January featured artist
Al Letner, pottery
Presentation:
January 19, 3:00 p.m.
Al Letner’s artwork is on display at Hedgehog.INK! during the month of January. He will give a presentation, open to the public, on January 19 at 3:00 p.m. During this time, he will share about his artwork and the techniques he uses.
“As an artist I find most of my inspiration in the natural world. I have always thought of myself as an organic artist, utilizing natural color and pattern in my abstract work.”
Bryan Holt became the president and Chief Executive Officer of Union State Bank on Jan. 1, 2019.
“I’ll be the fifth generation of the Holt family to hold this position,” Bryan Holt said. “It is a great honor for me.”
Union State Bank has been family-owned and operated since 1901.
“My great-grandfather, L.E. “Emett” Holt began, then grand-dad Curtis Holt, then my dad, Kent Holt,” Kenny Holt said.
Kenny Holt held the president and CEO position from 1993 to December 31, 2018.
“We (he and his wife, Nancy) are slowing down and doing things we want to do,” Kenny Holt said.
Kenny will work in the transition period to mentor Bryan and Chad Holt, his younger son, who will be taking over some duties as well, he said.
Bryan Holt has been preparing for leadership through education and career experience.
He has an associates degree from Fort Scott Community College and a Bachelors in Business Administration with a major in Finance from Pittsburg State University Additionally, he completed the Graduate School of Banking in 2012.
“I have worked at the (Union State) bank twice now,” Bryan Holt said. “Part-time as a teller from 1990 – 1993. I returned to the bank in 2005 as the Business Development Officer and Information Security Officer, moving from McKinney, Texas. In a bank our size, all of the officers have been exposed to all parts of the business and that’s true of me.”
“My duties will be evolving to include overseeing overall operations of the bank, including strategic direction,” he said. “Of course, I’ll still be working in lending and business development, but learning this new role will become a large part of my daily activities.”
Technology has been changed the culture in America and the world, and the banking sector is no different.
“The rapid advance of technology will continue to disrupt the traditional banking model,” Bryan Holt said. “Our customers will rely less and less on coming into the branch, preferring to do business via mobile methods. We are working to balance the personalized service that we’ve been providing for nearly 120 years with the convenience of banking from your mobile device.”
“Technology has allowed us to do a lot of things,” Kenny Holt said.
A negative change in banking in the last 25 years is the “regulatory burden put on us,” Kenny Holt said. “The regulation doesn’t apply to us (small banks), but we still have to abide.”
USB stated purpose is to provide affordable, high-quality financial products and services that enhance the customers’ financial well-being and strengthen the communities they serve. The mission is to be the bank of choice in the communities served.
Union State Bank has two locations: on the Uniontown square and can be reached at 620-756-4305 and Fort Scott at 1009 S. Clark, 620-223-0066.
The Fort Scott to Topeka VA shuttle service will have its inaugural run to the Topeka VA Medical Center on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.
Many thanks to Patricia Neeland, Social Worker at the Fort Scott VA Medical Clinic and local Veterans Stephen Dean, Carl Jowers, Myra Jowers and Darrell Spencer for working together to make the Fort Scott – Topeka VA shuttle service a reality.
There is no cost to the veteran to ride the shuttle.
The VA shuttle holds five passengers and riders must preregister for a seat. Seats on the shuttle are open to any area veteran on a first come, first served basis.
At this time, the shuttle is operating only on Tuesdays. As more drivers are cleared by the Topeka VA Medical Center, the shuttle service will expand service to other days.
The shuttle will depart from First Southern Baptist Church parking lot (on South Main Street, near Pizza Hut) at 6:15 am and will return to Fort Scott after the last rider has completed their appointment in Topeka.
The rider must be at the designated departure point by 6:10 am or risk losing their seat to a standby.
The shuttle does not accommodate wheelchairs or pets. Only certified service dogs are permitted on the shuttle. Oxygen tanks are not permitted on the shuttle. Oxygen concentrators are allowed.
Family members may not ride with the veteran on the shuttle. Those veterans who need a caregiver to accompany them must have a signed note from their doctor attesting that the veteran requires a caregiver to accompany them to and from their appointment.
To register for a shuttle seat, the veteran must
· Have an appointment at the Topeka VA Medical Center between 9 am and 1 pm for the day they schedule their shuttle seat.
· Call 785-925-0261 to schedule their seat. All seat reservations must be scheduled by 5 pm, the day prior to their appointment in Topeka.
The Kansas Department of Commerce is extending the deadline to participate in the 53rd NCDA Annual Poetry and Art Contest, an initiative of the National Career Development Association, to February 1, 2019.
The contest theme is “Using Careers to Break Barriers, Empower Lives & Achieve Equity.”
The National Career Development Association promotes career development through its annual celebration of National Career Development Month. Every November, career development professionals are encouraged to celebrate with career-related activities including the annual Poetry and Art Contest.
Entries will be judged on how they celebrate and inspire career development with a positive tone while emphasizing the national theme.
Please submit any entries to [email protected] by February 1, 2019
Submissions may also be sent by mail to:
Kansas Department of Commerce, Poetry and Art Contest
1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100, Topeka, Kansas 66612
Please include name and eligibility category from the options below.
ELIGIBILITY
Every adult and student enrolled in school is eligible, as well as adult practitioners who are not in school. Contest divisions areas include:
o Primary – grades K-2
o Intermediate – grades 3-5
o Middle – grades 6-8
o Senior – grades 9-12
o Adult Student – ages 18 and older, enrolled in school
o Open Adult – ages 18 and older (student teachers, parents, professionals, etc.)
REQUIREMENTS FOR POEMS
Poetic Form: Acceptable poetic forms, e.g. cinquain, free verse, diamante, haiku, limerick, metered, rhyming, blank verse
Size: Submit each poem on a single sheet of paper 8.5″ x 11″ in 12-point font.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ART
Lettering: Simple bold lettering is preferred. Captions are to be used to convey the theme, attract attention, and to achieve goals of clarity, vigor and originality. All lettering will be considered part of the design.
Gov. Laura Kelly has appointed Julie Lorenz to lead the Kansas Department of Transportation as Interim Secretary. She succeeds Richard Carlson, who retired on Jan. 11.
While new to this position, this is her second tour of duty for KDOT, serving as the Director of Public Affairs and Special Assistant from 2003 to 2011. During that time, Lorenz led the development of several efforts at the agency, including the development and eventual legislative passage of the $8.2 billion, 10-year T-WORKS funding program in spring 2010.
“I am honored to be back at KDOT,” Lorenz said. “I’m excited to help develop new opportunities to expand our transportation investments across the state while also working to maintain the existing system. Transportation is a part of everyone’s lives and the work KDOT does is critical to our state.”
Lorenz comes from Burns & McDonnell where she was a Principal specializing in strategic business consulting and planning and policy development for the transportation industry at the national, regional and local levels.
Click below.
The Southwind Extension District 4-H Livestock Judging Team of Jillian Keller (Piqua), Brody Nemecek (Iola), Haydon Schaaf (Uniontown), and Clay Brillhart (Fort Scott) recently participated at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO. By the narrow margin of only one point, these youth were named Reserve National Champions to a team from Texas. They were selected as the only team to represent Kansas 4-H because they were the State Champion 4-H Livestock Judging Team in August, 2018. With 24 teams and 97 youth in the contest, this group had to work hard to receive national recognition.
In addition to being the second team overall, they were also 3rd in Reasons, 2nd in Sheep and 2nd in Goats. Individually results include: Brody Nemecek – 3rd in Swine and 8th Overall; Clay Brillhart – 4th in Hogs, 8th in Goats and 9th Overall; Jillian Keller – 2nd in Sheep and 2nd in Goats; Haydon Schaaf – 7th in Sheep and 8th in Reasons. The team continues to be coached by Carla Nemecek, Southwind District Director. John Emmerson, a former member of a Southwind team who participated at the National Western, served as Assistant Coach.
As a reward for their talents, the top two teams were awarded an invitation to compete internationally at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland and at the Charleville Show in the Republic of Ireland, June 19 – June 3, 2019. The contests are only a small piece of the international trip that will include agriculture seminars and opportunities to enhance leadership skills through interaction with the citizens of the UK and Ireland. The trip is limited to only nine American teams each year, and this is the first time a combined Southwind District team will participate. In 2005, a Neosho County 4-H team – Ryan Page, Trent Page, Clem Neely and Bailey Shaw were able to participate in the Scotland contest.
Although exciting for Southwind 4-H members, this opportunity comes with a price tag of about $6500 per person to attend. Fundraising efforts will soon be underway to send these youth on an international trip of a lifetime. Should you be interested in investing in this unique 4-H opportunity, please contact the Southwind Extension District at 620.365.2242.
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WEEKLY CHAMBER COFFEE REMINDER
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Old Fort Transportation, LLC, owned by Jacqueline and James Sellers, took over public transportation from Pitt-Taxi on Jan. 1, 2019.
Sellers is no stranger to public transportation in Fort Scott.
“In 2003, I started working as the coordinator for Bourbon County Senior Citizen,” Sellers said. “One of my responsibilities was to work with transportation, so I did some of the dispatching and the driving.”
Through the years, Sellers got to know those that used the service.
“Little did I know how much happiness and sorrow was to come,” she said.” I got to meet many of my fellow citizens, and as I grew to know them, I celebrated with them and I have mourned with them. I have taken some to job interviews and then taken them to work. Then had to say ‘see you later’ as they bought their car and were able to drive themselves to work.”
During that period of time public transportation was providing over a thousand rides a month, she said.
“Then in 2014, SEK-CAP (South East Kansas-Community Action Program) took over transportation,” Sellers said. “It was with a heavy heart I watched as many of my transportation family were suffering from the 24-hour notice (SEK-CAP requirement) for transportation and the ridership dwindled. Bourbon County Senior Citizens, then took an active look at better transportation for the city. Pitt-Taxi took over in 2016, and I was asked once again to manage transportation. I have been able to watch transportation grow again.”
In late 2018, the owners of Pitt-Taxi made a decision to retire.
“When the owners of Pitt-Taxi decided to retire, I had to make a decision, and with the support of my husband, James, we decided to take over the transportation here in Fort Scott,” Sellers said. “Thanks to the help of Bourbon County Senior Citizens and the support of the City (of Fort Scott), Old Fort Transportation will continue to provide the needed transportation for our hometown families.”
The business primarily provides transportation in Fort Scott, and when possible, the surrounding areas, she said.
Old Fort Transportation LLC is located at 26 N. Main, in the Bourbon County Senior Citizens Center.
“You can’t miss the vehicles (two vans) parked on Old Fort Blvd., she said.
The phone number is still the same (620)249-1440.
Regular hours of operation are Mon. through Sat. 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The full cost of a ride is $6.
“There is a discounted rate of $4 for senior citizens and those who have a commodity card or a Beacon card,” she said.
The public transportation business provides an average of 900 rides a month.
Sellers compiled a list of where she takes passengers:
Shopping – G &W Grocery Store, Walmart, Dollar General, Tractor Supply, Price Chopper Grocery Store, and downtown shops.
Medical appointments – Mercy, Urgent Care, Dr. Kellenburger, Baker Clinic, eye doctors, dentists, WIC, Mental Health clinic, and I Am Rehab.
Work – restaurants and fast food places, Walmart, G and W, Price Chopper, Extrusions, Peerless, Timken, First Source, Valu Merchandise, Nursing homes, and individual homes.
Other- banks, post office, library, Fort Scott Community College, Bourbon County Court House, jail, Fort Scott City Hall, cable office, bill pay centers, automotive repair, nursing home to visit, restaurants and fast food places to eat.
Click below for the reports.
Fast Food or Healthy Food? You Can Do Both with Planning and Smart Choices
Many commit to healthy eating as a New Year’s resolution and halfway into the month of January, they may be finding it a challenge. Time to cook and busy schedules top the list of what make healthy eating hard. In the rush of daily life, eating at fast food restaurants is often the default choice for getting through the to-do list.
The concern, says K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Sandy Procter, is that many fast food choices can lead to unhealthy eating.
In October, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control released results of a study from 2013 to 2016 concluding that more than one in three adults consume fast food on any given day.
“It’s not the fast food that’s the problem,” Procter said. “It’s the net result of portions that are too big and sometimes contain unhealthy ingredients.”
Convenience is the No. 1 reason why most people choose fast food. The relatively inexpensive cost, the fact that we like it and a lack of alternatives are other top reasons.
“I don’t think we are going to change the fact that many adults on many days of the week take fast food as an option, but I think if we look into it a little more deeply, we can all be better in control of what that means to our health and our diets in general,” Procter said.
She added that one key to avoiding unhealthy choices at fast food restaurants is to plan ahead. That could mean packing your lunch – or even part of the meal — the night before to avoid rushing out without food in the morning.
“When I say part of a lunch, that really helps,” Procter said. “If you do have to grab some fast food, you don’t have to accept what they offer as sides. You don’t have to get the full meal deal. You can order a small, single sandwich or wrap…and add those foods that you chose to bring along with you.”
Plus, planning ahead saves money and helps control the amount you eat.
“A lot of times, you can get those less expensive sandwiches,” Procter said. “They may cost less, and the portioning of those is going to be a lot healthier. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with fast food, but it becomes a problem when the portions are so large and the choices we make contain unhealthy aspects. We can do a lot about those just as wise consumers.”
Procter noted that consumers also can check out nutrition information online for many restaurant chains.
“So even if it’s not posted at the point of sale, you can find out about those choices that you automatically make,” she said, adding that knowing nutrition information could help you cut calories and eat more healthfully.
“It’s about taking control of the way I would like things to be, and finding a way to make it work for me. I think that is part of my job as a responsible consumer.”
Additional tips that Procter provided for avoiding unhealthy choices when eating on-the-go include:
For more ideas on healthy eating, contact Kathy at [email protected] or by phone at 620-365-2242. Check out the Southwind Extension District website at www.southwind.ksu.edu.
