Photo left to right: TIAK President Jan Stevens, Allyson Turvey, Sally Fuller, KDS Program Director.
Congratulations to Allyson Turvey, Administrative Assistant to Fort Scott Convention and Visitors Bureau, for being awarded the title of “Kansas Destination Specialist” by the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK).
Turvey was in attendance at the recent TIAK Annual Conference held in Junction City, KS where she received her certification. She was one of only six individuals from across Kansas to receive the certification.
TIAK offers the Kansas Destination Specialist certification program to familiarize and further one’s knowledge of the State of Kansas tourism marketing and leadership. To qualify, one must earn points by attending education conferences, seminars, webinars, or trainings, read and complete three book reports within the categories of Kansas, marketing, and leadership as well as visit one Kansas attraction 50 or more miles away from home.
This certification is a great way to establish and promote interest in Kansas’ tourism. Turvey has worked with the Fort Scott Convention and Visitors Bureau, Economic Development amd Community Development since April 2017.
These signs mark the closed Eagle Road, Oct. 25. Workers were busy all along Hwy. 69 on the expansion project.
The 69 Hwy. expansion project from Fort Scott to Arma doesn’t have a November completion date anymore, according to Priscilla Petersen, with the Kansas Department of Transportation.
In an interview, Petersen said the November completion date of the U.S. 69 expansion has been pushed back.
“We plan to have this project open to four-lane unrestricted traffic by Dec. 21, 2018,” she said.
All work on the active U.S. 69 expansion in Bourbon County will be completed in April 2019. ”
“The active Bourbon County expansion project is approximately six miles long, starting south of Fort Scott and ending at the Bourbon-Crawford county line,” Peterson said.
“The Crawford County expansion project has not been let. The tentative letting date is the fall of 2020.”
It seems KDOT ran into more extensive excavation of the stretch of highway than originally thought.
“During the grading phase of the expansion our contractor encountered a lengthy section of the old highway that had not been previously removed,” Petersen said. “The removal of the old mainline and bridges required extensive excavation. In addition, the discovery of the old roadway greatly reduced the amount of dirt available for the earthwork. We found it necessary to add a second borrow-waste area to supply the material.”
A KDOT crew work on a section of Hwy. 69 Thursday morning near the Garland exit.
“Current project activity includes concrete paving on the mainline and guardrail installation on the bridges,” Petersen said.
Gary Murrell is the director of The Beacon, a helping agency.
November 5-8 is the annual sign-up for a Beacon Card, the Adopt a Family program and the Elks Christmas Basket.
The sign-up event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 5-8 at Community Christian Church 1919 S. Horton, Fort Scott, in Robinson Hall.
In addition, there will be evening hours on November 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The following must be provided during the sign-up:
Must have ID’s for all adults,
Social Security Card for all in the household,
Proof of Income
Proof of Address (utility bill or rent receipt)
The Beacon Card provides free food products two times a month at the Beacon, a helping agency located at 525 E. 6th.
The Adopt a Child program allows area children to receive Christmas presents from community families, organizations and other entities.
The Elks Christmas Basket is provided by the local Elk’s Lodge and is “all the fixings for a Christmas dinner,” said Gary Murrell, director of the Beacon.
People may sign-up for all three on Nov. 5-8.
Distribution will be in December.
The Beacon still has clothes and household goods to distribute until Oct. 31, Murrell said. Following this date, the agency will no longer be distributing these items.
The vote here sign sits in front of the north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National.
Advanced voting is happening now through noon on November 5 on the first floor of the Bourbon County Courthouse, then on the November 6, registered votes vote in designated polling places. If you have any questions please call the County Clerk’s Office at 620-223-3800.
The Uniontown School District Don’t Quit Fitness Center is open to the community, with stipulations.
“To be able to use the fitness center, you would need to be a resident of our school district or have students that are attending,” West Bourbon Elementary School Principal Vance Eden said.
The fitness center is located in the junior high wing of the school. Pictured here, it is the area with the light, to the right. Entrance is a door on the east of the fitness center.
Eden is the contact person to get a key-card.
School district patrons must pay a for a card.
“There is a $10 fee that applies when the account is activated and the card is programmed for use at the fitness center,” Eden said. “The only other time there would be a fee is if the card is lost or destroyed.”
The hours are from 5-7 a.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Students in the district are using the center during school hours for physical education classes.
A family leaves the fitness center on Tuesday evening. They are leaving through the acess door, which is located on the east side of the fitness center.
Those who are granted access to the center may find their key-card temporarily disabled as the rules and regulations change.
Users will need to sign a new form in order to be able to use the facility.
Paul Leon Moore, age 77, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away early Tuesday, October 23, 2018, at the Mercy Hospital in Ft. Scott.
He was born June 8, 1941, in Humboldt, Kansas, the son of Paul Moore and Mary Leona Doyle Moore.
Paul graduated from the Humboldt High School with the Class of 1959. Paul had served for several years with the Kansas Army National Guard.
He married Vivian Allen Sowder on April 2, 1977, at Emporia, Kansas. Paul spent his life working in sales. He was last employed by Shepherd Team Auto Plaza where he worked until ill health forced his retirement.
He loved his dogs and watching the Kansas City Chiefs and taking care of his yard as well as watching the wildlife around his home.
Survivors include his wife, Vivian, of the home; three sons, Scott Moore, of Iola, Kansas, Jeff Moore, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Eric Moore, of Guthrie, Oklahoma and a daughter, Joy Taylor, of Salt Lake City, Utah; ten grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews.; and great-nieces and nephews. Also surviving are three sisters, Mary Wilbanks, of Paola, Kansas, Evelyn Udeen, of Chanute, Kansas and Carol Blackwell, of Sarasota, Florida.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Leona Moore and a grandson.
Rev. Jimmy Tucker and Rev. Joan Koller will conduct funeral services at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, October 27th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial will follow in the Turkey Creek Cemetery north of Uniontown, Kansas.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Friday at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the CrossPower Agape Ministry 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.
High school students do a history program in the quartermaster’s house at Fort Scott National Historic Site.
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people, so that all may experience our heritage, according to an NPS statement.
To help area children experience our heritage, Fort Scott National Historic Site administration personnel applied for and received a grant to help classroom students get to the Fort.
The grant will pay school transportation costs for area fourth-grade students to come for a hands-on experience in history.
“Students come primarily in the spring,” Barry Geersten, education program coordinator at the Fort, said. “But they could come now.”
Area high school government and history students help with re-enacting the history experiences for the fourth-graders, he said.
Fort Scott High School Teacher Josh Regan’s Advanced Placement History Class, Tami Campbell’s government class, along with Nevada High School teacher Jared Brown’s Advanced American History Class will be the instructors for the field trips, according to Geersten.
The following is a press release from the Fort about the opportunity:
“FSNHS has received a field trip grant for the 2018-2019 school year from the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.
This $5,000 grant will reimburse the costs of transportation for fourth-grade class field trips to this national park.
This grant is part of the Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program which creates pathways for kids to explore and connect with national park experiences, and is administered locally by the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
“We are excited to be able to assist school groups in coming to Fort Scott National Historic Site,” said Betty Boyko, Superintendent, FOSC. “We understand that not all schools can afford to visit even though we do not charge a fee. This grant will help reduce barriers to bringing students to have fun while learning and developing a lifelong connection to our nation’s history,” Boyko continued.
“We are pleased to be involved in helping more of the areas school children build deeper connections with Fort Scott NHS and our history,” said Reed Hartford, President of the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site, Inc.
During their time on site, the students will participate in either the “Life on the Frontier” program for grades K-4 or the “Sweep through History” program for grades 4-8.
In “Life on the Frontier,” local high school students train to be the instructors and mentors to the K-4th-grade students. They dress in period clothing and are stationed at various locations around the site focusing on various aspects of life at Fort Scott during the 1840’s.
“Sweep through History” will acquaint 4-8th-grade students with life at Fort Scott during the three most significant periods in the site’s history: Westward Expansion, Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War.
Educators, dressed in period clothing, are stationed at various locations around the site focusing on life at Fort Scott during one of these periods. Both programs have pre-visit and post-visit activities and all are aligned with Kansas and Missouri content standards.
“Trekking along trails, observing our natural ecosystems and engaging with our shared history are experiences that benefit all children,” said National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth. “Making it possible for America’s youth to explore our national parks is an investment in their future and the future of the national parks community.”
Teachers and school administrators can request additional information about transportation grants and curriculum-based field trip programs by visiting the education section of the park’s website (www.nps.gov/fosc) or contacting the education program coordinator, Barry Geertsen, at 620-223-0310 or e-mail us.
For the full list of grantees and their projects, click here.”
This is part of a series introducing the candidates in the November 6 election
State Representative, 2nd District (vote for one)
Adam J. Lusker Sr. 452 S. 210th St. Frontenac 66763 Democratic
Kenneth Collins 102 E. 1st Street Mulberry 66756 Republican
Adam Lusker
Name: Adam J. Lusker Sr.
Age: 46
Position running for: 2nd District Kansas State Representative
Residence: Frontenac, KS
Occupation: Mason
Community involvement:
Member of the following: American Legion Post 43, Frontenac Rotary, Frontenac Unified Methodist Church, Sacred Heart Church, Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge 187, Mirza Temple Shrine, Scottish Rite, Former Member of Frontenac Education Foundation and USD 249 School Board, 25-year business owner
Party affiliation: Democrat
What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it?
Maintaining a consistent revenue source, to ensure our budget is balanced and meets the needs of our community.
Give your views on the sales tax.
Sales taxes are regressive taxes. Higher sales taxes affect people’s buying power in a negative way, especially our lower and fixed-income citizens. Therefore, food sales tax impacts these same folks adversely. Our sales tax also puts border counties like ours at a disadvantage economically in regard to retail sales, food, mercantile, equipment, etc, with our neighboring state. I think we should work to reduce food sales tax, as well as sales tax in general as other sources of revenue, are realized.
Give your views on legalizing marijuana.
I do not believe Kansas is ready for legalizing marijuana. Several states are still continuing to deal with legal marijuana. We were a test site for a very costly tax plan; I think we should let other states be the petri dish on this experiment.
Give your views on health care for our state, including Medicaid.
We should continue to find ways to reduce health care costs, increase access to medicine and promote wellness in our state. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the Affordable Care Act, it is law and Kansas has to take advantage of all we can to keep our hospitals open. Kansas taxpayers have sent over $3 billion of our money to other states to expand Medicaid. The numbers show that expanding Medicaid would have a positive impact on our healthcare systems and our communities.
Give your views on abortion and Planned Parenthood.
I have a pro-life voting record and will continue. I think we should continue to invest in adoption and education to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Mable L. Miller, 91, of Fort Scott, Kansas, passed away Friday, October 19, 2018, at Via Christi in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Mabel Ladena Miller was born at home in the Hiattville area on June 29, 1927, to Roy and Bessie (Eisenbrandt) Ater. She graduated from Uniontown High School in 1945.
She was married to Elmer Miller Jr. on July 11, 1946. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, homemaker, and worked on the family farm.
Mabel was an active member of the Hiattville United Methodist Church and member of United Methodist Women. She also worked as a volunteer at Beacon for many years and the Hiattville Election Board.
Survivors include her sons: Robert “Bob” Miller and his wife Glenda, Roger Miller and his wife Lori; daughter Sandra Ellis and her husband Carl, all of the rural Hiattville area; two sisters Arla and husband Leo of Fort Scott, and Evelyn Shull of Kechi, KS; ten grandchildren, twenty-nine great-grandchildren, eight great-great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 64 years Elmer, parents Roy and Bessie Ater, sisters Thelma Buntain, Maxine Peel, Waneta Ater, and baby brother Ellwyn Ater.
Following cremation, a Memorial Service celebrating Mabel’s life will be announced at a later date. The family requests memorials be made to Hiattville United Methodist Church and Beacon of Fort Scott, and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, PO Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
Valetta Cannon with her recent awards from the Southeast Kansas Library System and the City of Fort Scott.
A local librarian recently received a recognition by the state library system and the City of Fort Scott.
Valetta Cannon, Fort Scott Public Library’s Youth Librarian and Assistant Director received a trophy from the Southeast Kansas Library System, along with a $1,000 check from SKLS for the library.
“The award was first publicly announced at the Southeast Kansas Library System’s annual meeting at Iola High School on June 1,” Cannon said. “The trophy, certificate, and check were presented to me at the Fort Scott City Commission meeting on September 18.
“A traveling plaque will be moved from the other staff excellence award winner’s library to ours at the end of the year. This is the first year these awards have been offered by SEKLS.”
According to the SEKLS website,
“Decisions will be based upon the extent to which a nominee exceeds the norm and provides excellent service or support, with consideration to the size and type of library of the nominee.
The committee’s decisions are subject to the approval of the Director.
Library staff: Any employee of an SEKLS library other than the director
Considerations: Excellent library staff provide quality service, seek to promote and improve library service, collaborate well with the director and other staff members, and make an important contribution to the functioning of the library.”
The $1,000 donation to the library will be used for services and programming
“I have submitted several ideas for investing the money into improved young patron services and programming to our library board,” Cannon said. “All purchase ideas for the award money are currently pending approval or revision.”
A trophy, a City of Fort Scott Certificate of Recognition, and a $1,000 donation to the public library were awarded Cannon.
Castmembers sing the opening song, “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island” Saturday night at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. From left: Jasper Dunn, Katie Button, Jared Oshel, Fayelyn Kmiec, Aiden Ballinger, Karri Johnson, and Harold Hicks.
Oct. 19-21, Fort Scott Community College Theatre members presented the musical version of “Gilligan’s Island”.
“Gilligan’s Island” was a comedy TV program from the mid-1960s.
Any musical is a challenge for a small department, director Allen Twitchel, stated in the bulletin for the show.
“We are attempting to produce a professional-quality show with cardboard and crepe paper while juggling everyone’s busy schedules,” Twitchel said.
The group of students and college staff worked diligently to exceed all expectations, Twitchel said.
Listening to the audience chuckle and clap, the audience seemed to agree.
The setting is a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, where seven people are stranded during a shipwreck.
They come to grips with the situation, work on schemes to get off the island and are visited by a visitor from outer-space.
Gilligan was portrayed by FSCC student Aiden Ballinger, Skipper by former FSCC student Jared Oshel, Mr. Howell by FSCC English IntructorHarold Hicks, Mrs. Howell by FSCC Office Assistant Karri Johnson, Ginger by FSCC student Fayelyn Kmiec , Professor by FSCC student Jasper Dunn, Mary Ann by FSCC student Katie Button, and Alien by FSCC student Marcus Robinson.
Several solos were performed by Ballinger, Button, Kmiec, Dunn, and Hicks.
Gilligan and Ginger both have an emotional meltdown when the castaways learn they are stranded on a deserted island.The group ties itself together in preparation of a hurricane.The outer-space alien, played by Marcus Robinson, left, aims a weapon at the Skipper and Gilligan.The group sings “Worlds Apart” in one of the final scenes of the play.From left: Marcus Robinson, Karri Johnson, and Harold Hicks wait in line to greet the audience following the musical play Saturday night
