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Monthly Archives: February 2021
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Feb. 20
A Snowy Test Drive by Carolyn Tucker
Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker
Living in the Midwest gives you a right-good taste of all four seasons. Sometimes I wonder how odd it would be to live in Southern California with no snow during the winter months. Driving in this inclement weather challenges the young and old alike. With a snow-packed driveway, we recently had a 20-year-old young lady come out to visit us. As we welcomed her, she explained that her father had insisted she drive his pickup due to the severe road conditions.
This vehicle was not a 4X4, and when she nervously admitted that she’d never driven his pickup before, I immediately saw a big red flag! Long story short, when she attempted to turn around in the driveway, she accidentally backed over our snow-covered fire pit and got very stuck. After I gave her some instructions and we added four arms to push, she drove out with no harm done. Since she hadn’t even tested the pickup in good weather, she would have been better off driving her own car simply because she was used to it.
A test drive is important if you want to experience how the vehicle handles. Knowing the limits and capabilities of a vehicle can keep you safer in hazardous weather when maneuverability counts most. Often in redneck country, you can watch someone showing off in a test drive (or stunt) as he yells, “Hey ya’ll, watch this!”
There’s a biblical account of a young man that hadn’t tested something he was offered. David and King Saul are talking about Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:32,33 NLT: ‘“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. ”I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”’ Saul thought the cards were stacked against the boy. But David assured Saul that since he had killed lions and bears, the Lord would rescue him from Goliath too. King Saul finally consented to the unmatched duel.
Even though David was going to do the fighting, Saul wanted to help him in the only way he knew how. ‘“So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off’ (1 Samuel 17:38,29 NKJV). Then David took his staff, put five stones in his shepherd’s bag, and grabbed his slingshot because he was used to these weapons. David had tested them and knew that, with God‘s help, he would be victorious in defeating this obnoxious overgrown Philistine.
We’ve heard, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” As a young shepherd boy, David had experienced many test drives with His unfailing God. Therefore, he wasn’t willing to trade his tried-and-true Lord for some fandangled and unproven method. David’s faith and confidence was in the Lord of hosts, whom Goliath had openly defied. David boldly predicted victory for God’s sake, and his trust was strong enough to literally lay his life on the line.
The Key: Take God for a test drive and He’ll prove Himself to you.
Conflict Can Be Opportunity
Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Sir Winston Churchill
Conflict is challenging – I don’t enjoy it and I dread when I know in advance that conflict is headed my way. Most people perceive “conflict” as a difficulty rather than as an opportunity. Those who view conflict as the difficulty in every opportunity are not necessarily pessimists, however they may not be viewing the conflict as a creative dynamic. The reality is, no matter what you do or how you act, there will always be some conflict — especially when you serve as a community board member.
Conflict can be both positive and negative. Conflict allows people to learn about a problem from different sides, and often the most creative ideas and solutions emerge from conflict. Negative aspects of conflict can involve frustration or confusion and sometimes lead to violence. The key to approaching conflict constructively is to recognize it as a process to be managed, not something to be avoided or eliminated.
Managing conflict requires certain skills and techniques that may not always be easy to implement.
For example, when a person learns to paint it involves learning strokes and techniques to create an image. However, only after continuous practice does the person finally become an artist. You may think of conflict management as an art that benefits everyone through learning the skills, but it takes practice implementing the techniques to be a skilled conflict manager.
The skills and techniques outlined here work best when the person applying them carries the attitude that conflict is about a problem that needs solving, rather than something to win.
Listen Actively
Listening involves more than simply hearing the words spoken, it also requires active involvement that includes understanding, acknowledging, and responding. To make sure you understand what the person has said summarize by saying out loud, “What I think I heard you say was … Is that right?”
Keep Emotions in Check
Although Newton is famous for stating, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” he was referring to objects, not people. Objects react, but people can chose not to. You can’t change your emotions, but you can decide how you want to act.
Separate People from the Problem
In every conflict there exists both the content of the problem and the human relationships. As a consequence, “people and the problem” often become entangled in discussions that sometimes lead to treating people and the problem as one.
Reframe
Reframing is a powerful method to reinterpret a statement or comment into a problem-solving frame. For example, if someone is yelling and screaming, don’t think of the person as being disrespectful and rude, but reframe your perception of that person as having limited skills in communication. (Easier said than done, right?) In addition, help the other person reframe the conflict into a problem by asking for their advice. For example, “What would you suggest I do?” “Knowing what my interests are, what would you do if you were in my shoes?”
Conflict is just a part of our lives. Let’s work together to turn a little conflict into a lot of opportunity. For more information about leadership and community vitality, visit the Southwind Extension website at www.southwind.k-state.edu or find us on Facebook.
Carla Nemecek
Southwind Extension District
Director & Agent
[email protected]
620-365-2242
1006 N. State, Iola, KS 66749
Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Feb. 9
February 9, 2021 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.
Also present were the following; Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Mr. & Mrs. Clint Walker and Susan Bancroft.
Clifton made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 2nd meeting, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the minutes.
Eric Bailey presented two culvert permits; one for Brad Wright, Eric said the Commissioners had already approved this and the work had been completed, the second one was for Troy Albright at 195th & Yale for a 15” x 24’ culvert installation.
Eric reported that Ag Engineering had done drilling at Elm Creek and had found a seam 7’ down located across from the boat ramp; Eric said they will get the County a report on this finding.
Eric said that Frank Young would give a recommendation on the size of the box needed at 250th & Deer Road.
Eric reported they had fixed potholes last week on 125th from 54 Highway to Mapleton and on 240th.
Jim complimented the Road & Bridge crew for their work due to the inclement weather.
Eric said they are down to 3 trucks and said two of the spreader boxes are down.
Eric reported they are getting low on chips and may need to buy some.
Eric said they worked on the Rock Crusher on Sunday and said they hope to be crushing rock next week.
They are getting ready to prepare for a blast at the Beth Quarry.
Eric questioned the process to change a yield sign to a stop sign at an intersection; Jim said the Commissioners have to approve this change. Clifton made a motion to change the yield sign to a stop sign for the East/West bound traffic at 195th & Tomahawk, Jim seconded the motion and all approved.
Eric said 1712 Quail had been flagged for a culvert and said they are waiting on locates to be completed.
Eric said the Federal Exchange money for 2021 is $102,273.96 and said the exchange rate is .90 cents per $1.00. Jim suggested that when the reimbursement comes to the County that the money is placed in the Special Machinery fund.
Eric reported that they had met with Jeff Spangler with Apex (windfarm) regarding the road use agreements; he said they are not ready to start at this time, but are getting close. Eric suggested that if anyone has any questions regarding the windfarm that they contact Jeff Spangler at (620)213-4307. Justin Meeks said they are not going to use a large amount of County roads and said Apex would be building roads on private property.
Bobby Reed met with the Commissioners regarding the Fair Board; he said the chuck wagon building had been turned over to the Fair Board (he said the building previously belonged to the 4-H council) and said the building needed repairs. He said they are going to fix the roof and asked if the Commissioners would waive the C&D dump fees for the approximate 65 squares of shingles. There was a discussion over whether the Fair Board was a profit or not-for-profit board; Bobby Reed said they were for-profit, but Justin Meeks said they were not-for-profit. The Commissioners asked for proof that they were non-profit before they made a decision – Bobby said he would provide the proof needed.
Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda and remove the executive session that was scheduled with Patty Love, but to still keep the Patty Love on the agenda, Jim seconded and all approved. Last week Jim brought up the fact that the Treasurer had stopped selling commercial vehicle tags; he said his intent of doing this was not to get involved too much in her department, but to discuss the calls he had regarding not selling the commercial vehicle tags, he asked if the Commissioners could do anything to help her to be able to sell the commercial vehicle tags. Patty said she needed employees to do this, Clifton questioned how long it took to train an employee, Patty said it takes approximately one year to train and invited the Commissioners to come observe the work they do in the Treasurer’s office. Patty said she had one employee working from home and had one other employee trained and said she just hired a new employee, but two of her employees hadn’t been to training (currently Topeka isn’t doing the training). Patty said at one time she had 5 trained employees in her office and one left and at that time they thought they could operate the office on the four remaining trained employees, Patty said she offered (to the Commissioners) to try to do this, but at that time wanted to reserve the right to hire another employee if necessary. Patty said they had collected an annual total of $68,000 for commercial vehicle tags and the County made $1,785 of this money. Patty said the motor vehicle fund pays for three of her employees and said they had turned $20,000 back into the general fund from the motor vehicle fund. Patty said the commercial vehicle program is a difficult system that some other counties didn’t do. She said in the future she would like to do commercial vehicle tags again, but said there is no way right now since they are understaffed.
Kendell talked to the Commissioners about using the Commission room for advance voting for the March 2, 2021 special election; Shane said there was no way to move the equipment used to broadcast the Commission meetings on YouTube, but said they could broadcast them on Facebook live. Clifton made a motion to have a Commission meeting on February 17th beginning at 3:00 pm (in the Commission room) and to not have a Commission meeting on February 16th, Jim seconded and all approved. The Commissioners will not have the February 24th afternoon meeting that had previously been scheduled. It was suggested to use the Fort Scott City Hall for the Commission meeting location for 2/23 & 3/2/2021, Lynne made a motion to move the 2/23 & 3/2/2021 meeting to City Hall beginning at 9:00 am, Clifton seconded and all approved. Lynne made a motion to allow Kendell to use the Commission room from 2/22- 3/2/2021 for the March 2nd, 2021 special election, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to approve the on & off premises cereal malt beverage license for KC Mart at 946 Highway 69, Jim seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the licenses.
Clifton made a motion to approve Resolution 10-21; a resolution correcting the legal description of a fence viewing from 4/16/1990, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the resolution.
Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners regarding a ¼ page ad for $450 in the Chamber of Commerce directory; Jim made a motion to approve the ad for $450 (to be paid out of the general fund), Clifton seconded and all approved. Lynne complimented the work Lora had done for the ad and Jim complimented the work Lora did in her office.
Justin Meeks said he had reviewed the Raymond James documents for the regulatory disclosures regarding refinancing the sewer bonds; Clifton made a motion to move forward with Raymond James, Jim seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the document.
Lynne made a motion that Bourbon County bid out the workers compensation insurance and the property insurance for 2022, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Justin Meeks said Lynne and he had a good meeting with the new Fort Scott City Manager; Lynne said everything discussed in this meeting was data driven. Justin discussed houses for sale at this time; he said it is a seller’s market right now.
Justin said they are getting abstracts from the title company for the tax sale properties; he said he would get an invoice to the County to pay for the legal staff for the tax sale. Lynne said $12,000 had been set aside in the County budget for the tax sale and said they have directed Justin Meeks to handle the tax sale, Justin said they could outsource this in the future. Clifton made a motion to give Justin permission to move forward with the Landbank questions and answers, Jim seconded and all approved.
Jim made a motion to allow Clifton to attend the Rotary meeting, Lynne seconded and all approved.
Lynne briefly discussed BEDCO; he said it is moving forward regarding economic development and said all of the Cities in the County are on the board.
Clifton made a motion to allow whoever is available to sign the bills and payroll for payment, Lynne seconded and all approved.
At 10:04, Jim made a motion to adjourn, Clifton seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
February 17, 2021, Approved Date
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Feb. 11-19
UHS Military Veterans Sought
The Uniontown High School National Honor Society (NHS) wants to continue honoring the military veterans who have attended the school.
The NHS is currently updating the military recognition display in the junior and senior high school commons area.
“The display has been in the commons area of the school for several years, and several visitors have made lots of positive comments on the display and a few schools have adopted one in their schools,” Jeanne Camac, UHS Counselor and NHS sponsor, said. “I was told that it originated to honor the Iraq Desert Storm Vets but has expanded to all graduates that have served in the military.”
” We have reached out to the community members via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter several months ago,” Camac said. ” What we were asking was, if anyone knew of a Uniontown graduate that was in the military, to please let the high school know.”
“We had a great response,” she said. “But, since then, through word of mouth, we are finding that we have left out several other veterans. Since we do not want to leave anyone out, we are sending out another plea to see if any Uniontown graduates have served in the military, and what branch they served, along with the years they were enlisted.”
The current list of UHS veterans has 87.
“We were blessed to have our National Guard recruiter, Sgt Jacob Forsythe, donate 11 flags this year to help with our project,” she said. “We are thankful to our school and club who have generously donated the ink, paper, and certificate holders so far. We would also like to thank Mark Hartman for hanging the new certificates and flags.”
” If we have another huge response, we will need to purchase more holders,” she said. “We are currently in need of 30 more flags to display our 87 veterans.
“If you know of anyone that graduated from Uniontown High School and served in the military, or would like to donate to this great display, please contact Jeanne Camac, NHS sponsor, at 620-756-4301.”
Governor Urges Federal Investigation: Price Surges
Governor Laura Kelly Urges Federal Investigation to Protect Kansans from Future Weather Emergencies and Price Surges
TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take all necessary and possible steps to investigate the causes of the system failures during the recent extreme-weather event in Kansas and protect Kansans from natural gas and electricity price surges resulting from increased demand.
Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) Chair Andrew French, Commissioner Dwight D. Keen, and Commissioner Susan K. Duffy also signed onto the letter urging a federal investigation.
“I have directed my administration to use every tool at our disposal to ensure Kansans are protected from price surges, and that our system is better prepared to handle problems created by circumstances like extreme cold weather,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “We will remain in communication with the Biden Administration to secure aid, and continue to encourage Congress to pass a stimulus package with state and local funding to provide relief to Kansas communities.”
“The recent energy pricing and supply emergency will have serious financial implications for all Kansans and the KCC will take every action within our authority to ease that burden,” Chairman French said. “However, our jurisdictional reach is limited. We need swift and decisive leadership at the federal level, as well.”
Specifically, Governor Kelly and the Kansas Corporation Commission called for the FERC to:
- Examine the circumstances that reduced the supply of natural gas and compromised pressures on interstate pipelines;
- Exercise its authority under Sections 4A and 23 of the Natural Gas Act and take all actions within its power to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of natural gas price indices;
- Work with NERC to investigate whether additional reliability mechanisms are needed to respond to similar events like this in the future.
The Kelly Administration and the KCC look forward to working with the FERC in any way they can to ensure similar adverse public health and economic impacts never occur again because of extreme weather conditions.
To see a full version of the letter, please click here.
Sharky’s Is Hiring
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Relief From Tuberculin Testing Requirements During State of Emergency
Governor Laura Kelly Signs Executive Order to Aid COVID-19 Response
~~Provides temporary relief from certain tuberculin testing requirements during state of emergency~~
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced she signed Executive Order #21-04, temporarily suspending certain regulations regarding tuberculosis testing. COVID-19 vaccines may interfere with the accuracy of tuberculosis testing. As many residents in child care and long-term care facilities are being vaccinated, it’s critical to the state’s response that certain tuberculosis testing is deferred to encourage those staff and residents to get the vaccine.
“COVID-19 has impacted many Kansans – especially those working and residing in congregate facilities,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “We know vaccines are one of the strongest tools at our disposal to defeat this virus. This order will allow the state to get more vaccines in Kansans’ arms – quickly and safely.”
On November 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued interim clinical guidelines for mRNA vaccines (the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines). The CDC mRNA Immunization Guidelines recommend modifying the timing of blood draws or skin tests when the COVID-19 vaccine has been or will be administered.
Several Kansas regulations require tuberculin testing within a specific time frame when a new resident or staff person begins residing or working in certain facilities. This executive order suspends those regulations and implements the CDC’s guidance.
Executive Order #21-04 will be reviewed at State Finance Council on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, and will be effective immediately.
Please find E.O. #21-04 here.
Bourbon County Commission Worksession at 1427 215th St. on Feb. 24
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: February 24, 2021
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jim Harris Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING @ 1427 215TH ST. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING BEGINNING AT 9AM
Call to Order
- Commission to have an asphalt work session
New COVID Special Enrollment Period for HealthCare.gov: February 15- May 15
Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent
Adult Development and Aging
Family Resource Management
K-State Research and Extension
Southwind Extension District
210 S. National
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Office: 620-223-3720
Fax: 620-223-0332
[email protected]
People have a new chance to enroll in 2021 coverage on HealthCare.gov between February 15- May 15.
On January 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the government agency that runs HealthCare.gov, determined that the COVID-19 emergency presents exceptional circumstances for people trying to access health insurance. The CMS opened a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for people to enroll in the coverage they need. Here are a few quick tips and facts about this opportunity.
Who can enroll during the new COVID SEP? Any marketplace-eligible person can enroll during this SEP. This includes people who are uninsured, current marketplace enrollees who would like to change plans, and people who are currently enrolled in COBRA and would like to switch to marketplace coverage.
When will coverage start? A person has 30 days to select a plan after they submit their application. Coverage begins on the first day of the month after plan selection. For example, a person who selects a plan on February 28 will have coverage effective on March 1.
How long does someone have to enroll? The SEP lasts from February 15 to May 15, but regular SEPs will still be available after that. People can enroll in Medicaid or CHIP at any time.
What if a person is eligible for COBRA? A person may be eligible for a premium tax credit even if they are eligible for COBRA, but they can’t take both. If a person elected COBRA but changes their mind within the SEP window, they can enroll in marketplace coverage with a premium tax credit and disenroll from COBRA.
Financial subsidies such as ‘premium tax credit’ are available for households with income(s) between 100%-400% of the Federal Poverty Guideline and enrolled in a Marketplace plan. Understanding what counts as income is important for accuracy.
Do stimulus payments count as income? No. These payments do not count as income for Medicaid or premium tax credit eligibility.
Do unemployment benefits count as income? For premium tax credit eligibility, all unemployment benefits (both the state and supplemental federal benefits) count as income. However, for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, the current $300 per week federal pandemic unemployment compensation is excluded from income, while other unemployment benefits do count.
Other types of income among people who have lost a job include withdrawing money from a retirement plan or IRA and social security benefits.
To learn more about Marketplace health insurance plans, eligibility, how to apply, and who can assist you, register for the Marketplace Health Insurance Webinar presented by me, Joy Miller, a certified Assister with the Marketplace. The Webinar will be offered at 12:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. March 3, April 7, and May 5. Register for free at www.bit.ly/SouthwindMarketplace. For more information, call 620-223-3720 or e-mail [email protected].