The Land Bank meeting will be held on Monday, July 18th, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas, in the City Commission meeting room.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
The Land Bank work session will be held on Friday, July 15th, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas, in the City Commission meeting room. No action will be taken during the work session.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
TOPEKA – Drivers on the nation’s highways may find themselves under the watchful eye of law enforcement a little more than usual this week. Operation Safe Driver Week is being observed July 10-16. The goal of the yearly observance, started by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), is to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial trucks through education, traffic enforcement strategies and interactions with law enforcement. However, any driver, regardless of whether they are driving a big rig or a passenger vehicle will be cited if dangerous driving such as speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, improper lane change, drunk or drugged driving is observed.
Special investigators with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), which regulates motor carriers in the state, are teaming up with Kansas Highway Patrol Troopers and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Investigators to conduct inspections at weigh stations located in Olathe (both North and Southbound), Wabaunsee, Belleville, Kanorado, Liberal and South Haven. At the weigh stations, they will also be talking to motor carriers about the need to focus on improving their driving routines when sharing the road with others.
“Unfortunately yesterday, Kansas had its 31st tragic fatal crash involving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) when a pick-up ran into the back of a turning CMV on US-160 in Stanton County. Last year there were a total of 52 fatal crashes involving CMV’s in Kansas, at this rate that number will be exceeded this year. Many of these crashes were the result of unsafe driving and poor decisions. That is the purpose of these initiatives, to educate everyone to be safe when traveling on the highways, whether they are in a commercial or personal vehicle. We want everyone to arrive at their destination safely.” said Gary Davenport, KCC Deputy Director of Transportation.
The KCC offers some safety best practices for drivers to keep in mind when sharing the road with large trucks this summer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chamber Coffee hosted by FLAG Church and Fort Cinema.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to the Chamber Coffee this Thursday, July 14th at 8am. This week’s coffee will be hosted by FLAG Church and Fort Cinema, located at 224 W 18th St. Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served.
FLAG Church and Fort Cinema will be doing this week’s Chamber Coffee together. Fort Cinema is happy to extend their vision as a community gathering point beyond showing movies. FLAG Church stands for Family Life Assembly of God, and they exist to help people love God and love others. They are based out of Pittsburg, KS and are planting a campus in Fort Scott on September 11, 2022! No matter where life finds you, you are welcomed home at FLAG. They are excited to share heart and vision as a new church in our community.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
***
Value Them Both
I’ve been seeing lots of these signs around town over the weeks past for which I’m thankful.
People are unashamedly expressing their viewpoint on the sanctity of life.
A few weeks ago our Supreme Court made a very big decision to overturn Roe Vs. Wade, a decision for which I applaud those Justices for having the courage to make. It was the right decision.
It should sadden all of us that 63 million babies have been aborted in our country since that 1973 ruling by our High Court.
BTW, that’s more than 10x the amount of Jews killed by Nazi Germany.
As a Nation we can’t undo what’s been done, but we can make better decisions in the future.
With
the recent High Court decision the States and the individual voters will have a chance to express themselves on this issue.
Could I help you understand what the Bible says about the sanctity of life? Your opinion (or my opinion) on the sanctity of life isn’t near as important as God’s opinion, so that’s what I will try to
address in this article. What is God’s opinion about the sanctity of life?
It would be smart on our part to “adopt” His opinion as our opinion, simply because His opinion is always right. Might I say too at the very beginning of this article that this is more of a moral issue than a political issue.
When the church speaks out on the sanctity of life, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “The church should stay out of the political arena.” The problem with that viewpoint is that
the sanctity of life is not a political issue. It’s a moral issue. Since it is a moral issue we should turn to the Almighty One who defines for us what is right and wrong. God has the authority to define for us what is right and wrong simply because He is God, and we are not. He’s the Creator, and we are the created.
In the very 1st chapter of Genesis we see the creation account, and particularly we should note verse 27 that says both male and female were created in HIS image. This is not mentioned about any other of God’s creation, only mankind. Also, it’s interesting that in verse
31 it says that God saw what He had created and said, “It was very good.” On the days prior to man being created the text says specifically that “God saw that it was good.” One can’t help
but notice the contrast between “good” and “very good.” So from the very first week of creation one can substantiate that God’s view towards mankind is a very high view.
Next, let’s consider Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT): “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” It would do us well to read that passage 10 times over and meditate on it. We are a wonderful creation by the Wonderful Creator. Where did God do this amazing work of creation? “In my mother’s womb,” the Psalmist says. It sounds like a holy sanctuary, and we should treat it as such.
Let’s consider another passage: Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Interesting
that Jeremiah already had a mission from God while he was yet in his mother’s womb! It makes me wonder how many prophets have been killed by the abortion industry before they were given
a chance to live? How many Presidents? How many scientists who might have discovered the cure to cancer already? How many Doctors? How many teachers?
Here’s one more passage to consider: Luke 1:15 (NASB), “…he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb.” This verse is in reference to John the Baptist. Do you recall too in vs. 41-44 of that same chapter what happened when Mary who was now pregnant with Jesus went to visit Elizabeth who was quite pregnant with John? When Mary showed up and spoke to Elizabeth, the baby inside of Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy.” Already John was
expressing himself over the baby Jesus, while he was yet in his mother’s womb.
There are so many other passages we could look at that help us know that life in the womb is sacred to God (Isaiah 49:1,5; Luke 1:76-79; Psalm 71:6). Life is sacred to God from its beginning to its end. It would be a pleasing thing to our Creator if we, the created, would adopt a similar view.
I will be voting “yes” on August 2 when I go to the election booth. I hope you will join me in voting “yes” as well.
Undoubtedly there will be people who read this article that have had an abortion or have pushed someone to have an abortion. Is there forgiveness available for that person? Yes, by all means yes! God can wash you clean and bring healing to your spirit. He can bring new life and a new start to anyone who seeks Him. 1 John 1:9 (NASB) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” His forgiveness is
through Jesus. That’s why Jesus died on the cross, and on the 3rd day He raised up from the dead.
God’s grace is bigger than our disgrace. His love for you (and for me) in spite of our sins is more than what words can express, or what our minds can fathom. Thank God for His amazing grace.
On Tuesday July 12th at approximately 2:30 p.m. Officers with the Fort Scott Police Department were dispatched to west side of Casey’s convenience store. Witnesses reported seeing a white male drop a cash register and then drive north on 69 highway in his vehicle.
At the same time Officers with the Fort Scott Police Department responded to Walgreen’s located at 2229 South Main and learned that a white male entered the store, went behind the counter, and removed the cash register and left the store. Nobody was injured during this incident.
Based on the eyewitness descriptions the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office located the suspect vehicle near Wagon Road and 69 highway. The vehicle was pursued but the suspect was not apprehended at this time.
Local Law Enforcement Agencies were notified of the pursuit and vehicle description. Vernon County Deputies located the vehicle on the east side of Nevada, Missouri and were able to take the suspect, Lewis A. Stein of St. Charles Missouri, into custody. Stein is being held in Vernon County Jail on separate charges. Local charges are pending.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Today, July 12, is the last day to register to vote or change party affiliation.
This year a constitutional amendment known as “Value Them Both” will be on the ballot during the Kansas primary election on August 2, 2022.
This year, the constitutional amendment will be on ALL ballots.
“There is a nonpartisan ballot that will be for everyone other than Democrat of Republican voters, with only the amendment question, so that everyone that is registered will have the opportunity to vote in the 2022 Primary election,” Bourbon County Clerk Ashley Shelton said.
Below is the proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that will be voted on in the August primary election, according to https://sos.ks.gov/elections/constitutional-amendment.html
Value Them Both Amendment will be on theA vote against the Value Them
Both Amendment would make no
changes to the constitution of the
state of Kansas, and could restrict
the people, through their elected
state legislators, from regulating
abortion by leaving in place
the recently recognized right to
abortion.
Kansas residents can check their voter registration status or register to vote through: https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, July 13, 2022
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at their offices on Monday, July 11, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting.
President James Wood opened the meeting. The board approved the official agenda. The old board adjourned Sine Die with reorganization of the new board. Danny Brown was elected president, and Kellye Barrows was elected vice-president for the 2022-23 school year.
The board also approved the consent agenda:
A. Minutes
B. Bills and Claims
C. Payroll – June 17, 2022 – $1,799,386.85
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. Designation of banks for deposit of school funds
G. Designation of newspaper for official school publications – The Fort Scott Tribune
H. Officers for the 2022-23 school year
I. Recreation Commission board member terms
J. Resolution for Waiver of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
K. Resolution for Rescinding Policy Statements Found in Board Minutes
L. Resolution to Establish Home Rule by Board of Education
M. Resolution to set dates and times for board meetings
N. Resolution for Destruction of Records
O. Resolution for Bank Account Signers
P. Set fees for copying of records
Q. Mileage reimbursement rate – current state mileage rate
R. Point of information – July 25 – 5:30 p.m. – Special Board Meeting
S. 2022-23 Salary Schedule correction
Dalaina Smith, Assistant Superintendent, and Gina Shelton, Board Clerk/Finance Director, shared reports with the board.
David Stewart was selected as the REDI representative.
The board approved the following
· 2022-23 district handbooks
· Notification to the County Clerk that the district will not be revenue neutral this year
· Homeschool students participating in district student activities policy
· Classified salary schedule
Board members set a date of August 1 at 5:30 p.m. for a budget presentation, and the date of August 22 at 5:30 p.m. for a Revenue Neutral Hearing and the 2022-23 budget hearing.
There were no comments in the public forum section. The board went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel. The board returned to open meeting and approved the following employment matters:
a. Employment of Dennis Dennigan as a high school special education teacher for the 2022-23 school year
b. Employment of Karleigh Schoenberger as a high school assistant volleyball coach for the 2022-23 school year
c. Placement of Mike Krull, high school head boys’ basketball coach, on Step 29 of the Supplemental Salary Schedule
d. Employment of Polly Mayberry as district ESOL Coordinator for the 2022-23 school year
e. Employment of Kerri Hanson as a middle school counselor for the 2022-23 school year
f. Employment of Toni Burton and Angela Colvin as classified employees for the 2022-23 school year
The board approved a 1% salary increase for administrators and directors. In addition, the board approved an average 10.5% salary increase for classified employees.
The board adjourned
There is an opening for the Fort Scott Planning Commission:
The function of the Planning Commission is to review and adopt (as well as update) the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Fort Scott, to establish zoning districts and allowable uses, to review zoning regulations within the City and to review requests for special permits or conditional uses within certain zoning districts in the City. Also reviews site plans for planned areas and is responsible for zoning within the 3-mile limit of the City of Fort Scott. Their recommendations are given to the City Commission for final approval. They meet on an “as needed” basis.
If you have a desire to serve on this Boards and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. She will then submit your letter of interest for consideration by the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on any of these boards, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or [email protected]. Please submit your letter of interest by July 29th, 2022.
The function of the Fort Scott Library Board is to review requests in reference to the library. This Board meets monthly at 5:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.
If you have a desire to serve on this board and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. She will then submit your letter of interest for consideration to the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on this board, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or [email protected]. Please submit your letter of interest by July 29th, 2022.
