The American Legion’s success depends entirely on active membership, participation and volunteerism. The following monthly reports provide a summary of membership, participation and volunteerism making an impact in the lives of veterans, families and communities.
American Legion Posts can share the many ways Legionnaires are making a difference in their communities. To view the impact American Legion posts made throughout the year, please read the attached March 2020 membership impact report.
COVID relief: Speeding Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) loans
Topeka, Kan. – In an effort to speed relief funds in the face of the current public health emergency, the Department of Commerce is providing guidance on how CDBG funds, which are already in Kansas communities, can be loaned to area businesses more quickly.
Under certain circumstances these funds can be made available via local governments in just 24 hours.
“Local communities have a better understanding of the immediate needs in each of their communities,” Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “The state stands ready to support them in making these funds available to communities across Kansas.”
There is currently about $6 million in CDBG funds that resides in communities statewide as local Revolving Loan Funds. The funds are administered by cities, counties and economic development organizations. Under normal circumstances when a community wants to issue a business loan, Commerce must conduct an environmental review that takes 30 days. The communities also must do public notice, which can also take 30 days.
If a revolving loan is for working capital, then environmental review is not applicable, and the public notice can be reduced to 24 hours. This allows communities to issue a loan in two days and not involve the Department of Commerce. This will speed the delivery of these funds to businesses that need it now.
Local communities are also empowered to make decisions on matching funds, collateral and interest rates, as well.
Secretary of Commerce David Toland will hold a conference call with CDBG communities Friday, March 20, 2 p.m., to promote the use of these funds to help ease the burdens of the coronavirus crisis.
USD 235 has started teaching its students off-campus, following the closure of the county’s schools due to the pandemic.
The District Continuous Learning Plan officially started on Monday, April 6 and will run through Tuesday, May 19.
“It is not online learning,” Bret Howard, superintendent, said. ” This is a Continuous Learning Plan created as a response to unprecedented times. I think this is a very important distinction to make. Uniontown USD 235 is providing continuous learning opportunities for all students regardless of whether they have the internet or not.”
“We are all in unknown territory and Uniontown USD 235 wants everyone to know that we need to work together and communicate to have a successful conclusion to this school year,” Howard said.
“I am thankful for our teachers who are working extremely hard to meet the needs of our students,” he said.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the Eagle family to grow, support one another, and have compassion for all people.”
“We know this pandemic has caused stress to students, families, and our communities. Uniontown USD 235 will do everything in our power to make this a positive time for children and families.”
“We thank everyone for working to be true partners in education,” Howard said.
Howard answered the following questions via email:
What preparation did the teachers make? How did they decide the curriculum?
“Professional development for the district’s Continuous Learning Plan began the week of March 30 with an introduction, evaluation, and revision of the proposed plan to be presented to the Board of Education. Teachers engaged in a series of activities for the communication platforms they will use. The district’s behavioral health therapist through Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center introduced and provided Social Emotional Learning resources for teachers, students, and families. As grade level and content area teams, teachers identified untaught essential outcomes and planned meaningful and engaging ways to deliver the material to students.”
Do they teach from home or their schoolroom?
“The large majority of our teachers are teaching from home. Our teachers are not required or expected to physically be present at West Bourbon Elementary or Uniontown JH/HS. Some of our teachers have chosen to come to the school and do their Zoom Webinar meetings for their students. Some do so out of convenience and some out of necessity due to internet service and reliability at their homes. Right now we only have roughly 4-5 teachers in our buildings on any given day. We also have some paraprofessionals that work for the Special Education Interlocal coming to our buildings as well. They do so for the same reasons.”
In addition to teaching staff, others are working at the school.
“Several members of our food service staff are working multiple days a week to be able to provide meals for approximately 150 people ages 1 through 18.”
“Our custodial staff is working to clean rooms and areas used by our essential staff and employees who are coming into the buildings.”
“Our technology staff works from the buildings several days per week as well as our administration and administrative assistants.”
“We are very thankful for all of the hard work put in by so many of our employees.”
What about those who didn’t have computers, smartphones,etc?
“Uniontown USD 235 is a 1:1 district for laptops, Chromebooks, and IPads. All HS (Grades 9-12) students already had a laptop computer that they could take home daily. All students in grades 4-8 had Chromebooks they used at school and students in grades PK-3 had IPads. If their parents requested a device through our parent survey, students in grades PK-3 were issued an IPad and students in grades 4-8 were issued a Chromebook. We asked a parent/guardian to sign a technology usage agreement before picking up the device. ”
How will the students be graded? How will this last bit of teaching affect their final grade?
“We have asked our teachers to have patience, flexibility, and grace during these unprecedented times. However, we do expect all of our students to participate in our Continuous Learning Plan either through the use of technology or through enrichment activities delivered to them via packets through US Mail or if they are participating in our food program they can be delivered to them through that avenue as well. If students do not participate in the Continuous Learning Plan, it will have a detrimental impact on their final grade.”
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The State Conservation Commission will hold a conference call on Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. This conference call is open to the public.
The State Conservation Commission consists of five elected commissioners; two ex officio members representing the Kansas State University Agriculture Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service; and two appointed members representing the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The KDA Division of Conservation consults with the SCC to protect and enhance Kansas’ natural resources through the development, implementation and maintenance of policies, guidelines and programs designed to assist local governments and individuals in conserving the state’s renewable resources.
To request a copy of the agenda or directions on how to participate in the conference call, please contact the KDA Division of Conservation at 785-564-6620 or [email protected].
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to Suspend Sales of Nonresident Turkey Permits
PRATT – In an effort to protect the health of Kansans and prevent the spread of COVID-19, Governor Laura Kelly, with the support of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), is suspending sales of general nonresident turkey permits effective immediately. The suspension is made possible via Executive Order No. 20-21, signed on April 9, 2020 by Governor Kelly.
“During this unprecedented crisis, we must take every measure possible to protect Kansas lives,” Kelly said. “While turkey hunting is largely a solitary activity, the potential for inadvertent spread of COVID-19 due to travel associated with nonresident participation is something we simply cannot risk. Secretary Brad Loveless and his staff have done a tremendous job maintaining safe spaces for us all to enjoy, and I’m confident they’ll continue their good work as we encourage everyone to enjoy recreational activities locally this spring.”
“We’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback from concerned individuals and at the end of the day, we want to do what’s right by our fellow Kansans,” Loveless said. “Initially, this issue seemed self-limiting as nonresident permit sales lagged behind last year’s sales year-to-date. However, recently, as opportunities in other states began to diminish, nonresident demand increased at a rate we are no longer comfortable with.”
Nonresident hunters who made their spring turkey purchase prior to the order’s effective date may still participate in Kansas’ spring turkey season; however, because Kansas’ regular turkey season has yet to open (April 15, 2020), only a small percentage of the nonresident permits normally purchased have been sold. KDWPT is offering refunds and KDWPT gift cards in an effort to lower participation rates even further. Nonresident hunters may obtain a refund or KDWPT gift card by sending an email request to [email protected].
“There’s no doubt this will come as a disappointment to many of our out-of-state hunters and outfitters, and rightfully so. Kansas’ spring turkey season is something a lot of us look forward to,” Loveless said. “But I’m also confident many of these same individuals will understand and join us in ‘recreating locally’ this year until we can once again travel without fear of spreading COVID-19.”
I don’t know who wrote this, but I love the optimism, the encouragement, the hopeful side to this pandemic. We need that confidence, don’t we? Bret Baier, a news anchor, daily offers a message of expectation when he ends his television program with this: “We are one day closer to putting this all behind us.”
I envision the day when Baier’s statement will be our reality and we can learn powerful lessons from it…lessons, I pray, we never forget.
We all know that this silent killer has sneaked in unnoticed, and as we battle this foe, I am mindful of another enemy we are warned about in Scripture. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) See any similarities?
Could there be a more frightening warning to those unaware of our enemy’s attempts to destroy? If we compare Covid-19 and Satan, we can’t help but recognize likenesses: Both prey on the weak; both remain unseen; both are contagious, and both appear intent on destroying humanity.
Still, if we remain vigilant, we can remain hopeful by understanding a few more things about these enemies:
They sneak in unannounced. (“So what if I run a few errands I probably should postpone?”/“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”Hebrews 3:13.)
They come through friends (“There’s nothing wrong with hanging with our pals at the beach.”/ “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Prov. 13:20.)
They come when we ignore the warnings. (“Wear masks”/“Put on the full armor of God.” Eph. 6:11.)
Yet as contagious as this virus is, as contagious as sin is, the antidote is simple. We must isolate ourselves from anything that causes us to fall victim to their death traps. We must be mindful that there are bad things seeking to destroy us, both in the physical and the spiritual world. We cannot allow ourselves to so much as sniff these deadly evils. Instead, we must do what is smart…what is hopeful. Trusting in our medical professionals is one way to do that, but to be eternally careful, we must turn our lives to Jesus Christ and know that he is the ultimate hope.
So, as the meme above says, “Hang in there, World.” How do we do that? The answer is found in Deuteronomy 31:6: Be strong and courageous… for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. One day we will “put this all behind us.” The choice we make now will determine what will lie ahead.
Next week’s Fort Scott Public Library storytime schedule will run as follows:
April 14: 10 am Dogs & Donuts Storytime on Zoom (the meeting will be recorded and made available after it ends).
11 am Dogs & Donuts Storytime on Facebook Live (we may post the video on the library’s YouTube channel as well).
Details:
Join Miss Val online for virtual storytime! The library will once again use the Zoom platform for the 10 am storytime and Facebook Live for the 11 am event. This should remain the schedule until the library reopens, but stay tuned to Fort Scott Public Library’s Facebook page for all event updates. Due to security concerns surrounding the Zoom app, you will need to message the library for the meeting link. You may receive the link by one of two methods:
Message Fort Scott Public Library through Facebook or email Miss Val at [email protected] before the start (10 am Tuesday) of storytime, and they will send you the link. The same link will be used for all future Zoom storytimes.
Zoom can be fully accessed on any pc with a camera and headset, smartphone, or tablet with online access. The full application will allow families to see and interact with one another, in addition to being a part of storytime. Storytimes will be recorded and posted afterwards for anyone who misses part or all of the meetings to view later. You will have the option of turning your video and audio on and off anytime during the meeting.
If you would like to do something special for this week’s theme, bring your real or stuffed dog to storytime, and/or a donut or donut-shaped snack (think Cheerios, bagels, mini bagels, etc.).
This week’s craft: Cereal Necklace OR Bird Feeder Materials Needed: Round cereal with hole in the center such as fruit loops, toasted oats, etc. and a string or pipe cleaner. If you want to make the necklace, you may use any food with a hole in it instead of the cereal, if you don’t have any. Pretzels, cookies with holes in the middle, cored apple slices, gummy donut-shaped candy, etc. will all work. If you are using a pipe cleaner, you may use soft foods as well, such as raisins or mini marshmallows. For the bird feeder, cereal is recommended. Have the materials ready if you would like to join us in making the craft, or just watch Miss Val make the craft and do yours after storytime.
Note: I found the attached photo online through a search for free desktop wallpapers. Have a great day, and thanks for all your hard work keeping us all updated during this global crisis,
Governor appoints Magistrate Judge Kristin Hutchinson to fill district court vacancy in the 13th Judicial District
Today Governor Laura Kelly appointed Magistrate Judge Kristin Hutchinson, to fill the term of retiring District Judge Mike Ward.
“Judge Hutchinson has extensive experience with a wide variety of legal issues,” Kelly said. “I know she will serve the citizens of Butler County and the entire 13th Judicial District well.”
Hutchinson has served as a District Magistrate Judge in Elk County for the past eleven years, where she handles probate, small claims, juvenile offender and child-in-need-of-care cases. Hutchinson has prior experience as Chautauqua County Attorney pro tem, in addition to over a decade of experience with the City of Emporia, KS which included five years as Municipal Judge. She graduated from Southwestern College in 1979 and earned her juris doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1983.
District judges in Butler County are elected and serve four-year terms. When a judge retires in the middle of a term, the governor appoints a new judge to finish out the term. The position to which Hutchinson is being appointed will be on the ballot in 2020. The 13th Judicial District includes the counties of Butler, Elk, and Greenwood.
Governor Kelly issues Executive Orders to aid Kansans during COVID-19 pandemic
As she discussed during her press briefing, Governor Laura Kelly today issued two new executive orders as part of her administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the obstacles created by social distancing for Kansans whose work requires the renewal of a license, certificate, permit or registration, Executive Order #20-19 extends professional and occupational licenses for the remainder of the pandemic.
Under the order, all state agencies shall extend renewal deadlines for any occupational or professional license that has expired – or will expire – during this disaster. Licenses will remain valid as long as the disaster declaration is in effect, and for 90 days after it expires.
“Thousands of licensed workers are officing from home in an effort to follow guidance from public health officials,” Kelly said. “This order will ensure those Kansans are not hampered by licensing problems that they are powerless to solve under our present circumstances, so they can continue to do their jobs safely from home.”
The measure also waives any late penalties or expiration fees, and it extends deadlines for continuing education requirements.
The governor also issued Executive Order #20-20, which will temporarily allow notaries and witnesses to do their jobs remotely, through audio-video communication technology.
“Our economy is at a standstill at the moment,” the Governor said. “But to the extent that we can, it’s important to find ways for Kansans to continue safely entering into contracts, filing marriage licenses, updating wills and handling other personal health care directives while still adhering to social distancing protocols.”
Gov. Laura Kelly takes legal action to keep Kansans safe amid global public health pandemic
On Wednesday, the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) voted to revoke Kelly Executive Order 20-18, a temporary limit to mass gatherings of 10 or fewer people. This unprecedented action by the LCC to overrule a governor’s emergency response authority puts every Kansas life at risk amid a global health pandemic. In response, the Kelly administration today announced it has taken legal action to ensure politics do not continue to impede on the state’s ability to save Kansas lives.
“The last thing I want right now is a legal battle,” Kelly said. “But Kansas lives are on the line, and I took an oath to uphold and defend the constitution. What the LCC did yesterday – in concert with the Kansas Attorney General – weakened and confused our emergency response efforts, putting every Kansan at risk. I cannot stand for that.”
The Kansas Emergency Management Act empowers the Legislature with certain checks upon gubernatorial authority in the time of an emergency. However, those checks are allocated to the Kansas Legislature as a whole – not the seven-person Legislative Coordinating Council. If the Legislature seeks to amend the Kansas Emergency Management Act, it must do so by way of the constitutionally prescribed legislative process— not by issuing a mere concurrent resolution. Under the Kansas Constitution, laws are made by passing bills through both houses of the Legislature and presenting them to the Governor for signature. The Legislature bypassed that process when it attempted in the waning hours before adjourning to change the Kansas Emergency Management Act through a resolution.
As such, the LCC’s actions yesterday conflict with both the Kansas Constitution and Kansas statute, which explicitly states that revocation of emergency orders resides with the Legislature as a whole – not with the LCC.
“Throughout my time as governor, my administration has actively engaged the Kansas Legislature in our decision-making processes,” Kelly said. “I have invited lawmakers to provide input on various initiatives, to participate on various gubernatorial task forces, and I have always welcomed diverse voices and ideas to the table, no matter what the issue at hand. I will continue to do so – especially as it pertains to this public health pandemic and the necessary work that will soon be upon us to reopen and rebuild our economy. But there’s a difference between collaboration and control. My action today is about protecting our government’s constitutionally protected separation of powers, so that we can respond effectively to the worst public health emergency of our lifetimes.”
The suit was filed with the Kansas Supreme Court to provide a conclusive, swift decision.
