Monthly Archives: August 2021

Obituary

Obituary of Amy J. Wiggans

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Amy Jo Wiggans, age 65, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, July 31, 2021. She was born on November 23, 1955, in Ft. Scott, KS, the daughter of Robert Marion Minor and Marilyn Sue (Brooker) Minor, at Mercy Hospital.

Amy devoted her life to taking care of others. She retired from Mercy Hospital as a registered nurse after almost three decades. She was loved by her patients as her true compassion always shined through. She cared and it showed.

Amy loved the Lord, her family, and animals of all kinds (especially dogs). She doted over her grandkids and her dogs. Amy was a member of The Brethren Church and she loved worshipping with that beautiful voice of hers. Amy is home with the Lord and resting in his heavenly arms. All pain is gone and she’s dancing with her Bill.

Survivors include four sons, Randy Wayne (Carrie) Earnest, Bronaugh, MO, Patrick Aaron Earnest, Ft. Scott, William Gerod (Louise) Wiggans, Ft. Scott, and Gary Lee Wiggans; and two brothers, Rob Minor, Fulton, KS, and Floyd Minor, Ft. Scott. Also surviving are Amy’s grandchildren whom she was so proud of; Taylor O’Dell, Koltin Earnest, Mattie Earnest, Garrett Earnest, Isaac Earnest, Nellie Earnest, Kendall Earnest, McCallister Wiggans, Jackson Wiggans, Chandler Lawrence, and a great granddaughter, Everleigh Tyson.

Amy was preceded in death by the love of her life, Bill, and her parents.

Rev. Floyd Minor and Rev. Randy Query will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Saturday, August 7th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Clarksburg Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 Friday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorial contributions as suggested to the Amy Wiggins 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 or remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Fort Scott National Historic Site, History

Seeing the Past With New Eyes

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NPS Photo: C. Brenner Crew laying out survey grid

Fort Scott National Historic Site will be conducting a geophysical survey of the site on August 2 through 13, 2021, to better understand how the fort looked in the 1840s.

 

A four-person crew from the Midwest Archeological Center will look into the ground using magnetometry, resistance, conductivity, ground-penetrating radar, and magnetic susceptibility. They will be surveying the area known as the Quartermaster’s Quadrangle, the areas behind Officer’s Row, and the courtyard that once existed south of the Post Hospital. If time allows, they will also survey for other features such as latrines, wash houses, and other associated buildings. The crew is also scheduled to return next spring to survey areas that are in the restored prairie after the 2022 spring prescribed burn.

 

“We will be able to see exactly where fort buildings, patios, and walkways were in the 1840s” said Betty Boyko, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. “Many of these structures have been lost over time, but through technology, we can better understand how the fort originally looked,” continued Boyko.

 

From April 1-October 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its summer hours of operation.  The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8 am-5 pm. The park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.

-NPS-

 

Credit Photo as: NPS Photo: C. Brenner

1st photo: Crew laying out survey grid

2nd photo: NPS survey marker flag

 

Government, Kansas

Air Quality Impacts From Western Wildfires

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Office of the Secretary LetterheadFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 2, 2021

Contact: [email protected]

KDHE shares steps to protect health amid potential air quality impacts from wildfires

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) wants to alert Kansans to potential air quality impacts from Western wildfire smoke. Ongoing wildfires across the Western U.S. continues to produce dense smoke that is being transported into Kansas by the atmospheric winds.

While some of this smoke is remaining high in the atmosphere there are times when this smoke is being observed at the surface and impacting air quality. These air quality impacts may continue to be seen as long as the Western U.S. wildfires continue to burn.

Smoke can cause health problems, even in healthy individuals. Common health problems include burning eyes, runny nose, coughing and illnesses such as bronchitis. Individuals with respiratory issues, pre – existing heart or lung diseases, children and elderly may experience worse symptoms.

Steps to protect your health on days when particulate matter is present in your community include:

  • Healthy people should limit or avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.
  • People with respiratory or heart-related illness should remain indoors.
  • People who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in particular respiratory or heart-related symptoms, who are currently infected or recently recovered, should remain indoors.
  • Help keep indoor air clean by closing doors and windows and running the air conditioners with air filters.
  • Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water.
  • Contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath or severe fatigue.

Current air quality across the U.S. can be viewed online at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

 
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Housing

New Employee Profile: Josh Hays

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Josh Hays. Submitted photo.

Josh Hays, 40, recently began a new chapter in his life: a realtor at Stewart Realty Co., 1707 S. National Avenue.

The broker of the company, Diann Tucker, has encouraged Hays to join her for years, Hays said.

“One of her boys is my best friend,” he said. “She wanted me to do it for a long time.”

He is currently a farrier as well.

“I’m still shoeing horses,” Hays said. “I’m a journeyman farrier.”

A farrier is a  craftsman who trims and shoes horses’ hooves.
Hays said the farrier career has limitations.
“The physical aches,” he said. “I’m tired of crawling under a horse and shoeing horses.”
“Real estate is one of those things you can work into,”  he said. “I still have flexibility. It’s a good career path to transition into.”
Hays has already listed his first property with Stewart Realty Co.
The property is at 1780 Indian Road, Fort Scott, KS 66701.  The link is:
Fort more information, call or send him a text (620) 215-5621
Stewart Realty Co., 1707 S. National Avenue. The photo is from its Facebook page.
In addition to horses, his family has a cow-calf operation south of Fort Scott.
Hays and his wife, April, have two daughters, Isabel, 11 years old, and Dally, 4.
They like to attend rodeos together and Josh is a roper.
“I like roping when I can, I enjoy it,” he said.
Hays is a 1999 graduate of Fort Scott High School, a 2004 graduate of Pittsburg State University with a major in history, and graduated from farrier school in 2010.
Bourbon County

K-3 section closed Wednesday and Thursday

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K-3 section closed Wednesday and Thursday

 

This week the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to close a section of K-3 in Bourbon County to replace crossroad pipes. K-3 will be closed between the Crawford-Bourbon county line and Birch Road on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 4-5. The closure will be in effect from 7:15 a.m. until 6 p.m. both days.

 

Traffic should use alternate routes. Persons with questions may call KDOT Area Superintendent Derrick Shannon at (620) 901-6550 or Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen at (620) 902-6433.

Bourbon County

Take a Survey to Support Local Food Sellers

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You can support the Fort Scott Farmer’s Market or Uniontown’s Union Station by completing the survey and collecting a $10 voucher paid by the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team with BCBS Pathways to Healthy Kansas grant funds.

 

The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has obtained pledges from CHC/SEK and Ascension Via Christi to work together in completing a community health environment needs assessment that also includes identifying gaps in healthy eating, physical activity, and/or commercial tobacco control.

 

This process includes engaging community members to respond to the community health needs survey. Survey results will be used to inform our decisions, action plans, and financial resources. Our goal is to obtain one survey per household from 60% of Bourbon County.

 

Please help us reach our goal and support local business at the same time by submitting your response and sharing the link today: https://redcap.kumc.edu/surveys/?s=FKEN3PP9AT

 

Paper surveys will be available upon request.  iPad Kiosks will be set up at Unionstation, CHC/SEK, Via Christi, Farmer’s Market, and HBCAT locations in the near future.

 

Please share with your list serve groups!

 

Thank you-

 

Jody Hoener

The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc.

President and CEO

620-215-5725

104 North National

Fort Scott, KS 66701

 

Area News, Kansas

Kansas Is A Leader in Wind and Solar Energy Development

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Kansas Positioned to Lead the Nation’s Renewable Energy Transition, New Report Reveals

Kansas tops national charts in renewable energy share and demonstrates 

vast economic benefits of wind and solar power.

Topeka, KS – In 2020, the renewable energy industry had a banner year, and Kansas is a leader with its success in wind and solar energy developments. The newly released Clean Power Annual from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) notes Kansas as a national leader in renewable energy, with 43.4 percent of Kansas’ electricity coming from renewable sources, ranking second in the nation. The report highlights Kansas’ ability to increase jobs and investment while maximizing energy efficiency across the state.

 

Renewable energy is powering Kansas in more ways than one; wind and solar power are economic drivers. Clean power developments have brought $12.7 billion in cumulative capital investment and support 3,096 jobs in Kansas. In 2020 alone, renewable energy projects paid out $32.3 million in land lease payments to ranchers and farmers across the state, providing a much-needed source of reliable income throughout the pandemic. ACP’s report noted that Kansas generates 7,058 MW of electricity from renewable sources – the equivalent of powering at least 2.8 million homes, which accounts for more homes than Kansas has in the state. Renewables serve as a cash crop for the state, allowing exportation and reinforcement of the regional transmission organization.

 

Across industries, more companies are looking to power their operations with renewable energy, and Kansas stands to benefit. Thanks to an abundance of wind and sunshine, Kansas renewable energy operations are attracting development from major companies like Home Depot, Target, and Amazon, bringing even more jobs to the state.

 

“As a state of the great plains, Kansas is uniquely positioned for growth in wind and solar energy,” said David Toland, Kansas Secretary of Commerce. “Our stellar record of renewable energy development has put our state on the map, attracting businesses that demand renewables as a part of their portfolio to the great state of Kansas.”

 

A recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that wind technicians rank as the first fastest-growing career for the decade while solar installers ranked third. For Kansas residents, the growth of the state’s renewable energy industry means job growth and increased revenue.

 

“Kansas has seen tremendous growth in renewable energy,” said Gary Yager, President and CEO of Vision Bank in Topeka. “I am excited to see further renewable energy development for the economic and environmental future of the state.”

 

The report notes that 19.3 million metric tons of carbon emissions were saved through renewable energy production in Kansas last year. Wind and solar power have some of the lowest environmental impacts compared to other energy sources. The clean power industry is powering the local economy while preserving the state’s natural resources, all while bringing cleaner air to communities.

 

Clean energy in the U.S. topped 170,378 MW and now has enough wind and solar energy capacity to power the equivalent of 50 million homes – more than a third of the nation’s houses. In 2020, annual land-lease payments from clean power projects totaled $800 million, providing an additional income stream to America’s ranchers and farmers. State and local tax revenue from clean power projects across the nation reached $1.7 billion last year, and more than 415,000 Americans worked in the clean power industry in 2020.

 

A bipartisan infrastructure plan making its way through Congress would spur on these benefits even more. This plan would include $73 billion in funding for clean energy transmission and updated power infrastructure. Kansas is set to lead the county toward reliable, affordable, renewable energy.

 

To speak with a Boost Kansas representative or to set up an interview, please contact Maura Kennedy at [email protected] or 856-220-8172. The full report can be viewed by clicking here – if this link does not work for you, please respond to this email to be sent a copy of the report. Be sure to follow along on social media using the hashtag #CleanPowerAnnual.

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About Boost Kansas

Boost Kansas, an initiative of the American Clean Power Association, is a statewide coalition of civic and business leaders supporting innovative policies that expand renewable energy investment in the state. With commonsense federal and state policies, Kansas can continue to be a national leader in harnessing the power of renewable energy development. Learn more at BoostKansas.com. 

About the American Clean Power Association

The American Clean Power Association (ACP) is the voice of companies from across the clean power sector that are providing cost-effective solutions to the climate crisis while creating jobs, spurring massive investment in the American economy and driving high tech innovation across the United States. ACP works to transform the U.S. power grid to a low-cost, reliable and renewable power system. By uniting the power of wind, solar, transmission and storage companies, along with manufacturers and construction companies, developers and owners/operators, utilities, financial firms and corporate purchasers, we are championing policies that enable the continued and aggressive growth in renewable energy in the United States. Visit ACP’s website to learn more about the enormous economic benefits renewable energy brings to America and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Area News

Kansas Inmate Captured

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Minimum-custody Inmate Eljay Reinhardt Who Walk Away from Wichita Work Release Facility Apprehended

TOPEKA, Kansas. – Minimum-custody resident Eljay Allen Reinhardt #124800 has been apprehended.

Reinhardt was taken into custody Saturday evening, July 31, 2021, by officials from the Kansas Department of Corrections, Enforcement, Apprehensions & Investigations (EAI) Unit, the Wichita Police Department, and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Reinhardt had been placed on escape status after he walked away from Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) at approximately 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 30, 2021 after he did not report for work.

At this time no other details are being released as the investigation is ongoing.

The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state facility with a population of 79.

Opinion

Like a Bump on a Log by Carolyn Tucker

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Carolyn Tucker. Submitted photo.

Keys to the Kingdom

 

I live in the country and I’ll be the first to admit that my yard is not perfect. The Better Homes and Gardens team will not be doing an article on my place! Nonetheless, I mow the three-acre property and it looks good from a distance. But for about three weeks in the spring you can see those puffy dandelions. I always thought these weeds were worthless, but after some research, I changed my attitude toward them. I discovered that dandelions serve a purpose in nature because they’re valuable to birds, bees, and little wild animals.

If you ever feel like a bump on a log, worthless, insecure, or unimportant, you need to understand that Jesus says you have great value. “What is the price of two sparrows — one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT). Believers are not to place their confidence in education, wealth, social privilege, or good looks. God alone, not things, should be our true source of confidence. “We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort (Philippians 3:3 NLT). It’s comforting to know that there’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less.

You can’t be worthless because Jesus believed you were worth dying for. You’re important enough for God to want to be your partner…like two peas in a pod. God wouldn’t trade you for a farm in Texas! If you need to change your old negative attitude toward yourself, then do it. Choose to believe what God says about you and reject the lies Satan whispers to your soul. “But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him]” (1 Corinthians 8:3 AMP). To be known by God is to be accepted as His redeemed child and to have fellowship with Him.

The devil wants you to feel insecure and doubt God’s love so you’ll be afraid to reach out for His help. But your heavenly Father wants you to come boldly to Him: “Let us have confidence then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16 GNT). When believers stand on the promises of God, we will have confidence that He will do what He says.

If you’re continually down on yourself, do some research in God’s Word and discover you’re not just a bump on a log. God thinks you’re very special and He‘s adamant about His love for you. “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of My hands“ (Isaiah 49:15,16 NLT). “Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence“ (2 Corinthians 5:17 GW).

The Key: Live and think like the valuable person you are in Christ, not the bump on a log you thought you were.