Dr. Mary Jo Flint started on August 26 as a pediatrician at the Community Health Center Of Southeast Kansas in Fort Scott.
Flint earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks and taught kindergarten and Head Start classes.
“I was a teacher and enjoyed kids,” she said. “I enjoy watching them grow and working with families….helping them.”
Her decision to go on to medical school at the University of North Dakota was an extension of her wanting to help kids, she said. She graduated from med school in 1991 and completed her residency at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City. She is board-certified in pediatrics through the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For the last three years, she has worked in Tennessee in rural medicine.
With a daughter in Kansas City and a new grandchild, she wanted to be closer to them.
What attracted her to Fort Scott was the mission of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, she said.
According to the CHC website, they transform healthcare by addressing and removing barriers faced in finding quality healthcare, and are driven to provide compassionate care for everyone who comes, regardless of circumstances.
The medical services Flint provides are well checks-preventative appointments with children from birth to 18 years old and their parents- sick visits, developmental screenings, vaccines, x-rays, ultrasound, and mental health screenings.
“I use Evidence–based medicine (EBM),” she said, which is the scientific method to organize and apply current data to improve healthcare decisions. “I am constantly learning. If I find that something isn’t working, I don’t keep on doing it, I try something else.”
CHC has a walk-in clinic on site, 2322 S. Main, that is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the doctor’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Contact Dr. Flint at 620.223.8040 for an appointment for your child.
About CHC
Providing Compassionate Care
In 1903 Mother Mary Bernard Sheridan, a Sister of Saint Joseph, brought healthcare to the poorest in our region, building a hospital on donated land and providing care for all. She told her staff to “Do all the good that you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways that you can, for just as long as you can,” according to the CHC website.
Humble Beginnings
CHC/SEK opened its doors in 1997 on the second floor of a 90-year-old elementary school building as a community outreach of Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center, the hospital Mother Sheridan founded in 1903. Their purpose was to ensure that all children were “ready to learn” by providing physicals and immunizations, no matter their parents’ ability to pay. It was a mission of love in an area of critical need – a community that continues to have some of the highest rates of childhood poverty in Kansas.
They quickly realized these children’s parents and grandparents needed care too and expanded services and facilities to provide quality, affordable healthcare to patients of all ages. By 2003, they had become an independent organization with 11 employees that cared for 3,300 patients.
Healthier Communities
Today, more than 1000 employees care for more than 70,000 patients every year, providing medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and support services across eastern Kansas and northeast Oklahoma – still regardless of the ability to pay.
The 21st Annual Fort Scott Holiday Open House Shopping Event in the historic downtown district and around town is next week.
The main kick-off event is Thursday, November 7 from 5-8 p.m. Some stores will remain open to 9 p.m.
The evening includes festive refreshments, drawings and deals on products, according to a Chamber of Commerce press release.
On Thursday evening the Kansas Museum Conference will end a meeting at 8:30 p.m. at the River Room and most of the stores will remain open to accommodate conference attendees, said Lindsay Madison, Chamber Executive Director.
There will be approximately 130 conference attendees in Fort Scott for that conference.
Most stores will continue to have Open House on Friday and Saturday, November 8 and 9.
Drawings, discounts, and treats await, while shoppers find unique apparel, gifts and holiday décor.
The asterisk beside the participating store names below indicates they are staying open until 9 p.m.
110 South Main Mercantile* Angie Dawn’s Boutique* Barbed Wire & Roses Vintage Market* Bartelsmeyer Jewelry* Be the Light Boutique* Bids & Dibs* Hedgehog.Ink!* Iron Star Antiques & Such* Laree + Co* Mayco Ace Hardware* Museum of Creativity* Sekan’s Occasion Shop* Sunshine Boutique* The Artificers* The Kitchen Collective + Collaborative* US Cellular* Varia Quality Resale
History of the Event
The first holiday open house was in 2003 at the Iron Star Antiques and Such, 3 North Main.
Barb Trimbur and Cindy Bowman were vendors in the Iron Star and they decided to host an open house after Trimbur had made an offer to purchase the store from Yvonne Beck and Beck accepted the offer. The deal was finalized in 2004.
“The purpose of the first holiday open house was to introduce myself as the new owner,” Trimbur said. “We were decorating the store and thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have a party to kick off the season.”
Trimbur said about 10 years ago other downtown stores decided to have an open house as well.
Madison said the last quarter of the year, the holiday season, is the busiest time of the year for businesses.
The unusually warm weather—almost 90 degrees—and the strong winds have created dangerous conditions for fires once they have started.
Stacy Racy stated on her Facebook page last night that her dad, Bill Keith , had a piece of farm equipment engulfed in fire.
Her dad was combining wheat on his farm near Hammond, about 12 miles north of Fort Scott on Monday evening, October 28.
“You can’t see right behind you on a combine,” Racy said. “The combine died and he stood on the platform on it and saw that it was on fire.”
“Tonight, my dad’s combine caught fire. Once again, Jerry Nafzger, my dad’s guardian angel here on earth, came to his rescue,” she said on her Facebook page. “My dad didn’t know the combine was on fire until it died in the field. Jerry had seen the fire and called the fire department as he headed to the field.”
“Two young men Kyler Tweedy and Clint Barker from the Muddy Waters Farms elevator (in Hammond) arrived and plowed around the north side of the combine since the wind was blowing fiercely,” she said. “They plowed around… to keep the fire from jumping.”
Racy thanked the Bourbon County Fire District #3 for aiding in putting out the fire. This rural fire department had just come from a grass fire in the area.
“Thank you to Bourbon County Fire District 3. This rural fire district covers the Devon, Uniontown, Hiattville, Fulton, Bronson, and Redfield areas in the county,” she said
“Most of these young men and women are volunteers and all worked together to get the fire under control quickly,” she said.
Racy noted that the fire crew had to wait on a train at Soldier Road in traveling to the site of the fire.
Racy posted the above photo on her Facebook page and said:
“I have several pictures ( she took of the combine fire) but this one spoke volumes as a 80-year-old man watches his combine go up in smoke,” she said. “We can replace the combine, it’s just materialistic, but once again Jesus protected him and sent people to help him. Jerry (Nafger)even came back later to pray with him!”
“Numerous neighbors came to check on him,” Racy said.” Living in this community is such a blessing.”
The combine is a total loss, she said.
This morning she received a text from a young farmer neighbor, Charles Johnson, who volunteered to come combine the rest of the wheat, she said.
“When people need help, people step up,” she said. “We have such good people as neighbors.”
This is the proclamation against all outside fires in Bourbon County, until lifted.
“Due to the extreme heat and little rain, fire-hazard conditions in Bourbon County are very high. Because of the limitations of water usage by rural fire districts, there is concern for the capabilities of those fire districts to address any fire. Once started, with the present weather conditions, a fire will be difficult to control by fire departments. Water usage is of great concern to all fire departments, and the availability of enough water to contain a fire.
The dry conditions, above-normal temperatures and fire danger will continue unabated until sufficient rainfall occurs across the area.
It is hereby proclaimed, directed, and ordered by the Bourbon County Commissioners, in accordance with K.S.A. 48-932, that the following acts are prohibited within the boundaries of this County by all citizens and visitors:
All outside burning, unless specifically approved in writing by the Fire Chief, with the exception of covered barbeque grills.
The knowing and willful violation of this order shall constitute a Class A misdemeanor and any person convicted of such violation shall be punished as provided by law. [K.S.A. 48-939]
This Proclamation shall be in full force and effect until lifted.
Passed in open session by the Board of County Commissioners of Bourbon County, Kansas, this 15th day of October 2024.”
The plan for the new ice skating rink is to open during the Christmas on the Bricks Festival, Friday, December 7th at the Gathering Pavilion on North National Avenue, according to Diane Striler, project coordinator.
“The high school carpentry class led by Jason Johnson, is starting to build the shed that will house the skates,” said Striler.
“Sharky’s Pub and Grub, 16 N. National will be hosting on Nov. 4th to help us raise funds for the rink,” she said. Ten percent of the net sales that day will be donated to help fund the ice skating rink.
“I have also included links for people who would like to help us with a donation. We are getting closer, but still need a little over $20,000.00.” The total goal of the rink that will last approximately 15 years is $50,000 which includes the skates, rink, sharpeners, and building that will house the skates and take the $5 fee for skating.
See the flyer below to scan and donate to the ice skating rink.
The rink is a new addition to the Christmas on The Bricks festival that began last year in Historic Downtown Fort Scott.
Two questions will be decided by Bourbon County voters at the end of November 5th’s election, along with choosing the leaders at all government levels. At a recent Bourbon County Commission meeting Clerk Jennifer Hawkins laid out the Kansas Law prohibiting electioneering, following is the excerpt from the minutes.
Electioneering Not Allowed
Jennifer Hawkins, County Clerk, discussed the upcoming General Election and went over what electioneering is.
“Jennifer stated that KSA 25-2430 outlines electioneering and defines it as
“knowingly attempting to persuade or influence eligible voters to vote for or against a particular candidate, party or question submitted, including wearing, exhibiting or distributing labels, signs, posters, stickers other materials that clearly identify a candidate in the election or clearly indicate support or opposition to a question submitted election, within any polling place, on election day or advance voting site, during the time period allowed by law for casting a ballot by advance voting, or within a radius of 250 feet from the entrance thereof.”
“Jennifer explained this means that there cannot be any t-shirts, hats, flags on vehicles, magnets on vehicles, pins, or other wearable advertisement containing a candidate’s name or slogan.
“Jennifer said that the statue exempts “bumper stickers that are affixed to a motor vehicle that is used to transport voters to a polling place or to an advance voting site for the purpose of voting.”
“Jennifer said that any political yard signs near a polling place cannot be within 250 feet of an entrance.”
Questions On The Ballot
County Question
“Shall the current number of Bourbon County Commissioner Districts set forth in KSA 19-203(a)(b)(c)(d) & (e), be increased to five (5) Commissioner Districts?
Yes or No
Commissioner Brandon Whisenhunt said that the question is on the ballot because of a petition that was passed around the county to increase the number of commissioners.
The number of petition signers was not going to meet the deadline but was coming close to the required number, and the petitioner, Michael Hoyt, requested that the commission put it on the ballot for the voters to decide. In a 2 to 1 vote, Clifton Beth and Whisenhunt voted yes and Jim Harris voted no.
“I am hoping it will cause more discussion of issues,” Whisenhunt said. “There will be more discussion with five people talking about an issue instead of three.”
USD 234 Question
“Shall the method of election in Unified School District No. 234, Bourbon County, Kansas, be changed from the six-member district method of election, under which the school district is not divided into any member districts and all board members are elected at large?
Yes or No
Destry Brown, Superintendent of USD 234 provided the following ballot question explanation.
“The USD # 234 Board of Education is asking patrons to consider a change to how Board of Education members are selected. Currently, each member is chosen from a specific area within the district boundaries, and all voters within the district vote on every position.
“This was done years ago when consolidation was done and the
district wanted to have representation from the different school communities: Winfield Scott, Eugene Ware, and rural schools like Fulton.
“Today, all students in the district attend all our schools. No attendance center boundaries exist any longer.
“In recent years, we have had to fill positions on the Board of Education due to death, movement of members out of the district, changes in job responsibilities, and retirement.
The district has found it difficult to find people to run for the Board of Education based on these specific areas that were designated years ago. Consequently, we only have six board members right now.
“We are asking the community to consider changing all our Board of Education members to at-large seats.
“This will allow people in any area of the district to run for the Board of Education.
“Some concerns have been voiced that all the board members could be elected from one neighborhood. Theoretically, that could be possible. However, it has not occurred in the districts that use the at-large format. In fact, the makeup of those boards often are more diverse.
“What would that look like? Next year, the district will have four positions open.
“Anyone interested in becoming a board member can file for a position. Suppose six people decide to run for the board. Then, the ballot next November will list all six people, and voters will select four candidates they would like to have on the Board
of Education.
“The four with the most votes, then become board members no matter where they live within the district boundaries.”
First Southern Baptist Church at 1818 S. Main is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024.
“It was chartered in 1963,” said current pastor, Joel Crippen.
The church currently has nursing home ministries, men’s and women’s fellowships, and they support missionaries through the Southern Baptist Convention Mission Board, he said.
The church’s theme for its anniversary is “Standing on the Word of God, Past, Present, Future.”
The public is invited to join the celebration events that start on Friday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a traveling museum, and 6:45 p.m. is the Family Life Center Dedication. The museum will continue Oct. 25-27 with daily hours.
On Saturday the Tucker Family Band will perform at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, the Missourians Gospel Group will perform at 6 p.m.
There will be free-will offerings for all concerts and the Bible Museum.
Church service times are Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and Morning worship at 10:50 a.m. They average about 80 people in attendance the pastor said.
Evening services each week are at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays with Youth AWANA at 6:30 p.m.
Pastor Crippen said the mission of the church is to “spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Traveling Bible Museum
Beginning on Friday, Oct. 25, a traveling museum on the Bible will be on exhibit at the church, at 1818 S. Main in the Family Life Center.
Ancient artifacts and a working replica of the press that printed the first Bible will be on display.
There will be tours/viewing and teaching classes with exhibit presentations daily at 1:30 p.m. with curator John Sliffe.
For more information contact the church at 620.223.2986
The Tucker Family Band
The Tucker Family Band will perform at the church on Saturday, October 26, at 7:00 p.m., 1818 S. Main.
The Tucker Family Band is comprised of Carolyn Tucker (keys and vocals) Fort Scott; daughter Mariam Tucker Self (lead vocals and saxophone) Peculiar, MO; son Aaron Tucker (drums and vocals) Asbury, MO; cousin Jessie Bergen (electric bass) Anderson, MO; and J Williams (lead guitar) Columbus, KS. Kitten Lagoon from Anderson, MO, is the sound engineer and emcee according to a press release.
As youngsters, singing and playing instruments was just a normal part of being a kid and having fun. All of the band members grew up in the church and have a passion for sharing the gospel through music. The members have been involved in worship at their own individual churches for years.
The TFB’s repertoire includes the beloved gospel music of Elvis Presley plus other Christian recording artists. Some of the featured songs are: I Believe, Up Above My Head, Where Could I Go, Peace in the Valley, Bosom of Abraham, Can‘t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus, and many more. No matter what your musical preferences are, there will be something for everyone.
There is no admission fee for the one-hour concert. A free-will offering will be received.
The Missourians
The Missourians will perform at 6 on Sunday, October 27 at the church.
What started as a male trio in the 1980s took on that traditional four-part harmony sound several years later and the group hasn’t looked back, according to their website. This vocal group is comfortable performing on concert stages before thousands, as well as in rural churches. The group’s versatility makes them a favorite among young audiences and older music lovers alike. Their ability to adapt to any setting, without compromising the message they present, makes them a favorite wherever their music is shared.
Over the past 30+ years, the group has recorded a total of 19 albums and 2 videos with their latest project “Jesus Saves”. The recording, like each performance, is a testament to the versatility of the quartet, as it encompasses a mix of both traditional hymns and Southern Gospel classics, without distracting from the Gospel message.
The Missourians have shared the stage with such greats as Gold City, Brian Free & Assurance, Ivan Parker, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, and many others.
The Missourians continue to reach new plateaus, as they consistently strive for perfection in their musical presentation of the Gospel message. “We believe we are constantly reaching new levels, lyrically, vocally, and spiritually. We believe that’s what God expects of us, and our greatest desire is to please Him in all we do,” according to their website
This month, Fort Scott Community College received the 2023 College of Tomorrow Platinum Award from John Deere.
“We received the award on Oct.4th, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa,” said Dale Griffiths, who along with Mike White is an instructor at the Fort Scott Community College John Deere Technology Center.
“John Deere’s College of Tomorrow Award scores John Deere TECH schools on many things like facilities, recruiting, retention, graduates, the amount of training our instructors put in annually, and website, just to name a few,” said Griffiths. “The levels that are awarded are platinum, gold, and bronze. With Platinum being the highest possible score. We are honored to receive this award for 2023 and hope to continue in 2024.”
About The Program
At Fort Scott Community College’s John Deere Tech Program, approximately 20 students per year graduate, “With 95% employed by their sponsoring dealership after graduation,” said Dale Griffiths.
A student can complete the John Deere Tech certificate in one year with an option to complete an Associate of Applied Science Degree after that, according to information provided by Griffiths.
Candidates for the program must secure a sponsorship from a John Deere dealer but can be helped, if necessary, by an FSCC John Deere Tech Instructor in locating a dealership near you to visit to obtain your sponsorship.
On November 4 at 11 a.m., a new place for senior citizens to get healthy meals and an opportunity for social engagement will begin at Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Avenue, Fort Scott.
“60+ Nutrition Bourbon County is the name of the program,” said Kathy Brennon, Executive Director of Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging.
“We currently provide approximately 1,000 home-delivered meals a month to 72 people in Bourbon County, from Monday through Thursday,” she said. “This is generally known as Meals on Wheels, but there are other organizations that provide meals to individuals in their homes.”
The meals are cooked in the agency’s industrial kitchen in Pittsburg and transported to Fort Scott to be portioned for home delivery.
The Older American Act, OAA funding has two goals: to provide healthy meals to homebound individuals and, for those not homebound, to also provide a healthy meal and opportunities for social engagement which contributes to health and well-being, she said.
“The funding is primarily through the Older American Act which is federal funds, and also funded by the State of Kansas,” she said. “This funding has a required match which is provided with county funding and donations.”
Volunteers Are A Key Component Of The Funding
” For Fort Scott, there is only one SEKAAA paid staff, with volunteer staff doing the home delivery. Last year, volunteers provided over 2000 hours of assistance. Without these committed volunteers, the program couldn’t occur,” she said.
“Volunteers can be daily, one day a week, or whatever works for the person. Sometimes a business or church takes home- delivery as a project and commits to a specific day or week and they rotate their staff.”
“We do conduct background checks for all our volunteers. Volunteers frequently say they get so much out of the experience and typically people are so grateful. If someone is interested in volunteering they can call 620-305-1539 for more information.”
The Target Participants
“The target participant is individuals 60 and older. The spouse of the participant, regardless of age, and individuals less than 60 years of age with a disability, who reside in the home with and accompany a participant are also eligible to participate.”
If interested, the person must make a reservation by calling 620-305-1539.
Why this service?
“I started at SEKAAA as executive director in 2021,” she said. “I had a vague knowledge of the nutrition program but did not realize how important it was to the participants. We were coming off the COVID restrictions, in which we were slowly opening our meal sites. Social isolation and poverty is an identified concern for the elderly in the nine-county area, Allen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, Woodson.”
“Veivek Murthy, US Surgeon General reports that there is significant health concerns associated with loneliness. He reports that the health impact of social isolation is similar to what is caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”
“Home delivery is a very important service we provide, but we also believe that people meeting together for a healthy meal and seeing and making friends is also important. In our surveys of the congregate program, 35.6% of our participants eat alone. America’s Health Ranking reports that nearly 10% of Kansans age 60 and over face the threat of hunger. Murthy’s Social Connection Advisory reports that studies have shown that socially connected people live longer and are typically healthier. We at SEKAAA made it a goal to promote social connections whenever possible.”
“In Bourbon County over 26% of the population is over the age of 60 and it is anticipated it will continue to grow,” she said. “This program helps us meet our organization’s mission of helping people age their way, by having resources in place to keep people in their communities healthy and safe as long as possible.”
“There is a requested donation of $2 per meal, but no one is denied a meal. We do accept SNAP (foodstamps), she said.
Rachel Carpenter started as the new Fort Scott Employee Relations and Special Project Manager on October 10.
Her office is located in City Hall, and she can be reached at [email protected] or 620-215-2562.
“With three years of experience at The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, I bring a strong background in grant writing, community change, and relationship-building,” she said.
“The City of Fort Scott is engaged in many exciting projects, and I look forward to building on the momentum I see,” she said. “My goal is to bring additional resources and funding to our community and to collaborate with other organizations to foster positive change. After all, we are #BetterTogether.”
Carpenter graduated from Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and also holds certificates in Grant Writing, Program Evaluation, and Community Development.
In her role at the City, her responsibilities will include:
Maintaining and monitoring project plans, schedules, scopes of work, budgets, and expenditures
Research, obtain, and monitor grants for projects
Assisting the City Manager with various projects
Meet with project leaders to assess their needs and define project requirements
Preparing budgets
Scheduling stakeholder meetings, documenting discussions, and generating reports
Promoting a positive work culture
Recruit and retain employees
Conducting regular training sessions for employees
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative members in Linn County and surrounding areas will soon benefit from enhancements to electric power grid resilience thanks to state and federal awards totaling more than $615,000, according to a press release from HREC.
“The project was designed to address some challenges in Linn County, where we have had problems with the power supply from the transmission lines,” said Doug Graham, Communication Specialist for Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. .
“What happens at our substations is that we tap into the transmission lines and get the power we need to distribute to our members,” he said. “What this project will do is link 10 of our substations together and make new paths for electricity to flow — paths that we can control remotely.”
“The idea is that if we lose power to one of our Linn County substations because there is a problem with the transmission line in that area, but we still have access to power through a transmission line that’s connected to a different substation, we will be able to remotely reroute power from that other substation and get the Linn County people back online.”
“But the reverse could also be true,” he said. “There could be situations where we have lost power at, say, our Devon substation in Bourbon County, but we still have access to power at our Linn County substations. Thanks to the improvements this project will make, we would then be able to quickly and remotely reroute power to the members who are usually served by that Devon substation and keep them on until the power supply issue is resolved.”
“For that reason, this project will benefit folks in the counties around Linn as well,” he said.
Heartland’s Project RESTORE (Resiliency Enhancements to Strategically Transfer Optimized Reliable Energy) involves the installation of 10 remote-controlled reclosers to allow for speedy rerouting of power along existing lines to bring Linn County members back online within minutes rather than hours in the event of a substation outage, according to the press release.
By replacing hydraulic reclosers with remotely operated electronic reclosers, Heartland staff will be able to reroute power much more quickly, greatly reducing the time consumer members are out of power due to power supply interruptions. The project will allow Heartland staff to remotely reroute power between a total of 10 substations.
Heartland will receive $414,627 in federal funding for the project through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience Grant Program, and an additional $200,403 from the Build Kansas Fund, which was established by the Kansas Legislature to help Kansas organizations meet the matching fund requirements for federal infrastructure grants, according to the press release.
While the project was designed to address needs specific to Linn County, members in adjoining counties served by the affected substations will also benefit from these grid enhancements.
Heartland Chief Executive Officer Mark Scheibe said few electric distribution utilities serving rural areas would consider this type of project because of the cost and the technical knowledge required to make it work. As a result, already underserved areas miss out on technology that could substantially reduce outages.
“Our goal is for Project RESTORE to serve as a model for other rural providers to follow as they work toward improving grid resilience,” Scheibe said.
Project RESTORE was one of 11 projects selected for a total of nearly $17 million in funding through the DOE grid resilience program and the Build Kansas Fund.
About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.
Heartland REC traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.