The 2018 Annual Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Awards Celebration was held at the Liberty Theater, March 15.
On the agenda were the social hour, silent auction, dinner, a live auction, and award presentations.
Guest speakers were Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
The Fort Scott Farmers Market group met Thursday evening to review 2017 and look to this season possibilities.
The market sets up stalls in front of the Fort Scott National Historic Site at the north end of Main Street starting in May on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. until noon and Tuesday evenings from 4-6 p.m.
It continues until October.
Market stall fees are $5 per day and there is a $5 application fee to reserve a vendor space. Or there is a discounted fee of $4 per day if pre-paid in the amount of $108 for the 27-week market space.
A new president of the market was elected, Stacey Atkins.
Beverly Brown was re-elected as treasurer.
Atkins was the secretary in 2017 and that position is still open.
In 2017 the group facilitated:
The group is looking for honey producers, at the request of community members.
Group member Vickie Shead said she has some honey but production has been difficult with the drift of herbicides that have helped to decimate her bee population.
Traditional offerings of this market are veggies, fruit, eggs, crafts, jellies/jams, baked goods, herbs, live plants, nuts, and pottery.
This year Fort Scott Kiwanis has offered to do Breakfast on the Bricks the first Saturday in May, according to Mickie Kraft, a group member.
Group member Ronnie Brown told about the Bourbon County Food Alliance that he is a part of.
“They were talking about how they could help us, possibly furnishing entertainment, breakfast, public relations, and help with the business part,” Brown said. “They want to see this farmers market extended.”
Brown also mentioned Project 17, which is a regional economic development and community engagement initiative in the southeast region of the state, according to a K-State website.
“Bob Marshall helped initiate it,” Brown said. Marshall was a Kansas Senator from 2009 to 2013.
“Local food is a by-word now,” Brown said. “There is a lot to look forward to, a lot of enthusiasm.”
Newly elected President Stacey Atkins told the group about a program through a Pathways Grant that is seeking input from local food producers.
“On May 3, a Buy and Sell-Meet and Greet will be at 5:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall,” Atkins said. “This meeting will be to bridge the divide between local gardeners and retail food sellers.”
Several family groups took advantage of a warm Kansas day Thursday at Gunn Park. Temperatures were in the high 60s.
A local helping agency provides both a need and a want.
The Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition provides rent/utility bill assistance and additionally, family passes to the Fort Scott Municipal Swimming pool in the summer, with help from United Way of Bourbon County.
FortScott.Biz is featuring each agency that was granted funding through United Way.
The contact person is Billie Jo Drake, her phone number is 620-223-5946 and email address is bjducktracks @gmail.com
What service do you provide for our community?
“We have two programs: rent and utility bill assistance and the family pool pass project.”
When are you open?
“We have no office or office hours. People who are in need of assistance make their requests through the Beacon (Phone, 620-223-6869 · Address. 525 E 6th St; Fort Scott, Kansas 66701.) Pool pass applications can be obtained at Buck Run Community Center Phone, (620-223-0386 · Address. 735 Scott Ave; Fort Scott, Kansas 66701) in the spring.”
What percentage of your budget is the United Way grant?
“It varies depending on other grants and donations, but this year it will be about 20 percent.”
Who are the board members?
Doug Altic, Bob Eckles, Sue Emmons, Shana McClure, Tisha Miller, DeAnn Welch, and Billie Jo Drake.
Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative, Girard, is extending its’ “Fiber to the Home” network into the city limits of Fort Scott.
“We will be offering ultra-fast fiber optic internet up to 1 gigabit, high definition cable TV services, and phone service to residences and businesses,” said Zach Adams, Manager of Marketing and Customer Service of Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative.
“We will be providing better, faster, more reliable services using the latest technology at extremely competitive prices,” Adams said. “We will not require residential contracts and do not charge equipment rental fees or installation fees on new customers.”
“We are already hooking up customers in select areas and taking orders in Country Club Hills and along Indian Road and West 23rd Street,” Adam said. “Keep an eye on your mailbox for notification of availability in your area!”
Craw-Kan is hoping to expand its customer base and the size of its network footprint, he said.
The current plan is to finish the main trunk line loop through the city and begin building in some neighborhoods along the way.
“Later this year we plan to begin building in the historic downtown district and industrial parks,” Adams said. “Next year we plan to announce a larger scale expansion that will reach a large number of residents.”
” We have served a large portion of rural Bourbon county for a long time,” Adams said. ” This is an extension into the city limits.”
K-State presents Landscaping for Hummingbirds workshop March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Yeager Building on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
USD 234 is making preschool for students a priority, according to Nicki Traul, director of curriculum.
“We are very fortunate that students have many opportunities for preschool in Fort Scott,” she said. “This initiative isn’t to compete with those other preschools.”
Many kindergarten students have not had any early childhood opportunities, Traul said.
“Our expansion is so that we can find those students and get them in a program,” she said. ” The district wants to see that every USD 234 child gets at least one year of preschool prior to starting kindergarten. We need all the preschools in town to be able to do that.”
Traul is attempting to contact all preschool providers in town to establish an early childhood professional learning community.
“It helps us as a district to work with the other preschools,” she said. “Why wouldn’t we want to help each other? ”
In an effort to collaborate with other Fort Scott preschools, Traul has organized a meeting.
Invitations will be sent to area preschools for representatives to meet at 1 p.m. on April 12 in the Fort Scott Middle School Community Room.
Sandy Ellsworth, Greenbush Early Childhood Department, will facilitate the meeting.
The community is welcome to attend.
“We are excited at the opportunity to work with others in our community and the good that will come from that,” Traul said. “Our students need to be our focus and our priority, as a community we need to support early childhood and help each other.”
The USD 234 preschool is located at 409 S. Judson, in back of the former middle school.
Traul said the USD 234 plan is to carve out classrooms from an existing gym at the preschool.
The gym is partially used for the cafeteria and storage currently.
State senator Richard Hilderbrand 13th district
communications from the state capitol
March 9, 2018 ∙ Week Nine
Quote of the Week:
“The Constitution shall never be construed…to prevent the people of the United States
Who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.”
– Samuel Adams, Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, 86-87
HARD FACTS:
Many of us have “learn a new language” on our to-do list. With Mango Languages, you can learn over 70 languages right from your own computer (or smartphone!). This online language learning service provided by the State Library is easy to use. Choose from 72 languages including Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese, plus many more. Mango uses real life situations and conversations to more effectively teach a new language. Mango also includes 19 English as a second language options. Use as a Guest or register to track your progress (and for smartphone use). https://kslib.info/Mango
If the page above asks for a Kansas Library eCard number, you may get one at any library in Kansas. Most people will be automatically recognized as inside Kansas and will not need this step. Questions: [email protected] or 785-296-3296. To see all the State Library’s online resources, visit http://kslib.info/eor
It was nice to have a chance to discuss issues in the Capitol, with faculty and students from the Pittsburg State University Social Work Program, this week.
FLOOR ACTION:
MICROBREWERY CONTRACTING (HB 2470): House Bill 2470 allows Kansas microbreweries to contract with other microbreweries to sell and package beer and hard cider. The legislation regulates the amount of beer and hard cider that can be transported between facilities. This bill passed the Senate 39-0.
CEREAL MALT BEVERAGE SALE REGULATIONS (HB 2502): House Bill 2502 allows cereal malt beverage (no more than 6.0 percent alcohol volume) licenses to be subject to state and local taxes instead of the state liquor tax. This bill passed the Senate 39-0.
CONVENTION OF STATES (SCR 1611): Senate Concurrent Resolution 1611 makes the application to the Congress of the United States to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose limits on the federal government. This bill failed 22-16 (The resolution needed 27 votes or two-thirds in favor to pass). I voted against this bill, for the following reasons;
I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to address these concerns. With the state of Kansas already having two active resolutions calling for a convention, we cannot delay in addressing these concerns. The time to correct these issues is now, not after a convention has been called.
SENATOR DOLL’S PARTY AFFILIATION CHANGE:
This week Senator John Doll (I- Garden City) changed his party affiliation from republican to independent. Senator Doll changed his party affiliation to join Greg Orman’s independent ticket for governor.
In 2006, Doll ran as a democrat for US Congress against Jerry Moran in District 1. From 2010-2011 Doll served as the mayor of Garden City and then served in the Kansas House of Representatives as a republican from 2013 to 2016. Doll has been in the Kansas Senate since 2016.
Due to Sen. Doll’s affiliation change and in accordance to Senate Rule 22, the following Senators have replaced Sen. Doll in his committees:
Senator Bruce Givens
Senator Ty Masterson
Presenting the Fort Scott USD 234 Debate Team with a Senate Resolution congratulating and commending the members of the Fort Scott High School debate team for their performance in the class 4A state debate tournament.
Senators Hilderbrand and Tyson introduced the following Senate resolution, which
was read:
SENATE RESOLUTION No. 1773―
A RESOLUTION
congratulating and commending the members of the Fort Scott High
School debate team for their performance in the class 4A state debate tournament.
WHEREAS, The Fort Scott High School debate team traveled to Coffeyville,
Kansas, for the 4A State Debate Tournament on January 12 and 13; and
WHEREAS, The team was represented in the four-speaker division by the regional
championship team of Darby Toth, Rebekah Sweyko, Joe Adams and Isabella Provence,
with alternates Kaden Kiwan and Ashtyn Dowell. The team took fourth place to KC
Piper, Bishop Miege and Louisburg by one win; and
WHEREAS, In the two-speaker division, the team took four pairs, the maximum
number allowed for a school. In order to qualify, the teams earned a win-loss record of
50% or better over four tournaments above the novice level. Fort Scott was represented
by the teams of Madison Toth and Mark Adams; Zoe Self and Elizabeth Ngatia;
Brooklyn Lyons and Dalton Womeldorff; and Tayton Majors and Sara Al-Shawish; and
WHEREAS, Sixty teams participated in the tournament and all four Fort Scott teams
broke to double octofinals. In the double octofinal round, Madison Toth and Mark
Adams lost to Nickerson, while Brooklyn Lyons and Dalton Womeldorff lost to
Louisburg. Tayton Majors and Sara Al-Shawish made it to the quarterfinals and ended
up fourth after losing to Topeka Hayden. The team of Zoe Self, a first-year debater, and
Elizabeth Ngatia, a second-year debater, lost in the finals to Wichita Collegiate and
brought home the second-place trophy; and
WHEREAS, The Fort Scott High School debate team has been state champion or
state runner-up in four of the last five years and is coached by Amber Toth, with
assistant coaches Travis Toth and Sarah Bahr: Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas:
That we congratulate and
commend the Fort Scott High School debate team and their coaches for their
outstanding performance in the class 4A state debate tournament; and
Be it further resolved:
That the Secretary of the Senate shall send enrolled copies of
this resolution to Senators Hilderbrand and Tyson, and 18 enrolled copies to Amber
Toth.
On emergency motion of
Senator Hilderbrand
SR 1773
was adopted unanimously.
The senate honored the students with a standing ovation.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR CERTAIN STATEWIDE OFFICE:
On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Elections and Local Government held a hearing on HB 2539 which deals with qualifications for candidates seeking certain statewide office. The bill would list a minimum age requirement to run for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, and insurance commissioner.
Currently, there is not a minimum age requirement therefore any current resident of Kansas is eligible to run. There were two proponents of the bill at Wednesday’s hearing, the Kansas Secretary of State’s office and Kansas House Representative Blake Carpenter. Both noted that a “qualified elector” should be at least 18 years of age.
Wichita Eagle Exposes Web of Special Carve-Outs in Kansas Tax Law
On February 26th, the Wichita Eagle published an article by Jonathan Shorman (http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article202129814.html) discussing the multitude of tax exemptions that are provided in Kansas law. As the article reveals:
“All told, Kansas grants more than $6 billion in credits and exemptions each year, according to a report last fall (http://www.kslpa.org/assets/files/reports/r-17-015.pdf) from state auditors. The vast majority — about $5.9 billion — comes from sales tax exemptions.
Just over 80 percent of what the state gives away in sales tax exemptions is required by the federal government or needed to avoid double taxation, auditors said in a 2010 review. For example, Kansas has a sales tax exemption for food stamps based on federal law.
That means the state directly controls about $1.2 billion a year in exemptions and credits.”
In the past, conservatives in the Kansas Legislature have attempted to reform the process for granting exemptions and/or repeal some with the goal of reducing overall rates for all Kansans. As Rep. John Whitmer said in the article:
“If we had had that kind of revenue coming in, would they have had to do a $1.2 billion retroactive tax increase? Would we be fighting the courts? My take: Yes, because we would have spent all that money anyway. But I’m sure it would be a different picture.”
NFIB: Small Businesses Can’t Afford Higher Property Taxes
https://www.nfib.com/content/news/kansas/nfib-small-businesses-cant-afford-higher-property-taxes/
Key Excerpt:
As we know anecdotally, small businesses rank property taxes among the most despised taxes because they pay the tax whether they are producing income or not. Indeed, our research backs up this claim. In NFIB’s most recent Small Business Problems and Priorities (http://www.nfib.com/assets/NFIB-Problems-and-Priorities-2016.pdf), a publication with extensive research on the problems facing small businesses, property taxes were the 8th most concerning issue, which was just ahead of state income tax rates at 9th.
HOUSE COMMITTEE DEBATES BILL TO HIKE PROPERTY TAXES
House Tax Committee held a hearing this week on a bill that, if passed, could nearly double the statewide mill levy from the current 20.0 mills to 38.43 mills in 2021. This would mean an increase in property taxes collected nearly two-fold.
Details of HB 2740:
Estimated property tax revenues from the current 20.00 mill levy for FY 2019 are $670.3 million.
The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates HB 2740 would increase revenues from the mill levy by a total of $234.9 million in FY 2019, $445.4 million in FY 2020 and $640.5 million in FY 2021.
HOUSE LEADERSHIP RELEASES KANSAS SAFE AND SECURE SCHOOLS ACT
HB 2773, the Kansas Safe and Secure Schools Act, was introduced in the House this week. The act creates the school safety and security grant fund, requires the State Board of Education to develop statewide requirements for public school buildings and requires public school districts to adopt a comprehensive school safety plan, based on the SBOE requirements. The act also allows school districts to provide firearm safety programs and adds an additional 2 FTE to the Department of Education for the management of the Safe and Secure Schools Act.
Details of HB 2773
NEXT WEEK:
MONDAY-
TUESDAY-
WEDNESDAY-
THURSDAY-
FRIDAY-
Below are links to make it easy for constituents to follow the Kansas Legislature:
Website – www.kslegislature.org. It is great for looking up bills, calendars, journals, as well as, the roster in each Chamber.
YouTube of Legislature – http://bit.ly/2CZj9O0 Did you know the legislature is now streaming its proceedings? The YouTube page has an archive of the sessions thus far – including the State of the State and the State of the Judiciary.
Committee Streaming – http://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00287/Harmony/en/View/Calendar/ The Kansas Legislature is also streaming committees, with every committee room equipped with audio streaming technology.
Thank You for Engaging
Thank you for all your calls, emails, and letters regarding your thoughts and concerns about happenings in Kansas. Constituent correspondence helps inform my decision-making process and is taken into great consideration when I cast my vote in the Kansas Senate. I hope you’ll continue to engage with me on the issues that matter most to you, your family, and our community. If you are on Twitter or Facebook, I encourage you to follow along with the #ksleg hashtag for real-time updates on legislative happenings in Topeka.
Please know that I am fully committed to addressing the current issues in our state, and I am proud to be your voice in the Kansas Senate.
Fort Scott Community College President’s Ambassadors have come up with a fun way to fundraise, and add an entertainment venue to the community.
“Last fall, Matt Glades, Jennalee Martin and I went to an escape room in Joplin,” Kassie Fugate-Cate said. All three are staff/faculty at the college.
“An escape room is an interactive game/puzzle where groups of people are locked in a room and have to solve puzzles and find clues to escape, all within 60 minutes,” according to Newsweek Magazine.
Following the Joplin excursion, Glades proposed an idea to the Ambassadors of designing and implementing an escape room for fundraising, Fugate- Cate said. They agreed.
“He got them a room, they did the rest,” Fugate-Cate said.
“We began planning in August,” Haley O’Neal, an FSCC Ambassador said. “We just now got to the point to financially support it.”
The cost isn’t much, but a camera had to be installed in the room.
“We had to install a camera, which was $500,” O’Neal said. “Legally we had to be able to watch so there is no property damage (to the school).
“We did research on designing a room, (and) one of our Ambassadors had been through a lot of escape rooms,” O’Neal said.
The theme the group chose for their room is “Secret Agency.”
The lights are turned off the duration of the time in the escape room.
“Initially, someone must find the flashlight,” O’Neal said.
Waivers must be signed and fees paid 24 hours prior to the assigned time.
Prices are $5 for students and faculty/staff, $10 for community members. A team is comprised of up to five people.
The escape event is available Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 6 to 8 p..m or by appointment.
Contact the admissions office at 620.223.2700 ext. 3520 or email [email protected] for more information.
Participants must be at the escape room 15 minutes prior to their assigned time. If a time has been scheduled, no refund will be provided.
Several groups have spent time in the “Secret Agency” room for trial runs, Fugate-Cate said.
“The best time they have now is 30 minutes,” Fugate- Cate said.
The storyline will be changed periodically, Fugate- Cate said, to keep it interesting.
“I love that we are trying something new,” O’Neal said. “The Ambassadors are creating a fundraiser to do a fun day together later.”
O’Neal said the group has a plan to Main Event Entertainment in Kansas City on April 14.
The Bourbon County Arts Council’s 26th Annual Fine Arts Exhibit and Sale has grown over the years, according to the judge who picked the winners.
Schultz judged about four years ago she said.
“There is a lot more artwork this time, 125 pieces,” Schultz said. “Last time it was 80ish pieces.”
This year is a bigger variety as well, she said.
Schultz said she looks for composition, color techniques, and technical skills when she judges art.
This year she felt like the jewelry pieces “were really beautifully done, they were amazing,” she said.
The exhibit continues from noon to 7 p.m. through March 9 at the Ellis Fine Art Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
Featured below are the first and second place winners of the exhibit.
Pictured below are some glimpses of artwork submitted to the exhibition by area artists.
The following are corporate prize sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goldston, Landmark Bank, City State Bank, McDonald’s Restaurant, Union State Bank, H & R Block, H & H Realty, Fort Scott Broadcasting, Bernita Hill, Ward Kraft. The best of show prize is awarded in honor of E. C. Gordon.
Juror Tera Schultz is the fine arts instructor at Allen County Community College, Iola.
Meals on Wheels in Bourbon County delivers a lunch to 45 households Monday through Thursday.
The service is for people 60 years and older.
“There are no income guidelines,” Jackie Sellers, site manager of Bourbon County Senior Citizens, said. “There is a suggested donation of $1 per meal.”
There are two driving routes that take approximately 45 minutes to deliver the meals.
Each Wednesday a frozen meal is delivered with the hot meal, which can be consumed on Friday.
At 9:30 a.m. each Meals on Wheels day, volunteers gather to divide and pack up the meals that are supplied through the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging, Pittsburg. The meals are then delivered in a local vehicle.
Snowy or icy weather can prevent the van full of food from Pittsburg to arrive, Sellers said.
“People have to watch on TV for cancellations,” Sellers said. “It’s referred to as Senior Meals.”
Deb Needleman, treasurer of the Bourbon County Senior Citizens said the United Way of Bourbon County grant money received goes to the Meals on Wheels part of the Bourbon County Senior Citizens budget.
“The expense of meal preparation is $30,000,” Needleman said. The United Way funds 30 percent of our budget for Meals on Wheels.”
The Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging provides oversight for Meals on Wheels, Sellers said.
The SEKAAA Executive Director is Cindy Lane, who can be reached at 620-431-2980.
