All posts by Clayton Whitson

Lee’s Paws and Claws great showing at Pet-ober Fest

Fort Scott, KS – October 11, 2014, Lee’s Paws and Claws held Pet-ober Fest near the walking trail at Fort Scott Community College. “We had a great turn-out and a BIG thank you to everyone participated,” organizers shared.

_MG_7802

Several hundred people came out to show their support for the no-kill animal shelter than has been in operation for four years. Each year small additions and improvements continue to be made to ensure safe environments for the animals.

During the event there were pet photos, obstacle course, opportunity for adoption and pet care for your own four legged buddy. Also, food for the human kind as well as a bounce house for the little ones provided plenty of activity for all. The weather was cool, but still plenty of support was shown by all those who came out.

Lee’s Paws and Claws is always looking for supporters, both with volunteer hours and donations. It take time and money to run an animal care facility. If you have a little (or a lot) extra, the time or finances would go a long way for the animal population in our county.

For additional information:

721 240th Street
PO Box  343
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
620-223-2888
email: [email protected]

Hours: 10am – 2pm every day

Young Professional League of Bourbon County host Sheriff Candidates

Fort Scott, KS

sheriffIt goes without saying, but one of the greatest impacts on a community is who the people vote into office. This November, there will be important decisions to be made. One of which, will be the county Sheriff.

At the last Young Professional League of Bourbon County, YPL hosted those who will be on the ballot for County Sheriff. Mike Feagin and the current Sheriff, Bill Martin shared their thoughts and responded to a few questions. (in case you don’t make it to the end of the article, there will be a candidate forum Oct 20th, hosted by the Chamber at Fort Scott High School).

Here are the general remarks:

Mike Feagin:

Ramp up efforts to address the drug problem
Build unit cooperation / collaboration
On site working with the drug enforcement
Increase grant research for equipment / maintenance

Bill Martin

Shortfalls due to budgetary restrictions. Need new radios, budget has been approved.  Working closely with Fire Chief to ensure radio systems will be compatible.
Won 40K Grant for video systems in all patrol cars
Need more personnel – final decision is left with the commissioners
Drug cases – more difficult than property theft. Have to build a case, determine probable cause, etc
Have a strong working relationship with FSPD.
Open door policy / transparency

Another major issue – jail. Invitation for all to come and visit and see what is going on. Two bonds are going on – taking a step back until school bond is passed.

Questions:
If bond issue to build new jail (increase tax) fails, what is the plan?

BM – I don’t want a new tax, but to pull from sales tax. Also, housing other inmates to bring add’l revenue to pay building. Will not go after prop. tax 40-55 inmates per day. Need to have room for 15 more. Current jail is designed for 26 inmates. Wyandotte Co and surrounding Co are very interesting.

Moderator stop discussion here due to limited time to allow for additional questions. Mike did not get to answer.

If population of inmates is growing, but the population is not, why?

BM – job force is low, laws are changing that are more aggressive

MF – There are alternatives to dwindling job force, need to focus on prevention as well as prosecution ie cadet program

What is the biggest drug contributor?

BM – meth; K2 is growing because not illegal in surrounding states

MF – agreed

If you know you there is a drug problem, what can a citizen do?

BM – keep reporting it, manpower is down, we can partner with KBI, but need to have the case built before much can be done.

MF – agreed, keep watching and be vigilant.

Which is more important, prevention or enforcement:

BM – both are important, sometimes getting arrested is the only way to get them into treatment programs

MF – (general discussion started and MF did not get a chance to respond.

Important dates for the upcoming elections:

  • Oct. 14 – Last day to register to vote in general election
  • Oct. 15 – Advance voting begins
  • OCT 20: Chamber Hosts Candidate Forum at the Fort Scott High School
  • Oct. 31 – Deadline for advance ballot application
  • Nov. 3 – Noon deadline to cast advance voting ballot in person at county election office
  • Nov. 4 – Advance ballots must be received in county election office by the close of the polls, polls are open from 6am to 7pm

 

Project 17 and Kansas Leadership Center Offer FREE Workshops

Fort Scott, KS – Have you been looking for a way to make a real impact on your community on multiple levels? If so, you might want to do learn more about Project 17. Project 17 was born out of a large community meeting to address socio-economic, health care and industry in 17 counties in South East Kansas.

The mission statement is to improve the economic opportunities and qualities of life of those who live, work, and play in the 17 counties of South East Kansas. One of the key indicators of low performance is the lack of high impact civic leadership. Towards this goal of increasing networking and leadership, Project 17 has joined with Kansas Leadership Center and is putting together one day (FREE) leadership conferences in area counties to address these issues.

During the conferences, there will be actions points where leaders can get involved as well as discussion topics such as: Diagnosis Situation, Intervene Skillfully, Energize Others and Manage Self. These conferences are focused on developing leadership skill in the civic leaders in the area. Registration deadline is October 15, click here to register. Here are the dates of conferences in the area:

October 28:
Fort Scott Community College, Ellis Family Fine Arts Center (2108 S. Horton, Fort Scott, KS 66701)

October 29:
Neosho County Community College, Ottawa Campus(900 East Logan St., Ottawa, KS 66067)

October 30:
Independence Community College West, Woods Family Community Center (2615 West Main St., Independence, KS 67301)

Another conference in conjunction with Project 17 is the “UnConference” that will be hosted at Pittsburg State University, Thursday, October 16th, 9-4pm. “Topics will include things like how to support existing business and entrepreneurship, economic development, health education and how to improve the regions workforce,” Project 17’s Executive Director, Heather Morgan commented. Ken Brock and Joe Bisogno will be speaking and will further the discussion of how we can make Project 17 counties more economically productive. Click here for more information and to register (deadline today).

For more information about Project 17
Heather Morgan
Project 17
Executive Director
785-323-7001
[email protected]

Brownback, King make major SEK announcement

Fort Scott, KS – A major announcement for SEK came this morning (October 9th), an announcement that has been debated for a decade. Governor Brownback and Secretary of Transportation, Mike King, was in town to announce the final stretch of highway 69, from Arma to Pittsburg, will be widened to a four lane highway.

It will be a $23.5 million project that has been a long time coming. Brownback cites the reason for being able to do this now is other projects in the state coming in under cost. Already announced and funded is the stretch from Fort Scott to Arma, although construction has not started. The total project will cost about $70 million and will cover about 18 miles. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 and will be completed 2019.

Following the announcement Governor Brownback continued to visit local places in SEK, part of campaigning for the upcoming elections. He didn’t make any remarks but used the time to connect with local people at Papa Don’s pizza in downtown Fort Scott.

 

CROP Walk to Benefit the Beacon

Fort Scott, KS — One of the greatest assets a community has are the people who make the city a great place to live. The fine folks at the Beacon are no exception to this. The Beacon is an inter-faith, not-for-profit network which helps Bourbon County residents with food, shelter, clothing or other necessities during times of need or an emergency.

_MG_7208
Bill Eckles, Director

Bob Eckles, Director, has been at the helm for about 14 years at the Beacon. He is the third director the ministry has had since its inception in 1985. Looking at the numbers, the Beacon serves an average of 400 families a month. Only 3 paid staff and about a dozen faithful volunteers continue to keep the doors open to help those families in need. “Nearly every church in town has involvement at some level,” Mr. Eckles said. However, there is always more help needed.

A big deal this weekend is the CROP walk, started in the 1947 to help mid-west farmers to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. The organizers of the CROP walk, Church World Service (CWS) are still working in foreign nations but also partner with local ministries.

This Sunday, the CROP walk is happening in Gunn Park at shelter #3. Registration is at 1:30pm and the walk starts at 2pm. All are welcome to come and join in the walk, approximately 1.8 miles. Proceeds raised will help both CWS and the Beacon.

For more information, please contact the Beacon:

525 E 6th St.
Fort Scott, KS 66701
620.223.6869
Hours: M-F; 9a-1pm

Timber Hills Lake Ranch host “Bird Dog Classic”

Mapleton, KS — Timber Hills Lake Ranch, just outside of Mapleton, Ks is hosting a national “Bird Dog Classic” for habitat this weekend. Now, if you’re not familiar with the Bird Dog Classic, it’s a hunting competition for owners and the ‘bird dog.’ There are numerous competitions that will test the abilities of your bird dog. The cool thing about this weekend’s competition is that all the proceeds will go to “Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.” The mission is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs. You can click here for more information the Bird Dog Classic or contact: Ed Holland @ 816.810.9535, [email protected] OR Joe Deschaine @ 479-586-1789, [email protected].

timberhillsDOG

If you’re not a hunter, there is still plenty to do. There will be shooting skills, youth “outdoor experience,” raffles and live auction. You may not have made it out to Timber Hills Lake, it’s a beautiful 2,000 acre location which hosts many different events from corporate meetings to wedding. It’s a beautiful place to spend the weekend or to host your own event here.

Courtesy Timber Hills Lake Ranch
Courtesy Timber Hills Lake Ranch

Click here for more information about Timber Hills Lake Ranch. Contact:

Timber Hills Lake Ranch
1369 Valley Road,
Mapleton, KS. 66754
Telephone: (620) – 743 – 4114
E-mail: [email protected]

Pet-tober Fest (Lee’s Paws and Claws)

Fort Scott, KS

If you have ever owned a pet, you know the benefit those furry (or sometimes not) little critters can bring to your home. Of course, we’ve also had those days that turn out to be more of an adventure you bargained for!

animals
Courtesy Lee’s Paws and Claws

We also know how fast un-cared for pets can get into trouble and become malnourished. The good people over at Lee’s Paw & Claws (no-kill) Animal Shelter, help take care of those homeless critters, providing food and shelter. This Saturday, starting at 10am, they have planned a full afternoon of activities that will bring you face to face with some of those who are in their care. It is taking place at the Fort Scott Community College walking trail area from 10am – 3pm.

Courtesy Lee's Paws and Claws
Courtesy Lee’s Paws and Claws

If you are looking to stretch your legs with your favorite four-legged animal, there will be plenty to do for everyone. Paws and Claws will have an agility run for dogs, photo ops, bake sale and live auction at 2pm to raise funds for continued care and facility improvements.

If you need some basic care for you animal, they will also be offering rabies shots for $7.50, Parvo shots for $10 and if you have been wanting to microchip your animal, you can do that also for $25. There will also be a drawing and the winner will get two pets microchipped!

And if you are looking to provide a great home to one of the animals, they will be adopting out during this event. There will be concessions and pet costumes, seriously, this will be a blast. You can check out more info by clicking here for their Facebook page or their website here.

pawsandclaws

Contact:

721 240th Street
PO Box  343
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
620-223-2888
email: [email protected]

If you have an idea for an event you think we’d be interested in covering, please email us at [email protected]

 

 

Young Professional League of Bourbon County

FORT SCOTT, KS – Last Friday afternoon, a group of local young professionals gathered in a local pizza place for their monthly meeting. The meeting was the Young Professional League of Bourbon County (YPL). Heather Griffith, President, related the mission and vision of YPL is to engage young professionals to advocate for a better community through relationships and creative collaboration. YPL seeks to be a place for young professions who care about the advancement of Fort Scott and creates a place for their voices to be heard._MG_6975

YPL was established in 2007 and continues to meet the first Friday of every month with varied topics of discussion. Mostly these are centered on economic and social issues within the city and surrounding areas. This also includes community members coming and giving presentations once a quarter about different activities and initiatives in the community.

sheriff
Left, Mike Fagin ** Right, Bill Martin

This past meeting, the two candidates running for County Sheriff came and shared their platform, policy changes they would like to see in the future if they are elected and answered some general questions from YPL members. YPL is hosting a candidate forum October 20th the high school. Candidates who will be on the Nov 4th ballot will be present for comments and questions._MG_6983

Other general announcements made at the meeting to give you a scope of other activities YPL participate in were: Decorating a pavilion at the Zombie Chase in Gunn Park, serving in the soup line November 5th, prepping for the job fair for high school students in January followed by hosting a chamber coffee later in January.

YPL is always looking for more members and active young professional to join. Dues are only $35 a year and membership is a great way to meet new people and became involved in Fort Scott. If you have further question, you can check out their website by clicking here or you can contact Heather Griffith at her office:
Director of Economic Development
City of Fort Scott
620.203.0318
www.fscity.org

 

 

Gordon Parks Celebration – Oct 2-4, 2014

Fort Scott, KS – If you are interested in getting out and about this weekend, plan on stopping and spending time at the Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity event this weekend. Many of you may know Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott, but can you name the cultural impacts he made as an artist? He was mostly known for photography, but also was a writer, musician, film director and composer.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Photo Courtesy Gordon Parks Center (FSCC)

This weekend’s events serve to honor Gordon Parks but also to hold further discussion of the issue of poverty and the many social implications within our communities. As a tribute to Gordon Park’s love of photography, a central theme of this weekend’s celebration is telling stories through pictures. The 26th annual Gordon Park’s Photography Competition finalist will be on display. You can view them by clicking here.

Here are two of the entries:

finalist2
Courtesy of Gordon Parks Center (FSCC)
finalist1
Courtesy of Gordon Parks Center (FSCC)

There are numerous events going on all weekend and most of them are free to attend. Certainly, you would benefit by participating all weekend, but if you need to pick and choose, you can click here for the entire weekend schedule. A few of the highlights include the “Poverty A-Z Exhibit,” a multi-media presentation incorporating photography and music. The display will be in the Ken & Charlotte Lunt lobby from September 19 – October 17th. Karen Haas, Curator of the Lane Collection of Photography at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts will discuss Gordon Parks photography, Friday 1:15-2:45pm, free event in the Ellis Fine Arts building (theatre). Friday closes with a “Celebration Tribute Dinner” with presentation of the 2014 “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award.” Cost $30, Liberty Theatre, reservation required.

Saturday, “The Learning Tree,” Gordon Park’s biographical film will play in the Ellis Fine Arts Theatre at 9am. FREE. Finally, the weekend ends with “Picnic on the Patio” in the Ellis Center Geraldine and E.C. and Gordon Outdoor Patio – $8 (weather permitting).

For more information about this celebration or the life and work of Gordon Parks, please contact:

Jill Warford, Executive Director
Ft. Scott Community College
2108 S. Horton
Fort Scott, KS 66701
1-800-874-3722, ext. 5850 or
[email protected]

FSCC Presents “The ADDAMS Family” (a Musical)

Fort Scott, KS Looking for some good musical entertainment coming up soon? FSCC is presenting The Addam’s Family (a Musical) coming up the end of this month. Directed by Sara Mae Lamar in the Ellis Performing Arts Center.

_MG_6944
Director Sara Mae Lamar

Lamar is in her second year at Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) and chose to do this musical from a poll taken from community members. She also taught high school theatre five years and has a decade of professional performing experience.

The Addam’s Family cast has about 35 students, 10 of those are younger students who are invited to perform and gain a collegiate theatrical experience. This production is newly released, just first produced on Broadway in 2010 and based solely on the characters in the comic strip. The Addams Family is not your normal family. This story highlights every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of the family, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a very normal family – a man her parents have never met. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents.

_MG_6935

If you want to see a sneak peak of a few of the songs, the cast will be preforming this Friday night at the park, click here for more info. Performances are Oct 23rd – 26th, Thursday – Saturday @ 7:30pm; Saturday & Sunday @ 2:30pm. Tickets are $8 for Adults, $5 for students, Faculty & Staff, Kids under 12 & Seniors. You can also “like” FSCC Theatre Department FB page by clicking here.

For more information:

[email protected]

 

Bourbon County Emergency Management

Fort Scott, KS –

Fort Scott is the county seat for Bourbon County, also comprising of the highest population density in the county. It only makes sense the Emergency Manager (EM) would be in the center of it all. William Wallace, a 12 years FEMA veteran, is at the helm of all disaster preparedness activities happening in the county.

Emergency-Preparedness-Checklist-1024x682

It’s easy for the EM position to go unnoticed during times of nice weather and everything going smoothly, much like most people live their lives. However, it’s the careful planning and mitigation of the EM that helps coordinate the emergency services during incidents that can expedite recovery efforts and more importantly save lives.

An important aspect of Wallace’s job is investigating the county and ensuring municipalities have taken important steps to mitigate against potential disaster that could occur in the county. Wallace’s office keeps close tabs with Topeka and FEMA Region 7 in assessing threats and solutions for Bourbon County. Mitigation may include fortifying current systems, such as electrical, to ensure a more expedited return of power. Another great example, just as this article is being written, the CDC has just announced the first case of the Ebola virus in the US. This is an issue where the EM may consult with the county health department to ensure we have a strategy should action need to be taken.

“Another big job in emergency management is the facilitation of all emergency services,” Wallace said. “I knew we had an excellent team after the tornado incident in April,” commented Wallace. Inter-agency cooperation during an incident is a critical component to ensure effective and efficient response and recovery. “Relationships and communication are a key component to ensure this happens,” Wallace said. During the relationship building process is something known in the emergency field as ‘exercises.’ These can range from simple discussion based “tabletop exercises” to a full scale disaster exercise. Wallace mentioned they try to have as many exercises during the year as possible without disrupting the daily responsibilities of the emergency service personnel.

CodeRedlogo

Wallace also has an interest in increased communication within the county during times of disaster. They are launching a new alert system called CodeRED, you can read more about it here. Just as the EM is responsible for mitigation on a county level, he is also concerned about families taking steps in preparedness within their home. The emergency service will work tirelessly during a disaster to reach families and ensure safety. However, Wallace highly recommended families take some basic steps to increase each family’s preparedness. His top three recommendations for preparedness are:

  1. Be ready to sustain your family for a minimum of 48 hours. This includes: water, food (not requiring heat), power (batteries) and adequate clothing and shelter
  2. Communication plan. This includes family, extended family, cell phones, phone chargers, etc. Make a plan on how you are going to be able to communicate and when, during a disaster. For example, during a disaster cell phones maybe tied up, but you can send text or try calling, but should only try calling at designated times to preserve cell battery. Or if you are close enough, arrange meeting places.
  3. Pay attention to media. It’s important to be able to access the latest communication the EM is sending out. This could be through radio, television or CodeRED. However you choose, it’s a good idea to have a back-up and check batteries periodically to make sure they are still working.

cert

Wallace also discussed the possibility of working with the Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. CERT is a nationally recognized program that aims to provide citizens with some basic preparedness and organizational training to respond to local disasters. There is a wealth of information online if community members are interested in learning more about preparedness and mitigating disasters, including FREE online FEMA courses.

For more information about Bourbon County Emergency Management:

210 S. National Ave.
Fort Scott, KS 66701
620-223-3800 x124
620-223-3234 fax
[email protected]

Additional Links:
Bourbon County Fire District #3 FB
Hazard Risk Assessment for Bourbon County
Sign up for CodeRED
Ready.gov
Additional links from Bourbon County EM Site

 

Bourbon County Adds New Alert System

Bourbon County, KS – Communication during a potential time of disaster has proven to save peoples lives. Emergency personnel are always on the look for better ways to communicate to those living in their jurisdiction more effectively.

CodeRedlogo

Starting this October, Bourbon County is launching a new alert system. This alert system is named “CodeRED.” Bourbon County Emergency Manager, William Wallace is enthusiastic about the possibilities of this system. “Not only can you receive alerts about potential dangers, but the user can choose to receive notifications about county wide events and news,” Wallace said.

CRMobileScreenShotMobileAlert

CodeRED is a high-speed mass notification system that can deliver alerts to your land line or texts to your cell phone or email. Registration for the alerts is free and simple.  Click here to go to the Bourbon County web page to register.  There is also an app you can download for smart phones by clicking here.

crma

For more information or questions:
620-223-3800 or [email protected]