Monthly Archives: March 2023

Obituary

Obituary of John Allen

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John Andrew Allen, age 87, resident of Uniontown, Kansas, died Monday, March 20, 2023, at Kansas Heart Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. He was born September 30, 1935, in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Chester Allen and Mildred (Baugh) Allen. John married Margaret O’Brien on July 21, 1955, in Baldwin, Kansas.

 

In his earlier years he worked for the Bronson School District. He and Margaret started and operated Allen’s Building and Repair Company for many years and then became the owners and operated the Bronson Self Service Station until his retirement.

 

He was a member of the Bronson Baptist Church. He was active with anything that involved his children and family, including 4-H, Junior Grange, coaching girls’ softball, and Boys Scouts.

 

He loved living at the lake, taking all his kids and grandkids fishing, water skiing/tubing and playing games…especially Jokers (Marbles).

Like his wife Margaret, John’s biggest joy was just spending time with all his family.

Survivors include four daughters, Dinah Glaze, Iola; Sally (Frank) Johnson, Uniontown; Becky (Ben) Smith, Chanute and Annetta (Tim) Trammell, Farlington; three foster children, Gordon Kreider, Houston, Missouri;  Willie (Debbie) Simpson, Blue Springs, Missouri and Joyce (Tom) Carder, Kearney, Missouri; one sister, Bonnie Trowbridge, Poway, California; one brother-in-law, Denney (JoJo) O’Brien, Lake Havasu City, Arizona; sister-in-law, Velma O’Brien, Bakersfield, California; grandchildren, Jamaal Glaze, Trey Glaze, Tayonna Glaze, Nevin Glaze, Andrew Johnson, Allen Johnson, Jerrod Smith, Bo Smith, Tiffany Gee; six foster grandchildren, Amber Sojka, Justin Simpson, Austin Simpson, Brian Simpson, Brandon Simpson, Niki Larrea; 24 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Margaret; his parents; foster son, Melvin Simpson; brother, Willie Allen; Sister, Betty Garman; and granddaughter, LaCheole Glaze.

 

Following cremation, memorial services will be held at 3:00 P.M. Friday, March 24th, in the Cheney Witt Chapel conducted by Rev. Rusty Newman.

In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that you spend some time in honor of dad fishing or playing Game King Double-Double Bonus Poker at your favorite casino.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Obituary

Obituary of Jo Ann Dalton

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Jo Ann Dalton passed away Sunday, March 19, 2023, at her home. She was a beloved, cherished wife, mother, grandma, and great grandma. Jo Ann was born June 15, 1935, in Redfield, Ks to Charles and Aileen Richard.

On August 24, 1951, she married Charles Dalton.  She and Charley resided at the family farm in Redfield. She was active in her children’s lives and even helped raise two special nephews, Larry, and Rick. They lived in Redfield until their children were grown and then moved to Fort Scott, Ks.

Jo Ann worked as Deputy Register of Deeds from 1967 until 1978 when she was appointed Register of Deeds. She held that position until her retirement in 2000. She loved serving the people of Bourbon County.

Jo Ann enjoyed gardening, cooking, traveling to spend time with her family.  She loved watching her grandchildren grow and would always be there for every accomplishment they made.

 

Jo Ann is survived by her children Bill Dalton and wife Laura of Parsons, Ks and Becky Cashman and husband Jim of Cedar Crest, NM; grandchildren Trevor Cashman and wife Jeni of Cedar Crest, NM, Dustin Cashman and wife Jacquelyn of Cedar Crest, NM, Tara Martinez and Keith Hamill of Olathe, KS,  Heather Hammett and Samantha Martinez of Olathe, Ks; Nathan Dalton and wife Miranda of Oronogo, MO, and 15 great-grandchildren; Alexia, Madison, Cain, Kamara, Hudson, Cole, Kasen, Brady, Jude, Layne, Hunter, Cody, Ryder, Khalell and Kaedyn;  sisters-in-law Gail Dalton and Donna Dalton; brothers-in-law Ron Dalton and Chewy Brewer and many nieces and nephews, including Angie Dalton who always checked on her Aunt Jo Jo.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband Charles, sisters Geri Brewer and Doris Williams.

 

Jo Ann adored her family, and they adored her. She was always active in her grandchildren’s lives. We will have many wonderful memories and forever cherish her.

 

Pastor Brian Rhoades will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, March 24th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery.

Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com

Government, Kansas

Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson

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Caryn Tyson

 

March 17, 2023

 

A State Budget, Senate Bill (SB) 155 was debated on the floor and it passed to advance to final action after many amendments and attempts at amendments.  Final action is usually taken the day after or the day of debate.  However, there are several senators absent for various reasons so the vote has been delayed.

 

The legislature is required by the State Constitution to appropriate funds – providing a budget for the state.  The process starts with the departments and agencies providing their budgets to the Governor, then the Governor provides her recommendations to the legislature.  This is what the legislature uses as a start.  It is almost always an increase from the previous year.  For the past three years, the Governor has cut items she knows need to be funded and increased her pet projects.  It resulted in massive spending increases because the final budget would include both and not decrease or cut the Governor’s items.  Well, not this year.  The Senate President cut the Governor’s projects and decreased the out-of-control spending.  It is refreshing because it gives some of the tax cuts discussed in prior weeks a chance of being passed into law.

 

Some amendments that passed during debate include:

  • a modest cut to agencies NOT INCLUDING health, safety, or K-12 education by just 3.25% to save $97 million – decreasing the $9.4 billion budget to $9.3 billion.  Every savings helps.
  • would require the citizenship of state employees and contractors to be verified with the database known as e-verify.
  • would require departments and agencies to provide performance based budgets or their budget would be cut by 5%.  Performance based budget became law over 6 years ago and has still not been implemented by some agencies.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.

Caryn

 

Obituary

Obituary of Rosetta Bailes

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Rosetta Marie Bailes passed away at her home in Fort Scott, Kansas on Sunday night, March 19, 2023. She was welcomed to her heavenly home and is worshiping Jesus with a new body.

 

She was born in Kansas City, Kansas to Charles and Rose Anna Workman on July 31st, 1953. At five years old her family moved back to Fort Scott, where she grew up. Rosetta graduated class valedictorian in 1971 from Fort Scott High School. She then graduated with honors from Pittsburg State University with a degree in Microbiology. She worked as a research Microbiologist in the American Type Culture Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1980 she graduated from nursing school and began her nursing career dedicated to helping people. In January 1984 on a mission trip to Haiti, Rosetta met Jon Bailes and married June 6, 1984.

 

Throughout her life, she worked as an RN, helped Jon run family businesses, raised children, worked in the church, and led mission teams.

 

Together, she and Jon shared the love of Jesus as medical missionaries in Haiti from 1994-2000.  On returning from the mission field, she continued working part-time as a nurse. She dedicated herself to family, church ministry, and her greatest passion – her grandchildren. She would always put others before herself and enjoyed swimming, bargain shopping, and making her grandchildren creative birthday cakes.

 

Rosetta is preceded in death by her father, Charles Workman, and 2 grandbabies.

 

Survived by her mother Rose Anna of Fort Scott, two sisters, Laura of Pittsburg, Loma of Fort Scott, husband Jon Bailes of Fort Scott, four children, Melanie Lamb of Fort Scott, Christopher Bailes of Oceanside, CA, Charity (Samuel) Jackson of Fort Scott, and Charley (Christine) Bailes of Kansas City, KS, and 12 grandchildren.

 

Rev. Dusty Drake will conduct funeral services at 10:30 A.M. Monday, March 27th at the Community Christian Church.

Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Sunday at Community Christian Church.

Memorials are suggested to the Community Christian Church Youth Department 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obituary

Obituary of Donald Elkins

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Donald L. Elkins, age 50, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Sunday, March 19, 2023, at the Via Christi Emergency Room in Ft. Scott.  He was born April 12, 1972, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the son of Donald Wayne Elkins and Sherry Lynne Hunt Elkins.  At an early age, the family moved to California.  Donald grew up and attended school in Taft, California.  Following high school, he went to work in the oil fields of southern California where he continued to work for many years.

In 2015, he relocated to Ft. Scott in order to be closer to his family.  While living in Ft. Scott, he was employed by RSC Construction.  He married his longtime companion, Trina Royal.  She preceded him in death on April 2, 2021.

 

Survivors include his children, Samantha Elkins, of Nevada, Missouri, Brandon Elkins of Portland, Oregon, Britney Elkins, of Ft. Scott, Kansas, Jessica Perkins of Emerald Isle, North Carolina and Justin Perkins of Bakersfield, California.  Also surviving are several grandchildren and two sisters, Melissa Gurule and Teresa Salazar both of Ft. Scott and numerous nieces and nephews.

 

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, March 26th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to the Donald Elkins Memorial Fund 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.comOb

Obituary

Obituary of George Osborn Jr.

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George Washington Osborn, Jr., age 88, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri.

George was born March 20, 1934, to George W. Osborn and Stella Cauthon Osborn in Bates County, Missouri. He was the sixth of seven children. George grew up on the farm and started farming when he was fourteen years old and proudly continued until he was eighty.

He married the love of his life, Joanne Greer, on November 17, 1954. He started his married life working for a ranch in Adrian, Missouri. In November 1959, they moved to Gardner, Kansas where he rented his own farm across the road from his widowed aunt so that he could take care of her. In those early years, he did what he could to take care of his family including digging graves.

He did so well with the farming and soil conservation that he won several farming awards in Johnson, Miami, and Linn counties. In 1967, he bought his own farm outside of Drexel, Missouri, (on the Kansas side) and moved his family there and started a large hog operation along with the farming. In 1988, he and Joanne moved further south to the Blue Mound, Kansas area where he enjoyed farming row crops and not worrying about pigs and cattle

George was a member of the St. John’s United Methodist Church in Ft. Scott. He enjoyed traveling with his wife, Joanne when the farming schedule allowed.

George was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings and his youngest son, Doug.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne, of sixty-eight years, his daughter, Ruth Benson (Randy) of Webb City, Missouri and son, Pete Osborn of Beaver, Ohio. Also surviving are two grandsons, Randall Benson (Stephanie) of Kansas City, Missouri and Jonathan Benson (Kari) of Kailua, Hawaii (USAF) and three great-granddaughters, Kathy, Alyssa and Clara of Kansas City, Missouri.

Rev. Jim Brackett will conduct funeral services at 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, March 22nd at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Memory Gardens Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1:00 P.M. until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association 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.

Business, Food, Fort Scott

Retail and Now Cafe at the Former Scottish Rite Temple

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Tracy and Kathy Dancer. Submitted photo.
Kathy Dancer, 49, and Tracy Dancer, 50, opened 110 South Main as a retail shop in the former Scottish Rite Temple in December and will be opening a cafe in the building this spring.
Retail
110 South Main Mercantile and Market  features decor, gifts, and food from Kansas and the Midwest, Kathy said.
“We have great products from Kansas City Canning Company, Kansas City Caramels, Prairie Fire Candles, Bombshell Beauty, Finding Home Farms, Thompson’s Homemade Decor, and about 30 other small business partners,” she said. ” Our market vendors include many local artisans and craft people who produce glass art, textiles, furniture, cutting boards, keepsake boxes, home decor, pens, notebooks, and decorative signs. We recently added a line of chocolates from Andre’s Chocolates and popcorn and fudge from Simply Delightful.”
“The retail store will be expanding this spring and summer to offer additional space for market vendors and artists who have high-quality handcrafted items,” she said.  Additional vendors and artists will be added as they expand the space.
Cafe
“We are also opening Cohn’s Cafe,” Kathy said.  The restaurant is named after Sidney Cohn and his wife, who had a cafe and coffee shop in this space from 1926-1948, she said. The restaurant space was used by the Freemasons council as a kitchen and dining space for several decades after that.
Before photo of the dining space below and the space when the carpet was removed, above. Submitted photos.

“The cafe will feature locally sourced ingredients and will have breakfast and lunch for dine-in or carry-out,” she said.  “We will source ingredients from local producers and will have a seasonally adjusted menu based on the availability of fresh, local vegetables, meats, and other ingredients.  Our menu will include quiches, crepes, soups, salads, sandwiches, and pies and desserts. We plan to have grab-and-go items available as well.”
View of the new dining space. Submitted photo.
“The cafe will be the cornerstone for additional planned improvements to the building,” Kathy said.  “We felt the cafe was a great way to share the building with the community while also supporting local artists, craftspeople, and food producers.  We are excited to showcase some of the great products available in our community in both the retail space and cafe.”
Electrical Issues
The Dancer’s hope to open this spring, but are having a problem with electric service to the building.
“We will have all of our spaces ready and equipment in place by the end of March but we are still waiting for additional electric service so we can proceed with our inspections and licensing,” she said.  “Unfortunately, there was extensive damage done to the electric service to the building while it was unoccupied prior to our purchase.”

“We have been working with our electrician to have adequate service reinstalled in the building but we are having to work around other utilities that were added in the alley,” Kathy said.  “As soon as we have enough electricity to operate the commercial kitchen equipment and modern HVAC, we will finish licensing and begin training staff.  We will announce opening dates on our social media pages, 110SouthMain and Cohn’sCafeonMain.

 Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT)Grant
The Dancer’s received a restaurant /retail grant in the amount of $7,000 from HBCAT.
“We are very excited to be named as a recipient of the HBCAT grant in the restaurant category,” Kathy said.  “The grant will be used to help install the commercial kitchen for the cafe.  We have several pieces of used equipment including a sink, ovens, and a commercial refrigerator that need minor repairs and installation.  The balance of the funds will be used to acquire additional kitchen equipment including a commercial cook top, a commercial freezer, and a refrigerated table for salads and sandwiches.”
This is the prep kitchen where the HBCAT grant will be used for some of the equipment. Submitted photo.

 

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Government, Health Care, Kansas

March 19-25 is National Poison Prevention Week

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When Poison Happens, We’re Here For You.

TOPEKA –Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a proclamation to kick off National Poison Prevention Week. The Poison Center at the University of Kansas Health System and Safe Kids Kansas want to remind Kansans that Poison Centers are ready 24/7 with fast, free advice.

The theme for this year’s National Poison Prevention Week is Poison Centers – When Poison happens, we’re here for you.

Not everyone realizes that Poison Centers are for everyone. While poison centers get more calls about children, calls about teens, adults and older adults tend to be more serious. Over half of the calls to the Kansas Poison Center in 2022 involved medicines or pharmaceuticals. However, other common poisons include household products, plants, mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide, and many other nonpharmaceutical substances.

“The best piece of advice we can give is to program the Poison Help number, 800-222-1222, in your phone and post it visibly in your home. This way you are prepared in the event of a poisoning emergency or simply have questions,” said Stefanie Baines, education coordinator for the Kansas Poison Control Center.

Here are the ways Poison Centers save time, worry, lives and money:

Time

When seconds count, calling a poison center is faster and more accurate than a confusing internet search.

Worry

Nurses, pharmacists and doctors answer calls. We can help in more than 150 languages. Doctors and hospitals turn to us for help every day.

Lives

Whether it is a question or an emergency, Poison Centers provide life-saving information when you need it the most.

Money

All calls are free. More than 70 percent of people who call get the help they need right where they are – saving the cost of a trip to the doctor or hospital.

“It is also important to know Poison Centers are not just for emergencies. You can call anytime from anywhere in the nation for information or advice from local experts,” said Cherie Sage, state coordinator for Safe Kids Kansas.

If you think someone has been poisoned, call 800-222-1222 right away. Fast and free expert help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information about preventing accidental poisoning visit kansashealthsystem.com/poison and safekidskansas.org/poison_prevention.htm.

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Opinion

Treasure or Trinket? by Carolyn Tucker

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Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

 

 

When I’m shopping at a thrift store or flea market and something catches my eye, the first thing I do is look at the price tag. The second thing I do is ask myself if there’s anywhere to put it in my home! In these second-time-around stores, I’ve discovered magnificent old family portraits that should have been displayed in a loved one’s home because they are beautiful treasures. I’m saddened when I see precious family pictures being offered for some stranger to purchase. Why weren’t these photos treated with love, honor and respect and kept in the family? Because the treasure was treated as a trinket of little value.

 

When Jesus taught His disciples the parable about the hidden treasure a man discovered on a plot of land, He was not implying that we can purchase or work our way into heaven. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field” (Matthew 13:44 MLT). He was teaching a serious truth that the kingdom of heaven is of such great value that we should be willing to give up all we have in order to gain it. Since there were no banks, treasure was often buried in fields for safekeeping. The supreme value of the hidden treasure (the kingdom of heaven) is worth more than the  sacrifice one can make to acquire it.

 

It’s worth the cost for believers to follow Christ and live according to His Word. And then when our last breath is drawn, heaven will be worth the price of not compromising our conscience, devotion to God, integrity, reputation, loyalty, and faithfulness. Whatever it costs us to obey God and do the right thing is worth it. Keeping our eyes on The Prize is key. Of course, Christ followers must realize we can’t be so heavenly minded that we’re of no earthly value. Everything we do must be weighed and compared against the individualized assignment God gave us. It’s easy to get sidetracked and bumfuzzled when we ignore our calling, forget the treasure, and go our own way. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is worth the cost of personal sacrifice.

 

We’re trained for the Kingdom of Heaven while we live on planet earth. Our routine life is the daily battlefield where we get to activate our training. Dad trained for 16 weeks at Camp Fannin, Texas before he was shipped out to the frontlines of Germany in 1944. Army training and spiritual training are similar. If we don’t learn to respect authority, follow instructions, and pay attention to our enemy, we won’t be on the survivor list.

 

The song, “Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All” was written in 1946 with lyrics by W. Oliver Cooper. I usually share the lyrics of a mentioned song, but in this case the title says it all. We mustn’t think of heaven as a natural occurrence at the end of the rainbow of life. We can’t merely hope, do good deeds, or buy our way into heaven. Nor can we ignore the glorious treasure of it and stuff it into an empty drawer. One day a bystander asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few have eternal life?” Jesus responded to the crowd, “There is a great cost for anyone to enter through the narrow doorway to God’s kingdom realm. I tell you, there will be many who will want to enter but won’t be able to. For once the head of the house has shut and locked the door, it will be too late” (Luke 13:24,25 TPT). Eternal life is a priceless gift for the child of God, not an earned reward.

 

The Key: The Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure and not a trinket to be treated lightly.

Fort Scott, Government

FS City Commission Agenda for March 21

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NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR

MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION


CITY HALL COMMISSION ROOM – 123 SOUTH MAIN ST.

March 21, 2023 – 6:00 P.M.

 

   Roll Call:

  1.       J. Jones     T. Van Hoecke     E. Woellhof     K. Harrington     M. Wells
  2.      Flag Salute:
  • Invocation:

 

  1. Approval of Agenda:
  2. Consent Agenda:
  3. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of March 7, 2023, and special meeting of March 13, 2023.

 

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1331-A totaling $321,703.00

 

  1. Request to Pay – J. Richardson Construction – 17th & Eddy Stormwater

     Improvements – $12,274.30

 

  1. February Financials

 

 

  1. Public Comment:

Sign up required.  Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5)      minutes per person, at Commission discretion.

 

VII.      Old Business: 

 

  1.   Sludge Removal Update – AMS and ADM Update – Scott Flater
  2.  Presentation of RenoDry Report for Memorial Hall – Michael Clancy
  3. Consideration of proposal for Memorial Hall steps – Mid-Continental

Restoration, Co., Inc. – John Carrier

  1.   Consideration of bid for Fort Scott Pavilion tabled from 3/7/2023
  2.    Barnes lake lot easement – T. Russell

        

 

VIII.     Appearances:

 

  1. Request to Close Riverfront Park for Care to Share Event – Cory Bryars
  2. Request for Donation to Good Ol’ Days – Shawn O’Brien
  3. Consideration of Temporary Street Closure – Tacos & Tailgates – 9/23/23

 

  1. Public Hearing:

 

 

  1. New Business:
  2. Consideration of Purchase of two (2) fire hydrants – B. Lemke
  3. Consideration of Banking Service Bids – B. Hart
  4. Consideration of 2023 Contract Mowing Bids
  5. Consideration of Schneider Electric – HVAC – Presentation of Cost Savings
  6. Consideration asphalt Williams St. – Bourbon Co. Public Works -$18,653.08
  7. Consideration of CDBG Sewer Project Inspection Proposal – J. Dickman
  8. Consideration of 15-Day Notice with Jeff Hancock

 

  1. Reports and Comments:
  2. City Manager Comments:
  3. Engineering Comments:
  4. Commissioners Comments:
  5. VanHoecke –
  6. Woellhof –
  7. Harrington –
  8. Jones –
  9. Wells –

 

  1. City Attorney Comments:

 

XII.        Executive Session – If requested, (please follow script in all motions for   Executive Sessions)

 

XIII.        Adjournment: