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Monthly Archives: February 2019
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Feb. 25
Click below:
Obituary of Mary Elaine Allen
Mary Elaine Allen, age 68, of Fort Scott, KS, passed away Monday, February 25, 2019, at Olathe Medical Center. She was born August 15, 1950, in Nevada, MO, the daughter of Alfred Leon and Betty Ruth (Anderson) Barker. She graduated from Fort Scott High School with the Class of ‘68 and attended Fort Scott Community College. She married Larry Lee Allen on February 2, 1969, in Fort Scott. They just celebrated their 50th Anniversary.
Mary worked for USD 234 as a paraprofessional for over 37 years before retiring due to her health. She enjoyed working with the students and staff. Her love for her students was evident in all she did and her impact on her students was immeasurable. Mary believed that her job extended well beyond school hours, helping her students however she could. She was a member of Fort Scott Nazarene Church. She loved to bake and decorate sugar cookies, make wedding flowers and cater meals. Mary was a loving wife, mom and mema. Her kids and grandkids were so important to her and she rarely missed an event they were involved in. She was a big supporter of the Fort Scott Tigers. During the summers, she enjoyed volunteering at Cross Trails Cowboy Ministry Rodeo Bible Camp. Whether it was helping in the kitchen, talking to the kids or just watching the activities that were taking place, you would always find a smile on her face.
Survivors include her husband, Larry, Fort Scott; two sons: Jason Allen and wife Dana, Fort Scott; Jeff Allen and wife Tara, Fort Scott, and daughter, Darlinda Harris and husband Chuck, Hepler; nine grandchildren: Kolby and Karson Harris, Karlea Hyman and husband Zack, Gabrielle, Marissa, and Julia Allen, and Alaina, Parker, and Paxton Allen; two brothers: Melvin Barker and wife Marilyn, Raymond Barker and wife Marie, both of Fort Scott; and brother- in-law, Terry Allen and wife Donna of Rowlett, Texas; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leon & Betty Barker; and in-laws, Edward & Leota Allen.
Rev. Virgil Peck will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Thursday, February 28th, at the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Wednesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Cross Trails Cowboy Ministry Rodeo Bible Camp and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Obituary of Tammy Jewel Irene Conklin
Tammy Jewel Irene Conklin, age 51, resident of Pittsburg, KS, died Monday, February 25, 2019, at her home.
She was born on September 16, 1967, in Independence, KS, the daughter of Lawrence Leon and Betty Whinery Wade. Tammy grew up in Coffeyville, KS, before moving to Pittsburg, KS, in the early ’90s. Her life was devoted to her kids and grandkids. She was a licensed foster parent for many years. Tammy loved Mexican food and cooking for family gatherings. The more people and the louder the better.
Survivors include her children, Tamara Dawn Logan, Kandi Leeann Conklin, Donald Eugene Conklin, Jr., Rusty Conklin, Laura Wallace and many more; grandchildren, Tamara and James Logan, Jr., Sara Dawn Betty Logan, Kandace Logan, James Logan, III, Alexander Logan, all of Pittsburg, KS, Donald and Lindsay Conklin, McKenzie Moors, Kendall Weatherbie, Reese Conklin, Paisley Conklin, and Kennedy Conklin, all of McPherson, KS; a brother, Rockey Wade and wife Lynette and son, Dalton, Salem, MO; and a special aunt and second mother, Barbara Wheeler.
She was preceded in death by her husband Donald Conklin and her parents.
There was cremation. Rev. Jim Sukraw will conduct memorial services at 1:00 PM Friday, March 1st, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Tammy Conklin Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
First Southern Baptist Expands
A local church is expanding its’ facility because the congregation is growing.
First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S. Main, is building a new building east of the present one, which will be the FSBC Family Life Center.
James Collins is in his third year of pastoring the church, and the church has grown from 12 to 130 people, he said.
“The church was small,” Collins said. “We’ve had tremendous growth.”
“I taught on the Passover last year,” he said. “We didn’t have enough room, so we decided to expand.”
The church’s childrens program includes AWANA on Wednesday evenings.
“We have a big children’s program, 80 kids on Wednesday night,” Collins said. “We needed a place for them.”
AWANA stands for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed, from 2 Timothy 2:15 in the Bible.
In addition to that growth, the Cornerstone Bible Church, at 6th and Horton, merged with FSBC after its’ pastor left.
Ben Workman, the former pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, was called to a church in Oklahoma, his home state.
“They wanted to get back closer to home,” Collins said of Workman and his family. “He loved it here but wanted to go and do that.”
That congregation asked Collins to fill in preaching and help look for a new pastor.
After a few months, when the pastor-less congregation felt like God was working in the First Southern Baptist Church congregation, “They wanted to be a part of where God was working,” Collins said.
Approximately 25 people came from the Cornerstone congregation to the First Southern Baptist congregation, Collins said.
An expansion was in the works.
The new building will be two-stories and feature a multi-purpose room, classrooms and a kitchen and measure approximately 80 feet by 120 feet. The multi-purpose room will be used as a fellowship hall and gym. It will be built on the east side of the current church building.
Groundbreaking will be in the spring.
“April or May, hopefully,” he said.
“We are not going into debt,” Collins said. “We are doing the building in phases.”
Fundraisers have been scheduled for the year including a recent pancake feed and the preparing and delivering of a luncheon meal to Peerless Products. In May the church will be part of the town-wide rummage sale and there will be a fundraiser at the Bourbon County Fair in July, he said.
Collins believes God led him to Fort Scott.
“I was in the Army as a chaplain,” he said. “I was retiring. I was being considered for a big church in Oklahoma. We were on vacation and a friend said ‘You need to check out Fort Scott.'”
The pulpit committee asked him to come and preach.
“When we got to the city limits of Fort Scott, I felt like the Lord spoke to my heart ‘This is where you are coming’,” Collins said. “I always had a heart to be a small town pastor.”
“The first year and the last year of our four-year-old’s life I had (served in the Army) in Iraq,” Collins said. “It hit me. I wanted to go where I could close the door and take my kids fishing. That was a little bit of my motivation…a slower pace.”
“We are pouring our lives into the community,” Collins said. “We love being a part of Fort Scott.”
He and his wife Amanda have three children: Abby, 14 years old; Tim, 12 and John, 8.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Feb. 26
Fruit Trees Should Be Pruned Now
District Extension Agent, Horticulture
Southwind Extension District
111 S. Butler
Erie, KS 66733
Office: 620-244-3826
Cell: 620-496-8786
Are you itching to get out of the house and do something productive in the landscape? If you have fruit trees, then now is the time to prune! A little planning ahead with fruit trees can mean big rewards later in the growing season.
Are you like many who are “afraid” to prune? Don’t be. When done correctly, pruning is an essential component of growing a healthy, productive fruit tree. Fruit trees should be pruned every year and for several reasons. The first is the development of a strong tree structure. Pruning should begin when the tree is planted and continued each year thereafter. Another reason to prune is the increased penetration of sunlight for the development of fruit buds and for the fruit to mature properly.
Trees can be pruned this early (winter) because they are dormant. This can be done in January, February and even early March. Pruning when trees are dormant makes it easier to see undesirable branches because leaves aren’t present. It is important to do any pruning before dormant sprays are applied, to avoid spraying some of the wood that will later be removed. Total spray coverage of limbs, branches and shoots will be increased after pruning. Do not prune if temperatures are below 20°F because this can cause tissue damage.
Have your fruit trees been neglected for quite some time? If so, pruning can seem like an overwhelming task; where to start, how much wood to remove, etc. But a neglected tree can be revitalized.
The first step in revitalizing a neglected tree is to prune wood around the trunk area and near the ground. Remove all sucker growth around the trunk by cutting as close as possible to the point of origin. Next, remove all branches that hang below a 4-foot level. Prune them off at the supporting limb. Stand back and study the tree and decide the next cut to make. Retain scaffolds that are growing away from the tree center at wide angles with the trunk. Scaffolds are one of the main branches making the basic framework of a tree. They should be positioned on different sides of the tree for good distribution of the fruit crop.
The right tools are needed for proper pruning. Tools always need to be sharp so clean cuts can be made. Cuts that result in bark tears, stubs, or jagged surfaces are slow to heal and may even not completely heal. A scissor type of hand shear is used to prune small size wood, usually ¼ inch in diameter. Long handled loppers should be used to cut ¼ to ½ inch wood. These will need to be used generally by the third year of tree growth. For branches larger than ½ inch, use a fine-toothed pruning saw.
The Extension office has a publication titled, “Pruning Fruit Trees,” that explains in more detail how to prune depending on the age of the tree. It also has a section devoted to pruning different types of fruit trees. The publication has diagrams that demonstrate how and where pruning cuts should be made. As with most Extension services, this publication is free of charge.
If you would like me to evaluate your trees, give me a call and a home visit can be scheduled. Also, I would like to remind you of my office schedule. Monday and Friday – Erie; Tuesday – Iola; Thursday – Fort Scott; Wednesday morning – Yates Center and Wednesday afternoon – Chanute. New this year, I will be partnering with the Chanute Recreation Commission to have an office space to better serve the residents of Chanute.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at 620-244-3826 or [email protected].
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Legislative Update By State Senator Caryn Tyson
February 22, 2019
Kansas Farm Bureau Option for Medical Coverage resulted in an ardent senate floor debate. Senate Bill (SB) 32 would allow KS Farm Bureau to establish and offer medical coverage for KS Farm Bureau members. Healthcare costs are skyrocketing and not everyone can afford insurance. It has been reported that since Obama-care became law, insurance premium costs have increased an average of 12% each year for persons who are non-Medicaid eligible. SB 32 would provide another option for KS Farm Bureau members who cannot afford the rising cost of health insurance. The KS Farm Bureau program would not have all of the benefits of health-insurance, for example –a person would have to qualify for the coverage and not all health-care would be covered. The program is modeled after Tennessee Farm Bureau’s program, which has been in existence for approximately 70 years. The bill passed 28 Yes to 11 No. I voted Yes.
Stop the Fraud and Waste: In 2015, I offered an amendment on a bill to require an electronic identity check when a person applies for government assistance. It was signed into law. A couple of weeks ago I requested information on how the statute was implemented and what the results have been in stopping fraudulent applications. The response I got was that the electronic identity check has still not been implemented. It is things like this that result in little to no confidence in government.
Kansas sales tax and sales tax on food is some of the highest in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, combining the average county and city sales tax with the state sales tax puts Kansas at the 8th highest sales tax rate in the nation. Kansas is 11th highest for state sales tax and 15th highest for average local sales tax which results in the 8th highest for combined sales tax. These tax rates result in Kansas having among some of the highest sales tax rates on food. Some Kansans can apply for a food sales tax credit when they file their KS income tax return. There are a few ways a person may qualify. One way is a person must be 55 years of age or older, have a federal adjusted gross income less than $30,615.01, and have a Kansas income tax liability to qualify.
The Senate Tax Committee had a hearing on SB 76. The bill is an attempt to decrease the State sales tax on food by 3% in the next three years (1% per year decrease). If passed, it would be a step in the right direction.
Seat belt violations: Current statute is ambiguous and has resulted in varied opinions as to rather a seat belt violation is a traffic infraction or a misdemeanor. SB 41 would make it clear that a seat belt violation is a traffic infraction. Fines would not change. A fine is $30 if age 18 or older, $60 for anyone 17 or younger and not properly fastened in the appropriate restraining system.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
Obituary of Franklin Lee Davis
Franklin Lee Davis, age 66, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Friday, February 22, 2019, at his home.
He was born November 11, 1952, in Wichita, Kansas, the son of Donald Lee Davis and Carol Lee “Kay” McCracken Davis.
Lee graduated from the Uniontown High School with the Class of 1970. He later graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1974 with a degree in plastics engineering. Following his education at Pitt State, Lee worked for a time for Wichita Testing Laboratories. He later began a career as Noxious Weed Director for Bourbon County. He served in this position for over thirty years. Following his retirement, he worked as a bus driver for SEKAP. Lee enjoyed making and collecting knives. In earlier years, he enjoyed fishing. At an early age, he became a member of the Hiattville United Methodist Church.
Survivors include a brother, Dallas Lee Davis and wife, Sue, of Leadville, Colorado and a sister, Cindy Lee Davis, of Highland, Kansas and a nephew, Joshua Lee Davis, also of Leadville. Also surviving are several cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.
There was cremation. A memorial visitation will be held from 5 to 7 P.M. Thursday, February 28th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Obituary of William Lawrence Gates
William Lawrence Gates, Jr., age 82, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Sunday, February 24, 2019, in Pittsburg, Kansas.
He was born April 22, 1936, in Dewey, Oklahoma, the son of Rev. W. L. Gates, Sr. and Donna Hurley Gates. He first married Dixie Dill. They later divorced. He later married Billie Short and she preceded him in death. Bill grew up in the Church of God (Holiness). He enjoyed racing cars, hunting, fishing and being outdoors. He also liked taking care of his cows and watching Western movies especially those starring John Wayne.
Survivors include his children, Debbie Stewart, of Ft. Scott, Donna Smith (Nathan), also of Ft. Scott; Randy Gates (Angela), of Girard, Kansas and Victoria Gates, also of Ft. Scott; and four grandchildren, Kayla Smith, of Ft. Scott, DeAnn Hixon, of Topeka, Kansas, Nate Smith, of Springfield, Missouri and Melissa Gates of Quetwa, Oklahoma. Also surviving are a brother, Don Gates, of Kodiak, Alaska and a sister, Frances Wise, of Wichita, Kansas.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by a son, William L. Gates III, a daughter, Dixie Diane Hixon; a brother, James Gates and three sisters, Ida Durkee, Ethelene Richardson and Ella Judy.
Pastor Trevor Jacobs will conduct graveside services at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, March 2nd at the Oak Grove Cemetery. Family and friends may meet on Saturday at the Cheney Witt Chapel prior to leaving for the cemetery at 10:45 A.M. Memorials are suggested to Ft. Scott Christian Heights or to Comfort Care Homes of Pittsburg and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Gordman’s Fort Scott Grand Opening March 20
Get ready to rock with Gordmans during our 2019 Grand Opening Tour!
Our new location at 2400 S. Main St. in Fort Scott, KS is having an epic celebration on March 20th and you’re invited.
No tickets necessary. Just stop by!
Don’t miss our ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 pm. Then get to know Gordmans and find out why this is where frugal meets fierce. Our deals on home decor galore will be music to your ears.
The first 100 guests will get a scratch-off card and one lucky person will reveal a $50 shopping card!
Get more info at http://gordmans.com/tour
Blues and BBQ, March 9
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