After setting an establishment date for May 9, the initiation of the Quiet Zone at the railroad tracks intersecting with Wall Street was delayed briefly when Fort Scott officials learned part of the curbing was just short of new regulations.

Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said the curbing at a north corner of the intersection, where the Burlington Northern parking area is located, was about four feet short of those new regulations, which the city was not aware of initially. Martin added he was not comfortable signing off on the project until it lined up with those safety codes in place for the railroad employees.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Martin said, saying already the city is working with local contractors to complete the project. “I want to make sure it’s completely safe.”

Once the short stretch of curbing is complete, Martin said it would be up to Burlington Northern and the Federal Railroad Association whether the city has to wait another 21 days for official approval of the quiet zone.

With the new establishment date, trains traveling through that intersection will no longer blow their horns within a quarter mile in either direction of Wall Street.

Fort Scott Community College is pleased to announce that Gina Shelton has been selected as the 2016 Outstanding Young Alumna and Dr. Paul W. Grimes as the 2016 Outstanding Alumnus by the FSCC Alumni and Friends Board of Directors.

FSCC will host a reception to honor Shelton and Grimes at 2 p.m. Friday, May 13. Shelton will also speak at the FSCC 9 a.m. graduation ceremony while Grimes will speak at the 4 p.m. ceremony on Friday, May 13.

Shelton was born and raised in Fort Scott, Kan., to John (deceased) and Connie Findley of Fort Scott. She has two sisters and one brother. She is married to Travis Shelton and they are parents to two children, Nick, 14, and Maci, 10.

Shelton graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1997. She initially enrolled in FSCC with the intention of majoring in secretarial science. After taking a beginning accounting class from Dr. Mary Ann Childers, she decided to pursue a degree in accounting. Gina graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1999 with an Associate of Science degree from FSCC. She then transferred to Pittsburg State University, where she graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting.

In January 2002, Shelton joined Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs PA. She worked there for nearly fourteen years, assisting small businesses with accounting and tax work. In 2015, Shelton passed the Certified Public Accountant Exam. She joined Unified School District 234 as the Business Manager/Clerk in October 2015.

Shelton is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. She serves on many nonprofit boards including the Bourbon County United Way, Fort Scott High School Alumni, and the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, where she serves as Downtown Committee Chair and Finance Chair. She is also a member of the Bourbon County Young Professionals League and PEO Chapter CA. She attends Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and enjoys supporting community events.

Dr. Grimes serves as Dean and Professor of Economics for the Kelce College of Business at Pittsburg State University. Prior to his return to Pittsburg State University in 2011, he served as a faculty member and college administrator for 25 years at Mississippi State University. Over the course of his 32-year career, Dr. Grimes has taught thousands of college students, from entering freshman to doctoral candidates. He has authored more than 100 scholarly research articles, reviews, notes, and other publications. Additionally, he has received more than one and a half million dollars in grants and contracts for his research and outreach activities over the course of his career from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

Dr. Grimes proudly traces his Southeast Kansas roots back four generations. After graduating from Baxter Springs High School, he attended Fort Scott Community College to pursue an Associate degree in business administration in May 1978. Dr. Grimes went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in economics from Pittsburg State University. In December 1984, he received a Doctor of Philosophy from Oklahoma State University and began his career in higher education. Dr. Grimes’ academic specializations are in the areas of labor economics, economic education, and economics of public policy.

In 2003, Dr. Grimes was instrumental in founding the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to training K-12 teachers and promoting economic and financial literacy. His work with the Council resulted in revisions to the Mississippi high school curriculum which will positively impact generations of students and their families.

Dr. Grimes was recognized for his scholarship by being named a Visiting Fellow by Princeton University and a Senior Evaluation Scholar by the National Council on Economic Education. In 2005, he was honored by the National Association of Economic Educators with the Henry H. Villard Research Award for his career contributions to economic education research. The Southern Economic Association presented Dr. Grimes with the prestigious Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award in 2010.

Dr. Grimes is a co-author of Economics of Social Issues, an introductory college economics textbook published by McGraw-Hill. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The American Economist, the academic journal published by Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society in Economics. He lives in Pittsburg, Kan., with his wife Marybeth, his two children, Maryroze, 14, and Spalding, 12, and his mother-in-law Rosemary.

With just a handful of school days left before the end of the 2015-2016 school year, the United School District 234 Board of Education took time during the executive session of their meeting Monday to discuss the resignation of middle school principal Jim Howard.

“It was a hard decision,” said Howard, who came to Fort Scott as the principal two years ago.

Just last Thursday, Howard interviewed for a position as the superintendent of United School District 412, with about 400 students, in the city of Hoxie in west Kansas. Howard said they offered him the position the next day and he decided to accept it over the weekend.

Howard said it will be very difficult for him to leave his staff and the Fort Scott school district, which he first came to with the goal of making a positive impact on the area. But Howard said he looks forward to this new challenge of entering an even smaller community and having an impact.

“It’s something I’ve wanted in my career and it will be a new adventure,” Howard said becoming the superintendent.

USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham said Howard will be missed in Fort Scott, not just as the principal but as a friend he and others became close to during his two years there.

“He will be very difficult to replace,” Beckham said. “He came into our culture and was accepted very quickly for his work ethic and passion for the middle school.”

Howard’s hard work was rewarded when he was named an Exemplary Middle School Principal of the Year in recent weeks. Howard says he will strive to finish the current school year well, ending his time in Fort Scott in June and then transitioning to Hoxie where he will begin July 1.

Beckham said the school district posted the open position Tuesday morning and an interview team has been assembled as they prepare to search for a new middle school principal. Beckham said they will work as quickly as is reasonable to find a replacement who will continue as Howard did in the midst of the building projects.

The Fort Scott Farmers’ Market began a new season of providing fresh produce and other goods to the community with their opening weekend Saturday morning, with vendors selling a number of baked, fresh and homemade items as well as plants.

From May to the final weekend of October, vendors will sell their items at the Skubitz Plaza next to the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Visitors can come make purchases Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, or Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m.

Regular sale items include baked breads and other goods, homemade salsa and jams, hot tamales, fresh vegetables and fruits and homemade items. The Bourbon County Garden Club sold plants for the opening weekend but will not be available each week, though other vendors also had plants on hand.

Those interested in participating as a vendor can sign up for a booth with Chet and Linda Bower.

Through the end of May, the Pioneer Kiwanis will continue collecting new or gently used pairs of shoes from members of the community, with the goal of collecting 2,500 pairs to send to third world countries.

The Kiwanis club began the Donate Your Soles collection in April and continues to strive to reach their goal before the end of the month. The shoes they collect will be sent overseas to developing nations in an effort to help residents there start and maintain a business to support themselves and their families.

The shoe drive also serves as a fundraiser as the Kiwanis will receive funding based on the number of pairs collected. That money will be used towards the Kiwanis’ Youth Program in Bourbon County.

Bids and Dibs on National Avenue in downtown Fort Scott is serving as a location to drop off donated shoes. With the approach of summer as well as the common garage sale season, the Kiwanis encourage residents to consider donating shoes they do not sell.

Numerous members of the community joined together Thursday morning to participate in the 65^th annual National Day of Prayer, organized by the Pioneer Kiwanis and hosted at Fort Scott Community College.

Reverend Marty DeWitt of Uniontown First Missionary Baptist Church referred to prayer as a vital and important part of what this country has accomplished and said that prayer is still needed for the country.

This year’s theme was “Wake Up America” and those in attendance sat at tables that held signs encouraging specific topics to pray for, including families, churches, leaders, Fort Scott, Kansas, America and upcoming elections.

Keynote speaker Gregg Motley of Landmark National Bank said “unthinkable” things are happening in the United States, such as the national debt, small towns shrinking, churches losing vitality and laws being enforced that contradict biblical morals.

But despite such tough circumstances for the churches, Motley said he believes those situations can revitalize the church.

“We’ve had tough circumstances in this country before,” Motley said, mentioning the Great Depression that then lead to one of America’s greatest generations that rebuilt the nation. “God has a purpose for tough times…Don’t fear tough times, pray and ask God to prepare your heart.”

In order for America to wake up to spiritual things, Motley said individual people need to wake up first, sharing his testimony of his “wake up call,” when he asked God to literally wake him up each morning as a young adult so he could spend time in prayer.

The Day of Prayer continues in Fort Scott with a gathering at the American flag outside the Bourbon County Courthouse at noon.

Submitted by Heather Cutshall, May 2

Fort Scott Community College Rodeo Team and Alumni will show off their skills during “The Clash” event on Saturday, May 7, at Arnold Arena.

“The Clash” is a fundraising event that gives FSCC rodeo students the opportunity to compete alongside professionally-ranked alumni.

“We look forward to seeing the students and alumni get together and compete against each other,” said Chad Cross, FSCC Rodeo Coach. “It’s a fun and friendly competition.”

The event will include a team competition, silent auction, live auction and BBQ meal. The evening will begin with a BBQ dinner at 5 p.m. in Arnold Arena. After the meal, “The Clash” event will begin at 7:30 p.m. Matches will include bareback riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, goat tying, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding.

FSCC alumni who will compete include Stuart Gullager, Ray Holmes, Glen Smith, Brandi Buzzard, Nathan Hughes, Lindsey Hughes, Carl Taylor and Cody Hamm.

“I’m excited to compete in the bull riding match,” said Luke Hamilton, FSCC Rodeo Student. “It’s been a great year all-around for the team, and this event is a great way to end the year.”

The BBQ dinner admission is by donation, and ticket prices for The Clash are $8 for adults, $5 for students, $3 for children ages 6-12 years and free for children five and under. Proceeds from the event will benefit upgrades to the outside rodeo arena and rodeo student scholarships. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call (620) 223-2700, ext. 7020.

Submitted by Amber Toth, May 2

The Fort Scott High School Forensics Team gave it their best at their recent state forensics competition, but came just 15 points short of a trophy, finishing fourth out of 51 schools.

“I am so incredibly proud of them,” coach Amber Toth said. “I can hardly believe the season we have had.”

The FSHS team had half their events  make it to the semi-final round. Darby Toth ended up 12th in informative speaking and 11th in original oration. Joe Adams and Garrett Tatro also made it to the semi-finals in extemporaneous speaking, with Adams finishing in 8th place and Tatro in 10th. Seth Cross advanced to the finals in both poetry and impromptu speaking, taking third in impromptu and 5th in poetry. Rebekah Sweyko placed fourth in informative speaking as a first-year student while Thomas Nighswonger ended up in fourth place in humorous interpretation.

“We compete in the largest state tournament for any classification,” Toth said. “These kids fought hard and continue to make Fort Scott proud.”