Monthly Archives: April 2021

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda For April 6

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

 

Date: April 6, 2021

 

1st District-Lynne Oharah                                                                Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jim Harris                                                                      Corrected: _______________________

3rd District-Clifton Beth                                                                              Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

 

   

    MEETING WILL BE HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM.  ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING         WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK.  MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

 

Call to Order

   

    • Flag Salute
    • Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
    • Eric Bailey – Road and Bridge Report
    • Haybids – Elm Creek & Native Road
    • Breakdown of Dispatch Budget
    • City/County Lease Agreement
    • County Counselor Comment
    • Public Comment
  • Commission Comment

Justifications for Executive Session:

          KSA 75-4319(b)(1) To discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy

          KSA 75-4319(b)(2) For consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship

          KSA 75-4319(b)(3) To discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency

          KSA 75-4319(b)(4) To discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust, and individual proprietorships

          KSA 75-4319(b)(6) For the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property

          KSA 75-4319(b)(12) To discuss matters relating to security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize such security measures.

Government, Kansas

Kansas Tax Collections Received $66 Million More Than March 2020

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Kansas’s March Total Tax Collections $66.7 Million Ahead of Previous March

TOPEKA – Kansas outperformed the March estimate by $52.3 million, or 9.7%, with $590.1 million received in total tax collections. That is $66.7 million more than last March.

“While this revenue growth is encouraging, we must continue practicing fiscal responsibility – particularly as we’re getting a clearer picture of how federal and state tax legislation could impact the state’s ending balance,” Governor Kelly said. “We cannot risk passing any tax bill that would put Kansas back into a self-inflicted budget crisis, and jeopardize our COVID-19 recovery efforts.”

With the late start of tax season and refunds going out in March, individual income tax collections were lower than the estimate by $4.8 million, or 1.9%, with $255.2 million collected. Corporate income tax collections were $25.3 million, beating the estimate by 26.7%, or $5.3 million.

Consumer spending has not slowed down as both retail sales tax and compensating use tax collections were more than estimated. Retail sales tax collections were up $19.2 million for the month, with $194.2 million collected. Compensating use sales tax was $2.6 million more than the estimate with $42.6 million collected.

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group will meet later this month to reassess future estimates and consider the impact COVID-19 related federal legislation has on revenue numbers.

Please find the revenue numbers here.

Fort Scott, Schools, Sports

FSHS Girls Swim Team Competes at Osawatomie

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Fort Scott High School Girls Swim Team Competed at Osawatomie on Wednesday against Topeka Hayden, KC Piper, and Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg.

It was a very competitive meet with all four teams evenly matched.  FSHS finished the night in 4th place overall as a team.

Hayden 295pts

Piper  262 pts

O-P-L  234 pts

Fort Scott 213 pts

Several individual swimmers had strong finishes and earned personal best times.

The 200 Yard Medley Relay (Dawna Hudiburg, Annelise Hall, Ashley and Alyssa Smith) took 2nd.

In the 50 Free, Ava Steier 1st with a state consideration time, Dawan Hudiburg 3rd with best time and Ashley Smith took 6th with a best time.

In the 100 Butterfly, Annelise Hall took 4th with a best time.

In the 100 Free, Ashley Smith took 2nd and EmilyDavenport was 7th with a best time.

Annalyse Gilmore and Maia Martin both swam the 500 Free and earned best times.

In the 200 Yard Free Relay, FSHS (Ashley Smith, Dawna Hudiburg, Annelise Hall and Alyssa Smith)  took 3rd with a best time.

In the 100 Back, Ava Steier took 3rd with a best time, Kourtney Flynn and Katelyn Dancer both swam best times.

In the 100 Breast Annelise Hall placed 3rd with a best time, Alyssa Smith finished 5th and Dawna Hudiburg was 6th with a best time.

In the 400 Free Relay (Emily Davenport, Kourtney Flynn, Annalyse Gilmore and Ava Steier) finished 5th.

Obituary

Obituary of Thora Shinn

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Thora May Shinn, age 94, a former resident of Iola, Kansas, and more recently of Uniontown, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas.  She was born March 5, 1927, at her grandparents’ home south of Bronson, Kansas, the daughter of Roy Nichols and Mabel Watson Nichols.  Thora graduated from the Bronson High School with the Class of 1944.  Following high school, Thora took the train to Kansas City and worked for a time at Fred Harvey’s Restaurant in Union Station.  She married her high school sweetheart, James O. Shinn on January 24, 1946, after he returned home from serving in World War II.  They later settled in Iola, where Jim worked as a barber and Thora worked as a phlebotomist at the Allen County Hospital.  Thora enjoyed genealogy and compiled several books of family history on both her family as well as her husband’s side of the family.  She also enjoyed bowling.  Following Jim’s death on October 30, 2011, Thora moved to Uniontown to be near her son, Alan, and his family.  She attended the First Missionary Baptist Church of Uniontown.
Survivors include her sons, Alan Shinn and wife, Becky, of Uniontown, Kansas and Jack Shinn, of Pittsburg, Kansas, six grandchildren, Kevin Shinn (Diana), of Uniontown, Kansas, Melissa Gage (Jason), of Louisburg, Kansas, Crystal Shinn, Brett Shinn (Miriah), Tabitha Shinn and Amber Sanchez (Matt), all of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and ten great-grandchildren, Emily Jefferies (Austin), Holly Richwine (Dylan), Lauren Shinn, Brayden, Bryce and Brock Gage, Blade and Aiden Feather, Nichole Schwermer and ShiAnne Sanchez.  Also surviving is a brother, Don Nichols of Wichita, Kansas.    In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Mark Shinn, and two sisters, Reta Jones and Margaret Ruckman.
Rev. Marty Dewitt will conduct graveside services at 2:30 P.M. Wednesday, April 7th at the Turkey Creek Cemetery north of Uniontown.  The family will receive friends at the First Missionary Baptist Church in Uniontown on Wednesday from 1:00 P.M until leaving for the cemetery.  Memorials are suggested to the First Missionary Baptist Church or the Bronson Alumni Association at FSCC 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.
Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Health Care

CHC Closing On Price Chopper Building April 9

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Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd.

 

New buildings/expansions are on the horizon for the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

 

CHC is working on the purchase plan for moving from its’ Fort Scott present site to the former Price Chopper building on Main Street at  23rd Street.

 

The present site is the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills.

 

“We are… closing on our purchase of the 40,000 sq. ft. Price Chopper Building in Fort Scott on April 9,” Postai said.  “The plan is to combine our walk-in care and main clinic together. The renovation will start as soon as possible, with a goal of completion prior to the expiration of our current lease with Mercy in December 2022.”

Krista Postai. Submitted photo.

 

There is also a new CHC building in Pittsburg.

 

“We have scheduled our groundbreaking for our new Medical Education Building in Pittsburg which will be home to all the students we are/will be training,” Postai said.

 

The groundbreaking will be May 3 at 12:30 p.m. at the John Parolo Education Building, south of the CHC/SEK System Office.

 

“About $5.6 million in donations have been raised to cover the full cost of the building and its furnishings scheduled for completion in the summer of 2022,” she said. “In the meantime, work continues on the establishment of a family practice residency program in Pittsburg in collaboration with Kansas University Medical Center and Via Christi/Ascension; the application for accreditation has been submitted with a ‘virtual’ survey planned this fall.”

 

CHC is planning a clinic in Chanute in the near future.

 

“We also bought 10 acres of land in Chanute on which to build a clinic in Neosho County,” she said. “Given all our other projects, it will probably take us 3-5 years to get this done.”

Continue reading CHC Closing On Price Chopper Building April 9 →

COVID-19, Government, Kansas

Critical Pandemic Response Maintained in Kansas

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Governor Laura Kelly Signs Executive Orders to Maintain COVID-19 Response

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today issued several executive orders to ensure Kansas can maintain critical pandemic response efforts to keep Kansans healthy, keep businesses open, and keep kids in school.

The orders Governor Kelly issued today extend provisions put in place by previous executive orders and include some updated provisions.

“Since the pandemic began, my administration has been laser-focused on supporting and protecting our communities and our economy,” Governor Kelly said. “Extending these orders will ensure that our efforts will not have been wasted, and that Kansans and businesses don’t lose the resources they need to get back to normal.”

Several executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic were set to expire on March 31 in conjunction with the expiration of the state of disaster emergency. Senate Bill 40 includes a provision that revoked all executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic yesterday, but the Governor retains the authority to re-issue orders under the new process imposed by the bill.

The Governor today issued the following orders, which will generally remain in effect until rescinded or until the statewide state of disaster emergency expires, whichever is earlier:

Fort Scott, Schools

USD 234 Preschool Roundup May 7

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There will be a USD 234 Preschool Center Roundup on May 7, 2021, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  If your child will be four years old on or before August 31, 2021, and if you can answer “YES” to any of the following questions, your child may be eligible to attend.

 

  1. Does your child qualify for the free lunch program?
  2. Are you a single parent family?
  3. Have you been referred to us through DCF?
  4. When your child was born, was either parent a teen?
  5. Is either parent lacking a high school diploma or GED?
  6. Is the main language spoken in your home NOT English?

 

We also have very limited three-year old slots available for those who qualify.

 

Contact Tammy Catron at 620-223-8965 or by email at [email protected] by May 1, 2021, to schedule an appointment.

You will need to allow 30 to 45 minutes to complete the application process.  Parents will need to bring the following documents to the appointment:

 

  • State-Issued Birth Certificate
  • Immunization Record
  • Social Security Card
  • Medical Card or Insurance Card