He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, Scottish Rite Consistory and the Mirza Shrine as well as the Iola Elks Lodge.
 
Survivors include his wife, Erma; and three daughters, Linda Mefford and husband, Don, of Mound City, Kansas, Dea Ann Kuhn and husband, Allen, and Cheri Smith and husband, Larry, all of Wichita, Kansas; seven grandchildren, Shon Mefford, Jason Mefford (Cindy), Kelsey Kuhn (Ben), Nick Smith (Christine), Brandon Smith, Adam Smith (Amanda) and Suzie Smith (Anthony) and several great-grandchildren, a great-great-grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his first wife, he was preceded in death by a sister, Wilma Shinn and a brother, Wilbur Eastwood.
 
Following cremation, a memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, October 1st at the Cheney Witt Bronson Chapel.
The family will receive friends from 1:00 P.M. until service time on Monday at the chapel.
Private family burial will take place in the Moran Cemetery.  Memorials are suggested to the Bronson Library and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Bronson Chapel, P.O. Box 93, Bronson, Kansas 66716.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.