All posts by Submitted Story

Entertainment, Fort Scott

Public Library Scaling Up To More Activities

Leave a comment
Fort Scott Public Library
Fort Scott Public Library staff are working on providing more activities during the COVID 19 pandemic.
“We are slowly scaling up to more activities offered and are currently working on a new way of doing summer reading,” Valetta Cannon, Fort Scott Public Library Youth Librarian and Assistant Director, said.

 
This week, three teens/tweens attended the library’s first virtual book club meeting! The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 29 at 4 pm – Virtual Teen & Tween Game Night on Zoom. To receive the link, families should email Miss Val at vcyouthlib@gmail.com or message the Fort Scott Public Library Facebook page prior to the start of the meeting. Games played will include 2 Truths, 1 Lie (bring at least enough truths and lies for 3 or 4 rounds) and Charades (bring ideas for words and phrases to act out). Other games may also be played. This meeting is for middle and high school students only.
Next week’s storytime schedule will run as follows:
April 28: 10 am Art & Jellybeans Storytime on Zoom (the meeting will be recorded and made available after it ends).
               11 am  Art & Jellybeans Storytime on Facebook Live (we may post the video on the library’s YouTube channel as well).
Details: 
Join Miss Val online for virtual storytime! The library will use the Zoom platform for the 10 am storytime and Facebook Live for the 11 am event. This should remain the schedule until the library reopens, but stay tuned to Fort Scott Public Library’s Facebook page for all event updates. Due to security concerns surrounding the Zoom app, you will need to message the library for the meeting link. You may receive the link by one of two methods:
 

Message Fort Scott Public Library through Facebook or email Miss Val at vcyouthlib@gmail.com before the start (10 am Tuesday) of storytime, and they will send you the link. The same link will be used for all future Zoom storytimes.


Zoom can be accessed on any pc with a camera and headset, smartphone, or tablet with online access. The full application will allow families to see and interact with one another, in addition to being a part of storytime. Storytimes will be recorded and posted afterwards for anyone who misses part or all of the meetings to view later. You will have the option of turning your video and audio on and off anytime during the meeting.
This week’s story: “The Jellybeans and the Big Art Adventure” by Laura Numeroff & Nate Evans
This week’s craft: Painting
Materials Needed: Paper, paint (homemade is fine – see the library Pinterest page for a great recipe!), water cup, rag for spills, paintbrush (or cotton swab, sponge, etc.).  
 
For activity suggestions and more see the library’s Storytime Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/fortscottpublic/story-time/.
Read digital books related to the theme at http://sunflowerelibrary.overdrive.com or https://www.hoopladigital.com/ (seknfind.org account required) or https://kslib.info/963/eBooks-for-Kids (for residents of Kansas only).#fsplstorytimeThis week’s snack:

Jellybeans or other colorful foods
Alternatives to jellybeans include assorted berries and grapes, cereal, trail mix, M&M’s, Skittles, etc.  

Obituary

Obituary of Renea Gress

Leave a comment

Renea Lynn Gress, 37, of Fort Scott, passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at her home.

She was born June 17, 1982 in Kansas City, Kansas the daughter of Wesley Allan and Colene Janette (Summers) Gress.

Renea is Survived by her Father, Wes Gress, two sisters, Andrea Weak of Pocahontas, Illinois and Stephanie King of Pittsburg, Kansas, two nephews, Levi and Kyran Weak, and her boyfriend Neal Fishback. She was preceded in death by her Mother, Colene Janette Gress who passed away on January 15, 2020.

The family suggests memorials to the Diabetes Foundation, contributions may be sent to, or left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com

Funeral arrangements for Renea Gress are incomplete and will be announced later by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home

Opinion

What To Learn From The COVID 19 by Patty LaRoche

Leave a comment
Patty LaRoche

After this Covid-19 virus passes, I hope we learn a few things.

I hope we learn the importance of saving. Proverbs 21:20 makes that clear. The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. According to Bankrate.com, more than one in five Americans don’t save any of their annual income. For those who do, twenty percent have put back only five percent or less of what they make. What would have happened if our government had not bailed us out? My widowed mother raised three of us on minimum wage. The first check she wrote each month was her tithe. If she did not have enough money to purchase something, we went without, including a television and a car. We rented until she saved the cash to buy a home. She never had a credit card. Had this virus hit when we were young, we probably would have been much better off than some of my friends’ families….you know, the ones with the beautiful homes, the Country Club memberships, and a huge amount of credit card debt.

I am grateful that we live in America where Uncle Sam is looking after us. My Hispanic friend from Mazatlán recently sent an email sharing that, since the Mexican government is doing NOTHING to bail out businesses or individuals, people are figuring out ways to help each other. This is what she shared: “Buenos Dias Sra Patty…By the fishermen monument, there is an area where are many little boats called pangas. The fishermen took their nets and went to the ocean, they got so many fish, a lot and they asked people to take it to eat. This was wonderful. At the department stores, there is a table with a note. If you need something take it, if you could donate something leave it. I saw people taking two things off the table. I love to see it too. By my place 3 days ago a lady was passing by yelling.Tamales, 2 per person for free. Senora Patty, this kind of things make my heart feel good.

Proverbs 6:6-8 encourages us to learn our saving habits from the lowly ant: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” The Bible has much to say about saving. For one, our money is not ours; it is God’s. In times such as this, how nice would it be to be able to help our neighbors because we had “stored” some provisions and not lived above our means? Instead, I’ve met too many Americans who save only to have a cushy life when their working days are over. A leisurely “Retirement” becomes their payoff, yet even Jesus admonished the person whose goal was to save in order to have a comfy life instead of taking care of real needs as a thank-you for God’s provisions.

In Luke 12: 16-21, Jesus shares this parable: The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Retirement for Christians should not be self-centered. It should be the time when we devote ourselves to serving others with our time and resources.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am grateful that we live in the United States where businesses can be saved and families can eat because of the bail-out. I just hope that when this virus is over, we all might rethink our financial priorities and learn from the lowly ant…the wise, working, lowly ant.

Fort Scott, Government

Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee Members Sought

Leave a comment

Please see the following Board openings:

This is for the newly formed Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee:

  • Seven (7) openings (Six (6) City residents – One (1) County resident in the three mile limit)

The function of the Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee is to provide suggestions to the City Manager and Governing Body regarding road improvement projects throughout the City of Fort Scott. When submitting your letter/email of interest, please provide any specific knowledge or training you have that would compliment you being a member of this board. If you have already submitted a letter of interest, you will be contacted by the Clerk for more information.

If you have a desire to serve on this board and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. These names will be submitted for consideration to the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on this board, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or dclay@fscity.org. Please submit your letter of interest by May 1st, 2020.

Government, Kansas

CARES Act – Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Update

Leave a comment

CARES Act – Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) now live

 

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of Labor Delía García today joined Governor Laura Kelly in announcing that Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides an additional $600 weekly payment for unemployment insurance claimants, went live starting today. FPUC is part of the federal CARES Act, which is focused on expanding unemployment benefits in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

FPUC is a $600 payment made each week that is in addition to other unemployment benefits an eligible claimant may receive. FPUC is a limited time program. Individuals are eligible for the $600 payments from March 29, until July 25, 2020, if they are receiving Regular Benefits (State Unemployment), Shared Work, Trade Readjustment Assistance, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

 

“If you are eligible, you will automatically receive the FPUC payment,” García said. “You do not need an additional application. We will also be paying the additional $600 to individuals who were eligible and filed their weekly claims. The retroactive payments for prior weeks after the law went into effect on March 29, 2020, will be following soon.”

 

“This is welcome news for unemployed Kansans who need assistance immediately,” Kelly said. “We also recently shared details on our push for regulation and possible legislation to ensure our emergency responders and healthcare workers have access to workers compensation coverage, and we also announced implementation of the Legislature’s expansion of benefits to up to 26 weeks. With the $600 additional payments from FPUC now live, we have made progress in a variety of ways needed to help many Kansans.”

 

For more information, or to apply for unemployment benefits, go to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov.

Government, Kansas

National Emergency Triggers Disaster Food Distribution

Leave a comment

DCF Partners with Local Agencies to Distribute Food to Local Communities

National emergency triggers disaster household distribution program

Editors note: see the fortscott.biz story on this subject and where the local distribution sites are by clicking below:

https://fortscott.biz/news/federal-emergency-food-assistance-coming-for-those-affected-by-covid-19

 

The Department for Children and Families along with its community partners is distributing food to Kansans as part of the disaster household distribution program. The program is triggered when a national emergency is declared.

 

The program provides a variety of canned meats, vegetables, fruits, rice, dried beans, peanut butter and in some cases frozen meats and fresh milk. The food is being distributed to impacted households through DCF’s existing network of Emergency Food Assistance Program or TEFAP agencies.

 

There are no income restrictions for the disaster household program. Anyone in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic may receive a food package. The program is first come, first served. Quantities are limited.

Distributions are expected to last through May 6.

 

To find a distribution site nearest to your community see the list of sites at: http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Documents/Food_Distribution_Programs/TEFAP%20Distribution%20Sites%20by%2 0County.pdf

 

Bourbon County, Government, Health Care

SEK Multi-County Health Department Update April 23

Leave a comment

SEK Multi-County Health Departments

Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, and Woodson Counties

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

April 23, 2020

Allen County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Anderson County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Bourbon County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 5
Total Positives Since Testing 6
Deaths 1

Woodson County

Current Positive Cases 1
Current Recovered Cases 4
Total Positives Since Testing 5
Deaths 0

Recovered cases are based on dates of onset of symptoms, not on day testing results are received.

Total positive counts changed in Bourbon and Woodson, because one case was living in Bourbon County, but a resident of Woodson County. This person has recovered and was listed as so last week.

Government, Kansas

Kelly Waives Some Medical Requirements, Loosens Alcohol Carryout

Leave a comment

Governor signs two Executive Orders as part of her administration’s ongoing COVID-19 response

 

Governor Laura Kelly today signed two new Executive Orders to help the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Executive Order #20-26 temporarily waives physician supervision or collaboration requirements for certain medical licensees, including advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and licensed practical nurses.

 

“These are qualified health care professionals who provide safe, high-quality, routine care to Kansans on a daily basis,” Kelly said. “They diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and work in numerous medical settings and fields. Temporarily easing some regulatory measures will help give doctors more capacity to focus on COVID-19 patients.”

 

The order permits registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, who hold a license that is exempt, inactive or has lapsed within the past five years to provide medical services appropriate to their qualifications.

 

The order also allows out-of-state health care providers to practice in Kansas, if necessary, without a Kansas license, but only if they are in good standing in their home state.

 

Through the order, health care providers assisting the state in its response as coordinated by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management will be covered by the liability protections of the Kansas Emergency Management Act.

 

“Addressing those broader challenges is not something I can, or should, do on my own through executive action,” Kelly said. “I encourage the Kansas Legislature to explore how we can adjust current statutes to better enable our doctors and nurses to adequately protect both their patients and protect themselves from liability as we adjust to a ‘new normal’ in the coronavirus era.”

 

Executive Order #20-27 allows the sale of alcoholic beverages for carryout consumption and permits the sale of liquor in a container that is not the original container for any establishment holding a class A club license, class B club license or drinking establishment license.

 

“I understand how many Kansas restaurants rely on the sale of alcoholic beverages,” Kelly said. “My administration is doing all it can to ease the burden on Kansas employees and their families who have lost income due to this crisis.”

 

The sale of alcoholic beverages for carryout consumption is subject to the following requirements:

 

  • It must be legal for the establishment (the licensee) to sell alcoholic liquor;
  • Each container of alcoholic liquor must have been purchased on the licensed premises;
  • The licensee or the licensee’s employee must provide the patron with a dated receipt for the unfinished container or containers of alcoholic liquor; and
  • Before the container of alcoholic liquor is removed from the licensed premises, the licensee or the licensee’s employee must place the container in a transparent bag sealed in a manner that makes it visibly apparent if the bag is subsequently tampered with or opened.

 

To view E.O. #20-26, click here.

To view E.O. #20-27, click here.